IC-Chapter 1-Holy Holy(Father Levington/Harry Sawyer)

[Ricardo Azuul]

Harry normally drank beer, but this wine tasted like ambrosia.

His ears perked at Atal mentioning Ulthar's law.

"No man may kill a cat? Where did you get a law like that, if you don't mind me asking?"

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm here to enlighten," said Atal. "That law is our most vital one, and it is because of that law that men and cats have been able to live in peace in Ulthar for so long. It came about after what happened with the last people who killed a cat here, well before my time. The cats of Ulthar took their rather bloody revenge on them. It's much better this way. Now we can all live in harmony. Even the zoogs leave Ulthar alone."

Snookums nodded. "We were nearly at war with the zoogs," he said, "a long time ago. We took some of the zoog nobles hostage and keep them here in Ulthar to guarantee that they don't attack us."

[TheAlchemist]

Levington sipped at the moon wine, listening to the interchange.

[Ricardo Azuul]

"Cats taking bloody revenge and keeping zoogs hostage? You Ulthar cats are a lot fiercer than the cats back home!" Harry said.

[Mr. Handy]

"It's a different world," said Snookums, shrugging again in that unfeline fashion. He lapped up some more moon-wine from his dish. "Though I saw a lion once when my Big Folk took me to the zoo. Those can be pretty fierce. I guess when you get used to people waiting on you and providing your every need, you can lose your hunter's instinct. Not me, of course. I keep it alive here. The Big Folk I live with don't really appreciate it. Once I brought them breakfast in bed, and they were very upset. Who wouldn't want a freshly killed bird?"

[TheAlchemist]

"Truly, humans do not have the good sense of cats."

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, that's true," said Snookums matter-of-factly.

"So, is there anything you gentlemen would like to know about?" asked Atal, finishing his glass of moon-wine.

[TheAlchemist]

"I was talking with Snookums earlier about these Old ones, or Great ones, whatever they are called. And Elder ones maybe. Anyway, I was wondering about them. What is the distinction between them? What is there to know about them? That sort of thing."

[Mr. Handy]

"Ah, yes," said Atal. refilling his glass without even thinking about it, "I can see where that can get confusing. Sometimes these terms can be used interchangably, but there are subtle differences. You can study the subject for a lifetime and still not know the half of it. Probably better off not knowing too much, if you ask me. This is the Temple of the Elder Ones. There are a few of them, but they have considerable power. The most famous one around here is Bast, the Cat Goddess. All the cats of Ulthar reverence her."

"We are her children," said Snookums, bowing his head.

"There is also Hypnos, who lives in the frozen land of Kadath. He is the Lord of Sleep. And there is Nodens, the hunter. The Nightgaunts serve him." Atal took a drink as he paused.

"Those are black flying creatures with claws and long, barbed tails. They'll pick you up and tickle you if you're not careful."

"Now, the Great Ones, those are the weak gods of the earth that rule in these lands. Nath-Horthath, for instance, rules over the city of Celephais, while Oukranos is in charge of the river. My old friend Barzai the Wise is their high priest here in Ulthar. There are books that give more details about all of these beings, but usually they are better left unread. They can warp a man's mind, teaching him things he was not meant to know."

[TheAlchemist]

"Not meant to know? I've never heard of a little book learning harming anyone. What do you mean?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Some books impart knowledge that can drive men mad," explained Atal. "It changes the way you see the world, exposing horrible truths and shattering our protective illusions. Such books must be treated with care and respect. Some say they should be destroyed, but I disagree. The knowledge within them, though dangerous, can be useful too. That's why I keep one here at the temple. That way it cannot harm the innocent, but it is still preserved."

[TheAlchemist]

"What is this book about? Or am I already asking more than I really want to know?"

[Mr. Handy]

"It's called the Pnakotic Manuscripts," said Atal.

"Narcotic Manuscripts?" asked Harry, confused.

"No, Pnakotic. There's a silent P in front. They tell of a time in the distant past, before man ever set foot on the Earth, and of strange, powerul beings." He finished his drink and was about to pour himself another glass before he stopped himself. "I'd better not have any more."

[TheAlchemist]

Levington looked into his glass, twitching his lips back and forth.

"Hmph." He swished the wine in the glass. "Have you ever read it?" he asked after a while.

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, yes, I have," said Atal. "I have a strong mind, so I was able to withstand the shock. It's hard to watch a book for many years and not read it, you know. Eventually I had to open it out of sheer curiosity."

[TheAlchemist]

"You don't seem off your rocker to me," Levington said, taking another sip of moon wine, enjoying the dimming of his overwhelmed mind. "I suppose curiosity didn't kill the.... err... person, in this case." Levington said, glancing at Snookums.

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, cats are people too," said Snookums.

"No, I'm all right," said Atal, "but I do have a strong mind and am able to resist such things better. I couldn't just show it to anyone, though."

OOC,[b]Nathaniel[/b], if you want to try to convince [b]Atal[/b] to let you see the book, you can roll Persuade, or you can roll Idea to try to think of another way.

[TheAlchemist]

OOC,I think Levington will ulimately pass on trying to get a look at the thing, though he (and I) certainly want(s) to look.

"I didn't mean any offense Snookums, the normal uphemism just didn't seem quite appropriate," Levington said, smiling.

"You said that the book is valuable," he said, turning back to Atal. "But what good can a book that is so dangerous do?"

[Mr. Handy]

"The knowledge within its pages could be used for good or evil," said Atal. "I need to protect it to ensure that it does not fall into the wrong hands. Though it can compromise your mind, the informaton it contains could also be the only way to thwart powerful beings that would otherwise ride roughshod over us all."

[TheAlchemist]

Levington did not reply to that, he merely sat back, his eyes contemplative. Atal had given him much to think about.

After a while, he spoke again.

"Do you think you could tell me a bit more about this place? The dream lands I mean."