Kezef - Temple of the Void
Kezef is the name given to this twisted citadel, a name which means 'Broken' in the Erdani tongue. While dozens of smaller temples dot the barren landscape, this is perhaps the most significant, and certainly the largest. It is here that the most powerful of the Spiral's priests gather to channel their powers, and convert new followers. The temple is quite large, a miniature city in its own right, composed of undead laborers, taskmasters, and Spiral priests. The temple has its own small army, as well, including a division of dust hulks and two legions of skeletal warriors, all controlled by the priests within the temple. The great halls within resonate with the deep, maddening tones of Spiral prayer, which carries throughout the structure in a constant, droning cycle.
Kezef is built on high cliffs that overlook the sea, a series of thin, gothic spires visible for miles. The entire area surrounding the temple is cloaked in a slight, perpetual haze that no animal will approach. Within the haze, living things begin to age and sicken, and no life-based magic will function. Around the structure's outer walls lie veritable drifts of bleached bones, a skeletal army waiting to be raised for labor or defence. Here, in the temple's central chamber, is located one of the most significant Spiral relics, that which first allowed the Eater's minions to take root on Rym.
The Amplifier
The temple houses one of the most powerful Spiral artifacts; an obelisk of black stone that resonates with the poisoned essence of the Wasting. Is it possible that the Spiral brought this stone from their own lightless world, for no substance on Rym has the same light-devouring properties. The obelisk stands roughly fifteen feet high, tapering slightly to a pyramid-style top and covered entirely in small, elaborate glyphs. It rises from the heart of the temple, beneath a gigantic skylight of blood-stained glass, amplifying the ambient dark magic while weaknening all others. Around the base of the obelisk can be found numerous blood channels and four sacrificial altars, one for each facing. Obviously enough, the artifact is powered by sacrifice.
To the Spiral, the obelisk is also a survival device, really nothing more than a small version of the great collectors. Its presence withers and destroys living things, and generates a cloak of darkness that protect Kezef from the light of the sun. This allows the more light-sensitive followers of the Spiral Order to gather in a state of perpetual night, when their magic is at its strongest. At any given time, dozens of masked priests can be found gathered around the obelisk in silent rows, recharging their nightmarish magic. Suffice to say, the amplifier is well guarded.
Soul Conversion
Those exposed to the radiation of the obelisk typically die in moments, unable to withstand the overwhelming presence of the Wasting. However, with careful preparation, exposure can be made to corrupt instead of destroy. This is often given as a 'reward' for those who pledge themselves to the Spiral Order, or seek to otherwise aid its cause. This process is known as soul conversion, the transformation of the living spirit into a sort of power battery. The ritual involves a great deal of pain and mutilation, but the end result is immortality. Much like the undead, those subjected to this conversion process need never eat or sleep, and do not age or decay. They become immune to disease and certain types of magic, and lose most of their emotions forever.
Most new converts are much like vampires. Their bodies are able to tollerate exposure to life energy, but the sun still burns them and nullifies much of their magic. They are often referred to as the 'unliving', for as they expend their own souls to fuel their dark powers, they slowly lose their identity and individual sense of purpose. Like an addiction, this use of power quickly takes its toll, eventually reducing the subject to an easily-controlled pawn.
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