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ph_logs2023-05-28 02:21 pm
The Temple of Sacred Roots
Tucked into a once-verdant park near the heart of the village is the Temple of the Sacred Roots of Our Four Earthly Mothers. The wooden building is cobbled together, seemingly added onto over the years in an organic way as additional stories were added on. Its walls are of dark wood, with steep steepled roofs and large stained glass windows. Most of the windows are vibrant bits of stained glass, often depicting symbols of nature related to each of the Four Mothers.
There are smaller rooms for individual worship or a quiet spot to meditate and even a small library, but the main hall is a circular open room where worshippers come to hear the good word together. They sit in a mishmash of chairs or pillows laid on the floor, or even a large root or stone, all circled around a pulpit and a singular chair in the center, although the pulpit appears to be a bit dusty from disuse. The tree that forms the heart of this building only grows within the confines of its walls, intertwined into the interior’s architecture. The only other room of note is the large kitchen just behind this hall. There many meals have been cooked to share among the faithful. Even if these meals are meager now, the villagers scrape together what they can in an effort to make sure no one goes hungry.
Services are held on Saturday evenings, Sunday mornings, and Wednesday evenings for the down-to-earth faithful. Attendance is highly encouraged - meals are often served! - and the bonds of fellowship must be kindled on a regular basis. However, Degas is often at the Temple either studying for his next sermon or reading one of the many books found in the library.
Use this post to RP threads that take place at or in relation to the Temple of Sacred Roots! More details on the organization and its workings can be found under the drop-downs.
Membership
Point of Contact
Reverend Degas Clayton
Joining
There is no initiation process when you first arrive. You are invited to attend service at any time and the moment you enter the building you become family. However, should you stray from the path of the Mothers, returning to the fold will require some atonement in the form of offerings and prayer.
Benefits
Most of the flock are welcoming, providing you show some effort in helping others as you have been helped. They are the friendliest bunch and often have simple meals prepared for evening services, as well as offering support and compassion to those afflicted by the evils that batter the village.
Drawbacks
The group as a whole seem content to wait for some mysterious event in the future that will surely save their village from ultimate destruction, and are stuck in their ways. Change comes rarely, if at all, nor do they take kindly to their beliefs being called into question. Being ostracized by this group means a cold shoulder from most of the village long afterwards.
Sermons
Degas likes to keep these more down to earth than the previous preacher, especially since he’s not especially trained in such matters. He will share news of a fellow villager’s death so that the others can keep a lookout for them upon their return. He organizes community projects to try and bolster flagging morale and to continue the teachings of the Temples through these simple deeds. Otherwise he just tries to offer words of comfort and encourage fellow Tempe go-ers to keep the faith. They just have to hold out for a sign that the tides will turn in their favor once more.
The arrival of newcomers is met with equal amounts of relief and wariness, unsure if this is a sign or a test. While Degas offers to help new arrivals and invites them to Temple functions openly he won’t take kindly to anyone trying to question held beliefs. Not enough to run them out of town like Elsie and her mother, but a socially cold shoulder on a tiny island isn’t ideal either. That would be about the extent of anything malicious on Degas’s part. He’s not into scheming, just hoping that change finally comes and their salvation is finally brought to fruition.
There is no tithing in the temple. The building was built by the community over the years and they tend to it, donating their time to its upkeep. Prayer or meditation is a part of the sermons as well, worshippers often lay a hand on the person closest to them, forming an interconnected web of touch that mimics tree branches or roots. Or they lift a hand up, palm facing upwards, as a new sprouted plant might push its way out of the dirt. Prayers are muttered, never shouted, creating a wind-like sound as the murmurs are offered up to the Goddesses. There’s songs sung, often accompanied by rhythmic clapping or stomping, or additional voices adding to the cacophony. Instruments are of the handheld variety (hurdy gurdy, fiddle, pan flute), there’s no pianos or organs to be found in the Temple.
Philosophy & Teachings
The Temple espouses the bonds of fellowship above all else, save for the reverence paid to the Four Mothers. It's beliefs are steeped in the hard-working, salt-of-the-earth people who first came to the island, weaving together the fabric of this new society from nothing more than a precious seedling. While its traditions are humble those who hold them dear also hold them close..
