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| The structure that serves as the Qel-Droman temple on Arconeae Primus is still a point of some contention, as well as anger. The building itself is an amalgamation of the technological and the ancient, bearing little resemblance to the ancient tomb House Qel-Droma once called home.
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| During the exodus from the Emperor's Hammer, House Qel-Droma was forced to almost literally cut and run, taking what they could with them in the way of documents, artifacts and databases. The sum total knowledge amassed by the House since its inception had to be placed into two categories: invaluable and expendable. And as no Krath deems any knowledge to be expendable, the hasty decisions made during the migration were both painful and costly.
| | |name=Qel-Droma Temple |
| At the same time, the very temple that had served as home and archive for the noble House as well had to be abandoned, left for the pale splinter group within the Emperor's Hammer to deal with as they pleased.
| | |constructed=30 ABY |
| Thus the loyal of Qel-Droma traveled far to the quickly acquired Dajorra system, armed with the bulk of their collected knowledge, but with no repository in which to store it, and no home in which to live.
| | |location=[[Arconae Primus|'''Arconae''' Primus]] |
| | |era=Dark Jedi Brotherhood Era |
| | |affiliation=[[Arcona]] |
| | }} |
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| Upon arrival on the sphere that would come to be named Arconeae Primus, the Krath found a jungle and swamp covered world, whose only distinguishing features were sporadic ruins indicating some long lost civilization that had once dwelled on the world. It was at one of these ruin sites, a fairly clear area in the jungle, approximately 1km square in size that House Qel-Droma decided to construct their new home. Focusing on a large, fairly intact structure left over from the previous inhabitants of the planet, the Krath first raised the pre-fabricated Garrison base acquired during their flight from the EH territories. The building was constructed within, and in some cases around, the existing structure.
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| This makeshift base of operations served well as a temporary shelter for the Krath and their many treasures, but the limitations of the garrison building soon began to show as the elements and native predators of the area began to slowly ware away at the building and its pre-fabricated materials.
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| But by this time, other planets in the Dajorra system had been explored and colonized by the Clan Arcona, and one of them, Arconeae Secundus, was discovered to hold a primitive culture of sentients. The Krath seized this opportunity, and had a large workforce shipped to their jungle world. Once there, the Krath invaded the minds of the simple beings, charging them with the task of constructing a home and monument worthy of their new masters.
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| Over months of back-breaking and treacherous labor, the slaves cut new building blocks from the surrounding mountains, and used the modern technology of their new masters to meld metal and stone into a mighty fortress.
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| The grounds of the temple adhere to the general shape of the pre-exiting ruins. Light jungle terrain stops suddenly at a foundation of flat yellowed stone, whose ancient cracks have been filled-in with modern permacrete, giving the expanse a strange "gold-with-silver-veins" appearance in the glint of the setting sun.
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| From the flat foundation one comes to a raised area accessible from a short but wide staircase to the main entrance. Just in front of this staircase are three perfectly intact obelisk stones; remnants of the lost civilization. The markings on these are, as of yet, undecipherable. They were preserved during the temple's construction because the Clan elders felt that, in an abstract way, the three pillars were representative of the three Orders of the Brotherhood. Just to the right of the three pillars is a separate raised dais, whose only unique feature is a large statue of Ulic Qel-Droma. The statue had been nothing more than a plain chunk of stone leftover from the ruins. But shortly after construction on the temple concluded, someone took the time to carve out a representation of the Dark Lord of the Sith, apparently with a lightsaber.
| | == History == |
| | [[File:Scary Ross2.jpg|thumb|125px|left|Vassan Rokir]]Shortly after the [[Third Great Jedi War]], [[House Qel-Droma]] initiated an internal conflict to, essentially, "cull the herd" for those worthy to hold a place as the most valuable and honored of the Krath in the House. The conflict was long and arduous, with the two Krath Phyles ([[Prophecy Phyle|Prophecy]] and [[Dark Orb]]) fighting to become the favored denizens of the recently constructed House Qel-Droma Temple. |
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| Ahead from the top of the stairs the main archway leads to a long, wide hallway, lined with rows of irregularly spaced pillars. Most of these are original structures of the ruins, but approximately every third pillar is a durasteel replacement, most having holo-portraits of famous Arconans installed on their surfaces about 5 feet from the floor.
