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| ©2011–2025 Jeff Dee |
“Peace. That is all I wish, though Eselné does not believe me. But is it not a good ambition for one who dwells among the dead. Who better to know the true meaning of peace?”
“Everything I have done — the cloistered councils, the careful alliances, the sheltering of those who now flee from Eselné’s wrath — I have done to preserve the Empire, not to destroy it. It is Eselné who fans the flames. Eselné who tears at the old ways. Tell me, Kirktá: who breaks the Concordat? Who has sent his legions to desecrate one temple in his blind pursuit of dominion and now threatens another?”
“Not I.”
“You know he cannot win, not without destroying all that Tsolyánu is. But you still stand at the crossroads. I know who you are. I know what you are. I know where you came from. I know why you were hidden.”
“Only by walking beside me will your skein at last be made whole. Only I can draw the threads together – the frayed, the hidden, the ones others tried to cut. Let me show you the pattern behind your life. Don’t you wish to know why you were woven at all?"
“But if you decline, if you cling to Eselné’s banner, then I have no choice but to act and to act swiftly."
"You know, of course, that Eselné is not the only prince with legions in Béy Sü.”
“Though I suppose it would be more honest to say that I have legions under Béy Sü – beneath its stones, its vaults, its ancient crypts. There are soldiers sleeping there in the dust who swore undying oaths to the Petal Throne before Eselné’s name was ever spoken. If he wishes to turn this city into a tomb, I am prepared to teach him the proper rites.”
“Tell him that. Or don’t. He will learn soon enough. But you still have a choice: stand where your true fate calls you. Stand beside me.”
Brrr. James, I'm unlurking to tell you that this sent a shiver up my leg. Nicely writ! Your brief Tekumel fiction has been a sustaining happy-maker for me. Just wanted to let you know.
ReplyDeleteIs this a quote from the session? If so, do you improvise to some extent or prepare the whole text?
ReplyDeleteYour recent “Dragonlance” post led me to wonder to what level you and others here play in first-person, saying out loud what their character would speak in setting, especially since you use reaction rolls. That and attributes/skills like charisma, bribery, streetwise, etc., would seem to encourage more third-person play. It might make for an interesting poll, what mix of first- vs. third-person play people use.
This is an approximation of something that was said by Dhich'uné during the most recent session. I sometimes do prepare little bits of dialog to aid me in getting the speech of the character "right." That's especially important for the various contenders to the Petal Throne. However, most of the time, I just improvise.
DeleteAs to your second question, we use a mix of first and third-person speech, depending on the circumstances. There's a lot of first-person discussion in House of Worms these days, but we switch back and forth as events unfold.
Dhich'uné is both seriously convincing and scary! I'm loving it. Whatever step Kirktá takes is on the path to drama. This is really good.
ReplyDeleteSo Dhich’uné is harboring priests of The One Other. I wonder if it wants his plan to succeed. And he claims to know more about Kirktá’s hidden past, which I suppose he could have learned from those priests.
DeleteDoes he know who was present at the raid on the temple of Belkhánu? There is a gap in the published narrative: the last we saw Kirktá, he was tossing a priest of The One Other in a bag and next we know he has an audience with Dhich’uné.
I hope James gives us more updates but we’re already onto the next sessions. What were the PCs actually doing and the players discussing about all this?
There will be a campaign update post tomorrow.
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