Hellig

To the people of Hjelbregard, admitting defeat and accepting help can be hard. A wounded warrior is expected to take care of himself as a matter of pride. There are times, of course, when the wounds prove too severe and assistance from an expert is required. In these instances, the mighty warriors turn to the helligs: abbeys that line the many sharp spires that jut out from the seas of Hjelbregard.
The helligs are home to retired shieldmaidens, who, after proving worthy through combat to the goddess Brejar (see Areya, the Warrior ), have earn the right to cure the wounds of warriors. This is seen as an absolute last resort, and many warriors would rather die in the heat of battle than quietly on the bed of a hellig. As such, the most common patients at a hellig are nobles whose death would lead to greater societal chaos.

Architecture

The helligs are typically build from the remnants of longboats. Roofs fashioned from the hull, curtains from the sails, and stairs from the oars and ropes. Because of this, a hellig can be a tight, constrained feeling space. They also say, there's no closer way to live with the sea. The salty air breezes through, every gust creating a rush of memories for the shieldmaidens of voyages long past. This tranquility gave rise to their use as places of worship for the goddess Breyar and the twin gods Thuump and Sa Vendle.

History

The first helligs were originally created by an outcast group of shieldmaidens, the Jaerchen. Their leader, the daughter of a mighty jarl, defeated her father in a combat tournament, aided by the strength of Breyar. This weakened the jarl's position amongst the clans, not to mentioned angering him immensely. The jarl banished his daughter, along with her loyal shieldmaidens, to live among the sea, never to set foot on land again. 
The Jaerchen boarded their longboats and set sail. After many months at sea, the Jaerchen, through the guidance of Breyar, found the Aegelspruhl: a tall spire of rock that was blessed to protect the Jaerchen from the harsh weathers of Thuump and Sa Vendle. They dismantled their ships to form homes strapped to the side of this spire. They did so to honor their jarl's command to never set foot on land again. Though he had banished them, the Jaerchen still respected the authority of the jarls.
It soon became tradition that when a shieldmaiden had done a great honor in battle, she would leave her family behind, and build a hellig, a beacon of Breyar's glory and might, amongst the sea.

Type

Abbey