I blinked away the tears from my eyes as the Dungeon faded away like a watercolor left out in the rain. Amazingly, I had not reappeared within the hidden chapel, but had been teleported outside the old tomb within Celemor Hill graveyard. A glance inside the tomb confirmed that the sarcophagus once again covered the hidden stairs. So much for salvaging those mana stones.
I sat upon the ground beside the sarcophagus with a sigh. I was tired physically, mentally and emotionally. There was a pain in my heart when I thought of Amara and Eliana long dead and long forgotten. I understood the dungeon had only been the shadow of a memory, but to me they had been alive and I had helped them, hadn’t I?
“I changed their fates, but only within the Dungeon. Did I do your will, Gods of Aramyr? Did I do as you desired me to do?” I had to put such thoughts aside for now as I needed to come up with an excuse for arriving home past my curfew. Sergeant Tofford might at this very moment be out looking for me and there would be repercussions for that. First, I might as well take a few minutes to look over my Status and the notifications since I was already late.
Several soul windows opened at once, some layering over others as if desperate to gain my attention.
“Wait wait!” I held up my hands and experienced a feeling similar to having my mana bottom out once again, but this time it was from information overload!
You have been offered the Life Mender Class by the Goddess Mir! As a Life Mender of Mir, you are eligible for the following benefits: +3 WIS per level, +1 PER per level. Faith Domain: Life. Spells: Minor Heal, Antidote.
“Priest classes,” I breathed. Shortly after I had begun my studies at Saint Ioven’s one of the Acolyte Monks, a Brother Sark, had taken his vows to serve the Light and become a Priest. I didn’t witness it myself, but as a part of receiving a Priest class, one had to kneel or prostrate oneself before an altar to the Gods with a Bishop present and await the Gods’decision. Sometimes it took minutes, sometimes it took hours or even days, but Brother Sark after two hours was offered classes from both Ord and Mir. Naturally, he chose to serve Ord and became a Chanter.
“I suppose completing the dungeon means I get to skip the altar kneeling part?
Wait. I don’t want to offend the other Gods who have also offered me a class. I should carefully consider each one. I looked over at a soul window outlined in green first, my curiosity burning a hole in my mind.
You have been offered the Forest Warden Class by Eui! As a Forest Warden of Eui, you are eligible for the following benefits: +1 DEX per level, +2 CON per level, +1 WIS per level. Faith Domain: Earth. Spells: Innervate, Oak Arms.
It stole some of the elation I felt about being given so many choices for classes that there was so much I didn’t know or understand. Would Brother Obel have understood any of this? The Forest Warden seemed interesting if not necessarily a healing type class at face value, but what was really strange was that I had never before prayed to Eui. I may have impressed her in the dungeon, but why would she care about me? I knew the monks at Saint Ioven’s would have told me not to take it. If anything, it would have been scandalous that the son of the Duke of Ordheim would even be offered a class by one of the Elemental Pantheon! I almost didn’t want to look any of the purple Soul Windows, for I had an uneasy feeling I knew which Pantheon they were from. I looked at the first one.
You have been offered the Umbral Seeker Class by the God Wik! As an Umbral Seeker of Wik, you are eligible for the following benefits: +1 STR per level, +1 CON per level, +1 WIS per level, +1 INT per level. Faith Domain: Vengeance. Spells: Minor Bane Strike, Lesser Shadow Leech.
I don’t know how long I had been holding my breath, but I let it all out in loud rush. “Ord’s Mercy!” Wik himself had also offered him a class. A God often in direct conflict with Ord and the Light. A Greater Power of Shadow. Why was Wik offering me such an obviously powerful class? Surely my actions in the Dungeon had done nothing to honor him beyond making use of his spell? I quickly scanned the rest of the windows.
You have been offered the Fehu Maw Class by the God Gor! As a Fehu Maw of Gor, you are eligible for the following benefits: +2 STR per level, +1 CHA per level, +1 WIS per level. Faith Domain: Blood. Spells: Command Minor Beast, Minor Blood Leeches.
You have been offered the Arcane Libram Class by the God Cel! As an Arcane Libram of Cel, you are eligible for the following benefits: +3 INT per level, +1 PER per level. Faith Domain: Mana. Spells: Minor Mana Tap, Blessed Tome.
