Temple of the Seven
In the city of Aorelia, there is a temple to the Seven. Originally, this pantheon was brought to Leanor by the Acadeans. With the spread of the Acadean Empire, the faith also spread in Leanor and is still practised in some parts of the region long after the fall of the Empire. In the time of the Empire, the centre of this religion was the city of Acadea, but the city was destroyed by a devastating volcanic eruption in 479CE.
Because of this incident, Aorelia became the new religious centre for the remaining believers in the Seven. It soon became apparent that the existing temple in the city would not be large enough for the amount of visitors now coming here for the various sacred days and religious holidays throughout the year. Therefore, a new, much grander temple soon was constructed.
After many years of careful planning and construction by the most skilled architects, builders and artisans, the temple as it is known today was completed. The most unique feature of the aorelian temple is its octagonal shape. One of the sides of the octagon functions as the entrance, the other seven sides are alcoves, each containing a detailed altar dedicated to one of the Seven, complete with a statue of each deity.
When entering the room, one is first greeted by the altar of Zariel, the neither male nor female deity of wisdom in the middle. The three male deities are depicted on the left side of the beholder, the three female deities on the right. The centre of the room is bare with polished marble floors under a large vaulted dome that is only supported by columns in each corner of the octagon.
The temple is not only a representation of the Seven and a religious centre, it is also considered an unparalleled architectural masterpiece. The sheer size and intricacy of the vaulted dome had never been achieved before and have not been achieved since.
One simply cannot help but marvel at the beauty and masterful craftsmanship of the temple. Both the building itself and the carved statues of the Seven found inside are expertly made.
Many visitors of Aorelia have written about the temple over time, and nearly all of them made remarks on its divine beauty. Even those who do not believe in the Seven often consider the temple a spiritual place.
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