The House of the Twelve

Let the gods welcome all to their presence. Walk under the gaze of each, and know peace. Leave aside all quarrelsome thoughts, as this is the House of the Twelve. Defy this at your own peril.

— Inscription at the door

While the capital of Eva Valoria has many temples, one for each of their gods, there is the thirteenth temple devoted to all and none of them. The House of the Twelve is special, as there is no head priest present to watch over it. Instead, the Imperial Guard have a special detachment who keep watch and perform routine maintenance tasks. With its location being somewhat central to the city's residents, this is the site many choose to go to should they wish to leave offerings and be seen doing so. While the guards do not usually search people for weapons, they insist any visible weapons remain outside or promise the gods will be displeased. (Note well, defying this custom is technically possible, but it is a good way to become remembered for any later interactions with the Imperial authorities.)

Purpose / Function

When it was first built, the House was built as a place where anyone could go to pay tribute to any of the Twelve without needing to travel across the city. Over the years, this purpose has been largely forgotten due to small shrines becoming more popular in the various neighborhoods. With the renovation some centuries back, the House has also become a place where the emperor will have meetings which are culturally required to be witnessed by others. "Let it be seen under the eyes of the gods themselves." This is one of the reasons the Imperial Guard now are assigned to patrol and protect the buildings.

Alterations

Several centuries ago, the failing structure was completely rebuilt from the foundation up with an eye towards simply restoring the House. When it was realized the original purpose had long since stopped being necessary, the emperor at the time instead poured funding into a renovation which would use some of the reserved land for other buildings and redesign the interior to something more striking. The original granite was removed in favor of polished marble with various color staining agents put over the surface, to make it clearer there were twelve distinct areas inside the central chamber itself. The roof was also replaced with a vaulted dome, to show off the skill of the stonemasons' guild at the time of its construction.

Architecture

This temple is, in construction, closer to a shrine in general arrangement than a temple. It mostly consists of an enclosed circular gallery with a few openings into a central domed chamber. This central chamber has statues and small altars to the Twelve Gods within it. Each of them have a subtle nuance to the design and material color selections before their altar, while the center of the dome is reserved for a single circular slab of marble holding the Imperial Seal.

There are a handful of buildings nearby which are connected to the temple through function more than structure. Two of them are reserved for the Imperial Guard and other staff to live in, rotating fairly frequently to keep the watch fresh. A third building consists of storage for records and various implements needed for the altars; the records stored here are largely relevant only to the House of the Twelve and those who served it over the centuries. Within recent centuries, an underground storage vault was constructed to house the older records, and it was expanded upon recently.

Lastly, a single solitary crypt is situated on the property though there are no occupants. The Imperial Guard stationed here are very particular about who they allow inside, and the antechamber is designed to allow privacy for those within. This crypt has engraved names on it of every member of the Imperial Legion who died without leaving a body to recover. While there are many rumors about what "really" is inside, any of the relatives are free to enter and pay their respects to the memories of the dead; as often as they refute the wild fantasies, this seems to just continually breed new theories about what is kept there. One of the more notable stories says the first emperor is held there, enchanted to return to life when the Empire is in a peril most dire. Elven scholars who hear this tale often chuckle, as it is something torn directly from their own legends.

History

It's not remembered exactly who was responsible for the oldest construction, but it was home to the first iteration of the Twelve Gods from the early Imperial culture. Official documentation insists the leader of the masons was Master Kelusar, though other records quickly show this to be the one who was behind the renovation design and efforts. The House of the Twelve enjoyed many positive mentions across older correspondences, though detractors were both not few and varied wildly on their objections. The most common one was the decision to make all twelve equal instead of focusing on one deity to elevate them above others. This objection is only slightly more common than one which is instead suggesting there be one deity chosen by the emperor to be the official state religion. Naturally, this is joined with petitions for such a thing and a version has existed for any of the twelve (and some others outside the Rhyliss pantheon) to take this position.

As part of several public works projects, Master Kelusar submitted a design for the House of the Twelve to bring out a more glorious appearance. When this design was accepted over others, he quickly set about mollifying any resistance by suggesting the competitors for other works which would be more lucrative. While the construction was finished, Master Kelusar unfortunately passed away before it was finished. Rumors at the time said he was buried under the temple, but most scholars today believe he was buried in a small private ceremony held by his children and other relatives.

Table of Contents

1. Purpose/Function
2. Alterations
3. Architecture
4. History

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Alternative Names

The Imperial Temple
Kelusar's Dome

Type

Temple / Church

Parent Location

Eva Valoria

Owning Organization

Rhyliss Imperium