As I stand and breathe, in the purest form of my Glory! Actually, I'm laying in bed at the current moment...

 But the point still stands!

 The tower- MY tower- and everything below has now truly become something deserving of Me, and no less!

 With its final furnishings, I have fully made this into a home befitting grandeur.

 It is a pleasant feeling to have something to call Your own...

 I do realize I might have gotten slightly ahead of myself, so let me elaborate as to what has occurred since my... more unsightly update.

 An excavation took place after my tower had been reinforced. Now, bear in mind, it hadn't been fully constructed at the time, as only the foundations and walls had been rebuilt and fortified.

 During this operation, the floor had been ripped apart, revealing open space beneath, with a staircase leading further beneath.

 As speculated, swallowed by the earth truly lay the remains of what once used to be a palace. However, as the workers and myself, accompanied by Arvel, descended, its state of disrepair became apparent.

 What would one expect, of a structure within a cliff, barren for millennia, right?

 Well, You'd be wrong to assume so, as here the stages of corrosion, cave-ins, and other natural phenomena were extremely minimal. It seemed as though the ruin- No- the Marvel of architecture had been incubated, separate and withstanding the ever gnawing Tooth of Time, only succumbing to its own lack of structural integrity. I now had come in possession of more than a mere tower!

 After exploring the palace further, utilizing my Sorceries by patching up any damages to the roof, walls, and stone staircases, it was clear, that the whole cliff overlooking Locrifta and its emerald sea had truly been only a literal cover. At least, the distance, size, and volume of the complex suggested as such.

 The throne room, the dining halls, the bedrooms and studies, the libraries, servant's quarters, kitchens- even the Fucking dungeons were intact! Not to mention, as confirmation, the tower truly seemed to be an isolated part of the palace as well, only emphasizing the magnificence of my instinct and intuition. This truly befit someone of my stature like a glove would fit a hand! Even more so, I would say!

 There were a few problems, however. The stone and its formations, with some maintenance, had survived the passage of time, regrettably, the furnishings within had not.

 Rotten interior, eroded fabrics, decayed scrolls, and rotting books covered nearly every room. The problems began, when some parts had become inaccessible, due to the interior having been built and furnished utilizing dark wood stairs, doors, and furniture almost in its entirety. This forced me to modify and clear a path by bending the Elemental, leaving this beautiful piece of history to appear as would an old cripple.

 Naturally, this was a minor setback, as soon after, the restoration of this underworld palace would have begun. Not to mention, my display of power left the lowborn workers speechless.

 Arvel brandished a visage of pride I had not deemed him worthy as. Yet, as the workers did inquire about my day-to-day through him, I suppose he would be glad to bathe in the limelight for once. I allowed it, for I am a fair and humble man.

 yet again, who wouldn't drop their jaw in the presence of Sabinian, The Saint! Even Arvel stood flabbergasted, during my ascent to the second story, where massive dark wood stairs lay in ruin beneath. Step by step, stone pillars, as peasants would for a King, rose to create a path for me to step upon.

 Truly, these lowborn never cease to jest!

  I believe it took us nearly 2 hours to explore every corner of the edifice. Sadly, no history of it had remained, as any and all paintings, records, or even books- which could indicate its age and origin- had long since reached their natural expiration date. Except for the structure itself and its metallic components. As well as we found no remains of previous residents. Not a single shard of bone. As if they all had disappeared... Or never been there, to begin with...

 Which brings me to my next observation. The palace seems to possess a particularly close link with the Astral Realm. More precisely, the very bricks in the walls seem to react to the World Scar, as whenever my fingers make contact, an unnoticeable unity is established. It is almost like the World Scar flows through these stones. And I am confident, that such exposure to the Astral Realm will, no doubt, hasten my own growth. Regrettably, the effect has not transferred to the tower topside, yet I barely see that as an inconvenience.

