Sunday, May 20, 2012

Secret Temple

The Old City of Turev stands on a high hill above the modern habitation, but an ancient Necropolis lies buried underneath. Before the city became a confluence of commerce, a steady trade in eldritch artefacts and esoteric lore fueled the town's economy; even if a relic had not originated in Turev, our sages could often ferret out its origins, purpose, and powers. Intrepid delvers from throughout the world would come to the city to excavate its ruins in hopes of unearthing an exemplar of enduring Khrisaati magic.

One day, more than two centuries past, explorers awakened something best left undisturbed.

When night fell, the Dead of millenia interrupted their long slumber to exact vengeance on an oblivious city. The wordless rage of the Dead Who Walk deluged our streets, bearing away any soul unfortunate enough to be caught in its wrath. Those who survived in body often fell in mind to its terrors. The Old City was so badly ravaged, and its inhabitants so struck with fear, that new dwellings and markets began to spring up at the base of the hill, and thus the New City began. To this day, the Turevi celebrate the Night of the Dead in remembrance and in warning.

Some however, reveled in the power manifest in the Dead Who Walk and commenced to offer obeisance to them. The Cult of the Dead was born, and perversely, thrived. Today, the Cult still exists, meeting in hidden places and conducting bizarre, secret rituals. This map exhibits one such furtive nest secreted beneath a ruined barracks in the Old City. I surmise the original structure dates to Khrisaati times, but I could not say so of a certes.




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