Within the Temple of Maran Gor, trying to work out how to rebel against Jar-eel’s Heroquest. Session 17.
. o ( I could summon spirits of Death here. If I had to. )
. o ( Obliteration would be easier. )
. o ( But it would be giving up. )
. o ( And they don’t deserve it. )
. o ( But you fight the impossible. )
. o ( So… now do I go kill Jotimam? )
. o ( Face the Monster of Chaos. The Great Whirlpool. )
. o ( There’s a great Monster of Chaos here for sure. And dying would mess up Onjur. )
. o ( Or I could try to make him be the great Monster. )
. o ( But that fight didn’t happen last time. What else… )
. o ( Close up Hall Left Empty? )
After leaving, Berra stops before reaching the next junction, but not before she has gone far enough that the light has faded and the room is a memory. She sits in the near-dark, meditating on Death as a Rune with a straight blade, and thinking about what might be fought. After some time in which Death is clear to her but Meditation gives her little peace, she stands, and with her right hand lightly scratches a Death Rune on her cheek, as if to match the painted Truth Rune on her left. Her nails do not even score the skin, but it seems to mean something to her. Then she pads off into the dim corridors, looking for problems to deal with.
In the Shaker Temple, there is a shrine to Humakt, where he spilled Grandfather Mortal’s life. She rejects that – she has not just killed someone. Here, she is walking, alone, looking for trouble that will be looking for her.
She’s got a few things that she thinks she needs to do as Humakt – close up Hall Left Empty, make sure that the broken, twisted copies of Death are collected, defeat Jotimam the void, or at least keep it busy while Magasta makes the whirlpool, and all before meeting Orlanth again in hell. The meditation counts as thoughts on the Death that Humakt found beyond the Gates of Introspection, as she’s trying to be very Humakt.
She may or may not currently have long hair the colour of the glacier, eyes that glitter like Truth, and shining armour.
She starts to be able to hear a voice calling her name. She’s just not sure which name it is. And the voice, is it male? Female? Old? Young? She has no idea.
Then that’s a thing that has to be answered. Berra – Humakt – but Berra – goes that way. With caution.
Yet she strides forth. She feels her beard twitch in some subteranean breeze.
. o ( Scout. I am a scout. I step forth, staying calm. Calm is the way. )
. o ( Find things out. )
o O { Yes. Only after scouting can you strike with full force. }1(( Fails INTx3 ))
. o ( Yes. Find out. Then deal with it. So many things that must be done. Let us see what is what here. )
She feels herself immersing deeper in the Ur-role. But it’s currently switching between two roles. Humakt cut off from the Storm Tribe and Yanafil Tarnils cut off from Humakt.
. o ( Humakt… learning about Yanafil Tarnils… Humakt. Learning. Humakt. Learning. )
~ ORDERS.
~ A memory of a sarcastic voice. Loyalty to someone away from all of this who expects her to get it right.
Berra stops. Listens to something in her head. Turns to leave the voice and the difficulties. There has to be a way that she can win, where – as Onjur says – all paths give her victory. This one is a possibility, and water cannot flow both ways. Not and be one river.2(( Failed a couple of conflicting loyalties, passed Loyalty Eril. And passed a Water roll to change and be amused that the stuff Onjur told her, which she already knew but which he reminded her of, gives her this thinking. And to plant the seeds of water parting and melding again. ))
There is a figure in the distance. At once a blue skinned man, and a red headed woman, and a pale man with dark hair.
Berra makes a decision, not so much by making it, as by deciding who she is. There is no need to reject a part of her, because it is a lesser part. It will happen, but it is not the entire story. She is Humakt. Yanafil Tarnils is part of her. He’s just not a deciding voice. She stands, acknowledges the confusion, and the water that is parted combines, and the river is still called Humakt. In it are the waters of many others.3((Passed Hate Lunar Empire, Special on POWx5.))
Water does not fight, unless it really fights. It does not flow uphill – at least, not if it’s settled into its bed. She does not need to run, and forwards is good. Just forwards as the right thing, containing everything that water can contain, and that may even include Chaos. In a way.
There is some haunting atmospheric music.
This time, Berra does her best to think about it, recall it.
Perhaps a reworking of a saga of Berra, Daughter of Jarang…
That is worth humming as she walks. Berra paces forward. She has things to do, and water only retreats when it is ready.
A lovely voice, singing along with a lyre. Full range from contralto to soprano. All about her adventures in search of enlightenment
Berra picks up a little of that, whistling lightly, and then turns right slightly but not completely away from the sound. She is looking for something, but her expression says it is not this music right now.
The music continues lingering. A leitmotif to her wandering.
Berra does not draw her swords. That would be wrong. However, she does not go looking for trouble. Her search is not for her, but for other people. Several times she finds herself whistling the tune.4(( Failed Sing: did not get what she wanted from it. Passed Loyalty (D’Val) and keeps her cool. Failed POW x5 but did not fumble. Telling Jar-eel to eff off should not be an ear worm, and yet… ))
- 1(( Fails INTx3 ))
- 2(( Failed a couple of conflicting loyalties, passed Loyalty Eril. And passed a Water roll to change and be amused that the stuff Onjur told her, which she already knew but which he reminded her of, gives her this thinking. And to plant the seeds of water parting and melding again. ))
- 3((Passed Hate Lunar Empire, Special on POWx5.))
- 4(( Failed Sing: did not get what she wanted from it. Passed Loyalty (D’Val) and keeps her cool. Failed POW x5 but did not fumble. Telling Jar-eel to eff off should not be an ear worm, and yet… ))
