Post by moogleman09 on May 16, 2011 20:32:38 GMT -5
I wrote this myth as a follow-up to my previous story, the creation of the world. Please read it all, there is a summary, but it does give some spoilers. Enjoy.
The following is an excerpt from the Book of Miniarus the Great…
It came one day in my travels on the command of my god Academia that my journey took me through a vast desert to the Town of Pijesak on the other side. I traveled alone this day, as my followers were out in another village spreading their knowledge. As night approached on the second day of his desert journey, I noticed a light, shimmering on the horizon. Thinking that it was the town, I increased my pace, and arrived there just before the sun had set. To my utter astonishment and confusion, instead of a town, a wooden building stood before me. It was of moderate size, with three or four floors and beautiful balconies with flowers and plants hanging in baskets from the sides. Planted firmly in the lush green garden in front of the structure was a sign that read: “Welcome to the Hotel of Eternal Hospitality”. Beneath that was the hotel’s slogan: “Such a lovely place”.
Weary from my travels, and not questioning my good fortune, I stepped into the hotel. Inside the lobby was some tables and chairs, and over in the corner was a desk with a bell. However, my eyes were focused solely on the woman at the desk, the most beautiful mortal I had yet seen. She rose, and seemed to glide forward in her silken red dress as she approached me. Then, in a voice of milk and honey, she spoke.
“Welcome to our hotel,” she said. “Come right this way, and I will show you to your room.” Confused, I asked her about the fee, but she just laughed and replied, “We don’t charge people here. That wouldn’t be very hospitable, now would it?” She laughed again and my doubts faded. How could I distrust such a woman as beautiful as she?
She took my hand and led me down a long hallway adorned with paintings and tapestries of all sizes. Near the end of the hallway she stopped, and opened a door on the left-hand side.
“This is your room,” she said. “Meals can be provided whenever you desire, and remember, if you need anything at all, come see me at the front desk. I will do my best to help.” She smiled and left. I walked into the room, but the sight before me stopped me in my tracks. The room I was facing was the exact twin of the bedroom in my house. Slightly frightened, I spun around to face the bed, and there I noticed a small envelope. Checking inside, I found a note, which read: “Your home environment has been replicated to provide the maximum comfort to you during your stay”. The note was not signed. Not thinking much of it, I relaxed onto the plush bed with which I was so familiar, and began my nightly communion with His Wisdom, Lord Academia. I noticed that this too, seemed strange and out of place, for I could not hear his will as clear as I do most nights, but I consigned this to my exhaustion from my long travels, and soon fell asleep.
The following morning, I awoke to bright sunshine and birds. As I prepared to leave for Pijesak, I noticed a second note on the floor beneath the door. It read: “You are formally invited to dine with the Master in his chambers tonight. He wishes to meet you, and would like to express his hope that you will accept his invitation and grace him with your presence.”
I knew that I should be leaving for Pijesak immediately, as I was already late as it was. However, something held me back. I knew not why, but at that moment I felt only a desire to attend this dinner, to meet with the man who had so graciously provided me with a room and a familiar sight the previous night. So I took the letter down to the front desk, and there I told the woman of my intention to dine with the Master, as he had asked.
“The Master will be very pleased,” she replied, and flashed me her disarming smile. I obtained my breakfast in an adjoining room, but took it back to my suite for my usual morning reflection. However, after an hour or so, I decided to go out and explore the hotel. I wandered down the corridors, but strangely I met few guests, and those I did seemed withdrawn, as if they were afraid of speaking. I soon found the courtyard entrance, and outside I discovered where the rest of the guests were. A large, walled courtyard extended out, and couples danced slowly to the music played by a band of young men. I soon picked out the woman from the desk, and we danced for quite a while, and only when the sun began to set did I remember my appointment. I bid her goodbye, and set off for the Master’s chambers after donning my best clothes.
