Much was lost to Aelfir in the Entropy War. Yet with every end comes a new beginning. This doctrine, held sacred by the druids of Aelfir, is the rallying cry of a new Power whose worship was born out of the Entropy War's chaos.
This Power's hand first manifested during the final days of the Sea of Chaos' attack on northern Aelfir. The Black Angel, harbinger of the Queen of Air and Darkness, was vanquished by divine servants of the new Power, whose hand was said to have been critical in the final defeat of the Sea of Chaos.
Although legends and rumors of this mysterious Power persisted throughout the next few years, little was heard of it or its followers in the central regions of Aelfir. The native priests and druids bent their efforts towards discouraging curiosity about and worship of this interloper on their Powers' territories. Yet their discouragement was spectacularly unsuccessful in the eastern hinterlands of Aelfir, cringing in the menacing shadow of the Blacklands. Finding hope in proven victory over the Sea of Chaos' evil, a mysterious cult of the foreign Power began to emerge and even flourish. Rallying behind the ideal of ending being only the door to a new beginning, would-be priests and champions formed an informal brotherhood with the stated purpose of reclaiming the Blacklands, and restoring the Entropy-ravaged territories to glories unheard of even in their pre-Sea of Chaos days.
Only two years later, Entropy once again challenged the peoples of northern Landreth. The vast and horrible Army of Darkness emerged from the Blacklands to ravage Aelfir. Yet this dark crusade came to an end at the Battle of Blue Snows (a fortress-temple of Shaundakul) without penetrating far past Aelfir's northern borders. The victorious army of Aelfir and its many allies could not deny that once again the foreign Power of beginnings had turned the tide in their favor. His once dismissed cult was vital in the battle, both before and after engagement, as no group knew the terrain, or the enemy, as well as they. And once again, the direct hand of the foreign Power, who was becoming known as the Golden God, manifested above the battlefield, destroying the returned Black Angel (some whispered even beyond the Dark Queen's ability to restore) and many lesser evils of the horde.
The cult of the Golden God's faith was vindicated, and immediately experienced a surge in popularity. Over the next few years, the small and informal cult solidified into a true crusading order. The doctrines of this new order have yet to be set down upon paper, for there is much confusion and disagreement about the identity and the true place of the Golden God within the world of Eldreth. Some priests believe him a formerly lost and wandering son of Titania and Oberon, only recently finding his way home to claim his birthright, the rule of sun, daylight and beginnings. Others believe him to be the child of one of Titania's illicit affairs, and the identity of his father is the subject of much disagreement. Still others think him an entirely alien god, or a manifestation of the very sun itself, taken human form. Although this young, vibrant god now grants spells to his priests, he has chosen not to answer questions about his origins or true identity.
The structure of the new order, which began to call itself the Order of the Morning Rose as of 1373 DR, is very fluid. Its leaders are heroes recognized to have high standing in the eyes of the god.
The Order believes organization is an unpleasant necessity for fighting evil, and thus does not over-indulge in hierarchies. Instead, each member of the Order is encouraged to find their own path. More experienced members lead by example and through gentle suggestion and advice, rather than through decrees empowered by rank.
The knights of the Order, or the Rose Knights, as they are sometimes called, wear the symbol of the rose as their coat of arms. Less experienced knights bear darker colored roses than their superiors. For example, squires bear deep blue roses on their shields. As a knight gains more battle prowess and respect, the rose they may bear lightens. The highest ranking knights wear a pink rose upon their armor and shields, and take the name Knights of the Morning Rose. Very few such knights exist at any one time, and they are all renowned heroes and gallant personalities.
Less visible than the knights, but equally important, are the clerics and specialty priests of the Order, who take up the task of healing the wounded, ministering to refugees of the war, and blessing and planting the precious magical seeds that drive back the power of the Blacklands. The Order places clerics and specialty priests on relatively even footing; indeed, the difference between the two is rarely recognized.
The young Golden God's place among the Fey is uncertain. Although the fey religions have not banned his worship, they are not thought to encourage it. Shaundakul is thought to be a close friend of the Golden God. Some even say they are brothers. Although few within the Order of the Morning Rose subscribe to this belief, many of the healers and mendicants of the Order view it vary favorably. Whatever the truth, it is certain that the worshippers of the Golden God and the priests, rangers, and warriors who follow the path of the Windlord have a very close friendship. Many parties of adventurers, especially those who patrol the regions on the border of the Blacklands and the newly reborn land within the Korren-Badir, include a crusading priest or knight of the Order working closely with a Windwalker.
