Corus

Followers of Corus are often called Corusene, Corusine, or Corusin. The common symbols for Corusene and their churches are the golden sun Morn or silver moon Hirde on a black or dark background. This sun symbol is typically a simple circle (○), but can include rays (☼) or other features. For sacred objects of proselytizing or war—like tracts, weapons, armor, and tabards—a half-circle (⌓) may be used instead. This is said to symbolize the inevitability of the rising sun.

Some Corusene use the name of Corus and the actual sun Morn interchangeably; however, this is never done with Hirde.

All of the major Corusene holidays are centered on solar events, such as solstices, equinoxes, and eclipses.

History

The history of Corus is one of competing narratives. Each church has its own story—and their enemies do as well. Perhaps the most well-known and harmonious account comes from Satra Luquin in his Fōt Korōn. (Luquin was his given name. "Satra" an honorific title meaning "religious scholar".) Luquin wrote that for many generations, Corus was an unremarkable sun cult. While Hallasar flourished in Cordiana, the god Corus attracted few followers until he communicated directly with humanity through the Kisran slave Thares.

Thares

Thares was a model slave, again according to Luquin. He was diligent, obedient, and wholly illiterate. He had served his master, the magister Numes, for many years without incident. So Numes was astonished one day to discover Thares in a trance, writing page after page of a manuscript titled Fea Corus. Numes summoned many witnesses—from officials to elders and clergy—who marveled as Thares wrote without pause, even without food and water. They noted that the writing was perfect in every way, from penmanship to diction to grammar. Word about Thares reached the townsfolk and by the second day, a crowd had formed outside Numes' compound. By the third day, it was a throng. And at midnight of that third day, Thares laid down his quill and died. Numes took possession of the manuscript and published it. Tradition holds that the body of Thares was seized by the crowd and his parts became relics.

The Fea Corus

Thares had created an exceptional work of wisdom literature: there were proverbs and fables, advice for everything from managing a household to being satisfied with life. The Fea Corus was widely read in Cordiana for several decades before its popularity declined, though some readers grew obsessed with it. After some time, the poet Genet discovered the first acrostic in the text. There were other acrostics, then mesostics and even more clever hidden messages. They revealed that Thares was a host, a vessel through with the god Corus had manifested to shine knowledge upon his followers. These messages also contained edicts for personal and religious behavior, along with a consistent theme of acting in accord with one's destiny. Corus has a path for every being, it said, and he endows them with the knowledge and skills they need to follow that path.

Expansion and Divisions

By all accounts, there was a single, unified church of Corus in Cordiana. Most Corusene survived the fall of Cordiana and settled in Fellsdare, then expanded to much of Loril. Over time, more revelations were found in the Fea Corus, though some were controversial and not believed. There were also disagreements among the Corusene over the hierarchy of the messages, whether they were more important than the proverbs and fables. Then came whispers of additional hosts beyond Thares, and even new religious texts. The Corusene splintered time and time again as they expanded into the rest of Allesley and also Medoruul and Suthal.

Denominations

The two largest denominations are the Church of Corus and the Church of the Adamant, which together represent at least three-quarters of the Corusene. The remaining denominations tend to be recent branches or older dissenting sects.

The Church of Corus

The Church of Corus sees itself as a direct descendent of the original congregation in Cordiana. Church leaders preach the primacy of revealed messages within the Fea Corus, and that all of them were discovered before the fall of Cordiana. Any newer messages and hosts after Thares are considered heretical. That being said, the Church of Corus does tend to see other churches as acting in good faith.

The Whitemantles are a militant branch of the Church of Corus. They believe that heresy needs to be punished—burned clean by fire, in most cases—before it can convert or corrupt true believers.

The Church of the Adamant

The Church of the Adamant—also called the Adamant Church, the Adamants, and the Many Hosts—takes a balanced approach to the Fea Corus, accepting most revelations and also its surface wisdom. The church sees most hosts as divinely inspired, though not manifestations of Corus in mortal form. Their names come from a many-faceted diamond, a symbol that reflects and refracts the brilliance of Corus.

Some branches of the Church of the Adamant are more selective about what they'll accept. The Garnet Banner, for example, acknowledges revelations that venerate Corus and they believe that a host will one day conquer Elsemorn in his name. The Heartwood puts its faith in the kind-hearted wisdom of the Fea Corus.

Other Churches

The Children of Reflection is a newer mystical sect. This church rejects the concept of manifestation, insisting that hosts knew of Corus through dreams or medication. The sect believes that anyone can commune with Corus, an idea that most Corusene treat as heresy.

The Church of the Empty Sky sees Corus as a benevolent fire-spirit who manifests within mortal hosts to share his wisdom. Corus was Thares for his entire life, they say, not only for three days. Upon the death of Thares, Corus was reborn into another host to experience the joy and pain of mortality, and that cycle continues. Because of this grounded perspective, the church advocates charity work like helping the sick and poor—although it never helps them rise above it, which would challenge the divine right of Corus. While most Corusene consider them heretical, The Church of the Empty Sky is typically ignored because of their philanthropy and considerable lack of power.

The Church of High Sorcery believes that magic flows like blood within some beings, and that sorcerers are chosen by the magical sun god, Corus. While this church is said to pre-date Thares and the Fea Corus, its followers still tend to see magical study as offensive to their god. Of course, other Corusene see the Church of High Sorcery itself as heretical.