Sol, Dawn's Scion
Baixhan Tiwan, Clear-Eyed Lord of Heaven; Eochtal, Scion of Dawn
After years without the Sun, when I lay dying in the dark... I beheld the light. It was such radiance as I had never felt, sinking beneath my skin and piercing the heart, turning death's cold embrace into transcendent warmth. When I opened my eyes, it was not the dawnlit horizon which greeted me - but a shard of primordial Noon.
"Dawn breaks, and the Augonne once more graces the earth". Thus do many societies think of Sol, the third of the Wolflords. He is revered across Wyral as the igniter of the sun, scion of the first dawn - and beyond that, like the sun, He takes on many interpretations. The glory of cloudless skies, the subduer of deathly winter, the crucible that purifies souls... any of the innumerable views about the Gilded Lord ultimately circle back to His role as the luminous guardian of the world. No sin or shadow shall escape His flames, and no soul shall reach the heavens but through Him.
Truth in Revelation: Zenith
"All wait for the Light. The Sun streams forth from His eyes, and shall not set tonight."
According to many legends, Sol was born in the instant that light first fell upon Wyral - from there comes His title as Scion of Dawn. The nascent earth was vulnerable, not only to the abyssal depths but to the monsters which threatened to encroach from beyond the skies. While His brother, Nox, battled the nameless horrors beneath reality, Sol cast His protection over the world of light and shadow. Monsters fled from His blazing wrath, and under His life-giving gaze the earth burst forth in joy. Thus did creatures first open their eyes to behold the world of light, and in this way the fire of life would be sustained.
Sol's children, the sun mages, are possessed of an inner fire that drives them towards the heavens. Like Him, they would immolate themselves in an instant to protect what they love, and would answer the cold, dark corners of the world with nothing but radiance. The chosen of this Wolflord pursue truth and transcension, in any of its myriad forms, and will not be denied - any more than the sun would turn its gaze away from the gentle earth.
The Halo Radiant
"O flame incandescent, triple-faced guardian,
Immolate all iniquity, and guide us on our path..."
Everything upon the earth craves sunlight, and all mortals aspire to the heavens; thus, it is little wonder that Sol is perhaps the most universally beloved of the Wolflords. He has been worshipped as arbiter, father, healer and protector - oftentimes all at once. Many believe the Sun is His eye, keeping watch over the people and chasing away the night's horrors. Some old civilisations would make offerings at sunset, praising Him for shining down upon them and beseeching Him to return. Blood and flame graced other, grimmer rituals - practised by those who believed fire and life were one and the same. Sol has served as a beacon for almost all peoples, just as the Sun shines down upon the wicked and righteous.
In the darkness was a great light seen, and none could withstand the fire's ignition. They who witnessed Sol's manifestations often spoke of His heralds, the parhelia: beasts of flame on either side, mirroring the halo of the setting Sun. Sol Himself was usually described as wreathed in iridescent flame, so bright that even the night sky would seem lit by dawnlight. In fact, some believed He travelled in a domain of His own making, where the Sun never set - one which witnesses would unwittingly enter in His presence.
Aspect of the Wolflord: Aether
"...six [layers?] between the earth and heavens... Aethereal fire... brief [gateway?] between..."
The Aspect of Sol is less of a secret as His brethren, likely because He once lived within it. The phenomenon known as 'aethereal fire' has been documented and discussed since antiquity, although it remains beyond most mortal understanding. Supposedly, it is the fire of life made manifest, the embodiment of Sol's radiance. In the distant past, when the Scion of Dawn still fought the violent creatures that wandered the stars, aethereal flame was the herald of His arrival, and the symbol of His ardent fury.
Its effects on mortals are more reliably sourced thanks to the existence of the Crucible - famed as Sol's old lair. Those who come into contact with this heavenly flame are not immediately consumed, but purged of all 'iniquity'. Many have reported catching glimpses of a city in the skies, or having their sight 'illuminated'. The fire's cleansing effects do not last forever on mortals, but no one who passes through aethereal flame emerges unchanged. Attempts to replicate it inevitably fail, with the sole exception of Nur - one of Sol's Exalted lieutenants.
Demesne: Sun
Other Names: Firefather, Crucible
Divine Domains
The Sun's Radiance (teleportation, illusion, revelation)The Sun's Fire (flames, purification, aethereal fire)
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