Stairway to Oblivion

"I cannot count how many times I came upon these loathesome temples to the Jotun in dark corners of the universe. Whether it was by an advanced technological race, or the most primitive of sentient species, the design was basically always the same: that leering face, the feeling of dread, and always, always, that horrific stairway that appeared to lead to nowhere. I could have lived a long, happy life without ever learning its significance, but alas, that was not to be." -- from the Journal of Lt. Commander Carrington Hodges, Xenoarcheological Division