Gospel According to Sheffuu

> This gospel, while only referencing St. Thorric once directly by name, explores his silent influence over our lives, even if he cannot be seen.  He is ever present, and watchful, guiding our development in subtle ways for the good of the community.
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### Chapter 1

Praise be to Xochi, who keeps my family warm and safe.
Praise be to Tezca, who grants me victory in battle
Praise be to Quetzal, who keeps me and mine in good health
Praise be to Nazca, who guides my soul to it's rightful end
And praise be to Totec, who guides us all to glory.

I am humbled yet again. I finally managed to gain employment through the strength of my arms, and I believed myself to be merely a year away from achieving my goal, with nothing to do but work hard and avoid ripping the head off of annoying weaklings. I can only gather that the storm Quetzal sent that was strong enough to tear down everything I've been working for, and subsequent survival is a sign that I must not yet assume a station I don't have the right to hold. I must still work and bleed for those above me until I can join their ranks.

I thank you, Tezca, for allowing me to vanquish my foe without the suffering ignobility of being beaten unconscious. Four deadly foes fell to my axe, and four more to my squad. Thorric has taught me a lesson through combat today. Even though he and I are equal in kills, and his kills were weakened by others, he struck the last blows in sight of the others, thus gaining their appreciation and admiration. He has gained the elevation in status that I seek, and though I wish to challenge him to an honorable duel under the eyes of you, Tezca, for the title, the needs of the colony must come first. It would not benefit the group as a whole to have its two fore-front fighters beaten half to death (again).

Sigh...

I also give thanks to you Totec, for it was your guidance that allowed me to grab possibly the most critical item from the shipwreck of our ship. Once we are more set in our medicine and can build a raft, I hope to finish off the accursed sting ray so that we may finish recovering what was lost. With Quetzal guiding me, maybe we can gather something of use before it rots away.

To Nazca and Tezca, I offer you this meager sacrifice. I managed to capture some of the crabs young before we were ambushed on the beach. I give this young creature's blood to you so that me and mine may be victorious in our coming days and trials.

[Shaffuu kills the creature with his claw, since his mouth still aches like hell, then pours what he can into the harbor]

May my ancestors guide me.

### Chapter 2

Praise be to Xochi, who keeps my family warm and safe.
Praise be to Tezca, who grants me victory in battle
Praise be to Quetzal, who keeps me and mine in good health
Praise be to Nazca, who guides my soul to it's rightful end
And praise be to Totec, who guides us all to glory.

[Sheffuu checks to make sure that the human skull is ready, then takes the time to place some lamp oil down on a rock and light it. He then places the skull over the small flame and bends his knee]

It has been a week now on this island. Every day is trying, both physically and mentally. It seems like every hour someone needs to stop to relieve themselves, or because they complain about how much their feet hurt, or because someone gets jumpy and think they heard the buzzing of a dragonfly. Sigh. I suppose one time there actually were dragonflies, but I still want to bang my head against a wall with every unscheduled stop.

Though these times are trying, I still haven't lost sight of my goal. Tomorrow morning, I will approach the noble and offer a deal. I prostrate myself to you, Quetzal, and swear to abstain from sacrifice for a week should you allow me to succeed in negotiations. With your guidance, I will seize my destiny!

[Sheffuu goes silent and ruminates on what he will say the next day for a little while]

...Nazca. Though the skull of a human is hardly a proper housing, it it still the strongest creature I have come across that I was able to harvest from. When I was young, I trained day after day so that I may eventually be honored with becoming your servant. Though my opportunity has been stripped away, even now, I believe I'm getting closer to succeeding. When we are more settled, when my enemies are stronger, then I will come to you for strength. I will recite your mantras and become your avatar in battle. I will mutilate my foes so that you may harvest their souls!

...

But until then, I will pay homage in what small ways I can.

[Sheffuu finishes, drapes the bell net over the camp supplies, then curls up under the burning gaze of the charred human skull]

### Chapter 3

Praise be to Xochi, who keeps my family warm and safe.
Praise be to Tezca, who grants me victory in battle
Praise be to Quetzal, who keeps me and mine in good health
Praise be to Nazca, who guides my soul to it's rightful end
And praise be to Totec, who guides us all to glory.

[Sheffuu lights the stained blood red skull of his new monkey trophy, and takes praying position]

...The days continue to blend together. I have started reducing rations in an attempt to keep us fed, however the others are still complaining about starvation. I am starting to worry that the rest of the company aren't giving proper penance to their gods. Half of them nearly died from disease, the other half failed horribly in battle, according to the mumblings of the noble one. Yet I had offered due tribute to the god of health, and have subsequently had little trouble with either disease or battle, and have worked tirelessly through the pain of having little food.

We will shortly lose the last of our food, the last of the food I had brought with me to supplement us. We hope to find food before we run out, but soon we may be driven to acts of desperation. We may have to consider a raid on the bats as the only option of a quick and easy source of food. Barring that... I am not above trying human meat.

