1. Shrine of Swords
This Shrine tells tales of violence, war, and bloodshed. It saddened the monks that this was the largest of the shrines, due to the violent nature of the world. It is the focal point of the Stone Fyre energies that the jade buildings channel and the resting place of the JadeBlayde, if it is not with the Keeper. There is a kaleidoscopic pattern of swords and blades on the floor that circles and points to the great monolith in the center of the room, a reverse carving of the JadeBlade on its surface.
The spirits here are tumultuous, drawn to the energy but repulsed by the anger of the tales written on the walls. Of all the shrines, this is the only one with doors carved into it, the hinges crafted such that the doors are still part of the single jade. These massive doors are always shut and the Shrine is not open to visitation. All of the other shrines are open to visitor and wanderer alike, but not the Shrine of Swords.
NOTE: The Shrine doors are protected by the full strength of the Stone Fyre nexus within. They cannot be opened unless part of a Plot of an RP.
2. Shrine of Hope
This Shrine is filled with tales of hope. The architecture is high and swooping, meant to inspire. Thin spots and slits in the ceiling allow much light into this shrine and it brightens the mood. The room has the ability to raise spirits in its cheery atmosphere.
3. Shrine of the Sun
To the creators of the shrine, the long lost Ruwar, the Sun represented goodness and courage. The walls are covered with tales of the righteous and brave. The building was built to capture light, and carved from a lighter shade of jade than any of the other buildings. It is virtually blinding inside during the day, with sunbeams reflecting off of the perfectly angled surfaces.
4. Shrine of the Moon
The Ruwar believed that the moon was mystery, and with mystery comes the unknown; the father of fear. The temple of the moon is dark jade, almost black in its hue. Its walls transcribe tales of fear, enigma, and nightmare. The specters here are twisted with misery and are often terrible to behold. Even though it is externally similar to the Shrine of the Sun, this building seems to absorb light unlike its sister shrine, and is always shrouded in shadow.
UPDATE: (11/2) The Spirits of the Shrine of the Moon congealed into a disgusting creature, called a Lunarath. For some reason it destroyed the Shrouding that kept the Shrine hidden. JadeBlayde, Shapeshifter Draco, and Arien North dispersed it, for now.
5. Shrine of Enchantment
This massive triangular pinnacle looms over the Black River. The tales that adorn the walls of the Shrine of Enchantment are varied in many ways, but they all share a focus on magic and sorcery. Indeed, there is enough story in detail on the walls that one could study and learn several spells from the very carved stone. Its interior is carved full of hallways in a maze and it is easy to get lost within the many leveled labyrinth.
6. Shrine of Death
Across the still waters of the Glass Pond lies the dark jade Shrine of Death. A massive structure it sits like a ziggurat, rising up into the crowding trees. Inside are the stories of the dead and legends of death. The spirits and ghosts of the Shrine of Jades are most drawn to this temple, they claw at the walls nightly with spectral fingers, trying to add their stories to the ones already here.
7. Shrine of Wonders
Built like an elaborate sculpture, this shrine is devoted to preserving stories of dreamers and artists. The interior is built like a sculpture gallery with each piece of statuary covered with runes, telling the story of the sculptor. It is a beautiful place, amazing in it's random patterns of shapes that strangely seem perfectly placed.
8. Shrine of Harmony
This shrine has absolutely amazing acoustics and it is clear that it was intended to be a music hall as well as an archive of songs. It has lost none of it's potency in the long years and even whispers can be heard clearly throughout. Sad songs from the cold lips of ghostly maidens can be heard echoing from within.
9. Shrine of Factions
Dedicated to the different religious and political beliefs of the Ruwar people, this shrine is strikingly eclectic. It doesn't appear to have anything consistent and goes from practicality to flight of fancy around every corner. Philosophy, theology, and divergent ideologies line the walls.
10. Shrine of Despair
This shrine looks more like a tomb than a temple, and stepping inside one finds that dozens of gravestone-like markers rise from the floor. These tell tales of loss and sadness. The Ruwar were mournful of their lost home, and it shows in the abundance of misery carved on the walls. Most specters of the Ruwar avoid this place, sad enough without wallowing in the despair they knew in life.
