Eskhind/Conversations
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Hold there! Who are you? What do you want?
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Hold there! Who are you? What do you want?
Hindriarch Keh sent me.
Keh? I'm shocked that she even deigned to speak my name. I am a pariah now, beneath discussion. Does she demand remuneration for the scant supplies I stole?
Give back what you stole.
What I stole? I stole supplies to sustain myself and my sisters, nothing more, and little enough that no one would suffer for its absence. You would cut those from my hide?
You stole Kindrish.
*Eskhind bursts into full-throated laughter*
Is that her angle? To claim that I stole Kindrish? Her influence must be waning more than even I knew.
What are you saying?
What do you imagine I am saying? The aging, ineffectual leader of a village in isolation. A system that strives to forget anyone who sees the outside, no matter how much its inhabitants strive for a better tomorrow.
Bey Lah's isolationism provides ideal patsies for any crime the Hindriarch chooses to commit.
You claim innocence?
Is that so hard to believe? Love it though I once did, Bey Lah strives to forget anyone who sees the outside. The gerontocracy ensures that its leaders will always be aging and fearful.
Pariahs like me provide a perfect scapegoat for any crime committed by the Hindriarch or her cronies, and her discipline ensures that even the best of her people will believe her.
I suspected this.
Forgive me if I haven't a cookie to award you for your insight; it's been a lean few weeks for us.
Yes, obviously the Hindriarch is framing me. As a pariah, I am an ideal patsy for Keh. Much as I love my people, they do not question the Grand-Doe.
You think Keh stole the treasure?
Ay, you kendren are just as thick as the elders. I'd hoped otherwise.
Yes, I am suggesting that old Grand-Doe is trying to fool you, and the village as well. I'm not certain that she stole it herself, but an investigation might undermine her authority, and she cannot have that.
Why should I believe you?
Why should you believe me? Well, why should you believe Keh? Ayvah, think about this!
I'm not asking you to trust me, only to extend to me the same level of trust you give Keh. Is that not reasonable?
Lies.
Ayvah. I'd wanted Grand-Doe to be wrong about you kendren, but perhaps you are all violent fools after all.
I'm not asking you to trust me, only to extend to me the same level of trust you give Keh. Is that not reasonable?
What should I do?
The proof is in the petals, kendren. You want justice? Figure out the truth.
If you find evidence, Warden Neelahind will support you. Speak to her. She is loyal to Grand-Doe, but more loyal to the truth.
I will return to the village and we will sort this out. The Hindriarch will have to tolerate my presence until my name is cleared.
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Go tell Keh that I will remain in Bey Lah until this is sorted.
Kith and Kin
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What is it, Kendren?
Questions
What is it, Kendren?
Why
Why? Why did I leave a single parasang square piece of land upon which I was expected to live my entire life, forever obeying a woman whose sole qualification of rule is her gender and age? Why did I leave a place where we eat the same damned soup for nine out of ten meals and the height of occupational versatility is leatherworking?
The question isn't why I left, it's why I'm the only one who chose to do so, why none of my pleas were convincing to the hindren I love. If we would just open the borders, it would never have come to this.
Who
The Hindriarch is the most likely suspect, in my opinion. She might have kept it for herself or sold it. I've always been suspicious of her pet bodyguard, Kesehind; I wouldn't put it past him to steal the treasure himself. It might have been an outsider like you. While I don't like to think that it was a villager, it's possible. They've all been cooped up too long.
But it wasn't Neelahind. You won't find a purer heart in all of Qud than hers.
What
Objects out of place, certainly. Bey Lah produces little and sees almost no violence, so signs of the outside world should be easy to find.
You may wish to talk to the villagers, too. My people are starved for entertainment, gossip travels fast, and we are all notoriously poor liars.
Neelahind
Yes. We were close.
If it tore my heart to ragged halves to leave my people behind, leaving Neelahind shredded it into scraps.
Brother
I have no brother. My two sisters are all the blood family I can claim.
I won't speak further about this.
After Kith and Kin
Hindriarch Keh
Don't you have someone else to bother?
Live and drink piss.
Hindriarch Esk
Live and drink, kendren. Please, take a while to rest and eat before you move on.
No Hindriarch
I couldn't save them.
I tried. I tried to save them.
KindrishReturn
Oh, so you have! Amazing work, kendren. We owe you more than we can give, but here is what we can give nonetheless.
You are more than welcome here in Bey Lah any time.
