[center][h2][b][u]Contractors[/u][/b][/h2][/center] [hr] The real problem, she reckoned, was that she’d never been good at vacations. Oh sure, if Illyd Dyll were to actually arrive and poke his head into her portal he’d see her lounging on a plush chair with an umbrella woven of solid gold keeping the light away from her face, but that didn’t change the fact that she wasn’t on vacation anymore. Tekret et Heret, the god of Rulership and Contracts, was back at work. At least, in her head. New contracts, agreements, and some oaths were being filed away in thousands of amber palaces all around her. Sometimes she’d go out and file them herself, but that had always been an affectation. She’d done it because, well, there hadn’t been a reason not to. It was better than just sitting there. Now though? Well the beach was as good a place as any to watch the world, file away its agreements struck, and meddle with it here and there. Her talk with Artifex had reminded her why she’d even bothered for two thousand years. The work wasn’t always great, and she’d have loved to dump the filing on another mind, but playing with things down below? Finagling to see her vision for an orderly and righteous society end up on top? There really wasn’t anything like it. Building a world. Sure she made a mistake here, an error there, but that was the fun. Not even the gods could see the future, and why would they ever want to? As embarrassing as her follies had been, they’d helped her learn. She knew where to let the mortals have free reign now. That, and where to push. Now, she was about to do just that. Not to shift the fate of civilizations, or to impact countless lives, but to give her more time to do those things in the first place. Cadien had been right, an Avatar would ease her workload, but something like that could never really choose to help her, and if even if could why would it? So, she reasoned, the answer was simple. Foist the boring parts of her job, the filing mostly, onto someone who could choose. Who could be compensated. She was a god of Contracts, so why not contract the work out? Give a mortal this or that in life and in exchange get a soul to help with the work when they died. It was a raw deal, but she didn’t doubt there were an abundance of people who’d take it. The upside was most of the ones who’d agree probably deserved an eternity filing away contracts. The downside was they might not be the best workers. Thankfully, that second bit could be fixed. After all, once their souls belonged to her, who's to say she couldn’t tinker with them. It was a good plan, in her opinion. There was, however, a problem. She was trapped up here, and while she could spy around with her Seers there was a limit to how useful they were. Especially when it came to finding out what mortals wanted. Especially what they wanted bad enough to sell their souls. It was probably one of the usual things. Wealth. Power. Sex. The issue was which mortals wanted which one of those, and how badly. No, it wasn’t a task a god could do efficiently. Oh Tekret didn’t doubt she’d be able to do it, but it would just be more busywork in an effort to reduce busywork. That didn’t make sense. So then, she had to find an agent. Someone who would do [i]that[/i] busywork for her. Of course that agent would be better compensated than the ones they’d be getting to sign away their souls, but it wasn’t a position she’d offer just anyone. After all, whoever took it would have to be immortal. Those few who had that little blessing on Galbar were problematic, in that they tended to stick around and remember all the gods little fuckups. Some [i]were[/i] the gods little fuckups. So faith and loyalty were important. Almost as important as not being boring. Again, forever was a long time. Tekret had absolutely no intention of blessing one of her less interesting servants with eternal life. Some of the priests... She shuddered at the thought of having to answer their questions forever. Oh she was a god of Order, but that didn’t mean she wanted to discuss nothing but tax systems for a few thousand years. The idea was enough to make her blood run cold. Not that she had blood, really. Or could get cold. Mostly, she just snapped her fingers and was wearing a warmer sundress. If such a thing could be said of sundresses at all. So, Tekret reflected, she needed an agent who was faithful, loyal, and interesting. A tall order, but she had someone in mind. [hr] She grit her teeth as she felt it, the sting of the lash upon her back. The feeling of blood forming rivulets that ran down her naked shoulders and onto the floor. It hurt, but that was precise why she did it. Again, she brought the lash against herself and winced at the pain. Some in the House of Order called her mad, but only out of ignorance. She bore them no ill will. Not anymore. The anger she felt at their gibes and taunts was carried away with her blood. She had started this ritual for penitence, but peace hadn’t been hard to find. The weight of the world, anger, resentment, sorrow. All of it could be banished with the lash. Pain was an excellent focus. Satisfied with her work, even as her bloodshot eyes ran with tears, Hesari brought the lash to her basin and cleansed it of blood. It was a mark of the House of Order’s status that every member had a basin, and enough water to fill and drain it as they pleased. She knew it was more than she deserved, but unlike some of her brothers and sisters she did not take such gifts for granted. She paid for her comforts. Every week. She found a small clay jar and filled it with water before using it to wash her back and cleanse her wounds. They were light, but deep enough to scar. The patchwork of pallid raised skin across her back spoke to that. When the blood no longer ran and she could see the wounds she applied a smear of oil to each injury, sealing it from the world. With a pained sigh she picked up her robe and began to get dressed. It hurt, but her body felt lighter for the abuse. It was something she needed these days. Even craved. The only problem was that she could not do it forever, or even for long it seemed. She might be called upon, and there would be no room for injury or weakness if that were to happen. She prayed it didn’t. Tekret et Heret had intervened before they were needed in the past. No true servant of Order would shirk their duty if it came to it, however. Everyone in the House of Order was aware that Ketrefa had become rotten, many