Blackspire Citadel
Blackspire Citadel is fabled base of equally fabled Abyssal Knights, hidden approximately seven kilometres below the surface of the world, on 5th. Layer of Labirynth, its black walls rising above waters of Darkwater Sea. It is an eldritch place, visited by mortals only once every ten years, during Assembly.
Besides that holy moment, noone dares to step into this place, as noone who tried returned to tell the tale. Numerous myths about this place were born, with the only one who might knew truth being Abyssal Knights - an elusive order of knights-errant dedicated to destruction of all of the Pentagram, daemons, damned, mortal worshippers and aberrants alike, rising from the dreaded Abyss beneath the Labirynth. Many kilometres beneath the already mysterious Blackwater Sea, coated in terrifying tales and myths.
But they never spoke about this. And never visit this place outside of the Assembly. During which their trainees attempt some sort of arduous exam, with only death and madness waiting for those, who fail. Tests, however, came later.
Firstly, few outsiders are allowed inside. Most of them are imperial officials of Imperial Ministry of Religious Affairs, who are tasked with gathering reports of Knights activity during the passing decade. The rest are mostly emmisaries from Imperial Library and Imperial Magic Guild, who are there to take various items and grizly trophies the Knights collected during their war against Abyss, and to interrogate the knights to discover what can be learned about Pentagram and their actions.
After that happens, the priests of all faiths from which Knights descent are allowed inside and lead into hall known as Hall of Purification. It is described as giant hall, coated with darkness with only sources of light placed around a stone altar in the middle. There, priests - one by one - do their rituals. Be it inrithian mass, hezrian salat, or hundred of various rituals of polytheistic faiths, with all - several thousands - members and trainees of the Abyssal Knights present. It is supposed to serve as a mean of both puryfing those presents from all remnants of Pentagram Corruption, and honoring those who found their deaths during past ten years.
It lasts for three whole days, after which the priests (and everyone else besides the members of the Order) leaves. The rest is unknown, but it is presumed that some hidden rituals happen, and exams are done. Then, even they depart, not returning until another Assembly is done.
Architecture
Very few people came to the Blackspire Citadel and returned feeling talkative about whole ordeal. Those that did speak of fortress carved from massive stalagnate on 5th. Layer of Labirynth, always shrouded in darkness and with very few lightsources - only full knights of Order of Abyssal Knights are allowed to carry torches, with the only stationary light sources known to the outside been those besides altar in Hall of Purification.
No outsiders are allowed to enter the Citadel without a torch-bearing knight accompanying them. They are also not allowed to leave their company, with those that attempt that said to disappear without a trace. Thus, trying to find something more about this place is... hard, to say the least, especially with knights not being exactly friendly to those outside. Most of those who visit it speak mostly of blackness, ancient reliefs covering the walls that are hidden beneath curtains (with knights trying to prevent those from the outside from taking a peak beneath it) and of many rooms filled with ancient looking crates. Gods only know what is inside.
History
The exact origin of the Blackspire Citadel is unknown. Noone knows who built it. It seems to predate the knowledge of local civilization, always being considered a place of terror and dread that noone dared to enter. Some say it was created by Gods themselves, others credit it to Shadow itself, others say it was a place of some long-forgotten terror that came and left in times before civilization of today learned how to write.
It just was. And then the Abyssal Knights moved in, claiming this place for themselves.
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