Episode 78: Temple of Silence

The biggest lore drop we’ve had to date about the Temple of Silence comes from Cyno’s second Story Quest. Most of what we knew was about Hermanubis and a connection to Cyno that brought about much of his power. While we still have questions – like why did Cyrus take Cyno and not Sethos – this quest gives us a good foundation for the past and present of the organization.

Watch on YouTube:  Cyno’s Story Quest

Cyno’s master, Cyrus, is a central figure in the story. A retired sage of the Spantamad Darshan, he was once a student of the Akademiya along with the other dads of the Sumeru friend group. During Kaveh’s hangout, we find a drawing by his mother that shows her husband and three other acquaintances – one being Cyrus.

Cyrus’ tomato nemesis, Zaha Hadi, is also retired from the Akademiya. A former lecturer of Kshahrewar and renowned architect, she was once Kaveh’s mentor. These days, she lives her life with one motivation: to beat Cyrus in the competitive world of tomato growing. Like all elders in a neighborhood, she keeps an eye on what’s going on, which helps us find Cyno during the quest.

While enjoying a simple night in, Kaveh whines about not buying the wine that Cyno et al were drinking when he ran into them at the tavern. Insert dad-joke groan. He also shows a sketch of the symbol shown on the letter they were looking at. Since Alhaitham used his time as Grand Sage to read and memorize everything available to him, he recognized the symbol as the icon of the Temple of Silence.

Naphis is a current Sage of the Akademiya and Tighnari’s mentor. And seemingly the model the Amurta Darshan’s hairstyle. This John Lennon Matrix looking dude is also BFFs with Cyrus. We get to see them quipping at the end of the quest, much like how we often see Cyno and Tighnari. The sunsettias don’t fall too far from the tree.

Another fashion choice in Amurta is these crazy goggle-like glasses. Not only is Naphis sporting them, but we also see Tighnari’s former classmate Abattouy wearing them in a photo of the two. As a reminder, Abattouy is the creator of Karkata – the mechanical being we meet in Tighnari’s story quest.

During the quest, we’re introduced to Sethos, and we learn that there is much more to him than meets the eye. Along with Cyno, Sethos is the other recipient of Hermanubis Ba fragments. We know that Cyno was chosen for this gift because of his unique “constitution,” but was Sethos chosen for the same reason, or was it the right place and the right time kind of deal?

When we first approach Sethos, we get the stare down by his two henchmen – Irritable Desert Dweller and Carefree Desert Dweller. As Feens points out, they both look like they want to punch us, no matter how carefree they might be. Funny how these guys aren’t melanin-deprived like some of our upcoming Natlan residents. 🧐

Paimon thinks the Temple of Silence emerges from the ground, but it really just appears in the stone. Either way, it’s massive. There might not be much to the desert landscape, but there sure is a lot underneath the sands. Lots of ruins, secrets, and perhaps the rest of Cyno’s pants.

Don’t adjust your screens. That’s not Cyrus with a comb-back; it’s Bamoun, the leader of the Temple of Silence. That is until his dramatic end after seeing a Valuka Shuna, aka Tighnari. Bamoun was also the adoptive grandfather of Sethos.

We were not disappointed with the Cyno vs Sethos fight! These two are sparring to see who would be the sole holder of the remaining Ba fragments. After using their Hermanubis power, they changed to their weapon of choice. Ultimately ending with Sethos being bested by his city dwelling counterpart.

Watch on YouTube: Sethos & Cyno Fight

The epic fight invigorated Bamoun to tell us the history of the Temple of Silence in a beautiful cutscene. We see the early days of Hermanubis, the Priest of the Great Red Sand. And how the people were forced to migrate throughout Sumeru during the tumultuous times after the fall of King Deshret.

Watch on YouTube: Temple of Silence Cutscene

At the end of the story, we see some photos of little boy Cyno with Cyrus as they reminisce about his childhood. Of course, Cyrus had to then run off and tend to his tomatoes before Zaha Hadi sabotaged his crop. We need more of the tomato drama.

Here are some helpful links if you’re unfamiliar with the pop culture references we mentioned during the episode. This episode we talked about RuPaul, Project Runway, and Edna Mode from The Incredibles.

Thank you to fellow travelers Elliot & Naomi for writing in. We truly appreciate your questions and comments! If you’d like to send us mail via the Komaniya Express, reach out on our Instagram, X/Twitter, or email. We’d love to hear from you! And Kirara could use the work.