The Roc of Iccaren

The tyranny of the infamous Bishop Jacques Lièvremont is well known throughout the lands of men and his legacy left by in the name of the Church of the One. None so permeant as the infamous Roc of Iccaren, that still sit's to this day looming menacingly over the township of Iccaren on the Naishe border with Orsiétte. The Roc is more of a fortress than a monastery, it's purpose to spread the faith by any means necessary and dispense divine judgment upon the heathen and non-believer in the one. With a large garrison of the faith militant and numerous chapels and chantries for the clergy to dispense penance and purification, it was designed to be a place for heretics to be incarcerated and converted, by any means necessary. The great Iron tower of Iccaren is testament to this, extending out from the southern face of the roc with the sign of the one church upon it's spire. This imposing prison tower is capable of housing over five hundred prisoners at any time to be processed, and judged before the faithful.
The Roc was built to be an impregnatable fortress. Carved out of its face by masons, and the workforce of prisoners undergoing penance for their malcontent in the face of the church and it's laws. When the church withdrew and the Kingdom of Naishe took back control, Iccaren was repurposed into a significant strongpoint on the border with Orsiétte, as previously it's affiliation with the church had made it a staging ground into Naishe for the Orsiéttians, as had been seen in the Naise Orsiétte war of 4973 TW. The noble family of de Santangel have since taken up residence and the barony of Iccaren established by royal edict. Its ecclesiastic courts has remained, but repurposed for civil matters of law and order, overseen by an appointed judge and the local lords. Despite this the shadow cast by the Roc reputation and the Church still linger to this day.

The founding of the Roc.

The original monastery of Iccaren was completed in 4865 TW. in the wake of the Naishian Crusade, as an attempt to cement a foothold for the church of the one in Naishe. However, the belief in the old gods would prove too stubborn to dislodge and the monastery would eventually fade into insignificance on the edge of the township. It wasn't until 4905 TW. the church would give another concerned effort to expand the borders of the faith and bring Naishe into the fold. The newly anointed Bishop Jacques Lièvremont and a large contingent of clergy and faith militant were dispatched to reinvigorate the effort. The ownership of the monastery was handed over the Bishop and the new diocese of Iccaren decreed under his care by the Pontiff, the Bishop had great designs for his new seat. It was in Iccaren that Jacques Lièvremont would begin his great work to convert the populace by any means necessary. Wishing to uproot the morally corrupt was of Naishe, he began expansion of the small monastery into his base of power, putting the monks and nuns serving there to work, convinced it was their failures that the word of the one god had not taken root in Iccaren. What would begin here was a series of incursions from the monastery into the town, dispatching friars to the town to preach, distribute alms to the poor and denouncing the pagan beliefs of its people.

When they refused to capitulate and ousted the friars by means of violence, Jacques did not falter claiming these acts against the holy men to be morally abhorrent he dispatched the faith militant. Putting down and incarcerating these evil men, he claimed that their minds had been addled by the Fallen one, and that they were proof of the foul presence that had crept into the heart of the towns people. Over the next fortnight, the same troubles would rise again and again, and the Bishop would take the same action. Dragging more and more of the antagonistic towns people back to the Roc, where they would be purified of their ill humours. Many returned, possessing a new attitude, admitting the atonment of their ways and the acceptance of the one god, they rejecting the Fallen One before the townsfolk, claiming that he hid behind the whispers and lies of the old religions of their fore fathers. Slowly but surely, this method began to work, and more of the towns folk began to join the church of their own free will. As the faith of Iccaren grew, so did the Roc and the power of influence of Jacques Lièvremont. However, many could not help fear that there was still many who did not return, and the rumours of the towns folk of cries of anguish and pleas for help that could be heard in the night.

[In Progress]

Alternative Names

The Roc

Type

Fortress