Church of Sune

The Church of Sune, also known as the Church of Beauty, was the primary religious organization dedicated to the worship and service of Sune, goddess of love and beauty.

Activities
In Waterdeep, the church of Sune hosted an annual exclusive ball at the Temple of Beauty. Invitations were passed out by the clergy of Sune.

Organization
The Sunite church's hierarchy was quite loose. The clergy was decentralized and rank was mainly based on artistic feats and seniority. In late 15th century DR, the ranks were: Novices, Acolytes, Esthetes (confirmed priests), Craefters of the Third Altar, Craefters of the Fourth Altar (and so on, up to Ninth Altar), Philocalist, Archphilocalist, Enrapturand, and High Enrapturand.

Orders

 * Sisters and Brothers of the Ruby Rose: A knightly order affiliated with the Church of Sune, made up of bards, fighters, and paladins. Their primary mission was to guard Sunite temples and holy sites, and occasionally accompany clerics doing good works or questing for something important to the Lady of Love. Initiation into the order was done by standing vigil in a temple of Sune for an entire night. If the goddess showed her favor by granting a vision or some other boon, the candidate was accepted into the order.

Temples & Shrines

 * Main: Category:Temples to Sune

The temples of this faith always came in one of architectural philosophies, either being fantastical edifices of beauty or classically elegant structures whose beauty was enhanced by sculptured landscapes. Many featured formal gardens with landscape that had been precisely manicured, with trees and topiary that had been carefully pruned, picturesque beds of flowers, as well as bowers and trellises that were snaked by well-trained vines. Fountains and sculptures were often a focal point of these gardens, as they were enchanted to give off soft lighting.

A common feature of Sunite temples was life-sized and smaller statues statuettes of beautiful women, usually partially unclad. Such statues were often posed depicting a dance and expressions of rapturous joy, though not always. Sometimes these statues were depictions of the goddess Sune herself, but more often they were of priestesses who had passed.

Notable Locations

 * Dawndancer House, a shrine in Silverymoon
 * Flame Grove, a shrine west of Drawn Swords
 * Theater of Joy in Crimmor
 * Temple of Beauty in Waterdeep