Monastery of Zor

"We keep meaning to tear it down, but- every time we start considering it, something happens. A flood, a fire, a lightning strike on Greywatch itself. I wonder sometimes if some dark presence lingers there… do be careful, adventurers." - Kunesh Hosek 

The Monastery of Zor was a structure near Brooder's Crossing that became ruined by the time of the Fifth Era. Though once inhabited by a cult, the building was known primarily as the structure that housed the deposed lord Mallan Wolfram while he was exiled from Brooder's Crossing.

Alterations

Because funding for the monastery decreased over the period of Kantaran use, there were never any significant alterations done to the monastery by the monks themselves.
During the Twenty-Year War, a group of Makovai dwarves used the monastery as a temporary base. As such, they heavily fortified the area, constructing trenches and a wall surrounding the entire area. They also cut more holes in the walls from which they could shoot. Later in the war, an explosion caused the roof of the church to collapse.
Following the war, most of the outer fortifications were absorbed into the surrounding woods.

Architecture

The monastery was divided into two main parts: the church, and the cloister. The church was a long rectangular hall where monks would routinely gather to worship, and the cloister was a separate rectangular building in which the monks lived and worked. While the church was built of kerar stone, cut all the way across the ocean in the Kantaran homeland and hauled to the building site, the church and other minor buildings were made from local wood. These other buildings included a kitchen, a small brewery, and visitors' quarters.
At the time of its building, the monastery was decorated with paintings, statuettes, and ornaments of gold, silver, and bronze. Anything that was not taken back by the Kantarans following the Imperial War was quickly plundered by looters, with no more treasure to be found after a few months following the building's abandonment.

History

The monastery dated back to the Third Era, during the Kantaran occupation of Beurum. Zor was a deity introduced by the Kantarans, though not a popular one. By the Fifth Era, all that was known about him to the Trebai was that he was a god of rain, who periodically refreshed the land with sheets of water. This monastery was probably the only major structure ever built in honor of the god in Atla Vera, as Zor was an ancient Kantaran deity who had long since fallen from mainstream worship. The nearby settlement of Green Marsh, occupied largely by Kantaran immigrants, supplied the monastery with food and supplies during the Kantarans' time there. In return, the monastery produced coldwater, a magical substance exported across the region from Green Marsh.
After the Kantarans were driven out of Beurum, the Monastery along with Green Marsh was eventually abandoned. During the Fourth Era, it was used several times as a hideout for various groups of bandits. During the the Twenty-Year War, the site was used as the head of a Makovai military camp. During the reconquest of the Western Commons during the war, the monastery was damaged in battle, causing the roof of the church to collapse in on itself.
Despite the destruction, the monastery continued to be used as a hideout into the Fifth Era. Before 8077, the site was occupied by Mallan Wolfram along his lover Blue Eagle and a number of Makovai soldiers. He chose this site to live in due to its proximity to Brooder's Crossing, where he sought to be reinstated as Lord of Frewerner.
Following Wolfram's return to Brooder's Crossing, the site once again became home to a number of bandit groups. Kunesh Hosek remarked that every time the local government considered tearing it down, there was a violent storm or some other disturbing event. He took this as a sign that Zor still had power in the area, and warned Wolfram and future local governors not to disturb the building.

RUINED STRUCTURE
c. 6822

Alternative Names

The Monastery; The Abandoned Monastery

Type

Monastery

Parent Location

Western Commons