City of IF

[Key]

The story so far: You are Lodevar, born to the race of sheepheads enslaved by the Bullroar minotaurs. Your have an unusual form compared to most sheepheads, with a smaller head and no horns. After being sent to the iron mines, you started a slave rebellion and freed over five hundred of your people, then led them to the coast, where you and two of your friends sought help from the race of merfolk. The merfolk king told you that he was your father, and asked you to accept his help and his daughter Lalomea’s hand in marriage.

Last Decision: Accept the King's help but put off marrying Lalomea - tell him that this is not the time for a wedding.

"Your Majesty," you call out to the King, with walls of merfolk surrounding you. "It’s an honor to be part of your family. But as we’ve enjoyed your welcome here for the last two and a half days, my people have been wandering the surface of the sea, packed into crowded boats and hunted by an army of Bullroars. And meanwhile the pearls that keep me alive are falling off my necklace. This is no time for a wedding.

"Please, Your Majesty, return us to the surface and help my people before it’s too late. Then we can talk about marriage."

The hall falls silent. The King’s face darkens. The merfolk look at one another nervously, then start whispering and chattering with each other, their voices growing louder and louder as their eyes dart fearfully between you and the King, like fish caught between the net and the hook. You wonder if anyone’s ever said no to the King before.

But as the watery whispers reach a pitch, the King raises his arms and holds his sceptre high, and the crowd falls silent again. Then, severe and unsmiling, he booms out three words:

"SO…BE…IT!"

The crowd jumps to fulfill the King’s command, launching themselves from the sea floor and the walls of the great hall through the openings in the vaulted coral ceiling above, straight up toward the surface. Glusserial, who brought you here, takes your hand and pulls you up; two other merfolk grab Haman and Nelectitus. In the confusion you lose sight of Lalomea, and crowds of swimming merfolk obscure the King.

As you pass through the opening into the water above, sailfish chariots, similar to the one that brought you here, drive down to meet you. Quickly you, Haman, and Nelectitus are piled into the closest one and the driver takes off with a sudden jerk that pulls you back into your seat. The water rushes past you as the chariot pulls away from the city and aims straight up, heading for the light, for the surface of the sea.



The merfolk are true to their word. They take you to your people the sheepheads, still in their small sailboats just out of sight of the coast. Hundreds of merfolk soon arrive to guide you and your people to a small uninhabited island, a land of tall grasses and wild fruit, with rocky hills and sharp cliffs jutting up from the sea.

You land your boats on the smoothest beach you can find, and then start unpacking. It’s rugged country, and the work of making a safe camp here seems enormous. But somehow it feels more like home than Kria, the land of your enslavement, ever did. The merfolk call the island "Agaredas" but you decide to call it "Freehome."

It doesn’t take long for the Bullroars to find you. You camouflage your boats as best you can, but it’s hard to hide a camp of eight hundred; no doubt just your cooking-fires are visible for miles. Three days after you land a Bullroar ship makes a close pass, and three days after that the warships come: twenty of them, with black sails unfurled and bristling with the latest in modern weaponry: ballistas and crossbows mounted on each ships, and each soldier dressed in plate armor and carrying a battleaxe.

They bear down on you swiftly, like sharks to their prey. You have no time to man your own boats; all you can do is to get ready to meet them on the beach. You post your spearman on the cliffs surrounding the beach to attack while they come ashore, and you form battle lines where the sand turns into rocky ground, so that you can fight them downhill and on firmer footing.

But seeing the number and size of their ships, you lose hope of victory. All you can do is pray to the Makers that the merfolk will help.

And they do not disappoint you. A few hundred yards from the shore, suddenly hundreds of merfolk surface in the path of the lead ship. The ships slow and shouts are exchanged. You’re too far to hear the words, but even at this distance you can feel the Bullroars’ rage. Then one of the ships moves forward.

The merfolk disappear, and soon the forward ship begins lurching from side to side like a sick animal. It fires its crossbows and ballista aimlessly into the water, but the merfolk are safe, attacking the hull from underneath. Soon the ship begins to sink, and the Bullroars curse the sea in rage as they go under. The other ships rescue most of them; a few sink to the bottom of the sea, pulled down by their armor. The nineteen remaining ships turn and sail out of sight.

