(100) Demiurge: So basically, you have defeated the enemy. You have a loyal workforce. The world is your oyster. What's the plan, stan?
(102) Imhotep: (Now, we get started building a proper boat.)
(100) Demiurge: We shall have to come up with some building plans.
(100) Demiurge: Also, you received a cryptic comment from Running Girl last time.
(102) Imhotep: (What was it?)
(100) Demiurge: She mentioned that she had seen the head of the River.
(103) Sarpedon: She was from upriver. And she's Japanese.
(102) Imhotep: (Oh, yes, died several times and all that.)
** (102) Imhotep tries to get Martin to get her to tell him about upriver. **
(100) Demiurge: It's slow going. She barely speaks any english.
** (103) Sarpedon listens closely, trying to piece together the strange syllables uttered by this future-man. **
(100) Demiurge: And Japanese is not one of the languages she knows.
(103) Sarpedon: (Not to mention this weird girl.)
(103) Sarpedon: (She knows or he knows?)
(100) Demiurge: It had been slowly explained to her that the boat you are building is heading upriver. This made her a little scared.
** (102) Imhotep is a bit worried by that. **
** (103) Sarpedon frowns. What could scare her that lies upriver, he wonders. **
(102) Imhotep: "Does she say what made her fearful, Martin?"
(100) Demiurge: We can assume that you have rebuilt the palace to live in, and are making plans for the boat. English lessons are available, and Junko is learning when you can get her to sit down.
(100) Demiurge: But it's still very slow. Her english is just reaching broken level.
** (102) Imhotep encourages Gwenefra to befriend Junko. **
(100) Demiurge: People asked her what she saw at the head of the River, and all she will say is "Oni."
** (102) Imhotep gives her a stick, and demonstrates what he wants by drawing in the sand. **
(100) Demiurge: (There really isn't sand. It's all grass up to the river bank.)
** (103) Sarpedon looks for some bare dirt for the girl to scratch a picture. **
** (100) Junko seems to be very eager to please Sarpedon, the great heroic warrior-king. **
** (100) Junko concentrates, "Oni. Big! Bad face!" **
(100) Junko: "Like man. But big. Lots."
(100) Junko: "... Big nose"
(100) Junko: Time passes, eventually you get the full story.....
** (103) Sarpedon tries to piece it all together. **
(100) Demiurge: After dying during a raid of some kind, she woke up. She was near a grailstone, like all resurrectees. She looked up, and saw the land sloping uphill.
(100) Demiurge: She could see for miles upstream. There were two or three more grailstones, then no more...
** (102) Imhotep pays careful attention. **
(100) Demiurge: The air was very cold.
(100) Demiurge: It was dawn or dusk, the sun hadn't risen above the horizon....
(100) Demiurge: She didn't get to see much, because she woke up in the middle of a battle.
(100) Demiurge: The word "oni" seems to roughly translate to "demon" or "devil" you find. There were many creatures having a huge fight.
(100) Demiurge: You have to wonder if she is remembering correctly, because she seems to be saying they were about 9 or 10 feet tall.
(100) Demiurge: They were very hairy, had hideous faces, and huge noses. The noses would have been comical on a less frightening creature.
** (103) Sarpedon ponders this description. **
(100) Demiurge: Anyway, there was a lot of collateral damage in the fight, and she was part of it. One of the creatures fell on her, hard. It weighed about 800 lbs. The next day she woke up in this area.
(102) Imhotep: "This is a curious thing, Sarpedon."
(103) Sarpedon: (Who was fighting the creatures?)
(100) Demiurge: (They were fighting each other.)
(100) Demiurge: Imhotep, you have the first level of Eidetic Memory, right?
(102) Imhotep: (Yep.)
(103) Sarpedon: "Agreed. It seems that the mouth of the river has guardians. Surely it is a place of great significance in this world. Perhaps it leads to the realm of the living. Or perhaps to Olympus."
(103) Sarpedon: (Ah, thank you for the clarification.)
(100) Demiurge: You suddenly remember, months ago, the Mysterious Stranger saying, "I would see the world run by the humans, neanderthals and titanthrops who dwell here."
