Lathander's Crown

Over jagged mountain top and sundered earth did I climb, in search of the god king. Glory to His name, and the gifts He bestows upon the mortals below - the warm sun and bloodied babe held high. In search of His visage was I. To gaze upon those golden eyes and gentle hands, outstretched.
Over babbling brook and snowy peak did I walk, my weary limbs animated by His vigour and His warmth. Hark! I see the crown - golden wreathed and flaming, painful in its glimmering beauty. The place that His gentle lips first kiss each dawn, the last to feel His embrace when silvery Selûne ascends. Cry praise to the resplendent lord of new suns and new life!

— Ode to Lathander Upon Visiting the Crown

Lathander's Crown is a holy site and temple once operated by the Keepers of the Dawn, worshippers of Lathander. It is at the very summit of the Aureate Peaks in central Faerûn, and said to be the first place that the sun touches every dawn, thus making it a popular pilgrimage for those who venerate the deity. However, it was destroyed during the Razing of Lathander's Crown. Its location has mostly fallen into the tomes of ancient history and remains known only by the most dedicated of worshippers.

Architecture

The wealth and grandeur that the Xervexian Dynasty once possessed shines through in the elaborate nature of this temple. It is grand and ostentatious, constructed from white marble threaded through with sparkling gold. It sports lavish decorations in gold, bronze and copper, as well as arching cathedral windows that allow sunlight to come streaming in. Sky lights are positioned wherever possible. The main church, positioned at the highest point of the summit, is open to the air and features an enormous bronze statue of Lathander, his beautiful face upturned towards the sky as he holds a newborn child aloft.

History

During the Mairèan Empire, the holy site was nothing more than a mountain peak with a small shrine, dedicated to Lathander in his elven form. People would bring offerings of gold and food in order to appease the deity and ensure that the sun continued to rise and set.
At the beginning of the Xervexian Dynasty, construction of an enormous temple began, demonstrating the extreme reverence that the royal family held for Lathander. For seventy years it was a place of worship and veneration, where dedicated priests, clerics and paladins would pray to Lathander and bask in the golden rays of sunlight that shone through the temple. At dusk, the Holy Flame was snuffed out by the Tender of the Flames, the leader of the faction. Every dawn, it was reignited, to symbolise the gifts of rebirth and renewal that Lathander bestowed upon the earth. Pilgrims would make the harsh and unforgiving journey up the Aureate Peaks to gaze upon the brilliant temple, which stood as a symbol of their devotion to him.
However, after 70 FR and the establishment of the Saviour Accords, the temple became a central base of operations for the Saviours of Mundus. The Keepers trained and cared for the Saviours on the temple grounds. It was from there that they were deployed on missions to prevent the world from falling into chaos. Diplomats visited from the capital to conduct business. As the Keepers of the Dawn grew more and more powerful, and more favoured by the Xervexian Dynasty, the splendour of the temple only grew.
But in 687 FR, the temple was destroyed by the Hollow Guard in a climactic battle that resulted in the extinction of the Keepers of the Dawn.
Since then, the ruined temple has been home to the dragon Vukaal, one of the few remaining members of the faction to survive.

RUINED STRUCTURE
687 FR

Type

Temple / Religious complex

Parent Location

Faerûn

Owning Organization

Keepers of the Dawn