“So let me see if I understand the situation,” Callan said. He and the two lud were seated on the floor now, passing around another jug of water. It seemed that was all they had to drink in the village.
From some of what Callan had just learned, he felt lucky to have even that much.
“So, these priests of Zarastu—”
“Zavastu,” Kivi said. Callan nodded in appreciation.
“Right, Zavastu. They showed up about six months ago and took over the village?”
“Correct, Avatar.” Tervak took a swig of water, then set it down with a frown. “We are not the most prosperous village by northern standards, but ours is the largest in the Badlands within a few day’s travel, and we are wealthier than most thanks to the resources we can harvest from the pythian tree.”
“That is why the filthy parasites are here,” Kivi spat. “They treat us like dirt, yet don’t have the skills we lud do when it comes to harvesting the tree’s bounty. So they keep us prisoner in our own village and take the spoils of our labor for themselves.”
“Calm, Kivi, calm.” The elder glanced at Callan. “As you can see, it is a difficult situation. So long as the priests remain, we have not the strength of arms to rise against them. It would be suicide to fight the powers their goddess has granted.”
“Which is where I come in,” Callan said. Xeph let out a grunt, and he quickly amended, “Where we come in.”
“Should Xeph-Zul-Karatl see fit to aid our cause, yes.” Tervak’s brow pulled together into frown. “I must admit, I have never heard the name of this particular god before. Where did you say you came from again?”
“Oh, you know. Around.” Callan made a vague gesture with his hand, hoping it would appease the elder. After a moment the lud slowly nodded.
“It is unfortunate that our knowledge of the outside world is so limited, but we had little in the way of visitors even before the cult’s arrival. I hope your god will forgive this old man’s ignorance.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’s fine with it.” Callan said, flashing his friendliest grin. “Right, Xeph?”
Hmm. Ask the elder lud what sort of deity this Zavastu is.
Callan did as requested, and the two lud glanced at each other in confusion before shaking their heads.
“Pardon, honored Avatar, but what does Xeph-Zul-Karatl mean?”
“Well, like what aspects do the goddess’s bounties take? Xeph’s all seem to center around stone and mountains.”
“Ah.” Tervak frowned for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. At last, he shook his head again. “I do not know if I can answer that sufficiently. The cult rarely uses their powers around us, and when they do, the effects are... disturbing. When the village first resisted their advance, one of the priests struck my brother several times on the face. Afterwards we found the skin burned away wherever he was touched.”
“Huh. Kind of sounds like fire to me,” Callan said.
Possibly. Acid is another possibility. Ice can also produce a similar effect by a controlled user, as can chaos. Or metal, if superheated. Even the servant of another stone god might—
“Okay, okay, I get the point. Are any of those going to be a problem?”
I am unsure. We must gather more information before I can properly offer any tactical advice. Now, the elder is certain the goddess herself is not in the village?
When Callan voiced the question, Tervak assured him that no lud had seen the goddess Zavastu themselves. “Her followers simply appeared on the horizon one day. They are led by a forfiliin priest by the name of Ligo.”
Interesting. If the goddess herself is not here, then this Ligo must be reasonably powerful himself. Only a high priest or an archon could establish a temple without the god themselves present.
Callan, who had just been about to ask what a forfiliin was despite knowing Xeph wouldn’t have an answer, changed tracks immediately. “Archon?”
A priest imbued with additional powers. Dangerous to oppose. The god went silent a moment, then added. But only so long as the temple here is active. We might be able to use that to our advantage.
“How so?”
Remember how I told you only members of my priesthood are granted access to bounties?
“Right. Priests and those that distinguished themselves.”
Yes, yes. There is a reason for this. Besides avatars such as yourself, those who are granted bounties can only use them when in proximity to a temple.
Callan frowned at that. “Does that mean we need to establish a temple here as well?”
No, not in this instance. You, yourself are also a temple, of sorts. After all, are you not a very shrine to my majesty, my magnificence, my—
“Yeah, thanks, I think I got the picture. So, any priests of ours will need to be near me to use their abilities.”
Correct. More importantly, if we can corrupt or otherwise destroy the temple of Zavastu here, the priests will lose access to their own bounties. Then it will be a simple matter for the townspeople to overwhelm them.
Glancing up, Callan noticed Tervak watching him with a bemused grin. “What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing, mighty avatar. I have simply never witnessed one communicating directly with a divine being before. It is a... confusing experience, to say the least.”
“I bet, like listening in on half a telephone conversation.”
“So what has the mighty Xeph-Zul-Karatl decided?” Kivi asked. “Will he aid our village? Will you call upon your priests to chase away this scourge and free our people?”
“It’s fine to just call him Xeph—” Callan said, only for the god to growl loud enough in his ear that it made him wince. “—Or not.”
I might allow such familiarity from my avatar, mortal, and perhaps even my high priest, but there is a certain respect due to a name. Followers, even potential ones, should not be allowed to forget that.
“What, you’re saying a Xeph by any other name wouldn’t smell as sweet?”
Your words make no sense. How do you smell a name?
Callan shook his head. “Never mind. So, what do you think? Are we in for helping these people?”
Perhaps. Provisionally, based on the full details surrounding their captors. And the number of followers to be gained, of course. If this village is as large as they claim, we would be foolish to pass it by without at least a little effort at bringing them into my fold. But we would also be foolish to promise freedom when we currently have so few resources available to provide it.
Privately, Callan agreed, but he wasn’t sure how to communicate that to the god with the two lud listening in.
Instead, he turned his attention back to them. “Xeph is willing to entertain the idea of helping free your village, but we need some information, first. How many cultists are we talking here?”
“No more than a dozen,” Tervak said, then added, “At least, we have never seen more than that at any one time. After coming to the village, they seized our main warehouse to serve as Zavastu’s temple. Only six of their number ever leave it at once.”
“Okay, so at minimum, six priests to bypass in order to shut down the temple. What about your village? How many people here would be willing to join in the fight?”
At this, the lud elder hesitated. “There are some seventy of us here in the village, but... as I said before, honored avatar, we have not the strength to stand up to Zavastu’s men. The powers they wield would overwhelm what feeble strength of arms we might raise against them.”
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“Oh, sure, right now. But once Xeph and I shut down that temple, the priests won’t have those fancy powers anymore. Would it be a problem for your people to chase them off after that?”
“That should not be an issue,” Kivi said, her face breaking into a wide grin. “Once you and your priests have culled the cultists, myself and the other villagers can organize an armed revolt. They should prove no match to our ferocity.”
She turned to Tervak. “You see, elder, our troubles are nearly over.”
“Don’t celebrate just yet, Kivi. We still have not heard the god’s conditions for aiding us.”
“Of course, Elder.” Kivi turned back to Callan. “Oh great Xeph-Zul-Karatl, what do you require to call upon your priests and help us scour this land of those that torment us?”
With the eyes of both lud boring into him, Callan rubbed at his neck nervously.
“Right, priests. See, the thing about that is, we’re currently kind of... between priesthoods?”
Kivi blinked at him, her smile slipping away. “You have no priests?”
“I mean, not at this exact moment. I actually thought, maybe, you know...” He let the rest of the statement hang in the air.
“It is as I thought,” Tervak said with a heavy sigh. Kivi looked at him, aghast.
“Elder, you knew?”
“I suspected. For an avatar to be alone and injured in the Badlands...” He squinted up at Callan. “Things did not go well in the north for you, did they?”
“Er, something like that.”
“So now you have come to our village, hoping to rebuild. Hoping that we might be willing, in our desperation, to agree to anything that may see our people freed.” Tervak cast a critical look at Kivi, whose cheeks flushed at the accusation. Turning back, the elder settled his gaze on Callan. “You will not find us so easily swayed.”
Hmmph. The lud intends to use our weakness as a bargaining chip, Xeph grumbled. This is why I advocated for not revealing our secrets too quickly.
“Pretty sure he’d have figured out how desperate we were anyway,” Callan whispered from the corner of his mouth. The god grumbled something else unintelligible but didn’t refute the point.
Raising his voice, Callan held out his hands. “Alright, so all the cards are on the table now. Xeph and I need priests, and you need our powers. What is it going to take to satisfy both?”
“Hmm.” Tervak considered the issue a moment. “How many priests does Xeph feel will be needed to overwhelm the cult’s presence here and corrupt its temple?”
That depends on exactly what type of god this Zavastu is, Xeph noted.
“Why not just make everyone in the village a priest?” Callan asked both of them. “More priests means more bounties, right?”
It is not that simple, Xeph said, while Tervak frowned and shook his head. Creating a priest requires conviction, of which we have a limited supply. How many of those shards did you bring with us?
Callan located his jacket on a nearby shelf and counted out the crystals. “Including the ones I consumed before leaving the temple, we’ve got... thirty conviction, maybe?”
That is sufficient for six priests, at most. Four, if we want to have enough to corrupt the temple and complete a few... other tasks before engaging with the enemy.
Turning back to the lud, Callan said. “Seems like four priests will have to do.”
“That is a more acceptable price,” Tervak said with a bow. “I, of course, will be one of them. To the god Xeph-Zul-Karatl I do pledge my undying loyalty, now and forever.”
“I do as well,” Kivi said, jumping to her feet. The elder lud twisted and about grabbed her by the sleeve.
“Kivi, no! I will find others in the village. Your place is with the resistance, once the temple has fallen.”
“I can do both, Elder. Allow me this choice. You know what my plans were, before the cult’s arrival. Pledging my life to Xeph-Zul-Karatl does not change that.”
Tervak bowed his head, apparently having no response to... whatever that meant. Callan glanced between them.
“Xeph? Is there anything further you need from them?”
No, that should be adequate. In a moment we shall... Ahh. Yes. There it is.
You have been awarded 2 additional faith.
With a mental swipe, Callan dismissed the message. Across from him, Tervak rose to his feet.
