Part 60: Meeting Interesting People

Chapter 12: Meeting Interesting People

Where we last left off, our hero(es) were answering a symbological/morality test put to them by Sekhmet herself. Let’s see how they did.


Choose that which you were,


That which you are,


And that which you will be.



Uh…uh…sword! Sword is good!
The pharaoh of the country you now live in has called for war against the country of your birth. You are ordered to serve as a leader in his army. What do you do?
Huh? I don’t work for a pharaoh. What the hell is this?
Hypothetical.
Hippo-wha? Are you making fun of me?
Answer the question as though it were true.
Fine, whatever. Bring on the war, then. I hated all the assholes back where I lived anyway.
I see. Now choose what thou art.
Hey, a fist! Fist me!
…
You are the ruler of a small kingdom. A neighboring king claims that a piece of land you hold is rightfully his and threatens war if you do not cede the land to him. What do you do?
Fuck that guy! Kill them all! No wait, I got a better idea! We all pretend that we’re giving up and give him some money, but it’s all secretly the foil stuff! Or ooh, even better, put poison on it and then go kill him! That’ll teach him!
Fine. Now tell me what thou wilt be.
Sword! Ooh, sword again! Or can I pick the same symbol twice? [You can] I’ll take the cup instead. It’ll be like tarot, but with fists instead of the pussy coins.
Three veiled and robed women stand before you holding chalices. The first woman is dressed in purple velvet and says, “Drink and you shall have my wealth.” The second is dressed in blood-red silk and says, “Drink and you shall have my love.” The third is dressed in black rags and says, “Drink and you shall have my soul.” Choose.
Can I look under the love girl’s veil?
No.
Well, I guess I should go with wealth, then.
Very well. Thy soul is not in balance with the Truth. Ye have been judged. Ye are not worthy for the future to be revealed. GO!

For the record, the fighter’s voted responses were to take the position and minimize bloodshed, launch a preemptive strike, and to seek love. However, I also wanted to show what happens when you take the fifth option, which might as well just read, “Say something to piss Sekhmet off.” I figured no one would mind if I used the fighter as the example for this. As for the rest, well, like most morality tests there is no “right” answer, so even the selfish or downright evil-seeming responses will get you the basic points (and future forecast) from this occasion.



The sword looks tempting, but I guess I should be a paladin or something, so could I pick the heart?
You are finally alone with the woman of your dreams. Before you can ask her to marry you, she tells you she is in love with your best friend. What do you do?
Ouch, way to get right to the point. I guess you really do know what happened to me way back when. But wait, she never picked either of us, she went with Nick! Well, I suppose that if she ever had given me her opinion, I’d have stepped aside.
Now choose that which thou art.
How about the white-black thingy in the middle?
It is called a yin-yang. You are called to a distant city to act as an impartial judge on a murder trial. When you arrive, you discover that the accused is an old friend from your childhood. What do you do?
Oh what the hell? Could we lay off poor Al for a second here?!
Thou art the one who has chosen your questions.
Well fine. Rakeesh was telling me earlier that paladins need to be all about Rightness and finding the Truth, so I’ll take the job and make sure the trial is honest. Al deserves that much, at least.
Very well. Now choose that which thou wilt be.
How about the ankh?
Three huge stone statues stand before you. One is of a lion, one of a falcon, and one of a snake. Each of the statues speaks to you, saying “Choose me and I shall guide you.” What do you do?
I gotta go with Rakeesh.
Thy soul has been weighed. Thou hast chosen thine own path, and by that path, ye shall be judged.




You are one with yourself, and shall be what you have been. Your skills are in harmony with your nature. In your actions, you have defined yourself not by what you did, but what you did not do. You have shown yourself to be straightforward, compassionate, and thoughtful in your actions. You avoid solutions that may cause harm to others. You have been judged worthy.



