House of Lights
Founded in the year 305, just a few years after the Week of Night, the House of Lights is the largest known temple of That Which Was in the underground. It was built over the course of just two years, as the resources of Sanctuary's scattered Fungalite refiners were acquired, pooled, and set to a united task. Under the care of the enigmatic Silent Saint and her interpreters, it serves as not only a house of worship, but as the sole, combined site of true Fungalite refinement in Sanctuary.
Its twin functions as refinery and temple are intermingled. Sermons are held to the backbeat of the great pumps whirring, steel pipes snake beneath the pews in the main hall, and the great plumes of smoke which rise from its stacks are colored on holidays. Some say, in fact, that the very act of worshipping in the House of Lights is part of what makes refining Fungalite possible. A holy substance, infused with the dreams of prayers of those who come there.
An imposing structure, equal parts cathedral and refinery, The House of Lights towers above most other buildings in the Ashworks. Its spires end in smokestacks, and its stained glass windows glimmer with the flame of the furnaces within.
The structure itself is divided into three sections. The outer temple -- the only part the public can access -- is a venue for general services, weddings, and all the other daily functions of a temple. Behind it, in the greater bulk of the building, lies the tangle of support staff and industry who make the refining possible. Every gear, every valve, each part used in the refining process must be made on-site, worked with faith and patience. And below this (some say far, far below) lies the Crucible.
Nobody is quite certain what happens behind the great iron doors of the Crucible, only that it is where the esoteric Rite of Refinement takes place in earnest. Only those who directly take part in the Rite may pass its doors, and only they know exactly what goes on beneath.
What is known, though, is the efficacy of their product. The Fungalite which is created in the House of Lights is pure beyond any measure. Those who came before, and those alchemists who have tried to approximate the process since, rarely manage a tenth of the purity.
Founding Date
305
Type
Temple / Church
Parent Location
Owning Organization