Dionysus You awaken in a farmyard, clucking, eating grain, as a fox enters it.

• Arlie_B makes a loud commotion and starts flapping his wings, raising the dust.

Dionysus The fox freezes, the other chickens panic.

Dionysus Their panic increases yours.

Dionysus No farmer comes to protect you.

Dionysus The commotion has attracted the fox to you. It approaches menacingly.

• Arlie_B fly-hops away from the fox

Dionysus It pounces, sinking its claws into you. The other chickens scatter in terror.

• Arlie_B squirms and tries to peck at the fox

Dionysus It sinks its teeeth into your neck. You feel the blood begin to flow from you, the pain explodes through your body. You are in agony.

• Arlie_B uses the pain as a motivator, and bats his wings hard against the fox. He pulls, looking for leverage.

Arlie_B Pain is a gift.

Dionysus You feel as it rips your head from your body.

Dionysus And then pins your body and begins tearing into it and eating.

Dionysus Everything goes black.

Dionysus Then, "Master Battisto!" A hard, wooden ruler slams onto your hands. You awaken, a young man, in a classroom.

Arlie_B "I wasn't asleep!"

Dionysus "Silence! Do not argue. Sit up. You /were/ asleep. We all hear your squawking like a chicken, dreaming no doubt. Now, get out your book. You have lines to copy."

• Arlie_B waits for her to walk on, then sticks his tongue out at her and shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

Arlie_B what are the lines?

Dionysus She glares, "I saw that. Double the lines for you, Master Battisto. Now, a thousand times..." She gives a long sentence about grammatical structure.

• Arlie_B does 3 lines and starts to doodle.

Dionysus Again, the ruler descends onto your hand. "Lines, Arland! Write the lines! You're not going home today until I have all one thousand."

Arlie_B "It's boring! I already know the line."

Dionysus "Write, you insolent brat!"

Arlie_B "No, you can't make me! I won't do it!"

Dionysus "Then you will sit here doing nothing."

Dionysus She walks to her desk & pulls out a book to read.

• Arlie_B doodles some more, tears out a sheet of paper and tries to fold a toy to play with.

Dionysus She gets up and takes your notebook from you. "If you're not going to write lines, you don't need this. Sit here, face the front, and stay quiet."

• Arlie_B slips out of the seat and makes a break for the door.

Dionysus She gets up with quickness you would not expect and blocks it. "To your seat now, or I will report you to Duke Hyrase. Do you wish to be disgraced and drummed out of here?"

Arlie_B "Everyone says you're a harpy!"

Dionysus "And everyone says you won't grow up to amount to anything, Arland. Go back to your seat and prove them wrong."

Arlie_B "NO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"

Dionysus "No, I can't. But I can see to it you never make it out of here to military school. I can see to it you never become an officer, or join the special forces, or do anything other than clean the emperor's gutters."

• Arlie_B goes back to his desk, starts writing the lines, biting his lip so hard it bleeds.

Dionysus "Now sit there. If you promise to write lines, I will return your notebook. Will you write lines?"

• Arlie_B nods, slowly, enjoying the taste of blood.

Dionysus You are brought the notebook. She watches carefully.

• Arlie_B writes at least five lines until my next action.

Dionysus She nods at the third & goes back to her desk.

Arlie_B 50 lines in, Arlie begins to despair.

Arlie_B he probably cries onto his lines.

Dionysus She ignores your crying.

Arlie_B at 200 lines he starts to cheat and make a game of how fast he can get through them

Arlie_B he times himself and tries to make something fun out of it.

• Arlie_B finishes the lines.

Dionysus When you turn them in, she makes you stand there waiting while she reads over them. About a third of the way through, she says, "This handwriting is deplorable, and you've made several mistakes. This whole section, you left out part of the sentence. This is unacceptable." She drops it in the trash. "Start again."

Arlie_B "That's not fair!"

Dionysus "Life isn't fair, young man. Let this be a lesson to you. Start again."

• Arlie_B takes his notebook and starts writing a story.

Dionysus After a shortwhile, she checks what you are writing, tears it out, and says, "Write lines, Arland. LINES."

