Light of Fontan
This religion is no longer practiced in the mainstream in the East island continant.
May the Light show you The Path
Introduction
The Light Of Fontan is a religion based on the values and prophecies of a distant realm. We follow their ideals by referencing their scriptures on Knighthood. Our Gods are from the Celestial Plane, and therefore we worship the Sun, the Moon and the Stars.
Light of Fountain
Duke Lycastus seceeded the Duchy of Fontan to form the realm. Hannibal, the Avatar of Light, has already pledged allegiance. Knights have come mostly from Fontan, Caligus and Oligarch. Read the realm page for more information.
Background
A knight known as Asdrubal discovered what he thought was a tomb. His brother, Hannibal (a veteran of battle), discovered that it was actually an underground Pyramid. Hannibal kept the find to himself, preventing widespread panic due to the shocking contents. He eventually informed the most respected knights of Fontan, even drawing on their expertise in deciphering the Books. Lycastus built a temple on the Pyramid to protect it, and in doing so, founded the Light Of Fontan. The Gods granted Lycastus the chair of Founder. Hannibal however was not dismissed by the Gods, and was granted the title: Avatar of Light. To this day, their roles are not certain, but many believe that they are destined for greater things.
The Temple Of Light
We have constructed a Temple in Fontan City. This is the central hub of the religion. The day it was completed brought about an epic shift in people's beliefs. The temple imbued the Founder and the Avatar of Light with the Light of the Gods. It is written that other worthy individuals will also be chosen, granting them an unknown power, similar to the Founder and Avatar of Light. Recently, the Light of Fontan religion has been declared official by the Avatar of Light, Hannibal, after founding a new temple at Akesh Temples. Here is a record of the events leading up to the construction of the temple: The Passings
Imbued Items
When the Founder and Avatar of Light were imbued, they were each given a holy weapon. Other items are believed to be granted to the chosen few.
In the presence of the Undead it is written that these items will undergo a transformation.
Light Sword
The first weapon, a Light Sword was given to the Founder, Lycastus. Unlike a normal sword, it has no conventional blade. In its place is a beam of pure white light, that appears to cut through all known objects with immense ease.
Light Shield
Unlike the Light Sword, this object is made entirely of Light. When it is held by the Avatar of Light, it prevents harm from all directions. It can also be used as an offhand weapon to smite foes, but cannot harm knights that respect the true values.
Lunar Sword
The Lunar Priest Jerix was granted this weapon. Currently, this is the most intriguing and least understood of the available artefacts. Many wonder how it will behave in combat and how the lunar cycle affects it. Some even go as far to say that at certain times of the cycle the sword will actively seek out and smite evil. One can only wonder what will happen during an eclipse.
He has supplied his own personal story so that no details are lost in translation:
The Voice of Lunar: Jerix, this sword is a gift to help fight the darkness. As Lunar gives light to aid and guide those during times when darkness is overwhelming, so I give you the ability to aid and guide those who are surrounded by darkness.
Jerix stood up and removed the sword from the circle. He studied the sword, firstly noticing the pommel. It was circular with the inside of the circle half black and half pale white, mimicking the middle part of the moon cycle. The moon in the pommel appeared to be made out of either one gem, or two fit so perfectly together a seam could not be seen.
Examining the blade itself, Jerix realized it was balanced perfectly to his liking. The blade seemed to have a faint glow, although it could just be the way the light reflects off of it. As he started to sheath his new sword, Jerix noticed that there was a symbol on his scabbard that matched that of the pommel of his sword. He finished sheathing his sword as he walked over to start reading the Book of Trust.
Solar Spear
This was discovered by Gale who had been given it from his father. There are some that wonder who is really in control when one wields this weapon. The writings in the Books state that: "The wielder becomes stronger, faster, better...but at what cost?"
Currently Gale has decided to place it back at his Father's home where there is a shrine dedicated to it. Gale is unsure of the true nature/origin of the spear and does not feel ready to wield it yet. This is a wise choice given Hannibal's thoughts on the spear:
Hannibal thinks that if a person shows any sign of weakness, then the weapon will control the wielder until the danger has passed. But if Solar is the one that decides on what is danger (as is assumed) then the bearer could be forced to fight against impossible odds. This must be taken into account by anyone that wields this weapon, and therefore is reccommended only for those that understand the potential consequences.
