[X] Introspection: the Tax Collector was grand, monstrous, inhuman, with limbs stretched to grasp the heavens with the strength of ten men. Could you do the same? Could you change your visage to be grander? Could you get more arms? You deserve more arms.
[X] Restore Ren at 1: Take a name. You will know and be known.
-[X] Ask Rekhet to give you a name.
You try to rise without disturbing her, but the bier is not so spacious as to admit doing so elegantly, and you end up awkwardly shuffling to move the bow before you can sit up, tucking your legs under you.
She turns her head to look at you, and you are at once glad of, and daunted by, that gentle smile. Resolutions made in lovesick daydreams recede when confronted with reality. Sea-deep eyes seem to examine your soul, without judging, but under that gaze you cannot help but judge yourself.
"Welcome back, Seeker. I see that you have found something of yourself in my absence."
You try to muster the courage of commitment, but find instead new hesitancy. Rekhet is more than just the image you hold in your mind, and the name you intended to lay at her feet crumbles on your tongue as presumptuous, disrespectful even. You drop your gaze.
"I have not found my name, my lady, but I wish for a new one." Out of habit, you take a deep breath. "I had thought to devote it to you, but I do not want to presume. Will you bestow one, instead?"
There is a moment of silence, broken only by the gentle lapping of water below. You glance up; Rekhet is regarding you with widened eyes, but as she meets your gaze she gives a slightly rueful smile.
"No-one has ever asked me for a name before; I hope I can do honour to it as you have honoured me." She looks at you thoughtfully, and you wonder what those fathomless eyes can see. "Then… may I call you Benerib?"
It is more than you hoped for, if less than you dreamed. You take it gladly. "Yes! Thank you."
You both look aside as the sun finally breaks the horizon, Banut ascending from the firemounts in his eternally-renewed journey across the heavens. The timeless moment is broken.
{+3 Culture for increasing Ren and taking a given name}
Rekhet stands, holding out a hand to help you rise. You take it without thinking, the unnatural pale of her skin contrasting sharply with your own ochre-brown. It is probably just the rosy dawn light that makes her look slightly flushed as she lets go.
"So, what news do you bring from the land? I can see you have faced great trials."
You begin to recount all you have learned and done as you refill your flask from the river. You describe the Tax Collector and his guards, and ask what became of them, and if they may return as you have. She frowns, looking northeast toward what you recognise in the rising light as the granaries.
"Those Dead without a physical body would normally return to the sky to await reincarnation, as the cremated do. But that is Banut's province, and reincarnation cannot proceed until the waters flow again. From your account, I think it unlikely this tax collector will return. If the guards' bodies remained when they fell, they may rise again; I am not sure. Much depends on the state of the soul."
{Scholarship: Success!}
You fall into a discussion of the theory of souls, and Rekhet's reserve dissolves as you both sit talking animatedly while the sun rises. She seems to know more about souls than any scholar you recall meeting, and though some of her terminology is archaic, you are able to follow each other quite well.
You learn that it is common for the Dead to return with only parts of their souls, but that greater detachment from the physical world also makes it easier to develop and strengthen aspects of the soul.
The guards you encountered may have retained little more than Akh and Khet, a state apparently common in those bound as servants by forbidden magics Rekhet only darkly alludes to. If so, it is unlikely they will rise again unless called.
The Tax Collector's monstrous form was undoubtedly an expression of a very powerful Sah, a seldom-visible trait as it cannot manifest without having cast off a mortal body. Rekhet claims that those with an extremely powerful Sah can even change between multiple forms, so long as each is still a true expression of their self, or what remains of it.
{+1 Endurance for gaining insight into the workings of your Sah}
Your conversation then naturally turns to Ren, and how those with a powerful Ren leave an indelible mark in the memory. This, of course, must be how her name stayed with you when all others fled your mind.
A sudden gust of wind from the east stirs your robes and blows long coils of hair across your face. Rekhet tails off in mid flow. "Oh. Yes. The day is passing, and you have promises to keep." She stands again, and passes you your staff from the bier.
{+1 Scholarship for keeping up with Rekhet's theories}
You notice as she reaches over that there is a heavy wooden chest at the foot of the bier, which wasn't there the last time you were aboard. Opening it, you find it contains more weapons, almost the twins of the ones the guards at the compound carried.
As you examine the contents, a thought comes back to you. "Oh, I forgot to ask; what were you singing when I woke?"
Rekhet looks reflectively at the horizon again. "It was an old version of the Journey of Night, the tale of Banut's nightly death and rebirth."
You nod understandingly. You know of it, of course. It tells of how Banut is borne along the river of the underworld, from where the sun dies in the west, to the springs of fire in the east, where he is reborn to carry the sun across the sky once again.
Do you wish to change your equipment? Consult the new Storage section of your character sheet for options.
[ ] Keep the gear you have.
[ ] Write in a Plan Vote for a new loadout.
