LUNA ISLE, ACHKAERIN
Luna Isle is the most sacred religious location in Achkaerin situated to the southern end of Foxton Lake where the holds of Rosemoor, Greencliffe and Silverlea meet. It has deep historical and cultural routes for the people of Achkaerin and is quite the attraction during the summer tourist season although only the temple section is tourist territory. The island holds the sacred sites of the Temple of the Trinity and most significantly the Courtyard of Life. Luna Isle is regarded as quite a tranquil place in fact it is better described as a holy village or town really considering what is located on the island.
The Monastery
The Luna Isle Monastery is the home of the Luna Isle Monks, this is where they eat, sleep and study. The order tends to be split by those who seek their own spiritual enlightenment and others who seek to help other people find it, this is why it is the monks that teach the other order on the island. The Monastery itself is the second oldest building on the island one of the great tourist attractions is often seen here on New Years Day when the monks process out and shout in their native tongue to the sky a prayer of thanks.
The Temple of the Trinity
The Temple of the Trinity stands as the spiritual centre of the Achkaerinese faith the temple houses altars to all three Goddesses of the Cult of Namis, Namis, Kisara and Xiaoyu it remains one of the oldest examples of this kind of building dating back beyond the founding of Achkaerin itself. The Temple still holds ceremonies according to the Cult with the High Priestess, Oracle or Queen of Songs presiding.
The Courtyard of Life
The Courtyard of Life sits right at the centre of the island, it's a pretty self explanatory place, a circular courtyard in the centre of which sits the Tree of Life, as the name suggests this is the Tree from which the Namis faithful believe all life energy flows from and where it all began. Each year the blossom of the tree are woven into the wreath of remembrance laid by the monarch on Memorial Day and every year on Life Day (25th December) the High Priestess addresses the nation from the courtyard. It is a place open to the public but due to the space limitations the numbers allowed in at any one time are restricted.
The Convent
The Luna Isle Convent is the home of the order of the Maiden Sisters, an all female order that learn the Rhythm of Life through learning various sword forms taught to them by the monks, the order embodies the cultural significance of Achkaerin's warrior heritage, a nation forged by, divided by and reunified by the sword, originally they were viewed as what might be viewed as the High Priestess's personal army however these days they are more of a ceremonial guard. There has been one notable exception to the all female rule, King Paul of East Moreland otherwise known as Paul the Explorer was permitted to study the Rhythm of Life and remains to date the only 'Brother' in the orders history. This does not mean that the order does not teach the Rhythm of Life to men such teaching is a frequent occurrence in the modern day it just means that in terms of initiation Paul remains the only male, though as part of the rehabilitation of the Samurai of Toshikawa this is expected to change. The courtyard of the Elements located in the monastery holds unique shrines or 'wells' as they're called by the order to the seven elements of Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Light and Dark these are the elements that make up the Rhythm of Life.
The Shrine of Yve
Across the island there are shrines to the nine Sacred Beasts born of the Goddess Namis- Okan the Basilisk, Rotorth the Griffin, Kovrien the Stag, Malzrucrid the Gorilla, Brerin the Chimaera, Aydel the Raith Cat, Evna the Fox, Yve the Phoenix and Fryseirth the Dragon. These are open air shrines and are mostly visited by pilgrims. The Shrine of Yve has an additional attraction for the flame that burns at that shrine is otherwise known as the 'sacred flame' or 'eternal flame' and it is this flame that is used to light the Mundus Games torch each year.
The Accommodation
The Island is the home to a lot of people, the monks, the Maiden Sisters, the Trinity Choir and of course the three female leaders of the Cult of Namis the High Priestess, the Oracle and the Queen of Songs. Each of these homes serves not only as their living quarters but their place of work. A notable part of the home of the Oracle is the Vault of Prophecy, a place where all the prophecies of all the Cult's prophets are kept recorded for consultation, the High Priestess's home has within it's walls the Vault of Knowledge where one can find numerous writings on the Cult's history and its teachings, finally within the Queen of Songs home the Vault of Song can be found here can be found all the sacred songs of the Cult.