Tall and lean, though not quite as "muscled" as the soldiers. His thirty-year old skin almost blends into his bronze armor, when it was donned, as one might expect from someone living in a coastal city in the middle of the Aegean.
His face kept clean and dark, wavy hair kept a little longer than shoulder length as was the traditional expectations of those in direct service to the fair looking sun god. As well, when performing his priestly duties, his vestments were of an unblemished white with purple trimmings and belt. And during certain ceremonial occasions, the "lower ranked" priests such as himself, would be required to don his bronze scale armor with his Corinthian helmet and stand guard in the temple, with spear in one hand and shield in the other emblazoned with an image of Helios and aureole. The only difference between him and a soldier at those times was the lack of blood stained onto his armor...

Though, that was while he was still ACTUALLY in service to the temple back in Rhodes. His armor has now since felt the warmth of man's life giving liquid, and his shield now marked with scars of battle. However, his spear is kept strapped to his back now, along with a worn pack, only removed when absolutely necessary, and his ceremonial helmet has since been replaced with a leather strap holding some sort of small, translucent gem to his forehead.

Born during the final years of the war between the Peloponnesian league led by Sparta and the Delian league led by the Athenians, Photokles lived most of his life under Spartan rule in the polis of Rhodes. His father, Sepitus, was a naval soldier who very much supported the revolt that led to Rhodes leaving the Delian league and accepting Spartan oligarchy. Unfortunately, he was later killed by a mob of Athenian sympathizers during an attempted rebellion, that was quickly quashed.

Still, the loss of his father in such a way led Photokles to seek answers from the gods. At thirteen, he traveled to the temple of Athena in Lindos, desperate for understanding as to how men can be so evil to one another. Unfortunately, he received little help from the priests who said that the young man's offering of a mere few coins was perhaps not sufficient for a response from the wise goddess. Returning to Rhodes more disgruntled then before at the appalling greed even within the temples of the gods, Photokles found himself without a home, as apparently during his absence, his mother had given herself to a Spartan who had older sons of his own and thus no place for the young Rhodian.

Now seemingly with nothing left for him, Photokles attempted to join the military and quickly found himself not with spear and shield in a phalanx, but with oar in sea soaked, blistered hand below deck in the dark of a trireme. He was only a part of this crew for a just under a year before a storm surge sank the boat he was on. Luckily, they were merely doing training exercises not very far from the coast and much of the crew survived by swimming to shore. Once again, Photokles found himself seemingly alone in the world as the surviving ships had full crews and so were not needing another mouth to feed, especially during the relative peacetime they were in.

Now fifteen, Photokles was just about to resign himself to his fate as a vagrant until one day, while walking along the beach toward the harbor in an attempt to find some sort of work, he came upon a body that had apparently washed up. The body was of an older man, only barely showing the beginning stages of decomposition allowing Photokles to see that he was Greek, though not a soldier. The man was dressed in average clothing and did not seem to have suffered any form of visible attack. Examining the body further, Photokles was stunned to find an intact coin pouch, with several pieces of silver and even gold within! Thinking fast, he pulled the coin pouch from the body and began to run away, but it was then that Photokles realized he had no where to go. He then stuck his hand into the coins and smiled as he let them roll through his fingers and started to have thoughts about buying passage to Corinth or even Athens! This was more then sufficient. As he pulled his hand out a coin fell to the sand.

As Photokles reached down to pick it up, he realized it was a silver coin with the visage of Helios stamped onto its face. He paused momentarily, and stared at the coin which seemed to catch the mid-morning sun in a peculiar way, making the visage on the coin appear to have glowing eyes. A jolt shot down Photokles' spine as he remembered that Helios sees all. Terrified, he grabbed the coin and shoved it into the pouch and bolted in the direction of the temple of Helios here in Rhodes.

