First Quest in Silfveld — Excerpt 1: The Temple
A) Prompt:
You stand in Silfveld’s centre square by the ornate fountain. The fountain is decorated by a pride of lions whose manes are painted a faint-fading gold.
(If: First_time_centre) [While nobody is in your immediate view, several sounds betray the town’s ghostly facade. If you focus, you can hear the surrounding buildings creak with hidden life and evening bustle; further by, the ramblings of an argument and the molten chime of a Blacksmith, hard at work. The Temple, overlooking all, sits still.]
A lone guide-post points toward the various attractions of town.
Which path will you follow?
- [[Up the cobble path toward the Temple]] → B
- [[To the Inn toward the argument]] → EXCERPT 2
- [[To the Blacksmith’s]]
- [[Back into the forest]]
B) Up the cobble path toward the Temple:
You ascend the cobble path toward the Temple, surrounded by an impenetrable wall of trees, a lone sentry against the setting sun; It dwarfs onlookers.
Composed of a deep metamorphic stone, the Temple seems to blend in with the horizon of the ill-lit forest and coming night skies.
The only exterior lighting comes from two torches guarding the massive entrance’s doors on either side, while warm light spills from the high, arched windows above.
(If: Player_ karma >/= 0) [The slow earthy tones of an organ trickle out from the open doors.
The air feels different here — lighter, perhaps. Even with the dark surroundings, you feel safe.]
(If: Player_karma < 0) [A shiver runs down your spine. Something feels wrong here — like you are no longer welcome.
The doors are sealed. There is no way inside.]
- (If: Player_ karma >/= 0) [[Step Inside]] → C
- [[Return down the path toward town]] → A
C) Step inside:
(If: First_time_temple) [Your eyes take a moment to adjust to the light.] You notice this space feels larger than the one from which you came.
Columns, too big to wrap your arms around, in that same black stone, flank the sides of the nave, towering above you and ending in a pattern of vaulted ceilings. Stained glass windows puncture the gaps between the columns, turning the space into a kaleidoscope of jewel-tones. Pews, capable of holding far more bodies than the town can supply, occupy the majority of the nave and the accompanying aisles.
You get the feeling that this place is far, far older than Silfveld, itself. How is the stained glass so vibrant despite the time of day?
Based on the accompanying decor and the altar, it seems as though a service was held here quite recently.
Someone is playing the organ.
- [[Approach the altar]] → D
- [[Examine the stained glass]] → I
- [[Take a seat among the pews and listen to the organ]] → G
- [[Return to the town centre]] → A
D) Approach the altar:
You stand at the altar.
(If: Item_Book is 0) [There’s a strange book on the table where it shouldn’t be, covered with some sort of black dirt]
- [[Pray at the altar]] → H
- (If: Item_Book is 0) [[Investigate the book]] → E
- (If: Item_Sword is 1) [[Lay the sword at rest]]
- [[Step away]] → C
E) Investigate the book:
You investigate the book.
The hard green cover is entirely blank as if someone’s scratched it off. There’s a black residue on it which mimics ash or dust.
- [[Open the book]] (Set: Learn to 1) → F
- [[Take the book]] (Set: Item_Book to 1) → D
- [[Leave the book behind]] → D
F) Open the book:
It’s not a religious text.
It’s a book for jewelers about techniques in making fine jewelry.
There’s a marker pointing toward a passage that specifically refers to repurposing old or broken pieces to create something new.
You would read on but the pages are covered in that same ash or dust.
- [[Take the book]] (Set: Item_Book to 1) → D
- [[Leave the book behind]] → D
G) Take a seat among the pews and listen to the organ:
You take a seat at one of many pews, listening to someone play the Temple organ.
- [[Return to quest]] → C
H) Pray at the altar:
You rest on your knees affront the altar to say a prayer.
The Faraways are listening closely.
- [[Return to quest]] → D
- (If: Item_Sword is 1) [[Lay the sword at rest]]
I) Examine the stained glass:
Above you, in all manner of dazzling colors, embedded are the Temple’s stained glass windows.
Despite the darkness of the outside sky, the windows are bright — still bright enough to regard, in fact — as if illuminated by some unseen force.
Most of the glass is your standard religious fare; on both ends of the U-shaped formation, idyllic nature scenes and forests stretch out, pouring out light in blues and greens and yellows onto the chestnut pews. Tiny, dark-skinned cupids play in the heavenly ‘scape, seeming to dance as your eyes move across the panels.
(If: Visited_Imp) [They resemble the Imp girl closely.]
One scene catches your eye.
- [[Examine the red scene]] → J
- [[Stop looking]] → C
J) Examine the red scene:
At first, the central-most window seems like all the others, if only a little more red-toned. It is the only scene, you notice, to depict people. It almost looks like the Temple windows you saw in the Har Vigrior Cathedral, with Sovereign soldiers at the top and that same, idyllic forest at the bottom, but something about the colors doesn’t feel right. You grow uneasy.
Like most Sovereign artwork, soldiers pose at the top of the scene, painted in rich red tones. As the scene continues downwards, however, the soldiers twist, directing their attention to the forest below. Their proud, righteous faces turn into snarls, eyes piercing into the cupid-likes below like daggers. Alongside the soldiers — that vainglorious shade of red seeps across the scene, mixing and muddling with the green and blue glass-like poison. Sharp-pointed arrows and spears slice through the brush. The cupid-likes at the bottom cower in visceral fear.
You realize the trees depicted are on fire.
You’d seen before this classic scene of Sovereign’s conquest over the Forest of Fars, but never like this. Never with such demonic soldiers — never like this.
You blink, your mouth dry. Just how long have you been staring?
What is this place?
- [[Step away]] → C
