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Whispered Pontifex of the Nocturnal Sodality
🕑 Added 2018-03-11 00:07:25 +0000 UTC Desiimontarus bore many eldritch shrines and buildings amidst its sprawl of ponderous looming homes and temples. The city is the largest port on the eastern Aegencald, founded by the Othiskarri, a draconic people of complicated politics from the Othiskar islands far off the coast.One of the strangest pair of structures in the maze-like city housed two of the oldest religions of the known world, ancient rites and priesthoods that survived even the wide-scale Amitalantos infenal war against the Indorillian Godsmen, and when the exodus happened soon after, their eyes were still skyward, for their gods were the Atul'anoth, the Draconic Moon, and Harom, the great sun.
The Nocturnal Sodality's home was a tower that looked like the silhouette of a tear in reality itself. A pure onyx and midnight spire laced with the glint of the astral night sky above, its surface broken by windows bearing the serene countenance of a human-faced moon, pale blues and yellows shyly peeking out from behind the glass.
The priests themselves seem to bear no single ancestry. Cowled beings swaddled in dusk and twilight, their acolytes seeming more like wraiths in dull greys, while their Pontiffs, the voice of millions of stars above, wear robes reflecting the ever changing night sky, their faces replaced with differing fields of stars that reach far back into the tenebrous black of their hoods.
The Nocturnal Sodality are an enigma. Seemingly as resistant as their opposing faction, the Solar Conclave, to any kind of scrutiny, magic or mundane. Their practices are closed off behind the quiet haunted vaults of their temples, and deeper secrets as shrouded as the priesthood themselves.
Often, they will meet with anyone wishing an audience, though there is always only one who speaks for any gathered members in a flurry of nearly chaotic whispers, giving a feeling of hearing the great void's noise itself before a clear voice comes through to offer greeting, warning, or advice.
While its well known that the Sodality worships Atul'anoth, the brightest, closest moon to Felwroth, its unknown if any chapter worships Zhar'anoth, the dead moon. No writings have ever come forth about worshippers of the corpse moon in any of the known archives, but chapters in the past who seemed to wander the path of undeath and destruction soon were annihilated from the world by unseen hands. And asking any of the worshipers of their thoughts on Zhar'anoth only brings one answer 'Pain Eternal'.
Just a quick concept of one of the factions of the world that I wanted to get out of my brain onto paper. Its actually one of the few factions that I've carried inside my head since I was a wee lad. Which probably goes to show that I wasn't a normal child, dreaming of men in black wearing the stars in the sky.
I'm hoping to get a quick image of one of the Solar Conclave's Bishops done as well. Which will be an interesting exercise in brighter colours at least.
-T.J.
Comments
Tim J.
Felwroth only has the pair of moons. Atul'anoth, thought to be the 'bright tide' and fabled to be the first tear of regret of Abberinoth, the once lover of Indorilithea (the goddess who sacrificed herself to keep the world safe from her vengeful lover's rampage). There aren't any known worshippers of the moon outside of the Nocturnal Sodality, and even then, its unknown if they actually worship the moon or if its simply a symbol of their order. Zhar'anoth is fabled to be the remnant of Abberinoth's wrath. The last planetary body to suffer his draining, withering, feeding need to make Indorilithea love him again. Its known as the corpse moon since it was said that ancient cultures would entomb their dead across its surface, and that it seems to have a 'rotting' countenance, slowly crumbling along it's south-eastern pole. Astronomers have been known to go mad when they spent too much time trying to learn of the distant moon, and philosophers only speak of it in respectful whispers. I'm liking the sound of the Priests of Vala, I'm curious as to who the Quendi are though? Human, critter, other? I've always found the religions and ancestral worship of various worlds intriguing. Most of the ones I have across Felwroth are fairly primal, or I just haven't really figured out yet. You'd think after 30 years I'd have at least a few more of them figured out ;)
Tygepc
Cool! Thank you for sharing. I wish I had something else to contribute, but this is about it. Looking forward to seeing the Solar Conclave's Bishops. Good luck and cool background to another part of this world your building.
Garry Stahl
And you say you don't write. Tell me about the moons please. What is the corpse moon? Thindacarulle has two moons as well. Hanbrath, Leiancbrath. Greater Brother,and Lessor Brother. No dark religions, but the Greater marks the months and the Lessor the weeks with their passage. The Priests of the Vala, the worshipers of the First Children, wear sky blue robes. Their heads bare to Atar the Father their feet unshod on Thindacarulle the Mother. By long tradition Quendi society considers a Counselor, as the priests are called to be the social equal of whom ever they speak with. Never a better or a subordinate. A Counselor speaks always as a equal to King or Peasant. Temples of the Vala are groves of trees with a great tree in the center that is an echo of the Great Mother Tree itself. It is preferred that it actually be a child of the Great Mother Tree.
