Illame Aleria

Good For the Spirit, Good For the God

Located in the Nang Kap'ahu Delta region of Talaina'Vao in Tolara, Illame Aleria is a spiritual retreat ran by the Dalaides- a mixed Dryad and Timber Elf religious order dedicated to the Petty Divinity Aleria; it features a series of "Reef Hotels", Mineral Springs, and other amenities that draw hundreds of visitors to the Delta each year.

History

Join us at Illame Aleria

— Reconnect with Nature and experience the True Divine —

After the events of the second Divine Blight decimated the region in 5829, substantial ecological rehabilitation was needed to restore the area. To fund the project, the Dalaides established the community based spiritual retread just past Ginlin's Point.

Originally the order targeted the Noble Elite- advertising it as a luxury experience for the wealthy few. Unfortunately the plan proved to be unsustainable, and the retreat was rebranded to cater towards Expeditioners and wary travelers; marketed as "an immersive cultural and religious environment, dedicated to inspiring and guiding those who seek a different sort of divine experience".
Since its establishment, Illame Aleria has become popular with Explorers in particular- becoming a ceremonial end to Expeditions in the Talaina'Vao region; Expeditioners often visit for up to a week, seeking a little rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation after months in the pure wilderness, before finally beginning their long trek home to northern Tolara.
In recent years this popularity has expanded to couples seeking a romantic getaway- especially since the retreat's Divine patroness is also a Goddess of Lovers.

Wooden Dock by Kenrick Mills

Type
Spiritual / Religious Retreat
Price
1 GM per night
Founders
The Dalaidean Sisters
Current Director
Ynda Volosa

Attractions & Events

Amenities at Illame Aleria can accommodate up to 50 people at any given time- though capacity typically remains far below that even during the retreat's "busy season". While occupied, however, Pilgrims (as the Dalaides prefer to call their guests) have a range of activities available to them.

Reef Hotel

Magically hollowed out of a combination of Reef Rock and Mangrove Root Clusters, typical accommodations at Illame Aleria include a single room for 1 GM per night of stay.
Rooms, being naturally carved, retain the colors and characteristics of the materials they're hollowed from, and polished to a smooth state; one side of each room, however, is made from thick, magically reinforced glass- providing visitors with a beautiful view beneath the waters of Nang Kap'ahu at Ginlin's Point.
Standard, each comes well furnished with a large feather down bed, a magically heated bath, and a personal meditation area and altar; meals are taken as a community, at another location intended for that purpose.

Mineral Pools

In addition to the "Reef Hotel" rooms, several pool-like structures have likewise been carved into the surrounding landscape in order to capitalize on the richness of minerals that comes from the Nang Kap'ahu Delta being a significant border region between salt and fresh water.
Like the water in the private rooms, some of the pools are magically heated. Others, however, are naturally cooled. This allows Pilgrims to immerse themselves in a unique form of water therapy encouraged by the Dalaides- who believe regular movement from cool to hot water and back again stimulates the spiritual centers of the body.
To aid in this therapy, additional soaps, oils, salts, and other additives- all variously scented- are easily accessible from the pools; their use is highly encouraged in order to stimulate particular emotions or other states conducive to spiritual conduct and grace.

Hiking

Believing that a connection to nature is essential to maintain a proper sense of Spiritualism, Pilgrims are encouraged to explore the area around the retreat through a series of guided and unguided hikes. As a result, there are several trails available which have been carefully carved out of the wilderness around the site, and clearly marked for visitors.
The difficulty of these trails ranges from a casual "stroll around the garden", to the equivalent of climbing a mountain. Regardless of difficulty, however, the vast majority of them have small sitting areas at regular intervals, where hikers may sit in solitude and commune with the nature around them.

Group Rituals

Being a spiritual retreat, the Dalaides provide a number of group rituals that Pilgrims are invited to participate in- though in technicality the word "ritual" is a misnomer. In reality they're small activities ranging from one on one guided meditations, couple's therapy sessions, and even healing sessions, energetic massage, and more, all led by a trained Priestess with the Dalaides, and heavily tinged with spiritual elements and overtones.
That's not to say there are no proper religious rituals at the retreat, however; each night offertory rituals are performed to the retreat's Patroness Aleria, in which all Pilgrims staying at the retreat are required to participate as part of their stay.

A Dark Secret

While Illame Aleria was indeed created in order to help rehabilitate the Ginlin's Point region of the Nang Kap'ahu Delta after the second Divine Blight, it's not the Pilgrim's money that aids them in doing so. In reality, it's the nightly rituals performed to the Goddess Aleria, whose order founded the retreat.
The purpose of the communion with nature, is to establish a tangible spiritual link between Pilgrims and the region- making it easier for the Dalaidean Sisters to siphon their life force during the ritual, and channel it into the earth in order to further its healing; visiting Pilgrims remain blissfully unaware of this fact, but still leave the retreat feeling relaxed and uplifted despite it.