(100) Demiurge: (You have met humans, and one neanderthal.)
(102) Imhotep: (Aha...)
(103) Sarpedon: "These beasts seem to wish to harm one another. Perhaps we can sail past them or let them kill one another first."
(103) Sarpedon: (Was wondering what that word meant when you typed it last time, but it was metagame to ask ...)
(102) Imhotep: "I think perhaps they might notice a boat on the water. Perhaps they are spirits her in the underworld, and do not act as we who were once living."
(102) Imhotep: "We should observe them carefully before trying to make our way past them."
(102) Imhotep: "But, other matters press first. I must complete the design of the new boat."
(103) Sarpedon: "Agreed."
(100) Demiurge: (The palace has a main floor, for meetings, banquets and holding court stuff. There are also private offices. There is a second floor with separate living areas for both the kings. Quite luxurious, actually. :)
** (103) Sarpedon tries to find out how many of these creatures there were fighting, how well they fought, any tactics they used, any weapons they used, etc. **
** (100) Junko doesn't seem to know anything about war, but she says they seems savage. They used heavy tree branches as weapons. **
(100) Junko: She was too scared to see anything else.
** (102) Imhotep tries to complete the boat plans. **
(100) Junko: "You are.. going there, Sarpedon-sama?"
** (103) Sarpedon plans how to face (or to avoid) the "demons" described by the girl. **
** (103) Sarpedon looks up from his musings. "Yes. The answer to this place lies there, child." **
(100) Junko: (She seems to be in her 20's. Not really a child.)
** (103) Sarpedon still has habits left over since he died in his sixties. **
(100) Junko: (Fair enough. But for all you know, she could have died in her sixties, too. Alice was 83 when she died.)
(103) Sarpedon: "Do you wish to go with us?"
** (100) Junko looks scared. "I... I follow you." **
** (102) Imhotep laughs. "Perhaps you should teach her the spear." **
(103) Sarpedon: "Then you must learn to use a spear. I think that we will see danger before we reach that place. Have you seen any other places?"
(103) Sarpedon: (Snap.
(100) Junko: "No. Only here."
(102) Imhotep: (Our luck, she's some ninja chick with a spear.)
(100) Demiurge: (Snap?)
(103) Sarpedon: (Imhotep and I said the same thing. It's slang, like jinx.)
(100) Demiurge: (Gotcha)
(100) Demiurge: So what is the basic structure of the new boat going to be like?
(103) Sarpedon: (Something that can be replicated!)
(100) Demiurge: (What do you mean? Planning on making several? Or just in case of a breakdown?)
(103) Sarpedon: (All of the above.)
(102) Imhotep: (Longer, with a box-like shelter in the middle. A sail across the middle, with room for oarsmen. A decent sized keel on the bottom, for stability. A pointed bow and stern, to cut through the water a bit more efficiently.)
(103) Sarpedon: (With room for some cargo.)
(100) Demiurge: So, you send work teams to start cutting down trees. Someone comes up with the idea of people who work above and beyond, or provide a great service or idea, with the free grail for a week.
(102) Imhotep: (Yes, a very necessary thing... An another boat to follow behind. We'll crew them half full, so that if one is sunk, we can all fit on the other.)
(103) Sarpedon: (Great idea.)
(100) Demiurge: (Ooh, bad grammar!)
(100) Demiurge: The area extends a way, so you have three or four free grails at your disposal.
(100) Demiurge: (Of course, if Sarpedon wanted to keep one, no one would argue, since he is king.)
(102) Imhotep: (dang typos...)
(100) Demiurge: (Yeah, half full would be good, not only for that reason, but also legroom is nice.)
(103) Sarpedon: (Nope. He's only interested getting better weapons and training the followers.
(103) Sarpedon: (An extra grail is an asset, not booty.)
** (102) Imhotep begins organizing work crews to start building boat number one. **
(100) Demiurge: Well, that's easy enough. People start making the basic tools, then start chopping trees.
(102) Imhotep: "This will go well, with so many workers."
(100) Demiurge: It will still take a long time.