of them had played a hand in furthering that rot. They had sought redemption, though. She had sought redemption. Now it fell to them to excise the disease if called upon. It was rare, a thing that had happened only twice in written history, but the House of Order knew its duties. One word from their god and they would tear the King of Ketrefa off his throne and find another. Blood would run in the streets. She had to be ready, if it happened. Even as she hoped that it would not, that Tekret would correct the King’s weakness before she was ever needed. So, she wondered if she should stop this ritual. To be ready. Then again, she had seen some of the other priests. The House took in criminals and killers like her, but the cult was not closed to normal folk. They were soft, weak even. She envied it, but it was a gift she had willingly surrendered long ago. Her place was to be hard. The militant arm of a faith that professed no martial capacity. [color=6fb887]“Awfully dramatic, don’t you think?”[/color] A playful woman's voice interrupted Hesari’s thoughts, and her head whipped around looking for the trespasser. If one of her peers had gone so far as to mock her in her own room she would- [color=6fb887]“But that’s why I’ve always liked you kid. You never played games, trying to get around your vows, you gave yourself to me entirely.”[/color] The voice echoed in her mind. Hesari’s blood ran cold. Was it now? Had her god come to [i]her[/i] to deliver a verdict on a kingdom? She spoke, haltingly, “Holy one. I- Is it time?” [color=6fb887]“Mm,”[/color] The voice mused, [color=6fb887]“No, not for that. Not yet. I’m here for you kid. You’re eh, faith, hasn’t gone unnoticed. I’ve got a job for you, if you’ll take it.”[/color] “Me?” Her breath caught and she reflected upon her life. It had not been a good one. She had been callous, even evil, and now this? It was beyond her in every way, and both she and her god knew she wouldn’t refuse, “I will. I’ll do anything you ask.” [color=6fb887]“Knew you would kid. This will hurt a little, but hey you're used to that aren’t ya?”[/color] Before she could ask a question she felt the scars on her back stretching, burning, tearing. She bit back tears and in her mind she began to see what her god was doing. On her back a contract was being written, her scars the ink it was penned with. She could not see the contract, but at once she understood it. Her god's dilemma, her part in it. She felt an entire new world opening up to her, but only halfway. She understood as much as she needed to. For the rest? She still needed to sign. It wasn’t a question of how. She reached for her lash, and in one motion savaged her back with it. The gashes it left were brutal, deeper than she had ever cut, but they mended at once and formed into her name, written in a script none in the world but she understood. Her mind exploded. She grasped things she had struggled with all her life, and she knew at once that what limited her now was knowledge, not ability. Moreover, she blinked and found herself little more than an apparition. Her god had changed her in every way, and as she blinked again she returned to the world as an agent. A proxy for her god. She breathed heavily, “Thank you. I understand it. I can do it for you.” The voice faded to a whisper as it bade her farewell, [color=6fb887]“I know. Be seeing you kid.”[/color] [hr] Hesari, as she discovered when she revealed Tekret’s visit to the rest of the House, was not the only one Tekret had visited that day. After a thousand years Tekret et Heret had formally blessed his faithful in the Highlands, declaring them his chosen servants and approving their doctrine. Every member of the House, from all across the Highlands, had heard it be done. Moreover, their patron had left them with a gift. Knowledge of the script that graced Hesari’s back, and the power it held. Across the Highlands priests of the House began to pen contracts that could never be broken. Or, more accurately, not broken without consequences. The House of Order had earned their gods trust, and so gained some of the divines power. It was a poor gift, compared to hers. [hr] [hider=Summary] Tekkie is bad at vacations. It is known. Thankfully Tekkie remembers that work is cool, well most work. Some work sucks. What do we do about work that sucks? Easy, we get other people to do it. Sadly, these other people can’t be avatars. Avatars can’t really choose, soul fragments they are, so they’re right out. So who’s in? Idiot mortals who sell their souls of course! They can’t complain! Thaa might, but better to ask forgiveness than permission. Tekkie doesn’t want to go buying souls though, so he appoints a HEAD SHOPPER and gives her some really cool blessings to go do that. Ofc he’ll have to pay the people, if she can’t, but that’s not a biggie. Oh, also the House of Order, Tekkie’s cult in the highlands, can now pen magic contracts. Actually, all of Tekkie’s cults can! Cool. [/hider] [hider=Might Summary] -2DP Enhanced (Granted Tekret Cults Ability to Pen Inviolable Contracts) Trained members of the House of Order (and all other Tekret worshipping cults) will now be able to create inviolable contracts. These are agreements with baked in consequences for violation, agreed on before they are signed or spoken. Consequences manifest in anything from minor curses to death. These contracts are written in a new, holy, script. -1DP [Agent of Order I] Hesari has entered into a contract with Tekret et Heret, and the god of Contracts has used her flesh to record their agreement. Her back is covered in writing, made from scars. As an Agent of Order Hesari has become immortal and is now able to see through the Seer birds as her patron god does, albeit only ones that are nearby. Within a few hundred miles at most. -2DP [Mind of the Master II] Hesari is granted vastly expanded cognitive abilities that tie in with a sharpened ability to learn and comprehend information. With this boon not only can she quickly become a scholar in many fields, she can rapidly learn Mana Magic and access Mindcasting. -2MP [Ethereal Transition II] Hesari gains the ability to push herself out of the world, as the Seer birds do. In this state she is effectively a ghost, able to fly and phase through walls, but utterly incapable of interacting with the world. Transitioning between this state and her normal one can be done with a thought, provided Hesari can still her mind. +5 Prestige (10k Chars) 0/0 Remaining [/hider]