Lamented Chantry

The asymmetric spires of the Lamented Chantry loom tall and sharp over the center of Fel-Shora. Echoed in smaller, free-standing spires interspersed around the city, it makes the bustling city of over a million people feel small and watched over. The building– and the city by extension– is built to embody the relationship between Elves and Prem, the deity of death. Credited with giving the Elves their uniquely long life spans, he is viewed as a patient, paternal figure, always watching and waiting for his children to one day come home.
Priests of the Lamented Chantry are known for their counselling both of the to-be-deceased and their grieving relatives. Understanding that the Obsidian Pools, Prem's marshy domain, are easiest to navigate when one has come to terms with and accepts the end of their mortal existence, their aim is to make dying as comfortable as possible, both physically and spiritually, in order to ease that transition. Some believe that merely being physically close to the Chantry upon death will make for a more comfortable afterlife, but the priests there vehemently deny this.

Purpose / Function

One of the buildings within the Chantry contains the Orlethym School of Medical Thanatology, a residency program for doctors and other medical professionals centered on end-of-life care. It is a two year program emphasizing a biopsychosocial approach to medical ethics and palliative medicine.
There is also a seminary program for priests on the Chantry complex; the themes are relatively similar, albeit with a greater emphasis on spiritual wellness and counselling. Unlike traditional seminary schools, they welcome applicants from all faiths because no one is immune to dying, not matter how hard some may try to be.

Architecture

Lamented Chantry Stained Glass by illumiinae with Midjourney

Although the Chantry is dedicated predominantly to the Elves' reverence for Prem, it does not ignore the original deal they made with him many eras ago: artistry in exchange for life. The Chantry contains many elements of classic Allathonéan architecture, including pointed arches and ribbed vaulting, but like the rest of Fel-Shora, does have its own variation on the style. Having a cooler climate and greater annual rainfall than other similarly sized Allathonéan cities has lead to greater use of fixed glass window panes rather than screened balconies; the Chantry in particular making stunning use of geometric stained glass windows made by a local glassworkers guild. Other notable features include flying buttresses, the use of steeples and spires rather than domes, and hypostyle halls with stone roofs rather than plant-covered pergolas.

Type

Temple / Church

Parent Location

Fel-Shora

"... On the contrary, I think it shows he is quite cocky, like a parent allowing their child to explore and push boundaries, knowing they will learn from whatever small injury they may incur. What other deity would allow such open defiance as the worst acts of necromancy, without complete sureness that all would inevitably fail?"
Correspondence from Father Firiath to Father Rohir of the Lamented Chantry, dated 7th of Splitseed, AE 643.