Historical Architecture - Par 4

The Temple of Pain

Ner, the goddess of pain and suffering, has always been an active force within the world since the day she was created by Garsog and Geisfarl. Before the Age of The Faithless began, however, she was particularly active, even to the point of travelling to Ronar to aggrivate the dragon wars to cause more strife between the races, and even the dragons themselves.

On one of the southeast banks of Maxitone stands a large temple structure, now long destroyed by time, and by repeated attempted ressurections and seiges. When it was new, it was the size of a small city, with a wall of obsidian around the perimiter, and a central structure of the same black stone. The stone holds no true signifigance, but Ner likes black, for the only reason that it makes most mortals feel more uncomfotable - as is the case for most things Ner likes at all.

For centuries following, the structure was one of Ner's only places of worship, and doubtlessly the most impressive. The central structure was dedicated to three purposes, worship of Ner in the central altar, and the holding and torture of prisoners. Out of deference to their god, Ner's clerics ate, slept and performed all other duties away from the main structure. In the event that triggered the age of the faithless - where great heroes struck down an avatar of Ner's for the torture and destruction it and she were causing - the avatar's bones were fused to the central altar as it's energy exploded from it's body when it was struck down.

It was, for a long time, a place of mixed powers. Heroes and Villians alike would search out the temple to try and gain power from Ner's avatar's remains, as did the heroes who first struck it down. Some of them ascended into godhood from it's presence, it is said. And so, those seeking godhood, or to worship Ner, or those who fought against them, travelled to the temple again and again, each year bringing about more damage to the temple until it collapsed and was eventually left to rest. Some still say there is power hidden within the bones of the temple structure.