Temple of Ksarul, Tumissa
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The home Ksarul temple of our adventurers has seen better days. Ksarul temples are supposed to be dark forbidding edifices presenting a smooth widowless black surface to the outside world, decorated with images of the many demons the Doomed Prince of the Blue Room has at his command. The Tumissa edifice is covered in bird guano and its mosaics are missing many of their tesserae.
The temple has a mere 60 guards and 120 or so clergy, including acolytes; it could house half as many again if it was at full capacity. The neighbouring temple of Gruganu is even more depleted; 20 guards and 30 clergy.
The two temples are linked at the the third story by a shared library/scriptorium which completely covers the Arcade of Blue Lamps, the street which lies between them. This arcade has shops rented by professionals faithful to the two temples; it is a good place to buy alchemical goods and to get a late meal as it it is open all night. One alchemist shop on this street is the meeting place of the Cartographers of the Luminous Pylon. The neighbouring street between these two temples and the Temple of Hru'u is the Street of Purple Shadows, haunt of many lawyers, doctors and scribes loyal to the various dark deities.
The temple, as all Ksarul temples, has many underground and secret levels, the deepest of which link to the tsuru'um, the underworld of passages, lost shrines and tombs that lie beneath all Tsolyani cities. The highest underground layer includes the labyrinth of storerooms. This area is mostly unlit and is navigated by acolytes training to be Adepts of the Velvet Dark (see below), who use only the sense of touch to locate the correct storeroom and the correct container within that storeroom. Goods are brought to the Quartermaster's office for collection. There are numerous trapped rooms and corridors and many containers are bomb waiting to go off if interfered with. The Ksarulites don't like thieves.
The level below this is the Labyrinth of the Velvet Dark proper, where the most holy shrines are tended by an order of adepts who have sworn never again to emerge into the light. It is a very risky place to venture unaccompanied and anyone who commits the sacrelige of lighting a lamp down here is liable to summary eating (or worse) by the guardian demons.
Other important locations within the temple are the House of Seers, a small tower on the roof of the scriptorium. There are five seers here; three astrologers, an oracle and the controversial scarabomancer. There are commercial seers plying their trade in shops and stalls all over the city, but these are allegedly the best, being temple personnel of the most magical of the deities.
The Chamber of the Granite Slab is one of the major meeting rooms in the temple. The Granite Slab itself is richly decorated in mystical designs intended to facilitate clear thought and equitable negotiations. The Room of Octagonal Mosaics is a lesser chamber with a floor decorated with a geometric design of squares and triangles. Eight is a number sacred to Ksarul and octagons often feature in its art.
Personnel[edit]
Hrugash Tlatlu hiDzai of the Dark Moon, commandant of the Temple administration
Qusunchu Iusi hiJakkash of the Black Hood, Wielder of the Obsidian Knife
Njashte Joruna hiHuru of the Black Stone clan, head accountant
Su'umel O'ocho hiJurunai, Assistant Quartermaster
Kengyel Hursai of the Dark Hood
Tsokokh hiFadhnoi, Archivist
