Lorgan's Notes: Black Temple

Black Temple is a small city in northeastern Snake's Den. It gets its name from the black Darkness temple at its center. With a population of somewhere around 17,000, it is the largest landed Nevemere settlement in the Den. It's a religious center for the nomads, and a stop for pilgrims and travelers heading to the large Sunbright Temple dedicated to Ga Son.

Research:

Snake's Den

by our intrepid Finder hero,
Lorgan the Humble
In this Research Document:

all images by Shade Melodique unless otherwise stated

While the central temple is dedicated to Darkness, it has a decidedly serpentine appearance. The elfine scholar I copied the temple picture from said it represents both deities the Nevemere hold sacred; Veer Tul and the Snake.

History

The Nevemere ancestors built the underground complex now referred to as the Black Temple sometime between twenty-two thousand years previous and twenty-one-and-a-half thousand years previous. Before that period, the Nevemere lived in small clans that inhabited the rainforest around a large freshwater lake. The clans warred with each other as often as they warred with non-Nevemere neighbors, and one chieftain, Carous, hated the infighting.
Carous decided to bring his people together and prayed to Darkness for guidance (why? dunno.). Darkness at that time was Noom Bau, and he decided to answer. He struck a place in the darkest recesses of the jungle nearest Carous's clan home, opening a hole into the ground. The hole led to an underground river and its wide shores, interspersed with black rock columns. Carous set to work creating a grand place for the Nevemere to meet in peace.
Other clans lent their aid because Darkness said so, and within three generations, they built a sprawling temple complex so unlike their thatched huts, it confused everyone not directly involved.
The nomads do not have formal records from that time, but rival cultures do. They claim that the day the complex was sanctified, a rich Darkness filled the space. From that point on, the Nevemere claimed Darkness as their patron syimlin and bowed to his will. Up until that point, they followed a minor syimlin named Aven, a deity of deep forests. Records of Aven disappear at this time, so she must have withdrawn from her duties. That might be the actual cause of the Nevemere looking to Darkness for inspiration because their syimlin abandoned them (and unhappily, left an opening for the dryans to exploit).
The Nevemere called the place the Black Temple, mostly because it was made out of a black stone mined from a quarry that Darkness wanted them to use. They held it sacred until the dryans decided to decimate the environment twenty-thousand years previous (see my Snake's Den notes for a reminder). After the rainforest disappeared, the Nevemere became nomads, abandoning arid clan holdings for a seasonal rotation of sites.
This meant they abandoned the Black Temple as well.

waterfall bottom Dev Asangbam from Unsplash
temple Patrick Baum from Unsplash

The darker black stone in Black Temple is from the earliest construction. Later structures and repairs are done with stone from a different quarry, and has a lighter hue. The patchwork is less oppressive than if all the rock had the same deep, dark look.
Several places have waterfalls where you would not expect one, usually lit in a fantastical way. Funny, how the leadership decries spirits but still uses our way of illuminating things.

Rebirth

The Nevemere wandered the wastes for centuries, building a new culture from the remnants of their old. They forgot about the Black Temple until the Beast's reign. Around the time he got frisky and decided that invading Evening was a good idea, he also had his sights set on bringing Uka's Lament to heel.
Too many hard-headed independents lived there, not enough worshipping him. He should have left them alone, but no. Around 7220 years previous, he sent his minions to exact appropriate respect (he even called them that. It's like he was the villain in a bawdy play. Minions, indeed). And the elfine dedicated to Ga Son made every single invader regret their choice because they hated the Beast as much as their syimlin ('Hi, I'm with Death, so kneel before me.' 'Well, hi, I'm with the Sun. *ZAP* Buh-bye new spirit! Tell Death hi.').
To escape the rampages, a Nevemere vi-van named Cleso said she had a dream from Darkness. He called her into the ground (OK, I admit it. I laughed. That phrase was used some eighteen thousand years previous by western island cultures as a reference to death, and it made its way into the Keel lexicon. My language degree finally paid off!)
She led those who did not scoff at her into a nondescript gorge and to a torch-lit tunnel. Beyond was the Black Temple, as pristine as the day Carous sanctified it. She appointed one of her dearest followers, Fethsom, as leader, and the group set about making the once-temple inhabitable.
The Black Temple grew into a town. While they worshipped Darkness at the main temple, the other buildings became homes and businesses. Sources I've read say this has something to do with their worship of the Snake and moving all other religious-based stuff to the Underruin, but list no definitive reason why. It just popped into books one day, and those writing about it sounded as if it were such a well-known fact, it didn't even need to be written about. The Nevemere liked their snake deity, and that was that.
But if the Snake caused the rainforest to turn into desert and that's why the nomads worship him, why would that not be mentioned until thousands of years after the fact? I'm wondering if, like a lot of old info concerning ancient things, references simply disintegrated, got lost, burned in a fire, or whatnot.
And people wonder why Finders have such a hard time researching their Redemptions.

