An Account of Blood Rituals and Human Sacrifice for The Powers
(Crossing, Zoluren: 333 Dolefaren 355)
Ok here’s da deal. I hear on da gweth dat ders some people up at the Siergelde Ruins doin some wierd stuff so me bein me I go and check it out … you be da judge … I dont think any of dem is gonna tell ya what really happened. Or will dey?
Kerenisa was muttering to herself as I came in. Meanne knelt down, and then I witnessed the following:
. . .
Sadar makes a small cut on Dahan’s forarm.
Bearbra makes a small cut on Dahan.
Dahan says, "Infidels…all…"
Dahan winces.
Larnae makes a small cut on Dahan’s thigh with her carving knife.
Ogredd makes a small cut on Dahan’s right leg.
Dahan says, "May the gods forgive you."
Dahan winces.
Dahan shudders.
Kerenisa says, " she has gone off the deep end.. "
Meanne makes a barely-noticeable little cut on Dahan’s pinky toe.
Francesse makes a minor cut along Dahan’s back.
Octa exclaims, "Quiet!"
Octa frowns at Kerenisa.
Jenny gasps at Francesse!
Thorns glances at Moebe.
Kerenisa glares at Octa.
Octa says, "Meanne of the Gray Storm, make another cut, a better one."
Dahan clutches his beads tightly.
Dahan gazes at Octa.
Meanne winces.
Francesse pointedly ignores Jenny.
Ogredd whispers, "could ya please leave, this is kind of private"
Meanne closes her eyes and cuts lightly across Dahan’s chest.
Octa says, "Yes yes yes…"
Octa grins.
Dahan says, "I know not…"
Dahan winces.
Jenny gazes sadly at Dahan.
Octa says, "Speak, those who would slay this man for the honor of the Powers."
Jenny wrings her hands nervously.
Dahan gazes hopefully at Jenny.
Kerenisa says, " Slay?? "
Francesse asks, "S-slay?"
Jenny glances at Octa.
Ogredd blinks.
Sadar says, "umm"
Kerenisa peers quizzically at Octa.
Bearbra shakes her head.
Sadar glances at Octa.
Octa asks, "Who would slay this man to be the first to have the Powers’ gifts?"
Kerenisa peers quizzically at Moebe.
Jenny blanches.
Dahan slowly says, "Do not betray your gods…"
Sympath Gwynefair just arrived.
Meanne says, "I will wait rather than take a life."
Kerenisa stands near Moebe.
A blazing reed torch sputters suddenly and then goes out.
Octa grins.
Octa says, "You bring blood already, this is little more."
Dahan says, "Not here … not here …"
Meanne says, "wait …"
Meanne glances at Gwynefair.
Dahan squirms.
Octa says, "We will do it, if none else will."
Francesse gulps.
Thorns glances at Moebe.
Jenny weakly says, "Oh, please stop."
Sadar ponders.
Thorns glances at Octa.
Sympath Gwynefair just went south.
Octa asks, "Who will be the first?"
Thorns puts his carving knife away.
Dahan glares at Octa.
Kerenisa says, " Mother.. "
Jenny wrings her hands nervously.
Kerenisa glances at Moebe.
Thorns draws forth a curved Aldauth scythe-blade.
Octa asks, "Who will take the gift of the Powers?"
Thorns begins to advance towards Dahan.
Larnae says, "I will…"
Sadar says, "i will"
Dahan says, "Kill me yourself, Old Woman."
Moebe just left.
Octa shakes her head at Thorns.
Thorns glances at Octa.
Thorns stops advancing on Dahan.
Sadar slits Dahan’s throught so he dies a painless death.
Octa grins at Sadar.
Kerenisa gasps!
Octa says, "Yes yes yes…."
Jenny screams!
Thorns glances at Sadar.
Dahan drops some prayer beads.
Kerenisa says, " NO NO thats a Waste!! "
Octa says, "Sadar Aerfel. Take your blade and dip it in the blood, and come and write your name here."
Kerenisa kneels down.
Octa stands and holds the book out to Sadar.
Larnae gets a carving knife from inside her silvery haversack.
Ogredd says, "leave us Drowlynn."
Jenny’s skin turns a pasty shade.
Sadar dips his knife in Dahan’s blood.
Thorns retreats from combat.
Thorns appears to be trying to avoid being engaged.
Thorns moves over to guard Dahan.
Kerenisa pulls Dahan towards her!
Thorns puts his Aldauth scythe-blade away.
Thorns draws forth a ruby hilted carving knife.
Sadar smiles slightly has he takes the book and writes his name in it
Kerenisa mutters a waste a waste …
Francesse’s skin turns a pasty shade.
Kerenisa glares at Octa.
Thorns plunges his knife deeply into his own arm.
Octa grins.
Jenny exclaims, "Francesse, I thought you were nice, but that man was right! This is evil! You’re all evil!"
Octa blinks at Thorns.
Jenny exclaims, "The Gods will punish you!"
Jenny screams!
Jenny just went northeast.
Kerenisa rubs Dahan gently.
Thorns scribbles, "If you want blood, Octa… I will give you my own."
Francesse blinks.
Meanne’s skin turns a pasty shade.
Octa frowns at Thorns.
Sadar give’s the book back to Octa.
Francesse quietly asks, "Where’d Jenny go?"
Ogredd asks, "Octa who is this Drowlynn person that will not leave us?"
Francesse shrugs.
Octa says, "You bleed too much, voiceless one. Write your name in the blood of the innocent before you lose your chance at the gifts of the Powers."
Ogredd glances at Octa.
Larnae rubs Francesse gently.
Kerenisa looks at the paladin lying dead and sighs.
