The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

A light mist shrouded the island of Hindarsfjall. However, the crew knew that behind this mist lay lush forests and blue coral reefs.

Despite being the smallest island in the Skellige archipelago, Hindarsfjall was unique. It was considered the birthplace of island culture.

Both Lann and Gerd had come with specific missions. For his part, Donar, though a wise and hospitable lord, was eager to avenge his clan's fallen guards.

Seeing that the others showed no interest in ceremony or formalities, Donar led the group straight towards their objective: Freya's temple.

...

This was Lann's second time visiting the headquarters of a major religion, the first being the Temple of Eternal Fire.

While the Temple of the Eternal Fire conveyed a sense of solemn opulence, the Temple of Freya evoked a completely different spirit: living nature.

Before them lay what looked like a garden surrounded by a wall, as if a corner of the forest had been set aside. There were trees and flowers and grasses in abundance, so full of life that Lann felt as if he had returned to Brokilon.

Donar, leading them into the heart of the enclosure, proudly described Freya, the most revered goddess of Skellige.

As the group moved forward, women dressed in simple linen clothes, like peasants, began to appear.

Though they wore humble attire, they all had slender figures and skin that, while not perfect, could not be considered coarse either. Most wore braided hair and carried baskets of flowers or fruit, emanating a youthful vitality and energy that made Lann mentally compare them to the students he had seen in Oxenfurt.

Donar explained that those women were priestesses of the temple.

As the group passed by, the women greeted Donar respectfully, and the old man returned a friendly nod. However, after exchanging words with Donar, many of them slowed down noticeably, as if they had suddenly lost the urgency of their tasks.

Numerous curious glances began to fall on Lann.

Donar smiled as he watched the young priestesses, some of them no older than thirteen or fourteen, trying to hide the blushes on their faces behind the baskets they carried.

"Normally, after greeting me, they would continue on their way without delay. But today it seems they would prefer to stay here. This is a privilege that even I, in my decades as a jarl, have never had, Lann."

Lann remained impassive, as if this type of situation was something that happened every day to him.

On the contrary, Gerd, although surprised, found the spectacle somewhat amusing. He was used to receiving praise from warriors and leaders, but being the object of attention from young girls like these was quite unusual.

"Why are there such young girls here?" Lann asked, nodding toward the curious-eyed teenagers. "Are they priestesses, too?"

Donar nodded with a smile. "If we're talking about official titles, yes, they are priestesses. But technically they are in their apprenticeship stage. The order takes in orphans who have lost their families in battles, educates them, teaches them to read, write and pray. Those who show the greatest talent are trained as priestesses."

"In addition, the church recruits students from families living on the islands, although the requirements for these candidates are much stricter."

Lann nodded in understanding. "Something like a parochial school system? Perhaps Cintra could implement something similar…"

"Of course..." Donar replied, approving the idea. "As long as you have a church to do it in."

...

Finally, an imposing marble structure appeared before their eyes. Lann knew immediately that they had reached their destination.

At the top of a long stone staircase stood a building covered in moss, ivy and bushes. On its roof grew bushes, small trees and even mistletoe.

In front of the temple, two young priestesses waited in silence. Donar approached politely, greeting them and expressing his desire to speak with their leader, whom he called High Priestess Sigrdrifa.

They entered the temple, illuminated by sunlight streaming in through the high windows. One ray of light in particular fell directly on the altar.

The two priestesses gestured for them to wait in silence, for murmurs of prayers still echoed from the depths of the temple.

...

"—Holy Mother, goddess Freyja! Grant me strength to love, to give birth, to raise warriors and to annihilate my enemies!"

…

Lann couldn't help the nervous tic that appeared at the corner of his lips. Such a crude sentence in a place like this?

Above the simple marble altar, surrounded by sculptures of cats and eagles, and among stone shells for offerings, stood the statue of the Great Mother, the goddess Freya. The figure exuded a powerful sense of motherhood: dressed in a flowing robe, clearly pregnant, the sculptor had deliberately exaggerated the prominence of her belly.