arch Guzman Arce Sperinde from Unsplash
woman Naeim Jafari from Unsplash

A vi-van in an archway. The interior, through thousands of years of remodeling, is a patchwork of styles and long-forgotten alcoves. Criminals use that to advantage.
But so can Finders. If the vi-van of any particular generation are not as helpful as one needs, ghosts can, um, hide in these nooks and crannies. Eavesdropping is not a nice thing, but if a Redemption relies on information the vi-van refuse to give, acquire it in another manner.
And, above all, don't get caught.

Modern Black Temple

General Info




• pop 17199


• Current age: 7190 years previous


• The native population is 4128 kids and 12,039 adults. The spirit population is 1032. While a Nevemere settlement, some Voristi and Astri live there, with a scattering of other races (no surprise about the Astri. They want their touch everywhere, whether the locals want them around or not). The spirits are mostly elfine dedicated to restoring the rainforest.


• The Nevemere are tall, thin humanoid beings with deeply tanned skin, orange to dark brunette hair, small noses and large eyes typically coated in black paint to cut down on sun glare. They have three webbed fingers on each hand (belying a watery beginning), five webbed toes on each foot, and a row of long, thin spikes that run the length of their spines.


• Though landed, the older residents hold the nomadic inherent mistrust of outsiders, which waxes and wanes depending on leadership. Their vi-vans are critical of cultures outside their own, but again, this waxes and wanes depending on leadership. Of this writing, the leadership leans towards more mistrust.
  The younger residents, though, are departing from ancient traditions when it comes to immigrants and travelers. They see how well Grindal Oasis doing, and look at the lack of jobs and opportunities in their community. Most don't want to join their nomadic brethren who still traverse the desert, but also don't want to wallow away in Old Town for the rest of their lives.

River of Darkness



• The river runs the length of the city and continues on. Elfine sources say it starts at the Grindal Oasis, flows through the center of the Black Temple, and stays underground until it reaches Crooked Bay.


• The mists rising from the river are potent. It's as if it collects all the energy from above ground and forces it into the waves. Ghosts in need of a recharge can do it here. If you want to refill your essence storage containers, there's a charge of roughly one D. Token for each. Not all businesses take D. Tokens, but all accept barter of some kind.


• The river is named for the patron deity of the Nevemere, Darkness. It is ancient myth that Darkness gifted the nomads this water source so they could better care for his temple. Because of this, the water is held in sacred regard by most inhabitants. Religious leaders conduct yearly ceremonies on its edge, mostly to ensure the water continues to flow.

Why is the river important?

• Irrigates wrent fields. That's right, this type of wheat grows in the light beams that enter the fields through large holes in the rock ceiling (do not stand under the holes unless you want to be squashed by a reckless animal)


• Also, bass and stripies. I never would have thought fish could live in the water, but they do. They eat glowing plants called fezig and these tiny insects called wrentflies. From what I've read, the flies are a nuisance for ghosts; in Physical form, they zip around and bother you, in Ether form, they zip through you and bother you. And they're everywhere.


• Why? They go hand in hand with Breek cattle. These cows are white-furred, milky-eyed and prosper underground by eating wrent, hay made from cowl grass, and a fungus called gremlin. NO, I don't know why it's called gremlin, and I looked. Hard.


• Because so much relies on the river, DO NOT MESS WITH THE RIVER. That's the single thing that will get you set on fire and thrown into the desert to burn. Or so Finder Parli says. Tourist guides don't mention it, but that's probably because the companies would lose customers if they told them that.

cave Jared Rice from Unsplash
wheat Cornelia Schutz from Unsplash

Black Temple wrent field. Yes, more food can be grown underground than you might assume.

Darren Lawrence from Pexels

Light in the Darkness, because Light and Darkness walk hand in hand. I suppose that's fitting for a desert cave system.

