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  1. - Top - End - #211
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    Default Lia Naida

    Lia stays with Darya and Sword right up until they are called on to the track, and then she quietly rejoins many of the others in the stands.
    As the race unfolds, Lia smiles and then proceeds to fade in amongst the crowd where she takes the precaution of assessing those around, particularly when the others collect their winnings.

    [Cast Detect thoughts (heightened to 8th): Will save DC29]

    __________

    Quote Originally Posted by Kalirren View Post
    "We have some decent financial resources of our own now," Melinda comments as Dot proceeds with the distribution. "I don't know what Dot's planning to do with hers, but I was serious about leaving my share of the winnings to this project, building a base for our cause. We should devote some effort to considering how we can best invest these winnings. Ten people would be hard pressed to spend thousands of mithril without wasting it like fools."
    Lia's mental voice can be heard very clearly as she responds, "A portion to the shrine and what it is to become is a good idea, but as much as you have won, it is much more than I would conceive to be necessary for such. I would propose another idea for the bulk of any winnings that be dedicated to our cause ... I suggest the money be invested and used in support of the new Faith that the Trinity will engender.", she pauses, "I fear the new faith will need such 'independant' support"

  2. - Top - End - #212
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    BlueWizardGirl

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    Default Re: Lia Naida

    [If you don't mind Dot being included in your last exchange.]

    Quote Originally Posted by Stormwind View Post
    Lia's mental voice can be heard very clearly as she responds, "A portion to the shrine and what it is to become is a good idea, but as much as you have won, it is much more than I would conceive to be necessary for such. I would propose another idea for the bulk of any winnings that be dedicated to our cause ... I suggest the money be invested and used in support of the new Faith that the Trinity will engender.", she pauses, "I fear the new faith will need such 'independant' support"
    Dot chimes in, already mentally sketching out a way to adapt and protect the cottage/shrine.

    "I agree, Lia. If we overload this new shrine with trinkets and baubles, it becomes a target for thieves. A simple protective structure for the cottage, perhaps a small dormitory and food service area nearby where the faithful may stay and learn more about the Prophet's work, a small stables, a gift shop, and money to pay acolytes, a couple of guards, nothing major...a hundred and fifty thousand should cover costs for the first three to four years.

    "Barring other needs, then, I'll look for other opportunities to invest and support the new church...once there's a new church."
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

  3. - Top - End - #213
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Melinda chuckles a bit. "The Carsons still live there, and they asked us to keep it small for the time being. And this backwater town isn't Erandol. I think fifteen thousand could cover costs for a few years. Another fifteen thousand in ten or twenty years, when the Carsons pass away, could build a decent reliquary. And then we'll make an endowment from there once we have an idea of how much pilgrim traffic there might be."

    "Lia, you -might- be able to get my dead body to disagree with you," jokes Melinda. "I think it's become more and more obvious that we need to do some base-building." She widens to the others. "I know this may sound like a distraction from the pursuit of the prophecy, but we're not just here to fulfill a prophecy. We're here to build a church. A growing church with living traditions. And that starts with membership. Szer, Pauline, Leanne, Arcaneous, Elise, Lystara? They're gone, but we have to keep them working for us, spreading the message and recruiting from inside and outside the ranks. How can we go about evangelizing if we can't even hold on to our own core members? We need to expand our core membership, not let it suffer attrition. And we can't put this off forever. In many ways, the farther we go about fullfilling this prophecy without enough core membership to stand behind it, the more we actually deprive the Trinity of its prophecied opportunities.

    "Last night I took the liberty of acquiring us a temporary, more independent venue of operations. Depending on how things go, it might become more permanent. I've volunteered myself into a position as Terry Benedict's artistic director for a new joint venture he's undertaking with the Sabrinite Fellowship. I'm sure he wouldn't mind a few consultants, and I would definitely appreciate an opportunity to collaborate with each of you artistically. There's a lot of talent and taste in this group. We can go far."

