Pelor

Pelor, the Sun Father and Shining One is the good god of sun, agriculture and time. He is the seasonal god of summer and patron of healers.

Description
Pelor rides a mighty ki-rin named Star Thought while summoning eagles and destroying evil with bolts of light. He is depicted as an older man with wild golden hair and beard, dressed in robes of shining white.

Relationships
Pelor is rumored to to have a relationship with the goddess of civilization, Erathis, with whom he shares a magnificent palace in the Astral metropolis of Hestavar. The two are collectively known as the "King and Queen of Light". Pelor opposes all evil deities, and his followers avoid neutral deities with teachings counter to Pelor's, such as Kord. The Sun Father's antithesis is the Raven Queen, who is the seasonal god of winter. And although He dislikes Her zealotry, the two are not enemies. Rather, Pelor (along with Sehanine) aided the Raven Queen in the War of Winter against the Goddess Khala. Their exarchs have been known to come together to fight powerful undead.

Realm
Pelor's realm is known as Hestavar, the Bright City. It is described as a metropolis made of precious stones and metals built on islands of earth hovering above a bright lagoon. There, Pelor dwells with Erathis, goddess of civilization, in the golden palace of Aurosion.

Dogma
Pelorians believe that the life-giving sun is the best cure for all ills. Justice and freedom are brought about through charity, modesty, perseverance, and self-sacrifice. Pelor's priests teach that the truly strong don't need to prove their power. Pelorians strive to perform so many good acts that evil has no room in which to exist, though they will fight if necessary. Pelor is wrathful against the forces of evil, and is especially opposed to the undead. However, Pelor urges his followers to remember that excessive attention to things of evil can blind one to the truly important things: compassion and goodness. These are what must be emphasized above all.

Pelorian dogma has it that the energy and power of life originates in the sun.

Scriptures

 * In the Sun Father's Hand is a controversial text accepted at present by only a handful of Pelorian temples. It was written many years ago by a woman named Tephos. Tephos was not a priest, but she believed herself to be Pelor's chosen representative. Somehow she performed miracles, including curing an entire village of plague, before writing about her beliefs and vanishing in front of her disciples in a flash of golden light. Tephos taught that all property should be held communally, that society should return to a more "natural" state like that assumed to exist before the spread of civilization, and that clerics were unnecessary; Pelor could intervene directly instead. Most branches of the Pelorian faith consider Tephos to be gifted but delusional.
 * The Light of Pelor is the most common Pelorian holy book, beginning with Pelor's creation of the sun and telling of how Pelor instructed the first mortals. Some turned against his teachings, thus creating evil, and this evil spirit has waxed and waned over time. Some versions portray Pelor as the sun itself, rather than its creator, and tell of Pelor's attempts to win back those who have strayed from his light. The Light of Pelor only has minor variations in it, and all are considered canonical, despite these small discrepancies. The book is often enchanted to glow with a soft solar radiance when it's closed, and some versions are gilded.

Myths and Legends

 * Parable of the Hungry Man. This myth tells of a man who was driven to crime out of a combination of desperate poverty and foolish pride. His community forgave him and fed and clothed him when his perfidy was discovered.
 * Punishment of the Undead. This myth tells of the origin of vampires, said to have been cursed by Pelor after turning from his light to the pursuit of evil magic. The myth suggests that Pelor would forgive them, if only they would ask.
 * Gift of Eternal Light. This is an epic saga of an ancient kingdom threatened upon by mortal, demonic, and undead evil. Though sorely tested by their foes, the people of the kingdom had their morale restored each morning at the sight of the rising sun. In a climactic battle, the sun's rays helped defeat the demons and undead, and the Pelorians were victorious. An interesting detail is that this myth claims the sun's rays are the spirits of the righteous, a claim that no other Pelorian texts makes.

Worshippers
Pelor is a popular deity, greatly beloved by the common folk. He is particularly revered by humans and is one of two patron deities of Irritum. Many of his clerics travel through the Evenfall, healing those in need and bringing his light in the darkest of days.

Clergy
Pelor's clergy heal the sick, bless crops, help the needy, and destroy evil and the undead. They are caring and nurturing, with backbones of steel. The Pelorian priesthood attracts many naive youths to his service, but training is rigorous enough to send many of them back to their farms. Pelor's elite priests are called Radiant Servants. Pelor's favored weapon is the mace (heavy or light) or a morningstar shaped like the sun. Vestments are typically yellow or gold.

Clerics are much more common than paladins, as Pelor emphasizes acts of kindness and charity as the best defense against evil. However, paladins do exists--typically called upon to vanquish a particular evil such as a fiend or intelligent undead. His crusaders favor light-colored tunics, particularly sky blues, pale greens, or grays. Some dress in commoner's clothing, especially when serving as community healers or in disguise. On formal occasions, they wear a black cloak emblazoned with the symbol of the sun. They blend into the darkness, only the shining symbols visible to their foes.

Pelor is served by a small number of druids, who behave in ways similar to his clerics, but with a greater emphasis on the care of plants and animals. They usually associate themselves with settlements rather than living as hermits, aiding the community with their hands, spells, and animal companions wherever they can. They are considered to have priest status within the Pelorian church, though they have a separate hierarchy.

Rituals
Pelor's services involve communal prayer, the singing of hymns, and the distribution of alms. Prayers to Pelor are often affirmations in the first person, for example, "I am merciful, just as the Sun of Mercy shines on me." Weddings and rites of passage often take place at the beginning of a new season. Farmers often request a ritual known as the Blessing of the Sun-Kissed Field.

Temples
Pelor's temples are tall, with large windows; many are stained-glass cathedrals. Most noteworthy is the grand Cathedral of Light in Irritum. They are arranged so that the sun shines into most of the rooms during the day, and many feature large courtyards. They tend to be airy and blindingly white. Temple trappings are typically yellow or gold. They are always kept clean. Many Pelorian temples have hospital wings.

Holy days
Pelor's major holy days generally take place on the solstices and equinoxes of the Greyhawk Calendar.
 * Breadgiving Day. On this day, the Winter Solstice, clerics of Pelor and Erathis distribute food to the poor in Irritum.
 * Midsummer's Day. Pelor's holy day takes place on the Summer Solstice. Many miracles of healing have been attributed to his clerics on this day.

Relics
The Dawnstars are four famed relics of Pelor. Morningstars, imbued with glowing crystals called Shards of the Sun, were given to four angels who rescued a paladin from the bowels of Hell.