You have been offered the Sanctuary Deacon Class by the God Qas! As a Sanctuary Deacon of Qas, you are eligible for the following benefits: +3 CON per level, +1 WIS per level. Faith Domain: Structure. Spells: Lesser Confession, Lesser Barrier of Light.
Aside from the classes offered by Gor, Lord of Beasts, Sul, God of Chance and Cel, God of Magic which rounded out the classes offered by the Shadow Pantheon, Qas the God of Builders had offered him a class as did Tek and Hul. Four out of five of the Light Pantheon wasn’t bad. Had Ord an altar in that hidden chapel, would he have offered me a spell and a class too?
“Great Gods of Aramyr, I am unworthy of this favor you have shown me! I will consider each of them equally.” Hopefully that buys me some time to think things over.
***The Gods Gor and Wik have amended their Class offerings!***
“Wha…what?” My jaw dropped as another two Soul Windows opened, each one overlapping the previous classes both Gor and Wik had sent me.
You have been offered the Ancestral Shaman Class by the God Gor! An Advanced Class offered to those who have gone beyond Level 10! As an Ancestral Shaman, you are eligible for the following benefits: +3 STR per level, +2 CHA per level, +2 WIS per level. Faith Domain: Blood. Spells: Blighted Rune, Bestial Invigoration.
Note: This will permanently combine your Holy Mana with the Blood Affinity.
You have been offered the Shadow Cardinal Class by the God Wik! An Advanced Class offered to those who have gone beyond Level 10! As a Cardinal of Shadow, you are eligible for the following benefits: +2 STR per level, +2 CON per level, +3 WIS per level, +1 INT per level, +1 PER per level. Faith Domain: Vengeance. Spells: Shadow Scythe, Blood Leech.
Note: This will permanently combine your Holy Mana with the Shadow Affinity.
“Oh Gods, what is this?” I dropped down to my knees, mindless of the additional filth I was getting on my clothes. I slowly keeled over upon the cold stone ground and drew my knees up to my chest into a fetal position. “What is this?” I asked again. I let out several breaths before I could sit up again. I didn’t look at the windows, but waited for my heart to stop racing. I needed to be logical and calm.
“Wait a moment!” I pulled up several of the notifications I had received during the dungeon and scanned the ones regarding Faction gains. My hunch was right. I had not gained a single Faction point with Gor at all? So why then was he offering me an even more powerful class? I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I was beginning to wonder if the Ordite Priests were right about the Gods of the Shadow Pantheon. Were they only bent upon their own power and glory? Did they care little for the mortals they manipulated with their machinations and violent dogmas? They may seek to use me in that way, I thought. Tempt me with power. Well, I would not be so easily bought and be led astray from the Light!
“You have to make a decision now, don’t you?” I whispered. I wasn’t alone. I could feel the eyes of the Gods upon me. They must be watching and waiting to see what I would decide. Both Gor and Wik had changed their initial class offerings and offered better ones! Nothing like this had ever happened before, at least to my knowledge. Gor wasn’t even a God widely worshipped in Ordheim, let alone Aramyr. His followers were mostly amongst the Barbarian tribes scattered across the Northern Continent and the Eastern Plains of Ourenmar across the Orichalcum Sea. Wik, on the other hand, was widely worshipped, but his Church was insular and selective. To be given such an important sounding class by the God of Vengeance…I couldn’t imagine this was normal.
From the moment I learned my father had intended me for the Merchant Class, I had poured over every book about how Classes were obtained and how they were structured. Admittedly, I had not delved too deeply into Priest classes, but I did know how one received them. I also knew how other Classes were achieved by those seeking power and purpose.
Fighter classes were gained when one learned martial skills through consistent practice or by working with trainers. The weapons you chose, the armors, the stances-it all had an effect upon the class choices a Fighter received. Same with Mage hopefuls with what initial spells they focused upon and so forth with Scouts and the rest. How classes were offered for Priests, however? It was always two-fold: which Gods would accept your service and which class did those higher powers felt suited you as your Primary class. It never changed. Literal centuries of research said so. One wasn’t offered Bishop or any other advanced class until one was at least Level 10 and had proven themselves as deserving an upgraded class. Why was this time different?
