The dark elves have no capital or central government but whatever family can strongarm the other families in their area to their will. Almost every house is ruled as a matriarchy and loathe the Light Elven races and the Alanthíer family. While they tend to be knowledgeable in the dark mystic arts though they do not serve fiends. Their split from their cousins stems from a time before the Demon Times when an Alanthíer seer foresaw the dangers that dark magic would one day bring and ordered it banned. Their original families were cursed by him when they refused to abide his law and argued that controlled study of the dark arts would solve it.

Lanis Brightblade

Only a half dozen peasant soldiers and three of the four Called survived the cleansing. That so much life had to be lost saddens me. I kiss the holy symbol I wear around my neck as the called are tied to the horses.

It will take many hours for me to clean my armor after the fights with the profaned dead and the flames one of the Called struck me with. The sacred stone within my blade must have been expended as it did not shield me from his magic or perhaps the Holy One understood his plight. If I could have given them the time to bury their friend I would but my orders were clear.

Cleanse the graveyard of the profaned and return with a black crystal if it is on the altar of the chapel and to make no delays in my return. I close my eyes and take a breath before deciding to omit their attack on me in my report. A sense of righteousness fills me and I know that the Crying God approves.

“Move out” I command the soldiers while maintaining an authoritative voice.

I walk next to the horses, pulling out my holy symbol once more I utter a prayer unto the Holy One and the Crying God, the prayer of succor and healing for those who have suffered in the fight against the profaned.

I offer up a portion of mana as the words flow from my lips and a dull blue glow forms over the Calleds' injuries, closing them and sealing them from infection. They will still bare the scars on their souls but I have done all I can for them.

None of the three wake for the first day of forced march back to the capital in accordance to the orders that I have been issued. I cannot even stop for the daily prayers and meals for the Prelate must know with all haste what has transpired.

Bryan

I stand in an empty black void save for a white table that I am sitting at. I do not know how long I sit as Tomas’s death and the actions of Adrian and Brightblade play through my mind’s eye.

Adrian did everything that he could, both to protect us and convince us that this place is dangerous. But we wouldn’t listen to him and Tomas paid the price for it. Where I was a fool he made the right choices. Where I froze and abandoned the fight he picked up the slack. What would have happened if I also had been like him, giving everything to learning and preparing?

My thoughts momentarily break as the sound of an opening door is accompanied by a white door opening and a tall man with black hair and eyes that look as if they were a picture of deep space walks in and sits at the table.

“Bryan Tybalt Grace, do you know who I am?”

I shake my head, though I think this is a dream. The man smiles but he looks sad before he continues talking.

“You know me as the Architect, and I am here to offer you something.”

“You’re a god, right?” I ask and he nods.

“Can you bring my friend back?”

“Yes and no.”

“I’ll take whatever offer you want if you'll bring him back.”

“Bryan, I would like to but gods have rules that keep us from doing anything we want” he responds with genuine yet also hollow sadness.

“What do you mean? You’re a god, just say it and it is so. Isn’t that how it works?”

“Gods, have to act through the faith of their followers. That is the very energy that gives us form and it shapes a god as he gathers it from his followers. You need to understand something, whether a god is born divine or becomes so, the faith of those that believe in him shape him as the very source of his being.

We can also only act if some form of invitation is involved that forms a strong enough bridge of faith. If this was the case I could raise Tomas from the dead but it is not so. I am here for another reason.”

“What then?”

“I named you an Exalted Champion, it is time for you to know just what that means.”

The figure pauses for a moment before he continues, “you are a paladin that cannot fall. That I know you and have declared that even in you flaws I consider you a perfect follower.”

“I’ve never even prayed to you.”

“But you accepted that I exist and my divinity within minutes of entering this world. That is the bridge of faith that lets me talk to you as I am now, though it alows almost nothing else. Your current lack of prayer and the occasional offering can be corrected when you wake can slowly fix that.

What we need to do is get you the basic knowledge of divine magic so you can actually take advantage of what I have declared you to be.”

“Why now? Why not earlier when that could have helped me save my friend?” I ask with clear displeasure.

“You were not subconsciously reaching out for help. I can’t give you back your friend or do any handwaving to undo what has happened. The cost for that is too high but I can help you gain the strength to not have to suffer more losses.”

