Urban Temples

One traditional British definition of a city is a town with a cathedral. In RQ:G, a corresponding rule of thumb is a that a city is a settlement with multiple distinct temples. A city has too many people for them all to worship together as one community. And unlike a tribal town, the majority of the population are permanent residents, not just visiting for special occasions. So they have no other community to belong to.

The central settlement of a large clan, or a tribe, might hit perhaps a thousand adults. Two thousand is a very small city; the largest Gloranthan city, Nochet in Esrolia, has a population of more than 100,000. This means sharing a street with strangers, including ones who worship gods who might be strange to you.

Within a city, you will find:

• urban temples, religious communities serving some fragment of the population of the city.
• guilds, who support those following a particular occupation, sometimes at least partially independently of what community they belong to.
• secret societies, actual cults covertly worshipping gods considered chaotic, evil or just hostile by the official temples of the city.

Many of these are tied together by ties of association, mythically represented by births, marriages or cooperation amongst the deities of the cults involved. Practically, this involves joint ceremonies performed between the cults, or worship sites maintained by both. The holy day calendar indicates the best times for this; on the right day, lay members from the general population of the city can outnumber the regular congregation. Any Rune Magic that can be shared between cults in this way is sometimes as much as valued as proof of the mythical truth of the association as it is for its practical use.

In a rural area, most free adults are initiates of one of the few cults with local temples. In contrast, a city resident effectively has a individual choice of where to worship, from a menu with many options. Initiation is a big commitment of time and energy, and progressing further requires an exclusive commitment. But most cults offer lay membership with a minimal commitment. So the residents of a city generally are lay members of several cults, initiates of one or occasionally two.

As a lay member, attending a worship ceremony at an associated cult is mechanically only slightly less effective than worshipping at your own temple. It seems plausible that initiates will feel this, finding worship that is not effective to be spiritually or emotionally unsatisfying. So, all things being equal, people will tend to stick to associate cult worship. This can split a city into what are effectively ethnic groups, religiously and socially strangers to each other, interacting only be trade. In that way, the pattern of cult associations forms the mythic underpinnings of civic politics.

Consequently, heroquesting to reveal a new myth becomes a continuation of politics by other means. And those who can unite a city into an integrated whole will be remembered as heroes.

How this all works out varies between cities, in a way that is best explained by examples. The examples that follow are all taken from Lands of Runequest: Dragon Pass, and are representative of Ernaldan, Sartarite and Lunar cities respectively.

Ernaldan City: Dolsonin

Dolsonin is a small city of around 3000 in Holay, to the north of Dragon Pass (LoR:DP p103).

Interpretation

Perhaps because of the peaceful nature of Holay province, Dolsonin is a centre for cattle ranching across a large area. This would likely be impossible in Sartar, where every herd needs defenders. Reflecting this, as shown in the diagram above, the major Ernaldan temple dominates the city, with two subordinate cults (Eiritha and Barntar) and two cults to husband protectors (Yelmalio and Orlanth). Most of those are connected in a pattern of association, but the Seven Mothers temple stands alone with no major local allies. Notable by its absence is any temple to Hon Eel; it seems maize is not a significant local crop.

Several cults are worshipped at the Ernalda temple, which operates as a single organisation. However, for most game mechanic purposes, the cults will still be separate; it is just that the GodTalkers or Priests of Eiritha and Barntar based in the temple will have to take orders from the temple’s Ernaldan cult hierarchy. As an optional rule, an Ernalda initiate at this temple might not have to pay an additional tithe to be a member of the subordinate cults. However, they would still have to qualify and meet restrictions, and learn two different Worship skills.

In contrast, an Orlanth initiate could learn Barntar spells at the Ernalda temple with no rules barrier. But they would have to pay tithes to both temples to gain access to both sets of spells.

Note that in peaceful Holay, as opposed to historically rebellious Tarsh and occupied Sartar, the open worship of Orlanth is permitted.

Sartarite City: Wilmskirk

Wilmskirk is a small Sartarite city of around 2500 residents (LoR:DP p78). In a pattern typical of cities and colonies of Sartar, it is based around a major temple to the Sartarite form of Orlanth Rex, which unites the three nearby tribes.

Interpretation

For Wilmskirk, the map and listing in LoR:DP have some apparent inconsistencies. These can be reconciled if you assume that the text is talking about temples as active magical organisations, wheras the map shows buildings.

So next to Orlanth Rex temple is a set of Lightbringer statues carved by the city founder, Wilms. Unusually, perhaps uniquely, these count as minor temples in their own right. Normally, even a minor temple would need to be bigger. Those statues allows the Orlanth Rex temple to support full subordinate cults of 3 of the Lightbringers. As always, subordinate cults in this sense remain distinct cults in rules terms, despite sharing a building and cult hierarchy.

In contrast, the building marked Humakt Temple on the Wilmskirk map currently only magically functions as shrine. The city’s Humakti-led militia was disbanded during the occupation, and has not yet been refounded.

Finally, the building marker Sun temple on the map is likely the site of the former temple to Elmal, unused once the local Yelmalians mostly left following the revelations of Monrogh. This was used during the Lunars during the occupation, and now stands empty.

Lunar/Solar City: Furthest

Furthest is the capital of Lunar Tarsh, and has around 20,000 residents (LoR:DP p105). Unlike other Lunar provincial cities, it has a significant population of colonists from the Heartlands.

For more details, see Furthest - Crown Jewel of Lunar Tarsh.

Interpretation

The immigrants form a crucial role in integrating local Lunar converts into the web of relationships running the city. This makes Furthest one of the few places outside the Heartlands that converts to the Lunar Way can fully flourish socially and economically.

Despite it being a minor temple, central to that web is the temple to Yelm Imperator (Temple of the Red Emperor on the map). Other cities are run by Ernalda and her husbands.

Furthest is run by the Red Emperor and his associates, Hon-Eel, Oslira and Ernalda. Orlanth is banished to the role of a rumoured underground cult. Law-abiding Lhankhor Mhy and Issaries initiates are permitted worship in the corresponding Lunar temples; Chalana Arroy maintains her status as beloved by all.

Hon-Eel, in her Great Temple, is the Emperor’s beloved daughter, Oslira and Ernalda amongst his wives. As CoR:Lunar Way says (p114):

Among the non-Lunar population of the Lunar Empire, the Red Emperor is still entitled to deference and obedience as the avatar of Yelm.

So King Pharandros rules a unified city, by right of:

• descent from Arim the Pauper, the heroic founder of Tarsh
• descent from Hon Eel, and so the Red Emperor, and ultimately Yelm.
• direct descent from Virkala Tor, Feathered Horse Queen and so pre-eminent Ernaldan priestess in Dragon pass.
• his mastery of the Lunar Way as an Illuminate

Every public institution is under his control. If the rest of Tarsh followed the lead set by the capital, his rule would no doubt be long and peaceful.