Credit goes to Finn for the original, Chronicle for the revision
The Western Temple sits, obviously, westward of the massive Temple at the center, and serves as holy ground for the departed of Idalos. It is a structure built from dark stones giving off a somber feel. Its dedication is to Vri, the Immortal who looks after the dead, and might have been an inspiration for the down to earth design. Yet, the peculiarity of this temple sits within the fact that it has been built up on an artificially raised plot of land. Anyone who arrives needs to first ascend a set of stairs in between small terraces planted with red flowers and grass that contrasts starkly against the stones. At set intervals, there are also smaller statues of no defined gender or specific features. Those are placed in the middle and edge of each terrace. Some say those are the guardians of the temple and the souls who come to depart within its perimeter.
Past the ‘gate’ (two pillars, one on each side of the stairs) at the top of the stairs, one is presented with open space area where the architecture is even more unique. The building stones have been carved and stacked atop of one another so that often they give away the illusion of swaying against a cloudy sky. Yes, the shapes might be gently curved. The courtyard itself is spacious but almost void of buildings. In total, there are only two buildings which are connected by a closed off corridor - Cleansing Hall and Parting Hall.
Since the Western Temple is mainly used as a site for funerals, it is not missing its own graveyard which stretches along the furthest side of the courtyard, behind the halls and like arms to embrace it runs in a semi circle to the left and right. However, most importantly, the temple implements its own funerary rites. At the center between these two halls one will find the Shrine of Hope, where the faithful can pray to Xiur for the departed among other things.
Cleansing Hall
Cleansing Hall is strictly off limits at all times to those who do not work at the temple. It is a small dark building where the body of the dead is cleansed. There is only one simple table on which a body would be laid. Furrows along the bottom of the table direct the water to either of the four drains, each in one corner. Along the two longer walls, there is a long table which has no legs and seems to be directly part of the construction. On top of it, various tools are laid that are used by the Preparators.
Parting Hall
Parting Hall is used for funeral proceedings. It is much larger than Cleansing Hall, capable of housing up to hundred seated citizens. The body is lead on an altar at the centre of the hall. The benches then surround it in a perfect square that fans out towards the walls. Once again, the benches appear to be a direct part of the building and cannot be moved. It is not the most comfortable of halls, especially for the consistent breeze coming through. Reason being that the hall has thin slits in the walls through which cold air can come it. It works as a ventilation through any time of the year so that the odour from the dead is not too oppressing. However, due to those slits, the halls is lacking any windows and needs to be constantly lit with candles.
The Passage of the Just
The Passage of the Just is more a cavern underneath the premises of the temple, than an actual building. There is this notion of journeying, however, tied to the place. First and foremost within this cavern; Famula as well as Pier & Pre are worshipped. As dark and unwelcoming as the idea of cavern might be, this one is perhaps the most astonishing of them all, and certainly not claustrophobic. Whilst not large, the cavern has a high ceiling, it’s walls are more grainy than rough, hinting on manual labour that has come into carving it out. Instead of the black decor of the Halls above, the cavern carries a calming shade of gray. What rids the place of its confined presumptions is the Lucien Feather that grows along the floor, concentrated around the edges and certainly at the back of the cavern.
Anyone is able to recognise that the cavern is dedicated to Pier & Pre because from within the concentration of the Lucien Feather at the further side of the cavern, there are two perfect circles interlocking amidst their growth. Those are the same black as the rest of the temple and stand out stark in the light of the flower, even more so that in the middle of each circle stands a singular candle.
As for the notion of Passage, one has to walk through the graveyard first to arrive at the Gate of Descension. The Gate is located in no particularly important spot but it marks the entrance to the tunnel that leads towards the cavern. The tunnel itself isn’t long. However, for those coming for the first time, it might feel rather uncomfortable. It is because, once you enter, you are enveloped by near darkness and have to lay your fingers on the carved wall to guide yourself forth. It most certainly is a psychological trick, because in darkness we are faced with nothing else but ourselves and our minds. As one progresses through that passage, a soft glow will then start to caress the floor and walls until the first blooms of Lucien Feather appear. The emergence from the tunnel is almost ecstatic to some as the might feel a particularly strong sense of deliverance.
Pier & Pre are frequented just as the Immortal of Oaths is. However, these twin Immortals are favored by those who got on the wrong side of the law, as well as those with vengeance troubling their heart. Some even believe that those with not entirely lawful past and yet to be caught by the law come here to mock the Immortals. Some even say that somewhere within the Passage, or the cavern itself, there is a secret entry from the underground tunnels, used by the low life who disrespect Pier and Pre.
