Adgharhin Way/Monastary Temple

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Deletuah Monastary Temple

The Monastary Temple, as it's now known, is at least several hundred years old and has served, at times, as the home of several monastic orders, including the Adgharhin Way as during the time of Lechis. It was later converted to a temple by High Priest Elerik Taim, then the Hand of the Blade.

Site

The Temple is located in a densely wooded area in Ecsetuah, and was previously the site for temples to earlier religion (most notably worship of the Old Gods).

Architecture

Construction

The main building is 146 feet long, 75 feet wide and 22 feet tall, giving it two storeys. It is a plain rectangular shape with a slanted triangular roof. It looks nothing like other temples to Adgharhinism. It is surrounded by various supportive buildings, mostly huts for hermits, caretakers and guards. The main building is constructed of wood, stone and mortar. The paint is a simple white.

Ground Floor

Monastarytemple1.jpg

The ground floor includes the eight-foot wide double-door entryway in the south face, and from there one enters the 48 x 55 feet, 19 feet tall congregation hall, which was newly constructed out of what used to be monastic cells. It is delineated by thirteen 5-foot diameter stone columns, between which the followers either sit or stand on the stone floor to participate in rituals and hear sermons by the priest.

The rest of the building houses the old monastary, many of its cells converted to new uses (library, storage, guest rooms, priests quarters, etc). It has 38 of these small cubical stone chambers on the ground floor, and more on the second storey.

Crypt

Monastarycrypt1.jpg

The Crypt is dug beneath the ground floor, and is accessible by a spiral stone stairwell on the north end. It predates the Monastary itself and extends northward beyond the ground level building. The Crypt consists of a ten foot wide corridor, called the Corridor of Tombs, out from which 12 squarish alcoves spring. Each of the alcoves contains three tombs, of long-dead Clan Chiefs or ancient High Priests - although some of these tombs no longer contain either the sarcophagus or the remains or both (from various incidents of looting).

At the end of the Corridor is a 25 by 20 foot Hall of the Dead, in the middle of which is a long stone table. Murals, urns and other relics here indicate that this was intended as a place where the dead could gather and feast as they did in life.

Some of the sarcophagi have written names visible; others don't, due to deterioration or perhaps never having been written.

As a place of burial, the Crypt is no longer used (the Monastary has a cemetary a few dozen yards away), and is instead preserved by the Monks of the Way. Visitors to the Temple are forbidden from entering this place without guidance and a good reason.

People

The Monastary Temple is run by acolytes, and priests when there is one. The temple grounds can be found commoners of all kinds giving sacrifice to Adaghar (or Omorthion, Senith, Lyonnith or Lyonnhar), seeking personal guidance from the clergy, monks, scribes, guards, local laborers. There are generally about 150 people at the Monastary Temple or its surrounding buildings at any given time. The Temple does get a lot of visitors with the recent popularity of the faith, and it now serves as a spiritual focus for the vast majority of Ecsetuah's population.

Library

Dusty Old Tome