Well, I could certainly use a key.
As you reach to replace the sacred jeweled statue of Nishkabob with a carefully measured bag of sand, a small, childish voice from the shadows suddenly asks, “Whatcha doin’?” Good question—what do you do?
_{Stupid kids, always getting in the way.} Uh, well, I’ll just say I’m…cleaning it. And that I’ll bring it right back later.
I see. Now choose that which thou art.
How about the hourglass? I’ve heard those are expensive. And portable.
You are on a vital mission for your king. You must make it to the village by nightfall, and already the sun is sinking behind the mountain peaks. Suddenly, you hear a cry for help from the jungle off to the west. What do you do?
I bet the king’s paying me more than that random guy can. I’ll just keep walking.
Now choose that which thou shalt be.
Is the cup gold?
Three veiled and robed women stand before you holding chalices. The first woman is dressed in purple velvet and says, “Drink and you shall have my wealth.” The second is dressed in blood-red silk and says, “Drink and you shall have my love.” The third is dressed in black rags and says, “Drink and you shall have my soul.” Choose.
Well, the purple velvet lady probably has a gold cup. I’m going with money, definitely.
Very well. Thy soul has been weighed. Thou hast chosen thine own path, and by that path, ye shall be judged.




You are one with yourself, and shall be what you have been. Your skills are in harmony with your nature. By your actions, you have shown yourself to be devious and cunning. Your soul does not balance with truth, but the good which you do outweighs the evil…barely. You have been judged worthy.
You know, I tend to get that a lot.



This choice is simple. I must go with the pentagram, particularly as I have seen one used earlier today in a magical ritual.
You are aiding an old wizard to cast a ritual which will bind the rushing waters of a river and prevent the flooding of the village below. Suddenly, the old mage clutches his heart, and cannot speak. What do you do?
Hmm, a moral quandary. Perhaps I should use specific names in reference to make my decision easier? For instance, I could easily picture the aforementioned event occurring in the valley of Spielburg, with Erasmus in the role of the old wizard. And while I have little respect for his sense of humor, I must admit that Erasmus sponsored me into the Wizard’s Institute of Technocery, where none other would. The inhabitants of the village itself, however, did little more than issue veiled insults and condescend to me. I feel I must support the old wizard in this instance, and disregard the village itself.
Now choose that which thou art.
I must admit that the possibilities of infinity appeal to me.
You stand within a hall of mirrors, each mirror reflecting the image of the others. As your image is reflected in the mirrors, you see that each reflection of yourself is a little different. Suddenly, the images speak in your own voice: “Touch me and become me.” What do you do?
So infinity represents infinite possibilities, eh? If they could somehow show more power or ability I might have been tempted, but I am hardly in need of an image change. One’s appearance is also quite temporally charged, I might add.
Thy final choice is that which thou shalt become.
Another pentagram? Is this some sort of trick? Never mind, I shall choose the candle.
Darkness surrounds three burning candles. Engraved in the stone floor are the words, “You must choose one.” The yellow candle burns the brightest, the green candle burns the steadiest, and the brown candle burns dim, but long. Which do you choose?
A fair bit more literal than most, it seems. But why should I have to choose a candle at all? I have no fewer than two spells which can generate light and/or heat, and I should be quite well off without any additional help.
To choose none is indeed a choice. Thy soul has been weighed. Thou hast chosen thine own path, and by that path, ye shall be judged.




You are one with yourself, and shall be what you have been. Your skills are in harmony with your nature. In your actions, you have defined yourself not by what you did, but what you did not do. You have shown yourself to be straightforward, compassionate, and thoughtful in your actions. You avoid solutions that may cause harm to others. You have been judged worthy.


And the Darkness now encircles thee. Ye must walk a narrow path to bring back the light.


Thy feet already walk upon this path. Two thou hast known before. Three thou shalt free. One thou hast brought low, then helped to rise again. One shall stand thy rival and thy friend.


Seek thou the least of guides to lead thee to the depths of darkness.


Two shall stand and five shall follow to face their greatest foe in a battle they cannot win, for thou must walk alone to free them all.