When I arrived, I noticed that all of the other guests were already present, and apologizing for my tardiness, I sat down. A waiter then brought out the first surprise of the night: A whole cow, still alive and tied down by ropes onto its platter. As the waiter set it down, the guests eagerly leaded forward and began to slice and hack at the cow with their knives. As I watched, more and more gashes appeared on the cow, but it did not stop its mooing, and soon it began to wriggle and cry as it struggled with its bonds. Something was very wrong. I looked around, but the faces of the guests and Master remained calm and formal, as if nothing was happening. I cried out, but no-one responded. Calling for my god for help I looked again, and as I stared at the scene unfolding before me, it changed. I watched as the cow on the table faded, to be replaced by a man, unfeeling and unresponsive to the torture imposed on him. He was instead hunched over, as if reading a book, and did not seem to notice any of us surrounding him. Next the guests changed, their skin melting away to be replaced by rot and bone, their eyes fading from their empty sockets as they gorged on the flesh of the man on the table. Finally the Master’s form faded, changing into a monstrous conglomeration of limbs and skin, bones and muscle. I screamed a silent scream, but the Master’s face turned to mine. A rasping noise escaped his throat, as if he was trying to speak, but his words were unintelligible. I needed to escape, so I stood. Faster than I would have believed possible, he stood as well. Again he spoke, but this time, along with the rasping, I heard a voice.
“Where are you going?” it asked sadly, as if I had done it a great hurt. “We’re not done with dinner.” I responded by throwing my knife into the monster’s eye, but it simply ignored the projectile, wrenching it out of its orb, retinal juice spilling to the floor. I knew I could not fight this one without my god, so I called on him for help again, and I burst of light filled the room. All of the ‘guests’ roared in pain, but the Master simply snarled and began to advance. I ran. Down the hallway I sprinted for the exit, while behind me I heard a scream of rage and the shuffling of feet and chairs scraping across the floor. I increased my pace, and soon arrived at the lobby. I turned to the front desk, thinking to escape with the woman, but she was gone. In fact, she had never existed.
I turned toward the door, and threw it open. I felt a cool breeze play upon my face. I stepped out into the lush prairie beyond, but was stopped by some invisible force. I pushed, but for all my trying I might have been pushing stone. A rasping noise made me turn, and standing at the end of the hall was a ‘guest’ and it slowly began to walk toward me. I turned again toward the door when I realized: I had not entered the hotel from a prairie, but from a desert. As I discovered the truth, the walls of the hotel melted away around me. I stood instead in a small room, much smaller than the lobby I had been seeing earlier. It was old and dilapidated, and as I looked at the place where the door had been, there was only a wall. That was why I had been unable to escape through the ‘door’. The actual exit stood shut on the opposite wall.
Near the door, the ‘guests’ were gathered, approaching me slowly, and behind them stood the Master. In fact, the monsters moved so slowly that I began to feel as though something was wrong. Then I realized: They still believed that they were in the hotel, so they moved as if they were. The hotel was much larger than the room, so they would have to move very slowly to fake the distance to where I was. The only one who moved at a normal pace was the Master, for he knew the illusion for what it was, most likely because he created it. I drew my sword, and the Master roared again in fury. It had seen my movements, and knew I was free from its power. I quickly leapt past the zombies, who had no time to react, and stood, face to face with my opponent. Quick as lightning, I slashed at his face. It did no real damage, but he was distracted long enough for me to open and leap through the door, and then slam it in his snarling face. His roars of anger echoed as I hurried away down the streets of a dark city.
When I stopped to catch my breath, I took a quick look around, and almost gave up then and there. I stood in the center of a vast necropolis, surrounded by the zombie-monsters, who, not noticing me, huddled against the walls of the buildings, occasionally emitting a moan or cry. As I listened, I became aware of a screaming voice echoing from the center of the city, and as I watched the lumps on the ground rose and turned their broken bodies towards me, and advanced. I ran for my life down the streets, followed continuously by the abominations. Finally I reached a wall, a sheer mountain cliff, with a door, rusted shut, in the center. Slamming into it, I forced it open and quickly shut and bolted it with a loose metal bar I found inside the cave I had just entered. A sign hung from the walls of the stone corridor, reading: “Hamvolern”, which I assumed was the name of the town. I quickly set off down the stone hallway, and into the darkness below.
The account stops here, but the story does not. It is widely believed that Miniarus exited the cave system a few days later, but he refused to speak of what he found inside. However, he was surprised to learn that he had been missing from the world for over 40 years.
It is said that the Hotel of Eternal Hospitality can appear in any location at any time, but should at all costs not be approached. Miniarus was the only person, divine or mortal, to escape the clutches of the Hotel, and although he did not know it at the time, it took the combined effort of Academia and his family, as well as Sun, Moon and Water to free him from it. It is not currently known what or who has such power to defy the gods in this manner.
SUMMARY
As some of you may have noticed, I made quite a few references to movies, books, music, and video games, among others. If you think you know one, please post on this thread so I can check if you're right.
