Editing Microscope RPG--Rise and Fall of an Empire: Scene: Followers of Lu the Fatherless meet with non-humans

[[Category:Microscope]]


== Scene: The Followers of Lu the Fatherless meet with non-humans to overthrow the Invisible Empire.==
<span style="background:#ffff00">Tone: Light.</span>

'''Focus:''' ''Saint Xavata, revered by the Followers of Lu the Fatherless''

(Glyptodont)


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'''Question:'''  Why do the followers of Lu the Fatherless get all the credit for bringing down the Invisible Empire instead of the non-humans who were immune to the mind control?


'''Required characters:'''
*''The human woman from the Followers of Lu.''  Chosen by Glyptodont: Her name is Xavata--the same one who will be called "Saint Xavata" in future generations. She is the daughter of a family of itinerant laborers.                 
*''One of the non-human nomads (and you get to decide what they look like).'' Chosen by Muskrat: The nomads belong to a "species" known as the Jeweled Children--they are quite clearly constructs, beings with delicate gold and silver bodies, studded with jewels. The individual is Outside Interface Unit Jeytaxra. From both the wear and tear on its physical framework--tarnished metal, missing jewels, a limp in one leg--and from its bears itself, Jeytaxra is quite old.


'''Banned characters:'''
None


'''Other characters:'''

*Chosen by Yadal: Ervel, a secretly mind-controlled figure who is in fact a spy for the monks, but notionally is a member of the woman's delegation. His orders are to report on events and give intelligence of what is happening, but the mind control was sloppy and thus isn't strong enough to stop him from being... over-zealous at best. His real intention, despite orders, is to try and sabotage the meeting.  The character is nominally coming along as a historical writer, making notes both for future use and the history books.


'''Setting the Scene:'''

The bleak, nameless mountains at the frontier of the human-ruled Kingdom of Uzhna mark the farthest boundary of the Invisible Empire. Beyond this range the monks who secretly rule the Empire's many "Protectorates" have no sway--yet. A young human woman, barely of age is sent to meet with a band of itinerant non-human nomads in a miserable-looking nomad encampment. These non-humans are despised by the governments of the Empire and labeled as thieves and marauders. But the truth is that they are really persecuted because they are immune to the mind-control powers of the monks behind the thrones. The young woman is being sent by the remains of small religious cult called the Followers of Lu the Fatherless. Most prominent members of their religion have been co-opted by the monks and they have been subtly manipulated by the psionic monks to change their theology to one that supports the Empire. This woman's group are one of the last to evade their control. The Followers of Lu the Fatherless have traditionally despised the non-humans, but they have grown desperate and are willing to meet with this nonhuman tribe to fight the Empire.


'''Reveal thoughts:'''

"This unit does not trust the humans. They have hunted us to make decorative devices out of our body and forced us from our forge-lands.* The collective, however, has directed us to attempt to interface with the human unit. We grow desperate--and perhaps the mind patterns of the humans have changed."  

(*Forge-lands=homelands) (Muskrat)


"Now is my chance! Time to win for myself everlasting glory!"  (Yadal)


Nomads and poor wandering peoples such as Xavata's family tend to slip past the watchful eyes of the psionic monks and their spies. So far, they believe they have been working unnoticed by the Invisible Empire. But they are mistaken. She was sent by her elders to negotiate with the non-humans who are immune to the Invisible Empire's mind control. They want the Jeweled Children to act as an incorruptible means of transmitting messages throughout the Empire to co-ordinate an Empire-wide rebellion. But this is only the beginning stage and things look bleak at this point.

She thinks: ''"Grandfather says it doesn't violate the teachings of Lu to ally with these creatures because they aren't really alive--they are tools, like a hammer or wagon, and as such can be used to further the Reign of Virtue. But they are tools that talk. And argue. And need to be negotiated with. And they were created by gods who oppose the Gods of the Jade Court. And why did Grandfather insist on that scribe coming along? He's no help to us in these mountains. Lu the Fatherless told our ancestors to record all the deeds we performed in our quest to build the Reign of Virtue, but this is not the time and place to be composing songs and poems."'' (Glyptodont)


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=== Playing the Scene: ===


[http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?709297-Microscope-The-Mural-of-Lu-the-Fatherless&p=17403917#post17403917 Scene runs from post #2 to post #18 in IC thread.]


