% ($Id: plot.whoami.html,v 1.1.1.1 1998/08/07 05:34:46 korg Exp $) \section{Lets play ``Who am I?''} \subsection{The game} This is a game that Uri, Frederika and the childred of their followers play. They collect around the fire and the elders take turns at giving clues about someone's identity. The childred may then guess the identity of the person as the elder talks. If one makes an incorrect guess, then you may not have the next guess. Whoever guesses correctly wins a prize. The prize in the case of the players is the oportunity to impress an one of the most important Elders in the city. Naturally if players wish to interupt and ask questions or guess then you will have to modify or change the story as listed below. If they guess, then Uri will be impressed. \subsection{The Situation} The trees open out into a clearing, and seated on logs around a roaring fire are an old man and a number of childred. As you enter there is a teenage boy, on the right of the old man, is talking: "To use the words of Henry Olson Taylor from the Medieval Mind, 'My career was an intelectual tragedy, conforming to the old principles of tragic art: that the hero's character shall be large and noble, but not flawless, inasmuch as the fatal consummation must issue from the character, and not happen through chance.'" The old man looked up, "Henry Osborn Taylor, not Olson, but your quote is accurate enough." The boy paused for a short while, and then contuniued, "Right. Sorry. I was born in about 1210 and lived.." A boy, about 9 stands up, lifting his hand. The teenager turned to him, "David?" "Is it Roger Bacon?" The teenager smiled and bowed his head slightly, "Indeed it is, Master David." The boy gave a little jump, "Yes!" A girl of about 9, sitting by the fire reaches for a wooden stick and points it at a teenage girl sitting by the old man, next to the teenage boy. "Elbeth, your turn." "Ok, I was born in America and I..." A boy on the other side of the old man smiles and interupts, "Are you alive now?" "Um, yes, I..." In unison, all the childred round the fire shout "I'm a pop star!" "You don't know that!" protests the girl as the old man shakes his head. "This sucks" mutters the girl. \subsection{The Prince} The girl by the fire with the wooden stick, points to the old man sitting on the left of the teenage girl who had just been talking. "You're next, Grandfather." The old man clears his throat and looks deep into the fire, pondering some unknown thoughts. He looks up at you and indicates to the logs around the fire. The children all shift around and make space on the old man's right side. "Sit. Join us. The rules are simple, you may propose a solution at any time, although if you guess incorrectly, you may not be the next to guess. You may also ask a question in the form of a statement, to the Riddler, if you are incorrect, you may not be next to offer a solution. The Riddler may refuse to answer any question if they so wish. Those who answer the Riddles, may well win a prize." The children around the fire turn and watch you, obviously more intent on watching how the new arrivals play than playing the game themselves. \subsection{The Prince} "Let us try an easy one. I was born in 1194. At the age of 4 inherited my kindom, my mother becoming my guardian." "She lived but 6 months. Upon her death, the Pope became my regent and guardian. My education was exceptional in its breadth and I came to realise the illusion behind religion. I became a heritic in the Age of Faith." The childred start to become distracted. The boy and girl next to the old man start to whisper amongst themselves. The boy leans over and whispers "The bloody heritic prince again. Didn't we have this one a month or two ago?" into the ear of the girl sitting next to the old man and she nods. "I saw my chance to become ruler of Germany in 1212. Promicing the Innocent III that I would return to him Sicily, Southern Italy and crack down on heresy in my country, I won his support and became Emperor." The girl and boy exchange a few meaningful glances and the girl picks a mashmellow from the fire and eats it, licking her lips in a very suggestive fashon when she finishes. "Innocent pressed me for my promices, but I refused. I liked Sicily more than Germany anyway. Innocent refused to recognise my throne, although his replacement, Honoriuos crowned me in 1220. His replacement, Grefory IX immediatly excommunicated me for failing to crusade against the heretics." "Although I was not much of a prince, in terms of my leadership, my rule being marred by disasters due mostly to my carelessness, but I did contribute some achievements of note." "The Pope denounced all my vices, heresies and general offences in a public letter and I was excommunicated. I, in turn, wrote to all the other princes, and in the first letter of its kind, stated the issue of Papal pretentions to be absolute ruler of all Christendom, verses the claim of secular rulers such as myself. It was an old conflict, but I had made the statement of war for the first time in history." "In 1230, I drove the papal armies out of my possessed lands and force the Pope to give me absolution from my excommunication. In 1239 I was excommunicated again, which only brought more ridicule on the church." "Innocent IV replaced Gregory and I wrote another famous letter, denouncing the pride and irreligion of the clergy, blaming all corruption of the time on the pride and wealth of the Church. I urged my fellow princes to confiscate the property of the church, for the good of the church, naturally. The idea, never far from princes minds after that." "In my court, I gathered philosophers of Christian, Jewish and