Lichtheim Abbey

## Lichtheim

Sister Tess

Darianna

Brother Mort

Brother Hagrid

Sister Isabella

Brother Cal

Brother Rodger

Grayson Carnes

Father Candelious

**Lichtheim Abbey** is a religious site dedicated to the worship of Arlea, a sun goddess who came to be worshipped sometime after the end of The Calamity. The monastery is a walled compound established by religious pilgrims fleeing persecution in Anglia decades before the beginning of the game.

It is one of the few known permanent settlements in the Schoenwalde Valley, and the home of the party during their adventures.

## Background

Lichtheim was founded by pilgrims of the Church of Light, who were persecuted by the Kingdom of Anglia for heathenish worship of the Goddess of Light, Arlea. They arrived in Schoenwalde Valley some 40 years before the arrival of the Party, establishing a place of worship protected from the unknown dangers of Schoenwalde by the Wall surrounding it. The denizens of the Abbey live in peace, living off the land and providing for each other under the guidance of the Abbot.

## *Schoenwalde*

Lichtheim is the first settlement reached by the Party following their emergence from The Den of Evil. They were brought to the Abbey by Sister Tess and Owen Harman following their escape from the goblins in the cave. Upon arrival they were greeted by Darianna and Brother Mort who welcomed them to the Abbey. As they explored they met many of the other denizens of the Abbey and were given a tour and shown to some quarters where they could stay. Before dinner, the party ran into some trouble at the Barracks as Aphos accidentally damaged a railing with his carelessness and Mal was caught skulking around Darianna's room.

Despite this, they were granted a meal with the rest of the abbey's residents. The next morning they went out to explore the abbey further. Aphos helped to rebuild the Barracks railing while Mal inspected the Abbey's library. Meanwhile Velka and Hagan went with Tess to scout the nearby woods for resources. Upon their return they, alongside with Grayson Carnes visited the Abbott's chambers deep within the monastery.

## Features

### The Chapel

The main chapel is a large, sturdy structure with a high steeple. Large windows illuminate the sanctuary and most rooms and a great glass dome makes up the Sanctum of Light behind the main structure. It is built in a traditional style, upon several floors and a labyrinthine underground floor.

###### The Great Hall

The main sanctuary takes up the largest part of the Chapel. It is where the abbey's denizens gather for meals, meetings, and most worship services. It is the central meeting point of the community.

###### The Kitchen

Where Brother Hagrid organizes and prepares the communities meals. He and his team of cooks prepare the ingredients collected by the gatherers and planters turning them into meals to sustain the community.

###### The Cells

Where the monks, religious servants, and many of the Abbey residents sleep. These rooms are small but contain the necessities; a desk and chair, dresser, bed, and a trunk. The party each have their own cells, nearby to each other.

###### The Sanctum of Light

A glass building behind the main chapel where special ceremonies are conducted.

###### The Library

Built below the ground, the Library houses knowledge brought from Anglia by the Pilgrims four decades ago, as well as the information they've gathered about Schoenwalde since their arrival. Grayson Carnes and his assistants maintain the library and the archives.

###### The Jail

Barred cells below the Abbey where light cannot reach. People who have committed crimes against the community are held here while their cases are judged, and some serve sentences here as punishment.

###### The Elders' Chambers

Where Father Candelious and the other elders of the Abbey reside. A bare, circular foyer with doors leading to each of the elders' personal quarters.

### The Courtyard

The open areas of the Abbey compound surround the courtyard. Cobblestone paths wind through lush green grass, with plenty of oak trees for shade. In the center a roughly hewn statue of the goddess Arlea stands sword aloft to watch over the denizens of the abbey. Fenced off sections by some of the nearby barns contain livestock and horses, some of which are occasionally permitted wander the courtyard for some additional space.

### The Barracks

The offices and quarters of the Wall's guards, serving as a command post for the abbey's warriors, where most of the planning of the abbey's defenses takes place.

### The Wall

Standing 12 feet high and made of gray stone, the Abbey's walls stand strong against the dangers of the Schoenwalde valley. Because the abbey grounds are so expansive, the population so small, there are only a handful of warriors to guard the walls, and even fewer masons to maintain them. As a result, many of the watchtowers and some sections of the wall have long been out of use.

### The Belltower

The Belltower stands attached to the main chapel and houses two great bells, one of brass called the Morning Bell which chimes at the dawn to rouse the Abbey and the other made of Iron which chimes once at dusk to mark the sunset.

### The Workshop

A woodshop, alongside a forge make up the main stations in the Workshop, a building near the North Wall which maintains the abbey's tools and defenses as well as all the furnishings and other crafted items the abbey needs. The forge is small but the smoke from it rises above the Abbey, marking the abbey as a place of industry in a wild and untamed landscape, however small.

### The Garden

A huge garden surrounded by the cloisters coming off from the main chapel is where much of the Abbey's food is grown. Flowers and other plants and herbs are also grown here for study by the Monks. A greenhouse stands off to the side attached to the main garden by a stone path.

### The Cemetary

The graves of those pilgrims who passed on following the founding of Lichtheim are arranged here on the other side of the belltower from the chapel.

## Notable Denizens

* Father Candelious, Abbot, leader of the Church of Light and the community
* Brother Mort, Head Groundskeeper, runs the day-to-day operations of the community
* Darianna, Captain of the Wall
* Grayson Carnes, Archivist and Librarian
* Sister Tess, Officially a gatherer, but serves mostly as a scout and pathfinder
* Sister Isabella, Gardener
* Brother Cal, Watchman
* Brother Hagrid, Chef
* Owen Harman, Gatherer
* Brother Rodger, Watchman

## Trivia

* Lichtheim is German for "Home of Light", a fitting name for a place made by people who worship a Sun Goddess.
* Lichtheim was inspired by several fictional monasteries, including Redwall Abbey from Brian Jacques' *Redwall* series of novels, and the fictional Benedictine Abbey in Umberto Eco's *The Name of the Rose*
* Lichtheim contains between 100-200 people of various ages, ethnicities, races, and skillsets.