One of the harshest truths about the this world is that the gods are not all-powerful. This was a lesson Saya learned on the worst night of her life.
Saya was a foundling, a baby found on the doorstep of an abbey. Had her parents left her there because they feared they couldn't provide for her, or abandoned her because she was unwanted? Were her parents even still alive? Such questions didn't trouble Saya overmuch; she was far from the only orphan raised by the acolytes and nuns of the abbey, dedicated to a goddess of fertility and abundance.
While her upbringing was regimented, Saya was happy overall. The acolytes taught her discipline, how to read, and how to honor the gods. Such skills would be useful whether she decided to join the abbey as an acolyte herself or leave to make her way in the world. While she never really had a mother, Saya had plenty of aunts and sisters, and was content with that. She also never wanted for food; her goddess was one of plenty, and all devotees had some extra padding on them.
Things started to change after her 18th birthday. A pervasive atmosphere of dread pervaded the abbey. Rumors of curses in faraway lands and of conquering armies washed through the residents like an unstoppable tide. And then one night, Saya was called to the abbottess's room. The round old leader of her order told her that she'd received a divine vision that something terrible was coming, an attack that would destroy the abbey. The abbottess's task for Saya was to run as far from her home as she could, bringing with her the book that this oncoming force was looking for. Though she protested at first, Saya soon agreed and left. Though she was quite far away by the time the attack occurred, she still saw the smoke of her burning home on the horizon.
After weeks of running, Saya finally found herself in Bitemarsh. A land under a curse, where one might be able to disappear into the ranks of the downtrodden. It was only after arriving in her new home that Saya turned her attention to the precious book that she had be charged to protect. It was a curious tome called the Codex Corpulentia, and Saya soon found that it was no ordinary book. Though she had been a fairly skilled reader, the book's words seemed like an impenetrable maze hiding secrets and treasure of all kinds. There was magic of some kind at work here, and Saya wasn't sure if she was up to the task of truly understanding the Codex on her own.
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