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Story Hour
Kingdom: Fear and Loathing in Emporopolis (Updated June 20, 2013)
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<blockquote data-quote="The Shadow" data-source="post: 6142463" data-attributes="member: 16760"><p>When Fylakas arrived in the square and heard the Logite preacher (still going strong, and still keeping a crowd enthralled), he laughed soundlessly, eyes sparkling with joy. He put an arm about Mathitis' shoulders and pulled him into an affectionate hug. "Oh, my boy! You did right to call me here! This is wonderful, simply <em>marvelous!</em>"</p><p></p><p>Mathitis returned the embrace warmly, then stiffened in surprise and pulled away at Fylakas' words. "Master, how can you say that?! This is a problem for us! If people start giving credence to the Logites, we-"</p><p></p><p>Fylakas chuckled tolerantly and ruffled his hair. (He either ignored or failed to notice the flare of resentment this gesture brought forth in the young man's countenance.) "Ah, my boy, haven't you learned yet that every problem is an opportunity in disguise?"</p><p></p><p>"We will use this to destroy them. Oh, yes."</p><p></p><p>[It's weird, but I can't seem to fit this last segment anywhere properly in sequence. Since no mechanical actions were taken, it seems to fit best as an extension of my intro to the Crossroad.]</p><p></p><p>-------------------</p><p></p><p>Kerdizo was fed up with the racket outside his market stall by the second day. The priest's piercing, haranguing voice, the shouting of the crowd... It was enough to drive a man to distraction! And it was bad for custom, too.</p><p></p><p>Thankfully he was not left without a remedy - a family connection in just the right place, thank the Spirits. He marched purposefully toward the Temple of the Logos. [JoJoz here established that Kerdizo was a second cousin to the Logite Hierophant. He had me play the guy.]</p><p></p><p>There was the usual delay as his visit got relayed through a series of acolytes, but eventually he was ushered into a parlor where his cousin awaited, his Hierophantic headdress the only thing to distinguish him from any other white-robed priest. The man said affably, "Cos! What brings you by? Have you decided to convert to the True Faith at last?"</p><p></p><p>Kerdizo made a gesture of denial. "Pfft! The Spirits are good enough for me and mine, you know that. No, it's business that brings me to your den of heresy today, cos." "Business! Well, I'm all ears. Buying or selling?"</p><p></p><p>"The lack of business, to be precise." "Eh?" "Your man caterwauling outside my stall is driving my customers away, to say nothing of my wits!" The Hierophant laughed. "Oh, is that it? I'll ask him to move to another spot, it's no trouble."</p><p></p><p>Kerdizo asked gruffly, "Why do you want to go having your men preach against the government, anyway? No good can come of it." His cousin shrugged. "I didn't tell them to do it, they're acting on their own initiative - some of my priests are more the firebrand than others. But neither have I forbidden them."</p><p></p><p>Kerdizo shook his head. "If enough people listen, there'll be trouble." "People are listening because they're hearing what's <em>true</em>, cos. Even apart from the Truth of the Faith, the nobility in this city are corrupt and uncaring, and the people know it."</p><p></p><p>Waving a hand in dismissal, Kerdizo said, "What else is new? People are just upset by the murders. It'll all blow over if your men don't keep rubbing salt in the wound." The Hierophant replied seriously, "The wound is real, cousin. And it isn't healing on its own."</p><p></p><p>Kerdizo took his leave shortly after, troubled.</p><p></p><p>[Just goes to show that a Kingdom scene doesn't have to have mechanical heft to be important. This established SO much about the city, the Logite hierarchy, and especially the religious conflict, that we hadn't yet known.]</p><p></p><p>----------------------------</p><p></p><p>Milos was being driven to distraction himself by the clamor of upset nobles in his court. The Patrikios Eumanioi had particularly gone out of his way to be a gadfly of late, after a period of absence from court.</p><p></p><p>[Patrikios is a mid-ranking noble title, but Emporopolis, being way out in the sticks by Imperial standards, doesn't have a lot of the high-ranking ones. (I doubt that Milos himself is more than one step above him.) So he's a big deal. And he's the older brother of the former Strategos, of course.]</p><p></p><p>"My friends, my <em>subjects!</em> Please! Listen." When he had some semblance of order, he said, "Let it never be said that the nobility of our great city could not endure criticism! I know many desire stern measures to be taken, but there are many voices to be heard - not all of them in Emporopolis!"