You're introduced to a few people in the temple's front hall at that. Each of them has a similar story. Joerg, carpenter, lost a hand fighting and can't work his trade as well anymore. The Church of Shallya is feeding him as he learns to cut and corner and hammer one-handed. Denzel, soldier, who has no family and whose wounds cause him daily pain. He was driven to drink and on the streets until the Shallyans gave him a place to live and duties to perform. Geraldine... Has a child and no husband. She needed Shallya's support and comfort, and Shallya's church will give it to them because kindness is what they are for.
..this DOES make me feel better about the donations.
I mean, I was a
bit annoyed, but I couldn't really get ANGRY at being forced to make a donation for what was, in the end, a good cause. They didn't ask more than we could afford after all.
Thank you. I know it must sting, to give to others when you have such ambitions. I think it is worth it.
...I'm reminded of the words of Mordin from Mass Effect:
Mordin: i made a mistake. focused on big picture. big picture made of little pictures; too many variables. can't hide behind statistics. can't ignore new data…. my responsibility.
Or, in other words: Harold's dream are for the long term, but that doesn't make the short term less important. A Utopia in 50 years doesn't help a starving child today.
You don't know how to answer the goddess. There's a tangle in your chest - a resentment at the asking of sacrifice, the demands for so much money or none at all, vague fear at the interference of the divine seeming to work against you. You recall something you once read saying that the gods don't really care, that their true desires are alien, that their churches are a translation of something unknowable into human terms and every interaction with a mortal is a bit of a lie...
That's true. I don't see things the way you do. But I experience love all the same. I love all. It pains me when anything suffers and dies.
ah, what a heretical admission. And from a goddess herself!
Well, at least it seems like we DO have at least one goddess on our side.
You are trying to change the world for the right reasons. You see that the way things are is not acceptable, so you don't accept it. I am not shaped that way; I do the best I can with what I have, for I do not understand what you will create. I don't know if it Despair and poverty are murderers of potential. Where would you be, if your father were a commoner and your mother dead? ...I don't expect you to blindly follow me, to unconditionally love me. But you can pray to me if you need guidance. And I am grateful.
You feel like you're shaking. It's... True that you would not be doing anything of worth if you were a peasant farmer, rather than a noble heir. You might have gotten your own farm and parceled it out to four fields, if you somehow still had the knowledge you do now, but trying to do anything else at all would have been impossible. Can you trust Shallya? Perhaps the gods who have expressed their displeasure with you simply weren't for you, and Shallya is a better fit...
If you are so doubtful, perhaps think of it like this: Your mysterious inventions may advance my cause greatly, if they come to fruition, so I ought to ensure they do. I wish to remind you of kindness, and show kindness in return.
Wait. Why talk to you directly, instead of sending a message some other way, through the priesthood, even?
You wouldn't have believed it!
all true and reasonable.
Did the power of gods have anything to do with the strenght of their churches/the number of faithful? Because We have all reasons to spread the Church of Shallia in that case, to strenghten each other.
It seems like Shallia understands and appreciates the value of our inventions. It's just that she also understands and cares for the lives of people currently suffering, so she wouldn't be willing to ignore the second ones for far-off results.
Honestly that's not actually that inhuman. Focusing on the long term and ignoring completely the problems of today would, in many ways, actually be MORE inhuman.
...truly, Shallya is actually a pretty human/humane goddess. More all-loving and benevolent that actually humanly possible, but still not that far from our understanding.
Gained Vial of Healing Water! This sort of thing is usually a scam, but Shallya herself gave it to you...
...we basically got an Elixir, a Panacea.
Assured healing for one person.
This is something we HAVE to keep secret until we decide we need it!
Maybe we could use it on our family, one day. Maybe the king or a powerful noble/merchant will fall ill and we could use this to gain his favour.
Or, maybe, this could save US one day.
[] Runa Kalenbal. The youngest daughter of the newly-raised Count of Kalenbal would tie you to a man who is absolutely rich with ransoms and booty at the moment, and who has an excellent reputation for glory and power. A potent ally, but possibly a distant one and certainly one you don't know anything about personally. Runa is apparently an architect, which is intriguing.
[] Nathalie Franzen. One of the Count of Franzen's granddaughters- A different one than the pious girl you didn't really get along with. You've already met the Count and know his (claimed) aims lie in improving the power of the nobility in general. He has a good reputation and a location deep in the center of Veschwar. You think the family would expect you to help with their political schemes, but that's a small price for a reliable ally. Nathalie plays the harp, apparently.
[] Piper Gerri. While Franz Gerri, the heir presumptive to the name, somehow infuriates you with his very presence, they are your immediate neighbors to the south and a marriage would secure an alliance. There are all sorts of ways close-by allied houses can help each other where distant ones cannot. Your wife could handle all the diplomacy with the family, hopefully. She is said to be quite attractive.
[] Anastriana Whitehall, second child of a Baroness. Byers' Notes: She simply adores the old Duke of Destruction's books, so she's actually already heard of you - lucky for you! Something to talk about! She likes fighting rather more than you do, but I don't think that's a problem. Perhaps the opposite really - A bit like your mother. But in a good way, not an awkward one.
[] Lucille Fairsol, the second-youngest child of a Viscount. Byers' Notes: This one would be good for you, I think. She's such a sweetheart, all her friends and servants adore her. I think she'd do a wonderful job of keeping you and yours working at their best. She follows Shallya as well, and with your recent inspiration to their cause that's a great foundation for better things!
[] Estrella Burke, a distant relation to Lord Governor Burke. Byers' Notes: I hope you can ignore the inconvenient relation. Rest assured, she is second cousin to the Lord Governor and not particularly aligned to him. But Este has a certain drive to her that reminds me of you and is always talking about economics things I don't understand but you'd probably love.
[] Nivri Stronrinaid, a Knight in her own right, second of her line, childless and unmarried. Byers' Notes: She has a mind as sharp as yours for mathematics and the like, I'd wager - too bad she keeps running into the most terrible prejudice, being foreign. Yes, yes, she's a bit older and not the most friendly sort, but I think she'd be fascinated by your weird windmill, so that's a starting point.
mh.. all good prospects.
I'd avoid number 3 (no reason to tie ourselves to someone we can't stand (the Gerri heir)), but other than that I'm basically interested in all the other 6.
Beekeeping [0/6]
The old ideas for specialized hives to attract bees has returned, as well as methods to extract the honey without hurting the bees too much or letting them sting. They would be relatively simple to perfect and construct, which could make beekeeping a nice side project, and honey would be a luxury good you could sell for a high price on par with your little Vodka distillery.
Bessemer Process [0/??25+??] [Rare]
You'll call it something else, of course. This 'Bessemer' is apparently the one who invented a way to mass-produce steel. Steel - Iron treated just so that it becomes harder and more durable than almost any other metal in the world. A way to produce large amounts of steel is the key to all manner of things. Your first attempt will be crude, but this research is clearly of very high importance - not to mention likely to be extremely profitable.
..yeah, we CAN'T allow the Bessemer Process to pass unnoticed. We have TWO iron mines, so it's directly VERY relevant to us. Maybe we could even buy more iron mines, to ensure a source of raw ore for us.
And Beekeeping, in the meantime, gives us a relatively simple side-project to continue raise our income.
