Stone Man Pass
- Graybeard
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Re: Stone Man Pass
Sister Rose blinked, twice; she rarely did that. "'Bodacious'?" she suggested gently. "And who are you, sir?"
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Re: Stone Man Pass
"Porpington Bree is my name, Madame - Poet Laureate of the noble city of Smackton Hills, well-known creative talent and internationally lauded writer of the finest prose this side of the Waldhaxen Channel," the floppy-hatted fellow declared loudly, raising one eyebrow. "I'm sure you've heard of me of course."
He stroked his rather flabby chin as he walked his horse alongside the wagon, watery brown eyes distant. "Hmm . . . Bodacious time at my heels doth nip, heralded by the tongues of shrews like whips . . ." His lips pursed, shifted, twitched, twisted as though he were physically chewing on the words, which were apparently rather difficult to masticate judging by the motions of his jaw. "It has merit, though the adjective is a bit unusual . . . tell me, what does this "Bodacious" mean?"
Maduin's eyebrows rose, a smile tugging at his lips. "Perhaps," he suggested a bit dryly. "Voracious would be a slightly better match."
Porpington's mouth flattened. "I am not such a rube as to not know what that entails," he said stiffly. He sniffed and raised his chin slightly. "And you have terrible fashion sense."
He stroked his rather flabby chin as he walked his horse alongside the wagon, watery brown eyes distant. "Hmm . . . Bodacious time at my heels doth nip, heralded by the tongues of shrews like whips . . ." His lips pursed, shifted, twitched, twisted as though he were physically chewing on the words, which were apparently rather difficult to masticate judging by the motions of his jaw. "It has merit, though the adjective is a bit unusual . . . tell me, what does this "Bodacious" mean?"
Maduin's eyebrows rose, a smile tugging at his lips. "Perhaps," he suggested a bit dryly. "Voracious would be a slightly better match."
Porpington's mouth flattened. "I am not such a rube as to not know what that entails," he said stiffly. He sniffed and raised his chin slightly. "And you have terrible fashion sense."
- Graybeard
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Re: Stone Man Pass
Porpington Bree? Smackton Hills? a thoroughly flummoxed Sister Rose wondered. I've never heard of such a place, and I think I know my geography... "Sister Rose of the Veracian Church," she announced. "Now, Mister, ah, Bree, what brings you here?"
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Re: Stone Man Pass
Porpington seemed to swell with self-importance at Sister Rose's inquiry. "Why, Madame, I go to share my talent in an effusive exposition of the teetering, titillating heights of the written word. I shall bestow a small part of the fruits of my genius upon the fortunate ears of a few fair recipients and uplift them with my dizzying dandling of the dazzling disposition of certain select soliloquies."
He gestured grandly to the craggy horizon, the peaks of the pass outlined by the afternoon sun. "I go to perform, Madame, for the Stone Men."
He gestured grandly to the craggy horizon, the peaks of the pass outlined by the afternoon sun. "I go to perform, Madame, for the Stone Men."
- Graybeard
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Re: Stone Man Pass
"I go to perform, Madame, for the Stone Men."
Sister Rose wasn't exactly sure what response she'd been expecting from this odd man, but she certainly wasn't expecting that.
There was something nibbling at the back of her mind as she started to frame another question for him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Have I heard that term before? She searched her memory. Some weird reference to miners or stoneworkers? Maybe, although she'd never heard it put that way, to the best of her knowledge. Some indigenous, tribal group in the southern part of the country? Again, possible, but nothing she'd ever heard of before (although there was ... something ... still tickling her memory on that one). The other possibilities just seemed ridiculous. She'd assumed that the "stone man" of Stone Man Pass was just some interesting rock formation, and even as odd a "poet" as this one wouldn't be "performing" for the stones ... would he? Golems were often called "stone men" in colloquial Veracian speech, and she'd seen one herself, Brother Lemuel at the mission, who did a pretty good imitation of sentience, to the point where he might appreciate poetry. But enough of them together for an actual performance for them? It just didn't seem likely. Surely he can't mean dwarves ... She put that one out of her mind; that way lay madness.
"That's, ah, very interesting," she said, her mind still reeling. "And where would that performance be, by chance?"
Sister Rose wasn't exactly sure what response she'd been expecting from this odd man, but she certainly wasn't expecting that.
There was something nibbling at the back of her mind as she started to frame another question for him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Have I heard that term before? She searched her memory. Some weird reference to miners or stoneworkers? Maybe, although she'd never heard it put that way, to the best of her knowledge. Some indigenous, tribal group in the southern part of the country? Again, possible, but nothing she'd ever heard of before (although there was ... something ... still tickling her memory on that one). The other possibilities just seemed ridiculous. She'd assumed that the "stone man" of Stone Man Pass was just some interesting rock formation, and even as odd a "poet" as this one wouldn't be "performing" for the stones ... would he? Golems were often called "stone men" in colloquial Veracian speech, and she'd seen one herself, Brother Lemuel at the mission, who did a pretty good imitation of sentience, to the point where he might appreciate poetry. But enough of them together for an actual performance for them? It just didn't seem likely. Surely he can't mean dwarves ... She put that one out of her mind; that way lay madness.
