TEXT: A Tékumel Netbook
  This is a netbook for the World of Tékumel, the creation of Professor M.A.R.
  Barker. Please support the Professor by purchasing your netbooks at
  www.DriveThruRPG.com
  The World of Tékumel
  For further information about Tékumel, the Professor suggests you visit the official
  Tekumel website at www.Tekumel.com - this website details the world of Tékumel -
  steeped in history, hoary tradition, a complex clan and social system, with myriad
  flora and fauna.
  Zottola Publishing, Inc.
  The novels of Professor Barker and other Tékumel source materials are published
  by Zottola Publishing, www.zotpub.com - including Prince of  Skulls, Lords of  Tsámra,
  A Death of  Kings, and Mitlanyál.
  Guardians of Order
  Forthcoming from Guardians of Order is Tékumel: Empire of  the Petal Throne, a new
  role-playing game for the world of Tékumel.  Visit www.iguardians.net/ for more
  information.
  Now Available At Game Stores
  Contact your Friendly Local Game Shop to purchase items for the World of
  Tékumel.  A list of retailers may be found at www.zotpub.com or at
  www.Tekumel.com.
  The Tékumel mailing list
  The Professor invites everyone to join him on the Tékumel Mailing List, the
  successor to the much-praised Blue Room, at
  games.groups.yahoo.com/group/tekumel/ - come learn
  more about this fascinating world and discuss it with others!
  Revision: 5
  All material copyright 2004 by M.A.R. Barker
  The Temple
  of Hnálla
  
  Credits
  front layout and design
  Victor Raymond
  cover illustration
  Giovanna Fregni
  editorial help
  Chris Davis
  
  © M. A. R. Barker, 1994
  The Illumination
  of
  All the World,
  The Radiant, the Glorious,
  L  O  R  D  H N  A L  L  A , 
  THE LIGHT ETERNAL
  by
  Ch�nkosu hiMar�da
  High Prelate of
  the Ever-Refulgent Temple of Lord Hnálla and
  Member of the Society of the Crystal of Pure Light
  As Translated by
  F�ru B�˚Y�qer
  
  2
  Fill the universe with Refulgent Brilliance!
  Let Changeless Radiance suffuse the Many
  Planes!
  Rejoice! The Dark is driven back!
  Give thanks that Scintillating Glory prevails!
  Praise be unto Lord Hnálla,
  Master of All!
  w
  ike a battlefield fought over by two
  ancient foes, the Universe is the focal
  point for the conflict of the two Great
  Principles: Stability and Change. The former
  strives for continuation, peaceful transition,
  and continuing development to the final goal of
  utter changelessness. The latter seeks change,
  rebirth, violent alteration, and the continual
  destruction and rebirth of all that exists. This
  opposition is fundamental, eternal, and
  unforgiving: there can be no compromise. Should
  a balance occur, it is but for a moment, a
  teetering upon the brink of still more change,
  still greater attempts to quell that change, and
  even mightier conflicts along the path to the
  Goal.
  e who serve the Stability of Endless
  Light know that the Goal is ours;
  Change can alter all things but must
  in the end subside and become stable. Darkness
  gives way to Illumination. The Supreme Principle
  of Change, Lord Hrü'ü, cannot gain the victory.
  His transitions, meaningless flickering, and
  displacements cannot be Eternal by their very
  definition! If change is eternal, then it is a
  stable phenomenon, the very antithesis of what
  Lord Hrü'ü preaches!
  e Priests and Priestesses of the God
  of Light garb ourselves in vestments of
  purest white, adorned with polished
  silver plaques, golden medallions, and glittering
  diamonds and such pure crystals as turn the
  light into a spectrum of a myriad hues. All
  colours are produced by light passing through
  light, and hence the spectrum, the rainbow, and
  the colours of the universe themselves are but
  the twisting and turnings of Light as it passes
  through the substance of the material cosmos.
  his is not to say that we are plain or
  drab in our costumes; each of the
  fifty-one Aspects of our mighty Lord
  requires different garments, different head-
  dresses, some like gleaming helmets, others set
  with gems and plumed with the spectrum-like
  plumage of the beauteous Khéshchal-bird), and
  still more of designs too numerous and grand
  to describe here in words. The glyphs of the
  Aspects vary as well, each symbolising the
  wondrous Being and Substance of our Master's
  Forms. To see these things is to fall upon one's
  face with awe, for naught can withstand the
  puissance and majesty of Lord Hnálla!
