A Shallyan priestess tending to the mad.
The Sanatorium of Mercy is a major facility within the city of Altdorf tended to by the Cult of Shallya.
Though thousands of diseased and infirm souls suffer and die in Altdorf, only a few are admitted to this sanatorium deep within one of the great slums of the city. Here the unfortunate afflicted can hold some hope that one day they may be cured. No one knows how many of them truly recover, but those that do get better will often stay with the sanatorium, working as orderlies and nurses, converted to the cause through their recovery.[1a]
The great sprawling building is surrounded by a high, wrought iron fence, dotted with carved stone doves, as if Shallya’s divine minions were guarding the place. Some argue that the fence is meant to keep the patients in, while others argue it is to keep the hopeful supplicants out. Every day, dozens of sickened lunatic souls present themselves at the gates of the sanatorium hoping to be admitted.[1a]
Each dawn, a number of Shallyans pass through the gate to inspect the sick, raving and suffering to determine which ones will be allowed to enter.[1a]
The lessons of the Temple Hospice of Shallya have been learned here and access to the sanatorium is tightly controlled. The cult is careful about who they admit and often come across as uncaring and aloof. The trials that prospective patients must go through often leaves a sour taste for those not selected for treatment.[1a]
The sanatorium was founded in 2472 in response to an epidemic of the Yellow Shakes in Altdorf's East End.[2a]