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Forbidden Temple of the Great Falls

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WolframTheGreen

WolframTheGreen

Planetoid
Joined
May 20, 2012
Atop the great waterfall of Teigee stands a Temple of austere standing, exquisite building, and massive size, dominating the countryside around it. Within, monks trained in the wise arts move about the halls. Without, armed and armored guards watch the landscape for threats, as well as in an effort to protect those who might visit the Temple.

For it is here, at the Forbidden Temple of the Great Falls that the most unholy artifacts of demonic raids and invasions are stored and attempted to be purified. It is here that adventuring knights bring cursed artifacts, or wisdom from the monks who study these dark objects. And perhaps most importantly, it is here that humanity has forever held strong against demonic invasion to push back the nightmares into their own twisted realm once more.

As the sun shines on the Temple and the thundering waters that move past is great walls, a wind rises over the mountain it rests on. The younger residents pay it no mind, but some of the older monks and soldiers shiver at it. For it is a dark wind of dark omens that blows, though the world will not know it till the change it heralds comes in full force and the hammer drops.

Come, dare you travel to the Forbidden Temple?
 
Wavering, he set one armored foot before the next, the feeling of exhaustion tempting him to just lay down and rest, with him ever denying himself the desire, instead stubbornly walking on.

He hoped, this he had to admit. He hoped, an action he had long ago told himself he could no longer engage in, yet so he did, for this hope was the only thing that kept him walking despite all the burning muscle that demanded he fall over. He had to admit, in a way, he enjoyed this feeling, this hope, the hope to yet find a purpose for himself in life, yet it was also a reminder for how it was the only thing he had left, besides his armor and sword.

There, on the horizon!

He looked up, before him the majestic sight of a grand waterfall, atop which stood the object of his hope, incredible in size, ruling over the landscape under it: The Temple of the Great Falls.

Increasing his step despite the protests of his sinews, he went on.
 
Brother Nerrik sighs as he approaches the gates of the Monastery of Teigee. "Finally I have found what I seek." He says as he checks the official transfer document from his last monastery. "I shall bring righteous lucha to these halls and protect the rumored treasures within. And if there are no treasures, all the more time for lucha."

Nerrik walks forward, coming closer to the gate proper. "What a sight I must be," he thinks as he passes a guard who turns his head "a lucha in a monks robe."

He finally comes up to the main counter at the gate, says to the clerk "Brother Nerrik has arrived, these papers are my transfer orders" and puts the papers down on the counter.
 
Brother Valenti shivered, pausing in his crusade against dirt to lay his broom against the wall while he drew his habit tighter around himself. Task accomplished, he once more took up his weapon. Muttering quietly under his breath about finally getting around to fixing that draft, he sweeps forward, driving the dirt and dust before. When he reaches the far end of the corridor, trapping the dirt, he produces a dust pan. Capturing any wayward dirt, he walks back to a barrel, depositing his captives therein. With the three fourths full barrel held by the handle, and the horse hair broom over one shoulder, he sets off. Walking through the twisted corridors he emerges into daylight as he makes his way towards the monastery walls, intent on dumping the trespassers on the other side.

This task done, he fumbles around in his robe, withdrawing a battered scroll.
In immaculate script across the top, it reads:
TO DO LIST
Sweep
Fix leaky plumbing on third floor
Repair cracked tiling on roof
Clean waterways, remove leaves.
Repair cracked flagstones on entrance walk
Kill family of squirrels living in the walls

With a satisfied air, he crosses off the first item, before adding a note at the bottom to identify the source of the draft and close it off. "Damn Squirrels." He mutters, before shoving it back into his habit.
 
"Hmm... this year's winter was harsh, wasn't it?" Greg asked the flowers which lined the paths of the temple. While most seemed in perfect health, it could be seen that several were beginning to wilt and needed attention.

Carefully, Greg began to rake away leaves and other debris which choked the plants. He was definitely getting on in years, and it might have been faster to let a junior gardener handle it, but this was still Greg's favorite duty. The monotony of the work allowed him to meditate quietly.

As he raked, he saw brother Valenti go about his duties, and also noticed several new monks walk towards the entrance. He hoped they would stay away from his plants.
 
Finally, with his aging body still in painful protest over his armor's weight, amplified by the exhaustion brought on due to his merciless march, he found himself nearing the massive gates that could open the way to what he prayed for every night. The way was lined by well-kept flowers whom he would have beheld if he had the wishes for such left.

As it was, he approached the gargantuan doors, head bowed in fatigue, armor clinking with every step, he finally rammed the underside of his mailed fist repeatedly against the door in the hopes for someone to grant him entrance.
 
Brother Al looked out over the falls. They were beautiful, a perfect example of the world he had pledged to protect. He observed the temple as well. It was grand, yes, but he knew what it contained. Those terrible items that held corrupting power. Power that darkened and spoiled the pure earth that it touched. But that was why he had come. He would learn the workings of these evils. And by doing thus he would be able to protect this wonderful place even more.

Entering the main hall, he proclaimed himself: "I am Brother Al. I have come after volunteering myself to this task. It will be an honor to serve in this place." For identification, he offers the sigil of his order: A serpent twined around a stone.
 
Brother Nerrik waves over to the two newcomers, a knight and another monk. "You will probably wait a while, I'm still waiting for them to process my transfer." He then holds out his hand, gesturing for a handshake. "I am Brother Nerrik, and you two?"
 
Brother Valenti's eyes narrow as he spots the muddy tracks leading from the front gate to the entrance. "This will not be so." He whispers in cold anger, fetching out his to do list and adding to clean up the muddy footprints as he sets off to find the culprits responsible for this defilement. Luckily, it seems they have left a trail.
 