| | For over a month in the beginning of 20 ABY, one year after The Split, tyro fought tyro amid the stone hallways and jungle surrounding of the temple, all in an effort to impress their superiors, and themselves, of who was most worthy. When the haze of battle cleared, the results were indeed very, very close. But a winner was chosen, and that winner was the [[Dark Orb]]. Designed by [[Vassan Rokir]], Aedile of Qel-Droma, who had also designed the Qel-Droma Temple itself, the monument rested near the entrance to the temple, displayed prominently for all who come and go. The base of the monument was carved from a block of solid, black rock mined from the nearby mountains. The plaque read "Dark Orb," the letters made from the durable golden glitterstone and set into a base of wrought durasteel. The base also housed a repulsor lift field generator, which leads to the rest of the design. |
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| At the end of the main entry hall is a roughly square room whose center is taken up with what has come to be called the "Reflecting pool." Part of the original ruins, this pool has, since its discovery, contained none but the clearest and purest of water. The Krath have yet to fully explain the source of this water, or how its purity is maintained in the shallow pool. Nevertheless, the reflecting pool has come to be a popular location for meditation within the temple.
| | In 30 ABY, two years after the [[Dajorra System]] was conquered, [[Arcona|Clan Arcona’s]] forces returned and retook the system. The Qel-Droma Temple, which had been located on '''Arconae''' Primus, was found to be completely destroyed. Forced to quickly relocate House Qel-Droma, Quaestor Legorii led the Dark Jedi into the tunnels that had been excavated in years past by spice miners. |
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| Forward from the reflecting pool is a long, dark stairway that slopes gently into the earth and into the depths of the temple. Various sensors and security devices have been installed along this stairwell, programmed to detain, and if necessary destroy, anything the central computer does not recognize as authorized personnel. The stairway is completely unlit, and has no hand railings. No one is precisely sure what lies at the bottom of the large spaces on either side of the staircase; even Force-enhanced senses seem to be blocked from investigating them. One of the first tests of any initiate of the House is to reach the bottom of the staircase using the barest sense of the Force as their only guide through the treacherous darkness.
| | The resistance movement on [[Arconae Primus|'''Arconae''' Primus]] had located its headquarters in a large cavern, already sparsely furnished by a small cult that had operated secretly in the tunnels before the resistance movement had found them. Declaring it the new Temple, the Qel-Dromans immediately began to spruce it up with intact monuments that had survived the destruction, restoring many of the functions of the former Temple. |
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| Once reaching the bottom of the staircase, large durasteel doors open into a huge enclosed area, nearly the size of a standard city block. The majority of the area is taken up by secluded study areas, made up of large tables, comfortable chairs, and lit with soft glow lamps. But the centerpieces are the two formidable vaults at the far side of the room. These are the highly prized archives of House Qel-Droma. Case upon case, shelf upon shelf of scrolls, artifacts, and datacards hold the tales, researches, and discoveries of countless Dark Jedi and Sith throughout known history. The vaults themselves are essentially huge boxes made of a permacrete/durasteel mix, seamlessly melded into the bedrock of the temple's foundation. Huge doors are programmed to seal the vaults immediately upon either threat of fire, invasion, or any other potential catastrophe.
