Religion
The Temples
The Temple of Many
There are three temples in Athart, and while they all give the initial impression of being oriented toward worship, they are rarely used for this. The northernmost of the three lies in the midst of the human housing section, and is the "least" of the three. It is called the Temple of the Many. This name has been assumed to refer to the fact that it is open to be used to worship any or all Immortals that any human might choose at a given time. The Avriel, of course, would not lower themselves to consider such a use. Not only is it in the human sector, a place they prefer to avoid, except when it is necessary to drag some wretch out and discipline him publicly. But also because they feel themselves above any obligation to give worship unto any Immortal.
Their ingrained racial history tells them that they, alone, were not created by an Immortal, and in fact, fought free of the Immortals' attempt at subjugating them them long ago, to establish their sovereignty over this part of the world. This distorted version of how they came to be contributes largely to their belief that enslaving 'lower' life forms is moral and proper. Clearly, the Immortals felt that slavery was morally correct. In fairness, there are many examples of this fact to be found all over Idalos. And since the Avriel believe themselves to surpass those Immortals in glory, there can be no doubt of their right to conquest and enforced servitude.
But there is also the newer thought that the name is better suited to refer to "the many" humans that inhabit the city. This interpretation has been secretly growing, as the rebellious awareness that humans greatly outnumber the Avriel has begun to take seed in the minds of the oppressed work force. There are simple ceremonies held in this temple with some regularity. But it is only feigned devotion occurring there, for the most part. It is mostly to establish a" cover" schedule for the real purpose of this temple.
Built by humans for humans, and with the directing authority of the Athartian Slave Raiders, this temple has many secrets within its walls, and is basically the raiders' headquarters for their plots and storehouse for equipment. They have planning meetings under the guise of worship, where the steps in advancing their various agendas are equipped, scrutinized, adjusted and occasionally tested. The worship services are also conducted by those sworn to secrecy, as it is well known that many humans hate the raiders as much as, or more than, the Avriel themselves. They feel the Avriel to be a more open, and honest enemy than their greedy fellow humans, betraying them into slavery. Whereas, other humans overlook this, seeing it as a necessary evil to lull the Avriel into complacency. The raiders couldn't care less about either sentiment, but they are not about to take a chance that some idealistic human will betray their secret stronghold to the Avriel.
Their ingrained racial history tells them that they, alone, were not created by an Immortal, and in fact, fought free of the Immortals' attempt at subjugating them them long ago, to establish their sovereignty over this part of the world. This distorted version of how they came to be contributes largely to their belief that enslaving 'lower' life forms is moral and proper. Clearly, the Immortals felt that slavery was morally correct. In fairness, there are many examples of this fact to be found all over Idalos. And since the Avriel believe themselves to surpass those Immortals in glory, there can be no doubt of their right to conquest and enforced servitude.
But there is also the newer thought that the name is better suited to refer to "the many" humans that inhabit the city. This interpretation has been secretly growing, as the rebellious awareness that humans greatly outnumber the Avriel has begun to take seed in the minds of the oppressed work force. There are simple ceremonies held in this temple with some regularity. But it is only feigned devotion occurring there, for the most part. It is mostly to establish a" cover" schedule for the real purpose of this temple.
Built by humans for humans, and with the directing authority of the Athartian Slave Raiders, this temple has many secrets within its walls, and is basically the raiders' headquarters for their plots and storehouse for equipment. They have planning meetings under the guise of worship, where the steps in advancing their various agendas are equipped, scrutinized, adjusted and occasionally tested. The worship services are also conducted by those sworn to secrecy, as it is well known that many humans hate the raiders as much as, or more than, the Avriel themselves. They feel the Avriel to be a more open, and honest enemy than their greedy fellow humans, betraying them into slavery. Whereas, other humans overlook this, seeing it as a necessary evil to lull the Avriel into complacency. The raiders couldn't care less about either sentiment, but they are not about to take a chance that some idealistic human will betray their secret stronghold to the Avriel.
