A young girl in a simple faded green shift scrambled up the stone steps leading to the Temple, a simple gray stone structure that was only slightly larger than Manthein Keep, which could be seen looming on the other side of the clan hold. The few adults on the steps, dressed in thick furs and leathers, looked on with a near-universal mixture of amusement and fondness.

The people of Clan Manthein loved their children, and all children born to the Clan were their children. The girl’s scramble to reach the temple (the steps being too steep for her to simply walk up) was a familiar sight to them. All children had to make their way to the Temple alone on their tenth Birthday, their System day. What was more, this child was one of the more treasured children in a clan that normally didn’t favor one over another.

She was Karzaia Manthein, child of the current Clan Lord and the winner of the Children’s Martial Competition held a month before. While her potential was only whispered about before that day, her victory had assured that her people would anticipate her System Day eagerly.

That was not to say she was seen as a noble heir, as might be seen in the insipid, weak nations found on other continents outside the Continent of Nine Lands. The ruling family was massive, and all clansmen would vote on the Clan Lord’s successor when the current Lord abdicated, at age forty, as was traditional.

No, she was simply a golden child they hoped to one day see stand at their sides as a full adult of the Clan against the monster hordes and raiding parties that were an inevitable reality of life in the Nine Lands. She was favored only slightly more than the other children her age, and that was a favor that could be lost easily if she became arrogant and slacked in her training.

Karzaia was aware of this, but this awareness was distant to her as she eagerly climbed the wide stairs, the icy, slick stone threatening to take her legs out from under her nearly constantly as she pulled herself atop each step in turn. She was excited, for she would soon be able to select the beginning of her Path, and that meant she could begin her training, just as her older brothers had before her.

Visions of grand adventures in the numerous Dungeons to be found throughout the Nine Lands and standing against beast hordes with a sword in one hand and fire in the other consumed her as she climbed. She wished to take on the Path of the Adventurer, and she intended to select the Fire affinity when she spoke to the gods.

She knew without a doubt that she would become a great spellblade, unleashing destruction upon beasts and raiders alike. Having seen her eldest brother, Zhin’lisch in battle against a small horde of goblinoids the year before had sparked her imagination, for he had been glorious in defense of the clan hold, even seen through a spyglass from her room in the Keep.

Reaching the top of the stairway, she came to a stop in front of the Temple. Like the Keep, it was a massive construction, its gray stone carved out of the heart of the mountain that the clan hold sat upon. Bas reliefs of the Fifteen were laid into the cylindrical pillars holding up the portico, with a sixteenth relief of two giant hands stretching over them, as if to protect and guide them from above, representing the Maker of All.

She bowed quickly from the waist twice, making the basic abasement traditional for requesting entry to the Temple. The reliefs flickered with color for a moment, showing approval of her entry, and she slowly, quietly walked through the massive open entrance behind the pillars.

There were no priests of the Fifteen in the clanhold’s Temple. By tradition, the clans of the Nine Lands did not consider the role of priest to be a permanent one. Rather, all adults learned the Path of at least one of the Gods and were rotated through the Temple for a year each, devoted to their individual patrons, with the Maker represented by all.

The current fifteen priests were abased before the massive statues of their individual gods, saying prayers in a low droning voice. Their hemp robes were dyed in the colors representative of their individual deities, with a single brown stripe at the hem to represent the world and a single gray stripe around the collar to represent the dominance of the Maker.

They did not acknowledge her entrance. For the year they served, they would devote the entirety of their waking hours to prayer. It was seen as an honor to be selected to serve, and the gods seemed to consider it a minor Trial, as most were granted a new Talent from their patron if they devoted themselves diligently to their duties for that year.

Karzaia approached her personal patron, the Wanderer, first and abased herself more fully, behind the priest, falling to her hands and knees and placing her forehead against the cold stone for five minutes before rising and doing the same for each of the other gods in turn. It was only after this that she approached the simple obsidian obelisk at the rear of the Temple and based herself one last time, closing her eyes to wait.

After almost an hour, she suddenly found herself standing upright in a land of gray mist. Before her stood a tall figure in ragged armor with a rich velvet cloak upon his shoulders. His pitch black eyes looked upon her with a sense of gentle fondness, and she abased herself once again, recognizing her chosen patron.

“Wanderer, you honor me,” She murmured fervently.

