Cadfael gaped at Arthe in disbelief, then he shook his head and chuckled ruefully.
"I should have known you wouldn't be worried about the high mortality rate associated with gaining the Templar class, follow me and I'll take you to the chapel we built on the grounds."
Arthe and Frith followed Cadfael out into the open air and had a good look at all of the changes and modifications that had been made in their absence. The tower now had a long building attached to it that Cadfael said was the new barracks, there was also a stables near the main gate. The original wooden outer wall had been replaced with one constructed of large blocks of granite and the main gate was a pair of truly massive iron bound oak doors, the paladins had also constructed a couple of towers either side of the gate as well as a pair at each end of the wall. All of this had either Runite set into the stone or , in the case of the gates, had Runite crafted wards attached in key areas. Apparently they had decided that rather than building a wall all the way around the compound it was more effective to just build one that completely blocked the only route up the mountain, according to the info Cadfael was giving them there were 4 more towers lining the route as well as another wall and gate undergoing construction at the bottom of the mountain path.
The plan was that in a few months there would be numerous walls and gates all along the mountain road, and that eventually the fort would become another staging post for paladins and other members of the church of Freya. It would provide them with a location from which to travel on expeditions and also act as a way station for those in need of shelter, scuttlebutt said that the fort might also become a secret training location for some of the more high level members of the order.
Aside from the added security measures there were also a number of other new buildings either newly built or still under construction, one of which was a small building with large windows and the symbol of Freya adorning the doors, another of the new buildings rang out with the sounds of metal hitting metal and beyond that Arthe could see a small area cordoned off and lined with a number of training dummies.
As the three of them headed toward the chapel they encountered a few of the forts inhabitants, a couple of them were wearing the clothes of workers but the rest wore either armor of clerics robes. Most of the people in the courtyard stopped what they were doing and looked at them with either smiles of recognition or looks of wary curiosity, just as they reached the door to the chapel Arthe heard someone behind him cry his name.
"My lord Arthe! My lord!"
He turned to see who it was and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was the ex slave he had hired as his mine foreman. The man looked very healthy and also appeared to have gone up in the world as he was wearing clothes that, although plain and simple, were made from what looked like high quality fabric.
"It's good to see you Yorik [best viking name ever], how've you been? The mine still running okay?"
"I'm very well thank you my lord, and the mine is running at peak efficiency. I trust your journey went well and that we'll have the honour of your company for a couple of days?"
Arthe smiled at the man and shook his hand, then he waved at Frith to get her attention before replying.
"Indeed it was quite successful thanks and as to staying awhile I think I can spare a day or two. You recall Lady Frith?"
Yorik bowed deeply to Frith and blushed slightly as she reached over and shook his hand.
"I do, and forgive me for saying so but you've gotten more beautiful in your time adventuring Lady."
Frith smiled and then gave Arthe a pointed look.
"It's good to see you again Yorik, perhaps you might give Arthe here a lesson in manners while we're here. Do you know he hasn't complimented me once since we've been traveling, honestly he's hopeless."
Arthe spluttered at that a bit and then managed to look sheepish.
"Well what can I say, there are no words that do your beauty justice and certainly no words to describe your personality."
He grinned widely as Frith puzzled her way through that sentence and then laughed outright when she turned and smacked him on the shoulder after she realized he had insulted her. At this Cadfael and Yorik also joined in the laughter before leaping out the way when Frith chased after them too.
Using this opportunity Arthe summoned his Property status window.
