When puppets wear the clothes of men
Shadows rise and dance again
Grab your silver, hold it tight
Drop it once, and fall to night
Run and fight until dawn breaks
Friend or Foe? Men or Fakes?
~Ancient Nursery Rhyme
Origin Unknown
They move like puppets.
We can finally be assured of this, as at long last, a live specimen has been captured. This marks the first live specimen in contemporary history, and possibly the first mainland study of record.
The Husk came in only late this night, and I have had no time to make further observations, but from what little voluntary motion it was allowed to take, I can attest the legends are true.
They move exactly in the manner of puppets.
There are many preparations which must be made.
More tomorrow.
Doctor Jarin Fandome
Senior Lectur
Academy of Tall
The Fourth Day
of the Month of Gliding Fields
2987 Years After the Abandonment
It ain’t your mum
No siree!
It ain’t your da
No indeed!
Your brother’s gone
Gone away!
Your sister’s left
Left for good!
So grab a torch
Hold it high!
Grab flint and steel
Strike strike strike!
Burn them all
Ashes Ashes!
Until they are bones
Ashes Ashes!
~Child’s Rhyme
From the Game of Jump Rope
M’Doun
I must elucidate on my previous entry. The pace of events made me too brief, and I have made all my statements out of context. There are certain matters which must be entered into record before study can begin in earnest.
Firstly, as all reproductions of this journal must attest, I am a Doctor of Medicine at the Academy of Tall, specializing in injuries of the brain. I have written several papers speculating on the relationships between the Husked and those suffering from mental afflictions, which is why I am ideally suited to conduct this study. See “Speculations on the Relationships Between the Husked and Those Afflicted with Injuries of the Brain” for further information.
Moving onward, last night, the Fourth day of the Month of Gliding Fields, a man of unremarkable appearance was brought to the Acquisition Office of the Academy by a merchant caravan out of Shen Anrath.
The attending clerk at first believed that the merchants were attempting to sell a “live cadaver.” It is not uncommon for the country folk to believe that the Academy holds with such practices. Although it is rare that someone will try to actually sell a “live cadaver,” it is not without precedent. The attendant was about to tell them that we accept only the freshly dead, and on rare occasion enter into contracts with those who have terminal illnesses, when one of the merchants pressed a golden ring to the specimen’s head.
The Husk, by virtue of its nature, failed the Test of Metal. I am told the screams were quite remarkable.
Seeing the burns on the head of the specimen, the night clerk quickly roused the Lectur on duty, which so happened to be myself. Together, we placed the specimen in an Infestation Pen, dragged out from some long-forgotten basement.
Before continuing, I must speak to the construction of an Infestation Pen for those readers who have never seen the like. They are a curiosity from the second Tide War, and the newest Pen must be at least several hundred years old. See Jareff Karandell’s paper “Field Interrogations of the Infested” for a more detailed diagram. The diagram, thankfully, is one of the few things not censored by the Nashodians during the Purge.
An Infestation Pen is made of metal bars, bent and pinned together into a perfect cube. Attached to this cage is a metal wire running to another metal cage, containing an animal specimen. As is widely known, metal is only harmful to Husks* when it is also in contact with another living being.
The floor of the cage is covered with heavy matting to insulate the prisoner from the metal. As we were pressed for time, we used straw from the stables to this end. There are also a number of places for ropes and the like to be bound to the Husk, which have since rotted away, although we plan to reproduce them as soon as possible. Trapped in such a cage, any Husk is inextricably bound.
We had a bit of good fortune in that rabbits were readily available to arm the pen. There was some argument amongst my staff, who I sent for as soon as the nature of the situation became obvious, as to whether or not the Husk was as truly well bound as we believed, but I allayed their fears at once. It was surely more secure in the pen than it had been in the merchant caravan, and they had managed to hold all the way from Shen Anrath.
On my order, one of the merchants who had brought the specimen to the Academy cut the rope bonds holding the Husk, at which point it began to move. It seemed to express no relief at being freed, though from what I came to understand, it was bound for nearly a month. This would seem to confirm what legends hint. The Husked have no ability to sense pain.
It moved as a puppet moves. It was perfectly still, until its limbs jerked speedily to the desired position. It was as if between every motion there was, somewhere in its being, a confusion as to what to do next before its body made the decision all at once. It walked thusly as well, as it tested the perimeter of its cell. It often seemed on the point of falling before jerking its leg into the next natural position. This effect was observed even in its fingers, toes, and eyes.
At length, I interviewed the merchants, and discovered the Cobb was once an associate of theirs. He had gone a while from the caravan, most likely to seek the company of a woman who was not his wife, for his wedding ring could be found nowhere. He had been found unconscious some distance in the forests late that night. Believing him to be drunk, they had put him to bed, unaware that he had been Husked.
Upon awaking, the Husk attacked the Cobb’s wife, and almost killed her before she accidentally brushed him with her wedding ring. As is of course natural, it immediately burned to her finger. I was told they had to fetch a blacksmith to cut it off.
Several of the stronger men in the caravan managed to bind the Husk shortly thereafter, and he remained thus, fed only at a distance for the duration of the trip to the Talli Academy.
As to the specimen itself: The Husk is as short as myself, standing perhaps at six and a half hands, and stout. He is some thirty years old, and was in relatively good health. Although it is certain that he has not shaved for almost a month, his face has no sign of stubble. I have also noticed that one of his fingernails is missing, perhaps lost during the fight where he was first bound. I shall make a note of any sudden growth.
The merchants were distressed to discover there was nothing to be done for their friend, and were dismissed. We gave them the standard payment for a cadaver and urged them to give it to the wife.
Before closing, I must also note that the specimen never once attempted to touch the bars of his cell. I believe this may be indicative of some basic reasoning skills.
Only more tests will tell.
*Husk is the common term for the Infested in Tall. It is believed to have come into popular use during the second Tide War when corn farmers were integrated into the Benloedi military. The term Cobb refers to the person from whom the body was stolen.
Doctor Jarin Fandome
Senior Lectur
Academy of Tall
The Fifth Day
of the Month of Gliding Fields
2987 Years After the Abandonment
I found one sleepin’ the other day
In the shadow of a tree, as you may
I gave it a nudge, it wouldn’t wake
I said, “Billi boy, now don’t you fake!”
Nothing Nothing, we shook and shook
Nothing Nothing, we shook and shook
We drug him out into sun’s light
Fever, fever, pox and blight!
