-20 Food (5)
+5 Mundane Resources (5)
+5 Progress: Great Rune of Heresy (22/100)
+5 Progress: Great Rune of Decay (32/100)
+6 Astrologers
+Galdrik the Starseer
Time marched on. You had agreed to Galdrick's term, so he had moved his men in with yours. It was only half a dozen, but you were happy they had packed a bit of their own food; your own was running low.
Animals were brought back and turned into food; trees were felled and churned so they could be burnt, turned into logs, or half a dozen other things that would help your small village grow and prosper.
Once again, your dear sister walked behind you as you introduced Galdrik and his men to the village.
"This is where you will be staying," you told him, gesturing to one of the newly built houses. It wasn't amazing, not by a long shot. Even the most run-down houses in the capital would be like palaces here. However, they knew how to build them sturdy, and that was all you were asking.
"Very well," Galdrik replied as he slowly walked into the house, followed by his men. You knew the old man was somewhat surly and have been wavering between charming him or note, but you decided not to. If needed, you could do it later; perhaps his advice might be good.
You sighed as you left them to their own business. It would take them time to get set up and properly incorporated into the village, but there was no use in pushing them. It wouldn't do anything but annoy them.
Recruit Alafair
40+40(Diplomacy)+40(Unalloyed Gold) = 120 > 70 Success
"Hello, Alafair," you said as you approached the merchant. He grinned up at you. You could see the fire sparkling in his eyes, and it wasn't a reflection of the flame in front of him.
"I would request that you join us," you stated, causing the Wandering Merchant to squint as he stopped playing his instrument. He waited a moment before speaking.
"I wouldn't be all that good; I'm just a wandering merchant," he replied with a wry smile on his lips, but you saw the flames in his eyes flare at your request. You retrieved a small ingot of Unalloyed Gold and placed it down in front of him.
"Pick it up," you said with a kind smile. Alafair hesitated a moment before picking the ingot up. When the pure gold touched his skin, he shuddered as the flame receded from his eyes. He reached up and gently touched his skin, looking up at you with awe.
-1 Unalloyed Gold (9)
"Is this how it is?" he whispered, to which you nodded. The Wandering Merchant tucked the bar into his vest, so it touched his skin. He coughed slightly as he rubbed his eyes.
"How can I help you?" he asked with a soft smile. Now that the Freinzed Flame had faded, he was much more willing to help.
"I can try to buy a few things or set up an information network. I will need some Runes to get started," he said, explaining his skills. He did seem a bit awkward about asking for money from his newest lord.
You merely hummed as you thought over what you wanted him to do.
What do you have him do?
[] [Alafair] Set up a rumor mill in Leyndell
-[] How many runes do you give him?
[] [Alafair] Have him purchase rare items
-[] What do you want him to buy, and how many runes do you give him?
[] [Alafair] Something else? (It cannot be combat-related)
Secure Food-Hunting
74+10(Martial) = 84 > 65 Success
Hunting was a simple task, one that you now had people who could help you with. You were running low on supplies while Desitned Death was not here, sealed away as it was. Starvation would drive your men to madness. It didn't matter that they couldn't die; starvation would render all but the most devout hollowed out of anything resembling sanity in time.
"We need extra food. I am putting this trust on your shoulders," you told a handful of men you had rounded up to do this. They nodded as they went off, with poor weaponry and knowledge to aid them.
+10 Food (15)
They returned with deer and other animals hauled over their shoulders. Not a single one of them was wounded beyond a bit of cold fingers or scrapes from a fall. It wasn't enough to stave off starvation, but it was enough that the vast majority wouldn't suffer.
"You did good," you told the new hunters. They smiled in glee as you, St. Trina, told them that they had done well. Their devotion was reassuring; it was a strong foundation that even here at the top of the world, people could find a common cause to work together.
Build Woodcutter
33+12(Stwerdship) = 45 > 20 Success
"How is the woodcutter coming along?" you asked Somnus, who smiled broadly as he looked at the people moving back and forth as lumber was brought in.
"It's going wonderfully; we haven't had this much progress and building in years," he said before turning and looking down to face you, that zealous look in your eyes that many here shared, "It's all thanks to your St. Trina, you've empowered us to build a real home here. Not just a place where we cower in fear of whatever beast or tyrant looms nearby."
"I wish for a place free from that, one where people can live in compassion," you replied. You didn't mention your actual goal, an age free from gods. You were a god in their eyes, and it would only confuse them to talk of things that dwelled in rot, blood, or the vastness beyond the Lands Between, so you kept it simple.
"Your people have helped me on that first step," you said with a pleasant smile as you looked up at Somnus, "This woodcutter, while small, is one of many steps."
