It's a bustling port, fishing boats and merchants and dockworkers all with voices raised in a hubbub of regional and trade languages. A fine rain mists down over the city, and the view of the countryside is blocked by a thick bank of fog.

Lucky for her, Ranata knows All The Languages, because she has the best god. She listens in on snatches of conversation as she waits impatiently for the ship to finish docking, and is one of the first down the gangplank. Growing up in a town built over and around a river cured her of any anxiety she might have had around bodies of water. 

More important is the fact that this is a new place, with a new god to find out about, and she has a gift to present to the temple. 

That's usually a wise policy for travelers. Ellayania's temple is close to the center of the city, away from the docks. It stands out from the surrounding buildings by being all solid black stone arching up into a domed roof with skylights. Precisely angled breaks in the cloud cover drop shafts of sunlight directly on top of these.

She heads in that direction, then, paying just enough attention to the crowd around her that she can avoid accidents. 

As she walks through the streets, she hears snatches of a few new languages, but the people here mostly speak ones she's heard before. 

The temple is fairly easy to find, so she probably won't have to ask for directions. 

The interior walls of the temple are made of the same material as the outside, where they're not covered over by bookcases. Most of them are covered over by bookcases. There are several areas with comfortable looking chairs in the pools of light provided by the skylights, and people are sitting there reading books pulled off the shelves. A man in a priestly-looking robe re-shelving books left out looks up when Ranata enters, and gives her a friendly nod.

"Hello," she says, returning his nod.

"I have a book to donate to the library, as an offering." She indicates the package tucked under her arm, a rectangular shape wrapped in waterproof material. 

"The altar is further in back," he says, pointing.

"Thank you."

She goes in the direction he pointed, trying not to get distracted by all the books on her way past. She can come back and look at them once she's made her offering, she promises herself. 

There it sits by the wall, a simple slab of stone flanked by two lit braziers. Yet more bookshelves stand behind.

"Greetings, Ellayania," she says to the empty air.

Standing before the altar - an acolyte does not kneel to a god not her own - she unwraps the package, revealing a brand-new volume bound in blue leather.

"This," she continues, "is a book of which I can guarantee that you do not possess a single copy." 

Do I have your attention yet, she wonders silently.

"Is that so?" asks a conversational voice from just behind her shoulder.

She doesn't turn to look; if the goddess wanted to be seen she would have appeared in Ranata's field of vision to start with.

"It is," she confirms. "In fact, this copy is one of only four in existence. I had it commissioned specifically for this purpose, since I hoped it would interest you." 

She holds up the book, turning it so the title on the spine, A History of Littenvale, would be visible to a person standing where the voice suggests.

"Ooh. I can't wait."

Ranata places the book on the altar.

"It's a history of my - well, not my hometown, but the place I have spent more than half of my life," she says quietly.

"And it's also a history of my god." Her fingers go to the delicate chain around her neck, playing with the links. "A statement of intent, of sorts." 

The book sinks into the altar.

"Your offering is accepted, and appreciated, young acolyte. I will keep it with care."

What's the book have to say?

The book is, as the title suggests, a history of the town of Littenvale, which grew up in a bend of the Litten river after this one god founded a university there seventy years ago. The author is an alumnus of said university, and wrote the book as his final project before graduating. Another student provided a few illustrations, including several maps of the town and its surroundings which show its growth over the decades. 

Dotted throughout the book are interviews with various figures, including current students, townsfolk, the Dean of the university...and Merilakian himself. His interview, placed in the early chapters, describes his reasons for setting up Littenvale University. He created it as a place, not just of learning, but of teaching; he desired to create an environment in which people could pass on their knowledge of the world to each other, and help each other to create or discover new things.

"An interesting god you serve."

Ranata smiles. "He is, isn't he," she says fondly.

"Can you see why I thought you might be interested?"

"I think I can. Certainly, this University seems at least worth a visit."

"I plan to be on a ship returning to Littenvale in a week's time," she offers. 

"I would be honoured if you, or one of your acolytes, were to join me. In the meantime, may I walk freely in your domain, and perhaps read a few of your books? This temple alone has one of the most impressive collections I have ever seen." 

"They are on display so that they might be read. The freedom of my domain is yours, with my blessing should you wish it."

"Thank you!" 

Ranata likes this place already. So many books, and she can read any of them! 

