Swamped

Well. If that's the way they're going to be, you're just going to bluff and hope they believe it.

"Ah, forgive me, I did not explain! This package has already been blessed, through a special ceremony. No doubt that is why the Master needs it at the temple so quickly."

They look skeptical, but also worried. Probably because what you said was nonsense, but close enough to the nonsense they've been spouting that it's hard to tell the difference. It takes a minute or so for them to settle their mind enough for a response.

"I have not heard of such a ceremony, but then, the Master does not tell us everything right away," they finally conclude. "So I will lead you to the temple. But I will ask a priest to confirm what you have said about the blessing."

"Of course," you say. Now you really hope this blessing thing is as much of a crock as it sounds like. If there's anything they can actually check, you'll be in trouble.

"Ah! Pardon me, however. I have not introduced myself. I am Nuel, and the Master has gracefully bestowed upon me the job of guide. I will gladly show you our fine city." They pause. "What is your name, by the way?"

You briefly consider giving a fake name, before concluding it doesn't really matter. At most you might confuse somebody for a moment or two when they check in with the group that sent you here.

"Ash," you say. You don't see the need to clarify anything else about who you are, though.

Nuel leads you through the streets, very quickly as it turns out. Seems they're eager to take you to the temple, however skeptical they might be of your "blessed package".

Before long, you stop, and Nuel proudly announces that this is the Great Temple.

But there's something odd about it.

It's tied down.

There are ropes at every corner of the temple, tied to stakes in the ground. As though it's some sort of elaborate tent.

What, do they think it's going to get up and walk away? You don't see anything unusual about the base of the temple, either.

Now, this might make some sense if it were a temple of Brume, the sea god. Ropes are under his domain. But that doesn't make much sense with the statue out front, which most certainly doesn't look like any god you've ever seen.

For one thing, the gods don't look nearly that human.

Nuel kneels in front of the statue, and you do the same; no need to cause trouble here. Even if you find the thing really unsettling for some reason.

You half-wonder if Nuel might explain, but if this is the Master everyone's been babbling about and you're posing as a guest, then as far as they know you already met face-to-face.

But instead, they just sit silently, probably praying. Until, several minutes later, someone in an even fancier robe than Nuel's steps out.

"Guide Nuel," says the new arrival. "Thank you for bringing this honored guest here. I will speak with him."

"Of course, Praetor," Nuel says, standing up only to bow. "However, there is a matter I should bring up regarding that satchel he carries."

Nuel points to it. Well. Now you find out how good your bluff is.

"He asked to deliver it himself, rather than acting through a Silent One. He told me it was blessed already?"

The "Praetor" simply laughs.

"Thank you for your concern, Nuel. But this is not a matter for a Guide to resolve."

"I see. Forgive my ignorance. I will wait while you attend to our guest."

The Praetor nods, and turns to you.

"Follow me."

You don't really see what else to do, so you follow the Praetor up the steps. He stops just before entering.

"Before we proceed, is there anything you would like to show me?"

He must be asking for the mark on the back of the note. All you need to do now is show it to him, hand over the package, and this damn job is done.

Thing is, you've got no idea what happens to you after that. Maybe they decide they have no more use for you, and then they lock you up. Or they'll put you to work with the Silent Ones. Or they just kill you, you can't say you've ruled that out just yet.

On the other hand, as far as you can tell, you've got no actual leverage here. So maybe you should just get this over with. What else could you even do?

>say yes, but dont bring out the note unless they specifically ask you to.

When in doubt, stall. Keep a conversation going for a while, and something you can use might just turn up.

"I do have something to show to someone," you say noncommitally. "But the thing is, I arrived here rather suddenly, so I'm not entirely clear on how everything works around here. I need to be sure you're the person I'm supposed to show it to."

You're not sure what sort of reaction you were expecting. Maybe he'd get a little upset at you for your ignorance, maybe he'd give you a lecture. Maybe he'd call the guards on you, not that you see any around here.

