Raymond's discovery sparked a discussion. More than a dozen members of the Knight Order gathered around the detail to analyze it, eagerly showing off the fresh knowledge they had just brought back from the Academy.
Personal interpretations of artistic styles, the conveyance of special symbolic meanings, regional cultural differences... He didn't understand much of it, but to a layman, it all sounded pretty convincing. He really couldn't judge for himself.
In the end, they failed to reach a consensus, but came up with a fairly plausible guess: perhaps it was an example of a local religious order incorporating local elements.
After all, the Priyell Domain was a Basin surrounded by mountains, and terrain like that was very common in the area. Incorporating elements familiar to the locals would resonate more easily with them and make them more acceptable to the faithful.
It wasn't unprecedented. For instance, murals in the northern part of the kingdom favored pure, sacred snowscapes, while scenes from the Holy Scripture around Westminster usually featured lush vegetation. Still, changes to key content were generally rare, especially in such an important scene as the "Ascension."
But rare wasn't the same as unheard of. They didn't dwell on it for long and continued upward. Perhaps they would find the answer naturally once they reached the Monastery.
The "Ascension" was indeed the last painted relief along the way. After the group crossed the final stretch of leaf-covered uphill path, they saw the Monastery they had so far known only from the plans.
It had been built on a relatively level patch some distance below the mountaintop, and was even larger than they had imagined.
The gray-black complex spread out along the terrain. At its center stood a Church built against the mountainside, in a Gothic style similar to the Cathedral