Church of the Holy Light

The Church of the Holy Light celebrates the divine grace of the Light. The religion is monotheistic, and it does not worship a being, but the presence of light in the world around us, so anywhere that light is present, (i.e. from torches, lanterns, the Sun, etc) the Light can be called upon by its followers. At present, there is no capital city or primary place of practice, but since the Light can be found in so many places in the world, it is very easy for followers of the Light to come together and worship.

Incipiam:
In the beginning, there was only darkness, but then, to create order, the Light willed itself into being, casting the darkness to the edges of the universe, and this event was called Incipiam. Through its divine power, the Light created all things: our world, all the animals and plants, and of course, us. The dawn of man meant that humanity had to figure out how to survive in a vast, untamed world, the Light revealed to them how to harvest the world's resources through agriculture, mining, and fishing, and eventually they would go on to create the first civilizations. As time passed, humanity began to develop as a species, and they began practicing science, created art, poetry, and a plethora of literature...they even began recording their own history. Despite all of these great achievements, the darkness was still at play, and it manifested itself into all of the evils that mankind faces: war, famine, subterfuge, etc. Humanity remains in constant struggle against the evil machinations of the darkness, but through devout faith to the Light and the ingenuity, versatility and free will of humanity, mankind moves forward to a brighter future despite any setback.

The Divine Orders:
In humanity’s infancy, the Light bestowed upon them a set of morals to govern their cities and uphold within their lives. During this event, the Light descended from the heavens in its purest form, and all of its followers could feel the presence of the Light within their minds. Without a word being spoken, the followers of the Light had the Divine Orders revealed to them, and just as suddenly as it descended, the Light returned to its empyreal home. The Divine Orders are as follows:


 * 1) Faith: The Light is the one true ruler of all things. Hold the Light in the highest regard, and you shall be blessed with peace and prosperity. Worship any other false gods or idols, and you shall be forsaken to the evils of the darkness.
 * 2) Honor: To uphold honor is to uphold righteousness itself. In order to live honorably, one must do two things. Of chief importance is to honor his neighbor, which means respecting their possessions, their property, and their interests. Secondly, one must honor himself, which entails maintaining a respectable reputation, giving charity to his brothers and sisters in need, and be both truthful and loyal to his brothers and sisters.
 * 3) Justice: To mete out justice across the lands is to execute the will of the Light. The minions of darkness are both plentiful and insidious, so it is the duty of all followers of the Light to enact justice whenever necessary. This means holding your Church to the same standards you would hold others to. Being of good character is very important to your faith, and if any wish to usher in the agents of darkness through wreaking havoc on peaceful people, manipulating others for their own gain, and warmongering when unnecessary, among other transgressions, shall be exiled, never to be welcomed to the Church again.
 * 4) Stoicism: With this world comes a multitude of issues, but a follower of the Light never breaks. As a member of the Church of the Holy Light, it is important that one should strive to be stoic in the face of adversity. The darkness manifests in many forms, such as doubt, rage, sadness, and more. To allow emotions to control one's thoughts and actions is dangerous, so one should always be patient and process all difficult situations with a calm mind and steady heart.
 * 5) Fraternity: Your brothers and sisters are your strength. Without your fellow members of the Church, you are alone in this huge and unpredictable world. For this reason, it is important to develop a strong relationship with your fellow members, as a tight-knit group acting in the interests of said group at heart can achieve great things.

Domu'sancta:
The Domu’sancta is the one belief that all followers of the Holy Light hold closest to their hearts, which is the belief that one day, the Light will create a new world free from darkness. The followers of the Light believe that, so long as they uphold the morals of the Church, they will ascend to this new world and be given great prosperity and power, leaving the evils of the darkness behind.

Leadership Structure:
Below lists the leadership structure of the Church of the Holy Light in descending order (most significant to least significant).


 * High Priest: The High Priest is the most senior rank within the clergy. The High Priest is in charge of organizing the mass service twice a month, approving declarations of war/crusades, and crowning new crusaders into the Order of the Golden Hand (see below).
 * Grand Crusader: The Grand Crusader is the head of the Order of the Golden Hand, and in charge of all things military related within the Church, such as calling crusades (can only be denied by the High Priest),
 * The Sacred Council: The Holy Council is a group consisting of the High Priest’s most trusted priests. This group of five priests, sometimes joined by the Grand Crusader and High Priest, forms a council known as the Sacred Council, and it is their job to execute the Light’s will. This includes things such as allocating funds, deploying missionaries, and basically anything that the High Priest does not organize himself.
 * Priest/Crusader: Priests and Crusaders both hold the same status within the Church, as those who protect the interests of the Church of the Holy Light on the battlefield are just as important as those who preach the good word back home. The role of these two are more simple than those listed above, with the Priests assisting the High Priest during the bi-monthly masses, as well as keeping close contact with the High Priest to ensure the needs of the people can be communicated. As for the Crusaders, they are in charge of defending the interests of the Church through both defense and offense if necessary.
 * Acolyte: An Acolyte is the basic rank for any member of the Church. This rank has no responsibilities but to uphold the values of the Divine Orders and worship the infinite grace of the Holy Light.

Important Figures:
Grand Crusader Andimides: After humanity had gotten itself established and began to obtain riches and power, the forces of darkness began to recognize the growing strength of mankind, and sought to wipe them out in one quick action. At the time, the Church of the Holy Light consisted of mainly priests and few warriors. Sure enough, during the first few battles, the priests of the Church were outmatched in terms of melee combat ability, so they were pushed back deep into their territory. Thankfully, all hope was not lost, as a knight named Andimides rose to the challenge, and began teaching priests how to wield the Light alongside martial weapons, creating the first ever paladins. With this new development, the forces of the Light were able to best the agents of darkness in both magical power and melee combat ability, forcing them to retreat back from where they came. The battles that followed humanity's first victory against the darkness were known as the First Holy Crusade, and thanks to his contributions in ensuring victory, Andimides was given the title of Grand Crusader, and he would go on to develop the military arm of the Church, the Order of the Golden Hand.