Also, that doesn't seem like the sort of thing Ellayania would say if she were concealing dark secrets that would make her unsuitable as a potential ally for Merilakian, so that's promising.

"I would be honoured to accept your blessing."

"I offer the blessings of speed, stamina, vision, memory, waterwalking, and resistance to chill and damp."

...Oooo. 

"I already carry a memory blessing, from Merilakian," she says thoughtfully. "Do you know how they would interact?"

Any potential improvements to her memory are not to be sneezed at, but if the answer turns out to be that they don't stack, vision is probably going to be her second choice. 

"Not from direct experience, but by analogy with others I expect the total benefit will increase."

"Then I would love to have a memory blessing, thank you." 

Some of the others might be useful, but several seem particular to Ellayania's domain, and she's not sure yet if she'll be spending enough time here to need those. Anyway, if she does, there will presumably be more opportunities to pick up those blessings, since that would imply that they remain on good terms. 

"You shall have it."

When an acolyte confers a blessing, they have to touch the recipient. But a god within their own domain need not.

And now Ranata has a better memory than she did a second ago. Wheee!

"Many thanks," she says, resisting the urge to bounce. 

"Now, I believe I will investigate a few of these books. Are they arranged by any particular system?" 

"Subject, style, and era. Fiction tends to accumulate to the north and the west."

Ranata isn't that interested in fiction. Not as a first port of call, anyway.

"And ancient history would be...?"

"Try the southwest corner."

"Thank you; I do believe I will." Such a helpful god.

Off to the southwest corner she goes. Her acolyte power lets her read all languages, not just speak them, so finding something she can read shouldn't be a problem. 

There are books! Many of them historical in nature, even.

She picks one, finds a quiet corner, and starts reading. She is not going to run out of interesting books any time soon.

A few hours in, Merilakian speaks up from her pendant - for the first time since her arrival in Ellayania's domain - to remind her to eat. Reluctantly, she sets the book aside and goes in search of food to sustain her annoyingly mortal form.  

If she has money, there's places to eat in town.

She does indeed have money, and spends it at the closest place to the temple that sells food she recognizes. 

Once she's eaten - it's not polite to risk getting food on books, even if you know you're good at being careful - she returns to where she left off.

As natural light fades, a priest goes around and lights the candles.

That would normally get Ranata's attention, but not when there are books!

If he has to come within a couple of feet of her reading spot, she might notice. If not, she'll keep reading until Merilakian reminds her to go find somewhere to sleep. 

The candleholders have strategic mirrored backings; there are not that many of them.

Eventually, she rouses herself - at her god's prompting - to find an inn and sleep. 

Next morning, rather than returning to the temple, she reluctantly continues with her plan to tour Ellayania's domain.

This city seems like the logical place to start, since what information she gathered tells her it's the biggest. She's only seen the part of it between the docks and the temple, so she'll spend the rest of the day wandering around the rest, and finding someone who can take her to the next-biggest temple site tomorrow. 

The city is rambly and twisty, in the fashion of those that have been built over the years without any centralized planning. Businesses and places of work are clustered closer to the water, while the residential areas tend further inland. There's also a street where the small temples of foreign gods are clustered.

Oooo. She definitely wants to investigate those, and has lots of questions for those gods or their priests.

For example, how did they come to have temples here? 

By way of exchange for a similar consideration in their territory, mostly. This is not the largest port in the world, but it is one of the busiest in this region.

Her little bottle of river water is presumably listening in to this conversation; this is almost certainly in the top five most interesting things demanding his attention. The potential expansion of his domain is not her call to make. 

She leaves the foreign gods offerings of knowledge, as is the custom in Littenvale. Merilakian whispers in her ear to help her find tidbits particularly relevant to each god. Some she has met before, while others are new.

And while she's here, can they tell her anything about Ellayania that her god might plausibly need to know before entering into a similar agreement?

In a small temple made of glassy black volcanic rock, pale marble, and green sea-glass, there's a white bird that can weigh in.

"Ellayania is very straightforward, and uninterested in getting into conflicts. She says what she means and doesn't like playing politics; you won't have to worry about being blindsided with mind or power games. I think you'd be better off looking elsewhere if you'd like to find an ally against any rivals you might have, she much prefers neutrality and will resist and resent any attempt to draw her into conflicts. If instead you'd like to peacefully exchange resources with another god for mutual benefit, she's very reliable. I was the first to enter such an arrangement with her, I have yet to regret it."