[Sheffuu curls up, ignoring his rumbling stomach and starts thinking of ways he can approach his charge and convince them to consider the humans as an alternate source of food]

### Chapter 4

Praise be to Xochi, who keeps my family warm and safe.
Praise be to Tezca, who grants me victory in battle
Praise be to Quetzal, who keeps me and mine in good health
Praise be to Nazca, who guides my soul to it's rightful end
And praise be to Totec, who guides us all to glory.

[Sheffuu feeds his fish, then reclines on a rock, occasionally shaking the jar and watching it glow, then slowly fade out.]

This morning, I faced death...

The crabs swarmed us, they attacked en mass and fought more fiercely than any enemy I had seen thus far. We gave it our absolute best, and despite being weaker and smaller, these crustations refused to give in to our assault. After the fight was over, when I tiredly let my axe fall from my hands, I truly understood what it means to lose yourself in battle. These crabs are our strongest enemy, not because of their shells, not from their sharp claws, but rather, because they don't fear death. They embraced the battle and didn't stop giving their all until they were nothing more than corpses in the sand...

I sit here listening to the tiny screams of our captured prey, and I can't help but imagine that this is what my life will lead to. A short, brutal, terrible fight that leads to agonizing pain and an ignoble death. Every day now is a risk, and we have to work together constantly just to ensure we see the next sunrise. I think I see two ways I can take, two paths available to me. the first one is of survival. I steal food, go into the woods, cut myself enough wood for a raft, then set out, surviving the high seas by fishing for myself until I can find land, far away from these cursed jungles. The second path is to emulate these crabs. To devote myself utterly to the art of combat, and forcibly carve out our stake out of the living flesh of this jungle.

[Sheffuu gets tired of his looking at his new toy for now, and stretches out, basking in the sun]

The first option will probably let me survive, much more likely than the second. But where would I be? I'd be right back where I started, except this time, I'd be a failure. I wouldn't be able to look at my reflection anymore. I couldn't return to my family, I'd just be a husk of a lizard with little chance for redemption. But the second option, staying on this island... Unless the gods truly favor me, I will die. I will die, and probably not even be committed to the sea, as my fathers before me. I will live a short, brutal life, and it will be utterly glorious, but I will be no more important than the crab currently being cooked alive by my compatriots.

It's a big choice, and one that I bet these other races would have a hard time making.

[Sheffuu settles into a comfortable position, belly up, smiles at the sun warming his belly, and starts to doze off. His last thoughts are]

This morning, I faced death...

I can't wait to kick his ass again

### Chapter 5

Praise be to Xochi, who keeps my family warm and safe.
Praise be to Tezca, who grants me victory in battle
Praise be to Quetzal, who keeps me and mine in good health
Praise be to Nazca, who guides my soul to it's rightful end
And praise be to Totec, who guides us all to glory.

[Upon finishing his prayer, Shaffuu gets up and starts pacing again]

We have food, we have and are building shelter, we are on track towards making this place a grand settlement...

And now I have learned that there's a shapeshifter in our midst.

I despise them, and I'm surprised the others can react so calmly! Don't they know the perversion of the body that shapeshifting brings? Are Lizardfolk really the only one's who truly appreciate the dastardly magic that twists at the very person's soul? If we had all been lizard folk, then we would have immediately formed a group to hunt this man down! The others are content to sit idly by and let him be, as long as he doesn't mess with the company. I don't care one whit about what he says, I know it'll all be lies, geared towards his survival, until he feels safe enough to kill us and eat our entrails!

[Sheffuu stops and punches a dent into a nearby tree, bruising his knuckles, then starts pacing again]

Grrrrr.... I'm not going to let him catch me unawares. The moment he makes his move, I'll be ready! I will personally lead the assault against him until either he or I are standing over the other's bleeding, cold corpse! I'll cut off his head, and display it proudly; I'll join the ranks of the heroic lizards that have slain shapeshifters in the past!

[Sheffuu slides down the cliff to the beach, then slumps down and starts aggressively chewing on a piece of bark]

All those years that our nations have fought. Of all my lizardfolk brethren who have died trying to free the others of their shapeshifting curse [Sheffuu spits at the thought of a lizardman druid] and now I find out that I, too, will be joining the holy war to eradicate their kind!

[Sheffuu sighs and looks wistfully out to sea]

I don't hold the power to judge this man guilty of perverting nature, though I would if I could. If the others play it nice, then I will play along, solely for the sake of the company, and my position in it... But any shapeshifter who gives me the slightest excuse will meet my axe!

### Chapter 6

\*grunt\* Praise be to Xochi...  who keeps my family warm and safe...
Praise be to Tezca, Grra... who grants me victory in battle...
Hup! Praise be to Quetzal, who keeps me and mine in good health...
Praise be to Nazca, who guides my soul to it's rightful end... \*Grunt\*

[Sheffuu stops lugging the logs to the wall for a minute, and wipes his brow]

And praise be to Totec, who guides us all to glory

[He grimaces in pain and presses his hand to his side, over the last, slightly healed wound that the jaguar had given him]

Grrraaa!

