Three Temples In Saata
For such a city of sin, there are a lot of temples in Saata. The general consensus among Saatans is that it always does you good to get the gods, your ancestors, and whoever else is listening on your side. The general consensus among people who've dealt with Saatans is the number of temples in the city is something similar to how a cut gets red and inflamed as the body tries to fight off the infection. And it isn't working.
The Great Temple of Mercury Wind-Swift
The Great Temple of Mercury Wind-Swift is one of the wonders of Saata. It was ancient even during the Shogunate, and has survived the years with only minor damage. Five slender towers circle a great courtyard, with the temple-complex in the centre. Unlike most of the old buildings in the city, it is not made of the white stone so common to former years. Instead, the temple is seemingly made from brightly painted wood. If this is wood, however, it is wood that is as cool as stone and which does not burn. Some have thought that it might be stone, but during the hot months the building grows leaves and sprouts fruit. In the end, most ascribe it to the power of the gods and pay it no more attention.
In the holy place, yellow-robed and bleached-haired monks make offerings to Mercury Wind-Swift, the goddess wearing her mask as a goddess of trade and the winds and messages. It is the adepts of Mercury Wind-Swift who maintain the semaphore towers in Saata and within Sinasana-ruled lands on Shuu Mua and their workshops are always busy with repairs of the complex mechanisms up in the towers. Their yellow-sailed ships make major pilgrimages along the trade routes of the South West, and maintain shrines as far north as Buk Moi. The temple adepts are great scholars of the wind and can even coax a breeze into dwelling inside a knot for a year and a day; something many becalmed sailors owe their lives to.
The temple fronts onto the Daimyo & Yellow, the greatest market in Saata where great bulk purchases of cargo and insurance contracts are signed. The adepts of Mercury are a core part of the functionality of the market, famed as they are for their honesty. The monks are sworn to never lie or break their word, and so they witness contracts, adjudicate disputes and care for the neutrality of the market as a place where rival pirate lords can meet without fear of bloodshed. Some within the temple hierarchy fear that the commerce may be corrupting them, but the generous donations are what funds their schools and their journeys across the South.
The Red Cherry Monastery
There are lesser temples of the Immaculate Order within Saata - for it is a satrapy ruled by a Cadet House, after all - but the main centre of the order lies outside the city, within the Red Cherry Monastery built on the hills overlooking the city. It is a walled temple, built as a fortress in case of trouble - though it has never seen trouble since it was built. The structures within were constructed in the classic style, but like much of Saata they were built from white Shogunate stone taken from the ruins of the old city.
The monks and nuns here are decidedly non-doctrinaire. This far from the eyes of the Realm, there is room for what might be generously called 'flexibility' and less generously called heresy. The dietary restrictions are frequently flouted, with only cursory punishments for being so drunk that the seniors cannot turn a blind eye. Relationships between the monks and the nuns are common, and the pretence that many of the children here are orphans adopted by the temple is paper-thin. The temptations of the vice-ridden city by the waterfront are many, and more Immaculates succumb than do not. Last time they launched a Wyld Hunt - seven years ago - they were severely understrength and took heavy casualties from a fae man-eater. Since then they have been trying to improve their readiness, but would probably have to bulk out their forces with mercenaries if push came to shove.
Much of the rot is rooted in the abbot, Bei Tua. A grotesquely fat man with twinkling yellow eyes and a comic wit, he is entirely aware of how the Mouth of Peace does not even know his temple exists - and prefers it this way. He is a regular sight at the grand parties of the pirate lords and each thinks them awfully clever to offer him fine things and payments of jade and silver. It is a running joke in Saata that Bei Tua is the most honest man in the world, because he has transcended mortal corruption by accepting bribes from all comers and so achieved enlightenment.
But then again, Bei Tua considers himself to answer to a higher power than the Mouth of Peace. He reports to Heaven; namely his mother, one of the Chosen of the Maidens. The abbot draws a salary from the Bureau of Destiny for his work in monitoring Saata, and he is the Bureau's man on the ground for when work needs to be done in the area. The monastery was built on the site of an old Shogunate fortification and down in the cellars are renovated arsenals of weapons, closets of clothing, libraries of intelligence reports, and anything a Sidereal with business in Saata might need to complete their task.
The Hushed Barge
Built on a barge permanently anchored to the one of the piers is the shrine of Silent Pacific Serenity, a powerful elemental who haunts South Western waters along with her albatross brood. Despite the small size of her temple, it is rich with offerings. The offerings to her are burned, and smoke from sacrifices always rises vertically upwards no matter the wind.
Silent Pacific Serenity is an air elemental, a spirit of doldrums and still air. She has the form of a great blue-grey albatross with wings wider than a four-mast junk is long, and the head of a cobra. Still air cloaks her; wherever she goes, the winds stop blowing and sails hang uselessly. It is for that reason that sailors who go out of sight of land stop by her shrine and leave her tobacco, rum, or flowers, and whisper 'Sweet Serenity, do not turn your eyes to me and do not bring me under the wind-shadow of your wings'.
The elemental is no fool, and knows to keep clear of ships of the Realm Navy and others that might bring down the wrath of the Imperial Navy on her, but during certain times of the year and when the mood strikes her, she will pick out another vessel and hover over them, calling her albatross children to her. When she has becalmed a ship, the sailors pray and ring bells and call out her name, complimenting her and admiring her beauty until she leaves which can take days. Sometimes, though, if one of them is handsome or beautiful enough she descends on the ship and snatches them up, flying away. A day, a week, or a month later she returns them to their home. Sometimes she will seek them out again and leave a newborn babe with pale grey eyes and feathers in their hair at their door. Those who harm her children - whether albatross or human - earn her eternal enmity.
