Stella Nova's Journey

Chapter 15- Central Temple

After a few hours of walking down the gently sloping and spiraling corridor we finally make it to the bottom, where we are greeted by a kindly looking monk. "Hello there, my prince. How can we help you?"

"My friends here are seeking information."

"If it's information that you seek, then simply follow me." He leads us through the door into the sanctuary, where a few people, mostly monks, sit in the pews in prayer. The monk leads us through a side door, into a tall room. It's impossible for me to tell the size of the room, as tall walls of shelves block my view. Some of the shelves are platforms, upon which books stand, and some of them are made of small pockets stuffed with scrolls; however, all the shelves have a long ladder attached to rails at the top and bottom. "So, what are you looking for?"

"I was hoping to find information about shortly after The Great Dragons died."

"First or second hand accounts?"

"Um... First?"

"That would be in the archives. Follow me."

We follow him through the narrow corridors of bookshelves, winding through the narrow corridors. Left then left again. Right then another left. Before long I can't even tell which direction the exit is in, let alone how to get back out. I can only tell that we're getting closer to our hopeful destination by the dust and cobwebs, on the books and scrolls, slowly getting thicker.

After what feels like forever and a couple dead ends, we arrive at a small room. all four of it's walls are made of bookshelves. A small table and four chairs coated in a thick layer of dust take up most of the space. A golden candelabra sits on the center of the table, cobwebs stretching between its candles. The shelves themselves are so covered in cobwebs and dust that I can't even tell if the hold books or scrolls.

"Here are where you'll find the oldest of records. They date back slightly beyond the death of the Dragons, as The Faith has been around for millennia. Although, unfortunately, most records from before the Dragons' fall were destroyed when a small splinter group violently broke away from The Temple just after The Great Dragons died."

"Could I see the records about that?"

"Of course."

The monk moves and climbs the single creaking ladder in the room. He pulls a feather duster, seemingly from no where, and quickly dust away the cobwebs, revealing a tiny alcove. He reaches into the alcove, and pulls out a slender scroll. He quickly dust it off, and climbs down to join us, where he passes me the scroll.

I unroll the scroll across the table. I stare at it, trying to decipher the strange and ancient words.

"Here let me see." I move to give Resmond a better view. His eyes jump across the parchment as he quickly reads it. "It says that there was an argument between a Brother and his Father, as in two monks not a man and his spawn, about the best way to deal with the descendants. The next morning, when the father went to check the vestry, the Great Eight Artifacts were missing."

"The Great Eight Artifacts? What are they?"

"I don't know. I've never heard of them till just now."

I turn to the monk. "Brother, could we get information about the artifacts?"

"I'll see if I can find any, but most of them were destroyed when the artifacts were taken." The monk moves the ladder to another section of shelves. Then he slowly climbs the ladder, dusting away the cobwebs as he climbs. Reading the small metal plates above each alcove, sometimes peering into the alcove, before he stops, about halfway up, and reaches into the alcove. He pulls out thick scroll that had to have barely fit in the alcove. He dusts it off and quickly checks it before bringing it down and passing it to me.