Editing Microscope RPG--Rise and Fall of an Empire: Scene: The Massacre of the Argi

[[Category:Microscope]]


== Scene: The Massacre of the Argi.==
<span style="background:#c0c0c0">Tone: Dark.</span>

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

(Muskrat)


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'''Question:'''  Why were the Argi massacred by the followers of Lu the Fatherless, when they offered to negotiate a peaceful surrender?


'''Required characters:'''
*''Saint Xavata, now commanding the forces of the followers of Lu the Fatherless in the Pure Thought Crusade and the attempt to return the Jeweled Children to their forge-lands.''  Chosen by Muskrat
* Representatives of the Jeweled Children and Argi races would be other obvious choices for characters (and Jeytaxra could even reappear), but I don't want to require them.


'''Banned characters:'''
None


'''Other characters:'''
*Chosen by Yadal: Argi Strategist, Minrue. Minrue is one of the last of the Argi to escape mind-control, and due to his efforts to keep the Argi free is their leader. However, he has a weakness for impulsive decision-making.  Minrue's plan is to surrender to the followers of Lu and support them in their war, then turn on them at a later date to gain supremacy for the Argi.
*Chosen by Glyptodont: A manifestation of the god Yesel, who created the Argi and desired them to conquer the world. 


'''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:'''

Minrue hasn't been contacted by Yesel yet and has no idea it is about to happen. Being unusually impulsive for an Argi, he has only planned for the opening encounter. In his mind, he is playing through every line he thinks Xavata might say, hoping he can make everything work out. He intends to feign complete submission to his new masters.  (Yadal)


The god Yesel, enconced in his divine realm, was meditating on the fate-lines of his mortal children and grew unhappy with how the threads were unraveling. ''The children of the Jade Court are as crude and simple as beasts compared to the sublime perfection of my children, the Argi. Yet far too many fate-lines show them triumphing over my creations. How can this be? My skill and wisdom far exceeds the combined feeble talents of the Jade Court. It is time to grace my children with a visit and see the situation first hand.'' (Glyptodont)


Saint Xavata is now grim and hardened by many years of battle, having risen in the ranks of the Crusade of the Pure Thought following her success at securing the cooperation of the Jeweled Children. She stands ready for the meeting, surrounded by military and religious advisers. She herself wears her dress armor, inlaid with pieces of jade and carries her battle ax, Purifier, given to her by the Gods of the Jade Court themselves; it is said to be a lesser version of the ax wielded by Okomi, the Divine Executioner.

She does not feel any gladness at her ascension through the ranks. Instead, she feels world-weary. She simply wants all this over with, especially to be rid of her obligations to the Jeweled Children as quickly as possible. This is, in part, a result of her own conflicted feelings about them. At one level, she still believes them to be abominations; at another, she has grown somewhat fond of the strange, gentle mechanical creatures. She attitude towards the Argi carries no such ambivalence--they are abominations, pure and simple.  (Muskrat)


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=== Playing the Scene: ===


[http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?709297-Microscope-The-Mural-of-Lu-the-Fatherless&p=17446509#post17446509 Scene runs from post #19 to post #34 in IC thread.]


'''12-11-2013, 07:54 PM<br>
'''Muskrat<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Scene: The Massacre of the Argi
Focus: Saint Xavata, revered by the Followers of Lu the Fatherless<br>
Question: Why were the Argi massacred by the followers of Lu the Fatherless, when they offered to negotiate a peaceful surrender?

Xavata approaches the edge of the Argi fortifications, surrounded by her bodyguards, advisers trailing somewhat warily behind. She calls out, "I am Xavata, Most Glorious General of the Pure Thought Crusade of the Followers of Lu the Fatherless. I understand your leader wishes to exchange words with me." The herald accompanying her looks a bit miffed, since it's his job to say these things, but Xavata has long ceased to stand on ceremony.