Celestial Spear
Similar to the Solar Spear in design, yet totally different in magical properties. Travis wielded this during the second expedition into the Akesh Temple Catacombs. This spear will help the bearer understand the battle situation more effectively, as if being able to glimpse the future. As it is written in the Books: "Celestial rained down not death, only understanding; and the followers swiftly beat their enemies with ease, as if they could predict exactly when to strike and when to dodge."
Light Amulet
Reginald's Amulet was found to be imbued with healing and protective powers. Hannibal is convinced that Reginald will become a great healer, and defend the Light for many years.
The Amulet glows slightly in the shape of Akesh Temple when in the proximity. Although some think that the glow is tied to Akesh Temple, Hannibal thinks that the Amulet can sense evil and glows in whatever symbol is nearest. This would help the followers of the Light to know in advance if evil is contained within unexplored regions of the island. For example, the Chaos Temple should make the Amulet glow (in the shape of the Chaos Temple), as that is believed to hold the source of evil on the island.
Items that do not exist, yet
- Battle
- Light Spear (Solar and Celestial Primaries discovered)
- Light Platemail
- Light Chainmail
- Light Gloves
- Light Bow
- Light Ballista
- Light Trebuchet
- Non-Battle
- Light Scrolls
- Light Rings
- Light Cloaks
- Light Scout
There are others we are currently deciphering. We believe that the items belong to worthy knights. Someday those knights will step into the temple and be imbued, thereby granting them the item they deserve.
Books
We know of 10 Books from the Pyramid:
- Integrity
- Trust
- Honour
- Respect
- The Path
- Courage
- Weakness
- Strength
- The Unseen Prophecies
- The Seen Prophecies
They detail how a knight will become a true warrior. There are rumours comign from the upper echelons of the religion about "hidden codes", or something of that nature, within the text.
The Unseen Prophecies
The paintings in the Pyramid predict that great evil will arise from a region of darkness. Various words are mentioned, including Akesh Temple. It is written that darkness swarmed around the temple, suffocating the light, plunging the area into darkness. This allowed the evil to grow faster until there was a horde of foul creatures. We all wonder the same thing: "Could this be the same as our world's Akesh Temple?".
The Unseen Prophecies Book is difficult to translate and is taking a long time. Some say we need the Arch Priest of Light to discover this Book's true writings.
The Seen Prophecies
Perhaps the only important Seen Prophecy is that of the Civil war in Sirion. Years ago, the government of West Sirion was overthrown, and a new realm formed - Avamar. The battle of Avamar was brutal and the details of the battle are almost identical to the paintings. We do not believe this is coincidence.
Hannibal's Reports
Asdrubal has collected all of the reports and placed them for easy reading here. They will become essential scriptures, detailing the formation of our religion.
All followers must study them, for that is the first step of a long journey. Only then will they be able to progress.
Akesh Temple Catacombs
First Expedition
Lycastus, Hannibal, Nnix and Jerix formed a team to investigate the catacombs beneath Akesh Temple. They appeared to be older and different from the main Temple above. After the investigation is became clear that the catacombs are actually another temple that became trapped from another world. There is evidence that it has travelled to multiple worlds before even appearing here. There are some important things to be learnt about by reading the accounts here.
Second Expedition
A second party was formed by the Holy Priests Jerix and Nnix. They decided further investigation was needed and proceeded to re-enter the catacombs. They were joined by Sirs Gale, Reginald, Travis and Blackfist. Hannibal realised that these few knights had a promising Path, albeit a risky one. The knights had to fight evil and endure great pain during their adventure. The group discovered a portal room whereby holy representatives of the main Gods were thought to be able to communicate to other Temples. Apparently the catacombs of Akesh Temple was originally a holy Temple where the religious orders gathered. They would train and plan strategies for dealing with the evil forces. The portal allowed information to be transferred instantly across vast distances, even across the bubble universes. Unfortunately, it appears that something went wrong with the portal system, and the darkness managed to infiltrate and overwhelm the Temple's defenses.