~Marching Chant
Army of Dawn under command of
Jareff Karandell
The Second War of Tides
Today was difficult for a number of reasons. We attempted verbal communication with the Husk, but that proved all but impossible. We even resorted to calling it by the name of its Cobb, although the name was not significant to it in the least.
It was senseless to threats or bribes offered in any tone of voice, to such an extent that we quickly abandoned any further attempt. We then conditioned the specimen as we would any animal, and met with limited success. One discovery in particular bears noting.
When pointing at any object in the room, the specimen proved unable to follow the imaginary line extending from the finger. Rather, it stared at the digit, and seemed unable to grasp any other significance. Such basic lack of understanding leads me to believe that whatever instinct holds it away from the bars has nothing to do with intellect.
We also provided it with a mirror, and tried to coax it into recognizing its own reflection. Even when we put a mark of red paint on the specimen’s forehead* to try to coax the realization, the specimen only grew more distraught. It attempted to reach into the mirror to grab its other self, and then grew frustrated. It eventually broke the mirror and threw the shards at us.
Later that evening, we provided it with cooked meat, as it was evident the Husk had not eaten in some time. It showed similar signs of aggression, and threw the meat at us. The same happened even with raw cuts provided directly from the kitchens. It was eventually satisfied when it was allowed to kill a rabbit with its own hands and eat the corpse.
This in itself is unusual, as even wolves will scavenge for food when their appetite is upon them, and have been known to steal the kills of other animals. The specimen seems to have an instinctive need to kill whatever it eats, and will not content itself with any other form of sustenance. I do not believe this is indicative of anything so highly developed as ritual, I instead find it more likely that it is some sort of fixed pattern as with the way geese roll their eggs along the ground.
Now that we have come to an arrangement on the subject of food, we shall have to make adjustments to the Pen, as we currently have no provision for gathering and discarding of the Husk’s wastes.
There was some talk in the lab of sending for a Metal Weaver to provide assistance, but I quickly dismissed the motion.
They would only tell us to kill it.
We must use what little time we have been allotted for study with as little waste as possible.
*We purchased several instruments used for corralling cattle for this purpose. In particular, an instrument which has a rope loop attached to a long wooden pole, which may hold an animal at a distance. Several of these were attached to the Husk while he was fitted with the leather restraints we have reproduced from the original designs. He is now quite like the puppet he so resembles.
Doctor Jarin Fandome
Senior Lectur
Academy of Tall
The Sixth Day
of the Month of Gliding Fields
2987 Years After the Abandonment
What ya hungry for?
The flesh of life!
What ya want most?
To end all love!
What ya need now?
To maim and murder!
Please please, not my wife!
Yes yes, teeth and strife!
~Child’s Rhyme
From the Game of Hand Slap
Alarunde
We have spent the last several days conditioning the specimen by withholding its food until it has performed some menial task. We gave it a puzzle box with a mouse inside, and it was only able to eat after successfully solving the puzzle. We then conditioned it to open an empty puzzle box for a reward. It seemed to grasp these principles readily.
It would appear that its understanding falls rapidly when there is a human directly involved in communication. Humans are, for some reason, endlessly distracting to the Husk. It may be because we are so incredibly well suited to its dietary desires that is unable to look at us as anything other than food.
After some discussion, we began to wonder what other forms of communication it might understand. We decided to test the long standing myth about Husks in regard to music.
One of my assistants is an accomplished player of the Key Box, and we had one brought to the examination room from elsewhere in the Academy. He played “Colors of Sounds” and we forced the creature to raise its hand with a system of pulleys we had managed to attach the night previous.
We rewarded it immediately with a mouse, and then repeated the procedure several more times to imprint the pattern. My assistant then played several chords of random noise while the specimen’s arm was forced down, to show that there were would be no reward for a wrong answer. We had done something similar with the puzzle box, and I have no doubt the specimen understood the basics of what we were attempting.
Yet although it was hungry, it could not understand music.
It was completely unable to understand the difference between noise and harmony. It could not be made to understand the difference between even the most trivial three note songs used to instruct children, and simple random pounding.
It almost grabbed the front bars of the cage to reach for us, but it stopped short.
I wonder what instinct warns it.
We will withhold its food supply for several days and see if we can’t reach any more success.
Doctor Jarin Fandome
Senior Lectur
Academy of Tall
The Ninth Day
of the Month of Gliding Fields
2987 Years After the Abandonment
Kill it, fool!
Kill it now!
Kill it, fool!
Kill it how?
Metal
Fire
Water
Light
Take your pick!
Fight Fight Fight!
Kill it, fool!
Kill it now!
~Child’s Rhyme
From the Knife Dance
Angard
I do not know why I allowed myself to be talked into it, but one of my assistants, an aspiring Doctor of Maths, wanted to try to teach the Husk elementary addition. I am now ever so glad that we made the attempt. It has provided a whole new dimension into my thinking on the specimen.
At first, we devised a relatively simple test. We presented the specimen with two wooden boxes and made clear that it should only be allowed to choose one. It consistently chose the box with the highest number of rabbits. At the very least this means that it has a basal ability to compare quantities.
We repeated the experiment the following day with mice. We created two boxes with differing numbers of compartments, each containing a mouse. Although its decisions were slower than before, it again chose the highest quantity. Although I doubt it was able to multiply the quantities involved, I wonder if it does not retain the ability to count. There are several animals which could have passed the first test, but none which could have managed the second. As strange as they are, we must remember, the Husked were once men.
I have read a passage from Jareff Karendell’s “Field Interrogation of the Infested” that has made me hopeful we might be able to coax more useful information from it. I believe I have managed to suss out the original meaning that the Nashodians tried to censor.
Doctor Jarin Fandome
Senior Lectur
Academy of Tall
The Eleventh Day
of the Month of Gliding Fields
2987 Years After the Abandonment
SOME PAGES OF THE DIARY MAY BE MISSING
“We managed to capture a [Heretical] today. We tried to interrogate it as we would have interrogated any other soldier. Of course that got us nowhere. We tortured to no effect. Then by accident it came in contact with [Heretical].
“We were astounded at the changes.
“In short:
“Get it [Heretical] before you [Heretical] it a [Heretical].”
~Jareff Karendell’s
“Field Interrogation of the Infested”
After several days, we have finally managed to procure Shadow Bloom. I will not say how, as it would betray several confidences that took nearly a week to build, but suffice it to say: we have procured a modest quantity sufficient for initial testing.
Upon obtaining it, we were at something of a loss. Obviously, it was beyond the Husk to smoke a Bloom, and no one in the laboratory had the slightest idea of how to roll one. We wondered if eating it would produce the same effects, and if so, would grinding it up in water* dilute such effects? We settled on a compromise.