'''12-11-2013, 09:01 PM<br>
'''Yadal<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Minrue hurries out of the gates- he can't afford to keep such an important leader waiting. He had already gone over the scenario again and again in his head- the only way to secure victory was to persuade Xavata that the Argi were useful temporary allies. He had gathered information on the Invisible Empire his allies would destroy if necessary, as well as having made other plans.

He bowed. "Good evening, my lady. We have much to discuss."


'''12-12-2013, 01:08 PM<br>
'''Muskrat<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Xavata glares at Minrue, then snaps her fingers. In an imperious voice, she says, "I am glad you are willing to negotiate. Too often members of your race are too arrogant to do so. Many have fallen to my ax and my armies as a result." As she speaks, servants bring out a tent, table and chairs, then begin quickly setting them up between the two armies. "We will speak in her," Xavata says, gesturing to the tent. "I have no desire to enter Argi-controlled territory and I assume you have no wish to negotiate in the middle of my army." Xanata's voice is that of one giving orders to a lesser, rather than a general who has come to negotiate with an equal.


'''12-12-2013, 09:15 PM<br>
'''Yadal<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

This was what Minrue expected. "I understand", he said, following her into the tent. He had to let Xavata stay dominant in the conversation- or at least appearing to be- or all was lost.

Minrue's advisors had suggested that the best way to do this was to have Xavata and the Invisible Empire fight, whilst having the Argi gather intelligence on Xavata's forces. With the Empire defeated, the Argi could sneak-attack Xavata's forces at a key moment, securing victory. Minrue had said he'd consider it.


'''12-12-2013, 10:59 PM<br>
'''Glyptodont<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

No one seems to notice that the advisor who followed Minrue into the negotiation tent was in fact a stranger who had not been traveling with the Argi at all. The god Yesel has manifested himself as an Argi mandarin and clouded the minds of the humans and Argi nearby so that no one would question his presence. The many gods and pantheons that inhabited the myriad realms may be rivals or even enemies, but they all adhere to a strict rule of no direct interference in the creations of other gods. And it was taboo for a divine being to deliberately destroy the handiwork of another immortal. So Yesel, who considered Himself far more enlightened and far more entuned to the music of cosmos than the simpletons of the Jade Court, could never lay a hand upon the humans, no matter how crude they were. But of course, there was no prohibition against removing the crude handiwork of other gods indirectly....

In the guise of Minrue's advisor, Yesel looked upon Xavata and her human kin with contempt. Crude lumps of clay they were. Their skin the colors of sand, dust and dirt with animal hair growing from their heads and random parts of their bodies--they truly appeared to be crippled, misshapen beasts. Aesthetically, these humans were an embarrassment. Is not the Jade Court ashamed of such shoddy handiwork? Have they no dignity? The Argi, in comparison, were exquisite works of art. Gleaming silver skin with a sheen of green or purple when the sunlight touched their bodies at just the right angle. And rather than animal hair, their bodies shimmered with delicate, diamond-like scales. Humans had only two arms which were too weak to lift any real weight and too clumsy to do delicate work such as repairing butterfly wings. The Argi, in contrast, possessed four upper limbs: two muscular arms that could lift several humans at once and two delicate arms ending in eight tentacle-like fingers that could caress a tiny mayfly without hurting it. Yesel could not imagine how these humans had any hope to outmatch the sublime perfection of his creations.

The "advisor" sat next Minrue and trilled a brief poem in the Argi's native tongue (which was as intricate as a symphony, unlike the barking languages that the humans possessed.)

''"My Lord and Strategist,''<br>
''Your people await you with confidence''<br>
''Knowing these presumptuous animals''<br>
''Will soon be put in their place."''<br>


'''12-13-2013, 02:29 PM<br>
'''Muskrat<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Xavata sits down at the table across from Minrue. She glances at the adviser speaking in the Argi language, but says nothing, seeing him as of little consequence. She has had to learn non-human languages, but the Argi language is beyond her, as it is true of most non-Argi. Of course, this means Xavata simply regards it as little better than the singing of birds, not a true language at all.

