From: tim@mik.uky.edu (timothy c huesman)
Subject: +obadu is +obadu... a message is given [inn] Indigo
Keywords: +obadu phu Indigo eggs warning Inn
Summary: +obadu dances dream-time becomes humanish and talks/walks
Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences
X-Path: tim
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 03:10:48 GMT

   +obadu who is a tracker walked down the stairs from the rooms of
 the Dragon's Inn into the bar.  It was dusk now and the former
 stick figure still did not look human.  His skull was abreviated
 being mainly an upper cap to protect the brain.  He had no jaw at
 all nor a real mouth, but had been eating through a sphincter in
 his head.  His one hand was three-fingered though on a much longer
 stalk than when he had first entered.  His torso seemed to have few
 ribs but was also longer than when he was first seen.  His feet were
 boney claws with three toes.  His eyes bulged out from his head and
 seemed incapable of movement.  Having some of the form of a human
 but varying as he did made his alieness seem monstrous.  
   Monstrous or not he seemed to have a purpose to his stride, far
 shorter now that his legs were not ten feet in length.  He went to
 Indigo's tank and looked at him, handing him another black pearl.
   Indigo the merman slipped into the water and surfaced with a flip
 calling out, "Four hands (I guess that means a dozen) of raw eggs for 
 the grey guy!  And I need to put up a poster offering mindreading
 services for the speech impaired."
   +obadu handed another black pearl over for the eggs and began 
 emptying the ovals into the head sphincter intact.  At ten minute
 intervals he would take in another.  When they were gone he tilted
 his head and seemed to be listening.
    In the Inn there was an eerie stirring.  In a place effused with
 the residue magic of hundreds of odd incantations a new 'something'
 was occuring.  Those inside were unaware that it was being felt over
 all of the city of Generica but was centered here at this spot.
 It was a resonance, echoing through everything in various harmonics
 but felt at its base level in frequencies barely within the lowest 
 human hearing range.  Listener recognized it first as having two
 pitches alternating in a simple, seducing rhythm.  Seducing, but at
 so soft an intensity, it was easy to ignore.
    +obadu who is a tracker stood and drew his feathered stick from
 his web belt.  He began a circular movement, taking him past all 
 nineteen corners and if one closed one's eyes it seemed many figures
 danced with him, sinuously moving through the pattern he made.  
 +obadu who is a shaman shook the stick at each corner as he passed.
 Mages present mentally noted the stories that primitive practicioners
 greatly respected the power of prime numbers.  
    +obadu continued his movements for over an hour as the bar
 resumed mostly to business as usual.  The resonant frequencies were
 on a nearly sub-conscious level and seemed to merely invite others
 to join in the dance.  But as he danced many at various locations
 throughout Generica would pause sensing a 'rightness' in the air.
 For as +obadu who is a shaman moved through the dream-time dance,
 luGunwa, the landing place, remembered some small part of its own
 powers to heal itself.
    When the dance ended, the low resonance ended as well, and a
 transformed +obadu put away his feathered stick.  +obadu was quite
 evidently now a phu (never capitalized), one of the early peoples
 of this world.  Appearing nearly human but lacking any hair on his
 smooth, grey skin, +obadu walked through the doors of the Inn and
 into the night.  He called in a clear voice to any who would listen
 and he could even be heard in the Inn itself:
    "luGunwa peoples, one bears a message of change.  Here, where 
 godslongpast made landing place (at this he points to the Inn),
 the bloodpulse of worldbridges echo.  From island home, one's
 people brings tellings of new pulse.  phu remember godslongpast
 worldbridge used, which people come now, time shows.  Message given,
 change one will see."
    Before his voice stopped echoing from the walls near the plaza, 
 he was gone.  The peculiar phu, carrying a cryptic message of 
 import to god knows who, was nowhere to be seen.  His lengthy trek,
 using means long forgotten even by his ancient people, was now
 complete as he at last regrown his mouth and spoken his warning.
 He seemed not to care whether any heard him or to elaborate on
 any questions to be asked him.  And as usual in dealings with the
 phu, it was understood that one could not understand a phu.
 
--

  Doc  Pan       tim@mik.uky.edu          Tim  Huesman

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