Arlie_B "Once upon a time there was a horrible witch named Mrs. Mc Drougal. She made the poor defenseless student write "line" over and over again."

Arlie_B "The lines are in there! See?"

Arlie_B "And written all pretty, as well."

Dionysus "This contains an insult to your teacher. Do you want me to show this to the headmaster? Do you want to be thrown out?"

Arlie_B "Yes! He'll see what a horrible teacher you are!"

Dionysus "He'll see what an awful student you are, young man. Is this what you want?"

• Arlie_B stares at her coldly. "That's fine with me, I don't want to be a bloody scribe."

Dionysus She slaps your mouth, "Watch your language. You won't be a warrior, either. Come along."

• Arlie_B goes with her

Dionysus You are dragged to the headmaster's office, shown a seat, and told to wait as she goes in to talk to him.

• Arlie_B curses at her under his breath.

Dionysus A moment later, you are called into the headmaster's office.

• Arlie_B goes, sulkily

Dionysus The headmaster looks stern as you enter, "Master Battisto, Mrs. McDrougal says you have insulted her, refused to do lines, fallen asleep in class, and caused multiple disruptions. Today alone."

Arlie_B "I did my lines and she threw them away!"

Dionysus "You did them incorrectly."

Arlie_B "She's just against me."

Arlie_B "She hates me."

Dionysus "I find that very unlikely. You resent doing proper work, young man."

Arlie_B "I DID proper work, you're not listening! She's lying, she hates me!"

Dionysus "Master Battisto, this attitude will get you nowhere. You want to be," he checks his notes, "In the military, correct?"

Arlie_B "I WILL be in the military."

Dionysus "Not if you can't follow instructions."

• Arlie_B sulks.

Dionysus "Very well, young man. I have no choice but to suspend you pending review of your files, at which time I expect you will be expelled. Until then, you will be confined to solitary room confinement."

Arlie_B "IT'S NOT FAIR! NO! NOOOO!"

• Arlie_B wails

Arlie_B "I'll be good!"

Dionysus "Mrs. McDrougal, take him to his rooms and lock him in."

Dionysus "Yes, headmaster."

Dionysus She grabs you by the ear.

• Arlie_B bites her, or tries, and runs out of the office.

Arlie_B out of the school, to hide in the forest

Dionysus When you run out the door, you are older, a young man, early twenties, entering a Temple of Stillbirth in rural Maraddon.

• Arlie_B checks his face paint and grips his sword, checking the hall to make sure it's safe before slinking further into the temple.

Dionysus You hear groans of agony in the distance.

• Arlie_B sneaks towards the central chamber. What is the ritual? What are the cultists wearing?

Dionysus You hear a baby cry, then stop suddenly.

• Arlie_B grinds his teeth and holds his position. What is the unfriendly count?

Dionysus You smell foulness, blood, and death. You creep along cold, dark hallways, and reach the central chamber, where you see gray robed men gathering children, all below the age of ten, into a small area while two more, these in black robes with kris knives, pulling children onto an altar. There are six of them total.

• Arlie_B weighs the options, then runs to stab one of the cultists in the back while immediately retreating to the entryway choke point.

Dionysus Another child dies as you start to move, and as soon as you are detected, they all start in on slaying children.

Dionysus One falls to your blade, but half a dozen kids are dead and more are dying by the time you are back in the doorway.

Arlie_B if they are attacking the children, he kills his way to defend the kids.

Dionysus They are all dead eventually, the cultists, but there are only three children left when you are done.

Arlie_B "Close your eyes and come with me. It will be ok, I promise."

Dionysus They huddle together, staring in terror at you.

Arlie_B "Your parents sent me to rescue you."

Arlie_B "Please, take my hand, it will be ok."

Dionysus One of them reaches out to take your hand.

Dionysus As soon as its skin touches yours, you feel agony.

Dionysus Its demeanor never changes.

Dionysus But its touch causes you pain.

Arlie_B "Ah! Right, now we have to get out of here."

• Arlie_B tries to hide the pain as best he can, he gives his hand a small flex.

Arlie_B "Which one of you is the oldest?"

