“Come closer, my boy. My sight isn’t as good as in my younger days.” The old dwarf said.

Horn still couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The priest seemed to be made entirely out of wrinkles. Even his wrinkles had wrinkles. He was almost a head smaller than Horn, with a long white robe covering his frail body. His beard, nearly the length of hair, reached his belt. It was snow-white, combined with a pleasant warm smile. It gave him a saintly look.

“Oh yes, now I see you. You’re quite young to be a Chieftain, aren’t you? I remember when I was your age. The adventures, the loot, and the ladies! Once, with Trovil and Hurtard, we’ve found a cave filled with…” The priest said.

Horn listened for a few minutes as the dwarf spun an incredible tale. He was sure half of what he said was impossible. Finally, with his patients at the end, he interrupted, “Incredible story, but can we first get to the shrine? Also, are you the priest I’ve requested?”

“Oh youths, always hurrying somewhere. Alas, I’m Godfrey Ironarm, the priest of Fortuna, the lady of luck, patron of cities and clans. A pleasure to meet you, young Chieftain.”

Accepting the handshake, Horn introduced himself, then asked. “Fortuna? What other gods are there? Why were you summoned? I haven’t chosen a deity for a shrine yet.”

“It’s of no matter. My choice was made long ago. Yours is not yet predestined. You’ll have to find your own deity. May my lady’s shine keep with you, young one.”

“I see. What can you tell me about the gods?”

“Oh, not much. I’m just a lowly servant of one of them, but I can tell you a tale.” Godfrey said while sitting at a nearby stone.

“At the beginning of the time, there were only two gods. No one knows where they came from, but till this day, they are worshiped. Mighty Caelum – the all-father, and his spouse Gaia – the mother. As he created the sky, she made the Nexus. Time passed, and they became lonely. So they created their children, the ones we call gods. There were hundreds of them, and for time - they prospered. But like their parents, they grew lonely, so they created us in their visage. Each made a tribe, and the tribes prospered again. But as time passed, the gods became bored. They plotted and schemed, their people fought, and the peace was broken.”

The dwarf took a break, the story visibility tiring him. He swiped his forehead before continuing, “The Nexus was endangered. The worshipers took more and more out of it. Magic and faith rampaged through the lands and seas. Finally, as the tribe of the Betrayer tried to summon a being beyond its power, Caelum and Gaia intervened. Their child was cast out, his worshipers erased from the face of the Nexus. Seeing the destruction their children brought to the world, they decided to put the stop to that. So ended the age of Gods.”

“New rules bound their children, forbade them from directly interfering in the matters of their people. Magic and Faith were bound by the rules we see today. The classes and skills were born. The excess energies of the world were turned into the system governing over all of us.”

“However, the biggest changes came to the gods. Done was their freedom. Their existence was tied to worshipers. From them, they gained and lost their power. The gods had to declare their allegiance, as the three pantheons were created. The Sky pantheon followed Caelum. They were the keepers of the new order. The pantheon of Nexus followed the mother. They pledged to free will, to each their own. Finally, the third pantheon has chosen their own path, the path of balance, maintaining of the world created by their parents.”

“The age of Kings began. Nations rose and fell. Wars were fought, science and trade flourished. The tribes built empires explored the world. The age of heroes, the golden age, some say. Despite conflicts, monsters, and inequality. The Nexus prospered, but all have to end.”

“The Betrayer returned from his banishment. He brought with him the corruption. At first, he was unnoticed, spreading his tendril through the world and corrupting his sisters and brothers. Before the truth was revealed, almost a third of the gods were on his side. The corruption itself was out of this world. Where did it come from? No one knows. Once under its influence, one forgets his roots. Chasing power was all that was left in his mind. Like a tide, it swept through nations, growing and consuming everything on its path.”

“The remaining gods tried fighting it, but they failed. They pleaded to their parents, but no answer came. Finally, the gods of the balance came up with a scheme to save them all. So began the shortest, yet probably the most important age – the age of Soul Well.”

“With a great effort, thousand of archways were created. All remaining gods worked side by side, old conflicts forgotten in the face of annihilation. The web was created and, with it, salvation for their people. As in the previous ages, the existence of the god depended on his faithful, hence saving the populace would save the gods themselves.”