A great cheer goes up from your people as they see the Bullroars retreat. But Haman, standing next to you, says: "Why don’t they sink all the ships? Why let them go?" You nod in agreement. Sinking those twenty ships would have been a huge victory, instead of just an escape from your own death.

The leader of the merfolk around Freehome is Petrosian, whom you first met on the Mirtis Reefs. Since the King Under the Sea has embraced you as his son, Petrosian has treated you with more respect, but not with any more warmth. You recognize his manner from your years of slavery: he is being polite to you as a duty.

Now he swims into shallow water as you and Haman walk down to the beach. "Greetings, Prince Lodevar," he says formally. "All the Bullroar ships have gone. You and the sheepheads are safe."

"Safe?" you say. "None of us are safe with my people in chains. And you just let their slavemasters get away."

"You would rather that I sunk the ships and slaughtered them helpless in the sea?"

"Yes, slaughter those who came to slaughter us! Why not?"

"My duty is to protect you, not to start a war."

"The war’s already started! I thought you were on my side. We’re both sons of the King - aren’t my enemies your enemies?"

Petrosian says softly, "Your have more enemies than you realize. Count yourself lucky to be safe from them. For now." And with that he turns and swims back into the sea, while you wonder what he meant.



Despite that conversation (or maybe because of it) Petrosian and the merfolk do more than protect your island. They travel up and down the coast of Kria and announce that because the Bullroar King is at war with Lodevar, son of the King Under the Sea and prince of the merfolk, no ships will be allowed to set sail from Kria onto the Emerald Sea.

This is a huge blow to the Bullroar economy. Before the ban, fleets of merchant ships traveled the trade routes between Kria and the Islands of Mist, sailing on to the Goatfoot Forest and the shores of spinward Sagita. Now they all have to take the long route overland, Inward to the Inner Cities and the Capital and then out again. This must cost the Bullroars thousands of crowns a day.

But more than that, the blockade leaves you free to begin a real war. With the sea free of enemy ships, your people can attack at will anywhere along the coast. At last you have the advantage: the Bullroar army still outnumbers you twenty to one, but you can strike at any of a hundred places, and they can’t defend them all.

The strategy is the same again and again: sail into a village with an escort of merfolk, rout the guards, free the slaves, take the weapons and supplies, and sail out again before the alarm can spread. One raid at a time, your army swells with new recruits and finds what it needs; one raid at a time, your soldiers grow in confidence and skill.

Of course, not every raid goes smoothly. The Bullroars are crafty warriors, and they adjust to your tactics. They hide in houses or underground, so that you can’t tell which towns are defended. Their cavalry stays on the road and watches for your sails like hawks, riding full-speed for whichever town you sail for. They herd their slaves inland when you come, forcing you into dangerous territory. Most of all, they fight stubbornly, even when outnumbered. More than once, an entire raid is put at risk by a single hardened Bullroar holed up in a cellar or cave and refusing to give ground.

But your people are crafty, too. You keep ships running up and down the coast as decoys. You attack at night when you can’t be seen. Sometimes you land outside a village, circle around, and take it from behind. And though your people aren’t as disciplined as the enemy, you can be just as fierce: for every stubborn Bullroar holding his ground, there’s a raging sheephead, a wild ex-slave with nothing to lose, ready to charge into him.

It’s a tough war, but for the first time, your rebellion has a real chance. You’re not on the run anymore, you’re attacking; and the more you attack, the stronger you get.

But all of this depends on the merfolk, and you don’t know if you can trust them. The words of the Prophet haunt you: The sea serpent comes to eat twelve fish. Beware the ink of the octopus! The trap set for the shark catches the bait as well. You don’t know what they mean, but they’re not very reassuring.

The King Under the Sea offered you the hand of the mermaid Lalomea, as a way of sealing the bond between you. You told him that it wasn’t the right time for a wedding. None of the merfolk have brought it up since, but lately Lalomea herself has taken to hanging around Freehome, singing sad songs in her own language. Haman has told you to put a stop to it. "She’s distracting the men," he said. "And she’s making everybody depressed. You should either send her away or marry her."

