Mount Sekot
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| Mount Sekot | |
|---|---|
 Mount Sekot from the south | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 6,638 m (21,778 ft) |
| Prominence | 1,319 m (4,327 ft) |
| Naming | |
| Native name | [Sekotozh] Error: {{Native name}}: missing language tag (help) (language?) |
| Geography | |
| Country | Varshan |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Antiquity |
Mount Sekot (Sekotozh) is a high peak in southeastern Varshan. It is considered the second most holy site in Arzalism after the Lunar Temple in Anzo and is the site of the faith's major non-urban monastery. Its peak is a major site of human sacrifice according to the Arzalist practice. Accordingly, non-priestly caste members are forbidden from climbing the mountain on pain of death.
History
Pre-history
Little is known regarding the history of Mount Sekot, but modern historians and archaelogists believe it has been the center of deity worship for thousands of years in Crona. Many foundation myths of central and southern Crona are based on the Gods hurling a "great stone" to the Earth from which animals and humans originate, and most scholars believe these stories originally referred to Mount Sekot. Consequently, limited archaeological expeditions allowed by Varshan in the 1950s found evidence of various worship items - including non-Arzalist idols - dating back to the first century BC. These discoveries lead to the expulsion of the expeditions and, consequently, serious scholarship about the pre-historic period is extremely limited.
Sekot Monastery
The Sekot Monastery (Sekotozhanistanisania) is a large stone-cut structure at the base of Mount Sekot. It serves as the training place for members of the Arzal priesthood from the most significant geneologies as well as those personally chosen by the Zurg to enter into the Monastery. Entry into the Monastery is considered both a coming of age process for the highest tier of the priesthood caste as well as the prerequisite for any priest to be able to perform human sacrifice. Consequently, the priests at the Lunar Temple in Anzo all spent years at the Monastery. The current Monastery was constructed hewn out of stone during the 10th century, although various wood and other structures have existed on the site for thousands of years, even predating Arzalist belief. Scholarship suggests that priest trainees spend more than a decade and a half at the Monastery before returning to their homes or going on to serve in Anzo, and most members of the priest caste who enter the Monastery do so at age fourteen.
Both as part of the training of the priesthood caste and as part of Arzalist practice, the peak of Mount Sekot is used for human sacrifice.
Mountaineering
Climbing Mount Sekot is a practice reserved exclusively to members of the Arzalist priestly caste and any intended human sacrifice victims, and consequently the details of climbing the mountain are not widely known. Based on descriptions by Arzalist priests and aerial observation, an "intricate and ancient" stone stairway is hewn out of the northern face of the mountain going up approximately two thirds of the way. The remaining climb is accomplished on foot as the harsh face gradually slopes off to a walkable path, although the path is considerably dangerous due to the presence of persistent snow and ice. Occidental scholars believe the conditions of the mountain are the way they are, in part, to prepare priests for the lengthy climb up the Lunar Temple in Anzo, although a minority of scholars believe that most Arzalist temples are constructed to their considerable height in emulation of Mount Sekot.