Hey Grek, can we get some details on this Temple of the River Lord, and the River Lord?
Sure. Here's some general setting info as background:
The most recent military conflict in that most of your characters would be familiar with was the Third Sahuagin War, fought between the Basalt Realm the Four Abraxal Kingdoms, which ended last year with the assassination of the Empress of Emptiness, the sack of the Black Coral Palace and the capitulation of the Basalt Realm. With the military backbone of the Sahuagin crushed, shipping lanes that were blockaded by the Basalt Realm have opened and a new age of exploration has begun.
The Basalt Realm was (or perhaps is) a theocratic monarchy based on the Empress of Emptiness purported Divine Right to rule over all the world's oceans in the name of the Nine Hells. While the Sahuagin are politically dominant, the majority of the population are slaves of other aquatic races. It had a long history of invading the surface world and installing enthralled puppet-kings as vassal tyrants. The current status of these vassals is uncertain now that the Basalt Realm is in disarray. Rumors are heard of slave revolts in the deep, but with the lack of reliable communication between the sea and the surface, this may be little more than hearsay.
The Four Abraxal Kingdoms are as follows: The Human Kingdom of Abraxus (ruled by the Bronze Dragon of the same name), the Orcish Kingdom of Harshmire, The Elven Kingdom of The Pear Wood and the Confederacy of Giants. The Four Kingdoms were united politically by Abraxus around a century ago through a complicated web of political marriages that ended up with his half-dragon grandchildren on the thrones of Harshmire and The Pear Wood. While the bloodlines have been diluted and the current rulers of either kingdom are only distant cousins at best, the resulting peace has been thus far unbroken.
Other notable kingdoms nations: The Hobgoblin Kahnate of Erelishmar to the distant south, the Dwarven Republic of Underhill and the Gnomish Witchocracy of Ogg.
The major religion of the Pear Wood is the duotheistic worship of the River Lord (a god of rivers, sunlight, justice and travel) and the Cloudy Queen (a goddess of rain, healing, trickery and the night). Both are popular among rangers, druids, travelers and elves in general, but their worship has not readily spread outside the Pear Wood. Non-elves who comment on the issue suggest that the prohibitions against eating meat and drinking alcohol may have something to do with it, but most elves think that the other races are simply too uncouth to convert.
The one tenant that does get popular support outside the Pear Wood is the commandment to establish a Temple to the River Lord at every fork of every river. These temples are run by a mixed group of druids, clerics and lay priests, but universally provide food and shelter to weary travelers, blessings to nearby farmlands and fair courts of law to those seeking justice. Most local rulers are eager to contribute to the construction of a temple, and the local administration is no exception. The local Temple is still in the earliest stages of construction, as a proper site has yet to be consecrated. Mounds upon mounds of consecrated clay sits on the docks, collecting dust and waiting for a site to be found.
On that note, Grek, for the purpose of "an object the same general size and shape as a javelin" would a club be considered close enough?
No. A club is totally a different shape from a javelin. One has a pointy end and the other does not.