Tiran Temple, Blackstraum

The Tiran Temple in Blackstraum (also known as the Blackstraum Temple) is comparatively large for the size of the city it serves. Contributing to its unusual size are its roles not only as the city's center of worship for the goddess Tira, but also as the regional hospital for Sirdzem's northern provinces and the northernmost Sirdzemi outpost and official training ground for Tiran clerics and paladins.

History

Founding

The temple predates the First Harvest Plague and the fall of the mage-tyrants, though not in its current form. As with many Tiran temples, especially of its approximate date of founding (circa 200 T.E.), its initial form was likely as simple as a stone shrine around a natural water source.

The Harvest Plagues

During The Harvest Plagues the shrine was expanded into a fortified structure to protect the settlement's water-source from revenants, as well as provide shelter for the blessed healers and knights who worked to minister to and defend the then-town of Blackstraum. Its location in the (comparatively) far north meant that it was significantly less effected by the plague than many other temples and therefore an ideal location for training and housing young Tiran dedicates.

Crown-sponsored Temple Construction

In the time directly after the fall of the mage-tyrants (circa 500 T.E.) a public works program by the Sirdzemi rulers supported a campaign of construction throughout regions which had previously relied on shrines and local temples. As was, and remains, the fashion for Tiran temples, the Blackstraum Temple was constructed with the traditional circular design see Architecture for more detail, and the Crown made it a center for training noble scions as paladins, as well as for the education of any gods-touched from the surrounding provinces, continuing the Blackstraum Temple's legacy as a center of learning. The temple was augmented and renovated by several similar acts in subsequent reigns, adding additional space and amenities as its population and distinction grew.

Hospital

The addition of the hospital came significantly later than the construction of the main temple, in the mid 700s T.E., to accommodate patients and refugees from the Last Harvest Plague and Name's War.

Architecture

Like most Tiran temples, the Blackstraum Temple is constructed in the traditional circular design: the outer circle consisting of two thick walls with rooms set inside them and a gallery to the interior, with gardens and fountains in the center; and the inner circle, the sanctum, where rituals exclusively for members of the church (primarily inductions) are held. The city pyre, while bearing close spiritual associations with the temple, is, as with most cities, some distance from the actual population center. The path between the temple and the pyre is always kept clear and is lined with stone markers which are decorated as part of funerary rights.

Notable Associates

Sir Escalus De'Varo
Sir Bianca
Sir Kimton
Alvin Laflen

Type

Temple / Religious complex