Daeus

Position	Greater Deity
Symbol	A Sunburst (Solis) or a Platinum Dragon
Colors	Gold, White, Platinum
Celestial Symbol	The Sun
Alignment	Lawful Good
Home Plane	The Dome of Heaven
Portfolio	Justice, Steadfastness, Sovereignty, Virtue, Good Dragons
Domains & Inquisitions	Glory, Good, Law, Sun, Nobility Truth, Valor, Banishment, Order, Spellkiller
Cleric Alignment	LG, LN, NG
Favored Weapon	Righteous Dawn (longsword)
Other Names	The Sun Lord, The Platinum Dragon, Rising One, Draco Solis (Myrddion), The Shining Knight, Morning Lord, The Supreme, Master of Law, (Stormgarde) The Highest One, Eli (sildanyar), Dragonfather (dragons, sith'makar), The Dragon Lord (Dragonier), Brilliant One, True Metal (khazad), Rising Sun, Ignis Divine
Commonly Associated Organizations	Temple of Daeus, Skyguard, Iron Book, Templars of the Holy Sword, Truthsayers, Order of the Crown, Order of the Hymn, Order of Peace, Order of the Seal
Some IC Hangouts	Alexandrian Grid: A10: Temple District, A06: The Soldier's Defense, A16: Castellum Alexandrae, A01: Watch Constables' Lodge Main Grid: H02: The Felwood

Mightiest of all the gods save his brother Maugrim, Daeus is often represented as the shining knight or mighty Platimum Dragon, the premier force of goodness and justice in the world. He was born of Elhim during the beginning of time, and stands in eternal opposition to Evil, be these forces that of The Void or his wayward brother, Maugrim the Five-Fold Serpent. He is the steadfastness of the Good, and the wont for justice against evil's wrongs.

Daeus and his wife Althea are the rulers of heaven, just as Maugrim and Taara are viewed as rulers of the hells. He and Maugrim were born as brothers, oldest of the gods and born of Elhim. Both were great warriors--Daeus with the radiance of the Sun behind him, beheld in the searing light of his blade, the Righteous Dawn, or in the reflection of his shield. He represents the justice that good can bring to the world, and through his brother, the eventual redemption--or conquest--of darkness.

Opposed to evil in any form, Daeus stands opposite his brother. One day, he hopes his brother might stand beside him as he was meant to be. Daeus and Maugrim are, nevertheless, irrevocably linked by their origins and their natures. When the Void whispered to Maugrim, it awoke in him a latent evil that erupted as a pus-filled sore. He saw his brother seek to grind mortal and immortal alike beneath his boot, and declare free will an abomination that turned them from their one, true task--servitude towards their betters. Filled with righteous fury, his brother brought blade to blade, and the two brothers have been at odds ever since.

It is this act also, that pairs him with Althea. Where she seeks the protection and uplifting of the poor, he would make her efforts everlasting, and protect mortalkind eternally from his brother's encroachment. He would see a better, more ideal world and is perhaps unrealistic in this way.

The Platinum Dragon is the figure for which he is most known and the visage of this mighty dragon adorns artwork, stained glass and more all across Gaea. During the Third Age, his manifestations included the Celestial Paladin, a tall bronze-skinned, deep-chested knight in platinum armor and white robes. Today, Daeus works through his clergy and other willing and destined souls. Of recent years, he is fond of less obvious manifestations such as in the form of an overweight but keenly sharp elderly scholar or an aged Templar of the Holy Sword or Dragon Knight, accompanied by an senile gold dragon, with surprising vigor despite his appearance.

Daeus is the devoted husband to Althea and their love for one another is well-known and seen as one of the steadfast measures of the universe. Their children are Gilead, Eluna, and Tarien.

Dogma

Daeus is depicted often as a shining knight, and his dogma reflects this in part. He asks his followers to seek justice for those who cannot seek it themselves, and asks them to protect the meek and the helpless, to stand for the downtrodden. Yet, he also asks them to strive for good--to be the good they would see in others.

A lawful god, he holds the belief that a good and just society is necessary. The farmer cannot produce if bandits steal her crops, for example, and the child cannot grow if not given food, an education, and so on. Yet, his justice is not unfeeling, but based upon Compassion. He teaches that mortal law and tradition must adjust to what is good and right; they are imperfect in this way. The poor and meek must be protected and uplifted. Criminals must be punished as fits the crime, and justice should be sought on behalf of those who are unable to do so.