So one evening, you take a walk down to the beach. At first you keep your distance from her and listen to her sing to the sunset. The song is slow and filled with longing, and so beautiful that each syllable seems to rise into the air and gently fall back to the sea, like a wave on the wide ocean. When she’s done the sun has set, and you carefully wade into the water and clamber up onto the rocks across from her.

She doesn’t meet your eyes. "I didn’t think you would come," she says. Her face is wet; you feel an impulse to touch her cheek.

"Why not?"

She sighs. "Oh, the usual - war, command, alliances, your sheep people - all the reasons you rejected me the first time."

"Rejected you? I didn’t want to get married right then because my people’s lives were in danger. Do you call that a rejection?"

"No. No, I suppose not," she says in a tired voice.

"What do you want, Lalomea? Do you want to marry me?"

"What I want is not important. My father offered me to you. Marrying you is my duty."

"Why did your father offer you to me? Do you know? And do you know why he’s helping me? Am I really his son?"

Lalomea turns her face toward you, filled with misery. "I don’t know anything," she says. "I just do what I’m told."

There is a long silence, and then you say, "Lalomea, I was born a slave. My master told me what to do, and I did it. I hated it, but I didn’t think there was any other way to live.

"But one day, I realized that I could be free. That I should be free." You point at the Earth, rising spinward over the Emerald Sea. "That the Makers want us to be free. And once I realized that, I could never go back. The Bullroars may kill me. They may kill all of us. But even if they do, it’ll be worth it to have had these months, or weeks, or even one moment of freedom. I have no regrets, and I want you to live like that too."

For a moment Lalomea’s eyes brighten, and she looks at you with hope. But then she turns away again, crying, "Oh, how could I be free, when the Wheel is ruled by Kings and soldiers! You’re the same - you talk sweetly just to turn me against my father. Stop it! I am yours and I know nothing. Do what you want - take me or throw me away."

What do you do?

Read the posts below, and click "Post Reply" to post a suggestion for the Lodevar’s next action. Anyone is welcome to post. You can suggest what he would do based on his personality, what you think he should do based on what would be best, or just in general what seems like a good idea to you. Feel free to comment on other’s suggestions, but please be courteous.

You're also welcome to ask questions about Lodevar's background or about the world of the Wheel.

[Ravenwing]

Wow, this is so...deep. I feel so sorry of Lalomea, I think she really does love him, but is afraid to break the close relationship. Well I think he should marry her. I know that raging war is important to Lodevar because it was his first perogative, but he needs to think about himself too.

[dück]

Take her! Choose love or lost dust.

[Ravenwing]

It would seem the consensus is.....Marry Lalomea.

[DarkGryphon]

I dont think he should marry her to marry her... they need to have something in common for love to blossom... right now she is just a pretty face and he is a duty.

Right now he needs to keep close tabs on the merfolk. While they are not evil, they are most certainly serving their own ends. I am not sure if Lalomea is in on the overall plan of the merfolk. Right now the sheepheads and merfolks plans go in the same direction, once they diverge the sheepheads need to be prepared. Lalomea is either the key to the sheepheads destruction or salvation... I am not sure which. This is all my personal speculation of course.

But for the first time I think caution is the best option.

[Ravenwing]

Good point. :D

[CheckD]

if she is not married, then the merfolk may not help, the deal was, if i am not mistaken, that she is wed, and they help, we dont marry, they don't help, end of story

[CheckD3]

CheckD wrote: if she is not married, then the merfolk may not help, the deal was, if i am not mistaken, that she is wed, and they help, we dont marry, they don't help, end of story

this was mine, though had logged in, but think about it, she has to be married, the merfolk leave, bullroar get reinforcements, sheephead loose, the end

[Meyshe]

September 15th, 2004

Sheesh! What's her problem?!!! Can't she just calm down? I'm sorry if I am breaking the rules, but it shocked me that she's so irrational! Someone's calling me, bye!

Yours,
Meyshe

[bherman]

I love the way the story is progressing.

I think Lodevar should try to understand that kingdoms are often joined, strengthened through bonds of marriage. Also, there was a significant "love at first sight" feeling when Lodevar met Lalomea.

