Tabernacle of Gildesh
by John CalvinLocation: Continent of Davania, 23S, 90W
Description: An immense vault, carved from the limestone bedrock deep in the heart of the Izondian desert, the Tabernacle is rumored to be the ancient seat of power for the exalted shedu, Gildesh. Colossal stone columns line the vault, and encircle an ornately carved alter. Though the years have dulled the sculptures, images of great horned bulls framed by unfurled wings can still be distinguished. Ixion’s Golden Guardian lay here for centuries, channeling the power of his immortal patron to protect the faithful from the aftermath of the Great Rain of Fire.
After being released from service in BC 2300, Gildesh left the realm he created and watched over for 700 years. In his absence it fell to infighting and savages from the desert’s fringe, but a small group of faithful guarded his Tabernacle, keeping it safe. With the murder of Gildesh in BC 2000, a small group of enduks fled back to their ancestral home, finding the remnants of the Tabernacle and its guardians. Since that time, this secretive band of Ixion worshipers has grown, rebuilding their faith steadily throughout the millennia.
Once the personal abode of Gildesh, the Tabernacle has been turned into a vast religious complex with shrines and dwellings carved into the sides of the colossal columns encircling the vault. Ilranum the Bound leads the faithful here, ever vigilant against the aggressive desert tribes bent on the destruction of this sanctuary. Though all races are welcomed under Ixion’s light, most saurians (inheritors of ancient carnifex legacy) are viewed with mistrust.
At high noon on the summer solstice, a blinding shaft of light hits the stone alter where Gildesh once lay. Faithful in the thousands flock to this holy site for the chance to glimpse Ixion’s brilliance during the display, and many claim to experience direct communion with their immortal patron during this time. When the ceremony ends the priest gather up a single drop of sunlight from the alter, which they use in the creation of their most prized artifacts. Among those, Sundrenched Vials are often given to heroes and adventurers striving to further Ixion’s cause. The liquid light within a Vial shines as if full daylight, and no darkness can dim it. Imbibing the contents of a Vial grants the user special powers for up to one turn (or until the Vial’s powers are exhausted). Fiery wings form, allowing the user to fly for one turn. The user may also spit out a flaming breath up to three times, however the third breath expels the powers of the Vial fully.