Temple of the Quartz-bound Lady
Description
The Temple of the Quartz-bound Lady, also known as the "Lost Temple", is a circular pavilion of marble at the base of a gully a short walk from the Silver Lake in Myrken Wood. The total distance from lake to entry is approximately half a mile. Abandoned for ten years or more, the surrounding gully has begun to reclaim the once beautiful building. The cultivated wisteria has long since taken over the lintels and support columns, and swathes of purple queen has sprung up in the shady corners of the temple walkway.
The structure itself is covered in a thin layer of grim and dust, but is relatively intact. Only a few stones have fallen down, and the wall's mosaics are still intact.
The temple consists of a walkway that spirals inward to the left once one enters. This walkway is punctuated by columns, decorated with masks that face outward. These masks were once painted, but only the barest stain of red paint remains on the lips and eyelids of each mask.
These masks depict seven emotions, all on the same repeating face:
- joy/bliss
- boredom
- sorrow
- shock
- longing
- fear
- rage
The outermost columns which support the borders of the temple are decorated not with masks, but with overlapping circles. The outer row of columns also has more supports in place than the interior sections, and are more severely grown-over by the surrounding woods.
At the very centre of the pavilion, there is a gilt marble plinth, with a quartz statue depicting a woman. Her face changes between the seven masks of the temple, but her posture is always the same:
She stretched her right hand to the sky as if to shade her face from the sun. Palm out, fingers spread, it cast a striped shadow across her gleeful, elegant face. A circlet with two flat discs balanced on its edge crowned her brow and bound her stone-wrought hair. Down her back the hair flowed, and mingled with her robes until it was one grand train trailing to the edge of the marble platform.
...
He pointed to her left hand, which hovered before her hip, palm turned inward. There was a wide gap between her gently curved fingers and her flowing gown, which made it seem as if she should be holding something, or someone.
Unusual traits
Chief among the temple's strange characteristics is the inability of anyone who has visited the temple once to return to the temple afterwards. Many have tried to do so, even going so far as to mark the trail with ribbons and other markers to find their way back.
So far, no one as managed to visit the temple more than once.
Background
Discovery
The temple's true origins are unknown, but the abandoned building was discovered in the summer of 215 AR by three children of the Myrken Wood area. The three siblings stumbled upon the temple one afternoon while playing. Their uncle also explored the ruins, but left when startled by the unsettling atmosphere and the statue's changing face.
When he attempted to return to the temple the next day, he was unable to relocate it.
Since this series of events, the folk of Myrkentown have made the temple the site of dares, pranks, and picnics. Even patrons of the Broken Dagger have begun to venture into the woods to explore.
Visitors
Those who have come to the temple thus far include:
- Fynn, Kaia, and Dom - the three siblings who discovered the temple by accident
- Saro - a local farmer, and uncle to the three children who first found the temple
Plots
Quartz-Bound - Forum post pertaining to all things within the temple grounds
