To expound a little more on what temple-ceremonies could have looked like, I have found some pictures from modern recreations: 1) On Top of the Temples: Photo from the movie Apocalypto. From this angle, few attendees in the plaza below would be able to see what is happening, but they could easily be kept up-to-date with the progress by some loud skink-priests on the edge of the platform bellowing out ritual incantations. The huge plazas would be filled to the brim with devoted worshippers, who would probably roar approval each time a sacrifice was made in the name of sotek/heads were rolled down the steps of the bloody temple. 2) In Front of the Temple; at the platform steps Modern day reproduction These ceremonies would have taken place in full view of the teeming masses, whether to dedicate a newly-constructed temple-pyramid for the first time, or to commemorate some other great public ceremony such as the dedication of an altar/stela pair at the beginning of another 20-year katun cycle. Notice the incense: a great deal was used in ancient ceremonies by the way of fantastically-decorated incense burners Spoiler: incense burners These two incense burners are from Palenque; made out of beautifully-sculpted clay. Located in the Kimbell Art Museum, TX. Another modern-day (NIGHT) reproduction, probably for the sake of tourists of course, but is very beautifully and colorfully lit up in all those green and red lights! Almost magical... something I am sure the Lizardmen would have no problem accomplishing. 3) Parades down the streets of the Temple-City I forgot about this one previously, but this was also very prevalent in history as the Mayan priest-kings would parade down the white sacbe roads from the city epi-center to distant shrines in the jungle, connected by these holy roads. Spoiler: Sacbe and Arch Picture from San Gervasio, the holy Mayan site on Cozumel I visited, also last April. Several white sacbe roads led into the center of the holy site. In ancient times the roads were inlaid with white stone and sea shell fragments: with the light of the full moon on them the roads would have glowed white, allowing religious processions to travel to the holy site without the aid of torchlight! In the Lustrian context, undoubtably huge numbers of colorfully feathered skink attendants would carry torches or idols through the streets, flanked by temple guard carrying the slumbering Slann, while kroxigor or stegadon beasts-of-burden carry engines of the gods or giant stone idols on their backs in worship of the Old Ones.
If you are referring to the sides at the ballcourt, at first glance they looked like they almost could have been seating areas. But our tour guide said they were built to assist the players: the ball would go up in the air and land on one of the raised, slanted sides and roll down for the players to get into position and hit them again. As far as the higher raised sections further up, like about the hoop? I am guessing that is where the nobility/crowds got to sit, almost like a stadium.
- I bet this is when Nakai the wanderer is praised and gifts are put out into the jungle for him, if anything if there was a battle or something on this day he would show up to celebrate or help fight back the Children of the Oldones enemies
That's a good idea. I figure most Lizardmen religious festivals would have both somber and celebratory aspects. I viewed Kroxigor Day as being most celebratory Honoring dead Kroxigor of renown (including but not limited to Nakai) would definitely fall under "somber" but it would certainly fit in there well.
A superb world-building thread. So much awesome ideas to work with too ... I'm not very good at world-building, so this is very helpful!
In the Aztec,Mayan and Peruvian pirámids only the priests ands high religious charges were in the top of the piramids during the ceremonies not even the nobility were allowed to enter that sacred place so I think that only the skinks starseers,high priests and some acolites will be on top of the temple probably the acolites and the rest of the city will watch from the surroundings.