Holding the Husk still with the restraints, we pushed a ceramic bowl toward it, filled with smoldering bloom. We then released the restraints to see what would happen. Apparently, whatever property of Bloom that makes it hallucinatory to humans has the exact opposite effect on the Husked. When freed the Husk grabbed the plate, and put its face directly over the plumes, breathing as deeply as it could for as long as it could. When there was no longer any smoke, it promptly ate the ashes, licking its fingers as well as the plate to make sure nothing was wasted.
The effects were more profound than we had expected. Its twitching, starting at its extremities and moving inwards, ceased in the matter of a few moments. While it still moved rapidly, there was now a transition to the movements that had previously been missing, and its eyes scanned in the same manner, whereas before, they danced from object to object without seeming to stop in between.
After several hours of testing, its intelligence seemed not to have increased at all. Although I did notice before we finished for the day that when I pointed at an inkwell for my assistant to hand me, the Husk stared not at my finger, but followed the path to the object at which I had pointed.
It may be my imagination, but when it looks at me now, I have the impression that it sees me as something other than food. And that it hates me.
It was twitching again as we left. Whatever endowments Shadow Bloom grants to the Husked, they are not permanent. We shall have to procure a greater volume before conducting further experiments.
*Prior to this experiment, the only non-living sustenance that the Husk would take was water. Although it seems reluctant to approach anything as big as a bucket.
Doctor Jarin Fandome
Senior Lectur
Academy of Tall
The Fifteenth Day
of the Month of Gliding Fields
2987 Years After the Abandonment
“It would seem as though the [Heretical] share some kind of group [Heretical]. We have had success in shutting them off from this [Heretical] by surrounding them on all sides with [Heretical]. I am told this is because the [Heretical] flux inside of a [Heretical] is essentially zero.
“My advice is to isolate the [Heretical]. Then take the lid off. All they know is what’s in [Heretical] if they have [Heretical] to every side of them. Take the lid off and you can interrogate the [Heretical].”
~Jareff Karandell’s
“Field Interrogation of the Infested”
It has taken several days to make preparations, but we have managed to switch out the metal roof of the pen with one made of wood. It would have been difficult to do this while the Husk was awake, so we gave it several sedatives in its water and completed the necessary modifications in a little less than an hour.
When it awoke, it still twitched and moved as it had before, but this time I had the very strong impression that it was no longer watching me, but that I was being watched through the Husk. As ridiculous as that seems, our later experiments seemed to confirm that this was true. At the moment it was no longer surrounded by metal, the Husk was in direct communion with some otherworldly mind.
As soon as we realized that the Husk was awake, we again performed what we have called “The Blooming Process.” It was able to ingest a greater quantity this time, and occupied itself with this process for almost an hour. When it was done, we provided it with more. It then displayed the first real act of intelligence we had seen thus far.
It did not consume the second plate of Bloom it was offered. Instead, it hit the smolderings with its hands until they ceased, and put the bowl next the place where it sleeps, as if to save it for later.
While its back was turned to us, I called out its name. Or rather the name it had before the unfortunate incident in Shen Anrath. It stood slowly, turned to face me….
And shook its head.
Terror has me too far in its grips for me to record the rest of this incident.
More will follow.
Doctor Jarin Fandome
Senior Lectur
Academy of Tall
The Nineteenth Day
of the Month of Gliding Fields
2987 Years After the Abandonment
“We should be grateful that the Graedd and Gabbo are as rare as they are, and that they have strong natural predators. Were they able to multiply in any significant quantity, we would surely have lost the second Tide War.”
~Lukas Mauran’s
“Natural Predators of the Lesser Loke”
It curses mostly. Then it babbles so fast, you can barely tell the words apart. Then it just sort of stands still and smiles with its rotted teeth. You would not think it different from any street corner mad man except that when it stops babbling to stare at you, you feel like you’re being watched through its eyes by something far more cunning and sinister than anything you’ve ever imagined.
For all that it makes no sense, I can see it thinking. Formulating.
It babbled part of the proof of the Gregorauni Theorem today,* then demanded as if it were being argued with that the world is round. It then began to speak in a strange sort of monotone that the “packets”** of its body were at “less than 10% congruence.”
I do not know where these words are coming from, but they are not coming from the Husk’s own brain. That, we may be assured, had no academic training. For all the ridiculous things that it says, it occasionally drops a fact so precise and exquisite, it is as if it were read from a book.
Before we speculate as to what this is, let me state what it is not, for I have examined the Husk at length:
It is not Shattermind. Shattermind affects humans in their early to late twenties, and induces feelings of paranoia, and while it is often accompanied by ramblings much like those of the Husk, it does not implant the sufferer with additional knowledge.
It is not a brain injury. I have had the privilege to come across the most remarkable case of a man who survived being shot through the head with an arrow. While he suffered no long term physical damage so far as his body was concerned, his very personality had changed. By all accounts, he had been a competent and upstanding member of his majesty’s army. After the injury, he was the most loathsome of creatures. But he was a man all the same, and he could think.
It is not a birth defect. The Husk was not born this way.
My previous papers have touched upon the similarities, but I had never before imagined the vastness of the differences. Somehow, whatever happened in those woods in Shen Anrath has created in the Husk a state which is like and unalike all of these.
As for the other effects we have seen…. As to the nature of the intelligence which seems to be transmitting itself through the Husk, I leave you with this sentence which the Husk exclaims quite frequently:
“I am Lord Doraneck Eld Soutan, and the hour of my coming approaches!”
I find that I care to speculate no further on that particular subject.
It will eat regular food now. This has made the rabbit keepers quite happy. I suppose I should learn to be thankful for small favors.
I find myself thankful that our days with the Husk are numbered.
*This is, of course, the theorem which places the lengths of the sides of a right triangle into the relation that the sum of the second dimension of the lengths of the two sides must be equal to the second dimension of the length of the hypotenuse.
**I translated this word from the Fire Tongue. The word the Husk used, “Taratauni,” could also be translated as “pockets” or perhaps “cells.”
Doctor Jarin Fandome
Senior Lectur
Academy of Tall
The Twenty-Third Day
of the Month of Gliding Fields
2987 Years After the Abandonment
SOME PAGES OF THE DIARY MAY BE MISSING
“The Loavreng is, upon cursory inspection, a cousin of the mongoose. If you believe the old stories, the fact that its eyes are bright purple would mark it as Tant. Here the legends are steeped in truth, for the Loavreng is one of the most cunning land mammals known to mankind.
