Bédenes/1st edition/22

HOUSE OF ORDEALS ROOF


The terracotta tiles are slimy with mold and mildew from the frequent rain.

The balcony above the Hall of the Lesser Ordeal has eight richly carved and decorated panels said to have been rescued from the Order of Khamar's temple at Kustan and conserved by the Masters of Steel over the centuries, awaiting a place of sufficient honor. The panels show scenes from the Trials of Mamaka: the Holy Smith's birth, his quests for the tools needed to make steel, what appears to be the building of a cairn of stones in a cave surrounded by forests, the rise to power of Clan Mameka, his betrayal and ordeal, and finally, his apotheosis to stand beside Agrik in Balgashang.

Several priests have noted how closely the depiction of Balgashang in Gaibin's mural in the Priests' Hall resembles that of the panels, despite Gaibin never having been permitted to see them. This feeds the view expressed in secret by the acolytes that the artist is divinely inspired; many of them treat Gaibin with an almost reverent respect that is typically reserved for the Akarata. This is beginning to be noticed by Bedai and his deputies.

TEMPLE ROOF


Like the fire-red tiles of the House of Ordeals, these are slick with mildew and mold. A Warrior is usually posted here to guard against the unlikely possibility of an intruder scaling the cliffs and wall from the stream more than 100 feet below.

An exposed wooden stairway runs up to the tower on the roof that acts as a chimney for the smoke from the Holy Flame far below. The tower also holds the "Voice of Mamaka," a great bronze gong brought by the Warriors when they first came to Emesa Hundred. For 30 years, it has summoned them to worship, first from a wooden scaffold above the rising walls of the keep and then from its highest tower. As Granek's power grew, the Warriors began to refer to him as the "Voice of the Akarata," grumbling that, "As Agrik listens to the brazen Voice of Mamaka, so must we all listen to the Akarata's own vessel sounding." The gong was moved three years ago to its new home, where it is bathed in the smoke rising from the Holy Flame, ensuring that it is heard by Agrik himself. The Akarata believes that moving the gong was the first sign that Mamaka was shifting his favor elsewhere.