Legends of Belariath

Religion

Ishtar

The goddess Ishtar was once a fairly well rounded deity worshiped in kingdoms west of Nathalion, though one whose main aspects were already connected with love and war. So when her worship migrated to the lands surrounding the Lonely Inn, she was soon adopted by Stormbringer as his primary deity. Some hold that he actually met with Ishtar in a realm between the worlds and that they came to an accord; Ishtar using her powers to aid Stormbringer in his drive to empire, while in return he promised her the sexual energy of worshippers to take for her own ends.

The customs and traditions of Stormbringer's empire, especially the common practice of buying, selling and using pleasure slaves, made it quite easy for the deity's image to be modified to suit local conditions. Ishtar became established here as the goddess of decadent pleasure and of all aspects of slavery. Slave owners, traders and raiders follow her to ensure she smiles on their endeavours, while the slaves themselves revere her for her protection and for blessing their lives with a suitable owner. Beyond that many citizens, even when not directly involved in slavery, seek her favor as the deity who could aid them in the pursuit of their carnal desires, since it is well known Ishtar's approval is focused on lust and passion rather than romantic love.

It is no surprise then that sacrifices to her are sexual in nature and moreover, represent the more extreme aspects of sexual union. Priests frequently torment a submissive victim for hours in the temple, mingling arousal and punishment into an intense act of worship; dedicating the innumerable screams and orgasms of their subject to the goddess. Another popular form of worship is to incite her followers into an orgy that sometimes lasts for days on end, the goddess being widely believed to imbue her followers with almost superhuman stamina at such times.

Ishtar however smiles upon nearly any sexual act, with only a few exceptions whose perversity is too degraded to represent true lust. These vile acts coincidently correspond with the laws of the land. No fornification with beasts, including animal companions and familiars, is considered welcomed by the goddess. Nor is trespasses upon the young; an act so reviled the offenders are put to death immediately. Lovers of the undead or the supernatural are outcasts from Ishtar, especially the corpse lovers and the perpetration of these forbidden acts leads to banishment at very least, if not swift death.

It should be noted that while the goddess might inspire or advise her followers in their activities, she herself will not take part, following the divine edicts set down aeons ago. However, many worshipers claim that during their most intense devotions they have seen the statue of Ishtar take on life, eyes smiling down on her followers. Some even assert that on occasion the statue turns to soft flesh, toying and masturbating while watching events in her honor. Truth, or the result of an orgiastic fantasy no one can say for sure, but all of her worshipers know that she IS watching and her approval is what they strive for in offerings and prayers to the goddess.

The Temple

Set in a secluded location, and surrounded by grass plains, the Temple of Ishtar is a small yet imposing building. The Temple a throw back ruin to of the old Empire before Stormbringer came and refurbished the temple in honor of his Goddess Ishtar. Just outside the Temple lies the small garden attended to by the faithful of all religions within. The steps leading up to the main chamber of the Temple, of marble design brought back to its once beautiful glory by Stormbringer’s hand.

The main chamber with its marble pillars, each having restraints and other such creations hanging from them to assist in one of Ishtar’s favorite forms of worship the bringing forth the pleasure and pain of ones slave. The Temples main hall looking part dungeon, part harem is where the goddess is worshiped in her preferred formats, with sex, pain, pleasure, and orgies; the more people involved in this worship, the more pleased she is. For this reason to complement marble pillars and their restraints the room is thickly carpeted and many cushions are scattered across the floor. Upon the right side of the room lay two objects, one a table with various toys created for both pleasure and pain, lying next to is a rack with all sort of whips and devices for the flogging of slave and victims brought to be used in Ishtar’s name.

Dominating all is a large alabaster statue of the goddess in a lewd pose, naked with large aroused breasts, one hand pinching an erect nipple, the other buried between her splayed thighs. Lying before that is the large Altar erected before the great statue, just as with the Marble pillars the altar carries upon it the shackles and restraints for one of the Goddess’s favorite forms of worship. The Altar made of marble, with images of lewd sexual acts of Stormbringer and Ishtar carved upon its sides. Leaving rumors about that it was possible that the Goddess and Stormbringer and once consummated the great Altar created for her worship.

Beyond the Temples main hall would be the library containing the offices of the head of The Temple of Ishtar, and the Head of the religions of the Pantheon. The books held within the library containing text on the many other religions as well as text on Ishtar herself. This being a place that many frequent and often one of the members of the Voice of Ishtar may be found studying up on the religion of someone they are seeking to convert. One book tends to stand out amongst the rest titled, “Ishtar’s Blessings upon The Empire.” The rumors have it that that book contains the truth or fictitious facts about the carvings upon the side of Ishtar’s altar. Sadly no one knows for sure the book has a magic seal that many believe only Ishtar or Stormbringer can open.