</p><p></p><p>"Consider, my friends! The Chrysian Empire, our former suzerain, has now made the Logos their official faith! If we take steps to silence their church, I fear an international incident could ensue! [Prediction! To be precise, 'If the Church of the Logos is silenced, the Empire will react badly.'] And truly, while these Logite priests are... incendiary... to be sure, do their criticisms entirely miss the mark?"</p><p></p><p>The Patrikios inquired waspishly, "So you intend to simply let them spread sedition in the streets, my Lord? How will that improve the public order, I ask you?" Many other nobles added their voices to his.</p><p></p><p>Milos shook his head. "No, good Eumanioi, I do not suggest that. I suggest that there are more ways to address angry voices than with force. I suggest that we take the opportunity to examine ourselves, and see if we are living according to our own best traditions. Let us not be simply noblemen! Let us truly be noble men!"</p><p></p><p>The Patrikios folded his arms. "And just which traditions do you consider best, my Lord? Are we all to be Logites now? You seem to counsel utter capitulation to these rabble-rousers!"</p><p></p><p>"There you are wrong, good my lord. I counsel that we do what we can to meet the standards all good men can agree upon: Honesty, integrity, good government and plain dealing. And if that will not satisfy the Logites, then all will agree they are being unreasonable."</p><p></p><p>"Good government begins at home, my Lord." "So indeed it does. I do not hold myself aloof from the expectations I have of others."</p><p></p><p>--------------------------</p><p></p><p>[At this point, the Side Effect hit: If the Church of the Logos is not silenced, then they will start investigating sorcerers. (Presumably clandestinely.) Which, naturally, is something that Fylakas could not abide. We forgot to play out a scene for this at the time, so I'm not sure how he knew the stakes were being raised. At a guess, word of the newly-formed Graycloaks trickled out of the east, and he had word of more Logite wizards slipping into town.]</p><p></p><p>--------------------------</p><p></p><p>Fylakas and Mathitis met with Maldark in the sewers once more. Maldark reported that he knew of at least three Logite priests preaching in the streets against government and noble corruption. Fylakas for his part was still buoyed up by the anticipation of wreaking havoc on the Church he feared. </p><p></p><p>He informed Maldark, in much more friendly tones than usual, "I should like a message sent to the Logite Hierophant. I wish to remind him of a lapse of judgment he suffered in a misspent youth... One he will not wish to be noised abroad."</p><p></p><p>Maldark guffawed. "What is it, the name of a woman he f***ed before he took the cloth? Or, dare I say it, a goat?"</p><p></p><p>Fylakas grinned malevolently. "No. The name of a boy." Maldark blinked. "The Logites don't approve of that, do they?" Fylakas continued to look quite pleased with himself. "Why, no, as a matter of fact they do not. I have been saving this little secret for the right moment, and I do believe it has come."</p><p></p><p>[Pending use of Authority: If the Church of the Logos is not silenced, the Hierophant will be publicly humiliated.]</p><p></p><p>Maldark shrugged. "Easy enough, consider it done." Fylakas added, only a trifle sharply, "I trust there will be no 'initiative' this time. I scarcely wish to wake to the news that the Logite Hierophant and a dozen acolytes have been murdered!"</p><p></p><p>Maldark assured him, "The man I have in mind can't even spell 'initiative', much less employ it. He'll do what he's told, and no more." "Good, see to it."</p><p></p><p>When Fylakas left, Maldark hissed to Mathitis, "I need you to turn his gaze from me, I need more freedom of action!"</p><p></p><p>Mathitis answered resentfully, "As do I! You must know I can do little while bound by my 'prentice Vow! Get me the dagger and help yourself as well as me."</p><p></p><p>"Do you think I can but snap my fingers and have a theft occur leagues to the north? Preparations proceed apace, but those too are subject to your master's notice. Distract him!"</p><p></p><p>Mathitis left, frustrated and afraid, and a plan began to take shape in his mind...</p><p></p><p>-------------------</p><p></p><p>[JoJoz said he intended to visit the Hierophant again. SuentisPo asked if he could bring Mathitis into the scene; JoJoz readily agreed.]</p><p></p><p>Kerdizo had just gotten ensconced in the parlor with his cousin again when an acolyte announced, "Holiness, a young man is here to see you; he insists that it is quite urgent."</p><p></p><p>The Hierophant looked to his cousin. "Do you mind, cos?" "No, not at all." Mathitis entered, trying not to tremble in the heart of Logite strength. He quailed inwardly upon seeing Kerdizo; the man knew him from shopping errands Fylakas had sent him on.