Benerib means 'sweet of heart'. It's not an unusual feminine name, and she probably doesn't mean anything else by it. Probably. You're almost certain.
Increasing your Soul Stats also brings a skill increase that reflects how you are growing. This will not be entirely predictable, but will always in some way reflect the soul aspect, and how/why you're increasing it. In this case, accepting a given name increased Culture, while declaring a chosen one might have increased Authority.
A sudden gust of wind from the east stirs your robes and blows long coils of hair across your face. Rekhet tails off in mid flow. "Oh. Yes. The day is passing, and you have promises to keep." She stands again, and passes you your staff from the bier.
We didn't get any use out of the bow, but then, I don't think we would've gotten much use out of a spear or an axe, either, under circumstances. The dagger is an OK last ditch melee weapon, anyway. Mostly, we want to stay at range for we are delicate and fragile like a flower in a desert that happens to incinerate its enemies.
Given how our magical kit leans very heavily ranged, I'm inclined to expand our capability more. Or for that matter, to simply accept medium load. The penalty is really not that bad, and we can always get rid of them if we have time to prep for a boss fight or something like that and expect to need the edge. Having a shield would give us more varied options for defense and help improve our Endurance. Spears are also just good.
[X] Plan: Egyptian Army Dagger
-[X] Take a Spear
-[X] Take a Shield.
You can, and you can use the shield with the staff while you're not meleeing. Adding the spear doesn't push you over a Load limit though; if you want to get down to Light Load while keeping the medium shield you'd need to lose the bow and armour too.
Since we have a great deal of ranged arsenal through magic, I think we can store the bow. And since we have terrible Endurance and not-so-good Athletic, bringing a shield and losing our light load bonus seems to be a terrible idea
[X] store the bow
[X] take out the spear to be our main melee weapon
You heft a shield thoughtfully. Even for the inexperienced, it would probably be a more reliable defence than dodging against most weapons, particularly arrows. But it is large, and despite the thinness of the wood, rather heavy. Not so bulky as the full-length greatshields favoured in the Middle Kingdom, but still cumbersome enough to make you hesitate.
Eventually you put it back; travelling light has served you well enough so far. Perhaps you should see if you could find a lightweight wicker shield of the sort skirmishers use.
Rekhet steadies the barque as you step off. "We must speak more when you return. The condition of the tax collector concerns me; such power in an imbalanced soul is normally rare, but there may be many such in these fell days." She lays a hand on your shoulder. "Be careful, Benerib. The Dead cannot die, but you have seen now how far they can lose themselves. I wish I could walk with you, but my ties to the land were broken long, long ago."
She releases you, and half turns away, drawing up her hood against the rising sun. Somehow the few inches of water between you and the barque now feel like the width of the great sea. So great is the sense of separation that you are struck mute, managing only to nod as you take your leave.
You feel your way through the reeds until you reach the dusty track between the village and the granaries. The morning sunlight has brought back the rich greens and the dusty yellows that moonlight bled from the landscape.
As you walk back toward the granaries, you are left with much to think about.
[ ] Introspection: Where did that chest full of weapons come from, anyway?
[ ] Introspection: What could have happened to Rekhet, to exile her so from the land?
[ ] Introspection: The Tax Collector was grand, monstrous, inhuman, with limbs stretched to grasp the heavens with the strength of ten men. Could you do the same? Could you change your visage to be grander? Could you get more arms? You deserve more arms. (Insufficient Sah & Ba)
[ ] Introspection: Write in.
When you reach the compound, you can still see the trampled ground from your fight outside the gates. The guards' weapons are still lying more or less where they fell, but many pawprints and drag marks in the dust testify to the work of the jackals who must have carried off the remains.
{Endurance: Failure}
{Athletics: Failure}
The gates do not yield to your push, and you remember they were barred behind you during the fight. You wedge your staff into the gap and try to force the bar, but you simply aren't strong enough. Eventually you have to climb over the wall, a lengthy and undignified process involving several falls and having to scrape footholds into the mudbrick with your dagger. It's a mercy no-one is around to witness your indignities, much less pelt you with arrows to further throw you off your escalade.
Finally clearing the wall, you land unsteadily in the loose grain that has spilled from the nearest granary, and with an effort heave the bar aside so you can open the gate again, before wading your way over the heap to survey the courtyard.
The buildings that loomed in grey moonlight look plain and modest by day. The counting-house is still half-buried by spilt grain, and before it is an ashen heap that is all that remains of your fallen foe. Warblers watch you from the rooftops as you approach.
Tattered papyrus flutters amid the grey flakes of a spirit burnt out. By your foot, bronze gleams. Beckons. Calls. You brush aside the ash and raise up the bronze spike, with its dangling chains. It seems smaller than you remember, small enough that you could almost wield it with two hands.
{Soulforged Weapon Claimed: The Measure} The Tax Collector had us made, forged from Law and alloyed with Duty. Now you temper us in Justice. We take the measure of men, of words, and of souls. Weigh your heart against this dying world, and we shall find what is wanting.