Lodevar can help Lalomea understand that being true to "duty" can lead to true love and happiness too.

It is an arranged marriage, but it looks like a very favorable arrangement.

I suggest he make a formal proposal of marriage to Lalomea. Make it romantic and make her feel special. Let her know she is not just a means to an end. Let her know how he feels when he looks at her, and how he is entranced whenever she sings. Then, set a date for the wedding. Let her and her people make the plans while he continues fighting. Lodevar's people would probably appreciate the excitement of a royal wedding. It will boost their spirits and encourage them to continue building their new nation.

[DarkGryphon]

Tho only reason I dont think it wise to marry Lalomea right now is becuase she may be the merfolks pawn in possibly destroying the sheepheads. Marrying her may destroy the sheepheads instead of saving them.

The merfolk are also expecting him to adopt, or at least follow, their taditions. He didnt accept the marriage offering right away which seemed to offend them slightly. As the leader of a nation he needs to be firm and do things how he believes they need to be done. He cannot be a conformist.

What he needs to do is get past the pretty face and learn about her, and get past the aid the merfolk provide and learn about them. He needs more information and for the first time he is able to sit back and analyze the situation instead of constantly moving and taking risks to survive.

[bherman]

Very good points. I believe I was thinking along those same lines. I assume the engagement should be at least six months and during that time he can try to figure out if the marriage is in everyone's best interest. He needs to string the merfolk along trying to minimize the risk of upsetting them and thus maximizing the amount of protection they provide.

I assume that if marriage ends up not being a good option, he can find a way to convince the mermaid or her father to break off the engagement.

[Ravenwing]

Having a long engagement, I agree is a good idea for both parties to think about the commitment and to see how well they deal with each other.

If it does lead to Lodevar refusing this arranged marriage, its going to be hard to tell the sea king about that.

[Guest]

Ravenwing wrote: Wow, this is so...deep. I feel so sorry of Lalomea, I think she really does love him, but is afraid to break the close relationship. Well I think he should marry her. I know that raging war is important to Lodevar because it was his first perogative, but he needs to think about himself too.

[Guest]

[quote="Ravenwing"][color=violet]Wow, this is so...deep. I feel so sorry of Lalomea, I think she really does love him, but is afraid to break the close relationship. Well I think he should marry her. I know that raging war is important to Lodevar because it was his first perogative, but he needs to think about himself too.She is bueatiful and i would marry her.

[Meyshe]

September 15th, 2004

I'm just curious: Hasn't it turned from a single rebellion to a REVOLUTION? :) :D :o

If not, all well, doesn't have to be.

Yours,
Meyshe

[Key]

Thanks for the posts, everyone! This is a great discussion - just what I love about writing these stories.

Let me know if I can answer any questions about the world or Lodevar's background.

Mark

[Guest]

My Final Concern:

I am all for a happy ending where the hero gets the pretty gurl.

HOWEVER

We need to find her legs.......................

[DarkGryphon]

thats me above

and can anyone help me get my avatar to work... it wont upload from my comp OR be taken from the URL

[xrancidnialismx]

"I am new to this site so I hope you dont mind me joining."
This story really is deep. I think that they should get married. As someonoe before me said, make it formal and nice like.

[Ravenwing]

Welcome to Interfable. :D

[bherman]

I have been thinking about this story a great deal this past day and a half.

I am worried about being dependent upon the protection provided by the merpeople. The relationship of the King and his son, Lodevar, is significant. The king lived as a sheephead for some time. Therefore, he should be able to appreciate their need for freedom, and to have more than just the island as a home.

He should admire Lodevar’s desire to free more slaves and build a stronger nation.

If Lodevar marries Leona, then the bond with the merpeople is strengthened.

We need to find out if the King understands that Lalomea will have to be transformed to live with Lodevar. That she will not be able to visit very often.

Next, we need to see if we can build alliances anywhere else as well. Are there other races that are willing to support the revolution and form a long term bond with the sheepheads?

We need to try to establish land based cities or forts too.

Perhaps we can encourage the sheepheads to pray earnestly for the support of the Makers.