“It lives in the swamps of Shen Anrath, builds complicated nests to house its family, and has a life cycle apparently solely built around predation on the Graedd and Gabbo.”
~Lukas Maraun’s
“Natural Predators of the Lesser Loke.”
I am having nightmares about frogs.
On its face, I know that seems ridiculous, but I am having other dreams as well. I dream of fungus growing on the sides of trees, exploding into yellow spores the shade of infection. I dream of white powder, ground from the bones of a legless creature I have never before seen. I think, as I watch this creature slither, that it is one of those beasts driven out by Mok in the Second Tide War.
I feel like I should know the names of these things, I feel as if they have significance, but the names and the significance escapes me.
The frog terrifies me the most. I see shadows coming out of its back. Great terrifying wings made of night, thrown back wide over the horizon. There is no sun where this reptile lives. There is no hope. In the glistening sweat on its back, there is only the promise of eternal madness.
We are now “Blooming” the Husk daily. I no longer know if this is wise, or if there is anything else which we may safely study. My assistants feel the same, though they are drawn by the same curiosity. What will happen? What is it seeing? What voice speaks through the Husk?
It seems so important to find out what the Husk is thinking before we lose him.
Sometimes I think about going to the seedier parts of town, and asking about the frog. If I had the frog, I know the Husk could answer all of my questions. I think someone there would be able to find it for me.
I sent my family to visit relatives in the country.
I do not know why. It just seemed appropriate.
Doctor Jarin Fandome
Senior Lectur
Academy of Tall
The Thirtieth Day
of the Month of Gliding Fields
2987 Years After the Abandonment
THESE PAGES WERE DESTROYED IN THE FIRE. TO VIEW ORIGINAL COPY, SEND REQUEST TO HEAD LIBRARIAN, ACADEMY OF TALL AND SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT.
“The Sheffalam, a cousin of the heron, is a close natural friend of the four-legged Loavreng. They share many of the same nesting sites, existing side by side without conflict, and often hunt together. They have even been known to care for each others young, which is certainly uncommon in the animal kingdom.
“The Sheffalam spots Graedd and Gabbo from the air, and the Loavreng then corrals them while the Sheffalam attacks from above. It is a matter of extreme curiosity that neither creature will eat the bodies of their prey. In fact, they do all they can to dispose of them.”
~Lukas Mauraun’s
“Natural Predators of the Lesser Loke”
The following is a direct transcription of the Husk from a few passings before what we are referring to as “The Incident,” translated from the Fire Tongue to the Blood Tongue. I was not present the exact instant the Husk began to speak in the Fire Tongue, but it has been doing so for the past two days.
It began this refrain after its seventh straight day of “Blooming” and now refuses to say anything else. For all the violence in its voice, it has the expression of a school child reading a paper.
“Rainbow Wall disruption continues unabated, expect natural stabilization in no less than eighty million planetary revolutions. Permeability stable at ten percent of total accessible surface area. Permeability at greater elevations unknown.
“Desolater code crack proceeding with all available resources. Expect no success until Ani key signature can be obtained and verified.
“Query: Where is the access key?
“Query: Who has the access key?
“No suggested targets. Report at once.
“Matrix Lines have been moved against natural currents. Find source of alteration. Urgency: Paramount. Possible motive: Unknown. Likely interference from Far’Ree Agents. Observe and report. Do not engage without command.
“Query: Location of Ani Wave Modulator.
“Suggested target: Land mass seven.
“Query: Location of Vegon.
“Suggested target: Unknown. All scans negative.
“Query: Location of Projection Module.
“Suggested target: Last known location Azaell.
“Query: Location of Alarell.
“Suggested target: Ragnad.
“Target failed. Ragnad has been….
“Error. Error. Error.
“Query: Location of Alarell.
“Suggested target: Primary World Node.
“Error. Target signature is not Haestan.
“Query: Location of Alarell.
“Suggested target: Land mass two.
“First Error. Target only intermittently present.
“Second Error. Target signature is not Haestan.
“Conflict detected. Alarell cannot be in two places at the same time.
“Query: What did he do?
“Answer: Unknown.
“Query: How did he do it?
“Answer: Unknown.
“Query: How did he escape?
“Answer: Unknown.
“Query: Where is he?
“Suggested Answer: Waiting.
“Query: I can still smell him.
“Error. Invalid Query. Filing elsewhere.
“Inhibitor network at one hundred percent efficiency. No gaps predicted in less than the lifespan of the universe.”
The Husk rushed the bars after this, grabbed them, and shook. He did this to the count of five before pulling his hands away, senseless to the burns. The rabbit was dead by that time, cooked in its own skin.
Although I cannot be certain, I believe that such prolonged contact would have killed the Husk when he was first brought to us. I have also noted that his facial hair and beard have begun to regrow.
This last part of the refrain, it sometimes speaks for hours. I am uncertain of the significance.
“Packet Congruence now at thirty-five percent and stable. Maximum possible saturation of compound type two has been achieved. Locate compounds of type no less than three to exceed current congruence.”
We replaced the cooked rabbit with three of its fellows. Hopefully, that will help.
It has been repeating this refrain for the past sixteen hours without stop. It should also be remarked that the Husk has been sleeping only two hours a night since the “Blooming Process.”
I wonder if the time hasn’t come to send our specimen north, whether or not it is done in the proper fashion.
Doctor Jarin Fandome
Senior Lectur
Academy of Tall
The Third Day
of the Month of Crystal Fire
2987 Years After the Abandonment
THIS SECTION WAS PARTIALLY DESTROYED IN THE FIRE.
LEGIBLE SECTIONS READ AS FOLLOWS.
“… no longer repeats refrain….. new commands….”
“… White Lady… Taelsh… Boxes stolen….”
“… Ani Signature Triangulation… computation time….”
“I am having nightmares. I find I cannot fall asleep.”
“Walkers help….”
“… no hope….”
TO VIEW ORIGINAL COPY, SEND REQUEST TO HEAD LIBRARIAN, ACADEMY OF TALL AND SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT.
“The offender is to be placed in the stocks of the town square for a period of no less than three days. They may be fed and watered once at noon. Once freed from the stocks, they are to be whipped seven times for the view of the school children and all others who wish to come. They are then to be hung on a short rope so that they may die of slow strangulation. This last punishment is not mandatory for children to view, although they should be encouraged to attend.
“Their bodies are to be disposed of without burial either by Earth or Fire.”
