The Vixen and the three men rested atop a rge hill overlooking the valley. Nestled among rolling golden hills and bordered by a serene, meandering river, Altharion is a metropolis unlike any other. Known far and wide as the "City of a Thousand Shrines," it is a living testament to polytheistic devotion. Here, gods of every realm and domain are celebrated, and their followers create a vibrant tapestry of faith, rituals, and traditions that define the city’s identity.
At the heart of Altharion lies the Celestial Cathedral, a towering edifice that dominates the cityscape. Its spires pierce the sky, adorned with carvings depicting scenes from mythologies of various pantheons. Stained-gss windows cast radiant, multicolored light onto the bustling square below, each panel depicting a different deity’s story. The cathedral is a sanctuary for all faiths, designed to honor the divine in all its manifestations.
Inside, the cathedral is a marvel of sacred architecture. Its vast halls and chambers are dedicated to countless gods, each shrine unique in its splendor. Some shrines are modest, offering simple altars for prayer and humble offerings of fruit, incense, or flowers. Others are grand, adorned with gilded statues, intricate mosaics, and pools of shimmering water. The air inside is filled with the mingling scents of burning herbs and the soft hum of prayers. Worshippers move freely, often stopping at several shrines to seek blessings from different gods.
One hall glows with an eternal golden light, dedicated to gods of the sun, justice, and wisdom. Another resides in shadows, a quiet corner where deities of death, secrets, and the night are revered. A lush indoor garden brimming with flowers and fountains pays homage to gods of nature, fertility, and renewal. Elsewhere, the cng of hammers and the roar of fire honor the deities of war and craftsmanship. Each shrine is tended by devoted priests and priestesses, their robes bearing the symbols and colors of their gods, offering guidance and blessings to the faithful.
Throughout Altharion, the gods' influence extends far beyond the cathedral. Streets are named after deities, and public squares are adorned with statues and fountains dedicated to their honor. Street performers recount divine tales to enraptured audiences, while vendors sell charms and tokens bearing the marks of the gods. The air is alive with the sounds of bells, the rhythmic beating of ceremonial drums, and the murmured prayers of the devout. Its is the final destination of more than one pilgrimage.
The city's people embody its spirit of faith and diversity. Merchants whisper prayers to gods of trade as they open their stalls. Soldiers leave small offerings to war deities before departing on patrol. Farmers pce gifts at shrines to gods of harvest and rain, seeking their favor. Neighborhoods are dotted with smaller temples and personal shrines, ensuring that no one in Altharion is ever far from a pce of worship.
Altharion’s devotion comes alive during its many festivals, where the streets overflow with color, music, and celebration. The most renowned is the annual Convergence of the Divine, a grand event held at the Celestial Cathedral. This festival unites worshippers of every faith in a collective celebration of the gods’ harmony. Processions wind through the city, feasts spill into the streets, and prayers rise together, creating a powerful sense of unity. It is said that even rival gods find peace during the Convergence, lending the city an aura of tranquility and divine favor.
The spirit of Altharion is rooted in its people’s devotion and their respect for one another’s beliefs. It is a city where faiths intertwine, where the divine seems to walk among the mortals, and where diversity is not just accepted but celebrated. In Altharion, the gods are everywhere, and their presence shapes every facet of life, making it a beacon of faith and unity in the southern nds.
The search for a priest capable of curse removal in this sprawling polytheistic city proved to be an ordeal riddled with frustration and missteps. Each temple, shrine, or sacred alcove seemed dedicated to a god who specialized in something unreted—harvests, war, love, or commerce, and none of their devotees were capable of unraveling curses. Among the quartet, tempers fred as they navigated a byrinth of divine politics and bureaucracy. One priestess of a storm goddess, outright refused to help, decring curses the domain of “lesser” deities. A high priest of Ixelian, the god of healing, demanded exorbitant offerings before he would even consider their plight. Their steps grew weary as they trudged from ornate temple to candle-lit shrine, each encounter yielding either cryptic riddles or disdainful dismissals. By the time they stumbled upon a modest shrine to Orelis, the god of mysteries and forgotten knowledge, their patience had frayed to the edge. The priest within, an aged man with cloudy eyes, finally listened—but only after a lengthy lecture about the dangers of meddling with curses in the first pce.