The Gods' War
This account of events was taken via a number of scribes under the orders of various knights. The events are somewhat unknown and are difficult to follow. However, we know that Reginald was killed by a lightning bolt, almost certainly ordered by one of the Gods. Currently, we do not think it is one of our main Gods. It may have been a different god we have already encountered or one that is simply attempting to gain notoriety. Whatever the case, we will attempt to find the cause and prevent any such events occurring again. On a positive note, Reginald's son decided to come and support the cause in place of his father. In doing so he has received his father's amulet, and with it, we hope the special insights and powers. Reginald's life was cut short, and his path ended, but his son looks set to continue the path. Perhaps related, is a global drought that has suddenly happened. Sirion decided to hike the price of food up to 50 gold with in an hour of the announcement of drought. Is this coincidence...or has Sirion been playing with dark forces?
Anyway, read the texts for the events as they were for the knights. As is common knowledge thesedays, our capital has been starving for weeks and many thousands of people have died. I wonder what is happening with the Gods, surely they cannot let so many people die? My only conclusion is that there must be a war between them; a war that we cannot comprehend or attempt to influence. But maybe we can help on the ground, do what we can to prevent the evil forces from destroying our realm. All I, Hannibal, know is that I will fight on with my friends. For the Light!
The Gods
For ease of writing, the Gods are often mentioned as "He", but this is simply to keep the flow of English going. To be accurate the Gods are known as entities. We acknowledge that there are probably other Gods out there. Maybe even an infinite number of them.
The following is a short summary of each God we currently worship. To learn more, it is necessary to read the texts that are being written based on the information Hannibal is reading from the Ancient Books.
Celestial
The Celestial God is neither a singular or a multiple entity. It is simply referred to as Celestial. This God overlooks the large scale interactions of Stars and cosmological objects. When knights study Celestial, they learn about the large scale implications of actions. This helps the knights to make decisions based on, to quote the holy scriptures, "the needs of the many...".
Note for Aspirants: If you follow Celestial then you have more freedom in your actions than the other two main Gods. However, Celestial prefers to watch objectively over us mere mortals. Therefore you are highly unlikely to ever gain favour. Some see this is a problem and are therefore suited to either Lunar or Solar. Following Celestial is more akin to following a stream down a mountain. You cannot control where the stream goes and you cannot predict its path, but you sometimes know where it will lead. Celestial can help give insight into events and sometimes the future and/or past. Only the highly gifted receive insights from Celestial, although this should not discourage a knight's studies of this God. Sometimes the greatest answers are in fact the questions themselves.
Lunar
The Lunar God has very strong connections to the Moon. We aren't sure yet if Lunar created the Moon, or what role the entity plays exactly. But we do know that Lunar controls the Moon's orbit and therefore our tides, by some unknown force. Some say Lunar is the opposite of Solar. We have always known Lunar to be less impressionable than Solar. It seems to be very difficult to please or displease Lunar.
Note for Aspirants: This God is considered to be careful, friendly and cautious. It will take a long time to gain the favour of this God. The rewards are not as exciting as Solar, but they are potentially more powerful over time. For a long time Lunar will remain hidden and not help or hinder you, but it is usually watching...sometimes in collusion with other Gods.
Solar
Perhaps the most feared God, Solar has a very powerful influence on us all. Many cultures refer to Solar as the Sun God, and is mentioned across the world. Solar directly controls the Sun's energy and therefore the entity can make civilisations great, or it can burn them to the ground. There is some evidence, sketchy at best, that says Solar controls the energy output via an advanced form of chemistry. Perhaps one day 'Solar' will favour us, and provide the knowledge of such power to those that are worthy.
Note for Aspirants: This God is extremely quick to judge. It will either support you fully or attempt to destroy you. Generally this God only respects raw strength and power. If you choose to follow this God then it is reccommended that you are similarly brutal in your actions, on and off the battlefield.
Newly discovered Gods
The Gods listed here were not discovered with the original three. This does not make them inferior or superior. The core of the religion still follows Celestial, Lunar and Solar, but the Gods listed here may also be followed. Beware of following evil Gods though. We will not stand by and watch our knights fall under the watchful gaze of any evil entities.
