Emissary of the Low Sun

Emissary of the Low Sun
Titles	The Lady of the Periphery
Type	Local faith
Areas of concern	Boundaries, thresholds, decisions, the acts of falling asleep and waking
Typical worshipers	Small cults in the Eastern Chaskan city-states
Domains	Change, Introspection, Knowledge, Sun
Divine font	Heal
Divine skill	Diplomacy
Divine ability	Dexterity or Charisma
Favored weapon	None
Symbol	Half-closed eye
Sacred animal	Horizon-bird
Sacred color	Red

The Emissary of the Low Sun is a liminal deity worshiped by small cults in the Eastern Chaskan city-states.

Beliefs and followers

The Emissary of the Low Sun is a goddess of boundaries, thresholds, decisions, and the acts of falling asleep and waking, times in which the goddess is thought to be most active. She is the change between things and especially the change that is intentionally brought about, and as such is closely connected to wise rulership. The Emissary guides her followers in moving forward, nudging them when they linger in place out of fear of change, as the goddess abhors stagnancy. When she opens doors, when she draws new boundaries, she expects her followers to make a choice - to cross them, ideally, or at least to retreat, but never to remain at the threshold out of doubt and indecision.

Nearly all worshipers of the Emissary of the Low Sun can be found in the Eastern Chaskan city-states, and in particular in the inland reaches around Karrhae, Ivory Hills, and Kotharat - the deity has effectively no presence in the larger cities of the coast. Her cults tend to be somewhat reclusive, rarely showing their faith publicly and giving offerings to the goddess only at small shrines in hidden ritual sites. Apart from these shrines, places like city gates, entrances to homes, beds, and other such locations are considered particularly important to the goddess, and small inscriptions to her are often carved above or next to them.

The Emissary is most often depicted as a horizon-bird in flight.

Many scholars and theologians have noted the similarities between Harinna, Harakhte, and the Emissary of the Low Sun. All three are solar deities concerned to some degree with leadership, for example, and all are depicted as or with birds. There is much disagreement, however, as to whether the Emissary is a form of the Harinnite faith that has turned astray or if it is a remnant of some ancient religion from before the Chaskan pantheon took its modern form. Certainly worship of the Emissary dates back millennia, as proven by the age of the shrines maintained by her followers, but so too does worship of Harinna.