Temples in Faerun

When you want to ask out of character questions, discuss plots, talk about roleplaying or simply present your character’s bio, this is the place to do so. Small OOC bits may be accepted in the roleplaying forums, but this is the place for the larger posts. Do keep the topics related to the roleplaying however, otherwise go to the General Discussion forum.

Moderators: Shir'le E. Illios, Bhaern Quel

Post Reply
CrankyOzzie
Regular
Posts: 278
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2006 1:15 pm
Location: NSW, Australia
Contact:

Temples in Faerun

Post by CrankyOzzie »

Where are the temples to Eilistraee in Faerun, and what would they be like? I know there's the Promenade in Skullport, there's one in Velarswood, there's a town in Deepingdale that welcomes Eilistraeen Drow so I'd presume they have a temple there, and there's also The Mouth of Song near Silverymoon(I think?).

It seems many of the temples are in the northern lands. If anyone is able to provide info on other temples to the Dark Maiden, and what they may look like, I would greatly appreciate it.
I quit smoking with Eilistraee! - Courtesy of http://www.sloganizer.net/en/
Bhaern Quel
Demigod
Posts: 2103
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:32 pm

Post by Bhaern Quel »

Promenade not in Skullport, just near to it.

There is the Temple in the Twisted Rower, though the Dark Maiden's power there is very small and in general been desrcreated by Lolthians.

The Dark Maiden's portal does lead to a temple, but the location is not known.

Part of the problem with knowing location of temples is that they tend to be kept secret as a security matter.

There though is another problem, which is that the simplist temple is a glade in woods that allows moonlight to shine in with perhaps a nearby cave with a forge in it.
CrankyOzzie
Regular
Posts: 278
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2006 1:15 pm
Location: NSW, Australia
Contact:

Post by CrankyOzzie »

Yes, I know there are probably many, many out there that are secret, and I know a 'temple' can simply be, as you said, a glade in the forest. The information I was after was what the [i:25hw3yit]known[/i:25hw3yit] temples look like. Is the Promenade some grand, awe-inspiring temple like you'd expect from Lathander or Helm, or is it a very basic sort of vcave with a few extra facilities?

That sort of thing.
I quit smoking with Eilistraee! - Courtesy of http://www.sloganizer.net/en/
Bhaern Quel
Demigod
Posts: 2103
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:32 pm

Post by Bhaern Quel »

The temple complex, also known as Eilistraee’s Promenade, occupies the large ruined city east and north of Skullport (and to the west and south of the Eye’s lair). Its appearance has changed slightly from the Level Three

Cavern A (see the map) is the current area under development, with the temple workers busy clearing away the rubble of the centuries as well as the excavated material from Cavern B. In general, the buildings on the western side of the cavern serve as quarters for many of the workers. Being two to three stories tall each, with stone stairs carved into the southern or eastern walls for access to the upper stories, these buildings can house four to six families or groups of workers each. The exits leading west out of Cavern A have been temporarily been sealed with rubble and protection spells, preventing any dangers from entering from Skullport or the other caverns.

After six months, the workers have cleared away the rubble in the streets of Cavern A and demolished the buildings adjacent to Eilistraee’s Mound (A1). The mound itself has been painstakingly tended by several of the dwarven workers, its slopes smoothed and its jagged peak carved into a beautiful representation of Eilistraee (the statue is actually a likeness of Qilué Veladorn, the high priestess of the temple, the most beautiful of all her worshipers). The mound now rises 30’ above the floor of the cavern at its peak; the statue’s head comes within 40’ of the cavern ceiling and faces east over Cavern B, the Cavern of Song.

Cavern B is totally devoid of its former architecture. Using powerful magicks and a legion of summoned earth and water elementals, the temple elders destroyed any lasting remnants of the former city. The rubble from the buildings was then either removed, disintegrated, or ground into tiny pebbles and rock dust to cover the cavern floor. New tunnels were carved to provide easier access to Caverns C, D, and the Hall of Healing. A variety of spores and fungi have been cultivated on the floor of this cavern, creating a soft, slightly luminous covering. The southern leg of the cavern slopes down and ends in a magically generated spring that supplies the temple with fresh water.

The cavern’s ceiling rises to a height of 100’ and causes a peculiar phenomenon. In the other caverns, there is a standard background echo of sound; in this cavern, there is never an echo at all, save when the congregation raises its voices in song and a ringing comes from the upper walls and ceiling in harmony with the song. The dwarves claim the cause might be a unique crystal that reverberates with the pitch of the song, but they cannot explain the existence of such crystals.

Cavern C is the priestesses’ ward of the Promenade. This cavern was the first to be restored into living quarters. The four-story building carved into the cavern’s eastern wall is the domicile of the high priestess, her consort, and her family. Its stepped terraces are kept well illuminated by glowing lichens and softly lit glowglobes of green and blue hues. The two- story central building constitutes the temple’s house for honored guests; the larder is well stocked with foods from all across the Realms, and its halfling cook, Meryl Vyrmoth, can prepare nearly any dish imaginable (Laeral particularly recommended the roast cockatrice in mushroom sauce). The other domiciles are occupied by the other Dark Ladies (priestesses), Maids (acolytes and aspirants to the clergy who wish to join the temple or who have not yet attained full priesthood), and the temple’s lay servants. Visitors who want to keep a low profile are usually taken to rooms deep in this warren of caves, buildings, and winding passages. More than one curious visitor has discovered that the Maids sometimes spy on visitors from many secret passages that entwine about the quarters.

Cavern D has been fully restored. Its southern and western buildings serving as guards’ barracks, and its remaining buildings are storehouses and armories with living quarters on the upper levels.


This report is many years old so I do expect there were some improvements by now.
Post Reply