Temple of Rin

The Temple of Rin was a Sith temple on Kavez Massass, created by the world's Massassi denizens to honor their patroness and queen, Rin Sakaros.

Exterior
The core of the temple was a towering domed rotunda, 100 meters (328 feet) tall and wide, with an oculus in the exact center of the dome's peak. The Temple was fronted by a portico 70 meters in height at its peak, with a double row of columns. All those entering the Temple were required to leave their weapons outside, other than Rin Sakaros herself or anyone else she chose. The stone doors of the Temple were forty meters tall and required teams of Massassi working in concert to open or close.

Placed at four points around the rotunda, ninety degrees apart from each other and forty-five and one hundred thirty-five degrees from the entrance, were spires which towered to 150 meters. Narrowing as they rose, the spires were carved with enormous and, the Massassi believed, allowed the Temple to act as a.

When not in use, the entrance to the Temple was guarded by soldiers from the seventeen Massassi Cohorts, handpicked by the Consul of Kavez Massass.

Temple proper
Just inside the portico was a large vestibule, separated from the rest of the interior by gates laced with. It took four fully grown Massassi to open each gate. A large circular basin filled with water dominated the rectangular room, and Massassi were expected to ceremonially wash their hands before entering the Temple proper.

The interior of Rin's Temple was a perfect circle, though niches had been carved into the walls for statues and relics. Dominating the far end, ensconced in an apse built into the wall, was a statue of Rin Sakaros, nine meters tall and carved from a single piece of black stone. When the Massassi congregated, the statue of Rin was used as a focal point for her worship. Statues in the niches along the wall included Tariun Sakaros and Keltrayu (and, after 139 ABY, Tak Sakaros), and among the trophies displayed were the decorative chains of office of the Tetrarchs of Mezlagob and the mask of Cravsh, the last of the.

The floor of the Temple was simple but polished marble. Around the walls, ornate columns braced the walls where they were indented for niches; the rest of the walls were decorated with mosaics and artistic designs. Around the base of the dome, roughly ten meters from the floor, a series of Sith runes were etched. On the interior of the dome itself, additional Sith writing described the accomplishments of Rin, the Golden Empire, and even some of the ancient Sith. Torches hung around the room, which were lit for some ceremonies, though others were conducted only in moonlight through the oculus.

Underlevels
Beneath the main rotunda, the Massassi builders secretly dug a chamber. The "basement" was accessible only from a secret passage located to the left of Rin's statue in the main rotunda, which led to a winding spiral staircase with several hundred stairs. In stark contrast to the open and enormous upper level, the hidden level was dark, cramped, and hewn directly into the soil, although flagstones were pounded into the dirt to make a crude floor.

Drawing on ancient records of Sith architecture, the Massassi engineered the secret underground level for the performance of. While only an amateur in her early career, Rin kept some, scrolls, and other ancient sources in her private dark sanctum. Despite her disbelief in dark or light sides of the Force, she had read enough history to know of the corrupting power of Sith magic, and was reluctant to use it when her powers allowed her to achieve her goals in other ways.

Construction and dedication
Zogryth, first Consul of Kavez Massass, immediately consulted with his advisors and Massassi elders on a way to repay Rin Sakaros for her beneficence when she gave them the planet in 116 ABY. Most had heard of the ancient Sith temples on, and all had visited the ruins of such temples on. They eventually settled on the idea of building such a temple for their patroness. Construction of the Temple of Rin began late in 116 and took nearly five years. All the work was performed by Massassi, and all the materials used came from Kavez Massass, aside from the small amount of neuranium imported for the interior gates. Several of the older and most learned Massassi elders suggested the idea of the secret dark arts chamber beneath the rotunda, and it was dug without the knowledge of most of the laborers.

The Temple was dedicated in 121 ABY, presided over by Zogryth and attended by Rin, Tariun, and members of the Royal Guard. Several dozen Massassi volunteered to sacrifice themselves to consecrate the Temple (and several more were "volunteered"), but Rin successfully talked them out of it by stating that her power alone could consecrate it. Not entirely convinced, the Massassi compromised with a non-fatal blood sacrifice from every Massassi involved in the construction.

Use
The Massassi used the Temple for its named purpose, worshipping Rin (and, to a lesser extent, all Sith) in the rotunda. Such rites were performed on various occasions, including the Sovereign's Birthday and Remembrance Day, as well as in accordance with Kavez Massass's lunar calendar.

Rin herself visited the Temple whenever she was on Kavez Massass, though she did not use the secret dark arts chamber for its intended purpose often. She did, however, use it as a private sanctum for meditation or brooding, especially when she needed to vent while on her own retreat world next door, Queen's Garden; this allowed her to keep Queen's Garden as a place of peace and relaxation in her mind. In Rin's absence, only a handful of the Massassi priests knew of the secret chamber, and it was visited only once a year or when Rin announced an impending visit to ensure that living things entering through the soil were removed.

Behind the scenes
The Temple of Rin is heavily based on the Pantheon which, while a Roman Catholic church since the 7th century, was originally a temple to all the Roman gods. The practice of preserving historically significant "trophies" in religious buildings extends back to Biblical times; the sword of was kept in a sanctuary at Nob after he was slain by.