| | ==Level one: Entrance == |
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| Past the archives is a short hallway, whose most immediate destinations are the only recognizable remains of the original pre-fabricated garrison: two large barracks buildings, now part of the temple's overall structure. Each building contains two rows of living quarters, and a central area for dining, studying, and general socialization. Each private room is supplied with a bed, storage locker, and personal facilities, and can be customized to a certain extent by the current tenant. The barracks serve as the initial home for all incoming House members, up until the rank of Dark Jedi Knight is attained. At that point, the Dark Knight can opt to find or build his own dwelling outside the temple. But regardless, a handful of rooms are always kept "open" for any member's usage, should their studies require them to spend extended periods of time in the temple.
| | The formerly guarded gates of the Qel-Droman Temple now are broken open. The once sealed entrance is now silent of the sentries who once stood vigilant and proud against the building. The stonework has grown dark over time and vegetation grows along its cracks and bumps, ivy splitting the crack further and causing further entropy. A monument to the disbanded [Dark Orb] stands as a testament to the once proud Battleteam. It is rusted and weathered, various shades of mold and lichen forming a crust on its tarnished surface. |
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| Past the barracks areas, the hallway begins a steady angled climb back towards ground level, and the next feature is the Communications Room. Here is housed the most state-of-the-art in communications technology. The Comm Room not only monitors HoloNet broadcasts and manages all incoming and outgoing communications of House and Clan members, but it has also been specially modified by the Arconan Krath. Unique to Qel-Droma is the fact that the Comm Center is also tapped into a long forgotten Imperial Ubiqtorate data stream, which not only allows for the most secure encryptions in the galaxy to be available to the House, but also provides access to many classified Imperial records. Despite this advantage, the Arconan Krath still struggle to crack into Emperor Palpatine's personal files pertaining to the Jedi and, more importantly, the ancient Sith.
| | The interior of the temple entrance has fared better, having been protected from the harsh elements of nature that are known rage outside the temple cracked walls. The obsidian columns that bear the legacy of Qel-Droma's Quaestors still stands tall and, although no longer being illuminated by the many braziers that once lined the hallways. As one makes their way further into the structure the feeling of true emptiness is palpable, having no Dark Jedi roaming the halls and many of the conference rooms. The second floor has been stripped of what little furnishing was held within. |
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| Past the Comm Room is a voice coded, secure passageway. This leads to the area of the temple containing the private quarters of the House Quaestor and Aedile. A long hallway extends parallel to both rooms, and is adorned with various Clan artifacts, trophies, and intricate busts of Quaestors past. At each end of this hallway a large and powerful security droid stands guard to intercept any potential intruders. Both the Quaestor's and Aedile's chambers are large and heavily fortified, and the interiors of each are furnished to the occupant's wishes. A second, larger security door at the end of the hallway leads back to the reflecting pool, and the entrance of the temple.
| | == Level two: Main Hall == |
| | The true extent of the absence of life in the temple halls shows as you enter the corridor that leads down from the first level and into the labyrinth of level two. Dust permeates the air and covers the remainder of discarded junk and decorations, fluttering about the air as the building settles into its decay. Almost all rooms have been stripped of what furnishings, having been moved to some undisclosed location, for the time being, hopeful of the time when the temple is once more put back to use. |
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| Moving back to the archives room, a second passage on the south side leads to what has come to be called the Honor Room. Once the temple was completed, this room, an entirely intact chamber from the original ruins, was found to be a strong focus of dark side energy. While the reasons behind this focus is currently unknown, the plain chamber has become the location in which the ceremonies to elevate House members take place. Rumor has it that being granted a new title in the energy-filled room imparts some additional Force power to the honoree, but this has yet to be proven in any way.
| | Darkness leads the way into the barracks of Prophecy Phyle. The barracks lay empty, its walls cracking and giving way to the vines which have crept into the room from the outside. The Aedile’s quarters nearby are in the same state of decay and disuse. On the same level, the guest quarters have fared poorly, time having taken its toll on the furnishings that were left simply forgotten. They have all but crumbled and broken into little more than scraps of wood and cloth. The once fragrant smelling rooms have now taken on a fouler scent of mold and mildew. |
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| Past the Honor Room, the hallway angles steeply upwards, leading back to and above ground level, terminating in the entrance to a broad staircase. This leads to the second level of the temple. The stairway was designed so that many House members could ascend at one time.
