==== Summary 291: Judgement at the Court of Silence (2021-09-26) ====
[[Giraine]] [[summaries-2021|Summaries]]
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Hmm,

You pack up, leaving Shrett’s golden armour and Fraud’s aluminium suit in a sack on the War Boat, and you leave, led by Jeset through the crowds of silently watching (and often jealous or bitter) dead. At the gate to the tower, two great golden doors depict the judgment of the Dead in a series of bas relief friezes that make it clear that this Underworld aspect is that of the Malkioni. At the top of the doors is the Law rune of the Invisible God, watching over all. Below it in the doors, among other runes and images of the West, are depictions of the Malkioni peoples and their Godtime actions in the Middle World and the Sky. Beneath them is the story of Malkion of the Fifth Action, his mortal sacrifice and role as Judge of the Dead. He now sends the Dead to the appropriate afterlife; the most evil are hurled down into a pit populated by monstrous demons where they are tortured or devoured. The doors are closed, and the gate is watched by a bird-winged guardian, a beautiful, scowling female in golden armour carrying a leaden key and a flaming sword. She is, surprisingly, a Certami of the Sky Realm; an aspect of Gold Griffon that the Lightbringers met here. This aspect is well known as Culsulva, the porter of Havan Vor.

Ahappi addresses her and she responds, demanding: “Why have You come to the Court of No Return? What makes you travel the road from which no traveller goes back? Speak only truth.” He gives an honest answer that you follow Waertag’s quest, she demands clarification what YOU are doing and he clarifies, then she explains: “We have rites to fulfil if you are to pass further, as you are not truly Dead. Seven doors to Havan Vor, seven questions for thee in store.”

She proceeds with seven questions, which you handily answer as a team. For Shrett’s excellent answer on one question, there is a blinding flash that only he sees, and he realizes it was a quick smile from Culsulva, which was one of the most beautiful sights ever seen, contrasting so much with the pall of the Underworld. He’s dumbstruck by how it inspires him, gaining the passion of Love Culsulva at POWx3%!

At the end, Culsvula opens the seventh door and says: “You must wait. I will speak to the Judge.” She goes inside. You wait….. [REGAINED 1 MP!!!] Bog shuffles impatiently and wants to rush inside but Fraud scolds him and he gives in. Eventually she returns, still scowling. She holds this seventh door open and says simply, “Enter.”

Party Luck Pts = 2!!!

The road beyond the seventh door leads to a great round, black spiked tower, so vast that the edges of it cannot be seen from the road, nor can its top be seen. A hundred doors penetrate it, and the vast throng of dead enter the Courts of Silence. The crowd is silent, each awaiting their turn. They are in a vast hall, with these hundreds of doors leading through it. High above, thousands of essences, spirits and gods watch from their gallery. In the centre is a great dais. In its centre is Malkion, Judge of the Dead, sitting high upon his seat of judgement and attended by three skeletal scribes dressed as Zzaburi, carrying long scrolls, writing implements, and a bronze prayer wheel. Malkion wears a tall Zzaburi hat of darkness set with golden jewels in it and his face is a mirror. He is garbed in a voluminous black robe that bears magical signs upon it. He has a great leaden key ring with keys for 500 doors, each of which leads to another part of the Underworld .

Jeset whispers very quietly to Bog and Ahappi: “Speak carefully here before Malkion of the Fifth Action in his Court; his word is iron and he values words of Logic. The best one to speak for you would be tied to the Movement Rune. Less ideal would be those linked to the Air, Death, or Disorder runes. You must not let the gods plead for you if you wish to be sent to save your allies. You must reject the protection of your gods or saints and demand to choose your own path. You must then demand to be cast into the Demon Pit of Valkalta. One more thing: if you are very brave and persuasive to the Court, you may try asking to first be brought to taste the Linguaberries. Waertag the Reaver did and learned new ways to speak. But others have tried and lost their tongue forever. First though, await his introduction.”

The Judge speaks, “Hear me now, you who have been mute upon the Path of Silence and in this Court. This is the realm of shadows, of sleep and perpetual night. Here you must confront your deeds in the world of Men. Those who were not in grave Error, adhering to their places in life, will have their prophet or their gods to plead for them. The wicked will stand alone, condemned.” Before you can speak, Malkion of the Fifth Action faces you, and your deeds, both good and ill, are reflected in his mirror-face.

