Taiia
Mythology & Lore
It is believed by her worshippers that the incident that created the first planes also created Taiia. For untold eons, for time had not yet been invented, She lived amongst the great void of nothingness until she was struck with a need for company. And so, she made her children the first of the Greater Deities. Some of these first deities are still known, while others have been lost or killed. Taiia watched over her children, trying to keep them focused and not fighting. They built much of the lands we know as the outer planes and the Prime Material. In this time, before there was much of anything the gods were not as set as they are now, they were more malleable.
Eventually, as all children do, they grew tired of Taiia's oversight. They wanted to build, create, and destroy and do this without the limits Taiia put on them. These young gods rose up and took nearly all of Taiia's power, leaving her thought dead for Eons. She slept deep in the void of space, slowly healing herself.
It is said that one day when she has enough power, she will wage a terrible war on the other gods and take back all the power taken from her.
Divine Origins
The Faith of the Sun is a monotheistic religion with Taiia at its front. She is a sun deity with two aspects: she is the Creator and the Destroyer of the universe; the sun's rising every morning is a reminder of her favor and life-giving and sustaining properties. The sun's setting and absence through the night is a taste of her wrath, promised to those who do not follow her.
Taiia has been worshipped in some way or another for as long as anyone can remember. Some say she was the first Deity and will be the last. Her grand Temple in Peloch is one of the oldest structures in the city.
Tenets of Faith
Taiia is an indeterminate humanoid with red skin, golden hair, three eyes, and four arms. She is surrounded by a nimbus of bright light, and no darkness can tolerate her presence.
Taiia is fickle and passionate, giving and withholding her favors without evident regard for alignment or fairness. Her worshipers represent the whole range of mortal life: adoring devotees who seek mystical union with her light, fanatic assassins who believe they are carrying out her sentence of condemnation, and humble peasants who plead for bountiful harvests and mild winters. Different people and different sects emphasize one of her aspects over the other. A balanced view of them both is difficult to find.
The religion of Taiia denies not only the potency but even the existence of other gods and, therefore, prohibits the worship of any other deity. Taiia's followers hope to be joined with her after death, their souls consumed to feed her eternal flames. Those she does not favor, for whatever reason, are condemned to remain in darkness, apart from her, for eternity.
Taiia gives, and she takes. We live, and we die according to her will. If she speaks a word, the crops grow or wither under the frost. Does she care? I don't know. But I know she hears my prayers in the temple, and sometimes, she grants what I ask. She is life. And in the end, she is death as well, and she will eat my soul and let me be part of her if it pleases her.
Worship
Worship of Taiia varies greatly from sect to sect, but they all share similarities. All revere the sun and have services at either dawn or sundown, and all proclaim Taiia to be the one goddess above all. Some sects believe the other deities should not be counted as gods, while others believe they should be viewed as lesser entities.
Creation-focused sects focus on life, charity, and community work. For destruction sects, the focus is on death, judgment, and purification.
Priesthood
Clergy of any sect are easily recognized by their shaved heads and the holy symbols they wear prominently. While each sect has its own symbol, all incorporate the image of the three-eyed solar disk. The Blind Mendicants' symbol shows the disk with two of its eyes closed, while the Purifying Flame sect's disk also has four arms, wielding Taiia's favored weapons. The roles and missions of clergy vary depending on their sect.
Sects
Blind Mendicants:
This Creator-focused sect is highly mystical, emphasizing ascetic practice (including wearing a blindfold or even self-blinding, poverty, and fasting) and long hours of contemplative prayer. Through these practices, the Blind Mendicants (clerics and priests) hope to achieve a heightened awareness of Taiia's presence and power, experiencing the purifying power of her flames and the bliss of her favor.Purifying Flame:
"The purifying power of her flames" means something rather different to this Destroyer-focused sect. Its members share a twin focus: prophecy and judgment. Members of the Purifying Flame cultivate an oracular gift, believing that Taiia grants them visions and insight into her will and her favor. Emphasizing her dark aspect, however, these prophecies usually involve her judgment on a world that does not follow her adequately. They carry out her judgments among mortals—through systems of justice when possible or by extraordinary means, including assassination and war.Sun's Path:
This Creator-focused sect is characterized by devotional worship, cultivating not the mystical experience of Taiia's presence but the believer's love of the deity and devotion to her faith. No extraordinary acts of asceticism or prayer are demanded. Still, members of the Sun's Path sect meet regularly to worship through joyful singing and whirling dances that symbolize the sun's arc through the sky (hence the sect's name).Darkened Penitents:
This Destroyer-focused sect resembles the Purifying Flame in that it emphasizes Taiia's judgment on a sinful world. Rather than carrying out her punishments on the rest of the world, the sect's members carry the weight of sin themselves. By voluntarily accepting Taiia's rejection—often meeting in rooms swathed in magical darkness—the Darkened Penitents believe they can avert Taiia's wrath upon the rest of the world, while finding their own salvation through their selfless acts.Blessings of the Mother Above
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
Church of the Great Mother. Church of the Creator of All
Demonym
Taiiaites,
Divines
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