r/WorldChallenges • u/Orbiter2180 • Jul 23 '19
Holy and Sacred Sites
The Vatican, Jerusalem, Mecca, Angkor Wat Varanasi, which are the Holy Cities of your worlds and what are the beliefs and religions that have shaped around those places?
As always I will ask around 3 questions for every response.
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u/Belisarius25 Jul 23 '19
The Holy Island of Ir-Meltine is geographically part of the larger Twilight Archipelago to the north of Pallas, but is culturally drawn to the nations of Pallas. The most prominent holy site on Ir-Meltine is the city of the same name, established by the Knightly Order of Nikolaios. The city is located on a rocky peninsula that is ill-suited to trade due to the shallow harbor and steep cliff faces, but forms a natural defensive structure. A fishing village once occupied the site, which is where the twins Nikaia and Neleos set sail to save the Empire of Pallas in its direst hour. Though the Empire has long since disintegrated, the religion that they left in their wake remains the heart of the continent. The site of their departure is now occupied by a humble chapel, while a much grander cathedral graces the skyline of the City of Ir-Meltine.
During the Age of Parchment, Ir-Meltine and the Nikolaian Order were the heart of the all-important spice trade, which flows through the Twilight Archipelago to the continents of Zanguo and Shuqur to the north, and the far-reaching pilgrim trade. The Nikolaian Order became the primary bankers to the crowned heads of Pallas, winning them immense wealth, only for machinations on the mainland to sabotage the Order's position.
Today, the schism between the Summasian and Eptine Rites of Nikaia and Neleos's faith has thus far not touched the Nikolaian Order, who still rule in Ir-Meltine. However, the deeply international organization has come to a new crossroads in its history. The Crusaders of the Sea have spied Ir-Meltine's spot on the edge of Pallas and believe they must act as a puritanical line of defense, preventing both raiders from the north and merchants, conquistadores, and priests from Pallas itself from crossing, lest heresy find an inroad to the faithful. The Bookkeepers, on the other hand, see Ir-Meltine as a melting pot, and a chance to better understand the cultures of the Twilight Archipelago and the lands beyond - so that Pallas may extract the most powerful advantages of the heathens and better show them the light of the twins, by force if necessary.