Chronicle: Part I. «Ritual in the Subterranean Temple»

[Ollie]

If you ask folks of Arinar about the history of their world, they will most likely tell you the story of the Great Cataclysm. However, there are very few who know about the events leading up to that grim era. Fortunately, throughout the history of Arinar there has been a secret Order, who keeps by their pen all the events doesn’t hide not a single moment, and their name is the History Keepers.

Therefore, for the answer to the question “How did it all begin?” we decided to turn to one of the manuscripts we’ve found under the authorship of the First History Keeper - Eadweard Bac.

This part will shed light on one of the most crucial turning points in the history of Arinar: the Great Vortex Ritual. This is how it all began...

 

Several days before the ritual

After countless years of hardship, we finally located the Timepiece of Origin! If the priestesses' predictions are true, the curse of Advin-Tar will soon be dispelled, and great heroes Valaria and Maradish will be released from their centuries-long battle! Our path now takes us to Maliat, where the events, which promise to alter the course of Arinar's history, will take place.

The Great Vortex Ritual

Our procession has reached the underground temple. I am surrounded by ranks of great heroes, gazes fixed on high priestess Ami-Teil, who will conduct the ritual to turn the Timepiece's power against this ancient curse. We shall soon bear witness to truly momentous events!

*Page missing*

…as soon as the final syllable was uttered, the Timepiece began to spin, and with each rotation the walls of the temple began to shake ever more violently. I felt as though one false move would cause the air itself to burst into flame from the sheer force of the magical energy flowing through it. The next rotation lit up the temple in a blinding flash of light, and an unfathomable darkness washed over my mind. When I regained my senses, I found myself buried amidst a heap of rubble, but was able to force my way out and take in my surroundings. Our heroes lay strewn around the temple still as corpses, yet, gods be praised, merely unconscious. When I turned my attention to the Timepiece, I found only the lifeless body of the high priestess slumped motionless among scattered shards.

What in the name of all that is holy just happened? And why do I feel so drained? I must return to Maliat with all haste. I feel it in my bones: this bodes nothing but ill…

*Page missing*

…as I left the temple, I saw the consequences of the ritual. The Magic Flame of Maliat began to falter. The town was soon plunged into darkness, and all of Ayvondil along with it…

To be continued ...