Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 443 The Shadow Altar
Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that some lucky individual, with audacity, might have stumbled upon this place, discovered this shadowy rift, and, filled with excitement, passed through the gap to reach the main plane...
He/She/It will be horrified to see a pair of flames ignite, radiating a gaze of greed and delight far stronger than its own.

Nevin Moore couldn't bear to refuse the soul gift delivered to her door.

In fact, the Shadow Fiend, who was ordered to be stationed here, had expressed his desire to explore and develop the Shadow Plane. However, since the journey to another plane was no child's play, the mage was unwilling to risk going there or let the Shadow Fiend venture in alone before the altar and the Shadow Gate were completed.

The construction of the altar was even more complicated than the setting up of the magic array yesterday. The carving and engraving of the altar itself took a lot of effort. Even with the help of the mage's stone-shaping technique, it took nearly two days to complete this small altar, which was about seven meters in diameter.

"I'm saying, these carved patterns aren't spell circuits at all, and they have little to do with divine spell inscriptions or symbols. They're just decorations, aren't they?"

Using magic to manipulate the stones to form the prototype of the altar, and then using supernatural magic to refine it with Taybion and the dwarf stonemason under the "close guidance" of Viconia, Master Zhang finally couldn't hold back anymore. Was he being used as a long-term laborer?
"What do you know, you mortal?"

When it was her turn to be in charge of a project, the female pastor, having regained control of the narrative, was truly in high spirits, exuding an air of command and eloquence:

"Although the Night Lady is different from some vain and flamboyant minor gods and is not obsessed with outward adornment, it does not mean that we can be perfunctory in building an altar to worship her."

“Necessary reverence and awe are also ways to manifest the glory of our Lord. We must not neglect our purpose because we are to achieve it through His power.”

Although they were highly suspicious of how much of the other party's righteous words were actually a facade for personal gain, they decided to grant the other party's wish, considering that the female drow had indeed contributed some effort and that such an altar was indeed needed, and it took a lot of effort to complete the project.

It was also for the sake of secrecy; otherwise, mobilizing Master Vader and his men to speed up the work would have been much faster, but...

Neverwinter, known as the Pearl of the North, has always been an important force in the Order of the North of Sword Coast. Lord Zhang, the dignified Lord of High Cliff, is naturally considered to be in their camp. So, the question arises.

You're a respectable person who swore to uphold order in the North, you should at least be a decent person. What kind of nonsense is it to secretly set up a shrine to Shar in your own backyard?
Even though the Lady of Shadows is not usually considered a deity, her secretive and cunning ways are even more enigmatic than those demon worshippers who spend their days lurking in the shadows. No one knows what these secret keepers are plotting, or what open or covert connections they have with any conspiracies or upheavals.

Therefore, although these followers of the Night Lady are not so much cultists who are hated and killed, they can never escape the image of schemers and plotters in the eyes of others. Interestingly, although the Keepers of Secrets are discreet and secretive enough, as long as there is any disturbance that is even slightly related to them, these guys who think they are being discreet will immediately be listed as major suspects.

Of course, the nobles, who are surrounded by the interplay of light and shadow and the clash of swords beneath their smiling faces, are not exactly bursting with a sense of justice. It's just that, can these things be brought up in public?

As a top architect, Master Vader's reputation and prestige are beyond question. With such a stellar reputation, the people he comes into contact with and his social circle are bound to be impressive. He is certainly familiar with many of the upper echelons of Neverwinter.

Building an altar for Lady Night, right inside her own castle dungeon—is this some kind of private club?
That must be some huge piece of gossip! He could brag about it until he retires. What kind of image would Mr. Zhang have after this gets out?
Even though, as a mage lord, he didn't care much about the opinions of the so-called upper echelons, gossip was still a powerful force, and he had to consider his reputation. Besides, the future existence of the Shadow Gate was a closely guarded secret, and he couldn't allow the news to leak out. With the aid of magic and the chisels and axes of the dwarven stonemasons, it took them two days to set up the small altar. They rushed to finish it just before the few smoky crystals in the otherworldly eternal bondage array ran out.

"Please, favored by the Lady of the Night, the stable operation of the Oathbinding Array and the Shadow Gate depends on you."

“Alright, although establishing the Ladies’ Sanctuary is my wish and my duty, I feel that you seem to have planned this all along, and are even more eager than I am?”

Faced with the monk's gesture of "please," Viconia felt a mixture of expectation and resentment.

"Just go with the flow and act quickly, there's no need for idle talk."

Master Zhang no longer cared about maintaining a composed demeanor. He urged her on repeatedly, his eyes fixed on the long whip at the female Zhuo'er's waist, as if he wanted to snatch it and whip her with it, transforming into a ruthless landlord to urge the farmhands to work.

Circumstances dictate that, having reached this point, Viconia has no way to turn back.

After removing her armor and donning a ceremonial robe, Viconia said no more, slowly ascended the altar, bowed her head and stood before the statue of Shar, whispering a silent prayer, as if forgetting herself and the world around her.

The prayers gradually rose in intensity, from being barely audible until each word was clearly audible, and the sorority also knelt down in worship.

Her voice was very pleasant to the ear, not like a prayer, but more like a chant, like a lost poet, or a nightingale singing in a quiet woodland.

The lady's worship ceremony that night was quite different from the traditional drow rituals, filled with fleshy colors and decadent music, used to please the Spider Queen, Rosne.

The ceremony began with a prayer, but did not end with the chanting.

As the final rhyme of the chant faded, an ineffable yet tangible power descended upon the place. This spiritual touch, which existed only in the depths of people's hearts and needed no external description, told the perceivers present that the ancient goddess who had existed since the birth of the Toril universe, the noble one who held the power over shadows, secrets, and night, had cast her distant, timeless, and seemingly eternally calm and indifferent gaze upon this underground, rather small, newly completed altar.

Of course, it couldn't be Lady Shar's consciousness descending. How could this small altar possibly lure out the goddess of shadows hidden behind endless veils? It was as if a gentle breeze had merely brushed past a corner of the veil, causing a silver thread to flutter in the wind.
The mere presence of a single tendril extending from that vast web of shadows causing the mage beside him to change his expression slightly.

Thank you for the monthly pass from Wanliutongyuan!
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(End of this chapter)