Breaker of Chains
- Intent: Establish a 'capital' building for the Formos Dresuoti and make a fun place for future meetings and interactions.
- Image Credit: Produced using this AI
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Formos Dresuoti, Order of Wonosa, Kotsûshatul Itsu
- Structure Name: Xukuras iv tave Tsis, Altar of the Sith or Xukuras iv Tsis, Altar of Sith
- Classification: Temple/Capital Building
- Location: Formos
- Affiliation: Order of Wonosa, Alisteri Haxim
- Accessibility: The cathedral is only accessible to members of the Order of Wonosa or to those allowed entry by one of the high ranking members of the cult. It is very easy to spot however, given that it's the tallest building in the Formos Dresuoti and gleams with both a magnificent yet dreadful construction.
- Description: Towering over the residential buildings and housing that forms the rest of the settlement, the cathedral is a dark monument that is clearly inspired by the architecture of other more ancient Sith structures. It is a fairly large building, standing at two stories tall and flanked by buttresses that give it a stable yet decidedly sharp appearance. Most of the cathedral's frame is made out of Ferrocrete, with Durasteel filling out the main body. Etchings in Ur-Kittat line the main door and a few of the buttresses, some of the outside being accented by red paint. There are no windows to be found on the building however, giving it a mysterious appearance. The roof is line with a row of Durasteel spikes much like the spine of some great beast while the front Durasteel construct rises up a bit higher than the rest of the roof to give it a sort of fork or crest above the other spires.
1st Floor
-Main Altar/Nave-
The heavy doors of the cathedral give way to a long room full of dark pews, with alcoves containing candles and a few chandeliers glowing with red alchemical salts providing a dim light to the interior. Flanking either side of the door there are stairs leading down to the Undercroft. A glossy black stone pathway, bordered by red inlaid Ur-Kittat writing spelling out the Sith Code in repetition, leads from the door to the altar through the lines of pews. Along the walls the three tenants of the Kotsûshatul Itsu are inscribed in three alcoves in roughly the center of the line of pews, mirrored on each side of the building.
The main altar sits in the apse of the cathedral and serves as the focal point of the first floor, a dark plinth of stone with the altar itself sitting atop it. The altar itself is much like the pathway in the center of the cathedral, made of the same glossy black stone with the Sith Code framing the border. Intricate and ritualistic symbols line the surface of it, inlaid with the same alchemical salts as the chandeliers to provide the altar itself with an ominous red glow.
Along the back wall hangs four stone circles embedded in the wall, high up so that a figure standing at the altar would be framed by them. Etched into the circles and imbued with the glowing red salts are four names: Dromund Kaas, Korriban, Ziost, and Krayiss Two. Above them, and situated right above the head of someone at the altar, sits another stone circle to crown them all with the same Ur-Kittat etching that the other four circles share: Bogan.
-Priest Offices-
In both sides of the transept lies a door, both leading to a hallway where small offices for the priests of the cult are arranged. These offices are small, meant to serve as simple places for priests to have their own areas to plan and rest after sermons or meetings. While most consist of the same layout, a desk with a chair and two additional seats for guests, they are open for customization by the priests. Shelves, pottery, and even artwork have been added by the priests themselves to help fill out their rooms. At the back end of each of the twin halls there is a staircase leading up to the second floor.
2nd Floor
-Meeting Room-
The first room on the second floor, the meeting room hosts a large central table with chairs lining the sides and ends of it. It can host twenty people at full capacity, with most of the table being made out of simple stone and the chairs being comfortable but lacking any sort of special features aside from being able to swivel on their bases. Installed into the table, and connected to the communications array hidden in the roof, is a large holoprojector controlled by a terminal also embedded into the stone. A couple control panels dot the table to allow for it to be used to communicate and give visual aid during meetings.
-Meditation Chamber/Library-
A door on the far end of the meeting room leads to a rather calm and serene chamber. Bookshelves and a computer terminal occupy the walls whilst a small stone circle takes up the center. The room is lit by candles like every other room but rather than chandeliers hanging from the ceiling there is instead an incense burner that allows for relaxing scents to flow throughout the chamber.
A couple of tables and chairs occupy the rest of the room, providing seating for the priests that visit and read from the knowledge stored there. Mostly the books and terminal contain fairly common or surface level knowledge relating to the Sith, from historical records of various kinds to more recent records recovered from the Sith Empire. Across from the entrance to the library sits another door, this one locked and often guarded for it leads to the High Priest's chamber.
