Turn 67 - How God OperatesElizas, having played out his hand, hands over two tezerams and heads on to the common room. There's not a lot of people there - about two or three other weary travelers in a room that could easily hold about fifteen, so it's not really that much worse than sleeping in a private room, though the fact that there's no actual bed is a bit off-putting - there's just blankets and cushions placed all along the floor. They don't look too sanitary, but Elizas guesses that for two tezerams, you can't afford to be picky. He lays down and falls asleep.
He dreams of wine. Good wine. The best wine he's had, actually, that of Azlippus. Innumerable barrels of it, all placed in a single, large room. He feels like a ghost in it - there's people in gray robes walking around, seemingly taking inventory of all this stuff, and at the center of it all a tall, long-haired man in a black robe stands. He seems to be looking over the room with a measure of distaste.
"I hope we'll be rid of this stuff as soon as possible," he says to another man in a gray robe next to him.
"Though it pains me that we dabble in mercantile arts, perhaps it is better for the faith in the long term, no?"The other man nods in halfhearted assent.
"Oh, don't be like that. We'll be able to build a new temple with the profits from the wine. At least some good will come of those heretics."For some reason, selling the wine strikes Elizas as... undesirable somehow. Such a wondrous nectar, the legacy of the defunct Azlippeans, to be sold like any other bit of booze to the highest bidder? Is that right? Is that what God would want?
No, he says. The wine must flow! It must flow to all who wish it, and fill all willing mouths with the joy of God. Elizas concentrates, dropping to his knees. He calls out to the heavens, causing them to part, sending down a mighty heavenly bolt, leveling the warehouse and exploding every single barrel within it, filling the streets with a massive wave of wine, sweeping away all Kezilamites and their temples. Others are swept up as well, Elizas included, but they don't mind. After all, if you're going to drown, it's best to drown in the thing you enjoy most in life.
However, before he can drink too much of the stuff, he wakes up. This dream sure felt a lot more direct than most of the other ones. Transparent, almost.
Right now it is the early afternoon, as Elizas went to sleep rather late. He's got about seven or eight hours before he's due to play at the brothel. He's got seventeen tezerams on hand and he's feeling as fresh and full of God's favor as could reasonably be expected.
* * * * *
Considering that it's worked so well before,
Lars gives his standard spiel to the door guard.
"Heretical heathen of the false Kezilam! Throw down your weapons and submit, or face the fire of the One True God like so many of your comrades before you!"The man looks at Lars skeptically. He then tries to quickly unlock the door behind him. Lars, seeing how the guy didn't say anything, assumes he's not doing that out of any particular desire to convert. Therefore, he shall be charged at with great rapidity!
[Opposed Quickness: Guard vs. Mob: 5 vs. 5]
The guard unlocks the door just as the mob reaches it, and they push him up against it rather violently!
[Mob vs. Guard: 3+2 vs. 3]
He is quickly set on fire by the mob, being unable to open the door in time! He screams bloody murder as he is burned and trampled. Lars hears a rather notable amount of commotion coming from within the reliquary room.
* * * * *
Shashari, hindered in her exploration terribly by the lack of light, heads back to the place she landed previously, then heads pseudo-north.
The hallway leading in that direction appears to continue for slightly longer, and it is has slightly better illumination. Shashari can still hardly see anything, but at least it's not impenetrable darkness.
As she walks, she trips on something, falling rather uncomfortably on her face. Prodding at the thing with her foot, she realizes that it's a tripwire of some kind. What it's rigged to, she doesn't know, though. It doesn't seem to have been something aimed at her, anyway.
* * * * *
Phiali, glad about the way Azha seems to be a willing listener to his ramblings, speaks of his deity!
[Speech roll: 2+
1+
1]
"Let me tell you about God. God does not mess around. God is not somebody you take lightly. There are two ways you can deal with God, the easy way and the hard way, and in life you have to choose one. The easy way means a prophet comes to you, tells you about God, you accept the true faith. Then you have a drink with the prophet, crack a few jokes, swap enlightening stories and other knowledge, maybe have a swim in a river. Good stuff, all in all. The hard way means a prophet comes to you, tells you about God, you spit in his face. Now, God doesn't like His prophets to be spit at. Spit in a prophet's face, you spit in God's face. And when you spit in God's face, it's time to get serious. His prophets will come. They will steal your valuables first. Then they will drag you out of your house and set what they haven't stolen on fire. Then they will slowly and painfully drown your loved ones as you watch. And finally, they will ask you if you wish to be spared. Regardless of your answer, they will cover you in pitch and set you aflame, watching you pointlessly try to extinguish yourself, though if you grovel, they will certainly feel far more vindicated, not to mention have a good laugh about it later. God and his prophets, they will avenge all slights eventually without fail, because such is God's nature." Phiali, an unusually intense expression on his normally calm visage, takes a deep breath after saying all this.
"That stuff in the temple I told you about? That was me trying the easy way. They brought what is to come upon themselves."Azha looks a bit put off by Phiali's speech, though certainly not in the worst of ways.
"What about me? Have I not refused you already?""My dear, I haven't made the offer yet. And when I do, you had best consider it. Consider it well, as God does not forget, and God does not forgive, and God's "A silence settles on the tomb as Azha stares at Phiali, who has regained his usual composure.
Shashari: 5 MP
Phiali: 1 MP
Lars: 4 MP
Elizas: 3 MP
Gronok: 3 MP
Author
Topic: Prophets of the New God: most unfortunately dropped. (Read 72982 times)