  he temples of our Lord are tall, high-
  arched, set with windows of coloured
  glass and precious stones that
  transmit the Light in patterns and hues
  unimaginable to most mortals. Incense smokes
  upon high braziers of silver and filigreed gold;
  draperies and tapestries depicting the
  triumphs of our Lord hang from the pure white
  walls; mosaics of crystal and white marble swirl
  across broad floors; stairways rise in stately
  grandeur to balconies and mezzanine floors, all
  the way to the dizzy, arching domes of the
  ceiling, decked with murals in all of the hues of
  the artist's palette. At the far end, the great
  nave ends before the altar dais. Stairways
  carpeted with white lead from either side up to
  the double-circle symbol of the God at the
  highest point in the chamber. Worshippers
  attired in white kneel here and there upon mats
  of carded, white Hmélu-wool, adoring the Person
  of the Godhead. Silence is ordained for all,
  unless it is time for one of the six daily
  ceremonies. Then there is the sweet sound of
  the priests' chanting, the harmonious antiphony
  of the choir, the mumbling response of the
  devotees, and over all the deep, thunderous
  L
  W
  W
  T
  T
  
  3
  booming of the Tunkúl-gongs from on high in
  their mighty tower. Thus it is from one day to
  the next, from one century to another, for the
  many millennia since the founding of the Faith
  by the Beatified Pavár.
  ersons of malicious nature claim that
  Lord Hnálla had no place in the
  Universe before Pavár. After all, was he
  not the first to discover the Gods? Did his
  pantheon exist before that discovery, or did it
  coalesce and come into being because of him?
  We know that before Pavár "discovered" the
  Gods, he worshipped Dark Jráka, one of the
  names of Lord Ksárul known from before the
  empire of Llyán of Tsámra. When he first
  "summoned" the Gods, thus, Lord Ksárul
  existed, albeit in another Aspect. Why, then,
  could not Lord Hnálla, Lord Thúmis, and the
  Others exist similarly, though unbeknownst to
  humankind? What great Truth caused Pavár to
  change from Lord Jráka (Ksárul) to Lord Hnálla
  as his favoured Deity? Why did he urge his
  colleagues and those in the government of the
  First Imperium to do the same? When the
  priests of the Old Gods resisted, did not Pavár
  stride forth in his humble, patched robes to
  preach to them? And were they not confounded,
  then converted, by his eloquence? Thus, we of
  the faithful hold that the Gods existed from
  Time Immemorial, from the Age of the Egg of the
  World itself, and yet they remained aloof from
  us until Pavár beseeched Them to manifest
  Themselves. Drenched in blood, the Old Gods
  could not withstand the Light, and so they
  mixed their Essences and Substances into the
  Beings closest to Their theologies. Lord Jráka
  entered into Lord Ksárul, and his miasmic
  temples became ruin, then rose again garbed in
  the deep azure of the Prince of the Blue Room.
  Thus did Queen Nayári's Burning Chótl, the
  Blinding Sun, fuse into the Being of our own
  beauteous Lord Hnálla and so become a part
  (though by no means the whole) of His Being,
  Glory unto the Gods forever!
  hen splendid Gánga sank beneath the
  waves and was no more, then did the
  first Tlakotáni Emperor take up the
  gauntlet from the dying hand of the last
  Priestking. There was never any question of the
  Gods to be worshipped in the new Second
  Imperium. Lord Hnálla and His Pantheon were
  accepted without question, and the Old Gods of
  the First Imperium were never brought back.
  Today only scholars recall Their names.
  he first great battle for religious
  supremacy was not with the Old Gods,
  but rather with the minions of the
  Pariah Deities, who had bided their time through
  the long centuries of the First Imperium, and
  who now struck out to gain converts and seize
  the sceptre of power. Méshek Tlandánu, "the
  Despot of the South," strove to establish the
  worship of The One Other, while in the north the
  priests of what is now Sunráya spread the
  pernicious doctrines of She Who Is Not to Be
  Named. (Anathema upon them both!) The third
  Emperor, Hórukel N'lén, began the war with the
  Siege of Katalál, of which bard still tell tales.
  Nothing is known of the deeds of the fourth
  Seal Emperor, but the reign of his successor,
  Trákonel I, "the Blazing Light," (ruled 139-195
  A.S.) is well documented. It was he who sacked
  the cities of the One Other, repelled the
  fanatics of the Pariah Goddess, and drove the
  ships of the Hlüss from the southern shores of
  Tsolyánu. He it was also who began the present
  shrine of Lord Hnálla in Béy Sü, expanded our
  priesthood to near its present numbers, and
  established academies, monasteries, and
  libraries all over our land. Later, he also further
  developed the custom of seclusion of the person
  of the Emperor within the fortress of Avanthár.
