The Order of the Sun

The Order venerates the Serpent of the Sky through the Dream of the Dragons—the bright orb of fire called the Sun. Rather than an accidental catastrophe, they view the Moonfall as the flawed attempt of the Archons to challenge the Dragons. To avoid the fate of the First Ones in search of power, they formed a different plan: Instead of raising Anasta to the heavens as the Archons did, they aim to draw down the power of the Sun into the world. They call their technology Solartech—the power of the Sun and Fire as revealed to them by the Dragon of the Sky itself. The might and utility of Solartech cannot be denied, and it can indeed do much that Ethertech can do without the necessity for Moonshards.

The Order collectively see themselves as the righteous leaders of the world, leading all into a new age of piety and glory. Not all of the Order is cohesive, however. Members of the Order will generally identify with one of two philosophies, either openly or in practice: Progressive or Puritan.

Progressives seek to learn from Ethertech while avoiding what they see as pitfalls of the ancient technology. Many are open to utilizing Moonshards and a form of Psience, as long as the proper controls are in place that avoid the fate of the Archons. What those controls may be are a source of constant debate among Progressives. Most see a day where Ethertech and the Archons’ Psience will become obsolete.

Puritans reject Moonshards and all Ethertech, finding salvation only in Solartech. While not yet having the advancements in genetics that Ethertech provides, Puritan engineers have developed some of the most advanced energy-generation technology in Anasta. In areas where they lag behind Ethertech, they believe discipline and and skill can overcome whatever hurdles they face until Solartech can be developed to address it.

Most Solar Psientists of either persuasion avoid dabbling with spacetime as they see this as a component in the downfall of the Archons.

The roots of the Order are grounded in Arydi history, and the majority of its members are avian. However, the idealism of the Order has attracted many people of other bioforms, most notably Huma. While the Progressives are somewhat diverse, Puritans of the order are almost exclusively Arydi or Huma. Many Puritans see Chimeras as aberrations and punishment for the Archons’ hubris, and Moonblooded of any bioform are particularly looked down upon. Some of the more fanatical Puritans conduct clandestine “purges” to eliminate Chimeras and Moonblooded from their communities or the world at large. While such activity is openly condemned by the Order as a whole, this condemnation doesn’t generally go beyond a verbal acknowledgment.

The Order is centered in Helis, and their Ziggurat is testament to their mastery of Solartech. Here, the Order is lead by the Hierophant and their Council of Six. The current Hierophant is a Progressive, while the Council is evenly split.

Relationship to the other factions

Wilders

Progressives view Wildcallers as intriguing objects of study, and count some former Wilders among their ranks. Puritans are generally suspicious of Wildcallers’ link to the land and a power they have not yet mastered.

Chantry and The Guild

The Progressives see the Chantry as useful allies in the study of Ethertech and the Guild as a reliable source of Moonshards. The Puritans see both factions as adversaries to be converted or eliminated.

Sisters of the Deep

While they respect the Sisters’ piety to the Dragon of the Deep, The Order is dogmatically opposed to the Deep Sisters and see them as the greatest threat to the world. Whether or not this is a justified belief is irrelevant to most of the Order. The Sisters’ ancient Psience has remained intact to their earliest days, predating the Moonfall. Their Ethertech is similar to that of the Archons, and that alone threatens the survival of the world.

Moon Wardens and The Cursed

Each of these groups are viewed through the lens of their connection to the Archons. Some see each as an unfortunate mutation for the sin of the Archons. Others see each group as those who represent the undoing of the world, especially among Puritans. The Order recognizes the Children of the Moon had no choice in their creation. However, those that continue to serve the will of the Archons as Wardens are considered enemies. Mooncursed are viewed with pity or disdain. Those who lean into their heritage, however, are natural enemies to the Order and its perogative of ushering in a new world.

Generation of Chaos

The Order is generally opposed to the chaos created by the Generation. As the Generation is home to many Chimeras, it is not unknown for Puritans to make preemptive strikes on Generation encampments, culling the chaos.

The Peacekeepers

The Order as a whole see the Peacekeepers as a relic of a previous age. While they do not contribute directly to the forward-vision of the Order, the Peacekeepers’ creed can make them useful allies to maintain the peace necessary for the Order’s vision to unfold.