The Abbey of the Dawn

The Abbey of the Dawn is the largest religious sect dedicated to the god of wisdom, agriculture, and the sun Pelor, otherwise known as the Dawnfather. Comprised of a mostly peaceful clergy, the Abbey focuses on Pelor's aspects of healing and growth of farmland and agriculture. Thusly, they tend to raise a great number of Clerics and a smaller number of Druids, and while sometimes Paladins can arise from the Abbey, they often leave their peaceful ways and become members of the Abbey's counterpart, the Bonfire Conclave.

Structure

• Sunspeakers: Sunspeakers are teachers and educators that embody Pelor's aspect of wisdom, traveling the world to educate and wisen the world to things they may not know but wish to know. They comprise primarily of Clerics or Bards.
• Sunfosters: Sunfosters are focused on growing food, enriching farmland, and feeding the general populace. This sect also focuses on healing the wounded and treating ailments of the public denizens. Sometimes they travel and sometimes they stay at their Convents, and depending on the placement, they may take doniations and/or charge for their services.
• Dawnbringers: The very small cadre of protectors of the Abbey, known as paladins or light clerics. Usually, there are no more than ten Dawnbringers, and they can range from warriors seeking to protect the innocent to former knights looking for further service.

The following are members of the Abbey who reside within its many convents throughout the world of Albion:

• Father Alevandor Soren: A male high elf Sunspeaker who stands as the high priest of Sunsept, the Abbey's main headquarters in the Kingdom of Sonora.
• Brother Celestine Suntusk: A male half-orc life cleric who seeks to break away from his Orcish roots and teach people that the Orcs are not to be feared.
• Elvaryn Bronzeblade: A scarred ex-slave male Fire Genasi paladin who serves Pelor as a protector of the people, keen to avoid the radical nature of the Bonfire Conclave.
• Ressa Sunstone: A dwarven life cleric who was saved from life as a brothel's owner.

These are the Acolytes in training to become recognized priests of Pelor:

• Elliot Durren: An acolyte from Sunsept.

Culture

The Abbey is very open and exploratory to non-members, always keen to speak philosophy and beliefs with other people, even those from other religions. They ultimately believe that the world is constantly in need of growth and healing, and approach this problem by cultivating wisdom, knowledge, and resources to help the world.

Public Agenda

The Abbey seeks to educate, heal, and provide resources to the common folk and higher folk alike. They often protest against the hoarding wealth and knowledge, and seek to better the cultivation of farmland and growth throughout the colonies they are found in.

Assets

• Dawn Lillies: These flowers bloom only during the daytime and are used by the church for many of their healing elixirs and concoctions, as well as burned as alms during their clerical ceremonies.
• Sundrop: This golden liquid serves as a powerful Elixir of Health to cure most poisons and sometimes even curses.
• Sunstones: Sometimes clerical members make Sunstone jewelry to sell for the church or for their members, usually used as identifiers.

Worship

The Abbey holds worship for gods relating to Pelor, mainly those who are believed to be his divine children:

• Sarenrae the Dawnflower: Often seen as the goddess daughter of Pelor, Sarenrae stands for the redemption and healing of broken souls, working to save those who still have a spark of good from drowning in the pits of evil. Those she cannot save or who wish to not be saved then suffer under the fires of her holy scimitar.
• Lathander the Morninglord: Lathander is a god of rebirth, growth, and life, often called the wise eldest son of Pelor. He is often invoked during times of healing, birth, marriage, harvest, and fertility, standing as the wise man to round out Sarenrae's righteousness.

The Abbey venerates the past heroes who have fought and protected the innocent under Pelor's banner, each ascending to a level of Sainthood as a champion of the Dawnfather. Many look to them for guidance or patronage, and they are listed below:

• Saint Mayaheine, the Shield Maiden: A female paladin of Pelor who ascended to the status of demigoddess of Protection, Justice, and Valor, Mayaheine inspires women everywhere to stand just as tall and fight just as hard as their male brethren. She is depicted as a tall woman with auburn-gold hair with blue eyes, carrying a bastard sword and a longbow while garbed in silvery plate mail.
• Saint Bane the Scourger: Not to be mistaken with the god Bane, this knight is the patron saint of those who hunt the undead and seek out the truly explicitly evil. He is depicted as a red tabard-wearing knight with golden armor and a flaming sword.
• Saint Jalnir the Gentle: Jalnir was a half-orc cleric who forsook the ways of his tribe in favor of peace, wisdom, and healing. He is the patron saint of Pelor's life clerics and all healers who work in his name, as well as those who seek to change their ways and leave behind their past to find redemption. 
• Saint Benedor, the Ashen Hand: Patron of the Knight Protectors of the Great Kingdom, Benedor was a famous Pelorian paladin and remains greatly revered by the Sun Lord's faithful. He is the patron saint of the Bonfire Conclave and is depicted as an armored knight with firelight blazing from the slits and openings of his armor, his hand blazing with pure flame.
• Saint Pentival: This Pelorian cleric was a foe of ancient universe-hopping lich wizard, Acererak.

Type

Religious, Holy Order

Alternative Names

The Dawn Order, The Abbey of the Sun, Pelor's Clergy

Demonym

Abbeymen/Abbeywomen

Controlled Territories

• Sunsept

Related Items

• Ajira's Rod
• The Dawnstars