Rumsha Temple (Temple of the Unfathomable Jester in North Akinda)
“Everything I see is one level high. Are the temples also one level?”
“Zzz zzz zzz. What you see on top will not tell you how many levels are below. The Temple of the Unfathomable Jester is on the west side of Central Place and far underground. The walls and columns are carved from white marble. Mirrors shine sunlight to the central altar, a massive block of quartz streaked with pyrite. Golden incense burners, bowls, candlesticks, and statues nearly cover the altar. It hurts to look upon, yet one desires to do so because of its beauty.”
Purpose / Function
A complex originally created for unknown purposes -as all rumsha architecture is- through countless revisions and whimsical additions the place became known as a center of communal worship for the Cult of the Unfathomable Jester. Worship rites vary radically due to the fact that doctrine is not written down, times of gathering are not established, and finding ways to subvert most traditions is seen as an act of worship. What passes for a service happens when enough communal sentiment builds around the idea to do so. Any individual or group may exert enough pull that others join in. Because there is no clergy class, any individual may claim the alter and 'lead' the service. Some common practices are singing, stomping in unison, and stacking objects.
Alterations
Because rumsha build in an ad hoc process of seemingly random direction based on how a random rumsha feels, the temple complex has been under continual evolution.
Architecture
Humans have described rumsha architecture as "whimsical post-modern" and compare it an earth style created by an architect by the name of Goudi. Rumsha build with a mixture of instinct and whim. Since they seek to obliterate any concept of the future, any plans or designs are seen as heretical. But never-the-less, design emerges. Largely thanks to a communal and instinctual desire to follow what has come before, but with some kind of tweak. This can lead to comically tall pillars, fractal hallways, stairs to nowhere and other oddities that rumsha greatly appreciate.
History
Rumsha first settled the great North Akinda Steppes in 883 A.C. and construction could have began any time around then. It may have been started as a mine or a nursery.
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