Temple to Fennar in Orladica, Dragonborn Empire

Fennar is the god of beginnings and endings. The temple hosts various ceremonies, most notably weddings, funerals and namings. Parts of the building are used to petition Fennar for blessing on the beginning or ending of any given venture.

Architecture

The core of the building is a great hall, with a cathedral style to it. This great hall is around fifty feet high. The arch of it's expansive roof is supported by flying buttresses outside. Smaller halls, about half the height, come off the main hall. These house working and storage areas for the priests as they prepare for their duties.
In the hall itself their are some benches for seating to the sides.
The Rear Wall The structure of the hall is stone, but the rear wall is wood panelled. The small spacing between the panels and the wall, and the way in which they are mounted allows for a certain reverberation when struck (see the funeral ritual below).
The Great Line The interior of the main hall is dominated by a straight white line running down the middle of the black tiled floor. The tiles of the white line are very slightly raised from the white tiles. The white line begins at the threshold of the main entry and runs up to the far wall, with a single row of black tiles at either end (the tiles are about a foot wide and square).
The tiles of the floor are unusual in Dragonborn design - anywhere else a repeating patterns would be used.

Ceremonies

The temple is the location for particular ceremonies, usually for residents of Orladica, though sometimes very important on-residents will come here for these ceremonies.

Marriages

Much of the preparations for a marriage is conducted in the family homes of the bride and groom, but the final acclamation of a wedding happens at the threshold of the local temple to Fennra. To accommodate the guests for such ceremonies, the frontage at the Orladica temple extends much more than for other buildings, and there is a large landing either side of the stairs to the front doors. Neither the guests, nor the newlyweds will enter the temple on the day of the wedding. Any additional petitions for blessing need to be conducted the day before.

Namings

The naming ceremony for a newly hatched Dragonborn is similarly held at the threshold to the temple, though usually with fewer guests in attendance. The guests, parents and child may enter the temple to conduct rituals seeking blessing on the child whose life is just beginning.

Funerals

A deceased Dragonborn Citizen is placed in a wooden coffin and carried (usually by people significant to the deceased) into the temple. Mourners await, standing to either side of the great line that runs down the center of the temple. The coffin is carried the length of the temple hall right to the end of the line. As the bearers take their final step, the coffin knocks against the wall, causing a resounding wooden thunk. They lower the coffin and pause for a time. After the pause, the coffin is lifted and carried to one side. It will rest overnight in the temple, before being carried out and transported to a tomb for interment. The duration of the different elements of the ritual depends on the number of funerals being carried out. In the event of a war or catastrophe, a series of coffins may be carried with only a momentary pause for each. If the funeral is the only one to be carried out, or the deceased was of particular importance, there may be hours of memorial speeches.

Alternative Names

The House of the Line

Type

Temple / Religious complex

Parent Location

Orladica (retcon from Lindica)