Hello again faithful of Golarion. Lasair Alant here, priestess of Shelyn. Last time, I told you about Shelyn, and now it's time to talk about one of the Eternal Rose's sometimes paramours, Sarenrae. Also known as the Dawnflower, the Cleansing Light, or the Warrior of Fire, Sarenrae is the goddess of the sun, redemption, honesty, and healing. Sarenrae is associated with the sun, rather than being the sun herself. In fact, legends say she was originally an angel who guided the sun's light until through merit she rose to the rank of Empyreal Lord and for her bravery in the fight against Rovagug's attempt at unmaking the universe, her fellows boosted her all the way to the rank of goddess.
Sarenrae believes in kindness, nurturing, and second chances, as the legends say that she cast aside the darkness of Asmodeus's lies upon the mortals with her arrival, causing them to be shamed by the ugly darkness within them and beg for forgiveness. Nonetheless, Sarenrae recognizes that sometimes, redemption is not possible, and for such evils, she responds with steel and flame. So too do her clerics train with her favored scimitar, whirling and dancing with their blades in the sunlight. The nomadic Keleshite dervishes descend, supposedly, from the earliest nomads who formed the core of Sarenrae's first followers. The Cult of the Dawnflower is an extremist branch of the church that feels the harsh sun beating upon them and worship the Dawnflower in such a light. The cult's motto is "there are no second chances in the desert", and they offer enemies of the faithful a single chance at mercy before hardening their hearts to ruthlessness, ignoring any offers of surrender or parley, even against non-evil foes. While kind, generous, and forgiving to their own, the Cult of the Dawnflower's dominance has led to political turmoil when the Qadiran branch sanctioned attacks against Taldor, thus leading to the church's ban, despite Sarenrae's continuing popularity in Taldor. Dawnflower cultists often look to the punishment of Ninshabur as an example, which was a time when Sarenrae sliced with her scimitar beneath a particularly sinful city, killing all in the city as it fell into a rift to the center of the world in what is now the Pit of Gormuz.
Sarenrite art is particularly interesting, at least to me. Sarenrae's holy symbol is an ankh, although sometimes the ankh has wings or is even a winged woman who postures her body and wings like an ankh. Sarenrite priests often wear dawn colors, with red and gold thread being common, as well as sunbursts and gold-colored gems. Sarenrite goldsmiths often use a unique alloy of gold and copper called "rose gold" for its dawnlike color in religious objects and wedding rings. Temples are open to the sky, with mirrors of brass or gold set up to reflect sunlight toward the altar. Decorations and adornments include sun motifs, doves, and wings, and the temple grounds are usually surrounded by golden flowers or sunflowers. Sarenrae's ceremonies always involve singing and dancing, with the most popular dances styled in circles to mimic the sun's motions through the sky. These are often punctuated with percussion instruments and hand clapping.
Sarenrae's main holidays are Burning Blades, on Sarenith 10th where the faithful light scimitars on fire and dance and the Sunwrought Festival on the summer solstice, when Sarenrae is said to be paying extra attention to the mortal world. The Sunwrought Festival is a time for fireworks, kites, and reenactments of Sarenrae's battle against Rovagug featuring giant cloth Rovagugs. Sarenrae's holy text, The Birth of Light and Truth, includes tales from Sarenrae's entire history, even when she was an ordinary angel, describing in detail all the fiends she has vanquished. After the section on her history, the text is full of parables that explain the teachings of Sarenrae and how to deal with sin and seek redemption. The next section of the text includes herbal remedies and the weaknesses of common supernatural threats such as vampires. Finally, each copy of the book has blank pages at the end for the owner to fill with their own stories, whether tales of the priest's own exploits, hearsay from others, or parables of the priest's own invention. Copies that contain writings from famed figures in these sections are extremely prized.
Sarenrae is on good terms with all of the non-evil deities and typically treats the evil ones kindly in the hopes of redemption, though she hates Asmodeus with a particular passion that reveals an unknown rivalry deeper than the battle for the hearts and minds of mortals. Despite Sarenrae's extreme hatred of undead, she continues to offer to help Urgathoa become whole, though so far with no success. Rovagug holds her strongest grudge, as she still remembers her battle to imprison him so long ago.
Sarenrae believes in kindness, nurturing, and second chances, as the legends say that she cast aside the darkness of Asmodeus's lies upon the mortals with her arrival, causing them to be shamed by the ugly darkness within them and beg for forgiveness. Nonetheless, Sarenrae recognizes that sometimes, redemption is not possible, and for such evils, she responds with steel and flame. So too do her clerics train with her favored scimitar, whirling and dancing with their blades in the sunlight. The nomadic Keleshite dervishes descend, supposedly, from the earliest nomads who formed the core of Sarenrae's first followers. The Cult of the Dawnflower is an extremist branch of the church that feels the harsh sun beating upon them and worship the Dawnflower in such a light. The cult's motto is "there are no second chances in the desert", and they offer enemies of the faithful a single chance at mercy before hardening their hearts to ruthlessness, ignoring any offers of surrender or parley, even against non-evil foes. While kind, generous, and forgiving to their own, the Cult of the Dawnflower's dominance has led to political turmoil when the Qadiran branch sanctioned attacks against Taldor, thus leading to the church's ban, despite Sarenrae's continuing popularity in Taldor. Dawnflower cultists often look to the punishment of Ninshabur as an example, which was a time when Sarenrae sliced with her scimitar beneath a particularly sinful city, killing all in the city as it fell into a rift to the center of the world in what is now the Pit of Gormuz.
Sarenrite art is particularly interesting, at least to me. Sarenrae's holy symbol is an ankh, although sometimes the ankh has wings or is even a winged woman who postures her body and wings like an ankh. Sarenrite priests often wear dawn colors, with red and gold thread being common, as well as sunbursts and gold-colored gems. Sarenrite goldsmiths often use a unique alloy of gold and copper called "rose gold" for its dawnlike color in religious objects and wedding rings. Temples are open to the sky, with mirrors of brass or gold set up to reflect sunlight toward the altar. Decorations and adornments include sun motifs, doves, and wings, and the temple grounds are usually surrounded by golden flowers or sunflowers. Sarenrae's ceremonies always involve singing and dancing, with the most popular dances styled in circles to mimic the sun's motions through the sky. These are often punctuated with percussion instruments and hand clapping.
Sarenrae's main holidays are Burning Blades, on Sarenith 10th where the faithful light scimitars on fire and dance and the Sunwrought Festival on the summer solstice, when Sarenrae is said to be paying extra attention to the mortal world. The Sunwrought Festival is a time for fireworks, kites, and reenactments of Sarenrae's battle against Rovagug featuring giant cloth Rovagugs. Sarenrae's holy text, The Birth of Light and Truth, includes tales from Sarenrae's entire history, even when she was an ordinary angel, describing in detail all the fiends she has vanquished. After the section on her history, the text is full of parables that explain the teachings of Sarenrae and how to deal with sin and seek redemption. The next section of the text includes herbal remedies and the weaknesses of common supernatural threats such as vampires. Finally, each copy of the book has blank pages at the end for the owner to fill with their own stories, whether tales of the priest's own exploits, hearsay from others, or parables of the priest's own invention. Copies that contain writings from famed figures in these sections are extremely prized.
Sarenrae is on good terms with all of the non-evil deities and typically treats the evil ones kindly in the hopes of redemption, though she hates Asmodeus with a particular passion that reveals an unknown rivalry deeper than the battle for the hearts and minds of mortals. Despite Sarenrae's extreme hatred of undead, she continues to offer to help Urgathoa become whole, though so far with no success. Rovagug holds her strongest grudge, as she still remembers her battle to imprison him so long ago.