Lholika, Sorrow’s Crown (A to Z Challenge)

Perched on a spire of stone is the ancient castle of Lholika, known as Sorrow’s Crown.  Before the Gods War, it was a cult center of the Lady of Sorrow, who had many other names and titles but they are forgotten, only that of the Lady of Sorrows is remembered.

After the Gods Wars, the Scholar, one of the Empress’ Seven Stars moved to seize it for his, and the Empress‘, use.  The scholar knew of its secret library of sorrow and woe, stories taken from those who came seeking succor from the Lady of Sorrows.  These records the Scholar could not bear to see destroyed, so he ensured their survival.  The castle and the lands around it were incorporated into the Imperial demesne.

While cults to the slain gods are forbidden, the Scholar did not destroy the cult in the castle, he just disbanded it.  Keeping the letter of the law and knowing the former cult members would pass on their secrets and rites, which the Scholar did not mind, the Lady of Sorrows was not a goddess the Empress had any reason to destroy apart from the fact she was a goddess and she would leave none alive, apart from the Sun, to seek vengeance.

The former priestesses, now the College of Lholika, were left in charge of the castle and the lands around it, administering it as they had for generations before.  Now for centuries, they have conducting their rites in secret to the point where their faith has worn away into philosophy.  Their library has continued to grow and the castle and college became a center of learning, supported by the Empress and the Scholar as needed.

Lholika is still visited by those seeking to overcome their sorrow and they have techniques to do just that.  It is well-known among scholars and others.

The castle has multiple spires and is built on a mesa, from a distance, it does appear to be a crown from which it gets its name.  It is a functional fortress though it has never had to withstand a siege.  Surrounding the mesa are fields and olive trees.

Game uses: Lholika can be a place that people come from, the College does its best to ensure the lands are well managed and its people are well educated, after all, much of the College will be recruited from them.  While wizards and clerics are the obvious sort of people that would be taught by the College but other paths are possible.

Perhaps you are one of the Sect that seeks to bring back the Lady of Sorrow?  Or maybe you wish to earn recognition by the Scholar?  Or maybe you just want to rise in the ranks of the College?

Outsiders may come to Lholika to visit the extensive, and ancient, library.  Or perhaps they seek those who are trying to bring the Goddess back.  They may be seeking to overcome some sorrow that weighs them down.  Or maybe they are seeking the records of someone else’s sorrow for whatever purpose.

Notes: I am thinking that the way the Priestesses, and now certain members of the College, help people is not through magic but through, essentially, formalized therapy.

Image photo by Méline Waxx on Pexels and is free to use.