Edellan cleaned Goose’s cortical processor chip, carefully wiping away dust. It became a soothing routine to them after the Calamities, and the pain of losing their best friend slowly morphed into hope for their reunion. It’ll just take time.
The sound of sizzling sharply rose in volume. “Ah, fuck!” Arcanist Celine cursed from the other room. Her footsteps pattered across the room, and then the sizzling disappeared. “Everything’s okay!”
Edellan continued with their work, used to the daily noise of things going wrong. They were exiled to a separate room for ‘thinking too loud’, but they didn’t mind. At least they weren’t responsible for putting out fires.
Although it’s funny to see the interesting results of her experiments, Edellan wondered when the arcanist would finally be able to complete her alloy of kernstone. Arishelm didn’t have machinery as tiny as nanoprocessors, so her research into creating such delicate, magical pieces may take years.
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“So Thermal, do you know of any deities that are related to equinoxes?” Elle doesn’t know how to subtly approach the topic, so she gives up.
He looks at her curiously. “In Arishelm, celebrations on the equinoxes tend to be either dedicated to the goddess of time or the god of harvest. I am uncertain about the religious practices of other worlds.”
Eurimas comes up again… Equinox dropped both her and Van near Vinayre, so she wonders if this is a clue. Since they’re currently headed towards the Temple of Eurimas, she chooses to gather more information on the newly mentioned god. “I see. Who’s the god of harvest, and does he have a symbol?”
“We call him Gonflur, and his symbol is a scythe encircled by wheat. You would most commonly see it carved on a wooden post on the edge of a farm. People leave offerings for a bountiful harvest and protection from predators. Does Earth have a similar god?”
“Uhh, there’s probably several in mythology that I don’t know about. We don’t really have any confirmed gods like your world does.” Out of all the weird things in Sinkpoint, Elle doesn’t expect the topic of gods to be the most discomfiting. Then again, religion has always been a tricky subject for her.
Thermal raises his eyebrows. “How interesting, so your world is like Esterra and Kinonn then. Every moment of Arishelm’s history has been lived alongside our gods. It is difficult to imagine worlds without any.”
She glances at his clothing but finds no symbols or runes of note. “Do you worship anyone in particular?”
His tone and expression remains politely distant. “Alongside most nobles in Oppenoven, my family worshipped the goddess of order Peonné. However, I would not consider myself very devout towards any faith. Are you a member of any religion?”
Conflicting feelings swirl inside of her chest, rising to the surface with the reality of other worlds. “No, it’s kind of the same for me. It’s a little funny that we of all people got assigned to research at the Temple.”
Thermal grimaces. “Ah, I suppose we should discuss our plan. I propose that you enter first and find an quiet corner to read. After about half an hour, I will enter as well and research as much as I can. I believe the Head Archivist will escort me off the premises as soon as he discovers me, so I do not wish for us to look connected.”
Elle blinks. “Sorry, what? Why would they kick you out?”
He sighs, “Some of the Temple’s clergy consider me to be a competitor of sorts. My arrays do not use runes or anything considered to be written language. I avoided starting conflicts with the Temple in the past and was not intending to stir up any trouble here in Vinayre. However, my association with the Arcanist’s Guild has them quite agitated.”
She looks at the ground in thought. “Huh, okay. Thanks for telling me. I wonder if they’re scared that you’ll come up with a spell that replicates their preservation scrolls. Then they’d actually have to work on their reputation.”
The corners of his lips lift into a tiny smirk like a crack forming in ice. “I imagine that Archivist Ferrum would combust on the spot.”
The space between them feels more relaxed than before, and Elle finds herself settling into the moment rather than her worried thoughts. They quietly chat about Vinayre until they finally need to separate for their plan.
***
Elle manages to find a secluded spot in the Archives to set down her collection of books and scrolls. While she’s tempted to stack them into a shield around herself, she thinks that it’ll look too suspicious. It’s better to seem like a student stuck with a research project. She unfurls the most relevant scroll on the worship of Cravallus.
Crafted from stardust, the moon goddess Cravallus collects secrets from whispers in the darkness. It is said that she tucks them into her cloak for future disclosure at her discretion, visiting mortal dreams to bless them with insight. Her most-devoted followers sleep with a silver talisman engraved with the moon’s eight phases and pray for her favour.
Although it is commonly believed that Cravallus reaches the apex of her power on nights with a full moon, this is a misconception caused by the rituals performed by the Heightened Eyes and the Temple of Eurimas being the most public and eye-catching. In reality, each phase of the moon reflects one of her powers. While the full moon represents the goddess’ power to reveal secrets, the new moon shows her power to hide them.