Instead he seems... amused?

"Tell me something," he says, and you're not sure what he's getting at. "Have you had any trouble understanding what anyone here says to you?"

"Haven't talked to that many people, but no," you say. "Well, except when somebody mentioned a Kabracam, I've got no idea what that is."

The Praetor chuckles.

"Do you know where you are?"

"I worked out that I'm probably not on my own continent."

He smiles, seeming to approve.

"And yet it does not strike you as odd that the people here speak your language so readily? Before you have even said a word, if you have been following instructions?"

It does, but a lot of things struck you as odd. You hadn't had time to linger on that one.

"I've had a lot on my mind since I got here, but yes, that is strange."

"And why do you think that is?"

Well, you're not naive.

"Probably magic of some kind," you shrug. "I suppose Kabracam can't be translated into anything we have, so the spell didn't bother?"

"A clever deduction. And what did the guide call me, to your ears?"

"Praetor. I'm not sure what it means, but it sounded like a title."

"Another interesting limitation of translation magic. Few know every word in their own tongue, but the spell does not care. Although in this case, it is more of an approximation than an equivalent."

You feel a little lost, and you opt to let it show. The Praetor continues.

"I have studied your Common quite extensively. A praetor is a mid-level magistrate. A civil servant. I believe the term isn't so common now, it was in broader use during the Aedran age."

"I would have guessed it had something to do with praying," you say. Seeming a little dumb can't hurt when you're trying to get him to let something slip.

"A coincidence, most likely. Your Common borrows from several languages. I would guess that the original words came from different sources and happened to sound similar. Regardless, the point I was getting to is that this temple is the center of our city. So I suppose that does make us civil servants, of a sort."

"All right, so why'd you bring that up?"

"I imagine your instructions tell you to contact a priest," he continues. "I was wondering if the translation had been unclear on my role. Nothing more."

That's what he says, but you definitely feel like there was more to it than that. After all, you've had to test people for loyalty without being too obvious about it, and you've got the distinct sense something similar is going on here.

Which is something to go on, at least. What are you going to do about it, though?

>Keep talking about language and translation magic. Maybe try a few words from other languages you know (if you any others) and see how he responds.the more you know about where this is and who these people are, the better.

You think on what he just said - about how Common borrows from several languages. You also start to wonder if what you're saying is being translated to him.

And you know a couple of languages outside of Common and your native tongue. You found it a useful skill to pick up for listening in on people who think you can't understand them, and it didn't hurt your chances at getting ahead in the Bogknights. So maybe it's worth seeing what happens.

"Just so we're perfectly inkraht. Are you ehktra that you're a volos?"

"That is correct. My specific duties are admitting new priests to our temple, and identifying those who can move on to higher levels of the priesthood."

Well. That would fit with all this being some sort of test.

"And how do you understand what I'm saying? Is that a temmat, too?"

That's actually slang. In Kandrian, a wizard is a "temmatri", so informally, temmat is often used to mean "what wizards do". You wonder how he'll react.

"A what?"

Interesting.

"A magic spell. Or do you just know my language that well?"

Unlikely, considering how smoothly he handled the other substitutions. But you don't need to mention you were already testing that.

"If only! But no, I am fluent in your Common, but know little about the languages it is built from. Perhaps once the Master's work is complete, I will have the time to study others."

You don't even need a translation spell to know he's being deliberately vague about what the "Master's work" actually is. You can see it in his face.

But you can also see that he's really interested in language. That should help you in stalling, at the very least. You don't know what you're stalling for, exactly, but there's no telling what he might let slip.

Where should you guide the conversation from here?

This municipal priesthood sounds fascinating. Pump him about duties and what it's like in the priesthood, dropping hints that you are a fellow scholar of language and might be a candidate for service.

Do you expect to have much free time when the Master's work is complete? To what extent is scholarship a duty of your priesthood? What aptitudes or conditions define members' ability to move higher in the order? Can outsiders join your order?