'''11-26-2013, 10:59 PM<br>
'''Glyptodont<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

The young girl, Xavata, finally arrives at the mountain plateau with her party to meet the creatures her Grandfather told her about. Traveling with her are a handful of young members in her extend family who have helped her scale these terrible peaks, along with a scribe who has gotten on her nerves the entire journey. Snow is beginning to fall steadily as they enter the camp of the Jeweled Children. Xavata can't control a shudder as they approach these abominations....


'''11-27-2013, 02:28 PM<br>
'''Yadal<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Ervel had gotten his orders from a mysterious letter (he suspected Xavata's grandfather but had no way of knowing for sure)- he was to merely keep track of events. He wasn't sure exactly why (well, on some level he knew but he wouldn't admit it), but he felt an instinctive attachment to the writer of the letter- a desire to make sure their plans went well. Which was why he had to sabotage this meeting at all costs...

For the moment, however, he was simply focused on writing notes- slanted highly towards the human side, as he didn't think he'd get a chance to commit his sabotage today and he didn't want anyone to figure out what he was doing by looking at his notes. He prepared for the conversation yet to come, and slanting it in an appropriate direction...


'''11-27-2013, 01:26 PM<br>
'''Muskrat<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

As the flesh-beings enter the camp, Outside Interface Unit Jeytaxra steps forward, limping slightly. As commanded by the Gods of the Celestial Diamond Monastery, it begins politely: "On behalf of the collective, this-unit offers you greetings and a welcome to our camp. We offer you hospitality, though we can only offer you shelter. There is little of the matter you process as nutriments in these wastelands and we are not adept at gathering it. This-unit invites you inside"--Jeytaxra gestures to a large tent, erected especially for the occasion--"where we may negotiate in more comfort." Though the Jeweled Children do no feel cold, they prefer not to expose themselves to the snow and rain, which are bad for their metal parts. Two guardian units bow to the humans, then open the door to the tent, offering them entry. Units representative of the different functions of the collective are already present inside, though they will leave the negotiations to Jeytaxra, since it is specialized in that function. Jeytaxra waits for the humans to respond, wondering if they will be polite or rude--or if this is some sort of PM<br>bush.


'''11-29-2013, 06:55 PM<br>
'''Glyptodont<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

"Fine... ah, very well..." Xavata cannot bring herself to say "thank-you" to these creatures. All her life she had been taught such things were abominations created as an insult to the Jade Court and Lu the Fatherless. She motioned to her traveling companions to follow her into the tent. Inside, several rough cloths have been set on the ground for the humans to sit on. The Jeweled Children, being made of metal, tended to be indifferent to softness or hardness. Besides, their physiology allowed them to remain standing for their entire lives without effort.

As she and her party sat nervously down, staring at the incomprehensible masks of their metal hosts, Xavata scolds the scribe Ervel: "Put away your charcoal and stop scribbling for a moment! A true scribe can hear a whole conversation and commit it to memory."

To the creature who spoke to her first she says, "Allow me to be direct. My Grandfather has sent us here with a proposal. Although the Followers of Lu the Fatherless and you... people... have not been friends in the past, we now share a common enemy who would destroy us both. The leaders of my people have had their minds bent and corrupted by those devils who rule from behind the thrones of the Empire's many subject kings. But it is rumored that you and your fellow... creatures... are immune to such corruption because you lack flesh and blood. If this is true, we could work together to stop the spread of the Invisible Empire. We cannot contact the scattered remains of our few uncorrupted followers throughout the Empire. Every messenger we have ultimately is found by the devil-monks and their mind magic. But if you are truly immune, you could send messages for us in secret. In return, my Grandfather says the teachings of Lu the Fatherless allow us to grant a... dispensation to the non-humans who help our cause."


'''11-29-2013, 07:08 PM<br>
'''Yadal<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Ervel was pretty damned new at this- by scribal standards, he was barely competent at all. Even he saw a vital chance to speak up here, however, hoping for an act of sabotage.

"Forgive me, my Lady, but checking for the future- A dispensation not be killed, right? I need to remember for later."


'''11-29-2013, 07:22 PM<br>
'''Glyptodont<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Xavata whispers angrily at the scribe, "Hush! Record, don't interpret!" He is really getting on her nerves now.


'''11-30-2013, 03:34 PM<br>
'''Muskrat<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Jeytaxra's head rotates back and forth as it follows the exchange between the two flesh-beings. It pauses before replying, considering the implications of its answer. Admitting that they were immune to mind magics would be a considerable risk, but their spy-units and the outside interface-units who accompanied them and analyzed the flesh-beings' interactions did seem to indicate there was considerable dissension PM<br>ong the flesh-beings. And the collective was desperate--as were all the other collectives of the Jeweled Children it knew of. Jeytaxra's head rotated around the room, looking at the other representative units for any indications of doubt. There were none.