Elle pauses there. What phase was the moon showing on the night of her arrival in Sinkpoint? She recalls seeing both a crescent and full moon on the night after her arrival and Bleck’s disappearance, so the crescent moon might be the one worshipped. She finds a section on prayers performed during the crescent moon.
The crescent moon represents curiosity and exploration. Although no major rituals are performed during this time, worshippers will burn offerings and pray for the goddess’ protection. The type of offering depends on the follower’s needs. If they are starting a new financial venture, a bundle of livana can be burned to grant them insight on a competitor’s tactics. Adventurers may offer a small blood sacrifice before venturing into an unfamiliar area, exchanging part of themselves in exchange for protection and navigation.
Bleck’s group might have performed a prayer on Mt. Aspirash before going to Una City, leaving behind a faint trace of blood magic at the shrine. Perhaps that’s how they got past all those great worms and monsters.
Finding no other relevant information, Elle moves onto a book titled A Bond Forged With Time: A Dedication to the Followers of Eurimas and Cravallus. Most of it seems to be about the partnership between the Temple of Eurimas and the Heightened Eyes, but the first chapter specifically about Eurimas and Cravallus grabs her attention.
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After building our planet, the creator god Aris stepped back to admire their work but soon noticed its motionless state. They had no companion in the void besides their own creation. No matter how beautiful or complex, our planet was no better than a statue. Thus, Aris gathered the stardust remaining from their battle against the Great Beast and created the sun and moon. They poured their knowledge of time into those celestial bodies, and the twin goddesses Eurimas and Cravallus were born.
Under the nurturing warmth of the sun and the pull of the moon, our planet experienced change for the first time. Water fell from the skies and cycled through the rivers and seas. The goddesses watched the planet from a distance until Aris breathed life into the first human. A piece of Eurimas took a physical form and descended onto the planet to tell her stories of the world before humans walked it. Shyer of the two, Cravallus blessed the first woman with dreams and would visit her briefly in the night.
As civilizations grew across the planet, Eurimas preferred to work directly with people. She created the first language when a man pleaded for a consistent means of communication between distant areas. In contrast, Cravallus preferred to observe the development from afar, writing down stories for her collection. On nights with the full moon, the sisters would meet and exchange tales before parting once more.
Due to Eurimas’ greater prominence in history, people often forget that there are two masters of time. Eurimas is the ever-forward march through history which most honour or fear. Her power over erosion is a force that no mortal can evade, so she is worshipped as ‘the goddess of time’. Cravallus is known as ‘the goddess of secrets’ for her private collection of tales, but she also rules over individual moments. She is a passionate whisper between lovers, a truth uncovered and buried by an angry heart, a last gasp before a lonely death. While Cravallus has made no arguments against her sister’s title, she still holds a piece of the knowledge from the Creator.
It’s interesting that gods in Arishelm are not born with their titles. People call them titles based on their most famous deeds, so these monikers seem to be purely for the public’s benefit. This adds a level of uncertainty regarding Equinox’s identity. She might have displayed powers or motifs that aren’t commonly known.
Additionally, it seems like deities can split themselves and take on another form. Elle doesn’t know for certain whether or not Equinox showed her true motifs to her, but she thinks the goddess is too vain to wear another deity’s symbols.
Flipping through more pages of the book, Elle doesn’t discover any relevant information on Bleck’s group. The Heightened Eyes seem to be a prestigious academic circle dedicated to solving arcane mysteries and researching obscure history. Its members wear a symbol with an opened eye encircled by Cravallus’ moon phase, and Bleck didn’t seem to have one. If he was part of such an important group, she thinks Thermal would’ve mentioned it.
Without another lead to pursue, Elle decides to move onto reading more about the general history of Arishelm’s gods. She finds a book detailing the beginnings of Arishelm in a void. The deity Aris moulded a planet from mana, but the great beast Jrukell disliked its path impeded by Aris’ creation. After a difficult fight, Aris banished Jrukell from the material realm and used the energies from the battle to give birth to life. With each act of divine power, Aris lost physicality in the material realm, eventually forced to leave the mortal plane.
The book continues to describe all the deities born from Aris’ actions, giving information on their symbols and famous deeds in history. Despite finding such a lengthy list of gods, Elle still can’t match any to Equinox’s description. Unless she has been unforgotten by history, Elle concludes that Equinox likely isn’t from Arishelm.
