Worship of the Sun

Location
Found in nations toward the south of the planet, where there is constant or near constant sun. Many of their rituals, pillars, and beliefs are defined by the magic that results from that. Countries with this as their dominant religion include Aldwynne, Summersay, Kilnesse, Goldgate, and Burnt Temple.

Central Aspects
Freedom, acceptance, respect, truth, and open-mindedness are key facets of their religion. Along with their magic comes a spiritual and mental connection, which makes empathy and fair treatment easier for them. When they meet other people, their customs must be observed, unless they refuse to respect the customs of others, at which point they will be shunned, refused entrance in shared dreams, and in some cases, sacrificed. The same will occur if they are found to be lying, sacrifice as punishment for lying is rare only occurring in cases where significant harm has been done to many people.

There are a set of influential art pieces of the sun in male, female, and genderless form. As a woman, the sun was a shining warrior, righteous, strong, and unstoppable, protecting the weak and saving the suffering, a strong presence in the now. She is compared to the sun at high noon. As a man, the sun was beautiful, and wise, he watched over the land, nurtured crops, and looked to the future, a certain, solid, everlasting presence, as sure and undeniable as the future, like the sun low in the sky, when it is cool and pale, and pervasive. The genderless sun was shadowy and cautious like the sun just over the horizon, looking out, watchful and on edge. More the sun as an elusive ray of light, concerned with truth and safety.That version held a magnifying glass, to focus the sun, and see the truth of things.

Motivation, epiphanies and revelations are supposed to come from the female sun. Careful attention, calm, and a sense of safety is supposed to come from the male sun. Wisdom, perception, and prudence is supposed to come from the genderless sun.

Celebrations
They celebrate every 60 circles of the sun around the sky with shared dreams, elicited by drugs.

Places that experience any form of night will celebrate the first night, but since it usually lasts about an hour, the celebration lasts longer than the night. They celebrate by dressing in black, and lighting candles everywhere, lining the streets with them, putting them on windowsills, carrying one everywhere they go.

In the middle of winter, on the longest night, they believe that their ancestors can speak to them in the dark, and so families will gather at their graves and share dreams, and be visited by their ancestors. Many worshipers will travel to where there is a night for this time, to visit their ancestors. People are cremated when they die, so it’s easy to transport their remains.

Customs
Whenever they are in a space considered to be observed by the sun, hair is tied up with a red ribbon, to mark them as a believer. Spaces are observed by the sun when they are under constant sun, consecrated by a priest, a child is born to tattooed members there or a tattooed member dies there.

Conversion, and forgiveness for sins occurs when a person enters a shared dream with a priest, at 30 days into the cycle of the sun. The priest will see all of your soul, and decide whether to grant you acceptance or forgiveness. You have only the duration of the dream, and you must sit, and remain still while he examines it. If the priest decides not to accept or forgive you, you must wait for the next cycle of the sun, and in the case of sins, suffer the shunning until then.

Sexual freedom is implicit, however polygamous union is not performed. Before every union, the priest performing it will share dreams with each person, ensuring that they have no ulterior motives, both parties are willing and enthusiastic, and that neither has been united with another partner. You may only partner once, and most won’t go through that until they are at least 40, some never enter a union. A union is not required by religion for children, it is no sin to have a child, so most people don’t feel the necessity for a union.

Tattoos
Many religious events are shown with tattoos. Age is marked by a new tattoo every 10 years: at ten a line is traced along your spine, at twenty a dot is drawn below each of your eyes, then a second dot at thirty. At forty the bones of the left hand are traced, at fifty the right, at sixty the right foot is traced, at seventy the left. At eighty, a line is drawn from the base of the throat down to the bottom of the ribcage, and at ninety, a dot is be inked on the chin. At 100, a dot is drawn on the underside of the chin, and every single year after that would give another below it. A mark of priesthood is three dots in a triangle on the chin, with the bottom point of the triangle just above the spot for the 90 tattoo. A mark of union is a band around the back of each of the fingers, in such a way that they connect with the lines on the partners hands when the palms are pressed together.