Connects to hexes: 11.16, 17.05, 18.26, 29.07.03, 29.14.24, 31.04, 41.02 and the Kingswood.
In the foothills northeast of the Kingswood lies the Mirror Lake within the caldera of a dormant volcano. It is said that in ancient days, the Prince of Men (29.07.03) was cast into the lake and lies there dreaming still. When beings with souls cast their gaze upon the lake’s surface, which is never ruffled by wind, they find their features reflected clearly, but at the proper times they see what was and what may be rather than what is and strange half-seen images flitter about their reflected heads.
Around the Mirror Lake, within the valley of the old volcano, wild flowers bloom gloriously in the spring and, on all sides but one, luxuriant vegetation grows to the water’s edge. On that remaining side lie several crumbling temples, each built in a different style, and a great tree. Around the tree stalks a priest, bloodied iron in hand. As was the case for every Priest of the Lake before him, he claimed his position by killing his predecessor.
Of all the temples built near the shores of Mirror Lake, that of the Seven Shadows is one of the most mysterious. An enormous squat pyramid hewn from rough black stone, its architecture is not seen anywhere else in the lands surrounding the Kingswood - though some scholars have drawn a connection with certain antediluvian ruins near Bergolast, in the southern marches (18.26). At the top of the pyramid is a statue of a forgotten god, who resembles a creature with the body of a human and the wings of an enormous bat.
For most of the year, the Temple of Seven Shadows is impregnable, for the front and only entrance is sealed by a great stone slab. However, in the depths of winter, during the period of the Long Night (28.04), this stone door rolls aside, allowing the brave and foolhardy to enter the lightless structure. Men whisper of strange treasures to be found inside the Temple, relics of a lost race or jewels of unknown manufacture. Few if any of these purported treasures have ever seen the light of day.
Subhex:
- 37.01.01 (The Chapel of the Golden Cord): one of the many strange rooms that lie within the Tempel of Seven Shadows.
Connections:
- Crossbow Henry (41.02) once looked into the waters of Mirror Lake with unfortunate results.
- The half-elves of Olmsted Keep (31.04) are initiated by visiting this lake.
- Devin Furfoot (17.05) has been in the Temple of Seven Shadows and seeks to mount a second expedition.
- The Scroll of Seven Shadows tells something of the purpose of the temple of Seven Shadows (29.14.24).
- The druid owns a fiece Gorean war cat (11.16).
Hooks:
- Why was the Prince of Men cast into the water? Who was he? Why was he forgotten? Does he have any good treasure on him? When will he wake up?
- Whose life was changed by visions from the Mirror Lake?
- What’s the deal with the Priests of the Lake?
- Who built the temples? What’s in them now?
- Is there anything special about the great tree? What kind of tree is it?
- What’s inside the Temple of Seven Shadows?
- Why does the Temple only open on the Long Night?
The Chapel of the Golden Cord
Hex 37.01.01
Inside the Temple of Seven Shadows are many strange rooms and weird dangers. This room is a beautiful chapel lined with gilded benches. At the front of the chapel is an altar, previously suspended in the loops of a golden cord tied to the ceiling. However the altar has fallen and the cord been chopped into several pieces by one of the men from the Furhoof expedition (17.05). The secret of the chapel is that the altar is not important; the object of devotion is the cord. This is the original Cord of Binding that was used to lasso the Tarrasque when it was first captured at the founding of Bergolast (38.28). It was not strong enough to hold the beast for long, but it gave the hunters the opportunity to pierce the Tarrasque with the six spears.
The magical power of the Cord was all but destroyed by the thrashings of the Tarrasque, and it is now very fragile. If it is cut, it will unleash a magical shock capable of killing an unwary human, but probably not an experienced adventurer. However, if it is reassembled and the altar is suspended again, a pyramidal stone will appear on the altar which is a key to the inner shrine door (the problem all started when Devin Furhoof tried to get the keystone by cutting the altar down from its hanging).
The benches have handles on them which can be used to tilt them up and down. Close examination will reveal a golden mark on the hinges that reveals the correct tilt of the benches. When one is seated on a correctly tilted bench and the altar is suspended at the correct height, the altar will shield the supplicant’s eyes from the light that shines through the back wall.
Hooks:
- Where did the Cord of Binding come from, and who wielded it in the battle with the Tarrasque?
- What’s in the inner shrine? Is it the Seventh Spear, or something else?
- Where does the light shine from? Isn’t the Temple only open during the Long Night?
