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Tanya Marhr'onn: Breeze Upon The Shrine
Thunder shook the Arcane Delver's partially finished guild house deep within the Dwarven lands. There was not a cloud in the sky, so the thunder was quite a peculiar occurrence. The Delvers and Mageshields had gathered in the courtyard, adorned in newly tailored robes of Ocean blue and gold thread. As had been planned for days, the group was set to visit an ancient shrine in an unknown land. Polgrath, Mindlord of the Delvers, and his apprentice, Adonis, had been led there by a stray wind before; a wind that did not behave as other winds did. This wind seemingly tugged upon Polgrath's robes, the spectral pull of a power far beyond even his comprehension.
The group traversed the Anthos Highway, meeting a few other members of the group at the Emerald Pillar. Together, they boarded the boat to the wilds.
There was no time to waste. The group marched past the Wilds Inn, entering the reserve. They ventured along the shoreline for a few miles, past homes and mines, until they located the ship they were looking for. The ship was little more than a dinghy, but was large enough to carry the entire group in a single trip. The ship was owned by a very wary captain, who made him don a thick woolen blindfold before setting sail so as not to reveal the location of their destination.
Upon arrival, they removed the blindfolds, laying them in a stack on the boat’s deck. As his eyes adjusted from a lack of exposure, they found themselves inside an immense cavern, wooden walkways extending out into the dark in all directions. Upon his first venture here, the wind had hesitated for a moment, but tugged Polgrath out of the cavern. This time however, the wind waited. The group was greeted by a man that introduced himself as “Lightforge.” They made quick introductions in succession, before Mr. Lightforge led them out of the cavern. Looming outside was a thick jungle, made thin in some places in order to build a variety of different amenities. A steep ascent through vines and thick branches led to the crest of a small mountain, still high above the clouds. The land lay flat here, allowing for an ancient shrine made of cracked stone brick and bright blue lapis. Perfectly square, the shrine had what appeared to be four doors, sealed with the ages.
Lightforge read the two messages that all magic-wielders has scrawled before, in a daze.
The First Message
The Second Message
Upon his first visit, Polgrath cast magic upon one of the doors, a deep blue lapis plate adorning each one. The plate glowed faintly, and the sound of waves grew close. The door did not open, however. A booming voice filled the sky,
“THE WAY IS SHUT. IT REMAINS AS THE DREAMED.”
This event is what caused the Delvers to visit this place again; Polgrath assumed that if there was a mage for every door, it might allow entrance. The three casters from the Delvers took their positions: Ev, the water evocationist above the pool of water, Polgrath and Cyrus, the illusionists, opposite one another, and Mr. Lightforge, a golemancer, on the last door. The mageshields watched in anticipation at a distance. Upon a countdown, each mage connected with the powers of the void, directing this power at the lapis plates. Thunder echoed across the mountain, and the reaction of the doors threw the mages off of their feet. As the haze dispersed, the group worked its way to a single side.
What showed now was remarkable. Glimmering runes darted around the surface of the temple. The runes shifted around constantly, forming images. At last, the runes formed an image of multiple different doors of various shapes. Polgrath commanded each person, including the Mageshields, to stare at a different door. When each person stared at the door, it filled them with an intense vision, and the door disappeared, faded to aged stone again.
The wind died down, leaving a rather still night behind. The group followed Mr. Lightforge back into the cove, up to a tavern on one of the wooden floors. They stayed the night, most of them sleeping or just contemplating their visions. A few glasses of tea were shared, and a new friend was acquired. Their journey would continue another day.
ALBUM, courtesy of Floop
TO BE CONTINUED...