A Lie Conceived, by Oren the Otter

Story name: A Lie Conceived
Author: Oren the Otter

Date: 1 day after the Summer Festival, 706 CR
Location: Metamor Valley, north of the Keep

Overview

A lutin named Vitra wishes to be killed, but after she saves Gornul's life, Oren and Gornul choose to help her.

+ Story info (Spoilers!)

Summary

The lutin Ushka is dead. Her lutin lover Vitra is raped by the other lutins and left for dead. In despair, she walks up to the first Keeper she sees — Oren and Gornul, going on their walk and enjoying snow plums from Privilege of Serving — and asks that they kill her. Oren is shocked, and says he cannot. Suddenly Gornul sends an image of holding a knife to Vitra and releases it, and drops to the ground in pain. Vitra asks if Gornul ate the pit, and that it must have been a tree troll living in that pit, causing him pain for not carrying out the troll's desire to kill. She chants an incantation and expels the troll from Gornul. Oren embraces Gornul with relief. Vitra is struck by the compassion he shows, and asks to be taken as prisoner. Oren says, instead, she will be his guest. She will stay with Oren's friend Jesse Roo and wear his old clothes, pretending to be Jesse's cousin unluckily cursed as a lutin.

Characters

Main characters:

• Oren: A half-otter man from Hipocc.
  • Nasoj knows about Oren, and has warned the lutins about Oren, as he is one of the few who directly threatens his plans, specifically Ushka's and Vitra's project.
• Gornul: A dragonette who speaks in pictures. He has had a tree troll in his belly for 8 days, from an earlier set of snow plums.
• Vitra: A female lutin. She is ashamed of being a lutin and wishes to die, but Oren spares her and sends her to Jesse's.

Important mention:

• Ushka: Vitra's lover, killed by a darkman when the story begins.
• Jesse Roo: Oren's friend, a kangaroo morph. Oren and Vitra head to his place to hide Vitra, knowing that he will trust Oren.

Referenced:

• Nasoj: The enemy of Metamor Keep.

Points of interest

• Tree trolls, first alluded to at the end of Privilege of Serving, live in the Giantdowns and sometimes in the pits of snow plums. After they are eaten, they live in their host's stomach and use pain to control their hosts. They also use pain to prevent their hosts from revealing themselves.
  • There is a spell for expelling tree trolls. It includes the incantation "En Nomia Mungu Vargen Cuim".