Registered Member #345
Joined: 2:28:49 am GMT 11/25/04
Posts: 1954
// This thread will tell the story of the effort to repair or replace the Celestial temple in Port Galena, which is a story currently spread over a few threads (see the post below for links). All are welcome to contribute. Slaying harpies to help?; cool, you’re in. Trying to recover some shiny thing or another to help?; yep, you too. Helping plan potential defenses, figure out how to clear crud from the hill, learn more about the area’s past?; post away. Basically, anyone involved with clearing, cleaning, or constructing in the celestial temple area who would like to tell part of their character’s story here in the forums, this thread is yours as much as it is anyone else’s. Have at it.
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“Do you keep the light of Andarus?” The Knave reservist’s question had been simple enough, and the hope writ in his expression as he looked to her in anticipation of her answer was plain. The answer had come to Aeryth instinctively, echoing through her like the song of some ethereal choir at the question’s asking. She responded before her mind’s bent toward scholarship had time to cloud what she suddenly knew to be true. “Yes,” Aeryth had said. “Yes, I do.”
Now, as she walked the grassy land surrounding the remains of the Celestial temple, moonlight glinting from her rapier and helm, Aeryth was left to wonder at how some of the most profound moments of personal discovery can have such unexpected origins. What had begun as simple promises, first to the merchant Rianna, then to a Celestial, had become so much more.
Moons had passed, many moons, since she had begun to make her home here. But they had not passed without progress. The Mundus" >-Clickedy- Krah, a splinter that had festered in the stone beneath the temple, had been removed and destroyed. More recently, Sol’edrial" >-Clickedy- had come, and Lady Syrrisia had sent for her, with both promising aid in dealing with the harpies. But the greatest change was that which Aeryth felt within.
In her time within the temple, Andarus had grown from a figure prominent in the fabric of the island’s history to an inspiration; from the abstract to the existential. Now, when Aeryth took her reverie, He was with her bringing a peace she had never before known. When she called on the weave to bind the wounds of her friends, He was with her, infusing the energies she shaped with His own power.
Andarus was with her. And, Aeryth first realized when the Knave had asked his question, she was with Him. She had come to these ruins to keep a promise; to cleanse the grounds of an ancient temple. But she remained because she kept the Light. It was no longer just the building which she sought restore. She would help rekindle the Light of Andarus.
Aeryth stretched her arms outward. She spun slowly, looking to the branches enshrouded in shadow above as though shouting in silence to the harpies in the darkness: Come hags, you cannot continue to spoil this place. You cannot dim its light. Aeryth felt her bond with Andarus growing within her. I will not allow it.
Aeryth’s rapier gleamed in her outstretched hand, a shard of light stabbing into the darkness of night, poised to defend against whatever might descend from the shadows.
Registered Member #1727
Joined: 12:49:13 am GMT 06/04/11
Posts: 277
A man in clad in armor, spiked pauldrons (a gift from a lady) glinting in the afternoon sunlight, strode across the ruins.
(Actually, jogged across the ruins, to save time)
A familiar scene: Tumbled stonework of two ancient collapsed towers, remnants of a forge, a temple overgrown with weeds, a platform.
The platform drew his attention most acutely. It appeared to be perfectly flat. He removed a tool from his backpack*, and scanned the dias to see exactly how flat it was.
It was very flat. A second tool, an astrolab**, told him that it was not only flat but also perpendicular to the core of the world. He put away the tools and sat on a fallen granite block to ponder, hand on chin, elbow on knee, and so on.
Time passed, the world turned away from the sun.
A faint glow shone on the bald man's head, generated by glowing winged creatures down on the docks. He chose not to fight them alone, and returned to his rented room in the primary cheap tavern of the island, (a room that was in dire need of cleaning, but unlikely to be cleaned in the near future).
*a backpack is an ordinary piece of equipment that most adventurers carry, containing sundry items including but not limited to: food, weapons, tools, memerobilia, nutritional supplements, and sundries.
**Astrolabs are navigational tools not yet invented in Cain's time period, how he came to possess one is a matter of speculation.
Registered Member #345
Joined: 2:28:49 am GMT 11/25/04
Posts: 1954
Aeryth sat at the makeshift desk she had set in the corner of the temple. In between her various skirmishes with the harpy, Aeryth had taken pains to map the area immediately surrounding the temple. She reviewed and amended the map and accompanying notes as she absently nibbled on hardtack and assorted nuts.
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1. The temple of Andarus, commonly referred to as the Celestial temple. The marble walls are heavily damaged but still stand. Plants grow through the cracks in the marble floor, and will need to be pruned, perhaps replanted elsewhere. A swath of the floor is mottled marble; it was here that Thrar" >-Clickedy- and Snaga melted the stone to remove draconic engravings that had despoiled the temple.
Butterflies gather near a small obelisk. Andarus’ power seems most focused here. A large plaque conveys the three commandments of the Celestial Crusader. A large tome rests on a pedestal atop a dais in the rear of the temple, though the contents of the ancient celestial writing remain a mystery.
