San Lukas

San Lukas is one of the Great Saints of the Bastonian Pantheon, elevated to godhood by the Almighty Herself to be the defender of an an example to her people. Once a human from Bastonia, he was a captain in the forces the Almighty lead in her battle against the Enemy, in which he proved instrumental. The Bastonian Royal Family are said to be able to trace their ancestry back to him directly, however distantly after millenia of crossed marriages. He is known by the epithet The Knightly Saint and counts knights, paladins, just warriors, and free sportsmen among his followers. His sacred symbol and favoured weapon are the longsword, while his sacred animals are tortoises and other shelled creatures.

History

Before the Battle of the First Wall, San Lukas was a mortal human living in the village at Whiterock, which would later become the Bastonian capital, prior to which he was a slave in the Bleak, and in his pre-divine years lead humanity through its early rebellion against the Enemy. He is said to have gained The Almighty's blessing and extreme favour after leading a heroic defense of a narrow breach in the First Wall, standing athwart it to slow the advance of the Enemy's forces and give his men time to evacuate the homes just behind - an act that would have been Phyrric if not for the divine favour he attracted in its performance.

After the battle, San Lucas was elevated to sainthood (and thus divinity) by the Almighty, and served as the first King of Whiterock until he reached old age and ascended to the Bastion of Heaven, where he now leads the Almighty's forces as her Celestial General.

Relationships

San Lukas is a devout follower of the Almighty, who he pays fealty to to the point of worship. His wife, San Heather, is also one of the Almighty's saints and a fellow divinity within the Bastonian Pantheon. He is known to be particularly friendly with San Hera as well as San Marino, who all share a common understanding of the power of collective effort among humanity and the need for compassion as a utility. Conversely, he is less friendly, though not opposed to San Lauren, San Sylvester or San Elijah, capable of finding common ground with each, though he has been known to complain in particular of San Elijah's methods.

Finally, San Lukas finds San Verus (who he views as a lost cause and a madman) and San Meteo (who is dangerous and despicable) contemptable, to the point of being openly hostile to them when they should happen to visit the Bastion of Heaven, withholding himself and his forces from open violence against them only if the Almighty stays his hand.

Quite naturally, he is an enemy of the Enemy and, unlike the Almighty, will often lead his own forces in assaults against the enemy's positions in Hell.

Appearance

San Lukas's form in Heaven is as it was when he was a mortal - a hale, hearty, and tall human of robust construction, whose grey hair and beard is the only sign of the passage of time upon him at all, giving him an ageless appearance. He is usually armoured in full plate graven with depictions of scenes from The Battle of the First Wall

Realm

San Lukas is a servant-diety in The Bastion of Heaven, a fortified city in the plane of the same name, as well as holding court in Saint's Rest, a fortress of his own, populated by Angels, command over whom was given him by the Almighty, a gift not given to any of the other saints.

Providence

The sudden appearance of help, especially unlooked-for help, is seen as a sign of San Lukas's providence, whether it is the early arrival of fresh reinforcements to help hold the line, or a neighbour who can get that plow unstuck for you.

Servants

Warlike Angels originally created by the Almighty serve as San Lukas's divine servitor race. These angels are stern and imposing figures, immediately and visibly distinct from the gentle, androgynous angels that serve the Almighty.

Unique Servants

The Horn in the Swell

San Lukas is served by a herald in the form of a disembodied voice and presence of force known to mortals as the Horn in the Swell. The Horn is often sent to confer tangible and immediate indication of San Lukas's will in any given situation, and almost always preceeds the arrival of a host of Warlike Angels or San Lukas himself.

The Peace of Angels

A highly unique divine servant, the Peace of Angels is a divinely intelligent Heavy Steel Shield and cleric of San Lukas that is said to make its presence known to whoever most has need of it, whenever the need is greatest. It is a holy artifact of considerable power in and of itself, even beyond the powers the spirit that inhabit it posesses. It is said to be the very same shield that San Lukas used to defend himself at the Battle of the First Wall.

The Bastonian Church

The bastonian church is unified in the worship of The Almighty, which is observed by not just her direct followers, but even by those patronized by the other Saints of the Pantheon. The church teaches the performance of good works and the cultivation of compassion as the roadmap to ultimate salvation and an afterlife spent in Heaven.

Devotees of San Lukas are known as Lukasites, and form something of a heirarchy within the overall church.

Worshippers

All Bastonians worship the Almighty, and some further dedicate themselves to the First of Kings, her Great General, San Lukas. San Lukas's clergy make up its own order within the Bastonian Church, the Lukasites, who have a ranking structure similar to the hierarchy of the church at large.

Among his worshippers are valorous or honourable warriors, village militamen, career soldiers (especially officers), some magistrates, the knightly members of noble families, and professional athletes, including adventurers.

Clergy

As what the Bastonian Church calls a religious order, San Lukas's clergy have their own manner of uniform dress, distinct from direct priests of the Almighty through its simplicity. Uniquely among the other religious orders, Lukasite clergy tend to wear garb more common to the military, whether that be the formal tunics and insignia of an army at peace, or the full armour of people at war. In addition to clerics, paladins are often seen as full members of the clergy of this order in their own right.

Temples & Shrines

Like much the rest of Bastonian architecture, temples and shrines to the Almighty are often masterworks of masonry or stonework, which in wealthy communities are often further embellished with stained glass and frescos, depicting a popular saint in the region or scenes from the sacred texts. Such structures are usually subdivided internally, with an area for public ceremony and worship (which is frequent) and an area for the sole use of the clergy and those who serve the clergy in liturgical preparation, and temple complexes almost always include an outbuilding or suite of rooms known as the rectory, where the priests serving a particular temple have residence.

Holy Texts

In addition to the holy texts used in the worship of the Almighty, members of the Lukasite order (including laypeople wishing to informally ingratiate themselves to the Grand General) follow a document called the Rule of San Lukas, a short book whose teachings encompass fellowship of effort, defending those who can't defend themselves, and understanding the nobility of sacrifice. The work is short enough to be memorized by anyone with semi-serious effort, and as a result paper copies tend to be few and far between, even within communities dedicated to the order.

Church History

The church and the state are intimately connected within Bastonia, with the state relying on the church for its legitimacy and the church relying on the state's realpolitikal power to stay in rule. The Almighty's church is considered coterminous with those of all other saints and is the only legally-permitted form of open worship within the Kingdom.

Holidays

San Lukas is honored particularly during Coronation Day ceremonies, both at the coronation of new monarchs and jubilees of the reigning monarch. Similarly, the death of a monarch is held as a sacred date to him. His feast day is coterminous with the summer equinox and in addition to feasting is usually marked with tournaments and competitions of all kinds.

Favoured Animals

Tortoises and other shelled creatures, including monsterous forms thereof, are usually seen as sacred to San Lukas, and their sudden and unexpected appearance is seen as a sign of his favour or attention.