Frozen Soul, and other works: Chapter 230

Of course, I wouldn’t let the chance to turn in divine quests all at once go! Not only did it give me a chance to do all of this in one fell swoop, but I was able to keep my word and gain experience, but those who weren’t part of my guild got to see that several different gods gave me quests in my attack on the city, which would be useful politically. From my inventory, I pulled the sheathed blade that my people had recovered from the Temple of Sezphy. Holding it flat in two hands, I walked up to the Red Knight, and said, “My Lady, here is the Knightblade, wrongfully stolen by the servants of Sezphy, now returned to you, as agreed.”

The Red Knight bowed her head as she took the blade from me, and, for a moment, was silent. Looking up at me, she smiled, and said, “You have proven to be a man of your word, Zayn Darkmore, a trait all too rare amongst those who walk in darkness. I look forward to seeing what strategies you come up with in the future.”

Return the Knightblade The Red Knight has tasked you with entering the vaults of the Temple of Sezphy in Ograin’s capitol and recovering the Knightblade, an artifact of her making which she bestows on those who prove worthy. The blade currently rests in the vaults of the temple in Duskhaven. You fought your way through the Temple of Sezphy and even conquered a goddess in her true form, allowing you to search through the vaults and reclaim the Knightblade, which you returned to the Red Knight.
Rank	Divine
Success	Return the Knightblade to a temple or shrine of the Red Knight, or give it to her directly.
Failure	Claim the Knightblade for your own, or give it away.
Rewards	Experience Supreme Map of the Strategist Knight’s Move

Supreme Map of the Strategist
Type	Tool	Rank	Divine
This map, a lesser copy of one used by the Red Knight herself, is enchanted to display whatever area the user commands, though the amount of detail depends on the level of knowledge the user has of the area. This can be anything from a single battlefield to an entire continent. This map perfectly plots the position of allied forces and known enemy forces, providing a +50% bonus to the creation of strategies and tactics for battle that stacks with all similar bonuses save those that come from lesser versions of this map. Should a previously unsighted enemy make their presence known in the field, their position will appear on the map.

Knight’s Move
Type	Tool	Rank	Divine
Few pieces on the lanceboard have the flexibility and creative strategies available to them as the Knight does. This necklace, when worn, provides the wearer with a portion of that flexibility. Flanking Position – Teleport instantly to the rear of any enemy, allowing for use of backstabs or other such maneuvers, forcing an enemy to react to your presence. Cost: 200 MP, 30 second cooldown. Rapid Escape – 25% chance when receiving a critical hit to teleport to a safe position up to 15 feet away, negating the hit. Also applies to attacks the wearer is not aware of.

I bowed to the Red Knight. The experience I’d gained from the quest was enough to push me up a few more levels, but I’d worry about checking just how far later. More interesting to me were the items she gave me for completing the quest. These were no mere trinkets, even if they appeared less impressive than weapons and armor. I smiled widely as I read their descriptions to myself. To a strategist, these weapons were far more useful than weapons and armor in the long run.

Next, I turned my attention to Mystra. The goddess of magic regarded me cooly as I approached. I did not doubt that she still found my actions repugnant, but she was, at least, not one to let her emotions run wild. I bowed before her, and said, “My Lady, I am certain you know it already, but allow me to confirm that, under my direction, forces of the Shadow Alliance protected the Temple of Mystra and the Mage’s College from attacks launched by certain other temples during the chaos of our assault, such that not one enemy made it inside your temple, much less had the ability to defile it.”

Mystra grudgingly nodded, which was as close to thanks or praise as I was going to get from her at the moment. With a smile, I pulled two books from my bag, took a breath, and said, “You gave me one other task, and, with the aid of my guild, it is complete. In the world we Travelers come from, much knowledge has been lost at one time or another when disaster or conflict destroyed libraries or reaped the lives of those who held the knowledge before they could pass it on. In recent times, those who value knowledge have taken the precaution of creating copies of valuable materials, kept separately from each other, to prevent their knowledge from being lost. One of Aria’s mages developed a simple spell to copy the words from one tome to another, though they cannot copy any enchantments or magical effects laid upon them. Another of our mages has enchanted a tome to contain far more information than should be possible, allowing a single book to house an entire library’s worth of knowledge. Because of this, I present to you an official archival copy of all the materials we found in the libraries of Lithaes Castle and House Sylrya.”

Now, Mystra’s eyes truly shone like stars as she looked over the books I handed her. The idea of keeping duplicate records was not a new one in this world, and while there were other, less refined versions of the spell that copied a book into a new tome (and a couple more specific versions, such as one to copy a wizard’s spellbook), the one our scholar came up with was far more efficient. Of course, that would still leave one with the problem of having to store and protect TWO libraries instead of one. The spellwork for the enchanted Archival Tome arose from reverse-engineering the ‘Archival Disks’ we found in that Alchera so very long ago. Keeping a backup tome safe was far simpler than keeping a backup library safe, after all.