When he finally got to the temple, Photokles ran to the nearest priest and shoved the pouch into the man's hands and then turned to run away. The priest, an older man in his fifties ordered the young man to halt. Photokles obeyed and as he turned back to face the priest, who was now examining the contents of the pouch, the priest asked him why he would come and make such an offering and depart in such a hurried manner? Photokles had no response, to which the priest smiled and then closed the pouch and handed it back to the young man saying that if he had nothing to ask of the all seeing sun god, then he need not make an offering. Photokles dropped to his knees and began to cry and over the next several hours relayed to the priest his story.

In the years to follow, Photokles joined the ranks of the priesthood of Helios, serving in lower positions and performed his duties well. He grew to believe this was meant to be his calling and purpose; to serve Helios in every capacity. And serve he did, for fifteen years. By this time, the priest that listened to the young Photokles those many years prior, Lykourgos, had become high priest of the temple in Rhodes, and under his leadership changes began to take place such as a higher focus on a relatively newer idea that Helios was just another name for Apollo or at least Helios was another aspect of the Olympian god. This was an idea being propagated by some mainland Greeks as philosophers from the growing region known as Rome had begun to influence Greek ideology. It was also no secret that going against what was being seen as the growing view of mainland Greeks, would bring trouble and perhaps even accusations of heresy against Rhodes.

This new understanding did not sit well with Photokles as it was not Apollo who freed him from his torment, but Helios. The young Rhodian, now a priest in service to the sun god, had much respect for all of the gods and dared not question them, but he knew what he saw and felt those many years ago, and it was Helios. His objections to this new direction the high priest was wanting to take the temple went unheard at best and met with disdain at worst. Lykourgos even went as far as to threaten Photokles with expulsion from the priesthood.

The threat from Lykourgos was more than Photokles could stand. The man who had taken in the young Photokles and taught him about the power of sun god, was now seemingly turning his back on everything just to curry favor with the politicians. This eventually drove Photokles to seek help, not from any man, though, but from Helios himself.

Late one night, Photokles entered the temple and approached the alter that stood at the feet of the great bronze and marble statue of the sun god that stood nearly twice as high as a man. It was not uncommon for priests to come to the sanctuary in the late hours to give offerings so the Spartan guards stationed payed little attention to the Rhodian and what they perceived to be his duties. Photokles then lit some incense and began to beckon Helios with liturgy and prayer. After a few long moments of silence, the young priest cried out and slammed his fist on the alter, causing more than one of the guards to take interest. Again Photokles cried out, demanding that the god speak to him, and again only silence came. Now the guards were becoming suspicious as this was not ordinary for anyone except the high priest to attempt to call upon the great Helios for an audience, and especially not in this manner.

One of the guards called out to Photokles to not insult the god in such a way, but he continued. After demanding that Helios recognize his pleas a third time, the guards began to approach Photokles meaning to remove him from the temple.
However, just as they came with feet of the young priest, a sound like stampeding horses filled the sanctuary and a brilliant aura of flame bloomed from the statue's head. The guards all froze, as did Photokles, at the sight. Suddenly a voice that echoed like thunder boomed and the guards were engulfed in flames. Their cries of agony drowned out as the voice continued,

"I am the one who brings forth day and ushers the night! I am the great pardoner of Heracles and the devastator of Odysseus! I have seen your actions and heard your words, you now stand witness to the power of Helios!"

Photokles, still finding he is unable to move, barely managed to utter a word before the voice interrupted,

"I know why you are here! I know of your plight, young Photokles, I am the all seeing! Your devotion to my name has been well placed! This temple stands to be a dwelling of mine, though others would see it a house for others?!"

Gaining back a bit of his courage, Photokles merely responded with a firm, "Yes." to which the entirety of the sanctuary became as bright as day as the flaming aura that wreathed the statue's head grew in luminosity. The young priest shielded his face at the light, and fell to his knees. The smoldering bodies of the guards turned to ash, leaving only their armor and weapons.

