Church of Baltrea in Muighobar

The Church of Baltrea in Muighobar is a church dedicated to the Imperial Goddess of Light.
It is about a day and a half's travel from the village of week.
== Characteristics ==
=== History ===
Settlements around the area on which this church of Baltrea now stands dates back to long before the Empire of Man. Settlement remains of an old clan hillfort have been discovered nearby. Similarly, a much larger settlement and fort was situated on a hill east of the church.
The site around which the church now stands marks a strategically important area, overseeing Muighobar's main northern road. Unsurprisingly, then, the site has historically been home to multiple castles and forts. The first motte-and-bailey castle on this site was constructed during the time of the Empire's founding as a private clan castle. However, ownership was transferred to the Imperial Army during the Imperial Civil War and the Age of the Republic.
Despite the relatively boggy lands in the vicinity at that time, the castle became a key centre for Imperial control over the local area and roadway. As the castle's importance grew, a church was established nearby to serve as a place of worship for the garrison. 
During The Restoration, the new Imperial government renamed the castle to Deerpass Castle. However, the garrison within refused to acknowledge the restored royal family and remained loyal to the Republican cause. Therefore, the Royalist Imperial Army bombarded and sacked the castle. The ruins of Deerpass Castle remain today, but have never been rebuilt or restored.
Nevertheless, the nearby Church of Baltrea continued to grow and develop, expanding its catchment area to include the surrounding countryside and eventually the village of Week. The Church is now solely responsible for Baltrea worship in Muighobar in particular - but also some of the surrounding areas as well.
==== Father Summerhare's Takeover ====
Before Father Summerhare, the Church of Baltrea in Muighobar was a hub for peaceful worship and spiritual study, and was also responsible for treating various illnesses. However, when Father Summerhare took control of the church, its tranquil and open nature changed completely. Quickly, Father Summerhare replaced the acolytes of the church with his own followers, radicals and extremists like himself. The church, to, became mostly closed to outsiders and its gates closed to only those that followed Summerhare's twisted vision of worship.
One of the highest-ranking acolytes was Acolyte Mark, a sadistic man who was rumoured to torture doubters and heretics. He was a loyal follower of Father Summerhare and believed strongly in his teaching; this made him a logical choice for Summerhare's second-in-command. As time passed, Father Summerhare's beliefs became more and more crazed as his sanity deteriorated. The more obsessed, deranged, and violent he became, the more he strived for spreading his extreme Baltrean doctrine to the point of considering active terrorism.
== Layout and Inhabitants ==
=== Layout ===
The church of Baltrea in Muighobar is comprised of two main buildings, the church itself and the acolyte quarters. However, the whole complex is fenced in a grounds that make it significantly more isolated from the outside world than some other local churches. The majority of the church's rooms and areas are found within the church itself.
==== Church Grounds ====
The church grounds of this secluded monastery offer a striking juxtaposition of tranquillity and grandeur. A dirt path, created by the passage of countless devoted feet, weaves its way through the secluded grounds. An ancient oak stand sentinel around the perimeter, their branches stretched out in silent benediction over all who enter. At the heart of the grounds, a large statue to Baltrea stands, surrounded by fiery braziers and countless offerings. Despite its beauty, there's an underlying tension in the air, a sense of unease that belies the peaceful façade, hinting at the turmoil that festers within the monastery's walls. There is little ambient noise and the lack of joyful devotion to the goddess, replaced with disturbing fervour, is immediately obvious.
==== Acolyte Quarters ====
The acolyte quarters are housed in a modest stone building, separate from the main church. Its exterior walls are covered in a patina of age and moss. Inside, the quarters are arranged in almost militaristic fashion, with the acolytes beds being arranged in a simple straight line. Wooden beds, small cabinets, and personal chests for belongings are provided for each resident. Walls adorned with simple tapestries depicting scenes from the Goddess of Light's teachings add a touch of colour and religious inspiration. Small windows offer views of the surrounding landscape or the church grounds. The building also contains the church's main storage room, which contains everything the church needs from food to sacred books to tools.
==== Prayer Hall ====
The main prayer hall of the church is a breath-taking fusion of architectural beauty and spiritual solemnity, serving as the heart of daily worship and communal gathering. Vaulted ceilings soar overhead, adorned with intricate frescoes that depict the Goddess of Light's journey and teachings, their vibrant colours illuminated by shafts of sunlight streaming through tall, stained glass windows. The windows themselves are masterpieces, each pane telling a story of faith, redemption, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Long rows of polished wooden pews face the ornate altar. The air is filled with a palpable sense of reverence, the quiet whispers of prayer mingling with the occasional echo of footsteps on the stone floor. Candles flicker in niches along the walls, their gentle light casting a warm, inviting glow.
==== Church Library and Scriptorium ====
The church library and scriptorium are two separate rooms that both serve the same purpose, being the intellectual and spiritual repository of the church. The library, a vast room lined with towering oak shelves, houses an impressive collection of texts ranging from ancient scriptures and theological treatises to manuscripts on herbal medicine and the natural sciences. Each book and scroll is a testament to the church's commitment to knowledge and wisdom, with the faint scent of vellum and ink permeating the air. Soft light filters through tall windows, illuminating the reading tables scattered throughout the room.
