[militarist]

Some ideas....

ORDEALS can be like quest, and as reword for it's completion, you can get direct - item, etc or indirect (boon points, which reflect how Pantokrator treats specific nation and then how it affects all future boons to this player) benefit. And they could be of different level of complexity ,and reward will be different.

In this case, Pantokrator would be able to give larger range of boons , for example HINNOM asks for HARD ORDEAL, saying I need something to swim for my army. That can be pretty good for Hinnom, if his capital has 2-3 water provinces around, and some dimoplacy...Anyway it can be gamechanging to give him that. So, understanding it (or just to improve quality of items, for example completed Easy ordeal gives lvl 0 item, normal lvl 2, hard level 4, impossible level 6 an it should depand on how easy or hard this ordeal for THIS SPEcific player, and how useful could be such iem for him). Rejection ot inability to complete it (for example - impossible ordeal can be - to get by war some provinces which are belong to stronger neighbor) can have or not have consiquences, regarding of Pantokrator decision.
Anyway, having a connection between ordeals and boons and ability to choose between levels of complexity would be good. It shouldn't be like negotiations, though.
Just player prays for what he wants - gift? Gift with easy ordeal(hoping to get better gift)? just ordeal to improve relations with god? For example, I finished a war and would like to devote the next war to my god, what should I do?