 Speaking of convenience, we also discovered the treasury, which- according to the Law, which confirms, officially, within the document, known as the Property Deed, which has been approved by Lord Heimerich himself, that anything within the bounds of my property belongs to Yours truly- belongs to me and me alone. That also includes the abundance of wealth contained within. Not that I had any shortcomings when it came to wealth, however, this is the only rightful reward for my achievements.

 I pulled apart the metal doors and the mountain of ancient gold, gems, gold-coated cutlery- even a pair of crowns- bathed in the dancing torchlight.

 I acted swiftly and accordingly.

 By paying off the workers and even Arvel- as he has finally ceased his whining that I don't pay him enough... or at all- I made sure to cut any and all leaks of information about my sudden increase in riches. This wouldn't be a problem, per se, yet the prying eyes of Bishop Linchester or a sudden increase in demand for my nonexistent tax payments from Lord Heimerich would be an inconvenience I would rather avoid.

 So I would have pleased, yet just as we were about to depart topside, the fat Inquisitor himself, followed by his troupe of enforcers made their way towards us. Justifying their invasion of my new domicile by calling it an investigation of anything potentially demonic.

 Not like this was something I hadn't expected, as I had left a wall between the treasury and the corridor leading to it. Forever separating the daft religious zealots and my gold. It was safe to say, they found nothing and left disappointed.

 However, the look on Linchesters face... That smirk.

 I wasn't fond of it.

 Proceeding our thorough expedition, I instructed the resumption of the restoration of my soon-to-be residence and ordered a new unit of laborers, to come and sweep the palace of any decaying remains. All the while, I also gave Arvel a list of things to acquire from the merchant and craftsmen guilds in town.

 Now, I do realize, that leaving such a task to a crippled dimwit might be quite daring, however, I held enough faith in the man not to fail. And, naturally, as I sit here, in my fully furnished royal suite, my faith had been rightfully placed.

 Now, although the laboring lowborn had done their job thus far, and the resulting quality had been satisfactory, at least. Ever since discovering the structure beneath the tower, I had failed to contain my excitement. And only 2 days after the excavation, I found the conviction to use my peculiar talents to move the process along faster. Much faster.

 Now, You must understand, that I am not one for laborious work, however, like a starving lowborn child, witnessing food for the first time, I could not get my hands off it. My senses were on fire.

 So while the workers reconstructed the tower, I dove within the cliff, to mold the palace to my liking, all the while drawing up plans for its interior design. To say it was exhilarating would be an understatement.

  The ease at which the walls moved and morphed to my will aroused the most curious excitement. There was barely any resistance, as with nary a thought a room expanded or a new doorway appeared. I even bore ventilation shafts through its peculiar walls, as the air had become quite stale and tasted of a sweaty sock. If I were to do my research, air circulation would be crucial to a healthy thought process.

 I suspect this ease of manipulation comes from the unusual contact this architectural formation has with the Astral realm.

 Is this due to the World Scar? However, would that make these walls special in some way? Or perhaps this is due to its shrouded and lost history?

 It may be, that the answer lies with the strange pocket of space between the royal suite, and one of the spacious, yet barren libraries.

 As I was increasing the size of my current bed chambers, a strange opening revealed itself. It was empty and, frankly, smelled of rotten eggs, yet held nothing of intrinsic value. Its size was about an average man's wingspan wide and could fit 2 or 3 men in volume. Yet, the reason why I am staring at it now as my quill dances over the parchment, and why I reckon it has something to do with the properties of this strange underground structure, is due to the foreign symbols scratched, or perhaps molded, into its wall.

 They appear almost Eastern of origin, or perhaps tribal, yet do not resemble any language I have knowledge of. Meaning- no mere lowborn could conceive their meaning.

 Me, on the other hand... I also haven't a clue. They do set off some signals within my skull as if to suggest some meaning from beyond the veil.

 Perhaps a rock to the brain might reveal some answers...

  What... did I just...

 I digress- Yes! After finding these symbols, I made some copies with some coal and parchment to study them later and concluded rearranging the structure about 2 days later.

