Temple of Darkness: Difference between revisions

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{{ICE}}
'''The Temple of Darkness''' is some unknown ruined temple to the Charon ([[Lornon]]) pantheon that contained the same [[The Temple of Darkness Poem|passage]] regarding Morgu ([[Marlu]]) as [[Marlu#The Broken Lands|found]] in [[The Broken Lands]]. It was implicitly abandoned at the end of the [[Wars of Dominion]], and alluded to [[Black Hel|conditions]] that did not exist until a few centuries after the death of [[Uthex Kathiasas]]. The way it portrayed several of the Dark Gods deviated significantly from their [[ICE age|I.C.E. Age]] theology. It is not clear whether it is related to the [[Nyrdru|Temple of Night]] which fell to the [[Loremasters]] in 450 [[Third Era]], which might have been in Gaalt near the [[Wall of Darkness]], and so may have been related to another surviving follower of [[Kadaena]] called the [[Andraax|Master of Malice]]. "Morgu lyxatis kort" can be plausibly translated as "Morgu, Master of Malice."


'''The Temple of Darkness''' is some unknown ruined temple to the Dark Lords of Charôn (Modern: [[Lornon]]) from the [[ICE age|I.C.E. Age]] of GemStone III. It is only mentioned in the [[Temple of Darkness Poem]], where a stanza from it is found in the Broken Lands. In the Broken Lands it is written in [[Iruaric]], the ancient language of the [[Lords of Essaence]], in an alphabetic form which should not have existed in the [[First Era]]. The Temple of Darkness was implicitly abandoned by the end of the [[Wars of Dominion]], when the Dark Gods were imprisoned on Charôn or otherwise banished by the Lords of Orhan (Modern: [[Liabo]]).
Given the implied importance of Orgiana ([[Eorgina]]) in the underlying context of the Broken Lands, and her realm as the goddess of darkness, it is probable that the "Temple of Darkness" is supposed to be a ruined temple of hers. The Temple of Burning Night in southwest [[Jaiman]] was the center of her theocracy before she was banished to the [[Black Hel]]. It was run by V'rama Vair, the daughter of the [[Empress Kadaena]]. This would explain the poem venerating her as a "queen" when she was not actually queen of Charon.


The poem alludes to conditions which would not have existed yet when [[Uthex Kathiasas]] was still living. This is especially clear with the stanza regarding [[ICE gods#Eorgina|Orgiana]], the Goddess of Darkness, who is described as silently waiting to take her revenge on the world. This raises a number of major questions about the Dark Shrine, including how it came to be present in both locations and what that really means.
==Behind The Scenes==
The Temple of Darkness is only mentioned in [[The Temple of Darkness Poem|the poem]] that was released as one of the documents giving historical background for The Broken Lands. The Dark Gods were extra-planar beings who had arrived on the moon Charon, which was only the size of an asteroid, in 450 [[Second Era]] as an accidental consequence of dormant [[Lord of Essaence]] gateways interacting with the unnatural comet [[Sa'kain]]. The implication is that they were fashioned by the [[Empress Kadaena]] on a plane of existence parallel to the [[Uthex Kathiasas#Behind The Scenes|dark side]] of the moon and were somehow banished there at the end of the [[First Era]].