And no, I lied, I'm not writing a summary. ;D
The following is an excerpt from the Book of Miniarus the Great…
It came one day in my travels on the command of my god Academia that my journey took me through a vast desert to the Town of Pijesak on the other side. I traveled alone this day, as my followers were out in another village spreading their knowledge. As night approached on the second day of his desert journey, I noticed a light, shimmering on the horizon. Thinking that it was the town, I increased my pace, and arrived there just before the sun had set. To my utter astonishment and confusion, instead of a town, a wooden building stood before me. It was of moderate size, with three or four floors and beautiful balconies with flowers and plants hanging in baskets from the sides. Planted firmly in the lush green garden in front of the structure was a sign that read: “Welcome to the Hotel of Eternal Hospitality”. Beneath that was the hotel’s slogan: “Such a lovely place”.
Weary from my travels, and not questioning my good fortune, I stepped into the hotel. Inside the lobby was some tables and chairs, and over in the corner was a desk with a bell. However, my eyes were focused solely on the woman at the desk, the most beautiful mortal I had yet seen. She rose, and seemed to glide forward in her silken red dress as she approached me. Then, in a voice of milk and honey, she spoke.
“Welcome to our hotel,” she said. “Come right this way, and I will show you to your room.” Confused, I asked her about the fee, but she just laughed and replied, “We don’t charge people here. That wouldn’t be very hospitable, now would it?” She laughed again and my doubts faded. How could I distrust such a woman as beautiful as she?
She took my hand and led me down a long hallway adorned with paintings and tapestries of all sizes. Near the end of the hallway she stopped, and opened a door on the left-hand side.
“This is your room,” she said. “Meals can be provided whenever you desire, and remember, if you need anything at all, come see me at the front desk. I will do my best to help.” She smiled and left. I walked into the room, but the sight before me stopped me in my tracks. The room I was facing was the exact twin of the bedroom in my house. Slightly frightened, I spun around to face the bed, and there I noticed a small envelope. Checking inside, I found a note, which read: “Your home environment has been replicated to provide the maximum comfort to you during your stay”. The note was not signed. Not thinking much of it, I relaxed onto the plush bed with which I was so familiar, and began my nightly communion with His Wisdom, Lord Academia. I noticed that this too, seemed strange and out of place, for I could not hear his will as clear as I do most nights, but I consigned this to my exhaustion from my long travels, and soon fell asleep.
The following morning, I awoke to bright sunshine and birds. As I prepared to leave for Pijesak, I noticed a second note on the floor beneath the door. It read: “You are formally invited to dine with the Master in his chambers tonight. He wishes to meet you, and would like to express his hope that you will accept his invitation and grace him with your presence.”
I knew that I should be leaving for Pijesak immediately, as I was already late as it was. However, something held me back. I knew not why, but at that moment I felt only a desire to attend this dinner, to meet with the man who had so graciously provided me with a room and a familiar sight the previous night. So I took the letter down to the front desk, and there I told the woman of my intention to dine with the Master, as he had asked.
“The Master will be very pleased,” she replied, and flashed me her disarming smile. I obtained my breakfast in an adjoining room, but took it back to my suite for my usual morning reflection. However, after an hour or so, I decided to go out and explore the hotel. I wandered down the corridors, but strangely I met few guests, and those I did seemed withdrawn, as if they were afraid of speaking. I soon found the courtyard entrance, and outside I discovered where the rest of the guests were. A large, walled courtyard extended out, and couples danced slowly to the music played by a band of young men. I soon picked out the woman from the desk, and we danced for quite a while, and only when the sun began to set did I remember my appointment. I bid her goodbye, and set off for the Master’s chambers after donning my best clothes.
