Regional announcement!

Rejoice! The Lightforge clan acquired a patron deity! Lady Fortuna looks favorably over her people!

He looked around, seeing Godfrey still sitting at the same place. The old dwarf was smiling. Turning back towards the altar, Horn noticed something changing. The stone in front of him began shimmering than moving like a liquid. The gray stone morphed, gaining a gold shine. All over the place, the shrine transformed. Murals appeared on the walls, showing a coin, half-covered by a smiling face, the other by a frown. The face itself was plain, but the emotions expressed by the symbols were powerful. Columns appeared smoothing the rough building. Beside the altar, the gray stone morphed into marble.

As the shrine transformed, Horn read through notifications.

Your tribe brought Lady Fortuna back to the Nexus. Rejoice!

As the first followers of the Lady, you gain 2000 Faith points. The Lady’s blessing of Home Hearth will permanently reside over this city!

You gain a blueprint for Divine Cathedral!

Faith resource unlocked! You can access it at any altar of your patron God.

Blessing of Home Hearth – Home sweet, home. Lady Fortuna looks after its worshipers, bringing warmth and calm sleep to their houses. While resting within the blessed area, reduce the need for sleep, and nourishment by half.

Quest update: The cause is Just

You’ve traveled the road as an Adept. Now it's time to fulfill your duty. Find your patron, praise him and accept his blessing. The road to salvation begins today.

Objective: Build a shrine and consecrate it to a god of your choosing. –Completed

Objective II: Advance Leadership to level 5

Objective III: Pass the test of your deity (the test will be revealed after building a shrine)

Reward: Advanced class - Holy Commander

New quest: In search of the Old temple!

You patron Lady Fortuna, present you with a quest. Find the ancient temple. Investigate the strange activity. The temple was located deep within the Dark Forrest. Upon entering the zone, you’ll be provided a bearing.

Objective: Find and enter the Lost temple.

Reward: Passing the deity test, 500 Faith points.

“Dark Forrest? I still have a basilisk to meet there.” Horn muttered.

He looked over the notifications again. The quest seemed pretty straightforward but probably would mean another heap of troubles.

Despite knowing it, he had to focus on that soon. He was stagnating. All around him, his people got stronger while he was stuck on his level.

On top of that, the threat of the Red Scourge didn’t disappear. Instead, it rose with each passing day. He was sure it wouldn’t disappear on its own. He was so far passive, trying to catch a break and build up his forces. However, he couldn’t postpone thinking about them. He had to start being more proactive about the threat.

Finally, the choice of Fortuna seemed sound. The blessing itself would lessen half of his worries. Using half the food would allow them to build up a stockpile. Several more hours of productivity a day, plus the bonus from the Goddess, would make preparing for the upcoming siege much easier.

There was the last thing to check. He touched the altar, now made out of gold.

Faith points: 2 000

Highest Blessing available: Tier 1(Limited by the temple) (Maximum available: Tier 7 (First believers))

Highest temple level: Tier 1 – shrine

Faith Blessing Tier 1

Blessing

Effect

Cost

Blessing of Attribute I

Increase attribute by 1, can be bought separately for each attribute.

500

Blessing of Skill I

Gain a Deity related skill – only a single skill can be acquired

500

Blessing of Health

Restore one to a perfect health

1000

Blessing of Magic

Grants the blessed a random spell – only a single spell can be acquired

1000

Blessing of Fertility

Doubles the production of food industries for 1 month.

1000

Blessing of Productivity I

Increase productivity of a single Workshop for a week

50

Blessing of Guard

Increase Attributes of all Soldiers within City limits for 10 hours.

1000

Blessing of Home Hearth

Reduce the need for sleep, and nourishment by half, for a week.

500

One in a Million

A minuscule chance of acquiring a powerful magical item.

100

Leap of Faith

Teleport the blessed to a unique challenge for great rewards.