Property Name: The Guardians Retreat
Inhabitants: 56
Armaments: 1800. 500 Swords, 500 Shields, 100 Staves, 200 Bows, 150 Halberds and 350 sets of armour
Facilities: 2 Forges, 2 Kitchens, 1 Armory, 3 Storerooms, 1 Library and 1 Barracks, 1 Stables, 1 Training Ground, 4 Guard-towers and 1 Gatehouse. Plus 5 Well-constructed Watch Towers, 1 Hardened Wall, 1 Half-constructed Wall, 1 Workshop and 1 Chapel
Attached Land: 1 Runite Mine, 1 Small Mountain,15 Acres of Forest and 1 Riverside Jetty (with 2 small boats)
Available Building Space: Mountaintop 0, Mountainside 4, Forest 10 and Riverside 1
Monthly Income: 500 gold in rent, 10000+ sales (raw materials and finished goods)
Monthly Expenditures: 250 Gold in wages, 500 Gold in maintenance and 500 Gold in security
Military: 1000. 50 Paladins, 20 Priests and 150 Militia.
Culture: 100 (beauty of location and beauty of buildings)
Religion: 800 (Church of Freya)
Technology: 500 (Recent technologies include; advanced armor craft, Runite weapon construction and large scale Runite construction)
Public Hygiene: Medium High, with the influx of new inhabitants Hygiene has decreased slightly. (suggest constructing better drainage system in new buildings.
Current problems:
Low Culture; Inhabitants require at least two recreational outlets or at least 5 works of art in order to remain satisfied
No Trade; Goods trade is virtually non-existent, suggest attracting at least two merchants in order to provide luxury goods and services.
Money in Treasury: 43,286 Gold
New Building Available!
The original tower is looking a bit small, a modern Keep is just what you need to improve the property. Styles available; Religious or Military. Cost 50,000 gold.
New Building Available!
A hunting lodge will provide your property with fresh meat as well as animal skins. A must have for those lords who live in the country.
Cost 5,000 gold.
New Building Available!
A gold mine has been discovered on your land. Cost 20,000 gold.
New Building Available!
Statues of the Goddess, these statues come in a pair and provide great benefits to local faith and culture. They will also decrease the strength of nearby monsters by 30% as well as increase the strength of any nearby member of the church of Freya by the same amount.
Cost 100,000 gold.
New Building Available!
Divine Smithy, this building allows the production of goods and equipment imbued with the faith and divine light of Freya. Available only to those property owners who have proven themselves worthy, any goods produced must be given freely and cannot be sold to unbelievers. Cost 100,000
Arthe was fairly impressed with what he saw and was also very tempted by the descriptions of his new buildings, fortunately he had managed to gather approximately 300,000 gold in the last 6 months which gave him more than enough to construct all of his new buildings with enough left over to provision himself for the quest ahead. Before buying the buildings he called Frith and co. over to look at the various descriptions and to help him decide where to build the statues and smithy.
Frith was very interested in the construction of the keep and recommended that it be built in a military style so that prospective attackers were more easily warned off. Cadfael was astounded at the fact that Arthe could build a Divine smithy, mainly because the church only had two at the moment and both had been constructed more than a century ago by two different Popes. He was also keenly interested in the statues and thought that they were best placed on top of the gatehouse towers, Arthe was inclined to agree with him on this because they would look seriously badass up there and would be seen by any travelers long before they reached the top.
With this input Arthe set about constructing his new buildings. First was the Gold mine; then the Hunting Lodge, then came the Divine Smithy, next were the two statues and then finally the keep itself. As each building was purchased a stack of construction materials appeared at the pre-chosen locations, in the case of the keep a large scaffold stood where the tower had and Arthe could actually watch the ghostly construction of the walls. Halfway down the mountain a section of mountainside disappeared and a tunnel appeared leading into the mountain, on top of the gate towers large blocks of white marble appeared and on the other side of the existing blacksmiths a forge of gleaming white appeared filled with coal of glowing gold. As Arthe looked on the keep continued to grow and the statues began to become clearer and more beautiful, the glowing forge was now surrounded by walls of pure marble and out of his sight wooden supports began to appear inside the gold mine.