“I suppose I should be happy none of the other monks are here. They would all be having meltdowns over an unaffiliated being offered so many classes. What would father say if I came home tonight as a Shadow Cardinal of the Church of Wik!” Would he be pleased or angry? My Mother would certainly be upset, the devoted Ordite that she was. Then again, it was no one else’s decision but mine, wasn’t it? Perhaps I was looking at this all wrong. I needed to stop thinking about what my family would think and start considering what this meant for the rest of my life. Classes were, after all, a lifetime decision. One had to be prepared to make sacrifices once the decision was made and it could not be reversed.
I turned back to the soul windows. All the classes were impressive and powerful, especially those offered by Gor and Wik. They were the first ones I easily set aside. Why? For the very reason I had just worked out. I wasn’t ready to jump into an advanced class and serving Wik or Gor? Oh, I knew it would lead me to power. But no. Just no. I wanted to help others, not dominate them.
Sul was a Shadow God who was even more secretive than Wik, and few outside his worshippers even knew how to locate his Church, his Priests or even how many there were of either. Thieves were his main source of worshippers and gamblers made a habit of asking for either his favor or his mercy. He had offered me the Epistle Vaultsmith class which sounded more underhanded than what I cared to pursue. I am no thief.
That left me with the other Gods of Light, Cel God of Magic and the Forest Warden choices. I narrowed it down even further by setting aside Tek and Hul. Tek worshippers have an unhealthy fascination with Arithmetic and Geometry, which I already struggled with while studying my least favorite Treasurer profession and the idea of sitting in a temple with a bunch of bespectacled old wise men discussing the beauty of numbers until I was as old and bent as they was highly unappealing.
Hul was a bit of a mystery. He was the God I knew least about, save that he was the God of Beggars and Wanderers. The class he offered me, Hermit, sounded lonely and more like a punishment than a calling. I doubted my family would appreciate it if I suddenly left home to go live in a cave somewhere.
I also disregarded Qas and Cel. Priests of Qas were primarily found in the Holy Land and upon the battlefield. They provided bonuses to siege weapon building speed and the reinforcement of protective wards and seals. I had no aversion to the Holy Land and had always wanted to see it, but had never had much interest in architecture and blessing trebuchets wasn’t for me.
Priests of Cel were the stewards of magical tomes, enchanted items and dungeon theory. I had always likened them to Librarian Mages with less interesting magic, but again, my knowledge was limited and I was likely doing them a disservice. Still, I knew my father would absolutely hate it. The Duke of Ordheim despised Mages.
So that left me with Mir from the Light Pantheon who was well known as the Goddess of Healing and had a modest following across Aramyr. They were also known as the least martial of the Church of Light. Her Order of Paladins were known as Hospitalers who operated and protected houses of healing. In the Holy Land, they undertook quests to protect innocents rather than engaging in direct conflicts. It would have been surprising to see a Hospitaler in a dungeon group or leading a charge into a squad of Elves, for instance.
I wasn’t trying to talk myself out of the Light Mender class, but if one were to take a journey out to one of the many small towns in the countryside often referred to as ‘starter’ towns by adventurers, chances are one would find that small country town had an old chapel overseen by a priest of Mir. It was the ‘safe’ choice.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Eui, on the other hand, was an unknown entity to me. The Elemental Pantheon? One of my old tutors, Eustace, had an interesting way of describing them to me once:
The Elemental Pantheon, or rather, the ‘Aether Entities’ as the Synod of 611 under Pope Randolphus VIII named them, are not so much ‘Gods’ as they are elemental existences. There is no hierarchy amongst them, nor are they particularly involved in the great struggle that rages eternally between Heaven and Hell. Moreover, the ones who serve them, these so-called Druids, Grovekeepers and the like allow one from any land and any race to join them! Chaos and inconsistency! I, for one, need only step into a Church of Ord and immediately feelings of safety and security settle upon my soul. I am saved!
Eustace had always been a bit over the top in some of his lectures. However, he had given names to the four principal beings of the Elemental Pantheon. Pyr, Aqa, Una and Eui. I recalled that Earth was Eui’s domain and that she was sometimes worshiped by farmers out along the edges of the Duchy of Ordheim. Other than that? It was all rumor and conjecture. As far as what her followers did or what was expected of them, I knew less than nothing. The Forest Warden? Some sort of protector of nature, perhaps? I have to admit, there was something exciting about the idea of jumping into the unknown with an entity of suspect intentions. However, that isn’t who I am.
