I followed Isaiah in, noticing somewhat the somber mood that the blacksmith had, but in the end there wasn’t much to be said about it really, I needed a service from him and he should be able to deliver. I looked around, there wasn’t a single thing I knew about blacksmiths, much less smiting in a fantasy world, however most of what I could see here seemed even more archaic that what I expected from paths of divinity.
I know for a fact that if I had to put a finger on it, the era that paths Of Divinity was on should be either any part of a steampunk era. Whether it was early, mid or late I could not tell, but there was a certain amount of freedom to be had in what could be crafted so technology to a certain extent exists here. But be that as it may, I could not accurately tell what was within the smithy or what they did, Blacksmithing was definitely not an area of interest for me.
“I’m sorry Porim, how are your children holding up, this is a loss for us all and anything that you need at all, the Village will try it’s hardest to provide for you and the girls.” The blacksmith… Porim nodded his head as he tried his best to put a smile on his face.
“Thank you Isaiah, it is more than I could have asked for. So what can I do for you or is it the Lord that requires my services?” the man asked as he turned and bowed low, that was enough for me to notice the tipped ears poking out of the mop of hair and beard that was allover his face, a cursory look at his lean frame disabused any notion of him being a dwarf of any sort…. But still he was something that’s for sure.
“The Lord needs to have his weapon checked and the. He was hoping if you could outfit him, he intends to go take down one of the fiends as I’m sure you’ve heard him say a few moments back.” The moment Isiah finished speaking there was a glint that appeared within the eyes of the blacksmith as he immediately fell to his feet, tears already pouring out of his eyes. If I have to be honest the display caught me off guard, but before I could say he anything he was already speaking.
“My lord please help me, help my family. I’m just a lowly blacksmith, the best I can do is make harpoons, small knives and supports for carts and beams. There’s not much I can do but make you Harpoons, but please I beg you to help save my wife. Even if…. Even if she’s already dead please my Lord, her soul would suffer eternal torment in the belly of the fiend, please help me! I am willing to give anything, even my very own soul for her to find salvation.”
“Porim!” Isaiah shouted out in shock and partial fury, I on the other hand was still not getting the full picture. But before that it wasn’t a pretty sight for a grown man to be on his knees like this and crying his eyes out. I felt sorry for him, even though at the moment his story was a little incoherent and made no sense to me.
“You don’t have to kneel Porim, get up and tell me what happened, I can’t understand the whole picture if you don’t stop wailing like a baby.” I said to him as I gestured to him to get up.
“Yes Lord, thank you Lord!” Porim the blacksmith said he got back up to his feet dusting his already very dirty pants in the process.
“So what happened?” I asked, as I leveled my most serious gaze upon Isiah and Porim, however I felt that it made me look ridiculous, but the terrified looks on their faces said something different. I did not think I was that terrifying, but ultimately they already had reverent approach to my presence , it could just be that after all.
“I can’t make anything more than harpoons, but not for lack of skill or trying My Lord, it’s because of the Fiend that has settled within the mining Lode of New Ire. Even though it’s just a level 1 Lode that has not leveled up before, it still has valuable copper and iron veins that can be used to make weapons to at least arm the villagers. The last time a merchant ship was here, one of my daughters was opportune to obtain two very valuable blueprints….. that of a [Flintlock Essence Pistol] and the other a [30 Fold Reinforced Military Spear] the basic things we need to outfit a militia of our own.
But the ores we have access to are scraps and are reused from prior tools that we had made. They’re wholly unsuitable and would not even be enough to make a single unit. But at the very least if we can make one of it, even if it’s just the Essence Pistol we will have a way to fight back, even if it’s just from the shadows. But the Fiend in the mines… I… I can’t face him by myself, and none of the villagers were particularly willing to risk going with me in order to get the ores we needed….. well none of the men anyways.” Porim said bitterly as Isiah shifted his gaze to the ground, shame clouding his features.
“My wife and a couple of the women snuck out two nights ago to go do something about it, choosing to step up where the men had failed. 8 of them left, only seven returned, we buried two of them this morning from their injuries and my wife was the one missing, the one who never made it out of the mines. We…. They’ve all assumed she’s dead but…. I can’t …. I can’t lose hope. She’s the mother of my girls, my everything…. I have to have hope…. But even with all the hope in the world I’m not stupid….. I know there’s no way she’s still alive but a body to bury will go a long way in making sure I and my girls have a little closure. I know this is asking for a lot but –“
“Porim prepare 7 Harpoons for me, since you don’t have any protective gear I would settle for you sharpening my sword for me. I expect you to be done in 15 minutes, I leave for the mines in 20.” Those were all the words I had for him as I made my way outside of the smithy, turning deaf ears to his words of gratitude even as he got to work. I left the short sword by the doorway as I made my way back to the entrance of the village, content to listen to the river rush through it.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
[Quest: The Blacksmiths wife has shown great courage and faith, but she is lost to the darkness with no knowledge of whether she is dead or alive. Go into the mines and save her if she is alive or return with her body is she is dead./ Reward: +1000 Exp, Blacksmith’s Eternal Gratitude]
Not that his gratitude would do anything for me, but I would never have been able to say no to this quest if even what he was offering was the shit from his ass. From one father to another, and a man who loved a woman who at the moment could not stand the sight of him…. I understood what he was going through and would very much love to give him the closure he so desperately sought.