11. Shrine of Seasons
This great square block has four distinct seasons on each of the four walls. The runes carve pictures of landscapes as they turn and twist along the walls. In the ceiling, rune covered orbs are meant to depict the stars of the night sky. Tales are of holidays and the passing of time are the theme of this building.
12. Shrine of Elements
The Ruwar considered the Elements of Liquid, Matter, Essence, Transfigurement, and Void to be the primary components of life. The walls curl with geometric shapes in rolling swirls, many of them melting or incomplete seeming. The feeling is of a chaotic mixture and the walls tell of the scientific knowledge of the Ruwar.
13. Shrine of Life
The great round dome of the Shrine of life contains within it, several smaller domes, all one inside another, leading to a tiny room in the center. It feels close and womb-like, each chamber giving birth to the next within itself. The green hue of the place increases until the center room is almost pitch black, the darkness meant to represent the of the origins of life. The ghosts of the shrine give this place a wide berth.
14. Clearing
The center of the shrine has a large packed earth clearing. There is a cook-fire that perpetually smolders, with logs for sitting around it. A great tree stump has been carved into a table that can be sat at cross legged. A pole, with pegs serving as rungs, rises up to the level of the treetops and can be climbed to get a good view for miles up and down river. There are obvious signs of life; footprints in the dirt, freshly cut firewood, and a small skiff tied to the dock in the Glass Pool.
NOTE: This Clearing is the center of the Shrine, and most activity, unless otherwise specified, occurs here in front of the Shrine of Swords and Keepers Cottage.
15. Keepers Cottage
This small home, comprised of several small rooms and a cellar, is the home of JadeBlayde, the keeper of the Shrine. It is simple and plain on the inside. There is one extra room with a bed for guests. The cellar is filled with foods and home made wines.
16. Glass Pool
A simple pond, good for fishing. Due to its gentle movement and darker waters, it is particularly reflective. There is a small dock on the Eastern end.
17. Lillyhill Fields
A cluster of treeless hills are home to hundreds of varieties of wild flowers. It is evident that very long ago there was a massive fire here, and the blackened stumps of the greatest trees still remain, surrounded by color. This was the site of the town that the Ruwar lived in, and the clearing is haunted by some of the more mournful spirits of the shrine, very docile and sad for the future lost. Flat expanses of old concrete can be seen strewn about, the remaining foundation stones. It was their funeral pyre that caused the forest fire that burnt away the trees from these now flower heavy hills.
UPDATE: (3/3) Recently lumberjacking has begun on trees surrounding this site of the old Ruwar village with the intention to build several small cottages to house visitors and perhaps even permanenent residents.
18. Black River
The Black River originates in the Night Hags Bog, bubbling up and slowly flowing out into the Twisted Forest. Despite its dark color, a result of strange silt, the water is drinkable. Due to its slow speed and generally shallow nature, crossing the river is a relatively easy task.
19. Meditation Slate
The top of this pinensula boulder has been leveled off and polished smooth to serve as a place to listen to the passing waters and meditate upon tranquility.
20. Toebiter Cove
This still water inlet is home to a great number of lumbering and clumsy snapping turtles. Swimming is refreshing, as long as you stick to the shallows and watch carefully for slow moving rocks!
21. Cowards Creek
It is said that the scribes and monks who fled the Stand of Endings took boats up the creek to escape the coming destruction. As the Black River came into sight a great surge of water rushed down the waterway and drowned them all. When the rain waters swell the banks of the creek their ghosts can be seen, paddling in boats against the slow incoming current, forever trying to flee from a fate that has already captured them forever.
22. East Path
This path heads along to the borders of the Night Hag's bog, passing it to the North and then banking South to meet up with the town of Volrak.
23. North Path
This path goes straight to the Canyon of Thunder. It branches about halfway there to the West and winds over to Treppan Lake and on out of the forest.
24. Twisted Woods
The shrine is deep within the Twisted forest, a dark and steamy place were much evil lurks among the great gnarled trunks of ancient trees. Many of the wild creatures of the wood are uncomfortable within the shrine on account of the energies it generates and the spirits it attracts. The screetches of harpies are a common noise drifting through the misty night.