After roughly 15 minutes all construction appeared to be complete, Arthe looked out at his new buildings and was sincerely impressed. He was especially amazed by the Divine Smithy and the Statues of the Goddess, both of which were built of the purest white marble and glowed with divine light. The Statues depicted the figure of a stunningly beautiful figure holding a sword in one hand and a branch laden with fruit in the other, on closer inspection both statues appeared to resemble Frith very closely and on seeing this Arthe blushed deeply. The keep was a massive construction of solid rock, at least 4 stories high and with the original tower built into it on one side.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
http%3a%2f%2f3.bp.blogspot.com%2f_iTGXYFIkfkA%2fSx...es-004.JPG [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTGXYFIkfkA/SxUb0zPcL6I/AAAAAAAAUwo/692fHO1MTTA/s640/Most-Fascinating-Castles-and-Palaces-004.JPG]
As he was admiring the new constructions Arthe was tapped on the shoulder by Cadfael, who then proceeded to steer him towards the chapel.
"Come on you two, you can look around the new buildings later. First things first lets get you sorted with that quest shall we Arthe, oh and Frith if you are sure about heading back to Ymirheim then you'll probably want to go and talk to Heimdall. He should be at the training ground, if he's not there then he'll be at the mine checking on the Runite stores."
Hearing that Frith waved goodbye and left whilst Arthe and Cadfael entered the chapel, the inside was filled with benches and at the far end was an altar made of solid rock. Apparently the chapel had been constructed around the altar and the benches themselves appeared to have been made from stone. The walls of the chapel were covered with tapestries and symbols, the floor had been cut and polished until smooth and just in front of the altar was a massive carving of a tree etched into the floor. Kneeling at the foot of the altar was a man in white robes, as he prayed a soft gold light emanated from his body and when Arthe walked closer to it he felt as if all his burdens had been lifted.
As the two of them drew closer to the altar the priest stood up and Arthe got a better look at him, the man all the signs of age but at the same time didn't appear to be old. He had white hair and wrinkles plus he had that old people smell [you know the one i mean] but his eyes were bright and cheerful and he seemed to have none of the physical infirmities usually associated with the elderly.
"Ah Cadfael you're back, who is your young companion?"
Cadfael bowed deeply to the priest and waved at Arthe to do the same.
"This is Arthedain, Holy Father, a true son of the order and an old friend of mine. He is here to undertake the quest."
"It is a great pleasure to meet you Arthedain, I assume you are the same person to whom this fortress belongs? And also the same Arthedain who is searching for the location of the last remaining pieces of the Justicar's Armor?"
"That is correct Holy Father, and please call me Arthe. It is an honour to meet you as well, may I ask for your blessing?" Arthe said kneeling in front of him.
"Certainly; Divine Freya I ask your blessings for this man, a true follower of your will and a faithful servant of your church."
Ding!
You have been blessed! For 24 hours your faith, strength and vitality have been boosted by 50 points. When fighting undead or demons damage dealt is increased by 5% and damaged received is reduced by the same amount.
"Thank you Holy Father." Arthe said as he got to his feet, once he'd done so he bowed to the priest again.
"You are very welcome Arthe, now since I was initially sent to this place to meet you I had best deliver the message I've been holding for 2 months. Where did i put it? Oh here it is. Here I have a letter and a gift for you."
Arthe took the letter from him and examined it, the message was sealed with wax that was stamped with the symbol of the church of Freya. He opened it carefully and looked over the contents.
Arthedain, Guardian of Freya.
We hope this message finds you in good health and sound mind, it has recently been brought to our attention that you have been very successful in discovering pieces of the Armor of Freya's Justicar. It has also been reported that you have been instrumental in eradicating the forces of darkness in the areas through which you have traveled, in honour of this we have decided to grant you the use of the Greaves of Freya's Justicar in the hopes that they will aid you in your continuing battle.
As a further reward we grant you the Title of Prevailing Hope and a ring that we hope will inspire you to greater feats of strength and Faith. We would also like to thank you for your generosity and aid in the matter concerning the property of Guardian's Retreat. The goods received from there have provided great help in defeating the forces of evil in many areas and have also helped to provide support to many areas in need throughout the continent.
Again we reiterate our thanks, Fight well Guardian of Freya.
