[HQ Ignorance] Scene 101: On the Blue Moon plateau - storytelling

[Nic Hughes]

Lev Lafayette wrote:
> On Mon, 2009-11-23 at 19:44 +0000, Nic Hughes wrote:
>
>   
>> "As for the sword? I do not want the sword. Its reputation is enough
>> to fill me with dread. I came to speak with its keeper and to try to
>> win his aid."
>>
>>     
>
> The Fourth looks at Aalmon and smiles.
>
> "You have said all the right things courier. Your teacher taught you
> well." Aalmon stops playing with the rocks for a moment, which indeed
> change colour as before, to look up at the Fourth.
>
> It is at that point that Aalmon notices as glimmer in the Trollkin's
> eye's, like the reflection of the moon and the stars themselves,
> although they are indoors. There is a sudden realisation to the Far
> Rider, the Trollkin is an Illuminate!
>
> "Oh yes. My master taught me many secrets as well. And taught me a sense
> of individual responsibility, despite what tradition says."
>
> "Tradition says that Trollkin should not rule over Trolls. But just a
> few years past, I helped lead a rebellion and worked with the Empire of
> the Sun to recover the Blood of Yelmalio. This time, at last Yelm
> recognised the Black Sun. It had taken him long enough."
>
> "And then I met a being from Peloria, who taught me the path to
> Illumination. From there I made my home here, at the old Blue Moon."
>
> "The Moons wax and wane. The time of the Blue is long over, but it still
> have influence through mysticism. The time of the Red Moon is almost
> over. The rise of the White, the Moon of Peace, could be beginning."
>
> "Because you do not want this power, it is most suited to you."
>
> The Fourth talks in the ear of the Dark Troll who leaves the room. In a
> few moments he returns, bearing a greatsword, wrapped in oily rags.
>
> "This is Mekdoru. I'll let him tell his story"
>
> Mekdoru, whose head has been looking downwards for most of the
> proceedings, now rises for a speech, his voice full of passion and
> nobility. He speaks of his lineage, through his mother's side of course,
> until it reaches as mistress race troll called Natchkling, companion to
> Talor, and bearer of this weapon.
>
> Merkdoru speaks of how he was a a great warrior and was asked by those
> of Shadow's Dance to send forces from the Blue Moon Plateau to put down
> the Trollkin rebellion. Eventually he tracked down the leader of the
> rebellion and accepted a challenge to meet him in single combat.
> Merkdoru had no fear, for he carried an artifact, the Darksword, a
> weapon unlike any other, which could cut through any armour, destroy any
> shield, break any that sought to parry and slay all those it struck.
>
> Merkdoru sought out the leader of the rebellion, a funny, pathetic
> little Trollkin who wore his peasant's hat backwards and had a string of
> fish around his neck. His only discernable weapon was a short stick. The
> Troll approached the little kin and mocked him and told him the powers
> of the Greatsword. The Trollkin looked at him calmly and said "In ten
> seconds you will be begging for your life"
>
> Merkodu said "And why would I do that? What could you, mutated stunted
> little creature, possible do to reduce me to such a status. I should
> slay you now and end this rebellion! How can you possibly defeat me in
> combat?"
>
> The Trollkin smiled. "I am sitting on dry solid land. You are standing
> on quicksand".
>
> And so it was that the Troll Merkodu surrended to the Trollkin and
> became his servent. The Trollkin brought his fellows here and now the
> Troll serves the Trollkin in all ways.
>
> Merkodu lay the greatsword at Aalmon's feet.
>
> "And now", The Fourth says. "Takes this lesson. Go, Far Rider, and
> fulfil your destiny"
>
>   

Aalmon sat there feeling rather pleased with himself. He could still 
remember how it had been when he was filled with ridiculous optimism, 
how his mind had worked when filled with the folly of hope, it was easy 
enough to speak with the words of that idiot idealistic person he had 
once been. He spoke the words, the trick was not too think too much 
about how absurd it was to have any hope at the moment his mouth made 
the sounds. He had done it often enough that it had almost become a 
habit, almost easy.

This time something was wrong. He looked around as Fourth spoke, here he 
was surrounded by the strange creatures of the Darkness in a land where 
the very soil was poison. His companion was walking food for these 
monsters. He waited for Fate to spring her trick and to set off a new 
round of suffering or humiliation and it did not happen. They had been 
treated with nothing but kindness, there must be something wrong, there 
must be a trick. He saw the glint in the eye of the trollkin and a 
thought stirred from deep within him and the thought was that maybe 
nothing was wrong,

maybe

he

was

wrong.

Like a man breaking free of water for breath he felt he could see with 
sudden clarity, his eyes unblurred. Fourth knew what he knew, he spoke 
of quicksand and Aalmon had been in quicksand over his head for a very 
long time. Words of prayer to his gods swirled in his mind, combining in 
strange patterns with the lore of the Minderkind School - they gave him 
comfort but ultimately they were a distraction.

Focus on the eyes.

If there was true kindness in this place of all places then kindness did 
exist. Then hope did exist. Then everything he had thought, everything 
for a very long time, was wrong. Because if there was any hope then hope 
was everwhere and he had been to afraid to see it. He realised that 
nobody had moved, nobody had even blinked. Had time stopped? Another 
distraction, it was not important. Look into the one pair of eyes that 
understood, that see with this clarity. Is this the true challenge he 
must meet here? Or perhaps it is simpler than that, the First Man had 
sent him here because he knew that by now the Far Rider would need to be 
here, need to be sat in front of this diminuative ridiculous looking 
creature and have his world torn apart by a word. Then the real test was 
whether he could find enough trust in his soul to trust the First Man, 
to trust Fourth because without that he could not learn to trust himself 
and then he would remain truly lost beyond the reach of any map.

OOC: One of the challenges for Illuminates in ILH2 is "Be treated with 
kindness when you know all is hate". I think Aalmon is definitely in the 
mindset of "all is hate" and this feels like a dramatically appropriate 
time for a bit of soul-searching by Aalmon. The sample difficulty for 
this challenge is 10W4 against which Aalmon has his 10W Seventh Soul 
with augments from his relationships with Erelia&Verelia and the 
Minderkind School. He has quite a lot of HP banked, I think he is going 
to have to use a fair bit of it!
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