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Sky Temple in Nochet


Mark Mohrfield

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4 minutes ago, Mark Mohrfield said:

Seems rather large for either of those two deities considering that it is not only in Nochet, but the Sacred City.

Some sort of generic sky temple then? Though even if it is really big for a non-solar culture I wouldn't bypass the Yelm idea.

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35 minutes ago, Mark Mohrfield said:

Looking at the map of Nochet (link) a large building labled as "Sky Temple" is shown in the Sacred City area in the center of the city. What god or gods is this dedicated to? Elmal and Yelmalio both already have temples elsewhere in the city.

Harono, Sun King of the Sky People (the Ono) according to Esrolia: Land of Ten Thousand Goddesses.

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1 hour ago, metcalph said:

Harono, Sun King of the Sky People (the Ono) according to Esrolia: Land of Ten Thousand Goddesses.

@metcalph is correct that this is the temple to Harono.

Harono the Sky King has a temple within the Sacred City. He is King of the Messengers and Voice of the Sky, and is used primarily to send messages and offerings to the distant stars. This is the largest temple to the sky beings in the city.  In the lowest levels live the servants of Harono, known as the Salinelor after their famed ancestor.  Above them live the Blessed of the Ono who dwellings are enriched and protected by the statues of the winged guardians.

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21 minutes ago, Mark Mohrfield said:

Any information on what Harono's Runes are, how widespread the cult is, what the worshipers do, etc.?

There's a couple myths in the Esrolia book which somewhat equate Harono with the Sun God (including protecting Ernalda's Virtue and getting killed by Orlanth).

However, he seems to be more specifically associated now with the Sky rather than the Sun, so I'd go for Light as one rune.

His worshippers commune with the Sky and he serves as a Messenger to the Sky World, so I'd likely include Communication (i.e. Issaries/Equal Exchange/Trade) rune as a second one.

I think the cult is almost entirely limited to his one major temple in Nochet.  Maybe Rhigos has one too.

As the temple is within the Sacred City of Nochet, I think the cult's members function as messengers within the Sacred City itself and act at the request of the Queen or other priestesses there.  They may go out into Nochet, but only if borne upon a palanquin as their feet cannot touch the Earth (which would sully the Virtue of the Earth goddesses).  And they serve as messengers to the Sky for the priestesses - this is a highly ritualized role and always conducted within a ceremonial worship service that bridges to that other world.  What messages they deliver or receive is unknown to me at the moment.

At the moment, this is the only figure I know of from the Harono Temple:

Gramelmo Goldtooth - Sacred City, Harono Priest

With his short-cropped hair like stalks of wheat, his leather-worn face, and the notable gold tooth, Gramelmo is a distinct figure, though he rarely leaves the Sacred City except on ritual occasions such as the Blessing of the Sons.  When he does leave his temple, he travels by palanquin for he is ritually obligated to never set foot upon the earth.  His presence is always striking for he has a commanding figure, a penetrating gaze, and speaks with a tone of command and reverence.  He often says that the best way to deal with an enemy is to name the foe.  Rumors suggest that he was once the lover of Queen Valinalda, and certainly Valinalda’s son, Haramal, now a young sage at the Temple of Knowledge, bears a striking resemblance to the gold-toothed priest.

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