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- "The Ark... I can feel its power."
- ―Father Mikhail[src]
The Ark of the Covenant was an important artifact that plays a major role in Serious Sam 4. Its main purpose was for containing the 'False Grail', a mysterious and dangerous alien artifact.
Overview[]
The Ark of the Covenant was an ornate chest made of gold-plated wood, and topped with two large, golden angels. It was carried using poles inserted through rings on its sides. The Ark was described in the Book of Exodus as containing the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, but was actually a strange artifact designed to house the Holy Grail (actually a strange golden-scepter with dangerous properties) and to shield its evil power from the world.[1][2][3]
It is unknown if the Ark was created by humans or an advanced extraterrestrial race.
History[]
At an unknown point in history, the Ark was made (or bought to Earth), and the False Grail was sealed within it.
In the year 1432, Joan of Arc, hoping to find a way of healing humanity using the Holy Grail, which she had stolen from the Fourth Temple of Solomon in the Scottish highlands in a raid, also took the Ark of the Covenant, which she had mistaken for a common chest. She kept the Ark and the Grail in Rennes-le-Château, where she lived out the remainder of her life.[4]
200 years later, in the 19th century, the Ark, along with the grail, was discovered by French Catholic priest Bérenger Saunière, who moved both the artifacts to Carcassonne, where they were kept hidden inside a church within the Cité de Carcassonne.[4]
Appearances[]
Serious Sam 4[]
Father Mikhail mentions that he can feel the Ark's power.
The Alien Artifact Acquisition team learn that the Ark of the Covenant is the object housing the Holy Grail, but are unsure of its exact location. The Earth Defense Force dispatches the Triple-A team to Rome to find Father Mikhail, a priest and expert in archaic texts, who may be able to help the EDF find the artifact they are looking for.[5] After their mission is hampered by the Octanian Raider fleet zeroing in above Rome, they have to use the HAARP to force Mount Vesuvius to erupt to ground the fleet.
Once Father Mikhail is back in Rome and has been rescued from the catacombs by Sam and Rodriguez, he tells them that that in order to find the Ark, they must first obtain an ancient manuscript that he believes is inside the Vatican Library.[6] Sam does as instructed, but he ends up destroying the library in search of the book. The team are able to retrieve it and discover that the Ark is in fact located in Carcassonne, France, and not in Italy.[1] The team board a plane to France, and eventually make their way to the Cité de Carcassonne and the basilica deep within the castle.
Once at the church, Father Mikhail senses that the Ark and the Holy Grail may not be what they seem. He warns Sam that the Grail was hidden away in the Ark, and that people died to find it, so it was hidden within the Ark to "shield the world from its influence".[2] Sam dismisses his theories and says that it would be pointless if they leave now, considering they came all the way to Carcassonne to find it. Once the team are in the church, Father Mikhail reads from the book and activates a series of mechanisms that unveil the Ark, which was hidden under the church altar.
Sam and Father Mikhail approach the Ark and inspect it. The priest mentions that he can feel the immense power of the Ark. Sam opens the Ark, which reveals the Holy Grail. Sam is left surprised and awestruck to discover that the Grail is nothing but a strange-looking 'stick'. As he is about to grab the scepter, Mikhail warns him not to touch it, as the Ark was intended to seal away the Grail's powers.
The fate of the Ark after it was opened by the Triple-A team is left ambiguous.
Trivia[]
- Sam's quote when he is about to open the Ark is a reference to the action-adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark.[3]
Gallery[]
List of appearances[]
- Serious Sam 4 (First appearance)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Serious Sam 4 level: "A Breakfast in France"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Serious Sam 4 level: "Anathema Unto God"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Serious Sam 4 (church cutscene)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Serious Sam 4 - NETRICSA - Dossiers - "The Fulbertian Revelation"
- ↑ Serious Sam 4 level: "Death from Above"
- ↑ Serious Sam 4 level: "When in Rome"
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