~Angardi Law for Keeping of a Gabbo
I am still having nightmares.
I do not know how long it has been since I slept. All I know is that my curiosity must be satisfied.
Who is the White Lady? What Boxes?
We are getting the frog tomorrow.
I understand it is called a Gabbo.
Doctor Jarin Fandome
Senior Lectur
Academy of Tall
The Tenth Day
of the Month of Crystal Fire
2987 Years After the Abandonment
THIS SECTION WAS PARTIALLY DESTROYED IN THE FIRE.
LEGIBLE SECTIONS READ AS FOLLOWS.
“… horror…”
“as intelligent as….”
“… laughed at us….”
“Can’t stop ourselves….”
“…. she’s close.”
TO VIEW ORIGINAL COPY, SEND REQUEST TO HEAD LIBRARIAN, ACADEMY OF TALL AND SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT.
THIS SECTION WAS PARTIALLY DESTROYED IN THE FIRE.
LEGIBLE SECTIONS READ AS FOLLOWS.
“… saw her…. think…”
“maybe my imagination….”
“Could it be…”
“I must take….”
“… sections will…”
“… records must be…”
“… I love my wife.”
TO VIEW ORIGINAL COPY, SEND REQUEST TO HEAD LIBRARIAN, ACADEMY OF TALL AND SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT.
THIS SECTION WAS PARTIALLY DESTROYED IN THE FIRE.
LEGIBLE SECTIONS READ AS FOLLOWS.
“… in my head.”
“… the voices…”
TO VIEW ORIGINAL COPY, SEND REQUEST TO HEAD LIBRARIAN, ACADEMY OF TALL AND SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT.
“I pledge first to do no harm
“I will heal only what I am able
“I will not seek old knowledge
“I will only preserve what is now known
“I will administer the Tests when summoned
“I will remember the Honesty of Metal, Fire, Water and Light
“I will judge fairly and quickly
“I will free all those falsely accused
“I will execute those who serve the Tide and its Agents
“For the sake of the World now gone
“For the preservation of all mankind.”
~The Larini Oath
Taken by all Doctors
We are still trying to make sense of the rubble. The basement where Doctor Fandome conducted his experiments is in total ruin, although the greater portion of the diary itself managed to survive the fire. It seems as though the Doctor was in the habit of storing different sections of his journal in different places. From interviews with those who knew him, this is apparently a bad habit he had since he was a student at the Academy.
From the passages above, you can no doubt draw the obvious conclusion as to what transpired in the Academy basement, but for the record let us restate:
Let us begin at the beginning, for it is there that the diary skews most drastically from the facts. On the Fourth Day of the Month of Gliding Fields, in the year 2987, a man was brought to the Acquisition Office of the Academy. After failing the Test of Iron, he was declared to have been Husked. The night attendant, following protocol, alerted the Senior Lectur on watch: Doctor Jarin Fandome.
The Doctor ordered the Husk be sent to an Infestation Pen in one of the unused Academy basements. This all occurred as it should have occurred. It was after, when Doctor Fandome failed to report the presence of the Husk to the other Lecturs, that he broke the law. I will speculate as to his motives in later sections. First, allow me to explain the procedure in Tall when one of the Husked is discovered, before we guess as to why this was not followed.
After receiving a summons, the King’s Army arrives with a wagon constructed much in the same manner as the Infestation Pen described in Doctor Fandome’s notes. Upon failing the Tests of Iron, Fire, Water, and Light, a Traveling Judge will sign off on the Declaration of Husking. The Husk is then driven north, in the wagon, guarded by a hundred men, and executed in the woods of Rivengaud.
Now, for what unfortunately occurred:
Doctor Fandome never let word of the Husk leave his lab, although as you can imagine, the Keeper of the Rabbit Warrens was growing suspicious. I understand Doctor Fandome requisitioned almost forty rabbits in less than two months. The night attendant is a different story altogether.
The night attendant was sent north to the Capitol Palace, probably to report the Husk. I don’t imagine Doctor Fandome was ever under the impression that he could keep the Husk forever. He probably began his experiments with the idea that he would simply study until the Traveling Judge arrived, without the interference of the other Lecturs.
The journey to the capitol palace is near a month, and somewhere along the way the night attendant apparently dropped from the face of the World. His wagon was recently found deserted some distance in the woods from a town a few weeks north of here. Although no body was found, it is easy to imagine what happened.
I will give here a coincidence which I find to be no coincidence: It would seem as though the night attendant disappeared some time very shortly after Doctor Fandome ordered the lid of the Infestation Pen removed. I will speculate no further.
As to Doctor Fandome’s motives, we may at least make a guess. Doctor Fandome wrote a paper shortly after passing his examinations entitled “Speculations on the Relationships between the Husked and Those Afflicted with Injuries of the Brain.” It was largely derided in Academic circles and had been an embarrassment to Doctor Fandome ever since. He was of the opinion that Husking itself was nothing more than a bizarre form of brain injury, taken down to the level of superstition.
It should now be obvious he was mistaken.
And now for the most unfortunate part of this record: The Husk itself.
We believe that the Husk was Infested with a Sarantoi, and we have yet to recover its body from the fire. It is our solemn wish to find it dead in the blaze, but we do not dare hope for so much as that.
In their primordial state, the Husked are of little danger. Contact with metal for longer than few seconds kills them easily enough. They cannot stand proximity to fire, and standing in direct sunlight for even a minute is fatal. Bloomed, however, they begin not only to gain intelligence, but a tolerance.
Metal, fire, and light are still fatal if the proximity can be maintained, but whereas before these things would be almost immediately fatal, it now takes precious minutes for them to take effect. Bloomed Husks also become cunning, able to tap into some sort of dark intelligence. Stories from the second Tide War claim that what any one of the Husked saw, all of the Husked saw.
None of this is anywhere near as dangerous as when one of the Husked is given access to either Hot Sand or Gabbo toxin. Given either of these two substances, a Husk becomes as intelligent as a man. They can be neither killed nor even remotely harmed by proximity to Metal, Fire, Water, or Light. And sometimes, they can do other things.
Sarantoi can push on men’s minds. Make men do things they would never have dreamed of in a million years. It is not a perfect control, but it is a method of control nonetheless. I wonder, if while Bloomed, the Husked man was able to use these powers to an extent great enough to make Doctor Fandome and his staff give him a Gabbo. I can think of no other reason they would do such a thing.
It is strange to think for all the while the Husk was in that cage in that basement, it was Doctor Fandome and his staff who were truly being held prisoner.
