What Your Father Told You

Sun Priest

Gabriel Cormier

A Devoted (!) Sun Cleric to his Initiate.

What is the world like?

The world is our playground. It exists for the Sun to shine its beautiful rays upon its surface. The world is a desert, made of mostly sand that absorbs and reflects the Sun’s wonderful heat. People live in cities, trying to escape us, but the Sun shines down upon their heads wherever they go. Some people try to live in small villages, but the Sun’s glorious rays still find them. There are some mountains up north, places where sun-blocking trees grows. As if they could resist the Sun’s fury! The Sun shines all-powerful upon all of Athas! <p></p>

Was the world always like this?

Always like this? Of course! Do you think that the Sun ever beat down upon your head with less power than it does now? Blasphemy! I have heard that someone long ago tried to steal the Sun’s power. Can you believe this? Steal the Sun’s power! Ha! I hope their sun-bleached bones are spinning in their graves! Does the Sun seem somehow diminished? No. Let it be a lesson to you. The Sun gives its power to those who worship it properly, but do not try to steal its power. <p></p>

What kinds of people are there?

People? Do not concern yourself with people. The Sun is most important. What does it matter with other people? Elves, Humans, Dwarves, crossbreeds, halflings: they don’t matter. The Sun matters! It burns your skin no matter what you are! <p></p>

Why worship the Sun?

Why? Are you dumb? Power! Can you not feel the Sun’s power on your arms, your face, your chest? Do you not see it when it makes the food grow; when it kills the beast; when it blinds your enemy? The Sun warms the soul. It feeds the mind. It gives you the power to survive in this beast-infested world. It is life and death. <p></p> Ah but I see, you are not yet strong enough to look at the Sun. That is how powerful it is. In time, when your body is capable of holding this power, you will look at the Sun in all its glory. You will sit and watch as it goes through the sky, bringing its energy to everyone. The Sun is all-powerful! All-powerful? But the night? <p></p> The night? It does not stop the Sun. Look at the moons. They are reflections of the Sun’s power! Not even the night can fully stop the Sun’s power. If not even the night can stop it, then you know it is all-powerful amongst the elements. <p></p>

Elements? What other elements are there? Who worships them?

There are other elements, yes. Pitiful beings of lesser power. Priests of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. They say there is a “balance” to preserve: What utter nonsense! They say we are destroying all. They are jealous. The Sun’s embrace does not reach them, so they turn to lesser powerful elements, then cry foul when they are powerless. Some others worship the Silt Sea, or even Magma. Magma. What is there for magma but a few lava pools scattered across the landscape or on top of distant peaks? Fools. And to worship Silt: imbeciles. The Silt Sea does not move. You cannot take it with you. The Sun, on the other hand, follows you wherever you go. It is always there. Even the pitiful Tyr-storms cannot block the Sun’s fury for long before the Sun dissipates it to nothing. Everything eventually succumbs to the Sun’s rays. <p></p>

So what must I do?

Do? Glorify the Sun! You must eliminate anything that would dare to defy its omnipotence. Clear the way for the Sun to shine its radiance upon all of Athas. Things that create shadows block the Sun. Putrid gases filter out the Sun’s rays and reduce it strength. Kill them! Kill them all! Let the Sun’s fury shine upon this land! <p></p>

What about the cities? Who rules?

The cities are the domain of the Sorcerer-Kings. They rule with an iron fist. They are powerful beings, masters of magic and mind-bending. You must be careful around them. They are not as strong as the Sun, but our mortal flesh is susceptible to their power. It is best to avoid the cities. The buildings hide the Sun. You are best out here, in the plains and peaks, where nothing blocks out the Sun. The Sorcerer-Kings also have lackeys, templars they are called, who can also cast spells. <p></p>

Mind-bending?

Yes, those who use their minds. The call it the Way. Bah: Why use one’s own power when the Sun is all-powerful?<p></p>

- Gab