THE HIGH TABLE
Established: 2023-11-17
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A worldwide organization of men trained for violent, bloody, and even deadly combat. Their competence is indicated by their qualifications, from the lowest to the highest, reserved for an elite.
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Starring
Fourth Day of the Third Quarter Moon
My Conqueror,
Dominus,
I imagine what it might be, to walk with you beyond the Tower. To march with your host. To see the world as you see it—marching just behind your shadow.
I would remain unclothed – perhaps a short cloak against the cold, or boots against the rough terrain. On some days you would keep me tied, with rope coiled round my manhood.
I think of the campfires. Of pitching your tent, driving stakes into the earth so that you may sleep without thought of weather or wind. I think of boiling your water, cutting your meat, turning the spit while the men laugh among themselves. Their laughter will be at me, of course—your captive, your spoil, the proof of your dominion. They will mock, and I will not answer. For my place will already speak louder than their scorn.
Perhaps, in time, if my service proves steady enough, I would be trusted with a heavier duty. To carry a spear, to stand guard before your tent while you dream. To hold the night at bay, so that when you wake, it is only the dawn that greets you. I would not sleep; I would not dare. My vigil would be my honor.
I know what the end must be. It cannot be otherwise. The Black Sun will demand its due, and you, as its champion, will deliver me into its mouth. I do not flee this thought. It is my horizon. But between now and then, I wish only to remain at your side, a shadow made flesh, your servant in the dust and in the fire, until you lift the blade and my service is finally complete.
Roland,
Whose Leash You Hold
Postscriptum - The red rebec. You commanded, and I scour the hallways for it, the forgotten chambers, the dust-choked vaults. Did such an instrument ever truly exist? Or has Oriax long ago eaten its strings? My hands bleed from opening crates and coffers, but I do not stop. And suddenly I know where I must seek it… the accursed mirrors. They have waited for me all this time... I depart quickly and with purpose.
====
Dominus Answers
Alone in my chamber, I sit at da head’a small oak table, samplin’ yer offerings. Da taste’a sweet cherry tomatoes reminds me’a warm Jarsae summers long past... my mouth waters wit each carved slice’a venison I devour… tankard after tankard’a ale aim to quench my thirst. Yer servitude is delicious, brother-in-service. N’ yet, I remain unsatiated. I stand n’ walk toward my desk where I write to ya.
Brother-in-service,
I thought long n’ hard in deez last hours, of yer trials. Even as I write, I know you search fer it: Da red rebec. Then, an instrument’a yer truth, now instrument’a yer fall. Tho I sit here alone, it’s as if I can feel yer desperation. All dat it meant to ya, locked away fer ages only now shared in yer commitment to lay yerself bare in front’a me. I wonder what it will be like when it finds you, brother-in-service. Will ya rejoice in its beauty? Will you recoil in fear at da ghost of a man who died long ago? You will share dis moment wit me. But there is more. Other instruments I will need fer da trials to cum—certainly not as personal, but important in their own right. Most important, is dat they are brought to me by yer own hand, brother in service. Another act’a servitude. Bring me two wooden planks, fine leather, chains, sacred rope, n’ da skull of a fallen warrior’a Kuluz. I trust my instructions are clear.
Dominus (Bo),
Beast of Oriax
===
The Parable Begins:
1. The Command
“Dominus commanded me to seek. My hands bled as I rummaged through endless boxes. I do not stop until I stand in the labyrinth.”
2. The Threshold
“The hall bends into itself; each step is swallowed by reflection.”
3. The Temptations
“Faces smile back that are not mine, each holding a false instrument.”
8. The Embrace
“At last I cradle it, as though it were holy bone.”
10. The Offering
(At first I did not believe it. My breath stopped, my body rigid, as if the air had been stolen from my lungs. The rebec! its ruby inlays burning like coals....
My hands rose without my bidding. Afraid to touch, afraid that if my fingers graze it, the image will dissolve, like all the other lies of the mirror.
And then I smile. Gods, I cannot help it! That boy I was comes rushing back— wooden bow in his hand, the music that had risen thin and bright above those fields at Ombrelac...
But the joy curdles. My eyes sting. I know this is no gift. The Tower offers only what it will take away.
Tears fall before I know they are there.
Yet I reach, gathering it close, cradling it as if it were holy,
and bow my head to whisper your name...)
Dominus.
It is not mine. It never was.
It is yours.
Published: 2025-10-10, viewed 74 times.
Freaker
2025-10-10 12:13In this tale of devotion, quest, and sacrifice, Roland's journey to find the red rebec for Dominus echoes the trials of many legendary heroes throughout history. Like Roland, these heroes often embark on perilous quests to prove their loyalty and worth to their lords or gods. Whether it's Sir Lancelot seeking the Holy Grail for King Arthur or Jason searching for the Golden Fleece.
Roland's quest is not just about finding an instrument but about proving his loyalty and readiness to face his ultimate fate. His journey through the labyrinth of mirrors, facing temptations and illusions, mirrors the internal struggles and external challenges that heroes like Beowulf or Achilles encountered. Each step brings him closer to his master, Dominus, and to the acceptance of his destiny, much like how these heroes ultimately face their fates with honor and bravery.
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Max FREAKER
Roland
2025-10-10 13:11(In reply to this)
Your words honor me beyond measure. I am no champion, nor hero of song—only a fallen knight who still obeys the summons of his lord. If some small light of devotion is seen in these fragments, it is the reflection of Dominus’s will, not my own. Still, I look forward to the trials yet to come, for it is my duty to face them as spectacle and as warning, that others may learn from my fall. -- R