A baptism by fire

What a strange story. A fascinating one though, Alexis was willing to admit.

A mysterious child luring in a desperate stranger… if he were to tell this story to a more ardent defender of his previous faith, they would likely be fast to judge that he had fallen for the treacherous temptation of an evil entity. And then hand him over to the inquisition.

Alexis’ view however was a little more neutral. If this was a forgotten deity indeed, wilfully shunned and left to fall to oblivion by his one time disciples, could it have been an act of desperation on Fosia’s part, as well? To reach out to a stranger in his realm, desperately searching for guidance and as such open to his call when his own folk had closed their hearts and ears to his voice?
Ah well. She shouldn’t make assumptions about any god’s intentions. It would do no good to apply human conceptions to divine machinations.

But Tar had been a pious follower of Kupen once. She understood how that disastrous winter could have left him feeling abandoned by his god, just as many others had then, freezing to death, dying of hunger. But after such conceived betrayal, would one so easily turn to yet another deity, one they hadn’t even ever heard of before? Then again, those falling in with Slivikhi had done just that, for the promise of the return of warmth.
So what had been Fosia’s promise to Tar?

“And what did you learn of him, that he would gain your faith?”