  This had been practised since Engsvanyáli times
  in one form or another; yet it remained for this
  Divine Emperor to establish the Golden Tower
  and the rite of Kòlumejálim, "the Choosing of
  Emperors," of which I shall say more below.
  will now give brief notice of the Aspects of
  Lord Hnálla and Their rôles and tasks.
  Fifty-one sacred Aspects are listed for
  Him, although some schools claim more or less.
  P
  W
  T
  I
  
  4
  Each Aspect has a shrine in House of Lord
  Hnálla, and celebrations, festivals, and
  commemorations are held for Their worship.
  These differ from city to city and region to
  region. In Sokátis, the Fortieth Aspect is
  represented by a giant crystal called Méntukoi
  hiJér "The Crown of Light,." On certain days the
  sun shines through a special window-shaft in
  this Aspect's shrine, illuminating the crystal like
  a veritable small sun itself. The priestesses
  bring small children who are in need of healing or
  solace to bathe in its rays and be blessed. In
  Jaikalór Lord Hnálla's Twelfth Aspect, called
  Baján Ke'ún, is pictured as a stern-faced man
  of many years in white robe and cowl and
  bearing a mighty sword. He is the Guardian of
  the Imperium and Patron of its armies. On the
  first day of each month singing and drumming
  and the blare of militant trumpets attend his
  rites. In great Thráya stands the Shrine of Lord
  Hnálla's Thirty-Second Aspect, named
  Jérmochusùn, "the Illuminator of the Dark"; He
  is also militant, but more against the dwellers
  in the lightless places, such as the Worm Lord
  and His Minions. In Jakálla our temple is famed
  for its Shrine of the Second Aspect, Chiráshin
  Tuléngkoi "the Shining Sun," who only accepts
  offerings of diamonds, crystals, and purest
  gold, and who gives His devotees the largesse of
  surcease from cares and freedom from fear and
  grief. His priests and priestesses go nude, save
  for necklaces, anklets, wristlets, and ropes of
  crystals hung about their persons, which make
  each motion glitter and flash. Oh, the sight
  bedazzles the eyes and sways the senses! On
  his festival days, the 9th of Firasúl and the 4th
  of Trantór, thousands of widows, widowers, and
  those whose Skeins have become tangled and
  sorrowful march in procession to His shrine and
  pay Him worship. Many miracles occur, souls are
  healed, and hearts are filled with joy.
  t is in Béy Sü, however, that our Lord's
  temple truly flourishes. Here is the Temple
  of the Ninth Aspect, Parshálmokoi hi-
  Elítlayal,  the Teller of Skeins, to whom come
  those seeking omens and advice. Next to His
  shrine is that  of the Seventh Aspect,
  Markhóm, Tikákoi hiWadhél pekhósun, "the
  Master of Transcendent Contemplation," whose
  halls are filled with those who wish to meditate
  and consider the patterns of Reality. Each year
  the clergy of Lord Markhóm publishes volumes in
  the series titled "The Perfect Compendia of
  Answers to Questions of Life and Existence
  Most Vexing to Humble Beings." These tomes
  are filled with solutions to such riddles as "Why
  evil?" and "Is Free Will Necessary?" and the like.
  Those of a philosophical bent can swim in a
  veritable ocean of wisdom. Being myself a
  devotee of Lord Néktulen, Lord Hnálla's tenth
  Aspect, "He Whose Eyes are Fixed upon the
  Light," I confess that much of my learning
  stems from these wonderful books. Last year
  my particular favourite was a disquisition that
  shrewdly examines the question "Where does
  the darkness go when a beam of light pierces
  it?" The author's reply was a revelation, but it
  would be lengthy to repeat it here.
  t is in Béy Sü, the Centre of the World
  and Capitol of the Cosmos, where the
  Kòlumejálim  "The Rite of Choosing of
  Emperors" takes place. Lord Hnálla plays a
  major rôle is this, since the Stability of the
  Empire is the fulcrum of the balance of the
  Universe itself. Many of the Aspects of the God
  are concerned with specific rites and
  celebrations of the Kòlumejálim:  at least
  fourteen Aspects seem to have no other
  functions beyond Their tasks in this lengthy
  ritual. These are called the "Aspects of the
  Stations of the Choosing," and their images are
  brought out, anointed with perfumed Purú-oil,
  dressed in costumes of the richest materials,
  adorned with gems, and paraded through the
  streets for the crowds to admire.