“What do you want in return?” I ask, nothing is free.

“The price was already paid a long time ago. I will teach you the basics to divine magic regardless but I do have a separate offer.”

“What?”

“When Adrian leads you west, he and one of those you fight will vanish. When this happens talk and learn what happened before you continue fighting. Will you make a promise to do so?”

“Why would you ask this?”

“Because if you do not you will lose another friend.”

With a sigh, I nod and the god smiles. I do not know if what he says is true but I cannot think of a reason for him to lie to me about such a thing.

“I’m going to add a racial class to you aside from the hidden base human you already have.

Now divine magic is the easiest form of mana based magic to use. Just pray asking in flowery speech what you want while releasing mana into your surroundings while thinking of the mana dispersed as an offering. I won’t be a stickler over the exact wordings of spells but there are some emotional and intelectual connections that you must maintain during the spells for them to function properly.

You will have to think about the meanings of the Divine Spheres in order to use divine magic under their domain. Your understanding of a Divine Sphere will make it easier to muster up the faith to get the spells to work. At least that is how I have my clergy use it. It makes them good at other magics as well rather than the devotion that the others demand for even simple spells.”

Before I can ask any questions, everything vanishes and I find myself in the haze between sleeping and the waking world. The Architect’s system screens in my view but nothing else.

Gain: +235 Man-at-arms, +465 XP Acolyte, +15 XP Apprentice (Mage), +25 XP Learned, +12 XP Disciple of Freedom, +2 XP Bodybuilding, +5 XP Melee, +5XP European Swords, +215 XP Religion,

Acolyte 0 -> 3 +6SP, Religion 5 -> 6 +6SP, +1 XP Meditation, +1 XP Mana Control,

Bryan Grace

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Age: 17

Strength 16

Intelligence 14

Mana Potential 10

Skills

SP: 115

Dexterity 13

Wisdom 15

Mana Potency 13

Languages

Titles

Agility 12

Cunning 14

Luck 12

Traits

Options

Endurance 15

Willpower 14

Perception 11

Magic

Vitality 13

Alertness 12

Faith ??

Classes

Racial Class

Appearance 12

Charisma 13

Health 180/180

Mana 35/35

I look over the screen and am surprised that the few sentences that he spoke on divine magic were of such value. I also have a new attribute Faith though I can’t see the value of it. What is the point of knowing that I have it if I can’t look at it? My mana went up too, not entirely sure as to why though.

I pull up a description of the Disciple of Freedom, wondering if this is the additional thing that I got from the Architect.

Disciple of Freedom – Racial Class

Humanity does not have a path of become more human and so most deviate from humanity by introducing the blood of other creatures. You have taken a different path. Within humans is the potential for both great good and evil, law and chaos. Freedom is one of the infinite paths of alignment and as you develop your spirit, it will change your body to match rather than trading pieces of your humanity for the bloodline and instict of another race.

This does not make a whole lot of sense. Then again, I have never looked at the subject before. It seems the idea is rather than trade my humanity I transcend it?

Tomas

I feel cold as I sit up finding myself on a stone altar, the last thing I remember is pain, searing pain and collapsing to the ground.

“You woke up, and here I thought that you would not make it” a voice says and I look around for it.

I'm still in the stone church in the middle of that cemetery but it is not late at night rather than the afternoon, a waning gibbous moon is on the other side of a broken window while an elf with a black and red cloak over some sort of chainmail and a sword at his side stands smiling at me.

The smile makes me uncomfortable, it is as if the elf sees me as a thing rather than a person.

"Nothing to say? No where are my friends? What have you done to me?" the elf asks.

"Wha. . ." I begin before the elf cuts me off while frowning.

"Slow reaction to initial situation, my hopes may not have been low enough. I'll explain then so be quiet, nod if you understand."

I nod and he continues, "I am Damû Rámeri the Immortal. You died tragic and you friends left you to rot."

"Th. . ." I interject only for the elf to glare at me before my jaw snaps shut and I lose control over the muscles of my mouth.

"Willing or not, they left you to rot where you fell. I always need test subjects and since Called then to adjust better mentally I decided to use you as one.

I haven't come up with a name for what I turned you into but you should notice a raised level of physical ability and a quickly growing hunger. You should figure out how to resolve that part easily enough . . ."