Palace Triumphant
During the Dawn War, the gods met on the island of Agartha to discuss matters of strategy and politics. The mountaintop where they held council is now considered sacred ground to the Twelve, and when the social upheavals of the war and the Draconic Dominions settled, the Reman Empire established the Palace Triumphant as a collective headquarters for all of the Twelve's worshipers.
The Palace is now the seat of the Synod, a council of clergy representing each of the gods. Since its inception, it has operated as an independent entity, separate from even Reme.
The Palace is now the seat of the Synod, a council of clergy representing each of the gods. Since its inception, it has operated as an independent entity, separate from even Reme.
Architecture
The Palace is built in a distinctly Post-Dawn, South Ionian style, echoing the architecture of the old empires but using less elaborate materials and techniques. The smooth curves, fluted columns, and tapered arches are reminiscent of ancient styles, yet simplified to be built by hand instead of with the extensive stone-shaping that used to be commonplace. It is built mainly from brick and mortar, but clad in white marble.
The complex is arranged in a wheel formation, with twelve sections similar to the segments of a clock. Around the wheel, each point is a priory dedicated to one of the Twelve, arranged in order of the calendar month they rule (the most egalitarian ordering anyone could think of), beginning with Avandra at the northern point. Each consists of its own temple and attached living quarters for the small community of resident clerics who live there permanently. The priories are connected to each other around the outside by enclosed hallways and galleries, and to the center by covered pathways.
At the hub of the wheel/clock is the main building of the Palace, also known as the Hall of Twelve. This great, circular building consists of three floors and several underground layers, with the Synod's meeting chamber at the very top, surmounted by a dome and spire. The ground floor houses offices, libraries, and a dining hall, among other things, with a grand chapel in the center. On the second floor, there are living quarters for the councilors and other functionaries who don't live in the other temples, as well as dormitories for pilgrims. The levels below the ground floor include a sizable cellar, and deeper still, crypts where past Councilors and other high-ranking officials have been laid to rest.
While the entire building is impressive, the most impressive and iconic by far is the Round Table, where the Synod meets. Located at the very top of the Synodicon, this room is known for the elaborate frescoes that decorate the domed ceiling. Like the Palace, the dome is divided into twelve sections, and each section features a mural of a corresponding deity; at the center is a round skylight, supported by a frame shaped like the twelve-pointed Star of Asgorath. The Councilors sit at a ring-shaped table directly below these paintings, with the gods gazing down at them as if to remind them of their purpose. In the walls behind them, stained glass windows depicting major events from the creation of Erden to the formation of the Synod provide light and color.
The complex is arranged in a wheel formation, with twelve sections similar to the segments of a clock. Around the wheel, each point is a priory dedicated to one of the Twelve, arranged in order of the calendar month they rule (the most egalitarian ordering anyone could think of), beginning with Avandra at the northern point. Each consists of its own temple and attached living quarters for the small community of resident clerics who live there permanently. The priories are connected to each other around the outside by enclosed hallways and galleries, and to the center by covered pathways.
At the hub of the wheel/clock is the main building of the Palace, also known as the Hall of Twelve. This great, circular building consists of three floors and several underground layers, with the Synod's meeting chamber at the very top, surmounted by a dome and spire. The ground floor houses offices, libraries, and a dining hall, among other things, with a grand chapel in the center. On the second floor, there are living quarters for the councilors and other functionaries who don't live in the other temples, as well as dormitories for pilgrims. The levels below the ground floor include a sizable cellar, and deeper still, crypts where past Councilors and other high-ranking officials have been laid to rest.
While the entire building is impressive, the most impressive and iconic by far is the Round Table, where the Synod meets. Located at the very top of the Synodicon, this room is known for the elaborate frescoes that decorate the domed ceiling. Like the Palace, the dome is divided into twelve sections, and each section features a mural of a corresponding deity; at the center is a round skylight, supported by a frame shaped like the twelve-pointed Star of Asgorath. The Councilors sit at a ring-shaped table directly below these paintings, with the gods gazing down at them as if to remind them of their purpose. In the walls behind them, stained glass windows depicting major events from the creation of Erden to the formation of the Synod provide light and color.
History
The Synod was formed immediately after the Dawn War, but the Palace Triumphant was not built until the time of the Reman Empire. Before then, the councilors met at a rotating selection of temples around Io, and briefly in Albion during the Draconic Dominions. Emperor Remus, in the course of uniting Io under his rule, decreed that a grand temple would be built on Agartha to celebrate the triumph of the Twelve over the Corrupted. This new Palace Triumphant became a focal point for all faithful followers of the Twelve.
Tourism
Faithful of the Twelve who have the means to do so will often make at least one pilgrimage to the Palace Triumphant in their lifetime. It's considered an essential experience. The Palace was designed with this in mind, because pilgrims had already been visiting Agartha for centuries. There are dormitories for housing travelers, and the dining hall is open to visitors as well.
One ritual for the particularly dedicated is the Grand Circuit: a tour of all twelve gods' temples in one day. The pilgrim starts at Avandra's temple at 4:00 AM, then spends two hours there in prayer and contemplation. They then repeat the process at each subsequent temple, finally reaching the Star Chapel at the following daybreak. They don't rest or eat for the entire 24 hour period, taking only water for sustenance. The fast is broken with an early meal in the public dining hall, after which the pilgrims may head to the dormitories for a well-deserved rest.
One ritual for the particularly dedicated is the Grand Circuit: a tour of all twelve gods' temples in one day. The pilgrim starts at Avandra's temple at 4:00 AM, then spends two hours there in prayer and contemplation. They then repeat the process at each subsequent temple, finally reaching the Star Chapel at the following daybreak. They don't rest or eat for the entire 24 hour period, taking only water for sustenance. The fast is broken with an early meal in the public dining hall, after which the pilgrims may head to the dormitories for a well-deserved rest.
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