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ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the October 6, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from kelkyag and janetmiles. It also fills the "Stay inside the salt ring." square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis.
"The Song in the House of Your Pilgrimage"
Shaeth built his second temple
on the edge of the Barrens.
A century ago it had been
Panbaskett, before his followers
performed a Scorched Earth ritual.
Shaeth sifted the ashy earth
between his divine fingers and
wondered whether he could now
reverse the curse, in the interest
of having a nearby source of
grain for brewing booze.
He'd have to talk to
Abredin about that, but
he was pretty sure that
between the two of them,
they could manage it.
Shaeth and his followers
built the temple, including
a great hall for worship,
a courtyard for revels,
and a bunkhouse where
the people could sleep.
Belfegar would not
be parted from his side,
and Trobby was High Priest,
so Shaeth named Agricole
the head of the new temple.
Then it was time for
the consecration ritual.
That took some thought,
because Shaeth couldn't
just copy it from his old one,
and there wasn't exactly
a book of examples.
"Well, obviously, it's
like naming a boat,"
Trobby declared, and
smashed a bottle on
the temple gates.
That was really
all the inspiration
that Shaeth needed.
He fetched supplies
and his new temple priest,
then he went to work.
"Stay inside the salt ring,"
Shaeth scolded as he cut
the limes to put around it.
He'd learned quite a lot about
things to do with alcohol over time,
and wanted to make good use of them
in consecrating his new temple.
"Yes, my lord," said Agricole,
though it was clear that he
wanted to get back to exploring
the nooks and crannies of his temple.
When all the sigils had been drawn
in salt and lime wedges, Shaeth
raised his arms and his power.
"Seek to make life a consecrated thing,
so that when the sunset is nearing, with
its murky vapors and lowering skies,
the clouds of sorrow may be fringed
with golden light," Shaeth intoned.
"Thus will the song in the house
of your pilgrimage have always
the truest harmony." He signed
the final blessing with his hands.
It was all his first follower had
asked of him: a place to sleep,
a cure for hangovers, booze for
those who wanted it and help
stopping for those who didn't.
Shaeth could deliver those.
So Agricole was installed in
the Second Temple of Shaeth,
and now more people would be
able to find the God of Drunks.
It would be up to Agricole
to gather followers from
the Barrens, the caravans,
and the nearest cities in
service of his divine master.
Febretta and Katreese would
become his missionaries,
traveling the lands in search
of the Alhalen people and
spreading the worship of
Shaeth, the God of Drunks.
Coming to the Barrens had
been a bit of culture shock
for the two women, seeing
their own people again after
traveling so widely, but
they determined to adapt.
They even wanted to find
someone to teach them
more of the language, so
that Shaeth could have
hymns in Alhalen.
To celebrate this,
they broke open barrels
of wine and all got drunk.
It was an auspicious beginning.
* * *
Notes:
"Seek to make life henceforth a consecrated thing; that so, when the sunset is nearing, with its murky vapors and lowering skies, the very clouds of sorrow may be fringed with golden light. Thus will the song in the house of your pilgrimage be always the truest harmony. It will be composed of no jarring, discordant notes; but with all its varied tones will form one sustained, life-long melody; dropped for a moment in death, only to be resumed with the angels, and blended with the everlasting cadences of your Father's house."
-- John Ross Macduff
kelkyag and janetmiles. It also fills the "Stay inside the salt ring." square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis."The Song in the House of Your Pilgrimage"
Shaeth built his second temple
on the edge of the Barrens.
A century ago it had been
Panbaskett, before his followers
performed a Scorched Earth ritual.
Shaeth sifted the ashy earth
between his divine fingers and
wondered whether he could now
reverse the curse, in the interest
of having a nearby source of
grain for brewing booze.
He'd have to talk to
Abredin about that, but
he was pretty sure that
between the two of them,
they could manage it.
Shaeth and his followers
built the temple, including
a great hall for worship,
a courtyard for revels,
and a bunkhouse where
the people could sleep.
Belfegar would not
be parted from his side,
and Trobby was High Priest,
so Shaeth named Agricole
the head of the new temple.
Then it was time for
the consecration ritual.
That took some thought,
because Shaeth couldn't
just copy it from his old one,
and there wasn't exactly
a book of examples.