I reached out a hand to select the Life Mender class, but just as my finger was about to touch the soul window there was a ripple of energy that caused me to draw back.
Mir has withdrawn her Class selection!
“What? Why?” My finger hovered mid-air and I was at a loss. Had I done something to offend the Goddess? “I didn’t mean to imply ‘safe choice’ was the wrong choice, Great Goddess!”
A new soul window opened, this one bigger than the rest and outlined in red. It flickered in an out of existence as if fighting to remain open.
“Great Goddess, have you amended your Class as well? I am unworthy of such…” I gasped. What I beheld made no sense. This was not possible!
Majority Consensus Obtained!
You have been offered the Prophet Class by a majority consensus of available Powers! An Ultra Rare class that combines Holy Mana with the Fate affinity. Suitable for any level, as a Prophet you are eligible for the following benefits: +2 Green Nodes per level. Faith Domain: Fate. Spells: (see Faction Web).
Note: This will permanently combine Holy Mana with the Fate Affinity.
“I can just ignore this.” My voice trembled. “It’s my choice. I don’t have to choose any of this.” Yet I couldn’t ignore how I had just been offered a class I had never heard of before. Was this Mir’s doing? Faith Skills that could only be unlocked with Shards of Ara? Considered the dungeon reward I had only just received, this could be no coincidence.
It isn’t like me to question the motivations of beings greater than I, but I assumed it was Mir who had granted me access to the Weak Cleanse ability. A spell so strong that it made me question why Mir’s Priesthood were considered bumpkins and “country” priests. The only other explanation was that it was not one of Mir’s spells. If not, then whose? Also, what in Ord’s name was a Node and why did this class not offer attribute bonuses like the others? Compared to some of the others it seemed…weak.
Prophet
The Prophet is an Ultra Rare ranked class and can only be selected if a majority of all active Divine Entities sponsor a chosen subject. The Prophet is a seeker of a deeper understanding of the destinies of others. The class has no given spells or abilities, but will often attract opportunities for unique growth through FATE skills the Prophet can potentially unlock. This is further offset by the Faction Web Terminal, which grants access to the spells and abilities of other active Divine Entities.
“There is a lot to unpack here.” I read through what the Prophet class offered. An ‘understanding of destiny?’ “Eliana gave me a Shard of Ara as a quest reward. No, this can’t be a coincidence!” I took out the shard and rolled it between my fingers. Absorbing this shard was the way the Prophet Class obtained skills. So would this shard grant me Fate Domain skill?The light within it flickered and I felt a strong desire to know more about it. Choosing this class might give me the answers I sought about my own purpose in Aramyr. If only Ord would grant me some sign as well!
I had been brought to this world for a reason and for fifteen years I had lived a relatively easy life. I wasn’t so foolish as to not recognize the danger involved in whatever decision I made. Aramyr was a world filled with uncertainty in many respects and Class holders were the ones who protected others against those uncertainties. I was no warrior. I didn’t want to fight or harm anybody. I held up the shard close to my eye and stared at the light within.
“I do want to help others, though,” I whispered. “I want to be a Priest.” It mattered very much which God, however. It would matter to my family, to my future and even to the world as I became someone who wielded power for a cause, but a cause I believed in. What would my cause be? As I gazed into the light within the shard, I thought of Amara and Eliana and I gained my answer.
“My cause will be to bring hope.” I selected Prophet.
WARNING! You are selecting a Class which falls outside of programmed parameters! Accessing archival data! Selecting this Class will awaken previously redundant systems and may overwrite current systems! This will draw the attention of ESXJE8rf}9W0! Do you wish to proceed? Yes/No ?
I understood very little of the gibberish, save that some of the words were presented again in the language of my previous life. I had made my decision, however, and selected the affirmative.
I felt nothing at first, but then a warmth began to spread starting from the center of my chest and settling into nevery part of my body. Then the warmth became a pulse that continued to grow in strength with every heartbeat. I shut my eyes and took deep breaths allowing the changes to happen. It was a different sensation to what I had experienced with the altars. That time it had felt like being probed by several different sets of fingers. Now, it was like I was being held within one mighty hand and being squeezed until I couldn’t breathe until it finally relaxed only to repeat the process. Finally, it was over.