He expects his followers to be wise, and to be the beacons of good and compassion that they would like to see in the world. Among his followers are the ranks of judges, advisers, soldiers, and advocates. He urges them to uphold justice, honor, and compassion. He asks rulers to be both noble and humble, and teaches that it is the duty of those in power to seek the betterment of those below them.

His temples are often found alongside those of Althea, and in opposition to his fallen brother, Maugrim. When facing the fruits of injustice, Daeus is not to be underestimated: he is capable of becoming the fire of the Sun, and is one of the strongest gods in the cosmos. In this way, his righteous fury is terrifying to behold.

His temples frequently ally, or lead, those among the Light. However, at times the forces of neutrality ally themselves as well, in order to stand against the dark and preserve the world. However, Daeus often sees these alliances as tested by what he perceives as a lack of commitment. Were they to stand for what is good and just, the world might overthrow darkness completely.

Temples and the Faithful

Titles
Cleric	Sunguard
Paladin	Sunblade
Inquisitor	Lamplighter

Daeus encourages his followers to balance justice with compassion, and to advocate peace in the world. Where Althea lays the Foundation, his faithful build upon it and are tasked with being the good they would see in the world.

The Temples of Daeus tend to be organized, and at least loosely connected across national borders. It is strongest in Myrddion and similar nations, where his Temples are given state prominence. Rulers will often pay at least lip service to Daeus, even if they do not follow through. To counteract this, his faithful--working as advocates, councilors, judges, and knights, are encouraged to teach wisdom and advocate for good.

Working on an international scale, the church advocates peace. Yet, in the face of Maugrim and other evils, Daeus can be a forward-moving god. It does recognize that warfare is sometimes necessary and that not all disputes are settled with words. During times of war, it concerns itself with seeking to make sure that wars are fought honorably, that the wounded are properly cared for, and that the proper respect and last rites are given to the dead.

Much of Daeus' efforts are concentrated through his clergy which is structured and organized with an established head and leadership. The dogma of the church is based upon The Canon of the High Law, which is a work of writings inspired by the gods, and based upon the original text from books known as The Aegenean Gospels. Mortal law is seen as an imperfect reflection of these works, and therefore in need of wisdom, reflection, and correction. It must be guided--and developed--through Compassion and an understanding of what is Good in the world.

Daeusite faithful may be guided by traditions within their faith. Examples are below.

Daeusite Clerical Traditions: Daeus' priests are expected to provide spiritual guidance to the people of Gaea as well as defend the world from evil. They often act as advisors to rulers of a region, sit as judges in their communities and work to heal the wounded spirits and provide shelters for those who are wrongly accused and have been abused by misuses of law and also work to change those misuses. Where law is unjust, they work to change it to better reflect the ideals of Goodness and Compassion.

Daeusite Paladin Traditions: Paladins of Daeus are are typically warriors for justice and what is good in the world. The martial arm of the faith, they often partner with Altheans and other servitors of the Gods of Light. They stand at the forefront in the world's fight against evil and oppression.

Clerical Vestments

Clerical vestments for the priesthood of Daeus tend to follow a motif of white or platinum with silver and gold trimmings. White robes are favored; for traveling priests overtop these are worn ornate platinum and gold breastplates emblazoned with the symbol of a sunburst or a platinum dragon. Among warrior-priests, full plate is often worn overtop the white robes with high plumed helms and mighty tower shields with the symbol of the platinum dragon upon it. The Sunguard, temple knights and war priests derived from the Templar of the Holy Sword sect, are known for their draconic armor motif, large imposing pauldrons and great sweeping curtain-like robes and capes. Maces are common among the clergy but those trained to expect battle often carry ceremonial longswords in homage to Daeus' own blade.

Avatars

Daeus is traditionally depicted in one of two ways. As a humanoid, he often appears as an armored knight, deep and thick-chested, broad shouldered, sometimes bearded and with shining eyes and platinum colored hair that is often long. A slender crown is upon his brow and his armor is extravagant, brilliant but also the armor of one that is preparing for war with golden and argent robes beneath. His sword, Righteous Dawn, is at his side and he also carries with him The Canon of the High Law, which is said to contain within it the laws of the gods. Daeus’s second form he takes when he deals with dragons and that form is of the great platinum dragon. As the platinum dragon he is wise, great to look upon, and bears the spiritual guidance and wisdom of all the good dragons of the world.

It is said his palace is as majestic as it is serene, bathed in pure, platinum light.