Temple of The Ice Mirror

Written by DC308

A rocky, steep hill overlooks the harbour wherein lies the city-state of Milvas. Atop this hill is a humble, yet incongruously stately complex of stone and marble. The pearlescent sheen of its high walls and splendid pillars sit at odds with the sheer, jagged cliffs beneath, darkened by weather and subtle magicks. The Milvasi have little care for great castles or manors. In the cold, brutal existences of the northern wastes, such luxuries are seen as weaknesses at best. But they will carve an exception to this contempt in blood and silver for their god. Thus have the Milvasi carved, and wrought, and sacrificed for a temple to their great benefactor, The Shaper Beneath. Where the world beyond the temple’s walls remain ever cold and tempestuous, as is the wont of the Frozen North, within remains an ever contemplative, reverent calm. The Priesthood bustle to and fro, quietly manoeuvring around praying Milvasi, pilgrims from further afield, and foreign gawkers as they attend to their duties. Theirs is a duty that has spanned centuries, and they shall not cease while their work remains unfinished.

Ethics

The Temple’s grounds are open to all at the discretion of the Priesthood. The Ice Mirror is naturally off limits to all but the highest ranking of priests, but the remaining grounds, libraries, and collections of artifacts accrued over the centuries are available to any with prior permission. Save for those intending harm – and the Priesthood can always sense those who intend harm – the Temple is open to all who are pious, studious, or just plain curious.

Worship

Expressions of faith in The Shaper Beneath are, compared to more disciplined forms of worship such as those venerating Alerio or Halenth and Lorinth, rather informal and personal. Faithful Milvasi will wear an amulet engraved the Sacred Pattern of The Shaper Beneath wherever they go and whatever they do, whispering prayers pleading for good fortune and protection. The outlying villages, in lieu of a pilgrimage to the Temple itself, will often maintain a small shrine bearing the same pattern. Particularly well-to-do worshippers may even keep their own shrines in their homes or ships, though how public these private shrines are is dependent on the individual. The material make of these amulets and shrines are varied and personal, ranging from bone and wood to gold and gems. The pattern is the only constant. The meaning and symbology of the Sacred Pattern itself is a mystery even to the faith’s most ardent adherents. Only that it is a symbol of The Shaper. Beyond prayers and shrines, those of the faith typically sacrifice portions of their harvest or labours to the Shaper. Externally, there is some dispute as to whether this is representative of a cyclical worldview, wherein the fruits of the world created by the Shaper are returned unto its maker to be made anew, or that of a worldview contingent on the appeasement of a world maker’s pride. The Milvasi, for their part, do not care and simply continue as they have always done. Some Milvasi also tattoo themselves in a manner similarly to that of The Nordur, though the symbology differs in that forms expressing faith in The Shaper takes primacy over the traditional runes typically favoured by the Nordur.

Priesthood

The Priesthood of the Temple are composed entirely of Icekin, pallid Milvasi believed to be born with a greater connection to The Shaper. Icekin typically perform mystic or religious duties throughout Milvas, though Icekin priests of the Temple are revered as the voices of The Shaper and are held in awe and reverence. Though the temple itself is protected by a mysterious Temple Guard, who rarely if ever leave its confines, the Priesthood themselves are frequently seen undertaking their duties about Milvas and its surrounds. These might range from the mundanities of fetching food and supplies for the Temple, to the necessary task of locating and inducting initiates, to rituals with more esoteric purposes. The Temple’s words hold great sway over the High Assembly of Milvas, who rarely stray from the Priesthood’s dictates. The role of priest is a lifelong duty, and though the Priesthood is not bound by impractical oaths of celibacy or poverty, a Priest or Priestess of the Shaper shall always be of the Priesthood first and foremost.

Granted Divine Powers

The eponymous Ice Mirror of the Temple is the faith’s most sacred object. Tended to by the Priesthood with an unnatural delicacy, the great mirror pool lies in the cloistered centre of the temple, sequestered from the elements and interlopers by stone and steel. Said to be a direct link to The Shaper itself, the Mirror confers visions to the attendant priests and priestesses. The content of these visions varies wildly, ranging from portents of future events to truths about historical happenings, the Ice Mirror is both a sacred proof of The Shaper’s influence and a powerful relic of great influence. Though the Mirror’s omens have thus far been confined to the Frozen North, that limit may yet disappear with the turning of the ages.