"What now?" Bjorn growled at the men and women who had stormed into the temple.
"We ask that you let Lord Exile know that Gods of Korden are ready to accept his judgement. The fight for followers is over. Currently, Lady WintersEmbrace stands at the top followed by Lord MidasTouch. There are three other Gods present still but their presence is minimal." The messenger stated as he and his bodyguards kneeled before Bjorn.
Bjorn frowned as he glanced to the side, where Ania was standing with a surprised look on her face. He had been staying in the Temple as well, in case a situation like this occurred. After all, the new Gods that had appeared were still unaware that Ania was actually the Oracle of this Temple.
"Hm... I have heard your request and I will contact Lord Exile regarding this matter. You may return to Korden and let your Gods know to await Exile's judgement." Bjorn replied with a menacing tone as the messenger shivered.
This display was to intimidate the followers of these Gods so that they would be more likely to worship Exile over their chosen God or Goddess if they were accepted into the Pantheon. Bjorn's mind was racing as he tried to figure out the best method to grab as many gains as possible for Exile through all of this.
As the visitors filed out of Eraldsfen's temple, Bjorn let out a weary sigh as Ania came up next to him. To her, he seemed lost in thought. As if he were staring into the future itself and all the secrets that it held. Secretly, she was concerned. She was worried what the impact would be on Eraldsfen if many new Gods joined the Ragnarok Pantheon.
She knew it would be difficult to hold true believers as the followers would have more options available to them. There were bound to be some people who prefer Gods who ruled over something that had more of an impact on their lives. This had already become evident due to the villagers who had already begun to worship one of the other five Gods instead of Exile.
"I know what you're thinking Ania... Don't worry so much." Bjorn cocked an eyebrow as he turned his head to look at her. "Although we have lost followers here for Lord Exile, I'm sure he has gained more than that in other places. We have not failed him. It was his decision to follow this road. Who are we to question his Divine wisdom?"
Ania frowned as she considered Bjorn's words. Her body trembled slightly as she lowered her head. "You're right Bjorn. I am lucky to have you as my mentor on the ways of the Gods..."
Bjorn nodded with a warm smile when he saw that she understood. "This is your purpose, Ania. You serve as the conduit between the divine and us mortals. You must learn to interpret the will of the Gods on your own."
"Of course..." Ania met his gaze with a smile on her lips. "Whatever it takes to be of use to Lord Exile."
"That's as it should be. How have your studies been going? Tell me what you have learned." Bjorn's gaze turned curious as he watched her.
"Hm, the latest pages I have read talk about the needs of the gods." Ania hesitated for a moment before Bjorn nodded for her to continue. "The Gods require Wealth, Prayers and Souls. Wealth can take the form of gold, jewels, materials and anything that we can offer. What they do with it is unknown but past Lorekeepers assumed that it may be used to trade with other Gods or as a display of Power."
"That's correct." Bjorn nodded. "However, I have my own thoughts on the matter that I will tell you when you are ready. What of the other two?"
"Prayers are believed to be what keeps them sustained. What stops them from disappearing. It's also a way for us to make requests of them." Ania frowned as she watched Bjorn continue to nod in agreement. "As for Souls... It's believed that devout souls who perish will get to serve their God in the Divine Realms for eternity. But it's reported that the Goddess Allevia demanded the sacrifice of those who worshipped her enemies."
Bjorn stopped nodding when he saw that Ania could not continue further than this. "You're correct again. But you've missed some important information. Allevia bestowed the knowledge upon us that our souls and those sacrificed to her could be used as the building blocks for her own foundation. What that means exactly... Nobody knows. But, since it came from Allevia herself, we must consider this path for Exile's glory."
Bjorn could see the hesitation in Ania's eyes at this suggestion. Although sacrifices were a common thing in their history, not everybody agreed with it. The reason Bjorn had made the sacrifices to Exile before was to see his God's reaction to it. However, it did not seem to be a problem. This only convinced him that it was most helpful to Lord Exile.
"We can forget about it for now. The real issue we face is what wealth we can offer Exile. Eraldsfen is far from being rich. We'll have to convince your father to believe in the Gods upon his return and see if he will make an offering from the spoils of the raids." Bjorn's expression turned back into a frown as he considered the future. "For the sake of Exile, we have to look outside of our home. We need more land and people. Tell me... Do you think Harik would like to be a Jarl?"
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