The Pillar of Enera

[Chapter 31 part 2] Hope - Visiting The Shrines of the Lost

...

With all my troubles, avatars are the least of my concerns. Glancing down, Hope found people worshiping again. More than Kongal but less than Saven.

Hope smirked. Petitioning despair... She finally gave in to the impulse, "So, what are those people 'hoping' for?"

"Kongal grants release from pain. Most below don't have long to live." Wise said somberly. And now I feel terrible. Hope was reminded, once again, who was her nemesis.

While they made for the exit, Free decided to be Free, "Why only three? What about greed, jealousy, envy, and the likes?"

"Because hate, fear, and despair, together with their opposites, are all there is." Lily responded. "Other emotions are derived from those six. Greed is excess love for wealth or power. Jealousy and envy are just alternative forms of hate."

Realizing this wasn't satisfying anyone, Lily attempted a retreat, "It's complicated, why don't you ask Wise later?" It's not that easy to placate Free.

"Fine," Free said, "but answer me this: what about sadness? Where does that fit in?"

Lily sighed, "It's unfocused hate. When something precious is lost, and there's nothing to blame. With a target, that grief can turn into burning hatred in an instant. Saven is the god of loss and everything which flows from it."

"Perspective determines how we handle setbacks. When your first love marries another, you can be dejected or jealous. If someone wins a prize you coveted, you can morn or you can envy. Emotions stemming from the same place are interchangeable."

This might be accurate. Hope was familiar with disappointments. Instead of becoming depressed over losing to Wise, I chose to curse him. She considered a while. It's too late to change at this point.

Calin's Keep was build on a splintered piece of the Isle, with a deep fissure separating it from the surrounding crowd. Mist flowed from this chasm, cloaking the exterior in a sun-blocking haze.

On the far side, motionless figures stood ten feet apart. Skeletons in full armor. A shiver ran down her spine. She'd insisted on taking part in the training against the undead. I'm stupid stubborn sometimes.

"A single one of those could've killed us all." Wise stated. Right, whatever they fought yesterday were nothing in comparison.

"I've never met Calin." Lily admitted. "His villainous reign was before my time, and he was a recluse even then. He loathes humanity and made a decent attempt to wipe us out. Under other circumstances, he might've been the Necromancer of the End."

"Wasn't that what Sola was called?" Free asked.

"Yes, the title is a prerequisite for a Dark Age." Lily explained. "We roughly know the details of the deal she was struck. Once a world-shaking catastrophe is carried out by Talras's chosen champion, a Dark Age begins and persists until that necromancer's death. Last time, it was the Black Banquet, and Sola was the Necromancer of the End."

"So if the conditions are met again..." Free said.

"Another will result. Hence why I mentioned Calin. If Sola's deal had been active eight hundred years earlier, he would've brought about the first Dark Age when he unleashed his scourges."

"What exactly did Calin do?" Hope asked. Might as well exploit this talkative Lily.

"Calin's two diabolical creations were the devourers and the Ilsidy virus. Devourers were chimeras which multiplied exponentially by overrunning and consuming all life. The Ilsidy virus transformed people into frenzied zombies. He spread this plague in major cities while releasing the devourers into the wild. The outbreak was to distract while his chimeras grew into an unstoppable force."