"Thank you for your advice." 

Merilakian makes a note to visit Tisvetaia at some point, and discuss a potential exchange in that direction.

For now, just before they leave the volcano goddess' outpost and return to Ellayania's domain, he tells Ranata, "That's good enough for me. I think it's time to present our case to Ellayania. An exchange of temples seems like a fine place to start; I doubt I'll have trouble finding priests to staff an outpost here."

She goes to the altar again, even though she could technically speak to Ellayania anywhere in her domain and be heard; it seems the thing to do.

"Ellayania, I come, this time, with an offer from Merilakian," she begins, and waits for a confirmation that the goddess is listening.

"Oh?"

"Having toured your capital, and spoken to the other gods with which you have similar agreements, Merilakian is of the opinion that it would be in both of your interests to place temples in each other's domains." 

They agreed that Ranata would do the talking again, but now she feels like it was a mistake, and Ellayania is going to be offended that the other god will only deign to speak to her through an intermediary.

"The primary benefit, of course, would be the opportunity to exchange knowledge, of all kinds. Littenvale is, to my knowledge, the only place within a month's travel which comes close to matching your library."

And she stops there, because otherwise she'll start rambling and forget to give the goddess a chance to respond.

"I am flattered you think so highly of me after so short a time. However, such an arrangement is not to be entered lightly. I would like to meet Merilakian as he has me before assenting to this."

"That is, of course, perfectly reasonable," Ranata agrees. 

"There is no hurry; agreements between immortal beings should not be rushed into. We simply felt it prudent to inform you of our intentions, in the interests of honest and open communication."

"I do appreciate the courtesy. Which ship will you be departing on?"

Ranata checks her mental itinerary.

"I had intended to travel on the ship leaving in five days' time, in the morning, and spend the intervening time travelling around your domain. If you do not wish to wait that long, I believe there is an earlier departure in the direction of Littenvale the day after tomorrow."

"There is no rush. Feel free to explore."

"Thank you, I will." 

And since it sounds like she will not be alone on her voyage home: "Will you be sending an acolyte, or an avatar?"

"An avatar, if Merilakian has no objections."

Ranata takes out her vial  of river water and looks at it. 

"I would be honoured," her vial says.

"I will let my people know to expect you."

"I will make arrangements."

And that seems to be that.

With arrangements made, Ranata spends the next few days happily exploring Ellayania's domain. She reserves the last day before her departure for another long session in the library. 

Ellayania's domain is not overly large. There is one other smaller city, several fishing villages, and a few farming communities further inland. There are no other libraries as large as the one at her main temple, but everywhere she has an altar, there is at least one shelf of books and a place to read them. The weather remains chill and misty.

And when she gets back to the library, there is an elegantly-dressed woman perusing the shelves.

This would be interesting at any other time, but they are in a library. There are books. 

There is a reason she left an entire day for this. 

That's endearing.

Merilakian has to remind her to eat again.

When the sky begins to darken, Ranata sadly replaces the last book on its shelf and starts heading for the inn to sleep, looking longingly over her shoulder and promising herself that she can return another time. 

"If you want to take one or two with you, I would not mind."

...huh. So that's - 

"Thank you, my lady," she says after a moment.

"You are very kind. But - how can I possibly choose just a few, when there are so many?" This last part is said almost to herself, as she gazes around them at the candlelit shelves. 

"You'll have to prioritize."

"I think," she decides, "that I will sleep on the matter, and return in the morning to collect the books I have chosen before our ship departs." 

That should, hopefully, give her time to decide on a shortlist of the ones she really cannot pass up the opportunity to read. 

"I'll see you then."

And so she does. 

Ranata woke early, so she could spend some time deliberating over books without being late to the docks. She managed to choose three, mostly by promising herself that she can exchange them for others at a later date, and is right on time to board the ship. 

And here's an avatar, reassuring the ship's captain that yes, she did speak with Varkalosix and there will not be any unfortunate incidents on this trip due to her presence.

"Good morning," Ranata sings out as she walks up to them.

Her luggage, slightly heavier than when she arrived given the weight of her borrowed books, is still light enough that she can carry it herself. She'll be glad to put it down, of course, but that's not enough to dent her good mood. Finally, she's heading for home, after weeks away from Littenvale. Merilakian's voice in her ear has helped, but not enough. 

The captain finally accepts Ellayania's assurances. He makes a note of Ranata's arrival, moving off to attend to other preparations.

