Temple of Justice

Soon after the Daen Iontis sect had formed, a man appeared calling himself an emissary of the gods of the Dunmen.His name was Maben.Such was his charisma and the timing of his arrival that many of the Dunmen saw him as a Messiah of sorts, and he became  a great spiritual leader.This was arranged by the forces ofevil at Dol Guldur; Maben was an emissary of the Dark Lord.His purpose  in Dunfearan was to reinforce the hatred that the Dunnish felt toward the Dúnedain and their allies.The temple of justice was built about the year 1200 TA.Men in service to the temple were taught fighting and magic skills, making them a strong force in area politics.The temple population was made up of three classes: priests, acolytes and guards.Guards were usually young men of the  Daen Iontis clans that  came to the temple to learn fighting skills and discipline.Most did not stay to become acolytes, but those that did were truly zealous for the cause or they were under pressure from clan leaders. After a period of 1-3 years in the guard, acolytes were chosen by Maben from those guards that desired to serve the temple.Trained in unarmed combat and in beginning spell use, they were under strict observation by the priests and Maben.They could be disciplined, demoted to guard, or dismissed at any time for minor slips in behavior.Acolytes that maintained their status for five years could become priests if Maben recommended them.He was the soul source of this promotion and did not approve half-hearted servants. Acolytes that did not make the promotion had the choice of remaining acolytes for five more years, becoming officers in the guard, or leaving.Because of their superior training and discipline, many acolytes that had left the service of the temple had become leaders in the clans.Priests were taught more magical skills and oration skills by Maben himself, so that they could travel the land spreading the Laws of Justice.Status in the temple was denoted by the color of the robes and hair styles.Guards wore white robes with fine gold trim and they wore their hair in warriors braids as the clansmen did.Acolytes wore similar robes that were red with gold trim, but they were required to shave their heads for their first year and then wear their hair like the priests.The priests wore black robes  with red and gold trim, keeping their hair very short.They also put a substance on their hair that bleached it and caused it to  stand on end.Guards were armed with long-handled, wide-bladed axes and short polearm weapons (called derfels).Guards were also doubled and ranged further out and up into the hills.

The Temple of Justice was located in Dunfearan approximately 25 miles east and slightly south of Cillien in a long dead end valley set in the woods of the area.The temple stood in the valley on a low hill foundation which allowed it to stand above the valley floor and give those in or on the temple a commanding view of the surrounding area.Directly behind the temple the valley wall climbed steeply up and a watch post was located on a trail that led in a winding fashion up the 65 degree incline.In the front of  the temple the wide valley floor allowed large crowds to gather in relative comfort for ceremonies and speeches.Towards the front  of the valley entrance was a bridge that crossed a stream that acted as a first line of defense of the temple.The temple itself was made from a dark granite from the wall of the valley and was formed into the shape of a large stylized bulls head.The  structure  stood 60' tall and wa  180' wide across the base.The main entrance to the temple was through what would be the bull's mouth, although there were secondary entrances under the "ears", but these were always locked.