Two large, oval chambers, joined by a wide, stone archway. Interestingly, there appears to be only one entrance to this set of chambers at any point. The doors, which swing closed of their own accord, are of bronze, one polished and one tarnished; the right-hand, polished door depicts children and young adults in various vigorous activities, whereas the left-hand, tarnished door depicts older folk in various stages of gradual decline.
When someone enters the pair of chambers, they enter into the pair of chambers along the western wall of one of the two chambers, at a point along the wall of one of the chambers which seems to roughly correspond to that person's physical age. If someone enters while the room is occupied, however, the position of the door does not move. Thus, none have ever actually seen the doors shift.
The southern chamber is devoted to Hebe and to youth. A marble statue of a beautiful young woman, holding a large golden chalice to her breast, stands in the center of the room, facing to the south with a smile upon her lips. The walls are covered in vibrantly colored mosaics depicting children, young lovers, and hale athletes, alternating with images of Hebe herself upon Olympus among the gods. Several of the mosaics are also devoted to her marriage with Heracles and their two children, Alexiares and Anicetus. The domed ceiling is covered in white marble, and the floor is a mosaic done up in vibrant colors. The entire chamber is cast in brilliant, ambient light, and the floor in front of the statue of Hebe is tinged with dried blood.
All about the archway on the north of this chamber are carved processions of middle-aged men and women, seemingly walking slowly and warily toward the opening.
The northern chamber, however, is devoted to Geras - Old Age. An obsidian statue of an ugly, cowled old woman facing and extending a gnarled finger to the north and clutching a walking staff in her left hand dominates the center of the chamber. The colors in this chamber are much more subdued, as is the lighting. The mosaics here only depict people in various states of decline. Several, on the southern end of the room, show joyful elders, surrounded by children, while many along the western and eastern sides depict old men and women being left behind by young men and women, as well as some showing particularly ancient figures weeping over the bodies of younger folk who bear striking resemblances to the mourners. One depicts Zeus, sending Geras to the crowded masses below, and still another shows a saddened Eos trying to ease the pains of an ancient Tithonus, whom Geras holds firmly by the hand.
The statue, however, points at a large mosaic which shows various people being taken by Death, surrounded by the shades of their past deeds and misdeeds. Among these people are Alexander the Great, Plato, Bonasagus, Nero, Creon, and Clytemnestra.
The archway which leads back to the chamber of Hebe is carved with a series of symbols which represent the Autochthonous, such as the dead rising from the earth and children eventually becoming nothing once again.
The statues, the doors, and many of the mosaics are magical.
Last modified: Wed Jun 23, 1999 / Jeremiah Genest