The power of life first graced the frozen lands of the north. Olyur and Ulutiru, who had been locked in combat, separated instantly, their faces grave as they looked at Tyche.
For deities, making frozen earth sprout green grass was not a surprising feat. Thanks to the descent of the World Consciousness's authority, these immortal gods possessed extraordinary divine power to alter reality! Depending on their divine rank, the gods could effortlessly influence their surroundings.
However, even the two deities specializing in the domain of cold could only maintain abundance on the frozen land for a short period. Once they withdrew their reality-altering divine power, everything would revert to its original state!
What made the Winter Maiden and the God of the Arctic find it incredible was that these delicate plants were not protected by divine power, yet they grew so abruptly yet harmoniously in this frigid land.
"Respected Goddess, I have no intention of being your enemy."
Sensing the unfavorable turn of events, Olyur retreated a few steps, breaking their confrontational stance with Ulutiru.
Tyche paid no heed to the probing gazes of the two deities, focusing instead on the rapidly growing shrubs at her feet. Under her will, the low shrubs bore fruits resembling blueberries, their purplish-black hue looking quite enticing.
She reached out and plucked a berry covered in frost. The sweet taste made Tyche's eyes light up. This fruit had a considerable sugar content and could be cultivated on a large scale as an economic crop.
"Winter Maiden, I also have no intention of interfering in your disputes. However, Ulutiru inadvertently did me a great favor, and I should offer a reward."
Tyche said with a light laugh, "Leave, Olyur. Fate tells me you are not meant to die by my hand."
A ray of sunlight pierced the clouds, falling upon Tyche's fingertips. The butterfly that flew from her hand flapped its wings, refracting light like a rainbow in the rare northern sunlight.
In this brilliant radiance, Olyur saw an illusion of his own demise. The chief god Talos had encroached upon his domain of cold, and having lost his faith, he was taken to the Astral Plane to become an unthinking, colossal stone.
"Thank you for your mercy!"
Olyur bowed slightly in gratitude and transformed into a gust of wind and snow, departing from the territory of the God of the Arctic.
Ulutiru was also sensible. As a solitary figure, he dared not pursue Olyur. None of the gods of wrath were to be trifled with. If his divine realm were not adjacent to the powerful deities like the Earth Mother and the Father of Oaks, Olyur would have long ago brought his allies to his doorstep to seize everything he possessed.
The current situation was perilous for all deities. The gods of the good alignment were all preoccupied and had no spare capacity to look after the God of the Arctic. After all, Ulutiru was not a subordinate god to any of them. The good gods of the past were willing to shield the God of the Arctic from the threats of the gods of wrath out of divine pride!
The gods of wrath had a consistently poor reputation. The nature pantheon, led by the Father of Oaks Sylvanus, had always been at odds with the gods of wrath. For the sake of face, they did not wish to see the gods of wrath kill their neighbor.
But now that all the gods had been swept from their divine realms, gods like Ulutiru, who had not joined any factions, had become lambs to the slaughter. He could only endure the constant harassment from the Winter Maiden and preserve himself.
Tyche had no intention of acting as Ulutiru's nanny indefinitely. She had the women and children of her tribe tend to this berry patch, teaching them how to extract sugar from the berries.
The able-bodied men of the tribe contributed as hunters or guards. Women and children typically held low status in such primitive social structures. Tyche had already made her plans; she would deify herself with the divine portfolio of protector of women and children. This calamity of saints was a rare opportunity for Tyche, at least bringing her closer to fulfilling her agreement with the Goddess of Magic.
As Tyche imparted knowledge, the Weave quietly unfurled. The mages, whose status had plummeted, soon sensed the Weave and were overjoyed!
During the period when the Goddess of Magic and the Weave were missing, except for those archmages and legendary mages who had forged their own paths in the field of magic, almost all low- to mid-level mages could not even cast a simple cantrip. The gods of magic of the Moon Gate were helpless. After the calamity of saints, they had gone into hiding and appeared less frequently. Without the protection of the Goddess of Magic, these minor deities were busy protecting themselves and had no capacity to protect the mages.
Mages had always been synonymous with wealth. Without the power to deter others, their fate was predictable!
High-level mages with mage towers could still eke out an existence. Mage towers connected to elemental pools retained some firepower, and their stockpiled spell scrolls were also dangerous items. Even so, these mages, unable to cast spells independently of the Weave, were forced to relinquish most of their gains.
This persecution of mages only eased when the gods were driven out of their divine realms. The legendary practitioners shifted their targets, seeking out the avatars of minor and weak deities to achieve deification, which finally gave the mages a chance to breathe.
Upon reconnecting to the Weave, the mages, who were in dire straits, displayed unprecedented piety towards the Goddess of Magic. This wave of pure faith immediately awakened the Goddess of Magic, who had been slumbering in the Astral Plane.
Tyche's true self had received news of the Goddess of Magic's awakening through the Weave, and the causal thread entwined with her divine fire also showed signs of dissipating.
Her northern avatar led the women and children to demonstrate their value. In this medieval civilization that possessed magic and deities, the value of seasonings was no less than that of equivalent gold! Especially sweeteners that brought happiness, sugar was outrageously valuable, unaffordable even to some minor nobles.
Near the north, the Sword Coast and Waterdeep often saw caravans coming to the tribe to purchase furs. Shrewd merchants naturally would not miss this frozen syrup, readily agreeing to the old priest's request to exchange it for large quantities of grain and weapons.
Chauntea, the goddess of wealth and commerce, was the patron of all trade. Most merchants believed in this goddess. These followers of Chauntea swore in the name of their goddess and reached a unilateral exchange agreement with the tribe.
For Tyche, having brought back the lost divinity of the God of the Arctic and gifted him the sugar-making technique, the karmic debt between them was cleared.
Merchants were always profitable. Bringing the northern sugar and furs back to Waterdeep, they could sell them for more than ten times the price. They readily agreed to Tyche's request to be taken to Waterdeep along the way.
Bidding farewell to the simple tribesfolk, Tyche traveled with the caravan to Waterdeep. This prosperous city lived up to its reputation. It had the most ports in the world, with endless streams of merchant ships coming and going. In fact, the name Waterdeep originated from this.
This was the largest cargo distribution port in the southwest! The city possessed temples for almost all deities, and even the most unwelcome Sea Goddess Umberlee and God of Storms Talos received generous offerings from merchants. These seafaring fleets, to avoid the wrath of the gods of wrath, often fulfilled all the priests' demands.