Despite their desperate pleas and the priest’s cryptic acknowledgment of their plight, Orelis’s servant ultimately left the four no closer to a solution. The aged priest muttered something about “alignment of the stars” and “a price yet unpaid” before retreating into the shadows of the shrine, leaving their request unresolved. Frustration simmered among the group as they trudged back into the city streets, the sky now painted with streaks of twilight. Exhausted and disheartened, they decided to seek refuge in a nearby inn, its sign depicting a worn depiction of a sun and moon entwined.
The inn was warm but cramped, filled with the hum of travelers and the faint clink of mugs. The four secured a modest room where they could regroup and pn their next steps. Each of them wrestled with the weight of failure; the curse lingered, its presence a gnawing reminder to Vixen of her predicament. As the city’s lights flickered outside, she resolved to rise as early as her curse would allow and scour the temples anew, hoping against hope that the right priest.
Before the curse forced her to slumber yet again, she sat down with the three young men inside their room, "I will be traveling alone from tomorrow onwards. I appreciate you three sticking with me this whole time. Though I think I know why you all stayed with me so long."
"W-what are you talking about? We're friends now that we've traveled together for so long," argued Sam quickly, though if you looked at his arms closely enough you could see goosebumps.
"Uriel, Sam and I have thoroughly enjoyed your company and hope you have better luck tomorrow than we did today. Thank you for allowing us to travel with you," Robert said uncharacteristically sincere. Sam and Uriel stared at Robert dumbfounded momentarily.
"And thank you for escorting me, it has been helpful," Vixen said fighting a yawn. "Well gentlemen, if you don't mind I have to sleep now. I bid you goodnight."
The three bowed and left, a faint clicking noise of the lock behind them. Sam and Uriel looked a bit disappointed when Robert fshed the key to them, "We'll come back in an hour or so for a final goodbye, yes?"
Sam and Uriel nodded vigorously as they made their way downstairs to have some drinks at the bar. True to their word, after an hour or so of heavier than usual drinking, they cmored their way back upstairs. Robert fumbled with the key, but after a few moments unlocked the door and the three slipped inside the dark room. Sam locked the door behind him, the woman was sound asleep on her side facing them.
The men noticed the woman had a thick pelt bnket on as they were removing their clothes. Uriel, who during their times of travel had been the most reserved out of the three, took the initiative and threw the bnket to the woman's feet. Naked in all her glory, most likely tired of wearing men's shirts any longer. Uriel got on the bed behind her, wrapping his arm underneath her head he began to grope her breast reveling in the feeling of his fingers sinking into the rge mound of flesh.
He was erect in an instant, after lifting her leg he began rubbing his cock on her clit. His cock grew slippery as her moans became increasingly more audible. Sam was rubbing his dick across her lips while Robert walked on his knees across the bed.
"Uriel, stick it in her ass, I'll go first here," Robert instructed, and since each would get a turn Uriel obliged. Slick with her juices Uriel thrust into her ass, while Robert inserted into her moist pussy. Sam had carefully work her mouth open enough to shove his cock into it. Soft moans and rhythmic pounding of the bed post against the wall broke the silence of the night. The dull roar of the patrons downstairs no longer heard over their debauchery.
Once everyone had finished they simply rotated in a clockwise position, when one needed a breather they switched to a more convenient position allowing for Uriel to pce his dick between her breasts while Sam thrusted into her. After several hours, they had completely exhausted themselves and were ready to head out. After using cleaning magic they left, "It has been a pleasure," Sam said longingly as he closed the lock door behind him.
The next morning when Vixen awoke she had known something went on, she had known from the beginning but looked at is a sort of transaction. Once she was dressed in her new leathers she had purchased just the day before she went out to search for someone to lift her curse.
Around midday a stranger had come to her, he wore monks robes and a rge prayer bead neckce. His head was shaved bald, but had a goatee,"I heard you were looking for someone to remove a curse? "
