Deviation Actions
Literature Text
Author’s Note: In 461BK, during the second year of his reign, King Sulakhan toured the outer reaches of the Saaraiah Desert to offer gifts to his citizens and learn more about his kingdom. This occurred in the town of Basieruz, now a popular tourist destination.
We did not tame magic with our intellect. The natural world perfected its use long before we attempted to define it with our convoluted theories. – King Sulakhan
The Head Man prostrated himself before us. Without waiting for permission to speak he told of the woes which had befallen the village. On every tenth day at noon an Ifrit would appear in the marketplace and demand money, food and drink, or women. If the spirit’s master was not satisfied with the previous offering a citizen would be taken at random, never to be seen again. As tomorrow was the next anticipated day, the Head Man begged our aid in breaking the cycle.
The King’s soft heart of mercy was moved. He drew us aside for counsel.
No probe into the identity of the mage was attempted for fear of counter-spells. I recommended we bypass the area and allow a specialist force to return. I stressed that the battle would be long, and many casualties could be expected. An Ifrit bound to serve a man will destroy anything it is allowed in its frustration to uncover the name of its master and unshackle itself from his whim. Between the mage and the spirit the village may be a loss, but I promised the King I would lead the team myself and prevent this evil from spreading.
The King’s eye shone with that mischief I had come to anticipate. He bade us retire for the night, saying he would not allow the villagers to suffer a day longer. He took a ring from the Head Man, a meal, and some firewood, and set off on his own. He did not permit any of his guard to accompany him.
I waited with sleepless worry, but in the early hours he returned alive and well.
The next day we gathered to watch his plan enacted in the marketplace. I stood as close as he would allow, pouring all my focus into a protective spell with him at the center. Though my craft is unrivaled it weighed heavy on my mind that such measures had no recorded efficacy in use against the Ifrit. My men surrounded us, offensive spells at the ready, equally uncertain. Citizens milled behind us, drawn by curiosity.
The Ifrit materialized from the air, an oily stain of fireless black smoke. Though it had no face, hatred could be read in every billowing tendril. I marveled at the insanity of any mage willing to call up such a spirit. It demanded we present it with all the supplies in our caravan.
The King faced it with the confidence of a battle-tested mage. He spoke the name of a man no one recognized. The Ifrit’s roiling ceased, and then it shot into the sky like a banner waved on a stick. Armed with the name of its master, no force beneath Heaven could prevent it from dragging him into the Depths from which it had come.
Our tension dissolved with something like shock. How does one adjust from believing he is about to die in one instant into a jovial mood the next? The King managed with ease, though I could not say if he had any doubts to begin with. The villagers cheered him and he used the opportunity to offer further gifts. He was the picture of humility, and showed no interest in explaining his accomplishment.
All through dinner the mystery captivated me. I ate little while I waited for any chance to steer the conversation in the direction of an explanation. How had this young man, learned but untried in the practical application of magic, defeated his foe with such seeming ease? Finally, during the late hours and in the heaviness of wine, I teased it out of him.
The King had bought the name of the mage with the meal he took into the wilderness. Sitting at his fire, he sang a greeting song in the language of the Ghuls. I could not hide my skepticism, so he produced a portion of it. The weird meeps and growls, in a pitch which rose to a shrill howl, chilled us. He confessed that as a boy he would sneak out of the palace to feed ghuls and speak with them. I voiced my relief that his father had never discovered this secret, and he laughed heartily along with us.
After the King attracted a ghul with his song he shared his meal with it, and then asked for a favor. He had learned from his boyhood adventures that ghuls possess a sort of inborn magic, which allows them to read the history of objects. With scientific fervor he snuck things from his family’s private rooms and had the ghuls guess their owners and reveal their secrets. The experiment ended when a female ghul scaled the wall and disappeared with his sister’s doll in its mouth. I vividly remember the following day. I had comforted the little princess’s tears by shooting sparks about the room which popped and fizzed.
The King replicated his experiment flawlessly. Since the mage believed the village was his to exploit it was no challenge for a ghul to read his name at a touch of the Head Man’s ring. What a tale, to solve two mysteries separated by so many years!
Game of genres prompt: Paranormal mystery fav.me/dbktcj0Word count- 953
Another exploration of what it would be like to live with an “other” as a neighbor. This forms part of a book one of my characters is writing, and contains the first written mention of a relationship between ghouls and humans.
The Djinn's GenerosityA Folk-Tale Recorded by John Smidley on His Second Visit to Saaraiah, Collected by T. P. Hade of the Nonhuman Cultural Illumination Project
There was once in Ho Shalah a wealthy trader who possessed an energetic and adventurous spirit. As he had several like-minded companions, he devised a scheme by which they could together obtain wealth and amusement. “Friends,” he said to them, “I have over the years heard it told by many reliable sources the location of a djinn imprisoned within a lamp. These beings are honor-bound to offer their liberators a single reward, but a wish for unlimited treasures would ensure us all an equal share. Who will contribute for the expedition?”
The companions agreed this was a brilliant scheme, and the necessary arrangements were soon in order. They traveled to Hoshantii territory and offered a handsome payment to any tribesman who would guide them to a certain remote region which was known to contain many caves. A young man named Saad:origin()/pre15/c480/th/pre/f/2016/040/0/2/anticipating_arrival_by_leonca-d9r6qiq.png)
:origin()/pre06/85bd/th/pre/f/2014/261/2/7/in_the_homelands_by_leonca-d7zmsa1.png)
Yaq Tricks Her MateYaq Tricks Her Mate: A Desert Ghoul Folk-tale as Recorded from Oral Form by T. P. Hade of the Nonhuman Cultural Illumination Project
In this lifetime Yaq was born female. She lived in the land where desert meets grass. It was a bountiful place, with good territories and mates to choose from, but Yaq did not appreciate them. For years she turned her nose up at many clever males until she found what she was searching for.
This young male was hunting at the edge of his parent’s territory. He was gathering supplies so that he could leave them and begin his Matehood Journey. His fangs were handsome and his body well muscled, but what caught Yaq’s eye was his naive expression.
She bounded up to him and rubbed her cheek against his. “It’s you!” she said. “I see you in my dreams, and now those dreams have been answered. You don’t have to prove yourself to me. I know we’ll be perfect together.”
The young male fell back on his haunches and st
The Human's DaughterThe Human’s Daughter: A Desert Ghoul Legend as Recorded from Oral Form by T. P. Hade of the Nonhuman Cultural Illumination Project
Once there was a little female named Zief. She was much loved by her parents, but to her misfortune they were foolish people. They took risks where they were not needed. When she grew old enough to accompany them on hunts, they began teaching her how to steal from the wandering human tribes who passed through their territory.
One night they left her in a thorn bush and told her to watch how they took food or clothing or other items from the human’s tents while they slept. They underestimated the alertness of the human watchman, and were seen as they left with arms full of treasures. The humans shot them full of arrows, and they died before Zief’s eyes.
It so happened that this tribe had made enemies of other tribes, as is common among humans. One of these tribes watched from a distance for a chance to attack, and saw it in the distraction