    The bardess's tone waxes a bit dreamy. "This might be a stretch, but with enough artistic reputation, the Triune will have its first proper public face, a more unobjectionable public face than a theological one would be. We won't need to pretend to ambassadorship or hide behind canon law to visit places we need to go. People could even invite us to perform for them, pay for us to come and build our faith. And then we can adapt our emerging theology organically to how it can best grow."

    Melinda stops herself and shakes her head. "I'm talking too much again. We should find Darya, and Their Holinesses as well." She bags her winnings and starts making her way towards the awards platform.

  4. - Top - End - #214
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Taleira Ulharvyth

    Taleira, once again, appears suddenly nearby with her own input. And speaking of covering costs, I think it might be wise to put some of the money to work setting up a steady income source or three, both for our own futures and for the independence of the Triune faith. I certainly plan to look into that for myself, regardless, but it's worth mentioning since I'm certain some of you are much better businesswomen than I. As for the home shrine building effort, let me know how much you think will be needed and I'll chip in a share.
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  5. - Top - End - #215
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    While the rest of the party makes their plans and collects their winnings, Darya and Sword are lead to the winner's circle, where Sword is draped with a blanket of white carnations, while a trophy is presented to Darya. Despite the length of the race and the speed he ran at, Sword looks like he barely broke a sweat to do so.
    Lets run that again, that was fun
    There are still a few sour looks from the crew that was backing Sham, but there was nothing they could do, Sword had become an unstoppable force, and trying to run with him had been impossible. After the celebrations and presentations, Darya and Sword are free to leave and rejoin the group.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

  6. - Top - End - #216
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    "Hey hey, mubaraka!" The bardess piles on the victorious Darya in what is quickly becoming a vicious grouphug. "That was amazing! Simply amazing! I'm going to have to introduce you like that from now on," she threatens. "Amazing Grace, Flower of Gallantry. Salilah ad-Din (Righteousness of the Faith), for your faith has won this day!"

    "And you!" She turns to the prizewinning horse, and huffs a few times in his nose. "Sword, you proud, sly creature. I'll bake you some treats when we get home, I'll bet you'd like that, huh?" She lets herself fade out of the center of the action so that Darya can get more completely piled on by the others. "And I'll bring Carson a few bottles of champagne, too. This is his break too. Then we'll figure something out from there."

  7. - Top - End - #217
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    'LAELLE' & 'LUKASZ'

    Laelle shows up. "Well done, Darya, well done indeed. I believe your winnings will be ready for you when you go to pick them up" .... [telepathized ]"but it would be indiscreet to do so here" ... [spoken] "and the Goddesses look favorably on our venture, but today is your day ..... and let us not forget, that of your magnificent steed as well, who surprised us all in more ways than one."

    Lukasz says simply. "This is why I thought it silly to bet .... I had seen it, but betting on horses is about a gamble, not about what is known."

    To the group, through the rubies if they are not present, telepathically: "Ladies, auspicious day indeed. But let us not tarry on shrines that have no patroness yet. There is still more to learn at the Church of Sabrina, about that lightning sword, and with other clues ..."
    Last edited by lostsole31; 2011-12-27 at 01:57 AM.
    28JAN2024: Completed reading TPK Games' The Deductionist (2013, Everhart). This source is authorized for playtest.
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  8. - Top - End - #218
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    "Let's visit Varstok then," suggests Melinda. "I need to go there anyway, so I'd probably end up in the circle with at least one of you, but I think it's about time we all did, and what better timing than now? Telepathically, she adds, "We seem to be blocking on the issue of money. I'm sure Her Holiness with her bounty of connections can present us with plenty of investment options."

  9. - Top - End - #219
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Taleira Ulharvyth

    Tali shrugs. "Varstok is as good a place as any, I suppose."
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  10. - Top - End - #220
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    BlueWizardGirl

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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Dot nods thoughtfully.

