The path from the city to the monastary did not feel long to Tirista, but this could have been simply due to her fatigued state. Yet already the monastary came in sight, a huge structure perched like an ugly, big toad inside this peaceful valley. Just like she had seen it before, in her nightmares. Large, towering walls made from big silvery-glimmering rocks, a still functional gate more then three times her size. On the battlements she saw statues of the gods, stretching out their arms - turned towards the inside as if to keep all people in there.
Tirista tried to avoid the sight of this fortress and watched some sheep graze. These peaceful creatures were completely oblivious to the screams of pain and mental anguish wailing over the walls. She had arrived at the home of the insane. She had seen in her visions that she would always end up here.
The Selverrock Monastery was once a remote place of worship for
Vitukua in the region around
Selversheyn. Within the last ten years it has been transformed and is currently the largest facility for the faithful treatment of insane people.
Most of their patients are highly religions and to an extraordinary amount
Divine Soothsayers. None of their patients are here on their own free will - ever since the Divine Soothsayer has become outlawed, the people trying to repress their visions go insane and are shunned by society.
Structure
The Monastery is a rather large and fortified structure, located in a relatively remote valley in the western part of the
Selverrock Stones. It has a walled in section of multiple shrines, a main chapel as well as several living quarters. The shrines are places to worship all six human gods, although the main focus as well as the former chapel are all dedicated to Vitukua himself. The building and its surrounding lands are owned by the
Order of Vitukua.
The religious setup is sometimes problematic given their main clientel. A divine soothsayer is driven insane by surpressing their divinely sent visions. Given how the presence of the gods can highten the trigger of these visions, many patients try to avoid most of the shrines and often walk around blindfolded. Some patients close to being released are often tested in their fortitude by being presented in front of the shrines. Most of them fail this test and regress dramatically.
The great hall
Tirista felt the excitement in the cleric's voice when they aproach the main chapel during their long tour of the facility. Tired, she lifted her head, trying to blend out the muffled sobbing and frantic murmurs of the many people in here. She tried to admire the stained glass windows depicting the many blessings of Vitukua.
Her god, when he met the dragons. Did he kept talking to himself with a panicked voice like the woman below this window, when he met these creatures?
His creation of the Manedir together with the other gods. Did the gods scream and sobbed at each other like the three young boys at the center of the hall, fighting for a torn blindfold?
His healing of his faithful followers. Will he ever visit this place and help the many poor souls, sitting here lost to the world?
This beautiful hall showed her the daily horrors she will live through from now on.
Most of the therapy takes place within the great hall - the former chapel of Vitukua. When the patients are not busy with tasks like cleaning, gardening or tending to the livestock, they will spent most of their time in this hall. The patience call it the great hall of wails.
'Some patients close to being released are often tested in their fortitude by being presented in front of the shrines. Most of them fail this test and regress dramatically.' Oh noooo. This seems like a slight issue in how this place is run! XD I love that you've made a place specifically for treating mental illness. The pieces of prose are great too <3