The avatar goes over to her. "Managed to make your selection?"

"I did!" 

Ranata lists the books she chose - a biology text, one on geology, and an anthropological treatise. She may or may not be bouncing slightly. 

"Good choices. I find the anthropologist somewhat verbose, though his digressions can be entertaining at times."

Of course Ellayania has read, and remembers, every book in her library. Ranata shouldn't be surprised. 

"I don't mind a little verbosity; it can't be as bad as some of the doorstoppers I've read over the years." Are they leaving yet? They should be setting sail pretty soon. 

Lines are being cast off and sails raised and so forth.

Ellayania taps her chin thoughtfully. "I remember the geologist. Came to investigate the abandoned mountains to my north. Quite passionate, in her own way."

"I'll look forward to it."

As interesting as this discussion is, Ranata is briefly distracted when they finally start moving. 

She'll be home in just a few days! 

"You seem excited to be returning."

"A little, yes," she admits, blushing slightly. 

"This is the longest I've been away from home in more than a decade. I'll be glad to be back." 

"Long trips can be tiring," she agrees.

Ranata nods thoughtfully.

"I - 'tiring' might not be the best way to describe it," she says, haltingly. "I..."

She takes a deep breath.

"I miss Littenvale," she admits. "More of my life has been spent there than not, by at least an order of magnitude, and...I miss it." 

"Tell me more about it."

And so Ranata leans on the railing next to a god, watching the water flow beneath the ship and talking about Littenvale. 

She describes her childhood, growing up in the streets around the university and knowing that she was safe if she ever fell in the river, because the water would help her swim to shore. "- I wasn't born there, but I don't remember a time before we came."

She talks about school, about the day she first met Merilakian, and he sat down with her and they talked about how she could work on her social anxiety. She talks about the day she realised there was too much knowledge in the world for her to take in given only a human lifetime. 

Mostly, she talks about Merilakian. He is a constant presence in her stories, threading through every anecdote about his city or his university, only rarely appearing in person. 

The god listens with a willing ear, following and tracking the threads of Merilakian to weave a more coherent picture for herself.

The picture that emerges is one of a kind, personable god who focuses on helping people to help themselves, and supports them in pursuing their own goals rather than pushing his own standard of excellence. 

However, he does seem to favour particular types of people as his acolytes. As Ranata talks about her fellow servants, it becomes apparent that she is something of an outlier. Most of the other acolytes are teachers at the university, or have otherwise put themselves in positions where they can directly help and advise other individuals as Merilakian does. Not only does Ranata not teach, she has no interest in doing so, and no particular aptitude for it. Instead, it seems to have been her love of learning which led the god to choose her. 

Acolytes tend to complement their god or match their strengths. She thinks she knows which Ranata is.

And so the travel passes. Eventually, they arrive.

Littenvale is pleased to welcome the goddess Ellayania! 

As soon as her avatar sets foot on solid ground, Merilakian himself greets her.

"Welcome to my domain. I hope you enjoy your stay," he says cheerfully from the air. "Oh, and Ranata - welcome back."

"Thank you for having me. I too hope my time here is fruitful."

Perhaps Ellayania would like a guided tour of Littenvale, provided by a young and eager acolyte?

She would, in fact.

He is delighted to walk through the streets with her and ramble about everything in sight! Like everyone she's seen so far in Littenvale, he is respectful but doesn't seem particularly overawed by the presence of a goddess. Either they get a lot of godly visitors and the novelty has worn off, or - more likely - Merilakian dislikes standing on ceremony. 

Here is a market square, bustling and lively. It is bordered on three sides by buildings, and on the fourth side by the river. Over there is one of the main bridges, designed for bringing animals to market. 

This way, towards the centre of the town, is the university. Her guide enthusiastically explains how the town grew up around the original university buildings as a means of providing the students with food and other essentials. Over the seventy years since then, Littenvale has become a prosperous town in its own right, and no longer a mere accessory. 

The university itself appears to be constantly growing and being rebuilt. Very little of the original structure remains visible, the buildings having been extended and renovated so many times over the decades. The overall layout remains surprisingly easy to navigate, considering, and she could probably manage without a guide if necessary. 

She prefers respectful but not overawed, having seen too much gods that aim to overawe.

It's interesting to observe the strata of architecture and note the ways in which the various personalities and philosophies interact.