The tears of Uldr
The temple to Uldr is at the centre of Sahova's religious convent. Whereas not every nuit chooses to immerse themselves in devout worship of this enigmatic god, many come for the beauty and tranquillity of the location on normal days. Those of a darker nature may also attend ceremonies involving the sacrifice of the living for entertainment value. However the temple stands primarily to facilitate those who wish Uldr's favour for one reason or another, those who devote their lives to servitude. The temple is located in the central part of the island, in the caverns of level 11.
The temple consists of two parts. A small vestibule beyond a set of imposing wooden doors which. During ceremonies, is usually covered by a set of heavy scarlet curtains on the inside of the temple, interior walls of which are cleanly carved, tamed rock left bare to all but racks of candles suspended on metal hooks thrust into the stone. This orange tinted light gives the interior a somewhat warm glow which is upheld in unison all over the temple, though the vestibule is perhaps the best lit part. Directly on the left however there's an altar, carved straight into the stone. A pair of imposing, giant eyes which once might have been painted, still bearing hints of colour. Tear shapes decorate them. Directly beneath is a wooden table, usually clothed by red upon which two additional candles burn brightly during ceremonies. However, no one lingers in this part of the temple when the case is such. It serves as a warning system should anyone who doesn't wish to partake happen to enter, rather than an actual ceremonial part. This leads directly to an opening beyond which the main part of the temple looms in all it's magnificence. A round cavern, not so terribly wide, but sprawling in both directions vertically. Lining the perimeter of the round cavern is a solid platform of rock, embedded into the walls upon which people may walk to immerse themselves in the beauty of the temple.
Directly below the platform lays a lake of little more than 20 feet in radius. It is perhaps the colour of the water that's most significant and astonishing, for beyond a shroud of folklore, there is water of the most magical red hue. Water the colour of blood. Indeed there's a simple explanation for this phenomenon, as the lake bed is lined with deposits of precious red mineral - yet despite this, a mystical aura lingers in the gently rippled surface. Something so terribly haunting within the aesthetic of the hue. To some it is simply beautiful, others are put at terrible unease at this sight. The lake hangs several feet below the platform, so that one could not simply bend down and touch the liquid surface, but merely gaze at it with awe.
The walls of the inner cave become more raw, with upwards ascending. Jagged rock begins to appear from beyond the smoothness, until the arched ceiling above head, is nothing less than the wild, untamed physical depiction of nature. A sight both magnificent an ominous, for from the ceiling, as if they were masses of gleaming teeth, hang a variety of stalactites. Some wide and thick, some long and thin. Silently they linger in inverted perspective, white and weeping. Each peak cries crystal clear water, periodically dropping tiny drops that disturb the surface of the lake below. Eternal dripping which is perhaps the only eerie movement in the inner temple. A hallow silence that engulfs it, an atmosphere of deathly stillness. Time it self is languishing here, as if beyond closed gates, this location was completely separate from the rest of the world. An architectural depiction of Uldr, both tamed and wild, both beautiful and so terribly frightening.
Another opening is visible on the far side of the cave, so that one must walk a complete semi circle to reach the dimmest and perhaps most ominous room in the temple. The ceremonial chamber. It is a room that serves dual purpose, one of mass and one of a darker nature. A large room, poorly lit however and also by candle light. There's a magnificently carved stone table of perfect rectangular shape. During mass and teaching, this one is also shrouded by scarlet, richly died cloth, bearing the same set of two thick candles. During the sacrificial rituals however it is laid bare, therefore the horizontal surface bear it's fair share of deep marks created by sharp objects over the ages. From it, rows of wooden benches sprout in all directions, packed closely together. It is a place of mass gathering, unlike the solitary nature of the previous two rooms. A perfect place to facilitate the conversion and worship of many to the god who grants them the existence of unlife.
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