The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 731 - 752

"The battle between Tom and Bane released energy that destroyed most of Tanteris Port, and also created a vast Dead Magic Zone—where all magic would completely fail. The Anti-Magic Stones we found on those shapeshifters were produced in such a fall of gods. At that time, there happened to be a team of Adventurers right at the scene..."

"Let me guess, Cranvo was among them?"

"Indeed." Kalalin nodded to Lancelot, "But the future Lord of the Dead didn’t gain any advantage from it. There were several key players in this team, besides the warrior Cranvo, there was the mage Midnight, the thief Shrek, and the priest Anton."

"Sounds a lot like our group, doesn’t it?" Lancelot sighed inadvertently, "That Anton... whose priest was he?"

"At the time, he was... a priest of Shuni." Kalalin looked apologetically at Alamir beside him, "At least that’s what I heard."

"This isn’t a secret in the kingdom." The Elf Priest shook his head slightly, "A regrettable misunderstanding. I want to emphasize that the Goddess of Love never abandoned her excellent priest, nor did she ever avenge Anton’s betrayal. You continue, I will explain this matter later."

"I have no doubt about it." Kalalin immediately agreed, "After all, it was a special era, when deities could not respond to their followers, the more favored followers were all the more likely to waver in their faith due to the loss of divine guidance. Incidentally, Cranvo and Midnight, who later became the Goddess of Magic, were a couple of close lovers at the time..."

"The later Goddess of Magic?" Starlight Strike exclaimed in surprise, "One of the strongest deities in the Multiverse, the Goddess of Magic Mistui, was replaced too?"

"Old timer, you’re out of the loop. The Goddess of Magic was replaced over two thousand years ago," Sword of Zariel said solemnly, "A great arcanist from Netheril, I think his name was Cassas, cast the only Twelfth Circle spell in history, attempting to steal the divine office of the Goddess of Magic..."

"That’s the most foolish, craziest spell I’ve ever heard of," Starlight Strike’s voice sounded startled, "He actually tried to bear the burden of the Magic Net with his mortal body... I guess he exploded on the spot?"

"Yes, and Mistui was soon reborn in the body of a farmer’s daughter. However, during the time from Her fall to Her resurrection, the Magic Net briefly stopped working, and all spells based on the Magic Net failed. The grand Floating Cities of the Netheril Empire fell to the earth as they lost power, and although the Goddess of Magic revived and rushed to help, she only managed to save three Floating Cities from their fate of destruction. This event marked the birth of the second Goddess of Magic, whose alignment shifted to Lawful, and she forbade the casting of any spells above the Tenth Circle through the Magic Net..."

"Humans." Starlight Strike sighed, "Compared to your all-too-brief lifespans, your ability to create trouble doesn’t fall short of the Elves..."

"Our race has matured a lot." Alamir protested with not much confidence, "And if we’re really talking about it, the Aira are the progenitors of the Elves..."

"Yes, so I am very aware of what you did to our kindred who remained in the Prime Material Plane. However, tonight’s topic isn’t us, dear Kalalin, tell me quickly, how did the Goddess of Magic die this time?"

"Unable to ’tidy’ the Magic Net because she left her Divine Kingdom, the magic in the Material Plane became dangerous and unpredictable. Worried that the erratic magical energy would cause another tragedy like Netheril’s, Misla, the name of the Goddess of Magic at that time, ascended the Heavens’ Staircase, attempting to reach the Stellar Realm and return to her divine kingdom to manage the chaotic Magic Net..."

"Heavens’ Staircase?" Lancelot immediately caught onto a new term, "What is that?"

"A creation of the Goddess of the Moon, Serenne, with many entrances and exits, used by the gods to travel between the various Outer Layers and the Mortal Realm. Normally, mortals from the Prime Material Plane cannot see the staircase, but during the years of turmoil, a conspicuous entrance appeared on a mountain peak outside Deepwater City, seemingly waiting for someone to pass through, and it was on the night of Midsummer Festival, thirty-five days after the gods fell from the Heavens, that the Goddess of Magic ascended those steps..."

"Isn’t it said that no one can return unless they gather all the tablets? Didn’t the Supreme Deity set some obstacle on the staircase?" Lancelot asked curiously.

"Yes. Ao sent Heim, the Guardian God, to stay at the Heavens’ Staircase. Heim was allowed to retain all His divine power by Ao and was tasked to prevent any deity from passing through the staircase and returning to the Heavens, unless they brought the Tablet of Fate, and Heim loyally carried out His duties. Misla argued with Heim, claiming she had no reason to be connected to the theft of the Tablet of Fate, and she wanted to explain to the Supreme Deity personally, but Heim was unmoved. In anger, Misla attacked Heim, trying to make Him step aside, and Heim was forced to strike back..."

"And then killed the mighty Goddess of Magic, second in power only to Ao?" Starlight Strike asked incredulously, "Heim... He actually took action?"

"Yes." Kalalin nodded solemnly, "At that time the Goddess of Magic was just a Saint, but Heim wielded all His power as a deity. With just one punch, the Goddess of Magic exploded, her essence scattering over the land, leaving no remains..."

"So that’s what happened…" Starlight Strike remarked, "The office of the Goddess of Magic truly is a dangerous one. What happened next? Was magic inoperative again in the Net..."

"It was different this time because the essence of the Goddess of Magic merged with the earth after her demise. Magic still functioned in some areas, and some specific spellcasters seemed to be completely unaffected." Kalalin went on to say, "One of them was the female mage Midnight from that adventuring party, as an elect of the Goddess of Magic, she had a part of the Goddess’s essence in her, although at that time she herself was unaware of it. After obtaining the Tablet of Fate in Tanteris Port, the group planned to head for Deepwater City, ascend the Heavens’ Staircase, and return the tablet to Ao..."

"I bet Baal and Milko have already set their sights on these people," Lancelot stroked his chin, "even without divine power, as Saints, Their strength is not something a group of mortal adventurers can contend with..."

"Under normal circumstances, that’s true, but after obtaining the Tablet of Fate, more than one god set their eyes on this group of adventurers. The party’s thief, Xirei, killed a mad Halfling serial killer en route, and took from him a fine longsword..."

"I’d bet Bruto’s beard that sword definitely has a problem," Lancelot shrugged, "Most likely it even talks."