The manor was sitting on a ruined piece of land, but I could see that at some point in the past this must have been some prime real estate. I could see that there were trees in the distance that made up a small forest, it stretched all the way to the back of the manor. Right in front of me was a fountain with an angel’s statue, however it was dry and the Statue itself was missing half it’s body on the right side. The interlocked ground was ruined with weeds growing out of cracks and further ahead the wrought iron gates were laying on the floor with much of the fence in ruins.
It was horrific to look at if I had to be honest. From where I was standing I could see that there were scorch marks dotting various parts of the manor’s grounds. Some parts of it had splotches of brown and black that I could almost tell was blood that had dried over the years. I turned around to take a look at the manor, it was looking even worse from the outside, there was a part of it that was completely missing a roof, and vines had grown over another side, while cracks dotted it’s entire environment. It’s going to take a lot to get this place up and running and turn it into a real home for Leon and above all I have to make sure it’s safe for him too.
I turned back and followed after Isiah and his grandson, there was a distinct feeling of something in the air, I couldn’t tell what it was but the best I can say about it is… corruption. This place was supposed to be holy, hell even if it wasn’t, it’s supposed to be safe a sanctuary but whatever had happened here had turned it into a breeding and play ground for evil. Again I can’t help but realize just how much work would be required to get this place back up to snuff, I’m just hoping I am up for it.
The manor was on a cliff that overlooked the ocean, there were remains of stairs on the side of the cliff that led down to the ruins of a dock. On the horizon I could see numerous islands dotting the waves, and to the east was a road that went down the cliff to a village nestled in a small inlet. A river cut through from inland to split the village in two before spilling out into the ocean. The village itself was small for the land it occupied, obviously the location was chosen with the hopes of expansion in mind.
There was another cliff on the other side of the village, making it seem as if it was nestled in a small valley or basin with the cliffs rising high enough to offer it protection. The Manor was placed in such a place that would have made it easier to watch over the village, and on the other cliff was the ruined remains of a lighthouse, I couldn’t see much of the sea from that side but I could tell the light house was over jagged rocks and possibly coral reefs, it was there to help sailors find their way to port.
Speaking of ports there was a barely functional one on the eastern side of the village, which would make the rocks at the bottom of the cliff a private one. The former master of this Manor must have been very wealthy, but coming to all these conclusions left me with questions that by this point I could not stop myself from asking.
“What really happened here?” Isiah paused for a moment as he turned to look at me, his gaze was extremely wistful as he seemed to sink into memories of years past. There was a lot of hurt in his eyes and a haunted look that seemed to smother the hope within those orbs that had grown in just the few moments we had met.
“Grandfather you don’t have to tell it, I will-“ he raised his hand to stop his grandson from speaking anymore. This must be quite a delicate topic for the old man, but he was adamant. I felt like I had to say something, but what? Or even if I couldn’t say something perhaps it would be best to give a gesture or a show of understanding to him and his plight. But somehow I was even more detached here than I was outside, in all honesty I respected his turmoil and was understanding of it, but I am still waiting for my answer.
“The lord who settled this village was a good man. He had led an expedition to the border lands, hoping to turn this place into a glorious city that would stand against the sinners of the Lightbringer Faction and also be a major trade hub for merchants around the world. And it was a good dream, we have much to offer, from fishes, the treasures and pearls under the ocean, to the natural tunnels filled with precious resources that run the entre length of his territory and even deeper into the earth and under the sea. To the land that’s so fertile and blessed you will grow crops at a tenth of the time required and without a blessing or a buff.
So much potential, but he was a man with a good heart, too kind, too trusting. He was a good leader, and a devout of the teachings of heaven, but he was no warrior. The arts of combat and strategy eluded his understanding and he sought instead to build a bridge with the Lightbringer Faction. To a certain extent it worked as many from their side would rather trade than fight, this place became one of unity and much to the shock of the devout and the unbelievers, the father blessed us, encouraging the unity for God is a being of love and peace just as much as he is a being of wrath and war.
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Members of the Lightbringer Faction used this as an opportunity to seed an enemy within his household. He fell for a Siren, her beauty so great even the heavens themselves acknowledged it. But she was or rather still is a general within a small coalition of outposts to the west within the Lightbringer’s faction. I guess you can say they were neighbors so interactions could not be avoided. He married her, and on the night of their wedding she betrayed him, strangling him with his own intestines then hanging him off his own balcony while her demons, fallen and other members of her faction laid waste to everything and everyone.
They wanted to claim this land for themselves, but the leader…. Lemuel was his name. Had dedicated the lands and all his holdings to God, making the ownership of this territory out of the hands of anyone that would want to claim it. The only way one can claim it or become a lord is to have it bestowed directly upon you by a mandate of heaven. Very much like how you have become Lord of Glory Vault as you have so named it.
