You see, the ancient Meridians were very prescriptive in their view of the cataclysm, and nowhere is this more explicit than in a detailed yet fragmented carving found in the petrified forest of Dhagara. Translating the carving has been exceptionally difficult (largely due to the presence of stone phantoms that seem to have a particular fondness for archaeologists), but there are a few things we have been able to decipher with (relative) certainty.

Firstly, the carving suggests that the ancient Meridians believed that the Sentinel temples — or perhaps more specifically, whatever is housed inside the temples — would be instrumental in what has come to be referred to as the Grand Crossing; that is, the arrival of the malevolent force of the apocalypse. The specific role of the Sentinel temples in this event remains contentious, though the literature tends to lean toward the pathfinder theory, which holds this role to be one that would facilitate the Crossing in some way.

Second, the ancient Meridians held a strong belief in celestial mitosis as the means by which new moons and planets are formed. The carving clearly shows what appears to be Rhanavar splitting to yield not one but two descendent moons, and similar depictions have been found for the other Sentinels across various excavation sites. When paired with a mural found in the Silent Temple in Zancastle known as ‘The Final Sacrifice’, which depicts the immolation of seven sons (or perhaps seven suns — the translation is ambiguous given the heavily contextual nature of ancient Meridian language), suddenly Zephra’s actions begin to make sense.