(100) Demiurge: The question arises what to do with Goering. He is being held in a guarded hut.
** (103) Sarpedon , even though he dislikes boats, especially Greek boats, tries to help Imhotep. **
** (103) Sarpedon questions him occasionally. **
(102) Imhotep: (When we leave, either he or someone like him will likely take over.)
** (100) Hermann Goering doesn't seem to have many secrets, but he is curious how long his "sentence" is going to be. **
(100) Hermann Goering: "I realize that watching me is a burden. If you like, you can open this door. I have been told you plan to travel upriver. I could begin walking downriver. You need never see me again."
(103) Sarpedon: (Pretty much for the foreseeable future.)
(102) Imhotep: "That one is a problem, Sarpedon. He will not sway us with his talk, but he will sway others."
(103) Sarpedon: "That will not repay the people you enslaved. Men here have heard of you. They say that in the world of the living, you were a wicked man. I believe the gods are punishing you."
(100) Hermann Goering: "Perhaps. It was falling apart anyway. For me, at least. I was spending more and more time with the dreamgum. Hostilius knew it. He was one step away from killing me and taking the rule for himself."
(100) Hermann Goering: "I suppose if he had killed me, I would be alive and free somewhere else."
(102) Imhotep: "What is it you seek from the dreamgum, Goering?"
(103) Sarpedon: "There are many here who wish to tear your eyes out and cut off your hands and feet. Freedom is not deserved by the likes of you."
(100) Hermann Goering: "I don't know what I want. At first I sought enlightenment of a kind. But were I to be honest, I would have to say I seek escape."
(102) Imhotep: "Escape from what?"
(103) Sarpedon: "Death is an escape, but not in this world."
** (100) Hermann Goering shrugs. **
(103) Sarpedon: "Martin says that he helped kill a thousand thousand people. Escape from the anguished cries of their spirits perhaps."
** (100) Martin Bixby had mentioned things about him. The other Nazis were poisonous and hateful, but they believed in something. But Goerring, he said, didn't even have that. He was an opportunist. He followed the Nazis because that was the route to power. Nothing more. **
** (103) Sarpedon looks at the fat, quivering wretch and finds Martin's story hard to believe. **
(100) Demiurge: In the end, Martin says, Goerring was blamed for some battle's failing, and was betrayed and tried by his own people. He died by swallowing cyanide capsules in his cell.
(103) Sarpedon: "None of this solves what to do with you, Goering. Your suggestion has been heard and rejected. Have you anything else?"
(100) Demiurge: "Either kill me, or give me dreamgum. That is all I can think of."
(103) Sarpedon: "Perhaps you should work instead. Purge your soul with waves of sweat. I'm sure we can find some volunteers to encourage you."
(102) Imhotep: "The boat needs laborers."
(103) Sarpedon: "He might cause mischief there. Something simple. He can haul wood."
** (100) Hermann Goering seems nervous. He really wants out of the cell. But he also doesn't want to face his former captives. **
(103) Sarpedon: "We will decide your fate soon. Enjoy what life you have."
** (103) Sarpedon rises and leaves the cell. **
(102) Imhotep: Once out of earshot, Imhotep speaks to Sarpedon.
(100) Demiurge: I assume you have someone charging his grail for him. :)
(102) Imhotep: "We cannot kill him. We cannot stop him. Such a one will be what he is wherever he is."
(102) Imhotep: "Let us take him downriver, and drop him off. Perhaps he will make good on his promise to go and not cause trouble."
(102) Imhotep: "Perhaps not. But it will take him time to recreate his little empire."
(102) Imhotep: "We can but hope we will not cross paths with him again. Perhaps vengeance will drive him, as it does other petty men. But we are not judge here, not executioner, even if we chose to be."
(103) Sarpedon: "I do not wish to see him killed. I fear that he might awaken upriver. He might warn the demons or cause other trouble."
(103) Sarpedon: "This democracy idea of Martin's. Perhaps it has a solution. Such a man cannot simply walk away without regard for the victims of his deeds."
(102) Imhotep: "If he stays here, they will kill him. There are too many seeking vengeance. I will give him all the dreamgum I have saved. Perhaps he will go quietly downriver."
