Temple Entryway (#1747)

(an instance of generic room made by Wizard)

     This dark path leads from the outside world into The Temple. A raised stone pathway runs inward to the east, and back out to the west. Cold stone statues sit high up in the darkness, judging passers-by with scrutinizing eyes. Thick, rich curtains, the color of dried blood, line the north and south walls of this dark hallway; they seem to move slightly due to some mysterious presence. One might imagine that the curtains were stained by drippings from the statues' mouths.

EXITS:
      [ west ] Pebbly Walk.
      The curtains are thick, soft, and of a reddish-brown color; eerily, they seem to sway slightly in the darkness. They hang from the walls, near the ceiling, from just below the statues feet, almost as if the statues keep the curtains hanging by sheer weight. They hang down low, below the raised level of the path, almost touching the floor. [ south ] Administrative Concourse. You feel around in the southern curtain, and find what seems to be an open space behind it. You also find a slit in the curtain, through which you easily pass.
      The arch to the east seems to lead to a hotter, more active place. [ east ] Sacrificial Pit. You pass through the eastern arch, into the dark, smoke-filled Temple Proper.
      [ climb ] here.
      Looking closely at the statues, you can't see a single difference between one and the next; however, each seems to be a grim parody of the one before. They eagerly lean far over the ledge, as if ready to lunge down upon newcomers. They possess long, claw-like fingernails, wild hair, and a grim facial expression, though in their jewelled eyes you sense infinite pleading. [ faces ] here.
      Twenty-four of them in all, these statues are all nearly identical; each stands on a ledge, depicting a human form which seems to beg your attention. Your eyes are drawn toward their faces. [ statue ] here.
      A high ledge runs along the northern, eastern, and southern walls. This ledge supports the statues and, so it seems, provides a hanging place for the thick curtains. The ledge is quite wide; it provides more than enough room for the statues, but, peering through the gloom, you can't quite tell if anything else is up there. [ ledge ] here.
      The pathway chills your entire body as you walk across it; it's made of a single long stone slab about eight inches high, worn by the eternal passing of thousands of ancient feet. [ path ] here.