Ruined Church (#177)

(an instance of Generic Secured Post-Apocalypse Room made by Kashka)

     The ruins of a once magnificent church are spread out before you. The nave stretches out into the gloom ahead of you--dotted with collapsed pews and fallen chunks of the ceiling. Broken colums and arches soar towards a ceiling which is partially open to the sky. Stained glass window (most of which are softly glittering piles of colored glass on the ground) march off triumphantly towards the altar. Above you and a little behind you can make out the blocked ruins of the choir loft. A stairway may be passable in the back corner.
     Sunlight streams down through the broken roof--causing the piles of glass to glow in glittering pools of colored fire on the floor..
     2uined Church shimmers into existance in the middle of the floor.

You notice some details:
      The ceiling must have been magnificent--once--but now holes gape in the soaring stone. The arching butresses of the ceiling's support look like the ribs of some monstrous denizen of an earlier age--broken and jagged against the gaping patches of sky.
      At one time magnificent stained glass windows (by Berinanoni) graced the walls of the church in triumphant throngs. The rose window over thenave/choirloft was well-known far beyond the borders of Bellona for its majesty and awesomely beautiful colors. Now, most of the windows lie in glittering piles on the floor--gone forever.
      The floor is constructed of massive marble slabs in travertine green, black, pink and white-veined with gold. Once a shining expanse polished to mirror brightness the floors are now dull. Intricate patterns can be glimpsed under the piles of debris including a repetitive five-pointed star, a cup, sword and disc-like object. Take a closer look.

You see Ankh here.

EXITS:
      [ se ] Jackson & Broadway.
      [ up ] Choir Loft. You find a path through the debris and climb the stairs.
      A ruined stairwell leading down. A brass gate once closed it off [ down ] Tunnel. You peer down into the gloom then carefully descend the stairs.
      [ nw ] Sanctuary.

This place has a certain ambiance...
     A piece of colored glass falls from one of the windows and shatters.
     Rubble shifts ominously under your feet. Dust fountains up from the floor.
     For a second you think you hear ghostly organ music. The wind perhaps?
     A muffled moaning issues from the dark opening at the front of the nave.
     You hear something skittering over the stony ruins in front of you.
     Outside you hear an inchoherant scream echo down the street.
     A dark creature sweeps through the turgid air of the room! It flies on out through a hole in the roof.
     Something falls from the ruined ceiling and crashes into the floor ahead!