1000

Horn frowned at the cost of some of the Blessings. Restoring health cost as much as granting all his soldiers a ten-hour-long buff? Why was increasing productivity almost free compared to anything else? Gaining a single point in any attribute was ten times more expensive? Where was the reasoning behind it?

He looked at the two thousand points he had, wondering if he should spend them. From what he understood, he could gain a single point of the attribute in each of them buying the blessing multiple times, or a singular skill, or a spell. The randomness of many of the boons seemed to fit in Lady Luck’s MO.

Before choosing anything, he had to find out how to gain additional Faith points. He already saw them as a reward for a quest, but was there a way to passively gain more? He cursed lack of wiki, but then he realized he had someone who for sure knew the answers.

“Godfrey, how do Faith points accumulate?”

“Oh, young Chieftain. The Faith is something given, not accumulated! But the points are there for a reason. They encourage the flock to spread the word of the Lady throughout the Nexus. Each shrine, temple, a cathedral that serves its purpose will generate a small number of points each day. Each follower that does Lady’s Will will receive points, and if they originate from our flock, some of these points will be added to the clan. Finishing quests, defeating enemies of the Lady, spreading her word, building her temples, these are the pillars of spreading and, as you said, accumulating Faith.”

“Huh, that’s making sense, actually. So all of our people are now followers of Fortuna?”

“Oh no, not at all. As a Chieftain, you’ve chosen our patron deity, but it's up to each and every clan member to worship our Lady.”

“And if they don’t want to? Will worshiping other deities hurt our patron?”

“No, of course not. The Lady is a merciful goddess until she isn’t. Khe khe!” Godfrey almost choked on his own joke, “Even you can worship more than one god, maybe not now, but in the future. Build a temple. It’ll have two additional altars, for secondary gods of the tribe, if you build a cathedral, there’ll be four additions.”

“Okay, but that’s a long way from now. We don’t have the resources to commit to such a build yet. Until then what do I do? Go and spread the word? I don’t have time for that.” Horn grumbled,

“Don’t worry, young Chieftain. That’s why you have me. I’ll manage this shrine and spread the word. You go and do that with your actions! Remember to praise the Lady, and her luck will be with you!”

“I’ll do, god bless, or rather let the Lady’s luck be with you!” Horn replied.

After having way too much divinity for a while, Horn decided to take a short break. He went back to his menus, adding the free points from the dungeon. One went into Mind, bringing it up to twenty, including his items, while the other went to Presence. After doing more and more public speaking, he had to start investing in it.

Another part of his attributes he didn’t use was the Ability. Crafting probably was fun, but he just didn’t have time for that, and looking at the plethora of quests, threats, and daily management, he probably wouldn’t have any more time in the foreseeable future.

However, what he had to do was to keep training. He still was in reasonably good shape, but the last fights showed him it wouldn’t be for long. His skills stagnated, and the enemies were more and more challenging. He was about to go on basilisk hunt, and the monster was supposed to be – well, monstrous.

Walking towards the training field, where some of his warriors constantly sparred, his mind drifted back to the Faith points. The two thousand seemed trivial compared to what he could buy with them.

Only upgrading himself with all the blessings would cost five thousand. His three champions, Sigrid, Goran, and Devonus, would add another fifteen thousand, not even starting on his other advisors or soldiers. The mass blessings would probably be handier for the upcoming fight against Red Scourge.

“As always, so many options, not enough time. The points won’t go anywhere. Maybe that’s a problem for future Horn.”

High in the Northpeak mountains, in the old capital of Urinde Empire, stood an old cathedral. Once home to hundreds of priests and paladins. Now the place was deserted. During the exodus, a deadly ritual wiped traces of anything living within miles of the place, and even after thousands of years, its magic kept everything out.

At the entrance of a long-forgotten temple, two figures appeared out of thin air. One a maiden in full battle armor, the second a massive car-sized raven, its black feathers gleaming in the afternoon sun rays.