We should also start hashing out long term plans for the relationship with the merpeople. What does the king of the sea expect from the sheepheads in the long term? What type of trade, cooperation, etc. does the king desire/require?

Let the second and third in command lead more on there own for a while. Use this time to get to know Leona better. Perhaps, the King would be willing to accept another audience. Perhaps Lodevar can spend time with his father. Gain from his wisdom. Learn more about his enemies and potential allies from the King and his advisors.

Lodevar is of royal blood, and he should expect the merpeople to treat him as such. I believe it would be wise to ask the King for representatives from the sea to become members of Lodevar’s advisors.

I would strongly suggest keeping an eye on Petrosian. For all we know, he will rule the sea some day and any alliances you have formed with the king may crumble as he tries to assume power. Let’s be cautions with Petrosian. Show him great respect. Try to make him feel important. But do not trust him or his advise.

[bherman]

This message is out of character. I just started reading the archive. The story of the White Queen makes me wonder if our hero here could possibly be a son of a god rather than a son of the King of the Sea.

If there is any chance that Lodevar or his people suspect that Lodevar is a child of a god, then my approach will change a bit.

If Lodevar suspects that he is a god child, then I would not pursue marriage. I might lead the King of the Sea on, but I would not seriously consider marriage. I would stay forever chaste and live only for the cause of freeing my people. I would begin to pray fervently.

Therefore, dear story teller, I need to know if Lodevar or his closest friends suspect that he is a child of a god. From what I have read of this story, it does not seem that the sheepheads have any notion of the children of gods looking like Lodevar.

I am awaiting your reply with baited breath.

[matt59312588]

Many opinions and perspectives are being shown here, offering several suggestions. We must take our decisions one step at a time. First we must consider the Merking's motives. This could be any of several things: anything from attempting to undermine the rebellion through Lodevar, to less obvious courses. I detect no sympathies between the Merking and his son, Petrosian. A suggestion was made by someone that we should divert some focus to Petrosian...I do not feel that he is central to our problems. I have also pondered another motive possibility that makes great sense. Perhaps the Merking wishes Lodevar to become his heir. Did he not mention at first meeting with him that he cares not about the wars or events of dry land? I think that he suddenly became interested upon realization of Lodevar's identity because he sees a true possibility of gaining a powerful heir.

All in all, we are left with two basic choices. Do we marry Lalomea or not? Scary enough, we have only one choice--to marry her. If we do, we may or may not come out of this happily ever after. Even worse, if we decline, it becomes an automatic game over. Someone already pointed out our clear and blatant dependency on the Merfolk. The Merking has supplied us with aid only on the assumption that we would marry his daughter with expediency. I am quite certain that, if we should hesitate or seem unfaithful to the original deal, that our time will some be up. The sea will turn into a vicious place to be avoided and the Bullroars would soon invade.

The question now becomes...what after the marriage? I feel that we truly need to be wary of the Merking. I believe that he intends to lead Lodevar from our people until they perish. Here is what I believe to be the king's battleplan: first, we marry Lalomea. Then he orders his daughter (she takes his orders without question....doesn't she...) to sing to our leader (time passed quickly when her voice was unleashed...) until years go by. At this time our army is crushed and all that Lodevar has is the sea...providing the Merking with his desired heir.

I suggest what I feel is an efficient plan. First and foremost, we marry Lalomea. Lodevar must make it known, however, that he will always be MOST loyal to his people. As such, he must spend nearly all of his time on dry land, excluding OCCASIONAL audiences with the Merking. To ensure the retreival of our leader, he must demand that these meeting not exceed a resonable amount of time......a week perhaps?

While keeping an eye on the Merfolk, we must continue to wage war. We must practice to sail, and wage quick hit-and-run raids successfully. We must send ambassadors to all peoples not allied with the Bullroars. We must attempt to recruit men, supplies, and leadership. Most badly, we need to perfect our tactics of fighting. We must capture or import generals who can whip our army into shape and educate them in Bullroar tactics. If we were to conduct a nighttime raid inland, for instance, we might be able to capture a few ranking Bullroars that we could "convince" to share some Bullroar strengths, weaknesses, and key targets of interest.

