Apollo
Name : Phoebus Apollo.
Birth: July 7th.
Honorific Titles : Eternal Blazing Sun, God of the Sun and Light, Master of Order, Giver of Life, Ethnarch of Music, Forebear of Art, Bringer of Hope, Patron and Creator of Humanity, Progenitor of Languages, Bringer of Twilight, Morning Lord.
Nicknames : the Breaker, the Changer, the Anamoly, the Chosen, the Origin, My Sun, the Cruel Sun, the Blasphemer, the Man of Miracles.
Authorities : [Sun], [Light], [Order].
Divinities : [Music], [Art], [Language], [Hope], [Prohecy], [Divination], [Poetry], [Healing].
Status : Divine Being.
Power Level : Tier 3 - B (Multiple Galaxy Level).
Weapon: The Sun Invictus and the Spear of Eternity.
Affiliations : Olympus.
Divine Residence : Delos.
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Organization : Temple of the Eternal Blazing Sun.
Type : Faith, Secret, Knowledge and Military.
Symbol : The Blazing Sun.
Headquarters : Delphi, Trier.
The highest principles of Apollo's holy rites were volition and impartiality. He commanded the faithful to encourage and exemplify acceptance, equality, and understanding; to treat all other beings as equals; and to make all welcome in the faith.
'Let all on whom my light falls be welcome if they desire to be so. As the golden sun waxes and wanes, so too does all life. Trust in my eternal radiance, and know that all who live in love under my light shall know my blessing. Turn to the sun, and I will be your true guide.'
- The words of Apollo, with which all novices were guided.
Novices in the Apollonian temples were called the Awakened, while clerics were known as Dawnbringers. The full priests took a new name in his service when they were ready to signify that Apollo personally recognised and accepted them. This new name could either be used instead of their old name or simply be used only when addressing other Dawnbringers and when in solitary prayer.
All of Apollo's clergy respected art, liberty, nature, and culture; promoted betterment of oneself; and strove to bring hope to their followers and others. Many of these followers worked in various creative arts.
Order -
Clerical Orders :
Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun: an order of knights and clerics that later dedicated themselves to the belief in the Eternal Sun.
Military Orders :
Company of the Singing Dawn: a mercenary company of bards and adventures based out of Trier that promoted worship of the Eternal Blazing Sun and took on missions that aligned with his holy sites.
Order of the Aster:
An order of knights that exemplified the most conservative tenets of the faith and safeguarded its temples across the Western World. They served as the de facto army of the temple.
Power - Initiates and other clergy of the Apollonian faith were granted immediate use of magical spells that involved the manipulation of light. While Dawnbringers were far more adept than clerics of other faiths at turning undead, crusaders of Apollo were notably not granted this ability but the manipulation of order.
Activities -
[Spreading hope and enthusiasm is] your holy task, your life's work, and your daily salvation.
- Words of Castor, the Angel of Dawn.
Followers of Apollonian were directed to provide aid to others and foster innovation to better the lives of humans in the western world. They cultivated lands that were otherwise barren, culled monstrous creatures to make way for new settlements, fought off the forces of evil, and imparted civilised ideals to discordant locales. They offered much assistance to adventurers, pilgrims, and others that travelled across the Western world. They made efforts to recover long-lost relics, magic items, or creative works such as literature or art in order to further their own innovative endeavours.
Priests offered a wide variety of services to their parishioners, including marriages, births, funerary services, and even public announcements of new public works projects.
Apollonian temples often sponsored non-combative athletic events, such as wrestling, archery, riding, running, swimming, and the like. They also honoured creative competition in the arts, including the arts such as literature. More often, local clergy hosted grand revels for forward-thinking scholars and intellectuals in order to stimulate their creativity and inspire new ideas that would further advance culture and civilization across the western world.
Priests of the Eternal Blazing Sun often concerned themselves with new business ventures, offering loans to business people seeking more start-up capital than their neighbourhood moneylender could offer. Some of them took this entrepreneurial spirit even further, becoming investors, merchants, and financial brokers for their own personal enrichment. They were often viewed as overly enthusiastic hucksters. Yet other priests chose to propagate more humanistic unions, serving as matchmakers to prospective lovers who had yet to find their partners.
Faith - The Believers of the Eternal Sun considered cycles of growth and renewal, especially with regards to the natural world. They greatly valued beauty, culture, and art, taking delight in the wonders of Apollo's glory.
Rituals - Befitting Apollo's title of Morninglord, rituals, ceremonies, and daily prayers led by his clergy were held at dawn each day. Formal unions, such as official contracts or marriages held during that time, were considered especially blessed. An additional prayer to Apollo was held by some temples at highsun each day, and was considered a solemn but joyous rite of the faith. A ceremony known as the Going Down was performed at funerals, which were always held at dusk.