The statue, with its head slightly bowed, had its face covered by a veil. Its hands rested crossed on its chest, and a golden necklace with a huge blue diamond hung from its neck.

The believers who had been praying began to withdraw, leaving the altar empty except for a rather tall priestess.

She was really tall. When she turned to them, her gaze was almost level with Lann's. Her hair and eyes were a very bright shade, and her thin, angular face was not especially beautiful or feminine.

"Welcome, my lord Jarl. Welcome to the Temple of the Holy Mother." The priestess greeted in a calm voice, addressing Donar.

"And welcome to you, Lann of Cintra, and Gerd, the witcher of the south."

Donar bowed his head slightly towards the priestess in a gesture of reverence. "I pay homage to you, noble High Priestess Sigrdrifa."

Lann and Gerd lowered their heads slightly in respect.

"High Priestess Sigrdrifa, how did you know we were coming?" Lann couldn't help but ask curiously.

"The Lion of Cintra. Your name is already known in Skellige. And now, after only a week in these lands, you have already stopped a conspiracy that could have caused the downfall of the islands."

Then she turned her attention to Gerd. "And you, witcher of the south, I have heard that your bravery is legendary. Because of your monster hunt on Skellige, the islanders are deeply grateful to you and are already composing ballads about you."

Gerd scratched the back of his neck modestly. "It's not that big of a deal. It's my duty to wipe out the monsters that attack humans."

Lann, however, persisted in asking the priestess: "How do you know so much about us and our arrival?"

The High Priestess smiled calmly. "I know what you're thinking, but all this information about you and Gerd has reached me from the faithful during their prayers. As for your visit, it was announced in advance."

Lann nodded, understanding. For a moment, he had thought the priestess had used some kind of prophetic magic.

Lann is still very curious about the power of religion, because the so-called 'gods' really exist in this world.

Although they rarely display direct destructive powers, and their followers are often pillaged or slaughtered in the backstory of The Witcher Series.

The High Priestess seemed to notice his reaction and explained: "Disappointed that I did not use divine magic to foresee your arrival? Remember this: it is not the believer who has power, but the god who, when necessary, grants power to his believers."

Lann maintained a respectful demeanor, pretending to have received a valuable lesson, although internally his enthusiasm for 'miracles' had already faded.

At that moment, Donar stepped forward and stated the reason for his visit: "Sigrdrifa, we have come to request your help. We need the intervention of Holy Mother Freya."

The High Priestess smiled slightly and, adopting a receptive attitude, indicated for Donar to continue.

"There has been a recent development in the bloody incident that occurred at the royal banquet." Donar explained, staring at the High Priestess. "It was berserkers, followers of the evil god who can transform into bears, who attacked us. The cult of Svalblod has returned."

The High Priestess's expression, which had been calm until then, changed completely. Her face was a mixture of disbelief and barely contained reverent anger.

"The followers of the evil god?"

Donar nodded. "That's why we've come to seek your help. Would it be possible to use the power of the Holy Mother to obtain information about those barbarians?"

The High Priestess was clearly agitated as she turned her gaze towards the statue of the goddess Freya. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her voice.

"There are still vestiges of the Svalblod cult… However, the Holy Mother has not issued any oracles. This suggests that they pose no threat."

"But they are already a threat." Donar replied firmly. "They were on the verge of plunging Skellige into unprecedented chaos."

Donar continued, his tone more vehemently: "The Holy Mother may not have spoken, but as her faithful, shouldn't we take the initiative to ease her worries? If the ancient cultists have reappeared, isn't it our responsibility to eliminate the heretics and protect the believers of the Holy Mother?"

The High Priestess bowed her head, pondering deeply over Donar's words.

Finally, she nodded decisively. "I will try to help you locate the people behind those barbarians."

Gerd showed a smile of relief and curiosity. "How will you do it?"

"It will not be me who will do it, but us." The High Priestess replied with an expression of certainty. "We will pray and ask for the power of the gods."

Lann crossed his arms. Finally something within this cult seemed truly religious.

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