As we approached the Chapel I was able to see it more clearly than upon my first arrival.  It consisted of three medium sized chambers in a line, connected by hallways.  The first chamber was geometric and six sided.  It had a peaked wooden roof, two windows and two small chambers attached to it like small fish attached to a shark.  The middle chamber was circular and taller than the other two.  It had a domed roof with seven round windows cut in it.  The last chamber was a rectangular room, attached to the center chamber by a slanting hallway.  Because of the lay of the land, it was on a lower level than the other two, and I assumed that the slanting hallway contained stairs within.

We flew towards the six sided structure and entered through one of the window openings.  Inside the chamber was bare, save for a medium sized bed covered with an embroidered spread.  The walls and floor were of dressed, gray stone.  A double door was to my right, a single door to my left and a single door directly in front of me.

"Here is where the Avatar will manifest" said my diminutive guide.  "He will become a part of this world on that very bed."

"He is just going to appear?" I asked.

"Perhaps" she said, "There are actually two prophecies concerning his arrival."

She fluttered over to the bed and set down on its edge, her feet a few inches from the floor.  "The first prophecy tells of him manifesting whole within this room.  He will leave the world he inhabits now, and ascend through the matrix of illusion realms, materializing into this one.  The second prophecy tells of his birth, as an infant, in this room.  A woman of mixed race, containing the blood of every race in Raethania, will come to this chapel seeking release from the pain of childbirth.  In this room, on this very bed, she will give birth to the Avatar."

"Why two prophecies?" I asked.

"It has something to do with the manner of his ascension.  Neither prophecy is very clear on exactly how he will make his way into this reality.  Most believe it has something to do with the manner he leaves his current existence.  Were we talking about a being here...I believe it would be the difference between ascension during renewal or before renewal."

"You've spoke of renewal before.  What do you mean by it?"

"You do not know renewal?" she said with surprise.

"I know what the word means, but now what it means when you use it."

"When a being on this world gets heavy.  When life has accumulated so much experience that their spirit becomes weary, and they can no longer find joy in existence.  These are the things lost in renewal.  In renewal, the cares of life and the weight of experience is washed away and the being returns with the freshness of a new born, while retaining the wisdom of experience through memory."

"How does one achieve renewal?" I asked, still confused.

"One goes to their renewal zone." she said as if this was the most ordinary thing in the world.

"What is a renewal zone?"

She looked at me with a little pity in her eyes for my complete ignorance. "A renewal zone is where one goes to experience renewal."

I gave it up as a failed effort and turned my attention to the room we were in.

I moved over to the double doors and opened them.  Inside was what was obviously a standard closet, with shelves on one side and a metal bar across the top for hanging clothing.  It was empty.  The center door led to a short hallway with another door at the end.  The door on the left opened into what, to my surprise, was a fairly modern bathroom, with a sink, toilet and shower stall.

Each room was otherwise bare and empty.  The bed appeared to be the only item of furniture in this part of the Chapel.

"Why is there only a bed in here?" I asked.

"When the Avatar arrives he will be disoriented.  Whether he arrives as a fully grown adult or an infant he will need a period of adjustment.  The bed is here for him to regain his balance should he come as an adult, and as a place for him and his mother to rest should he come as an infant."

"Can we look at the rest of the Chapel?" I wondered.

"Certainly" she said.  "Until the Avatar arrives, this place is open to all.  After that, only the receiving room will be open to any but him."

I reopened the middle door and walked down to the hallway to the next door.  Opening it, I found myself in the circular chamber I had seen from the air on my way here.  It was obvious that this room was the reason the place was called a Chapel.  Recessed into the center of the floor was a pool.  It had four small stairways of three steps each leading down into it.  Below the waterline were four stone benches.  It appeared to be about three to four feet deep, although, it was hard to tell because the water in it, though crystal clear, had a way of refracting the light so that it was difficult to focus on detail under the surface.  Set in a stone ring around the lip of the pool were four black metal torches, unlit.  

The rest of the floor was tiled in an amazing array of subtle tones of gray.  Every color I knew, and many I did not, but muted with gray, swam through the tiles.  The stone itself was lustrous and polished to such a shine I could see the reflection of the ceiling in it.  The ceiling itself was composed of a substance that appeared to be both stone and polished mother of pearl.  The walls were of cut and polished obsidian blocks, each at least two feet across.  The seven windows allowed light to fall on the walls in a way that created seven dim suns, shining into the pool.  In the center of the pool itself, a stone column rose until it was about six inches above the water surface.  I was pure quartz and as clear as the water it rose from. 

I was overwhelmed.  Never had I seen a place that utilized the elements of light and darkness in this way.  It was the most amazing and beautiful place I had ever seen.

"Is this a Temple?" I asked in wonder.

"Yes" she replied, "This is the personal temple of the Avatar.  It is here that he will offer his first prayers and offerings to Anu in this world.  It is a small and exact replica of the temple at the top of Mount Adophael, in the center of Raethania." 

Since it was obvious that I was so awestruck that I could not make myself leave, she took my hand and guided me to the door opposite the one we had entered.  Behind this door was a stairway of white stone, leading down to yet another door.  We descended to this door, my mind still whirling with the sights of the Chapel.  Behind the door at the bottom of the stair, was a large, rectangular room.  On the right hand wall was a large and ornate chair.  Starting about four feet in front of this chair, and filling the rest of the room were rows and rows of what I could only describe as pews...though they were well padded and looked much more comfortable than any pew I had seen before.

"And this" she said with a flourish, " is the receiving room.  It is here that the Avatar will first hear the words of the beings of Raethania, and where he will first great the life that his vision has organized."

I merely nodded, still overwhelmed by it all.

"Now, oh traveler, pass through the double doors at the end of the hall and resume your journey.  I can guide you no further as my domain does not extend far beyond the border zones."

I turned to her with panic obvious on my face.

Quickly she smiled and patted my shoulder.  "Do not worry, another guide will manifest soon after you depart from here.  You will not often travel alone."

With that she began to shimmer, and slowly turned more and more transparent before my eyes, until she was simply there no more.  I turned and walked to the double doors.  Upon opening them, I was momentarily blinded by the light that flooded in.  Blinking tears back from my stunned eyes, I stepped out into the land of Raethania.

Raethania