Congratulations! Aramyr welcomes a new Prophet! Archival Systems activated! As this Class has been out of circulation for {X} some systems may require additional resources. You have been granted access to the FACTION WEB TERMINAL that will require you to activate WEB NODES to grant access to those spells and abilities gained through reputation benchmarks with Active Divinities. STATUS has been updated.
*Note: Holy Mana has been combined with the Fate Affinity creating Holy Fate Mana.
**Note: It is recommended that until all systems come fully online that the Class Holder maintains anonymity amongst the Seeded Lands.
Several other notification windows blinked before my eyes, but I had become accustomed to willing them aside and I did so now. My mind was troubled. I no longer felt alone. In fact, I could feel the gazes of powerful beings upon me. I didn’t understand what a ‘faction web terminal’ or ‘Seeded Lands’ were, but on the other hand, there were things to celebrate. I could already feel the presence of the subspace that was my new Inventory. Finally attaining a class filled me with a renewed sense of purpose and hope. Eagerly, I checked my updated Status.
Name: Kenric Ordheim
Class: Prophet
Level: 1 (4900 Experience Points Banked)
Title: 4th Son of the Earl of Ordheim, Squire of Eastcheap Manor
Divine Domains: Fate
Attributes
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 5
Constitution: 4
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 7
Perception: 5
Charisma: 6
Fate Domain Skills:
Lore Sight (requires Shard of Ara to activate)
Spells:
(see Faction Web Terminal)
Equipped:
Weapon: Warden’s Staff
Body: Noble’s Attire (Gray)
Legs: Noble’s Leggings (Blue)
Feet: Boots of Blight Warding
Back: Noble’s Cloak-Hooded (Brown)
Inventory: Personal Satchel
Currency: 1 Silver, 26 Copper
I frowned. All the spells I had been granted within the Dungeon were now gone and it looked like I needed to learn more by finding out about the Faction Web Terminal. Before I explored that question, there were other notifications to handle.
You have selected Ara’s Memory for +10 Wisdom added permanently!
The quest reward for aiding Amara in fulfilling her oath had been spectacular. Finding out which reward was the best choice for me was also a no-brainer. Wisdom was a Priest’s primary stat and if I wanted my Holy spells to have more of an effect then I needed to increase it as much as possible. Also, a higher Wisdom meant an increase to my mana regeneration and that meant less backing out of combat. I didn’t feel the ten point difference, but I trusted I would when the time came. Next, I opened the notifications I had received after I chose my new class. These were a bit more interesting, but I felt a growing sense of confusion as I read through them.
SUL is disappointed in your decision and will not grant you quests and skills unless you build reputation with her further. -100 Faction
Current Reputation: Neutral
TEK honors your decision and will grant you quests and skills should you build reputation with him further. +50 Faction
Current Reputation: Neutral
HUL honors your decision and will grant you quests and skills should you build reputation with him further. +50 Faction
Current Reputation: Neutral
QAS honors your decision and will grant you quests and skills should you build reputation with him further. +50 Faction
Current Reputation: Neutral
EUI accepts your decision and may still grant you quests and skills should you build your reputation with the Elemental Pantheon further. +10 Faction
Current Reputation: Neutral
WIK is angry with your decision and will not grant you quests and skills unless you build your reputation with him further. -100 Faction
Current Reputation: Mistrusted
GOR is furious with your decision and will not grant you quests and skills unless you work hard to build your reputation with him further. His servants will attack you on sight! -450 Faction
Current Reputation: Hated
CEL is ambivalent to your decision and may still grant you quests and skills should you build your reputation with her further. +10 Faction
Current Reputation: Neutral
This was far from typical. I had never heard of any Priest being able to gain faction with more than one God. Let alone power from multiple divine sources. Upon the subject of gaining or losing Faction itself, I reasoned I had to complete tasks pleasing to a God’s divine sensibilities to gain it and directly oppose their dogma to lose it. Perhaps this was something unique to the Prophet class?