"Well, obviously, it's
like naming a boat,"
Trobby declared, and
smashed a bottle on
the temple gates.
That was really
all the inspiration
that Shaeth needed.
He fetched supplies
and his new temple priest,
then he went to work.
"Stay inside the salt ring,"
Shaeth scolded as he cut
the limes to put around it.
He'd learned quite a lot about
things to do with alcohol over time,
and wanted to make good use of them
in consecrating his new temple.
"Yes, my lord," said Agricole,
though it was clear that he
wanted to get back to exploring
the nooks and crannies of his temple.
When all the sigils had been drawn
in salt and lime wedges, Shaeth
raised his arms and his power.
"Seek to make life a consecrated thing,
so that when the sunset is nearing, with
its murky vapors and lowering skies,
the clouds of sorrow may be fringed
with golden light," Shaeth intoned.
"Thus will the song in the house
of your pilgrimage have always
the truest harmony." He signed
the final blessing with his hands.
It was all his first follower had
asked of him: a place to sleep,
a cure for hangovers, booze for
those who wanted it and help
stopping for those who didn't.
Shaeth could deliver those.
So Agricole was installed in
the Second Temple of Shaeth,
and now more people would be
able to find the God of Drunks.
It would be up to Agricole
to gather followers from
the Barrens, the caravans,
and the nearest cities in
service of his divine master.
Febretta and Katreese would
become his missionaries,
traveling the lands in search
of the Alhalen people and
spreading the worship of
Shaeth, the God of Drunks.
Coming to the Barrens had
been a bit of culture shock
for the two women, seeing
their own people again after
traveling so widely, but
they determined to adapt.
They even wanted to find
someone to teach them
more of the language, so
that Shaeth could have
hymns in Alhalen.
To celebrate this,
they broke open barrels
of wine and all got drunk.
It was an auspicious beginning.
* * *
Notes:
"Seek to make life henceforth a consecrated thing; that so, when the sunset is nearing, with its murky vapors and lowering skies, the very clouds of sorrow may be fringed with golden light. Thus will the song in the house of your pilgrimage be always the truest harmony. It will be composed of no jarring, discordant notes; but with all its varied tones will form one sustained, life-long melody; dropped for a moment in death, only to be resumed with the angels, and blended with the everlasting cadences of your Father's house."
-- John Ross Macduff
(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-10 03:55 am (UTC)I mean both as a lovely nontraditional interpretation of 'salt circle'
& also adding the citrus could add some pretty powerful cleansing juice? so to speak?
(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-10 04:48 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-10 07:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-12 03:20 am (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2020-10-10 09:41 pm (UTC)Yay!
>> I mean both as a lovely nontraditional interpretation of 'salt circle' <<
We have actually used a wide variety of things to cast circle over the years -- flowers or flower petals, autumn leaves, fragrant wood shavings, etc.
>> & also adding the citrus could add some pretty powerful cleansing juice? so to speak? <<
Yes, exactly. Shaeth does actually know what he's doing when it comes to divine magic. He's just using it a bit differently nowadays.
Wasting away again...
Date: 2020-10-10 04:05 am (UTC)Re: Wasting away again...
Date: 2020-10-10 04:12 am (UTC)*laaaaauuuuugh*
I heartily encourage you to prompt for this in a subsequent fishbowl.
Shaeth, staring at agave: "What the fuck is this?"
Trobby: "I dunno."
Belfegar: "Do you suppose we could brew it?"
A few months later ...
Everybody: "One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor!"
Re: Wasting away again...
Date: 2020-10-10 11:24 am (UTC)I heartily encourage you to prompt for this in a subsequent fishbowl. <<
I have a hard time imagining you didn't have this in mind when you wrote the poem. But I will remember the idea.
Re: Wasting away again...
Date: 2020-10-10 11:28 am (UTC)I like your idea a lot better. :D
My readers are so awesome.
Re: Wasting away again...
Date: 2020-10-10 04:37 am (UTC)"You put the lime in the coconut..."
Re: Wasting away again...
Date: 2020-10-10 05:04 am (UTC)Re: Wasting away again...
Date: 2020-10-10 05:28 am (UTC)Re: Wasting away again...
Date: 2020-10-11 01:55 am (UTC)Re: Wasting away again...
Date: 2020-10-10 10:19 am (UTC)Re: Wasting away again...
