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Stories and AARs / Re: SotK's Short Stories
« on: September 16, 2018, 10:42:30 PM »
Thanks for the criticism, I agree it does feel kinda forced especially in that piece. I think its partly because I was just writing things that came into my head and trying to use it as a way to help structure my thoughts about the world.
This is more spur of the moment stuff, continuing the last post.
"The inner sanctum," the priest announced.
I looked around. The doorway led into a sunken part of the room, opposite it were steps onto the main floor. The room was roughly square, bathed in the same green light as the corridor, and with many shelves and cabinets around the outside. Most shelves contained books, but others contained various oddities that I presumed to be relics discovered by the Seekers. There was a stone table in the centre of the room, almost like some kind of altar but without the usual decorations a temple altar would be covered in. The priest stood at the top of the steps ahead of me, just in front of the table. With his real hand he reached up to his face, pulled on his beak, and removed his mask.
"Climb the steps, and wait here."
He walked to one one of the cabinets, and opened it. He retrieved another beaked mask, this one had less feathers than his that was now sitting on the table.
"This will be your new face for the outside world. You must wear it at all times, when outside of your temple's sanctum," he instructed, handing me the mask. "Put it on."
Gingerly I raised the mask to my face, trying to hide my surprise as it appeared to reshape itself to fit my features as it touched me. I let go, and the mask held itself to my face, as if it were tied on by some invisible string. Its grip seemed to extend, as the mask itself continued to wrap around me, forcing my ears against my head painfully. Now it covered my ears, briefly making the room seem silent, before the sound of the crackling torches came back, almost clearer than before. The growth stopped, the mask hung in place, and began to feel like a part of me.
"The masks are gifts from the ancients, meant to help us guide our people through hardship," the priest explained. "Only the worthy can wear them, and once worn a mask is bound to its owner until their death."
He moved to a different cabinet and opened it. He hurriedly pulled out a feather cloak like his own, and shut the door again. I managed to glimpse the green glow of some runes inside, and also something that looked like an arm, fashioned from metal, not unlike the priest's own unusual limb.
"This cloak will help the people accept your words," he went on, "it helps them to understand that a priest's words are those of the Creators themselves, if we dress to match their vision of the Creators. Put this on too."
I did so, and he went to a shelf on the far side of the room. He picked up some amulets, each with a rune faintly visible on it. He also brought a small box with grooves in the top. He placed the box on the table, and placed the amulets in the grooves. He held his hands above the box, and reverently recited an incantation. The runes began to glow more brightly, until they looked the same as those on the priest's own amulets. He picked out the first amulet, and brought it to me. I went to take it, but instead he grabbed the back of my head with his metal hand.
He pressed the amulet against my forehead, which was covered by the mask. The eyepieces went dim, and it felt like the room was spinning. There was a fuzzing in my ears, and then he let go. A brief moment of disorientation later everything cleared again, and almost seemed more sharply focused than before. He placed the amulet back in a groove on the box, and took out the other two. As he came towards me instinctively I stepped back, almost slipping down the steps.
"Your reaction is normal, but you must be enlightened," he whispered threateningly, "but calm down, the worst is over for now."
He held out one rune.
"This one will entrance the people as you speak the words of the Creators."
He placed it around my neck, and then put my hand over it and recited another incantation. The feathers of my cloak changed colour and shimmered, until they resembled flames. The feathers of my mask seemed to grow to cover the rest of my head, and I was almost a Firebird incarnate to any casual observer. He regarded me for a moment and I tried to look as priest-like as I could. Seemingly satisfied, he muttered another incantation and the effect ended, I was again just a regular bird-priest.
He held out the other rune.
"This is your key to all the doors you need to open."
I realised it was the same rune that he had earlier used to open the door in the private quarters. He placed it around my neck too.
"This will be sufficient for now. Next you will speak the words of the Creators to the people, and their reaction will guide the rest of your journey," he explained.
"How will I know the words?" I asked, attempting to sound interested rather than concerned.
"The mask will speak them through you. You are a conduit of the Creators now, a tool for them to use as they see fit. A hand to guide the people to avoid the rage of the Creators from being needed again."
"When?"
"Now."
He put his mask back over his face, and pushed me ahead of him towards another metal door. I pushed it, and it didn't open. I was briefly worried, and then remembered the rune around my neck. I pressed it against the frame, and the door opened, revealing a short corridor which opened into a room containing some stone benches, and a large wooden door.
"Go." the priest commanded.
