Shrine of the Failed
Centuries ago, the families of failed Starstone aspirants built this grim stone monument to honor their late relatives’ hopes. Since then, its chain of interconnected rooms has been expanded regularly to accommodate new arrivals. Each chamber holds several alcoves: some occupy an entire wall; others are smaller, tiered and partitioned by stone dividers. Failed aspirants who had larger cults or more affluent backers occupy the larger spaces and are memorialized with elaborate decorations, while more obscure candidates may have only a few personal possessions arranged in a tiny alcove partitioned to share with three others. All of them, however, are tended equally by the Shrine’s masked caregivers, who claim no religious affiliation, but wear black mourning robes and view their task as a deeply dignified duty.
The Shrine is open to the public, but although many come to gawk at the names, numbers, and peculiar credos of the failed, few stay for long. A profound reverence suffuses the chilly, gray chambers, and it can weigh on unprepared visitors with unexpected gravity. Visiting the Shrine serves as a cold reminder that even those who aspire toward divinity cannot escape death, and that oblivion comes for all.
Despite the Shrine’s dolorous solemnity, there are always some in Absalom eager to turn even the deaths of divinities to their own ends. Two of the most notorious, representing polar opposites in their reverence for the fallen, are Gerig the Inspirer and Chaundralor God-Harvester.
Gerig the Inspirer is a wily, charming half-elf entrepreneur whose business is built on Gerig’s Liquid Courage, a potent brew of distilled liquor and energizing herbs. His primary method of advertising is convincing Starstone aspirants to take the plunge over Starstone Chasm after drinking from a bottle of the gaudily labeled beverage. When they plummet to oblivion (as none of his customers have yet survived), Gerig crows that his Liquid Courage instills such bravery that it convinces mortals that they’re gods. While only a few aspirants have succumbed to Gerig’s combination of bribes, flattery, and tactical insults, he has nevertheless succeeded in establishing a considerable reputation for his drink, and he memorializes each of his unfortunate endorsers with a gilded plaque prominently displayed by their alcoves in the Shrine of the Failed.
Petite, black-robed, and silver-masked, Chaundralor God-Harvester is a far quieter presence in the Shrine. Little is known about this enigmatic figure who blends in with the Shrine’s other masked and robed caregivers. On occasion, however, Chaundralor has been glimpsed lifting the silver mask and inhaling deeply over a failed aspirant’s memorial—for Chaundralor, too, is a Starstone hopeful. The God-Harvester believes that each of these failed claimants possessed a tiny fragment of divinity, which the Harvester can take from the dead and eventually use to usurp their collective dreams.
Gobru: A would-be god of fish and the sea’s bounty, her bereaved followers still sometimes go down to the waters to listen for their dead deity’s voice in the waves.
The Muted God: Also known as the Unspoken One, the Muted God claimed silence and serenity as his domain and amassed thousands of followers. His cult of silent devotees lingered for years after his death.
Oggo of the Sixteen Poses: Oggo’s shrine contains an arrangement of sixteen shield-size placards, each depicting the would-be deity in one of his famous poses. Oggo believed that some occult combination of these forms would unlock a person’s inner potential and innate divinity, and every day those who still remember him visit the shrine to see if they can unlock the right sequence.
Veelich the Unwanted: The would-be god of failure, Veelich’s worshippers insist with some justification that his plunge into Starstone Chasm represented the only true apotheosis permitted by his creed. His alcove in the Shrine of the Failed still draws small, terrible offerings from those hoping to avoid his approval.
Zimpar of the Screaming Fear: Before attempting the Test of the Starstone, the befuddled mystic known as Zimpar claimed to have slept for a full year, dreaming a way across the Starstone Chasm that could only be inspired by the brilliance of sleep. He called himself Zimpar of the Dreaming Year until the moment he stepped over the chasm. Observers heard his terrified screams for what seemed like an eternity when he plunged into oblivion, earning him his current sobriquet.
The Shrine is open to the public, but although many come to gawk at the names, numbers, and peculiar credos of the failed, few stay for long. A profound reverence suffuses the chilly, gray chambers, and it can weigh on unprepared visitors with unexpected gravity. Visiting the Shrine serves as a cold reminder that even those who aspire toward divinity cannot escape death, and that oblivion comes for all.
Despite the Shrine’s dolorous solemnity, there are always some in Absalom eager to turn even the deaths of divinities to their own ends. Two of the most notorious, representing polar opposites in their reverence for the fallen, are Gerig the Inspirer and Chaundralor God-Harvester.
Gerig the Inspirer is a wily, charming half-elf entrepreneur whose business is built on Gerig’s Liquid Courage, a potent brew of distilled liquor and energizing herbs. His primary method of advertising is convincing Starstone aspirants to take the plunge over Starstone Chasm after drinking from a bottle of the gaudily labeled beverage. When they plummet to oblivion (as none of his customers have yet survived), Gerig crows that his Liquid Courage instills such bravery that it convinces mortals that they’re gods. While only a few aspirants have succumbed to Gerig’s combination of bribes, flattery, and tactical insults, he has nevertheless succeeded in establishing a considerable reputation for his drink, and he memorializes each of his unfortunate endorsers with a gilded plaque prominently displayed by their alcoves in the Shrine of the Failed.
Petite, black-robed, and silver-masked, Chaundralor God-Harvester is a far quieter presence in the Shrine. Little is known about this enigmatic figure who blends in with the Shrine’s other masked and robed caregivers. On occasion, however, Chaundralor has been glimpsed lifting the silver mask and inhaling deeply over a failed aspirant’s memorial—for Chaundralor, too, is a Starstone hopeful. The God-Harvester believes that each of these failed claimants possessed a tiny fragment of divinity, which the Harvester can take from the dead and eventually use to usurp their collective dreams.
The Failed
Some of the failed aspirants remembered in the Shrine include the following.Gobru: A would-be god of fish and the sea’s bounty, her bereaved followers still sometimes go down to the waters to listen for their dead deity’s voice in the waves.
The Muted God: Also known as the Unspoken One, the Muted God claimed silence and serenity as his domain and amassed thousands of followers. His cult of silent devotees lingered for years after his death.
Oggo of the Sixteen Poses: Oggo’s shrine contains an arrangement of sixteen shield-size placards, each depicting the would-be deity in one of his famous poses. Oggo believed that some occult combination of these forms would unlock a person’s inner potential and innate divinity, and every day those who still remember him visit the shrine to see if they can unlock the right sequence.
Veelich the Unwanted: The would-be god of failure, Veelich’s worshippers insist with some justification that his plunge into Starstone Chasm represented the only true apotheosis permitted by his creed. His alcove in the Shrine of the Failed still draws small, terrible offerings from those hoping to avoid his approval.
Zimpar of the Screaming Fear: Before attempting the Test of the Starstone, the befuddled mystic known as Zimpar claimed to have slept for a full year, dreaming a way across the Starstone Chasm that could only be inspired by the brilliance of sleep. He called himself Zimpar of the Dreaming Year until the moment he stepped over the chasm. Observers heard his terrified screams for what seemed like an eternity when he plunged into oblivion, earning him his current sobriquet.
Type
Memorial / War Memorial
Parent Location
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