Absolution 4: Tabula Rasa

To the The City of Peace
From Aureas Orangesmith, the Archiver
cc: On whether or not you and the Zulappi can or cannot abide the prosecution of your fellow stone-whoreshippers

I would like to note from the archives that in both cases, it was the Stone Whoreshippers, devious Aset-Cultists, who struck first.
Also in the archives, that any who didn't resist were allowed to stay to allow the penance of the Court, and that an equal amount of Stoners and Aktenists were found guilty of treason, sedition, murdur, and worst of all...*gasp* disrupting commerce.
If we look through these archives further, we see that the Stone-Whoreshippers in the Land of teh Sun were so depraved (and stone-like, I supposed) that they are simply disgusting. They have not washed since they converted, or since they were born, and they stink up the streets. Their noxious assault on our noses lead to our counter assault.

Now, be sensible and leave us in peace, as your name suggests, and we will ignore your blatant first strike and continue to tolerate tolerable whoreshippers of your cult. And I have the archives to prove it, should the time come, if you try to blame us for anything.

*spellings is deliberate of his views on this matter.

From: The City of Peace (I presume)
To: Satura

I never believed that your nation had forced any undue persecution on the Stone Worshippers of that land. I cannot confirm or deny whether or not there was any revolt, and honestly it is none of my business.

My problem is that my borders are flooded with refugees, fleeing in terror from wanton persecution in the Land of the Sun. The careful balance of that land, with Zorroist respecting Aktenist respecting Stone Worshipper was completely upended by your own invented religion which united the others to persecute the Ancient and Holy Faith of the Stones.

And so now the men and women of Syrius spend each day tending to wounds and explaining to orphans the nature of their situation. If the Stone Worshippers of the Sun Lands were unclean then it was their own peculiar habits and not one shared in Syrius. We are a hardworking and disciplined people. And from the state of the refugees we receive it is impossible to tell whether or not they would chose to be clean if the rulers of the Land of the Sun permitted them to be.

But we cannot tend to our own affairs when more and more faithful worshipers beg for our help each day. If this situation cannot be resolved diplomatically then we will have only one recourse.

To the City of Peace
From Aureas Orangesmith, the Archiver

If you wish, we can send you money and resources to help integrate the refugees into your nation. Their suffering is simply an unhappy byproduct of the choices they have made, and if further suffering can be avoided, all the better.

We offer 1EP to preserve peace as well as export of Akten's Ale to help stiffen the wounds.

To: Satura
From: City of Peace

We will accept your reparations and calm our soldiers. But you must forgive us if we do not trust your Ale. We import our beers from Zulappi and are quite pleased with their brews.

(And please stop calling at dinnertime, I am not trying to change my wireless service either)

To the City of Peace
From Aureas Orangesmith, the Archiver

You are forgiven. Let peace shine like the Akten upon this earth.

Three Sheets to the Wind

(Scientific Story: Iberios (Sailing))

-

The circular sails did not last long, culminating in a series of experimental galleys designed with multiple circular sails arranged as turbines connecting down into the water where other turbines were supposed to propel the ship quickly through the water.

These ships were impossible to steer, required the wind to run at their back the entire voyage, and generally (thankfully) sank within sight of land since the huge spinning mast was the least stable design imaginable for such a thing.

Square sails, just catch the wind. Now the wise men of Iberios were beginning to change their ways of thinking about the whole endeavor. The sails would no longer move, just catch the wind and carry the ship along.

The failed traditions of Superrafts behind them the Iberions began to poke their heads into the Sea. King Floof II smiled as the first ships took out, "Cradles of the World beware," he would smile, "Iberios shall command your coastlands."

The Marks of the Iberions

(Scientific Story: Iberios (Writing))

And as they read from the book of Stones and worked on their Zulappan many of the Druids of Iberios talked amongst themselves.

"These letters are fine letters," they would say, "But even if our men and women could read them the noises would make no sense, for they are in the language of Zulappi."

And such comments always received the sort of stern, approving nod generally reserved for insular and self congratulatory organizations. But to the Druid in question these nods were elation itself.

And so they began to work the language, but when they tried to write Iberion words as Zulappan the sounds were all wrong, nothing fit properly.

