Part 2: Slow on the Uptake
The first impression we get of the Temple is an unearthly chill, which is a good start to setting an atmosphere. One assumes it's unearthly, although we don't exactly have any information about what season it is.
Far more creepy is what appears to be a giant bloodstain on the wall. You'd have to cut someone at a very strange angle to get a bloodstain like that on the wall.
Moving on a bit we find the temple Library, but there's a bit of a problem..
Our hero isn't exactly the greatest scholar. He can only read two of the books: the Book of Prophecies and the Book of Spirits.
Red light splits darkest night
Smiles turn to cries of fright
Life of darkness springs anew
The evil king returns...
Well, that's helpful. I can only hope that there'll be a completed copy somewhere. Moving on:
500 years ago, King Winder sealed the Demon Zakdos within a magic casket, thus ending the Dark War. The great wizard Collin pledged that he and his descendants would build and protect a temple around Zakdos' prison. The survival of the Collin Clan ensures mankind's protection from the forces of darkness.
This short history lesson and the Book of Prophecies are surely in no way connected. The kingdom of Riccar seems to be singularly unluckily in regards to having ancient evils sealed away in easily exploitable ways.
Theo learning a spell called Snooze is in no way connected to him being forced to actually read for once. The spell does what you'd expect and puts enemies to sleep.
The stains on the wall are ubiquitous throughout the temple. The standard process of hitting anything unusual comes back to bite me in the ass just outside of the library.
After about 2 quick attacks, we get our first activation of King Hennesy's spell. Death count: 1.
Returning to the temple we find our first Big Bat. While they look intimidating, they're actually not dangerous at all compared to that ghost.
A dead end with a soldier statue invites experimentation..
Which is rewarded when pressing a button on its chest opens up a ladder downward. This seems likely to lead to whatever secret the temple holds, so we'll ignore it and continue exploring up on the first level.
This room recalls the altar from the church in the first Sword of Hope, but comes complete with a hidden chamber bearing a message for us.
... yeah, we're done here, considering that we already manipulated the statue.
Of course, it could describe this statue as well...but the only thing noticeable is that its arms are upraised. I'm a bit confused here. Is this a temple of Venus, or a generic temple with random statues of deities scattered around?
The temple is also infested with giant, poisonous spiders. Unfortunately for them their special attack isn't terrible effective.
Climbing down the ladder we can see that whatever went through the temple didn't miss the statue either. They probably should have hidden that a bit better, in retrospect. Moving through the bottom level Theo gains a level and learns the spell Melt, which I have not yet discovered a use for. Another status recovery spell, perhaps?
The bottom floor comes to a dead-end with another statue of Venus, with the difference being that the statue's arms are in a different position. It's pretty easy to see that the trick here is to make this statue match the other.
Success is rewarded by a new pathway toward the final rooms of the temple.
Either this temple is stranger than I'd imagined, or something has gone very very wrong here.
Theo immediately notices that there's something important missing. I've got to say, when you put together the coldness, bloodstains, murderous ghosts, and this empty coffin the entire place is massively creepy.
"The one who plotted his reign over this world was sealed into this stone casket."
I'll say! World domination isn't exactly cricket, but it's no reason for eternal imprisonment.
Oh. Ahem. Yes, that is terrible.
Turning our attention to the bodies on the ground, we've got one that appears to belong here dead of mysterious circumstances.
The cause of the entire incident seems to be, of all things, a random
Theo takes an extremely dim view of such shenanigans, probably due to how such stupidity has impacted his life in the past.
Attempting to strike either of the dead bodies doesn't yield any appreciable results, although it is amusing. I'm surprised he doesn't want to kick the thief a good one.
We've fulfilled the King's command, but on the trip back there's a minor interruption in the form of a trail of bodies leading up the eastern side of the river.
The slaughter has been severe enough to color the river, indicating that there's probably a few extra bodies that we haven't found yet. You've got to do some considerable butchery to stain an entire river.
Our luck changes when the body at the base of the waterfall actually turns out to be clinging to life by the fingertips.
.. yeah, definitely nothing significant with this unique landmark at all. Unfortunately, our source of information dies before he can explain what's so important behind the falls.
Theo's... a bit slow when it comes to putting together all the pieces. I'm sure you've all figured out who's responsible for this slaughter. Next time Theo will figure it out, and we'll get our second party member.