2. Ruins of Mordacht Wylde’s tower. Former home and study of the founder of the Celestial Order. Appears ruined beyond repair; as with many of the buildings in the area, not much more than rubble remains. It will take some effort to remove the debris from the hilltop; should be done with care in the event any of Mordacht's notes might remain intact. This would be a fitting location for a monument to commemorate those who served in the Celestial Order.
3. A building denoted as the Keeper of Knowledge. The building is in complete ruin, preventing entry. The only hint of its purpose is in the humble sign raised to mark it. Perhaps, as the rubble of this ruin is removed, some remnant of the knowledge once kept here might be recovered.
4. A building denoted as the Keeper of Arms. Similar to the building marked as the Keeper of Knowledge, this building is in complete ruin; beyond repair. We may learn more of the arms kept here, if any remain, as we clear the rubble.
5. A forge. The forge itself seems operable, but the building that once housed it is a crumbled ruin.
6. A wine press. The press seems as though it is still operable though, like the forge, the building itself is ruined almost-certainly beyond repair.
7. A first dais or pergola moderately damaged with its base battle-scarred in places and now cracked by overgrowth. This structure is likely salvageable. What was its purpose; was it meant strictly to enhance the aesthetics of the hilltop, or is there some other purpose here that eludes me?
8. A second dais or pergola in slightly better state than the first with somewhat less battle-wear and overgrowth. The overgrowth here could be pruned back without great difficulty. Similar to the first dais/pergola, the purpose of this structure, aside from its obvious beauty, eludes me. And why a pair, for symmetry alone?
9. Large crystal, similar in appearance to that in the glade near Greenvale. Is this here by chance? Does it, or did it once act as a source of power for the temple, or the cave below? It is beautiful and restful, but was it ever more?
10. Celestial portal, heavily damaged. The portal is currently inoperable, but retains some of its power. Can it be repaired? Who would have the knowledge to lead the repair? If no one, could this knowledge somehow be recovered?
11. Cave with ancient stone and monument. Near the cave mouth lies an ancient stone of power, similar to the soulstones found throughout the island. A monument, perhaps some form of shrine, can be found deeper in the cave. Ancient runes engraved on the monument tell of a battle, but many of the runes have been worn smooth over time, so the details remain a mystery. Perhaps the worn runes could be raised by one with the appropriate talents to reveal its history. During daylight hours, sunlight illuminates the area through the hole near the temple which opens into the cave ceiling near this monument.
A faint smell of detritus broke Aeryth from her study. She shook her head as she set the almond in her hand back down. How many moons; yet so many questions remained unanswered… and perhaps unanswerable.
She rose from her chair and collected her rapier from where it leaned against the temple wall. The questions and their elusive answers would have to wait. The harpies had returned.
Registered Member #23821
Joined: 6:18:34 am GMT 03/19/14
Posts: 135
The clanking of metal sounds throughout the celestial hill, inevitably drawing, or perhaps discouraging, the harpies towards that area. A lone warrior patrols, her sword giving off an unearthly white glow as it shimmers and trembles with barely contained force. Urgath-Rab walked, as she typically does, with stoic determination, her orcish warhelm hiding her features from the harpies that dared drop-in to combat her. But underneath that helmet the human was doing something that she rarely bothered to do. She was thinking, specifically about why she was patrolling these grounds, slaying harpies.
Was it for gold? They did usually have some gems on them, but no. Gold was not an issue for the warrior. Did she really care about this place? Not particularly. It was grassy, full of hills, wet, and for the most part, was purely rubble. She didn't know it's historical significance, nor did she really care to know it. It didn't affect her in the now, and the Ancestors did not tell her it mattered enough to know. So why did she care enough about this to patrol this place, to combat the harpies with such tenacity? The answer arrived much sooner than expected, thankfully for the simple warrior. This was Friend-Shaman Aeryth's quest, her fight. And Urgath-Rab had promised that she would willingly champion for Friend-Shaman Aeryth, should /any/ fight arise, much like this fight against the harpies.
As Urgath-Rab came out of her thoughts, she looked around at the fresh piles of harpy corpses around her. Huh. Maybe she should think more often. With a shrug, the warrior stomps over the corpses and continues her patrol. Eventually they would run out of Harpies. Probably. Either way, she'd keep killing them as long as Friend-Shaman Aeryth needed her to. Such is the life of the simple warrior.
Jungle Law Enforcerer Registered Member #1180
Joined: 7:46:29 am GMT 10/05/07
Posts: 1292
It had been few long months, all of them spent studying abjuration and conjuration, trying to figure out what lays beyond the common conception of "weave": it was an intriguing, interesting and alienating process.
Shutting yet another tome, for the first time, Elith looked out from the window on the east wall of his room in the Magic Academy of Greenvale with the sudden realization of longingly looking at the sky.
