Page 56 of Storms & Sacrifice
“Like I said, there was no illusion, and I guess the boulders had already been pulled out.” I mime pulling one with a rope. “They were already where you found them when your group followed us in. We just walked right into the cave when wegot here.”
“That is...concerning.” Khazak looks at the cave again uneasily. “We should to get back to camp, so I can discuss this with the others.”
“How would we have moved those boulders anyway?” I ask as we start the walk back. Adam and Liss are strong, but not that strong.
“We assumed one of your mages had a hand in that.” Khazak shrugs.Could Nate or Corrine do something like that?“Did you notice anything else strange about the temple once you were inside?”
“Other than the huge murals and magical torches?” I remember the way everyone jumped when I lit the two braziers. “There was one thing. Whatever is under that lead box, it was making some kind of a ringing or buzzing noise in my head that no one else seemed to be ableto hear.”
“That is odd, especially considering what is under the box.” He looksconfused.
“What’s under it?” And will it make my head explode?
“A basin that has been carved into the altar.” His brow furrows. “It is made from unknown metals and is certainly magical, but tests revealed no obvious purpose. The lead box is there to prevent the magic from being detected by anyone passing by and deterlooters.”
“That’s...weird.” All that headache for nothing? “What is that temple doing all the way out here anyway? I don’t think you guysbuilt it.”
“Correct. That distinction belongs to a group of elves that lived in these mountains thousands of years ago.”Makes sense. It was full of elf stuff.“However, its existence was a mystery to the current elves inthe area.”
“It was uncovered by an earthquake?” That’s what the people in Holbrooke told us.
“A thunderstorm, actually. A very powerful one.”A storm did that?“It caused a small rockslide above the temple. When rangers went out to scout the next day and make sure the mountainside was stable, they noticed that behind some of the rock was an area that seemed hollow. After that, the city excavated and uncovered the temple entrance. My father, Orlun, was captain at the time and one of the two rangers sent in to scout the temple.”
“Was it booby trapped?” I ask a little excitedly as we climb a hilltogether.
“No, it was not,” he laughs his answer. “They determined that the temple had been constructed by elves. Additionally, next to the altar, they founda sword.”
“A sword?” That soundswaycooler than booby traps.
“That is what father said.” He nods.I wonder if he’s seen it himself.“After that, a decision was made to contact the leaders inPákannon.”
“Where’s that?”I can barely remember the name of this place.
“Not too far in the north, a city with a fairly large elven and human population. It is where Nylan is originally from.”That’s right. Nylan moved here when they were all still kids.“Given their current location, we felt it likely that they might share a connection with the elves responsible for constructing the temple.”
“Did they?” That’s what he saidat least.
“Not one they could find.” Khazak shakes his head. “The temple is at least 4000 years old, and from what I understand, even the elves do not have many surviving records from that era. There was nothing to indicate the temple ever being constructed or utilized. But that is not the most interesting part of the story to me.”
“What is?” I have to admit I am pretty drawn in. Rockslides, ancient ruins, a cool sword.
“What is a 4000-year-old temple dedicated to Zeus doing halfway across the globe?” I never thought about that, but I also don’t know that much about religion in general. “There is notonerecorded instance of even a single Olympian worshipper anywherenearthis part of the world before a few hundred years ago. The elves in Pákannon themselves thought that if their ancestorswereOlympian worshippers then there should be some proof that would have survived until today, and they could find none. So, who built the temple,and why?”
“...I don’t know.” I realize he isn’t actually waiting foran answer.
“Nor does anyone else.” He looks over at me and shrugs, smiling.
“What did the sword look like?” Always asking the importantquestions.
“Long and curved, made from the same magical metal as the basin.” It’s amagicsword? “Since the two were obviously connected, the group investigating the temple ran all sorts of tests and attempted many different Olympian rituals. Though the temple is obviously focused on Zeus, there are actually numerous references to the rest of the Olympian pantheon. From what I understand, that is not out of the ordinary. In Olympian dogma, Zeus has a tendency to pull focus away from the other gods.”
“Bit of a drama queen?” I remember hearing about Ragnar’s nicknamefor Nylan.
“You could certainly say that,” he agrees. “The group expanded their attempts to include the other gods, and in the end, I believe they even tried sacrificing a few animals—to no avail.”That soundsgruesome.
“Where’s the sword now?” I wonder who gets to keep something like that. Probablythe elves.
“It is kept in the vault under the Hall of Honor.” Good place to keep it, I guess.
