Gabriel appeared in his original body, dressed in a simple tunic and pants. A beautiful woman was standing in front of him. She had short golden curly hair. A mature womanly figure, with curves and bumps in all the right places. She was wearing a royal purple long sleeved tunic. With a white roman stola clipped to her shoulders.

"Hello Traveller. I am the goddess Mercury. I am one of Gods in charge of greeting the new travellers entering our world. You can find my temples all across the world of Valhalla. I rule over wealth, commerce, fertility, and thievery, so if you are needing a boost in one of these areas you can come to one of my temples to receive my blessings. Of course, if you pledge yourself to me, there could be even more rewards involved for you too" Mercury added the last bit in with a flirtatious wink.

In Deliverance Online, Gods play a big role in your development. Pledging yourself to a god or goddess could get you special temporary and permanent buffs, as well as Unique quests and skills. The people who earned the highest Familiarity with their choose god can become their champions, leading to players wielding Legendary and even some cases Divine Skills and gear. The designers implemented almost all Gods from famous pantheons and some fewer known ones too.

For example, if Gabriel was looking to be a trader, he could pledge himself to Mercury and gain one of her unique skills which was [universal language], letting you be able to talk to any of the races without having to acquire their languages skill book. She also granted buffs for Merchants like [5% increased profit of all transactions] which was very helpful for traders and shop keepers.

There was basically a god for every craft, weapon or profession some even have 2 or 3 for a certain craft like blacksmithing. Some Gods though would only accept you, if you matched their personality or favorite race.

You must be careful choosing which god you want to serve though, as there is a big penalty for trying to leave after you have received their blessings. For instance, you won't be able to use their specific Godly skills or they could punish you by taking away levels.

Skills and Weapons were rated from;

Common

Uncommon

Rare

Epic

Legendary

Divine

Unique (only given out once pledge to a god. Warning. Can be revoked)

Gods usually also lean close towards either Light and Dark affinity. Some were neutral and didn't lean either way. Some swung the pendulum between light and dark quite crazily. As in the past Gabriel was a Northman and choose Thor as his patron god. Which led him to do certain quests that were noble and then some that were plain evil. That was for later into the game though, as you couldn't pledge to any of the Pantheons until leaving the Novice Villages and at minimum being level 10. Most Gods wouldn't have anything to do with you until level 30.

A lot of gods had certain requirements too, not just Level requirements. Some Gods required certain proficiency in a weapon or craft. Some of the truly powerful gods like Odin, Hades, Zeus, Jupiter or even hidden unique Gods like Cthulhu made it hard to get (RP). They usually made players have to do a certain amount of very difficult quests for them. Boundless entertainment had told everyone in their multiple press releases before the game released, that each NPC, even the Gods, had its own A.I. and personality. They had a full life cycle just like anyone else.

Like plenty of the Greek epics warned though, Gods are fickle creatures at best. Some giving outlandish requests to their worshipers. Gabriel even remembered the goddess [Persephone] would demand certain male or female worshipers that caught her eye, to copulate in front of her statues, or even lend her their bodies to do it for herself. Gabriel shuddered at the thought, not because Persephone was ugly; she definitely wasn't. It was mainly because if you didn't please her in time or ran out of 'stamina' the penalties were crazy.

Gabriel's mind was wandering as he stared at Mercury. His thoughts were nothing grandiose, it was simply 'I forgot how pretty she was'. Mercury started to blush under Gabriel's intense and somewhat wolfish gaze. Which just made her even more appealing to the eye of the beholder, putting Gabriel into even more of a daze.

Gabriel had years of experience when it came to Deliverance Online, he had knowledge about Unique quests and classes, what items would shoot up in price. What Players would rise in the future, their actions and their alignments. He was confident at this point in time no one could match his skills and intuition or battle prowess except for a select few in Deliverance Online.

However, there was one thing Gabriel always sucked at and that was responding to beautiful women in a conventional way. He learnt how to school his face in a semblance of nonchalance but always seemed to revert to his goofy, nerdy demeanour when talking to a beautiful girl. Usually scaring them away and ruining his chances. There was a reason he was a "One man Army" back in the day. Gabriel could be safe to say he had 100% mastery in his 'One hand' skills. Gabriel shook his head side to side to clear it and tried to focus up again.

"Traveller?? Can you hear me? Is there something on my face. I was just joking before...."

Gabriel finally snapped out of it and replied "Sorry Mercury. Your beauty took me off guard for a second. I apologize if I was being rude however my Mommy...Cough.... My mother always said you should never stare at women to long, just take a couple of seconds to appreciate and save it in your memory for later".

Gabriel started to splutter half way through as he realized he called his mother, 'Mommy' in front of a woman... again. Mercury started to blush even more, who knows whether it was because of Gabriel's compliment or out of embarrassment for his blunder. Gabriel didn't want to find out, so he quickly changed the subject.

"So, Mercury can I choose my name and race now?"

Mercury was a little flustered now as well and quickly wanted to move on. She nodded and then remembered. "Don't you want to know our history first and the history of Valhalla?"

