Forlorn Temple is the third area of The Messenger, which is not fully explored during Ninja's first visit. It is the fallen stronghold of humans from many centuries ago.
The west side of Forlorn Temple is accessed from Autumn Hills, and the east side leads to Bamboo Creek. Falling down the broken bridge leads to the Catacombs.
Appearance[]
Forlorn Temple is a large crumbling temple made of red bricks with green accents. There are green plants. The background sky is light blue with light blue clouds tinged with yellow. A yellow sun shines brightly with many rays of light in the lower-left corner of the screen, at the sky's horizon. The sunlight reflects upon the ocean.
Since the demons invaded this human temple, there are many demon monuments and skeletons of dead humans.
Items[]
16-Bit[]
- After defeating the Demon King, Ninja obtains the Demon Crown.
Power Seals[]
- For the main article, see Power Seals.
Power Seal #1[]
After a long horizontal room filled with moving platforms and a few Blue Kappa and Green Kappa, travel upward into a room with a circular time rift. Transform from 8-bit into 16-bit, return back to the previous long horizontal room, then drop down into the new lower-right opening that leads to the Power Seal room. Traverse through obstacles and ride rockets until Ninja reaches the Power Seal.
Power Seal #2[]
In the upper-left corner of the temple is a room with a shop checkpoint, a very large tree with four lanterns, and a small throne. Cloudstep the lanterns upward and into the Power Seal room directly above the throne room. Traverse through obstacles and ride rockets until Ninja reaches the Power Seal.
The Shopkeeper's Dialogue[]
Current area[]
 Shopkeeper
|
Forlorn Temple, huh? That's a sad one. |
 Ninja
|
How so? |
| Shopkeeper
|
Haven't paid much attention during history lessons, have you? |
| Ninja
|
... |
| Shopkeeper
|
Adventurer types rarely do, I get it. So the short of it is, that four headed monster who would have killed you earlier if that cooler than you hero hadn't intervened, that's the Demon King. He brought his armies to the human realm many centuries ago, and destroyed their stronghold, forcing them to retreat into hiding... And he's been sitting on their throne ever since. |
| Ninja
|
You mean this is all that is left of the human legacy? |
| Shopkeeper
|
For what it's worth, I'm sorry. |
| Ninja
|
No way! I will go and take down that Demon King right now! |
| Shopkeeper
|
You wouldn't be the first to try. |
| Ninja
|
Well, I can't just stand by while some evil monster gloats over my people's misery! |
| Shopkeeper
|
You are still too weak to consider taking on even his second in command. |
| Ninja
|
I'm going. |
| Shopkeeper
|
I bet you can't even make it to the entrance without falling into the pit. |
| Ninja
|
Watch me! |
| Shopkeeper
|
Oh I will. |
[]
- For the main article, see The Shopkeeper's Stories.
| Ninja
|
Do you have any stories to share? |
| Shopkeeper
|
Of course, here's one for you. There once was a princess looking for a suitable husband. She sent an invitation to all neighboring princes, stating that the main trait she was looking for was sensitivity. Contenders came and went, attempting to pass her test. "You will be my guest tonight", the princess would explain. "All I need you to do is sleep on that pile of mattresses." The next morning, she would ask them how their night was. "I had the best sleep of my life", each would reply, confident they had proved they didn't fear the dark, or that they could be easy guests. They were all promptly dismissed. One day, an especially sensitive prince reported he couldn't sleep at all. "I don't know what was up with that pile of mattresses", he went on, "It looked comfortable enough, but when I laid on it, it was like I had a fork stuck in my kidney." They got married the next day. |
| Ninja
|
Oh, everyone knows that story, there was a pea underneath the pile, so that someone who's extremely sensitive wouldn't be able to sleep. |
| Shopkeeper
|
Yes, but have you ever heard of what happened after? |
| Ninja
|
??? |
| Shopkeeper
|
For the first few weeks, everything was amazing. The prince would always complain! Just the guy she asked for. When the soup wasn't too hot, it's the cutlery that was too cold. When the music wasn't too loud, the paintings were uninspired. And when the clothes weren't itchy, the poems were predictable. Until one day, just like that, it dawned on the princess that she was in a toxic relationship. Not only was her husband a drag, she had voluntarily picked him for exactly that reason. It dawned on her just like that, how this whole love story was nothing more than two people whose dysfunctions matched like puzzle pieces. Incredibly humble by regal standards, she realized that she was the only constant in all her problems, delved into personal growth, then got a divorce. She lived happily ever after. The end. |
Level boss[]
 Shopkeeper
|
Well this is it. |
 Ninja
|
This is what? |
| Shopkeeper
|
Your shot at taking down the Demon King. |
| Ninja
|
I feel ready. |
| Shopkeeper
|
I hope you are. We lost too many Messengers to him already. Good luck. |
Trivia[]
- The well in the first room of Forlorn Temple is an easter egg that references The Shopkeeper's story in the Music Box.
- In the upper-left corner of Forlorn Temple is a king's crown, a king's robe, and small silver ring next to a tree. This is an easter egg that references The Shopkeeper's story in Howling Grotto.
- In two different rooms, there is a throne with cryptic runes etched into it that translate into "DEMON." One throne is in the upper-left room of the temple, left of a shop checkpoint, and the other throne is in a long horizontal room in the north section of the temple, next to a Green Kappa and a Bouncing Dogo.
Gallery[]
General[]
8-Bit Rooms[]
16-Bit Rooms[]
Interactive Locations Map[]
| Locations in The Messenger | |
|---|---|
| Messenger Island | Ninja Village • Autumn Hills • Forlorn Temple • Catacombs • Bamboo Creek • Howling Grotto • Quillshroom Marsh • Searing Crags • Glacial Peak • Tower of Time • Cloud Ruins • Underworld • Dark Cave • Rivière Turquoise • Sunken Shrine • Elemental Skylands • Corrupted Future • Music Box |
| Voodkin Island | Open Sea • Voodkin Shore • Fire Mountain • Voodoo Heart |
| Miscellaneous Locations | The Shop • Tower of Time HQ • The Craftsman's Corner • The Void |