The Sunward Hall
Nestled deep within the shifting sands of the Great Kingdom of Edeli, beneath the weathered streets of the Sunstone Ruins, lies what some scholars are already calling the most important archaeological discovery in a generation: the Sunward Hall. First reported by royal surveyors under the authority of The Abydos Menos, the Hall is a sprawling alabaster structure that seems almost untouched by the centuries that have buried the rest of Sunstone.
Official descriptions from the Edeli court speak of “a sanctum aglow with unending light, unmarred by time or trespass”. Whether this light is natural, magical, or divine in origin remains a matter of intense debate among arcanists, priests, and historians.
Official descriptions from the Edeli court speak of “a sanctum aglow with unending light, unmarred by time or trespass”. Whether this light is natural, magical, or divine in origin remains a matter of intense debate among arcanists, priests, and historians.
Architecture
Those few permitted to view the Hall describe a structure of smooth, white stone unlike the yellow sandstone of the surrounding ruins. Its walls are flawlessly cut, without chisel marks or signs of repair, and they rise to form a vaulted dome beneath which light dances like captured sunlight at noon.
The Hall’s floor is inlaid with radiant mosaics—intricate depictions of suns, moons, and unfamiliar constellations, all executed in gold leaf and mother-of-pearl. The ceiling’s oculus, though buried far below the desert surface, still admits a soft, unwavering illumination that neither dims nor shifts with the time of day.
The Hall’s floor is inlaid with radiant mosaics—intricate depictions of suns, moons, and unfamiliar constellations, all executed in gold leaf and mother-of-pearl. The ceiling’s oculus, though buried far below the desert surface, still admits a soft, unwavering illumination that neither dims nor shifts with the time of day.
Defenses
The Sunstone Ruins themselves remain perilous, their labyrinthine passages haunted by the specters of those who died in the city’s fall—or so the tales say. The Hall’s excavation crews report strange phenomena.
Voices in the light, heard only when alone.
Shadows that move counter to their source.
A persistent hum, low and resonant, which seems to vibrate in the bones.
Whether these are relics of the Hall’s construction, tricks of the mind, or the first hints of something far older and stranger, no one will say for certain.
Voices in the light, heard only when alone.
Shadows that move counter to their source.
A persistent hum, low and resonant, which seems to vibrate in the bones.
Whether these are relics of the Hall’s construction, tricks of the mind, or the first hints of something far older and stranger, no one will say for certain.
History
The prevailing theory among Edeli historians is that the Sunward Hall predates even the peak of the Tabaxi civilization that built Sunstone. Certain architectural details—most notably the precise geometric alignments of its floor mosaics—match nothing else in known Tabaxi design, leading some to suspect the Hall was inherited from an earlier, now-vanished culture. If true, the Tabaxi rulers may have constructed the rest of Sunstone around it, treating the Hall as both a political and spiritual heart of their empire. In this telling, the Hall’s perpetual light was the source of the city’s wealth and influence, perhaps powered by the legendary Sunstone itself.
Other scholars argue that the Hall and Sunstone were contemporary creations, forged in tandem at the height of Tabaxi dominance. This school of thought suggests the Hall served as a ritual engine, focusing and amplifying the Sunstone’s radiant power to illuminate the city and even project influence across the Pridelands. Proponents of this theory point to weathered inscriptions near the site that speak of “light carried to the farthest sand” and “the sun’s blessing upon every dawn.” Whatever its origin, the Hall fell into legend after the city’s mysterious collapse, vanishing beneath the desert for centuries until its recent rediscovery.
Other scholars argue that the Hall and Sunstone were contemporary creations, forged in tandem at the height of Tabaxi dominance. This school of thought suggests the Hall served as a ritual engine, focusing and amplifying the Sunstone’s radiant power to illuminate the city and even project influence across the Pridelands. Proponents of this theory point to weathered inscriptions near the site that speak of “light carried to the farthest sand” and “the sun’s blessing upon every dawn.” Whatever its origin, the Hall fell into legend after the city’s mysterious collapse, vanishing beneath the desert for centuries until its recent rediscovery.
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