There thy powers shall be as naught, until thy greatest spell is broken. Then must thou close the Demon’s Gate. [This is the only part of Sekhmet’s speech that changes from class to class.] This is that which might yet be. Thy path is thine own to follow or not. Go forth now, bringer of the light.


Uhh. Such a strange way of doing things. Well, there’s still plenty of light, so I guess I should go see what Kreesha is up to.


Good evening.
Welcome back. I hope you have found your stay with the Simbani to be pleasant.
It is good to see you again, Nike.
I have spoken with Rajah while you have been gone. He refuses to believe in any talk of demons, and is impatient for vengeance against the Leopardmen, despite all I could say.
I have worked much magic while you were away, and still I have no real evidence that there are demons here. Still, there is something to the far east which draws away my powers.
Draws them away? You mean like some sort of magical siphon?
Yes. Every time I try to use my magical powers of Farseeing to detect the demons, the spell tends to be drawn eastward. If I allow it to move there, it is suddenly drawn away from me.
There aren’t many spells or artifacts that could manage to absorb a scrying spell. Unless—you don’t think…
It could be that a Gate Orb is absorbing my magic. A Gate Orb could keep a World Gate open, which would allow demons to cross into our world. I do not dare use much magic to detect this orb, for it will only absorb my magic and allow more demons to cross over.
Too bad. But when you say “drawn eastward,” how far east are we talking?
At least as far as the Leopardmen village, but possibly even farther. I have heard rumors of a lost city somewhere deep in the jungle, and it could very well be there.
Strange, I heard something similar only last night. It’s a shame that it lies across the waterfall, or else I could finish this right now.
Keep in mind that you should also restore the Simbani’s Spear of Death to them, since that seems to be the only way to stop this war, demons or no.
In case I do make it there, is there anything about demons that I should know ahead of time?
There are many types of demons. Some are mindless creatures of destruction, some are merely stupid, and some are very intelligent, capable of using magic. All demons thrive upon killing living things. There is also something else you should know.
What?
Whenever I leave my house, I feel as if I am being watched.
I, too, have the feeling that something is watching me when I leave this place.
My house is warded with magic. If there is something watching and listening to us, we should be able to speak openly only here. Be careful, Nike, for things may be watching you as well.
Lovely, paranoia was the one thing I was missing today. How about you, Rakeesh? How go your efforts with Rajah?
Rajah can be very stubborn at times.
Just like his brother, after all, Rakeesh.
Heh, perhaps we are a lot alike. Still, I wish I could convince him that vengeance will not bring Reeshaka back, nor will war help anyone other than vultures and demons.
Why is he so dead set on avenging Reeshaka? Isn’t she your daughter?
She is (and don’t give me that look), but Rajah was always fond of Reeshaka. He asked her to lead the peace mission, which is why he feels her loss to be his own fault.
I, too, mourn my daughter, but I am not so foolish as to think revenge on the Leopardmen will ease the loss.
Rajah prefers to drown his sorrows in blood, Kreesha.
He should try ale sometime. It’s a fair bit healthier for all involved. Until next time, Rakeesh, Kreesha.
Good night, prince.
Use your staff well, wizard.


That’s odd, the place is usually packed.


Good day, he who seeks peace. The survivor of the peace mission, Khatib Makar’ram, will honor this restaurant with his presence. Do not be alarmed by Khatib’s appearance, for he has been through much suffering.
Interesting. So who exactly is Khatib?
He was the negotiator and diplomat for Tarna and a very great man. He has never recovered from the peace mission. Khatib knew the languages of every creature around Tarna. Even King Rajah would call upon Khatib for information about customs of humans. He is honored and respected by all that meet him. I only hope he will get better.
Poor soul. Well, I guess I’ll have some dinner while I wait for him.
Very well, hair of sunshine.



That’s supposed to be his arm he’s leaning on, but I can never help but think about how huge his nose is.