***
Drawing upon his childhood education, Thermal recalls the three rules of confrontation.
1. Avoid starting one. It is advantageous for your opponent who can then present themselves as a victim.
Fortunately, Archivist Ferrum will almost certainly make the first move. The archivist feels threatened by the Arcanist’s Guild’s pursuit of an alternative means for preservation. He will not let Thermal perform research for a competitor.
2. Know your opponent. Prepare yourself for their reaction and possible retaliation.
After multiple deaths in the clergy during the Calamities, Ferrum rose to the position of Head Archivist. Thermal has not come across any information about his combat ability, but he assumes that the man will not be inclined to turn it into a physical fight. This is excellent news because Thermal wants to avoid fighting as well.
He does know that Ferrum is a devout — perhaps zealous — follower of Eurimas, obsessed with documenting history in worship of his goddess. From other people’s descriptions of him, Ferrum seems to consider himself to be the smartest individual in the building if not the entire city block. He’ll probably try to tear down Thermal’s reputation, but Thermal has no plans to stay in Vinayre for long.
3. Solidify your goal before going into the confrontation.
Thermal anticipates very little research done by him due to Ferrum’s animosity, so he is relying upon Elle to do the bulk of it. Ideally speaking, Serena should have taken over this role, but he can accept the change in plans. Hopefully, she will find information from her contacts that makes up for it.
If he cannot gather information from reading, then he will have to take advantage of Ferrum’s hostilities. What topic can he reliably provoke Ferrum into speaking about? Tiami mentioned that the Temple had been spreading rumours about the Hunter’s Guild being cursed. Thermal wants to at least confirm that the Temple is not responsible for the disappearances.
He wishes he has sharper social skills like the rest of his family. His sister Hevona seems to know exactly what to say in any situation, as expected of the Harrovel heiress. Before his passing, his brother Harry was the pride and joy of the family, respected for his confidence and compassion. Thermal does not know if he can achieve the same effect as them, but he must make an attempt for the sake of those missing hunters.
He does not encounter any resistance upon entering the Archives, so he searches for a section on Vinayre. Trusting Elle to research Cravallus, he believes the next question is what the Temple knows of the underground tunnel network.
Thermal eventually finds a map. It shows a sprawling network with multiple layers, occasionally leading to cities buried by the Calamities. In particular interest to him, it indicates that Una City slid down the Ice Shield and some sectors landed upon a thinner layer of ground which had a tunnel running underneath it. The fallen city’s weight broke apart the earth and sent sections deep underground.
According to the map, the ruins of Una City span three layers. The largest portion is on the surface and sits upon the Ice Shield and the solid ground. Then the city centre lies scattered across the exposed tunnel network, making a maze out of broken livelihoods. Finally, two of the tunnels lead to a sharp forty-pace drop into a pit where the Figuro sector rests.
He commits as much as he can into his memory, wanting to discuss the topic with Tiami later. Thermal is almost certain that she is hiding something.
“Excuse me, sir. It is best that you leave. The Archives of Time do not tolerate sabotage.”
Thermal looks up from the map to see Ferrum Invictum storming towards him. The Head Archivist’s black hair is impeccably combed, and his robes have clearly been pressed and ironed. Unfortunately, his immaculate appearance is ruined by his slightly manic blue eyes and the smug air of man who would devote days of his time to outdo all of his peers no matter how small the assignment.
Unbothered by his approach, Thermal responds, “Sabotage? That is quite alarming to hear. May I ask what I have done to cause such a misunderstanding?”
Ferrum reaches arm-distance of him and stops, folding his arms. “Do not feign ignorance, Arcanist Harrovel. The Archives reserves the right to remove visitors at our discretion. Please leave before I must resort to force. Your status as the spare of House Harrovel means nothing here.”
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Thermal returns the map to its shelf. People always bring up his position as the second-in-line in his family like it has significance to him. “Of course, I do not want to cause trouble for you. I simply came here out of concern when I heard about the thieves.”
He looks flabbergasted. “What thieves?”
The arcanist bluffs, “The ones who stole the staff. What a shame for the Temple to lose such an important artefact.” From his brief dealings with the Temple, he knows that their collection is their pride. They even tried and failed to steal his work to add to it.
Ferrum’s face reddens. “Oh, so you were the ones who cheated us? You will pay for that embarrassment. Guards!”
Thermal raises his hands in a gesture of surrender, quickly leaving the Archives. What did Ferrum mean by ‘the ones who cheated us’? He hopes that the other two found more than his regrettably short visit.