</p><p></p><p>Kerdizo's bushy eyebrows shot up at this unexpected visitor. "And what brings you here, lad? Math-something, isn't it?" Mathitis ignored him and said to the Hierophant, "Your Holiness, you will want to hear me privately, I assure you."</p><p></p><p>At his cousin's helpless glance, Kerdizo laughed. "Oh, very well. Far be it from me to stand in the way of curiosity!" Suiting actions to words, as soon as he'd closed the door to the room, he set his ear to it. (The acolyte started to say something, but seemed reluctant to rebuke his Hierophant's kinsman.)</p><p></p><p>The Hierophant said, "You are welcome here, young man. Are you an adherent to the True Faith?" "I'm afraid not, your Holiness. But I come tonight as a friend, with news you will want to hear." "I am listening."</p><p></p><p>"Later tonight, or perhaps tomorrow morning, a man will come to you with information he intends to use to blackmail you." Coolly now, "Oh? Do tell me how you come to know of this?"</p><p></p><p>Mathitis hesitated. "I, uh. I am mixed up with dangerous men, sir. I overheard their plans, and did not wish to see a pillar of the community suffer."</p><p></p><p>"Truly? So you repent of your involvement with these dangerous men, and wish now to live a life of virtue?" Mathitis licked his lips. "It isn't so simple as that..." "Oh? What is complex about it? Are you in danger from them yourself?"</p><p></p><p>With relief at this escape, Mathitis lied, "Yes. I fear I may come to harm from them." "Then how is it you have dared to attempt to thwart them now? Are you hoping that I can protect you?"</p><p></p><p>Belatedly realizing that every question had a catch in it, Mathitis hesitated. "I, uh." The Hierophant observed that, then asked, "How is it you anticipated me to respond to the prospect of blackmail? Either I am innocent of the thing they intend to accuse me of, in which case I have nothing to fear; or else I am guilty, in which case my foreknowledge of their attempt will do me little good." [Who knew Logite seminary included Jesuit training? <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />]</p><p></p><p>"I am simply trying to do you a favor, Holiness! I did not reflect upon all these matters!" "So I see. Since your sincerity is so unquestionable, doubtless you will not take offense at having the truth of your statements examined by a wizard."</p><p></p><p>Sweating now, "Of course not." (He dared not try to use the sorcery of Secrets under a wizard's gaze - he had not the skill to hide it.) A Logite priest-wizard was summoned; and, after a few more pointed questions from the Hierophant, the man reported, "He is only partially truthful, Holiness. Particularly in the matter of danger." "I see."</p><p></p><p>Turning back to the increasingly crestfallen Mathitis, he asked, "What is really going on here, young man?"</p><p></p><p>Mathitis, still sweating, did his best not to lie outright, "I am in no direct danger from them, sir, because I am... bound, to one of them." The Hierophant nodded to himself as if a theory had been confirmed. "So you are a sorcerer."</p><p></p><p>Licking his lips, "...Yes." "Who is betraying his own master, in the teeth of the notorious 'prentice Vow. He must have been careless of you indeed... Much as I disapprove of sorcery, you must see these facts do not inspire trust." "You don't understand! He can inflict spiritual torments upon me! If he finds out, you are condemning me to torture!" No reply came, only a cool, unreadable gaze, taking in his every move.</p><p></p><p>Mathitis pleaded, "I was just trying to help!" The Hierophant looked to his wizard, who shook his head slightly.</p><p></p><p>The Hierophant told Mathitis dispassionately, "You're not very good at this." Having paused to let that sink in, he added, "Needless to say, I do not trust you. You may go."</p><p></p><p>Mathitis thought his heart couldn't sink any lower than it already had. But when he went out the door, trembling with anger and fear and shame, and a dour Kerdizo told him, "Say hello to Fylakas for me," it was everything he could do not to burst into tears.</p><p></p><p>The Hierophant observed, "That was interesting. You know him?" "A customer of mine, cos." "Ah. Far be it from me to get you to break a confidence of trade!"</p><p></p><p>[The scene had already gone on a very long time, so we called it. I said to JoJoz, "Sorry to steal your own scene out from under you!" He replied, "Are you kidding? I just wish I'd had some popcorn!" <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> And yes, out of loyalty to his customer, Kerdizo did inform on Mathitis.]</p><p></p><p>[Oh, and heaven forfend that anyone should think that was SuentisPo's best attempt at a plot! No, that was his portrayal of a smart-stupid, greedy, over-confident sixteen year old's attempt at a plot. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />]</p><p></p><p>--------------------------</p><p></p><p>[And with that, the Crossroad resolved! This time there was some debate whether Fylakas had actually brought about a 'Silence the Church' result using his Power. After some discussion, we decided that the Hierophant was sufficiently intimidated by the blackmail attempt to forbid his priests from being firebrands, for now. Naturally, he would be highly motivated to get to the bottom of the blackmail.]</p><p></p><p>[So, the Church of the Logos was silenced, it did not start investigating sorcerers, and the Hierophant was not publicly humiliated. (Perhaps I should add that I never actually established that the Hierophant was guilty. Only that Fylakas had evidence sufficiently convincing to be damning in public.) On the other hand, Milos' prediction of the Empire having a bad reaction to the Church being silenced came true, which was more than a little ominous. Unsurprisingly, this became the focus of the next Crossroad.]</p><p></p><p>----------------------</p><p></p><p>[But first, the game decreed that an extended period of time would pass. After some discussion, we decided to let a year and a half go by. We also determined that, what with the Empire getting upset with us and the Church out for blood undercover, that the Crisis level would not diminish during the break. It was still not terribly high, though we all felt that would soon change.]</p><p></p><p>[Since so much time was passing, we also played a little scenelet to determine Mathitis' fate after his ill-starred attempt at plotting, which we were all burning to know<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious :]" data-shortname=":]" /></p><p></p><p>-------------------</p><p></p><p>Mathitis stood before Fylakas, head bowed, trying to look chastened and repentant. Fylakas observed coolly, "I'm not sure which disappoints me more... That you set yourself against me in a matter you knew to be vitally important? Or that you went about it so very ineptly."</p><p></p><p>The boy said quietly, "I know I have done wrong, master, and that I deserve to be punished." "Indeed. Tell me, what would you do in my place?"</p><p></p><p>An unfair question, of course. Anger won out briefly among the lad's roiling emotions. "In your place? I would not treat my apprentice like a halfwit child!"</p><p></p><p>Fylakas laughed humorlessly. "Would you indeed? Even if your apprentice persisted in acting like one?" Mathitis flushed crimson and looked down again.</p><p></p><p>Shaking his head sadly, Fylakas said, "You are a blind fool, my boy. Perhaps you will learn something through being outwardly blind for a time." He raised a hand and chanted briefly, and Mathitis' field of vision was filled with misty darkness as his surroundings became a secret even to himself. "Oh, and your link to Shaprenka lies in my hand until further notice. You can no longer attempt sorcery without my leave."</p><p></p><p>Blindness itself was not more galling for the next week than Fylakas' ever-solicitous aid and care while he was blind.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Shadow, post: 6142463, member: 16760"] When Fylakas arrived in the square and heard the Logite preacher (still going strong, and still keeping a crowd enthralled), he laughed soundlessly, eyes sparkling with joy. He put an arm about Mathitis' shoulders and pulled him into an affectionate hug. "Oh, my boy! You did right to call me here! This is wonderful, simply [i]marvelous![/i]" Mathitis returned the embrace warmly, then stiffened in surprise and pulled away at Fylakas' words. "Master, how can you say that?! This is a problem for us! If people start giving credence to the Logites, we-" Fylakas chuckled tolerantly and ruffled his hair. (He either ignored or failed to notice the flare of resentment this gesture brought forth in the young man's countenance.) "Ah, my boy, haven't you learned yet that every problem is an opportunity in disguise?" "We will use this to destroy them. Oh, yes." [It's weird, but I can't seem to fit this last segment anywhere properly in sequence. Since no mechanical actions were taken, it seems to fit best as an extension of my intro to the Crossroad.] ------------------- Kerdizo was fed up with the racket outside his market stall by the second day. The priest's piercing, haranguing voice, the shouting of the crowd... It was enough to drive a man to distraction! And it was bad for custom, too. Thankfully he was not left without a remedy - a family connection in just the right place, thank the Spirits. He marched purposefully toward the Temple of the Logos. [JoJoz here established that Kerdizo was a second cousin to the Logite Hierophant. He had me play the guy.] There was the usual delay as his visit got relayed through a series of acolytes, but eventually he was ushered into a parlor where his cousin awaited, his Hierophantic