First Temple of Balaros

Mount Kagar - a fire mountain, but one that does not blast the landscape. One that provides comfort but not danger. Surely this is the place Balaros has designated for his First Temple.
-a Sapphran traveler in writings on the major Elementalist temples

The First Temple of Balaros is an Elementalist temple dedicated to the elemental god of fire, Balaros. It is the home base of the Balaran Templar, the priesthood of the fire god, and is also the primary residence and base of operations of the Exarch of the Balaran Templar.
The Temple is built on the slopes of Mount Kagar, a dormant volcano located in the southern Sapphire Coast, about 120 kilometres south of the city of Helik. It consists of the primary temple buildings, which are built in four main strips along the west, east, north and south of the volcano, and a small township and a series of farmsteads that ring the outside of the volcano.
Despite the obvious dangers inherent with living near a volcano, much less directly on it, Mount Kagar has been dormant since the establishment of the First Temple - and indeed, many people attribute the volcano's stability to the presence of the Templar and Balaros' clearly benevolent attitudes towards it and the people residing near it.

Purpose / Function

The First Temple of Balaros was built during the expansion of the Elementalist faith across the southern half of Arikanda in the second millennium DoM. During the earliest formations of the Templars of the various gods, it was decided that in addition to each elemental god having their own Templar hierarchy, each Templar should have its own First Temple, ideally founded on ground considered holy or otherwise symbolic of their specific god.
Mount Kagar was an easy choice for the Balaran Templar - in addition to being secluded and sheltered from the rest of the mundane world due to the inherent danger a volcano presented and the difficulty of accessing it, the nature of a fire-spewing mountain was considered an ideal match for the fire god himself.
While the First Temple does periodically open to the public for pilgrimages and major festivals, by and large it exists to provide the priesthood a refuge away from the city-states and kingdoms of the world, allowing them to focus on meditation, contemplation and communion with Balaros' spirit - along with training the next generation of priests, amassing, compiling and dispensing knowledge and scriptures, and producing and distributing the holy beverage known as Balaros' Reserve.

A typical Balaran Templar priest

Architecture

The architecture of the First Temple makes use of the volcano itself. This manifests in two major ways; either through using basalt and other igneous rocks from the volcano as construction materials, and also through making use of tunnels - natural or otherwise - in the volcano's slopes.
The Temple is built on a layout that roughly represents a 'plus-sign' design from the air, with buildings constructed in broad strips along the north, west, east and south ends of the volcano's crater. Each of these strips centres on a number of carved basalt steps that ascend to the peak of the volcano, with the temple buildings themselves lining the left and right sides of the staircase. In some cases, instead of buildings, walkways have been constructed to connect to tunnels leading into the volcano.
Lighting and heat throughout the complex is provided by braziers, which are perpetually attended.

Points of Interest/Main Locations

The major locations as part of the temple complex are;

• The Summit: considered one of the most holy places of Balaros, this is the rim overlooking the inside of the volcano below. The rim has a number of statues ringed along it, these statues being of various influential figures to the faith. A number of altars and braziers have been set up along the rim, where petitioners can make offerings to Balaros.


• The Communion: This is a ledge inside the volcano itself, directly overlooking the molten rock below. It is extremely dangerous, and access is restricted purely to priests, who are lowered onto the ledge. From there, priests believe they can commune with Balaros directly, as well as cast sacrifices brought by petitioners into the pool of molten rock.


• The Exarch's Audience Chamber / Quarters: Located near the rim on the southern end of the complex, this is a cave within the volcano's walls that has been converted into a broad living/business space. The cave is sub-divided into two areas - a half-circular indoor amphitheatre where the Exarch of the Balaran Templar holds audiences, the focus being on a single basalt throne where the Exarch sits, facing the people who approach them. On the east is a rectangular living space where the Exarch takes their meals and rests.
  
• The Treasury: Located a little below the Exarch's chambers, this is another of the areas built directly into the volcano's slopes. It is much more complex than the series of tunnels belonging to the Exarch, with many winding tunnels and open chambers making a perfect location to store the Templar's treasury.


• The Cinder Archives: Located on the north end of the volcano, this consists of four square buildings along the slopes which house scrolls and stone tablets containing various forms of knowledge related to Balaros and Elementalism. Above the buildings are two guarded tunnels leading to a vast cavern filled with the most secret, sensitive documents that can not be viewed by the public.


• The Forge: This is the name given to the training school for aspiring priests of the Balaran Templar. Virtually the entire eastern slope is dedicated to this purpose, with a number of square and circular buildings built on the slopes dedicated to lecture halls, student housing, laboratories and workshops.


• Flamespice Plantation: Built around the lowest slopes of the volcano in a ring pattern, this is where the potent flamespice plant used in the production of Balaros' Reserve is planted and harvested.


• The Flamebaths: This location is a short distance west from the volcano itself but is considered an important part of the temple complex. It consists of deep pools of water that are fed by hot springs, heated from volcanic vents. While some of the pools, clearly marked, are superheated, most range from pleasantly warm to uncomfortably hot. The Templars carry out their daily ablutions here, and pilgrims also often partake of the waters for health purposes and simply to commune with waters believed to be purified by Balaros. Worshippers of Essena sometimes also visit here, interested in the intersection between fire and water.

Defenses

Being built upon a volcano, the Temple is already extremely difficult to attack with an army and does not require much in the way of additional fortifications. The township outside the volcano is walled, and has its own guard force. In addition, the Templar has a garrison of Arbiters - priests trained in combat and law enforcement - to resist any attacks and to deal with troublemakers.

Tourism

"Balaros is humanity's god - and we will hold to his teachings. His First Temple is open to all - well, most of it."
-Exarch Galo, current Exarch of the Balaran Templar

Being one of the four prime temples of the largest religion in Arikanda and the Calinan Sea, the First Temple attracts visitors from all over the continent - and in some cases, even from the north of Calina. Most attendees seek to visit what is believed to be one of the most holy places in the world, and to sacrifice and pray at the most holy temple there is. Others come seeking the knowledge and wisdom stores within the Archives, and more than a few come to trade their goods with the outside world.
The Balarans are welcoming to outsiders, but are also strict and enforce a code of conduct upon all who enter the Temple. Traders are forbidden to step onto the slopes of the volcano, effectively barring them from the Temple grounds- although they are permitted to do business in the surrounding townships.
Believers - and prospective believers - are permitted to visit most of the altars, amphitheaters, shrines and memorials along the mountain's slopes. They may also visit the upper rim of the volcano. However, the training rooms and grounds, the libraries with rarer and more obscure knowledge, the living quarters of priests, the treasury and the Exarch's audience hall are forbidden without an invitation.

Founding Date

1378 DoM

Type

Temple / Religious complex

Parent Location

Southern Sapphire Coast

Ruling/Owning Rank

Exarch

Owning Organization

Balaran Templar