Temple of Orithena

The Temple of Orithena is an ancient ceremonial complex at Orithena, remembered for a vast domed hall with an oculus acting as a camera obscura. At midday, a sunbeam projected through the oculus traced an analemma across the floor, forming the climax of the rite later echoed in mathic practice.

Notable Features

• Domed hall with a central oculus functioning as a camera obscura, producing a seasonal analemma on the floor
• A named decagonal forecourt before the temple, known as The Decagon
• Traditional linkage to the classical tiling problem called The Teglon

History

• The south slope of Ecba's volcano exploded and collapsed in -2621, burying the Temple of Orithena under ash and rubble and obliterating a harbor on the island's southeastern coast once used by early physiologers.

Associations

• Part of the broader complex referred to as the Halls of Orithena
• The temple and its rites are emblematic touchstones in classical theorics and liturgy

Recent Activity

• A large, orderly excavation on Ecba aims to uncover the buried temple. The site presents a dark perimeter wall and switchback access road; visitors encounter an avout-run checkpoint at the base and are not permitted to drive farther. Avout at the checkpoint wear bolts and chords openly and sell small items to visitors (e.g., soap made with volcanic ash). Independent observers on the Reticulum attribute the effort to an Edharian Order spinoff drawing personnel from multiple Edharian maths; the work appears long-running and predominantly manual, with little heavy machinery evident. Recognition of exposed floor markings resembling the temple's analemma helped confirm the identification.
• A probe associated with the Geometers (offworld visitors) descended into the pit and set down on The Decagon, near the sun-track marker on the floor. Avout on site approached, documented the craft, and improvised a canopy by suspending its parachute across the plaza to deter additional landings.
• Shortly thereafter, soldiers of the Sæcular Power entered the concent, established control measures, and began cataloging personnel with flashing neck collars; observers note jammed communications on the Reticulum.
• Soon after, an impactor struck the volcano above Orithena, triggering a violent eruption. Accounts describe a fast, glowing ash cloud overrunning the walls, toppling structures, and engulfing the temple site at the bottom of the pit amid an emergency evacuation by aerocraft.
• At the Convox, the encounter and its immediate aftermath are collectively referred to as the Visitation of Orithena.
• In a public dialog following the event, an eyewitness from the site related that the excavated temple lies at the foot of the volcano; most onlookers remained at the rim while Orolo descended to the bottom of the pit, with Erasmas following. According to the same account, the probe’s parachute deployed while the pair were running downslope, and an Ita named Sammann began recording minutes after touchdown.

Status/Access

The original complex is long destroyed and largely buried by ancient ash; present-day access had been via the remote excavation compound on Ecba. Following the probe landing and ensuing volcanic event that devastated the compound, near-term status and access are uncertain.