Byrne

Byrne was the first god to enter this world and proclaim it has his own. He rules over the other gods, as a King rules over his noble Dukes. It his words that govern the right of man to rule over others, as a husband rules over his household. His will is that all men stay true to the laws of their land, which divide the rule between noble and commoner.

Byrne is a large human male with long straight hair and a full beard. In his right hand he holds a scepter, while his left rests upon his sword. It was his call to Vayne that railed the gods to fight the titans. His sword is the mighty blade Lanshar, which defeated Kuran during the War of the Titans Fall, giving Byrne the right by combat to claim absolute rulership of miranda and all things it contained.

All men who wish to be clerics of Byrne must pass a rigorous training and abide by one of the most rigid tenants within the Temple of Light. They must be willing to give up their personal ambition in order to clearly see to the needs of others. To those within the clergy there is a strict hierarchy that everyone must obey. At the top is the Hridi, who is head as the King is the head of the state and wears the Crown of Byrne to signify his authority. Under him is a council of men called Kolds, which serve as his personal advisors and command those temples and shrines within their area. Finally, each temple is ruled by a Arms who teaches the masses.

The only man allowed near the Hridi without first passing through the council of Kolds is the Akar, or Sword of Byrne. This man is a warrior whose has dedicated his soul to Byrne and was chosen through strength of arms and purity of heart to protect the Hridi no matter his own cost. While this man is typically taken from the ranks of the Order of White, at least one Hridi took a common mercenary as his Akar.

Byrne's temples favor grand entrances with pillared hallways and carpeting or rugs for the nobles to walk upon. Their will be twelve pillars around the temple each one a depiction of one of the other gods, while a statue or symbol of Byrne is mounted on the roof or in front of the temple. The walls and pillars are commonly crafted from marble or cut stone, the flutes are commonly gilted. The larger temples will have the roof guarded by gargoyles and statues of the saints over the doorway.

Each temple will provide benches or chairs and a kneeling seat for the nobles near the front by the alter. The commoners must bring their own rugs for kneeling, with many of these rugs becoming family heirlooms until they are too threadbare to be used. The alter is typically made from oak or maplewood and carved with the symbol of Byrne. The priest will give the sermon from behind the alter, stepping in front only to perform the rites for each worshipper.

Byrne's symbols include scepters, rods, thrones, swords and other artifacts of ruling. What separates these from other symbols is the inclusion of twelve stars surrounding or interwoven into each symbol. These symbol will be black if the ruler gained power by conquest, red for those passed down the bloodline, and white for a man who both rules the church and nation. Those who rebel against the church will be branded by the crossed scepters or swords of a traitor against both Byrne and King.

The book of Byrne, called the Sacrament, is leather or wood bound and describes the laws that govern all men. It is within these pages where the rights of divine rule and the rights of servitude are laid down for all men to follow.

Because Byrne is the god of rule and law, most noble lords and knights will pledge themselves to his service. Commoners will seek his wisdom in matters of law and often turn to him if they serve a master who does not follow the tenants of the church. Those who must cast judgement often have a balancing scale with an statue of Bryne on the right and a statue of Lom on the left. This is their balance between the law and justice that must always be maintained for the good of all.

However, no cleric of the church can also serve as a noble lord of the people — this is because a man cannot serve two masters at the same time. The only exception to this law is that the Hridi can serve as the King of a nation. Only in this manner can a man serve only Byrne as his master, while serving both the church and the commoners.

There is no place within the service of Byrne for women to serve. They must be subservient in the way a wife is subservient to her husband. For those that wish to serve Byrne in this way, they must forgo any secular marriage and become holy sisters of Byrne. These sisters, who lead a monastic life dedicated to teaching and healing, are lead by their eldest who is commonly called Mother. Each monastic order is protected by a Kold and often guarded by knights of the Order of White when they travel.

The Order of White is a powerful knighthood is open to noble and common warriors that have successfully taken the tenants of Byrne as their own. Within the order are Knight-Brothers, who are the noble warriors and command the others according to rank. The commoner ranks are Sergeants who lead between ten and twelve Sword-Brothers. The Order of White is dedicated to the protection of all worshippers of Byrne and the punishment of those that by action or word speak against his believers.

Named in honor of the great Lord Mansfield, who lead an army of untrained commoners against a the battle-hardened mercenaries of King Henrich, the Brotherhood of Mansfield are knights of the highest skill. Lord Henrich had claimed himself a godking, above the needs of the mortals that served him. Lord Mansfield, a pious man, was the only noble lord to speak against the King on this course, which got him banished from court and his titles stripped. On that summer day, Lord Mansfield led his army and won a great victory at the Battle of Wright Falls. Two months later he breached the Castle Ashlon's wall and had King Henrich burned as a heretic.

The Brotherhood of Mansfield are knights that have banded together to ensure that a powerful noble does not rise above his own commitment to Byrne. The knights of Lord Mansfield are not well appreciated in many areas because they often see themselves as higher arbitrators of the law and have been known to act on their own convictions. This however, does make them well loved by commoners that often feel the stinging lash of their noble.

Byrne's rituals are well known for their excessive pomp and circumstance. Most involve long sermons asking for Byrne's blessing and powerful symbols of law being exchanged between the church and recipient.

Performed only by the Hridi upon a man wishing to take the throne of a nation. This asks that the wisdom and law of Byrne be passed into the new ruler so that he may wisely lead his people. Those favored by Byrne will be blessed with wisdom, knowledge, and occasionally the gift of foresight. The new ruler and Hridi must both fast for a day before the ceremony can begin, only after the conclusion of the ceremony when the Hridi and new King break bread together will he be allowed to eat. Purity of the body leads to purity of the mind and spirit.

This rite is typically performed by a Kord upon each member of the church that is taking on the position of a noble lord. It involves seeking Byrne's permission to leave the church and lead the people in his name. If Byrne grants his blessing the new noble may immediately take up his new position within society. Sometimes this blessing has been known to take several months, while the clergyman prays and fasts to show his devotion.

This most martial of rituals brings a new initiate into the Order of White. Performed only during the heat of midday the initiate must pass through the ranks of the knights. Any knight wishing to stop them may do so by declaring a blood grievance. The initiate must fight or forsake the knighthood forever.

As husband of Mara and ruler of the gods, Byrne wears the Crown of Stars which he fashioned from the sword Kuran used to rule his fellow titans. This symbol of his power was once stolen by Cyrin and hid away in the depths of Karash's realm — for Cyrin knew well the differences between Byrne and Karash. However, before after a brief war between their followers they soon uncovered the trick and both turned on Cyrin. She was caught an imprisoned in the maze of dwarves under Mount Killanhook for thirty years before she escaped.