And yeah, might as well pull out the delivery, but keep the symbol concealed until your curiosity about the priesthood is satisfied.

Well, one thing's clear enough. This temple is where the power is around here. And you're no stranger to working your way up the ranks.

At this point, with all your plans involving the Bogknights basically moot, you might as well take what you can get. Even if you aren't entirely sure how things work around here, the basic shape is clear enough. So it seems worth pushing a bit further on this, to see if you've got a hope of getting in.

"You expect to have a lot of free time when the Master's work is complete, then?"

He smiles.

"Well, not immediately. There will be many changes when that happens, after all, and it will take quite a bit of work to see them through. But once that is settled, yes, I expect to have considerably more time. Not to mention resources."

You're not getting a clearer answer than that unless he slips up. So you keep going.

"Do you admit a lot of new priests, then?"

"Not usually, though we have grown greatly in the last year. The Master knows the time is near, and so has stepped up his efforts to bring us priests, in order that we may anoint more Silent Ones."

What's he mean by "the time"? And you're having trouble getting a read on if he really thinks Silent Ones are "blessed" or whatever.

"Bring you priests? So priests aren't raised in this city of yours?"

"Of course not!" he laughs. "Only the Silent Ones may give birth in the holy city, and their offspring share their holy mission. We would not dare reduce them to mere priests."

You still can't tell what he really thinks about the Silent Ones. Not sure why that is. But you have a hunch starting to form from the bits and pieces he's tossing your way.

Maybe the deal with the guests or whatever is that they're brought here as potential priests. If the Praetor here doesn't think they're worthy, they become guards or guides or something else.

Doesn't explain the people in the war room, though. You don't assign strategic planning to someone you can't trust. But if they're trusted, why isn't the war room in the temple? It's supposed to be important, after all.

Anyhow, the main thing you're trying to do is keep the conversation going. You've definitely got some good info already.

"So, did you study languages as part of your duties?"

"Strictly speaking, no. The Master appreciates scholars, and indeed, my passion for languages is why I was chosen. But scholarship is not the focus of our work, though we are encouraged to pursue it nonetheless. And I have been able to help the Master with my knowledge, which is more than enough for me."

"Really?" you say, sounding as interested as possible. "How did you help him, then?"

Now this reaction you can read. He's torn between keeping a secret and bragging about a point of pride. Finally, he seems to settle on a way to split the difference.

"I was able to translate some ancient writings," he says, clearly trying not to be specific. "They turned out to have information which the Master found most useful."

And he's probably not going to give you another shred of detail on that. At least, not until you're "in".

Then again, if you focus your questions on the parts that probably aren't secret, you might be able to come across as an eager student.

"Really! What language were they in, out of curiosity? And do you have any idea how old? Where I'm from, we don't have much that's older than the height of the Aedran Empire."

He looks disappointed.

"I am sorry. I do not think the Master would wish me to divulge those details. Though I must admit, my fellow priests are not that much interested - it seems I am our only linguist."

So you might be able to get somewhere if you play up your knowledge. Seem like an eager student more than someone who picked them up out of convenience.

"But speaking of the Master's will! As pleasant as this conversation is, I believe the Master has something for us. And he would rather we received it promptly."

"Oh, of course," you say, pulling out the package. "This is it..."

"But you have not shown me proof of your identity," he says sternly. "I will have to insist."

Hmm. Are you ready to show that, or do you need to think of another way to stall?

>show him, but dont tell him exactly how you got it. Try to imply you know more about your situation than that you were dumped here with a few sentences of instruction.

You think you've gotten all the info you could hope to, at least if he's going to be this serious about asking. You pull out the note, but make sure you only show him the side with the mark.

"I see," he says solemnly. "I can accept the package now. Please wait here while I bring it to the Vice-Mayor."

