Temple of Ten Thousand Sins
Another testament to the tenacity and hotheadedness of dwarves is the Temple of Ten Thousand Sins. Its story, as many others, has become a legend amongst the people of Hyste Talma. It is not known who built them or why, but the steep stairs leading to the top of the highest peak of Herenyakal have been there when dwarves first reached the continent. According to the dwarvish clerics and scholars, it was the Order itself who chiseled them out of raw stone, as a challenge to any mortals. Yet it is not the narrative that I present to you today, because amongst the common people, the story goes a bit differently.
“Once upon a time, when the mountains were younger and the dwarves supposedly hatched from golden eggs, there was a couple who shared love beyond comparison. Falgier Golden-locks, whose skills in a smithy could forge wonders, and Snjólaug Örvarsdóttir, whose beautiful voice could charm even the coldest of hearts. For many, many years, their love shone as bright as the first rays of the sun, as the Heavenly Lights themselves, bringing light to even the darkest of nights. Everyone aspired to be even a fraction as true as them.
Everyone, except Silfrún The Loveless—Snjólaug's younger sister. Silfrun was the seventh daughter of a wealthy merchant and life had never been harsh on her. Yet, even as she never lacked food or safety, she never had love. Her older sisters took all potential suitors from her, never giving her a chance at true romance. Her heart grew colder and colder each day. As she watched Snjólaug’s happiness and bliss, her thoughts, inevitably, turned dark.
Silfrún, spurred on by sin and greed, turned to dark magic. A love potion, of the same quality as the one used to bind King Germund to Queen Talmani, soon found its way into her hands. She planned her crime carefully and waited for two decades before taking a chance. She spiked Falgier’s drink and made sure that she would be the first person he’d see upon swallowing it. Fate, however, had a different plan, for at the same time, Silfrún’s youngest sister, barely of age, tripped and fell on Falgier. Their eyes met and their fate was sealed.
No matter how hard Falgier’s heart fought against the vile potion's power, he could not control himself. After several months, his mind was close to breaking and he sneaked into Elínóra’s chamber… The next day, the maids found her body, hanging from the ceiling. Falgier was near the entrance, sitting with an empty stare and no recollection of what happened the night before.
Snjólaug raged and mourned and banished her husband from Hyste Talma, never to return to her home. Falgier, with a broken mind and broken spirit, left. Years passed, turned into decades, and then a full century. It is said that in that time, Falgier chiseled ten thousand steps leading to the highest peak of Herenyakal, in hopes that he’d reach Order itself and beg it to grant him one wish. Each step he carved, repenting for the sin he had committed; each step he wet with his tears.
When he reached the peak, as an old man, an empty shell of a dwarf, Order had allowed him to ask for one thing and one thing only. So, he wished “to see Snjólaug one more time, before my death, and for her to see me as I am.”
Order had witnessed the tragic story of his life, and had watched as he dedicated the rest of his years to reach her at the peak of the mountain. So, in her infinite wisdom and generosity, Order granted him his wish—and justice. The moment Snjólaug looked up at the mountains of Herenyakal, she saw Falgier; the moment Silfrún looked, she saw only death.
Snjólaug joined her husband at the top of the mountain, where they’d built their new home. Close to the gods, away from the sins of others. It is now a Temple of Order, a Temple of Ten Thousand Sins. Anyone who reaches it can make their wish, and if the Goddess deems it worthy, it shall be granted.
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If you wish to extrapolate on this idea, an arduous journey to the top of the mountain could be a good way for a character to regain their faith (for a cleric) or to bargain with their deity (for a warlock). It might also be a good arc for PCs that need to leave the table for a few sessions due to real-life scheduling conflicts. Whatever they find at the Temple, or a connection to the spiritual world, should be left to the GM’s discretion. If you are using a system based on SRD 5.1, you might give them an actual Wish spell in the form of a scroll.
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