    "There would seem to be no better time to do so than after our recent windfall. I'm in."
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

  11. - Top - End - #221
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Lildorrinene (and Lok-too-loo-baz) are ready to go to Varstok ...
    28JAN2024: Completed reading TPK Games' The Deductionist (2013, Everhart). This source is authorized for playtest.
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  12. - Top - End - #222
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    There are other cities with more military power than Varstok, and there are cities with more arcane power than Varstok. There are even cities with more political power than Varstok. But there is not one city in all of Daystor that has more economic power than Varstok. Blessed with a large natural harbour, favourable trading distances to cities of North and South Enicom, freedom from the political machinations of Erandol and Rennador, a warm (Mediterranean) climate and a cosmopolitan populace, Varstok has flourished throughout Daystor history as a place where fortunes can be made through business. Every major Daystor corporation has at least an office there, and the most powerful of them all is Amazon Enterprises, headed by Natasha Sanitar and her business (?) associate, Zanthia Bindar. But, they are by no means the only players in Varstok, there is something for everyone in this city, and it said that if you cant find it to buy in Varstok, then its just not available in the world. Nor does it matter when you want to buy it either, because Varstok as well is a city that never sleeps.

    In other worlds and other realities, religion and commerce do not mix, but in Daystor, the deities of the world are interwoven into the economic tapestry, and so, the churches in Varstok are some of the grandest in the land. The most prominent and grand is, of course, the one of Alatia Domar, the goddess of wealth, for this is her city; and they are also the most numerous in the city. But as you approach the high temple and festhall of Sabrina, you can see that no expense was spared in this construct. Melinda and Dot, as those who have visited almost all of the temples of Sabrina in Daystor, can see the difference here, the hand of the goddess on this, her masterpiece shrine. Everything is just a little bit brighter, every metal and polished item gleams just a little bit more, there isnt a speck of dust to be found, the women that much more beautiful and seductive, the activity just that much more intense. Whether it is the music hall, the gambling parlour, the restaurant or any of the other vices available here, they are just that much better. The temple itself is made of the finest and most expensive materials money can buy, and infused with the spirit of Sabrina herself. For Melinda especially, the feeling is intense, like the Cup competition itself, Sabrina knows everything that transpires here.

    For the party, the reaction to their arrival mirrors the reaction that they have seen in the temple of Nocticula and Tishtina. All the priestesses know who they are, and what they will be doing to the religion; and just like both the others, they are excited about the prospect. People on the outside of the Triune who know about the prophecy would say that the religion of Sabrina is the weakest of the three, the one who has the least chance of coming out on top; but does have the chance of being queen-maker in the balance of power...but you would never know it from the reaction to the group’s arrival. Like the others, the priestesses and followers of Sabrina are no less eager to move the prophecy along, and see what the new world will bring. The group hears many well-wishers and words of encouragement as they walk along, and finally, they are in the presence of Zanthia.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

  13. - Top - End - #223
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    As they pop into Varstok, walking past the towering Amazon Enterprises, a predominantly human party comes strolling out. The women of the Triune-To-Be are used to being gawked at - each one a beauty, but no beauty contest in the world can compare with this cross section - so they ignore them.

    A rakish woman tries to give them no notice, beautiful but nearly as compared to the group. A particularly slovenly man - early 30s but so rough in life he looks like he's 40, with stringy, graying hair and balding pate and rheumy eyes, wearing a breastplate that is so dirty and unkempt that you'd never know it was mithral were it not for the ease with which he wears it. He stops as if he's been caught in a spell and stares at the group and just starts shuffling forward. A human woman, some type of spellcaster smacks her head in frustration, and a dashing half-elven man - some type of rake or politician or both says, "Ale, we have a ship to catch ... a different type of she, though our tastes must converge on this point, my friend."

    "Sombitch, you ever seen anthin' so purdy, Ebby?" says the professional drunk in a faint slur while still trance-like walking to the convocation of Beauty Incarnates.

    The half-elf whispers intently, "Ale, we have a ship to catch for the next you-know-what before you-know-who can get it before us. William?"

