Connects to: 22.10, 25.04.01, 29.14.47 and 51.29
Not all meteors (22.10) are harbingers of woe and chaos from beyond the stars. Those that fall from the sun are gifts to the King in Splendor’s faithful (25.04.01). These meteorites are made of an iron of unsurpassed purity, which is considered sacred. The Last Light was forged long ago from meteoric iron. When drawn in darkness, it emits a dusky light. Countless creatures of the night have fallen to it, dying as they screech from white-hot wounds. Against creatures of the day, it is merely a blade of exceptional quality.
There were once many blades like the Last Light. But the warriors of the Golden Realm began to slaughter the races of night, sneaking into their lairs and dens and murdering them without the slightest justification. The King in Splendor, aghast at their excesses, demanded that all but one of the meteoric blades be melted and molded into the shape of a great crowned lion. This monument would serve as a reminder that their god watched and protected them. The statue was named Teodo, and is the Golden Realm’s most sacred monument.
When the gnolls plundered the Golden Realm, they tried to bring Teodo into the City of Smoke (51.29), but the Great Mother demanded it be placed far away from her. Teodo lies in the desert out of sight of the city, staring with stoic eyes towards his homeland. During the statue’s long journey, several gnolls became faithful of the King in Splendor thanks to the evangelism of Abassi, a former lay priest turned slave. Abassi leads these so-called “praying gnolls” in secret worship near Teodo.
Hooks:
- Do meteors from the sun still fall? What is forged from their iron?
- What happens when a non-faithful handles meteoric iron?
- Has Teodo ever proved to be more than a symbol of faith?
- Why does the Great Mother hate the statue so much?
- What would happen to “praying gnolls” if they were discovered?
- What other slaves from the Golden Realm dwell around the City of Smoke?
