Bay 12 Games Forum

This little excerpt is from "The Ballad of the White Horse". It's an epic ballad, detailing King Alfred's victory over the Danes at the Battle of Ethandune. It is highly legendary in nature, in the sense that many supernatural elements contribute to the forces on both sides. In this part, the Blessed Virgin gives a prophesy to King Alfred, which turns out to not be what he was expecting.

The gates of heaven are lightly locked,
We do not guard our gold,
Men may uproot where worlds begin,
Or read the name of the nameless sin;
But if he fail or if he win
To no good man is told.

The men of the East may spell the stars,
And times and triumphs mark,
But the men signed of the cross of Christ
Go gaily in the dark. . .

The wise men know what wicked things
Are written on the sky,
They trim sad lamps, they touch sad strings,
Hearing the heavy purple wings,
Where the forgotten seraph kings
Still plot how God shall die. . .

But you and all the kind of Christ
Are ignorant and brave,
And you have wars you hardly win
And souls you hardly save.

I tell you naught for your comfort,
Yea, naught for your desire,
Save that the sky grows darker yet
And the sea rises higher.

Night shall be thrice night over you,
And heaven an iron cope.
Do you have joy without a cause,
Yea, faith without a hope?

In modern days, with sophisticated prisons that can actually hold a man for life, capital punishment is pretty much unnecessary.

In medieval ages, for Catholics (Read: just about everyone) there were times when capital punishment was considered to be advisable. The prison couldn't hold hardened criminals for life, and if they escaped, they were unlikely to change their ways. The scheduled and certain death actively looming tends to humanize you, and so put those criminals in a unique position that made repentance, and thus salvation, much more feasible. You might even call it merciful.

((You guys move fast! I'm having trouble keeping up. ))

Go to the next unfinished ritual and break it! Hopefully without killing.

Try to crush the Magician under claws. Let him be killed or surrender for interrogation.

Strike the magician to knock him over, and follow up with a smash from my tail.

Ignore the question, asking instead "What magic is that?"

Vos haereticos estis. Omnes ante Dominum debetis cadere. Laudati eo, misereat vobis.

Room for one more?

Name: Gothil
Age: 34
Alive: Yes
Appearance: A hulking golem with an extended neck and tail, seemingly comprised of jagged stone plates. Black smoke slowly pours from the gaps, and his eyes shine a dull yellow light.
Ht:7'9"
Wt:470 lb
History: Was once a more conventional humanoid, but was changed by breach stones recovered from deep underground.
Powers: Physical- Very strong and resistant, but can emit large cloud of flammable black smoke.