Jeytaxra turned to their human guests. "Your surmise is correct. We are immune to the mind magics of flesh-beings, because we are composed of different elements than flesh-beings. This-unit has two queries: First, what is this dispensation you speak of? Is it only to be spared death, as your scribe asks? That is insufficient for our purposes. The collective will require greater concessions before we agree to aid you. Second query: How can we act as your messengers? We are clearly not flesh-beings and your people hunt us, for the substances which compose our bodies, which you then turn into decorative devices. It may be possible if we are cloaked in illusions, but that requires powerful magic, especially for the number of units that would need to be employed in such an endeavor."


'''12-02-2013, 07:05 PM<br>
'''Glyptodont<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Furious at Ervel for his loose tongue, Xavata tries to contain herself an speak calmly to the metallic abomination. "My grandfather is an elder PM<br>ong my people and has authority to speak as a channel for the gods of the Jade Court. He has come to the conclusion that the Jeweled Children are of a different... order than the abominations made of flesh who serve other gods. My grandfather has said, and I quote: 'A hammer or plow made by an evil hand can be a tool for righteousness if it used to further the Reign of Virtue.' Since you... people are not of flesh, you are not by nature in opposition to our gods, despite being created by other gods. The Followers of Lu the Fatherless promise to grant you the dispensation of Respect, as you would be tools which furthered our holy cause. Never before has another race of beings been so honored by the Followers."

Xavata was doing all she could to fight the urge to chew her tongue. She had been opposed to granting any dispensation at all to these creatures other than the promise not to exterminate them, but she had been overruled by her grandfather and the other elders.

She continued: "We have no magics to protect ourselves, much less any to offer you. What we offer is the protection of arms. Your people travel the edges of the Empire to trade, avoiding the raiders and minions of the Empire's hidden rulers. If the Followers of Lu the Fatherless traveled with you, pretending to be hired as guards by your leaders, you could travel throughout the Empire more safely. We are a poor people, and despite our laws against dealing with children of other gods, we are often forced by circumstance to work alongside flesh abominations. No one would question our presence by your side."


'''12-02-2013, 07:34 PM<br>
'''Muskrat<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Jeytaxra considers the flesh-beings words. "Your plan is a sound one. But the collective requires more than a simple dispensation of Respect. You must help us reclaim our forge-lands, particularly Mount Jaratana, where the Baratu the Shining and Nevarendil the Skillful forged the first of our kind. If we--not only our collective, but all the wandering collectives of the Jeweled Children--cannot have access to Mount Jaratana, all else is lost to us and nothing else matters." Jeytaxra is reluctant to tell the flesh-beings why it is so imperative that they regain the mountain, for fear this information could be used against them. The caves of Mount Jaratana are the only place where the living crystals that form the brain of each Jeweled Child grow. Without access to the crystals, the Jeweled Children cannot create new members of their kind and they will slowly die out as their older members wear out and break down. The problem is that Mount Jaratana is controlled by the Argi Supreme College, who exploit its magical resources to enhance their race's own already great intelligence and will let no else have access to it.


'''12-02-2013, 07:53 PM<br>
'''Yadal<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Ervel noted the conversation in his head- he wasn't good at memorisation by scribal standards, but he had no choice. He considered crying 'But that's an outrage!' at the suggestion of being treated with Respect but decided not to push his luck. The negotiations could easily collapse on their own depending on what was said next- no need to interfere further, and thus potentially expose himself, unless the situation got 'better' (that is, worse for his masters).


'''12-04-2013, 09:03 PM<br>
'''Glyptodont<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Suddenly, Xavata conceives the seed of a plan. She is worried that things are spiraling out of control here. Despite her grandfather's exhortation to make an agreement with these creatures at any cost, Xavata is loathe to grant them anything other than the privilege of existing. Now she has a possible means of obtaining this in a roundabout way. She says to Outside Interface Unit Jeytaxra, "I PM<br> poor girl and unfamiliar with Mount Jaratana or the creatures who have driven you from there. But as the designated speaker for my grandfather and the elders of my people, I will promise you that the Followers of Lu the Fatherless will use what ever strength they possess to exterminate the flesh-abominations who have taken that land from your people. The Followers of Lu will declare Mount Jaratana a reservation for your kind. No creature of flesh who possesses speech will be allowed to enter there or cause you trouble. And the Followers of Lu the Fatherless vow not to interfere with your kind in any way."

