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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
The Celebration of life for Merrick Gladwyn
“Thank you all for coming,” Degas’s voice carries over the crowd. He stands off-center, amidst the villagers. Some move to give the man space but he holds out a hand to stop them. He draws a long, calming breath through his nose and wills calm to his whole being. That peace touches every part of the man aside from his eyes. A gloom hangs over them, pain cracking at his crow’s feet. This is a task he didn’t want to shoulder, but all the villagers are looking to him.
“My friends, we all know this isn’t the gathering we had hoped for.” He begins, hands clasped together. “That nearly six long years have passed and the fate of our dear priest was a thread of hope. That he, and the others who left this island, would not suffer the same fate. You may ask yourselves now, what good is it to hope? I bid you remember this…remember the teachings of our Goddesses;
You shall ask…What good are dead leaves?
And I will tell you that they nourish the sore earth beneath our feet.
You shall ask, what reason is there for winter?
And I will tell you it is to bring about new leaves.
You shall ask why are the leaves so green?
And I will tell you because they are rich with life.
You shall ask why must summer end?
And I will tell you…it is so that leaves will die.”
Murmurs arise in the crowd, repeating Degas’s words, some weep but they are silent. He reaches out to take hold of an older woman’s hand, she reaches for the person next to her. On and on, they clasp each other in a winding web.
“We come together from the diversity of our grieving, to gather in the warmth of this community. That we may be reminded of our bonds to one another. That our lives follow the seasons, under under the gentle guidance of our Beloved Mothers. That there is a time to celebrate, that there is a time to harvest, there is time to bask in the glories of life, and there is time to dwell on the passing of it. For all are a part of this world.” He gently squeezes the hand he has clasped, the other lays over his heart and casts a look over the crowd.
“And yes, it is true that this very order has been disrupted over the last few years. That dead leaves do not linger to nourish the earth, that our summers are beset by strange beasts, our harvests troubled, and our springs gloomy. But there is still hope. I see it here in all of you present, that you deigned gather here to remember Merrick and bolster the ties that hold this community together. And there is hope in our travelers from beyond, sent here by the Goddesses themselves. Though they are strangers here, many have embraced us fully and we would do well to continue to do the same.”
Another round of affirming murmurs. Degas briefly closes his eyes. This next part will be the most difficult for him. He can scarcely recall Melly’s funeral for the same reasons, the hurt was too great and tore at his very being. But he must. He must…
“Merrick Gladwyn was the best of us. His departure has been difficult for us all, but he has been given the customary rites and now his bones rest in the heart of the Temple that he served with the utmost conviction.” Another breath. Wetness gathers at the corners of his eyes. “I am a friend of Merrick. I recall with perfect clarity the moment I arrived here, fresh off the boat from Fallsreach with Melly-” His voice cracks. A pause. “-with Melly.” He says with humble reverence. “He bid us welcome and made certain we found a place to settle into a place here in Pumpkin Hollow to call home.”
He falls silent. The woman beside him pipes up next and starts with the same phrase. “I am a friend of Merrick.” This goes on for a time, everyone who wishes to speak begins the same way and shares a singular story of the previous priest until all have said their peace. Their joined hands lift to the sky.
“So we have gathered, so we depart. Until next we meet, may the Goddesses watch over you and your lantern stay lit.”
Their hands release each other and slowly return to their sides. The crowd begins to turn to quieter conversations, murmurs of encouragement, some approach Degas to offer kind words or thanks. The sun is lower in the sky now, but there’s still plenty of time before dark. Degas remains planted in place, addressing any and all who approach him in the same manner.
“It’s good to see you. It lifts one’s spirit to see you here, but is there aught else that I can do for you?”
no subject
(Grace would know.)