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The Curator V.I.P. Beware Vampire, I have 3909 Posts |
The Bone Collector Christian Chelman Thanks to Carl for the traduction. “I have walked among you for millennia. I was born in ancient Egypt, the land of the pharaohs, on a date that matters little. They give me many names: Resheph, Apollo, Rudra, Pazuzu, Sakpata, Babalu-Ayé, Nergal, Croatoan, but my favourite is” Bone Collector”. I began on a small scale, but obtained my first great success under the reign of Emperor Justinian. I collected 25 million souls... Over the course of the centuries, I have visited Athens, Rome, Marseille, England, Venice, Vienna, Africa, Asia and a great many other places. And everywhere I go, I restore balance and make a clean sweep of things – so to speak. I change the course of history by diminishing the power of certain countries, by exterminating wealthy families and by enabling other cultures to emerge. I must admit that I very much like certain cities; Marseille and Venice are my favourites. In Venice, I am always honoured during the Festa del Redentore – the Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer. There is a Danse Macabre that glorifies me, and man has even been bold enough to give my name to one of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. I am absolutely unbending. Once I’ve decided to give you my gift, there is no way out. I feed on your dying breaths and on your bones. Be you king or peasant, man or woman, young or old, Christian or pagan, rich or poor, I will make you dance with me to the tune of the violin and xylophone. The great French composer Camille Saint-Saëns even wrote a lively piece dedicated to me. My gift is called the plague. But I give every city a chance! You see, I have a human weakness: I like to gamble. And yet, nobody ever beats me. Even Titian lost a bet back in 1575. Too bad, he was such a great artist. In every city, I choose a player at random and I lay out my game. You decide how much to bet. Choose a number between 10 and 100. If you lose, I will eliminate that percentage of the population. And if you win, I will multiply the number by ten and that is how many years I will leave you and your city in peace. Actually, there was one player, an Indian gentleman called Brahmagupta, who bested me in the sixth century. I left his land in peace for 800 years. You can rest assured that I am not a sore loser. The game has had many names and variations over the millennia. These days it is called Nim, or the Marienbad game. It is played by my rules, with my bones. Some of these bones come from animals, while others….” He made a non-committal gesture. “Ready?” The young Indian sat cross-legged before the Bone Collector. He had no fear. He was indifferent to life and death. The only thing that fascinated him was the excitement of the challenge. The Bone Collector explained the rules. “There are 20 bones. Whenever it’s your turn, you can remove one, two or three bones. Same for me when it’s my turn. The player who is forced to take the last bone, loses. In this game, the bet is 80. That means if I win I will take 80% of the population of your city. But if you win, I will leave you in peace for 800 years.” Brahmagupta replied that he didn’t think the game was fair. The player who goes first has an advantage. Removing a die from his pocket, he suggested that each player roll and that whoever rolled the highest number should go first. The Bone Collector agreed and rolled a 6. Brahmagupta rolled a 3. They took turns removing bones. Before long, it was Brahmagupta’s turn and there was only one bone left. Death was exultant. But the young Indian’s eyes sparkled as he picked up the die, which, it just so happened, was also made of bone. “I believe you said that the according to the rules we have to pick up the bones on the table, right? Well, this die is made of bone. Since there is now one bone left for you, I win.” The Bone Collector was startled, but he admired his opponent’s sheer audacity and accepted defeat gracefully. He reached out and picked up the last bone from the table. And within seconds, he was gone – and would not return for 800 years. |
The Curator V.I.P. Beware Vampire, I have 3909 Posts |
Another nice bone die for the game
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weepinwil Inner circle USA 3828 Posts |
Great story and collection. Thanks for sharing.
"Til Death us do part!" - Weepin Willie
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Terrormaster Regular user New England 139 Posts |
Oh wow. This is incredibly wonderful. I can see this working with Vodou and Mythos themes. After all, much like Baron Samedi, they're all masks of Nyarlathotep.
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Eddie Garland Inner circle Hells Kitchen, New York City 4207 Posts |
Wonderful as always Master Curator!
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Lo Pan Special user Haven't slept in weeks - but I now have 769 Posts |
Beautiful imagery and a deeply engaging tale. This is reminiscent of something I would imagine I may stumble across while reading through The Altar Flame - Thank you.
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Taveren001 Regular user Pennsylvania 174 Posts |
I am entranced with the story you have laid out before us. Thank you for sharing. As always, it's a pleasure reading your posts.
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De_Sade New user 18 Posts |
Fantastic. Inspired by this wonderful story I have collected together my own artefacts to accompany the narrative and have performed it myself now, twice with great effect. All the articles fit neatly inside a leather pouch, making it very portable for impromptu performances, and with Hallowe'en fast approaching I dare say it will be a staple at many of the gatherings I will be attending. Thank-you for sharing this.
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Rook Special user I went to the Magic Cafe and all I got were these lousy 834 Posts |
A delightful story with enthralling artifacts! I'm a bit befuddled, however, as to the purpose of the coin?
Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.
-Roald Dahl |
The Curator V.I.P. Beware Vampire, I have 3909 Posts |
Quote:
On Mar 24, 2016, Rook wrote: It's part of the Character. |
D. Yoder Veteran user 376 Posts |
The coin could be part of the story with a change to the story. In "my version" the Bone Collector uses a coin to determine who goes first in the game. After all, what could be interesting in playing a game that you know you are going to win if you play it over and over throughout the centuries? The only interest to the Bone Collector would be in the initial flip of the coin and having at least a chance of losing the game. Of course if the other person goes first and loses through ignorance, so much the better.
The young Indian could introduce the idea of using his die instead of the coin to choose the person who begins and thus beat the Bone Collector either way. If the young Indian rolls the higher number and goes first, he wins in the normal fashion. If the Bone Collector goes first, the young Indian wins by picking up the die as a bone and the Bone Collector has to take the last bone. So my question, Master Curator, is this story/effect open to others like myself to use? From De_Sade's response, I assume it is, but I want to make sure that is the correct assumption. In either case, thank you for sharing it. |
The Curator V.I.P. Beware Vampire, I have 3909 Posts |
The idea is that the die determines the one who starts.
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Harley Newman Inner circle 5117 Posts |
Ooooooo, Nim with bones!!!!!
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” -Mark Twain
www.bladewalker.com |
The Curator V.I.P. Beware Vampire, I have 3909 Posts |
Quote:
On Mar 26, 2016, Harley Newman wrote: Yep, with a twist. And some are human bones. The coin can be tossed for the size of the bet. All the lives of your people or a portion only. |
Harley Newman Inner circle 5117 Posts |
And there are so many intriguing outs!
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” -Mark Twain
www.bladewalker.com |
D. Yoder Veteran user 376 Posts |
My question on others using the story is still on the table. Is this considered public domain?
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The Curator V.I.P. Beware Vampire, I have 3909 Posts |
Quote:
On Mar 26, 2016, D. Yoder wrote: Absolutely not. I don't give anyone permission to use my routines, except if personally asked. |
balzar Loyal user 206 Posts |
What an enchanting and eerie presentation – Thanks so much for sharing it.
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