The Temple of Mount Baesil

An all-faith and interfaith religious stronghold built at the top of the mountain from which its name derives, the temple of Mount Baesil is as much fortification as it is a place of worship, and is said to be the place where the gods last stood on Malzen before ascending into the heavens. A place of study, communion, discourse, and mystery, Mount Baesil is home to some of the most learned scholars, historians, and theologians in all of Odellia.

Purpose / Function

Besides serving as a retreat to the various orthodoxies of Odellia, the temple of Mount Baesil plays host to the Allmont, an annual meeting of representatives - bishops, clerics, priests, and various agents - of the all the myriad churches, cults, orthodoxies, and religions present on the continent of Malzen. The Allmont is seen by some as an essential measure to prevent war from breaking out between the different churches, and by others as nothing more than a theocracy wide excuse to drink for a week.
While some organizations send only their most prestigious proteges and talented prodigies to the Allmont, others send their most venerated scholars and most learned priests. Some send note takers, some send peacekeepers, some send agents skilled at espionage.

Alterations

Nearly every religious faction has some presence in Mount Baesil, but it was not always this way; initially, it existed as a holy place that venerated only the Old Gods, and consisted of nothing but a collection of standing stones on the top of a mountain. Over the years, devotees to the various gods made pilgrimage to Mount Baesil, each having been given a vision of a single change to make to the landscape. Over the course of an age, Mount Baesil became what it is today.
As the population of Mount Baesil began to rise, so too did the need for accessible foodstuffs. Fruit trees were planted, and have long since grown along the inside of the fortified walls, providing base sustenance to all denizens of Mount Baesil. Acolytes and affiliates of the various temples bring foodstuffs and other supplies with them when they visit, the variety of which has allowed a barter economy to flourish.

Architecture

Mount Baesil is accessed by a long and winding stone stairway that wraps its way up the side of the mountain, all the way to the solitary entrance near the peak. There, a great set of wrought iron doors set in stone walls carved from the mountain itself allow access to the outer courtyard.
The courtyard contains dozens of singular temples, each devoted to the worship of a different deity, as well as a number of housing structures, a marketplace, and several unique places devoted to introspection, reflection, prayer, and study. At present, the inner courtyard resembles an established settlement on its way to becoming a veritable city.
At the heart of the courtyard is the ring gate, a secondary courtyard that contains only a gleaming reflection pool and access to the inner chambers of the mountain. Long since excavated, the heart of the mountain has become home to a series of antechambers, vaults, and tombs, each with their own purpose - some divine, others mundane.
In one such chamber, a pool of mysterious glowing water roils and bubbles, supposedly heated by the Anvil of Creation itself. Whatever its true origin, the pool is known for its miraculous healing properties. In another, the preserved remains of a legion of paladins waits, armed and armored, for their day of glory. Acolytes whisper rumors of chambers that serve as prisons for immortal evils, of vaults filled with sacred weaponry and holy magics kept in reserve in the event of dire prophecies coming to pass...

Alternative Names

The First Church, Temple Rock, Godtown

Type

Cathedral / Great temple