Accursed is Rad!
by Jonathan NolanThis is an adaptation of a Sumerian songprayer I use as the intro to the whole Étienne / Rad thing in the post-WotI world... It makes a nice change from the almanac type blurbs, which are not always appropriate. The confusion of relationships is quite deliberate. I get a bit tired of characters manifesting player knowledge in all its intricacies so I emphasise sometimes how confused 'mere mortals' can be at the machinations of the 'Deathless Ones'.
Accursed is Rad!
Ixion made broad understanding
perfect in Rad,
to disclose the design of the land.
To him he gave wisdom, but did not give eternal life.
At that time, in those years, Rad was a Mage, son of Radiance.
Ixion created him as a protecting spirit among mankind.
A Mage whose word nobody rejects -
clever, extra-wise, he was one of the Immortals,
holy, pure of hands, the god-priest who always tends the
rites.
He does the baking with the bakers of Radiance,
he tends the food and water of Radiance every day,
sets up the offerings table with his pure hands,
without him no offerings table is cleared away.
He takes out the boat of a million years and goes fishing for
Radiance.
At that time Rad, son of Radiance, when he had got
Ixion out of bed, used to feed the holy bolt of Radiance every
day.
At the holy quay called Karusakar he embarked in a sailing
boat
and without a rudder his boat would drift,
without a steering-pole he would take his boat out
into the broad sea.
LEADER OF THE PRAYERS:
...
East Wind...
send him to live in the fishes home.
PRIEST PLAYING RAD:
East Wind, though you send your brothers against me,
however many there are,
I shall still break your wing!
No sooner had he uttered these
words
than East Wind's wing was broken;
for seven days East Wind did not blow towards the land.
Alphatia's Son called out to his vizier Ankh-Alpha,
Why hasn't East Wind blown towards
the land
for seven days?
His vizier Ankh-Alpha answered him,
My lord, Rad the son of Ixion has broken East Wind's wing.
When Alphatia's Son heard this
word,
he cried The Spheres help him!; rose up from his
throne.
Send for him to be brought here!
Ixion, aware of The Sphere's ways,
touched him
and ... made him wear his hair unkempt,
clothed him in mourning garb,
gave him instructions,
Rad, you are to go before the
Immortals who answer
Alphatia's Son.
You will go up to The Spheres,
and when you go up to The Spheres,
when you approach the gate of the Immortals who answer Alphatia's
Son,
Vanya and Alphaks will be standing in the gate with Alphatia's
Son,
will see you, will be asking you questions,
Old man, on whose behalf do you wear mourning garb?
You will make answer two gods have vanished from our country,
and that is why I am behaving like this.
Who are the two gods who have vanished from the country?
They are Vanya and Alphaks.
They will look at each other and laugh a lot,
will speak a word in your favour to Alphatia's Son,
will present you to the Immortals who answer Alphatia's Son in a
good mood.
When you stand before the Immortals who answer Alphatia's Son
they will hold out for you bread of death, so you must not
eat.
They will hold out for you water of death, so you must not
drink.
They will hold out a garment for you, so put it on.
They will hold out oil, so anoint yourself.
You must not neglect the instructions I have given you:
keep to the words I have told you.
The envoy of the Immortals who answer Alphatia's Son arrived.
Send me to Rad,
who broke East Wind's wing.
He made him take the way of The
Spheres
and Rad went up to The Spheres.
When he came up to The Spheres,
when he approached the gate of the Immortals who answer Alphatia's
Son,
Vanya and Alphaks were standing in the gate with Alphatia's
Son.
They saw Rad and cried The Spheres help him!
Old man, on whose behalf do you
look like this?
Rad, on whose behalf do you wear mourning garb?
Rad answered, two gods have vanished from the country,
and that is why I am wearing mourning garb.
Who are the two gods who have vanished from the country?
Vanya and Alphaks
They looked at each other and
laughed a lot.
When Rad drew near the presence of the Immortals who answer
Alphatia's Son,
Alphatia's Son saw him and shouted,
Come here, Rad! Why did you break East Wind's wing?
Rad answered Alphatia's Son,
My lord, I was catching fish in the
middle of the sea
for the house of my lord Ixion.
But he inflated the sea in a storm
and East Wind blew and sank me!
I was forced to take up residence in the fishes' home.
In my fury I cursed the East Wind.
Vanya and Alphaks responded from
beside him,
Each spoke a word in his favour to Alphatia's Son.
The hearts of the Immortals who answer Alphatia's Son
Were appeased and he grew quiet.
Why did Ixion disclose to wretched
mankind
the ways of The Spheres and earth.
give them a heavy heart?
It was he who did it!
What can we do for him?
Fetch him the bread of life and let him eat!
They fetched him the bread of life,
but he would not eat.
They fetched him the water of life, but he would not drink.
They fetched him a garment, and he put it on himself.
They fetched him oil, and he anointed himself.
Alphatia's Son watched him and laughed at him.
Come, Rad, why didn't you eat? Why
didn't you drink?
Don't you want to be immortal? Alas for downtrodden
people!
Rad told all, saying, but Ixion my
lord told me: 'You mustn't eat!
You mustn't drink!'
And the Immortals who answer
Alphatia's Son said take him and send him back to his earth.
He will not eat of the food and drink of the Immortals.
His name will not be taken from the Book of Death.
So did Ixion prevail over Rad the Son of Radiance and trick Rad
into giving up his Immortality.
Accursed is Rad!