Anusta Voronetyaro (Q. "Monastery of Faithful-exiles"?) was the ruin of an ancient Gondorian monastery, located in the high vales of the county of Mirach in the southern vales of the central Ered Nimrais.
The road up from Mirach to Voronetyar was a good track as far as the shrine (the old Daen shrine marked on the map). From then on it was but a path used only by the few shepherds and wanderers who still traveled the high vales. Wheeled vehicles could not pass at all easily. The path got steeper and less distinct until the gorge was reached. Huge cliffs lowered on the far side. On this side the path wound round the spur to a tiny village on a high dale the other side of the peak from Voronetya. Its roofless walls were easily seen from the path, but harder to reach. Some clambering might be necessary. Parts of the path were marked by steps cut into the rock.
The ruins of Voronetyar were smaller than the Anusta Mîrëcalo. A narrow dormitory building was linked by two walls to the shrine, making a rectangular cloister. The whole structure was built upon a narrow shelf on the sloping hillside; around were the broken remains of other terraces where fruit trees, vines, and other crops had been grown to support the brethren. The dormitory building had lost its roof but the gabled walls still stood, if somewhat crumbled. The older shrine was in better condition. Nothing of interest could be found in the dormitory or cloister areas, save the fact that many of the weeds and plants growing there were less than welcoming: nettles, deadly nightshade, pale lilies, and mad wort. By the walls of the shrine in contrast pimpernel, edelweiss, boneset, and vervain could be found. In the shrine, the walls had retained their marvelous paintings, although slightly faded from their original glory. Nothing remained of the furnishings. There were niches in the solid walls which had once held candles or lamps, and detritus littered the floor. If the far end of the shrine was inspected, one could notice that the altar stone (one large block) had been split in two and there were signs of charring….
Notes[]
Original names: Mierǎch → Mirach; Mirkal → Mîrëcal; Voronet → Voronetyar
References[]
- MERP adventure: Letters from a Foreign Land, by Graham Staplehurst, in White Dwarf magazine, Issue 93, Sep. 1987