Wells was the last place we visited in our tour of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall in 2015. It remains a highlight not just of that trip, but of all our visits to England. It's a picturesque town that frequently plays host to moviemakers.
While we were there, big moving trucks were parked around Wells Cathedral. We soon learned they were filming "The Huntsman" starring Chris Helmsworth, who plays Thor in the Marvel movies. However, as it was either raining, or threatening rain during the two days we were there, no filming took place for us to watch. So we resigned ourselves to exploring the cathedral, and when it wasn't raining too hard, the surrounding town as well.
The way the grand cathedral dominates the quaint English town of Wells came to mind as I read my review copy of Kevin J. Anderson's upcoming novel Spine of the Dragon. When Empra Iluris looks out from her castle in Serepol, she finds it hard not to notice the temple complex. The Isharan temple Magnifica dominates her capital, yet the priesthood wants to make it many times larger.
After the war between the ancient Wreth factions devastated their homeland, her ancestors sailed to Ishara. Unlike their former home, this new land holds magic. The priests bind this magic with the beliefs, emotions, and sacrifices of the common people to create Godlings, creatures they can wield as weapons of mass destruction.
Like the Wreth, the Isharans once warred with those in the lands they left behind. Since she took power, the country has enjoyed decades of peace. Yet the priesthood wishes to change that.
Iluris learns too late that Priestlord Klovis has commandeered her naval ships and personnel to mount a raid that could reignite the flames of war. She's desperate to keep that from happening, but she knows that will be difficult. Aided by a capable crew, and an immensely powerful Godling, his raid will almost certainly be successful. So she has to find a way of controlling Klovis, while not angering the populace who believe so strongly in the Isharan priesthood.
I imagine her capital city looks much like present day Wells. I'm sure Serepol has its fair share of businesses and residential districts. I wonder: if I visited the temple Magnifica complex, would the surrounding city look as stately as this?
That's what Iluris wants to preserve, after all. She doesn't want to see her beautiful city destroyed, or her people killed. Of course, she's also fighting to preserve not just Serepol, but her entire nation.
Like all those in power, Iluris must temper every action she believes is right by how it will affect her populace. She cannot sanction the priesthood directly, even if she believes they are wrong. So she decides upon a course of action she believes will be popular with her citizens.
She orders her guards to confiscate the building materials the priesthood has been stockpiling to enlarge the Temple Magnifica, and distribute them to crews repairing streets, schools, and other important buildings. Iluris hopes this will be enough to curb the ambitions of the priests who wish to grow even more powerful Godlings, and drive her country to war.
Wells Cathedral is famous for its distinctive scissor arches. I enjoying sitting in their sanctuary the morning before we left, and listening to a visiting choir sing. Not only did it get me out of the rain, but it allowed me to relax and sketch the interior during my waning hours in Wells.
It'd be interesting to visit Serepol's Temple Magnifica, and see how their Godling inhabits that impressive structure. I'm not sure I'd be at ease in the presence of a primordial being capable of rampaging through a town and killing hundreds or even thousands of people. I doubt I'd be able to sit down and relax while I sketched the Magnifica's interior.
But then, Priestlord Klovis is thrilled with his Godling, so I could be wrong.
Dragon Dave
Spine of the Dragon, the first in the Wake The Dragon series by Kevin J. Anderson, is due to be released June 4, 2019. You can purchase it before it's published, at a substantial discount, at Amazon and other online booksellers.
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