  hen a new Emperor or Empress
  accedes to the Petal Throne in
  Avanthár, the celebrations are ancient
  and tedious: the heir is led for the first time
  into the Golden Tower. He says formal farewells
  to his friends and kinsmen, turns his back upon
  the world outside, and enters to dwell only in
  the company of his Servitors of Silence until the
  end of his life. He may bring wives and
  concubines (males, if the sovereign be a female)
  I
  I
  W
  
  5
  into a special area of the Tower and may have
  joy of them there at stated intervals fixed by
  the positions of the planets in the sky. When a
  consort gives birth, the ruler may keep her with
  him, have her slain, establish her in a special
  palace or residence according to his desire, or
  return her to her temple, where she assumes
  the rôle of the Mother of an Heir to the Petal
  Throne.
  hen a God-Emperor dies, the Servitors
  of Silence carry his body upon a golden
  bier to the shrine of Lord Belkhánu
  within Avanthár. There they wash the corpse,
  embalm it, and wrap it in finest Thésun-gauze
  and cloth-of-gold, and perform the first of many
  solemn funerary rites. In many cases, it is then
  borne to its last resting place in a sarcophagus
  of hardest stone in the catacombs below
  Avanthár. Some Emperors desire to be
  entombed elsewhere, as occurred with our last
  great Seal, the God Hirkáne, "the Stone upon
  Which the Universe Rests." His desire was to be
  buried in Béy Sü, and this was carried out.
  mperial funerary rites involve Lord
  Hnálla's temple only to a minor extent. We
  do have parts to play, rituals to carry
  out, and counsel to give. If an Emperor is a
  worshipper of our Lord of Light, then our rôle is
  commensurably greater, although it is left to
  the deceased sovereign's successor to decide
  on the precise rituals and their sequence. Thus,
  when Prince Dhich'uné ascended the Petal
  Throne under the title "Eternal Splendour," it
  was a contingent of his troops that
  accompanied the funeral bier down the river
  from Avanthár. Since the God-Emperor was a
  worshipper of my own beauteous Lord Hnálla, we
  then were called in grand conclave to perform
  certain final rituals. Then the Council of the
  Priesthoods was summoned, and the body was
  given over to the priesthood of Lord Belkhánu,
  who is charged with Life After Death. All of the
  temples joined in transporting the sarcophagus
  to the Portal of the Land Beyond Life beneath
  the necropolis on the eastern side of the river,
  and so it was immured to await the End of All.
  t is after the interment that our most
  important task begins. Traditionally, the
  High Priest of Lord Hnálla leads the High
  Council of the Priesthoods. Not even Prince
  Dhich'uné's clergy of Lord Sárku dares to
  challenge this. The Council Hall itself is within
  our temple in Béy Sü, where it remains sealed
  and silent until the death of a sovereign causes
  it to be used once again. Twenty daises, in a
  square of fives, are set around a central golden
  image of the Seal of the Imperium. Our first
  concern is to make public announcement of the
  Emperor's passing. Heralds are sent on foot or
  by tubeway car where possible, to the farthest
  cities of the Empire. Letters are written upon
  sheets of gold foil and embellished with inks
  made of crushed gems. Telepaths are
  summoned, and messages are sent out by relay
  to those places otherwise unreachable. All is
  done according to a protocol written in
  Classical Tsolyáni in the time of Trákonel II , "the
  Victorious," in 261 A.S.
  any Emperors do not reveal all of their
  children as public heirs. Those born
  before 
  the 
  accession 
  are
  automatically candidates, as are those
  deliberately revealed thereafter. Others are
  taken away secretly at birth by the Omnipotent
  Azure Legion, the guardians of our Empire, to be
  given over to patrons who will bring them up,
  teach them, help them find supporters, and
  train them for the arduous rites of the
  Kòlumejálim. This is done both to please the
  great temples and clans in whose care these
  infants are placed and to ensure that our land
  is ruled by strong, shrewd, and dedicated
  persons. Hereditary rule always fails because
  the children of a sovereign tend to become weak,
  foolish, and sapped by luxury and easy living. We
  hold that our Empress or Emperor must be the
  strongest, cleverest, wisest, most ruthless, and
  most politically aware of all of the candidates.
