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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Reminds me of a rideshare passenger I picked up one night, he was more than a little drunk and kept me on asking me if I want to smoke a bong with him every third sentence. I am not exaggerating, and this really did happen.
Most Paul's are drunk on the Orange Light, so that is a rather apt comparasion when you stop to think about it.
 
The crowd on the other hand are keeping back a little, just in case.
She then lays them on the counter next to the lidded jug.
Thank you, corrected.
And such things were more a display of 'see how rich and powerful I am that I can have so many wives!' than any kind of romance.
Actually, it was more 'most of my sons are going to die in wars, better have plenty of spares by upping my production capacity'.
 
Being so far from the polar gates, Arabian magicians making use of bound elementals are a common enough sight, but they don't usually glow orange and they certainly don't have my complexion.
'Arabyan'?
Old World currencies haven't undergone decimalisation, and the Empire has a weird conversion of 12 pennies to 1 shilling, and then 20 shillings to 1 crown.
Haha, yes, uh, that's very weird. No modern nation would use such a system, I'm sure!
"Where I in his place, I would be more concerned for the feelings of my betrothed."
'Were'
"I think it might be best if we spend the day going through all of you plans, so that I can properly…
'your plans'
 
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"We're planning to restore them to life, but no. Not ceremonial."
What, no ceremony, wedding guests or party? Teclis will be disappointed if he's not getting an invite to what's sure to be the most fascinating macabre spectacle of the season, the marriage of convenience between "The Ring Bearer" and a Queen of Nehekhara.

And Ptra only knows what the other Tomb Kings will think of this arrangement, particularly Settra..... and what they'll do if THEY aren't invited.
 
'Arabyan'?
'Were'
'your plans'
Thank you, corrected.
What, no ceremony, wedding guests or party? Teclis will be disappointed if he's not getting an invite to what's sure to be the most fascinating macabre spectacle of the season, the marriage of convenience between "The Ring Bearer" and a Queen of Nehekhara.
No, 'ceremonial' in this situation means 'only exists in the technical sense', not 'it was a registry office do'.
 
What, no ceremony, wedding guests or party? Teclis will be disappointed if he's not getting an invite to what's sure to be the most fascinating macabre spectacle of the season, the marriage of convenience between "The Ring Bearer" and a Queen of Nehekhara.

And Ptra only knows what the other Tomb Kings will think of this arrangement, particularly Settra..... and what they'll do if THEY aren't invited.

Not "just" ceremonial.
The "just" is implied, meaning there was a ceremony, but she didn't expect that it goes further than that.


 
No, 'ceremonial' in this situation means 'only exists in the technical sense', not 'it was a registry office do'.
Ah, my mistake.

Fingers crossed we will get to see a Nehekharan Royal Wedding ceremony and the reception afterwards though.
"The Tomb Kings? Ah, not yet, but we're working on giving them a sense of taste. At the moment, the best we can do is have someone else drink for them and transfer the sensation over to them with magic."

"Is this for them?"

"No, we've been limiting them to relatively tasteless food. Crackers, ship's biscuits, things like that. It's been such a long time that anything with actual flavour might… Have regrettable results. But so soon as we know it's safe, I'll bring a few guests here."
Huh, so when did Paol become acquainted with the other Tomb Kings, given how antisocial they can be towards living non-Nehekharans? Did Settra's desire for physical sensation outweigh his indignity over Paol's unintentional snub by going to Queen Khalida first with his services, rather than the "King of Kings?"
 
Huh, so when did Paol become acquainted with the other Tomb Kings, given how antisocial they can be towards living non-Nehekharans? Did Settra's desire for physical sensation outweigh his indignity over Paol's unintentional snub by going to Queen Khalida first with his services, rather than the "King of Kings?"
He is well under Settra's radar.

Tomb Kings refers both to the kings themselves and the faction. The only 'king' in Lybaras in Queen Khalida, but there are quite a few princes, princesses and priests.
 
Tomb Kings refers both to the kings themselves and the faction. The only 'king' in Lybaras in Queen Khalida, but there are quite a few princes, princesses and priests.
Thanks for clearing that up!

In regards to "The Tasters", exactly how did Khalida's court manage to acquire so many, (hopefully), willing and living individuals to perform so novel a service for the undead nobility of Lybaras, being their "sensory providers?"

I get the feeling they'd be akin to pampered pets that their "owners" would constantly fuss over at best, to servants who have to fight other servants on behalf of their masters, as those who command them can only suffer any actual pain through them.
 
