Chauntea's Temple

The central house of worship in Sundheim to the Great Mother Chauntea. Lusteria being a highly agricultural nation values the guidance of the Grain Goddess higher than any other God or Goddess. Boasting the highest following in the nation also means recieving the most tithes, and thus the clergy hold the most power of any pantheon. This influence is exhibited by the head priestess Setta Agavia holding one of the seats on The Council of Seven.

Inside the temple itself is Mother's Heart , Lustria's bright green crystal of unlimited energy.

History

"A long time ago, the crystal stood on it's own. Small farming communities would spring up around it enjoying the bountiful crops and livestock it seemed to provide. But as such are the wants of evil doers, raiders and pillagers would come from all over attracted by the magnificent floating gem and the fertile land around it. None were able to take it of course, though many tried over the years. It is said that quite a few *interesting* strategies were attempted to extract it. Regardless, each time the villages were decimated and each time the crystal would attract more of those willing to risk the raids for the fertility that it provided. Harvests were more than bountiful, and though they knew little of it, they understood that it provided for them and it *felt* like peace. What they did not know at that time was that each bountiful harvest was the fruit of generations of slaughter...
...Eventually there came one who decided that it was time to stand up to these raiders. To train and prepare and build in such a way that it would no longer be a risk simply to live in peace....
...What we do know, is that it was the first defender who built the original temple. Conjured it from pure light it is said. And it worked. For a time. More of a citadel I imagine than a temple as it managed to repel brigands and invaders for centuries. But alas, history repeats itself and as all great things do, the temple eventually fell to ruin. Poorly maintained and poorly defended, it succumbed to invasion and was destroyed. Eventually, the cycle repeated itself, a second temple being built in place of the first. The second, miraculously, left behind a single book in an old archive that details its construction. Smaller than the first, though more directed to magic than to physical prowess. It was defended by those of magical means and lasted twice as long. It was, in fact, the first clue at the crystals true purpose. It's true value. The magical beings of the second temple realized over time that the fertility of the crystal's effect increased proportional to the amount and intensity of attacks on the area. Though, there are recordings that sometimes this wasn't the case, thus a concrete conclusion could not be drawn. We still live in wonder of the full effects and reasons behind it's randomness....
...The second temple fell to the great war. One can only assume the magical users were called to fight or lost the battle, we aren't sure. But the temple was obliterated and the cycle of farming and destruction began again....
...The crystal survived of course. Right up until Simon Brightwater and his band of three thousand built his mansion and founded Lustria. He immediately saw the value of the crystal as did those before him and called upon Chauntea to give her blessings and offer her defense of his establishment. The Great mother is of course generous and loves all life, thus her blessings were given. She imbued us with the knowledge of the cycle of life. Put together the missing pieces of history, allowed us to understand the ebb and flow of auras and life. We may never know in our lives if her defense will be needed. Fortunately, The Great Peace was brokered before Lustria's defenses were ever strained too greatly."
~ Setta Agavia 

Founding Date

9050

Alternative Names

Temple of Grain

Type

Cathedral / Great temple

Parent Location

Lustria

Included Locations

• Mother's Heart