The Sunbearer Trials

Alone in the cosmos, Diose Sol forms the world from handfuls of stardust, and from that earth, they create a companion, Tierra. Together, they forge three races of gods: Golds, Jades, and Obsidians. Sol’s heartblood mixes with the earth, and the human race is born. The Obsidian gods, jealous of Sol’s love for mortals, fight the other gods for control and power. Sol hid divine powers in a clay pot, and the dioses took turns hitting it until Diosa Luna cracked it open, dividing the powers among them. The Obsidians trick Tierra, steal Sol’s heart, and use it to enslave humanity. To save mortals, Sol sacrifices themself and becomes the sun, trapping the Obsidians in celestial prisons during the day. Tierra forges Sol’s remains into a great Sol Stone and smaller Sun Stones, which are placed in the cities’ temples to protect the world.

In Reino del Sol, the kingdom of the Sun, society is divided into a strict hierarchy of Gold and Jade gods and their children—the semidioses. The realm is protected from the banished Obsidian gods by Sun Stones. Every 10 years, the realm holds the Sunbearer Trials, in which the winner is crowned Sunbearer, and the loser is sacrificed to replenish the stones’ power.