Connected to the Library is a small room used by those exemplary slaves, the Tu`turadil as a private meeting place which only they and other invited slaves may enter. The place is a sanctuary for them and a place where they can discuss concerns or teach others what it takes to be so recognised as an example of an ideal slave.

Temple Hierachy

There are a number of identifiable groups and positions within the temple hierachy, but all follow Ishtar in their own way and dedicate their service to her honor:

High Priest/ess

(ooc: for simplicity I use priest as male, slave as female etc but all positions can be held by either sex. Additionally priest and cleric are used to represent advanced spiritual classes and starter spiritual classes for convenience. See below for lists of qualifying classes for each position or group.)

Two priests of equal stature run the temple, one dedicated to the physical, the other to the cerebral, representing the mind and the loins as two primary driving forces of all beings. The High Priest of the physical aspects oversees those other priests and clerics who are involved in propogating the physical worship of Ishtar and bringing new believers into her following by sexual evangelism. The cerebral High Priest more often works in the background, seeking to establish the truth of other religions, cataloging them and officiating over a staff who work in similar vein. He also controls the side temple used by other religions, offering them a place of worship while using that to extend his knowledge of all beliefs.

Both positions are open to an advanced spiritual class such as priest or paladin.

Note that the following descriptions relate to the main body of temple workers who follow the physical path. The cerebral High Priest has his own staff who hold the ranks of priest and tanani and who may, or may not, also be a part of the sexually active groupings of those ranks.

Daughter of Ishtar

The third member of the ruling trinity of the temple is always female and always of a submissive nature. An examplary follower of the goddess, she has dedicated her life to being used exclusively in the service of her deity. As such she offers herself as a living altar for those of a dominant nature who work in the temple. Collared to the goddess {DoI} all of her sexual submissions are carried out in the temple itself, before the statue of her deity. Outside the Temple her choices are her own though she at times may choose to pursue the Temple's interests and further the goddess's influence via sexual and submissive acts. (This position is open to a character from any advanced spiritual class or a character with a starter spiritual class X4 or greater.)

Priest/ess

Overseeing the day to day work and operations of the temple, these are often though not exclusively dominants. Advanced enough to recognise the essential nature of a goddess taking on various aspects, they may have been followers of Ishtar but they may also have been followers of another goddess who they now recognise as being another aspect of the same deity. For this reason the positions are open to any advanced spiritual class. They direct the activities of the lower orders of the temple in the furtherance of its power and influence.

All priests and high priests are free to pursue normal lives outside the temple, including the ability to take slaves. Such slaves are the personal property of the priest, with the normal requirements associated with collaring a slave. Though such slaves may be frequently used in the temple, that does not automatically give them any position in the hierachy there. One might suggest that a priest uses his slave in front of Ishtar, often reserving the most intense acts for that location, as a way to gain personal favor with the goddess rather than for any benefit to the slave herself.

Handmaid of Ishtar

Falling into a group with the Daughter of Ishtar, these are submissive females who have dedicated themselves to the goddess, wearing the collar {MoI}. Their sexual submissions are performed in the temple before the statue and while they may serve the priests in that capacity, they also grant favor to outsiders, who consider themselves highly honored.

The maidens are chosen once a year by the temple hierachy and are limited in number to three. During that year they have no sex which is not a direct offering to the goddess and at the end of it they are released. Some return to the ranks of the temple workers, while others find positions as the slaves or companions of important people, since these girls are widely believed to have been permanently blessed by Ishtar with more than normal sexual desire and ability.

These positions are available to current temple workers by invitation only.

Tanani

Often, though nor exclusively submissives, these are the main body of temple workers. They maintain the building and cater to the needs of those of higher status. They also take an active part in ceremonies and celebrations of Ishtar within the temple, either in group orgies, as tools of the priests, or in using their bodies to bring new followers to the goddess. Submissives in this grouping can be considered slaves of the temple, though they do not take a temple collar as do the more favored Daughter and Handmaidens. But neither do they take the collar of any other individual, since that would inhibit their ability to serve only the goddess. Of course they often come to the attention of a priest during ceremonies, but by taking his collar, a tanani must give up that position, since it implies a dual commitment. Thereafter, though used by the priest/owner in the temple, they are not considered a part of the hierachy.

This grouping is made up of the cleric class.

Adventurer

Standing outside of the temmple hierachy, adventurers are freelance characters who take up holy quests on behalf of the temple. They may be called on to take word of the goddess to other lands, or to venture alone in search of a lost relic. Since their journeys are often perilous, this group is mostly suited only to those of paladin class, who combine a spiritual bias with the fighting ability of a knight.