"You have not forsaken me as others have and thus shall become my new vessel to bring my light to the darkness that consumes the land of men! You will be a beacon to all that wish to call upon me and be consecrated by fire so that others may see my power made manifest as you have witnessed here!"

In that moment, a column of flame erupted around Photokles, but did not burn his flesh or vestments. The fire seemed to flow through him and the Rhodian felt a surge of divine energy pour out from his body, beams of brilliant light shot from his eyes and fingertips. The priest felt as if another presence was now occupying the same body as his. Two essences, one mortal, one divine, now dwelling in one flesh.

As the flames faded from around Photokles, so too did they fade from sanctuary altogether. All that remained was the smoking metal where the guards once were. As he tried to comprehend what had just transpired, Photokles heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming toward the sanctuary. He scrambled to his feet just as the voice boomed again, but it seemed to coming from within his own head,

"Take my eye, so that none shall escape the light!"

Photokles looked up to the face of the statue. The eyes, which had been fitted with small transparent gems to catch the morning sunlight, were glowing even in the darkness of the night. He quickly climbed on top of the alter and reached up and grabbed the gem from the right eye, pocketing it. Just as he got back down to floor, several more guards as well the high priest himself, burst into the sanctuary. Seeing the other guards' remains and the young priest climbing down from the sacred statue, Lykourgos ordered the guards with him to seize Photokles.

As the guards ran toward him, the newly empowered priest felt his hands rise to meet his attackers as flames erupted from them, engulfing the men. Lykourgos was struck with fear at this sight and ran out of the temple as the cries of the men echoed throughout the halls as they cooked in their armor. Photokles, not wanting to find out how many more guards might be coming, bolted from the temple also, only stopping briefly to collect just what he could carry from his personal chamber.

Many months passed before Photokles eventually managed to get on a ship headed to the Greek mainland. He dressed as a common citizen and was able to keep a low profile until then, as word spread quickly about a blasphemous priest who defiled the temple of Helios and killed several guards in his escape. The high priest had proclaimed him a heretic and if found, killed on sight.

Once on the mainland, Photokles began to use his new powers gifted by Helios to heal the injured and sick. He would travel with soldiers going to battle and primarily acted as a sort of combat medic, healing those could be saved and overseeing funerary rites for those that could not. He did not know exactly what Helios had in mind for him, as he had not heard the great voice since the incident in the temple back in Rhodes. That is until he heard about the king of Sparta gathering a special council of sorts, to which the only thing he heard the voice say was, "Go."

Cleric Level 3
(can prepare 6 spells every long rest; domain spells don't count against this)
Spell attack mod: +5
Spell save DC: 13

Cantrips (4):
Light, Thaumaturgy, Sacred Flame, Spare the Dying
Level 1 (4 slots): 0 1
Burning Hands (ds), Faerie Fire (ds), Bless, Cure wounds, Healing Word, Command
Level 2 (2 slots): 0 1
Flaming Sphere (ds), Scorching Ray (ds), Aid, Lesser Restoration

Channel Divinity (1/rest): 0 1
Turn Undead
Radiance of the Dawn

Warding Flare (3/day): 0 1
As a reaction, can impose disadvantage on an attack roll made against me.
Has no effect if the target is immune to being blinded.

Gem of Seeing (charges: 3): 0 1 2
As an action, speak the command word and expend one charge to gain true sight up to 120' for the next 10 minutes when you look through the gem.
Regains 1d3 charges at dawn

Helios, the Sun God

Spear
Bronze scale mail
Bronze shield with image of Helios (holy symbol)
Gem of Seeing (Rare magic item)
Priest's Pack:
Backpack, blanket, 10 candles, tinderbox, alms book, 2 blocks of incense, censer, vestments, water skin, 2 days rations
Common clothes
Prayer book
5 sticks of incense
Navigation Tools
Coin pouch: (95gold)

Was never one for keeping much that couldn't fit on person.

At some point in this Character's life a foe became known - the history behind this rival can be written here.

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