The Temple of Sharacia, also known as the Temple of Flames, is a location found in the region of Wyht from Lost Kingdoms II.
The way this optional level is unlocked depends on which version of the game is played. In the US version, it can be unlocked by reading a report on it in the Grenfoel Cathedral library. In RUNE II, the Japanese version, it is unlocked by defeating the Amber Dragon of the Fossil Boneyard, the Black Dragon of the Krasheen Mountains, and the Brine Dragon in the Upper Chambers of the Runestone Caverns, and then talking to the priest on the left side of the mural in the Grenfoel Cathedral.
Appearance
The ruins of the Temple of Sharacia are inside of a cave and have a fiery lake of magma on both sides of it. What is left of the temple is mostly broken pillars decorated with orange writing, and some of these have stone dragon heads built onto them. In the center of the back of the temple is a small platform decorated by more stone dragon heads that leads to large mandala on the wall. On either side of this platform is a large bust of a dragon on a plinth with glowing pink markings for an inscription.
Summary
The Temple of Sharacia is home to an Ashura. It is built on one side of a volcano, and a Valkyrie lives on the other side. According to a Red Fairy, the Temple of Sharacia was beautiful at one point. However, the Ashura wanted the land the Valkyrie lived on, so he attempted to take it from her. This angered the Valkyrie, so she attacked the temple in retaliation. Because of their territorial dispute, they constantly battled at the Temple of Sharacia, so it was eventually destroyed.
When Tara Grimface arrives, the Ashura and the Valkyrie are at a stalemate. She can choose to either help the Ashura by defeating the Valkyrie so he can have the entire volcano for himself, or help the Valkyrie by defeating the Ashura so she can get revenge for the destruction of her home on the other side. Tara will receive the card of whichever monster is helped once she has returned after defeating his or her opponent. Afterwards, whoever is helped will leave the Temple of Sharacia.
Layout
The Temple of Sharacia has three floors. The first floor is where the level starts. It has lakes of magma on both sides and three staircases: one near the lake of magma on the left, one near the lake on the right, and one facing the entrance. The second floor has three areas; two are small dead ends that can be reached by going up the stairs next to the magma lakes, while the largest part is reached by going up the staircase that faces the entrance. The largest part of the second floor has a rows of pillars on each side and a set of stairs that leads to the third floor. The third floor is where the Ashura and Valkyrie can be found, with the Ashura in the room on the left side and the Valkyrie in the room on the right.
Flame Jets
The Temple of Sharacia is home to the flame jets, one of the few stage hazards in Lost Kingdoms II. Even enemy monsters can be harmed by them. They will not block the way forward, but they will hurt whatever wanders into them.
The majority of the flame jets can be stopped by destroying objects using a Power Transformer card, like the Stone Golem, with a Magic Booster. They can also be avoided entirely with a Devata card, since when Tara is using one, she can move past them without being harmed.
There are four flame jets in the Temple of Sharacia. The first two are located on the walls lining the set of stairs facing the entrance, and the last are on the pillars on the sides of the set of stairs leading to the third floor.
Area Progression
The Temple of Sharacia only has one mission. The goal of this mission is for Tara to help either the Ashura or the Valkyrie by defeating his or her opponent, then return to whoever was helped.
Entrance
In the area at the entrance is the level's first and second Red Fairies. Farther on in this area are three sets of stairs, one on the left, one on the right, and one in the center. The one in the center leads to the next part of the temple, but it has a dangerous flame spewing stone dragon head on both on the walls lining it. The staircases to the right and left each lead to a dead end. Tara won't find anything useful past the stairs on the right, but the stairs on the left leads to a Magic Booster and a breakable wall.
There are also two large lakes of magma near the entrance of the temple. The one on the right has nothing in it, but the one on the left has a small island with a chest containing a Cerberus card. The island can only be reached by using a flying Transform type card.
Flame Jets 1
The first of the flame jets Tara will run into are on the walls at the sides of the stairs facing the entrance. She can go up these stairs despite the hazards, but she may be harmed by the flames without the help of Transform type cards.
While the flame jet on the right side can't be stopped, the one on the left can be. To stop the one on the left, Tara needs to go past the set of stairs near the left pool of magma, use a Power Transformer card with the Magic Booster, then break the wall above it. The wall will become a pile of rubble that will block it.
Another way to avoid the flame jets is to use a Devata card. If Tara one of these cards, she can skip destroying the wall and will avoid being harmed as she goes past them.
Second Floor
Past the stairs facing the entrance is a wide area with rows of pillars on each side, a Magic Booster in the center, and another set of stairs with two more flame jets. In the left corner by the steps is a chest containing a Salamander card, and the corner on the right is another chest that has a Hell Hound card. By the next set of stairs are two more walls. There is a chest by in the wall on the left that holds 500 Magic Stones, while the third Red Fairy is by the wall on the right.
Flame Jets 2
The last two of flame jets are on pillars on each side of the stairs leading to the third floor. Both of these can be destroyed by using a Power Transformer card with the Magic Booster nearby to break the pillars they are on. However, just like the first set of flame jets, these do not have to be destroyed to go past them. Tara can go through the fire without cards if she is quick enough or has enough health, or she can use a Devata card to avoid the flames entirely.
Third Floor
Past the second set of stairs lined with flame jets is the highest point in the Temple of Sharacia. From this area, Tara can either go straight ahead, to the left, or or to the right. Facing the stairs is a small platform between two busts of dragons that leads to a large mandala. There are two chests on this platform; the one on the left has 2000 Magic Stones, while the one on the right has a Fire Elemental card. The fifth Red Fairy can be found hidden in rubble in a corner by the bust of a dragon on the right side.