    A big man with an axe tries to hold back the man, but the drunk has mongoloid-strength and keeps moving. The half-elf, seeing that his friend is now within 15' of the women - and likely embarrassment, for his keen can tell that they are well beyond the group's own capacities - looks at another man, "Samuel, a little help? Now!"

    The last one, a robed man, casts a little spell and says, "Alewalker, I overheard a rumor that the captain on the ship is loading up Rennador 151 in some hand casks for after we complete our voyage successfully."

    The thin-pated reprobated stops cold, all visual connection to the women lost as he he dreamily says, "After? After? You never know if there'll be an after, but there's always a present!" And with that, he shows surprising (and erratic agility) in weaving in and out of the crowds while heading towards the docks.

    The group starts to walk towards the docks away from the Melinda & Co. The axe-man futilely calls, "Dammit, Alewalker, don't drown yourself before we get to our mission!"

    The half-elf mutters, "No doubt there, my ursine friend. There's a reason we're taking a ship ... to stay dry in the first place. C'mon. When he finds out there isn't any of that Rennadorian firewater, he's going to dismantle the ship plank-by-plank."

    And with that, they are gone. No doubt, much of this really went unnoticed by the Ladies of the Three, for this happens all the time. And this impact on the surrounding peoples is exactly why each member of the Trinity is a goddess of Chaos.
    28JAN2024: Completed reading TPK Games' The Deductionist (2013, Everhart). This source is authorized for playtest.
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  14. - Top - End - #224
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Melinda, as usual, is not looking forward to teleportation nausea. As the space-warping spell takes root in her flesh, several folds of skin twitch between her nose and eyes and betray a wrenching wince of anticipation.

    Yet upon the Fellowship's arrival, the bardess takes but one sniff of familiar, seaside air, and at once her presence is filled with loveliness. "Varstok," she says. She opens her eyes and inhales through her mouth as well. "We're here." Home.

    Melinda's eyes dart left and right. "I'll show you around all my favorite nooks once I have leave to," she promises the whole group, grabbing Tali's hand especially snugly. "Alas, I'm not the one whose privilege it is to play hostess here." A strange twinge of emotion there... was it envy? ...ambition? ...hope? Defintely not nothing. The question was if that emotion had been innocuous, which, strange as it might sound, it could yet have been. For when the bardess turns and practically skips down the narrow, cobblestone alley in which they had arrived, it is with the youthful, giddy step of an obedient daughter having returned from market with all the right vegetables at a good price.

    **

    "Your Holiness," Melinda begins, with a curtesy. "This day has been most blessed for our fellowship. I hope Our Lady has found your person equally well." She advances delicately to kiss Zanthia's ring. "I'm so glad we've finally come. We've managed to run ourselves out of obvious leads from the Prophet's life, but there are so many more strands of prophecy that remain unwoven into the tapestry of our understanding. Just before we had gone to Belmont Park we were ready to implement a rather extensive research agenda. Now we also have to decide how to manage our finances," Melinda frames the obvious. "For a time I felt our call here was overdue, but now I think we've come just in time."

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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    LILDORRINENE & LOK-TOO-LOO-BAZ

    Lildorriene, out of respect to Zanthia, will revert to natural form (and mentally commands the same of Lok-too-loo-baz, who is behind his mistress). She gives what ever cordiality diplomacy deems best in this situation from someone of her station. Since he is a servant, she does not initiate any introduction of Lok', though his particular presence may be of some curiosity to Zanthia. Other than that, she does not usurp Melinda's speaking to her high priestess.
    Last edited by lostsole31; 2012-01-02 at 03:26 AM.
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  16. - Top - End - #226
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Dot has been even quieter and more withdrawn than usual as the group moves through Varstok. She is reassured by the tidy and gleaming state of affairs, but there was also the disquieting sense of a good many unhatched chickens being counted. She had thrived in the past by working from the shadows, engaging a very specific clientele. Now it would appear that she was a public figure, and might be relegated to being such for some time.

