Tomb of Manuel II

It is at the roof of the world that you will find our most sacred shrine, where His mortal remains rest. Standing alone, rising into the heavens above all else, even the stones of His tomb speak to the truth of His ascension.

— Athanasius, itinerant Keeper of Ascension 

Built to house both the physical remains of Manuel II Aristenos and the bloodstone Aulenor , which had been spirited away from Lapara during the persecution of Manuelism under the reign of Nikolaos Zenōn, the Tomb of Manuel II is situated in the remote foothills of the Mountains of Metsovo and sits atop a natural pillar of stone, defending it from traditional attack. It remained the center of the Cult of the Divine Manuel until its attack and ruin in 652AFE.

Purpose / Function

Construction of the tomb on its remote mount began in 163AFE to create a safe haven for the holiest relics of the Cult of the Divine Manuel, which were all housed in the ossuary carved deep into the tomb's interior. The location of the tomb, provided a natural defensive citadel for the followers of the religious cult as well, and a monastery was constructed on top of the tomb's mountain and the custodian order of the Keepers of Ascension has lived in the mountaintop citadel since 184AFE.

Entries

The tomb complex is difficult to access by design. A narrow and precipitous staircase is carved into the side of the cliff face itself, and pilgrims seeking admittance to the complex must ascend these stairs, as Manuel ascended from the mortal world, and enter through the complex's south gate. As carrying supplies up these narrow stairs is not practical, an engineered lift links the northern belltower with the world below, although access is only granted to a select few.

Denizens

The hilltop complex once housed the custodian order of the Keepers of Ascension, tasked with maintenance of the shrines, caring for faithful pilgrims and offering sacrifice to the Wills in thanks for leading Manuel II Aristenos into godhood, setting the way for all mortals.

With the sacking of the complex in the year 652AFE, its custodians were slain or forced to flee. After The Minters’ theft of Aulenor from the central reliquary, a host of shadow creatures, championed by a young dragon born in the Shadowlands, took possession of the citadel.

It was the actions of The Four that cleared the complex of its otherworldly inhabitants and rendered the sanctuary, for the first time in its nearly 500-year history, uninhabited.

Architecture

The foundations of the structures in the upper levels are built of stone quarried out of the mountain during the creation of the subterranean tomb complex, but the walls are finished with limestone sourced from nearby quarries. Local cypress wood provided the wood used as support beams and flooring tiles, and the ceilings are constructed of baked-earth tiles over a cypress framework.  Exterior walkways are covered in a layer of white sand.

History

Construction of the tomb complex began in 163AFE, and the bodily remains were placed in the unfinished structure four years later. With the completion of the housing quarters in 184AFE, the keepers moved in, completing the structure in 195AFE. The bloodstone Aulenor was housed in the tomb the following year. Following its completion, the citadel stood in quiet silence apart from the tumultuous concerns of the age.

In 652AFE, however, the silence was broken when a group of bandits affiliated with The Minters stormed the cliffside stairs and took control of the monastery, throwing its inhabitants over the cliffs. Breaking into the lower reaches of the tomb, they removed Aulenor from its reliquary and carried it away. The rhodionite crystal situated deep in the structure erupted into an uncontrolled ways portal, linking the material world with the Shadowlands. The entire complex was overrun by creatures emerging from the dark portal, and the majority of those Minters who stayed behind were slaughtered, leaving only a few survivors in the guesthouses of the surface levels.

The Four, returning Aulenor to its rightful place in the tomb, were granted the favor of the Divine Manuel in exchange for destroying the creatures that inhabited the tomb and closing the portal. After these events, the physical remains of the basileus disintegrated into a pile of dust and the bloodstone ceased its activity.

RUINED STRUCTURE
652

Type

Monastery

Parent Location

Achenae

The Manuelist Heresy

The Tomb of Manuel II is a central holy site of the Cult of the Divine Manuel, formally declared a heresy by the Triumthelite church for its open worship of the deceased basileus, whom they claim ascended to godhood upon leaving his mortal body behind.

The Divine Manuel

The sickly Manuel II Aristenos was devoted to the worship of the gods in his early life, but was overcome by his illness by the time he ascended to the throne. He accomplished little before dying, and most historians consider his year-long reign to be a prelude to his regent, Dimitrios the Great's, reign.