194 A Gem in the Darkness Your traverse of the pillars is hard, but eventually you make the other side and find yourself standing at the threshold of a new passage. For a moment you try and recover your breath, and in that pause take a closer look at the remains of the Hall. It is an abject ruin, but enough remains for you to see that it must have once been an important part of the purposes of this temple. In the darkness you turn back to the passageway, and notice for the first time a glimmer of a reflection in the dust near the entrance. Quickly you move towards it and gasp as you realise what it is. Lying half buried in this ancient grit is a Sharyah, and it is yours for the taking. Options: You have found a Healing stone and it is yours if you wish to keep it. A Sharyah'ajnaal is one of the most useful talismans that can be found within these ruins. Imbued with a spark of EarthMagic it can heal all wounds once per quest undertaken, no matter the endurance points you have lost. To use this talisman requires only that you whisper its name. Unlike other Sharyah it recognises immediately what it must do and requires no intuition test to activate. The Healing stone is one of the more potent Sharyah and many creatures found in the deep ruins have a strong aversion to it. This can be said especially of any of the Dreya'dim Swarm. It is a stone well worth possessing. If you are to keep this artifact, record it on your character sheet then turn to your Room Generation table. The rest of your quest lies ahead of you. The Torchlight Text Edition is the intellectual property of the author, Wayne F Densley, and all rights are reserved by him. Any questions regarding this title, or any other book in the Chronicles of Arborell series can be answered by emailing the author at densleyw@shoal.net.au