    Melinda, as she had so often done in the past, spoke fairly and reasonably on behalf of all of them, and Dot was content to stay in the background.
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

  17. - Top - End - #227
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Zanthia welcomes you all to the high temple, and with a wave of her hand, attendant priestesses come forward with any and all forms of refreshments and edibiles.

    That was a most surprising race, was it not? I had looked in on Sword a few times before the race, and what I saw certainly didnt fill me with hope. Things certainly changed quickly though, my mother has always been full of those sorts of surprises.
    So I assume with the odds that Sword was carrying, you are all now flush with gold, and are looking for the best way to put that money to work in advancing the cause of the trinity? And getting an in with the casinos was a brilliant stroke as well Melinda, my compliments.
    Getting a start on a shrine at the birthplace of the prophet might be a good place to start and there are many other ways to make revenue. If you dont mind breaking a few laws, there are even more.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Quote Originally Posted by MikelaC1 View Post
    Zanthia ... If you dont mind breaking a few laws, there are even more.
    At that, Lildorrinene perks up.
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Taleira Ulharvyth
    Quote Originally Posted by Kalirren View Post
    Melinda's eyes dart left and right. "I'll show you around all my favorite nooks once I have leave to," she promises the whole group, grabbing Tali's hand especially snugly.
    Taleira smiles and squeezes back encouragingly. "I'd like that."

    **

    Taleira arches an eyebrow at Zanthia's suggestion. "I've a guess, but which laws did you have in mind?"
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  20. - Top - End - #230
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    "Regarding the shrine, I promised the Rogans some time to think about it all," Melinda answers. "They seemed pretty secure in their intention to go through with it when we left, so I'm not worried. I expect some of us will be returning there sometime before the week is up to close the deal. And then we can start selling little Sword figurines to all of Belmont's children and teaching them about the Trinity, I imagine. It'll make us a pittance but it will be good work and get us some recognition.

    "The Rogans also asked for a priestess or three to take up residence and help them with the transition, and I would do it myself, but now I have commitments in Kroy, which I would incidentally beg some more of Your Holiness' time to talk about sometime soon. We need Elise to visit there, her divinations on that site will be powerful. But she's not available over the long term, since she has Erandol to run. Leanne, maybe?"
    Melinda shrugs. "Lia, you arranged for the shrine's first guardian. Do you have an opinion?"

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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Leanne is unfortunately, occupied elsewhere. I could ask Elise to do some divinations on the site, Im sure that since she played such an important role in getting things started, she would want to look in on things from time to time.
    But she cant be the regular person there....however I do have one or two candidates in mind. To be fair, only one representative should start from each faith, I'll talk to Casandra and Dalcar to see who they want to send.
    So with that out of the way, whats next on your list?

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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Walking through Varstok, Tallesin draws in deeply the familiar sights, smells and sounds, enjoying them as a connoisseur might a fine wine. Though not his birthplace, Varstok still is Mr. Eliado's home of sorts, as it was where Zanthia first examined him for higher service and where he truly felt affirmed in his new faith for the first time. It was good to be back.

    After giving the proper formal greetings, Tallesin engages in the conversation, having recovered from the shock of the races. "If you do not mind my input, I say reexamining the scroll would be an easy next step, if a bit obvious. As for the shrine and money, turning them towards the unified faith is a masterful step. Yet...," He pauses to think of a tactful way to state his thoughts, "it will be difficult to draw people behind this new banner without something to engage their emotions and minds. My ladies know well the Goddesses' ability to stir hearts, but perhaps we should add something for their thoughts as well, to give real content to our converts. To teach children about the Trinity, we must be able to say something definite and unique about the Trinity. Might it be feasible for each faith to donate some scholars to debate the specifics of a revised theology? The power of strong philosophy never hurts, even for romantics like us. Short term, this step is less critical, but we must not lose our long term investments to the tyranny of the urgent. 'Tis just a thought that passed me by, you see, but it merits consideration, I wager. "

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    OOC: Should I/Tallesin know who Elise and Leanne are? I realize I came to this party late, but, having skimmed the IC and OOC threads before joining back in October, those names still don't ring any bells for me. Or am I supposed to be ignorant here? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  23. - Top - End - #233
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

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    I'm afraid I'm drawing a blank on those names as well. Soldiering on!