In regards to "The Tasters", exactly how did Khalida's court manage to acquire so many, (hopefully), willing and living individuals to perform so novel a service for the undead nobility of Lybaras, being their "sensory providers?"
Money.

The Desert Dogs were sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop, but 'we'll pay you to eat food' wasn't a problem.
I get the feeling they'd be akin to pampered pets that their "owners" would constantly fuss over at best, to servants who have to fight other servants on behalf of their masters, as those who command them can only suffer any actual pain through them.
It might get to that point, but there are almost no living people in Nehekhara so serve in that capacity.
 
Money.

The Desert Dogs were sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop, but 'we'll pay you to eat food' wasn't a problem.
Desert Dogs? As in Al Muktar's Desert Dogs? Considering their fame as mercenaries and bandits, as well as how much of an adrenaline junkie/glory-hound their leader is, being sensory providers to undead nobility sounds like somewhat of a step-down for that band of warriors.... then again, only the bravest of souls could have the mental fortitude to consume the blandest food known to man while a member of high-ranked living dead sits beside each warrior and watches them eat, shuddering in joy, making sounds of rapture, giving orders as to HOW the mercenaries should eat and drink the meal before them.
It might get to that point, but there are almost no living people in Nehekhara so serve in that capacity.
The initial comical misunderstandings of the living, to Nehekhara seeking living citizens to inhabit their lands are going to be EPIC aren't they?

"Why are you running away?! We just want you for eating! Yes! For eating! We'll pay handsomely for it!"
 
The initial comical misunderstandings of the living, to Nehekhara seeking living citizens to inhabit their lands are going to be EPIC aren't they?

"Why are you running away?! We just want you for eating! Yes! For eating! We'll pay handsomely for it!"
Probably wouldn't work. Nagash's spell killed everything, from the human population through the plants to the soil microbes. Nothing lives there and nothing can live because the prerequisites of life aren't there. Except water, which is unusually clean due to the lack of algae and humans.
 
Probably wouldn't work. Nagash's spell killed everything, from the human population through the plants to the soil microbes. Nothing lives there and nothing can live because the prerequisites of life aren't there. Except water, which is unusually clean due to the lack of algae and humans.
Goodness, Paol has his work cut out for him, even with a power ring to help lighten the load, doesn't he? I imagine that he could definitely lay the foundations for recovery though, at least enough of them for Jade Wizards and Archmages, (Anurion The Green being one example if he's still alive) to work with.....

But how is the water in Nehekhara clean? Didn't Nagash pollute the River Vitae with Warpstone and sorcery? Or did he somehow miss any pockets of groundwater scattered across the land?
 
Wait Time (part 16)
17th February 2013
14:50 GMT


"I do indeed come from the most perfect city of dreams, sir." The merchant smiles in a punter-friendly manner, though it's not completely disingenuous. Dream-Baghdad's people do genuinely love their city and respect their Caliph. "Have you visited before?"

"Yes. Once the present difficulty in the material world is dealt with, I will be returning to the court of the most wise Caliph as he directed, to tell him of my journey through a dream storm."

"Through a storm? That is a thing that all men know is impossible."

"It was certainly difficult. Would it be possible for you to relay a message to the palace for me? I wish to apologise for the delay, but as I said, the matters of the material world have required a great deal of my attention."

"I would like to boast of my close friendship with the greatest of kings, but the truth is that I am a simple merchant. I have no way of gaining entrance to the palace. The guards would simply turn me away."

I pull a small quantity of sand up from the ground and melt it into glass, including a structural irregularity in the shape of an orange sigil in the centre.

"Please, show that to the guards. If they don't let you in, you can keep it as a memento."

His smile fades a little as I threaten to draw him into a situation far above his preferred risk threshold. But after a moment he starts to picture the potential advantages.

"And you want nothing else?"

"I want many things. Everything, really. But today I only seek two things: a message sent to the Caliph and news of an abducted elf."

"Ah. Well. I am sorry sir, but I have never had cause to have dealings with an elf."

"In order to skip a potential waste of time, I am obviously happy to pay for accurate information. There is no need to talk around the subject."

"And I would be happy to take your money sir, but few elves make the journey here and none at all come to my stall."

"Would you be interested in establishing a trading relationship with them?

"No, but if you have a contact then I have a contact."

I nod as best my serpentine head can manage. "I will seek you out in Dream Baghdad once my business here is concluded."

"I will see you there. Good day to you, sir."