Moslem faith. I introduced Arabic numberals and algebra to Christians. I founded the University of Naples in 1224, enlarged the medical school at Salerno University and founded a zoological garden. I made Aristotle available in Latin. I wrote books and was one of the first to write verse in Italian. I have been called 'the first of the moderns' by modern writers. During a gold shortage, I introduced coinage of stamped leather, reviving monetry methods not seen since Carthage." The young boy who won the last game interupts, "What was the book?" The old man shakes his head, "I will tell you that it was about bird. My observations showed me to be a man with a careful and scientific eye." "German scholars tell of a legend that has me, the great monarch, slumbering in a deep cavern, my beard grown around a stone table, against the day I shall awaken and the world will be restored to peace." David, the young lad who won the last contest stands up, his hand in the air. The old man shakes his head and David sits down, looking like someone just stole his favorite toy. "I am called Gran Frederigo, still, by Italian peasants" "I am Frederick the Second." \subsection{The Queen} The young girl with the stick, points to the teenage girl to the left of the old man, who is wispering and figiting with the young boy of the same age next to her. "Your turn next." The girl, who was blowing on a mashmallow she had picked from a stick round the fire, swallows it and mutters, "Hot, hot!" She gulps it down and a grin comes across her face. She leans closer to the fire and hushes for silence. "I have one, lets see who can work this one out." "I lived in the most powerful country in the world." "I lived in a palace near Memphis." "When I lived in the palace I was but young, but there I was worshipped." "I was considered a rebel and persicuted by conservatives, but I took the imagination of the younger generation, and with their faith, things were forever changed." "People would come to our palace to see me." "My voice was beautiful and loved throughout the nation." "I was worshipped in all countries." "Who am I?" (Anyone who answers Elvis may be in trouble :-) "Your time knew me not. Your experts guessed, saying I was the Pharohs daughter that found Moses. Others said I was a woman, pretending to be a man, like some Shakespearian comedy. Listen to me and hear my story." "I lived long before I became what I became. This tale tells of my end as a slave to the puppeteers masters. A Queen who could command 100,000, but who was but a slave herself." {\bf [She was useful, so she became a pawn of the vampires]} "I was born into the family of the Near Easten Kings. It was after the time of knowledge and writing. I as born most beautiful and sweet child, whose look could melt the hearts of men and women, whose console could turn women against their husbands, son against father." {\bf Born into the Mitanni Empire, if you must ask.} With a voice of an Angel and a song as great as the first song that echoed through the land. I had lapis lazuli eyes, the mark, all the people knew, of the Gods, I was marked a queen. "Here, I met the `true one', full of wisdom and learning, and his beloved son, the `false one', full of anger and rebelion, who now takes his name, line and clan. {\bf [Brujah and Treole]} "My gifts made me useful. They gave me my every wish, I gave them rulers, for I loved them through their nectar. At night, I would sing to them with a voice of gold, give them the thoughts of great leaders and they would bask in my beauty, in return, they kept me young, beautiful. {\bf [She was used to get control of kings and leaders, in return, she was Ghouled.]} "I was but 14 in body, not much more in mind, when I was sold for gold by my father. I was sent to marry the leader of the greatest nation on the world. Childish excitment flooded through me, I was to be Queen of the largest Empire in the world. The `true one' sent an advisor with me and one of the `changing', to make me most attractive to my new husband as well as slaves and gifts. {\bf [Sent to Egypt, a Brujah and Tzmecise with her, the Tzmecise to vicissitude her if need be.]} "I had my first husband at 15. He was fat and balding with bleeding gums and teeth that fell out. He was rotting in his own perversion, corrupted by the monsterous darkness of his masters. Although he sickened me, my tie to the `true one's' advisor forced me on. My husmand took me in a temple, on an altar fresh with sacrificial blood, while the people watched and cheered. {\bf [Say hello to Mr. Set's friendly local Ghoul, the Pharo]} "Although I was Queen, I was but one of many Queens to my husband. The real Queen was the foul sourceress Tiy. She owned the king and his soul. {\bf [Hmm some opposition.]} "Fortune! At 17, I was a widow. The son of the vile one was the next God. But the son was not like the father. He was but 12 and yet he was the most powerful person in the world. He was beautiful, brilliant and soon, he was under my spell, and I, the great seducer, fell under his. Tiy and the Dark One were furious, the `True one' was extatic, I had stolen Tiy's rule. The world was ours. {\bf [1365BC, sudden change in power.]} "We were bound together, my king and I, at the head of the greatest empire on Earth. I took a name. The people cheered, I was the Beautiful one, come. {\bf [Nefertiti.]} "Tiy, the dark crone and mother still held sway over my love. She had child by him, but it died soon in our rein. I fought to purge Tiy's influence, fighting like I had never fought in my life. Our love was open and pure. With Tiy gone, the darkness was weakened. The `true one' from my home, ordered 'Enough, stop!', but my love and I continued, sweeping the land. Enough, slave no longer! {\bf [Was Tiy annoyed! Nefertiti cleared out the Settite yes men, although Tiy still had influence over Amonrah.]