Hesitantly, Morr reached out his hand in greetings to the one who had hailed him, grasping the younger man's powerful hand before shaking it resolutely, "Hail, monk, although it would puzzle me why you would have to wait to gain entrance into your own order's temple."
 
"It's mostly just administrative paperwork stuff," Nerrik says while returning the strong handshake. "some monks and orders just love their paperwork."
 
"Defilers!" Valenti Shrieks, pushing open the doors and striding inside, broom held out before him like a spear. "You shall pay for your desecration? Were you born in a barn? Did your mothers not teach you the most basic manners? I should think not, harlots and whores, all of them! Are you no more than rutting orks than you cannot even take your shoes off before entering?" He points to where an assemblage of footwear is in a line against a wall. "And who do you think will clean up after you? Hmmm? It is I! Poor brother Valenti!"
 
Al takes the man's hand in his own gauntleted one. "You may call me Al, Brother Nerrick. I hope to learn much from this place. You said they are still processing your transfer? It is good that they have such strict procedures. I would not want the artifacts here to be so easily obtained." A slight shiver passes through him at the thought.
 
Calmly, a rather matronly servant goes to both the masked man as well as the armored bald monk milling about. To both she gives a kind smile and the same advice. Seek Brother Wolfram, in the libraries.

____________________________________________________________________

The door thuds beneath Morr's guntled hand, a guard calmly appearing above the gate. "What's your business, traveller? For what reason do you come?"
Just as quickly another voice rolls out. "Oh lay off Daryl, the Temple doesn't turn away lone visitors and you know that. Even with the war stirring up in the Lowlands that holds true. Now open the damned gate so I can go on patrol as well."

With both grumbling from above and from the doors after the quik exchange, the gate swings calmly outwards, forcing Morr back a step. Past him rides an armored knight, grinning at the traveller beneath his helm as his horse trots past. Inside, the flowered path continues towards the bridge to the Temple, arcing over the swift water beneath. All the gates on the bridge lie open, though there are still guards atop every few towers along both it and no doubt along its sister on the other side of the temple's island.
 
Mary skipped happily through the gardens outside the monastery, following a bumble bee as it buzzed from flower to flower.

"Buzz-Buzz-Buzz Mr Bee, how are you today?" she chirped happily as she watched the bee land on one of Brother Greg's prized Roses.

"You'd better pollinate all the flowers so we have lots of pretty ones next year"

She notices an awful lot of new monks she's never seen before huddled near the gate before going back to watching her bee...
 
Brother Nerrik turns towards the demented keeper of the grounds and shows him the bottom of his shoes. "My apologies, but as you can see, the bottoms of my shoes are completely flat. They cannot track anything."

The shoes sparkle a little from cleanliness, but mostly the lucha sequins.

He turns to the matron and thanks her before setting off to the library.
 
Grasping his breath from the short rest, Morr spoke up to the guard, his voice grating "Hail, guard. I seek for someone who might answer me a question that many would deem philosphical, others as important as the air they would breath. Who in this temple would I ask such a question?"
 
Zato wheeled in a large trolley of bottles into the lobby, bumping into the wall, then turning.
"Drinks for our new guests!" he giggled. The bottles had a strong smell, they were clearly alcoholic.
 
Valenti frowns, muttering to himself. As he is about to apologize, the lucha monk runs off to.

With a shrug decides to get down to the business of exterminating the squirrels that live in walls. Those squirrels don't exterminate themselves after all, no, that's what Valenti was there for. The others always laughed, and claimed that there were no squirrels in the walls, but if that was true, then who kept stealing the ethanol based cleaning supplies?

Whistling a jaunty tune of peace and harmony, he heads to his supply closet to acquire the squirrel poison.
 
Mary manages to lose the bee she was following as it flies up and over the monastery, grumbling slightly to herself and waving goodbye to the bee she spots Brother Valetni hurrying about inside.

"Probably off to try and catch the wall-squirrels again" she says to herself, however it was always something she couldn't quite understand, she was sure squirrels only lived in trees but when she'd asked Valetni about it he seemed sure they also lived in walls...

"Oh well" she exclaimed and began to look for something else to amuse herself with.
 
Al accepts one of the beverages from Zato's cart. "Thank you sir. It has been a long journey." Taking a slight pull of the brew, he wrinkles his brow in thought. "What manner of drink is this? It tastes most...strange."
 
Zato frowned.
"It should be the newest batch of sake." he replied.
"I've been fermenting it in a shed out back."
 
Brother Nerrik finally comes face to face with his destiny- A rather plain looking library door. He knocks then enters when he doesn't hear a reply. "Hello? Brother Wolfram?" He calls into the room, full of shelves. "I was told to come here to complete my transfer to this monastery."

Brother Nerrik warily walks among the shelves.
 
Valenti putters into the shed, hanging up his broom and dust pan. He begins searching among his cleaning supplies, mindful of the large cask that Brother Zato had asked to store in there. "Rat poison...dog poison...snake poison...people poison...hmmm, I must have used it all last time." He concludes out loud as is unable to find the missing squirrel poison. "I'll just have to do it the old fashioned way." He says, hefting a sledgehammer. "If I kill the queen this time, I may be able to stop them from coming back!" With a song of his lips and a spring in his step he exits the shed, making his way back up towards the monastery proper.
 
"'Sake', huh?" He takes another sip. "It is acceptable. I shall have to share this with my clan-mates when I return." He drains the rest and returns the bottle. Feeling refreshed, he wanders after Nerrick.
 
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