Five Gods Exiled — 81 of 191

Chapter 4 - Post-Exile Memories

To remember a post-exile memory:

DM "(Remembering a post-exile [memory-type of the current memory] contextual memory involving a [relationship of the associated NPC of the current memory] - [given name of the associated NPC of the current memory] [surname of the associated NPC of the current memory].)";

now the current person is the associated NPC of the current memory;

if the relationship of the current person is instructor:

say "[Given name of the current person] [surname of the current person] dodged your question in class, so you stayed late one night and asked it again. 'The orbs we're looking for - the orbs sent into the real world. You told us they were manmade, but how did we make them?'[paragraph break]Your instructor paused in the parking lot and played [zher] flashlight beam briefly into your eyes, blinding you, before [zhe] resumed walking. 'You don't want to know, [reverse nickname of the current person].' [Zher] [voice type of the current person] voice was terse. 'Don't think about it too hard.' Humming a focus melody, [zhe] got into [zher] car and shut the door.[paragraph break]You never cornered [zhim] successfully again, and your question went unanswered.";

otherwise if the relationship of the current person is lover or the relationship of the current person is spouse:

say "[if the affection strength of the current person > 3]Making love[otherwise]Sex[end if] became dangerous. You didn't want it to be. ";

if the current person likes the player:

say "Your [gr of the current person] was so desperately beautiful by candlelight, and your head and heart ached with exhaustion in the exiled world. ";

otherwise if the affection strength of the current person is 3:

say "You wanted sex to be like movement or music - something you could turn to that would help drown out the gods. ";

otherwise:

say "You didn't love your [gr of the current person] any more, but you did want [zhim], and sex was a way to pass the time without fighting. ";

say "The sight of [given name of the current person]'s [skin tone of the current person] skin against the candlelit [color preference of the current person] sheets";

if the hair texture of the current person is not bald:

say ", the sight of [zher] [hair length of the current person] [hair color of the current person] hair against the pillows,";

say " made parts of you tighten and heat and hunger, and the glow in [zher] [eye color of the current person] eyes let you know [zhe] shared your feelings.[paragraph break]And for a time, it was still safe to stroke your hand over [zher] cheek";

if the current person is female:

say " and [one of]brush your thumb across[or]kiss your way[or]trace your tongue[or]caress your way[at random] [one of]over [zher] lips[or]along [zher] throat[or]down between [zher] breasts[at random] as";

otherwise:

say " and [one of]brush your thumb across[or]kiss your way[or]trace your tongue[or]caress your way[at random] [one of]over [zher] lips[or]along [zher] throat[or]over [zher] chest[at random] as";

say " [zhe] [one of]gasped[or]smiled knowingly[or]laughed softly[or]purred[or]growled low in [zher] throat[or]caught [zher] breath[at random] and [one of]knotted [zher] hand in your [hair length of the player] hair[or]stretched languidly beneath your attentions[or]pressed [zher] body against you[or]rolled you on top of [zhim][or]rolled you to your back[or]twined [zher] arms around your neck[or]reached out to return the attentions in kind[at random]. For a time, it was still safe to go even further than that, and the moment when you lost control and [if the player is male]buried yourself in [zher] body[otherwise]surrendered to the wild rippling ecstasy[end if] was only a surrender - not a true danger. You were just ";

if the player is male and the current person is male:

say "two men";

otherwise if the player is male and the current person is female:

say "a man and a woman";

otherwise if the player is female and the current person is female:

say "two women";

otherwise if the player is female and the current person is male:

say "a woman and a man";

say " lit by candlelight, free to take your pleasure in each other as heedlessly or recklessly or [if the affection strength of the current person > 3]lovingly[otherwise if the affection strength of the current person is 3] hungrily[otherwise]singlemindedly[end if] as you chose.[paragraph break]But then came the day when you lost the shield of music entirely, and in the brightest moment under candlelight, the everpresent gods pressed into your head. [Given name of the current person] vanished entirely in a screaming chaos of color and sound, and you were lost with only scattered rhythms and broken phrases to guide you back to your own head.[paragraph break]You came to yourself ";

if the current person likes the player:

say "half-naked on the floor of the bedroom. [Given name of the current person] was restraining you in a position that seemed to mock your earlier activities. [Zhe] just kept chanting your name over and over, exhaustion riding heavily in [zher] [voice type of the current person] voice, until [zhe] realized you could hear [zhim]. ";

otherwise if the affection strength of the current person is 3:

say "fully dressed and prone on the sidewalk outside your house with [given name of the current person] clinging to your arm and shouting at you, [zher] [voice type of the current person] run raw. ";

