The temple of Cyrus

They landed at the gravity ship harbor of Ctesiphon. It was enormous, many times larger than anything on Aesis.

The gravity ship harbor of Ctesiphon was a sight to behold. It was enormous, stretching out far. The ships that docked there were massive, towering over everything around them. The harbor was designed to accommodate over thirty ships at once, and thanks to the advanced technology used in its construction, it was able to handle the weight of these massive vessels with ease. The ships were suspended in mid-air by powerful machines, powered by sassans pulling and pushing large levers, allowing them to dock and depart with minimal effort.

The harbor was bustling with activity, as ships came and went, bringing goods and people from all over the universe, and below were the river docks where normal ships docked. The sound of beings such as elves and tian trading goods and the bustle of people moving about filled the air. The smell of expensive perfume that was a staple in every sassanid house was strong, but it was also a sign of the harbor's vitality. The docks were lined with merchants selling everything from food to clothing to trinkets, and the streets were filled with people going about their business.

The golden hind, Rufus and his friends' ship, was docked in the harbor, and thanks to the seal they got from Burzin, they were able to leave the ship there for a long time. The ship was in good condition, and they were able to take a good look around the harbor while they were there. The technology used in the harbor was impressive, and they knew they were in a city of advanced civilization.

"So, here we are. Where should we go next?" Joan asked as they didn't have much of a plan.

"I will go to the temple of Cyrus, that's for sure. You can come or leave," Suomi said and headed off by herself.

"Why would you go there?" Rufus asked.

"Temples are known to have a lot of texts, as they work as places of knowledge about the gods. And gods live for a long time, so there are records of history that date back centuries and millennia," Suomi explained.

"She's not wrong. We probably should go there as well," Doreen added.

As they strolled through the city of Ctesiphon, they saw that the city itself wasn't as grand as the flying fortress, the iron feather. People lived on the streets, and beggars were common. It wasn't a slum, but much more of a realistic city, instead of heaven on earth with people living in luxury and abundance.

Still, what was surprising was that no one stared at them. Neither as to why people of different races nor because most of them were humans. The same race of beings that had killed their god. The reason for this was the great understanding and respect sassanids had for different people. It was a trait that they had grown up with, thought to them by their god for centuries.

The city was massive and it took time for them to walk through the entirety of the city. They walked through the market halls where all kinds of goods were sold to the locals. Wine from the vineyard of the shahdom was sold relatively cheaply, which was bought right away by Satifa.

"Pema. You are a strapping strong man. Mind carrying this for me?" Satifa asked kindly.

Pema just quietly and obediently took the barrel and carried it on his shoulders.

"Couldn't you just have gotten a bottle?" Amala asked.

"A bottle of good wine. That would have lasted only for a day at best."

~~

The route to the temple took them through the slums of the city. The buildings were in bad condition and sassan people slept on the ground, either hungry or high on different narcotics. On the walls were graffiti. It read, "The god Cyrus is watching, so do not disobey."

"Must be from one of the Cabals that still worship Cyrus," Doreen said.

They got closer to the temple of Cyrus. It was large, in the shape of a pyramid, with a large temple on top of it. You could climb it from any side and it reached at least over 80 meters into the sky.

Sassans were rioting, trying to push through the guards who were trying to prevent the people from entering the abandoned temple. Stones were thrown, and a man dressed in a grey tunic gave a ceremony to the masses. The man stood atop a stand and with him were four sassans, dressed in white gowns.

"We are the true children of Cyrus. We, the people. And we will always be, in life and death," the man yelled out to the rioters and anyone listening to him.

The sassans wearing white gowns repeated the quote and rinsed themselves with buckets of oil.

"No, they cannot be," Amala said in shock.

The sassans who were rinsed with oil were then lit on fire. Some cried as the pain was intense, some didn't as they had become religious zealots, believing in their cause. This is what blind servitude does.

The soldiers started to have enough and started to push back the religious zealots. Their leader, seemingly a noble, used his divine power and dispersed the crowd. Few died, but most of them were able to flee.

Rufus and his friends took to the side of the buildings to not be trampled by the masses. The sassan elder who stood atop the stand kept preaching.

"And so, the Sassanids have turned away from Cyrus and have chosen to worship the other gods of their pantheon, in hopes of finding a new path to unity and peace. Only Cyrus can grant these gifts to his real children."

The noble ordered the guards to go arrest the old preacher, but he was able to run away thanks to his fanatics working as his guard.

Rufus and his friends were horrified by what they had just witnessed. They had never seen such blind devotion and fanaticism before. They knew that they needed to be careful in this city, as there were clearly dangerous elements lurking in the shadows.

After the crowd had dispersed, they got closer to the temple of Cyrus. They were stopped by the guards immediately and were pointed at with spears. The noble who was leading the soldiers came forth.

"What is a group of foreigners doing here? Speak up," the noble Sassanid said.

"We came here so we could enter the temple of Cyrus. We would like to go through the records inside the temple," Doreen tried to defuse the situation.

"No one is to enter the temple. Order of the shah Burzin, the shah of the Qajar Shahdom."

"But we have the shah's seal with us. Surely that counts for something?" Rufus explained and showed the seal.

"That means nothing here. The order also came from the head priest of the faith of Xerxes in the Qajar Shahdom. It is imperative that we keep everyone, including you out," the noble Sassanid said firmly.

Edward and Joan were readying to fight their way in but were stopped by Rufus. He glared at them, not allowing them to unsheath their blades.

"We understand. We will leave you then to guard this temple," Rufus explained and left.

"Good, and now leave. This is sassanid buisness. It doesn't concern you, foreigners," the nobleman yelled.

"Why did you cave into that guy's demands? We could have taken him for sure," Edward whispered.

"And possibly make this entire shahdom our enemy. No. We need to enter the temple in secret," Rufus whispered back.

"I can help with that," Gadaric whispered to them.

~~