This Shrine tells tales of violence, war, and bloodshed. It saddened the monks that this was the largest of the shrines, due to the violent nature of the world. It is the focal point of the Stone Fyre energies that the jade buildings channel and the resting place of the JadeBlayde, if it is not with the Keeper. There is a kaleidoscopic pattern of swords and blades on the floor that circles and points to the great monolith in the center of the room, a reverse carving of the JadeBlade on its surface.
The spirits here are tumultuous, drawn to the energy but repulsed by the anger of the tales written on the walls. Of all the shrines, this is the only one with doors carved into it, the hinges crafted such that the doors are still part of the single jade. These massive doors are always shut and the Shrine is not open to visitation. All of the other shrines are open to visitor and wanderer alike, but not the Shrine of Swords.
NOTE: The Shrine doors are protected by the full strength of the Stone Fyre nexus within. They cannot be opened unless part of a Plot of an RP.
2. Shrine of Hope
This Shrine is filled with tales of hope. The architecture is high and swooping, meant to inspire. Thin spots and slits in the ceiling allow much light into this shrine and it brightens the mood. The room has the ability to raise spirits in its cheery atmosphere.
3. Shrine of the Sun
To the creators of the shrine, the long lost Ruwar, the Sun represented goodness and courage. The walls are covered with tales of the righteous and brave. The building was built to capture light, and carved from a lighter shade of jade than any of the other buildings. It is virtually blinding inside during the day, with sunbeams reflecting off of the perfectly angled surfaces.
4. Shrine of the Moon
The Ruwar believed that the moon was mystery, and with mystery comes the unknown; the father of fear. The temple of the moon is dark jade, almost black in its hue. Its walls transcribe tales of fear, enigma, and nightmare. The specters here are twisted with misery and are often terrible to behold. Even though it is externally similar to the Shrine of the Sun, this building seems to absorb light unlike its sister shrine, and is always shrouded in shadow.
UPDATE: (11/2) The Spirits of the Shrine of the Moon congealed into a disgusting creature, called a Lunarath. For some reason it destroyed the Shrouding that kept the Shrine hidden. JadeBlayde, Shapeshifter Draco, and Arien North dispersed it, for now.
5. Shrine of Enchantment
This massive triangular pinnacle looms over the Black River. The tales that adorn the walls of the Shrine of Enchantment are varied in many ways, but they all share a focus on magic and sorcery. Indeed, there is enough story in detail on the walls that one could study and learn several spells from the very carved stone. Its interior is carved full of hallways in a maze and it is easy to get lost within the many leveled labyrinth.
6. Shrine of Death
Across the still waters of the Glass Pond lies the dark jade Shrine of Death. A massive structure it sits like a ziggurat, rising up into the crowding trees. Inside are the stories of the dead and legends of death. The spirits and ghosts of the Shrine of Jades are most drawn to this temple, they claw at the walls nightly with spectral fingers, trying to add their stories to the ones already here.
7. Shrine of Wonders
Built like an elaborate sculpture, this shrine is devoted to preserving stories of dreamers and artists. The interior is built like a sculpture gallery with each piece of statuary covered with runes, telling the story of the sculptor. It is a beautiful place, amazing in it's random patterns of shapes that strangely seem perfectly placed.
8. Shrine of Harmony
This shrine has absolutely amazing acoustics and it is clear that it was intended to be a music hall as well as an archive of songs. It has lost none of it's potency in the long years and even whispers can be heard clearly throughout. Sad songs from the cold lips of ghostly maidens can be heard echoing from within.
9. Shrine of Factions
Dedicated to the different religious and political beliefs of the Ruwar people, this shrine is strikingly eclectic. It doesn't appear to have anything consistent and goes from practicality to flight of fancy around every corner. Philosophy, theology, and divergent ideologies line the walls.
10. Shrine of Despair
This shrine looks more like a tomb than a temple, and stepping inside one finds that dozens of gravestone-like markers rise from the floor. These tell tales of loss and sadness. The Ruwar were mournful of their lost home, and it shows in the abundance of misery carved on the walls. Most specters of the Ruwar avoid this place, sad enough without wallowing in the despair they knew in life.