Octa says, "And then go… hurry, to be healed."
Octa says, "Larnae Fenig, write your name."
Thorns kneels down.
Larnae dips her knife in the blood pooling on the ground, and walks to Octa and writes her name in the book.
Thorns glances at Dahan.
Larnae nods to Octa.
Larnae steps back to her place in the circle.
Kerenisa says, " Leave Drowlynn.. she may kill you too.. "
Thorns brushes the flat of his blade through the collecting pools of blood.
Kerenisa glares at Octa.
Octa glares at Kerenisa.
Meanne assesses her combat situation.
Octa exclaims, "You know it must be done, Kerenisa!"
Drowlynn says, "well I ain’t no innocent"
Thorns glances at Dahan.
Drowlynn smirks.
Larnae rubs Thorns gently.
Kerenisa exclaims, " NO! not like this.. you wasted him!! wasted!!"
Octa says, "Write your name, voiceless one."
Bearbra dips her knife in Dahan’s blood and writes her name in Octa’s book.
Octa holds the book out to Thorns.
Thorns glances at Octa.
You feel a benevolent, loving presence in the vicinity.
Thorns glances at Dahan.
Meanne says, "uhh"
Sadar closes his eyes and begins repeating a silly nonsense word, then shakes his head and sighs in frustration.
Kerenisa says, " stand"
Kerenisa stands up.
Meanne gnaws on her lip.
Thorns stands up.
Sadar puts his knife in his spidersilk belt quiver.
Kerenisa glances at Meanne.
Thorns glances at Octa.
Kerenisa runs a finger down the length of her shrew earring.
Octa asks, "Will you not take your gift after you have done so much, voiceless one?"
Thorns glances at Dahan. Ogredd nods to Meanne. (Thorns scribbles, "No mere power…")
Thorns glances at Octa. Thorns glances at Dahan. Octa says, "You have earned it… now take it."
Francesse nudges Thorns out of her way and lightly dabbles her knife in the blood, before scrolling her name in Octa’s black book.
Octa grins at Francesse.
Meanne chuckles.
Octa says, "Yes yes. The woman takes it, she knows she has earned it."
Francesse smiles slightly.
Meanne firmly says, "haven womins is best"
Thorns scribbles, "I have earned nothing."
Octa says, "Meanne of the Gray Storm, come and write your name."
Meanne nods.
Meanne says, "yes’m"
Francesse grins at Meanne.
Octa says, "You have, voiceless one. You have completed the ritual. Write your name."
Francesse says, "Men… So fickle."
Larnae nods to Francesse.
Moebe just arrived.
Kerenisa glances at Thorns.
Larnae grins at Francesse.
Kerenisa stands near Moebe.
Moebe sighs.
Moebe just hugged Kerenisa.
Meanne walks foreward quickly on bare feet and dips her dagger melodramatically into the pool of blood. Stepping nimbly over to Octa, she crudely scribes her name down into the book- as best as an uneducated woman can.
Thorns glances at Moebe.
Octa says, "Ogredd De’ogdor, come and write your name."
Bearbra smiles at Moebe.
Ogredd nods.
Sadar chuckles at Meanne.
Kerenisa says, "Mother.. why did you let her kill him? "
Kerenisa glances at Moebe.
Francesse rubs Meanne gently.
Meanne is admiring herself again.
Meanne closes her eyes and makes a sound of contentment that resembles purring in the back of her throat.
Ogredd dips his knife into the pool of blood and signs his name into the book.
Thorns’s shoulders bow as if under some great burden.
Moebe says, "Some things are uncontrollable."
Ogredd quietly walks back to his place in the circle.
Moebe says, "What is needed most be done..and blood..was needed."
Thorns scribbles, "I will not let his death be a pointless venuture, Octa."
Octa says, "Now…. voiceless one… will you walk away from the gift you have earned now, after it is all done? We ask only this last time, and then we close the book to you."
A fleeting white form seems to hover at the edge of your vision, but when you turn to inspect it, there is nothing there.
Thorns allows his blood-smeared knife to mingle in the stream of his own.
Sadar casually observes the area.
Kerenisa says, " I had blood.. he was.. he would have been fun.. "
Kerenisa mutters cryptically to herself.
Octa frowns at Kerenisa.
Octa says, "Quiet."
Thorns’s shoulders bow as if under some great burden.
Kerenisa glances at Octa.
Francesse taps her foot impatiently.
Octa says, "You spoke to us, voiceless one, and said you would slay for the Powers."
Meanne says, "what’s done is done Kerenisa..no regrets" Meanne rubs Kerenisa gently.
Octa says, "We remember." Octa says, "You did not even slay. Write your name."
Thorns scribbles, "If there was cause. If we were threatened."
Thorns sighs, broken.
Thorns fluidly etches his name in the book.
Francesse quietly says, "Obedience and subjugation."
Octa nods to Thorns.
Thorns scribbles, "Do not pretend to lecture me!"
Octa closes the book with a snap.
Thorns glares at Francesse.
Octa puts her book in her large sack.
Octa grins.
Octa says, "Now… the worst is over. We give you… something…"
Francesse says, "Glare at me again, and lose what little life you have, sir."
Meanne glances at Thorns
Thorns glances at Francesse.
Thorns puts his carving knife away.
Octa kneels down.
Thorns draws forth a curved Aldauth scythe-blade.
Meanne says, "No snap at Haven women."
Octa dips her hand in Dahan’s blood.
Octa tries to stand and fails.
Meanne sniffs and looks huffy.
Kerenisa mutters " the hag .. the hag.." Part 2
[ed note: spacings between actions and conversation were added, parentheses were removed to be more story-like.]