} "After 4 short years, Tiy, dark crone, mother of my beloved, returned flush with dark power and wrapped the land in her coils. She had poisoned the land and my beloved was struck with poison, decay and sickness, but this only angered me more. {\bf [Tiy and the settites regrouped and attacked again.]} "Enough. I was furious, my beloved was stuck, things must be changed. We changed the world. Swept the Dark Hunter's childred from our country, clenzed them to dust under the pure light of the Sun. We worshipped Art, Truth, Love and Light, the Sun. My old masters were furious, I lost my nectar of life, but the light of life and truth sustained me. {\bf [Drives vampires from Egypt, sunbaking as many as possible. Changed all gods to one god, the Sun. No longer a ghoul, she starts aging.]} "The cities reminded us of our slavery. Enough of the old, bloody temples. We rode into the desert, by the river of life, made pure love on golden chariot. There, we built a new beginning, 100,000 of the greatest in the empire built a city for 100,000, a city of dreams, our city. {\bf [Build a new capital. Note: not the Brujah city of dreams, Carthage. This was before that.]} "`Eternal Life!' shouted the people, 'light for whom whatever she speaks is granted'. 'This city shall buried my royal wife for a million years.' replied my husband." {\bf [Popular with the peasants. XXX check?]} "My beloved, still struck by the dark ones poison, was in decay. There was more work to be done. My 6 beautiful daughters were tempted by darkness day and night, but this just made us drive all darkness from out land with more vigur. Dark ones who enslaved us, we destroyed, hunters ones who slew us, we slew, Mages and priests who we once served, we enlaved, the dead who haunted us, we welcomed once more. The lands, once controlled for us now belonged to all. {\bf [vamps: killed, weres: killed, mages: enslaved or destroyed, wraiths: welcomed.]} "My voice filled the temple, half a mile long. My ailing husband and I made love on golden chariots, while people cheered. For the first time, a Queen stepped forward while the husband faltered. This was heaven on Earth, but the Dark Gods would stand for it not. They united and clouds of evil formed far off and flooded our country before we knew. {\bf [Good try, but 'fraid not, we will just have that land back.]} "Tiy's life was taken for her failure. The darkness struck back, they took my palace, beguiled my husband and forced nectar upon me once more. The poison I once considered the nectar of life, I now knew to be the poison of the evil. The light was taken from our land, the people once again crushed. {\bf [Vampires win, made a Ghoul again.]} I wept as my people fell under the heel of the dark masters. I sobbed as they burned out temples and smashed our city. I wailed as I was enslaved again, the light taken from our land. {\bf [Boo hoo, the vampires are better.]} "But I was smarter, now. I knew what their power was, I knew the power in the darkness. I kept the vile poison and, spilling my own life, took the power from the darkness." {\bf [Made a Ghoul again, but uses blood for own embrace.]} "I wept at the lost day, nolonger able to worship the blessed sun." {\bf [So much for sunbaking.]} "With the dark power, I slew the changer and the `true ones' messanger. I took their hearts power for my own and drove the darkness from my beautiful city. Then I wept, my city was now a city of ghosts, alone, forgotten. Taken for dead, which I was left, alone in the ruins of our dream city. {\bf [Cleans out the new city, but people have left and things getting back to normal.]} "My love died and although it ripped at my heart, I could not let it effect me. I knew I must act for my people once more. I moved to take the land once again, making bargains with the people of Iron, but I was niave and young, all the dark ones were as one, and I was un-used to the cursed night. The darkness took the prince of the Iron men and all was lost. I fleed back to my city and my tear welled up in the river of life. My life, my husband, my family, my people and my country, all lost. {\bf [Mr 3rd gens are better at politics I think than some newbie. Iron people are the Hitties.]} "All was lost, my daughter married a puny boy, granting my royal seal of rule upon him and the darkness took the land once more. My holy grave was given to the weed of a boy, my name struck from the walls. {\bf [Here comes tutencarmoon.]} "My beloved and I, our city, all we had done was erased from the Earth until but a century ago. They would not have any of our deeds or achievements giving hope to the people again. With my life destroyed and the dark ones hunting me, I slipped into the night, and left my beloved land." {\bf [Naturally the vampires erase all knowledge of this upstart and try to hunt her. Time to leave.]} "Now, I rise again, riding through cities in chariots of gold. Now, I am wise, with wisdom of the past centuries. Now, I prepair to give the people a Pharo. Now, I and the blessed Sun prepair to drive the darkness from the land. {\bf [Nice car, I'm older, I have lots of kiddies ready, OZ is the sunburnt country: a great place for a sun worshipper (think about it!).]} In this land of the Sun, I shall free the people from the shackles of night. I shall give them the leaders and rulers they wish for, I shall bring heaven to Earth once more. {\bf [oh dear, can we leave now?]} "I am beautiful one is come, I am Neferitti. {\bf [Now, who called her Elvis?]}