Endless Wastes of Súl; Zen'Marlo-- Ancient Hungers.

Started by GameMaster, Apr 23, 2023, 05:27 PM

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GameMaster

Zen'Marlohas been wandering around in an endless desert for what feels like an eternity.

You have little idea how you ended up in this desolate place after what happened to you, when the evil priest Orobas the Dark Binder held your lifeless form as his slave. All you know is that he is dead, you have escaped, and this lifeless desert is now your home.

You have no sense of time in this place, little memory of your past life, and no understanding of what lies beyond this vast emptiness. All you can do is walk, and so you do. Day after day, night after night, you wander through the desert, searching for something you can't quite name.

As you walk, you begin to notice small things. The way the sand shifts under your feet, the shapes of rocks and dunes in the distance, the feeling of the hot sun on your bones. You even start to notice the way the wind whispers in your ear, as if trying to tell you something.

One evening as the sunlight's last rays fall under the horizon, you see a glimmer of light in the distance. It's the first sign of life you've seen in what feels like an eternity, and it awakens a sudden hope within you...And, a sudden hunger.
What do you do?

SirWheelzALot

Zen'Marlo is led towards the light by the hunger before he ever decided to start walking. Things seem new, and Zen'Marlo HAS to know what this beckoning light, and hunger, happens to be.

GameMaster

As you approach the light, you realize that it is coming from a small campfire, surrounded by a few figures huddled together. You hesitate for a moment, unsure of whether to approach them or not. But your hunger gets the best of you, and you find yourself walking towards the campfire.

As you draw closer, you can see that the figures gathered around the fire are a group of travelers. They look up as you approach, and you can sense their apprehension as they see you, a stranger in the middle of the desert.

Their apprehension quickly turns to horror as they realize they have been confronted by the the living dead.  The one stirring the cauldron drops her wooden ladel directly into it and scrambles backward, stumbling backward with a silent scream.  Two of the other men seem frozen in place, their fear overtaking their minds.  A fourth curses and starts to move, but can't seem to decide whether to attack or flee.

Your hunger grows stronger.
What do you do?

SirWheelzALot

Marlo, while attempting to keep some control over this hunger. Pauses briefly to look around before pointing to the cauldron.

GameMaster

The woman who fell looks at you again, her eyes roll back into her head, and she goes unconscious.  The men all scatter, fleeing into the darness of the hot desert night.
What do you do?

SirWheelzALot

As the hunger grows, less control seems to be at hand. Uncontrollably lunging with hatchet in hand, at the closest traveler. How many could Zen'Marlo mortally maim, before either being over run, or them fleeing .

GameMaster

The men have run in all directions, the woman is passed out not far from the cauldron.  Do you give chase to those fleeing, or turn your attention to the woman and whatever she was stirring in the pot?
What do you do?

SirWheelzALot

Figuring a chase towards any of the fleeing, would be counter productive towards feeding Zen'Marlo's hunger. As Marlo moves towards the fainted woman, flickers of memories. The cauldron is the key to satiating hunger! Was this woman food as well? That curiosity was put further back, for even without a nose, the aroma from the cauldron turned all thoughts on it.
Even as there seemingly no way to properly ingest foods of any type (just seemed to run right through), still seemed to temporally null the hunger.
Curiosity seemed to go back to the fainted woman. Now curious as to whom and why the camp's presence was there, not know what else to do, set one of the close nap sacks under her head and set back at a distance, and waited. Occasionally grabbing a gobble out of the cauldron.

GameMaster

Whether the act of eating actually sates the craving or simply distracts your mind, you cannot know.  But it doesn't seem to rule over your every thought for the moment.

The woman seems to sleep for a very long time.  When she comes to, she seems to be trying to decide if she can run fast enough to get away from you.  "What... What are you do-- What are you?" she finally asks.
What do you do?

SirWheelzALot

These words weren't 'commands,' but a question? An unknown question. 
Attempting to answer "I do not know," manages to come forth, sounding as a haunting whisper for a voice.
"Do you know?"
*Attempting to examine himself, then stares back to the woman*
"Who are you?"

GameMaster

She stammers, "A.. a woman.  A human" she stresses the word.
"And my name is Ishta."

After a moment, she slightly raises her chin in a moment of brave defiance.

"Are you... Are you going to kill me?"

Well, it started brave, anyway... by the end of the sentence, she was near tears and pleading for her life.
What do you do?