25 Chirreb 4385: Foul Primes

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

The first thing the ghempoch did was thrash around at the ropes securing him and curse at primes in particular and us in specific and rant about the evils of letting primes run unchecked across the branch and blah blah blah whatever.

Secret tried to get his attention. "What's your name?"

"Foul cowardly primes! Release me! I'll kill you all!" He tried to tilt his head to get his ears out of the water, but couldn't.

"That's not reeeeeeally incentive to release you," I pointed out.

"Also, norren," Secret added. "Not prime."

"Norren!" He fixed Secret with one eye. "Release me that I may slay those vile cockroaches that call themselves prime! With your help, I will cleanse the branch of their terrible stench and foul tyrrany!"

"Pretty much everyone calls them prime. It's the word the gods gave us for them," I said. "Even you use it."

The ghempoch snorted green smoke. "They are unworthy of being first! An oversight I will correct, if you'll only release me!"

Secret cleared her throat. "About that. I was hoping we could release you -- "

"Yes! Free me! I'll do anything!"

" -- and then you could go back to the Verticals without killing anyprime?" Secret finished.

"... anything but that." The ghempoch tried to turn his head to focus both eyes on her, but we had his head pinned with a log to either side and tied in place too thoroughly to shift more than an inch. "How can you ask such a thing? How can you tolerate those noxious beasts when they crawl over good world-wood in such unspeakable numbers?"

"It's easy," Secret said. "Lots of them are helpful and harmless, and -- "

The ghempoch interrupted her with a bellow. "HARMLESS? Do you not see these wounds upon my flesh? Do you not see the stumps that were my wings? This primes and primes alone have done to me!"

I didn't tell him that Secret had helped, but she flinched anyway. "I said lots. Not all --"

"There are SO MANY more than the ones who fought me?!" The ropes securing him groaned, and the water around his ears boiled, sending clouds of steam into the air.

Which scalded his muzzle. Which killed him again since Trust hadn't healed him beyond the bare minimum that resurrection does.

Trust resurrected him again. "Please don't do that, ♥" Trust told him. "I need that cley to do some permanent healing later."

"Vicious prime! Are you executing me for sport now? Or torture?" the ghempoch said.

"You executed yourself. By boiling the water around your head," Secret said. "He brought you back because we want to let you go."

"Then let me go!"

"Will you go back to the Verticals without hurting anyprime if we do?"

The ghempoch considered this for a moment. "I will hurt noprime if you release me," he lied, badly.

Trust wagged his tail happily until I said, "I'm pretty sure he doesn't mean that."

"Agreed," Outcast added.

By now, it was obvious this was going to take a while.

Comments

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

I, who am utterly expert, give you my best advice on dealing with monsters who have unfortunate compulsions!

Um ...

... as soon as I can think of anything that isn't stupid and hopeless to say ...

I'll get back to you ... in ... a few ... well, a few of some time period, that's for sure.

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

I was really kinda hoping you'd have some ideas Secret is STILLL talking to him apparently she's really really patient I'd've given up by now.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Maybe you could convince him that all the primes on the world tree had been secretly replaced with bonstables or something? Then point out that since several prime species were gone the cyarr were the primes now and he should go bug them.

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

That doesn't sound very plausible even less so than me being norren but I guess I'll mention it I don't think anyone has any good ideas.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

It depends; do you want to be monstrous to the monster or Prime? If you want to be Prime, you should simply kill the ghempoch (or leave him dead). If you want to be monstrous, you could use Mentador to convince the monster that some other species of monsters are the real Primes, or cause him to forget that he saw the Primes and return home.

Given his compulsion to kill all Primes and that he doesn't have a corresponding compulsion to save and help non-Primes, I don't see a compromise working, i.e. dividing the village into smaller pieces until each individual village-let is under the size that the ghempoch would suffer or offering tribute to the ghempoch to leave them alone, or convincing the ghempoch that sufficient Norren lived with the villagers that any time he attacked them, he would risk killing Norren.

But maybe Secret will come up with something!

[delight-in.livejournal.com]

What kind of question is that of course I'd rather be prime than monstrous!

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Well, then you could just wash your hands of the matter and hurry to catch up with the caravan! You caught the thing, it's up to the villagers what they want to do with it.

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

Personally, if I was throwing Mentador around, I'd do something about that compulsion of his... give him free choice, free of compulsions like that.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Well, the only permanent things you can do with a moderate amount of mentador are memory tricks basically. You'd have to be clever to use those to free him from his compulsion.

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

So have a talk with the Norren about the most plausible way to get in done in a useful way. They are sure to have some ideas...