Shrine of Dreams

The Shrine of Dreams is a shrine dedicated to the Arkati Ronan. It has been a key element in numerous storylines revolving around the town of Wehnimer's Landing. It's the location used for step 11 and step 24 of the Order of Voln.

A stained black altar:

Wrought of fine black marble, the altar rises just a few feet above the floor.  The highly polished surface gleams softly in the dim light.  Draped over the altar's sides are deep silver stains, appearing like rivulets of frozen tears.  There appears to be a small crack on one side.

A shallow font:

The font is little more than a shallow depression carved into the surface of the altar.

The following messaging can occur when you touch the font while kneeling:


1) As the cool water washes over your fingertips, your eyes grow heavy and close.  Fleeting images of long-forgotten friends, and great battles from long ago pass through your mind.  The visions are comforting, and through them all, you can just discern the visage of a slender young man dressed in sable robes overseeing things from a distance.  You open your eyes feeling confident and hopeful for the future.



2) Cool water swirls around your fingertips in concentric circles expanding outward toward the rim of the font.  Momentarily, you are hypnotized by the patterns formed by the clear liquid and find yourself drifting away....

Wandering in the darkness, you are unable to find your way to safety.  Faster and faster you walk, nearly frantic, your heart pounding against your chest, terrified that the Creature lurks behind every tree.  You choke back a scream at the sound of thundering hooves nearby.  Surely, this is the end!

Finally, a moon emerges from the clouds, flooding the forest with silvery luminescence.  Faint words float toward you on a breeze, "Darkness does not bring forth evil that is not also present in the light."



3) The world around you grows dark and unfocused.  A butterfly appears just ahead of you, its black wings gracefully fanning the air.  Soon the beautiful creature explodes in a brief flurry of colored petals that gradually reform into still more butterflies of every color imaginable.  At last the image fades, leaving only vivid memories of the spectacular display.

This vision will provide a keepsake:

You pick up a black butterfly wing.


4) Tiny wavelets of cool water rush over your fingertips as you touch the font and it seems as if your senses are suddenly sharper.

Somewhere beyond this room you can hear the sounds of birds warbling merrily, their songs clear and pure over the music of the cascading waterfall just outside.  A breeze caresses your brow carrying with it the scent of roses mixed with pine and, inexplicably, fresh-baked bread.  Instinctively, you touch your fingers to your lips to savor the delicate flavor of the water only to smile when the taste proves to be that of wild clover honey.


5) The cares of this world fade away, and you are momentarily transported to a place somewhere among the stars.  In your mind's eye, you see the image of a young man astride a mighty white unicorn with a luminous silver horn.  As the vision begins to fade, you are left with the memory of dark grey eyes that seemed to tug at your very soul with their hypnotic, haunting gaze.


6) As your fingertips touch the water, a feeling of peace spreads through your entire being.  Nothing can harm you here.  You cannot remember ever feeling quite as serene and calm as you do at this moment.


7) You dip your fingers lightly into the font, and are transported to a place of shadows...

A faint scratching sound gradually invades your consciousness.  Suddenly a chill races down your spine as you realize that the noise is the voices of dozens of children whispering urgently, "Beware the breath of the jackal, Person!"

The eerie warning echoes briefly and then fades into nothingness.


8) Cool water washes over your fingertips, and for a moment you are carried away on the wings of a dream.

As your eyes close, you envision a cobblestone lane, with moonlight washing everything in a pale, silvery glow.  Candles flicker in the windows of cozy houses nestled against each other along the quiet street, and the world seems utterly tranquil.  The clatter of hooves causes you to look up just in time to see a youth riding away atop a magnificent white steed.

Somewhere nearby, something howls, sending an unearthly chill down your back.  Then, moments later, silence.


9) As the cool water washes over your fingers, a vision appears...

Along a freezing, cobbled road, an old man shambles, stumbling slightly under the burden of his pack.  Piles of snow illuminated by a full moon drift in pale swirls across the path as his labored breath tumbles outward in delicate tendrils of white.  Malevolent eyes pierce the darkness at the edge of the road, but the old man forges ahead, calmly following the hoof prints pressed deep into the snow ahead.


10) A single drop of water, caught on a wayward breeze, sails from your fingertips and across the room in a faint rainbow-colored trail that vanishes before it can truly take shape.


11) Unconscious of intent, your eyes try to focus upon the delicate circles of water rippling away from your fingertips.  As the surface of the liquid swirls in concentric, ever-expanding rings, a voice drifts through your head, soft as a butterfly kiss, "Fear not the night, for it is in darkness that hope is born."

12) Your fingertips graze the surface of the water, setting off a series of ripples that transfixes you for but a moment.  In the dim light, you can barely make out the image of a pure white unicorn reflecting off the glimmering font.  As quickly as it came though, the image fades.