"Of course, St. Trina," the man said with a deep bow as he bustled off towards the woodcutter. You knew he would make sure all the pieces fit together, and you trusted him on that.
-5 Mundane Resources (0)
+1 Woodcutter (2)
Look for a Secret Place
76+29(Intrigue) = 105 > 100 Success
You were searching. The sapling you had brought had slaked its thirst on your blood, but you could tell it wanted to grow. It couldn't be a sapling forever, and while so long as you fed it, the tree could wait inside the pot, you wanted something new, a blossoming counterpart to the Erdtree that would shelter all.
So you were on the hunt for a secret place to shelter the sapling. Once planted, it would grow quickly, but that would attract others. You had no doubt this Veiled Monarch would come to destroy it or that Rykard would attempt to burn it. You needed to shelter it just as you were sheltering your people.
It took time, but you managed to find a spot; it was tucked away under the base of the minor Erdtree. It would be an excellent spot to grow; none would even notice the difference at first, except that the old minor Erdtree would wilt for some time before regaining its strength. However, you could see the avatar guarding the towering tree; you would have to slay it before you could plant the sapling.
Content you returned to your village, that ember of Heresy burning through your veins.
Learned a location to plant your sapling; the Erdtree Avatar must be slain first
Study Unalloyed Gold
99+25(Learning) = 124 > 50 Success
You turned the bar over in your hand. Some time ago, you had talked to Alafair and gifted him a bar of pure gold. The Frienzed Flame in his eyes had receded, pushed back by the gold.
You wanted to figure out more about how this metal did that. You had created it originally to stave off your dear sister's Rot. The process had been long and hard, but you had managed to melt away the impurities of gold, smoothing away what would tarnish the metal, and what was left was pure.
As you looked down at it, you understood it was removing the parties that gave it the properties it did. It was a gleaming bar of metal that shone free of anything that would embed it. It pushed back Scarlet Rot, Freinzed Flame, and any other Outer God because, by its nature, it couldn't be anything else.
You smiled as you held the bar close to you. This was only the first step to truly understanding what you had made, guided along by instincts and half formed thoughts as you had beem, but you had improved.
Gain Basic Understanding: Unalloyed Gold
Simplify the recipe for Unalloyed Gold
66+25(Learning) = 101 > 80 Success
From there, it had been easy to continue simplifying the recipe. You worked in your room on what little paper your village provided for this project. You knew more and, as such, could make massive strides. You nearly doubled how quickly you got your work out of your mind and on paper.
It would take more time, large amounts of it, even with what you know now. However, you were attempting to make something you had made in the forges of Leyndell simple enough to be created anywhere so long as they had the supplies.
Slow and steady progress was enough.
+2 Progress (3/10)
Bless nearby villages
29+38(Piety) = 67 < 60 Success
Spread the word of St. Trina
65+38(Piety) = 103 > 70 Success
Once again, you approached the villages. They could still use your help, and you needed them to be used to you. This time, you walked into a struggling village, and you could see the people were sickly and their fingers frostbitten. You could solve all of their problems with a wave of your hands, and despite how you wanted to bring your men in and help them, they would refuse. These mountain folk were reclusive; if you brought your people in to help, they would shun it.
So instead, you raised your hands above your hand and drew on that well of energy inside you. Golden light spilled forth, and wounds healed as energy poured from you. Mortal mages who attempted the same would have been drained dry in mere moments, but you weren't mortal; you weren't even a demigod. You were Empyrean, heir to your mother's throne, and as such, you were simply better.
Minutes later, the people who had been waiting for death roused themself. Fingers that were about to fall off were now unharmed and healthy pink, wounds from wild animals or mere scrabbling as they attempted to harvest wood healed as one man approached you.
"Who are you?" he asked in a hushed whisper. You merely smiled as you replied.
"I am St. Trina," you said, and as you spoke, a comforting noise emerged from your lips. The villagers wavered as slumber overtook them; it wasn't a spell you were casting. It was deeper than that, more primal. You used your nature as St. Trina, the goddess of sleep and small mercies, to send them to sleep. They would awake in a few minutes, fully rested and ready to restart their lives.
You turned and left. You had other villages to sway to and couldn't stay here all day.
DC for nearby villages lowered
Morale for recruited villagers will be higher
Godhood is a strange thing. You have a claim to your mother's throne; you have aims to claim it alongside your consort, even if your mind whispered that beautiful brilliant Ranni had perished, and your dream of her at your side would remain unfulfilled.
You ignored that and instead ruminated on godhood. You knew that among even demigods, you held great knowledge of Incantations. You developed some for your father and yet spurred the Golden Order when it wouldn't save your sister.