She looks at Minrue and says, "Our demands our simple. You and all your people will vacate Mount Jaratana as swiftly as possible. It is now under the protection of the Pure Thought Crusade." She does not say why, not wanting to admit to these subhumans that she is doing to fulfill an agreement she made with the Jeweled Children in return for their help. She hopes the negotiations will conclude quickly. The appearance of the Argi has always made her nauseous, especially the tentacles on their smaller pair of arms.


'''12-13-2013, 10:57 PM<br>
'''Yadal<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Minrue had expected a lot more than that. The negotiations were going far more easily than he'd expected.

"If it will spare our lives, then so be it. We are willing to vacate."


'''12-13-2013, 11:25 PM<br>
'''Glyptodont<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Ill-at-ease with such weakness displayed by his children, Yesel finds himself having to keep his contempt in check, lest his divine emotions spill over into the minds of the surrounding mortals. He sings a song of reproach to Minrue:

''"My Lord and Strategist,''<br>
''Your illustrious ancestors''<br>
''Claimed this mountain''<br>
''From the talking furniture''<br>
''Who had squatted here.''<br>

''The Jeweled Children''<br>
''Were unworthy of the land's riches.''<br>
''How less worthy are these animals''<br>
''Who bray like beasts''<br>
''And smell like vermin?"''<br>


'''12-14-2013, 04:37 AM<br>
'''Yadal<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Minrue at this point was under the delusion that the person with him was a trusted advisor... despite not remembering him having been there at any of his meetings. Such dissonance is one thing Gods are capable of.

"Yes, yes, very good! A fine poem to celebrate our alliance of peoples!"

Xavata hadn't confirmed it was an alliance yet, but he was trying to get that idea working. Minrue was a bad singer and he knew it, but he sang back a verse in reply. A professional singer would say that his level was o.k for a mere dabbler in Argi poetry, but not great and probably a bit below average even by the standards of dabblers.

''"Trusted and loyal brother,''<br>
''We must make the wolf fight the tiger.''<br>
''Though the price may be high,''<br>
''It is brief.''<br>

''For ten to twenty years,''<br>
''We find somewhere to live and build up''<br>
''When the time comes,''<br>
''We shall triumph.''<br>


To make the wolf fight a tiger was a saying in Minrue's generation meaning to play two foes off against each other then destroy both of them and claim the winnings for yourself. It was one of the standard strategems known to the Argi of his day. Minrue had agreed verbally that this was the only way to win.

Any truely perceptive person, however, would detect a significant amount of guilt in Minrue's song. He wanted to attack and kill Xavata here and now, launch a surprise attack, and try to rout the Humans before they can organise. His reason said it won't work, but his heart claimed that there was a chance, and one high enough to be worth working with.


'''12-14-2013, 03:04 PM<br>
'''Muskrat<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Xavata starts to relax when Minrue makes the agreement--but grows alarmed when the Argi begin talking among themselves in their own language. "What is this chatter?" she demands. "Stop chirping like birds and speak in a proper language. Do not tell me you are having second thoughts about meeting our demands." She moves her hand quite visibly to her ax, in a deliberately threatening gesture.


'''12-14-2013, 08:25 PM<br>
'''Yadal<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

"My advisor here may be talented, but he lacks knowledge of your language" lied Minrue. "I was just explaining what was going on."


'''12-14-2013, 09:23 PM<br>
'''Glyptodont<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Yesel was well aware of the meaning of Xavata's words, and could have spoken to her in her native tongue, but to lower himself to utter such crude squawks would be like chewing mud. However, in his guise as an Argi mandarin he must maintain the illusion of Minrue's subordinate and pretend ignorance. Nonetheless, to the human Xavata he gave a look expressing yenimesrii, an Argi emotion of contempt, tempered with pity at such a handicapped being, yet subtly accusing the object that its handicap was a manifestation of its own inner moral flaws. The concept was probably beyond the human's simple understanding.