“I will begin making discreet inquiries into others who are willing to join your priesthood, Avatar. In the meantime, you should begin inducting Kivi. I do not know what that entails, but I imagine it will take some time to adjust to wielding the powers of a god.”
Wait! Xeph said, rattling Callan’s brain. What of the rest of the villagers? Tell the old one that we need more faithful, not just priests. More followers means more power, all the better to stand against this cult.
Callan repeated his head-mate’s words. Tervak shook his head.
“I will speak on the god’s behalf to the rest of the village, but only after the cult is removed.” When Callan opened his mouth to protest, the elder held up a hand. “You must understand, discretion is of utmost importance here. If word reaches the cult before we are ready, should anyone in the village betray us, then you and all who pledged themselves into your service will almost certainly be killed. Fomenting an armed rebellion is one matter, but the goddess will not tolerate a rival deity in her territory. So please, ask Xeph-Zul-Karatl to find a way to defeat the cult with what resources we can provide, and afterwards he shall have his followers. This, I promise.”
Bah. Xeph seemed to mull this over a moment. Very well, we can tolerate such terms. Human, call the lud girl forward.
Callan glanced at Kivi as Tervak made his way up the ladder. “Um, could you come a little closer?”
Good. Now, take her hand.
Reaching out, he took Kivi’s hand in his own. It felt surprisingly soft.
“Now what?”
Now that.
Would you like to elevate target to class: Priest? Cost = 5 Conviction
He focused on the idea of accepting the offer, and the box winked away. Across from him, Kivi’s eyes widened. They darted back and forth over nothing, and Callan suspected she was reading through her own set of messages.
It is done, Xeph said. Pull up your interface.
Callan complied. Immediately, he noticed the two additional faith points waiting for him.
Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere)
Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human)
-STATISTICS-
Brawn: 3
Momentum: 0
Fortitude: 3
Concentration: 0
Influence: 0
Piety: 0
-BOUNTIES-
God Bond: Talc – I
Manifestation: Mountainform
Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Talc - II)
Orison Slot 2: *Locked*
-DOGMA-
Total Followers: 9
Available Faith: 2
Conviction: 0/5
Conviction Rate: 0.5/week
Temples: 1/1
APOTHEOSIS: 0/25%
Before he could do anything with them, Xeph continued, Concentrate on your followers, please.
With an internal sigh, Callan did as requested.
A new screen appeared in his vision.
Total followers: 9
Priests: 1
Paladins: 0 (requirements not met)
Archons: 0 (requirements not met)
Guardians: 0 (requirements not met)
There was that mention of Archons again. Plus... Paladins? Callan’s imagination immediately went to the good old D&D stereotype of armored warriors riding around on white horses, righting wrongs and being the usual goody two-shoes that always annoyed the rest of the party.
Before he could lose himself in remembering a particularly fun campaign that he and Lyle had spent trying to corrupt their resident Paladin, he felt someone tug at his sleeve. Kivi was staring up at him with a look of concern.
“Avatar? I have used the holy message provided by Xeph-Zul-Karatl to find my bounty, this ‘stone shaping’ ability, but I do not know how to use it. Can you guide me?”
“Huh? Oh, sure.” Callan brough his hands up like he was grasping a basketball. “First we need some stone to practice on, but what you basically do is—”
Human. Xeph’s voice cut in. Before that, there is another conversation we must have.
“Uh, hold on a moment, Kivi.”
The priestess will not be able to utilize her power until we have expanded the ability for her to do so.
Callan frowned. “Right. How do we do that?”
Do you remember your statistics? There is one referred to as piety.
“You know, I’ve been wondering about that one. All the others are pretty self-explanatory, but I wasn’t sure what making myself more faithful would exactly do.”
It is not about your own faithfulness, it is the extent to which my gifts may extend to others. Add a point to it now.
Callan’s flitted back up his sheet until they found his statistics.
You have increased Piety by 1
Total cost = 1 Faith
Current Piety is at 1
Piety detected. Please wait while domain is generated...
Domain is now active
A circle appeared around Callan’s feet. As he watched, it began to spread outward, until it was roughly three feet in any direction. It was similar to the one he perceived for his Shape Stone ability, except that as soon as he stopped focusing, it faded from view. Looking for it again made it reappear.
A broad grin formed on Kivi’s face. “I sense the god’s gift now. It is... strange. Like I am suddenly remembering something I had always known, but merely forgotten until this moment.”
“Yeah. It was like that for me, too. As if I’d forgotten about an entire appendage.”
The lud girl’s face screwed up in concentration, and she began manipulating something with her hands. Callan glanced behind him and saw a stone sticking out of the basement wall begin to wriggle about. He stepped aside so she would have a better view.
Careful that you do not let her leave the circle, Xeph cautioned. She only has access to our bounty within a short range. As you increase your Piety, our sphere of influence shall grow as well.
“Does that mean I should drop that second point into it, too?”
Not yet. Callan could practically hear the eager grin in the god’s voice. There is a much better use for it.
I think it is time that we finally unlocked your second orison.