Microscope RPG--Rise and Fall of an Empire: Scene: Followers of Lu the Fatherless meet with non-humans
Scene: The Followers of Lu the Fatherless meet with non-humans to overthrow the Invisible Empire.
Tone: Light.
Focus: Saint Xavata, revered by the Followers of Lu the Fatherless
(Glyptodont)
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)
Playing the Scene:
(TBA)
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:
