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Temple of Aetheria
Just south of Castle Shari'lea, past the Plaza of the Queens, stands a grand blue marble temple. It is enclosed by low stone walls on all sides, the two shining front gates standing open, allowing access to the courtyard and building within. The entire place is green with new life. The grass is meticulously cut, the hedges kept trimmed into neat squares. An abundance of flowers grow here, clinging in vines to the wall. Three large trees stand in the left corner; there is a small wooden bench sitting in their shade. Several workers are scattered about, making repairs to the structure and the grounds. An old gardener is cutting upstart vines from a large fountain shaped like a female cleric, the water cascading from her cupped palms down to the basin below, her stone face turned to the sky in supplication to the Gods.
The temple itself is quite old, but well-kept. There are no guards in this holy place, only a carved message above the double doors.
"Please enter in a prayerful and quiet manner. May you be blessed by the Gods."
You step into a long corridor, lit by soft candlelight. Low, soothing music is heard from some other part of the building. The atmosphere is tranquil and you immediately being to feel more relaxed. The end of the corridor opens into a large, six-sided room. The floor is pure white, scattered with pale pink and deep red rose petals. Each side is painted with a scene depicting a God of Aetheria. An engraved sign reads:
Welcome to the Temple of Aetheria
To your immediate left is a wall depicting a wide stretch of green land, interrupted only by the flowing waters of a crystal-clear river. A stately group of knights perform honorable acts in the name of a golden figure seated upon a throne who contemplates the weighted scales of Justice. This is the door of Aslan, son of Ioannes and Diana, Prince of Aetheria. He is the God of Honor, using His Wisdom to mete out fair Justice.
The scales sit upon a large desk at which scholars are seen at their studies; mathematicians and theoreticians working out their complex theories on seperate scrolls. This is Orod's door, God of Logic, whose domain is Reason and Rationale.
Straight ahead is a scene of three different figures of the same glorious nature. The first is boldly overseeing the works of all Gods and Mortals; he is the creator of Order. The second bears many scrolls of Law; reading them out loud to the third figure, who decrees Justice accordingly. These are the three forms of the great God Ioannes, whose door this is.
To the right, a beautiful woman in white smiles lovingly at Ioannes. This is Diana, his bride. In one hand she holds a golden crown, in the other she holds a magnificent sword that banishes darkness. She is the Queen Goddess and Protectoress of the Faith. The edge of her dress becomes the cloudy sky of the next scene - the same woman dressed as a warrior, boldly cutting through the Cyraxians, driving them from the land. This door leads to a temple of Diana, mortal-turned-Goddess, founder of Aelyria.
The land stretches onto the next wall, where you can see another Goddess watching over mortal Diana, weaving Victory and Success for the battle at hand. The Goddess appears enormously pregnant, having domain over Fertility and Hope. The land reaches out past her voluptuous figure, becoming fertile farmland and, in the distance, grand cities. This is the temple of Carmelya, Goddess of Prosperity.
Each mural flows flawlessly into the next, connecting and interweaving the stories and histories of the Aetherian Gods and Goddesses. Each door, though somewhat hidden by the painted scenes, is unlocked. You may step through to any temple you wish.
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Linear Mode
