I've always been curious about the donations you can make to the temples in Arena, and the blessings which the priests confer upon you. What exactly do these blessings do? Does it increase in magnitude if you give a larger donation? All I can find on the matter is that "as with all places, temples may show partiality to those from its own province."

The effects of blessings are invisible to you. It's anybody's guess as to whether they do anything, and if so, what they do. My guess is they do nothing. If they do anything, my next guess would be they give you a hidden boost to luck. Maybe you get a better boost if you get blessed in your home province.

IMO, don't bother with 'em.

Why do people donate at church? They don't get a boost on their income tax return. Wait a minute, I guess they can if they write it off as a deductible. But seriously, I think it's there just for roleplay purposes. I donate in the temples in Summerset because I LOVE Altmeris culture and the Isles.