You see each of your most righteous and infamous deeds as they are reflected in the mirror-face of Malkion; you are condemned by those you have wronged, and see your fame replayed. Malkion sees even deeds that were hidden. You have reflect that this is the fate of all mortals. Regardless of your fame and exploits, you will end up here at the Court of Silence amongst the Dead and be judged for your deeds in the End. It is a sobering thought. You each struggle with the deeds you’ve done that are not a source of so much pride.

Malkion then asks, “Who shall plead for these mortals?” Shrett steps forward and makes a confidently logical, conclusive plea that you shall plead for yourselves and for condemnation to the Pit. (He crits the Influence roll; this has major impact on him!) The Dead raise unearthly cries and the Court of Havan Vor cries out together: “Not since the Disrupter ransacked this hall have the Living dared challenge us so!” Malkion remains impassive, as Shrett’s face turns to a visage of terror.

In the mirrored mask of Malkion of the Fifth Action, Shrett see scenes of war and horror . At first they are vague and general, then they take more recognizable forms. He sees far-off battles, in Dragon Pass where heroes of White Bear and Red Moon face each other; and in the far south where massive wildfires rage and blue men ride strange beasts, vanishing and reappearing elsewhere as if they ride between planes. Then the scenes become more personal and local. You see the West of Genertela raging with war, and zoom in to the familiar Island of Giraine. Ugly, fat blue flowers bloom across the land, springing forth from bleached bones [Shrett realizes this is the rebirth of the Blue Vadeli, with their corpse-flowers spreading undeath across the isle). A snake wrestles furiously with a shark in muddy marshes; each dealing the other terrible bites [Shrett knows this to mean that Froalar must face the land’s foe, Gloomshark]. From a clifftop, many forms gesture meaningfully over the black waters below, and beyond them [Most shockingly, Shrett sees these are Giranois of Tanosh and other Old Gods, calling for the Fosnoir to be sealed, bringing Giraine back in contact with mainland Pithdaros/Seshnela and undoing the Shattering there--- and this scares him a lot, as it is such a new idea]. Finally the vision vanishes with shocking abruptness, back to the blank mirror of Malkion’s face. Shrett collapses to his knees, screaming in mad terror. It is too powerful a prophecy for his mind to easily contain, and he is now Haunted by Malkion’s Prophecy evermore. See deep into a Prophet’s mind, and you’re changed! ☺

Jeset whispers, “If one of you wants to seek the Linguaberries, now is the moment for them to make their case why the Court should allow it. How could the Communication rune’s flavour aid you and why should the Malkioni care ?”  Ahappi jurges Fraud forward, as it must be Malkioni to do this. Fraud makes a good argument to taste the berries, orating well. Malkion doesn’t shift his inscrutable gaze but subtly gestures to a spiritual form near him in the Court, and it comes forward, taking clearer form as a middle-aged Seshnelan man on crutches, his legs dragging behind him as twisted scar tissue. “I am Saint Yingar , and it is my duty to oversee the quest for the Linguaberries. You shall follow me, and if you reach them, you may have a mouthful and nothing more, and then I shall lead you back to the Court. Do not deviate.”

Fraud knows of St Yingar: patron of communication, Yingar was a runner and horseman in Old Seshnela of the First Age, who won many races as a youth, both on foot and horseback. He helped Hrestol's missionaries by carrying messages back and forth. While doing so, he was caught and martyred by having his legs crushed.