[He kicks the log he just put down and uses the pain coming from his toe to distract him from the rage threatening to consume his mind]

[limping back to the wood pile, he starts gathering up another pile of wood, and starts whispering to himself under his breath]

Idiot noble stopping the stupid fucking company from protecting themselves from the demons that are slowly killing us! These dumbasses are going to get us all killed because they're too cowardly to go after the goddamn Shapeshitter when he's obviously going to ambush us when we're at our weakest, grunt.

I've seen this thing happen before in the wars back home. Guerrilla tactics led by shapeshitters that wore us down until we were weak enough for the follow-up full-frontal assault. Our best chance at surviving this is to lead a strike force into the jungle and wait for him in ambush. Grrr... I would take the others who have volunteered if Shiek'Tah would just heal this blasted wound. Then we could ensure our safety! Until we've purged every inch of this island of these damnable creatures, we'll never be able to relax. And waiting for them to attack us is the worst way to go about it!

I'll have to push towards getting us out tomorrow, assuming we don't meet him again while we're sleeping...

### Chapter 7

Praise be to Xochi, who keeps my family warm and safe.
Praise be to Tezca, who grants me victory in battle
Praise be to Quetzal, who keeps me and mine in good health
Praise be to Totec, who guides us all to glory...

And praise be to Nazca, who has granted me my deepest wish.

[Shaffuu laughes bitterly]

Never would I have thought that it would take a shapeshitter to push me over. All these years, I've suffered loss, humiliation, poverty, near death, and more... No, it's not just him, it's this hellhole of an island.

[He belts on his leather and crab armor]

Constantly being harassed by non-stop jungle wild-life; disease, heat and storms sapping our strength every other day, and all the drama that others bring with them onto this devilish land...

[He attaches his night light and his growing collection of skulls to his belt]

Years of failure, and all I needed was a month in hell to bring out the true me... I finally killed the bastard. All that pain and hatred for such a simple creature.

[he clasps on his recently skinned stingray cloak, still cool and damp to the touch]

Yet, when I went for it, it wasn't even close to being the deadliest creature I had faced in the last 48 hours

[He dons the Jaguar hood, looks back to the direction of camp to make sure no one is in sight before kneeling down to the dissected remains of the stingray, lying on the beach to the north]

And going into battle, all I could think about was how this scum was able to worm his way back into our society. After all he's done, all the pain he's inflicted on us, and the blatant attacks on us, he still gets away with his life. I- I snapped.

[Shaffuu reaches into the ribcage of the stingray, and tears out the still, lukewarm heart of his once hated enemy]

I lost myself in the battle, I reached that point of such hatred that I went blow for blow against this creature, getting hit by hit when I could have avoided the attack, but this time... It was like you were there with me, Nazca. The poison didn't affect me at all, and despite its greatest efforts, I shattered its body and its spirit.

[looking at the flesh in his hand, quickly shriveling from the exposure to the elements, blood dripping from the groove in his hand, Shaffuu feels his own heart start pumping a little from the excitement of what had happened]

I had never more acutely felt the death of my opponent as I had in that one moment. It was clarity like never before. From now on, Nazca, you are my Patron, my guide. With you, I will no longer be astray. I know my path now, it is one of pain, death, and destruction...

[Shaffuu lifts the heart above his head, holding it against the blinding light of the sun. Opening his fearsome jaw, he squeezes as hard as he can, pouring the remaining heart juice down his throat, liquefying some of the matter in the process, then drops the remains into his mouth. Slowly chewing the meat, he savors the disgust that rises from the vile taste, forcing his body to accept the raw flesh as a snack, beating his vomit back down his throat, chasing it with the heart of his enemy. He spends the next couple minutes wiping his mouth, and licking the blood from his hand with a grim smile on his face. After he's done, he grabs the corpse by the tail, and starts dragging it through the sand back to camp]

Nazca, may you accept the death of my enemy as a worthy sacrifice to you in battle. Allow me to share in your rage, and I will bring many, many more souls to your depths. [Shaffuu grins toothily] I can tell this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship…

### Chapter 8

Praise be to Xochi, who keeps my family warm and safe.
Praise be to Tezca, who grants me victory in battle
Praise be to Quetzal, who keeps me and mine in good health
Praise be to Totec, who guides us all to glory
And praise be to Nazca, who decides whether I live or die

I kept on tossing and turning last night. The thought of me desecrating an artifact of Tezca has me constantly on edge. I had thought it corrupted, and solely powering the necromantic energy of the dead, which was why I crushed it. But in my ignorance, I insulted the god of battle. Tezca! I swear I meant no slight on you! Please forgive me, and continue seeing me through my battles, and I swear to be more careful in the future.

What worried me other than that, is the relief in Shiek'Tah's voice when she told me how the artifact worked, and what a good job I had done. It would seem that she comes from a background that does not condone the noble act of sacrifice. If I am to make any headway into getting Tezca on my good side, she's the one I'll have to convince to get us the favor of the gods. We haven't met any other groups in a while, my hope is to guide the party to the south, find the source of the chanting we heard months ago, and, Tezca willing, find that their hostile. If we can just capture some alive, and I get permission to decide the fate of even one prisoner, I know I'll be able to make it a permanent feature of our colony. I must do what I can, for the sake of all of us.