-Chamber of the High Priest-
At the back of the second floor sits the living chamber of the High Priest, directly above the altar in the cathedral. The room is relatively small and sparsely decorated, with a simple bed on one side and a desk with a terminal on the other. A few shelves for books and knickknacks line the walls, a red carpet taking up much of the floor between the bed and the desk. On the back wall however sits a tome, a written book still being worked on that details the history of the cult and their beliefs.
Undercroft
-Storage Room-
The stairs on either side of the entrance lead to a large stone room below the cathedral, a room lined with shelves and crates that hold various supplies. Extra food and water stocks, some weapons and ammunitions crates, and even some raw materials can be found amidst the more usual supplies that the cult uses on a day to day basis in the cathedral. Between where the stairs end sits a small area of cots with crates at their sides, acting as beds for the Cathedral Guards to rest in should they require them.
-Holding Area-
A hidden door in the back of the storage room, what would appear to be a simple stone wall at first glance, gives way to a small space lined with cells. Durasteel bars provide an enclosed area of twelve different cells, although each is large enough to house four prisoners comfortably. Much like the rest of the cathedral the holding area is dimly lit by candles and a single candelabra in the center of the room, all of which are very much out of the reach of any prisoners themselves.
The cells each contain four cots and a small but relatively private bathroom built into the wall. Other than that the cells are sparse with no lights in them and a cold stone floor that matches the rest of the Undercroft. A dismal place all in all, and one that betrays a sinister purpose hiding behind the door at the far end of the room.
-Ritual Room/Alchemical Laboratory-
Sitting directly below the altar in the cathedral and entered via a door in the holding area, the final room in the Undercroft is one of mysticism and dark science. Acting as the sort of heart of the structure in a more spiritual sense, the room is large and circular in design. Most of it is taken up by a large ritual circle in the center of the room, with various machines and pieces of equipment relating to Sith Alchemy lying around the room.
In the center of the circle sits an Oubliette, slightly set into the ground so that grooves along the floor that lead from black stone obelisks lining the circle can lead down into it. The purpose of this setup can only be guessed at but it is clear that the Oubliette is meant to be filled by something as part of some larger ritual, and red stains along the grooves can provide a few guesses as to what would be filling it.
SECURITY
Low
Despite being the most holy site and most important building that the cult holds, their lack of resources is put on full display in the defenses of the cathedral. Aside from surprisingly sturdy construction and good materials, the only real defenses of the building are guards. A dedicated guard force of the Legion of Wonosa and a small contingent of Squires stands at the entrance and along various positions in the cathedral at all times. While far from some elite protectors in both training and equipment, the Cathedral Guard is not to be dismissed easily. They are among the most dedicated and zealous of the cult's forces and take their duty as a holy mission. Any who would violate the cathedral will first have to fight the zealous guards to the bitter end before they even set foot inside of the dark structure.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Construction of the cathedral began almost immediately after the Dresuoti was established, with the need for an official place of worship considered a priority by the cult's leadership. Having just come off of a long pilgrimage, it had been years since most of the cult had stood on the surface of a planet and many of the youngest members had yet to see one at all before they established their settlement on Formos. While moral was on the rise High Priest Alisteri Haxim ordered the construction to begin, basing the design off of what the cult could realistically achieve and working with Exarch Salneva Limont to ensure that it hearkened back to the architecture of Kaas city both old and new.
The cathedral would be their grand project, proof of their devotion to their beliefs and their commitment to being a legitimate sect of the wider Sith whole. Even if no other Sith would ever see the structure they intended to build it to be an undeniable altar to the Dark Side itself. During the construction it would serve as the meeting place for the cult's leadership, hosting a meeting to establish the Dominon of Formos in addition to several other more general meetings.
When the cathedral was finally completed in 877 ABY it would be sanctified by a sacrifice of twelve criminals, most of them slavers or pirates, which was intended to give the halls of the building a more dangerous and distinctly dark atmosphere. In secret a few additional sacrifices have added to said atmosphere to give it an even more unsettling and solemn presence as the first of the sermons would be conducted. The meeting room would be one of the most important for the daily operations of the cathedral, as it would be where the Dominion of Formos and the Fleet of the First Sword would be coordinated and commanded from.
The rituals taking place in the Undercroft have largely been conducted under, both literally and figurately, the notice of the wider cult but they have all held a purpose. The cathedral is far from an ancient Sith site and as such without being steeped in the Dark Side it is largely just another building. With each ritual conducted though, each sacrifice done, and each drop of blood spilled either in the main area or underneath it, the aura of the Dark Side slowly manifests more and more.
When the cathedral one day exudes an aura of suffering and dread like any other Sith temple, perhaps then the full purpose of the unique ritualistic writings and practices can be realized.
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