The Shrine of Syroa
Needlessly large, The Shrine of Syroa sits in the upper part of the commerce section, which is to say it is north of the harbor wall and the slave stage, but south of the river. It is an indulgence in spaciousness, never drawing any great number of visitors, either human or avriel, but capable of holding hundreds. Humans inclined to give homage to Syroa, for whatever reason, are required, by law, to do so at this shrine, rather than at their Temple of the Many. And the Avriel would never give any particular honor to any but Syroa.
They view the Immortal of Transformation to be their 'Benefactor', but do not acknowledge any rumor of this deity as having contributed any effort towards their creation. To them, Syroa was simply one of many Immortals that needed to be taught to respect Avriel sovereignty and supremacy, and was just the first of few to see reason and befriend them. They built the shrine in recognition of this mutually beneficial relationship, and made it spacious, in the midst of this somewhat crowded area, specifically to set it apart from the fairly close-quartered requirements of the human constructions below.
Since they arrive from above, the grand entrance is on the roof, which also negates the need for them to deal with human crowding below. There are entrances at ground level, but while they are clean and attractive, they are nowhere near as ornate. Nor do they give access to the Avriel level above. Any humans who enter are expected to pay devotions to Syroa, for though the Avriel consider themselves equal or better than the Immortals, they will not abide the insult of humans behaving this way, and will feel compelled to punish such insult on Syroa's behalf.
But, as a shrine, rather than a temple, even the Avriel do not actually worship here. It is simply an honorarium. There are no rituals held here, but an occasional "themed" celebration may be held, to give tribute and honor, in hopes of initiating contact with the being. Then there may be quests asked and tasks offered in hopes of granted boons. But at the least, there is no shortage of pleasure and revelry.
They view the Immortal of Transformation to be their 'Benefactor', but do not acknowledge any rumor of this deity as having contributed any effort towards their creation. To them, Syroa was simply one of many Immortals that needed to be taught to respect Avriel sovereignty and supremacy, and was just the first of few to see reason and befriend them. They built the shrine in recognition of this mutually beneficial relationship, and made it spacious, in the midst of this somewhat crowded area, specifically to set it apart from the fairly close-quartered requirements of the human constructions below.
Since they arrive from above, the grand entrance is on the roof, which also negates the need for them to deal with human crowding below. There are entrances at ground level, but while they are clean and attractive, they are nowhere near as ornate. Nor do they give access to the Avriel level above. Any humans who enter are expected to pay devotions to Syroa, for though the Avriel consider themselves equal or better than the Immortals, they will not abide the insult of humans behaving this way, and will feel compelled to punish such insult on Syroa's behalf.
But, as a shrine, rather than a temple, even the Avriel do not actually worship here. It is simply an honorarium. There are no rituals held here, but an occasional "themed" celebration may be held, to give tribute and honor, in hopes of initiating contact with the being. Then there may be quests asked and tasks offered in hopes of granted boons. But at the least, there is no shortage of pleasure and revelry.
The Temple of Glory
This grand structure is found atop a wide pillar in the Forest of Stone, the upper Avriel sector of Athart, outside and to the east of the city walls. It is made entirely of carved, polished marble, and adorned with a wealth of precious fittings and mosaic inlays, inside and out. The walls are draped with elaborate tapestries, offset by festooned cascades of pleated satin, finely embroidered silken cushioning, and carpeted with sensuous, downy layers of fur rugs. All wooden furniture is either Cambria, Scentwood, or the currently fashionable Weavewood wicker, treated with Cambrian oil.
The one exception to this opulence is the plain stone dais upon which any visiting human is expected to kneel, while presenting his purpose in attendance. This purpose can either be a response to a summons given him by the Avriel, or an audience granted him by his own request. The purpose of this audience could be anything from the begging of a boon, to a case of judgement against some transgressor.
