Orders of Aelion

Every god needs followers and the celestial beings of Skyforge are no exception. Each immortal dweller of Aelion has their own personal order. In this article you will learn what those orders are, how to deal with your adepts and why you need to have a handful of believers in the first place.

Followers and Adepts
Every character in Skyforge aspires to become a deity - to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies and awe into the souls of mortal citizens. The thing is you can start doing even before becoming a god. Your numerous deeds will not go unnoticed: soon after the beginning of your adventures you will learn that the grateful inhabitants of Aelion have erected a statue in your honor. If you hurry to the Hall of Greatness in the capital you will find not just a statue of your lovely self there but also a small crowd of enthusiastic followers. Don’t neglect these mortals: they provide a third of your character’s might!

Some of the believers don’t just worship you - they are willing to do deeds in your name. They are called adepts. They have special talents and capabilities for solving all sorts of problems. So if Outlaws are causing trouble in distant provinces? Send an adept warrior to deal with them. If an Unknown illness threatens to break out to epidemic proportions? Assign this task to your adept doctor. Whatever trouble befalls Aelion you will most likely find an adept able to deal with it.

Local residents will remember those who helped them and they will defend them against enemies. The more often your adepts visit the same provinces of Aelion the higher your reputation will be in those regions. People will feel gratitude towards you and eventually change their attitude from neutral to gratitude and even admiration. The best part is they don’t express it just in words: as the number of your followers increase you will start getting personal, valuable gifts - special artifacts that can be used to make your adepts stronger.

Adepts Development
Over time your adepts gain experience and increase their level. You can let them take their own course but it’s better if you take their "education" into your hands. Pick the most capable of them; gauge the skills they will need for particular tasks and get down to work. You can assign one adept as a mentor for another or increase their level yourself through a special ceremony. Of course, you can always hire “ready-made” adepts in the Hall of Greatness or get them with the help of special amulets. However, it is much more convenient (and fun!) to raise your own future Hercules; choosing their strengths and improving their necessary skills.

Experienced and powerful adepts can take on more complex assignments that are beyond the powers of their less capable companions. During the invasions there will be particularly challenging assignments in Aelion provinces that only the best of the best can handle. Once the crisis is resolved the adepts will not return empty-handed – their god will receive valuable trophies.

Missionaries and Order Rank
As time goes by the cult will grow and at some point the god will discover that the number of adepts in stock has exceeded all reasonable limits. But don’t worry: you can always retire the adepts you no longer need. However, these "weak links" don’t just pack up and go home, cursing your name; they become missionaries and go in search of new followers. The task might seem insignificant but it’s actually quite important: the more followers who join the order, the higher its rank. Additionally, the missionaries often provide their god with pleasant surprises - the gifts they find on their journeys.

New opportunities will open up for a god that is supported by a large number of people. High ranked orders attract the strongest adepts and lets you access more complex tasks. Furthermore, the god with highest Prestige will be honored with more and more valuable statues in the Hall of Greatness. Firstly, a modest bronze statue is replaced with a silver one; then there is a golden statue in its place and finally, the most powerful and revered gods are awarded a splendid sculpture with precious stones.

Provinces and Patrons
Adepts are busy performing heroic acts, missionaries carrying on religious propaganda… and what about their god? The daily routine of an Aelion deity is not exactly dull and the opponents are getting stronger every day. How can you gain more power? Your order will help you with that as well.

The planet is divided into eight provinces and you can build a temple in each of them. Of course, you won’t be able to build all sanctuaries at once; first you will need to work on your reputation and raise your Prestige to a certain level. When this happens the road to another province will open up and then you can start building. You must place a special relic in the foundation of the temple; the more valuable it is the more luxurious the building will be! In addition to temples you can build chapels in the regions that increase certain characteristics of the god. It is impossible to activate them all at once so choose the bonuses wisely: depending on the situation you might need different kinds of support!

In Conclusion
Managing your own order is a troublesome but fascinating activity. The fact is that orders are like a game within a game. Gods that pay attention to their adepts will not just be loved – they will be rewarded with the best gifts, the richest temples and the most exciting and honorable deeds performed in their name. Aspire to greatness; but don’t forget about the mortals. The way you treat them determines what type of god you become!