The Chapterhouse of the Suns of Couros is the focal point of the chapter, and an important part of the town of Haros Water.

The Chapterhouse of the Suns of Couros sits high on the eastern flank of the river Haros, between the water and the limestone cliff that looms over the settlement. The Chapterhouse and its attached buildings form part of Haros Water’s outer defences, as well as one of the main bridges that spans the Haros and gives access to the rest of the town. Before the Druj burned the town to the ground the great bridge that leapt across the river from the Suns Chapterhouse was made from white granite, but now it is a simpler construction of oak and weirwood. Even so it is a sturdy and impressive construction, nearly fifty feet in length and wide enough for two oxen carts abreast. The bridge has guard towers on either side, which form the control and maintenance equipment to raise and lower the great chain which blocks the river, preventing hostile shipping from making its way into the heart of the Empire. The chain itself is thick enough to walk across and weighs more than a ton – sufficient to prevent all but rowing boats and small sail boats holding one or two people from nipping past it.

Inside the walls of the chapter are the newly constructed barracks, dormitories, herb gardens, and central cloisters, as well as the squat white granite tower that is the chapterhouse proper. The chapterhouse sits at the corner of a neatly laid three sided square of buildings, with the fourth side being the river itself. This setup creates an enclosed courtyard which, in combination with the relatively detached location, gives the chapter a segregated feeling from the rest of Haros Water. Even in the rebirth of Reikos, the chapter still holds to itself and its traditions.

Over 300 souls call themselves Suns of Couros. There are still many draughir who wear the distinctively stark black and white, but there are also many of other lineages and not. Those who visit even a short while with the chapter will get the impression fairly early on that there are a lot of newcomers.

Seriah’s Legacy

In a clean and sunny corridor within the chapterhouse is an impressive stained glass window known as Seriah’s Legacy. It shows a figure in the robes of a Sun, with pale skin and red hair; he stands head on in the middle of the window, with his right hand holding a flame and his left raising a bottle to his lips. In the background lies a broken and sickened land with wasted figures to the left of him and a verdant and healthy land with black and white robes figures working fields and gardens to the right. He is looking towards the right hand side, even though a sickly vine wraps around his left ankle. Below is the inscription: “Consequences are the price of Ambition; no price is too high to realise your dreams”.

Brother Jared will, at least once a year, bring his pupils to the corridor and recount the story of Brother Seriah as a lesson in the cost and commitment of Ambition. Other times he will come alone and spend awhile in reflection. He will not be the only one to do so.

Barracks

The barracks building is pressed up against the northern wall of the chapter, and is one of the only buildings besides the chapterhouse to be constructed almost entirely of white granite. It stands tall, with several towers to allow guards to look over the walls and far into the distance for incoming threats. Inside the barracks are kitchens, a mess, storage rooms, armoury, and (predictably) barracks for the cataracts and guardians. The building looks out onto a large, cobbled yard, where the guard train and drill, and which houses a small forge that the soldiers used to repair armour and weapons, and create new gear as needed.

The Winter’s Hearth Tavern

Nestled at a corner on the main road leading up to the fortified bridge, the Winter’s Hearth Tavern sits just off the main market square of Haros Water, with the square on one side, and at the end of a long row of workshops and artificers on the other. Built from white stone and solid oak beams, the tavern sits in the same place it did before the Druj burned the town.

The far wall of the main taproom is dominated by the huge hearth, from which the tavern’s name arose, and the chimney above it is both taller and wider than any other in Haros, including the one of the blacksmith next door. During the winter the draw from it keeps the massive fire within burning happily, attracting dozens of patrons to sit at the long trestle tables. During the warm days of summer, all the windows and doors are flung wide, allowing a cool draught to flow through them and up the chimney, sometimes giving drinkers a pleasant winter shiver on even the hottest of days.

To the rear of the tavern are kitchens, a brewery, a dormitory and some private rooms, the latter abutting the chimney flue in order to gain some heat during the winter. The tavern has been run by the same family for as long as anyone can remember, and still does a steady trade in spite of the siege. While wine and beer are limited by what supplies can be brought in from outside, buzzing hives at the back send out bees to forage beyond the walls, with much of the honey being turned into small mead as well as stronger honey wines in the brewery.

Chapter Library

The chapter library, whilst housing a large and impressive collection of winter lore, was, before the ‘fall’ of Reikos, rather deficient in many regards. The non-lineaged ‘keepers’ of the chapter had carefully arranged the materials available, attempting to keep their charges from those materials that might encourage their madness. For many of them, the only thing keeping them from removing the collections of winter lore was the fact that the library had already become renowned for the size and quality of the collection. However, with the fall of the other chapters within Reikos, the libraries have been gradually filled with what has been salvaged by the many refugees that have flocked to Haros, and now boast an extensive, if somewhat esoteric, collection.

When the Druj burned the town much of the collected lore was lost, but the most important documents were carried away by Sister Jessica and Brother Kidron, and since the rebuilding of the town efforts have been made by Sister Birdie, Brother Ahzrukhal and Brother Barabbas to procure new books to fill the shelves.

Council Chamber

The council chamber is an architectural highlight of the Chapter house. A large octagonal chamber at the top of the main building, it boasts seven tall stained-glass arched windows, each of which depicted one of the seven Virtues.

Chapter Gardens

The Chapter gardens is a walled gardens located beside the chapter house, it is a large area closed off by 8ft stone walls and a iron gate within its walls medicinal herbs are grown along side pea crops and other root vegetables. There is a small shed that holds tools but was also a safe area for brewing and preparing herbs, with a workbench and all preparations tools lovingly placed.