If you wanted to ascend to new heights and kindle that spark of godhood in your breast, you would need to focus on an aspect of yourself. You already had two, St. Trina and Miquella the Kind. The former had a small domain; she was a minor goddess, and people knew her. It would be easier to form a ladder with her. Yet she wasn't you, not in truth. She was only part of you, and a small one at that, born of your desire to stave off Outer Gods.
The other part was much larger, Miquella the Kind. You didn't have a true domain or even any worshippers that you could use to build a ladder. However, this part of you was bigger, and as such, despite the initial path being more arduous, it may be easier to remain fully you.
There was a third path; you had already formed St. Trina, so what was another side of you? It would be the hardest, but it would be purposeful, not like the accident that was St. Trina or the lived-in sense of Miquella. It would not be easy, and your followers would have a hard time, but perhaps you should kindle something new. In time, it might be best to cast aside the nascent portions of you to become a proper god.
You ruminated on those thoughts and eventually decided just what to do.
What aspect do you focus on?
[] [Piety] St Trina, goddess of sleep and small mercies
[] [Piety] Miquella the Kind, nascent god
[] [Piety] Some new side (Write in a name and domain)
[] [Piety] None; you will not kindle a specific part of you
Approach the Fire Monks
50+40(Diplomacy) = 90 > 90 Success
You approached one of the last free groups atop the mountain. You had talked to most of the others, and yet these monks resembled the Fire Giant you wanted to know. The Fire Monks seemed content to hold up in their fort, and you approached them to talk. You didn't know how they would react, so you were cautious.
"Greetings!" you shouted as you approached the castle. It had seen better years, yet the gates were pushed open for you. As you walked through the castle to the upper floors, you noticed the man kept a wary eye on you.
"Welcome to our fort," a man servilely said as he bowed deeply. Judging by the blood-red thorns pushed into his eyes, he was Guilty, yet he walked around this fort with the ease of somebody who had spent countless years here.
Noticing Something
11+29 = 40 < 60 Failure
You noticed the Fire Monks kept their distance, yet like the Guilty before them, something about you caused them to keep an eye on you. However, they turned away when you looked at them, returning to their work as you were led to the top of the castle.
There, you saw a taller man. Resting next to him was a massive shield—one made in the image of the Fire Giant. You knew they were connected, but you doubted the last of the Giants would be willing to talk with these people even if he was able. That means this man may be old, possibly older than you, surviving on through his devotion and the lack of Destined Death.
"Greetings, godling!" he boomed as he turned and faced you. You saw a gleam of the Fell God lurking with his eyes. It wasn't even close to the overwhelming presence of a nearly dead God that the fire Giant held. But enough exposure would warp all that touched even the barest embers of a God.
"Greetings, I am St. Trina," you replied. You didn't give him a curtsy even though your disguise may have required it. He may be a priest to a God, but you were a demigod. You would not show respect to another God's priest, and going by his grin, he knew that.
"I am Arghanthy, and I would request why I the blessing of Marika on you?" he asked; his voice softened slightly, but there was tension in it.
Hide what you know
1+29(Intrigue) = 30 < 70 Critical Failure!
You couldn't hold back the frown at that. You had hoped nobody up here would have been able to see that. As her child, you carried her blood in your veins, and to the discerning, they would be able to notice that—your name of St. Trina suppressed that to an extent, but this priest could clearly tell you were of her lineage.
"Very well," he stated as your mind raced. He then rose to his feet as he cleared his throat, "Seize her!" he shouted, his voice carrying the barest motes of the Fell God's power. You then noticed that Fire Monks had been slowly surrounding you, and the Guilty were raising staves topped with bloody red Glintstone.
"Perhaps you will have more to say when you are flensed by our God," Arghanthy stated as you refocused your attention on him, still keeping a wary eye on the others who were moving to attack
What do you do?
[] Attempt to flee (Intrigue check, Prowess if you fail)
[] Stand and fight (Prowess, easier than other Prowess checks)
[] Subdue them with St. Trina's Blessing (Piety check, Prowess if you fail)
-[] Slay them (Prowess check for how many you kill before they awaken)
-[] Flee (You will succeed; intrigue check to see how well you get away)
[] Charm them, compel their affection (Diplomacy, gain the effects of Charisma of Miquella for this check, Prowess if you fail)
-[] Recruit them (Gain 50 Fire Monks, 15 Guilty, and Arghanthy)
-[] Have them stay here (You can recruit them at any point)
--[] Do you tell them to do anything while they stay (Write in, if not told to do anything they will stockpile supplies)
[] Something else? (Write in, Arghanthy is not willing to talk)