 I made a place for study, a sizeable library, a chamber for experimentation and alchemy, and such. I repurposed about 2/3 of the dungeons for the chamber, however, the remaining cells will come in handy later, no doubt.

 Of course, things such as dining arrangements and living quarters for myself and any guests that might pay a visit have been touched upon minimally, as they might still serve a purpose. I also made a sophisticated lavatory, by connecting the room to the sea, giving the place a neat touch of civility.

 I was struck by fascination, as the stone seems to give off light if prompted to. I discovered it purely by accident, as I wished to test the integrity and composition of the mineral. One of the experiments was based around combustion, yet as the flame heated up the stone, it began to emit light. It does require a reignition command every 7 hours or so, yet I have discovered a never seen before light source. A wonderful escape from the stench of fire-based illumination smoke emissions. Can this place get any better?

 Now, even though soon after the tower had been finalized, with its 2 floors and balcony at the pinnacle, it had been too thin. So I took it upon myself, to widen it and reinforce it for the added measure.

 I wonder why I did not do that earlier. This could have been finished months ago...

 Around the same time, my desired furnishings and the hired guildsmen arrived to work on the interior of my domain. All froze in awe, as the tower spun and expanded, while I- their Savior and Saint- stood at the center of it. Surely by now, tales of Sabinian, the Saint and Saviour of Lockrifta, have spread far and wide! I'm expecting visitors and pilgrims any day now.

 Linchester did arrive with a warning, to not be so brazen when displaying my Sorceries, yet the very brazenness has only fueled the Church's reputation, as the lowborn still believe me to be a filthy fucking follower.

 No Matter!

 In about 2 weeks the interiors were crafted into elegance. I had to make some adjustments and put Arvel and Hilda to work, yet with my supervision, it reached perfection by the end.

 As of today, I have officially moved all my belongings to the tower and palace, leaving the small hut we resided in beforehand as barren as we found it. Maybe even more so.

 Hilda and Arvel have also taken residence within these walls, however, Servos is abrasive to travel below the tower. I would think she'd be eager to do so, as the damned cat is the only reason why my curiosity was piqued, yet she almost made Hilda more unsightly than she already was, when she tried to bring Servos below. That feline really is a handful.

 The name fits more than I had initially thought...

 Now, speaking of Hilda- the newest addition to my underlings. She has brought a certain order into the household. From tidying up and cooking, to finding time to educate herself and shamelessly flirt with me, the young ''woman'' has truly exceeded my expectations. Looking at the fact, that she became an addition due to blackmail, I would say this is a positive outcome. I have even gotten used to her disfigured profile, as now we can share prolonged eye contact. Unlike before, when the sight of her made me question her species, much less her race.

 I do sometimes think about the discoveries I would have made with the other potential remedies I had created, however, hiding the test subjects in the brothel's basement, where she supposedly worked- yes, I am surprised myself- wasn't necessarily the most appropriate tactic. Hiding in plain sight doesn't work, if one knows what to look for, it seems.

 I did inquire about her peculiar curiosity about me and my occupations, yet this led to her giving me her whole life's story, about being from a well-off family, but then losing it all due to the Inquisitor's political meddlings. How she then had to travel as a refugee and find a new residence, only to find herself tarnished by the plague.

 To be honest, I have never been so bored in my life, as it was another tale of a powerless lowborn sifting through dirt and pig excrement. the story sucked the color and taste of the tea I drank. Never thought it to be possible...

 Her fascination with me was born due to experiencing my abilities firsthand and then witnessing the moment when I flung the 3 incredibly rude religious bastards out of my previous residence.

 Be that as it may, when she began describing her stalking tactics which led her to work as a cleaner for my favorite brothel, I felt the urge to wring her neck.

 Not a defense mechanism! I would never be scared of this... troll...

 Plus, I would never harm one who follows the scholarly code of enlightenment. Knowledge is Power, after all. And her potential is quite extraordinary for a lowborn.

 Also, Arvel would never forgive me, if I did anything. Not that I care much about what that empty skull of his conceives, however... I can't deny the bond which is our history...