The House of Life
The largest complex in the City of Life belongs to the Temple of Tel'Rhea, more commonly known as the House of Life. The large structure features a multitude of open courtyards, white walls carved and embellished with various symbols of Tel'Rhea, and green shingled roofs with gentle sloping curves. While there is no formal wall, the outer ring of buildings serves as such, with the only entrance being the large arched gateway into the entry Courtyard. Beyond that, the House of Life is open only to those who have proven their dedication to Tel'Rhea or who have been blessed since birth. The sprawling complex features many additional courtyards, gardens, the Queen's impressive throne room, and various other amenities for the Ladies of Life who call the Temple home.
Similar to the City of Life, the House of Life is arranged in loose rings. The outermost ring of buildings is simpler in structure, with walls of golden wood and white stone. Vines creep up the walls and across the more shallow sloping green roofs. Wooden beams have been carved with motifs of orchids, lotus, and other flowers common to the region. Vines, moss, and other flora have been permitted to climb along the walls here. While there are an ample number of arched, elegant windows, there are no doors on the outside of this ring of buildings. Within, the Temple guards and House Acolytes generally live and work.
The next ring of buildings is all two to three-stories tall and is home to the Priestesses, the Ladies of Life. Here, they devote their time to exemplifying the virtues of the mother goddess, run the region alongside the Queen, and raise their families. Thus, there are ample council meeting spaces – both indoor and outdoor – and office spaces adorned with flowers and filled with sweet or floral incense to provide the perfect working environment. The roofs feature more extreme slopes and various places have been fitted with fully carved statues of fauna – most notably rabbits – as well as other floral arrangements or statues, carvings, and reliefs of notable Ladies of Life.
Gardens and orchards separate the homes of the Ladies of Life from the central building, which towers above the rest with an ornate roof that flares in four directions. Garlands of flowers hang from the uppermost roof and drape down across the lower floors and hang just at the edge of the first story. Within this large building with its grand arched windows and beautiful filigree is the Queen's throne room, where she holds court beneath the large, ever present gaze of Tel'Rhea.
The Courtyard
Although most of the House of Life is closed off to the average tourist and even some locals, the entry Courtyard remains open to all – even those who carry with them the stench of smog and death. it is here that many travel from far and wide to gather and petition the Goddess of Life for her Intercession on their behalf. The Courtyard itself is lush with life and is meticulously tended to by the House Acolytes. Specific flowers grow in beautiful patterns around the bases of the multitude of statues within.
The largest statue stands firmly in the center of the Courtyard at the base of a sprawling tree. The statue depicts Tel'Rhea as an earthen spirit, emerging from the tree behind her. As with many depictions, her stomach is swollen as if pregnant and she clutches a baby to her chest while she leads yet another child by the hand. Her hair is a lush green, cascading over her shoulders, down her back, and vanishing into the tree behind. Around the grown of her head, leaves and flowers in a variety of colors and hues have been woven into her hair to form the vaguest shape of a crown. Her expression is soft and gentle, the faintest upturn of her painted lips. her dress, where it lifts, reveals feet with woody extensions similar to roots.
Tel'Rhea is the Mother Goddess to all. To every race that walks these giving lands. To the very land itself. Within her home, all of her children are welcome Born of Tel'Rhea's light.
Arranged neatly around this central statue are a variety of other depictions of Tel'Rhea. Although the size and prominence of these statues may vary, every race is represented here: human, elf, dwarven, halfling, gnome, dragonborn, genasi, Kereselló, merfolk, Yuan-Ti, tiefling, aarakocra, tabaxi, and more. Some of them are pregnant, some hold a child, and in others both features are present. Regardless, they are all clearly and definitively depicted as mothers.
The Interior & Throne Room
Multiple shrines to the Mother Goddess exist within the halls of the House of Life. Walkways are often lined by flowing, clear streams with aquatic flora and colorful species of fish, frogs, and other amphibious or aquatic life. The House is alive with the sound and sights of various insects – butterflies, beetles, bees, and more. Light is allowed to stream in from the various clear or colored glass windows. If there are no windows on the first floor, large windows on the upper floors allow the light to cascade downward. Fully enclosed spaces are only truly found on the lower levels. As one moves upward, the windows become more prevalent and some places are only semi-enclosed, with open arched walls that allow the breeze and natural sunlight to enter unhindered. If in the central building, there is almost no room or hallways that does not have a large, winding root descending through it as the roots of the great tree descend from above, seeking out the fertile ground below.