Defense of the Temple The Temple of Mystra in Duskhaven and her worshippers have been harried by the zealots of the Theocracy, as magic comes to all in their measure, despite their alleigiances or morals. When the fighting begins, Mystra’s divinations have shown hints that the zealots may attempt to sack her temple directly. Help defend the temple from those who would sack it in the chaos. Your forces protected the Temple of Mystra, preventing all comers from entering the Temple or raiding its libraries or treasuries. Going above and beyond, you also protected the Mage’s College under Mystra’s protection without being required to do so.
Rank	Divine
Success	Prevent looters or Theocratic soldiers from entering the Temple of Mystra during the attack upon Duskhaven.
Failure	The Temple’s libraries and treasuries are ransacked.
Reward	Increased Reputation with Mystra and her church. Knowledge of how to create your avatar upon ascension to godhood. (Bonus: Reputation gain also applied to all Shadow Alliance members and those who fought to defend the Temple.)

The Archives of the Aria of the Twilight The Aria of the Twilight as a guild has come into possession of two troves of tomes and knowledge from ancient times, including several tomes with arcane knowledge that had been thought lost to the world. You are charged with providing the Goddess of Magic with copies of these troves. With the aid of your guild, you created a solution to a problem that has been plaguing archivists in this world since the dawn of the written word.
Rank	Divine
Success	Provide copies of all tomes, scrolls, maps, and other such materials recovered from the vaults of Lithaes Castle in Wyrmwood and House Sylrya in Have Dorei to Mystra (either in person or at one of her temples) within two years.
Failure	Fail to provide copies of the matierals within the allotted time.
Rewards	Aria of the Twilight gains the Blessing of Mystra, decreasing all MP costs by 25%.

I got a notification that my reputation with Mystra had improved to ‘Neutral’. As an added bonus for going above and beyond, the rep bump got spread to the entire alliance and the locals we got to defend the temple. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it wasn’t nothing. The knowledge of how to create my Avatar was something that normally had to be worked out for an ascended god on their own, and typically took many years, if not centuries, during which time they could only descend or possess a follower if they wished to make impacts on the material world. And the decreased MP costs from her blessing certainly made my guildies happy. I wasn’t exactly displeased, either.

Finally, I walked over to Loviatar, and said, “My Lady, you commanded me to take three people prisoner, and to make example of them before their followers. I am happy to report that all three of the targets you gave me have been captured, and preparations are underway for the example to be made. I invite you, and and all the gods present here, to that feast, where we shall be eating more pleasurable fare while the followers of Ilmater, Sezphy, and Pelor eat.” I paused for a moment, and then said to all the gathered deities, “Though I understand if some of you would rather return home and enjoy time with those you are fond of, rather than witnessing this punishment.”

In the end, only Mirelth, Beshaba, Loviatar, Lolth, Malcanthet, and Sharess stayed, while the other gods and goddesses left, not wishing to witness the grim spectacle I was making. In the grand dining room of Castle Duskhaven, we gathered at the high table, while the captured followers of the fallen gods sat glumly at the lower tables, compelled to stay there by their slave collars. I sat in the Slave-Queen Helen sat in the high seat, since this was now her kingdom, with Loviatar on her right and myself on her left, while Sharess was seated next to me, and the rest of the table filled with the assembled gods and officers of Aria and the Shadow Alliance. Under the table, I made certain that slaves attended to those sitting at the high table throughout the meal, and Lolth looked to be extremely pleased with me, for I had stationed Elistraee between her mother’s thighs.

When the dinner was served, there were cries of anguish, as the worshippers saw their high priests carried in, still alive upon their enchanted spits, though their skin was browned and they smelled just as a roast ham might. As I had said, the high table had a more palatable meal, as Tailong and Zephara provided the meat for the high table. As we ate, Loviatar looked over to me, her cheeks flushed from the attentions the slave under the table was giving her and her eyes sparkling at the delicious suffering of those at the low tables, and she said, “Oh, Zayn, you are such a delight! This is everything I could have hoped for when I gave you that quest!”

Divine Example The Maiden of Pain has commanded you to seek out the High Priests of Pelor, Ilmater, and Sezphy in Duskhaven, and to capture them for slow tortures in front of their followers as an example of the consequences of acting rashly against another diety’s followers. You have followed Loviatar’s commands to the letter, and allowed her to witness the suffering of her enemies in person, surpassing her wildest expectations.
Rank	S (Divine)
Success	The High Priests of Pelor, Ilmater, and Sezphy are to be captured alive, spitted, roasted, and fed to their followers, all while kept alive with the Healing Spits. If a High Priest is killed in the fighting, the highest ranking priest under them may be substituted. The ‘sacrifices’ must remain alive long enough to witness their followers consume their flesh.
Failure	The sacrifices are not kept alive long enough to witness their followers consume them.
Rewards	Hopeslayer Title Reputation with Loviatar becomes Exalted Blackthorn Whip of Violation

New Title Gained!