    Clyde sets Dot down on the ground, and she steps forward to join in the conversation.

    'I believe that that's an excellent suggestion, Ason. In order to be planning for success, so to speak, the Churches would do well to have a unified liturgy and profession of faith prepared. Zanthia, if it's not too impertinent, I'd suggest that the three churches may wish to gather their scholars for this very purpose.'

    She pauses, considering.

    'And it certainly never hurts to consult the scroll. Now that another bit of the prophesy seems to have fallen into place, perhaps more has been revealed. But I would also like a few hours here to examine other holy texts, in case it gives us further leads to follow up.'
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

  24. - Top - End - #234
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    With another line (Sword) fulfilled, the scroll has now chosen to reveal another line in the prophecy.

    Two must be freed, one to live and one to die.

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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    LILDORRINENE

    "Let's see," says Lildorrinene. That gives us the following:
    Find them all
    Divide the Haul
    The woman, who is not a woman, must be found and convinced to join us
    The Sword that has not been broken must be fixed, and convinced to join us.
    The diamond necklaces must be ours.
    The lightning sword likes us, the fire must too
    The home must be visited, and the shrine built.
    Two must be freed, one to live and one to die.
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  26. - Top - End - #236
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    "That's a very interesting revelation," comments Melinda. "As an evangelist I have to agree with Tallesin anyway, it can only help our faith to spread if we can agree on a single affirmative dogma that those we teach can teach to others. But on a more general note, I feel the prophecy is guiding us towards the decision we have needed to make about what we of three faiths want to stand for together, and what compromises we are willing to make to achieve this unity. We have before us to convince the woman who is not a woman to join us, to make the fire like us and keep the lightning sword happy with us. We have to dedicate and build a shrine upon the prophet's place of birth.

    "And now this new line even contains the possibility of a choice,"
    the bardess observes. "It may even fall to us to determine which of the two will live, and which will die, in which case we cannot afford to choose poorly. And we won't know what choosing poorly looks like unless we know what we together believe. So I think we ought to organize a major doctrinal debate before we attempt to directly pursue prophecy further."

  27. - Top - End - #237
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Dot tilts her head, not quite understanding. She coughs a bit nervously.

    "You, ah, do understand, Melinda, that matters of doctrine and liturgy have often taken months - sometimes years to reach consensus? And that was with faiths that were starting with ONE goddess. While I have the utmost respect for your powers of reasoning and persuasion, it may be beyond our capabilities in this short time to reach such conclusions - let alone, to be able to put it into such a form as to be acceptable to the priesthood. Which, no offense meant to Zalcar and her esteemed profession, has its own predilections and interests to safeguard."

    She shrugs her narrow shoulders and gives a lopsided smile.

    "Still, if you insist...I would be happy to begin work on our basic research in the church's library, and to peruse your first draft as a jumping off point for discussion."
    Last edited by Toliudar; 2012-01-06 at 03:43 PM.
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

  28. - Top - End - #238
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    "I'm not expecting a liturgy after our first debate," insists Melinda. "Much less a holy book. Just agreement upon a few seemingly self-evident ideas that each faith doesn't mind members of each other faith sharing with the lay under a Triune banner. Something that will give each of us a pitch to make, if we were to each happen upon an old friend from outside the Fellowship on the street. Something that a simple person can listen to and decide on the spot whether they believe in it or not, without having to know anything about the history of any of our three faiths or fellowships. Bonus if we can stake out some ideological, intellectual territory that no other faith has articulated."

    She looks around to the others, then shrugs. "I guess you don't really need a debate for that. We could probably settle that on the patio of the café around the corner and call it a night when we're done. By the way, speaking as someone who comes from where coffee comes from, that café is very good."