Maric
High Priest of Somren
Ding!
New Title, Prevailing Hope!
You have been a light in the dark places of the world and have rekindled hope in many, for your efforts in Championing the cause of the Freya you have been granted gifts of her favour. +10 to all combat stats, +200 to Faith, Known to all by title rather than name, New Ability: The Fires of Hope.
New Ability: The Fires of Hope. 1 (0%)
This ability grants all members of the party an increase of 5 points in all combat related stats per level of this ability. If a party members health drops to less than 15% whilst this ability is activated that party member regenerates 2% of their total health per level of this ability.
Additional abilities available at Intermediate and Advanced. Costs 50mp per second
Arthe almost fainted from shock at the new ability he had just gained, if he kept working on it he could eventually have an ability that regenerated 60% of his total health whenever his HP got lower than 15%. It would also give him decent boost in combat stats as well which was always useful. The ability was a bit of a mana drainer but if used correctly could seriously help in fighting boss level monsters.
After he was done with the letter he turned to the elderly priest who presented him with a pair of polished greaves and a crystal ring.
Greaves Of Freya's Justicar:
Durability:200/200
Defense: 100
These Greaves were said to have been presented to the last Champion of Numenor by the Goddess Freya herself. They aid in movement and greatly increase the agility of the wearer. These Greaves grow along with the wearer as they improve so too does the power of these Gauntlets.
Equip:
+100 Faith
+50 AGI
+20% Movement speed
+20 VIT
When worn with the rest of the Freya's Favour armor set effects are doubled.
Requirements:
Level 300 for displayed stats, stats decrease by 20% every 100 levels
Must Have Faith stat generated
+150 AGI
+200 Faith
Ring of the High Priest's Chosen:
Durability: 80/80
This ring is only presented to those paladins who have proven themselves to be the epitome of Faith and Courage, it greatly enhances both health and mana. Once a day the wearer may use the ability Freya's Gift to bless themselves with greater Faith and Strength.
Equip:
+2000 HP
+2000 MP
Freya's Gift (once daily).
Requirements:
Level 250
+500 Faith
Can only be received as a gift from a High priest
Cannot be sold
After watching Arthe equip his new items, the priest turned to the altar and picked up a scroll made of gold paper and handed it to him.
"This scroll contains instructions from Divine Freya herself on how to obtain the Templar class, only 10 of these scrolls have been given to the church and each one comes with a gift from the goddess. The gifts are intended to aid you on your journey and must be used with great caution for they will not last forever. Now if you are truly prepared then you may open the scroll, be warned that you cannot turn down the quest and once on it you cannot leave it. The histories mention that those who go on this quest and try to abandon it or try to use it for evil purposes face a fate worse than death so you must be sure that this is what you want."
Arthe thought for a minute, he had spent months as his current class and although he had had fun with it and had gone on decent adventures he was ready to try something new. The Templar class promised to give him new opportunities and new abilities to play with, to his mind it was a bit of a no-brainer.
"I am sure about this Holy Father, do not fear for me."
Saying this Arthe unrolled the paper and was confronted with both a quest window and an item window.
Quest Received!
Becoming a Templar:
Throughout the history of the Church of Freya it's bravest and most faithful Paladins have always been given the opportunity to become something more. Only when the need is most great, however, does Divine Freya grant them the opportunity to become a Templar.
You have chosen to travel this path and prove yourself worthy of the honour. Seek out the House of Wolves and rid the world of its evil, beware the machinations of evil for their minions will be drawn to the light of your quest.
Quest Difficulty: Class Quest
Requirements:
Level 250+
Paladin only
+500 Faith
Rewards:
Templar Class
20,000 gold
Additional rewards for the defeat of Fafner the Greedy and Grendel the Wretched.
This quest cannot be denied, if this quest is abandoned the player will be banned from the church and marked as a criminal in all countries with Freya as the main deity. If the player pays for others to accompany them, they will lose all Faith stat and be stripped of their class.