It is generally considered sacrilege to depict the goddesses in art with their faces showing, and most art of them will tactfully cover their faces with things like Serannai's mask, Kora's hat, a cloud in front of Celestine's face, or a mourning veil for Mortanne. As it is believed to be disrespectful to presume their facial features.
And while prayer in temples is perfectly fine, it's believed that it is more effective to go to the goddesses where they live--- the forest for Serannai, the beach for Kora, mountains or hearths for Celestine, and graveyards or anywhere snowy for Mortanne. However recent events makes this extremely difficult.
There’s a rock, the tree roots, a bowl of sand, and an old gravestone in the temple for substitutes, although they are poor ones.
The Goddesses
Serranai is the goddess of Spring and the Earth. She is depicted as a satyr who wears a deer skull mask and firey red hair. She can be somewhat mischievous and playful, but can also be a fierce warrior if needed, and is an exceptional archer. She also views the Earth as her canvas and flowers her paints, and any particularly beautiful nature scenes or flower beds are often described as "Serranai's art."
Kora is the goddess of Summer and the Sea. She is depicted as a pirate queen of sorts, a sailor and adventurer with a golden cutlass, olive skin, and long raven hair. She is often seen wearing jewelry made from fish bones, sea glass, and sapphires. It is sometimes believed that sailors who get lost at sea have joined Kora's crew.
Celestine is the goddess of Autumn and the Sky. She is depicted with very very dark skin and cloud-like coily hair that is pale golden like morning sunlight and iridescent. Her dark black eyes are said to be full of stars and she wears an intricate silver gown with a delicately embroidered starmap. She keeps rain, sunshine, snow, and wind in glass bottles on her shelves and will sprinkle them down onto the earth from her home in the clouds.
Mortanne is the goddess of Winter and the Beyond. She is depicted as very pale with long white hair who always appears as the same age or just slightly older than the person she is speaking to at the time of their death. She drives a black funeral carriage drawn by white ghostly horses, and will drive the spirits of the dead to their afterlife while talking to her passenger, asking them questions about their life and prompting them to reflect and take one last opportunity to learn and grow. It is said that the moment you fully understand what kind of life you have lived and what sort of afterlife you have earned is when the carriage will arrive at its destination.
The Building
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And somehow his eyebrow raises higher. "I try to keep an open mind. This is a strange place to you, so if I can ease any worries through explanation then I would be happy to do so." He finishes the statement by gesturing with a hand, palm up, giving Jean the go ahead to ask away.
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If Jean's finger on the paper is any indication they still have more questions.
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Degas raises both brows at the last question, his face a dour mask. "Of course not!" Before he catches himself, taking a calming breath. "Of course not. It's only by our bonds forged together that we've survived these past few years, and the Mothers would never grant succor to those willing to betray others by blooding their hands in such a manner."
Thankfully Degas is nothing but patient in most cases. He gestures towards the list, "And the rest?"
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"Oh, that would be the Leeds family. Dahlia's the only one left, but she runs the Historical Society and would welcome your questions as well." The question of taboos draws a quiet harrumph out of the preacher. "Most of the usual ones, I should think. And as for the brass, it's mined and it's abundant, just as the Four Mothers love for us all is."
He pauses, wondering how much of a terror Jean might be in the library if unleashed. "You're in an unfamiliar land, so questions are only natural." He settles on saying, diplomatically.
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"...This curse," Jean says at last. "How sure are you that there's just one?"
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"I'm not certain of that," Degas admits readily enough. "But I'd prefer to think of it as a singular curse with a singular solution, whatever that may be."
And perhaps he's wrong in that opinion too, but what choice does he have? Thinking of multiple curses or layers of them would have driven him mad years ago. "Time will tell, I suppose."
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At last Jean puts their notes away. "I look forward to working with you! Or. For you? I'm not really clear about the chain of command here! But either way, very last question is: what do you need to know? Your department here, that is - what information's yours to keep and sort?"
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"With would be more appropriate, I feel. The Mayor is technically in charge and would be glad to point you to a job, but you're welcome to find one on your own." Jean's question gives him reason to pause, if only to think of the correct wording.
"Matters of the scripture, I suppose. Although it's not really mine, but I'm it's keeper for the time being. I'm simply the preacher here at the Temple, if that's what you mean by department?" Their wording is truly strange at times.
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Wouldn't want one of the newcomers to keel over right away. That just leaves a bad impression.
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And on that unsettling note, exit Jean left, whistling merrily.