==Behind the Scenes==
While the ruins of the temple are implied to have been from the Wars of Dominion, the poem still refers to conditions that would not have made sense until the [[Third Era]]. Similarly, the same phrasing would have been used centuries earlier with respect to Morgu and its coupled stanza for Orgiana, which on face value is problematic. This may be rooted in [http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/sot.aspx "The Shadow out of Time"] by H.P. Lovecraft as related to [[Kadaena]] being known as [[The Dark Path#Behind The Scenes|"the Shadow"]], which could go some way to explaining how [[The Dark Path]] was in homage of a goddess that died over a hundred thousand years earlier. (Though the idea of the ''sleeping demons'' telepathically imparting information, including [[Makiri#Behind The Scenes|prophetic visions]], through the nightmares of unrelated cults is one of [[Greater vruul#Behind The Scenes|the motifs]] borrowed from [http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/cc.aspx "The Call of Cthulhu"]. The idea is also represented by the "shining trapezohedron" in [http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/hd.aspx "The Haunter of the Dark"], represented by the [[Uthex Kathiasas#Crystal Dome|crystal dome]], which was "a window on all time and space" with the mind of [[Bandur Etrevion#Behind The Scenes|Nyarlathotep]].)
The [[Temple of Darkness Poem]] is studied in depth in [[Research:The Broken Lands]]. There is a vignette in the Shadow World Master Atlas, 1st Edition (1989), where the Loremasters raid the "Temple of Night" in 450 [[Third Era]] and slay a corrupted priest named [[Nyrdru]]. This may have been in Gaalt near the [[Wall of Darkness]], and so perhaps related to a surviving follower of [[Kadaena]] known as the [[Andraax|Master of Malice]]. The theocracy of Orgiana (Modern: [[Eorgina]]) was ruled by V'rama Vair, the daughter of [[Empress Kadaena]], with the "Temple of Burning Night". This was a lesser pantheon of "Dark Godlings", presumably only a sub-pantheon of Charôn consisting of the servants of Orgiana, who were destroyed, imprisoned in meteoric ore, or banished to the [[Black Hel]]. These issues are also studied in [[Research:The Graveyard]].

Consider: "The war gave me strange impressions of remembering some of its far-off consequences—as if I knew how it was coming out and could look back upon it in the light of future information. All such quasi-memories were attended with much pain, and with a feeling that some artificial psychological barrier was set against them." This is remarkable as The Broken Lands uses messaging of someone or something [[Crystyl|blocking against]] telepathy and teleportation. There is also room messaging that implies you feel like someone or something is watching you, which plays into the premise [[Magru#Behind The Scenes|derived]] from the Great Race of Yith. One possibility is that Kadaena herself was dormant in the crystal dome which acquired power for her to resurrect as a goddess. Other servants became the Dark Lords. It might well be the point that they formed powerful [[Lesser vruul#Behind The Scenes|non-corporeal entities]] ([[Ordainer|demons]] and dark gods) as [[avatar|avatars]], and their [[Bandur Etrevion#Behind The Scenes|death-like sleep]] amounted to transferring spirit or mind across time and space.


[[Category:ICE Age]]
[[Category:ICE Age]]

Latest revision as of 22:49, 11 April 2020

Warning: This page concerns archaic world setting information from the I.C.E. Age of GemStone III. It is not canon in contemporary GemStone IV, nor is it canonical for Shadow World as the details may be specific to GemStone III. It is only historical context for certain very old parts of the game and these things should not be mixed.

The Temple of Darkness is some unknown ruined temple to the Dark Lords of Charôn (Modern: Lornon) from the I.C.E. Age of GemStone III. It is only mentioned in the Temple of Darkness Poem, where a stanza from it is found in the Broken Lands. In the Broken Lands it is written in Iruaric, the ancient language of the Lords of Essaence, in an alphabetic form which should not have existed in the First Era. The Temple of Darkness was implicitly abandoned by the end of the Wars of Dominion, when the Dark Gods were imprisoned on Charôn or otherwise banished by the Lords of Orhan (Modern: Liabo).

The poem alludes to conditions which would not have existed yet when Uthex Kathiasas was still living. This is especially clear with the stanza regarding Orgiana, the Goddess of Darkness, who is described as silently waiting to take her revenge on the world. This raises a number of major questions about the Dark Shrine, including how it came to be present in both locations and what that really means.

Behind the Scenes

The Temple of Darkness Poem is studied in depth in Research:The Broken Lands. There is a vignette in the Shadow World Master Atlas, 1st Edition (1989), where the Loremasters raid the "Temple of Night" in 450 Third Era and slay a corrupted priest named Nyrdru. This may have been in Gaalt near the Wall of Darkness, and so perhaps related to a surviving follower of Kadaena known as the Master of Malice. The theocracy of Orgiana (Modern: Eorgina) was ruled by V'rama Vair, the daughter of Empress Kadaena, with the "Temple of Burning Night". This was a lesser pantheon of "Dark Godlings", presumably only a sub-pantheon of Charôn consisting of the servants of Orgiana, who were destroyed, imprisoned in meteoric ore, or banished to the Black Hel. These issues are also studied in Research:The Graveyard.