Maidensbridge Abbey
From Praemal
The various orders of monks and nuns dedicated to Lothian operate independently, for the most part, from the overall hierarchy of the church, although they are still theoretically answerable to the Emperor of the Church. As a result, these orders tend to be popular with secular rulers, as they represent an alternative religious power center in a community to the established church.
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History
In IA 580 that the fifth baron of Midwood invited an order of nuns to establish an abbey just outside Maidensbridge. The Sisters of the New Dawn, an order of nuns partially sponsored by powerful merchant houses in Grail Keep, were happy to take the baron up on his offer.
But the abbey and all those within were to meet a tragic end.
In 610 IA, the abbess of Maidensbridge Abbey went mad, and strangled all the other nuns in the middle of the night, before hanging herself.
Physical description
Today, the abbey southwest of town is abandoned, the two-story timber-and-stone building falling into ruin and all but overgrown with black thorny vines. Parts of the second floor have collapsed and black vines choke much of the rest of the building. The perimeter buildings have all but vanished at this point.
The clergy of Lothian wanting nothing to do with the location, other than sending an exorcist to the location a decade after the murders. Adventurers have attempted to lift the curse on the abbey several times in subsequent decades, most famously including Artos Nachtmann, but all failed and most of them simply vanished without a trace.
The residents of Maidensbridge wish the church would return its attention to the abbey, as strange sounds and lights have been seen in and around the abbey in the dark of night.
Layout
- The Abbey Church The abbey church's interior was originally divided into a number of spaces, the lay sisters' nave, a pair of chapels andthe retro choir for the aged and infirm nuns. Tiered wooden stands with bookstands once were home to the nuns’ choirs. As with most Lothianite abbeys of the period, Maidensbridge Abbey was designed and built with little ornamentation. It was designed with pointed barrel vaults and solid dividing walls. The aisles have rib vaults, which create an open effect. The piers are molded with an undulating outline, resembling bundles of separate shafts. The ceiling painting, which once depicted Lothian ascending into heaven from his crucifix has been transformed into a demonic scene depicting Lothian as a demonic rapist claiming his place in Hell's hierarchy under the watchful eyes of hinted-at greater fiends. A pair of beautiful stained glass windows, depicting Lothian's good works, are intact high on the side walls, but are almost totally covered by the black ivy, allowing in little light and rendering the window art unintelligible. The pews are in good condition, although they have apparently been exposed to flame at some point, and are almost entirely scorched black. Each transept features three small chapels beneath deep arches. Once each held statues of saints with small altars and pews. Today, the statues of the saints have been so badly vandalized, it’s impossible to recognize whom they once depicted. A door along the southwest wall of the south transept apparently leads to the cloister.
- The cloister The lawn of the abbey is a mostly dead grass, although tufts of green grass still struggle to survive. A group of otherworldly ravens guard the cloister, roosting on the black ivy engulfing the roof around its perimeter.
- The library The door of the room is long-since rotted away, exposing priceless books and scrolls to the elements. Most are now in ruins, either dried and in shreds or rotten mush. Still, a few works appear to be recoverable.
- The nuns' dormitory A long row of beds line the west wall. The undead Artos Nachtmann and other adventurers who have perished in the abbey over the years slumbered here, waiting to bring other would-be heroes into their fold.
Real-world inspiration
Maidensbridge Abbey is based on the physical layout of Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds.