| | Lastly, the Quaestors quarters of the second floor has been largely untouched by other than dust and air. All that is left in the office is a lone table that has long since warped and bent. The room’s once lavish decorations having been taken away with its former occupant. Much of the Temple’s belongings that held any value were recovered and are |
| | either being stored or hoarded by the greedy or protective. |
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| Shortly after the House Qel-Droma Phyle War, the House Temple’s architect, Vassan Rokir, undertook a number of additions to the temple, to better accommodate the growing numbers in the House, as well as to mark the anniversary of the Brotherhood’s division from the Emperor’s Hammer.
| | ==Level three: Library And Training Rooms == |
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| Laboratory – Off a newly made hallway from the entrance to the summit quarters, the Lab is a multi-purpose workspace for House members. Reserved on request, the laboratory is stocked with supplies both technological and alchemical, depending on the needs of the user. Anything from lightsabers to poisons could be created here, with the proper ingredients.
| | Entering into the third level, the first thing one finds is the training rooms that once housed and trained the members of Prophecy Phyle. Its wooden floors and sparring mats have near to dissolved, having crumbled and cracked from the moist air. Puddles gather under thick cracks where water has worn down the stone and made its way inside. The medical wings that once bustled with life and fears of death now lies still and silent. The equipment was either taken for use or destroyed to discourage scavengers. Any weapons that once were housed in the training rooms and gun range have long since been taken away and were probably the first things to be removed from the temple when it was abandoned.Further into the temple lays the once great library, empty bookcases littering the room with broken boards and scattered scraps of paper. The stench of rot is prevalent in the as the wood long since begun it decomposing. |
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| Meditation Chamber – This hollowed-out area down the hall from the Laboratory is reserved as a sound proof, secluded area for members to conduct either individual or group meditative sessions. Several members sit within this room in complete darkness, in order to better commune with the darkness that resides within, and without.
| | But there is something else here as well, unlike the rest of the temple, the Dark Side of the Force has gathered in this area. Most likely due to the Sith tomes and dark secrets once housed here. Not to mention the many deaths that occurred, many journeymen having met their end in the once great hall of knowledge. |
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| Conference Room – Down a newly made hallway from the staircase leading to the Oval Dome, a formal conference room has been added. This room is intended for use by Phyles or summit members to conduct more private conclaves than would be done in a wide public area, such as the Oval Dome. It may also be reserved by interested parties for private debate or conversation on the dark side itself, or discussion of special research projects.
| | ==Level four: Power Generators == |
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| Storage Room – Down the hall from the Conference Room, a storage room has been added to warehouse food supply stockpiles and extra equipment, should Arconae Primus be cut off from Clan supply lines for any unforeseen length of time. The room also acts as a supplementary archive of many non-rare items from the House archives.
| | The last level of the Temple is the power room. Not much has changed over time in the largely metallic complex that holds the generators. The enormous doors still stand to this day. Where they once stood closed they are now left bent open. Behind the steps that lead into the room still remain, untouched and smooth. The machines which once powered the entire Qel-Droman Temple have long since been shut down and scraped for parts where they could not be wholly moved from their positions. |
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| Phyle Monument – Constructed to pay tribute to the superior Phyle of the House, the Phyle Monument to Dark Orb has been placed near the main entrance of the Temple.
