The Temple and Abbey of Blakas in Piges, commonly known simply as the Temple of Blakas, is a temple-manor and abbey in eastern Piges dedicated to the Lokrenian forest god Blakas.
The largest abbey of the order, the manor's grounds cover some 1,320 acres and were once home to a population of around 70, both laymen and clergy. Blakas is the only temple-order that allows laymen to be acolytes, and the only laymen allowed to live on the manor are acolytes. This contrasts with the abbeys of other orders, which often have attached villages of tenant-serfs who are not directly associated with the order itself. In such cases, the abbey functions like the lord of a secular manor: it demands a set amount of feudal service of its tenants, without employing them directly.
The clergy consists of both clerics and druids, the latter group being responsible for maintaining the balance with the surrounding forest. These druids of the abbey are known as Keepers of the Grove.
The centre of the manor is dominated by the temple itself, a hugely tall, wide, and open structure of the old Pallatian order of architecture. The temple has no external walls and few partitions within its interior. Like the forest, the temple is open to the natural world, and it is not uncommon to see visiting animals strolling between the soaring columns. The priests welcome them as the messengers of Blakas, and see it as their duty to conserve the sanctity of the forest for these wandering heralds, who come to remind them that the forest belongs not to the Keepers, nor to Lokren, nor even to the Ardryn, but to Blakas alone.
Pilgrimages to the temple are common, as devout followers of Blakas travel the woods to visit this most sacred of forest sites. Such folk would be welcomed by the locals and given food, shelter, and blessings.
Recently the temple provided shelter for a small group of survivors of the Red Mist who had gathered there, but after a concerted attack by the undead, the group decided the open temple was too hard to defend and fled for the relative safety of Therazon.
Last edited by theblacksorcerer, February 23 2022 04:11:11. Secured game article. You most log in to contribute.