The throne room and central chamber of the House of Life is the centerpiece of the entire religious complex. Located on the top floor, the chamber's walls are composed almost entirely of glass, with archways composed of a mixture of white stone and perfectly polished wood with streaks of gold. Carvings of nymphs and dryads – all seemingly female – adorn the structures between each glass window. The mid-level bannister above the first set of windows is adorned with wreaths of orchids, lotus, and rosebuds that often dangle across portions of the windows. Above that is another set of windows that allow further light to stream in. The sloping, four-pronged ceiling is fitted with chandeliers carved primarily from wood, but a few have been carved from or decorated with the antlers of various creatures. When night falls, these chandelier cast a warm glow on the room below alongside the lightning buds that drift in from outside.
Wooden floors lined with vine and moss-covered wooden railing run around the perimeter of the room, overlooking a ring of flowing water. The water is crystal clear and filled with floating flowers – lotus blooms. Despite being on the top floor, the water clearly seems to flow, cascading down from three wooden pipes wrapped in flowering vines that extend from the ceiling to wrap around the sides of a massive tree. The broad trunk of this tree takes up a large portion of the center of the room and its roots can be seen vanishing into the floor, extending downward through the entire central building until it reaches the ground far below.
Cradled by many of the large branches of the tree is the unmistakable and larger-than-life figure of Tel'Rhea. Her features are soft with long flowing hair partially braided and twisted with flowers and berries. A pair of rabbits rests on her lap as she cradles a child to her breast with one hand. Her other, free hand is raised to those below, a golden fruit held in her palm. And at the feet of Tel'Rhea, seated upon a flower-laden throne and draped herself in an ornate cloak of flowers inlaid with an almost ethereal glow, is a dark-skinned woman with dark-braided hair that fades to green and then to soft pink. her face is adorned with dark golden marks with an emerald gem set in the center of her forehead, while flowers and vines have been placed along her horns. From this throne, Queen Eleté rules under the watchful protection of the Mother Goddess.
Alternative Names
Temple of Tel'Rhea
Type
Temple / Religious complex
Parent Location
Owner
Related Report (Secondary Locations)
Exterior
The Intercession of Tel'Rhea
As the believed lover of Ah'Shal, Goddess of Death, people travel from far and wide (though most notably from Ah'Shal) when a lover, friend, or family member is on death's doorstep. It is believed that at this point – when all seems dire and Carmenthia, Goddess of Healing, has failed – that Tel'Rhea is the only one capable of interceding on their behalf. Many of those in the Courtyard are here for this rite. They are easily identifiable as those who are prostrated on the ground before one of the statues, an offering often burning or placed and adorned in front of the chosen statue.
Depending on the severity and depth of the Intercession required, one might see individuals bowed beneath a statue for hours at a time. Offerings often include:
- Family Heirlooms – Items closely connected to the family for which the Intercession is required, as Tel'Rhea is a Goddess of family.
- Valuables – These need not be of high material or monetary value. They may be of high personal value.
- Life – In the olden days, animal sacrifices were common – an offering to Ah'Shal to be presented by Tel'Rhea herself. Nowadays, offering a portion of a harvest – bows of fruit, bouquets of flowers, etc. – are much more common.
Interior
The Ladies of Life
Believed to be particularly blessed by Tel'Rhea, the Ladies of Life tend to the day-to-day tasks involved in running the city and broader region. They oversee trade agreements with other regions, hold court in order to deliver justice, and tend to religious affairs, such as festival planning, among a myriad of other things. Given their sacred duties and position in the light of Tel'Rhea, the Ladies of Life are revered highly in society. All of them are mothers or were once mothers, with the oldest Ladies of Life serving as sages of wisdom for the community.
Many Ladies of Life are also trained midwives and many women from the City travel to the House of Life to give birth under their care. The Ladies of Life are regarded as some of the best midwives and the maternal care in the City of Life is unmatched anywhere on the continent, even in Eredet and Carmenthia.
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