Hopeslayer

Everywhere you go, hope dies in the hearts of your enemies, and despair sets in. Those who know you and your reputation for cruelty are increasingly likely to lose heart when they see you on the opposing side, suffering a morale penalty to all actions and an increased chance of attempting to flee or surrender equal to (Your Level + 10 - Target Level)%, (min 0%). Effects double within 100 feet. Only applies during combat. This is a mind-affecting Fear effect.

Blackthorn Whip of Violation
Type	Whip	Rank	Divine Artifact
Damage	1 – 5 %	Damage Type	Piercing
This whip was made from a blackthorn rose bush grown and tended by Loviatar herself, and crafted by her hand. Almost unheard of amongst weapons, this whip does damage proportional to the max HP of the victim, rather than a fixed range or being based on the wielder’s abilities. If that were the extent of its abilities, then this whip would still have a place in any sadist’s arsenal, but its powers go far beyond that. Requires: Reputation with Loviatar – Exalted Requires: Must be given to the wielder by Loviatar herself. +1000 Attack Ignores all Armor and Resistance Bleeding Wounds – All attacks leave bleeding wounds on the target, causing bleed damage equal to the the initial damage over 5 seconds. Unending Torment – All damage caused by this weapon, including bleed damage, cannot reduce the target below 1 HP. Wicked Bite – Damage caused by this weapon increases the pain felt by the victim by x10. Violating Thorns – The wielder can summon up to (Level/10) Violating Blackthorn Bushes, each bush having 10 vines, which can bind and torment a target like an altered version of the Black Tentacles spell. The vines’ thorns deal damage as the whip itself, and are treated as if they were attacks by the whip in all respects (including Unending Torment). Costs 1000 MP + 100 MP/second.

I smiled as I looked over the whip. This was the perfect addition to my arsenal whenever I wished to cause someone pain, but needed them to stay alive, either because they had information I needed, or because I wanted them to suffer. I was quickly getting to the point where, even if I used low-ranked weapons, I would likely kill especially low-leveled creatures with a single blow, and no low-level weapon would last more than a single swing if I used my full power with it. I thanked Loviatar, and promised that it would see good use.

With that done, however, I turned my attention to my other weapons. The fighting through Duskhaven and turning in so many divine quests had pushed me to Level 200, and my two scaling swords had grown along with me. Their stats were getting truly fearsome, by any measure you thought to use.

Munsuraisa (Moon Slicer)
Type	Sword (Katana)	Rank	Unique – Soulforged
Damage	1500 – 1800	Damage Type	Slashing
Part of the Heavenly Swordsman’s Daisho. This Soulforged weapon grows in power as you level up, however, you suffer a 10% reduction in XP gained. +120 Attack, +100 Wisdom 40% Chance to ignore Armor on hit. Crescent Moon Slash – Unleashes a wave of magic from the blade, damaging all creatures within 20’ in a cone in front of the wielder. Costs 20 HP. Vampiric Blade VIII – Heal self equal to damage dealt. Sundering Blade IV – 40% chance to reduce target’s Defense by 40 on hit. Lasts until armor is repaired. Mantra of the King – Forces all who can see and hear the wielder to kneel for one hour or until commanded to rise. Costs 5000 MP. 24 hour Cooldown. Celestial Bane – Deals double damage to creatures with Celestial blood. Keen IV – Critical Hit chance increased by 40% Vorpal Blade – All critical hits have a 50% chance of removing a creature’s limb or head depending on the area attacked. Heavenly Swordsman’s Daisho: When equipped with Taiyo no Tsubasa, +100 STR, +100 DEX

Taiyo no Tsubasa (Sun Blade)
Type	Sword (Wakizashi)	Rank	Unique – Soulforged
Damage	1200 – 1400	Damage Type	Slashing
Part of the Heavenly Swordsman’s Daisho. This Soulforged weapon grows in power as you level up, however, you suffer a 10% reduction in XP gained. +120 Attack, +100 Charisma 120 - 140 Fire Damage on hit. Deals double damage to Undead. Sunflare – Blind enemies within 30 feet for 30 seconds. Costs 20 HP. Flamekissed - +20% Fire Resistance Manavore VIII – Restores MP equal to the damage dealt. Spellbane VI – Reduce enemy MP by the damage dealt. Infusion of Potent Health – Target’s maximum HP increases 500% for 5 minutes, healed to (new) full HP. After duration, target reduced to 1 HP. Touch range. Costs 3000 MP, cannot be used on same target for 1 week after duration ends. Dragon Bane – Deals double damage to Dragons. Godslayer – Deals double damage to deities or those with divine blood. Cauterize – Burn a victim for extra fire damage to seal their wounds, preventing them from bleeding out. Heavenly Swordsman’s Daisho: When equipped with Munsuraisa, +100 CON, +100 INT