Sept of the Faithful

The Sept of the Faithful is a large Sept located in Lannisport. It took six years to build, and was made to rival in size both the Starry Sept of Oldtown and the Great Sept of Baelor. In sheer majesty and opulence, however, no other Sept can rival it.

Layout
The Sept of the Faithful is located on the southern side of Lannisport, amongst the slums and poorer quarters of the city.

Made for the most part of rock hewn from the Rock itself, it has seven sets of seven short golden-topped towers that jut out into the heavens. Each tower holds its own set of bells, the finest of which are also made of gold. On a sunny day, the Sept seems to light up and shimmer due to its golden aura.

It is a massive, squat structure capable of holding over a thousand worshippers within its main hall, the Golden Hall. Inside the hall stand seven towering statues of the Seven, each with eyes of piercing gemstones and clad in a thin sheet of gold. Choirs of Septons sing and recite prayers hourly, through day and night. Donations from the wealthier members of Lannisport society are accepted at the various altars of the sept.

The rest of the Sept is devoted to caring and ministering to the needs of the poor. There are beds for the homeless, and centres where the sick and diseased may be cared for by Septas and Silent Sisters. Free bread and soup is often handed out in the fragrant gardens of the Sept as well.

Seven small septries exist on the outskirts of the grounds of the Sept. They are private, and not accessible to general members of the public. They house separate communities of holy brothers and sisters, who live in quiet contemplation away from the wider world.

History
Before 411 A.C. Lannisport could boast no great sept of its own. Unlike Oldtown, Highgarden or King's Landing, the West's premier city was made to make do with a collection of smaller septs scattered throughout her walls.

However, in 411 A.C. Lord Loreon Lannister announced his intention to found a new sept at Lannisport, one as large in size as any other in the Realm, and far more grand. This was done at least in part as a reaction against the Crown's decision to allow (or perhaps sponsor) the creation of a new Red Temple in King's Landing, and the growing importance of R'hllor within the Royal Court. It was also done in an attempt to mend the schism that had torn apart the Faith earlier, for Lord Lannister believed it was this that had precipitated the falling influence of the Faith at Court. The restoration of internal unity was paramount.

Though the vast majority of the cost of the endeavour was shouldered by the vast coffers of Casterly Rock, the initiative found itself inundated with supporters. Most notable of these were the Houses Baratheon, Tyrell, Hightower, Redwyne, Frey and Peake, all of whom contributed or donated to the building of the Sept of the Faithful. Furthermore, the then Starry Septon (Abelar) also bestowed his full support on the creation of the new sept.

At last, in 417 A.C. the building came to an end. The first ceremony, led by the newly nicknamed 'Golden Septon', attracted a large congregation from all echelons of Lannisport society - including Loreon Lannister himself.