Seasons of Numenera
As Dacc-Dacc walked back toward the heads, they tucked their book back into its customary pocket. They were glad that the unusual travel had not caused any damage, and their review of the familiar pages was a comfort in a strange land.
"Oh great, Ja'bab, speaker for the heads of Na-Nu! We are grateful for your generous offer, borne of the wisdom you have collected during your long span of sentience. I, myself, Dacc-Dacc, am willing to carry a piece of yourself with me on my travels. I will consent to bear your eyes and ears and voice on my travels and bring you to the distant vistas I might reach." Dacc-Dacc bends down with great ceremony and chooses a finger-sized stone that has eroded off the great head.
"As for the other part of the offer, to join for pleasure with heads of Na-Nu, I do not think I have the physiology for such a great act of comingling. It is possible that there is one among us who can participate in such an undertaking, but we have concerns that would need to be addressed before final consent is given." Dacc-Dacc very deliberately does not identify who might be capable or interested.
"Please forgive us our lack of education, Ja'bab, but the joining cycles of the heads of Na-Nu are unknown to our nations. Since we seek a relationship that is healthy and prosperous and sustainable for all involved, we would know more about how such a 'joining' might occur, how long it might last, the short and long term effects on the person from our party who is joined, and if the joining might produce a child. If there is a child, how would they be conceived and carried and born. We would know how such a pregnancy and delivery would tax the blessed mother of that child, and perhaps even those around her. We would know its size at birth and as it grows. We would know what expectations the mother might be held to for care, feeding, and education of the child, and what help she might expect to receive in such endeavors. We seek these answers and such proof of same as you can offer so that we can all thrive and all partake in the font of your wisdom, unburdened by pain or disability or grief. We understand that no fact of the joining customs and life cycle of the heads of Na-Nu is too trivial to impart us, such is our desire to engage in a fruitful partnership. We would find such explanations most enlightening if they included the perspectives and testimonies of beings similar to ourselves who have partaken in them." Dacc-Dacc tried to ply all their tricks of flattery and persuasion, learned from hidden nooks watching the merchants trade. Their tome implied that ancient minds often responded to such approaches. As for trivialities, Dacc-Dacc was more than willing to experience boredom on the path to enlightenment.
"If such education is beyond the power of the heads of Na-Nu, I ask if a partial bargain might be then struck. I would still be willing to carry a shard of your wise and ancient self," they said, holding the finger of rock aloft ceremoniously, "If Ja'bab and his wise associates would translate and transmit to us the information on these data crystals in such a way that we can comprehend, process, and retain their secrets." Dacc-Dacc held aloft the burnt crystal and the crystal they had already translated, the one with the copy of the data in possession of the group already. "That task accomplished, we shall part to find another means to return to our home, and shall think fondly of the wise and ancients heads of Na-Nu, with whom we have shared great knowledge."
OOC: I rolled a 10, Trained, Asset, 1 level of Effort, so should beat difficulty 6.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:46, Thu 23 June 2022.