For such a city of sin, there are a lot of temples in Saata. The general consensus among Saatans is that it always does you good to get the gods, your ancestors, and whoever else is listening on your side. The general consensus among people who've dealt with Saatans is the number of temples in the city is something similar to how a cut gets red and inflamed as the body tries to fight off the infection. And it isn't working.
The Great Temple of Mercury Wind-Swift
The Great Temple of Mercury Wind-Swift is one of the wonders of Saata. It was ancient even during the Shogunate, and has survived the years with only minor damage. Five slender towers circle a great courtyard, with the temple-complex in the centre. Unlike most of the old buildings in the city, it is not made of the white stone so common to former years. Instead, the temple is seemingly made from brightly painted wood. If this is wood, however, it is wood that is as cool as stone and which does not burn. Some have thought that it might be stone, but during the hot months the building grows leaves and sprouts fruit. In the end, most ascribe it to the power of the gods and pay it no more attention.
In the holy place, yellow-robed and bleached-haired monks make offerings to Mercury Wind-Swift, the goddess wearing her mask as a goddess of trade and the winds and messages. It is the adepts of Mercury Wind-Swift who maintain the semaphore towers in Saata and within Sinasana-ruled lands on Shuu Mua and their workshops are always busy with repairs of the complex mechanisms up in the towers. Their yellow-sailed ships make major pilgrimages along the trade routes of the South West, and maintain shrines as far north as Buk Moi. The temple adepts are great scholars of the wind and can even coax a breeze into dwelling inside a knot for a year and a day; something many becalmed sailors owe their lives to.
The temple fronts onto the Daimyo & Yellow, the greatest market in Saata where great bulk purchases of cargo and insurance contracts are signed. The adepts of Mercury are a core part of the functionality of the market, famed as they are for their honesty. The monks are sworn to never lie or break their word, and so they witness contracts, adjudicate disputes and care for the neutrality of the market as a place where rival pirate lords can meet without fear of bloodshed. Some within the temple hierarchy fear that the commerce may be corrupting them, but the generous donations are what funds their schools and their journeys across the South.
The Red Cherry Monastery
There are lesser temples of the Immaculate Order within Saata - for it is a satrapy ruled by a Cadet House, after all - but the main centre of the order lies outside the city, within the Red Cherry Monastery built on the hills overlooking the city. It is a walled temple, built as a fortress in case of trouble - though it has never seen trouble since it was built. The structures within were constructed in the classic style, but like much of Saata they were built from white Shogunate stone taken from the ruins of the old city.
The monks and nuns here are decidedly non-doctrinaire. This far from the eyes of the Realm, there is room for what might be generously called 'flexibility' and less generously called heresy. The dietary restrictions are frequently flouted, with only cursory punishments for being so drunk that the seniors cannot turn a blind eye. Relationships between the monks and the nuns are common, and the pretence that many of the children here are orphans adopted by the temple is paper-thin. The temptations of the vice-ridden city by the waterfront are many, and more Immaculates succumb than do not. Last time they launched a Wyld Hunt - seven years ago - they were severely understrength and took heavy casualties from a fae man-eater. Since then they have been trying to improve their readiness, but would probably have to bulk out their forces with mercenaries if push came to shove.
Much of the rot is rooted in the abbot, Bei Tua. A grotesquely fat man with twinkling yellow eyes and a comic wit, he is entirely aware of how the Mouth of Peace does not even know his temple exists - and prefers it this way. He is a regular sight at the grand parties of the pirate lords and each thinks them awfully clever to offer him fine things and payments of jade and silver. It is a running joke in Saata that Bei Tua is the most honest man in the world, because he has transcended mortal corruption by accepting bribes from all comers and so achieved enlightenment.
But then again, Bei Tua considers himself to answer to a higher power than the Mouth of Peace. He reports to Heaven; namely his mother, one of the Chosen of the Maidens. The abbot draws a salary from the Bureau of Destiny for his work in monitoring Saata, and he is the Bureau's man on the ground for when work needs to be done in the area. The monastery was built on the site of an old Shogunate fortification and down in the cellars are renovated arsenals of weapons, closets of clothing, libraries of intelligence reports, and anything a Sidereal with business in Saata might need to complete their task.
The Hushed Barge
Built on a barge permanently anchored to the one of the piers is the shrine of Silent Pacific Serenity, a powerful elemental who haunts South Western waters along with her albatross brood. Despite the small size of her temple, it is rich with offerings. The offerings to her are burned, and smoke from sacrifices always rises vertically upwards no matter the wind.
Silent Pacific Serenity is an air elemental, a spirit of doldrums and still air. She has the form of a great blue-grey albatross with wings wider than a four-mast junk is long, and the head of a cobra. Still air cloaks her; wherever she goes, the winds stop blowing and sails hang uselessly. It is for that reason that sailors who go out of sight of land stop by her shrine and leave her tobacco, rum, or flowers, and whisper 'Sweet Serenity, do not turn your eyes to me and do not bring me under the wind-shadow of your wings'.
The elemental is no fool, and knows to keep clear of ships of the Realm Navy and others that might bring down the wrath of the Imperial Navy on her, but during certain times of the year and when the mood strikes her, she will pick out another vessel and hover over them, calling her albatross children to her. When she has becalmed a ship, the sailors pray and ring bells and call out her name, complimenting her and admiring her beauty until she leaves which can take days. Sometimes, though, if one of them is handsome or beautiful enough she descends on the ship and snatches them up, flying away. A day, a week, or a month later she returns them to their home. Sometimes she will seek them out again and leave a newborn babe with pale grey eyes and feathers in their hair at their door. Those who harm her children - whether albatross or human - earn her eternal enmity.
