Cathedral.

Prompt: ANCHIENT
User: @wemzii
Post: Cathedral.
Dates: 
Notable Rules: 

The Great Backstory

Many centuries ago, this was a beautiful Cathedral. It was a brilliant display of human ingenuity, and served as a monument to religious freedom. The Cathedral stood high above the kingdom, a beacon to all that's holy. The structure was beloved by the Holy Church. The Church held punctual gatherings, and allowed anyone to come and worship. This “Golden Age” wouldn’t last long, though.

  As the Royal Crown crept towards classification as “tyrannical”, it adopted a complete absolute monarchy. Tensions between the King and the Holy Church grew. The King, in the name of “ethical management”, dominated the kingdom with an iron fist. Where the King saw disorder, his fist would strike down. It wasn’t long until the King decided to strike down the church, seizing control over all religious affairs, and limiting all power the Holy Church once possessed.

  To put it bluntly, this pissed the Holy Church off. (They weren’t having it!!) Naturally, the citizens and clergymen felt a mutual hatred towards the King. For decades, this hate would brew, until one fateful evening when a rebellion was devised among citizens. All they needed was the day to rebel.

  That day would come; the King crowned himself Emperor.

  Swiftly and coordinated, an attack emerged from the shadows, sending the kingdom into a frenzy as a civil and religious war ignited. Families fled, heroes were slain, blood was spilled, and fires were lit in what can only be described as pure chaos.

  The Cathedral was set ablaze. Flames consumed paintings, books, and banners. The fire spread up the Cathedral walls just as quickly as hatred for the king did. The main support beams were torn apart, sending large portions of the roof crashing down. Pillars crumbled, the stained glass window shattered, and the stone statues were reduced to rubble.

  An entire winter, this fire would burn. For two years, this war would live. 

  The few survivors of the war saw no possibility in restoring the land they could once call home, thus abandoning everything they knew and loved in search of a new home. The Cathedral was left to erode with the rain, to scar from the sun, and to crumble as Mother Earth reclaimed it. Trees grew from the ashes, vines twisted up the pillars, and moss grew rampant.

  Many centuries later, the Cathedral still stands. Its location is kept a secret from the modern public in order to preserve its history.