Chapter 227

Chapter 227<~> Chapter 227

"How are your studies coming?" Morrigan asked as I set the book down for a moment.



I scratched the base of my horn. "There's a lot of information to take in. I've already learned a lot. Some on the gods I hadn't heard of before, like Bollide, and more on the gods that others have mentioned to me before, like Velenthel. It doesn't look like I'm even halfway through yet."



She nodded. "There is a lot to remember. And most don't even know all of the minor gods."



I rubbed my face before turning back to Morrigan. "A librarian is helping me find a book to help me identify languages for [Sightspeak]. He asked me if I would like to translate a book for him into English, my original tongue. In exchange, he said he would give us a copy of the book for me to translate and some payment for it. I'm not really sure what to look for, would you like to pick out a book that you think the two of us would both enjoy? Oh, and he said the more common or popular the book is, the better. "



Morrigan perked up at that. "Really? I'd love to!" She turned to scan over the books she had gathered but shook her head. "Let me go find something else, I'm sure I can get something that would be great!" She excitedly jumped up and left the room, on the hunt for a book. Her enthusiastic reaction made me chuckle.



Raya and Mimi were sitting in the corner together with a book between them. Raya was reading to her while she sat there staring at the pages without blinking. She was soaking up the information like a sponge. From a distance, it looked a little creepy but Raya hadn't noticed, she was just enjoying helping her out and treating Mimi like a little sister.



Kaelarai, Goddess of the Hunt and Serenity. This god is most often worshiped by hunters and trappers, adventurers, elves, and martial artists. She is usually depicted as a tall and thin elven woman with blue-grey skin. The few times that she has appeared before a mortal, she was described as quiet and calm, only appearing to give instructions to her head priests when they needed her guidance on her teachings. Nothing else is known about her personality. Outside of elven-held lands, most of her temples only exist in major cities. Like Tellis, Kaelarai also accepts tithes and offerings in exchange for blessings at small shrines that hunters set up, reducing the number of active temples that are necessary for her to offer blessings to her followers. Her first domain is rather straightforward, Kaelarai gives many blessings and boons to hunters and trackers as long as the hunters know not to hunt their game to extinction. This is one of the largest responsibilities of her temples, to use their powerful scrying magic to track the population of edible game and monsters. However, the tracking of monsters is for security purposes rather than maintaining a proper food source. Her other domain, serenity, relates to her teachings about the mind, self-control, and meditation. These teachings go hand in hand to promote a hunter that has both the skills and proper mindset to be effective in any situation.



An interesting goddess, she seemed like a mix of Artemis from Greek mythology and a yogi from ancient Indian traditions. There wasn't anything to go on in terms of any connection with the Tamin Priests though. She has some connection to the elves but that doesn't really say a lot since the Tamin church isn't quite as hostile to elves as they are to beastkin.



Ralethi, God of Smithing and Protection. This god is most often worshiped by smiths of all types, adventurers, soldiers, and other crafters. He is always depicted as a muscular human man with dark onyx skin. He occasionally appears before crafters while they work and gives them tips and suggestions to improve their craft. Despite his appearance often leading to ruined crafts due to the unexpected appearance of the god or through the resulting nervousness of the smith, smiths always find this to be a sign of good fortune. Ralethi is said to have a cheerful and boisterous personality, quick to laugh or to swear as his mood takes him. He usually has a temple in most major cities where smiths can trade wares and information and where young men and women look for apprenticeships with more experienced smiths. His churches also offer talismans and other tools related to his other domain, protection. The protection Ralethi offers extends to many different fields and his temples are a favorite among soldiers and adventurers looking to live longer than their fellows. While not outrageously expensive, many of the things the church sells can be higher cost than other options, but they are known to be reliable and trustworthy. As expected, Ralethi favors people who protect others and fight on the front lines. A boon or blessing received from him is likely to save the life of the recipient many times over if they are intelligent about how they fight.



Not much to say on this one, I'm almost surprised this one wasn't a dwarf based on the way things have been going. A god of smithing and protection is an interesting combination. I wonder if Tenna could tell me more about how she sees him. There isn't much here that could relate to the Tamin church either. I shrugged and kept on reading.



Felketh, God of Adversity and Strife. This god is only worshiped by demon cultists and other people with a preference for personal strength over morals. This god is rarely depicted with any specific avatar, instead, he is more associated with specific forms of symbology such as eyes, waves, slimes, and demonic images. He is not known to appear before people, however, the only people he may appear before are unlikely to share this information with others due to the nature of the people who worship him. Felketh is the god of demons and monsters, all demons and monsters are believed to be the result of his influence. It is appropriate to note that this does not include dangerous magical beasts, only monsters that drop mana cores. It is also assumed that Felketh is responsible for the creation of dungeons, but despite the potential danger these places have on nearby towns and cities, it is illegal in most countries to destroy these places due to their value in exploiting them for their resources. Felketh's domains are adversity and strife, it is for this reason that there has been some argument from scholars that Felketh plays an important role in strengthening the populace through levels and mana cores. However, this idea is unpopular due to the sheer number of people who are killed by monsters every year. Despite having a small number of followers, Felketh is considered one of the most powerful gods. It has been theorized that his power comes from people unwillingly interacting with his domains, from the number of monsters that exist in the world, or both. Followers of Felketh may try to lure you with promises of demonic power or other ways of gaining strength, but these powers often come at great cost and the banishment from civilized society if discovered. It is heavily recommended not to trust anyone who offers you such a deal and to report them to the local guards at all costs.



No surprise here when it comes to Felketh. In a way he's directly comparable to Satan, even down to being the 'adversary' and his relationship with demons. It makes some amount of sense that it would logically follow that Succubi would ordinarily be associated with him, though this world's concept of demons is a bit... exaggerated. I'm glad that I don't have anything to do with him and I count this world lucky that they didn't get a psychopath instead of me... Lucky. Is this a coincidence or yet another intentional nudge by Fortuna? I think I'm going to constantly wonder about being manipulated by her anytime anything works out in my favor...



That covers all of the major gods of this world, though there is a brief note at the bottom that reminds the reader that Erimikai, the God of War and Destruction, was a former major god that perished near the end of the War of the Gods and that he won't be covered in this book. I closed the book and set it aside. There was a lot to take in. Is it possible that the two others working with the Tamin church are minor gods? I'm not sure. I could look through the information on the minor gods too but I don't feel up to it yet. I'm going to need some time to digest all of this...