Legends of the Chromatic Temple
The Legends of the Chromatic Temple is a collection of traditional stories and historic accounts concerning the life of the Temple of Chromatic Enlightenment on Silusia Alpha as recorded by thinderin Light Guards. It was first published as an anthology in 120 CE, near the beginning of Civilisation Four on Silusia Alpha.
The oldest material is sourced from bilachai traditions which predate the arrival of the thinderin on Silusia Alpha and it goes back, in some cases, as far as Civilisation One. The more detailed and reputable accounts that are the product of thinderin scribes, begin at the time of Civilisation Three and were originally written in an early Light Guard dialect of the thinderin quaternary language.
Historical Details
Background
The legends are an anthology of many stories from different sources and time periods. There is no single author and not even a single editor. Although most of the content was assembled at the time of first publication, new editions have been created subsequently containing incidents from more recent times in the period known as Civilisation Four.
Some of the best known episodes include the following:-
The Passing of the Light
An account of how the Amnyine builders of the Temple came to transfer stewardship to the peoples of Silusia Alpha via a mystical revelation, given to the first Bilachai Salt Mother, and of how they were promised that it would guide and aid them forever more. This tale is cast in a mystical form, claiming to long predate Civilisation One and all serious scholars consider it a pure invention, since the end of the Amnyine Passage predates the development of Bilachai consciousness by more than two million years.Music comes to the Temple
A parable from Civilisation One telling the story of a young boat builder called Music and how he brought music to the Temple.Healing Hands
An account of the Bylan Sisters and how they established a hospital in the hall of the Great Prism, during Civilisation Two.Star Fall
A story of the meeting of the bilachai priests of Civilisation Three with the thinderin exiles who fled to the planet in the Third Forest Fire.What the Amnyine said to Rynoor
An account of a transformative pilgrimage from which the aforementioned Rynoor returned to his father's lands in the Sun States, changed and thoughtful.Redwood's Last Stand
A story from the dark ages between Civilisation Three and Civilisation Four when thinderin priests assumed control of the Temple. Captain Redwood has to make a difficult decision and a fateful Life Game will change history.New Dawn
An account of the work of the thinderin priests of the Temple, in assisting the birth of Civilisation FourDreaming in Colour
What happened when a party of thinderin speakers of the "imaginary" language visited the Temple in 1346 CEPublic Reaction
The work has been translated into Pan Arabic and English, amongst many other languages and is widely available in translation throughout the Bubble. Copies in the original language are less easy to get hold of.
Legacy
The manuscript served to popularise the Temple of Chromatic Enlightenment amongst alien races beyond the thinderin and bilachai and led to the establishment of a culture of pilgrimages, administered by the Light Guards.
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