| | Pools of water and algae have formed and grown large down in this cavern. Once, maintenance crews and builders made consistent repairs to the walls and structure, but now there is no one to prevent the extensive damage from expanding. Broken lights frequently drip water from where illumination was once cast. Only shadows, dust, and seething darkness now call the Temple their home. |
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| At the top of the long staircase, visitors arrive inside a huge oval dome, whose size rests atop the majority of the temple's lower floors. This dome is supported by a ring of gigantic pillars that sit around the inside perimeter of the dome. The interior walls are covered in large murals depicting both House and Clan successes in battles and discoveries past. Otherwise, the dome remains as mostly empty space. The Oval Dome acts as the House's multi-purpose room. When not used for full House meetings, the dome can be reserved for training initiates in the use of the Force, lightsaber dueling, and meditation.
| | [[Category:Historic Arcona Articles]] |
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| Shortly after the third Sith War of the modern era, House Qel-Droma initiated an internal conflict to, essentially, "cull the herd" for those worthy to hold a place as the most valuable and honored of the Krath in the House.
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| The conflict was long and arduous, with the two Krath Phyles fighting to become the favored denizens of the recently constructed House Qel-Droma Temple.
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| For over a month in the first quarter of the Dark Brotherhood year 1 A.S. (1 year After the Split) tyro fought tyro amid the stone hallways and jungle surrounding of the temple, all in an effort to impress their superiors, and themselves, of who was most worthy.
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| When the haze of battle cleared, the results were indeed very, very close. But a winner was chosen, and it was the Dark Orb.
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| Designed by Vassan Rokir, Aedile of Qel-Droma, who had as well designed the Qel-Droman temple itself, the monument rest near the entrance to the temple, displayed prominently for all who come and go. The base of the monument was carved from a block of solid, black rock mined from the nearby mountains. The plaque reads "Dark Orb," the letters made from the durable golden glitterstone and set into a base of wrought durasteel. The base also houses a repulsorlift field generator, which leds itself to the rest of the design.
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| Set on either side of the flat, square top of the monuments base are two angled spikes of a polished platinum/durasteel mix. These spikes each represent Knowledge and Power, the two basic virtues of the Krath Order.
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| And floating between the two spikes, thanks to the aforementioned repulsorlift field, is a large sphere of violet Corsuca stone. Polished to a mirror finish, the sphere is set to rotate in time with the rotation of the temple's homeworld, Arconae Primus. Qel-Droma Temple - © 2003-2004 Vassan Rokir and Clan Arcona of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood
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The Jedi were real? This article is part of the history of Clan Arcona and isn't part of current events.
Please do not remove this tag or the contents. These articles exist for historic purposes.
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History
Vassan RokirShortly after the Third Great Jedi War, House Qel-Droma initiated an internal conflict to, essentially, "cull the herd" for those worthy to hold a place as the most valuable and honored of the Krath in the House. The conflict was long and arduous, with the two Krath Phyles (Prophecy and Dark Orb) fighting to become the favored denizens of the recently constructed House Qel-Droma Temple.
For over a month in the beginning of 20 ABY, one year after The Split, tyro fought tyro amid the stone hallways and jungle surrounding of the temple, all in an effort to impress their superiors, and themselves, of who was most worthy. When the haze of battle cleared, the results were indeed very, very close. But a winner was chosen, and that winner was the Dark Orb. Designed by Vassan Rokir, Aedile of Qel-Droma, who had also designed the Qel-Droma Temple itself, the monument rested near the entrance to the temple, displayed prominently for all who come and go. The base of the monument was carved from a block of solid, black rock mined from the nearby mountains. The plaque read "Dark Orb," the letters made from the durable golden glitterstone and set into a base of wrought durasteel. The base also housed a repulsor lift field generator, which leads to the rest of the design.
In 30 ABY, two years after the Dajorra System was conquered, Clan Arcona’s forces returned and retook the system. The Qel-Droma Temple, which had been located on Arconae Primus, was found to be completely destroyed. Forced to quickly relocate House Qel-Droma, Quaestor Legorii led the Dark Jedi into the tunnels that had been excavated in years past by spice miners.