headdress the only thing to distinguish him from any other white-robed priest. The man said affably, "Cos! What brings you by? Have you decided to convert to the True Faith at last?" Kerdizo made a gesture of denial. "Pfft! The Spirits are good enough for me and mine, you know that. No, it's business that brings me to your den of heresy today, cos." "Business! Well, I'm all ears. Buying or selling?" "The lack of business, to be precise." "Eh?" "Your man caterwauling outside my stall is driving my customers away, to say nothing of my wits!" The Hierophant laughed. "Oh, is that it? I'll ask him to move to another spot, it's no trouble." Kerdizo asked gruffly, "Why do you want to go having your men preach against the government, anyway? No good can come of it." His cousin shrugged. "I didn't tell them to do it, they're acting on their own initiative - some of my priests are more the firebrand than others. But neither have I forbidden them." Kerdizo shook his head. "If enough people listen, there'll be trouble." "People are listening because they're hearing what's [i]true[/i], cos. Even apart from the Truth of the Faith, the nobility in this city are corrupt and uncaring, and the people know it." Waving a hand in dismissal, Kerdizo said, "What else is new? People are just upset by the murders. It'll all blow over if your men don't keep rubbing salt in the wound." The Hierophant replied seriously, "The wound is real, cousin. And it isn't healing on its own." Kerdizo took his leave shortly after, troubled. [Just goes to show that a Kingdom scene doesn't have to have mechanical heft to be important. This established SO much about the city, the Logite hierarchy, and especially the religious conflict, that we hadn't yet known.] ---------------------------- Milos was being driven to distraction himself by the clamor of upset nobles in his court. The Patrikios Eumanioi had particularly gone out of his way to be a gadfly of late, after a period of absence from court. [Patrikios is a mid-ranking noble title, but Emporopolis, being way out in the sticks by Imperial standards, doesn't have a lot of the high-ranking ones. (I doubt that Milos himself is more than one step above him.) So he's a big deal. And he's the older brother of the former Strategos, of course.] "My friends, my [i]subjects![/i] Please! Listen." When he had some semblance of order, he said, "Let it never be said that the nobility of our great city could not endure criticism! I know many desire stern measures to be taken, but there are many voices to be heard - not all of them in Emporopolis!" "Consider, my friends! The Chrysian Empire, our former suzerain, has now made the Logos their official faith! If we take steps to silence their church, I fear an international incident could ensue! [Prediction! To be precise, 'If the Church of the Logos is silenced, the Empire will react badly.'] And truly, while these Logite priests are... incendiary... to be sure, do their criticisms entirely miss the mark?" The Patrikios inquired waspishly, "So you intend to simply let them spread sedition in the streets, my Lord? How will that improve the public order, I ask you?" Many other nobles added their voices to his. Milos shook his head. "No, good Eumanioi, I do not suggest that. I suggest that there are more ways to address angry voices than with force. I suggest that we take the opportunity to examine ourselves, and see if we are living according to our own best traditions. Let us not be simply noblemen! Let us truly be noble men!" The Patrikios folded his arms. "And just which traditions do you consider best, my Lord? Are we all to be Logites now? You seem to counsel utter capitulation to these rabble-rousers!" "There you are wrong, good my lord. I counsel that we do what we can to meet the standards all good men can agree upon: Honesty, integrity, good government and plain dealing. And if that will not satisfy the Logites, then all will agree they are being unreasonable." "Good government begins at home, my Lord." "So indeed it does. I do not hold myself aloof from the expectations I have of others." -------------------------- [At this point, the Side Effect hit: If the Church of the Logos is not silenced, then they will start investigating sorcerers. (Presumably clandestinely.) Which, naturally, is something that Fylakas could not abide. We forgot to play out a scene for this at the time, so I'm not sure how he knew the stakes were being raised. At a guess, word of the newly-formed Graycloaks trickled out of the east, and he had word of more Logite wizards slipping into town.] -------------------------- Fylakas and Mathitis met with Maldark in the sewers once more. Maldark reported that he knew of at least three Logite priests preaching in the streets against government and noble corruption. Fylakas for his part was still buoyed up by the anticipation of wreaking havoc on