"No thanks, I'm good!" Gabriel replied with confidence, he already knew all the history. The explanation that followed had a long cutscene and he had already seen it once before. Plus he knew the history of Valhalla and the gods like the back of his hand.

Mercury shrugged her beautiful shoulders and seem to get back some of her godly grace again. "That's fine then traveller. If you want to know more then visit any of the major cities libraries. After choosing your name. There are 5 races you can choose from. Their are many different races in Valhalla but until they are found and certain conditions met, you will not be able to choose them.". Mercury swung her hand and a status screen appeared in front of Gabriel.

[Please choose your name; Warning this cannot be changed unless under special circumstances]

"I have been thinking of this for a while now. I want something to remind me of my past life and the second chance I have been given." Gabriel muttered to himself, he typed into a floating keyboard that appeared in front of him.

[Player Name accepted: Welcome to Deliverance Online, Player [Osiris]!]

Mercury also seemed to be able to now see his name as she nodded.

"[Osiris], strong name, there was once a God by that name. I hope you don't end up in pieces like he did. Now here are the options and corresponding information for the available races." Mercury said with a twinkle in her eye.

A list of races and their pros/ cons appeared in front of Gabriel, it also showed an image of what he would look like as each individual race.

Players couldn't change their appearance too much in Deliverance Online but you could pick up your chosen race's characteristics. Like Dwarfs small height but muscular size or High Elves, tall, lithe and fair skinned.

The 5 races and their descriptions appeared in front of Gabriel . He gave them a quick once over.

HUMAN: Neutral alignment, making it easier to acquire Reputation Points (RP) with the Light and Dark Pantheons. Due to their high natural virility, The Humans have the highest number of Kingdoms amongst the races. Naturally, such a large population leads to a high diversity amongst the kingdoms, with each following a different Pantheon. Players of the Human race will gain proficiency in all weapons and mage craft at an average rate equally. They can also acquire any profession, making them a jack of all trades but master of none. They will also acquire 2 free skill points for every 5 levels. Due to humans interbreeding with all races, players will have an option of choosing a sub-race. Humans are natural diplomats, being the only race who get to start with 5 points in the charm stat and get 1 extra (AP) in charm every 5 levels. Warning: Choosing to have a sub-race will result in taking on the natural weakpoints of the chosen ancestor race.

HIGH ELF: Have a Good alignment, making it easier to acquire (RP) with Light affinity Pantheons. They are known amongst the races as one of the most aesthetically pleasing people However they have a natural hatred of things they do not find beautiful, accruing to an automatic negative reputation with Orcs and Dark Elves. They have only two Kingdoms due to a low virility rate and are therefore a very close-knit community. High elves have a natural inclination towards mage craft. Players choosing this race will gain an increased in proficiency in mana-based weapons, (examples include: Staffs, wands, glavies and tomes). High Elves also will gain increased proficiency in professions attuned to mage craft, (examples are: Tome making, spell-crafting, enchanting, alchemy and magical based architecture). High elves have to invest 2x the work if they want to increase skills in other weapons or professions such as: One handed and two-handed weapons. Blacksmithing, Fletching, tailoring and architecture. High Elves gain an extra Attribute point every 5 levels for either Wisdom or Intelligence.

DARK ELF: Have a Neutral-Evil Alignment, making it easier to acquire (RP) with Dark affinity Pantheons. They are the offspring of High Elves and other races, leading to discrimination from the High elves with an automatic negative reputation with High Elves. This is also due to staging an uprising within the high elves community to escape slavery and discrimination. The Dark Elves have built a vast kingdom under the forests of Vanheim close to the Human Imperial Kingdom of Davos lead by the Gods of Roma. Due to settling close to human territory the Dark Elves have small skirmishes between both kingdoms over resources. Dark elves have a natural proficiency in light one-hand based weapons and long ranged weapons such as Rapiers, daggers and Bows. Dark Elves have to do 2x the work if they want to increase skills in mage-craft type skills and professions. Due to being a self-sufficient community with not much trading between races, they gain an increased mastery of professions. Examples include: Forestry, tailoring, fletching, enchanting and bow making. Dark Elves gain an extra 2 (AP) every 5 levels for either Agility or Dexterity.

DWARF: Have a Chaotic-Good Alignment, making it easier to acquire (RP) with Light Affinity however can also acquire (RP) with some of the hidden Chaotic Gods. Dwarves have three major kingdoms based in the deep mountains. They are natural merchants and craftsmen and you can find many dwarf merchants in most kingdoms. Where there is gold to be made you will find a Dwarf just around the corner. They have gruff and honest personalities, making it hard to gain (RP) with their Kingdoms but once in their good books, they will stick with you through thick and thin. Dwarves gain mastery quickly in heavy and mechanical weapons such as Great axes, Hammers, shields, Crossbows and Guns. Dwarves being natural Craftsmen and merchant0s, players will have an increased mastery in building professions (Blacksmithing, tailoring, gun-smithing, architecture, mining and Merchantry). Dwarves have no affinity for magic and don't have mana. They instead have a larger starter Rage bar to use their skills, which increases in combat (taking or dealing damage increases the rage bar). Due to Dwarves natural strength they gain an extra 2 (AP) every 5 levels for either strength or Endurance and 1 extra (SP) for every 5 levels.

