Cara (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wrongkindofsith) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2014-07-25 02:30 am
wrongkindofsith) wrote in fandomhigh2014-07-25 02:30 am
Entry tags:
Still want to be a Hero?, Thursday, 3rd Period
Cara had told her students to meet her outside the preserve today, so the email that they were instead having class in the salle probably came as relief given teh weather. Especially since there weren't any racks of dresses waiting for them when they arrived.
"So we're going to have class we're we discuss what choices you might make and why. Before we begin I'm going to explain what a baneling is," Cara told them once they'd settled, one hand resting ever so casually on the hilt of an agiel. "During times when the barriers between the Underworld and the world of the living are thin or breached, banelings are people who have made a deal with the Keeper of the Underworld to return to life. Something like the zombies here, with several differences. For one, they stay in the world of the living by killing at least one person a day, for another they retain their personality, their humanity for better or worse." From her tone, apparently Cara didn't think that was necessarily a good thing.
She paused before continuing. "Depending on how recently they've killed, they also look like one of the living, gradually rotting throughout the day, which is a mental image I'm sure you're all glad to have. You can kill them again, but if you want it to stick you either need to destroy the body, preferably with fire, or keep them restrained until their time before they need to kill again runs out, then they'll just crumble into dust anyway. Have you all got that clear or do I have to repeat myself?
"I thought so. With that out of the way, we are going to pretend that you and several of your heroically like-minded companions are travelling on a very important quest when a random woman accosts you for help because half her village has been captured by men working for some enterprising waste of breath who realised he could make some coin by providing ready kills for those who took the Keeper's offer but found themselves lacking either the spine or the skill to actually kill someone capable of fighting back.
"Taking it as given that you decided to help the woman, you manage to find the men, after they've already delivered their captives. Since they're not particularly inclined to change sides out of the goodness of their hearts, a fight ensues, and the driver being the one who actually knows where the captives now are, tries to escape so you give chase. While separated from the rest of your part, you manage to catch him and get the location of the captives, mortally wounding him in the process, unfortunately he got lucky and mortally wounded you first, so you die. Sorry about that.
"Now, I'm not going to ask you if you take the Keeper's deal, or why, that much is obvious, you're the only one who knows where the captives are, it's your duty to tell the others in your group so they can rescue them before they're all killed, so you do. And you get some details clarified by the Keeper's emissary, your time limit resets every time you kill, so you can't kill several people then leave everyone alone for a week, banelings don't count, only the actual living, and while you normally have access to magic that can bring the very recently deceased back to life." Which was probably news to all of them. "That's gone too if you're a baneling."
"So you take the deal, are now a baneling, the driver has died by the time you're back in your body, so you can't kill him, and you head back to your friends, who have also killed all the men they were fighting. What do you do now?"
"So we're going to have class we're we discuss what choices you might make and why. Before we begin I'm going to explain what a baneling is," Cara told them once they'd settled, one hand resting ever so casually on the hilt of an agiel. "During times when the barriers between the Underworld and the world of the living are thin or breached, banelings are people who have made a deal with the Keeper of the Underworld to return to life. Something like the zombies here, with several differences. For one, they stay in the world of the living by killing at least one person a day, for another they retain their personality, their humanity for better or worse." From her tone, apparently Cara didn't think that was necessarily a good thing.
She paused before continuing. "Depending on how recently they've killed, they also look like one of the living, gradually rotting throughout the day, which is a mental image I'm sure you're all glad to have. You can kill them again, but if you want it to stick you either need to destroy the body, preferably with fire, or keep them restrained until their time before they need to kill again runs out, then they'll just crumble into dust anyway. Have you all got that clear or do I have to repeat myself?
"I thought so. With that out of the way, we are going to pretend that you and several of your heroically like-minded companions are travelling on a very important quest when a random woman accosts you for help because half her village has been captured by men working for some enterprising waste of breath who realised he could make some coin by providing ready kills for those who took the Keeper's offer but found themselves lacking either the spine or the skill to actually kill someone capable of fighting back.
"Taking it as given that you decided to help the woman, you manage to find the men, after they've already delivered their captives. Since they're not particularly inclined to change sides out of the goodness of their hearts, a fight ensues, and the driver being the one who actually knows where the captives now are, tries to escape so you give chase. While separated from the rest of your part, you manage to catch him and get the location of the captives, mortally wounding him in the process, unfortunately he got lucky and mortally wounded you first, so you die. Sorry about that.
"Now, I'm not going to ask you if you take the Keeper's deal, or why, that much is obvious, you're the only one who knows where the captives are, it's your duty to tell the others in your group so they can rescue them before they're all killed, so you do. And you get some details clarified by the Keeper's emissary, your time limit resets every time you kill, so you can't kill several people then leave everyone alone for a week, banelings don't count, only the actual living, and while you normally have access to magic that can bring the very recently deceased back to life." Which was probably news to all of them. "That's gone too if you're a baneling."
"So you take the deal, are now a baneling, the driver has died by the time you're back in your body, so you can't kill him, and you head back to your friends, who have also killed all the men they were fighting. What do you do now?"
Re: Discussion : Taking the deal. - SwtbaH [04]
Re: Discussion : Taking the deal. - SwtbaH [04]
Re: Discussion : Taking the deal. - SwtbaH [04]
Someday, Anders and Justice would have a good laugh about that.
Re: Discussion : Taking the deal. - SwtbaH [04]
Re: Discussion : Taking the deal. - SwtbaH [04]
Re: Discussion : Taking the deal. - SwtbaH [04]
Abominations were the great threat, when you grew up a mage. And a baneling sounded quite a bit like an abomination to Anders.
Re: Discussion : Taking the deal. - SwtbaH [04]
Re: Discussion : Taking the deal. - SwtbaH [04]
"But," he added, glancing over to Kathy again, "you're right that it might make some sense to hold off on the being killed until we could get the captives. Strength in numbers, all of that."