Rahmun

Rahmun is the Khemaran God of the Sun. He is worshipped broadly across southern Temiran in and around the Vatran Desert as the one true God.

Name
Rahmun is given many names by his adherents. In some areas, Rahmun is worshipped in his aspect as the Radiant One, for others, he is The Giver of The Law, and he is sometimes worshipped in his aspect as The Merciful.

Mythology
Rahmun is the God of the Heavens, though it is never stated explicitly in the scriptures whether he is the ultimate creator of the universe. He claims to have brought forth Humanity, and species such Orcs and their descendants, are regarded as "children of Rahmun".

Taming of the drakes
When Rahmun entered Vantowyn, he cast out the previous occupants in order to make room for his Garden, where he would house his creations.

 The Drakes were a monstrous force of chaos that once dwelt in the garden. Rahmun did battle against these creatures, taming them and driving them out. The garden was good, and she sheltered all Rahmun's creatures. His people loved him, and lived happily bathing in the light of the sun he made for them.

There is some debate philosophically over whether or not the drakes in this section of The Law are metaphorical. There are Drakes far to the north in Ak-Arra, but it is unknown whether they are the same as the drakes of scripture, are they merely descendants, or are completely unrelated.

The fall of Kamiyyah
Kamiyyah is a major figure of Rahmunian myth, viewed as an antagonistic force fallen from the grace of Rahmun. Kamiyyah is often depicted as a horned Gnoll.

 Kamiyyah was once Rahmun's right hand. She served at his side as sword and shield. In battle against the drakes, she stood resolute by Rahmun's side. But in her heart, she grew envious of the praise that the people gave to the Radiant One. She saw how his people loved him, and she grew envious.

And in her own reckless greed, she descended to The Garden, and began to boast of her own feats of strength. For had not she bested the drakes too? Where then, was her praise? She deserved it. And the people began to praise her name, but She was no longer content to share the glory.

Rahmun saw this envy festering within his shield, within his bride, and he wept. The very sun he built for his children dimmed. He spoke to her, and tried to reclaim her heart, but she had already poisoned her mind against him.

As Rahmun offered his hand in peace to Kamiyyah, she bit into him with a bestial ferocity. She cracked the ground and tore the earth asunder. From the garden He had made, She cast a great stone in the way of the light to block Rahmun's radiance and to smother his creation.

And Rahmun knew that she would never again be the shield at his side. So he cast her out of his radiance, and cursed her and her followers. If they would be so wicked and greedy as beasts, then it would be as beasts that they roamed through the garden that they ravaged. When Kamiyyah was cast out, so too were all of Rahmun's children.

But not without hope. Rahmun knew not all of his children were wicked. He knew that many among them would keep his tenets, and praise his name. And so he gave them The Law. And they would follow The Law, and one day, if they followed well, the sun might cease to burn them, and they each might regain entry into the paradise he made for them.

And so do Rahmun's faithful do battle against the adherents of Kamiyyah.

The "great stone" mentioned here is a creation myth of how Dakovar came to be, which is seen as an ever-present reminder of Kamiyyah's spiteful envy. When it eclipses the sun, it is said that her beasts grow stronger in the absence of the sunlight.

The story of Kamiyyah's betrayal is not a warning against mercy or forgiveness, however. Like Kamiyyah, many lesser gods are said to have broken from Rahmun out of envy. The stories of their incorporation are recorded as myths following the same pattern as Kamiyyah's descent. Not all of them were so consumed by their "wicked envy"; some are written as accepting Rahmun's hand, and standing back at his side, sharing in his glory without seeking to eclipse him.

Relationship between Rahmun and Kamiyyah
The canon scripture describes the relationship between Rahumn and Kamiyyah using many analogies that mirror a relationship between husband and wife. While not confirming that the two were ever married, versions of this story told outside of the scripture interpret this in many ways.

Kamiyyah's struggle against Rahmun demonstrates how envy, left to fester, destroys even the closest bonds. It is an oft-cited story to encourage reconciliation with friends or partners before to much damage is done. This envy is often described as the first Sin.

Rahmunism
Worshippers of Rahmun view him as the one true God, with regional gods integrated into Rahmunism as lesser powers, subservient and beholden to the will of their sovereign. These lesser deities may have had followings of their own in the past, and on a local level, many still do. The followers of these lesser deities see their obedience to the tenets of their local deity as part of the will of Rahmun, who is viewed as The Most High, a supreme deity.

Early history
The title of Sun King has been used for the supreme ruler of Khemar since its unification and the founding of the first Dynasty around 2650 BC. Maqayim, the first Sun King and Rahmun's first prophet, was said to have been given a holy mandate to "shelter the faithful, until Kamiyyah is defeated by Rahmun and the pure of heart can finally come home to paradise." Since the beginning, the Rahmunian faith and the Kingdom of Khemar have been inseparably intertwined.

Adherents of Rahmunism have historically been at war with the Cult of Kamiyyah, as the two faiths demonize each other's deities, and urge their adherents to engage in a millennias-long holy war. Throughout history, Rahmunites have seemingly held the upper ground, in part due to the perceived villainy surrounding the Cult of Kamiyyah.

Fourth era
The punishment for defiance of the Sun King's will is typically harsh. As the truest voice of Rahmun, the Sun King speaks the truth of the Radiant One to his people. The current Sun King is a uniquely merciful one, whose rule is questioned by many Khemaran philosophers and religious scholars.

Beliefs
The cosmology is painted in a dichotomy between mercy and righteousness or greed and wickedness. At the core of the Khemaran faith is a cosmic struggle between light and dark. Perhaps fitting for a world with the sun always on one side, and the darkness always on the other.

Rahmun is order, juxtaposed against the primordial chaos. First in his struggle against the ancient Dragons, and then in his struggle against Kamiyyah's betrayal and envy.

Children of Rahmun
The founders of the faith were a coalition of orcs and humans, but most of the more Humanoid species are welcomed within the faith as just another kind of child of Rahmun.

Gnolls are cast as he cursed of Kamiyyah (not that an individual Gnoll wouldn't be able to redeem itself).

There is theological debate as to the wickedness of the living Drakes. Many see them as agents of those same chaotic primordial drakes from before Kamiyyah's betrayal.

Death and afterlife
The faithful are guided by Rahmun back into Paradise as transcendant beings of spirit. The wicked are cast out to forever wander in the darkness of the void.

The Law
The Law is a long script recorded by Rahmun's first prophet, Maqayim.

This document is hard-coded in Khemaran society, and acts both as a religious canon and a civil constitution. The Law, while strict, offers forgiveness to those who freely admit their faults, and sincerely fight against their own vices, and the wicked envy that so utterly consumed Kamiyyah.

The biggest theological debates in Khemaran society revolve around what level of mercy is warranted, and how sincerity of repentance can be proven.

Evangelization
Early evangelicals of Rahmunism attempted to assimilate the faith of others, rather than destroy them. Evangelizing focused less on convincing others that their deity is false, but more upon the idea that their deity, while powerful, is not as powerful as Rahmun; that it is inevitable that they will either accept Rahmun's truth, or be cast out of paradise forever. This made it easy for the early Khemarans to spread their faith, especially to less powerful peoples, who might be persuaded into alliance against the aggressive incursions of gnolls that live further inland.

Evangelizing is not a strict mandate of Rahmun, but is practiced to different extents among his followers.

Sons of the Sun
The Sons of the Sun is a small splinter sect within Rahmunism, who advocate against the inclusion of other faiths in the domain of Rahmunism.