It's enough! I've been playing the bookworm for long enough, I am not such a creature! (Ah! the lies that we tell ourselves just to satisfy a passing whim)
So, clasped his sword at the belt, donned the cloak and carrying the staff in hand, he moved his craking joints from the Academy, happy to go north and enjoy the green of the land.
For a change, the Sorcerer didn't stop in the Ogre Halls, nor in the Poisonwood, not even among the Razorfang, he proceeded northbound, as if something was pulling him in retracing the journey he did when he escaped the Gis'rantha.
Elith travelled to the Cobblewall Inn, spent a night there, then pressed north, to visit the ruins of the celestial temple, those same ruins that offered him shelter and security in his moment of greatest weakness and need.
And so, as he emerged from the thicket of woods, after crossing the Hammersong Mountain range, he saw in front of his eyes, atop the morbid hill covered in grass, the Ruins of the Celestial Temple.
It was still a stunning view, around him Elith felt a soft breeze moving the leafy branches of the trees and saw how the light blue sky embraced it all.
Elith smiled, the place was beautiful and reassuring.
Walking up the hill, he noticed, scattered around, few teared limbs and bones, left there, essicating under the sun. Perhaps they were remains that the wildlife wouldn't dare to touch, or didn't have the time to.
Then, he heard it. The noise of battle. Such noises felt terribly out of place in the peace of the surrounding environment, the loud screeches and the clangs of metal contrasted greatly with the quietness of the place.
Elith cloaked himself with the invisibility spell and moved toward the noise: he saw a large number of arpies trying to butcher a single warrior, perhaps a man, perhaps a woman, the Sorcerer couldn't say.
It was brutal but fascinating how the tall warrior fought the battle, relying on the phisique, the light green armor and the blade rather than the weave. Elith watched, enthralled. The Sorcerer was not sure how long the the battle lasted, yet it seemed mere seconds passed when he saw the last harpy fall to the ground, its body severed in half by the shiny white greatsword wielded by the green clad warrior.
Elith watched the warrior as he contemplated the pile of arpies' bodies on the ground and how, after a bit, gave a shrug and moved on.
Instead of moving, Elith stood still, invisible, watching as the warrior moved away, thinking how lucky he had been when he found safe shelter in the Ruins in his state of complete and utter weakness.
The train of thoughts was interrupted when a gust of wind hit him from above, looking up the Sorcerer saw a swarm of arpies flying by, likely attracted by the noise of the previous battle but not sensing the Sorcerer's presence, yet.
Elith shook his head and held his staff toward the creatures, muttering an incantation hastily. By the end of the chant, he let out cruel whisper and the arpies dropped on the ground midflight.
There were many thumping noises as the creatures hit the ground one after the other, with their eyes barred and their skin wrinkled. Their bodies withered, as if the creatures had lived hundreds years in mere seconds.
Invisible, he looked toward the ruins and felt something stirring inside his soul, an appeasing and thankful feeling. He knew what those Ruins used to be, and so he murmured a few words in honor of Andarus' memory, maybe understanding why he was drawn to the Ruins after so long.
- Granting me that one night of safe haven, you made it possible for me to become what I am now. Perhaps, in the light, everything is really connected and, now, we're even. Be as it may, I never thanked you -
Having said that, Elith turned his back to the hill and the temple ruins, making his way back south. Each of us has his or her own battle to fight, his was for the Greenwood.
Registered Member #1727
Joined: 12:49:13 am GMT 06/04/11
Posts: 277
A warrior in blue and silver armor with spiky pauldrons awoke, coughing as if he had been breaking stone all night without respiratory protection, to see a beautiful daylight scene.
Light glittering through water that coursed across stone crystals above that sent prismatic beams of light in all directions.
Unfortunately for the warrior, the water and stone were directly above his current location, and he, quite solidly buried beneath them, had no apparent means of egress.
It seems that his last expedition to explore a cryptic cave did not turn out as well as one would have hoped.
As luck would have it, however, this warrior was resourceful, and carried a large number of potentially useful items that could possibly aid one in escaping an underwater crystal cave:
1. An astrolab, technically a violation of the threads of time, (but not if one does not disclose it publicly.)
2. Several 'magic' swords. Ok, just swords that he payed to have tinted with glowing material, but still useful.
3. A very loud voice: good for screaming for help if anyone passes by.
4. A special healing kit from a friend (which will he will likely need in the future if he ever escapes the cave).
5. A small satchel filled with more things than it should contain, but including: many interesting gems of various colors, notices from famous people, treasure maps, matrixes (or matrices?), more maps, books, tables, chairs, home-made gift weapons, farewell cards, holiday notices, indeces (or indexes?), and a lot of dried cheeses, the latter of which he deemed most critical at the moment.
The warrior, let's call him 'spiky blue armor guy' (ok, its Ableson) decided to take a break and have some dried cheese while pondering this predicament, studying the patterns of sunlight glinting across the cavern in which he found himself trapped.
[ The Island of Thain ]
An Echo of Light
