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Temple of Chishleen

The Temple of Chishleen in Mendenton is a center point for worship of the Goddess of Travelers and Fishermen. Ceremonies include preparation and blessing of the Harvest, prayers for the safe travels of both ships and land borne travelers, and fertility for young wives in the springtime. The present pastor, Staron, is a man that is strong in the ways of Chishleen. He protects and cares for the temple and those that pay homage to the Goddess of the Waters.
    The water about the temple is two to four feet deep during high tide and only a foot deep at most during low tide. The roof of the temple is a low dome whose center has been removed to open the space above the altar in the sanctuary (3) to the sky.
    Lighting: The temple is lit through small skylights which open through the roof. Each miniature skylight is about 4 inches across. They are filled with glass, providing a subdued natural light within the temple. At night, candles are used to light areas which are in use.
    Walls and Doors: The inner walls of the temple are made from masoned stone and covered with a sanded granite tiling. All inner walls are one and one-half feet thick (hardness 8; 135 hp; break DC 35). The outer walls of the building are solid 3 foot thick whitewashed granite (hardness 8; 540 hp; break DC 50). Small sea shells and designs are delicately engraved in the walls, inside and without. The floors of the temple are granite tile which has been sanded flat except where otherwise noted. This gives good purchase even when the temple floors are wet after a particularly nasty storm. Unless otherwise noted, doors in the temple are constructed of strong, iron bound wood (hardness 5; 20 hp; break DC 23) and are equipped with with average locks (open lock DC 25).
    1 - Forecourt: The rough brick flagstones that line Mendenton's lower boardwalk are replaced with large, sanded smooth blocks of white granite. Just in front of the outer doors is holy pool of always pure water. This is used for large blessings which cannot be accommodated within the temple. The pool is about 15 feet deep and is magically maintained by permanent create water and bless water spells. The outer walls are three foot thick hewn stone (hardness 8; 540 hp; break DC 50). The 6 foot wide by 10 foot tall iron doors are decorated with gold embossing that shows the Goddess as a young girl spreading raindrops from one hand over the earth, they are six inches thick solid iron (hardness 10; 180 hp; Break DC 28) and can be barred from within. These doors are open during the temples normal operating hours, when there is an acolyte or the high priest present.
    2 - Narthex: The narthex serves as a room for people to congregate when not in worship. Doors leaving from this chamber are decorated iron on carefully weighted hinges. Doors to the conversiary (5) and study (6) are two inches thick and decorated with flowing undersea motifs in golden filigree (hardness 10; 60 hp; break DC 28). The door to the conversiary (5) is opened before and after services or during temple celebrations. The study doors (6) are kept closed. Both doors to the study and conversiary are insulated with rubber edging so that the moist air that frequently permeates the air of the temple does not ruin the furnishings in the rest of the building. The inner doors to the nave and sanctuary (3) are the same weight as the doors to the forecourt (hardness 10; 180 hp; break DC 28) and can be barred from within the nave (3). They are decorated with a gold filigree mosaic of the goddess watching over a man that travels alone on a wilderness seaside roadway.
    3 - Nave and Sanctuary: The walls of this chamber are embossed with various depictions of the aspects of Chishleen as a guardian and protector of travelers, the caretaker of the seas, the goddess of the weather, as the goddess of fertility, as the goddess of the harvest, and so forth. The floor of the chamber is made from textured sky-blue and pearl marble, so that when wet it is not slippery to walk upon.
    The temple nave is where parishioners sit during services to the goddess. The nave seating can accommodate nearly 100 worshipers. The benches are constructed of fitted sections of stone. In the center of the chamber is the sanctuary, a square pool of water that is purified and blessed. In the center is an island podium of stone on which rests a small table and the temples sacraments. The altar table surface is supported by four large conch shells carved from ivory and plaited within with abalone. The table surface is a great abalone shell that has been cut flat and polished to a beautiful shine.
    Over the sanctuary is a large, round, open sky light through which the weather can enter. The open area of the skylight is protected by an engraved and permanent symbol of stunning and an alarm spell. Anyone bearing the chain of the pastoral office can pass through the skylight freely. Doors into the sanctuary can be barred from within and are constructed from six foot thick iron (hardness 10; 180 hp; Break DC 28).
    4 - Natatorium: The natatorium is open to the weathers elements and can be accessed directly from the water by a set of rough stairs that descend into the water. Water frequently washes over the floor of this chamber and into the pool at its center. A pipe between this pool and the one in the sanctuary keeps water circulating between the two. With the proper blessing from a priest of the temple, those drinking from the purified water in the natatorium gain the water breathing ability. Various special ceremonies and sacrifices to the goddess are performed here, including baptisms of new initiates into the faith.