I turn away, leaving the glass cube in his care. The market here is nothing like as large or chaotic as the one in Baghdad, and my avarice sense quickly demonstrates why. This place serves as more of a through-road than a place for casual purchases. With no real resident population people trade with their contacts in private sales. If you want something then you arrange a purchase in advance. The stalls are mostly displaying examples of wares, acting as a lure for people who want something else. There are things here that I'm sure even the better educated Atlantean magicians would like to be able to purchase, so I'll be sure to put Queen Mera in contact once this is over.

"...anything older."

Kon is conversing with someone who looks like a relatively normal man aside from the hole in his chest over where his heart should be.

"'Older'? My friend, Martian materials are uncommon enough here, and you want something older than this?"

He holds up… It looks a little like M'gann's kuru pendant, though the design is more simple.

"You won't find that anywhere. Search all of the realms you want."

"I will! Thank you."

Kon steps away from the stall and heads towards me. He shrugs as we make eye contact. "I was hoping I could get something from before the Guardians did… Y'know."

"Honestly, I'm not sure that would be a good idea. While I don't approve of everything the Guardians did, excising those memories allowed Martian civilisation to exist."

"Right, but…" We turn and walk up the main boulevard towards Bast's… Temple? Palace? Cernunnos felt that giving her a little warning might be for the best. "There could be all kinds of things about what martians can do that they don't know anymore." He raises his left eyebrow. "And since when do you want to lose information? Or give up a way to make M'gann more powerful?"

"Since there's no real way to test whether or not experiencing a Burning Martian's dream will turn a modern martian into one."

He frowns thoughtfully, then shakes his head. "I don't see how that could happen. The only minds they had to communicate with back then were other Burning Martians. Modern martians know what it's like to not be monsters."

"I suspect that you're right but I don't know that you're right. And without a way to test it…"

"If that did happen, could we undo it? I mean, the Guardians did it in the first place."

"There aren't enough Guardians left for them to be willing to send someone to oversee an experiment like that. As for a Lantern… Maybe? I wouldn't want to take the chance on one of the local ones, myself included."

He nods, clearly dissatisfied, as we reach the end of the thoroughfare and begin walking up the steps to the entryway. The walls around us are covered with Kahndaqi hieroglyphic depictions of both Bast and mortal cats-. No, wait. That one is Sekhmet. I load a copy of everything I see onto my ring's database. I'm sure that if I knew more about their theology that the story on display here -accurate or otherwise- would be quite informative, but given the huge span of time Bast was worshipped for I don't know which particular form of the mythology it is referring to.

"Do we really need to talk to Bast about our mission? I don't think she can really help us."

"This is her realm, and we know they came here. Even if she can't help with our main objective, there's a good chance she can give us useful information."

"Anything we couldn't get by asking around the market?"

"Maybe. It will be quicker and more honest, though."

"If she decides to help."

"I'm fairly-."

A blur lands in front of me, grabs me with ferocity and bloodlust and leaps back up, pulling me along with-. It? No, her, that's-.

Sekhmet tosses me so that I roll across the brick platform at the front of the palace proper, coming to a halt about half way across as she glares at me, teeth bared.

"Do you think I am a whore, Lantern?"

Unlike the housecat-looking Bast, Sekhmet definitely has a more lion look. Those are big teeth she's showing me.

I opt to stay down.

"No, oh goddess. I have never thought of you as such a thing."

"And yet you saw fit to offer me to the Olympians."

"They are the gods I worship. You may consider the fact that I want you included among their number as a sign of my admiration. I didn't consider Zeus worthy."

She growls, but given that her teeth mostly disappear afterwards I think it was a 'marking territory' growl rather than an 'I'm about to tear your throat out' growl.

"And you were not just trying to make a cat joke?"

 
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"Do you think I am a whore, Lantern?"

Unlike the housecat-looking Bast, Sekhmet definitely has a more lion look. Those are big teeth she's showing me.

I opt to stay down.

"No, oh goddess. I have never thought of you as such a thing."

"And yet you saw fit to offer me to the Olympians."

"They are the gods I worship. You may consider the fact that I want you included among their number as a sign of my admiration. I didn't consider Zeus worthy."

She growls, but given that her teeth mostly disappear afterwards I think it was a 'marking territory' growl rather than an 'I'm about to tear your throat out' growl.

"And you were not just trying to make a cat joke?"

That was even better that I'd hoped it would go. I can't wait to see how Paul is going to get out of this one.
 
Yes. Once the present difficulty in the material world is dealt with, I will be returning to the court of the most wise Caliph as he directed, to tell him of my journey through a dream storm.

There aren't enough Guardians left for them to be willing to send someone to oversee an experiment like that. As for a Lantern… Maybe? I wouldn't want to take the chance on one of the local ones, myself included.