To condense, here is my suggested plan of attack:

1. Marry Lalomea
---Make it known that fellow Sheepheads come first
2. Deploy ambassadors
3. Capture enemy leaders
4. "Convince" leaders to disclose targets of military interest
---Exploit such targets to the best of our abilities
5. Continue to perfect sailing
---Begin to construct a massive navy
6. Begin to design and manufacture modern weapons and machines of war

[Key]

bherman wrote: Therefore, dear story teller, I need to know if Lodevar or his closest friends suspect that he is a child of a god. From what I have read of this story, it does not seem that the sheepheads have any notion of the children of gods looking like Lodevar.

I am awaiting your reply with baited breath.

Yes, that's right. Neither Lodevar nor his friends have any notion of the children of gods (they would call them "Makers") looking like Lodevar.

As mentioned in the earlier chapters, Lodevar had heard speculation that his father had been a merman, but his mother had denied it and had always told Lodevar that he was a pure sheephead.

The Makers themselves are not usually thought of as having a specific form, since they live far away on the Earth and the stars. According to legend the Makers did roam the Wheel long ago, at the beginning of the Age, and in those stories the Makers are usually portrayed in Bullroar form, since the Bullroars have always been closely identified with Aeneas the first Emperor and with the Makers of that time.

[fallen angel 13]

dude, i like your story very much. i think that lodevar should convine lalomea(sp?) that he really does love her. also, should try to build up his forces like almost everyone else has said. it looks like some rough times await lodevar but, that happens to everyone! good luck on next chapter.

[Ravenwing]

I believe the wedding should still be held off. Lodevar and Lalomea don't know each other that well, although they may have physical attraction, they should base their marriage on more than desire. A long engagement is a better choice.

[DarkGryphon]

I agree... I dont trust the merfolk enough just to do what they say... even if it runs risks. A long engagement wont tick them off enough to make the merfolk turn on the sheepheads. It could always be atributed to sheephead tradition, sheephead ignorance, etc.

[Ravenwing]

DarkGryphon wrote: I agree... I dont trust the merfolk enough just to do what they say... even if it runs risks. A long engagement wont tick them off enough to make the merfolk turn on the sheepheads. It could always be atributed to sheephead tradition, sheephead ignorance, etc.

Good point. Like your avatar btw

[fallen angel 13]

Question. How can you submit a story? or, How did you get to write yours? jw. i like to write and stuff and if it was possible i thought i might give this a try.

[Key]

fallen angel 13 wrote: Question. How can you submit a story? or, How did you get to write yours? jw. i like to write and stuff and if it was possible i thought i might give this a try.

Email me (keavney@interfable.net) or PM me if you're interested in writing a story.

Thanks,
Mark

[Key]

OK, thanks for the great discussion on this chapter. It looks like we've got three main choices:

- Propose to Lalomea and marry her with all due speed
- Propose to Lalomea, but set a long engagement so that you can find out more about her and the merfolk
- Don't marry Lalomea

In addition, there are several suggestions for how to fight the war which are consistent with any of the choices above: look for more allies, try to get information from captured Bullroars, continue building your army and navy, pray to the Makers for guidance, watch the Merfolk and find out more about them.

If you have any suggestions other than what's here, post them soon. Voting choices are going up in a few days.

Thanks,
Mark

[Guest]

Ravenwing wrote:
Good point. Like your avatar btw

Don't you like my avatar too Ravenwing? Yours is excellent!

[Guest]

Hey. Where did the avatar go?

Drat! Not logged in.

[bherman]

There. Isn't it a great avatar?

[DarkGryphon]

hehe... I think someone wants some attention ;)

and thank you, it is the result of 5 hours of searching... very happy with it.

~Laterz

[Ravenwing]

bherman wrote: There. Isn't it a great avatar?
Very cute. :D Who is it?

[DarkGryphon]

when are we gonna get the vote?

[Key]

Voting is up! The three options are:

1) Propose to Lalomea and marry her with all due speed

2) Propose to Lalomea, but set a long engagement so that you can find out more about her and the merfolk

3) Don't marry Lalomea

To vote, go to the next chapter and make your choice. Remember that you must be logged in to vote. Feel free to continue the discussion there. The different options won't change, but you might be able to sway people to choose one or another.