Toran: Special

Reliquary

Stashed in a now-secret location are multiple scrolls, ancient and revered weapons and armors, and other items important to the church. Most important of these is the Ankh of Toran.

"The symbol is thought to have been a family crest of our Great Leader at the time he walked Layonara. Whether this is true or not is yet to be determined. There have been many interpretations of what the ankh might mean. The following is the most popular explanation.

The ankh begins with the hilt of a sword; the grasp of Toran's will. It follows to the crosspiece; the limit of what we can understand and the codes that prevent us from harming ourselves or becoming as sharp and uncaring as a blade. What follows is the blade; but the blade curves in on itself until it forms a circle. Beware the power you wield as a champion of his will. What you do will not run off the end of the sword; it always points directly back at you." -- From the Quartos Toranis

This plain-carved, wooden symbol has stood for centuries in the Fort Llast temple where it was first found. Prayed to, confessed to, battled by, married in front of--there is not much the Ankh is not witness to. It remains in Fort Llast until the new temple is complete, and Ortheus says it will then be moved to Huangjin. It should be noted that the Ankh does not possess any known magical qualities and is simply the most ancient of the symbolic representation of Toran's faith.

Also important is the Quartos Toranis. This book is the oldest known of Toran's history, and it was started not by a paladin or cleric but by a wife. Lislette Amshon listened to her husband's stories about Toran and the men and women that followed him. She was moved to embroider some of them into a soft book. The high priest at the time heard of this after the book was almost twenty pages, and he called her to continue. For several hundred years, the book had been added to in this fashion. It was in the possession of Learning and Lore for some time when it vanished in 1206. Many efforts to find it ended in failure, and it was not until Loran Kor saw the mark of his god on him that he says he felt pushed to find it. He worked closely with Learning and Lore, and in a short year had managed to trace the steps of the book back to, of all things, a buried rabbit's burrow in Dalos Lake. The theory is that one of the persons working on the book left it near an open window, and an animal nipped it for use in a nest. Fortunately, the book has enchantments woven on every page to prevent decay, and very little was lost. Learning and Lore has taken on the task of filling in the missing centuries and the book is once again a work in progress.

Myths

Cleansing of the Toranites
In days long gone, there was once a time when the clergy of Toran seemed to become more careless and did no longer rout evil where they did find it. Toran saw this and wept. How could his followers no longer care, how could they have become so lazy that they no longer wanted to go from their cloisters to bring justice to the lands? Saddened as he was, Toran assumed the form of an old man and began to walk the lands. He first went to Katherian where he saw the corruption grow, and he saw his own followers pass through and even partake as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. Toran went up to them and asked them why they would let a thief run if he put a coin in their hands and they laughed as they showed him their heavy purses. What did it matter they said. Why should they stop him, could the mighty Toran himself not do it, they just wanted to relax and have a good time.

Toran heard their arguments and slowly went away. He saw in their hearts that they no longer cared as he did, they only cared for themselves. As he traveled further he felt tired and weary, and as he set up camp in a small clearing, he suddenly heard the sound of battle. There on the road he saw a man dressed in plate fighting a group of brigands. The man soon dispatched his foes and gave praise to Toran after his victory, not knowing that the one he praised stood in the shadow by his side. Toran went to the man and asked his name to which the man replied, "Alther, a paladin of Toran." Toran, of course, already knew who the man was, but as he heard Alther introduce himself as a paladin of Toran he felt his sadness slowly beginning to dissolve. He asked Alther to sit with him and eat a small meal. As they sat, they debated and time and time again Alther gave good reasons and answers to any dilemma Toran put to him. As the meal was finished, Toran said to him that he should go, but everywhere he went he should cleanse those unworthy of the ankh. Alther was puzzled, but as Toran threw away his disguise and stood before him in all his glory, he understood. Toran laid his hand upon him and told him that he, his champion, should restore the church to its former glory and bring good to the land. And so it came to be.