“Rise, child. The Maker has consented that you be allowed to access the System today. It is time to begin your Path,” He said gently.

The Wanderer was the god of Adventurers and Outcasts, beloved by those filled with wanderlust and those abandoned or cast out. He was the god most fervently worshiped by the people of the Nine Lands, for theirs was a land of Dungeons, Trials, and Tribulations.

Suddenly, a simple parchment sheet appeared in front of her, showing her her status for the first time.

Karzaia Manthein

Title: Heir of the Hooded King

Affinity: Soul (Tier 1)

Talents: Soul Sight (Level 1), n/a, n/a, n/a, n/a

She blinked in surprise… and disappointment. Her shoulders slumped. It was rare but not unheard of for one’s affinity to be chosen for them, but she had so hoped…

“Be not disappointed, child. The Soul affinity is rarely available to mortals, and it has a nearly infinite potential for growth,” The Wanderer said with gentle reproof.

It also hurt her that one of her Talent slots was already full. She had spent the last year going through the list of known Talents in the clan’s library to try to figure out the best initial combination to select on her System Day. She had no idea what Soul Sight was, but it disrupted her plans greatly.

He seemed amused this time, “Child, Soul Sight is a Talent that many would gladly kill for. It is easily the most powerful vision ability in existence, allowing one to see mana, spirits, and ignore illusions. You will find that it is far more useful than the Fire Eyes you wanted so badly.”

She shivered as a wave of remorse at her own ungratefulness went through her, “Forgive me, Wanderer.”

“Do not allow yourself to be so caught up in what you want that you do not see what you need, my beloved child. Adventurers who are so intent on treasures that they fail to anticipate dangers die young,” He said, admonishing her verbally even as his fond gaze remained unchanged.

In truth, the Wanderer loved the people of the clans. Of his many followers, they were the most fiercely devout and equally free of spirit, despite their devotion to traditions older than any surviving nation in the Realms. However, he refrained from speaking of this, as his role in the girl’s life was, as of yet, merely her Guide.

“Now child, you must choose your remaining Talents,” He continued.

She looked lost, “I… do not know which I should choose,” She confessed. All of her carefully thought-out plans were now useless. She still wanted to be a true spellblade like her brother, but she had no idea how a Soul affinity might be used.

“Would you like me to make a list of suggested Talents to go with your Affinity?” He suggested. This was one of the few pieces of help that all deities serving as a Guide were allowed to give their children.

She bowed her head in supplication, “Please. I do not know what is best to form my Path.”

Her confession brought a smile to his face, for her humility was rare in those who had her particular Title. Most he had Guided already showed telltale signs of excessive stubborn willfulness and defiance. He refrained from speaking about this, however. The rules set by the Maker were particularly unforgiving when it came to those children.

With a gesture, he pulled up a list of around forty Talents that would synergize well with her affinity. Unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to advise beyond that.

Karzaia looked over the list, examining the short descriptions for each carefully. For her first Talent, she narrowed it down to two.

Soul Tempering- By enduring trauma of the body, mind, and soul, you are reforged, making yourself more resilient and gaining more influence over the world. To one that has tempered the soul, pain has little meaning and death becomes a distant threat.

Soul Ascension- By continuously refining your soul through meditation, you approach ascension, gradually causing your soul to transcend the flesh. You gain resilience versus physical and mental attacks.

An instinct, perhaps born of her affinity, told her that both Talents had great potential for her. However, she only wanted a single defensive growth Talent in the initial steps of her Path. She considered for several minutes which she should select.

Each had their advantages. Soul Tempering was a survivor’s tool, causing the individual to become tougher the more they endured and survived. Soul Ascension, on the other hand, was a Talent that seemed to grant immediate results but would be far more difficult to level up. Her father frequently lamented that he had chosen Cold Meditation as one of his initial Talents, due to the fact that it could only grow through long periods of meditation I areas filled with Ice affinity mana. It was why he’d later picked up the Flesh Reinforcement and Mind Reinforcement Talents from Trials to compensate.

Based on that, she reluctantly picked Soul Tempering, feeling that it had the most potential… and that it was a Talent that was fitting for a clansman.

The Wanderer simply nodded approvingly at that choice when she slotted it into one of her empty Talent slots.