11. Shrine of Seasons
This great square block has four distinct seasons on each of the four walls. The runes carve pictures of landscapes as they turn and twist along the walls. In the ceiling, rune covered orbs are meant to depict the stars of the night sky. Tales are of holidays and the passing of time are the theme of this building.
12. Shrine of Elements
The Ruwar considered the Elements of Liquid, Matter, Essence, Transfigurement, and Void to be the primary components of life. The walls curl with geometric shapes in rolling swirls, many of them melting or incomplete seeming. The feeling is of a chaotic mixture and the walls tell of the scientific knowledge of the Ruwar.
13. Shrine of Life
The great round dome of the Shrine of life contains within it, several smaller domes, all one inside another, leading to a tiny room in the center. It feels close and womb-like, each chamber giving birth to the next within itself. The green hue of the place increases until the center room is almost pitch black, the darkness meant to represent the of the origins of life. The ghosts of the shrine give this place a wide berth.
14. Clearing
The center of the shrine has a large packed earth clearing. There is a cook-fire that perpetually smolders, with logs for sitting around it. A great tree stump has been carved into a table that can be sat at cross legged. A pole, with pegs serving as rungs, rises up to the level of the treetops and can be climbed to get a good view for miles up and down river. There are obvious signs of life; footprints in the dirt, freshly cut firewood, and a small skiff tied to the dock in the Glass Pool.
NOTE: This Clearing is the center of the Shrine, and most activity, unless otherwise specified, occurs here in front of the Shrine of Swords and Keepers Cottage.
15. Keepers Cottage
This small home, comprised of several small rooms and a cellar, is the home of JadeBlayde, the keeper of the Shrine. It is simple and plain on the inside. There is one extra room with a bed for guests. The cellar is filled with foods and home made wines.
16. Glass Pool
A simple pond, good for fishing. Due to its gentle movement and darker waters, it is particularly reflective. There is a small dock on the Eastern end.
17. Lillyhill Fields
A cluster of treeless hills are home to hundreds of varieties of wild flowers. It is evident that very long ago there was a massive fire here, and the blackened stumps of the greatest trees still remain, surrounded by color. This was the site of the town that the Ruwar lived in, and the clearing is haunted by some of the more mournful spirits of the shrine, very docile and sad for the future lost. Flat expanses of old concrete can be seen strewn about, the remaining foundation stones. It was their funeral pyre that caused the forest fire that burnt away the trees from these now flower heavy hills.
UPDATE: (3/3) Recently lumberjacking has begun on trees surrounding this site of the old Ruwar village with the intention to build several small cottages to house visitors and perhaps even permanenent residents.
18. Black River
The Black River originates in the Night Hags Bog, bubbling up and slowly flowing out into the Twisted Forest. Despite its dark color, a result of strange silt, the water is drinkable. Due to its slow speed and generally shallow nature, crossing the river is a relatively easy task.
19. Meditation Slate
The top of this pinensula boulder has been leveled off and polished smooth to serve as a place to listen to the passing waters and meditate upon tranquility.
20. Toebiter Cove
This still water inlet is home to a great number of lumbering and clumsy snapping turtles. Swimming is refreshing, as long as you stick to the shallows and watch carefully for slow moving rocks!
21. Cowards Creek
It is said that the scribes and monks who fled the Stand of Endings took boats up the creek to escape the coming destruction. As the Black River came into sight a great surge of water rushed down the waterway and drowned them all. When the rain waters swell the banks of the creek their ghosts can be seen, paddling in boats against the slow incoming current, forever trying to flee from a fate that has already captured them forever.
22. East Path
This path heads along to the borders of the Night Hag's bog, passing it to the North and then banking South to meet up with the town of Volrak.
23. North Path
This path goes straight to the Canyon of Thunder. It branches about halfway there to the West and winds over to Treppan Lake and on out of the forest.
24. Twisted Woods
The shrine is deep within the Twisted forest, a dark and steamy place were much evil lurks among the great gnarled trunks of ancient trees. Many of the wild creatures of the wood are uncomfortable within the shrine on account of the energies it generates and the spirits it attracts. The screetches of harpies are a common noise drifting through the misty night.
