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The Gallery Of Heroes

The room is circular. A large brazier stands in the middle of a darkened marble circle at the exact center of the room. Light grey smoke wafts lazily up from the pot, swirling about the chamber and forming intricate patterns. The walls of the room are made of a light, white stone, cut unevenly in several places. In contrast with the rough-hewn walls, seven doors of smooth oak are spaced at even intervals about the chamber. Each door is marked with peculiar runes about the frame, as if indicating the contents of what lies beyond the doorway.

Suddenly a deeply resonant voice begins to speak, the sound echoing around you hollowly: "Greetings, Wanderer. It has been a fair amount of time since one as young as you walked these fair halls." The voice pauses for a second, then continues with it's emotionless speech. "You have reached beyond the constraints of time, and have journeyed to the Gallery of Heroes. The past is the future, and only from the past can we learn how to direct the present. Go forth among these Halls, and learn, Wanderer."

"There is much knowledge to be gleaned from the teachings of the Heroes of the Past. Those that have gone before are as much a part of you now as you will ever be." The voice pauses for a long moment. "Should you open your mind, you will find yourself entranced by their stories, by the lives they lived, and perhaps, just perhaps, you will better yourself in the process."

The voice stops, though echoes ring about the vast stone chamber. Hesitantly you start towards a door at random, when the voice abruptly speaks again. "Through that door lies the Hall of Scholars. In times past many great Heroes have risen through the ranks of Scholars. In time, many became Legends. Wielding the magic of the world, the Scholar Heroes exemplify the strength and determination of their Sphere, whether it be the cold, calculating pursuits of the Void, or the healing benedictions of the Water."

As you move about the room to stand in front of another doorway, the voice begins again, reciting the monotone speech prepared who knows how many centuries ago. "So you wish to visit the Hall of Warriors, do you? A fine choice. Using their brawn, and their brains at times, the warriors of Avendar have been known to be some of the most deadly Heroes of all time. From the swordmasters, and their dancing forms, to the barbarians with their brute strength, much can be learned of the arts of combat from the warriors of the Past.

Moving towards the third doorway, the voice starts in once again. "A fine choice, the Hall of Templars. Leaders of expeditions, generals in battle, the Templars of Avendar are as courageous as they are legendary. Combining the arts of magic from the sphere which they study with a variety of fighting styles, the Templars have been known to surprise their foes at every turn, using their very different techniques to become Heroes in their own right."

"So you are interested in those that stick to the shadows, the Heroes of the Hall of Rogues, eh?" the voice chimes in as you near the next doorway. "Those that sneak and hide may seem devious at first, but their power stems from that their special abilities to get away from most situations. The special skills inherent in the rogue Heroes are what make them so unique. But do not take them for granted. Though they do not have the one on one fighting power of the Warriors, nor the mighty magic of the Scholars, they are not a force to trifle with lightly...lest you enjoy a knife in your back."

As you approach the next door, the voice intones, "There are few who have come into enough wisdom to truly appreciate the wonder of Avendar. Numbered among them are the Heroes of the Hall of Naturalists. Whether we speak of the Druids with their potent nature magics, or of Rangers with their combination of warrior and natural skills, the Naturalists rules the forests and wildlands of Avendar. In their territory, they can not expect to be beaten, for they draw their power from the very nature that surrounds them there."

"The Hall of Entertainers is a Hall that few visit, just as few dare to follow the path of entertaining. Although treacherous, the path of the Entertainer is known to hold great joy and happiness for those that traverse it, for there is Power in Music..."

You come to face the last door, which you notice has fewer sigils than all the others. It seems altogether plainer, as if it were unfinished. "Yes," speaks the voice, as if reading your mind, "that is the Hall of Others. Currently it houses only the Heroes of the Psionicist profession, but that is sure to change as time passes. It is rumored that there are many other classes scattered about the world of Avendar, and that they, too, will one day come forth and claim their place among the vaunted Gallery Of Heroes..." With a long echo, the voice fades away.

Without warning, the voice flares up again, to speak once more. The normally emotionless voice seems different now, perhaps even excited. "Perhaps you have come here because you are a Hero that has passed on? Perhaps you, too, wish to have your story told in these Halls. If so, you may send a message to the powers that maintain this Gallery, so that they may know of you, and of your deeds. You shall then be included in these Halls, and you shall live on forever...and ever..." Slowly, as if regretting the need, the voice stops. The room lapses back into silence.