Unspoken, her promise can be interpreted several ways. They can easily give up this mountain to these abominations of metal and build a wall around it to keep flesh-abominations from trespassing. Such a wall also could function to keep the Jeweled Children locked inside and easily controlled so they don't contaminate the faithful in their quest to bring about the Reign of Virtue. But all this is something they can plan for far in the future after they make headway against the Invisible Empire. For the first time this whole journey, Xavata is actually pleased with her mission.

She turns to Ervel unable to suppress a smirk. "Did you get all that, scribe?"


'''12-04-2013, 09:54 PM<br>
'''Yadal<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Ervel winced. Not only had he given the game away to Xavata, judging from that smirk she was winning despite everything he could do.

"I did..."

This was bad- if the Creatures didn't see through Xavata's offer on their own, it was over. Ervel struggled to think, hoping he could find another way to deal with this problem before it was too late...


'''12-05-2013, 02:00 PM<br>
'''Muskrat<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Jeytaxra looks at the interaction between the two humans uneasily. It does not quite understand what has transpired, but knows something has. In any case, it finds Xavata's offer extreme. "The collectives of the Jeweled Children have been directed by the Gods of the Celestial Diamond Monastery to act as models for the other races, showing them how to function in harmony with each other. We have no need or desire to isolate ourselves from others. Indeed, this would contravene the directives of the gods. Nor do we wish to see the Argi exterminated. We simply wish the return of our own forge-lands."

It pauses a moment, thinking, processing the actions of the emissary before the collective and what it knows of the followers of Lu the Fatherless. Suddenly, something clicks into place in its own mind. The followers of Lu the Fatherless would not have come to them unless they too were desperate--and they did not want it known that they were working with any others besides their own species. Jeytaxra decides to make a counter-offer. "The Gods of the Celestial Diamond Monastery have directed us to be exemplars of humility. We would not want to be elevated simply because we followed the divine directives by doing our role to bring an end to the Invisible Empire. As such, we will remain silent about any role we play." The implication Jeytaxra is trying to get at is that the followers of Lu the Fatherless do not have to acknowledge the Jeweled Children's role in this and thus do not have to admit to dealings with non-humans. It hopes this will satisfy the emissary. It also hopes other members of the collective and other collectives will except this--it would be a rather extreme exercise in humility. But if enabled them to return to their forge-lands ...


'''12-06-2013, 12:34 PM<br>
'''Glyptodont<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

"You... creatures, are certainly very forgiving. We only offer to help exterminate your rivals to prevent them from committing reprisals against your kind. But if you wish to merely drive them from your homeland, that is fine." This saves the Followers of Lu from wasting our lives in some subhuman war, at least, Xavata thinks. We need to concentrate on overthrowing the monks of the Invisible Empire--then we can work on eliminating the abominations.

"And I simply meant that we would help protect the borders of your lands to prevent others from taking again it like these Argi have." Not exactly an honest statement, but all this will happen in the future when others can renegotiate terms--especially if the Followers of Lu get back on their feet and achieve power.

"Your people do possess an admirable quality of humility. I believe we can come to a mutual agreement here." To Ervel she says, "Please make a note of that in your account, scribe."


'''12-06-2013, 03:24 PM<br>
'''Muskrat<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

"Then it appears we have the basis for an agreement," says Jeytaxra. It only hopes that these humans will uphold their end of the agreement--the followers of Lu the Fatherless are not known for their honest dealings with those not of their species. Their willingness to exterminate an entire race is certainly unsettling. But it is the best chance the Jeweled Children have for returning to their forge-lands and perpetuating their kind.


'''12-06-2013, 08:18 PM<br>
'''Yadal<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Ervel was getting very annoyed at this. But he had one last gambit to play. He decided to create a record of the meeting as if it were a planned double-cross, and the creatures were actually going to be exterminated at a later date. Now was not the time, but at an opportune moment he could 'lose' his scribal record...


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'''Question:''' Why do the followers of Lu the Fatherless get all the credit for bringing down the Invisible Empire instead of the non-humans who were immune to the mind control?

'''Answer:'''  


[http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php?title=Microscope--The_Mural_of_Lu_the_Fatherless The Mural of Lu the Fatherless - Main Wiki Page]