“The great exodus began, but there wasn’t enough time nor gateways for everyone. So the gods again fought against each other, tribe against tribe, in a desperate bid to escape the dying world. Millions of their followers perished, hundreds of gods followed them, and the Betrayer laughed. The dwarf finished. With each death, his strength grew. With each corrupted soul, his power soared. As the last days of the old world began, he challenged his parents. What happened, no one knows, but the world is still here, and if the Soul Wells activated, then the corruption is no more.”

Horn stood there for a moment, his adepts behind him, each digesting the story of old. Finally, he said, “Incredible story, Godfrey. Thank you for sharing it. Shall we proceed to the shrine?”

“Of course, young Chieftain.” The dwarf nodded.

They went in silence. Horn was digesting the story, it seemed simple, yet it was told in such a way it resonated with something in him. Maybe it was due to his experiences in the exodus? The fight against orcish hordes? He saw the whole nation escaping the dying world.

Without noticing, they arrived at a freshly built shrine. It wasn’t impressive, an example of modest dwarvish architecture. A rectangular stone building, with an altar at the far wall on a small raised platform. There were no special markings or decorations. The only feat of engineering was a skylight. Despite being only a few feet wide, the composition of a polished stone dispersed the light, giving the whole place good coverage.

“Touch the altar, Chieftain, and find your destiny,” Godfrey said, sitting on one of the stone benches lining the shrine.

Horn did as soon as his hand touched the stone. His vision flared with light. A second later, his sight returned, but he wasn’t in a shrine anymore.

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He stood in a massive plaza. The court was surrounded by three massive buildings. They were opened from the front, inside he saw hundreds of columns, each surrounding a statue. Most were dark, but a few emanated a delicate light. The constructions were so enormous that their back disappeared in the thick barrier of the gray mist. Dust covered mosaic at his feet, unreadable under the thick layer of grime.

He wanted to investigate, but before he could take a step, he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

“Took you a while.” Adrianna Tyche said,

Turning around, he saw her, just like after the first part of the challenge. Clad in battle armor with a great sword poking over her shoulder. “Was a busy few weeks. What brings you here? Still traveling the world? Or whatever is this place?”

“You remembered. Good! Indeed, I’m still keeping watch over the Nexus. Its first days are hectic. People perish, but new are summoned to the world. New cities appear, and old mysteries are uncovered. It is quite a spectacle. And here? It’s the old gathering of gods. Around you are the three houses, three houses of the three pantheons. As you can see, they weren’t used in a long time.”

“So there are no gods anymore to choose from?”

“Oh, there are. The old priest told you the truth. You just have to understand it.”

Horn frowned, not understanding the woman. He went back through the story. “I’m not sure what you mean. The dwarf said that the god's existence was tied to worship-“ He stopped mid-word, finally connecting the dots.

He saw her nodding with a smile.

“So I’ll be able to choose which god comes back?”

“Yes, you will. There are a few present already, a few others never left, and a few have, let’s say - special circumstances. Still, whoever you choose, their power will grow just like yours.”

“Can I choose only one?”

“For now, but no one believes only in a single thing, don’t they?”

“What about you? Are you one of the goddesses in this game?”

“No, I’m not a game goddess.”

“Are you a g-“ A loud Caw interrupted him. He turned around to see a massive raven sitting on top of one of the buildings. It looked at him like it measured his soul. He felt that sight. It wasn’t unpleasant, just alien. Shaking his head, he turned back towards Adrianna, only to see her gone. There wasn’t a trace of her left, not even a footprint in the thick dust.

Turning back to the animal, he also saw it gone, like it never existed. “Am I getting crazy? What the hell is going on?!” He exclaimed.

No reply came.

“So either it’s all an elaborate prank, or my mind is playing with me. Let’s get done with that.” He muttered.

He approached the building on which the Raven was sitting. Inside was lighted by several statutes, with dozens if not hundreds more unlit, just standing there in the darkness. He approached the closest one, and as he came closer, he saw a notification appearing.

