Shrine to Favour

Built by Brenna the Builder on the mountain on which Merrid pled for Favour, the shrine to Favour is a popular location for the pilgrimage of devotees, and the most beautiful monument in the city-state of Oralia.

Purpose / Function

To honour Merrid and Favour's gift to the people of Oralia.

Alterations

The monument is regularly polished and tended to by Merrid's Children, a group of orphans who are brought to the shrine to serve as altar boys and girls. They also garden and tend to the trees that surround the shrine itself.

Architecture

The shrine consists of a central monument, which contains a gold statue of Merrid, kneeling in supplication and reaching out to the heavens. Around the statue, a large, cylindrical building shields Merrid from the elements, leaving a circular hole in the roof, so that he may be touched by the rain of Favour. The building itself is resplendent with fruit trees, as a symbol of the blight that drove Merrid up the mountain. They require much tending because they are not native to the mountains, and that is the job of Merrid's Children.

History

In the first few years after Merrid's death, there was little to no regulation over who could be Known. Brenna was a well-known sculptor before Favour came, and afterwards, she was astonished to find that she could wield metal with her bare hands. Overcome with gratefulness and flooded with orders, she became very wealthy. And then her son died. The causes were natural and none of her skill or wealth could bring him back. Heartbroken, she laid a road of gold, tears staining every brick. Eventually, she found herself at the base of the newly christened Mt. Merrid, followed by a band of lost children who had begged her for gold and gotten food and love instead. They convinced her to climb to the top of the mountain, and all of them began to live at the top of Mt. Merrid. Eventually, once her grief had dimmed somewhat, she created the statue to Merrid, partially to create a fund for the children.

Type

Monument / Statue, Large

Parent Location

Oralia