Father Ron

> "This artifact leads to somewhere sacred, though I'm not sure what lies ahead."
>
> Father Ron, in his note to the Round Meal Clergy

**Ronald Diwa Meehl**, or **Father Ron**, is the main priest of the Church of the Round Meal, located in the Black Market. Born in a plains village, he was formerly a farmer before committing his life to the Round Meal. He was also a chair member of his village's Hrgnh Committee.

Growing up, he occupied himself with jumping on beds and playing with the village cats, alongside his siblings. As he grew older, his mother was encouraging him to take on the family business, Horg Hgnht (Epic Bread). Growing anxious, as he aspired to be a writer, he began to rebel against his parents. However, this did not end well for him, earning him many time outs, as well as cleaning the compost bins. Although he did try to change their minds, once he became of age, he did end up becoming a farmer.

After his mother's death, being the eldest child, he took on the position of owner of Horg Hgnht, and would later train his siblings to follow suit. He went on to grow the business for the next few years.

Amassing a hefty wallet, he was appointed a seat in the Hrgnh Committee for bringing many human traders to the village, which had in turn brought many emeralds to the village. It was during the Committee meetings when he met Daniel, a mason who had supplied most of the materials for the infrastructure of the village. They would later become business partners, with Ron's wealth, and Daniel's materials, they commissioned many new buildings for the village, consisting of hospitals, schools, and other public service buildings.

For the next few months, Ron and Daniel grow closer, later founding Hruhh Hynng Hh Hheh (Padilla School of Trade). There, he made sure that all of the children's aspirations would be developed, such that they could make emeralds from them.

Eventually, the village, which now could be considered a city, would be visited by Round Missionaries. They came to Hruhh Hynng Hh Hheh, eventually meeting with Ron himself. After many discussions, Ron would find himself in agreement with many of the pillars of the Round Mealers. After a few days of considering, he accepted the missionaries quest of spreading the Word, as well as committing to a life of public service. He left his wealth to his siblings and Daniel, who would continue managing the academy, while his younger sister took on ownership of Horg Hgnht.

He was later brought to a Church of the Round Meal located in an unknown village, where he would grow closer to the Round Meal. He would spend the next two and a half decades learning and connecting to the Round Meal faith, becoming a high ranking clergy member. From there, he was chosen to spread the Round Meal faith elsewhere, bringing along a few others with him.

He was joined by 2 other villagers as well as a human, and would go on to visit many different villages, building many churches dedicated to the Round Meal. The other two villagers, as priests themselves, were left behind in some of the villages to head the new churches, mainly in villages where they could not find a priest. This left Ron, who was in charge of teaching about the Round Meal, and the human, who was in charge of building the churches.

One night, while they were sleeping in their tents, they were ambushed by an unknown group of assailants. Although putting up a valiant fight, the human would not be enough to defeat the their attackers. In a last ditch effort, the human tells Ron to run, while he distracts the gang. As he is running, Ron can hear the sounds of shouting, yelling, and one last explosion, silencing the forest.

Ron completed the rest of the trek alone, finally ending up at The Black Market.

## SMPixel

### Black Market Entrance

After ending up at the Black Market, he explored the various shops there. No longer having the human with him, he would need to find someone else who could build the church. He walked around the market, finally coming across an empty soup truck, and what was presumably the former truck owner, standing solemnly near it. Ron picked up on the faint smell of decay in the air, and knew what must've recently happened.

### Connections

He approached the person, and introduced himself. He later learned that this person was Eggsactly. He told Ron about the wither attack, which led to the deaths of his friends. Ron was taken aback, as he had never before heard of such an attack happening. Most of the places he had visited were relatively peaceful, only having the occasional quarrel. This invigorated Ron, knowing he had great purpose here. So, he took Eggs under his wing, and taught him about the Round Faith. He told him about the power of public service under the Round Meal, and Eggs too was motivated to help the Black Market. He was tasked with building the church, where they would decide their next steps.