She felt it take hold and shivered slightly as the understanding of the Talent flowed into her. She was uncannily certain that she would regret the choice on many occasions… and be almost as equally thankful on others.

For her third Slot, she came up with three choices of a ‘manipulation’ type Talent. Manipulation type Talents were the basis of all Adventurer Paths. If one didn’t have the ability to manipulate their affinity in some way, it was difficult to impossible to train it.

Soul Projectile- Fire molded projectiles of Soul energy to deal blows that ignore physical and mental resistances. If an enemy does not have a soul, then they suffer damage to both mind and body. If an enemy has a soul, then the soul will be damaged, reducing resistance to physical and mental blows and disrupting internal flows of mana.

Soul Manipulation- Through force of will and exertion of your Soul affinity, you directly take hold of your opponent’s soul and place it under your control. If your opponent has no soul, then it becomes possible to plant a ‘seed’ of control within your opponent, permanently enslaving it to your will. Masters of Soul Manipulation can create armies of soulless slaves to serve their whims and crush their enemies.

Soul Forging- By manifesting your Soul, it becomes possible to create physical objects and enhance existing physical objects by expending its energy. Objects enhanced by Soul Forging become more resilient and can effect the Soul and Soul affinity mana. It becomes possible to link certain artifacts to your Soul. Objects created through Soul Forging are temporary unless a sufficient density threshold is reached. Masters of Soul Forging can create weapons capable of harming ghosts, elemental spirits, and demons permanently.

Soul Projectile initially tempted her the most. It was simple and straightforward, similar to her older brother’s Fire Strike. Soul Manipulation was tempting for a different reason. The lure of being able to enslave soulless beasts and use them to defend the clanhold against beast waves was great. However, she had once heard of a Death affinity clansmen who had fallen and become a lich as a result of similarly enslaving the undead. She had no wish to end up like that particular twisted soul.

The final one, Soul-Forging, did not seem that good at first… until she considered what a ‘weapon’ might be. She thought of javelins and arrows made of Soul affinity, and she quickly realized that this might be a much better option than Soul Projectile. The Soul Projectile could only be sent against an enemy from a distance, whereas Soul-forging allowed her to enhance and enchant weapons with her affinity, making her more dangerous both at a distance and in-close.

With a thought, she selected the Talent, and she felt it slot into place.

For her fourth Talent, she simply chose a passive Talent that all spellblade-type Adventurers used, Mana Well.

Mana Well- A space opens up at the intersection of your mind, body, and soul. It becomes a place where mana is generated and stored, giving you a greater access to the energies of the cosmos.

It was the most basic ‘general’ Talent for those who wished to be able to make and cast spells. While all that lived within the Realms had mana saturating their flesh and infusing their mind and soul, drawing it out in high amounts was damaging, if only slightly so. A ‘pure’ warrior (all used their affinity to some extent) would never notice the damage, but any true spellcaster would quickly find they were increasingly weaker and less effective over time.

The Mana Well Talent allowed the one who selected it to draw in and store the mana in a space that could be safely drained dry to power spellcraft. Furthermore, as the Talent grew stronger, the Well would grow deeper, giving the caster more reserves they could call on in times of need. Karzaia’s mother, an Ice/Wind affinity sorceress with both her affinities at Tier 12, could spend a decade or more simply filling up her Level 20 Mana Well and never quite fill it to the top.

Once that choice was made… she was unsure of what to choose next. In her original plans, this would have been the time to choose another passive Talent that supported her affinity… but her original choice didn’t quite fit.

She also didn’t feel like any of the remaining choices on the short list given to her by the Wanderer fit what she wished to be. She hated to sound ungrateful, but…

“I apologize, Wanderer, but can you give me a list of Talents that would best support my existing Talents and affinity?” It pained her greatly to have to make another such request of her patron. In her original plans, she would have simply slotted the Talents she had chosen in advance after picking her Fire affinity. It was almost embarrassing to need to ask so much of a being that stood so far above her in the cosmic order.

The Wanderer merely smiled softly, as fond as ever. He knew what she needed, even if she didn’t. However, he wasn’t allowed to only give her the option he knew she needed. She had to make the choice from a list so that it was her choice, not his.

A shorter list, this one refined down to Talents that would synergize well with the ones she already had, appeared with a gesture from him. Any of these Talents would serve her well now or in the future.

