02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

276 Iron Kingdoms
108.1.141.197
Locales of Imer
Flameguard Temple: Like a beacon to the heavens,
the Flameguard Temple sits near the center of Imer
surrounded by a sextet of looming towers. The towers
are topped by blazing censers that roar with golden
flames and billow dark smoke high into the sky. Each
is manned by over a hundred seasoned Flameguard
and scores of initiates, for located within is a huge
training facility for those answering the call. The
majority of these would-be Flameguard train to fight
with spear and shield although some—those who
show the fortitude to do Menoth’s work no matter
the target—graduate into the ranks of the feared
Cleanser units.
The building itself is a veritable fortress with several
warjacks inside awaiting the warcasting caress of their
controller Feora, Priestess of the Flame. The Priestess
oversees the facility when she can, only delegating to
others when forced to enact Menoth’s will beyond
the temple walls. Should Imer ever be threatened by
outside forces, it would take an army of thousands to
break the Flameguard Temple.
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House of Truth: The home of the Vassals of Menoth
is a walled complex ornate in the style of Sul and
decorated with stained glass, glazed tiles, and bronze
fixtures. It is said that great feasts are served nightly
within, and every luxury is provided, yet the house is also
a cage for Hierarch Voyle’s wizards. The House of Truth
contains extensive libraries and laboratories equipped
with all manner of alchemical devices. The wizardly
vassals are held to strict deadlines and punished for
failure. Each has a personal handler who accompanies
him everywhere, and the vassals are rarely permitted to
travel outside the complex and never alone. In truth,
the wizards are little more than slaves.
Reclaimant’s Altar, The: A tall and bleak spire of
soot-blackened granite, the Reclaimant’s Altar is the
birthplace of every Reclaimer’s holy path and the
gravesite of their last words. Any faithful heeding
the call to join the fearsome Reclaimers makes a
pilgrimage to the Reclaimant’s Altar where he takes
the powerful and binding Oath of the Last Breath and
dons the dark robes of the Reclaimant Order. It is a
solemn, sterile place filled with dormitories and sealed
rooms. No one is allowed within its gates without the
High Reclaimer’s consent, save for those bearing the
Hierarch’s blessings.
It is unknown how many Reclaimers call the Altar
home or how many have gone abroad to claim souls
for the Lawgiver. Rumors surround the Altar about
secret warriors living within its tomblike silence or of
dark warjacks hidden away in the sublevels blessed by
the High Reclaimer to be ready for the End Times.
While mystery surrounds the Reclaimant Order and its
grim fortress, one thing remains true: those who find
themselves within the dark shadow of the black spire
recite prayer after prayer for forgiveness, lest the gates
open and they be reclaimed.
Sovereign Temple of the One Faith: The largest
Menite temple in recorded history, the Sovereign
Temple is part of a vast complex of buildings referred
to as the Holy See. Connected directly to the palace of
the Hierarch, the temple is simple in design yet massive
in scale and constructed from enormous blocks of red
stone. Atop its entrance staircase is a large plaza lined
with weighty marble columns inscribed with passages
from the Canon of the True Law. Inside, a giant abstract
man-shaped statue of Menoth wears a mask of iron
and towers behind an elevated iron altar. Both statue
and altar are open to the sky, but the rest is cast in
smoky darkness lit only by infrequent torches and
braziers. The central temple is reserved for special
offerings and other high ceremonies. Several dozen
handpicked Exemplars, priests, and elite Flameguard
protect the grounds night and day, and none but
clergy may approach the altar even on days of tithing.
Tower of the Scrutators: Attached to the Hierarch’s
palace is a windowless, granite tower decorated only
with multiple iron menofixes. This is the only locale
within Imer forbidden to the rank and file of the