### Teaching

Before he started sharing the word, he began to teach Eggs more about the Round Meal. For a few days, he taught him about the power of public service, the joyous land of Round Heaven, and the terror of Microwave Hell. He also taught him about converting water into Round Water, and communicating with the Round Meal itself. Once he felt that Eggs was ready, he started having mass. With Eggs managing the church, Father Ron could have mass, and share the word of the Meal.

### Business Growth

With Eggs's foreknowledge of the Black Market, and Father Ron's business skills, they both managed to inspire many villagers to start shop at the Black Market. With this, many businesses were started up, bringing more visitors to the market. And with these visitors, came more people to listen to the word the Meal. The growing amount of people meant that the market itself would also need to grow, so Father Ron tasked Eggs with expanding the market, and improving the paths that connect each stall and shop.

### A Message from the Pope

A few months had passed, continuing business as usual. Until, a courier delivered a message to Father Ron. It had come from Davis, which meant this was serious business. It told him of artifacts that had been missing for decades, which were attached to the letter in a package. He learned that they were Round Compasses, which led to a temple that he had only learned about in legends. After analyzing the compasses, it was determined that Father Ron's church was the closest to the temple. With that, as well as messages from the Round Meal itself, they deemed him best fit for journeying to the temple. He was told to leave as soon as possible, so he left a note, packed his bag, and began his journey.

### On the Path

As he was following the compass, his inner conscience was muddled. He was unsure about telling Eggs not to follow him. When he had written the note, he was sure that Egg should stay behind, but on the journey he was conflicted. Being unable to come to a decision for days, he ended up ingesting herbs which he had brought with him. In his dialogue with the Round Meal, he came to the conclusion that for his journey to succeed, Eggs would play a vital part. What that part might be, he didn't know.

He made his way to the nearest village, and had a courier send his other compass to the church. Having restocked food, and a refreshed mind, he continued making his way to the temple.

### Encountering the Temple

The next day, he finally reached the Round Temple, which appeared more like an ornate gazebo. Upon attempting to read a book resting on a lectern, he was dropped from an opened trapdoor, deeper into the temple. He was presented with what seemed to be a pair of puzzles, though one of them had collapsed in on itself. The other was a maze, though Ron feared of its length. Between these puzzles, was a piston door, that required a key. Unsure of what to do, he unpacked his belongings on the temple floor, anticipating a long stay. However, what he did not expect was for the Round Compass to be suddenly absorbed into the floor. Immediately, the piston door opened, revealing the inner sanctum.

### Inner Sanctum

He regathered his belongings, and moved inside the next room. At the back of the room, was a rare sight. It was one of the only existing physical manifestations of the Round Meal. It beckoned him closer.

He entered a dialogue with the Round Meal, and was told three things: Expect Eggs and Rob Swire at the temple, expect Rob to bring someone of high importance, and that this person would be vital to the perseverance of the church. The degree to which he had no idea.

Ron would soon awake from the trance, met with noises of the piston door opening once again, along with Eggs and Rob. The person of high importance seemed to be missing, until Rob explained who it was: Scott Morrison. Ron knew about Scomo's recent assassination, which had happened a few months before. He was unsure how his purpose would be fulfilled.

Rob would ask Ron for a blessing, one that would increase his lyrical power, but he lacked the ability. Only one being held this power, and even it was limited. There was only one way to bless Rob with this power: one final act of public service.

### Finale

Ron asked Eggs to do the deed. He was hesitant to do it at first, but was assured that it was best. Ron told him to search his filing cabinet, where Eggs could find details about his origins, and, tell them what had happened. And with that, he completed the most monumental act of public service possible: he gave his life, for another.

### Aftermath

His act allowed the Round Meal to fully bless Rob Swire, who would bring Scomo back to life. They all left the temple, with Eggs burying Ron outside the temple, where he would remain in everlasting bliss. Scomo would receive training from the main church, while Eggs would visit Ron's home city, and learn more about his past.

In life, Ron Diwa Meehl had accomplished so much for the people around him. He fostered growth in places that seemed impossible so. He supported everyone, and encouraged them to become their best person. Everything he did, was for the greater good. And in death, his ripple still lingers. His home city grows stronger than ever. The Black Market is more beautiful than ever. Though he is no longer here to see it, Father Ron remains a part of every place, every person, every thing he has impacted.