he stood over it like a pyrolater , lighting and then fanning the flames of a sacred fire , making sorcerous gesticulations and emitting sibilant hissing incantations , and then from out of its black hole depths grew a towering , spinning iron crucifix , the gigantic ancient artifact from the temples of serpentikal , a relic from his destroyed homeworld of grystiawa , which he had borne with him ever since the death of his birthplace had necessitated his exile into space .