Date: 2020-10-12 03:19 am (UTC)If it supports maters, it supports taters...
Hopefully there's some mudbugs to go with that t'killya... gotta put something on your stomach, and crustaceans is yummy. ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-10 04:35 am (UTC)And knowing the folks I used to game with, he'd get a few converts.
*laugh*
Date: 2020-10-10 05:09 am (UTC)It's funny how you never see the really cool deities in most gaming pantheons. It's like someone just jotted down a few common examples from memory and didn't even bother to look at global examples, because let me tell you, there are deities of some seriously weird shit.
Re: *laugh*
Date: 2020-10-10 05:35 am (UTC)I did read a story once that used Egyptian mythology as an example of time travel where contradictory stuff could be simultaneously true. (I.e. being someone's parent /and/ child.) I can't say for sure how accurate the mythology or history was. The 'be nice to the reanimated dead guy who just read his own memorial' bit seemed to be really well done.
Re: *laugh*
Date: 2020-10-10 06:33 am (UTC)https://www.godchecker.com/greek-mythology/PHOBETOR/
https://www.godchecker.com/greek-mythology/TITHONUS/
https://www.godchecker.com/greek-mythology/ERIS/
https://www.godchecker.com/greek-mythology/NEPHELE/
https://www.godchecker.com/roman-mythology/STERCULIUS/
https://www.godchecker.com/roman-mythology/CARNA/
https://www.godchecker.com/roman-mythology/AGNOSTOS-THEOS/
https://www.godchecker.com/roman-mythology/INVIDIA/
Re: *laugh*
Date: 2020-10-10 10:54 am (UTC)Re: *laugh*
Date: 2020-10-12 03:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-10 10:31 am (UTC)I did introduce my players to the God of Atheists and Agnostics once. (It didn't matter if you didn't believe in him, because He believed in you!). My character was a Paladin for N'ull... he'd go around doing his gods work, proving that gods didn't exist and magic wasn't real.
I got told to stick to the ones in the manual after that.
No ...
Date: 2020-10-10 10:44 am (UTC)You need better players.
Re: No ...
Date: 2020-10-10 10:50 am (UTC)The result of one of my fellow DM's maintaining that DnD had a God and/or Goddess for everything, and the manual just covered the major ones.
I think the logical contradiction gave my players cognitive dissonance... I know the theology student in the group couldn't stop laughing. She'd go off into giggles every time I mentioned N'ull. I also got some rather dirty looks for the N'ull hypothesis joke.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-10 10:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-10 10:58 am (UTC)Thanks, I've got my own... and it's signed. [not that I got it from the Great Gygax himself, I found it in a thrift store already signed.]
(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-10 11:10 am (UTC)I've scanned it and one day will finish doing OCR on it to create a proper PDF.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-10 04:47 pm (UTC)But breaking expectations is half the fun!
(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-10 09:04 am (UTC)How long ago did Shaeth destroy Panbaskett? That's a hell of a job he's asking Agricole, Febretta, and Katreese to undertake on his behalf, and it sounds like he isn't even going to be there much of the time.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-10 05:30 pm (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2020-10-10 08:01 pm (UTC)You nailed it on the latter point: most other deities want nothing to do with Shaeth, who was once an aggravation and is now more of an embarrassment. But Abredin has become a staunch ally.
>> How long ago did Shaeth destroy Panbaskett? <<
About a century.
>> That's a hell of a job he's asking Agricole, Febretta, and Katreese to undertake on his behalf,<<
True, but the religion has to expand some time, and they picked a place that was easy in terms of having plentiful drunks who would like a temple. Those places are never going to be in nice neighborhoods.
Bear in mind that, unlike a politician or a boss, a god can provide divine spells and other mystical resources in addition to political or financial support.
>> and it sounds like he isn't even going to be there much of the time.<<
That's actually normal for deity-follower relationships. Gods don't usually have so much hands-on contact, but you see it in the earliest stages of a religion. This one is new, so Shaeth is right there. As the religion grows, he can either stick with a home temple, travel to different ones, or retreat to the heavens. I think Shaeth will stick around, given that drunks like him a lot better than other deities like him.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-10-11 03:43 pm (UTC)Sometimes you need divine backup
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-10-12 03:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-30 05:00 am (UTC)