"That's, ah, very interesting," she said, her mind still reeling. "And where would that performance be, by chance?"
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Re: Stone Man Pass
Porpington blinked. "Why, in Stone Man Pass of course. You can't very well expect them to get up and move around, can you?" He gestured grandly once more. "Ah, but I must be off. I expect they shall want to feast my arrival of course, and I shall require my repose before I deliver my prose to their undoubtedly adulacious applause. Fare thee well, lovely lady, and thy companions."
Then he was booting his horse once more into a canter.
"If you hurry, you may be in time to hear me recite the world-renowned "How Now, Brown Cow!" he called over his shoulder as he rode away.
Then he was booting his horse once more into a canter.
"If you hurry, you may be in time to hear me recite the world-renowned "How Now, Brown Cow!" he called over his shoulder as he rode away.
- Drannin
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Re: Stone Man Pass
Argus paused for a moment, watching the man ride away. "What a peculiar fellow," he remarked.
"No kidding," Harker commented, focused on his carving. "Hey, didn't you come here once?"
"Huh?" Argus was momentarily confused, and the surprised looks sent his way didn't help him out. "Oh... No. No, I went to a different locale in the far north, one that had a similar name."
Harker looked up. "Two spots with the same name?"
"Close. What I found in the far north was a place called 'Stoned Man Pass.' Note the addition of a 'D' sound."
Harker contemplated for a moment. "Ancient site of execution, or place for people to go on vision quests and eat snacks?"
Argus sighed. "Yes... and yes. Please, don't ask. I just hope there aren't any locals this time around. I can't run like I used to."
"...That bad, huh?"
"...Yes."
"No kidding," Harker commented, focused on his carving. "Hey, didn't you come here once?"
"Huh?" Argus was momentarily confused, and the surprised looks sent his way didn't help him out. "Oh... No. No, I went to a different locale in the far north, one that had a similar name."
Harker looked up. "Two spots with the same name?"
"Close. What I found in the far north was a place called 'Stoned Man Pass.' Note the addition of a 'D' sound."
Harker contemplated for a moment. "Ancient site of execution, or place for people to go on vision quests and eat snacks?"
Argus sighed. "Yes... and yes. Please, don't ask. I just hope there aren't any locals this time around. I can't run like I used to."
"...That bad, huh?"
"...Yes."
- Graybeard
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Re: Stone Man Pass
"I think 'peculiar' barely scratches the surface," Sister Rose said, "but no matter." She was all ready to forget the strange encounter and move on, but unexpectedly, Brad chose this moment to have something poke through his subconscious and distract him from his mooning over Lillith.
"You know, Rose, something just occurred to me," he said. "Don't the Millenarians sometimes call themselves 'Luminosita's Rocks' or 'The Bedrock of the Church' or something like that?" Now why was everybody looking at him like that?
"You know, Rose, something just occurred to me," he said. "Don't the Millenarians sometimes call themselves 'Luminosita's Rocks' or 'The Bedrock of the Church' or something like that?" Now why was everybody looking at him like that?
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- Sareth
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Re: Stone Man Pass
"Well," Lillith replied. "That or he's planning to sing to the spirits of the mountains." This statement might have been taken as a joke, had it come from anyone other than Lillith. However, given her beliefs, and her delivery, it came off as seeming an imminently reasonable thing to say. "Personally, I am hoping that's what the man meant by all of that. The last time we ran into Millenarians..." Lillith shuddered, a slightly haunted look on her face. She shook her head. "The odds are he's not going up there just to get really good echoes as he sings to the spirits of the earth..."
- Graybeard
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Re: Stone Man Pass
"The last time we ran into Millenarians..."
"I was thinking exactly the same thing, Lillith," Sister Rose answered. "I hope your 'spirits' explanation is the right one, if that's the alternative. And it might well be. Brad, your memory of that slogan is ... evocative ..."
Suddenly, unaccountably, inexplicably, and above all, incongruously, Rose giggled, although there continued to be concern in her green eyes.
"I was thinking exactly the same thing, Lillith," Sister Rose answered. "I hope your 'spirits' explanation is the right one, if that's the alternative. And it might well be. Brad, your memory of that slogan is ... evocative ..."
Suddenly, unaccountably, inexplicably, and above all, incongruously, Rose giggled, although there continued to be concern in her green eyes.
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.