And so a letter was added. Marks were added to the letters to designate different pronounciation.

"We are oh so very clever," the Druids of the Stones said.

And so it came to pass that they took the first steps towards developing a written language.

Sha-mun had grown very old. [Cultural?}

He had grown weak. His limbs would not lift very easily anymore, nor would the spirits of his advisors when he told them of his plans. Perhaps it was the times' changing. Perhaps it was the advisors that NEEDed changing.

"Bah to them all. Give the Spearwielders' what they want. Give the Dead Seans what they want. Damm the Zorro-what'sits, Damm the Satura.


Sha-MUN the Shaman stood tall, and muscular, and lively. He had taken on his predecessor's name in homage; the man had lead a full life, bringing many wonderous technologies and new relationships to the Zulappi.

"Send the people a warning. The warning of a Shaman. Let it read, 'The persecution of the followers of the Stones shall incur the wrath of the newly proclaimed Stone Church, and the Zulappi people on the whole. Let all the world worship whichsoever religion they please, so long as it does not upset the Stone Church, the Immovable, the Ancient, the Oldest, the Strongest. Such is the decree of Sha-MUN the Shaman, Stone-son of Sha-mun the Shaman and founder of the Stone Church.' Send our finest, bravest warriors with this message. Tell the Sun Worshippers that we have never evicted their dirty foul-minded zealouts from our lands; nor should they ours from theirs."

"Additionally, let it be known that the Zulappi to not take kindly to the bastardization of our religion, nor the mocking of worship. Every Saturan tongue waggled with the phrase Stone Whoreshipper caught in Zulappi lands will have their tongue flayed off. Unless they apologize first."

Courthouse: Multiple meanings? [Construction]

"Nay, Shaman. Apparently, in certain vagrant countries, the word Court does not always apply only to women, or their fine establishments."

Sha-MUN sighed apprehensively. Always the ways of the foreigners dogged him. Why could not they leave his realm be?

"What, pray tell, does Court mean elsewhere, Undershaman Vices?"

The muscled man thought a moment, ducking as a stone was lifted by pulley up the side of the walls. This must be put gently.

"In Tatui, a Courthouse is a palace where law is administered to Workers, my Shaman."

Sha-MUN the Shaman watched the Workers go about their business. It was almost 3 Bells past the noon hour. Their prayer and lunch had came and gone, and they were refreshed and happy-eyed.

"So then, it is a Throne Room, where the River's Justice is administered."

"Nominally so, my Shaman. I have had suggested to my (by the Undershamans Raul-aut and Faresse, should any blame need to be pointed; however, should praise be administered, I would very gladly take it.) that we could perhaps move the wise Shaman's throne to this Court House, where indeed a Harem could await behind, the Workers in front to plead their case, and the Shaman in the middle to have the best of both worlds."

The advisor bowed for good measure.

"Make it so, Undershaman Vices. Have the Courthouse (which I had originally intended to be a House of Courting) constructed stocked with the finest Zulappi beers, wickers, women and comfy cushions, and the Shaman's Throne. It shall be the new receptacle of Shamanary Justice."

Life's finer things. [Commercial]

"Babies for trade! Babies for trade! Come getcher fresh, hot babies! We have no concept of Selling and Buying so we TRADE THESE BABIES LIKE THEY HAVE THE RED PLAGUE!! Cheap as they come!"

Disgusting. Man-handled babies? Who woul purchase such things? Virgin babies were all that a respectable connoisseur would consume.

Ordo pushed through the crowd.

"Canaries used to make sure Shinestone Workers don't suffocate in their Community Shinestone Stripping Operations Location! Canaries usually but not always used to make sure Shinestone Workers don't suffocate in their Community Shinestone Stripping Operations Location!"

It sure was a shame those Saturans had ruined the word Mine. That would be so much less of a mouthful.

"Dirt! Freshly blessed Dirt, make an offer, get a deal! Hoowah!!"

That one didn't require comment.

"Getcha Comfortable Linen-covered Sheepfur! Comfortable Linen-covered Sheepfur! Mr. and Mrs. Comfiecushion's Comfortable Linen-covered Sheepfur!"