  29. - Top - End - #239
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    LILDORRINENE & LOK-TOO-LOO-BAZ

    Lildorrinene digests Melinda and Dot's conversation. "All fair points, and all worthy pursuits. But let's not mingle the 'mission' and the 'goal.' Our 'mission' - a current enterprise - is the interpretation and following and fulfilling of the Prophecy. We have been doing this, and each success brings us closer to our 'goal' ... the endpoint (or beginning) of the legitimate establishment - not our forcing the point prematurely - of the Faith of The Goddess.

    "This, of course, does not mean that other efforts should be dissuaded. However, any attempt to reach the goal before the mission, before our helping to fulfill the Prophecy itself, may well doom one, two, or all three faiths - and in turn, our entire pawnage in events that well exceed our ken and our power.

    "We live in a world wherein the gods have power. Belief is tangible in the channeling of a deity's powers through its Prime-al intermediaries. We cannot exhort a Power that has no ability to grant power ... as in faith-based gifts and spells. If we do, than we are nothing more than espousing an interesting philosophy. When the people need healing, or desire love, or blessings of fertility, or vengeance on an adulterous mate ... without an extant, manifestable power from a priest or like-blessed person, any congregation you build will be soured. Should we succeed after this abortive attempt at creating a faith base, then that Law of Primacy - the first impression people have of the Goddess - will be very negative and only make building that faith in others much harder."


    Lok-too-loo-baz, receiving mental permission from his mistress, adds, "As an outsider, I have had access to and have studied books of other worlds where for a variety of reasons the prevalence of divine power is almost nonexistent, or maybe pervasive but undetectable by mortal means. In such a world, mortal religion is a superstitituous, ritualistic concept based on the laughable concepts of Faith and Belief that mean something far different to us. They interpret success or failure arbitrarily, based on their cultic beliefs - that the god helped or harmed their success or failure, of that of their enemies.

    "On such worlds, the strength of competing religions are, in fact, based on philosophical debate, liturgical concepts and general portfolios. But the end determination of a religion's strength is based on purely mortal concerns - who best capture's a society's desires, who is supported by a powerful military, who makes great intellectual and philosophical debate, etc. On most worlds, such as ours, this is partially so. The above help, but with the gods having real power, that has to be an equation in sharing that power on the Prime or the entire faith will be seen as ... and in point of fact will actually be ... powerless and fraudulent. Just a bunch of wackos trying to convert people through secular social, intellectual, or militant means with no visible blessing."


    Now seeing as the majority of the members of the party are intelligent and/ or observant, it should not be lost on them that the reasonable argument given by Lok-too-loo-baz is spoken by the very one who came to the service of his mistress by espousing to serve the One Goddess, wears a stylized holy symbol, and claims to be a 'prophet.' His argument is lucid, and yet it seems to be ironic concerning the speaker himself.
    Last edited by lostsole31; 2012-01-05 at 10:25 PM.
    28JAN2024: Completed reading TPK Games' The Deductionist (2013, Everhart). This source is authorized for playtest.
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  30. - Top - End - #240
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    Default Re: Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

    Dot pauses, trying to understand Lil's point. She gestures for Clyde to come and pick her up again. Her voice takes on an analytical tone.

    "Well, yes, I think I grasp what you're saying. If the god doesn't like your philosophy, the god will not buy in, so to speak.

    "The difference in this case, as Melinda has articulated, is that there is not currently an extant goddess from whom to divine the details of this faith. In fact, if I'm understanding her point correctly, there is some suggestion that the manner in which we pursue this reunification will in and of itself help to shape the foundations of the faith. A responsibility that, if true, would make our already weighty responsibilities absolutely monumental in their impact.

    "If what you're looking for, Melinda, is a simple and direct expression of faith, I may be of less to you. My beliefs have changed as I have stumbled forward. My faith may not have been the bedrock that you have found. Further, while you and others here -"


    She glances around at the talented group.

    "- have demonstrated gifts for rhetoric, I am a simple businesswoman. Form your phrases, and I will find a way to use them."
    Last edited by Toliudar; 2012-01-06 at 03:44 PM.
    "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut

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