I…ah, yes, hello. Do I know you?
No, this is the first time we’ve met. I am Prince Nike von Slartibartfast, recently in from Shapeir.
I am…I am…I do not remember…I am…it is gone.
I…see. So, I am told you know much about the land of Tarna?
Tarna…Tarna? This is Tarna, isn’t it? I am in Tarna…I am a diplomat in Tarna. Tarna is the largest city in East Fricana. I meet the caravans as they come in, greeting them, speaking their languages. I know…I knew many languages. I was…I was respected. So many things I cannot remember. I knew the languages of everyone in East Fricana. Now I can barely remember this one. How did I get so old? How do I forget? Why can’t I forget? Sometimes at night I dream…I am as I was, a diplomat in Tarna. I can walk again without a staff. I have my hand back. I can see with two eyes again. I can speak and not forget…then the nightmares come, and they claw at me, take away everything. I can’t get out of this nightmare.
I’m sorry to bring this up to you, but I heard you were on the peace mission that got ambushed.
Peace mission. No. I can’t remember. There is so much I cannot remember. I was a wise man once. Now I can’t remember. I was on a peace mission once. We were going to…to talk with someone. The Leopardmen—we were going to talk peace with them. I was trying to stop something. I needed to do something. I can’t remember. We were in the jungle. It was dark. I think it was night…I was sleeping. Screams. Terrible screams. Claws tearing me…no. No. I don’t want to remember.
I’m sorry, but this is important. What happened? Whose claws tore at you? How did you survive?
I was saved by a liontaur. The warrior Reeshaka saved me, saved me from something. Claws…claws and glowing red eyes. Terrible eyes…Reeshaka, she was with me. She fought the glowing red eyes, the claws, the teeth. Reeshaka was strong. She saved me, I think. She was like her father. I remember her father. He was…Rajah, no. Rakeesh. That was once a ruler of…where was it? Tarna. Yes. Ruler of Tarna.
That’s fascinating, but it’s not what I want to understand. Please, you need to tell me about what happened. Whose claws? Whose eyes?
We were looking for the Leopardmen village. The jungle…the jungle kept watching us. Eyes, we kept seeing glowing eyes in the jungle. Eyes watching us in the jungle. Eyes. They watch me here in Tarna. I see them at night.
But whose eyes? Were they the Leopardmen’s? Were they demons’?!
Magic…Leopardmen know magic, you know. They aren’t really leopards. They become leopards. I saw them become leopards many years ago. I helped a young Leopardman and he guided me to his village. I watched them become leopards. Leopards have claws, you know. They have sharp claws.
But do they have glowing red eyes?!
Claws slashing at me, hurting me. I can’t get away. I’m going to die. Glowing eyes trying to…trying to eat my soul away. No. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to lose my soul. Please. Save me. Please. She saved me. She fought the claws away. I ran. I just ran…away. Away from the claws. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to hurt. I don’t want the claws to tear out my soul. It didn’t want to kill me…it wanted to hurt me. It wanted to scare me…it wanted my soul…it wanted me to die scared, to try to get away. It’s eating my soul. No. No…I can’t remember. I don’t want to remember…it comes for me still. It wants the rest of my soul…
What about the others? Who were they? What happened to them?
Seven went out on a peace mission. Reeshaka was the leader. Mtamba was the guide. Seven is my lucky number, I said. Ali brought the trade goods. Mjura of the Tamba people brought his magic. I picked them. I sent them to die. Toni, the young boy who wanted to see the jungle. I heard them all die…we didn’t find the Leopardman village. There were seven of us, on a mission of peace. We were going…I heard their screams. I heard them die. Some fishermen found me. They were afraid of me. They ran from me. They called me demon. I don’t know how I got to the river. I think I went a little crazy. I was covered with blood. The fishermen were afraid of me. They ran away from the bloody demon they thought me to be. I don’t remember…I was brought back to Tarna.
Do not question him further. Khatib needs to rest now. He will be better soon.


A convincing argument for demons, no matter what the liontaurs think. I cannot believe that jungle men, however magically inclined, could do this to anyone.