otherwise:

say "fully dressed curled fetally on the sidewalk not far from home. ";

say "Dawn was tinting the sky above the cityline. You'd lost an entire night.";

otherwise:

let M be a random number between 1 and 4;

if M is 1:

say "You heard a humming - rising, falling, encouraging, enticing - and, after listening for a long moment, you started to hum as well. Your voice was tentative at first, but there was something right about the humming, and you grew stronger as you continued. The melody formed strange shapes in your mind. The shapes fit together -[paragraph break]- and suddenly, your mind fit back together. [given name of the current person] [surname of the current person] was there, [eye color of the current person] eyes intent on yours, humming as [zhe] knelt in front of you.[paragraph break][Zhe] saw the change in your expression and collapsed with a ";

if the current person likes the player:

say "gasp of relief. 'I thought we'd lost you!'[paragraph break]'No,' you reassured your [gr of the current person]. 'You pulled me back";

otherwise if the affection strength of the current person is 3:

say "shudder of exhaustion. 'I'm so glad you're back. I thought we'd lost you.'[paragraph break]'No,' you said distantly. 'I'm not that weak";

otherwise if the affection strength of the current person < 3:

say "snarl. 'Don't ever make me do that again. We can't afford to lose you'[paragraph break]'No,' you said. 'You can't.' And a moment later, thinking better of your harshness: 'And you won't";

say ".' But the minds of the gods, bright and terrible, were still all around you, and your mental shield was weak. You wondered how much more you could endure.";

otherwise if M is 2:

say "[Zhe] had to ask you twice before you heard [zhim]: 'It's getting worse, isn't it?'[paragraph break]Still holding the focusing melody in the back of your mind, you looked back at your [gr of the current person], [given name of the current person] [surname of the current person], taking in the way the candlelight flickered over [zher] [style impression of the current person] chosen clothing and [zher] [hair reference]. [Zher] [eye color of the current person] eyes were wide in [zher] [skin tone of the current person] face, and [zher] lips were tense. 'Worse?' you asked blankly.[paragraph break]'The voices. The colors.' [Zhe] waved vaguely towards the open window. 'The - gods.'[paragraph break]'Yeah. It is.'[paragraph break][Zhe] nodded. 'I thought it was.' Exhaustion filled [zher] [voice type of the current person] voice. 'I don't know how much longer I can take it.'[paragraph break]Involuntarily, you looked at the window. Through the [physical impression of the player] reflection of your face, past the [gr-age][apostrophe]s silhouette behind you, you watched the empty-eyed crowds walking the streets.[paragraph break]";

if the current person likes the player:

say "You began to sing aloud, then, calling all your instructor's training up, forming the shapes in your mind that would help your mind stay distinct and safe. [Zhe] shivered, but then [zhe] looked back at you and began to sing too. Your voices rose and fell together, shaped and changed the shapes in your mind, and you saw your [gr of the current person] relax.[paragraph break][Given name of the current person] closed the curtains, shutting out the night, and the two of you began to play cards by candlelight.";

otherwise if the affection strength of the current person is 3:

if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds:

say "'You'll be all right,' you said, and you closed the curtains to bring [zhim] back into the room. 'Just stay focused.' The quick smile you gave, the quick smile you received - neither one had much hope.";

otherwise:

say "'Neither do I,' you admitted. But it wasn't what [zhe] needed to hear, and you saw a sharp shiver go through the [if the height of the current person is not average height][height of the current person], [end if] [build of the current person] [zhoman]. You didn't say anything else, because you didn't know what else to say.";

otherwise if the affection strength of the current person < 3:

say "In some small spasm of the mind, you pictured [zhim] among the crowd. You imagined [zhis] [build of the current person] silhouette moving down the street as [zher] mind drifted into the embrace of the gods, and it wasn't such a bad image before you pushed it away. It wasn't such a bad image at all.";

otherwise if M is 3:

if the relationship of the current person is instructor:

say "(***CONTINUE HERE)";

otherwise:

now the secondary person is the instructor-person;