Njord – Worshiped by Elanti people – the patron of lake cities, shipbuilders, and fishermen. Member of the balance pantheon. Choosing him will grant you the following boons:

1. The construction of any vessels will be 30% faster.

2. The speed and durability of your fleets will be 20% higher.

3. Unlock special blessings: Divine Fish School, Blessed Winds, Naglfar

Horn knew it wasn’t a choice for him, but he still watched the statue in front. The man seemed almost alive. With a trident in one hand, a net in the other. Clad in what Horn could only guess was armor made out of a coral. One part of the statue was unnerving, its face, or rather lacked it. A shape of the head was there, but nothing more. A blank slate stared back at Horn.

Taking a step back, he saw hundreds more statues just like the first one, clad in different clothing but faceless. As he approached the next one, this one was dark. He saw a prompt.

Freyr – Not Worshiped – the patron of fertility, prosperity, and summer. Member of the balance pantheon. Choosing him will grant you the following boons:

1. Increased yields from all farms by 20%

2. Increased fertility of your people.

3. Unlock special blessings: Be Fruitful and Multiply, Clear Skies, Blessed Growth

As Freyr isn’t a tribe worshiped god, being first to bring him back will yield you additional Faith points. You will be able to construct the Divine Cathedral, the seat of power for this god.

It looked interesting, especially the last part, but seeing the details of god’s figure made Horn quickly move to another statute. In the darkness of the temple, his voice echoed, “That can’t be natural! No one is that big!”

--

It took him a better part of a day to go through hundreds of statues in all three temples. The variety of gods was incredible. Many were patrons of the same things. He saw a score gods of war, another dozen of fertility. Even fishermen had a score of gods and goddesses.

All of the statues represented dwarves, or rather their bulky frames. Horn wondered if that was just a selection for his race, or were they adjusted to him? That didn’t seem possible. There were hundreds of them. Maybe they appeared their race to whoever saw them? During his journey, he noticed a few lights coming on. However, it was still a sorry view like a few candles on an old commentary.

The dark atmosphere was taking its toll on Horn’s mood. Time after time, he kept going, forcing himself to look over another set of notifications. With each new statue, he felt more and more inclined just to choose someone at random, just to get out of this place.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but it had to be hours already. To keep sanity in the dark, cold, and quiet place, he began muttering under his breath. Frustrated, he said, “Maybe I should just pick the old geezer’s goddess. Fortuna, wasn’t it?”

As soon as he spoke that, he felt a tug. Not on his body but on his mind. One of the statues in the hall of balance called to him. Curious, he approached. The statue seemed familiar. He didn’t see it yet, but nevertheless somewhat nudged his mind. The goddess was clad in delicate robes. Her posture with spread arms was inviting.

Fortuna – Not Worshiped – the patron of fate and cities. Member of the balance pantheon. Choosing her will grant you the following boons:

1. Increased chance of generating unique quests.

2. Increased productivity of all workers within city limits by 10%.

3. Unlock special blessings: Blessing of Home Hearth, One in a Million, Leap of Faith

As Fortuna isn’t a tribe worshiped god, being first to bring him back will yield you additional Faith points. You will be able to construct the Divine Cathedral, the seat of power for this goddess.

She seemed like all the others, but the first bonus. Increased chance of unique quest. Horn wondered what it meant. He’d gone through at least two hundred different gods, but no one had such worded boon. He was already sure he wanted a god that wasn’t worshiped yet.

He wondered why the gods didn’t have more description to them. How should he know if one was merciful and not a tyrant? He saw a dozen goddesses and gods of death, war, but beside their main specialty, there was no explanation. Were they the good ones? Or the evil deities? With Fortuna, he at least already saw Godfrey. The dwarf didn’t seem like someone praying to a monster.

The lady of luck would be beneficial to his tribe. The increased productivity wasn’t anything to sneeze on. On the other hand, there were bonuses like increased health, mana, stamina, or more essence from crafts. Increased strength of arms, better research speeds, and hundreds more. So why was he so attracted to this specific one?

Also, what was with Adrianne appearing out there, and that strange Raven? When he thought about that, he heard the animal cry several times already in the Nexus. It wasn’t like the birds were rare, but they mostly avoided his dwarves for now, not like birds on Earth, used to the presence of humans.

The more he thought, the more confused he became. A headache was forming, and he was completely fed up with the place. He looked once again at the bonuses and said, “Screw it!”

The light enveloped him as the dead pantheon disappeared.