To Minrue he whistled:

''"My Lord and Strategist,''<br>
''Our Creator tasked our people''<br>
''With dominion of this world.''<br>

''The Argi do not wait for''<br>
''The outcome of wolf against tiger.''<br>
''We shall decide who deserves victory.''<br>

''To allow these beasts''<br>
''To rule our lands for twenty years''<br>
''Or twenty heartbeats''<br>
''Would be a shame beyond endurance!"''<br>

Manifesting himself in the form of an Argi has momentarily caused the god Yesel to emphathize too strongly with his people. His pleading is a bit too emphatic for an advisor and, most embarrassingly to Yesel, had caused him to make a mistake in the meter of his song of rebuke. Such a failure of aesthetics was far more displeasing to his divine sensibilities than whatever tantrum the human woman was displaying.


'''12-14-2013, 09:46 PM<br>
'''Yadal<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Minrue thought for a bit. He'd thought that too- but most of his advisors had told him that this was stupid. Shames were there to be endured- or were they? Maybe there was another option after all? Maybe there was a way to get out of this mess? Minrue gave some quick orders.

''My trusted brother,''<br>
''I believe you are right.''<br>

''Please go back and tell the others,''<br>
''To use the negotiations for a surprise attack.''<br>

''If we kill Xavata,''<br>
''The enemy shall rout.''<br>


He bowed to Xavata.

"My apologies, my lady. I have just ordered my advisor back to the camp so he doesn't disturb us any longer."


'''12-14-2013, 10:36 PM<br>
'''Glyptodont<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Giving the Argi symbolic gesture of pride with his muscular arms and the gesture of gratitude with his delicate arms, the "advisor" gracefully slides backwards out the tent as he trills a song of praise:

''"My Lord and Strategist,''<br>
''Your name will be lauded''<br>
''Throughout the ages.''<br>

''And you will be cherished''<br>
''Above all by our Creator,''<br>
''Yesel, the Sublime."''<br>

Outside, his Argi form slips through the crowds of tense Argi warriors with supernatural, yet unnoticed, speed to spread the battle hymn to all the Argi strategists:

''"The time has come!''<br>
''Prepare for battle!''<br>
''Victory is ours!''<br>

''While the human barks in vain''<br>
''At our Lord and Strategist''<br>
''We shall slay the beast and her kind.''<br>

''Today we begin to fulfill''<br>
''Our destiny which is to rule the world''<br>
''In the name of our Creator!"''''<br>

Despite his mortal guise, Yesel can't help but let his divine emotional aura of pride and confidence slip out like faint beams of light, inspiring his people, and causing the Argi warriors to be flushed with the sense that only glorious victory lay ahead for them today.

Just as no one questioned the appearance of the mysterious advisor, no one seemed to notice him vanish into thin air. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed with joy himself in his mortal form, Yesel decides to retreat to the summit of Mount Jaratana and look down upon the coming battle with his divine vision. His mortal form was too caught up in the sensations of the physical realm to concentrate on the meticulous work of examining the cosmic fate-lines at the moment, but he was confident that his children would exterminate the lowly Followers of Lu the Fatherless. And oh, how he would relish the humiliation of the ignorant fools of the Jade Court!


'''12-15-2013, 02:51 PM<br>
'''Muskrat<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

Xavata begins to ask whether or not the Argi will submit to her demands, when she begins to hear a great deal of activity outside the tent. She rises and opens a flap to look out and sees the Argi warriors mobilizing for an attack. She spins back around and shouts into the tent, "Treachery! Treachery! The Argi are attacking us! This round of negotiations was all a scheme on the subhumans' part!" To her advisers, she shouts, "Go out and rally the troops! Show them no mercy! I want everyone of these treacherous subhumans dead by nightfall!" She turns to glare at Minrue, "I will be out after I deal with this one." That said, she raises her ax Purifier and strikes with the divinely forged weapon at the Argi leader, seeking to decapitate him where he sits.