Cherub
Cherub is an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent and compassionate God. Cherub is the ordainer and enforcer of law and upholder of the world order. Cherub is the knower of all. He is capable of controlling and dispensing justice. He knows the path that the birds fly through the heavens. He knows the pathway of the wind. He knows the Gods who dwell above. He knows all this because of his innumerable spies (the stars) who are spread everywhere acting as his eyes and ears. If two people are talking together, Cherub will know what is going on. He controls the world order and when people commit sin, he knows and punishes them. But if they repent and seek forgiveness, he also forgives them.
--Discovered and described by Tempest
Djinn
I had a dream last night. I guess it really wasn’t a dream; it was more like a vision…or a nightmare. I have had visions before but they are usually of the light and the temple. But this one was different, much different. It was filled with darkness; I remember sensing much pain and suffering. Everything was going by so fast my mind didn’t have time to comprehend everything it was seeing. The few parts I do remember clearly are not of things that need repeating – except for one thing. I remember seeing a dark figure. I couldn’t get a good enough look to be able to tell if it was a person or something else…something worse. When I woke up, for some reason the first thought that came to mind was the Book of Weakness. I immediately went to the temple and began studying; trying to find out anything I could about the thing I saw. After searching for what felt like hours I had nearly given up hope of finding anything. But on the next page there was mention of a God named Djinn. He is nothing like the other Gods we know of, who are benevolent and caring. In fact he seemed to be quite the opposite, malevolent and violent. So I carefully read on. This book (at least not this one) was never really clear about exactly what he is the god of. My hypothesis is that he is the God of Darkness. Solar, Lunar, Celestial, these are all things which bring light. As stated before he seems to be the antagonist of these three (at least one of the antagonists). It may be something more specific, I do not know for sure. But I am sure that he is indeed evil. Perhaps he is even the leader of the creatures mentioned in Hannibal’s ninth report?
--Discovered and described by Tempest (again!)
Infinity/Nil
Infinity/Nil are two separate entities residing in one being. Whenever they speak they seem to contradict each other, one preaching good, the other bad. They’ve been known to get into long debates on the subjects of Time and Space; Life and Death; Right and Wrong; Order and Chaos; and finally Karma and Balance. Those who are visited by them should not try to follow their discussions, although they do provide insight to the universe, they leave most mortals extremely confused. Some say that encountering Infinity/Nil leads to insanity.
--Discovered and described by Nnix
Progression
Many knights ask how they can progress from one level to another. Unfortunately those knights rarely pass the first hurdle.
In order to progress, a knight has to study both the Books and the Path that they have chosen. There are generally two types of knights within the religion.
- Those that study everything
- Those that study one God
There are exceptions as some knights have studied two Gods, but generally this is a rare event.
Progression is fairly straightforward. There is only one exam, early on, which tests the knight's memory of Hannibal's Reports. A pass is required and no exceptions are made on this, ever. To progress from one level to another, the knight has to study the God(s) he/she has chosen. To become a Light, the knight must have gained the understanding of all Gods on that level.
It is very important to remember that the Levels and Ranks do not affect a knight's standing within the Religion. Every knight is on a journey. Where that journey leads is unknown. We do not even know if the Arch Priest of Light will be enlightened. To quote the Books: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players...".
A knight has to make an important choice early on. That is, to study all aspects of the religion (a very difficult task and likely to prevent the knight from progressing far), or to study one of the Gods solely. Usually a Priest will inform the knight of his/her potential, but it is ultimately up to the knight to decide.
Ranks and Members
All members are equal in terms of value. However, those that have progressed to the higher ranks will have gained more experience and understanding of the religion. The higher ranks are encouraged to teach the lower ranks.
It must be noted that not all knights are destined to enter the higher ranks. This does not make them inferior. As long as a knight attempts to reach his/her potential then the Gods will be pleased.
We are currently seeking our Arch Priest of Light, and is therefore one of our main objectives.
Ranks | Members | Level | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Founder | Lycastus | ? | Built the Temple of Light. |
Avatar of Light | Hannibal | ? | Discovered the hidden Pyramid |
Arch Priest of Light | 36 | A gifted individual. | |
Solar High Priest | 28 | Reads the Hidden Solar texts. | |
Lunar High Priest | Jerix | 28 | Reads the Hidden Lunar texts. |
Celestial High Priest | 28 | Reads the Hidden Celestial texts. | |
Priest of Light | Nnix* | 21 | Preaches Ethics of each God. |
Solar Priest | 15 | Develops the Solar Ethics. | |
Lunar Priest | 15 | Develops the Lunar Ethics. | |
Celestial Priest | Tempest | 15 | Develops the Celestial Ethics. |
Light Gazer | Phillipe | 10 | Has followed each Ideology. |
Solar Gazer | Gale | 6 | Following the Solar Ideology. |
Lunar Gazer | Tenebrioun, Blackblade, Darkblade, Chrysopoeia | 6 | Following the Lunar Ideology. |
Celestial Gazer | Zedd*, Olek, Leasbre | 6 | Following the Celestial Ideology. |
Aspirant of Light | Reginald* | 3 | A rank while the Aspirant chooses which God(s) to follow. |
Solar Aspirant | 1 | Passed a written test on the Reports. | |
Lunar Aspirant | 1 | Finished studying Hannibal's Reports. | |
Celestial Aspirant | Obery, Travis* | 1 | Started studying Hannibal's Reports. |
Follower | Asdrubal, Brutus, Anna Arlington, Malachi Anastasia*, Ramenth, Gaara, Saruyama, Xero, Rian, Tiren, Aemon, Johnathan, Kratos |
0 | An enquiring mind. |
The Levels are based on an old....no... ancient game. A game based on spheres that collide and sometimes disappear and reappear elsewhere. The relevance of this is clear to anyone studying the religion.
Member Stories
In this section are the accounts of the new members to the Light of Fountain, written by the members themselves.
No Space
What is "No Space"?
We believe that many world's exist in Bubbles. In between the Bubbles is this No Space. We do not know what it is, but we assume given the name, that it is a region where there is literally no space.
Origin
Hannibal read in the Books repeating references to this No Space. We have no other known source, and have not even heard about it in legends or mythology.
Theory
Our greatest minds have devised a model of the system of No Space based on Hannibal's translations. We find that there are many Universes trapped inside many Bubbles. Generally 1 Universe to 1 Bubble, although we aren't certain of this. It may be possible to have multiple Universes in a single Bubble. These Bubbles then travel around No Space by some mechanism and occasionally they collide. From what we have read, they usually bounce off each other, but sometimes merge partially or wholly. The Bubbles also can leave behind fragments of their worlds in other Bubbles.
The Pyramid
The Pyramid probably was transported here when two bubbles intersected briefly. A foreign Bubble left behind parts of a foreign Universe in our Bubble, and part of that has to be the Pyramid. However, the odds for the Pyramid appearing where it did, are astronomically small. We know the Universe is huge, so why did it arrive here? We can only speculate that there was some divine intervention that caused this. In theory the Pyramid could have been transported in this way, but to occur at this time and place, seems to be the work of some God. We suspect that Celestial is responsible, although there may be other Gods that favour us. One explanation is that the God known as Boo did this. We do not deny that it is possible as we know that he favours Fontan, but we generally think Celestial is responsible. Celestial is known to control many large scale cosmological objects, and therefore 'Celestial' may control the No Space - Bubble interactions.
We think that this is the best explanation for the strange events surrounding the Pyramid's discovery. Firstly, there is no known record of any Pyramid or indeed any site existing at the location. Secondly, the interior is incredibly well preserved. The only problem is that the exterior is quite badly worn. We theorise that the exterior's time dimension accelerated somehow during the transportation process.
Parallel Universes
The Books describe infinite Universes, in infinite Bubbles. Some Universes will be almost identical to our own. We think that the Pyramid came from another Universe that was almost the same as ours. The pictures certainly support this, and the Books themselves describe Parallel Universes in detail. The shocking revelation is that the depiction in the paintings appears to be a copy of our past. And therefore it is also, by inference, a prediction of our future.
Scale
It has become clear that the scale of the Universe is immense.