The Measure
A spear-length spike of bronze, tipped at the other end with a large set of balance scales.
Prerequisite: Might 60, OR Akh 2, OR Ib 2
Scales of Truth: Add +5 per level of Akh to all tests to discern falsehood.
Scales of Judgement: Add +5 per level of Ib to all attacks with The Measure, but also take -5 per level of the opponent's Ib, if any.
When Swung:
Hewing Weapon.
Inflicts 2/4/6 Blunt damage.
2-Handed, Reach (damage modifiers included).
Cumbersome (-10 to Defence Rolls when you attack with this weapon), Forceful (on a Full Success, inflicts Stagger -10).
When Thrust:
Thrusting Weapon.
Inflicts 0/4/6 Piercing damage.
2-Handed (damage modifiers included)
Cumbersome (-10 to Defence Rolls when you attack with this weapon), Precise (on a Full Success, ignore Armour Reduction).
Burden: 4
You cannot wield this weapon effectively yet; all attack results would be downgraded 1 step.
[ ] Equip it anyway.
[ ] Store it.
A flutter of wings makes you glance up; all along the rooftops, more and more birds are gathering, their attention all fixed upon you. Waiting. A desert lark meets your eye and inclines its head as if in acknowledgement.
The auspices are very easily read; you take up a handful of grain and begin the rite of propitiation, calling for Suteshet to take her due. As one, the flock descends, gorging on the stolen harvest.
Your vow is fulfilled. What should you do next?
[ ] Try to organise distribution of the grain. (Taking a hand will impact your reputations. Given time, the locals will probably make their own arrangements as the granaries are left unguarded.)
[ ] See if you can do something about the banditry. (Taking a hand will impact your reputations. Given time, they may disperse as word of the Tax Collector's fall spreads.)
[ ] Investigate what has befallen the temple of Satat-Mehet. (This may shed light on the fate of the waters. It is not likely to be resolved without your intervention.)
[ ] Write in.
I'm back! Life, etc. It took way too long to do this update once I got back in the QM seat, I hope it gets easier again.
Hope I won't regret putting 3 vote points in one update, but I wanted to get things rolling and not break it into a bunch of tiny updates.
Balance Tweak: Reduced the bite attack and dodge values on Stormhounds to 60/35 each.
[X] Introspection: What could have happened to Rekhet, to exile her so from the land?
[X] Store it.
[X] Try to organise distribution of the grain. (Taking a hand will impact your reputations. Given time, the locals will probably make their own arrangements as the granaries are left unguarded.)
If the bandits are gonna show up anywhere unpeacefully it seems like The Big Unattended Pile Of Food is pretty high up the list. Hopefully they can be reasoned with. Figuring out what happened to the temple would be good but since it doesn't seem time sensitive it can probably wait.
[X] Introspection: What could have happened to Rekhet, to exile her so from the land?
[X] Store it.
[X] Try to organise distribution of the grain. (Taking a hand will impact your reputations. Given time, the locals will probably make their own arrangements as the granaries are left unguarded.)
[X] Introspection: What could have happened to Rekhet, to exile her so from the land?
Poor Benerib, thought of Rekhet and died.
[X] Store it.
[X] Try to organise distribution of the grain. (Taking a hand will impact your reputations. Given time, the locals will probably make their own arrangements as the granaries are left unguarded.)
Yeah, probably the most pressing task at hand. Bandits are a problem because of the Tax Collector to begin with, some of them would probably just disperse now. Others might not, but that's something we can deal with later.
Same for the Temple: fixing the world is a long-term task, we probably do have time to fuck around instead of rushing to the heart of the matter.
[X] Introspection: What could have happened to Rekhet, to exile her so from the land?
[X] Store it.
[X] Try to organise distribution of the grain. (Taking a hand will impact your reputations. Given time, the locals will probably make their own arrangements as the granaries are left unguarded.)
[x] Introspection: Where did that chest full of weapons come from, anyway?
[x] Store it.
[x] Try to organise distribution of the grain. (Taking a hand will impact your reputations. Given time, the locals will probably make their own arrangements as the granaries are left unguarded.)
[X] Introspection: What could have happened to Rekhet, to exile her so from the land?
[X] Store it.
[X] Try to organise distribution of the grain. (Taking a hand will impact your reputations. Given time, the locals will probably make their own arrangements as the granaries are left unguarded.)
[X] Introspection: What could have happened to Rekhet, to exile her so from the land?
[X] Store it.
[X] Try to organise distribution of the grain. (Taking a hand will impact your reputations. Given time, the locals will probably make their own arrangements as the granaries are left unguarded.)
Just discovered this quest, and I'm in love with it! Super excited to see what you have in store for us!
[X] Introspection: What could have happened to Rekhet, to exile her so from the land?
[X] Store it.
[X] Try to organise distribution of the grain. (Taking a hand will impact your reputations. Given time, the locals will probably make their own arrangements as the granaries are left unguarded.)
