re: House of the Sea Queen suggestions

[Xorena]

Greetings,

Lore suggests that the Temple of Umberlee is named the Water Queen's House in Baldur's Gate. It is currently named the House of the Sea Queen.

Could we get a name change on the map?

Also, it's the smallest temple in the city, and given Baldur's Gate's status as a harbor town it should have more prominence, perhaps a private area for priests, or other nifty things? I'm happy to discuss suggestions.

I may be the only Umberlant priest on the server at this time so maybe that's a factor.

Editing to add: A drowning chamber for Untaken priests. It's in the lore.

[Steve]

When I played the near only Umberlian on the Server, I was told 2 things by Staff:

A) the temple will only get enlarged if you make RP that warrants reason to increase it.
B) Jalantha Mistmyr is busy/away from the Temple (which is why she isn't represented by a NPC there—one would have to RP to get her installed).

Anyway, the name should be properly changed.

Good luck with the RP though...it's a bitch!

[Glowfire]

There's at least one other small temple, the one to Mystra.

You'd basically need to run a temple as a guild to get it updated but tbh the RP space within is so minimal I'd hope the staff could actually make an exception. 1-2 small private side-rooms doesn't seem like a big deal but if you want it personalised and larger than that, yea... a guild is what you'd go for.

[CrimsonMist]

I'll be starting from scratch with a lvl1 char so if the temple needs a new neophyte I'm definitely game! I will do some reading on the faith this week.

[Moridin]

Well, if you guys decide to start an umberlite guild, I might actually play my only surface character... Who is a Water genasi that is a FS of Umberlee.

[Xorena]

Thanks for the feedback all. I'm not in a place to run a guild right now but would certainly participate if others want. Perle's current story requires she be out at sea for long stretches so she's not a great person to lead the guild, but the current NPC wavemistress is MIA so perhaps she can run something from afar.

Of things I've learned since starting an Umberlant priest: It's very lonely. Few people want to have meaningful interactions because of RP restrictions or ignorance. Prepare for some conflict (which I personally do not mind and at times enjoy).

[Xorena]

You'd basically need to run a temple as a guild to get it updated but tbh the RP space within is so minimal I'd hope the staff could actually make an exception. 1-2 small private side-rooms doesn't seem like a big deal but if you want it personalised and larger than that, yea... a guild is what you'd go for.

A private office please.

[Glowfire]

PM the DMs with it and ask for that and the other changes (such as the name change and the NPC). Worst you get is a 'no'. They are the ones who'd need to give the thumbs up to this, I believe.

[Xorena]

Thanks for the suggestion, Glowfire.

To be clear on my earlier statement, I can definitely do some forum RP for Umberlant things. I do work a full time job and have other RL responsibilities.

I see CrimsonMist has stepped up to the plate: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=26036&p=745743#p745743

Roughly here is my availability. I won't be online the entire time, but it is possible for me to log in here:
http://timebie.com/timezone/greenwichmeanseattle.php

Weekdays: 1200 gmt to 1500 gmt; 100 gmt to 400 gmt
Weekends: 1200 gmt to 400 gmt.

[Xorena]

Ok. After a few pms and some ideas, I've decided I'm interested in running a guild. May Her great waves crash over our enemies!

Please pm me if interested.

[chad878262]

Everyone forgets the smallest temple of all within the city...It's actually just a shrine, in fact. Though I suppose not everyone looks for it, so it is probably easy to forget about.

[Xorena]

Come to think of it, a drowning chamber would be nice. I'm getting a couple of requests from people who wish to start as Untaken. Those unfamiliar with Umberlant rituals, you must be drowned and revived by Umberlee before you're fully accepted into the faith.

That's either in Faiths and Avatars or Faiths and Pantheons (possibly both).

[gedweyignasia]

Can you describe exactly what a drowning chamber looks like?

[Xorena]

Hmmm....

I imagine a stone chamber, with a sliding wall that allows the sea to pour in, kind of like when you see a fish tank break in the movies.

I imagine it's made of a blue-green veined marble, which looks a little like reflected sunlight on sea-green waves.

Let me know if you need further or have suggestions.

I'm not home so I can't reference source material, but there would probably be an elevated area where the priests of the faith could watch the drowning.

EDIT: The statute of Umberlee in the temple seems to have a texture that would work well for this marble type. One would only have to color it differently.

[Xorena]

Here is what Faiths and Pantheons says about the ceremony:

In the Drowning, a supplicant lies before an altar and is surrounded by candles lit to the deity, each placed with an intoned prayer by a different Umberlant cleric. The attending clergy then withdraw and release a wave of sea water to flood the room in a huge breaking wave an then flow away. Supplicants who survive are confirmed in the service of Umberlee and warned that if they should ever betray the Queen of the Deeps, drowning is the fate that await them.

This leaves a lot open to interpretation. So there is an altar. There is something that allows water to flood the room. But does the wave hit and immediately leave? Or does the wave stick around until the person drowns, who is then revived by Umberlee?

I have been roleplaying as though Perle actually drowned and was revived by her goddess. There's not a lot of clarity here.