(103) Sarpedon: "Taking him downriver has its merits. Perhaps if we left him upon an island as an outcast with only his grail. That would keep him out of trouble for a while."
(102) Imhotep: "Until another boat found him. But that may be years."
(103) Sarpedon: "We think alike. There is no permanent solution."
(102) Imhotep: "Perhaps if we meet him again, he will be wiser, perhaps not. But we will be wiser still."
(103) Sarpedon: "If we were cruel, we could leave him on an island without a grailstone. He would eventually starve and awaken somewhere else. No, it must be a place with a grailstone."
(103) Sarpedon: "For the moment, let him rot. We have much to do and he is not a pressing matter. We should let the fury of his enemies fade before taking action against him."
** (100) Loghu approaches, "Who are you talking about? Goering?" **
(102) Imhotep: "I think it would be best if you were to have a public ceremony, and announce his sentence of exile. The word of a king is law, and the people will follow it if you set the example."
(102) Imhotep: "Otherwise, they may seek to kill him soon after his exile."
(100) Loghu: "Of course, in the place, killing him would be a quick form of exile."
(100) Loghu: "You might want to ask Junko's opinion. From what some of the harem ladies are saying, she was one of his, um, favorites."
(102) Imhotep: "That is not sufficient. He will awaken somewhere else. If he were exiled, even for a few months, we will not likely see him again.
(103) Sarpedon: "We were discussing the right to vengeance by his victims. It cannot go too far or he will end up somewhere else, free."
(100) Demiurge: (hehe. This whole "not being able to die" thing causes as many problems as it solves, eh?)
** (100) Loghu smiles wickedly. "I have a fun suggestion." **
(103) Sarpedon: "I thought you might."
(100) Loghu: "Well, you may not like it, and it's not a permanent solution...."
(103) Sarpedon: "Without the threat of death, there is nothing permanent here."
** (103) Sarpedon shrugs. **
(100) Loghu: "He doesn't seem to be able to stop taking the dreamgum, even though it gives him shrieking nightmares. So, let's give him all he wants. Let's bury him in it."
(102) Imhotep: "It is a method of control, that is true."
(102) Imhotep: "I have been saving my dreamgum. Let us do both, exile him, and leave him to his nightmares."
** (100) Loghu shrugs. "I just thought people might like to come out here and watch him scream." **
(102) Imhotep: "We will bring the victims on the boat when we leave him, they can watch after he is on his island."
** (103) Sarpedon rubs his chin. "Loghu, you are wise. That may satisfy those who want to tear him limb from limb. I will also consult with Junko and the other women he used." **
(102) Imhotep: "Make your interviews as official as possible. We must keep the idea of order in their heads."
(103) Sarpedon: "Agreed."
** (103) Sarpedon walks out and calls for a meeting of the women they liberated. **
** (103) Sarpedon waits until they are assembled. **
(100) Demiurge: Where do you meet? Outdoors? In the main hall of the central palace area?
(102) Imhotep: "I would keep the interviews private, Sarpedon."
(102) Imhotep: (Whoops, bit late on that...)
(100) Demiurge: (We can backtrack that.)
(103) Sarpedon: (LOL)
(103) Sarpedon: (Outdoors.)
(103) Sarpedon: "Women, we must speak to you--each of you--in private. This should not take too long. Junko, you are first."
** (103) Sarpedon escorts the women inside the palace and instructs them to be at home. He takes Junko to meet with Imhotep and Loghu. **
(103) Sarpedon: (Maybe Martin, too, as translator.)
(100) Demiurge: (Well, the english lessons are coming along nicely, but Martin is sometimes useful.)
(103) Sarpedon: (Frankly, I'm not sure what to ask. I'm sure they all were raped. I'm sure they all want his nuts hanging on the wall of their hut. Any suggestions?)
(100) Demiurge: (Well, the more attractive ones were.)
(102) Imhotep: "Junko, you are here to discuss the punishment of Hermann Goering. Do you understand?"
** (100) Junko nods. "Hai." **
(102) Imhotep: "What can you tell us to help us decide how to punish him?"