'''12-15-2013, 09:35 PM<br>
'''Glyptodont<br>
'''Re: Microscope: The Mural of Lu the Fatherless<br>

As he sat upon the summit of Mount Jaratana, Yesel opened his mind to encompass the myriad emotions of his children as they marched toward triumph. But soon, something seemed... not quite right. He felt waves of confidence give way to mounting desperation. His divine hearing began to hear wails of lament rather than rejoicing songs of victory. But most troubling of all, his eyes registered not the sight of the Argi wiping out the weak and clumsy human, but rather the hordes of human vermin overrunning the Argi warriors like rats on a carcass. Was this an illusion? Some trickery of the Jade Court to cloud his divine mind? Perhaps he was just temporarily bewildered from having to maintain this mortal form for too long. Best to take a closer look...

Vanishing from the peak of the mountain, Yesel manifests himself at the site of the negotiation tent. He is still in the form of an Argi mandarin, but now he makes no attempt to cloud the onlookers minds or hide his sudden appearance out of thin air. The human warriors freeze for a moment in confusion at the Argi who manifested in a flash of light. Yesel, too was taken aback at the scene. All around him were the dead bodies of human and Argi, but living Argi were not to be seen. And in front of him was the mutilated body of the Strategist Minrue, whom Yesel had prodded into war. Over the body of Minrue was the human woman, Xavata, her axe dripping with the blood of the Argi Strategist. And it dawned on Yesel that he had made a grave error. Fury grew in him--fury at the loss of his children, but an even greater fury that he had been fooled and humiliated by the Jade Court.

It only took a second for Xavata to regain composure and to swing her axe at the interloper. But before it struck, Yesel grabbed it with a strength not found in either human or Argi and threw it to the top of Mount Jaratana where it imbedded itself in the granite peak. Casting off his mortal Argi form, Yesel revealed Himself in his full divine glory. The human warriors flinched from the vision which overwhelmed their senses. Yesel declared in a divine voice that echoed in the skull of every human on the battlefield: ''"YOU HAVE COMMITTED THE ULTIMATE ATROCITY! YOU HAVE SLAUGHTERED MY CHILDREN TO WHOM YOU SHOULD HAVE BOWED AND BEGGED TO SERVE. YOU BEAST! YOU VERMINOUS WRETCH! YOU, XAVATA, ARE TO BLAME! UPON YOU I LAY A CURSE--YOU SHALL DIE IN AGONY. EVERY LAST HEARTBEAT WILL BE AN ETERNITY OF AGONY. AND UPON THE FOLLOWERS OF LU I LAY A CURSE. YOUR PEOPLE WILL NEVER TRIUMPH, NOR WILL YOU EVEN HAVE THE GLORY OF HONORABLE DEFEAT. YOUR PEOPLE WILL SHALL END UP IN THE SHADOWS OF HISTORY--AS A HANDFUL OF ANTS AMONG TEN THOUSAND CREATURES MORE GLORIOUS THAN YOU. THE BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES OF THE JADE COURT WILL BE TAKEN AND TWISTED INTO EVERY SORT OF HERESY BY THE VERY CREATURES YOU HATE MOST. AND IN EVERY REINCARNATION, XAVATA, YOU WILL BE REMINDED OF YOUR FAILURE TO TRIUMPH!"''

And with that, Yesel vanished from the mortal world. Some say he still sulks alone in his divine realm, unable to face the smug condescension of the other gods.



----
'''Question:'''  Why were the Argi massacred by the followers of Lu the Fatherless, when they offered to negotiate a peaceful surrender?


'''Answer:'''  Because the god Yesel goaded the Argi leader into attacking instead of surrendering.


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