The Children of Light

Character
The Children of Light are not necessarily angels, but they are inherently good and more than a little bit proud. They consider themselves far above the other races, including the Forgotten Ones who made such a horrible mess in the beginning of time. This sense of superiority makes some conclude that the other races are to be despised, but the most common philosophy is that they are to be pitied and protected – from themselves if need be: noblesse oblige. Children of Light can be seen patrolling cities at night or going into the wilds to slay monsters for the protection of those they believe are too weak or too foolish to take proper care of themselves. ~ Rajaat

Racial Views
Forgotten Ones – A bunch of crazed, irresponsible magicians. Originally made by the Creator, these creatures once deserved our respect. When they became responsible for all of the world’s problems, they lost that respect. Treat them with caution, as they are powerful, but always remember the sins of the past.

Demons – Our reflection in the mirror darkly. These beings are vile and wicked, and their corruption must be stopped at all cost. At the same time, do not hate them. They are our brothers and sisters, tragically turned away from the Light. Pity them, but do not suffer their evils.

Elves – The only thing not pointless about these things is their ears. Elves break when you look at them funny, and they are too preoccupied with flowers that they forgot to learn to defend themselves. They need your protection more than almost anyone else, but for the love of the Creator, do not snap a twig around them. The complaining never ends.

Dwarves – Hairy, ugly square things with a temper, these creatures never cease to confuse. They build the most amazing structures, but they do so underground, away from the Creator’s eye. They have the strength to fight the monstrous hordes, but they are belligerent towards other races and prone to infighting. Leave them alone, but stand by them when they call.

Humans – Who? Some idiot Forgotten One created these short-lived, fidgety creatures on a rainy Sunday afternoon, and forgot to do a test run. They have the courage of the Children, the insidiousness of the Demons, the attention span of the Elves and the manners of the Dwarves. For all that, they are loveable. Lend your assistance, but don’t count on a word of gratitude.

Monsters – The Darklings are those that spawn in the dark and live away from the light: the living dead, the monstrous spiders (another failed Forgotten experiment) and the toothless green worms. Those affected by the vampire’s curse can be cured by the Grace of the Creator, and must at all times be encouraged to accept this cure. The others threaten the ones we seek to protect, and must be vanquished.

The Creator

The Children of Light worship the Creator alone. It is a very active, strong and unquestioning devotion that dominates everything they do and that shapes how they view the world and everything in it. ~ Rajaat

Social Hierarchy
The Children of Light are led by a single leader: the Lord or the Lady of the Light. The Lord or Lady commands the three castes through their three lieutenants: the warriors (who answer to the Commander), suppliers (who answer to the Caretaker) and priests (who answer to the Grand Cleric). The fourth lieutenant, the Magister, is separate from the three castes.

The suppliers are the support caste. They farm to provide the others with food and mine for building materials. They are effectively in control of the materials needs of the race. Since they ensure the survival of the Children and since the mining in particular can sometimes put them in dangerous situations on the ground, the suppliers are deeply respected. The suppliers are the builders of the race, though the other castes are expected to build their own specific buildings. The leader of the suppliers is the Caretaker, who also serves as chief architect.

The priests are those who devote their lives to the worship of the Creator. They spend their time tending to the shrines and visiting Temples of the Creator built by other races. They also maintain a charity scheme for the weaker races, and are used in times of war to run between the city and any battle grounds to tend to the warriors and provide them with food when needed. In times of peace, they are the lore-keepers and teachers. The priests build the shrines to the Creator. The leader of the priests is the Grand Cleric, who personally wields several mystical powers granted by the Creator himself.

The warriors are those who guard the city and venture into the world to scout and to vanquish monsters. They are expected to train vigorously and eventually master the sword, axe or bow. While training with other races is encouraged, note that warriors are only allowed to battle a death duel with the permission of the Lord or the Lady of the Light. The warriors build their own barracks and training grounds. The leader of the warriors is the Commander, who is responsible for the defence of the City and for coordinating joint action with allied nations.

One more position merits special mention: the Magister. This is a Child of Light who has proven themselves worthy of magical powers, and stepped outside of the caste system to serve as an adviser to the Lord or Lady, and as the representative of the Children of Light to the Tetragrammaton Order. The position is a respected, if a lonely one.

The Lord or the Lady appoints the Commander, the Caretaker, the Grand Cleric and the Magister based on proven merit. ~ Rajaat

History
In the beginning, the Creator made the Forgotten Ones, the craftsmen of life. They assisted him in creating the Children of Light – the only one of the races that they made together, and the last that the Creator has a personal hand in.

But the Forgotten Ones were not tired of creating, and – regardless of the Creator’s interdict – continued doing so by themselves. First, they tinkered with what had already been made, but they overestimated their own skill in thinking they could alone alter what had been originally made in unison with the Creator. Without his involvement, the experiment failed, and their failure created the corrupted Demons from what were once Children of Light.

Yet even this did not deter the hubris of the Forgotten Ones. They went on to make entirely new creations of their own. Without the Creator’s hand, these others turned out weak, flawed, and mortal.

Between the wickedness of the Demons and the folly of the mortal races, the world quickly became a stage for strife. The Children of Light fought and bled to preserve the sanctity of creation, but with every battle the world became a darker place. Eventually, the Demons were sealed away. Embittered with the evils they had seen and the ingratitude of the races they had fought to protect, the Children of Light turned their backs on these foolish creatures, believing that they would certainly perish – and that this would be for the best of all.

The Children secluded themselves far away from everyone and everything else. They built large floating cities and never set foot on the tainted earth. For eons, they spent their days praising the Creator, floating high above the world, and lived in harmony. They believed that the weaker races had long since disappeared, and took the wandering monsters that they could see far below them as a sign that the world was still corrupt, and that they should never return.

Until recently. Rejecting the doctrine of their Elders, several younger Children of Light left their faraway cities and returned to Aeonis. To their surprise, they found the weaker races – the Humans, the Dwarves and the Elves – still alive and kicking. But there are still many problems. The Demons walk the lands again, alongside all manner of monsters. Disenfranchised members of the races have taken to pillaging the countryside. The plague of vampirism is an ever-present threat. And the Forgotten Ones, long believed to have vanished, are back and looking to create even more problems.

In light of these developments, the Children of Light have taken up their old burden. Though the greater part of the race is still far distant, unwilling to tread the corrupted world, several Children are now back in Aeonis to protect the weaker races and destroy the evils plaguing the innocent. ~ Rajaat