We discovered Doctor Fandome’s body, burned beyond recognition. It was only his uncommon stoutness that let us know it was his body. Upon examination, it was found his clothes had been removed. We were also unable to find a ring purse on any of the other bodies.
We are still looking for the Husk.
I find it remarkable that in all of his writings, Doctor Fandome never once thought to include a picture of it or give the name of its Cobb.
Hyrum Masalone
Head Libarian
Academy of Tall
The Seventh Day
of the Month of Woven Moonlight
2987 Years After the Abandonment
I will of course answer any questions that are asked.
That…was a ripping good yarn. It takes a lot to maintain my attention through that much text.
Dude – this is seriously very good. Caught me up right away and would NOT let go until I finished reading.
>>>> Near Maniacal Applause!<<<<
The only thing that distracted me in the entire story is the use of the word “unalike”. It’s a hell of an anomaly in an otherwise perfect writing so I expect it is an error in typing or spell check? The proper form us “unlike”. I would not be so critical of it if it hadn’t really messed up the flow for me.
Cheers! Great stuff!
@Rosie
Thank you, and I’m glad. Let me know if you have any questions and I would be happy to answer.
@fester
It’s my fault. I use a utility called “Internet Typewriter” because I don’t like to worry about formatting shit when I write. The downside is that it also does not have a spellcheck. I usually catch it when I c&p into wordpress but not always.
Again, any questions you have I would be happy to answer.
Very interesting indeed. I do love how it develops and I think I can see how it fits with your previous work that I’ve read.
Thanks Eileen!
Friggin’ sweet.
(Note: I believe “It was surely more secure in the pen than it had been in the merchant caravan, and they had managed to hold all the way from Shen Anrath” is missing the word “it” between “hold” and “all.”)
I enjoyed the idea, but I’m not sure the journal was the best way to present it. I really appreciated the exposition and explanation at the end, and found it much more entertaining.
One thing that was kind of jarring for me was the description of the Husked as feeling no pain, but it didn’t seem like being tied up for a month had affected it at all. After that length of time with no circulation and no movement, there just wouldn’t be any muscle tone left for it to move, puppet or not. I was okay with them being zombies that don’t need to worry about such things until it showed that they required food – if it has a metabolism it must have some kind of functioning vascular system which would have been affected by that sort of confinement.
But uh, I’m kind of a science geek.
Anyway, it was an interesting read all in all. I’d love to know more about the gabbo – whether this is the only reason there is such a harsh penalty for owning one, or if it has other uses, and I really liked the librarian’s speculation about the timing of the wooden roof and the death of the messenger.
You have an uncommon way of speaking which makes your stories more interesting to read. Using a phrase like “Doctor of Maths” which is more English-sounding than American-sounding, and then using a phrase like “suss out” which, again, is uncommon in today’s lexicon.
You have an enormous imagination. What I would give for a tenth of yours!
Finally, in addition to your unique voice and your unbelievable imagination, you also inject philosophical concepts such as “It is strange to think for all the while the Husk was in that cage in that basement, it was Dr. Fandome & his staff who were truly being held prisoners.”
Put it all together and your talent is simply immense. I look forward to your next post, and even more, I look forward to the day that your book-length works are being published by the millions of copies.
Can you translate the computer talk for us? I only got half of it.
@Josh
Thank you sir, I will go back and fix that in probably the next couple days as I’m still in my creative refractory period.
@Ashlyn
I’m trying to get better at writing journal entries in a believable fashion, as there are several journals that are pivotal to the main series.
The Husked can survive on relatively little food, and he had eaten some food, it just wasn’t a whole lot. If you read the part about how it hadn’t grown any beard stubble you should also see that it’s metabolism had arrested itself to an extent.
The reason people keep a Gabbo at all is that like Shadow Bloom it’s a very good narcotic. All the Ascension Compounds created by the Drakkan’mirr were designed to be very addictive to human beings, because it made the distribution of them easier.
I don’t know if I’m going to get to it but there’s a very creepy kind of person called a Snake Swallower, or a Graedd Eater and it should be very disturbing.
@Melanie
Thank you kindly.
I don’t know that I did a good enough job of making Doctor Fandome sound like he was from Tall, but I hope to get better at that.
@Rosie
When the Husk was able to access the Information Network of the Drakkan’mirr he was only able to do it in a very primitive way as his mind wasn’t capable of accessing it at a deeper level (Husks in their primordial state can barely do it at all).
It sort of manifests itself as stroke babble. He was more or less “downloading” a progress report on several important things. The Rainbow Wall is a kind of ancient defense barrier that doesn’t work the way its supposed to anymore. The Access Key is something that controls another barrier that more or less isolates Ewil Brenven. The Wave Modulator is something I’ve talked about under another name, which is the Spear of the Horizon.
I’m just flat out not going to tell you what the Vegon is, or what it does.
The interesting question is this: who is changing all the information on the Information Network to be downloaded into Husks?
Great story. I’ve been at a hotel all weekend and have been reading parts of it when I could get online. Finally finished and reread it today and it is awesome.
Oh and to add on. I half-way think the Husked man died in the fire and that the Doctor escaped. But that is just my line of thinking.
@DJ
Thanks for reading, and I regret to inform you that the Husked man did escape. His name is Baruch.
Unlike most stories I read where I am able to guess what will happened yours always throw me off.
Best story yet. Can’t think of any weaknesses. Great job on the children’s rhymes.
Some random feedback though:
-Perhaps a better presentation format would be to typeset the text and make it available as a pdf. It would be more grandiose, at least.
-I think that you often put yourself into your characters, in that they are rational and thoughtful. It’s great that you can do that, but make sure that you don’t limit yourself.
-Perhaps you could include a brief intro to your stories to explain the context. Otherwise, jumping straight into it may be a little uncomfortable for the unfamiliar reader.
Sorry it took me so long to comment. I haven’t had the time to actually read this instead of scanning over it.
That being said, this is great! The first time I skimmed it, I remember you said this would have something to do with the boxes from the Ironwood trees, but I was drawing a blank. I found it the second time. Now I’m wondering who the White Lady is.
I like that you added a purge of information as part of this world’s history. It makes it more believeable, like book burnings and such done by the church in the olden days. It seems like not a lot of writers do that kind of thing. Small details like that make you awesome.
One more thing, Gabbos are frogs, so Graedds are snakes? Maybe I missed it somewhere. Also, another Spear of the Horizon reference eh?
Wonderful. You really succeeded in using an alternative method of storytelling. That was a bold move and shows your maturity as a writer.
