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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rhun" data-source="post: 4790836" data-attributes="member: 29098">You finish dinner and drinks, and make your way back to Burne's tower. You are ushered into the audience chamber, the guards looking at Ragnok a bit more suspiciously than they had before, but nobody seeks to stop him. After a few moments, you are comfortably ensconced in the padded chairs about the chamber, waiting.You do not have to wait long. The Lord Mage appears in short order, looking resplendent in satin robes of royal blue, trimmed in silver fox fur. He shuffles through some pieces of parchment and then looks you over."Well, I've spent countless hours in research these past couple of days, and everything keeps bringing me back to this damnable poem." He holds up a parchment for you to see, a parchment on which is the original of the poem Coraine has copied many days before, when you were first starting in your forays against the Temple. "While the poem is certainly some writer taking poetical license with a story of the fall of the Temple of Elemental Evil, it also gives vital clues."The wizard clears his throat, and then begins to recite the poem from the paper, reading it loudly:"The Two united in the past, a place to build, and spells to cast. Their power grew, and took the land and people round, as they had planned.A key without a lock they made of gold and gems, and overlaid with spells, a tool for men to wield to force the powers of Good to yield. But armies came, their weapons bared, while evil was yet unprepared. The Hart was followed by the Crowns and Moon, and people of the towns. The two were split; one got away but She, when came the judgment day, did break the key, and sent the rocks to boxes four, with magic locks. In doing so, She fell behind as He escaped. She was confined among Her own; her very lair became her prison and despair. The Place was ruined, torn apart and left with chains around the heart of evil power - but the key was never found in the debris. He knows not where She dwells today, She set the minions' path, the way To lift Her Temple high again With tools of flesh, with mortal men Many now have gone to die in water, flame, in earth, or sky. They did not bear the key of old that must be found - the orb of gold. Beware, my friend, for you shall fall unless you have the wherewithal to find and search the boxes four and then escape forevermore. But with the key, you might succeed in throwing down Her power and greed. Destroy the key when you are done and then rejoice, the battle won."He stops and looks over at all of you, and then taps his finger against the paper he has been reading. "The Key!" he exclaims, a bit excitedly. "The gemstone you found is a part of the Key. According to this accounting, there are four stones; I can only gather that there would be one to go with each of the four elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Sky. The fifth part of the Key must be this 'orb of gold' mentioned."Lord Burne takes a deep breath, and then continues. "It is my belief that the Key must be destroyed. Unfortunately, it is also my belief that each piece of the Key is completely invulnerable...only in its assembled state can the thing be destroyed. The poem says that the gems were sent to four boxes that were magically locked. But if what you told me was true, then this one at least had already been found and retrieved by the followers of Elemental Evil. Which means the others too might be in the hands of the Temple followers." The wizard trails off, pondering, and giving you a moment to voice any opinions that you might have...</blockquote>

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