With that, he grabs the package. You're so taken aback by hearing "Vice-Mayor" that you can't even respond, and he's gone before you can ask any questions.

It doesn't take you long to realize what happened. It's that oddity of the translation spell again. He's handing it over to the equivalent of a vice mayor - so, presumably, second in the temple hierarchy.

Still unsettling, though. It's been a long time since you heard that title thrown around. Worst supervisor you ever had. She was always asking questions that suggested she had a very good idea of what you were up to, so good you started to think she had someone following you.

Taught you a lot about covering your tracks, at least. She was never actually able to prove anything. But she was also able to convince the mayor you shouldn't be promoted any further.

Well. No point dwelling on the past right now. You've got to think about how best to use your time now that the Praetor's gone.

Give the statue of the Master(?) a thorough examination.

What's it made of? Does the representation carry (or is it accompanied by) any special appurtenances that might hint at the subject's nature?

You decide to take another look at the statue.

This is probably the Master everyone's been talking about. He looks real young, though. Young enough you'd have to double-check his age before letting him join the Bogknights.

Weird. Was it made when he was young, and they were already revering him? Is he still that young? Or is it supposed to be symbolic or something? Maybe just flattering?

He's also carrying a staff and wearing a cloak. After working with Long, you wouldn't say that makes him a wizard, but it certainly means he wants to look like one.

Hmm. And he's holding a book open in his other hand. A classic wizard pose - cliched, even. But then, maybe out here they haven't seen enough wizards to know the cliches.

Actually, it would explain a lot of things if he were a wizard and these people didn't know much about them. Wouldn't take much to convince a crowd you can work miracles - hells, you don't even need real magic for that, it just makes it closer to true. Then you get a statue, a temple, a city of enslaved followers, and maybe even an army. Or at least a group of reliable agents.

On the other hand, there's plenty of folklore suggesting that the real gods get unhappy about that sort of thing fast. Right up to the old story about the last Empress of Aedra declaring herself their peer, and they responded by giving aid to the rebels on a crucial attack.

Perhaps the gods don't care so much as long as it's restricted to one isolated city? You can't see yourself taking that chance, but maybe this Master is more willing to take risks.

Well. That's all just speculation. What you're looking for is real information, and about all you can get out of this statue is that the Master wants to look like a wizard.

Wait. What's that near the statue's feet?

It's a written message, and it seems like it's meant especially for you.

A wallet! Nice, score.

It's a money pouch. Or rather, it looks an awful lot like one. You pick it up to see just what's inside; is this some kind of offering?

Well, there is a fair amount of gold in here. But there's also a message... and it seems to be in... Theletian, of all things? Barely anyone speaks that. You only know it because your hometown was in the middle of nowhere and the Kroskan army missed it when they overran the Theletian kingdom, something like a hundred and fifty years ago.

You have the look of a desperate man. I suppose that makes two of us, if I'm forced to count on you, but let's cut to the chase.

Things are going to turn real bad for us. The gods already sent us a warning, but rather than backing off, he's acting rashly. Trying to claim the prize before the gods can send anything worse.

The rest have faith in him. They've bought into it all. Me, I need to get out before the divine wrath comes in. There's no way he can pull this off by tomorrow night. But I can't possibly leave on my own, and you're the only one who might not buy into his nonsense.

Of course, I don't trust you one inch, so directions are going to be real vague until there's no other choice. For now I just need you to...

What in the hells? You get the distinct feeling this message is for you. But who would even know you speak Theletian?

And you're having trouble making sense of these directions. What are they even asking you to do?

It's like you have to buy something with the money, but it doesn't sound like an above-the-board transaction considering the hoops they want you to jump through. More like a shady deal... Or maybe a religious ritual?

A big part of the problem you're having here is that you haven't used some of these words in a long time, if at all. You only have a child's understanding of Theletian, since you never bothered going back home.

Mostly that's just giving you problems with some of the nouns here. The verbs are clear enough.