NORTHMEN: Have a Chaotic-Neutral Alignment, making it easier to acquire (RP) with the hidden Pantheon Gods. Due to their Chaotic and Nomad nature they find it easy to gain and lose (RP) with Light and Dark affinity equally making them unpredictable. They live a Tribe like lifestyle in the Northern Tundra, where strength matters above all else. They are natural riders/horsemen and seafarers. As such you will find a lot of Northmen as mercenaries, raiders and pathfinders across the world. They gain a natural mastery of most weapons but few Professions. Examples include: Axes, swords, Bows, Greatswords, Small Shields and daggers. They gain quick mastery in Professions, e.g. Horsemanship, Map Making, Ship Building and Forestry. Due to the harsh conditions of the Northern Tundra, Northmen gain an extra 1 AP in Endurance and luck every 5 levels. Northmen do not excel in mage-craft and believe more in personal strength leading to few high-class mages and more difficulty in earning mastery mana-based skills. They have a mix of Mana and Rage bars, depending on Allocation of (AP) one can dominate the other, adding to their chaotic nature. They also have a special skill set that relies on the power of totem tattoos. You will have to rise up the ranks in the Inner tribes to find out about the powers of Totem Tattoos.

Gabriel only took a few moments of looking at the races before he made his choice. Gabriel turned to Mercury. "I chose to be Human with sub-race being Northman".

Gabriel needed the blood of both these two races ,for some very important things in the future. Not including he played as a Northman before in his past life, he was quite skilled in their ways.

"Odd choice but if you're sure" She clicked her fingers and Gabriel's body had some slight changes. He grew an extra couple of inches putting him at 6.3 feet. His body was already quite lean and muscular from all the training done with Kristof, so that didn't change. Blonde hair started to grow longer and platted itself with Leather ties through it. He grew a scruffy long beard to top it off.

Mercury held up a mirror so Gabriel can have a look. "What do you think?"

Gabriel liked it so far, he wasn't as big as a full-blooded Northman as they were easily 6.5" tall and full of muscles but he liked his look now. With a subtle hint of the the wildness of the Northman but still had a refined human quality to him. Not many people would realize at first but your looks mattered in D.O.

Just like it did in the real world. NPCs were free thinking. They would judge you on many things, like the way you talk and dress. If you're covered head to toe in horse shit, which had happened to Gabriel once or twice as he recalled. It didn't matter how high your RP was, people didn't want to talk to you.

"Can you please fix up my beard a little, I would like a platted single tail beard?" Gabriel asked Mercury. She nodded and clicked her fingers again.

Now Gabriel's beard looked like a proper Viking style, his half-foot long beard was neatly wrapped in leather binds in one tail hanging half way to his chest.

"Perfect!" Gabriel said, while looking at himself in the mirror again.

Mercury nodded her head in agreement. She liked the look of this traveler too.

"Now have a quick look at your status screen, you will soon be randomly transferred to a Novice village, which will help you get familiar with the world of Valhalla. You will be there until you reach level 10 before you get to choose which main city you would like to start at".

"Also remember that some capital cities of certain races won't be available until you increase your (RP) with that race or do certain quests. You will also get to choose your starter class once getting to level 5. Now goodbye traveler and good luck. Remember if you want to talk to me again, just come to one of my temples and pray at the altar". Mercury said before slapping her hands together.

Gabriel took a quick sec and called up his current status screen.

Character Name

Osiris

Race

Human/Northman

Level

0

Profession level

0

Health

100/100

Mana/Rage

(M) 50/50 (R) 50/50

Light Alignment

0%

Dark Alignment

0%

Class

None

Profession

None

Armor Value

0

Movement speed

100

Faith Alignment

None

Blessings

None

Renown

0

Infamy

0

Gold

0

Silver

10

ATTRIBUTES

Value

Strength

5

Endurance

5

Agility

5

Dexterity

5

Intelligence

5

Wisdom

5

Luck

0

Charm

5

SKILLS: INSPECT (LVL 1)

"See you soon gorgeous, I definitely hope to see you again!" Gabriel waved before he was transported while taking mental pictures of Mercury's reddened face again. It was hard to meet any of the gods in person, so this was a rare chance to tease one without any repercussions.

As Gabriel knew Mercury was one of the more docile gods. He remembered teasing Hades once, that was one of the two times he had to walk around covered in shit for a week but that won't happen this time.... Gabriel hoped.

Gabriel felt a certain weightlessness before finally materializing about two feet off the ground, before he could get his balance he fell towards the ground and landed on his butt. 'That's weird. Usually the entry after being teleported is a bit softer than that, maybe I shouldn't have teased Mercury after all'. Gabriel thought. With a smile, he looked up at the sky before getting up and dusting off his behind.

"Now time to get a move on". Gabriel said to himself, as he made his way forward in large strides towards the novice village.

He was teleported right out front the village gates and noticed other players being teleported in left and right and some already running around talking to NPCs for quests.