The First Flame
Mortal, witness my light. I do not beseech your devotion - I do not appeal to your faith. Nay, I simply seek to captivate you to that which that is eternal. This which is I and mine.
The light. The light chasing the darkness; the light skirts away the vagrants that exist all around you, and yet can not call this realm home. I shimmer as bright as The Sun, and I enliven the earth with the power of divine fire and divine rebirth. I am that which keeps your soul alight, and I am that which keeps this realm alive.
You seek. I see it in you. You seek power, knowledge, or fate. Things above your standing. This is good; take pride in your feeble life, for it is precious. For the arc of eternality is not something one should wish upon themselves. And yet so as you will become the soil, so do new forests grow before being burnt once more.
It is I that guide that passage. And it is I that see the future of all. It is I that sees the threats you do not need to. It is I that hold back the anarchy.
And I do not request thanks or praise. But I do ask that you witness. Witness this world for all it has. Because only a thin beam of light and a subtle warmth of flame is all that keeps this brief candle here, for its time. Cherish this, and prosper. Or else you are of little use to this realm made.
Divine Domains
Fire, Destruction, Rebirth, and The Beginning.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Fire is seen universally as The First Flame's symbol. Any flame as small as an ember and as large as a forest fire can be worshiped divinely by adherents. Many adherents themselves will often decorate themselves with simple sigils of a fire - usually colored brass or gold. Others will make simple tokens out of carved wood, which can be ritualistically cast into fires.
Tenets of Faith
The universe is a cycle of ascension and descension, of light and shadow, of darkness and anarchy.
The light is greater than the shadow.
All beings should have access to the light.
Holidays
Imbolc: On the darkest, coldest day of winter (halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox), those who worship the first flame light a single candle in their window upon the night's fall. The candle is left in the window to burn until dawn's light, with all the other candles in all the other windows. It is said with all the fires dancing together, it draws in the summer and warms the earth again, melting the muffling snow and ice away.
Tanabata: While The First Flame features heavily in many different festivals throughout Ezo and Elven culture, one of particular note is Tanabata. Tradition states that after wishes have been made by festival-goers for Tanabata, they are allowed to stay at temples and shrines for upward of a week before being burned in a ritual fire dedicated to The First Flame. Scholars are not sure why this tradition exists, but are certain it has something to do with a connection between The First Flame and the old gods, The Vestiges.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The First Flame is one of the oldest gods in existence. Said to have been born by that of an ancient grief. The only god to never truly be sealed by The Caitiffs, The First Flame is known for its extreme power over the mortal and immortal realms. It's fire is holy and purifying, and it stands as a bastion for all life to thrive.
The First Flame is the orchestrator of the rest of The Eternals, one who oversees the gods more broadly, as well as to its own affairs. The First Flame hails worshipers to act with greater purpose in all that they do. Those who follow in The First Flame's light receive remarkable strength, but at the cost of service.
Society values The First Flame because it creates the fire of The Sun, which grows crops, controls the weather, and gives people warmth, especially after cruel winters. The First Flame is also worshiped as a sign of resistance. Particularly popular with humans and slaves, or other downtrodden individuals, The First Flame is seen as a last bit of hope for those who need something to hold on to. The First Flame is also quite popular with many religious folk, including druids, clerics, and paladins, as The First Flame is seen as one that helps control and maintain the other gods, and gives individuals their divine energies. The First Flame is finally a popular choice amongst soldiers and the battle-ready of the world, as The First Flame's fire is seen as pure, and gives inspiration to those who are about to enter combat to contest their foes with the backing of the gods.
Many people pray to The First Flame with wishes for the future, as a form of personal meditation, or to seek justice and happiness that extends beyond simple mortal desires. Simple prayers can be thanks for a hearth or campfire at night, or praise for sunny weather; broader prayers may seek safety in battle, righteous anger toward those who may seem more powerful than the devotee, and purity in all things. Holy water is usually made by boiling water with ritual fires to The First Flame, and incense and candles are seen as simple ways to pray.
Relationships
History
Unmei and The First Flame are the two of the remaining Eternals - formerly known as The Vestiges - who survived the War in Heaven. Their legacy dates back further than history. Unmei and The First Flame are said to be some of the true earliest of all the Eternals, and thus tend to favor a close bond with one another.
Divine Classification
Eternal
Alignment
Lawful Good
Church/Cult
Spouses
Siblings
Unmei
(sibling)
Children
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