the Church he feared. He informed Maldark, in much more friendly tones than usual, "I should like a message sent to the Logite Hierophant. I wish to remind him of a lapse of judgment he suffered in a misspent youth... One he will not wish to be noised abroad." Maldark guffawed. "What is it, the name of a woman he f***ed before he took the cloth? Or, dare I say it, a goat?" Fylakas grinned malevolently. "No. The name of a boy." Maldark blinked. "The Logites don't approve of that, do they?" Fylakas continued to look quite pleased with himself. "Why, no, as a matter of fact they do not. I have been saving this little secret for the right moment, and I do believe it has come." [Pending use of Authority: If the Church of the Logos is not silenced, the Hierophant will be publicly humiliated.] Maldark shrugged. "Easy enough, consider it done." Fylakas added, only a trifle sharply, "I trust there will be no 'initiative' this time. I scarcely wish to wake to the news that the Logite Hierophant and a dozen acolytes have been murdered!" Maldark assured him, "The man I have in mind can't even spell 'initiative', much less employ it. He'll do what he's told, and no more." "Good, see to it." When Fylakas left, Maldark hissed to Mathitis, "I need you to turn his gaze from me, I need more freedom of action!" Mathitis answered resentfully, "As do I! You must know I can do little while bound by my 'prentice Vow! Get me the dagger and help yourself as well as me." "Do you think I can but snap my fingers and have a theft occur leagues to the north? Preparations proceed apace, but those too are subject to your master's notice. Distract him!" Mathitis left, frustrated and afraid, and a plan began to take shape in his mind... ------------------- [JoJoz said he intended to visit the Hierophant again. SuentisPo asked if he could bring Mathitis into the scene; JoJoz readily agreed.] Kerdizo had just gotten ensconced in the parlor with his cousin again when an acolyte announced, "Holiness, a young man is here to see you; he insists that it is quite urgent." The Hierophant looked to his cousin. "Do you mind, cos?" "No, not at all." Mathitis entered, trying not to tremble in the heart of Logite strength. He quailed inwardly upon seeing Kerdizo; the man knew him from shopping errands Fylakas had sent him on. Kerdizo's bushy eyebrows shot up at this unexpected visitor. "And what brings you here, lad? Math-something, isn't it?" Mathitis ignored him and said to the Hierophant, "Your Holiness, you will want to hear me privately, I assure you." At his cousin's helpless glance, Kerdizo laughed. "Oh, very well. Far be it from me to stand in the way of curiosity!" Suiting actions to words, as soon as he'd closed the door to the room, he set his ear to it. (The acolyte started to say something, but seemed reluctant to rebuke his Hierophant's kinsman.) The Hierophant said, "You are welcome here, young man. Are you an adherent to the True Faith?" "I'm afraid not, your Holiness. But I come tonight as a friend, with news you will want to hear." "I am listening." "Later tonight, or perhaps tomorrow morning, a man will come to you with information he intends to use to blackmail you." Coolly now, "Oh? Do tell me how you come to know of this?" Mathitis hesitated. "I, uh. I am mixed up with dangerous men, sir. I overheard their plans, and did not wish to see a pillar of the community suffer." "Truly? So you repent of your involvement with these dangerous men, and wish now to live a life of virtue?" Mathitis licked his lips. "It isn't so simple as that..." "Oh? What is complex about it? Are you in danger from them yourself?" With relief at this escape, Mathitis lied, "Yes. I fear I may come to harm from them." "Then how is it you have dared to attempt to thwart them now? Are you hoping that I can protect you?" Belatedly realizing that every question had a catch in it, Mathitis hesitated. "I, uh." The Hierophant observed that, then asked, "How is it you anticipated me to respond to the prospect of blackmail? Either I am innocent of the thing they intend to accuse me of, in which case I have nothing to fear; or else I am guilty, in which case my foreknowledge of their attempt will do me little good." [Who knew Logite seminary included Jesuit training? :)] "I am simply trying to do you a favor, Holiness! I did not reflect upon all these matters!" "So I see. Since your sincerity is so unquestionable, doubtless you will not take offense at having the truth of your statements examined by a wizard." Sweating now, "Of course not." (He dared not try to use the sorcery of Secrets under a wizard's gaze - he had not the skill to hide it.) A Logite priest-wizard was summoned; and, after a few more pointed questions from the Hierophant, the man reported, "He is only partially truthful, Holiness. Particularly in the matter of danger." "I see." Turning back to the increasingly