When I arrived, I noticed that all of the other guests were already present, and apologizing for my tardiness, I sat down. A waiter then brought out the first surprise of the night: A whole cow, still alive and tied down by ropes onto its platter. As the waiter set it down, the guests eagerly leaded forward and began to slice and hack at the cow with their knives. As I watched, more and more gashes appeared on the cow, but it did not stop its mooing, and soon it began to wriggle and cry as it struggled with its bonds. Something was very wrong. I looked around, but the faces of the guests and Master remained calm and formal, as if nothing was happening. I cried out, but no-one responded. Calling for my god for help I looked again, and as I stared at the scene unfolding before me, it changed. I watched as the cow on the table faded, to be replaced by a man, unfeeling and unresponsive to the torture imposed on him. He was instead hunched over, as if reading a book, and did not seem to notice any of us surrounding him. Next the guests changed, their skin melting away to be replaced by rot and bone, their eyes fading from their empty sockets as they gorged on the flesh of the man on the table. Finally the Master’s form faded, changing into a monstrous conglomeration of limbs and skin, bones and muscle. I screamed a silent scream, but the Master’s face turned to mine. A rasping noise escaped his throat, as if he was trying to speak, but his words were unintelligible. I needed to escape, so I stood. Faster than I would have believed possible, he stood as well. Again he spoke, but this time, along with the rasping, I heard a voice.
“Where are you going?” it asked sadly, as if I had done it a great hurt. “We’re not done with dinner.” I responded by throwing my knife into the monster’s eye, but it simply ignored the projectile, wrenching it out of its orb, retinal juice spilling to the floor. I knew I could not fight this one without my god, so I called on him for help again, and I burst of light filled the room. All of the ‘guests’ roared in pain, but the Master simply snarled and began to advance. I ran. Down the hallway I sprinted for the exit, while behind me I heard a scream of rage and the shuffling of feet and chairs scraping across the floor. I increased my pace, and soon arrived at the lobby. I turned to the front desk, thinking to escape with the woman, but she was gone. In fact, she had never existed.
I turned toward the door, and threw it open. I felt a cool breeze play upon my face. I stepped out into the lush prairie beyond, but was stopped by some invisible force. I pushed, but for all my trying I might have been pushing stone. A rasping noise made me turn, and standing at the end of the hall was a ‘guest’ and it slowly began to walk toward me. I turned again toward the door when I realized: I had not entered the hotel from a prairie, but from a desert. As I discovered the truth, the walls of the hotel melted away around me. I stood instead in a small room, much smaller than the lobby I had been seeing earlier. It was old and dilapidated, and as I looked at the place where the door had been, there was only a wall. That was why I had been unable to escape through the ‘door’. The actual exit stood shut on the opposite wall.
Near the door, the ‘guests’ were gathered, approaching me slowly, and behind them stood the Master. In fact, the monsters moved so slowly that I began to feel as though something was wrong. Then I realized: They still believed that they were in the hotel, so they moved as if they were. The hotel was much larger than the room, so they would have to move very slowly to fake the distance to where I was. The only one who moved at a normal pace was the Master, for he knew the illusion for what it was, most likely because he created it. I drew my sword, and the Master roared again in fury. It had seen my movements, and knew I was free from its power. I quickly leapt past the zombies, who had no time to react, and stood, face to face with my opponent. Quick as lightning, I slashed at his face. It did no real damage, but he was distracted long enough for me to open and leap through the door, and then slam it in his snarling face. His roars of anger echoed as I hurried away down the streets of a dark city.
When I stopped to catch my breath, I took a quick look around, and almost gave up then and there. I stood in the center of a vast necropolis, surrounded by the zombie-monsters, who, not noticing me, huddled against the walls of the buildings, occasionally emitting a moan or cry. As I listened, I became aware of a screaming voice echoing from the center of the city, and as I watched the lumps on the ground rose and turned their broken bodies towards me, and advanced. I ran for my life down the streets, followed continuously by the abominations. Finally I reached a wall, a sheer mountain cliff, with a door, rusted shut, in the center. Slamming into it, I forced it open and quickly shut and bolted it with a loose metal bar I found inside the cave I had just entered. A sign hung from the walls of the stone corridor, reading: “Hamvolern”, which I assumed was the name of the town. I quickly set off down the stone hallway, and into the darkness below.
The account stops here, but the story does not. It is widely believed that Miniarus exited the cave system a few days later, but he refused to speak of what he found inside. However, he was surprised to learn that he had been missing from the world for over 40 years.
It is said that the Hotel of Eternal Hospitality can appear in any location at any time, but should at all costs not be approached. Miniarus was the only person, divine or mortal, to escape the clutches of the Hotel, and although he did not know it at the time, it took the combined effort of Academia and his family, as well as Sun, Moon and Water to free him from it. It is not currently known what or who has such power to defy the gods in this manner.
SUMMARY
As some of you may have noticed, I made quite a few references to movies, books, music, and video games, among others. If you think you know one, please post on this thread so I can check if you're right.
And no, I lied, I'm not writing a summary. ;D
