Knicks & Knacks

Slushpost #1

In which I open my mouth and let a river pour out.

Temples

Temples are a literal house. They are a palace for a god as a palace is for a king. Babylonian temples, in particular, were designed after actual homes, albeit it on a much grander scale. Whether long and skinny or square, they all have the image hidden from view. The common person, and even low-ranking priests, cannot interact with the image for it is sacred. The "Holy of Holies" separates man from his god, and for good reason - most men are unclean and unfit to be in the god's presence.
This is reflected in the layout of the temple. For smaller ones, like of the city-states of Syria-Palestine, they are long temples with a room in the back, away from the entrance, walling off the image within from sight. For larger complexes, like Babylonians ones, there is room after room which must be traversed before appearing before the image. Regardless of the example to follow, man is forbidden from viewing the representation of his god in his natural state, save for select holy days and celebrations.
A deity had multiple temples and was in each of them simultaneously, for the deity is not confined to one specific location as a cosmic being. A deity can have a favorite "house", much like a king has a favorite house, but the deity is present in each of them. A single deity can be known by many local names, oftentimes [Deity Name] + [Location of Temple]. The plurality of local names leads to a fracturing of national identity, especially where terrain makes travel difficult.
The temple is, itself, a microcosm of all creation. It's pillars (mountains) hold up the ceiling (sky) and stand on the floor (ground) from which plants grow. Temples are built on springs of water (oceans) or have large pools of water within them (oceans). Certain pillars stand aside the rising and setting sun, both pulling up the sun-god and/or his vehicle and guiding it back into the netherworld. Ceilings are blue with white or gold dots. The floor has strips of earth from which grow sweet-smelling plants. The walls are engraved and painted with the various deities, their works, and their worshipers.
The temple is not a place for worship in the modern understanding, but a place for the performance of cultic ritual so the needs of the god is met. Human beings exist for one reason - to meet the needs of the gods. One cannot simply choose a place, gather there, and expect the god to show up. The god chooses the spot; the people only gather and worship in sacred places the god has chosen.
The temple is the most important institution, more so than even the king and his palace. In the temple the divine is cared for so the divine may grant blessings to the faithful. It is the meeting place of human and divine. The king is merely the high priest. As most important institution, the temple is also the largest economic power in the empire/city-state, beyond the palace. It employs hundreds if not thousands of individuals, it teaches priests and layperson, it keeps official records, it feeds and cares for hundreds of priests and the unfortunate, it has hundreds if not thousands of slaves, it partakes in the redistributive economy, it engages in international trade, and, most importantly, it owns the most land and has the most wealth.

Origins of Man

The races of man are determined by the material used to create them by various different deities. Though all are man, they are not made of the same "stuff". Some are made from dust; some from clay; some from divine blood; some birthed directly from the divine mother; some sprout from the divine seed in the ground. This impacts how they view themselves and how they view the "other"; racial tensions are high, for race is now mixed with religion.

Copper & Tin

In Battataia (the name of my setting) bronze weapons are few and far between. While mankind still has access to copper mines, they do not have access to many tin mines. Thus, bronze weapons are highly sought after and seen as a status symbol.
Wechosh (copper) is the third son of Miglah; Bedukku (tin) is the fifth son of Miglah. Gold is the first, Silver the second, Iron the fourth. Bronze is viewed as a "joint effort of the brothers" and used in "sum greater than its parts" teachings. Three becomes associated with copper; five with tin. Tin is also associated with the youngest son, as Bedukku is the fifth and final son of Miglah.

Slavery

The chance of being a slave isn't high for the PCs, but it is a possibility. I'd say a 2-in-6 chance of being a slave. If you are a slave, roll another d6.

Slaves are marked on their hands or foreheads to make it obvious they are a slave. Runaway slaves, if captured, are put to death, along with any who assisted them in escaping (thanks Code of Hammurabi!). Bounty hunters exist for runaway slaves because there is money to be made in catching and returning slaves to masters.
A suspicious sign throughout the setting is a person who will not take off a head covering or hand covering, as usually these coverings would cover slave brands. Bounty hunters are referred to as "ones who take off a glove" or "glovers" because of the practice of tracking people who wear gloves and forcing them to take them off to prove they aren't a slave.

Three Estates, But Not That Three Estates

  1. Royalty & Priests
  2. Freemen
  3. Slaves, Foreigners, Children, etc.
  4. Wildmen

The palace and temple engage in redistributive economies, so any persons under their care (read: everyone but wildmen) are heavily taxed and then given a standardized portion back (maybe with a little something extra for a job well done). I'll have to read some more and reread MRoS to better understand how that Three Estates was implemented.

Patronage

It exists, albeit it is less common. However, for the adventurer, it is a necessity. Given the constant need for adventurers to go die retrieve information and articles from lost deities from the grasp of chaos, the palace-temple complex regularly sends out such groups. These groups are supported and equipped by a patron who provides equipment. If the group survives, the patron gains social status, the party continues their adventuring career and may receive a gift from the palace-temple complex or their patron, and civilization is made stronger by the items they have retrieved. Perhaps even a god is revived due to their efforts; maybe even divine blessings are on the table.
Patrons are essentially gamblers betting on their winning horse.

Adventurers

A person becomes an adventurer for a number of reasons.

  1. Their master said so.
  2. They are in debt big time.
  3. They are looking to improve their lot.
  4. They are a criminal forced to do it (see #1).

The content person does not adventure. It is rare for the wish of a child to be an adventurer. They are a mostly doomed lot, exploration teams into the sea of chaos which surrounds civilization. However, the few successful ones gain fame, eventually even gaining a mythos and the title of "hero".

Prompts Giving

Asher from Dripping Tap gave a name for the challenge I gave myself in my previous post - Prompts Giving. I love it, so that's the new name, and I'm still wanting to hear from you!