The Forgotten Temple

Once a huge temple to a long forgotten being, The Forgotten Temple is now desolate and abandoned, perhaps for centuries. Over the years it has been home to bandits, runaways and adventurers, though none settle for too long. For the most part, the Sahlahkeshi soldiers and passing adventurers keep the Temple clear from monsters and the rabble that settle there, though it is often explored and looted for various treasures and rare artefacts. The temple isn't one single structure above the ground, rather several structures scattered through the desert, but most have been recorded to be linked in some way. The main entrance, or at least the largest one, is near the centre of The Sand Sea. Nobody knows exactly how large the temple is other than that it is expansive, with some theorising it reaches underneath the entire dessert and possibly further. The surface area of the temple is well mapped, as is the immediate subterranean area, however some corridors remain uncharted and a lot have been closed off either by natural cave ins or boarded up by people for reasons long forgotten.

While nobody knows what the temple was dedicated to or why it was abandonned though there are some theories. As there are no traces of deities as seen in other temples, it is believed that this temple was once the place of worship to one of the Titans before they fell, most commonly theorised is The Sand Titan. Some scholars, however, believe the lack of any Godly presence indicates that the temple was a place of worship to a mortal being and was perhaps left in ruins by the Gods as punishment for worshipping a mortal to the same degree as the Divine. The only hints to the civilisation here are the crude stone statues of horned, tailed humanoids found in some parts of the temple. These statues have markings on their face running from their eyes, making it look like they are crying blood, similar to those of Krixus. Interestingly, the same statues have been found in some of the deepest reaches of the Ryvern Caves and even the mines and natural tunnels in the Karagors Mountain Range leading some to believe that the subteranean part of the ruins reaches beneath all of Meintalia.

Purpose / Function

The temple was once a place of worship to a long forgotten being, though nobody can confirm what it was nor why it was abandonned. Some scholars theorise that the temple was actually built to praise an ancient sultan and that the God's cleared it out and infested it with horrors to put the mortals in their place. There are obvious signs that people used to reside in the temple, meaning it could double as a buried city.

Alterations

The building has fallen into disrepair and is full of crumbled walls, collapsed tunnels and broken structures. Scholars have attempted to preserve the outer structure as much as possible, even going as far as to restore some features and aspects of the temple. Other than this, the temple has a huge subterranian complex beneath it, nobody knows exactly how large but new tunnels and chambers are constantly being discovered and explored. Nobody knows why this subterannean complex exists but it is thought to be an ancient city home to a long-dead civilisation.

Architecture

The temple itself is made from limestone whereas the underground tunnels are mostly sandstone near the top layers and mostly granite as you get deeper. The temple itself is a feat of architecture, unique to anything else in the desert. Some parts of the outer wall suggest that the temple was once a huge rock structure that was chiselled into a flat walled building with huge towers, though other parts of the temple are clearly sandstone bricks suggesting that the temple was constructed from scratch. The current theory is that the stone was chiselled into a building and the sandstone mined from the rock was used to expand the temple.

History

The precise history of the Ruined Temple is unknown but has been shakily pieced together using the relics and paintings found here. The temple has been deserted for as long as history in the desert has been recorded and many legends tell of horrific creatures dwelling deep within. The temple was clearly a place of worship but nobody knows to who or what, and the huge complex underneath is thought to have been home to an ancient civilisation that lived under this deity's rule. For ages past, adventurers and scholars have explored the ruins hoping to uncover it's mysteries, or simply looking for wealth and riches.

RUINED STRUCTURE
Likely sometime during The Elder Age or the early years of the Elven Sovreignity

Alternative Names

The Old Temple, The Desert Ruins

Type

Temple / Religious complex

Parent Location

The Sand Sea

Owner

Sultan Aban Ishraq

Owning Organization

The Sahlabaoan Sultanate