The young religion has very few holidays. It celebrates the turning of the seasons, as do all the fey religions. It also marks the two great battles against the Dark God, in which the Golden God manifested to battle his evil nemesis. Priests are quick to point out that the strongest prayer to the Golden God is taking up arms against the spawn of the Blacklands, and helping to nurture the land in the vicinity back to health. This aggressive, pro-human doctrine has helped win over many dispossessed individuals who otherwise had little hope or reason to live. Many are children of northern nobles displaced by the Sea of Chaos, who before the Order, had previously lost all hope of regaining their family's honor. Now they seek the rebirth of their family lands and dream of a new, model nation to be born where the Blacklands now fester.
The Order of the Morning Rose has no permanent headquarters or central temple compound. It considers the two locations where the Golden God vanquished Entropy and its allies to be blessed and sacred. One location is now the site of a small grove of trees on the border of the Blacklands itself. The other is now the site of a stone monument to those who fell against the Army of Darkness, and is a few miles away from the fortress of Caer Trildane. The Order has begun to build a small network of shrines and tree-groves throughout the hinterlands, but these projects remain tiny because the Order is always chronically short of funds. Although some knights find the Order's financial status deplorable, their lack of grandiose temples has made the Order more palatable to the fey, and has also given the Dark Prophets of Entropy no fixed targets to strike against.
As a generally open and friendly group, the Order is accepted by most demi-human and human folk. The young god Badir Twice-Born is said to share much in common with the Golden God and a close alliance between the two is expected. The as-yet uncivilized elves of Landreth avoid the Order's priests, however, as they do other human priests. The Order is said to be trying to improve its ties to the elven race (partly through their presence in Caer Trildane). Northman skalds have a generally friendly and productive relationship with the Order. Indeed, many bards find the Golden God an attractive patron deity.
Knights of the Order of the Morning Rose wear any armor and wield any weapons they can afford. Priests are encouraged to use flails, while knights are encouraged to use two-handed great swords (weapons known to be favored by the Golden God). Some members of higher rank take to shaving their heads as a symbol of their devotion. All crusading knights wear the rose insignia of their rank upon their shield, and sometimes on their surcoats and armor as well. All priests carry holy symbols of bright metal fashioned into a sunburst. In lieu of this, however, priests may use a blessed sunflower, rose, or other flower associated with sun as a temporary holy symbol. (Specialty priests have spheres similar to specialty priests of Lathander on Toril, though they cannot receive spells higher than 6th level.)
Members of the Order seek to surround themselves with pinks and golds whenever possible. Those who can find them ride golden-colored palomino horses that are specially bred from wild horses that live upon the western High Plains (the Kedech Ardu, in the elven tongue). These powerful steeds are thought to have the blood of elven horses (also called moon horses) somewhere in their ancestry. Paladins often find particularly strong, intelligent horses to serve as their mounts. These horses are typically marked by a white patch upon their foreheads and bright pink muzzles, and are thought to be blessed by the Golden God himself.
Servants of the Golden God stand diametrically opposed to Entropy and all his workings. They will hunt any blackspawn, darkenbeasts, or dark prophets that dare venture on healthy ground, and many will venture into the Blacklands themselves to reclaim part of the tainted land. While they respect physical prowess, they also have great respect for art. Knights (and especially paladins) are encouraged to develop some rudimentary knowledge of music and poetry. Priests are expected to exercise daily, and regularly practice with weapons.
The Golden God is served by golden colored horses, ki'rin,
songbirds who herald the coming of morning, roosters, peacocks,
celestial beings, lammasu, lions, treants, centaurs, wemics,
golden eagles, great eagles, fire elementals of all sorts,
enheriar, and other creatures associated with the sun, morning,
beauty, and artistic perfection. He will show signs of good
favor with brilliant sunrises, lingering sunsets, golden colored
animals, roses, flowers that bloom out of season, the sound of
chimes in the distance, and waking dreams. He and his servants
are depicted as bald, golden skinned warriors wielding two-handed
swords, and as warriors in iridescent armor wielding glowing
flails and riding large pink and gold ki'rin. His lesser
manifestations include: A rosy glow that heals wounds,
neutralizes poisons, and cures disease. Imbuing a weapon with
fire that burns pink and inflicts extra damage on undead and
blackspawn. Sudden inspirations of poetry or song that help a
leader banish fear from his troops and rally his men. A faint,
glowing orb of rosy hue that guides lost travelers through the
darkness (not to be confused with a will-o-wisp).