Enderal:The Path, Tome 9: The Fundament

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The Fundament
LXV
The vassals, overwhelmed by the land's prosperity and vastness, had difficulties finding a location to build their new capital. Where could they cultivate their crops, raise their children, and build a society which could turn path-abiding into a felicitous future under Malphas' protection? That is when Selna exclaimed to the Light-Born: “Malphas, show us the site. Where should we build the temple in homage to you with the city around it?”
LXVI
And Malphas answered: “Do you see the rocky cliff projecting over the countryside amidst the Heartland? This shall be the site of my temple. Pile up stone on stone and you will build a structure which will grant you protection and illumination for all time.” The vassals were startled for they were not many, had only a few tools, and the cliff was high and steep. Yet Selna comforted them, and so they began to mine the first rocks and brought them to the summit of the cliff.
LXVII
They had only established one foot of the wall by the first evening, and they were already exhausted and weary. Silently they endured the task given to them, but within some vile doubts sprouted as to whether the task could be done. Selna sensed their thoughts and told them: “Let us sleep now, let us rest and confide in Malphas, as he has entrusted us with this task.”
LXVIII
As they awoke the very next morning, they caught sight of an almost shoulder-high wall, which enclosed the whole plateau and depicted the outline of a magnificent building. Euphoric they rushed to work, knowing full well that they were only worthy of divine assistance in the construction of the temple if they were to exert all their strength during the day. And so the cornerstone for this new city was laid, and the fourth month of the year was named “The Fundament.”
LXIX
The Sun Temple grew due to men's arduous diligence and the incomprehensible help of the divine hand. However, as the remaining vassals came to the Heartland and laid eyes on the enormous building, they were struck with fear. “We are supposed to build a city here? In the shadow of this cliff? The tremendous temple makes the rock unstable already, even though it is unfinished!” And many of those who were steadily constructing higher walls glanced at the site with the same anxiety and pointed at the subtle fissures which had formed in the cliff's rock.
LXX
And Selna watched with a heavy heart as more and more vassals withdrew to the hinterlands to build small farms at an allegedly safe distance from the imposing, but menacing building. “Trust in Malphas,” she yelled again and again. “He is the one who is constantly protecting us and is showing us the righteous path.” But the skeptics did not want to listen. They assured her of their loyalty to Malphas and supplied those who were still building the temple with a great amount of food, which they grew on their lands. Yet still they fled from the face of the cliff after each visit.
LXXI
And so it happened that only a small fraction of vassals remained to finish the Sun Temple. Disregarding the rock creaking under the weight of the temple, they continued their arduous labor tirelessly. However, as they awoke the morning after the completion of the temple's framework, they cast their eyes upon something marvelous: The shapeless, brittle rock of the cliff had become a gigantic stone statue of Malphas, which carried the burden of the temple's weight on its mighty shoulders. It was a blissful sight and in shame and reverence even the skeptics came from their hinterlands and clustered around the masterpiece to behold the wonder.
LXXII
That is when the voice of the Light-Born resonated thunderously. Malphas himself spoke from within the stone figure: “Hear, vassals. You have all walked my path, and explored and colonized this land. You all are and will remain path-abiding. But only those who trusted my words and built this temple without fear or hesitation are worthy of living in its glory and being closer to me. You are the stout, the dauntless, the Sublimes. You shall carry the title “Dal” before your name, as will your descendants, to always remember your fearless, enormous deed.
LXXIII
Ashamed, most of the doubters moved closer to the vicinity of the temple, knowing very well that the highest and most gorgeous parts of the prospective city were reserved for the Sublimes. The land surrounding the cliff was dry and barren, yet with a strong desire to never doubt Malphas again, they prepared themselves to cultivate the land with even more toil.
LXXIV
However, as the new farms were built on the dry earth surrounding the city, a rumble sounded one evening from above. In the midst of the temple's court, a rock shattered and a well released clear, delightful water, which spread through canals and whose significance was not immediately understood. Unstoppable, the water poured towards the rim of the temple and off the cliff; it spread all over the land and rendered it more fertile than the rest of Enderal's regions. The river was named Larxes, the life-giver, by the vassals and as it carved its way through the still young land and the hinterlands, the clouds opened and revealed a shimmering, golden full-moon, whose light danced upon the surface of the divine river. From that day onward, the fifth month of the year has been called “The Golden Moon.”