Welcome back to The Violet Riddle. Last time, Robert Langdon and company arrived at the Temple, ready to figure out what's going on here, only to briefly be stopped by Terrador, now an Elder rather than a Guardian. After being informed of the situation, Terrador escorts the group to the Archvies, knowing exactly what is happening here upon the mention of gem necklaces. But, what is happening here? Read on to discover, at least in part...
(Our story resumes deep in the old Swamp Temple, wherein Terrador and his company: Spyro, Cynder, Ember, Flame, and Robert Langdon; are arriving upon an ancient library. Upon seeing them something can be seen moving in the shadows. But as it moves, we see Langdon is feeling along the walls for something)
Terrador: (To Langdon) Professor Langdon, what are you doing?
Langdon: Looking for some source of light. A torch, a switch, anything.
Terrador: Volteer should be down shortly.
(And before Langdon can respond, a bolt of lightning arcs out of the darkness, illuminating a great crystal in the ceiling, allowing the room to finally be made clear, and what is made clear are bookcases stacked to ceiling, filled with scrolls and manuscripts, and standing above the group on a balcony is a yellow dragon with blue accents, wearing a matching collared cape to Terrador)
Volteer: Terrador! What brings about this strange, unplanned, unexpected visit?
Terrador: An urgent situation, brought about by friends.
Volteer: (Seeing Spyro and company are here) Ah, Spyro! Good to see you again, young dragon!
Spyro: I wish it were under better circumstances, Volteer.
Volteer: (Leaping down from the balcony) What could be bad, vile, or evil about these circumstances?
Terrador: Our successors were murdered.
Volteer: By the Ancestors!
Terrador: And the gems were involved.
Volteer: (Realizing exactly what he's talking about) No. It can't be!
Terrador: It is.
Cynder: (To Spyro) That's the first time I've seen Volteer speechless. Looks like things really are worrisome about this.
Volteer: I take it our young friends are investigating this?
Terrador: And so is Professor Langdon over here.
Volteer: (Looking to Langdon) Wait, that's Professor Langdon?
Terrador: You know him?
Volteer: Someone by that name had sent a letter requesting permission to access our archives in conjunction with those of the Warfang Temple, seeing as several documents from there were moved here prior to reconstruction.
Langdon: Wait, you're the I got in contact with?
Volteer: It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Langdon. I will say, your last book was absolutely a stunning read, even if it ultimately made little sense.
Langdon: You've read my books?
Volteer: Just the one, and only in research to approve your access. I only wish our first meeting were under better circumstances than these.
Terrador: Either way, Spyro and his company will need to know everything we know about the ritual.
Spyro: Ritual?
Volteer: I promise, everything will be explained soon, Spyro. Please, come with me.
(With that, Volteer escorts the group to the back of the room, where upon an ebony bookcase rests a series of scrolls. Volteer flies up to the top and grabs a pair of scrolls and brings them back down to a redwood analysis table, around which he beckons his guests to sit.)
Volteer: (Placing the scrolls on the table) These should provide you with everything you need to know about what was happening. Or at least, everything we've ever been able to know.
Cynder: This is it?
Volteer: Much of the information related to those necklaces has been lost to history, I'm afraid.
Spyro: This should still be a good start. Thanks, Volteer.
Volteer: Of course. If you need me, I'll be in one of the neighboring stacks.
(With that, Volteer leaves the group to their research)
Cynder: Well, looks like we'd better get started.
Langdon: (Pulling a pair of gloves from his pockets) Hold on a second.
(As Langdon puts on the gloves, Spyro begins carefully unrolling the ancient scroll, revealing several diagrams in addition to text in runes)
Spyro: (Seeing the runes) Good thing we brought you here, Professor Langdon.
Langdon: (Examining the runes) I'm afraid I won't be much help, a lot of this is beyond my ability to translate.
Cynder: Well, give us the quick notes version, if you can.
Langdon: Let me take a look.
(With that Langdon looks over the runes and diagrams)
Spyro: You know, I've been wondering, how do you know runes anyways?
Langdon: Studying records of dragon contact hidden in churches around the world.
Cynder: In churches?
Langdon: There was more contact between dragons and humans than most people realize, but after Christianity took over Rome, such interactions all but stopped.
Spyro: I wonder why...
Langdon: Dragons often took positions that opposed church interests at the time, notably sending communications to Pope Urban II to bring the Crusades to an end, since dragons understood that Christianity and Islam share the same basic roots. It's been my theory that that's why depictions of Satan and demons shifted from unknowable beasts to dragons, as the church tried to turn the public at large against dragonkind to keep their control over Europe.
Ember: They did that?
Langdon: That's why Saint George is said to have killed a dragon.
Flame: Wow, talk about ridiculous.
Langdon: Sadly, it's pretty common in my research. (Looks over the last rune) I think I've got this figured out.
Spyro: So what does it say?
Langdon: I can't make a complete translation, but this says the crystals are designed to pull in the energy of the nine elements to seal away something called "the false one".
Cynder: Wait, "the false one"? Didn't that orb say something about the nine hiding from "the false"?
Spyro: You think they're connected?
Cynder: This is the only reference to something "false" we've found. I have to assume they're connected for now.
Spyro: (To Langdon) What does it say about the orb?
Langdon: I can't find anything about an orb here.
Cynder: It's probably in the other scroll then.
(With that, Cynder unrolls the second scroll, allowing Langdon to examine it, which he does quite carefully)
Spyro: So, what's it say?
Langdon: It appears the orb is a security measure. In the event that "the false one" interrupts the ritual, the gems are hidden in nine locations, the so called "Altars of the Elements", until one chosen party tries to find them.
Cynder: The orb seemed to only unlock once Spyro used his Aether on it, so if I had to guess, they meant for him to find them.
Langdon: There's more. It says if "the false one" finds the gems first... (Unsettled by what he reads) It'll bring about the end of the world.
Spyro: What?
Langdon: That's what I said. End of the world.
Cynder: Great, now we have to deal with the apocalypse in potentia again.
Spyro: Then we need to find these gems, straight away. What's it say about finding them?
Langdon: If I'm reading this correctly, hitting the orb with the Elements in sequence will reveal the first Altar. Then there will be a violet gem at each location, which when struck with the next element in sequence will reveal the next location.
Cynder: Then it sounds like we need to get back to the crime scene as soon as possible. Let's let Volteer know what's going on.
(As the group rolls up the scrolls and goes to leave, we see out of the window that the Guardians' murderer is watching them)
?: Hmm... the human proves more useful than I could have expected. (Starts coughing) He will lead me to where I need to be.
(And with that, still coughing, the slithering drake sneaks off into the night, presumably to follow Langdon and company, as our tale ends for today)
And that looks like a good spot to end for today. Not many answers, but a little bit of clarity as to how we move forward. Now we need to find out where these Altars of the Elements are. And as we approach each Altar, we'll find more information as to what's going on here. But I won't say at which Altars info will be revealed, just that some will. So, what awaits as our heroes return to the crime scene? Tune in next time to find out! Same time... same channel!