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You hear a faint click followed by a soft whirring sound; the bronze door slides open. As you hurry through, the door clicks shut behind your back, as softly as it had opened.5
Instinct tells you that you have entered the chambers of the upper palace, the sumptuous private enclave of the Zakhan. You walk upon glistening tiles of opal and platinum, past sculptures and statues of pure gold. The door of solid amethyst ahead seems plain in comparison to the breathtaking splendour of this private world. Beyond the door lies another unique and startlingly beautiful world: the arboretum. A circular, cathedral-like arena spreads out below you, the green velvet canopy alive with the sound of bird song. Trees of every colour, shape, and size flourish in the deep, dark soil of the floor. The Zakhan’s arboretum houses a specimen of every tree that grows in Magnamund, and many species that are now extinct elsewhere. As you walk the wrought iron balcony which encircles the arboretum, you recognize the leaves of a Sommlending oak. You feel a sudden wave of homesickness, but it does not make you despair; rather it renews your determination to escape from this hostile, sun-bleached land.
At one of the exits from the arboretum, you discover a Quarterstaff propped against the wall. (If you wish to take this, remember to mark it on your Action Chart.) The desire to escape urges you on as you leave the arboretum and hurry through a network of lavish corridors and empty, deserted vestibules. You reach a landing where a broad staircase descends to a massive room that occupies most of the lower palace.
From the top of the staircase, hidden by the shadow of a pilaster, you stare down on a sight that freezes your blood with terror.