Going to the left will eventually take Tara to the Valkyrie, while the right will lead her to the Ashura. The sixth Red Fairy can be found floating out in the open outside of the room with the Valkyrie and will give Tara information about the Lizard War combo. On the way to the Ashura is a chest containing a Fire Gargoyle card.
Ashura or Valkyrie
To help either the Ashura or the Valkyrie, all Tara has to do is talk to whichever one she wants to help and answer "Yes" to his or her request. Once she does, the other monster will become the boss of the level. If she says "No" instead, she can choose whoever she wants to help later. Whoever she chooses to help will gave Tara his or her card once she returns from defeating the opposing monster.
Since the Valkyrie card is harder to obtain than the Ashura card, it is recommended that the player chooses to help the Valkyrie. The Ashura card can be upgraded from a Jade Giant with 50000 EXP, but the Valkyrie card can't be obtained through upgrading. Both can be found later as enemies in Level 4 of the Proving Grounds and their cards can be selected in its Level Bonus, but this location can only be visited during the postgame.
However, there is a way to get both cards during this mission no matter who is helped. If the player wants to obtain both quickly and without upgrading a Jade Giant card, the player can use a Capture Card on whoever is fought.
Helping the Valkyrie
If Tara chooses to help the Valkyrie, she will face the Ashura as the boss of the level. The Ashura has 300 HP and 16 Defense. He has two offensive skills: Unholy Chop and Unholy Flames.
Unholy Chop is a short range attack that causes 45 base damage. When using this attack, he will quickly strike whatever opponent is in front of him with his hands.
Unholy Flames is his most dangerous attack. In the US version, it does 45 base damage, but in RUNE II, its base damage was increased to 80. When he does this move, he hops back, then fires out a long range beam of energy in front of him.
Helping the Ashura
If Tara chooses to help the Ashura, she will face the Valkyrie as the boss of the level. The Valkyrie has 300 HP and 16 Defense. She has two offensive skills: Slice Maker and Meteor Shower.
Slice Maker is a melee attack that causes 45 base damage. When using this attack, the Valkyrie will jump in the air, then land a short distance ahead of her initial position with her sword slicing downwards. She will use this attack when her targets are close by.
Meteor Shower is an attack that causes 50 base damage. When the Valkyrie uses this attack, she will raise her sword in the air and summon down several small meteors. She will use this attack when her targets are far away.
Ending the Mission
Once Tara has helped either the Ashura or the Valkyrie, all she has to do is return to whoever she helped. She will receive his or her help in card form, then the mission will end.
Enemies Encountered
Monsters
Bosses
- Valkyrie - Can be fought after agreeing to help the Ashura
- Ashura - Can be fought after agreeing to help the Valkyrie
Collectibles
Cards
Cards in Chests
- Cerberus - Found on an island in the magma on the left side of the level. Requires a flying Transform type card to reach.
- Hell Hound - Found in the lower right corner on the second floor.
- Salamander - Found in the lower left corner on the second floor.
- Fire Elemental - Found in the right chest at the center of the temple.
- Fire Gargoyle - Found in the area before the Ashura.
Hidden Cards
- There are no cards hidden in this level.
Rewarded Cards
- Ashura - Given Tara after defeating the Valkyrie and returning to the Ashura.
- Valkyrie - Given to Tara after defeating the Ashura and returning to the Valkyrie.
Magic Stones
- 500 Magic Stones - Found in the upper left corner on the second floor
- 2000 Magic Stones - Found in the left chest at the center of the temple.
Items
- There are no items to obtain in this level.
Red Fairies
The Temple of Sharacia has 6 Red Fairies. The first is near the entrance, the second is close to the first set of flame jets, the third is next to the Magic Booster up the left set of stairs by the lava, the fourth is in the upper right corner of the second floor, the fifth is hidden in rubble in a corner by the bust of a dragon on the right side of the mandala, and the sixth is outside of the room with the Valkyrie.
Level Bonus
In Lost Kingdoms II
- x2 Red Dragon
- x2 Fire Gargoyle
- x2 Cerberus
In RUNE II
- This Level Bonus is the same in all versions of Lost Kingdoms II.
Glitches
- The Temple of Sharacia has a skybox, but it normally can't be seen in-game since the walls and ceiling of the cavern the temple is in are in the way. To see a small portion of it in the US version, the player can move Tara close to where the Valkyrie or Ashura are fought, then aim the camera to the parts of the walls and ceiling near the entrance that are the farthest from whichever point Tara is located. These parts of the cavern will disappear from occlusion culling, allowing the player to see a small potion of the skybox.
- Through hacking, the player can alter the camera angle to view the rest of the skybox. Doing this will reveal that the skybox is based off a stone tile pattern.
- The glitch that reveals part of the skybox was fixed in RUNE II.
Trivia
- Both the Temple of Sharacia and the home of the Valkyrie might be located on Mt. Jarndunn, a fiery mountain level from Lost Kingdoms that is also somewhere in Wyht.
- The Temple of Sharacia is one of 3 locations with chests in Lost Kingdoms II where the contents of the chests found in them stayed the same in RUNE II. The other 2 locations are the Krasheen Mountains and Grenfoel Cathedral.
- There are panels hanging from the windows of the rooms where the Ashura and Valkyrie are found in that have the name "Sakai" written on them. What is written on these panels is a reference to Kaori Sakai, one of the 2D graphics designers of Lost Kingdoms II.
- The Lost Kingdoms II loading screen art that features the Temple of Sharacia shows the temples' mandala with a slightly different design. In this art, the center of the mandala is a symbol seen on several Fire attribute monsters. These monsters are the Ashura, the Coal Treant, the Hell Hound, and the Fire Elemental.
Cutscenes
?
Gallery
It has the name "Sakai" written on it.