Next to the library, the scriptorium is a hub of meticulous activity, where the art of calligraphy and illumination is practiced. Long oak desks equipped with an array of quills, ink pots, and parchments fill the room, and the walls are adorned with examples of finished works, displaying the beauty of sacred texts brought to life through intricate designs and vibrant colours. Here, followers skilled in the art dedicate their days to copying and preserving the church's knowledge for future generations, their steady hands bridging the past and the future. Under Summerhare's control, however, it has become a place to create radicalising texts rather than spiritual knowledge.
==== Dungeons ====
Beneath the hallowed grounds of the church lies a stark contradiction to its normal teachings of light and purity: the dungeon. Hidden away and accessible only by a gated-staircase that only a few can unlock, this dark place stands as a testament to the church's darker undertakings. The air is thick with dampness and the echo of despair, the stone walls cold and unyielding. Narrow cells line a central room, their heavy iron doors marked with symbols of warding and punishment. Within, the sparse light from torches casts long shadows, revealing no furnishing for those confined here. Chains and manacles are fixed to the walls, and instruments of torture are meticulously arranged on tables. This dungeon is not merely a place of imprisonment but a realm of torment for those who have fallen foul of Father Summerhare's extreme ideology.
==== Priest's Quarters ====
The priest's quarters, purposefully walled-off from the rest of the church, consist of two rooms. The private chamber, where he rests and reflects in solitude, is furnished with a simple but elegant wooden bed, a kneeling prayer stool positioned before a small, ornate altar dedicated to the Goddess of Light. The walls are adorned with tapestries that depict pivotal moments of divine intervention but also the mad, extremist scribblings of Father Summerhare himself. Before this, his study is a testament to his scholarly pursuits and administrative responsibilities. A large, heavy oak desk dominates the room, covered with scrolls, texts, and various correspondences from across the church's dominions. Shelves brimming with religious tomes and artefacts are meticulously organized around the room. In the same room, there is also a small communal space with sofas and a large table and chairs - however these have fallen into disuse.
=== Inhabitants ===
==== Church Priest ====
Father Summerhare was the chief priest of this church. Summerhare is an extremist in every sense of the word, however instead of believing in actual Baltrean supremacy he believes in a twisted vision of 'enlightenment' that sees his teachings as law. It is more-or-less unknown where Father Summerhare actually comes from, thought this implies that his story before priesthood was painfully mediocre.
Father Summerhare ruled over the church for a time, corrupting those beneath him until they followed his twisted bastardisation of religion. That was, until a group of adventurers kidnapped Summerhare and delivered him to Imperial Police. He was arrested under suspicion of many crimes, including murder and torture. He ultimate fate remains unknown.
==== Acolytes ====
This Church of Baltrea is home to five dedicated acolytes, who serve the word of the church, the Cult of Baltrea, and the head priest equally.
Acolyte Mark, a 45 year old imperial, is Father Summerhare's second-in-command. He is seen as a force of authority in the church, with an extremist ideology that might even go further than Summerhare's in some ways. To the church's followers, Mark presents a façade of discipline and piety. Behind closed doors, however, he is a sick and depraved sadist who finds sexual pleasure in causing harm to others. This fact would often be considered incredibly troubling, but for Summerhare's cult it is a terrific boon. Mark controls the forbidden dungeons beneath the church, where he tortures disbelievers and doubters for the cult and his own sick amusement. He sees this as an art form, always trying to find new and sickening ways to 'punish' his victims; these methods often involving various spells rather than more traditional techniques. Very few are privy to this information, as Mark manipulates the church's followers and most of the other acolytes so that none know his true sins.
Acolyte Tullia is the church's only non-imperial acolyte, being a half-dark elf. Born in the Empire of the Shadow Dragon, the homeland of the Dark Elves, she fled as a child and arrived in the Empire. There, she was adopted by a younger Summerhare. For most, to be cared for at such a dire time would be seen as a blessing, but for unbeknownst to Tullia this would be a terrible mistake. Summerhare groomed a young Tullia to match his radical vision of Baltrean worship and to this day she is one of Summerhare's most loyal followers. At the church, she is the chief magical researcher. This is due to her incredible natural talents at the arcana, making her a savant of all things magic. Outside of this, she is surprisingly reserved.
Acolyte Fearne is one of the older acolytes, at 47 years old. She is easily one of the most loyal of all of Summerhare's acolytes, with ever part of her life incorporating worship to Baltrea in at least some capacity. For example, her clothes are often modest and bear religious symbols. Fearne is considered an empathetic and optimistic individual by the church's followers, traits that make her a comfort for those around her. However, her blind faith has twisted these otherwise positive traits into something terrible. Fearne believes that the radicalisation of the church is an ultimately good thing, and optimistically believes that the Goddess would intervene if she was against their actions. She also has a natural talent for healing, both arcane and non-magical, and consequently acts as the church's main healer.
Acolyte Ewen is the youngest and newest of the church's acolytes, at only 18 years of age. Though the lowest-ranking of the acolytes, Ewen carries himself with an undeniable presence, assisted by the solemn duty he feels towards his service (almost to the point of naivety). Born in the countryside to a sheep-herding family, Ewen has some experience in the fundamentals of 'leading a flock.' But it is rare for him to take an active leading role in the church, often preferring quiet and introspective prayer to sermons and preaching. Ewen is deeply committed to Baltrea and her Cult, finding in them a balm for the hardships he has endured. Yet, beneath his devotion, he holds doubts towards the methods employed by Father Summerhare, a dangerous opinion that he keeps to himself.
== Trivia ==
* This church very loosely reflects Huntly, a town in Aberdeenshire.