Instantly, the silence that covered the city for the past centuries was broken.

“How dare you!” Adrianna shouted,

“How I dare?! You’re interfering! Father will hear about that!” Jolivar replied, transforming from his Raven shape into a young human. Even in human form, he resembled his avatar. Black sleek hair, long nose, clean shave, and thick brows brought an avian visage to the man. His dress, a cloak resembling folded wings, black shirt, and pants made of strange and little shining material added to the illusion. Finally, the vibrant blue eyes, burning with fury, finished the image.

“About what? Me engaging in discussion with one of the players?” Adriana said, walking the stairs leading into the temple.

“You know what you’re doing! This isn’t the plan. All we’ve worked for can be ruined because you’re sentimental.” Jolivar followed.

“Am I? Dear brother, don’t you remember who left her behind? Because he couldn’t leave without his favorite pet? How will she react after such a long time? When does she see us all? When does she see this?” Adrianna retorted, swiping her hand at the ruined city behind them.

“That’s why we’re isolating her. She cannot access the Nexus, not yet. We have to gather strength, not call her before we’re ready. Remember what’s at stake!”

“You think I don’t know? Look at this,” She said, entering the temple. The massive main hall before them was a sight of ruin. Old walls, despite being enchanted, were in a terrible state. Cracks lined them, muck covered the paintings and symbols. The only intact part was a golden altar in the middle.

“So why are you so strong-headed about her? There will be time for that!”

Walking towards the altar, she replied, “There’s never a good time for you not to face the consequences. There’s no avoiding the fate.”

“No one says about avoiding anything! Just postponing it until we’re ready!”

“You never change, do you? A coward back then, a coward now.” She reached the altar, touching it. She felt a trickle of power was remaining inside, and with a smile, she noticed that a new trickle was coming in.

“Coward? Screw you, sister. You’ve done your part. We can proceed without you. When father hears of your insolence, you’ll be done. He’ll withdraw his power, and you’ll fade like all the others!” Jolivar shouted back. He turned away and walked towards the entrance.

“Running to daddy? Typical, once a cockroach, always a cockroach. Hiding behind your betters. Man up, once in your life. I know what I’m doing. There won’t be any interference. The waves are proceeding as planned.”

Stopping a few yards from the door, he turned back, “Not if he manages to open the temple! She will hear the call, and who knows what’ll happen when she wakes!”

“Nothing will happen. She never was a rash one. She’ll reach out, and we’ll be able to sort our differences. Father’s plan worked. They’ll work their differences.”

“You’re as naïve as ever, dear sister. I can’t allow that.” Jolviar said with the finality in his voice, his shape blurred, changing into the raven.

“That’s a shame, but I cannot let you warn Father.” Adriana moved to the central dais, and touching the altar invoked her power. “Fate’s Prison!”

A golden cage appeared around the hall’s walls. Ancient engravings came to life, adding permanency to the powerful spell. The temple buzzed with energy, old dust flying into the air. A blink of an eye later, the cage was solid, cutting of inside of the temple from the Nexus.

Jolivar turned back into the human and stared at her, unbelieving what had just happened. Then as the realization came, he thrust his hands forward. From them, liquid shadows erupted, smashing into the altar, but a similar golden cage manifested around the altar. The two powers fought, but the shades couldn’t pierce the golden sphere.

“How?!”

“Despite your intervention, he has chosen wisely. I have followers now, and the system can’t be cheated.”

“You cannot hold me in here!”

“I can and I will!”

“Even you cannot escape your prison. Even with a handful of worshipers, even in your old place of power, you cannot contain me forever. How long will your power last? I’ll break through eventually!”

“Oh, but I’ve never intended to keep you here forever, just as long as needed,” Adrianna replied, closing her eyes. The concentration required to keep up the prison was enormous, and she knew that a single misstep would mean releasing her brother.

If so, all would be lost.