Dionysus The child, boy or girl it's hard to say, "My papa says not to listen to strangers."

Arlie_B "Your papa wants to see you again, and I know the way out. Do you want to go home?"

Arlie_B "You don't have to listen to me, just follow until you change your minds."

Dionysus "Why won't you hold my hand?"

Arlie_B "Because I didn't get a chance to wash it properly, and there are really icky things about. C'/mon/."

Arlie_B "Quickly."

• Arlie_B starts to walk back to the door.

Dionysus The children just watch you. "But we were here to die."

Arlie_B Confusion. "There's been a change in plans. These people were bad people who were doing you a great dishonor. We have to move, quickly before it's too late."

Dionysus They look to each other. Then one says, "Let's get armed." They begin to scavenge for small weapons.

Arlie_B "Grab the robes as well," Arlie tries to slip on one of the most unbloodied robes.

Arlie_B "Actually, I'll be the only one in robes."

Dionysus As soon as they are armed, they turn to each other. The oldest, probably a boy, stabs the youngest. The middle one stabs the oldest, then raises the blade to her own throat.

• Arlie_B kicks the head of one of the bodies in rage, puts on the robe and leaves.

Dionysus And enter a Merukisi brothel, your age now mid twenties. A man copulates with a woman while her six year old daughter waits nervously on the bed beside her, naked.

Arlie_B "Hoy! You! Time's up, the bitch is mine."

• Arlie_B slaps him on the butt with the flat of his sword.

Dionysus He looks back, pulls out, & shrugs, "Fine by me. I'll just take the girl."

Dionysus He reaches for the six year old.

Arlie_B "Nope, I got the double deal."

Arlie_B "Unless you want to fight with your pants at your knickers."

Arlie_B "I suggest you leave. Now."

Dionysus "So did I, and I ain't gotten my second helping. You can take her while I take my second."

Dionysus "Fuck you," he reaches for the girl.

• Arlie_B bashes his head with the flat of his sword.

Arlie_B "Ah ah."

Dionysus As you swing, he pulls the girl forward, and the flat connects with her head instead.

Dionysus She drops, limp, dead.

Dionysus "Dammit, I paid for that!"

Dionysus He leaps for you.

• Arlie_B runs him through.

Dionysus He drops dead, as the woman begins to wail in misery, cradling her child.

• Arlie_B tosses the sword on the bed and leaves.

---

See log briefly

---

Dionysus You come through the door into your townhouse in Maraddon. You hear a woman's laughter upstairs--Merian--and a man's voice.

• Arlie_B storms up, angry.

Arlie_B "Merian! You promised that you would ask first next time!"

Dionysus You hear a moan of pleasure, then a "did you hear something?" from the man, and a "who cares?" from Merian.

Dionysus She's in bed with him, & she moans to him, "Make me with your child!"

• Arlie_B storms into the room. "Ha! I should have tried that approach. Say that it gets me off."

Dionysus She doesn't stop. He laughs, ignoring you, "What if he finds out?"

Dionysus "He won't. I'll have ti at sea, and my men are faithful to me alone."

• Arlie_B starts taking off his clothes. "If you're going to fuck me, I want to be naked first."

Dionysus They climax, still not noticing you, then collapse into each other's arms. She grins, "That might have done it, you rogue." The man, another nobleman, says, "Why my children? Why not his?"

Dionysus "I've told you before."

Dionysus "Tell me again."

Dionysus "Because he's a damned fool. He's a romantic idiot. With you, I know they're just the means to the ends we want. Nothing more."

Dionysus He laughs, "I love to hear you say it."

Arlie_B "Would a romantic fool do this?" Arlie jumps on the guy and shoves him aside.

Dionysus You land, hard, rolling, on the floor of the Kren'atanic Arena.

Dionysus Damon & Kaylarr are nearby, watching carefully.

• Arlie_B rolls and gets to his feet, quickly.

Dionysus Your opponent is massive, about six feet tall, stronger than an ox. And a child. A storm giant child.

Arlie_B "We brought the big pacifier, right?!"

Dionysus The giant child growls in Kren'atanic, "Die, Maraddons!"

Arlie_B "Aww, is it nap time already?"