Donald Giannatti from Unsplash

Entrance to the Black Temple.
There is more than one entrance into the city proper, but visitors must first go through the Gate. The dor-carous are usually picky about whom they allow within the borders, but guards rarely turn away Finders.

Districts

• Residential
  This is the nice part of town. It's the furthest from the primary entrance, so happens to be the coolest. The leaders, their families, and others of import live here. Is also houses the Darkness Temple.


• River:
  The river is the next-coolest part of town. It contains most of the accommodations for pilgrims and tourists. The wealthy business people tend to live here.


• Business District:
  This is found on the southern side of the river, behind the River district buildings. The markets and entertainments that cater to travelers are here. Has an exquisite instrument shop, a must-see.


• Gate:
  So the Gate is warmer than the previous districts. It also gets flooded during the rainy season, when the gorge used to get into Black Temple floods and a lot of that water flows down the entrance and into the river. By the time the waters reach the other places, it's in the river and contained by retaining walls erected during this time. Guide companies and those renting pack animals are found here.


• Old Town:
  Surprise, surprise. Nomads are as strict about keeping the poor sequestered as other cultures. The shanty houses the physical laborers, the farmers, the fishers, and those that care for the breek herd. It's set a ways from the river, in the most dilapidated (oldest) buildings. The place gets hot because holes in the ceiling allow light and heat to infiltrate the area. Ropes around the tops keep thinking beings from crashing through, but animals bypass them, to their doom. Doom doom de-doom...
  If you do get into trouble in Black Temple, there is a criminal enterprise that runs out of the building called the Fort. Pay them enough, they'll whisk you away with none the wiser.

There are other districts within the city that are not considered official places.
There is a second level below Black Temple. It is where the poorest of the poor and those punished for transgressions toil for the pleasure of the dor-carous. These beings are the cleaners of the city, and do the filthiest jobs like mining, toilet maintenance, and the like.
When I last visited a thousand years previous, these workers were respected as the backbone of the city. Without them, none could live in the place. But current research points to a change in attitude over the last hundred years or so. It was not until the current dor-carous became leader that criminals were sent to the underground to labor with the poor. After a few years, the two became almost synonymous, which has led to many bigoted attacks on them. It's my understanding that now the poor remain below unless they absolutely have to visit above for work.
During these moments, a smart Finder will question them on things they might have heard during their labors. The better-off Black Temple beings tend to ignore them, and forget that they have eyes, ears, and a vengeful streak as long as the River of Darkness.

Other research:
Notes: Glass Floats
Notes: The Nevemere
Notes: Snake's Den

For Finders

• Guides
  The Black Temple is the first place, and the easiest place, to hire Snake's Den guides. But don't expect to go to the Snake's Den ruin; the Nevemere consider it too holy to guide pilgrims and tourists to. You need to visit the Grindal Oasis and get a non-Nevemere guild there, or travel to the Sunbright Temple of Ga Son. The elfine are generous with their guides, but that generosity comes with a steep price. Apparently trying to resurrect the rainforest costs a lot of money.


• Supplies
  The Black Temple has a ton of supplies they sell to pilgrims and tourists, and special ones set aside for other nomads. I'm under the impression they are restocked by caravans coming from Uka's Lament or from Sud (yes, the harbor town is called Sud. No, I haven't bothered to look up why).


• Pack animals
  Spits and ronyx are rented here. Yes, rented--you have to return them, either to a rep in Grindal, Sunbright, or Kepher, or to the Black Temple itself. The fine for not doing so is STEEP. Wagons are extra; if you have natives accompanying you, go for a wagon. They have special cooling spells, which will keep your people alive.


• Leaders
  City leaders are called dor-carous, or 'descendent of Carous'. Religious leaders are called vi-van, or 'river walker'. Don't assume them friendly to the Finder's cause. After all, the ghosts of dryans destroyed their ancestral home and they carry the resentment of all things spiritual because of it.

• If you are a prudish Finder, you might want to skip Black Temple and visit Grindal or Sunbright or Kepher instead. The residents are not shy about walking around with transparent clothes or nothing on--it's hot there, you know. The river provides some cooling, but it can still get hot if you're near the entrance. And, well, they enjoy themselves quite a lot and aren't shy about asking for company as payment for goods. And no, they don't care if you're a ghost. What else is Physical Touch for? (don't answer that)

river Dzenis Hasanica from Pexels
castle Pixabay from Pexels

River of Darkness, looking at the River District