  To this end, we seek to achieve this by
  concealing some heirs until they are powerful
  enough to be revealed, while those declared to
  be princes or princesses at birth must heed
  their tutors and become strong enough to
  defeat all such hidden candidates, We thus
  W
  I
  I
  M
  
  6
  really care little for "blood" relationship: a clever,
  dedicated outsider who seizes the "Gold" (a
  symbol given to each putative heir by the
  Omnipotent Azure Legion) is just as good a
  candidate as any pampered prince born in the
  palace at Avanthár. There may thus be one
  candidate or as many as twenty. Some may
  "resign the Gold" and not compete, for to
  "accept the Gold" and enter the competition
  dooms any loser to death. There is no way out.
  The executioners stand prepared in the
  courtyard behind our temple in Béy Sü. The
  Omnipotent Azure Legion pursues any who
  would flee, and any candidate who attempts a
  coup or to bring up troops is liable to be
  assassinated by Imperial agents. Should an heir
  "resign the Gold," however, his life and property
  are safe, but never again can he be a candidate
  for the Petal Throne, not even if the Emperor
  dies without issue. Such cases have been rare,
  but then the Council of the Priesthoods must
  meet to determine which kinsmen of the
  Tlakotáni clan are eligible and willing to compete.
  In the meantime there is always a regent,
  usually a member of the High Council of the
  Priesthood. Legally, this person must bring
  about a Kòlumejálim in shortest time and can
  never stand for Emperor himself. The
  candidates are given time to prepare for the
  Choosing, and a date is set according to the
  astrologers' calculations. An important heir
  may influence the setting of the date
  somewhat, as occurred on the most recent
  occasion to the unhappiness of certain parties,
  but the final reckoning is the responsibility of
  the Council.
  ll of the heirs are then summoned to
  the temple of Lord Hnálla in Béy Sü.
  They take up lodgings, and gather their
  champions. Each is allowed a champion in as
  many as three contests since no one can be an
  expert in all skills. These champions must be of
  noble clans and are reliably recommended. One
  cannot thus go to the Arena and choose a
  gladiator, or to a priestly college to find the
  most experienced mage on Tékumel! The choice
  is often made by the heir's supporters in
  consultation with the Omnipotent Azure Legion
  and his temple.
  n the date chosen for the Kòlumejálim
  each candidate proceeds to our great
  temple in grand procession. Cohorts of
  troops, legions of musicians, contingents of
  priests and priestesses from each temple,
  foreign ambassadors with their entourages,
  high nobles and notable persons, huge Chlén-
  carts bearing Imperial symbols on tall poles,
  choirs of children, and all of the inhabitants of
  the city join these processions according to
  their choices. Factional fighting is severely put
  down by the City Guard and the Omnipotent
  Azure  Legion, and the impalers remain busy all
  day. At the gates of our temple each candidate
  stands forth to speak, haranguing the crowd
  and declaring his powers and talents. The Each
  candidate  must compete in all of the tests.
  These involve bravery, endurance, cunning,
  physical prowess, judgement, knowledge of
  history and the arts, competence in sorcery,
  and several other fields. Absolute victory is not
  always necessary, as in the case of a woman
  who cannot possibly compete physically against
  a man who has trained for war all his life. In all
  cases, the Council judges.
  he Tunkúl-gongs roar, the crowds
  cheer, the trumpets shriek, and the
  gates of the temple close as the
  candidates are taken inside. None may view the
  Kòlumejálim save the officials and priests
  appointed to do so; else there would be chaos.
  Singers, mimes, dancers, and sorcerers
  performing illusions and other tricks entertain
  the masses outside. Within, all is silent. The
  candidates stand upon the central dais in the
  Hall of Choosing, one by one, in order of their
  ages. Each declares his intention to accept the
  Gold, then lays a sword, a book, a white
  headband, and one purple Dlél-fruit upon the
  altar. He faces toward each cardinal point in
  turn, beginning with the north, and summons his
  rivals to appear. One by one they do so,
  repeating the same ritual. In the case of Prince
  Dhich'uné, no other candidate came forth since
  all were too distant, and he had arranged that
  the necessary summons could not reach them,
  A
  O
  T
  
  7
  or that they were unable to reply in a timely
  way.
  he sequence of tests is arbitrary and
  selected by lot, as is the order of the
  heirs. Each is paired with an opponent
  by a second series of lots. The contests then
  take place before the Council. If a champion is
  called, he alone may enter the chamber to
  stand for his candidate, All others are excluded:
  no servants, no courtiers, no wives or children.
