Secret Session 34 -
In which any of my players stop reading now (if any of you are reading this).
This is an e-mail back and forth between the player who's character is Aimn Lu, after Aimn Lu was captured in the Earth Temple.
*As told to Aimn Lu....*
You are scooped up and carried by some large creature. You don’t like it, but you are held firmly. You are taken to a dry room (dry isn’t good. You don’t like dry).
After a while your body begins to grow and you begin to find your mind returning to human thoughts. As you grow you are grasped by strong stone hands and manacles are placed around your wrists.
When your mind has cleared you see a stony but still almost human face in front of you:
You recall that this is the person who cast a spell on you turning you into a frog. There is also 4 other cultists in the room. An irregular pit fills the center of this large hall. In the middle of the pit stands an obelisk of glistening black stone. Bleached bones lie scattered near the foot of the obelisk. A smaller stone post in front of the obelisk holds a pair of manacles which hold you fast.
“So,” the Stony Man begins, “You are one who would attack the temple of earth alone? Very brave, but also very stupid. However, you did tame a Bullette which indicates you may have potential. I would ask you why you would attack our temple? We are a simple people who mean no harm to anyone, we simply want to be left alone to our worship. I ask again, why would you attack us?”
What do you do?
_"Aaah sorry sir. … ahhh I’ma simple people too", replys Aimn Lu, "I wuz trying to get out and da brew … blue ah blue let, attacked me, I think it broke its chain and went wild, I saw it had a saddle so maybe i thought i could ride it, like a horse, and it couldnt stomp on me if i was on top and ah so I jumped up on it and tried to make it not so angry, it bucked a bit and wus very stomppy and it squashed some of your friends and then da blue let seemed happy after that and it took me here and then it was funny, you were bigger and i liked water"_
"Very well. I will consider what you have said. I will return in time. Unless the pudding gets hungry you will remain here."
You are left. For quite some time. For quite some time indeed. After some time, when you are delirious from thirst, he returns with a stone golem. You realise that your weapons have gone.
"Well", he says, "it appears you were not telling quite the truth. It would appear to me that you came through the fire temple and have left a trail of death behind you. While I understand that you fire worshippers are brash, this is unacceptable. While we are rivals, we all work towards the same end. I would kill you now, but the master has requested to see you". He looks towards the golem, "Seize him".
You are grabbed. The stony man undoes your manacles and you are taken through the complex to a room full of statues. You notice that some of the statues are of the prisoners that you rescued earlier. As you enter, the stony man whispers to you, "You will note that the master is heavily cowled and that it is difficult to see his face. I suggest you make an effort. You will want to know what he looks like."
In the dimness of the room, a heavily cowled man emerges from the shadows. You cannot see his face at all. He has an iron pick on his belt, forged from a single piece of steel. You can feel that magic humming off it.
"So the murderer faces me", he says, "I have lost many loyal followers due to your efforts. I am the leader here, Marlos Urnrayle. Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"
You are held in place by a stone golem. You are weak from thirst. What do you do?
_"Ma names Anim Lu Sir. Are you the swords of liberty leader?"_
"You name yourself slave in the elven speech? And I see from your face that you know no other name. Very interesting. Vanifer's indoctrination goes deep. Yes, in answer to your question, I am one of the leaders of the so-called 'Swords of Liberty'. But as you must know by now, we are so much more. Has your mistress not told you about the deeper power we have harnessed towards our end . Typical. She talks freedom and anarchy, but she demonstrates oppression and tyrany. But are you truly wed to the flame? I wonder. You have already shown great promise in taming the bulette. I feel that your loyalty to Vanifer is misplaced and you would thrive if you would follow the path of earth and stone. Would you be willing to face the test of earth? Work for me. I will bring freedom to this land and freedom to it's peoples. Work for me. You will gain rewards and riches. You will gain fame and fortune. You will make this world a better place. So tell me, Slave, will you take the test and throw off your bonds of servitude?"
_"Ah Yes Sir, I wood want to take da test."_
At this point Marlos removes his cowl and you see his face:
You feel the blood in your veins slow down, you feel your skin stiffen, you feel your joints begin to lock up. But you are made of sterner stuff than that, and you force your body to retain its form.
“Good, good”, says Marlos. He then turns to the stoney man. “Take our friend here up to the temple and robe him in acolyte clothing. You have much to learn my friend. For a start, you are no longer ‘Slave’. I give you a new name. You are born of fire and violence and you shall be our blade. I name you Obsidian. Serve us well Obsidian, and you will find a home with meaning and purpose. Over the coming months you will learn of our plans for this world and your place in the new order.”
The Stony faced man takes you away, and introduces himself as Miraj. He is quite friendly now. Your clothing is taken from you and replaced with brown robes and a gargoyle mask.
Over the next few days you are trained in basic martial arts, and you learn of the evil inherent in systems that rule Khorvaire. It’s all a wee bit beyond you, but you grow to understand that the monarchy and guild structure is merely a system to supress the common people and keep the wealth in the hands of the elite. You learn that your ultimate goal is to overthrow that structure and replace it with a new system that will share the wealth more equally.
However, you do notice that you are still carefully watched, and that you still remain in a locked cell at night. When you question this, it is explained that you will still need to prove your loyalty before you can gain trust and progress through the ranks. Your chance will come.
That very night, you are awakened by the sound of your door unlocking. You see a small figure enter the room and in the dim light recognise it as Hug Hug the goblin.
“Psst. Psst. Big person? Wake up big person. I have come to help you escape.”
What do you do?
_Slowly Obsidian rises and walks over to Hug Hug, Obsidian is tired from days of hard training.
As he walks over he yawns, flexes and stretches. Suddenly a stretch becomes a lunge and Obsidian grabs Hug Hug. Holding Hug Hug tight Obsidian walks out to find his fellow freedom fighters he has caught a new recruit.
Obsidian thinks the stone people are right about this king and guild thing.
The high and mighty always keeping the workers down.
However deep down Lu suspects that he will still be told what to do._
