The Book of Temples Chapter 21
Glory and Ruin
led their People down
from the Only Mountain’s peak.
They wandered eastward,
the Child God leading
whither they would not reveal.
The People had not
yet traveled too far
before they were told to halt.
Glory and Ruin
declared that this place
would house their sacred temple.
They stood on a ledge
with a sheer cliff wall
with not enough space to build.
The People struggled
with their god’s orders.
They had nothing to build from.
Glory and Ruin
pointed to the wall
and said, “My temple is here.”
The Child God declared
the People must dig
and carve a temple within.
A doorway was made
in the mountainside
that led to natural caves.
These rooms provided
shelter from weather
as they delved deeper inside.
They toiled tirelessly
with vigor and speed.
Their god rewarded them well.
Food was plentiful.
Comforts abounded.
Their toil was tempered with ease.
The digging was ceased
when magma was found.
The temple’s depth had been found.
The People then worked
to beautify the
various rooms and hallways.
Their underground home
was a sprawling maze
of houses, streets and plazas.
The deepest caverns
became the temple
with shafts that reached to the sky.
Glory and Ruin
could see the world’s core
and distant stars from their throne.