Her eyes lit on the new list and widened slightly. She hadn’t known most of these existed!

Mana Conversion- Over time, convert your body to mana, becoming a half-ethereal existence unbound by physical limits. Gain high resistance to physical damage in exchange for a loss of resistance to corrupted mana.

Mana Manipulation- You gain the ability to manipulate and alter pure mana. It becomes possible to create spellforms outside of your affinity at reduced effectiveness.

Mana Cultivation- It becomes possible to use mana instead of qi to cultivate, strengthening your body and seeking the path to your personal truth. Your naturally-existing meridians become attuned to mana, and your dantian opens to accept it. You become incapable of accessing qi and take more damage from qi-based attacks.

Qi Sense- You gain a sense of the movements of qi, the energy of life itself. It becomes possible for you to separate qi from mana and draw it into your dantian without a specific cultivation method. The path to Immortality opens to you.

Binding Words- Your spoken words can alter reality when reinforced with mana or qi. It becomes possible to enact simple phenomena with a single phrase or command the weak-willed or those who have contracted with you. Longer strings of spoken commands will allow for the creation of more complex phenomena.

Those Talents… weren’t normal. Normally, families with a natural facility for mana-based spellcasting had no talent for cultivation. Mana Cultivation was even more unheard of, and that Binding Words Talent… was just dangerous.

She decided against Mana Conversion instantly. The Talent simply had too many drawbacks. She had no desire to become a ghost made up of mana, which is what that sounded like.

Mana Manipulation was a Talent her mother possessed… but it was normally only offered through a Tribulation after a significant amount of training in the design and creation of spells. It was considered to be the most important Talent for one seeking the Path of the Sorcerer. While she had no real desire to follow her mother’s path, to say it was tempting was understating things.

Mana Cultivation, while tempting because of the potential benefits and how plentiful mana was in the Nine Lands, seemed like a trap to her. All physical life had qi naturally, and exchanging it for mana and gaining a weakness to qi attacks seemed foolish to her. Enough beasts used qi that such a weakness could be a fatal flaw for any Adventurer.

Qi Sense… opened a door she never thought would be available to her. Cultivation was the most common path to power in the Second Realm, where qi was both more plentiful and more powerful than mana. It was also a much subtler path than the one of the spellblade she imagined for herself. The little information she’d found in the clan’s library spoke of qi cultivation as being more dependent on spiritual inspiration, meditation, and unbelievably harsh training than the more intellectual exercise of spellcrafting.

Binding Words… was the kind of Talent the gods usually only made available to those at the greatest heights of their Path. It was a Talent that seemed like it would require deep knowledge, incredible restraint, and a massive amount of mana to master. She quickly concluded that, even if she selected it, she would not be able to use it any time in the near future.

In the end, it came down to Qi Sense and Mana Manipulation.

She knew what Mana Manipulation could do for her. With it, she would not be limited solely to her affinity. Rather, she could use the mana already touched by an affinity in the area around her to cast spells in addition to those cast from her own personal mana. Sorceresses were easily the most devastating spellcasting Path once they gained that Talent. Reinforced with their affinities, they could become equal with a lesser demigod, for a short time.

Qi Sense was an unknown. However, something in it called to her. As badly as she wanted to be able to cast fireballs and lightning bolts on the battlefield, the idea of searching out hidden mysteries through the forces of life itself was simply too… enticing.

She selected Qi Sense and felt the last of her initial Talent slots be filled. She shuddered as she felt it somehow fuse with her Soul Sight, and she instinctively knew the two had near-perfect synergy, something that was highly desirable for Talents in general.

“You have chosen the beginning of your Path, so it is time now to return to your people. Fare well, Karzaia Manthein. Grow, prosper, and train hard, for the Maker values those who strive the most,” He said, blessing her with one last piece of advise before the girl vanished from the soul space.

Once she was gone, the Wanderer sighed deeply, “Her Path will not be easy.”

A sudden pulse of heavy, forceful will pressed down on his soul, reminding him that it was not his place to grow attached to any of the Hooded King’s heirs, even if Karzaia was one of those selected for a special role. It was hard, however. Karzaia was just so… adorable, even for a mortal child.

With a shake of his head, he too vanished from the soul space, leaving it empty until the next child of Manthein abased itself before the obelisk of the Maker.