Elatien the Cloaked
Elatien the Cloaked is the God of Light in Luthaenoism, although he claims numerous other noble domains under his holy mantle. Chief of Paladins and Champion of the Oppressed, he is the most righteous and clement of all the Kolaluthenut. He is the God of Love and Mercy, the God of Protection and Endurance, and God of Hope and Charity; and perhaps the closest in purpose and deed to Aethan.
He is always depicted in the same way: a penitent man wrapped in a radiant cloak of white, embroidered in fine gold. Its hood covers his face in shadow for, like his brilliant cloak, he is covered in burns and scorches, hideously marred by his great sacrifice. To amplify this message, he is sometimes depicted doubled-over and kneeling in the moment of his valor. Sometimes, he is shown bearing a brilliant sword or spear. When this is done, the weapon always points into the ground, sometimes burried into it.
His main is a complex geometric shape of intertwining lines that form an eight-pointed star. At its heart is an hour-glass, representing the endurance required for sacrifice and salvation. Around it lie eight runic symbols. Each of these runes represent Elatien's path of enlightenment: Darkness, Blindness, Searching, Discovery, Understanding, Trust, Sacrifice, and finally Salvation. This path is foundational to Elatien's worshippers, who consider it a veritable guide-book for both day-to-day living and a lifetime as a whole. Elatien's followers also use a simpler sigil, depicting only the rune for sacrifice.
Unfortunately for both paladins and academics alike, his homeland rests in Sombemis, which is now under the control of the Belsumese Empire. It is there where Maletsokish tradition discerns Elatien returned to Maletsok to protect thefolk his temple stands: a grand octagonal structure of marble-stone topped with a bronze dome. It was built in what some might consider an Imperial style, with towering arches pointing in the eight directions. Inside, lit by 8 eternal fires, was the largest statue of Elatien. The inside of the dome was a mosaic of lapis lazuli and citrine depicting a starry sky. Surrounding the grand temple was an equally wonderous city built of the same materials and style. This city, Eladirakier, was the "Home of the Guardians" at its height: the primier place for hospitalers and doctors to train, and a brilliant refuge for all who needed it. Since the Belsumese invasion, the current status of the great white city is unknown.
Role in the Sacred History of Maletsok
Some Imperial literary scholars have stated that the Sacred History of Maletsok is a story whose protagonist is Elatien (irritating many Maletsokish religious leaders). After forming the Sun and the Moon from the light of the Kolaluth, he fell silent in the narrative, only to re-emerge as a paragon of charity and sacrifice. After the the Gods punished the Folk with the fires of the Holy Forge, and departed from the land, Elatien was moved with sorrow and returned to the land. He shielded the Folk under his Holy Mantle, and healed their wounds. In doing so, he was himself caught up in the conflagration of the land, and eternally scarred by the damning fires. His sacrifice saved Maletsok and its peoples.
Cult - The Order of New Hope
The Order of New Hope is a highly structured organization of paladins and clerics sworn to following in Elatien's footsteps of sacrifice and charity. The heart of the Order is the The Creed of the Mantle, which is based on Elatien's Path of Enlightenment: Darkness, Blindness, Searching, Discovery, Understanding, Trust, Sacrifice, and finally Salvation. This Creed is an oath sworn by novitiates with a two-fold meaning. Firstly, it acts as recognition of the novitiates life up until that moment, a deeply personal recollection of how the individual met darkness, found trust, sacrificed, and attained salvation in Elatien's light. Secondly, the oath is a promise to be the light of discovery for others, helping all those lost in darkness to learn Elatien's truth of an unconditionally charitable life, and to shelter those who suffer in Elatien's Holy Mantle.
New Hope followers are among the most faithful and courageous people in Maletsok, indeed perhaps in Nedia. They can be found in all corners of society: humble innkeepers who feed and house the poor at no charge, wandering clerics who travel from town to town and use their divine magic to heal the sick and comfort the abandoned, or noble captains in Imperial rank whose final stands are so righteous as to make the Gods themselves seem cowardly.
The inner workings of the cult are shrouded in as much mystery as their god. Before the Belsumese Occupation, the Order's headquarters were located somewhere in Sombemis near the city of Eladirakier, now Merdazi. I was said that only those whose hearts were truly lost in darkness could be granted revelation by Elatien and find the home of the Order. There, they would find enlightenment and be trained to channel the divine light of Elatien to protect and mend the suffering and marginalized in their homelands. Today, the order is even more lost in mystery; the site of their headquarters an enigma, their hierarchy undocumented. Nevertheless, they continue to emerge from the darkness and inspire the Empire with their heroic deeds of sacrifice.
Comments