Heliod

Domains
Heliod represents the law, justice, retribution, and the bonds of kinship. Heliod presides over matters of family honor, questions of morality and virtue, speeches, marriages, acts of protective bravery, dawn meals, and self-sacrifice. Heliod's name is often part of legal proceedings, and sacrifices to him are made in times when the greatest aid — or the strictest justice — is needed.

Personality
Heliod radiates with pride and self-assurance. His presence fills the sky with light, blocking mortal access to the dark, starry sky, and in-person he has the same overwhelming aura of awe and brilliance. He is convivial and gregarious, making friends and forming bonds easily, and he sees himself as the ally to all. But others know that Heliod can be fickle in his loyalty. Heliod's greatest ally today might be the target of his retribution tomorrow.

But, Heliod also demonstrates a strong capacity for arrogance. He styles himself as "the lord of the pantheon" and "the greatest of these gods of Orbis", and demands praise from both mortals and other gods. This escalates into outright conflict with Purphoros, who challenges him in these assertions; this inevitably causes a schism in the pantheon, with most gods supporting one or other of them. This need for chronical adoration also inevitably leads him to hate Xenagos, whom he accuses as "a usurper".

It is theorized that Heliod's personality, like most of the gods', changes in accordance to mortal beliefs.

Worship
Heliod is the sun god, literally bringing the light of day to the world, so almost everyone on Orbis pays at least token acknowledgment to him. Some families have a custom of winking in the direction of the dawn's light first thing in the morning, a gesture of respect to the sun god's luminous eye. Heliod's devoted worshipers are mainly humans, especially The Daybreak Empire who have a zealot fanatics of the god, with every aspect of their life considering him in one way or another. Temples to Heliod often feature stairs up to a rooftop courtyard, enabling sun worship. The largest holiday aligned with Heliod is the summer solstice, celebrated with three days of ceremonious feasting, weddings, and oaths of loyalty.

Signature Item
Heliod wields Khrusor, the Sun Spear, a weapon blessed with his power that can be pitched down from the heavens to any point on Orbis. Obscure legends say that Heliod smote the coastal city known as Submersi with Khrusor and cast it into the sea.

As thanks for their fanatical devotion, Heliod often gifts Khrusor to a high ranking member of Daybreak's army.

Myths
Many legends about Heliod highlight his mercurial nature, even while acclaiming him as a god of bravery and justice.

Battle with Purphoros
In his desire to establish himself as the leader of the pantheon, Heliod attempted to commission Purphoros to rebuild Astral Sea in Heliod's image. Angered by Heliod's claim to rulership, Purphoros forged the sword Gods end to fight Heliod. As their conflict raged, Purphoros's sword cut the fabric of the Astral Sea, opening the boundary between the realms of gods and mortals. As a result, an astral dreadnaught fell to the mortal world, but Heliod and Nylea joined forces to bind the creature. Years later, the dreadnaught broke free of its bonds, and Heliod chose a mortal, Elspeth Tirel, to slay the creaturre as his champion, using a spear called God send, forged from Purphoros's sword.

Birth of Erebos
Some myths claim that Heliod was the first of the gods, though most people believe that distinction belongs to Kruphix. These myths also say that when the light of Heliod's own sun fell on him, Heliod saw his shadow and feared it. He banished the shadow to the land beyond the Astral Sea, and it became Erebos, god of the dead and ruler of the Underworld.

Origin of the Catoblepas
When a herder boasted that his cattle were the finest in Orbis because Heliod and Nylea had created them, the gods grew angry at this falsehood. Heliod persuaded Mogis to curse the cattle, transforming them into the first catoblepases. As a result, many animal breeders prove excessively modest to this day, with humble-boasts being common and well understood among both buyers and sellers. Livestock that are "as Heliod intended" or "praiseless beasts" might be considered second to none.

Road to the Sun
After a life in Heliod's service, the aged oracle Solaire departed on a final pilgrimage: setting forth to visit the sun. Day after day he journeyed east, seeking the lands from which the sun rose. He journeyed far and was mocked everywhere people learned of his quest. Worse, his sight grew ever weaker as he spent days staring at the sun. Yet still he traveled on. Even when blindness claimed Solaire's sight, the oracle continued undaunted. Finally, one day, Solaire found a warm, calm place. There, a powerful voice he'd heard in his dreams welcomed him to his journey's end. Praising Heliod, the oracle took his rest, and after several long, contented hours, peacefully died. Ever since, the tale of Solaire has been argued as both a parable of determination and a warning not to pursue that which is divine.