Temple of Murtak

Artist - Adrian Virlan - Artstation.com

Murtak the Mighty. The chief god of the forest. The great provider. The protector.
Murtak is one of the major gods in the Valsgardi Pantheon. Unlike the majority of the gods, he interacts with humanity, and occupies the father role to humanity. He is loved, and feared by the humans of Valsgard.
He is general considered a peaceful god, however he demands frequent sacrifices to keep him satisfied. The sacrifice doesn't require blood, but it is highly suggested by the his priests. He provides protection to the vulnerable, and blood proves this vulnerability.

Purpose / Function

Under the roof of the temple of Murtak, worshipers come to give praise to, and beg protection from his greatness Murtak.
The main floor is the public meeting room and an alter.
The cellars are for the sacred rituals of the Temple, as well as the sleeping quarters of the acolytes and priests of Murtak. It is unknown what exactly happens in the cellars, as it is private, and only the initiated are allowed into its depths.

Design

Constructed with dozens of giant white barked ash trees, woven together with ancient magics, unknown to the Valsgardi.

Entries

The grand entrance lies at the front of the building, but there are not walls in the traditional sense, so a person can enter from any direction. Behind the alter, stairs descend into the cellars. Guardians prevent visitors that are not initiated into the house of Murtak.

Sensory & Appearance

The temple is constructed of natural items. The roof is the canopy of ash grove, whose trunks circle the perimeter of the temple, creating its walls. The floor are decorated in immense mosaics created from a thousand, thousand stones of different sizes and colors. Their patterns form breath taking images of the life of the forest, the plants and the animals in vivid color.

Special Properties

Being open air, the temple is subject to all the elements of the weather. The priests of Murtak use this to their advantage. A gust of wind can indicate the presence of Murtak, a rolling storm can indicate Murtak's displeasure etc, beautiful, calm weather displays the love of Murtak.

Architecture

The Temple is constructed of dozens of ancient white barks ash trees. The original architects are unknown, but it was being used by the Eldblud as a temple when the Valsgardi arrived. The Valsgardi believe the Eldblud were the builders, but it is likely much, much older.

History

In the age before the Valsgardi arrived in their ships with their ferocious painted warriors and their sharp axes, the Eldblud lived peacefully for centuries in the area that eventually became Ringvolstad.
Their village sat on a peninsula jutting out into a slow moving bay on the coast of the Storm Sea. Their village was meager, comprising mostly of small huts, and homes clinging to the massive trunks of the Ygdrasili Redwoods that grow all over Vallsgard. Their homes, clung like barnacles to the massive ancient trees, connected by bridges of rope and branch. In the center of their village stood a massive building unlike anything else in their village. The stark white round building constructed of interwoven trees towered above any other structure known to be built by the Eldblud. It's magnificence immediately apparent to anyone that set eyes upon it.
When the Valsgardi arrived, they immediately waged war on the village. It wasn't long before the Eldblud were devastated, and their people were either killed, captured, or run off. The Valsgardi sacked the village, and set it aflame, with the exception of two buildings. The complex of huts surrounding the largest tree near the center of the village, and the Temple. It's beauty wasn't lost on the invaders, and they saw it as the perfect home for the worship of their chief forest deity.
In this land, where the forest was so dangerous that the Valsgardi Emperor forbade entry, the Forest god Murtak became the chief deity to their culture. His temple became prized above all else. In the following 500 years since the Valsgardi first conquered, they cut down all the Ygdrasili Redwoods in the vicinity with the exception of the great tree near the temple. In place of these trees, they built their city of Ringvolstad, ever expanding and in need of new walls ever higher.
The history of the Temple is all but forgot by the Valsgardi, who declare that it is, and always has been, the home of the god Murtak. The small population of Eldblud that remain in the city are the only ones that have any idea of what it was before, and even then, it is merely a legend to them.

Type

Temple / Religious complex