Lathander: Bro of the Morning

Lathander is the god of creativity, dawn, renewal, birth, vitality, youth and athleticism. Lathander and his followers are also known for their stance against the undead, viewing them as a perversion of the natural order of birth, life, death, and rebirth. The Morninglord is also called upon to bless births and other fertility ceremonies.

Worshipers
Lathander has worshipers all over the world of Aquila, but has seen a particular resurgence along the Southern coast. Novices in the Lathanderian faith are called the Awakened, while clerics are known as Dawnbringers. The leader of the clergy is referred to as the Morninglord.

All of Lathander's clergy respect art, liberty, nature, and culture; promoted betterment of oneself; and strove to bring hope to their followers and others. Many of these followers work in various creative arts. They are intolerant of evil, especially undead and inaction that caused evil to prosper. Most ceremonies of Lathander are held at dawn and actions and contracts agreed to at sunrise are said to be blessed by him. Funerals, among his followers, are held at dusk, and followed by a wake that lasts until dawn.

In addition to his usual portfolio, his followers have recently embraced the dogma of reincarnation - renewal of the spirit by being born back into the world to learn and grow. In addition to more traditional rites and rituals, modern Awakened and Lathanderian laity often engage in seances and the like to try to connect with their prior lives - and especially any lessons they could distill toward self-perfection and leading a good life in the present.

Order of the Sun Soul
Monks

Order of the Aster
Paladins

Dogma
dogma

Favored Sayings
"The sun rises and the sun sets."

"There is always another dawn."

"In the dawn, beauty reigns, and the way is clear."

"The sun shines on all things, great and small."

Holidays
Lathander's high holy day is held at dawn following the year's longest, darkest night (the Winter Solstice, or Yule) and involves feasting, performances, and the exchange of gifts tied with gold string (usually simply gold in color, not in material). Most communities also hold creative competitions from dawn to dawn - writing, staging, and performing a play over the course of a day, or a painting, sculpting, or other artistic competition initiated at dawn on Yule and judged the following dawn.