Within the Church of Light, Ilmater is represented by the first of five rays ray coming off of the symbol of the Holy Sun. His personal symbol is a 5-tailed scourge.
Ilmater himself appears as a human male with light brown hair, and many scars upon his body.
Mercy. Hope. Redemption. Penance. Forgiveness. Patience. Ilmater represents the hope of forgiveness, and the redemption of those who have endured their just punishment. Ilmater offers mercy and forgiveness to those who are penitent. Ilmater is also revered by criminals, because he often bails them out.
Ilmater is a simple deity. He is kind, forgiving, merciful and patient. He metes out punishment for those who have wronged others, and takes that punishment upon himself for those who are truly sorry for their wrongdoings. The deeper knowledge of Ilmater’s priests is an additional set of rules that they are to follow, to determine the truth of a penitent criminal’s confession. Priests of Ilmater are compelled by their God to seek out criminals who wish redemption, and bear the burden of that penitent criminal’s punishment. Ilmater does not like to see mortals punished for their wrongdoings, but he believes (like Asmodeus) that mortals cannot understand justice without the threat of punishment.
One of the greatest acts of faith that a priest of Ilmater may undertake is the sacrifice of their own life for someone who has been sentenced to execution. Rarely, Ilmater may call one of his priests to exchange themselves for someone that Ilmater wishes to spare from death. Shrines to these martyrs will often contain busts, figurines or their personal effects.
Ilmater is one of the Five Rays of the Sun within the Church of Light. He is the firstborn of He-Who-Was, and the elder brother of Pelor. He is “Flesh of The Light”, and thus a fully accepted member of The Pantheon of Light.
Within The Pantheon of Light, Ilmater is most closely allied with Eldatha, Lady of Healing. Although Ilmater does not seek divine healing, he often seeks her help with healing herbs and salves that prevent infections. Eldatha’s doctor-priests often work closely with Ilmater’s faithful.
Criminals who are redeemed by Ilmater’s priests are often closely watched by Helios' inquisitors. Helios is said to visit his fury upon those who would abuse his elder brother’s good nature.
Ilmater features quite often in the stories about Pelor, and his journeys through the mortal realms. Ilmater is the philosopher of the Holy Triad of Pelor, Ilmater, and Helios. Most commonly, Ilmater is the one who tempers the fury of Helios, or gives Pelor the piece of wisdom needed for an elegant solution to a problem. Other stories about Ilmater feature how he spared some criminal or another from death, and that person went on to do great deeds in the name of The Light.
Bahamut, the Dragon of Justice, is well regarded by Ilmater’s priests. Although they believe that The King of Dragons is not a fit deity to worship, the wisdom and authority of Bahamut’s judges are respected by Ilmater’s priests.
Asmodeus is the chief enemy of Ilmater (and the rest of the Church of Light). Ilmater is especially hated by Asmodeus, as Ilmater is the one who maintains the curse of unhealing upon Asmodeus’ wings. Ilmater is unwavering in his resolution that Asmodeus shall continue to feel the pain of a broken body until he repents for the slaying of Ilmater’s father.
Zariel and Dispater are also particular enemies of Ilmater, as they are the ones who betrayed He-Who-Was at the Battle of Baator, and turned the tide of the fight in favor of Asmodeus.
Ilmater’s priests often serve at courthouses and jails, where they work in close contact with prisoners. Once a criminal is pronounced guilty, a priest of Ilmater will often speak with them to ascertain whether or not they will repent of their crimes. If a criminal is deemed to be truly penitent, then the priest will record their name and offer themselves to take up the punishment meant for that criminal. Ilmater’s priests are often heavily scarred, blinded and maimed. Ilmater’s priests are often poor, and reliant upon the charity of others. Occasionally, someone who has been redeemed, will sponsor their redeeming priest’s future endeavors.
Priests of Ilmater often have an extensive network of friends within the criminal community. As one might have guessed, redeemed criminals do not always hold to their promises of turning over a new leaf.
Priests of Ilmater are often viewed as sacrosanct by criminals. They are not to be stolen from, and they are not to be harmed. One of the more sure-fire ways to incur the anger of a local crime gang is to harass a priest who has repeatedly bailed them out.
Ilmater is an ascetic God. He does not call for lavish, public celebrations. He only has one dedicated holiday, and it is celebrated quietly by the faithful.
Ilmater’s only festival is the Day of Remembrance. Seven days after the equinox, criminals who have been redeemed by priests of Ilmater gather at his temples to offer thanks for their redemption. These thanks take the form of gifts to The Church, oaths of dedication to Ilmater or (in the case of The Redeemed who are poor) labor done on behalf of injured priests.
Peter of Gestas was a criminal sentenced to die. On the eve of his execution, Peter had a long conversation with his jailor, who was a faithful man of Ilmater. When dawn came, the jailor offered Peter a chance at redemption. Peter gladly took the man up on his offer, thinking his jailor a madman. The two secretly switched places, and Peter’s life was spared.
The death of the innocent man haunted Peter’s dreams. He read about the work of the priests of Ilmater, and vowed to devote his life to the god who had sent someone to die in his place. Peter forsook his ill-gotten fortune, and spent the rest of his days as a man wholly devoted to Ilmater.
He travels the world, seeking criminals in need of redemption, and giving away his fortune to those most in need. Peter of Gestas is venerated as a living avatar of Ilmater, and as an example of someone who was thought to be too far gone to be redeemed. He is especially known for using his coin to pay off the “blood debts” owed by murderers to the families of their victims.
Other champions of Ilmater are those who have been called to martyrdom to spare the lives of the penitent.
The priesthood of Ilmater have extensive records, and firsthand knowledge, of the kinds of injuries that a person can sustain and still survive. Some heretical priests choose to believe that they are enacting their God’s “higher will”, by ensuring that a criminal is sorry for their crimes. Such priests have conveniently sidestepped the commands of kindness, forgiveness and punishments fitting their crime. Such “enthusiastic” priests are often employed as horrifyingly effective torturers.
Other times, a more “squeamish” priest will not necessarily be the one to carry out the torture, but they will remain on hand as a consultant. These priests rationalize their involvement because they believe that if torture is to be done, it should be performed by someone who does not risk killing or maiming.
Because of these heretics, the priesthood of Ilmater can sometimes have a dark and dreaded reputation.
Priests who are known to apply their knowledge towards torture are generally shunned by the rest of Ilmater’s faithful. They believe that torture is fundamentally at-odds with the commands of their Lord. However, Ilmater himself has never definitively weighed in on the matter.