Dionysus Kaylarr slips off to the side, trying to go for a back attack. Damon edges warily toward it.

• Arlie_B circles so Kaylarr can get a better attack. "What's the problem? Mommy wouldn't give you a cookie?"

Dionysus It swings for you with its morningstar.

• Arlie_B dodges and rolls

Dionysus Damon leaps in & slaps its leg, trying to trip it, failing.

Dionysus Kaylarr leaps up & grabs it from behind, on the neck.

Dionysus Its neck begins to turn to stone.

Arlie_B "He's down!"

Arlie_B "You got him, Kaylarr."

Dionysus Damon steps back as the giant child crumbles, choking.

Dionysus As it lands, Kaylarr rolls off it.

Dionysus It struggles, on the ground, choking, "Mommy..."

• Arlie_B glares at Kaylarr, says a Death prayer of offering, and gives the child a clean death.

Arlie_B after a glance from Damon.

Dionysus Damon nods, then looks away.

Dionysus The scene shifts again, this time to your late childhood. Your grandmother is sick, ill, old. You and a few cousins and your father (her son) are waiting outside what is her death room. She calls for you.

Arlie_B "Yeah, grandmama?"

• Arlie_B sticks his head in, then moves in.

Dionysus "Come here. You ought to play for your grandmother."

Dionysus "Something sweet."

Arlie_B "What do you want to hear? Greenwitch?"

Dionysus "Anything sweet, child. I know you can do it well."

• Arlie_B plays greensleeves.

Dionysus The first note is clear, but the next... is off, sour. Your grandmother flinches. "Sweeter, child."

• Arlie_B stops and starts again.

Dionysus Again, it starts sweet, but you go off on one of the notes, a blaring mistake that makes her flinch. "Try harder, child."

• Arlie_B tries something with a faster beat.

Dionysus "Stop, stop. Too loud, too fast. Something slow & sweet, little man."

Arlie_B "I'm trying Gran-mama."

• Arlie_B tries one more time...

Dionysus The first note this time comes out sour. She moans, a horrific, dry rattling moan.

Arlie_B "Papa! Gran-mama's having trouble breathing!"

Dionysus He runs into the room, then stops, tears forming in his eyes, "Arlie, boy, go... go practice your trumpet upstairs."

Arlie_B "Is she--"

Arlie_B "Yes, Papa."

Dionysus You leave the room & find yourself escorting an aberration through northern Maraddon, toward Aldergast prison. He's a young man, maybe 19 or 20.

Arlie_B "So, what are you in for?"

Dionysus "Being an aberration."

Arlie_B "Bah, bollocks. What's the real reason?"

Dionysus "I was not told, other than my being aberration, sir."

• Arlie_B rides on in silence for a bit.

Arlie_B when is the next rondevous?

Dionysus You're to take him to the prison.

Arlie_B "Aberrations don't go to the prisons, you'd tell me the reason if you had any sense."

Dionysus He looks sulkily at you, but says nothing.

Arlie_B we move towards the prison

Dionysus He stops at one point, then gestures with his chained hands, "I must... relieve myself."

Arlie_B "Right, everyone gets the right to sleep and piss."

Dionysus He glowers, "Til the day they /die/. I will be just beyond that tree." He nods to one, & starts toward it.

• Arlie_B watches him

Dionysus He acts like he's going to relieve himself, then... runs.

• Arlie_B curses and gets the horse to run after him.

Arlie_B "Hoy! Stop right there!"

Dionysus It's hard to maneuver here in the trees, but he's chained, so it's tough for him, too.

Arlie_B ah, if there were trees, he'd go on foot.

Dionysus He went to piss on a tree, so... anyway, yes, you're after him with an advantage then. It's not hard to catch up to him, but he swings his chained hands at you, getting a lucky hold around yourneck.

• Arlie_B grins at him and winks, then knees him in the chest.

Dionysus He resists it, somehow, & headbuts Arlie, hard.

• Arlie_B staggers back and tries to attack him with force, again.

Dionysus With force?

Arlie_B physical force, not sword blows yet.

Arlie_B "Focking.. Monster!"