Chapter 232 The Chief Priest’s Overall View

After the performance, the audience once again flocked to the city's major taverns to discuss the new play "The Temple of Lathander" staged by the Bredlow Theater Company.

In the past, discussions about Bredlow Theater Company's plays have been very lively, with occasional minor friction, but generally enjoyable.

But this time, it was like pouring water into a boiling pan of oil!

Fierce quarrels resounded throughout the city of Ascaltra!

The situation gradually got out of control, and the quarrel gradually turned into a fight.

In the Poseidon's Pride Hotel in the port area.

"Bradlow has changed, and the adulation and easy wealth have gone to his head. This new show is a bunch of cobbled-together rubbish!"

"Yes, it's absolutely ridiculous, twisted and hypocritical. It's all made up for the sake of creating gimmicks and dramatic conflicts!"

"Haha, it's normal for people in robes and bubble pants not to like this drama! You can't understand it, and you won't understand it. This is the truly great drama!"

"Rough man, do you know who you are talking to?"

Jack, the dockworker who interrupted, did not dare to speak any more. He was afraid of getting into trouble, so he could only clench his fists and hang his head in silence.

"Hey, you guys are so arrogant. I'm not afraid of you. I just think this show is good. It exposes the true nature of you rotten vultures!"

A man with a hood and several scars on his face suddenly spoke.

"Damn Shadow Thief! You are just a dog we raised, how dare you bark at your master!"

The Shadow Thief was so insulted, so he couldn't care less. He pulled out the Shadow Thief's dagger and rushed forward, stabbing the young noble in the stomach...

…

Such fierce conflicts are taking place all over Ascaltra City!

The young nobles and priests and paladins were extremely disgusted with the show, and they criticized and even abused it endlessly.

Ordinary citizens, dockworkers, sailors, tramps, and beggars highly praised this drama. They did not have much knowledge and could not organize gorgeous language. During the debate, they could only say with a stiff neck: "It looks good!"

Although they were more numerous, they did not have the upper hand. The nobles and priests spoke louder, their language was richer and more gorgeous, and they were more confident, as if they had mastered the truth.

The wind direction was once biased towards the nobles and priests, and when the "Temple of Lathander" was about to be criticized and criticized, the adventurers and the shadow thieves in the city joined the debate.

Most of the adventurers are bodyguards of the caravan. They are not afraid of the powerful people in the city. The shadow thieves were even angered by the nobles' words: "You are just our dogs." They drew their swords at any disagreement.

The atmosphere of "Everyone loves Bredero" in the city of Askatra changed dramatically overnight after a stage play was performed.

…

In the Lathander Temple, high-level priests gathered together, and the atmosphere was extremely solemn.

The chief priest, Gatnis, had an angry face. He slammed the golden scepter in his hand on the ground and said in a stern tone: "Why did Bredero do this? Murit, he shamelessly slandered you and targeted you, you said what to do?"

Murrit is the deputy chief priest of the Temple of Lathander. In the drama "Temple of Lathander", he is portrayed as a hypocritical two-faced man, who is simply more evil than the devil.

Murit was an old man. He was not angry and looked calm.

This deputy chief priest is actually the most devout among the many priests in the Lathander Temple. He is not the kind of person described in the play at all. He started as a priest apprentice and spent forty years studying the doctrine with great concentration and mastering the scriptures. He was not promoted to deputy officiant until his hair and beard were all white. The chief officiant, Gatney, was more than twenty years younger than him.

"Master High Priest, Bradero is not targeting me. I have already reported to you that among the young priests and mid-level priests, there are some whose behavior is not in line with the teachings of the 'Holy Father'. In the prosperity of the Gold Coin City, I think it is this phenomenon that Bredlow is targeting. We should reflect on ourselves, severely deal with those pastors who violate the rules, announce the matter to the citizens, and pray for people's understanding."

The chief priest frowned and thought, he knew that what deputy priest Murit said was true.

Priests have divine power, and even newly promoted low-level priests can perform magical spells such as "treating minor injuries," "delaying the onset of poison," and "removing diseases."

Common people come to the temple and have to spend hundreds or even hundreds of gold coins to get treatment. The temple prohibits priests from using magic in private for free.

This is just like how a monkey has to pay to get Buddha's scriptures.

The Temple of Lathander is one of the most luxurious temples in the continent of Faerûn. The church has a large number of statues and gorgeous (even gaudy) stained glass windows, showing the huge wealth of the church to the outside world.

All temples have a hall facing east, so as to ensure that the first light of dawn can be seen during early morning gatherings. The temple must be built on high ground in the center of the city to highlight the Holy Father of Lathander. of the highest glory.

Lathander does not waste money and silver. If you want to build a magnificent and luxurious temple, you need the active dedication of believers, and the priests will convert the magic into the assets of the temple.

Many poor families cannot afford so many gold coins for treatment, and they encounter misfortunes. They kneel down in the temple and pray for no answer. Priests cannot offer free treatment. The power given by the gods is by no means a cheap gift. Being disrespectful to gods will make believers feel contemptuous.

The victims, who had beautiful daughters, a charming mother, and a lovely sister at home, had no choice but to ask the female relatives to try to find some young, energetic, and lively priests for help.

Of course, this kind of help will not be free, it will be repaid by divine power.

In the original plot, there was a woman who went around the temple area with her five- or six-year-old child and grabbed priests, insisting that the child was theirs. In the end, very few priests denied it, and most of them thought it was something they had left behind after countless affairs. If you are in debt, obediently pay her alimony.

In addition, it also occasionally happens that a few priests secretly collect money to perform magical arts to enrich their own pockets. After all, the magical slots are not used and become invalid upon expiration. Even if they are used today, they will be restored after dawn prayers tomorrow, and no one knows.

There are many young people in the Lathander Church. One of the teachings of Lathander is to protect young people. Young people have unstable minds and find it difficult to endure long and arduous ascetic training. Therefore, there are many fallen paladins in the Lathander Church, so many that they have formed gangs in the Bridge District to do evil everywhere.

In the original plot, Chanem received the task of getting rid of the fallen paladins in the temple area. He used the Holy Grail as bait and killed all the fallen paladins.

Deputy Priest Murit is strict with himself as well as others. He hates this kind of unspoken rules in the church. He has reported to the high priest many times, hoping that the high priest will conduct a thorough investigation and punish those pastors who have corrupt hearts. Clear them all out of the church.

The chief priest, Gatnis, sighed secretly. Murrit was older than him, but he was only promoted to deputy priest in so many years. It was precisely because he didn't know how to adapt.

If being a priest is like an ascetic, only boring prayers, holding ceremonies, and reciting scriptures every day, how can impulsive and active young people persevere, and how can they want to become priests of Lathander?

To become a high priest, the first requirement is not to have the most pious faith, it is enough to have a certain level of piety.

The chief priest must know how to manage, build a magnificent temple, recruit more priests, develop more believers, and spread the glory of the Holy Father more widely.

Isn't it true that the accusations in the "Temple of Lathander" drama are confirmed by purging young priests and mid-level priests who have violated regulations?

In addition to losing a large number of young pastors, the self-exposure of this major scandal will also lose a large number of believers, leaving the church in a state of collapse and taking a long time to recover.

We should focus on the overall situation!

Holy Father Lathander's ambition is to establish a new pantheon and spread faith throughout Faerûn, even if it causes a tragic disaster like the "Tribulation of Dawn", no matter the cost.

Turning a blind eye is the only way to truly comply with the teachings. Murit is too old-fashioned, so he can only be a deputy priest.

High Priest Gatnis shook his head slowly. He did not intend to adopt the deputy priest's suggestion.