Hall of the Eternal Forger

Originally constructed purely as a temple to Aurenos, it has evolved over centuries into the Order of the First Thought’s principal sanctum in Embergarde. It hosts silent masses, personal meditations, vow-keeping ceremonies, and advanced rune-lattice lessons. Here, the faithful believe they stand as close as mortals can to the first thought that created the world.

A vast rectangular hall with a high vaulted ceiling supported by immense pillars shaped like stylized tongues of flame.

• The centerpiece is a grand altar of molten metal that flows in perpetual motion, never cooling, thought to be a physical echo of Aurenos’s first act of forging existence.
• Along the sides are smaller niches containing rune mosaics and silent confession stations where monks listen to pilgrims’ thoughts through psychic linking.

The walls and floors are constructed from smooth black basalt inlaid with delicate lines of pyrestone that trace geometric patterns representing abstract concepts of creation.

• A pair of immense doors made from layered iron and pyrestone that open only through silent ritual sign sequences performed by attending monks.
• Smaller side doors allow Order members and silent attendants to come and go without disturbing ongoing ceremonies.

Visitors must ritually cleanse in outer vestibules and take a vow of silence before entering, overseen by monks who guide them through gesture or gentle telepathic prompts.

Inside, the hall is always warm, lit by the ever-flowing molten altar and hundreds of rune lanterns that emit soft, smokeless light.

• A faint humming fills the air, not sound but something felt in the chest — a resonance tied to the ley currents.
• It smells of heated metal, clean stone, and faint ember incense burned to honor Aurenos.
• Standing here gives many the impression of standing on the threshold of some vast cosmic forge.

• Monks of the Order of the First Thought in deep contemplation or guiding pilgrims through mental communion.
• Silent artisans who come to lay conceptual designs before the altar, seeking divine inspiration.
• Emberguard stationed discreetly at entrances to maintain the peace.
• Rarely, small ember sprites drift near the molten altar, drawn by its primal energy.

• The central molten altar, a constantly shifting pool of liquid metal that forms brief, abstract shapes.
• Rows of low basalt benches for silent congregation.
• Inscribed meditation slabs where individuals can kneel and focus their minds.
• Sub-chambers along the walls housing rune archives — shelves of tablets and scrolls that glow faintly, recording the silent doctrines of the Order.

• Ancient rune tablets that carry some of the earliest silent meditations on creation, considered priceless.
• A ceremonial set of forging tools said to have been blessed by visions of Aurenos’s original act of shaping reality.
• Small crystal reliquaries containing frozen drops of the molten altar, preserved from past ritual cycles, each humming softly with stored power.

• Complex defensive wards woven into every pillar and floor segment. If violence or overt magical hostility is detected, runes flare to life, creating walls of searing flame or force.
• The molten altar itself is dangerously unpredictable if disturbed improperly.

• Any act of mental creation — designing a new rune, envisioning a novel forge process, or simply forming a truly profound idea — resonates with the ley flows here, briefly causing nearby rune lines to brighten.
• Telepathic communications are far clearer and more layered in the hall, enabling entire groups to share mental concepts simultaneously.

The hall has been expanded twice in its history: once ~500 years ago to add more side meditation niches, and again ~200 years ago to deepen the molten altar after a surge of pilgrims brought on by a kingdom-wide forging renaissance.

Follows the highest form of Emberforge’s flame-gothic style.

• Soaring pillars, high vaults that seem almost impossibly delicate for their size, and intricate pyrestone tracery that gives the illusion of slow-burning embers drifting upward.
• The molten altar dominates visually and spiritually, acting as both art and divine symbol.

• Silent monks are trained to sense hostile intent through psychic networks and trigger defense wards instantly.
• The molten altar itself is bound by ancient runes that can erupt outward, creating streams of liquid fire to protect the sanctum.

Pilgrims from across Mythralune visit to meditate near the molten altar, hoping to receive silent visions of new ideas or simply to feel closer to the moment of creation itself. Wealthier visitors often sponsor ritual blessings for their works, carried out by monks who never speak a word.