Doctor Who
S9E23
· The Time Monster Part 3

Crystal theft heralds Kronos return

King Dalios learns the sacred crystal and High Priest Krasis have vanished during a supernatural thunderstorm, leaving the temple altar bare. Hippias delivers the devastating news with urgent simplicity, but Dalios immediately grasps the catastrophic implications—Kronos, the primordial force of temporal upheaval, may be stirring again. The young Atlantean’s tentative inquiries about the entity’s return reveal his innocence amid ancient terrors, while the king’s sharp shift to teaching mode masks dread. This moment crystallizes the episode’s central conflict: stolen power now empowers a forgotten god, and the countdown to chaos has begun for all of Atlantis. key_dialogue: [ HIPPIAS: Do you see, most venerable king? The crystal has gone. DALIOS: Yes, yes, yes, I saw the thunderstorm myself. What next? HIPPIAS: They disappeared, Krasis and the crystal together like smoke. What does it mean, Lord Dalios? Has the time come at last? ]

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Hippias reports the disappearance of the crystal and Krasis to King Dalios, sparking a conversation about Kronos and the potential return of the golden years of Atlantis.

calm to concern ['altar', 'Temple of Poseidon']

King Dalios expresses fear for the world's safety, hinting at the danger posed by Kronos, and decides to take action.

concern to urgency

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Dalios
King
 primary

Calm rationality deliberately shielding profound personal fear for the kingdom’s fate

King Dalios surveys the devastated sanctum with practiced composure, shifting instantly from shocked observer of the storm to authoritative interrogator, his sharp interrogation masking the tidal wave of dread rising beneath.

Goals in this moment
  • • To ascertain every detail of the disappearance without delay
  • • To prepare Hippias psychologically for the coming danger
Active beliefs
  • • The crystal’s theft directly endangers Atlantis
  • • Only through ancient knowledge can the new threat be faced
Character traits
Calculating decisiveness Ancient regal command Unwavering custodial duty
Follow Dalios's journey
Hippias (High Priest of Atlantis)
Lord
 primary

Awestruck alarm slowly hardening into existential dread as the implications of the theft settle upon him

Hippias speaks in hushed urgency to King Dalios, pointing to the empty altar where the crystal once lay, his words tumbling out with equal parts awe and fear as he reports the disappearance alongside the vanished high priest.

Goals in this moment
  • • To alert King Dalios of the crisis immediately
  • • To understand the portent represented by the stolen artifact
Active beliefs
  • • Divine displeasure manifests through extreme weather
  • • The return of Kronos would signal Atlantis’s doom
Character traits
Hesitant phrasing betraying inexperience Increasingly alarmed tone Youthful reverence for ancient lore
Follow Hippias (High …'s journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Crystal of Kronos

The once-gleaming Kronavore Crystal is found missing from its altar, its absence a raw wound in the temple’s sanctity; the object’s sudden disappearance triggers both royal inquiry and attendant terror regarding Kronos’s potential awakening.

Before: Secure upon the Temple of Poseidon’s high altar …
After: Gone without trace, leaving the altar bare and …
Before: Secure upon the Temple of Poseidon’s high altar as the sacred relic of temporal order, pulsing with occluded silver-blue lightning
After: Gone without trace, leaving the altar bare and the temple’s temporal defenses in tatters

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Temple of Poseidon (Main Structure)

The roofless Temple of Poseidon serves as the stunned witness to sacrilege, its towering fluted columns looming over an empty altar while outside a supernatural thunderstorm tears the sky apart, the storm itself appearing to hurl fire as though summoned by outraged gods.

Atmosphere Shadowed awe electrified by supernatural terror, where flickering braziers struggle against oppressive gloom that seems …
Function Sacred sanctuary transformed into ground zero of temporal peril where ancient rites and impending chaos …
Symbolism Embodiment of Atlantean hubris and fragile equilibrium between their golden past and apocalyptic future
Access Restricted to temple initiates and royalty, policed by institutional memory and ceremonial decorum
Storm-racked night sky riven by jagged lightning Flickering braziers casting writhing shadows across the vacant altar

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What this causes 2
Causal

"Hippias's report of the disappearance of the crystal and Krasis to King Dalios (#1) triggers Dalios's revelation of the true crystal's location and power to Hippias (#2). This shows the direct consequence of the initial report on the plot's progression."

Dalios entrusts the crystal’s secret to Hippias
S9E23 · The Time Monster Part 3
Causal

"Hippias's report of the disappearance of the crystal and Krasis to King Dalios (#1) triggers Dalios's revelation of the true crystal's location and power to Hippias (#2). This shows the direct consequence of the initial report on the plot's progression."

Dalios entrusts crystal’s secret to Hippias
S9E23 · The Time Monster Part 3