I had made Gor angry with my rejection of his classes and I hadn’t gained any faction points with him while in the dungeon. Now his followers were going to try to kill me on sight? This was a bit upsetting. I wondered if there was something I could do to appease him? Perhaps a generous donation to his temple? Not like I would find any in Ordheim since they had been banned from the city, but I knew that the northern barbarian tribes venerated him. Sometimes their clan traders came to Ordheim to do business. I could always ask some of them for advice.
Then there was the other part of the notification. They might still grant me quests and skills if I built my reputation with them further? The more and more I thought about it, the more I was certain this wasn’t a normal occurrence. I didn’t understand it, but the Gods had singled me out for some purpose. I wasn’t yet sure if that was a good thing or not.
I turned next to my Status as I had Experience Points I could use to level up and I was interested to see what Prophet was capable of.
Name: Kenric Ordheim
Class: Prophet
Title: 4th Son of the Duke of Ordheim, Squire of Eastcheap Manor
Level: 1 (4900 XP available)
Divine Domain: Fate
Attributes
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 5
Constitution: 4
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 17
Perception: 5
Charisma: 6
Skills:
Lore Sight (Inactive)
Spells:
(None)
Looking upon my Status, there was now a Tab for said Fate Web Terminal. With equal amounts of trepidation and curiosity, I willed it open. I beheld what looked like, for all intents and purposes, a spider’s web with a central node that read Prophet. Most of it was hidden behind a fog, but what I could see within the first tier of webs were uneven lines riddled with green nodes. These nodes were circular and varied in sizes, but some bore the names of spells I immediately recognized.
There, along one line of web that began with a small node reading MIR was the spell Minor Heal. This part of the web was lit up and I noticed that it was selectable as I already had enough Faction standing with Mir to purchase the node and therefore receive her first available spell once I leveled up and received my first node points.
“Yes! I see now!” I exclaimed. A separate soul window opened over the Web Terminal, which gave a more in-depth explanation of what I had already figured out.
Faction Web Terminal
By gaining faction with a Divine Entity, you may proceed down that entities’ Ability path and select those skills, spells and bonuses that entity provides. Advanced nodes can only be unlocked if prerequisite nodes are unlocked first along the path. Nodes are unlocked by gaining Faction Points. Nodes are unlocked through leveling up, quest rewards or defeating certain enemies in Aramyr. Unlocking higher tier abilities/nodes can only be done through furthering Faction gain with entities, either through spreading their faith, completing quests or interacting with the world in ways which please said Divine Entities. NOTE: Some interactions while pleasing to some entities may displease others! Your actions have consequences!
“Alright, I think I understand a little better now. I just need to follow the will of the Gods and they will reward me as they did in the dungeon with faction points. Gaining enough points will unlock better spells and skills from those Gods, which I can then learn if I have the correct color node points available. Or at least that’s how I’m currently understanding it.” Each God had their own Web path to follow, but as one pulled back, as I learned to do so by willing it as I would on any Status Tab, I could see that the outer Web was grayed out. For the moment, I could only see most of the Gods’ first tier only. However, the entirety of Ord’s Faction path was completely grayed out and couldn’t currently be accessed. I couldn’t even see what spells or skills he offered.
Well, there was understanding and there was doing, but I no longer wanted to sit next to an old tomb in a graveyard figuring this stuff out. I still had other questions, like what was the difference between Holy Mana and Divine Mana? Now wasn’t the time to answer those questions since I was feeling a strange tingling at the back of my brain that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
The light rain had stopped and the Moon was high in the sky. I estimated it was about an hour from Matins. Strange, to me it had felt like I had been in that dungeon for far longer than I had apparently. Perhaps my father would not be too put out. I felt better for this revelation, yet I was concious of the fact that something was still wrong. Something was off. I slowly turned to glance behind me at the graveyard and swallowed the lump in my throat. The area seemed darker than what was natural and strange green witch-lights became visible amongst the graves, different from the one which had led me to the tomb a few hours previous. I heard a deep moan echo from somewhere within the graveyard.
“Ord’s mercy, what now?” I breathed. “What have I awakened with my fiddling?” My question was answered moments later when a skeletal hand burst forth from the ground uncomfortably close by. It clawed at the air as if it could snatch the very sky as other graves trembled from moving earth and falling tombstones. The dead of Celemor Hill had awoken!