Also, I am very grateful that you eschew most classic conventions of fantasy writing.
I am looking forward to the next installment!
This was excellent! Once again, though, I find myself frustrated that these bits and pieces are all I can get of this world you’ve created. I really like to be immersed in the worlds in which stories like these take place, and also like knowing that all of the questions I have will be answered hopefully by the end of the book. I’m always left with more questions when I read these, though, and it’s maddening! I really want to know what happens next, but it’ll be months if not years before I find out. Grrrr!
@DJ
I had considered having the Sarauntoi “jump” into Doctor Fandome at the end, and have “it” escape that way but it just seemed like it would be piling on.
@zak
Sorry your comment got stuck in the spam buffer for some reason. I went and cleaned it out not too long ago.
After I finish writing all of these stories I’m going to see if I can’t do one of those self-publish things where I can put them all in a book for people to buy on-line. I’ll also put them all into a giant pdf and any other format anyone wants.
There will be crazy characters coming up. No need to worry. One of the main characters from the main series is a preacher who has pretty much the opposite world view that I do.
I know there’s quite a steep learning curve here, which is why I published the glossary and several appendices. It makes the world easier to understand for people. I’ll also work on something like an intro.
@Jessica
No worries! It’s very long, so it’s to be expected that it takes time to read.
The White Lady is a very very very bad person. She’s not the worst person out there in the world, but she’s bad in a different way than other people have traditionally been bad in the history of the world. She’s the main villain of the first part of the first book of the main series.
Graedd are snakes, yes. They’re not exactly snakes, but that’s more or less the allegory. You just really don’t want to know how they incubate and reproduce, because it’s gross. I’m saving it as a surprise because when people find out about it I think they’ll throw up.
There have been several revisionist organizations in the history of the world. The Nashodians are just the most recent less obvious one. And they had a very good reason for burning books believe it or not, I just can’t let you know what it is.
One of the issues I really wanted to address in this series is how, after almost 3000 years since the collapse of the previous civilization, there have been no attempts to reestablish technology. So, I just want you to know: somewhere in the background of this world pulling a lot of strings is a group of people who have a very vested interest in making sure people are basically luddites.
And yes, ANOTHER Spear of the Horizon reference, because one is never enough.
@Icyclectic
I think I need to get better at making it sound more old timey and distinct, but I appreciate the compliments nonetheless.
And yes, I do like turning conventions on their head. I want this world to feel very gritty, real, and scientific. There is no “destiny” or “fate” in any sense. There are prophecies of a sort, but people have to work very hard to make sure they can be followed. They’re more like “plans” that have just become subject to mythology.
@ShawShaw
Thanks!
And why don’t you just ask some questions? I’d be happy to answer any of them. Like the Nashodians. I’d be perfectly happy to explain who they were and what they did.
You just have to ask!
@BC
That’s what I thought had happened. I was figuring that the thing infesting the man knew that it would be better off with the Doctors body and decided to “jump” into it. No one would look for the Doctor because they would all assume he was dead.
@ShawShaw
See that’s the best part. It’s like an intricate puzzle we’re getting piece by piece to put together. I’ve always been a fan of suspense.
@DJ
“It’s” pretty much okay in Baruch’s body as things stand. He’s anonymous and he can blend into a crowd now that he has a Gabbo. Daylight and all that stuff aren’t going to be problems for it anymore. And it’s as intelligent as aman.
@Jessica
Seriously? You’re content with that? You don’t want to ask a million questions?
I’m telling you: I’m available.
See the things I want to know are things you’ve already said you won’t tell us. The more stories you give us, the more I understand this world you’ve created.
Also, if I have a question or can’t remember what something is, I usually go back to the glossary or appendix. I like the map too, it gives me a feel for where things are taking place. I’d love to read more about the Metal Weavers though.
@Jessica
The Tant Girl is all about Metal Weavers. It’s just going to take me like eight months to write it.
Hey BC
I read your story yesterday and again today. All the while something was bothering me. Like a pebble in a shoe or something.
I really enjoyed the story. It has a great rhythm and an authentic feel to it. But still something kept nagging me like I don’t know what The thing is the beginning sounds a bit of to me. Kinda pompous. It’s the sentence:
“They move like puppets.”’
And later:
”They move exactly in the manner of puppets.”
And the again later:
” It moved as a puppet moves”
… this morning it dawned on me: Puppets do not move. They are manipulated by a puppeteer. I know how arrogant this sound put is annoys the shit out of me. I get what you are trying to say. The whole “rebooting” process. And it is a very cool image. But the meaning is of. Although I am no writer I have a suggestion:
Instead of:
“They move like puppets.”
How about:
”They move as if handled by a puppeteer”
And so on….
I hope you find this helpful and not offensive. At least it shows that I took your story very seriously.
I can’t wait to read more…
//Rasmus
I have to weigh in here since I had an equal and opposite reaction to ‘They move like puppets’. From the first reading the sentence grabbed me enough that I consciously noted it as a great opening line.
Puppetry makes use of illusion to create a sense of movement originating with the character so I don’t find it being the simile jarring or awkward in any way.
However – if during the third repetition “They move as if handled by a puppeteer’ – it might be a good and more obvious segue into the state he achieves where he’s spewing information. (which I LOVED! that development was so exciting!)
@Rasmus
I think his point was to insinuate the Husked Man being controlled. Him saying that he moved like a puppet is a good way of saying he is controlled with out spelling it out in so many words.*
*Note:I could be completely wrong.
@Rasmus
The analogy was intentional, as DJ guessed. When you later see what actually a Shaen’Woa actually IS it looks like a puppeteer controlling a puppet.
As for fixing it… I’m sorry it bit you the wrong way. I know how that can be, when you read a story and then you’re like “Wow, that ruined the whole thing for me” just because one sentence was so out of whack.
I have a similar thing with X-Men 2. When Colonel Stryker says to Senator Whatshisface about Magneto “We developed the technology that built his plastic prison” I get so pulled out of the movie I can never get back in, because I keep thinking “So… you made a prison out of plastic. I’m not sure what technological marvel you think that represents, but from where I’m sitting all you did was get a few sheets of plexi-glass and put a guy in the middle of all of them.”
@Eileen
Thanks Eileen, and I shall consider that when I go back to revise this one last time based on input.
@DJ
You are correct sir.
I’ve finally found the time to read this. Its very good, reminds me alot of the Quartmass Experiment (you’ve probably never heard of that series). I felt you fractured the prose a little too early, I felt it could stand more build up, but the thing was creepy, the picture was perfect. In regards you answering questions, its cool that you are happy to do that, but I much prefer having them answered within the story. I’ve no doubt your novels (how many I wonder?) will do this; I just wish I was reading them first.
