The Path of the Great Dragon/Temple of Poitra
Floorplan of the Temple
History
The temple of Poitra is the one of the largest Temple built by the Path. Originally, the temple was discovered as a collapsing relic in the sewer systems of the city. Upon its discovery, Duke Blaeric ordered the sewer dug up and rerouted so that the temple could be exposed. After this long and arduous process, the old temple was reconstructed using as much of the original structure as possible. Since then, the Path has dedicated many of its resources to making it arguable the most magnificent Temple on the Continent.
When discovered (as accounted here) the Temple contained many old relics from the past ages, which are all under study by the Acolytes and scholars of the Path. Among other pieces, which can be found in the archives of the Temple as well as the Great Library, is the translation of an ancient account of the Great Dragon's Apostles, called the Dragon's Hand.
Description
The temple sits very low in relation to the streetline of the city. A magnificent marble staircase encases the entire temple so that the people of Poitra can descend downwards to access the temple. At the front of the main entrance sits the old temple (brown), rediscovered and reconstructed. It now serves as a main entry hall for the temple.
Located to the rear of the old temple and connected through large oaken doors lies the newly constructed Study Chamber(red). The walls of this wide, dome-shaped chamber consist almost entirely of wide windows of thick glass to allow the priests and followers of the path to study the Dragon's teaching and pursue knowledge by the light of the sun.
Connected to the Study Chamber is a decorative garden walkway (green). This area is collumned with exquisite cloisters and carved pillars, which surround the well-tended plants and flowers displayed there. The area gives the flock of the Dragon a peaceful place to reflect. The chamber was designed like this when it became clear the libraries of the temple would become so chocked with shelves and archives that there would be little room to sit and study in peace and comfort.
At the end of the garden you can find one of the two libraries of the temple. The smaller of the two (purple) serves as a second study area and place to study the modern and more common materials of the temple. It also serves as a place to review extracted archives.
The second library is located next to the smaller library and connected by a high arching entranceway. This room (teal) is used as the main archival storage area for the bulk of the temple's materials, including the rarest works, which are kept under lock and key and are guarded. The packed shelves leave little room to maneuver, so often material is removed from the archives and studied in one of the other, more comfortable areas within the temple.
The largest of the rooms is the main Congregation Hall (blue) where sermons are delivered to those who wish to hear it. This room has been expanded several times to fit the needs of the growing flock within Poitra.
Finally, one of the most notable features of the temple is the crystaline tower that sits tall atop the roof of the Congregation Hall (white circle). The tower is made of rare red sandstone, and is topped by an immense cone of translucent red crystal glass that captures and refracts the light of the sun, acting as a beacon to show followers where the Dragon resides in Poitra. The tower is the tallest point of the temple, extending several hundred feet above the streetline, making it the only visible part of the temple to those on the streets. The making of the crystaline glass was commissioned by Duke Blaeric with the finances of House Selemnir and, though costly, has become one of the most visited landmarks of the city.