** (100) Junko lowers her head. "I don't care. I want it done. I don't want to see him again." **
(102) Imhotep: "We cannot kill him. It is no punishment. But we will not allow him to continue his evil ways."
** (100) Junko gets upset. "I don't want to think about him. Can I go?" **
(102) Imhotep: "We will not make you remember. You may go."
** (100) Junko gets up and leaves, gratefully. **
** (103) Sarpedon bows as she leaves. **
** (100) Junko smiles shyly at Sarpedon as she passes him. **
(103) Sarpedon: "I fear they may all be unwilling to comment."
(100) Demiurge: (Not all. Some are very vocal.)
** (103) Sarpedon ushers in the next one. (This continues until they've spoken with every one.) **
(100) Demiurge: (Well, some want him tortured to death. Some like Loghu's idea. Some just want it to be over.)
(102) Imhotep: (We try to explain that death is no punishment, when they will listen.)
(100) Demiurge: (The 'death by torture" group replies that they want him a) suffering, and b) gone. Death by Torture solves both problems.)
** (102) Imhotep waits until the last woman has left, then addresses Sarpedon. "This must be done carefully. Do you think they will understand about the dreamgum?" **
(103) Sarpedon: "It appears that Loghu's suggestion is wise. I have one thing to add. He should go as a gelding. Since they will grow back, it is not a true punishment, but it is symbolic."
(103) Sarpedon: "I think they will understand. No one can feign such terror."
(102) Imhotep: "Who will perform the gelding? Which of those women was most hurt? Can we ever know the answer to that question? I do not know. I think the ones that desire torture must be all present, to witness it for themselves. Hearing that it is done will not suffice for them."
(103) Sarpedon: "Agreed. Since we are acting as the administrators of justice, we should do this. If we let them, it is an act of revenge. If we do this, it has the appearance of impartial justice."
** (102) Imhotep smiles. "You are king, therefore the duty falls to you. Since they accept you as leader, they will feel attached to the event through you, and their idea of justice will be served." **
(102) Imhotep: "Those like Junko must not be made to confront their fear before they are ready."
(103) Sarpedon: "Agreed. Sometimes the duties of the ruler are not pleasant. But they must be done, nonetheless. He will be castrated tonight, fed dreamgum, and deposited on an island far from this place. We can then concentrate on future matters."
(103) Sarpedon: (We're vicious folks!)
(102) Imhotep: "I think all will be satisfied, to some degree or another."
(103) Sarpedon: "Nothing is perfect, it seems, even in the afterlife."
** (103) Sarpedon smiles ruefully. **
(100) Demiurge: (hehe)
(103) Sarpedon: (I liked that line!)
(100) Demiurge: (Which one?)
(103) Sarpedon: (The "Nothing is perfect" line.)
(100) Demiurge: (Yeah.)
(102) Imhotep: "Now you must announce the punishment to everyone."
(103) Sarpedon: "Agreed."
(102) Imhotep: "Let us gather them up, then, and deliver the news. The sooner we put this behind us, the quicker we may finish our boats."
(103) Sarpedon: "Though I fear the punishment will never atone for the crimes. I know the gods are not in this world, else they would have struck this vile man down. As it is, it falls to us."
** (102) Imhotep reflects for a moment on the possibly threatened gods. **
** (103) Sarpedon nods and asks Loghu to help round up the populace before sunset. He calls out in his booming voice that Goering is to be punished for his deeds at sunset. **
(100) Demiurge: (Well, sunset is grail-charging time. Maybe sometime before or after?)
(102) Imhotep: (Before, give them something to talk about around the grailstones.)
(103) Sarpedon: (Ah, make that before sunset. They have to have light to see him. Sarpedon wouldn't want to miss as he's doing the cuttin'.)
(103) Sarpedon: ("Oops. Missed again.")
(103) Sarpedon: ("Quit squirming.")
(102) Imhotep: (Ha!)
(103) Sarpedon: (So in summary, before sunset the women are gathered along with anyone else who wants to watch.)
(102) Imhotep: (I keep thinking Mel Brooks ought to turn up...)