Missing quotation marks, or is that signifying special speech?
 
17th February 2013
14:50 GMT


"I do indeed come from the most perfect city of dreams, sir." The merchant smiles in a punter-friendly manner, though it's not completely disingenuous. Dream-Baghdad's people do genuinely love their city and respect their Caliph. "Have you visited before?"

Yes. Once the present difficulty in the material world is dealt with, I will be returning to the court of the most wise Caliph as he directed, to tell him of my journey through a dream storm.
That could still be a ways off, given the present matters to be dealt with. I have to wonder how much the Caliph is aware of matters in reality, since dreams coming into the city now would be dark and dismal... Assuming they haven't quarantined such visitors.

"Through a storm? That is a thing that all men know is impossible."

It was certainly difficult. Would it be possible for you to relay a message to the palace for me? I wish to apologise for the delay, but as I said, the matters of the material world have required a great deal of my attention.
...It's surprisingly hard to tell whether OL is even speaking sometimes. I wonder if there's a faint whisper of his narration audible to those around him like this. :D

"I would like to boast of my close friendship with the greatest of kings, but the truth is that I am a simple merchant. I have no way of gaining entrance to the palace. The guards would simply turn me away."

I pull a small quantity of sand up from the ground and melt it into glass, including a structural irregularity in the shape of an orange sigil in the centre.
That assumes the caliph has made it known that people bearing that sigil are to be considered honoured visitors.

"Please, show that to the guards. If they don't let you in, you can keep it as a memento."

His smile fades a little as I threaten to draw him into a situation far above his preferred risk threshold. But after a moment he starts to picture the potential advantages.
Eyes on what benefits him, eh? No wonder OL's talking to this fellow. That's a somewhat Avaricious way of thinking, after all.

"And you want nothing else?"

"I want many things. Everything, really. But today I only seek two things; a message sent to the Caliph and news of an abducted elf."
Now, one of those things, he can help you with. The other...

"Ah. Well. I am sorry sir, but I have never had cause to have dealings with a elf."

"In order to skip a potential waste of time, I am obviously happy to pay for accurate information. There is no need to talk around the subject."
Though if your information turns out to be inaccurate, well... That can be paid for as well. By you.

"And I would be happy to take your money sir, but few elves make the journey here and none at all come to my stall."

"Would you be interested in establishing a trading relationship with them?
I'm sure there are many fine things he could deal in with them.

"No, but if you have a contact then I have a contact."

I nod as best my serpentine head can manage. "I will seek you out in Dream Baghdad once my business here is concluded."

"I will see you there. Good day to you, sir."
And I half-picture him sweating up a storm as OL slithers away... It's hard to tell if that was an offer or a threat, after all. :p

I turn away, leaving the glass cube in his care. The market here is nothing like as large or chaotic as the one in Baghdad, and my avarice sense quickly demonstrates why. This place serves as more of a through-road than a place for casual purchases. With no real resident population people trade with their contacts in private sales. If you want something then you arrange a purchase in advance. The stalls are mostly displaying examples of wares, acting as a lure for people who want something else. There are things here that I'm sure even the better educated Atlantean magicians would like to be able to purchase, so I'll be sure to put Queen Mera in contact once this is over.
So, to some degree, it's a tourist trap.

"...anything older."

Kon is conversing with someone who looks like a relatively normal man aside from the hole in his chest over where his heart should b.
Sounds a bit hollow. ;) Let's hope his dealings aren't too cutting.

"'Older'? My friend, Martian materials are uncommon enough here, and you want something older than this?"

He holds up… It looks a little like M'gann's kuru pendant, though the design is more simple.
Ah, he's shopping for a vacation gift for his girlfriend. How sweet.

"You won't find that anywhere. Search all of the realms you want."

"I will! Thank you."
Aw, offer refused. I guess Kon isn't very good at haggling yet.

Kon steps away from the stall and heads towards me. He shrugs as we make eye contact. "I was hoping I could get something from before the Guardians did… Y'know."

"Honestly, I'm not sure that would be a good idea. While I don't approve of everything the Guardians did, excising those memories allowed Martian civilisation to exist."
And OL should remember how well the most famous attempt to crack the psychic blocks, as seen in the comics.

"Right, but…" We turn and walk up the main boulevard towards Bast's… Temple? Palace? Cernunnos felt that giving her a little warning might be for the best. "There could be all kinds of things about what martians can do that they don't know anymore." He raises his left eyebrow. "And since when do you want to lose information? Or give up a way to make M'gann more powerful?"

