The Chamber of Suffering appears in Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (2016), not simply as a tool of the Bravennans but also as a reason for Amel to create luracastria, the substance that incites the destruction of Atlantis.
Many thousands of years ago, particular rooms are constructed either inside or adjacent to the ancient Pyramids of Egypt. These rooms are commonly referred to as the Chambers of Suffering. The chambers are places where mortals have an opportunity to contemplate their existence and all the events that cause them great disappointment, conflict, and turmoil, and where they have an opportunity to sit on benches, grieve, and lament over all their sufferings before the Maker of the world. They can weep loudly and beat their fists against the stone walls. It is a place of raw sorrow and anger.
Some chambers are guarded by strong sentries. Others have elderly guides within, who help individuals share their suffering more openly. A few chambers have fallen into neglect and ruin; they are no longer cared for yet are available to anyone—especially those living in the Wilderness—who happens to enter.
However, the reality of these Chambers of Suffering is that they are transmitters of human suffering, transferring the psionic energy of human suffering across the universe to the planet Bravenna, where the occupants, the Bravennans, consume human suffering as a natural resource of energy. Needing humans, or humanlike individuals, to maintain these Chambers of Suffering, Bravennan scientists abduct a human named Amel. Genetically enhancing him to be an immortal superhuman, they send him back to Earth, deceptively informing him that these chambers are meant for the benefit of humankind and that his work is to aid human welfare. With his enhanced intellect, Amel soon figures out the truth and attempts to either destroy these Chambers of Suffering or protect humans from them. With extracted samples of his genetic coding, he develops a new chemical compound called luracastria, which prevents the Bravennans from receiving the transmissions from the Chambers of Suffering and protects humans within the vast cities made out of luracastria, such as the city of Atlantis, which has no Chambers of Suffering and is a paradise of peace and joy.
When the Bravennans discover Amel’s treachery, they send to Earth a shower of meteors that destroys Atlantis, Amel, and most of their Chambers of Suffering.
For more perspectives on the Chambers of Suffering, read the Alphabettery entries Amel, Atlantis, Bravenna, Bravennans, Wilderness, and Wilderness People.