Go to unreadable, and leave half the money under the counter. Make sure you aren't seen. Without drawing attention to yourself, wait for the unreadable to take the money. When they return with the unreadable, take it and leave the rest of the money. Again, without being seen. Don't even think of keeping any money for yourself, it will only cause you trouble later.

It sounds like some kind of black market deal, but why involve you at all? And why'd they use a weird word for "money" each time? You only remember it means that at all because you overheard your mothers talking about the old currency one night, something about how some older villagers still used the name for it as a word for money in general.

And that's the word that's used here, multiple times. Even though these clearly aren't coins from the old Theletian kingdom. So why use that word to describe them?

Wait... you're thinking back to that conversation. Didn't they mention that the currency was named after something? That'd probably be an even more obscure word, but for all you know it might make something clearer. If only you can remember what else it means.

Its named after an animal.

Abluni. It's some kind of rodent, some ruler hundreds of years ago was fond enough to put images of them on the most valuable coins.

Well, that didn't clear anything up. That makes even less sense than "money" in this context. The more common term for money when you were a kid was just erbeth.

Maybe they don't have a great grasp on the language? But why even use it, then. Bah, this probably has nothing to do with you, you can't even translate some of these words...

Hang on a minute, maybe you can. You were thinking that graddat here meant some kind of building, but now that your mind's on animals, you clearly remember that means "horse".

And these other words... yeah, they're animals, too. Not common in the village, but you have heard them. Put it together, and...

Go to horse, and leave half the money under the counter. Make sure you aren't seen. Without drawing attention to yourself, wait for the big hairy spider to take the money. When they return with the bear, take it and leave the rest of the money. Again, without being seen. Don't even think of keeping any money for yourself, it will only cause you trouble later.

Well. That's a complete translation, but you're not sure it made anything clearer. What are you supposed to make of that?

Hmm... those could be metaphors, but did the symbols on the signage you saw elsewhere in the city resemble any of these animals?

or any of the statues?

Your first thought is that these are figures of speech you never learned. Maybe in the old days they called a stable a "horse" or something.

But then your mind turns to the odd symbols you've seen around town. The written language you haven't been able to grasp, and the symbols over that circle of buildings. Maybe one of those resembles a horse?

Well. Your guide seems to have vanished, so you might as well go take a look at that on your own. At least you remember how to get back to the circle, so you head that way.

You weren't looking very closely at the symbols before, just making quick glances in case one of them was blatant as the Master's Symbol. Whatever that is.

Actually, now that you're thinking of it, you take another look at the one over the building you were in before. Maybe that's the Master's symbol.

Hmm. Looks a bit like a feather. Might be intended to represent a quill pen, you suppose? It's not exactly a clear representation, just has the general shape.

And now that you're looking again, these symbols do seem to faintly resemble objects. The building where you found the "war room" seems to have a snake on it. Another building has what looks vaguely like a wheel.

After glancing for a while, you do see one that looks like it has a horse symbol. Well, it's probably nothing more than a wild guess, but you can't see what else you can do besides head in.

Where have you found yourself now?

A pub.

You step in and see what looks like a tavern, only it's eerily quiet despite having a considerable crowd. Is this where the Silent Ones go on their breaks?

Well. Somebody's stepping up to the counter, and just holding up their hand. The bartender just as quietly gets to fixing them a drink.

You walk up yourself, and notice a strange icon on the bartender's apron. It looks like it has enough legs to be a spider, though you can't tell how hairy it's supposed to be. Maybe this is the place?

The bartender sees you, and simply bows without a word before walking away. You have no idea what that's supposed to mean.

Well. If this isn't where you're supposed to leave the money, the bartender won't take it and you can probably figure out some way to get it back. So you may as well go with the plan.

Thing is... the note said you shouldn't be seen. And there's a lot of pairs of eyes here. On people who presumably aren't talking, but still, the note made it clear that you're not supposed to be seen.

So how do you distract a whole bar full of people?