If it is the latter, it has to involve a complaint against an Avriel, and it better be good, because The Aerie, the royal faction that makes the Temple its home, does not normally trouble itself with human-to-human issues. Such matters are either to be settled by the Overguard at the time of the incident in question, or by the formal House of Law in the lower city.
This does not mean that any human entering the temple is made to spend his entire visit groveling and scraping. But this initial show of contrition is expected, if the visitor harbors any real hope of being heard out. It also serves as a compulsory show of thanks for being lifted to the heights of the Temple doors by Avriel attendants, as there are no stairs to enable humans to make it alone.
Avriel do not need to kneel on the stone, but must give a deep, respectful bow, which is held until the sitting authority gives them leave to stand. Naturally, no weapons are allowed, save for those wielded by the Crown Guard, who are stationed around the chamber, and have their own barracks and training facility in the Forest of Stone.
The Temple has all the features of a palace, though it is smaller, due to the lack of any need to make room for fancy stairwells. Humans that are staying for whatever reason are given isolated chambers that are not as well furnished as those given Avriel visitors, but are still well above average for human dwellings. As a result, many of the rooms available to Avriel, are inaccessible to humans. This is no doubt by design.
Again, the deference humans are expected to pay to the Avriel does not truly constitute 'worship', so the term 'temple' is not entirely accurate. But the Avriel have learned much of the outside world from adolescent explorers who have returned from purging themselves of their more feral impulses. They have brought back this concept of a structure intended for lower beings to pay honor to their betters, having seen it in numerous other cultures and cities. They said such structures were called "temples", and the term stuck.
They have also brought back accounts of various foreign arts, crafts and wealth as well. The Avriel have taken advantage of some of these tales; the procuring of Cambrian furnishings, for example. Some other such matters they have yet to exploit. It should be noted that any future plans for aggressive campaigns against foreign cities would also be proposed and considered here.
The one exception to this opulence is the plain stone dais upon which any visiting human is expected to kneel, while presenting his purpose in attendance. This purpose can either be a response to a summons given him by the Avriel, or an audience granted him by his own request. The purpose of this audience could be anything from the begging of a boon, to a case of judgement against some transgressor.
If it is the latter, it has to involve a complaint against an Avriel, and it better be good, because The Aerie, the royal faction that makes the Temple its home, does not normally trouble itself with human-to-human issues. Such matters are either to be settled by the Overguard at the time of the incident in question, or by the formal House of Law in the lower city.
This does not mean that any human entering the temple is made to spend his entire visit groveling and scraping. But this initial show of contrition is expected, if the visitor harbors any real hope of being heard out. It also serves as a compulsory show of thanks for being lifted to the heights of the Temple doors by Avriel attendants, as there are no stairs to enable humans to make it alone.
Avriel do not need to kneel on the stone, but must give a deep, respectful bow, which is held until the sitting authority gives them leave to stand. Naturally, no weapons are allowed, save for those wielded by the Crown Guard, who are stationed around the chamber, and have their own barracks and training facility in the Forest of Stone.
The Temple has all the features of a palace, though it is smaller, due to the lack of any need to make room for fancy stairwells. Humans that are staying for whatever reason are given isolated chambers that are not as well furnished as those given Avriel visitors, but are still well above average for human dwellings. As a result, many of the rooms available to Avriel, are inaccessible to humans. This is no doubt by design.
Again, the deference humans are expected to pay to the Avriel does not truly constitute 'worship', so the term 'temple' is not entirely accurate. But the Avriel have learned much of the outside world from adolescent explorers who have returned from purging themselves of their more feral impulses. They have brought back this concept of a structure intended for lower beings to pay honor to their betters, having seen it in numerous other cultures and cities. They said such structures were called "temples", and the term stuck.
They have also brought back accounts of various foreign arts, crafts and wealth as well. The Avriel have taken advantage of some of these tales; the procuring of Cambrian furnishings, for example. Some other such matters they have yet to exploit. It should be noted that any future plans for aggressive campaigns against foreign cities would also be proposed and considered here.