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Old 11-27-2009, 02:39 AM   #235
Abe Sargent
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Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Catonsville, MD
Quote:

It is late afternoon when you reach the Temple of Ohrido, rising majestically out of the swamp mists and tangled vegetation. The sight of this towering ziggurat is so breathtaking that you are both stunned into silence as you feast your eyes on its untarnished splendour. Tier upon tier of gleaming white stone, shaped and formed into perfect symmetry, confront you. Huge foundation slabs support a level carved of golden rock, inlaid and decorated with gemstones. Above that sit strata of precious metals and then levels made up of crystal slabs, whose facets refract the colours of the rainbow. Upward climb tiers of ruby, sapphire and emerald, that offer up a wedge-shaped spire of pure korlinium crystal to the sky.

At its base the swamp has shrunk back as if repelled by the radiant goodness of the temple. A perimeter of lush grass leads to a staircase of solid amber. You follow Paido as he ascends towards a pair of huge triangular doors set into the second level. Everywhere the glitter of gemstones and the gleam of precious metals radiate a purity unspoiled by the Danarg. Paido completes the complex procedures that open the great doors, taught to him by the Elder Magi in preparation for this mission. They part and you enter, stepping on a floor of glistening gold, a floor that has lain undisturbed for seven thousand years.


The great doors close with a whisper. You follow Paido along a corridor of gleaming silvery metal that dazzles your eyes to a hall carved from solid crystal. Icicles of diamond hang from its ceiling and reflect in a floor set with mosaics of a thousand shimmering squares.

'Approach the crystal dais, Lone Wolf,' instructs Paido, pointing to a radiant circular plateau of pure quartz.

But even as his words leave his lips you are already walking towards the plinth, drawn by a strange compulsion. You mount the dais and a flood of golden light pours down from above, bathing you in its warm, cleansing rays. You raise your cupped hands, as if offering up an invisible gift, and a tingling sensation runs the length of your arms and spreads through your body, giving you an incredible sense of well being. A ball of sparkling light is taking shape in your hands. It condenses into a radiant crystal filled with golden fire: it is the Lorestone of Ohrido.





The light fades and you step down from the dais, your senses aglow with a new-found wisdom and strength. Having witnessed the fulfillment of your quest, Paido beams with joy as you return to his side. He congratulates you and bids you follow as he turns towards an archway of silver set into the crystal walls of the chamber. 'Come, Lone Wolf. We have a long journey ahead of us. We must leave without delay.'
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