St Yingar then runs, surprisingly quickly on his crutches, from the Court, out some side-doors and into the bleak grey streets of the City. Fraud follows.
St Yingar reaches the edge of the City, where skeletal beasts are stabled, and he leaps onto the back of a horse skeleton, whacking its sides with his crutches and urging it into a gallop across the rocky landscape. Fraud does the same, and follows.
St Yingar rides to a side-branch of the River Styx where he vaults off of his mount and into a simple old rowboat, which he pilots across to the far shore. More such boats are moored there. Fraud follows.
St Yingar hobbles up a rubble-strewn hill which looks to be a very dilapidated ruin, with only old columns visible, no walls or roof left or hints of what it once was. He awaits at the top, pointing to an open space between the grey columns. There, an ancient, scraggly white tree rises from the earth, its roots barely seeming to keep it vertical in the friable soil. As Fraud reaches the summit, he points around him and to the tree and says, “This holy place exists in many realms. Some say that King Aignor had it built to protect the Speaking Tree. Tell me then, who was he and why might he have done that?”.  Fraud knows plenty of facts about King Aignor:
Aignor  (First Age king)
Father of Sonmalos the fifth Serpent King;
Son of Fornals, the Vadeli Judge;
Grandson of Hrestol
Also known as Aignor the Trader
Never ruled Seshnela but was an influential Talar
He mated with Seshna and fathered snake-legged Sonmalos, who became the Fifth Sacred Lord of Seshnela.
https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/gloranthan-documents/greg-sez/the-kings-of-seshnela-part-one/
https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/10088-vadeli-the-brithos-text-in-rm-the-first-glorantha-stories-and-how-to-make-the-west-one/
He surely sees some parallels with his life and Aignor’s!
But Fraud struggles a bit to come with good answers to why Aignor might have protected the tree, although finds the right words at last, that he was a trader so he valued the Communication Rune it represents, and he was a lover of Seshna (Earth goddess) to whom such a tree would be holy.

St Yingar smiles broadly and calmly, nodding. https://tenor.com/view/robert-redford-nod-nodding-jeremiah-johnson-agree-gif-16075773
“You have proven yourself to me as worthy. Now you may find out if the Speaking Tree agrees. Reach out and try to taste of the Linguaberries.” He points to clusters of small round white berries dangling from the thin branches. There is no trouble obtaining the berries or putting them into Fraud’s mouth, but as he crushes the berries their juice flows out and surges into his mind, first dazzling him with thousands of questions at once, and he cannot help but stagger. The questions then converge into one voice, his own, questioning his motives for tasting of the Linguaberries. Are his motives what he said they were in the Court; does Fraud understand himself? He sure does! Indeed, he is so earnest that the Communication Rune touches him more deeply; boosting his language skills.

He gains the Benefit: Saint Yingar’s blessing of the Linguaberries: for 3MP (3 actions), the supplicant can speak to any person (i.e. with the Man rune) whose name they know, whose skin they have touched, and whose true face they have seen, regardless of distance or language. The duration of the speech is brief, the magic only lasting one round, and is one-way; not a conversation. If the desired recipient is asleep or even unconscious or dead, they will still receive the message, though it may come as a dream or vision.

St Yingar then guides him back to the hall, saying not another word and showing no reaction to the outcome of his quest.

Malkion of the Fifth Action now grimly orders for you to be cast into the Demon Pit. A host of angels, demons, or whatever they are seize you. They carry you to a sinister iron door covered in evil-looking symbols. Other grim essences unlock its many bolts and wards. Once the door is opened, Malkion speaks again to you: “The gate to Deshkorgos’s Realm of Punishment stands open wide and for you it shall be easy to pass, yet long be the suffering. Some heroes reason they might return – there the struggle and the labour lies. For most it is the final Error.” With that, you are thrown through the door and it is slammed shut behind you and you hear it being locked.

You are in the corridor of Fear: You enter a very cold stone passageway sloping down in the darkness. Shrett has barely come to his senses; still on edge from his vision. Fraud is jubilant. It is decorated with a strange and frightening bas relief depicting various demons of the Underworld, and the Sky Realm’s sinister warden of this place, three-eyed Deshkorgos, Monster Man and Keeper of the Fourth Hell. Your skin prickles with the feeling of powerful guardian essences around you, watching your every action and pushing you onwards with growing feelings of terror and dread. Each of you must overcome their fear of death and the unknown, and Boamund succumbs, collapsing with howls as nightmares plague him, yet Shrett reacts quickly with a blessing that eases these fears, so you continue…… to the Swamp of Hunger, Madness, Fear and Disease.

It's not a nice place.

See you Friday!
-John

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