(100) Demiurge: (hehe)
(103) Sarpedon: (History of the World joke?)
(102) Imhotep: (No, Men In Tights... The "Nip the tip" sketch.)
** (103) Sarpedon calls for order. **
(100) Demiurge: They come to order.
(103) Sarpedon: "Citizens! We ask for your attention. One of your tormentors remains. This Ger-man has not repented of his ways. Killing him will only let him escape. A suggestion was made (nodding to Loghu) on how to punish this beast. That is why we have called you here. Punishment must be seen to be understood."
** (103) Sarpedon drags Goering forward. **
(103) Sarpedon: "Imhotep, if you wish to tell them of what we intend to do with him, now is the time. Goering gets tied--spread eagle to the palace wall.
** (100) Hermann Goering looks scared, but resigned. **
(102) Imhotep: "This one has been accused of many terrible crimes, both in his life and recently. Here in the underworld, one may not die, but will be reborn shortly. Therefore, something else must be done to the guilty party, that he may atone for his acts, and find favor with the gods once again."
(102) Imhotep: "This one is to suffer exile, which is the harshest punishment that we may inflict. He is to be outcast, treated as one afflicted by plague. The island he will occupy will be forbidden. But he will not go there intact."
** (103) Sarpedon raises a sharpened bone knife. **
(100) Demiurge: The crowd looks on expectantly.
(103) Sarpedon: The knife falls in one swift stroke.
(100) Demiurge: (I won't require a castration roll. He's pretty subdued.)
(100) Demiurge: A few of the guys in the crowd wince.
** (103) Sarpedon kicks the severed parts into the mud. **
** (100) Hermann Goering screams. It's not a pleasant sound. **
** (102) Imhotep winces. **
(103) Sarpedon: "This was physical punishment. You will truly suffer now. Give him the dreamgum."
** (102) Imhotep produces the dreamgum. **
(103) Sarpedon: "May whatever demons reside inside you have free rein."
** (103) Sarpedon forces the dreamgum into Goering's mouth. **
** (100) Hermann Goering chokes slightly, but eventually starts to chew. **
** (102) Imhotep starts leading Goering to the boat. **
(103) Sarpedon: "Wait until he starts dreaming."
** (100) Hermann Goering 's screams of pain have started to change to screams of terror by the time you reach the island. **
** (103) Sarpedon dumps him on the island. He hurls the cannister into the shallows. **
(100) Hermann Goering: (Cannister?)
(103) Sarpedon: (The food thing.)
(100) Demiurge: (Ah, okay. He scrambles to get it.)
(103) Sarpedon: "Rot slowly."
(100) Demiurge: The island is fairly large, and has some trees and bamboo and stuff. He will be able to make shelter.
(103) Sarpedon: (But not a boat, I hope.)
(102) Imhotep: "Perhaps he will live out his days here."
** (103) Sarpedon helps push the boat back into the river. **
(103) Sarpedon: "May they be unpleasant ones. This is a dark place. Let us return, my friend."
** (102) Imhotep grimly steers the boat back." **
(100) Demiurge: The sun is down by the time you get back. You can still see by the light of the weird alien night sky.
** (103) Sarpedon beaches the boat and ties it to a fixed object. **
(100) Demiurge: You noticed that Junko had been absent during the punishment.
(103) Sarpedon: (and?)
(100) Demiurge: Well, you are back. What do you do?
(100) Demiurge: When you go to bed, Junko is waiting in Sarpedon's room. Sarpedon can do what he wants with that.
(100) Demiurge: Anyway, I think we have finished for today.
(100) Demiurge: It's getting late.
(100) Demiurge: (I can stay up all night, but you guys have jobs with normal hours.)
(100) Demiurge: (hehe)
(103) Sarpedon: (Yeah, I have a client meeting tomorrow.)
(100) Demiurge: (It got quiet here all of a sudden!)
(102) Imhotep: (Sorry, sleepy..)
(100) Demiurge: 3XP for both you guys.
(103) Sarpedon: Thanks!
(100) Demiurge: Well, the whole Goering thing was interesting. :)