Why Esrolia for the Holy Country in RQG

[Sir_Godspeed]

26 minutes ago, None said:

the Esrolian Temple City Ezel

Esrolians regard Ezel as, essentially, the original cave/womb of the Earth Goddess (Variously Asrelia and Ernalda, afaik). It was present already in the Green Age, and has been there ever since. It was also a survival site during the Greater Darkness.

[jajagappa]

41 minutes ago, None said:

explain the Esrolian Temple City Ezel

There's a good description of the temple complex in the Stafford Library Esrolia book.  Consider it the "navel" or "womb" of the entire Earth culture complex with Ernalda as the Great Mother, Queen of the Gods, etc.  It is a place of worship and pilgrimage.

The Grandmothers are the leaders of their respective noble houses (lineages that in some cases can be traced back to Gods Age founders or deities).  They rule as a council, selecting the priestesses who lead the ceremonies at the respective temples within the complex.  They strongly influence politics in Esrolia, but there is also a rivalry with the Queens of Nochet and Rhigos particularly.  Sometimes that rivalry has led to conflict (e.g. the Adjustment Wars). 

During Belintar's years, they clearly came to an agreement with him where they (or the Queen of Nochet) functioned as the governing body of Esrolia (which doesn't mean much more than collecting tribute and supporting some defensive capability).

49 minutes ago, None said:

what their stance on Genert is?

He was likely a husband-protector of the Earth during the Green Age before the rise of Yelm.  He was considered a Namer - one of the gods who named things.  But he died, and has no role otherwise beyond the Green Age myths. 

I'm sure you can see images of Genert in artwork in certain Earth temples. 

 

[Jeff]

Ezel - or even more commonly just Ernalda - is the temple complex generally thought to be located at the Womb or Cleft of the Earth Mother. It is one of the most revered Earth Temple in Genertela. It attracts pilgrims from Dragon Pass, Maniria, and even Ralios.

[None]

12 hours ago, jajagappa said:

The Grandmothers are the leaders of their respective noble houses (lineages that in some cases can be traced back to Gods Age founders or deities).

Ah so Ezel is considered to important for anyone to be willing to give authority over to single other house or person. That's rthe political reason I can see at least. I'm sure there is another religious reason too.

I find it somewhat ironic that the place for worshiping Ernalda is effectively ruled over by Asrelian priestesses.

12 hours ago, jajagappa said:

They rule as a council, selecting the priestesses who lead the ceremonies at the respective temples within the complex.

Which makes me kind of wonder. Are the temples even considered distinctively separate? Or is it just one huge temple congleramate/temple city?

9 hours ago, Jeff said:

Ezel - or even more commonly just Ernalda - is the temple complex generally thought to be located at the Womb or Cleft of the Earth Mother.

They refer to the city itself as Ernalda? I'm taking that as the people who live in Ezel literally belive they're living inside Ernalda herself (and Gata's womb apparently).

Now I'm just waiting for the time when: (spoilers for the Smoking Ruin Senario)

Spoiler

 

A party of player characters that include an Esrolian Etrnalda priestess from Ezel explores the Smoking Ruins from the book with the same name and said priesstess says once they find the mmirror shard:

"This is a sacred artifact of Ernalda. It doesn't belong in some backwater Sartarite tribal temple. It should be in Ezel, where it belongs."

Whereupon the entire party changes course t o Ezel, leabong a somewhat perturbed Clearwine behind in exchange for gaining the accolades of the Great Temple City and the Grandmother's council.

(Leaving the GM to figure out the consequenses of their actions and come up with new rewards.)

 

 

9 hours ago, Jeff said:

It is one of the most revered Earth Temple in Genertela.

When you say one that makes me wonder which ones the others are and what could possibly be more reverd to the Earth Cults than a templer that is considered to be the literal embodiment of Ernalda herself.

[Eff]

Well, anybody who lives within the Earth can be said to be living within Ernalda, but Ezel, as the, ah, "cleft" of Ernalda, or her womb, or her navel, is potent because of its connection to cycles of rebirth, all its symbolic meanings tied together with an umbilical cord. 

There are of course other body parts. One can imagine hills or low mountains with springs flowing from the crest or peak, or suspiciously copper-colored pillars of stone, and these too would be important places for Ernalda worship. 

Obviously, there are certain purifications one must perform before descending within Ernalda. Cunning or not, it seems likely that you need to have your fingernails trimmed before you're allowed to touch anything inside Ezel...

[Sir_Godspeed]

5 hours ago, None said:

They refer to the city itself as Ernalda? I'm taking that as the people who live in Ezel literally belive they're living inside Ernalda herself (and Gata's womb apparently).

 

I believe "Ezel" just means "Her Place" or something like that, iirc. ("Her" being Ernalda, or the Earth in general), However, it's also known as "Asrelia's Hut", which reflects on the myth that this is where the young Ernalda grew up as a girl. There's more to it, and importantly, myths frequently disagree with each other (as they do, of course). 

Going off memory, Ezel is this giant cleft or depression in the landscape, where everything inside the cleft is part of a massive temple complex, and there being some residential servant quarters outside. There are eleven main temples inside, that are basically carved caves, dedicated to different goddesses or aspects of the Earth. These main eleven are known as the "Eleven Wombs", but there are also lots and lots of smaller temples and shrines and niches, to the point where it's almost impossible to catalogue them all.

[jajagappa]

6 hours ago, None said:

When you say one that makes me wonder which ones the others are and what could possibly be more reverd to the Earth Cults than a templer that is considered to be the literal embodiment of Ernalda herself.

One is the Grace Temple in Nochet, her holiest site in that city.

One is Heruvernalda, the great temple on Kordros Island in Tarsh (also known as the Garden of Ernalda) that is her greatest temple in all of southern Peloria.

[Joerg]

8 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

One is Heruvernalda, the great temple on Kordros Island in Tarsh (also known as the Garden of Ernalda) that is her greatest temple in all of southern Peloria.

Kordros Island is Pelorian only by water-shed and language. Geographically (which should be the main concern for an Earth temple) it is Dragon Pass/Kerofinela, a region usually associated with Maniria rather than Peloria.

I would have expected Saird or Holay to have another such holy site. After all, once upon a time we were told that all things Ernaldan had their roots in Saird. Dwernapple sounds like a good candidate, also considering how the presence of holy ground disrupted that battle.

[jajagappa]

4 minutes ago, Joerg said:

I would have expected Saird or Holay to have another such holy site. After all, once upon a time we were told that all things Ernaldan had their roots in Saird.

Oh, yes, that text is straight from the Guide, but I'd certainly place another great temple in Saird - it is one of the key places where DH and Orlanthi culture come together! 

Dwernapple is noted in the Guide, too: "Nearby is a famous and well-endowed temple of Dendara and Ernalda."