crestfallen Mathitis, he asked, "What is really going on here, young man?" Mathitis, still sweating, did his best not to lie outright, "I am in no direct danger from them, sir, because I am... bound, to one of them." The Hierophant nodded to himself as if a theory had been confirmed. "So you are a sorcerer." Licking his lips, "...Yes." "Who is betraying his own master, in the teeth of the notorious 'prentice Vow. He must have been careless of you indeed... Much as I disapprove of sorcery, you must see these facts do not inspire trust." "You don't understand! He can inflict spiritual torments upon me! If he finds out, you are condemning me to torture!" No reply came, only a cool, unreadable gaze, taking in his every move. Mathitis pleaded, "I was just trying to help!" The Hierophant looked to his wizard, who shook his head slightly. The Hierophant told Mathitis dispassionately, "You're not very good at this." Having paused to let that sink in, he added, "Needless to say, I do not trust you. You may go." Mathitis thought his heart couldn't sink any lower than it already had. But when he went out the door, trembling with anger and fear and shame, and a dour Kerdizo told him, "Say hello to Fylakas for me," it was everything he could do not to burst into tears. The Hierophant observed, "That was interesting. You know him?" "A customer of mine, cos." "Ah. Far be it from me to get you to break a confidence of trade!" [The scene had already gone on a very long time, so we called it. I said to JoJoz, "Sorry to steal your own scene out from under you!" He replied, "Are you kidding? I just wish I'd had some popcorn!" :) And yes, out of loyalty to his customer, Kerdizo did inform on Mathitis.] [Oh, and heaven forfend that anyone should think that was SuentisPo's best attempt at a plot! No, that was his portrayal of a smart-stupid, greedy, over-confident sixteen year old's attempt at a plot. :)] -------------------------- [And with that, the Crossroad resolved! This time there was some debate whether Fylakas had actually brought about a 'Silence the Church' result using his Power. After some discussion, we decided that the Hierophant was sufficiently intimidated by the blackmail attempt to forbid his priests from being firebrands, for now. Naturally, he would be highly motivated to get to the bottom of the blackmail.] [So, the Church of the Logos was silenced, it did not start investigating sorcerers, and the Hierophant was not publicly humiliated. (Perhaps I should add that I never actually established that the Hierophant was guilty. Only that Fylakas had evidence sufficiently convincing to be damning in public.) On the other hand, Milos' prediction of the Empire having a bad reaction to the Church being silenced came true, which was more than a little ominous. Unsurprisingly, this became the focus of the next Crossroad.] ---------------------- [But first, the game decreed that an extended period of time would pass. After some discussion, we decided to let a year and a half go by. We also determined that, what with the Empire getting upset with us and the Church out for blood undercover, that the Crisis level would not diminish during the break. It was still not terribly high, though we all felt that would soon change.] [Since so much time was passing, we also played a little scenelet to determine Mathitis' fate after his ill-starred attempt at plotting, which we were all burning to know:] ------------------- Mathitis stood before Fylakas, head bowed, trying to look chastened and repentant. Fylakas observed coolly, "I'm not sure which disappoints me more... That you set yourself against me in a matter you knew to be vitally important? Or that you went about it so very ineptly." The boy said quietly, "I know I have done wrong, master, and that I deserve to be punished." "Indeed. Tell me, what would you do in my place?" An unfair question, of course. Anger won out briefly among the lad's roiling emotions. "In your place? I would not treat my apprentice like a halfwit child!" Fylakas laughed humorlessly. "Would you indeed? Even if your apprentice persisted in acting like one?" Mathitis flushed crimson and looked down again. Shaking his head sadly, Fylakas said, "You are a blind fool, my boy. Perhaps you will learn something through being outwardly blind for a time." He raised a hand and chanted briefly, and Mathitis' field of vision was filled with misty darkness as his surroundings became a secret even to himself. "Oh, and your link to Shaprenka lies in my hand until further notice. You can no longer attempt sorcery without my leave." Blindness itself was not more galling for the next week than Fylakas' ever-solicitous aid and care while he was blind. [/QUOTE]
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Kingdom: Fear and Loathing in Emporopolis (Updated June 20, 2013)
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