I walked forwards, and opened the wooden door to reveal the balcony everyone was familiar with, where a new priest leads their first worship, and takes their first flight. I stepped out, to the cheers of the crowd.
This is more spur of the moment stuff, continuing the last post.
"The inner sanctum," the priest announced.
I looked around. The doorway led into a sunken part of the room, opposite it were steps onto the main floor. The room was roughly square, bathed in the same green light as the corridor, and with many shelves and cabinets around the outside. Most shelves contained books, but others contained various oddities that I presumed to be relics discovered by the Seekers. There was a stone table in the centre of the room, almost like some kind of altar but without the usual decorations a temple altar would be covered in. The priest stood at the top of the steps ahead of me, just in front of the table. With his real hand he reached up to his face, pulled on his beak, and removed his mask.
"Climb the steps, and wait here."
He walked to one one of the cabinets, and opened it. He retrieved another beaked mask, this one had less feathers than his that was now sitting on the table.
"This will be your new face for the outside world. You must wear it at all times, when outside of your temple's sanctum," he instructed, handing me the mask. "Put it on."
Gingerly I raised the mask to my face, trying to hide my surprise as it appeared to reshape itself to fit my features as it touched me. I let go, and the mask held itself to my face, as if it were tied on by some invisible string. Its grip seemed to extend, as the mask itself continued to wrap around me, forcing my ears against my head painfully. Now it covered my ears, briefly making the room seem silent, before the sound of the crackling torches came back, almost clearer than before. The growth stopped, the mask hung in place, and began to feel like a part of me.
"The masks are gifts from the ancients, meant to help us guide our people through hardship," the priest explained. "Only the worthy can wear them, and once worn a mask is bound to its owner until their death."
He moved to a different cabinet and opened it. He hurriedly pulled out a feather cloak like his own, and shut the door again. I managed to glimpse the green glow of some runes inside, and also something that looked like an arm, fashioned from metal, not unlike the priest's own unusual limb.
"This cloak will help the people accept your words," he went on, "it helps them to understand that a priest's words are those of the Creators themselves, if we dress to match their vision of the Creators. Put this on too."
I did so, and he went to a shelf on the far side of the room. He picked up some amulets, each with a rune faintly visible on it. He also brought a small box with grooves in the top. He placed the box on the table, and placed the amulets in the grooves. He held his hands above the box, and reverently recited an incantation. The runes began to glow more brightly, until they looked the same as those on the priest's own amulets. He picked out the first amulet, and brought it to me. I went to take it, but instead he grabbed the back of my head with his metal hand.
He pressed the amulet against my forehead, which was covered by the mask. The eyepieces went dim, and it felt like the room was spinning. There was a fuzzing in my ears, and then he let go. A brief moment of disorientation later everything cleared again, and almost seemed more sharply focused than before. He placed the amulet back in a groove on the box, and took out the other two. As he came towards me instinctively I stepped back, almost slipping down the steps.
"Your reaction is normal, but you must be enlightened," he whispered threateningly, "but calm down, the worst is over for now."
He held out one rune.
"This one will entrance the people as you speak the words of the Creators."
He placed it around my neck, and then put my hand over it and recited another incantation. The feathers of my cloak changed colour and shimmered, until they resembled flames. The feathers of my mask seemed to grow to cover the rest of my head, and I was almost a Firebird incarnate to any casual observer. He regarded me for a moment and I tried to look as priest-like as I could. Seemingly satisfied, he muttered another incantation and the effect ended, I was again just a regular bird-priest.
He held out the other rune.
"This is your key to all the doors you need to open."
I realised it was the same rune that he had earlier used to open the door in the private quarters. He placed it around my neck too.
"This will be sufficient for now. Next you will speak the words of the Creators to the people, and their reaction will guide the rest of your journey," he explained.
"How will I know the words?" I asked, attempting to sound interested rather than concerned.
"The mask will speak them through you. You are a conduit of the Creators now, a tool for them to use as they see fit. A hand to guide the people to avoid the rage of the Creators from being needed again."
"When?"
"Now."
He put his mask back over his face, and pushed me ahead of him towards another metal door. I pushed it, and it didn't open. I was briefly worried, and then remembered the rune around my neck. I pressed it against the frame, and the door opened, revealing a short corridor which opened into a room containing some stone benches, and a large wooden door.
"Go." the priest commanded.
I walked forwards, and opened the wooden door to reveal the balcony everyone was familiar with, where a new priest leads their first worship, and takes their first flight. I stepped out, to the cheers of the crowd.