Lords of RPG

A tall woman in a black velvet dress entered the great Temple of Alcorn in Bassot-Garmon.  There was an all-encompassing curiosity and intelligence in her large hazel eyes.  She was striking in her beauty.  She walked up the center aisle toward the carved stone altar at center-point of the Temple.  The walls of the Temple were lined with shelves of books.  Hundreds of years of knowledge gathered in one place...for one purpose.  They represented the collective wisdom of humankind.

A middle-aged priest knelt at the altar, a large book spread before him on the stone.  An oil lamp supplied extra light to the large chamber, and made his reading easier.  The priest glanced up as the woman approached, and he stood.  “How may I help you, my Lady?”

The woman smiled at this.  “Greetings, holy one. I find myself in the presence of a representative of the divine. Fascinating. Your faith and beliefs must bring you solace and purpose.  Preserving knowledge and sharing it with others, with no material benefit to yourself.  I find it...well, I find it a curious thing.”

The priest nervously ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face.  His demeanor changed from one of welcoming servitude, to disgust.  “I sense an unnatural aura about you. What brings an aberrant creature like you into this sacred place? Speak your intentions quickly or begone from this holy temple.”

The beautiful woman feigned a polite bow.  “I am but a humble seeker of knowledge, Revered One. The mysteries of existence have drawn me to many places, including this hallowed ground. I am driven by an insatiable hunger for understanding, which has led me to seek encounters with beings such as yourself.  Beings that possess knowledge...but more than that.  Beings that live lives so completely foreign to my understanding of the base nature of your species.”

The priest was sneering now.  “Your hunger for understanding is one thing, but your presence exudes malevolence. I sense darkness and danger within you. Tell me, creature, what do you truly seek here?”

The woman stopped a few feet from the altar, on the opposite side from the priest.  “Fear not, noble priest. My intentions may appear sinister to those who do not comprehend my nature.  I seek knowledge and experience to further the goals of the higher powers that guide me.  Oh, yes.  Do not mock me.  I live a life of purpose.  I am driven by forces greater than myself.  Not unlike you.”

The priest took a step backwards.  “You speak of Higher powers?  I would posit that you are the one mocking me!  For you do not serve the Gods.  You speak of forces beyond human comprehension, I presume.  They are not forces of light and divinity. Your kind, creature, are driven by an insidious nature.  Your very existence is an affront to all that is sacred.  Begone!”

The woman flashed a dazzling smile.  “Ah, the clash of perspectives, a testament to the diverse tapestry of existence. Your faith blinds you to the inherent truths of the cosmos. The powers I serve may be alien to your understanding, but they shape the very fabric of reality. Do you not see that we both serve powers greater than ourselves?  Can you not see the beauty in the unknown?”  

The priest took another step backwards.  “Beauty? I see only corruption and desecration. Your kind preys upon innocent souls, destroying the very essence of what makes us human. I cannot fathom a higher power that would sanction such abhorrent actions.  May Alcorn drive you from this Temple.  May Alcorn strike you down where you stand!”

The beautiful woman held her arms outstretched and looked upwards, as though welcoming the wrath of the Gods.  When no lightning bolt came, she dropped her arms and returned her attention to the priest.  “Your morality, steeped in mortal frailty, clouds your judgment. I am not bound by your notions of good and evil. I exist to survive, learn, and serve. The nature of my existence may be terrifying to you, but it is no less valid than your own mortal perspective.  I came here to learn.  Are you incapable of comprehending perspectives different than your own?”

The priest scoffed.  “It is true that mortal minds are limited in their understanding, but we are guided by principles of compassion and virtue. Your actions sow only suffering and despair. I cannot accept the validity of such a existence.  You are a stain upon creation.  A dark shadow to be driven from the World of Kempin by the light of divinity.”

The woman laughed.  “Compassion and virtue.  These are artificial constructs created by beings with fleeting lives. I acknowledge your convictions, priest, but understand that my purpose lies beyond such notions. Our encounter has been enlightening, but I grow tired of your judgement.”

The priest brought his hands together, clenched in a position of prayer.  “Be gone, abomination! May the light of divinity protect this place from your corrupting influence!  I shall pray for your misguided soul...”

The woman’s head dropped several inches, and her eyes focused on the priest from beneath furrowed brows.  “I wish to know everything you know.  I wish to fully understand you.”

The priest’s hands suddenly shot to his temples, as he moaned and fell to his knees.  He screamed in pain, as though his head would burst.  He made desperate animals sounds, interrupted only by gasps, and finally a wet gurgling sound issued from his mouth.  And then he collapsed to the floor and was still.

The beautiful woman collapsed then as well.  She lay still for a moment, and then her head split wide open from just above her eyes to the nape at the back of her neck.  Her brain crawled from the great wound on four legs ending in clawed feet.  The brain stalked on its tiny legs across the stone floor of the Temple, and approached the priest’s fallen body.

There were crunching sounds, and then the sounds of wet slurping.  A minute later, the priest stood.  He swept his hair back from his forehead with his hand, and flattened the bloody hair at the back of his head.  He walked forward and stood over the body of the beautiful woman.  The priest smiled.  “Ah...so much knowledge for the taking.  So many things to learn before I teach the thief and his friends a lesson they will not soon forget.  They will never see me coming...”