And seeing that she could not claim it, she made sure no one could work the land or grow it, that the dreams and ambitions her husband had carried would be for naught and decay will take it over. Her raiders harass us, the pirates and other raiders of her allies doe the same. But we’ve survived each day waiting for a Savior…. Waiting for you.”
His words gave me a lot to think about, but ultimately it also gave me understanding. What I was dealing with here was a lot more complicated than I thought, but in Game terms I guess I already know who the regional boss is. The lore is well crafted and I could not help but find myself sinking deeper and deeper into it. If this was in the real world it would make for good television, the clips would probably get me a following and perhaps I could become a star. But I digress, Paths Of Divinity automatically records every last eight hours of gameplay, I should be able to retrieve the file and run some edit on it before posting, after all I came here hoping to make some Money.
By this point we had already gotten to the bottom of the cliff and were on a dirt path that led to the village. To the east of us, some 20 meters away was the river. It was about twenty meters wide and the rushing sounds it made was extremely calming….water is a beautiful thing. At the entrance of the village a crowd was gathered, there were people from all works of life. Male, female, young, old, beautiful, ugly and some with a foot almost in the grave. These were my people, my charges. It now fell to me to protect and look after them….it would be a hassle.
“The village relies mostly on fishing to survive, however we do have a blacksmith responsible for making and maintaining our harpoons and supports for out boats and ships. We have a ship builder and a tailor, but nothing else. We survive mostly by bartering, The Siren has made it clear that no coin is to go into the village and no coin is go out either. So it will be hard for us to meet up with the tax of 15 gold a month my lord.” I raised an eyebrow at that, but sighed as I spoke.
“Until such a time as when the territory will develop a proper economy, all of you are exempted from taxes. However any body hoping to trade here would have a tax of 5% per trade levied on them. Only citizens of my territory are exempted so don’t forget to mention that. If they disagree then do not trade with them, I will ensure there is proper provisions for everybody.” I said to him, making sure my voice was loud enough that the rest of the village could hear.
There was a smattering of murmurs and excited whispers going around. But Isiah called them down to order as he turned in my direction and pointed at me.
“This is Lord Az Rael. The savior that was prophesied and he has come to deliver us from oppression. You all received the message, and you have also heard about the Tax exemption. I ask that in the spirit of truth, humility and the good faith we all have kept all these years, we should welcome him well and ensure he has everything he needs within our power to help change our situation. Please my Lord.” He gestured and moved to the side, it seems I was expected to give a speech.
I felt my throat close up as my heart skipped a beat, the intense urge to get up and run in the other direction suffused me. I started counting my fingers with my thumb, making sure to run my thumb three times anticlockwise on my index finger while I tapped my feet in nervousness. I wanted to retreat, back into my world, the confines of my own mind where everything made sense and the world was not actively trying to squeeze down and suffocate me from every corner. Then much to my own shock, I opened my mouth to speak.
“My name is Az Rael and I’m an Angel. However just like many of you here I am also a son, and I am also a father. And to me no job is more important than having to look after my own child. That is why I understand why I’ve been sent here, you too are children to the father and he has no doubt heard your plights and wants things to change for you all. I can not make any promises because even I do not know what the future holds, or if I have enough strength to go against the darkness in the future.
But I can tell you is that I will fight, and I will build hand In hand with every single one of you to make sure that your lives are better. Whatever burden is required of me I will carry, whatever sacrifice is needed I will pay, and whatever Trials I will have to go through I will overcome. This is a new day, and we should all rejoice and be glad in it, for the time has come where no evil and no darkness will have a hold over your lives again. This might sound like pretty words from the mouth of a weakling but before the day is over…. I will bring you all the head of a fiend. Isiah show me the blacksmith.”
I wasn’t expecting anything from them, in fact when all they did was stare at me awkwardly while Isiah led me down the street with another man in tow, I was happy. Every bone in my body was rattling in shock and fear about what I’ve just done, and every sensible thing in my body was also telling me what sort of fool would I be to have promised them the head of a fiend by the days end, I was only level 4! But perhaps that promise was as much for them as it was for me, I picked War Angel for a reason.
My life has always been about me being slow, hating conflict and not having the balls to speak up no matter how much I wanted to. I know it’s not my fault, it’s just the way that I was built. But I wanted to be different now. I wanted the strength and the confidence to be able to push forward past all adversity, so there was no hesitation allowed, only moving forwards. We came to a stop in front of a somewhat dilapidated shack with a chimney, it was a hovel, but this was all they had….. “I guess it’s time to meet a blacksmith.”