We think that the Solar System is located in something called a Galaxy. There is also more than one of these Galaxies, and that they are separated by vast distances. The Galaxies then make up the Universe, and the Universe(s) the Bubble(s).
What is a Km?
Written in the Books are many references to distance in Km. We know it is an abbreviation, but we can't seem to translate it further. It is similar to our miles and through arduous investigation of scale references in the Books, we have calculated that 1 Mile is roughly equal to 1.61 Km. We use Km whereever possible to preserve the meaning of our translations.
Cosmological Distances
The Books reference many distances to stars which we do not know. We do believe however, that the Books came from a Parallel World. Therefore it is likely that we can match up constellations to gain this knowledge.
The distances we know so far are:
- Earth->Sun = 149 597 870 691 km (What is also known as an Astronomical Unit or AU?)
- Earth->Moon = 384 403 km
- Earth->Nearest Star = 39,900,000,000,000 km
How could these distances be measured? We assume they were passed down from the Gods, but something tells us there is more to it. Maybe another Parallel Universe intersected theirs, and somehow the information was transported to them. Hopefully the Arch Priest of Light will be able to decypher the Books further and deliver the answer to this enigma.
The following must be distances, but of what?
- 1 light-second ≈ 0.002 AU
- 1 light-minute ≈ 0.120 AU
- 1 light-hour ≈ 7.214 AU
- 1 light-day ≈ 173 AU
- 1 light-year ≈ 63 241 AU
- 1 pc ≈ 206 265 AU
There are many other things we are learning, one VERY IMPORTANT discovery is that our Earth is not the centre of the Universe. In fact, it may not even be the centre of our Solar System.
Community Artwork
Here we place our community's thoughts presented in the form of Art.
We welcome all interpretations from all ages and skill levels.
Other Religions
This is not a definitive list, but a list of religions that we have been informed of directly from a follower.
The Pantheon of Gods
Our first contact with this religion was via Lady Misty who came from Ibladesh. Here is her description of her religion.
I follow the spiritual path in life and believe in a patheon of gods, There is almighty Ramsus He is the Overlord.. the patron God of all leaders and mentors, There is Sartan the God of war the patron god of all soldiers and heros; Tersea the God all trade and economics, the patron God to all Beurocrats and Traders... and last but not least theres Kokini the God of Stealth and Mischief, The Patron God of Infiltrators and those that follow the ways of the shadow.
The Central Teachings of the faith include honour, Loyalty and justice. Those of us that believe in this faith, this way of life, Encourage all to reflect on their own spiritual nature and needs.. so may Ramsus guide you, May Sartan protect you May kokini Smile upon you and may Tersea lend you wisdom.
In our quest to honor our gods and live a spiritual life we embrace these goals:
- Justice… it is our path…ordained by the gods to seek what is just and honorable in this world and to uphold and defend these rights for ourselves and for others.
- Honor… it is our path…ordained by the gods to strive tolive an honorable life…one that shows respect to the people around us… the land we live off of ….The choices we make we make because they are the right and honorable thing to do not always however the easy thing to do.
- Wisdom… it is our path…ordained by the gods to constantly challenge ourselves to study and learn…to gain the knowledge that will help us make wise decisions…to engage in dialogue that will challenge us to see the truth in the world around us by encouraging open minded and fair exchanges of information and discourse.
- Creativity… it is our path…. ordained by the gods to recognize that we are meant to fully participate in life and that we are meant to express and share our creativity as much as we can.
- Love… it is our path…. ordained by the gods to create a sense of community with in our realm…to encourage a love of each other by fostering the relationships between friends and family with in this community.
Significant Roleplays
Listed here are some roleplays that did not fit in directly into a particular section, but are important back story nontheless.
Reginald II's Introduction
Here is an account of the first few weeks of Reginald's son getting involved in the ways of noble life. Reginald II spoke at length with a number of nobles: Gale, Chrysopoeia and Morea. The writings describe many events, most importantly for the religion, the transfer of the amulet and the discovery of its basic meaning. There appears to be three amulets for each of the Gods and incredibly Morea holds the second amulet (Celestial's) with Reginald II now holding the first (Lunar's). The whereabouts of the third amulet (Solar's) is still unknown.