    5 - Conversiary: This chamber is opened during the temples public events, such as during services and celebrations. The room serves as a place where people can sit and converse. Comfortable wooden chairs with padded leather seats are scattered about the room. The walls are painted with various undersea scenes.
    6 - Study: The study chamber is used as a quiet place where acolytes can conduct research and still be near enough to the entrance that they can hear if visitors have entered the temple. Transcription of various church documents and religious texts is also done here.
    7a & 7b - Hallway: Candle holding sconces are positioned at regular intervals through these plain hallways. Typically, only church acolytes and visitors in the company of church staff are allowed into these corridors and the rooms that can be accessed through them (detailed below).
    8 - Library and Archives: The door to the library has a good lock on it (open lock DC 30) and is kept locked when not in use. The door has a solid panel of steel in its inside lining (hardness 10, 30 hp, break DC 28). Religious, historical texts, and church archives are kept on the wood lined stone shelves of the chamber. A permanent ward of extinguishing has been placed on the ceiling of the chamber, suppressing all magical and non-magical fire that is brought into the chamber. The walls of this chamber are covered with wood paneling to keep noise in the chamber to a minimum. At regular intervals along the walls of the room are small shuttered lanterns which hold glass orbs that have been enchanted with continual flame. Two modest, wooden desks are located at the back of the room.
    9 - Meeting Chamber: This chamber is used for common meals, celebratory occasions, as a study room when the library is occupied, classes, and for church staff meetings that require more privacy than the conversiary (5) provides. A long wooden table fills the length of the room with leather padded wood chairs surrounding it. At the back corner of the room are bookshelves which contain copies of commonly used church doctrine, paper, and writing tools. The walls of this chamber are lined with wood paneling which keeps noise in the chamber to a minimum.
    10 - Acolyte Domicile: Three modest wooden beds are located in this chamber. The door of the chamber can be barred from within (barred door: hardness 5; 20 hp; break DC 25). Aside from the beds there are footlockers (kept under the beds) and a bookshelf for the acolytes private effects. The walls of this chamber are lined with wood paneling which keeps noise in the chamber to a minimum.
    11 - Chapel: The chapel is used by acolytes for small, private interchurch worship, private prayer, and private conciliatory and worship meetings with parishioners when a more personal and private environment is necessary. The walls are wood paneled to keep noise in the chamber to a minimum. A small altar to Chishleen is at the back of the chamber. A thick carpet with intricate designs and religious symbolism covers the floor to make prayerful kneeling more comfortable. A font of holy water is kept near the door to the chamber for anointment before prayer. This room is locked when not in use with a good quality lock (open lock DC 30).
    12 - Summoning Chamber: Communication with greater and otherworldly servants of the goddess is occasionally necessary and this chamber possesses all the tools necessary to perform services and summonings that will attract the presence such beings. The room is sparsely furnished, the walls and floors are undecorated stone. The door to this chamber has a sheet of steel lining it within and can be barred from inside of the chamber (hardness 10, 30 hp, break DC 28; barred break DC 32). This room is locked when not in use with a good quality lock (open lock DC 30). The summoning design on the floor of the chamber is carved into the stonework and lined with ivory and coral.
    13 - Administrative Offices: Acolytes conduct church business here. Accounting, the creation and maintenance of archive materials, membership documentation, and copies of recent church records are in here. Several private desks are available for acolytes to perform their duties here as well as a round common table for when a particular project requires the cooperation of several people to complete. This room is locked when not in use with a good quality lock (open lock DC 30). The walls of this chamber are lined with wood paneling to keep noise to a minimum.
    14 - Storage: Religious tools, symbols, cleaning and office supplies, and religious items that are only used on special occasion are kept in this chamber. This room is locked when not in use with a good quality lock (open lock DC 30).
    15 - Pastoral Domicile: The pastor of the church keeps his private dwelling within the temple. A comfortable bed and modest desk sit against one wall. The desk can be locked with a good lock (open lock DC 30). Over the bed is a prominent holy symbol of Chishleen, a huge clamshell with three large blue opals shaped like raindrops fastened within and a serpentine pathway of tooled abalone that winds its way from the bottom of the shell to a narrowing point amidst the opals. Bookshelves line the chamber in various places, filled with personal and religious materials. The floor is covered with a thick woven carpet and the walls of the chamber are paneled with wood. The door to this chamber has a sheet of steel lining it within and can be barred from inside of the chamber (hardness 10, 30 hp, break DC 28; barred break DC 32). This room is locked when not in use with a good quality lock (open lock DC 30).