say "Your instructor, [given name of the secondary person] [surname of the secondary person], didn't [one of]invite[or]court[or]appreciate[or]answer[at random] questions. [Zhe2]'d made that perfectly apparent, and so you were surprised when your [gr of the current person] raised [zher] hand in the gap between words.[paragraph break][Given name of the secondary person] stared at [zhim] for a moment before finally saying, '[Given name of the current person].'[paragraph break]'Why are there so few of us?' [Given name of the current person] glanced about for support. [if the affection strength of the current person > 3]You tried to look supportive, but there was only so much you could do[otherwise]You didn't respond; [zhe] was on [zher] own here[end if]. 'I mean - the entire world is at stake here, and you don't know if we can do this. Can't know if we can do this. Shouldn't there be more than...?' [Zher] abortive gesture encompassed you and the other few people [one of]seated[or]standing[at random] in the [one of]small[or]spacious[or]large[or]tiny[or]cramped[or]cozy[or]stuffy[or]cold[or]overly warm[at random] [one of]office[or]studio[or]apartment[or]kitchen[or]den[or]living room[or]gym[at random]. 'There are so many other people who could help us.'[paragraph break]To";

say " your surprise, the [build of the secondary person] [zhoman2] decided to answer. 'The [one of]art[or]skill[or]science[or]ability[or]craft[at random] you're learning is [one of]very[or]highly[or]extremely[or]considered[at random]... [one of]dangerous[or]sensitive[at random]. By learning these techniques, you're reworking the fabric of reality - weaving yourselves out of the will of the gods and into your own wills. There are risks involved, and those risks need to be limited.'[paragraph break]'How bad can the risks be?' [Given name of the current person] [one of]narrowed [zher] [eye color of the current person] eyes slightly[or]set [zher] shoulders[or]laughed a little, [zher] [voice type of the current person] voice attempting confidence[or]brushed down [zher] [style impression] chosen clothing[at random]. 'Name one.'[paragraph break]'Here's one to start. If you should trip and fall in front of a train tomorrow, your death could tear a hole in reality. Everyone who isn't stumbling around lost out there is a risk to our future.' It was such a melodramatic thing to say, but [given name of the secondary person][apostrophe]s [eye color of the secondary person] eyes burned, and [zhe2] wasn't laughing. Somehow, neither were you.";

otherwise if M is 4:

now the secondary person is the instructor-person;

say "[Given name of the instructor-person] [surname of the instructor-person] was angrier than you had ever seen [zhim2]. [Zhe2] [one of] paced in front of the small group[or]stood perfectly still[or]clenched [zher2] fist as if [zhe2] would have liked to hit someone[or]cursed in a steady, monotonous stream[or]trembled visibly with passion[at random] as [zhe2] glared at ";

if the relationship of the current person is instructor:

say "you. ";

otherwise:

say "[given name of the current person] [surname of the current person], your [gr of the current person]. ";

say "'You put us all at risk,' [zhe2] snarled. '[apostrophe]Pair up, and stay paired[apostrophe] - did you think it was a guideline? Did you think I was telling you for your health?[paragraph break]'Look outside!' You were meeting in the [one of]church basement[or]rink basement[or]lodge basement[or]back office[at random] that time, and there were no windows, so [zhe2] pointed at the door. 'Walk down that street, and look for people who are still people - people who aren't just acting out the minds of the gods! People who can think for themselves, and aren't just trapped in a loop of stray thought! People who can create, and love, and act instead of reacting![paragraph break]'And the next time you walk out on your partner,' [zhe2] said, returning [zher2] [eye color of the secondary person] gaze to ";

if the relationship of the current person is instructor:

say "you. ";

otherwise:

say "[nickname of the current person], 'I may just kill you myself. Because if the gods ever notice what we're doing - if they ever care - then we're all dead. I mean it.'[paragraph break][Zhe2] turned away";

let N be a random number between 1 and 5;

if N is 1:

say "and pinched the bridge of [zher2] nose";

otherwise if N is 2:

say ", took off [zher2] glasses, and began cleaning them with tight, deliberate movements";

otherwise if N is 3:

say " and stared into nowhere for a long moment";

otherwise if N is 4:

say " and leaned on the wall for a moment, [zher2] head bowed. In another time, you might have thought that [zhe2] was praying, but you knew that [zhe2] was humming to [zhim2]self to strengthen [zher2] shield against the minds of the gods";

let the temporary NPC list be a list of people;

repeat with temporary NPC running through NPCs:

if the profession of the temporary NPC is priest:

add the temporary NPC to the temporary NPC list;

if the number of entries in the temporary NPC list is 0 and the profession of the player is priest:

say ". Even you have cast off the long rituals and faith of seminary. Your God is gone from the world";

otherwise if the profession of the player is priest:

say ". Even you and [the temporary NPC list] have cast off the long rituals and faith of seminary. Your God is gone from the world";

otherwise:

say ". Even [the temporary NPC list] have cast off the long rituals and faith of seminary. Their God is gone from the world";

otherwise if N is 5:

say " and hit the wall with [zher2] fist, an empty, booming sound";

say ".".