FINISH GREY BOLT SO I CAN GIVE YOU A DONATION AND THEN YOU CAN WRITE A NOVEL!
@Emperor Gum
I have not read the Quartmass Experiment (Jesus, you people make me feel like I’ve never read any book in my entire life). Thanks for your criticisms, when I finish the series of shorts, I’m going to go back and edit all of them with that in mind. It’ll be a good learning experience.
There will be seven novels in the main series, or volumes rather because I know some of them will be so lengthy they’ll have to be split. I know all the titles for all the books, I just ironically have no name for the series.
And I will try, I just don’t want it to suck.
I very much liked the changes and additions you made. The dribs and drabs and missing info towards the end was maddening, in a good way, and the stream-of-consciousness babble Cobb had was really well done too — peeling away a layer in a way that made me sit up and go… “WTF? Where is this data coming from?” Reminded me a little of the Hybrids in BSG. And your comments about it all were even cooler. I can’t wait to read more about that.
I’m wondering about a few things — first of all, I’m trying to sort out the biological connection between the Husk and the Gabbo thing, as well as the natural predators to the Gabbo thing. I understand how those systems all work, and what each thing does, but I’m trying to figure out how deliberate it all is — is it a quirk of nature and chemistry, or is there something else going on that I’m not catching on to?
Also, the final report mentions that the Husk was Infected with a Sarantori. This implies there are other types of infections, which I’d be interested to hear more about.
And I’m also trying to get my mind around the logic behind censoring historical notes on how to control and destroy an Infected. You’d think people would want to have that around, just in case? I’m sure there was a reason to do that, and you may not want to go into too much detail, but it seems remarkably short-sighted of them.
@Caitlin
If you read the “Drugs” entry in the Glossary of the World it’ll give you a hint about the Gabbo. As to how accidental the relationships in the environment are between Loke and Tant… well I’ll just say it may or may not have been guided a little bit by something.
There are many types of Shaen’woa parasites. If you read “Appendix: The Shaen” and scroll down to the second half, you can read about all of them.
And the last part: there’s a juggling act going on between how much information can you give people before they get curious and start asking very profound questions versus how much information will keep people safe?
The technological progress of the world has been stunted on purpose, and with good reason. It’s not short sighted of them at all, they’re taking a very very long view of history. If several million people die in the mean time, well then at least the human race survives.
I have a question or I should say questions that has probably been asked before or answered in some form or another.
From the stories so far it seems like the “creatures” that infect people do so through the mind. This is most evident in this story. From what I’ve read it takes a lot for them to infect a mind and doing so leaves the person in a less then human state when it comes to thinking power. Is this because the human side of the mind is strong enough to hold off the person invading it to some extent? Is this why drugs are necessary for the Infected to reach full brain power? Is this why in “The Doctor and The Nub” the boys using the drug is so looked down upon because it makes them more susceptible to infection because it lowers their mental state?
@DJ
The Shaen’woa were never really meant to just “Free Float.” In the First Tide War they were purposefully placed into captured soldiers, and the matching of Woa to human was important to make sure the bond took.
In the cosmology of the books your soul and your body are sort of locked together in a very specific way. Your soul is in YOUR body because your body is the only vessel that can take that soul. All the things that can be used to kill the Infested work because Shaen’woa don’t fit into the bodies they Infest very well.
As to how hard it is for a particular parasite to Infest a particular person. Yeah, it’s pretty hard. It has to be the right person in the right place at the right time, and their body has to be a close enough match for the Jump to take place.
I should note though, that once the Jump takes place. Which takes literally less than a minute, the other person is dead. There’s absolutely nothing that can be done to get them back.
The drugs are something that were made to lessen the biological restrictions on Woa/Human pairings.
In “The Doctor and the Nub” the Doctor wanted to get rid of drugs primarily because of the social impact they have. You can’t eat or drink Shadow Bloom. You can’t roof your house with it. It’s pretty much only good for getting wasted. The Doctor knows about the Infestation danger, but that’s not he primary reason he banned it. Most people are unaware of the Infestation danger, they just know that it’s something that leads to bad things.
And in general you’re right, the lower your mental state the easier it is for you to be Infested. If they get you while you’re sleeping it’s a little different.
So does this make the mentally disabled any easier to infest?
@DJ
No, in fact it’s virtually impossible.
@BC
I been trying to figure out why it would be harder when you plainly stated it in your previous answer. You said that the conditions have to be just right and the body has to match and no ones “original” vessel/body would have been mentally handicapped so there aren’t any matches for it.
Correct?
That’s somewhat correct.
When someone is born without the ability to use their cognition at the standard human level it happened by “accident.” Their soul still “fits” in their bodies because of the way souls naturally attach to developing embryos… except for a few weird effects.
The weird effects involve an ability to tell when someone is or is not Infested or when one comes into proximity. It has to do with them having “extra” soul left over that didn’t get shoved in their bodies the right way.
I feel weird for explaining that because when you actually “See” what souls are in the book it seems much more scientific… but yeah, that’s why. They have an “extra bit of soul” that acts as an antenna.
It also makes them almost impossible to Infest.
Forgot to add:
When a person of low mental power touches an Infested person with metal it will not burn them. They don’t have the equipment in their “soul” to complete the “circuit” that causes that to happen.
That’s why superstitions have grown up where people think the “Dim” are related to the Shaen.
BC: So I’ve read all of your family stories since ddhm. I followed you here and through myspace and never could bring myself to read the fantasy. The only fantasy I’ve ever read was a few Neil Gaiman books and althought I loved them never delved further.
I recently re-read all the family stories at work, and today made the decision to read all the fantasy. I blazed through all of them today, and I must say I was very intrigued and loved them. My eyes hurt from reading so much on the computer today. I have tons of questions but will re-read through the stories again and read all of your comments to see how many are answered there before I post them.
The only comment I wanted to state quickly was in the beginning when the merchants touched him with the metal and he screamed, its seems it doesn’t fit with the idea of the husks not feeling pain. Maybe thats just me though. Overall, loved them and would buy any book you were to publish, family stories or fiction. Keep writing.
@IndyTruks
Good point. In my mind the Shaen’woa will scream even if they don’t feel pain just as a baseline reaction. And there’s a lot of weird stuff going on in the Zombie stages that’s different than the higher stages.
Also, thanks for reading and ask any questions you’d like.