BOTV Episode 08

*"Anyone can start anew with the House of Ke'vek"*
—**Qarol**

## **Plot Synopsis**

*CONTENT WARNING:* Blood of the Void *is a game about Klingons. Episodes contain acts of violence and other adult content. Unlike other areas of the website, individual sections of this article will not be tagged with content warnings.*

### **Pre-Break**

IKS *Borqu'* arrives on Qo'noS. The episode opens with the crew arriving at the main spaceport outside of the First City (the capital). Qarol is expecting them at the Estate of House Ke'vek. e'Daj takes a moment to gorge herself on Klingon street food (consistent of raw slugs). Qotar and D'Wa are not interested; they head for some fried octopus. Ra'amyan states a preference to avoid the overpriced spaceport food options. After eating, e'Daj takes a moment to flop down on the ground and make "dirt angels", happy to be back on a planet.

The crew hops on the train to the estate of House Ke'vek. The manor is built on the ruins of an old house. e'Daj does a vibe check on the locals; they don't seem suspicious to her. The crew enters the manor. It is gorgeously decorated. Qarol is there, also decked out for the occasion. She greets them with disdain and sarcasm, loudly making a joke on the absurdity of a Klingon House having a ship commanded by someone who isn't a member. Ra'amyan gets the sense that she is grandstanding, trying to assess the crew's loyalty to her.

e'Daj laughs with the joke and then kowtows before her. Some of the crew follow suit. Qarol orders them all to their feet, but e'Daj continues to grovel, despite Qotar's attempts to stand her up. Qarol asks them all who's house they serve. e'Daj answers "this House". Ra'amyan says he is the last surviving heir of the House of DaS. Omeq describes hiss background (the disgrace of his family) , and then says that he serves House Ke'vek. Qarol says that she doesn't judge Omeq for the failures of his father, saying "Anyone can start anew with the House of Ke'vek." D'wa says they have no House, and Qotar says that he serves his commander. Qarol declares that they will all have a feast, and then each member of the crew will join House Ke'vek. She leaves the crew to themselves to explore the grounds before the feast in a few hours.

e'Daj tells them all that they need to grovel more. She clearly feels insecure in her position as Commander of IKS Borqu'. Ra'amyan says they need to be more bold, and he is supported by Qotar. The others all agree that e'Daj is showing too much weakness. They agree that perhaps it is their duties as co-first officers to remove e'Daj from her position. e'Daj responds with rage, and nearly chokes out Omeq. Things calm down and the crew splits up to explore the grounds.

Ra'amyan goes to the library. It is mostly empty, as the House of Ke'vek is a new House. There are some texts present, describing the brief history of the House. There is also an old Klingon man. He has long, dark-grey hair, and is wearing a sash and glasses. Ra'amyan greetings him, and he says his name is Oran. He is the *gin'tak* of House Ke'vek. He also volunteered to be the record keeper, since the House doesn't have permanent scribes. He does note that they've commissioned some scribes to record the deeds of IKS Borqu'.

Ra'amyan asks him how long he's served. Oran says that he served in the Klingon Defense Force with B'emir and Qarol's father. The two sisters used to call him Uncle Oran. Ra'amyan asks about the current allies and enemies of the House. Oran says that the exploits of IKS Borqu' have improved their standing among the Great Houses, but that it has also earned them some enemies. Ra'amyan describes some of his own past. Oran promises to help him avenge the House of DaS, if Ra'amyan will commit himself. Ra'amyan says that he doesn't know who destroyed the ship that was carrying his entire House, but Oran offers to help with the investigation. They decide to swap information after the ceremony.

Meanwhile, D'wa wanders the manor alone. They arrive at the quarters where the crew will all be staying. D'wa looks around contemplatively; they hope that they won't be staying on Qo'noS for too long. They look out a window, and they catch a glimpse of their reflection. For a moment, they have a different appearance; their ridges resemble how they used to be, indicating membership of the memoryalpha:House of Duras. When they look again, they appear normal.

Omeq heads outside to the grounds. It includes an impressive rock garden. He takes a moment to scan the geology of the rocks, just killing time. He takes out his *dk'tahg* and starts hacking at one of the rocks. He gets a chirp on his communicator. It's his mother. She gently criticizes him for not telling her that he was on Qo'noS. She is effusive with her coddling and love. She asks him about whether he has any potential romances, but he shuts it down. Despite complaining to her about how she calls him a "boy" and not a "man", Omeq is greatly cheered up by the conversation.

Qotar heads to the training barracks and calls his parents. His father, Dagor, and his mother, Lisos, answer (Dagor is a Klingon and Lisos is a Vulcan). His father has grumpy old man vibes. His mother is typically Vulcan, but not quite all-the-way. She lets him know that she's been volunteering at the Vulcan embassy and making friends. Qotar tells them about his plans to swear loyalty to House Ke'vek. Dagor is a little sad that Qotar is going to leave their House. Lisos asks about his *pon farr* and about his lack of a mate. Qotar's Grandmother overhears and hops onto the call. She busts his chops a bit for not finding a mate. She mentions that they've found a good woman for him at the Vulcan embassy. Qotar is having none of hit.

