Dilapidated Shrine
The ruins of the Dilapidated Shrine lie at the foot of the Slab Exchange. It can also be accessed via a warp.
History
The makeup of the shrine evokes that of the Slab Exchange, which points towards the two being of like provenance. Moreover, the shrine likewise displays the very same banner that is flown from the walls of the Exchange. Whether the former is the older of the two, considering how much more of a state of disrepair it is in, or whether there is something else about the Exchange that helped it better stand the test of time remains unknown.
Another shrine of similar design has also been found in a cave near Spawn Island, but not much is known about it since it is much less well-preserved than the shrine at the Exchange.
Writings of Brother Smyth
On the 24th of April 2024, the book held beside the shrine was seemingly updated by a "Brother Smyth" on 17/3/1157 (using presumably a Raboist calendar). A transcript is provided below. Illegible text (either smudged, splotched, or deliberately redacted) is shown with [Illegible].
In keeping with our ancient custom, I have turned to the last page of this book, yet found it empty, so taken it upon myself to provide my record. Brother, I have led my parish on pilgrimage hither, as it was prophesied; time and time when asked to pray to Him on their behalf, told them the answer to their prayers lay at the end of our journey; but now, we are here, and I can lie to them no longer. I am sure you have felt it too, for you have left behind this shrine and let it come into ruin: Lord Rabo hath forsaken us. Our Guiding star has left the firmament, and now, we remain to wander aimlessly. Prithee, brother, wherefore have we incurred His wrath? Was it when we granted [Illegible] refuge-nay merey allowed them to remain undisturbed-whom Lord Rabo had banished into starless night? Ah, But alas, we are the banished ones now. I fear lest our days here are come unto their end: night is upon us; the storm is waxing by the hour, and there is no dawn in sight. I can only assume, brother, that we are no longer for this world, shall thus head deep underground, that we may survive the tempest there. Forgive us, Lord Rabo, for we have failed you. - Brother Smyth, of the Priory of [Illegible], in the year of our Lord 1157, seventeenth of the third. Praise be Lord Rabo.
Description
The so-called shrine is composed mostly of cherry wood and deepslate; other materials, such as blackstone, have also been incorporated into its construction—though one can only guess whether they were always part of the original design or added later on in its life in an attempt to restore it. The walls and floor of the shrine are overgrown with vines, lichen, and other plants.
In the centre of the shrine, a partly faded message is displayed on a sign:
rais
e
ABO
And on the reverse side:
pr i
b
R O
Fortunately, enough letters remain to reconstruct the original text: Combining both sides by lining up letters while paying attention to the gaps left between them gives
praise
be
RABO
The decyphering of this message has lent credence to the claim that this building is in fact a shrine devoted to the ancient deity Rabo.
Hentzo and Aboism
see Aboism
Aboism (Nohenààtza: Hapòsénótzȕȕrüüputààkäzòsétò /hapoꜜseꜛnoꜛt͡syːꜜryːputaːꜜkɑzoꜜseꜛtoꜜ/) is considered to be a parallel worship of Rabo under a different (incorrect) name, discovered by explorers of Hentzo's expeditions and the Pirate Collectives. Being largely illiterate as well as cold and hungry when they discovered the shrine's miraculous preservation, the crew only recorded one side of the sign as evidence of its existence, claiming the sign read "[p]rais-e ABO"