The resistance movement on Arconae Primus had located its headquarters in a large cavern, already sparsely furnished by a small cult that had operated secretly in the tunnels before the resistance movement had found them. Declaring it the new Temple, the Qel-Dromans immediately began to spruce it up with intact monuments that had survived the destruction, restoring many of the functions of the former Temple.
Level one: Entrance
The formerly guarded gates of the Qel-Droman Temple now are broken open. The once sealed entrance is now silent of the sentries who once stood vigilant and proud against the building. The stonework has grown dark over time and vegetation grows along its cracks and bumps, ivy splitting the crack further and causing further entropy. A monument to the disbanded [Dark Orb] stands as a testament to the once proud Battleteam. It is rusted and weathered, various shades of mold and lichen forming a crust on its tarnished surface.
The interior of the temple entrance has fared better, having been protected from the harsh elements of nature that are known rage outside the temple cracked walls. The obsidian columns that bear the legacy of Qel-Droma's Quaestors still stands tall and, although no longer being illuminated by the many braziers that once lined the hallways. As one makes their way further into the structure the feeling of true emptiness is palpable, having no Dark Jedi roaming the halls and many of the conference rooms. The second floor has been stripped of what little furnishing was held within.
Level two: Main Hall
The true extent of the absence of life in the temple halls shows as you enter the corridor that leads down from the first level and into the labyrinth of level two. Dust permeates the air and covers the remainder of discarded junk and decorations, fluttering about the air as the building settles into its decay. Almost all rooms have been stripped of what furnishings, having been moved to some undisclosed location, for the time being, hopeful of the time when the temple is once more put back to use.
Darkness leads the way into the barracks of Prophecy Phyle. The barracks lay empty, its walls cracking and giving way to the vines which have crept into the room from the outside. The Aedile’s quarters nearby are in the same state of decay and disuse. On the same level, the guest quarters have fared poorly, time having taken its toll on the furnishings that were left simply forgotten. They have all but crumbled and broken into little more than scraps of wood and cloth. The once fragrant smelling rooms have now taken on a fouler scent of mold and mildew.
Lastly, the Quaestors quarters of the second floor has been largely untouched by other than dust and air. All that is left in the office is a lone table that has long since warped and bent. The room’s once lavish decorations having been taken away with its former occupant. Much of the Temple’s belongings that held any value were recovered and are
either being stored or hoarded by the greedy or protective.
Level three: Library And Training Rooms
Entering into the third level, the first thing one finds is the training rooms that once housed and trained the members of Prophecy Phyle. Its wooden floors and sparring mats have near to dissolved, having crumbled and cracked from the moist air. Puddles gather under thick cracks where water has worn down the stone and made its way inside. The medical wings that once bustled with life and fears of death now lies still and silent. The equipment was either taken for use or destroyed to discourage scavengers. Any weapons that once were housed in the training rooms and gun range have long since been taken away and were probably the first things to be removed from the temple when it was abandoned.Further into the temple lays the once great library, empty bookcases littering the room with broken boards and scattered scraps of paper. The stench of rot is prevalent in the as the wood long since begun it decomposing.
But there is something else here as well, unlike the rest of the temple, the Dark Side of the Force has gathered in this area. Most likely due to the Sith tomes and dark secrets once housed here. Not to mention the many deaths that occurred, many journeymen having met their end in the once great hall of knowledge.
Level four: Power Generators
The last level of the Temple is the power room. Not much has changed over time in the largely metallic complex that holds the generators. The enormous doors still stand to this day. Where they once stood closed they are now left bent open. Behind the steps that lead into the room still remain, untouched and smooth. The machines which once powered the entire Qel-Droman Temple have long since been shut down and scraped for parts where they could not be wholly moved from their positions.
Pools of water and algae have formed and grown large down in this cavern. Once, maintenance crews and builders made consistent repairs to the walls and structure, but now there is no one to prevent the extensive damage from expanding. Broken lights frequently drip water from where illumination was once cast. Only shadows, dust, and seething darkness now call the Temple their home.