Meanwhile, e'Daj heads to the kitchen to hang out with the staff. She snoops around a bit to get a feel for how well-off the family is, based on how well-stocked the larders are. She finds them well-stocked, indeed. She wanders off to find some staff to gossip with. She finds a man cleaning paintings in the main hall, named Brukesh. She comments on a picture of B'emir and Qarol as children in the countryside on their farm. e'Daj asks to see more picture. He shows her a corner of the room entirely filled with pictures of Qarol and her accomplishments. e'Daj notes that several Ferengi are in the pictures, and Brukesh mentions that they helped Qarol make the money that established the prowess of the House of Ke'vek.

### **Post-Break**

The scene resumes in the Great Hall of the manor. The crew is invite to sit down and feast. e'Daj is enthusiastic. She is very complimentary of the bread, and surprisingly knowledgeable of wheat/bread production. Qarol offers to bring them to the hold home for a tour, where distant relatives still farm the land.

Qotar is equally approving of the bread. He tells them about a time on Earth when he had bread with a strange substance called "chis" (cheese). Qarol is fascinated; she's never heard of cheese. e'Daj describes the general process of cheesemaking (using the "teat juice" of cows and digesting it with bacteria). Qarol demands her cook immediately begin production.

Ra'amyan samples all of the food. Qarol compliments him on the methodical nature of his sampling. She asks the room for some stories. Qotar and e'Daj regale the room about their encounter with The Hirogen. ("Episode 06") e'Daj screams the name of R'yeq in grief. Ra'amyan shares the story of how they beamed onto the bridge of a Nausicaan ship *before* they fired upon it. ("Episode 01")

Omeq tells a story of his encounter with a changeling. He was once hunting targ, and he fell into quicksand. Suddenly, a vine flew out to him from the jungle, and he grabbed it, saving himself. He never found the source of the vine, but he took it as a sign from the universe; perhaps it was the spirit of his father. He waxes a bit to the room on the wonders of the universe. Qarol is impressed, and says that the story would make for a beautiful opera. D'wa tells the story of them taking a trophy from Qotar, and they pull out the bronzed lock of his hair. e'Daj praises the conduct of their officers in the challenge. ("Episode 07")

At this point, the room has filled with more guests, including a few Ferengi. Some of the Ferengi are even wearing the sash of House Ke'vek (indicating they are official members). The whole room is loving the crew's stories. Omeq asks Qarol about the House's near-term and long-term goals. Qarol tells a story of her and B'emir's childhood. The two of them weren't satisfied to grow up as farmers. B'emir wanted to fight, but Qarol wanted to meet people, look at art, and hear stories. The two of them want to prove that Klingons can be a successful House in a way very different from the life of the traditional warrior caste. e'Daj plays hype-woman for the speech.

As the feast concludes, Qarol declares that it is time for the *r'uustai*, the rite of bonding, where Klingons become siblings and join a House. They all gather into a room. Each member of the crew puts on a sash of House Ke'vek and lights a candle. They are all given a small piece of paper with the words to read: "*SoS jIH batlh SoH*" ("mother, I honor you"). Everyone cheers and chants.

## **Cast**

* Aliza Pearl - Game Master
* Jade Law - E'Daj
* Phillip Jeanmarie - Omeq
* Quincy Surasmith - Ra'amyan
* Christopher Eddins - Qotar
* Aki - D'Wa

## **Non-Player Characters**

* Qolar
* Oran
* Omeq's Mother
* Dagor
* Lisos
* Qotar's Grandmother
* Brukesh

## **Locations**

* Qo'noS
	+ First City
	+ Estate of House Ke'vek

## **Notable Lines**

*"Anyone can start anew with the House of Ke'vek"*
—**Qarol**

*"I'll handle it. I'm your captain now. Don't worry."*
*"I'm worried."*
*"Come on, man. Just go with it."*
—**e'Daj** and **Qotar**

*"It's actually very comfortable. Great for exfoliating the skin. And, uh. Yeah, it sucks man."*
—**Qotar** about Vulcan

*"We only serve at her pleasure. And so pleasure her we will."*
—**e'Daj** about Qarol

*"If I have to grovel to keep command of this ship, I will! I will eat dust and ash and, gladly, slugs."*
—**e'Daj**

*"I can't wait to see you, my baby boy!"*
—**Omeq's mother**

*"I have heard of this "chis", and I have tried it before ... It is from the teat of a mammal. They take the juice from the teat, and they put it with the bacteria."*
—**e'Daj** on cheesemaking

*"A warrior can fight without a finger, without a toe, but a lock of my luxurious mane?! Well, that is like taking a tooth from a lion."*
—**Qotar**

*"And now we will seal the ritual of r'uustai, by honoring the mothers. Some Klingons think that this inscription that we say during r'uustai is for all of our mothers, but it originated with one mother. The first mother who united warring Klingon Houses together, with an act of bravery, with an act of might, with an act of threat, and power. I speak, of course, of our mother, L'Rell."*
—**Qarol**

## **Notes and Trivia**

* Qarol's invocation during the *r'uustai* is a reference to L'Rell.