"Since there's no real way to test whether or not experiencing a Burning Martian's dream will turn a modern martian into one."
And in case you need to be told, Kon: That would be bad. Cataclysmically bad.

He frowns thoughtfully, then shakes his head. "I don't see how that could happen. The only minds they had to communicate with back then were other Burning Martians. Modern martians know what it's like to not be monsters."

"I suspect that you're right but I don't know that you're right. And without a way to test it…"
Worst case, it becomes a contagious cognitohazard. Imagine all of Mars catching fire, literally.

"If that did happen, could we undo it? I mean, the Guardians did it in the first place."

There aren't enough Guardians left for them to be willing to send someone to oversee an experiment like that. As for a Lantern… Maybe? I wouldn't want to take the chance on one of the local ones, myself included.
Especially since they would likely be aligned to Avarice, being creatures of primal desire. To hurt, to kill, to terrify, to mate and birth more...

He nods, clearly dissatisfied, as we reach then end of the thoroughfare and begin walking up the steps to the entryway. The walls around us are covered with Kahndaqi hieroglyphic depictions of both Bast and mortal cats-. No, wait. That one is Sekhmet. I load a copy of everything I see onto my ring's database. I'm sure that if I knew more about their theology that the story on display here -accurate or otherwise- would be quite informative, but given the huge span of time Bast was worshipped for I don't know which particular form of the mythology it is referring to.
Heck, it might excite some archaeologists once this is all over and life is getting back to normal. So many myths and historical knowledge has been lost, something so close to the original as this would be heavenly.

"Do we really need to talk to Bast about our mission? I don't think she can really help us."

"This is her realm, and we know they came here. Even if she can't help with our main objective, there's a good chance she can give us useful information."
And it's worth finding out if she even knew they came through here. It might offend her mortally if they didn't pay their dues to her.

"Anything we couldn't get by asking around the market?"

"Maybe. It will be quicker and more honest, though."
And it's only polite to meet your host when travelling through their territory.

"If she decides to help."

"I'm fairly-."
I mean... Cats can be friendly or unpleasant. I suppose it depends on her mood.

A blur lands in front of me, grabs me with ferocity and bloodlust and leaps back up, pulling me along with-. It? No, her, that's-.

Sekhmet tosses me so that I roll across the brick platform at the front of the palace proper, coming to a halt about half way across as she glares at me, teeth bared.
...Mood not good, then. Anyone got some wine seasoned with blood handy?

"Do you think I am a whore, Lantern?"

Unlike the housecat-looking Bast, Sekhmet definitely has a more lion look. Those are big teeth she's showing me.
Ah... Not happy about the Athena thing, then?

I opt to stay down.

"No, oh goddess. I have never thought of you as such a thing."
Yes, very good idea. Stay limp, play dead and talk very nicely and very quickly.

"And yet you saw fit to offer me to the Olympians."

"They are the gods I worship. You may consider the fact that I want you included among their number as a sign of my admiration. I didn't consider Zeus worthy."
And a little bit of cross-pantheon cooperation is always a good thing, after all.

She growls, but given that her teeth mostly disappear afterwards I think it was a 'marking territory' growl rather than an 'I'm about to tear your throat out' growl.

"And you were not just trying to make a cat joke?"

...Don't answer that, OL, or the teeth may come back out.

Boy, talk about consequences. One idle half-joking suggestion years ago nearly gets you eaten. That would have been an anti-climactic ending to his adventure. ...Kind of reminds me of early Sierra adventures, really. Still, let's hope she doesn't hold any perceived insult against OL now. There's an elf maiden to be rescued and a portal to be opened! ...And now this sounds even more like a D&D quest. :confused:


...but I have never had cause to have dealings with a elf."
...but I have never had cause to have dealings with an elf."
...the hole in his chest over where his heart should b.
...the hole in his chest over where his heart should be.
...as we reach then end of the thoroughfare ...
...as we reach the end of the thoroughfare ...
 
I get Sekmet is a god but Paul is the avatar of a Universal embodiment who is partly manifesting being backed up by a Kryptonian who's the Avatar of a Titan.
She should be weary of picking a fight here.
He doesn't have access to the Ophidian's full power, and gods have tried humbling Paul before, so it's not surprising that Bast would want to punish Paul for a perceived slight.
 
He doesn't have access to the Ophidian's full power, and gods have tried humbling Paul before, so it's not surprising that Bast would want to punish Paul for a perceived slight.
Sure. But the portion he does have plus the Kryptonian channeling Straight Titan power should make her a bit weary.
 

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