I observed the rest of the village just as much as they too observed me. The cliff to the east that served as a sort of natural wall for the village was a lot higher than I thought. But it wasn’t a cliff per say, on the side of it that overlooked the ocean could be called a cliff as the side serving as a wall went up at a steady incline, and it was covered completely in verdant grass and flowers. It was a beautiful sight, but I found it weird there was no an animal in sight grazing there, but other than that the area did look like it would be good for farming.
Then there was the dilapidated lighthouse, I moved my gaze to the north, where the river flowed down inland. There was a mountain range in the distance with a road that cut through it, however the road was in ruins with debris cluttered over it. But it was close enough that I could see the massive hole that led into the mountains, and path that cut through them too that led inland. Roads were an important facet of any society, without it there would be no trade, the siren was really smart and evil… she made sure she cut off any roads that led to the village isolating them from the rest of the world.
She felt like a shadow looking over my head, it doesn’t matter what I do from here on out in order to help the village and secure my territory, eventually I will have to deal with her and if I can’t come to an agreement with her, then I will have to find a way to end her permanently, but somehow I don’t think that’s as easy as I’d expect and by that point I’m sure it was not just the locals I would have to deal with but other players as there is bound to be a large influx of them over the next few hours… at least for whatever territory she rules.
My problem right now was a lack of resources, I need the resources to get the church up and running, which also serves as the embassy for the territory. Without that building functional, there would be no way for new players or denizens to spawn in my territory unless they travel here from another. And since we share borders with the light bringer faction it means whatever visitors we received are most definitely not ones who would be our allies.
I shifted my gaze to the west, noticing that behind my manor was the beginning of either a pine or oak forest. I couldn’t tell what sort of trees they were really, but they seemed to be of two species. I don’t think there was anything special about them, as they seemed somewhat basic, but that can change eventually once we have things up and running. The problem I have currently though, has to pretty much be that I don’t think I’m ready to tackle the mines.
It made me Worry as I did not ask for any sort of light source and angel I might be, I don’t think I can see in the dark…. At least not yet. Plus fighting in confined spaces seems like a chore as I pretty much have never done anything of the sort before. Violence was never really a part of my life outside of games, and never like this for the times I’ve had to play other VR games. But it doesn’t seem too hard and my body moves the way I want it to, but that being said, I will have to get a teacher soon, both within the game and outside.
“My Lord!” I whipped my head around so fast I heard it crack, they had startled me. But never the less Porim and Isiah seemed to be done with what they have been tasked with, and some extras.
Isiah had a massive lantern stop a pack, there was a rock Within the lantern and a dial that should responsible for brightening and dimming it’s glow. It seems the old man had the forethought that I would need this and brought it over without me having to ask for it. Next was a harness, that had seven harpoon made from sturdy brown wood and a dull but still very hard iron blade. A curved hook stretched out of the head of the harpoons, just where the metal met the shaft. It was a nasty looking thing and it was probably meant to catch onto the flesh of prey once they have been stabbed with it
It would also cause more damage to larger opponents, which made it ideal for hunting big aquatic prey like whales or sharks. The harness was like a backpack while Porim seemed to have fashioned a new belt for me that had my sword’s sheath attached, along with a hook for the lantern. I nodded my head in agreement with them and proceeded to outfit myself, but not before observing what I had to work with.
[Equipment:
[Equipment:
The damage of these weapons are only mostly important for players, or bosses. However ultimately it was just a caveat that some have come to recognize as a bug. A well placed hit in any fatal area can turn the tide of a fight, even against bosses with ridiculous amounts of health and defense that would need a lot of hits to bring down. Stab them through the eye, or in a place that would cause fatal damage and you will bring them down, no matter the amount of health they have.
Usually the enemy damage indicator it set off for players so that random prompts in the battle does not cause a distraction. It was something I wholly agree with as seeing damage numbers floating about would take quite a bit from the realism of the game. The lantern was inconsequential but I was right in the way it works after all, I was as ready as Glory Vault could possibly make me by this point, it was time for me to keep my promises to them and return with the head of a fiend by the time the sun sets today…. I only have a few hours left.
“My lord…. If it’s not too much to ask, can you please say a prayer on our behalf…. And on yours. Normally I would be the one to do so, but you are an angel of heaven, making you more spiritual than the rest of us…. If it’s not too much to ask, small words of intercession for us to the father.” I was stumped by Isiah’s request, but in the end….maybe praying is a good thing.
“Our Father, Who Art In Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom Come. Thy Will Be Done On Earth, As it Is In Heaven.
Give Us This Day, Our Daily Bread And Forgive Us
Our Trespasses, As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us.
And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From All Evil
For Thine Is The Kingdom, The Power And The Glory
For Ever And Ever Amen!”
As a child this was a prayer my grandfather never let me stop saying. I remember the numerous amounts of time his belt had come down on me for missing even one of the words, or not being able to say them due to my Autism. He never understood me, or perhaps he just didn’t care enough to want to know. I used to hate it so much in a way I still did, but somehow it had been what had come out of my mouth, and as if to agree, to give a sign that it had been heard, the heavens opened up with a crack of thunder that shocked everyone as a ray of light fell upon the entire village.
[The Lord’s Prayer Has Been Spoken! For The Next 24 Hours, Exp Gain And Productivity For Every Zion Aligned Faction Member Within Your Territory Is Increased By 200% While It Is Reduced By 200% For Any Person Seen As An Enemy Of The Zion Faction]
[For Saying The Lord’s Prayer With A Forgiving Heart And Devotion; The Path Of Priesthood Is Open To You! +20 Path Points]
“With that said…. I really should be on my way, before it begins to rain golden dust and unicorns.”