  Only the guards of the Omnipotent Azure Legion
  are allowed. The tests are done with efficiency
  and speed to prevent rioting outside. Each
  candidate must enter all of the tests, using his
  three champions as best he can (in one or as
  many as three different contests).
  hen a candidate has completed a test,
  he leaves the room by another door
  and is escorted, alone and unable to
  speak to his rivals, to a private chamber to
  wait. Two new candidates are then selected and
  provided with weapons, books, or whatever is
  needed.
  loss in one trial does not mean that
  the Kòlumejálim is lost. Unless a
  candidate is slain or so severely
  wounded that he calls for the executioners to
  relieve him from life, the contests continue. No
  physicians or healers are permitted, and a
  wounded candidate may have to endure many
  more tests with nothing but a simple cloth to
  stanch the blood. He can declare himself a loser
  at any time, of course, and is then executed by
  a speedy and relatively painless method.
  he Council secretly records its scores
  for each test. When all of the contests
  are completed (usually 9, 10, or 12,
  depending upon the astrologers), the results
  are compared, and the heir who has won a
  majority of the contests is declared the winner.
  Abstention is not allowed. If there is a tie, the
  vote is taken over again. The contests
  themselves are never repeated. Should a tie
  persist, each council member draws lots
  against all the rest, and the winner then casts
  the deciding vote.
  ll of this is done with unutterable
  solemnity and dignity. The fate of the
  Empire may hang upon an unguarded
  word, a faulty choice, a parry when one should
  have struck, or some mistake in calculation.
  embers of the Council cannot leave the
  chamber, sleep, or consume more than
  a loaf of Dná-grain bread and a cup of
  water. When all is over, the winning candidate is
  quietly conducted back into the Council Hall; the
  losers are led out one by one to face their doom.
  Most go bravely,, singing their death-songs, but
  some have been known to require a squad of
  burly guards to bring them to their fates. No
  one speaks until all of this has been finished,
  and the executioners have departed by another
  door. Then the hall explodes in applause,
  cheering, and shouts of "Long live the Seal!"
  he Tunkúl-gongs sound again -- and
  continue their wild outcry throughout
  the night and into the following day.
  Men and women dress in white -- even those of
  faiths other than Lord Hnálla's, and there is
  feasting, drinking, and revelry on a scale no one
  could imagine. Usually five days and nights are
  passed while the sovereign-to-be makes final
  arrangements, says farewells, and prepares for
  the journey to Avanthár. Then our temple's
  great, gilded palanquins are brought out of their
  storage chambers. A thousand slaves are
  selected to carry them, and on the morning of
  the sixth day the procession sets off toward
  the Citadel. All along the way folk stand to see
  their Emperor as he passes, high up like a God ,
  dressed in Imperial finery and the colours of his
  temple. Thousand stand upon the hills behind,
  and the river is filled with boats and swimmers.
  Legion contingents march with the procession,
  each bearing its resplendent Káing-standard.
  Trumpeters, drummers, and dancing maidens
  accompany the march, and caravans of carts
  laden with gifts and goods trundle along behind
  all. Even those who do not favour the new ruler
  or his temple join in the celebrations, for who
  could be mean-spirited enough to dampen the
  T
  W
  A
  T
  A
  M
  T
  
  8
  revelry and the joy?
  pon reaching the village of Avanthár,
  on the eastern bank of the river, all
  disembark, and the new ruler is
  escorted across the water by corps of soldiers
  from the Omnipotent Azure Legion. The
  prelates, Legates, and other high persons of
  the State come down to greet him; he is
  escorted up the many stairs into the Great
  Hall of the Petal Throne, where the Synod of the
  Court of Purple Robes awaits him. He greets
  these functionaries, advances up to the
  speaker's station just beneath the solid wall of
  translucent, carven petals of delicate-veined
  jade that make up the outer enclosure of the
  Petal Throne itself, and bows to the memory of
  his departed parent. No light burns behind the
  screen. Indeed, his own hand will be the first to
  set flame to the lamp there, once he has
  become Emperor.
  he Supreme Commander of the
  Omnipotent Azure Legion then comes
  forward to divest the candidate of his
  worldly garments, and he is led naked to the
  tiny door in the north wall that leads into a
  labyrinth of passages and on into the Golden
  Tower itself. Here the last rites of being human
  are performed, and then the Servitors of
  Silence advance to greet him and escort him
  within. Once that door shuts, he is no longer a
  mortal; he has become one with the Gods.
  w
                    
  U
  T
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Empire of the Petal Throne/Temples of Tékumel/Empire of the Petal Throne Temple of Hnálla [r5].pdf