That sounded comfortable. Hopefully it'll catch on.

OOC: , I'm really a religious tolerance kind of guy. In my IC eyes, you guys attacked first, only to find that It's a trap.

IC:

What are these Zealouts? UNless we know what they are, we can't really tell them to call you Worstrippers instead of Whoreshippers.

Hey,

Kep of Paranaa. (vassal/ construction)

"Have I ever tell you all of the day I was chosen?" The aged Master craftsmen said to his hard working gang. The sun was high and hot and the men had worked well for the day. He motioned them to stop work and rest.

"I have been chosen!" Kep ran through the streets singing and laughing. Here and there he would stop and hug a passerby. "I have been chosen."

"Hold young man." Said the old man as Kep tried to hug him. He grabbed the young man by the elbows and held him still. "By the Heavenly Dragon what is the matter with you."

"Great news my elder friend." Kep stood tall with the biggest smile anyone could have. "I have been chosen to work on the new Grand Temple."

"Well lets see." The old man grabbed Kep's hands turning them palm up. "Good hands. Strong." The old man stepped back looking over the young man. He noticed the well used bronze hammer at his belt. "Is that the hammer you will use?

"Yes it is." Kep's smile faded as he quickly took the worn hammer from his belt. "It has been in my family for generations."

"I can see that." The old man laughed. "These are new times my young friend." He reached into his sleeve to produce a small silk purse. "Here let me gift you with a new hammer."

"I could not let you." Kep said in awe at the wealth the old man held out in his hand. There was gems from Shang, Dragon Empire shells, Korean trade bronze and sticks of Red spice. Kep had never seen such wealth.

"Foolishness." The old man put the contents of his hand back into the purse and pushed it into Kep's hand. "A new hammer is needed for a new temple."

"And do you know how that old man was?" Kep winked at his men who all sat in wonder. "None other then the Heavenly Dragon in disguise!"

They all laughed at Kep's joke.



VlP01

Aureas pushed along with the gang as they lugged the gigantic stone up the hill to build another monument. These days, however the industrious the Zulappi may be, the Saturans always seemed to get MORE done than not.

Although there were no need for cruel overseers or shamans, several of the workers are such devout Zorrkanists that they pay servents for the express purpose of whipping them repeatedly, day by day.

Aureas grunted as one of the zealots slipped, and took over as the overethusiastic Zorrkanist left his body for a brief trip to the realm of ideas. From the corner of he eye he can see the expression on the servants face.

It was a mixture of both happiness (who gets paid to beat someone?) and surprise (who pays people to get beaten)?

With a gasp and a wheeze, the gigantic cornerstone arrived at the top of the hill. Gasping for breath, the men begun joking as they walked back down for another. Aureas stayed silent, listening for the rumors necessary to take action in as disparate a nation as Satura.

"If only we can build those walls out of clay" spoke one whistfully, his breathiness signally that he, too, will soon visit the world of ideas, "We can dry the hard clay in the sun, and use the air-dried soft clay to stick'em together"

The men laughed, and then suddenly a cloud covered the sun in shade.

The man, seemingly overwhelmed by the rare shade and his companion's jest, fainted as the others looked with wonder at the rare omen of a cloud.

Aureas watched with interest. The idea doesn't seem too impossible...

There's only one way to find out.

There's only one person who he trusts to do so.

While the others wonder whether the fallen laborer was inhabited by Akten or Zorro, he wandered away, insearch of Kausta.

OOC: Yeah, I try to stuff my stories with many elements. Don't worry, I will have another Scientific/construction story later.

The above story came out worse than intended, and shall be spoilered. However, I would think that at least several squads would try this strategy as a way to resist getting the pox.

Yeah, you're a bad influence on the rest of us. For shame.

This 24 hour warning goes out to all my eastern starting zone factions.

Hey,

OOC
Heavenly Dragon orders sent.


Blaze Injun

The stars are aligning, this is looking good.

I just have to wait for my Shang star to fall into place.

The Shang star has fallen into place at this point.

I know, I'm doing stats. I want to proofread this one properly.

But in so far as I could probably just post the rest of the update... I mean... I'm still going to get the stats straight first. It should not take long.