Turn 28 - The Benefits of ConversionGronok, feeling the familiar sensation of successful moralistic storytelling, tries to continue his winning streak with another tale from what may have been actual history at some point.
[Storytelling roll: 3+1]
"Right, I've got another tale! This one is from the lands beyond the peaks to the southeast. You see, some five hundred and thirty years ago in the land of Hakatikzimipik there lived a king. He was the First King of the Hakatikzimipik, and he was, to put it mildly, quite an angry lout to be sure. He got angry about a whole lot of things, from an uncomfortably early sunrise to his bowl of blood soup in the afternoon not tasting quite right. But what particularly irked him was that, since the traditions of the area dictated that only the toughest, strongest man of all could possibly lead the nation of Hakatikzimipik, all manner of silly fools kept challenging his claim to the throne at any given point. The First King beat mostly everyone who tried this, and had his warband dispose of any who he couldn't take care of on his own. But these constant interruptions were hardly pleasant, and he decided to prove how tough he was once and for all by consuming the Poisonous Fruit of the Oasis of Unending Sins, which was reputed throughout the land for its amazing properties utilized in dishonorable murder, with one fruit capable of killing up to twelve strong men along with their mounts. Clearly, there was no better test of one's fortitude than ingesting it."
"Now, he obtained the fruit and ate it in full view of everyone who cared enough to look, intent on settling this manliness nonsense right away. He twisted, turned and retched for a long time, and his eyes became yellow with the intense concentration that the situation demanded. Also, he went completely bonkers in a short while, wandering off into a nearby desert one morning and not coming back. Now, nobody knows what exactly happened to the First King of the Hakatikzimipik, but one thing is clear.""What's that?""You see, they don't call the Desert King Lizards the Desert King Lizards for nothing. What Desert King Lizards do, you see, is that they occasionally wander into villages. At least one such lizard was reported to have carried a strange object that seems to have been the First King's crown, and it reacted extremely aggressively when someone tried to take it away! The locals realized what had happened - the lizard had, paradoxically enough, beaten the weakened king in a contest of manliness and claimed the throne! And from that day on, the Desert King Lizards were considered sacred by the Hakatikzimipik, who, despite having moved on to less manliness-based governance, still feel a sizable bit of reverence for their Second King.""And the moral of the story would be that you shouldn't try to prove your manliness with something that kills virtually everything?""That, and to beware of treacherous reptilians encroaching on your power."A good thing to remember, Gronok thinks. It feels good to exercise those storytelling abilities again.
+1 MP for mythology/history lesson!* * * * *
Phiali, not the lying type, says it straight and sharp to the man with poor eyesight.
"You have misidentified me. I am not a "Yarout," I am Phiali, and I serve the true god. How else could I have entered into this heathen temple without your unneeded numbers of guards noticing me?"The man looks over Phiali and scratches his chin.
[Man reaction roll: 1-->1]
"I see. Well, it is awfully kind of you to have told me that. It would have been awkward to have dragged you off to the priest quarters by your ears when you're not even a priest, eh? Hah!"He nods briefly and heads out the tunnel. Phiali shrugs and returns to prayer. A few minutes later, however, he is interrupted once more.
"Hello, it's me again!"Phiali turns to acknowledge the presence of the priest and notices that he has five temple guards with him. And a nasty-looking two-handed sword in his hands.
"So, Phiali, I suppose it's time for us to deal with you appropriately."He turns to his guards and says
"Make sure not to leave too much of a mess, it's so dreadful when there's blood all over the meditation room."The man pauses, then turns his attention to Phiali once more.
"I don't suppose you'd like to convert? That way, we would only have to burn and bleed you minimally. And we could... wait, no. Wouldn't work. Sadly, we would have to kill you anyway. But at least you'll go to heaven if you die as a Kezilamite. Does that sound agreeable?" Ground Floor:
?
llll
Guards!
? ------ Main Hall ------ ?
Main Hall
Locked Room! ------ Main Hall ------ Brazier Rooms
Main Hall
Room With Guards Main Hall
l Main Hall
Barred Door - Branching Paths ----- Main Hall ------ Downward Spiral Staircase
l Main Hall
Armory llll
Entrance!
* * * * *
Elizas gives up on the idea of leaving town for now, deferring to Patalim's superior (if still ultimately lacking) knowledge.
"Very well, let's just get out of here. Where is your wife?""Probably at her father's residence. I can lead you there, it is not too far."Elizas allows himself to be taken through the winding streets of Berikalam, eventually winding up at a humble home in one of the seemingly poorer sections of the city. Looks to be a craftsman's home, judging by the general look of the place. It is, however, relatively inconspicuous.
"Looks like somebody's in. Let's go in, then."Elizas follows Patalim inside his father-in-law's house, finding it to be just as humble on the inside as it is from the outside. The interior is neat enough, though it is clearly rather aged. Another thing in the house that's clearly rather aged are two people, a man and a woman, sitting in ancient chairs at the moment, neither looking particularly alert at the moment.
"Uhm... good morning. Have you seen my wife?"The old man turns his decrepit head and studies Patalim carefully. He then slowly begins to speak, his voice drier than sand and possibly just as ancient.
"Aren't you dead?"Patalim seems uneasy in his presence.
"Not... not yet. Where's my wife?""You're supposed to be dead."The creature that is presumably Patalim's mother-in-law, equally ancient and equally slow as her husband, intently stares at Patalim.
"I'm not dead, let's leave it at that.""No, I am quite sure. You're dead."What a strange old man.
* * * * *
Sejena, not entirely pleased to see her infamous and unwilling host, frowns and asks a question.
"What is this, Naphezim?"Naphezim's expression is a complete blank, and his voice sounds quite cold.
"A hazard of living in the poorer quarters, I'm afraid. Once per year, the Kezilamites here celebrate the Day of Ash, and part of the ceremony is the ritual burning of a den of iniquity. Unfortunately, it looks like our alley has drawn the losing lot this year. I wonder how much they'll burn this year, actually. I remember last year when they burned down one of the better wineries in town. Most unfortunate, that was. Well, at least they will leave quickly. They start a fire, sing some songs, then leave after the fire's gone out, you see. Some sort of important experience for them."He shakes his head solemnly.
Gronok: 2 MP
Phiali: 1 MP
Elizas: 3 MP
Sejena: 2 MP
Shashari: 5 MP
Author
Topic: Prophets of the New God: most unfortunately dropped. (Read 73346 times)