What's the Crown of Stars?

The short answer is I am not sure yet.

I am intrigued by the Muslim hajj -- the pilgrimage every Muslim must make to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Given that the Asherite religion is very loosely based on Islam, I wanted to include something similar.  A mandatory religious pilgrimage is rife with adventure potential.  Set routes get established, caravans set forth, bandits plague the caravans, political conflict ensues to guarantee (or possibly exploit) the pilgrim's passage, etc.  I am sure there are lots of other possibilities I haven't even considered.

My idea is to have five sacred sites or cities in the Asherite faith, with the religion requiring each site recieive a visit by each believer.  Ideally, one visits each site in the same journey -- a religious pilgrimage lasting a year or so of one's life.  The five sites are the Crown of Stars, with five being a nice number represented by the points of your typical drawn star.

What those five sites are and why they are sacred I am still trying to figure out.  I don't want to cleave too close to Islam or any other real religion, so I am wide open to any suggestions.  Got some?


  1. How about making one a holy city of forgiveness and refuge. A "sinner" who'd committed a crime can stay within the city without fear of arrest. Sounds good at first until you want to leave, that's when life gets complicated.


  2. I love this idea! Each city/site could be keyed to some sort of virtue and/or significant historical or cosmic event.

  3. What about having one of the cities/sites actually be a ruined city surrounded by shanty towns and tent complexes?

    Devastated by earthquake/volcano/whatever 200 years ago, the residents fled, and upon return found the city a total loss except for the central temple/shrine which was still standing. As the city was no longer habitable, they moved to the hills around the city and set up tent towns on the plains. As the temple was the only standing structure, it was declared that it shall remain that way and no one except clergy may live within the old city. The city is now a maze of cleared rubble and ruins, with a hidden society of outlaws who break the sacred laws and live in the tunnels and old cellars of the ruined buildings. The tent towns are where pilgrims stay, and the shanty towns on the hillside are where the descendants of the old city residents live.

  4. Nice, Rich! Lots of adventure opportunities there, complete with a dungeon!


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