Shock Akhan? Shock Akhan!
"THAT is not part of the Temple!"
August 4 1996, Session Summary
When we last left our most noble and great Tsolyani, they were
spending the cooling Fall months in peaceful Jakalla, ruled by
Shekkara's benevolent uncle, the Most Excellent Prince Rereshqala.
Shekkara, to her great surprise, received a double promotion
to the sixth circle as well as an important office with duties
critical to the smooth functioning of the temple.* The promotion
ceremonies are rumored to have been most spectactular, but this one
was unfortunately not present to witness them. While not attending
to the great and time-consuming duties of a liason between her temple
and other organizations, she dallied in sorcery.
[ promotion a surprise? yeah, right. this so critical office is
a cushy liason office between temples and other organizations,
which carries with it a crushing schedule of social fuctions.
oh twist my arm, I can't possibly attend another party! ]
Lucky Ngaya didn't even have to hand out any bribe to receive
her promotion to the fifth circle within the temple of Chegarra.
Luck, too busy with Ngaya, had no time for Mikusa, who lost
kaitars for the first time in years on her investments, including on
the monies that Shekkara and Akhan had contracted her to handle
on their behalves.
Luck steered way clear of Akhan, who was handed a task by his Molkar
and told for various unmentionable reasons The Legion of Ever Present
Glory would not be able to give him assistance in this duty but that
he must begin immediately and not return until successful.
Akhan first visited Mikusa at the Jade Diadem clanhouse in order to
arrange for the necessary supplies. There, they took a stroll through
the Jade Diadem clanhouse gardens where Akhan saw several statues in
positions he would have thought impossible had he not seen (and
experienced!) some of them at Shekkara's party last summer.
Supplies guaranteed, Akhan then set out to find himself willing
assistants and sent a letter to Shekkara requesting an urgent meeting
with her right away over important matters.
Annoyed by the letter which implied that his business was more important
than hers, Shekkara agreed to meet with Akhan a day later in her office
at the Temple of Dlamelish.
At the appointed hour, Akhan boldly stepped into the Green-eyed Lady's
temple, quickly bribing first a guard then the receptionist to lead
him to Shekkara's office [1]. Faint screams of ecstasy reverbrate through
the hallways of the great temple. Once there, Shekkara invited him to
share a drink with her, which her staff had kindly spiked with a powder
to promote relaxation, and together they admired the tapestries adorning
the office walls [2]. When Akhan finally and with great facility [3]
began to tell Shekkara why he had requested this meeting, she declared
that the office was far too impersonal a place for a visit with such a
good friend, and took Akhan back to her quarters through a scenic route
that included as many as possible of the temple's more interesting
"objets d'art".
[1 he overpaid the guard and, for reasons the rest of us can't
fathom, refused to bribe the (male) receptionist, who proceeded
to give him a hard time.
2 rather unsettling artwork of graphic sex acts that most people
would not find especially arousing.
3 facility? he's just consumed drugs that do anything but make him
"relaxed," and now, while sitting in a room filled with beautiful
and scantily clad women, not to mention the most beautiful woman
he knows, he's trying to say why he needed to talk to her...
when Shekkara declared her office too business-like, the players
burst out laughing. Ahkan was rather concerned at what she might
consider non-business like, but the joke was that the artwork in
her quarters is much, much more tame and pleasant that that of her
office. ]
After renewing their friendship, Akhan revealed to Shekkara that
Qolyemu hiSsanmirin, Hereksa in The Legion of Ever Present Glory,
has gone missing in the swamp flats outside of Jakalla. Distressed
at the mysterious fate of her lover, Shekkara agrees to immediately
take a leave from her temple duties to help Akhan search for Qolyemu
and tells Akhan to send for her when he is ready to leave [1]. Akhan
bids Shekkara goodbye, expressing his great pleasure at this wonderous
opportunity to visit her in her office in the Temple of Dlamelish.
As a young first circle priestess lead him out of the temple, distant
screams filtered through the hallways, almost certainly the ecstatic
wails of believers as they were consumed by the One of Mouths. Knowing
full well that repeated exposure to the delights of Shekkara's temple
would only serve to turn a unique experience banal, Akhan vows to never
again set foot into the Temple of Green-Eyed Lady of Fleshly Joys [2].
[1 Shekkara was actually very sympathetic as she does very much
like Qolyemu, but she doubted that she'd be able to get the
needed time off from her temple duties. Ahkan totally missed
this bribe request.
2 I do believe Akhan heart-felt statement was, "I am never setting
foot inside the Temple of Dlamelish again!" He quickly amended
himself and pointed to the House of the Pleasant Hour, "THAT is
not part of the Temple!" ]
Lo! Wrote this, Lisa Leutheuser, horse of The Most Beautiful
Shekkara Tlakotani, on this 14th day of August, 1996 Anno Domini.
P.S. Special thanks to Rufus for help with the title.
