Sanctuary Precipice

"Though hated by the Axioms, Sanctuary Precipice remains the Kingdom's last bastion of truly free religious expression."

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Sanctuary Precipice is one of Port Lydia's many loosely-defined districts, named for the several large cathedrals built upon its land. In stark contrast to much in the Occidental Kingdom of Chaelwyth, it possesses temples beyond Enaldir.

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Purpose / Function

Sanctuary Precipice was originally built by Phaedronite and Cidenic worshippers upon the city's founding as a way to properly pay respect to the deities whose whim could save or destroy Port Lydia. Over time, more deities have had major temples built there - the neighborhood currently has five cathedrals of differing gods on its lands.

• Phaedron's temple is the oldest and largest, as he is the Lord of the Elemental Chaos. Thus, those with any sense consider his dominion to extend over the Uthilith Great Sea; he is a favored deity of sailors and harbormasters alike. The current Priestess of the Depths is Amathea Achaeus, wife of Awful Deep leader Ianassa Achaeus.
• Ciden's temple is an imposing structure only a few years younger than that of Phaedron's, as the shift of season is paramount to a sailor's success. He and all four of his children have places of worship within the walls; as Cidenic devotees hate being constrained, there are no established clergy that remain at the temple. Rather, followers of Season flock here and assist in upkeep of the temple grounds.
• Zisnera's cathedral was built in tandem with the Church of Astrology in Moadtown. Seafarers are heavily reliant on the turn of the Astral Sea to navigate, and Zisnera often guides their way. The head clergyman here is Hyperion Koios.
• Faith of both Lation and Briris were not initially as common in Port Lydia as they are nowadays. Rather, their respective temples were constructed in the mid-1200's to anger the King's Glaive and further support the faithful endeavors of other non-Enaldirian sects in the reigion. Minerva Eos heads the Lationic temple; Aïsa Orbus heads the Bririsian temple.

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Beyond the cathedrals, all of the residential housing and shops are present for the convienience of temple clergy.

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Architecture

As with much of Port Lydia, Sanctuary Precipice contains extremely eclectic architecture to reflect the diverse and free nature of the populace.
The Phaedronite temple is the second-largest complex in Port Lydia, behind only the Moadal Institute of the Performing Arts. It is surrounded by a conjured stream of the purest freshwater where koi fish swim and Lydian Lotuses gently float, enclosing a quincunx of brass towers. Each of the four surrounding towers is dedicated to a part of the Elemental Chaos; the center is believed to be a hallowed synthesis of them all (thus representing Uthilith). Those who seek an audience with the Priestess of the Depths can find her in menara donya (tower of the world). The majority of day-to-day worship here is performed in menara segara (tower of the sea). Lesser clergy and occasional visitors call menara langit (tower of the sky), menara geni (tower of the flame), and menara bumi (tower of the earth) their home as well.
Ciden's temple is a classically-Nirkhumish structure, built of carefully-carved stone. Mountain Dwarf columns support a massive roof where thousands of sigils are inscribed to create a mesmerizing floral pattern; the interior is a chamber so large it responds to the question of "what if outside was inside?". The interior is a magically-cultivated courtyard with a massive fountain in the center of treated seawater.
The Zisneran temple is a miniaturized replica of Misty Run's Spire of the Heavens, an onion-domed structure whose point attempts to scrape the heavens. The exterior is built of treated wood from the Boundary Forests.
Lation's temple is a mid-sized stone ziggurat, as all Lationic temples take direct reference to the Spirit Temple by divine creed. The interior, however, has been made quite homely and comfortable in recent years by its current Weaver.
The Bririsian temple is less of a church and more of a manor, modelled after the Body Temple. Though many of Briris' structures in recent years have been built in an avant-garde fashion (such as the Crystal Ball in Schönberg's Kether District), this one is fairly standard and comfortable.

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Tourism

Sanctuary Precipice is a great draw for religious tourism amongst Uthilithians, especially amongst sailors who find themselves worshipping deities without established institutional structures elsewhere.

Type

Temple / Religious complex

Parent Location

Port Lydia