When you get a Special Stone, you take it to a shrine. When you do this, the stone allows you to get a powerful weapon (S-Class ARM). There are no restrictions for this ARM, meaning it can control Fire or Ice, it does not have anything set for it.
The deity for each shrine has its own agenda set for the user. If the user disagrees then the deity can slowly possess them. This is what happened with the original saviours of MAR. These saviours have returned, they are preaching on behalf of their gods. At first it was ignored but now each deity has a horde of followers that it maintains the loyalty of via the ARM provided by the shrine.
The priests had been under the indoctrination of these gods for so long that they had developed a Stockholm syndrome of sorts and the ARMs were no longer necessary. They were tossed aside. Now fate will allow heroes to find these lost weapons.
-At final battle a priest can summon the deity.
Many years before the first war games had begun, religion was largely accepted in MAR, there were shrines dedicated to each Deity, all twenty of them. Pilgrims would go through dangerous obstacles and defy death multiple times to reach these shrines and pray to they’re god. Often the pilgrims would have an ARM that assisted them greatly on they’re journey. One of the deity’s took note of this and granted the brave pilgrim a gift; the deity enchanted the ARM, enhancing its power greatly. The one condition was that the pilgrim, already loyal to the deity must follow its wishes. Without hesitation the first pilgrim to receive this gift agreed and was sent out into the world. The pilgrim fought heretics of all sort, slaying them in the name of his god. It was referred to as “Cleansing”.
As other deities watched they’re influence diminish while one sole gods grew immensely they took notice of what had been done and did the same, enchanting the ARM of the next to reach them. In time every deity had a pilgrim doing they’re work. But by this point they had all grown exponentially in power but remained equals in strength and so the ensuing battles were for naught and only wrought destruction on the land. Eventually the deities saw that any continuation of the battle would be the end of the world they created and so they instructed the pilgrims to cease what they were doing, go into hiding, to train, and converse with their deity. Every pilgrim was happy to oblige. Each pilgrim, hero to some, destroyer to others slowly vanished from history.
The stain the battles had left on the minds of every bystander was motivation for most to forget about the pilgrims and the deities they served.
Now, a few years following the second war games conclusion, a small hint of religion has returned to the world. Although considered cults to most the number of followers quickly grew. The men and women who brought many new religions in succession back to the world were the very same pilgrims from before. Although now they seemed more at peace with the world, and no one recognised them as the saviours turned scourge of MAR.
Only one more year has passed since then and the various religions, each associated with one of the twenty deities had flourished all over MAR. Religion back a key component to the world and constant battles occurred between those with a different belief. Each flock would seek a solution from they’re leader who simply claimed pacifism, no longer holding the ARM used long ago followed by pointing them in the direction of the shrines. Soon near every follower had an ARM and was under the will of the deity they worshipped.
Now MAR is engulfed in constant war fuelled by belief. But the original enchanted ARM of the pilgrims is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps those that find the ARM will obtain the power to bring order to the world and save everyone from a self induced oblivion.