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    Canonfire :: View topic - The Temple in Slave Pits of the Undercity
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    The Temple in Slave Pits of the Undercity
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    Apprentice Greytalker

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    Sun Aug 25, 2013 1:32 pm  
    The Temple in Slave Pits of the Undercity

    Alright, does anyone know (or have a good theory) on which goddess' temple is the slavers' base in A1. It is pretty clear that it has been converted to a temple of Gruumsh.

    Given that the humans of the Pomarj were largely Suel-descended, I'd say the goddess was maybe Lydia or Osprem or Wee Jas.

    Perhaps Bralm with the inclusion of the apsis (sp?), given her insect aspect?

    Any thoughts?
    Master Greytalker

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    Mon Aug 26, 2013 3:01 pm  

    According to Slavers, the temple of the Earth Dragon in Highport was formerly a temple of Xerbo. I know in A1 it's a temple to Gruumsh, not the Earth Dragon, but Slavers puts the temple of Gruumsh in a one-story house, after that cult was displaced by the Earth Dragon cult. I believe the main temple from A1 is the same one in Slavers, so it was originally dedicated to Xerbo, then Gruumsh, and finally the Earth Dragon.
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    Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:55 am  

    That's a good catch.

    Isn't it problematic that A1 says the temple was dedicated to a goddess, and Xerbo, is, ahem, not of the feminine persuasion?
    Master Greytalker

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    Tue Aug 27, 2013 2:10 pm  

    Raphael wrote:
    That's a good catch.

    Isn't it problematic that A1 says the temple was dedicated to a goddess, and Xerbo, is, ahem, not of the feminine persuasion?
    Where's the "goddess" reference in A1? I couldn't find it.
    Master Greytalker

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    Sun Sep 01, 2013 10:57 am  

    I made it a temple of Kelanen. This fit in nicely with various things I had planned, including having Icar, the blind warrior of Markessa's stronghold, being a once-paladin of Kelanen. Actually, paladin is not the right word, but anyway, it worked for me. I like the idea of Kelanen being a very popular deity in the Wild Coast, and it stood to reason he would have been popular in the Pomarj as well, at least in Highport. However, I totally just made that up; it's not canon, nor even hinted at in any source.
    GreySage

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    Sun Sep 01, 2013 1:55 pm  

    DMPrata wrote:
    Where's the "goddess" reference in A1? I couldn't find it.


    In the description of the cemetery (page 6): "These plants have managed to become animated through the will of the goddess whose temple this was."

    Taking only that into account, some sort of nature goddess seems most likely. Bralm is a possibility.

    If it was a temple of Xerbo, though, I'd expect there to be at least a shrine to Osprem within it, considering how closely linked the two gods are. It seems very possible that there are many temples that honor the two Suel sea-gods jointly, so it isn't implausible that Osprem might consider a temple of Xerbo to be at least partly hers.

    It's also noteworthy that this is specifically the cemetery, which would be Wee Jas's domain even in a temple otherwise dedicated to another Suel god entirely. Even if the temple was solely Xerbo's, its cemetery might belong to the goddess of the dead.

    There isn't any real reason a temple couldn't honor several gods at once or even the whole pantheon.
    Adept Greytalker

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    Sun Sep 01, 2013 2:34 pm  

    DMPrata wrote:
    Raphael wrote:
    That's a good catch.

    Isn't it problematic that A1 says the temple was dedicated to a goddess, and Xerbo, is, ahem, not of the feminine persuasion?
    Where's the "goddess" reference in A1? I couldn't find it.


    Page 6 in A-1: "These plants have managed to become animated through the will of the goddess whose temple this was."

    IMC, though I considered Ehlonna, I finally decided on Osprem, since she's a Suel goddess & Highport is a port city, plus I thought it unusual for a nature goddess to have a temple within a city to begin with.

    I think SKR & Pramas may have missed the bit about the temple being that of a goddess when they wrote Slavers, but IIRC, they don't specify that the temple of the Earth Dragon in Highport is the same as the temple of Gruumsh in A1. Slavers does mention that "various humanoid gods" also have temples in Highport (p. 90), so there's no reason there can't be both a temple to Gruumsh & one to the Earth Dragon that were formerly temples of Osprem 9or another goddess) & Xerbo, respectively.
    Adept Greytalker

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    Sun Sep 01, 2013 2:36 pm  

    Rip beat me to it!
    Master Greytalker

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    Sun Sep 01, 2013 5:03 pm  

    Robbastard wrote:
    I think SKR & Pramas may have missed the bit about the temple being that of a goddess when they wrote Slavers, but IIRC, they don't specify that the temple of the Earth Dragon in Highport is the same as the temple of Gruumsh in A1. Slavers does mention that "various humanoid gods" also have temples in Highport (p. 90), so there's no reason there can't be both a temple to Gruumsh & one to the Earth Dragon that were formerly temples of Osprem 9or another goddess) & Xerbo, respectively.
    I think you missed my note upthread that the temple of Gruumsh in Slavers is in a one-story house, after that cult was displaced by the Earth Dragon cult. That would fit with the Gruumsh cult having occupied the Xerbo temple before the Earth Dragon cult kicked them out, and in any case the temple in A1 is clearly not a one-story house.

    I think Rip's Osprem/Xerbo suggestion fits. I just double-checked Lakofka's L2, and the church of Osprem in Garrotten also holds services to Xerbo. Of course, Bralm or Wee Jas (or even Lydia) is more likely to hold sway over the vines in the cemetery than the goddess of water voyages.
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    Mon Sep 02, 2013 1:11 pm  

    ok my two coppers worth - first the Xerbo and Osprem temple is correct I believe based on the Assassins Knot referenced above by DMPrada "The Church of Osprem (building 3) ...other Seul Gods associated with the seas are acknowledged and occasionally worshipped here as well. For example, Xerbo ... is worshipped on Friday evenings."
    and -second the temple was and or still is dedicated to Gruumsh based on the discription in A1 room 18 Temple Chamber "...On the dais rests a gigantic statue. This statue is of a one-eyed orc like humanoid standing with legs spread, holding a sword in both hands above his head." This is clearly a statue of Gruumsh the "one Eyed" god of orcs. (also clearly a trap!)
    Thats the way I play it, although I admit I don't have the Slavers book or any new books on them -just the good old modules A1-4 and the new reprint of them.

    -GreyMaus
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    Tue Sep 03, 2013 11:23 am  

    Quote:
    and -second the temple was and or still is dedicated to Gruumsh based on the discription in A1 room 18 Temple Chamber


    While A1 merely suggests that the temple has been re-dedicated to Gruumsh, the introduction to A2 explicitly states it.
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