Thursday, December 31, 2009

#12

The Reverend Cwej Wiktor stepped down from the podium and maneuvered towards the door to greet attendees as they exited. He had been ministering the Esoteric Order of Seven for nine years now and was feeling fulfilled with his roll. Wiktor was absentmindedly shaking hands when he was approached by a strange little man with a question mark cane. The man had listening attentively to the entire sermon from the front pew. He had looked worried on a few points, but overall had looked pleased.

He said just one thing as he left.

“Everything seems to be in order.”

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

#11

Cousin Irvine desperately wanted to be somewhere else, but his shadow wasn't having any of it.

“Please! Just... take off or whatever it is you do!”

His shadow just shook it's head, bent over and began making marks on the wall. It made several little dashes, and then what looked like a box with the corner missing. Then it stood back up and appeared to wait expectantly.

Irvine was confused.

“What in the name of the Grandfather... Hangman!? You want to play effing HANGMAN? Now?! Really?”

The shadow clapped excitedly and waited for him to guess a letter.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

#10

The Twins are an interesting Faction recruit. One, upon recruitment, was sent back in time to kill an ancestor, as is customary, and failed. Upon returning it became clear that at least minimal changes were made, as there was now a version of them of the opposite gender running around in base reality. They were immediately recruited retroactively at the same point in time as their counterpart. As far as the Faction ledger is concerned, they are the same recruit, and are referred to as such by Godparents, which may sound nice but is actually problematic most of the time.

Monday, December 28, 2009

#9

Cousin Allison enjoyed visiting London because it was one of the places one could enter Muldwych's from. She wasn't sure if he was actually part of the Faction, but he was a 'Granduncle', so there was some connection, surely.

As she entered, she could here snippets from Muldwych near the window, “...you little bastard! I've...”

He was probably talking with a customer. She sidled through the never-ending bookshelves, waiting for Muldwych to finish so she could ask him a favor.

That was when she saw The Book of Olde Time, just lying there on the shelf.

“Oh dear.”

Sunday, December 27, 2009

#8

“...And so it was that Apeiron of Durac saw the need of his people and gave to them, with the help of an Other, the power to Live Again...”

“...but when the Lords became aware, they sought to ease his pain; and it would take them thirteen lives of men to imprison the Lord of Durac, for he could no longer sleep the sleep of death...”

“...and the citizens rejoiced, for they knew not of this travesty, remembering their Lord Apeiron of Durac as the hero that he was...”


-Excerpts from The Book of Olde Time

Saturday, December 26, 2009

#7

Allison Craw was a Witch. There really wasn't anymore to say about it. She had bones hung in the drawing room, jarred blood in the cellar, and an assortment of other taboo substances littering the rest of her household.

So she wasn't really surprised when she came to and found herself tied to a stake. What she did find strange was the people at the back of the crowd wearing skulls on their faces. And that everyone else seemed frozen in place.

One of the masked men stepped forward.

“We have an offer that we think might interest you.”

Friday, December 25, 2009

#6

Cousin Irvine was unique among the Faction. He wasn't particularly impressive in any normal regard, but due to an unfortunate mishap, his shadow was rather unusual. Instead of it holding a weapon or tool, his shadow was a complex space-time event in the form of a bipedal humanoid. In other words, it was a Homeworlder's timeship. With it, he could literally sink into the shadows and pop out anywhere or anywhen else he needed to. But he was a coward at heart and not that good at anything really, so it was a bit of a waste, all things considered.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

#5

In the heart of Cardiff there lies a book store, musty and mysterious, seemingly containing a copy of whatever might care to be read, from new printings of ancient family works to old and battered copies of the best seller that hit the shelves last week. The shop is run by a portly old man, a bit too much meat on his bones, who claims that this shop has always belonged to someone of his name. It is called Fiction Paradox, and the patrons claim that it's almost as if it were bigger on the inside than it is without.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

#4

“Please, call me Charlotte.”

“Certainly. Now, Miss Charlotte, we believe you the most suitable to deal with the situation at present.”

“'The Situation At Present'?”

“The City recently collided with a bubble of urTime. The inhabitants claim to have been trapped there by members of the Houses during the Anchoring.”

“Ah, yes, that lot. And?”

“They wish to enter negotiations for some kind of living arrangements, within the City.”

“I think I can see where this is headed.”

“Quite. If you would be so kind...?”

“I'll see what I can do.”

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

#3

“Please, Counselor! If I could only just– “

“Enough!”

Cousin Thaddeus was cut off by the sudden outburst. The counselor fumed along the length of the boardroom, broodingly, before turning back to the Cousin.

“Here on the Needle live the people displaced by this horrendous War of yours. We don't need your filth doing any more damage than you already have. Now get out.”

Resigned, Thaddeus nodded understanding, his expression kept hidden behind its mask. If he couldn't talk sense into the lower officials, he'd just have to arrange a more... private meeting with the Empress herself...

Monday, December 21, 2009

#2

During the War against the Yssgaroth, bodily regeneration was a weapon, and an unstable one at that. So when Apeiron Ræ Al Durac ripped out and ate the heart of a Mal’akh in triumph of his victory, no one was surprised when he changed in the way he did.

It was only later that the more cynical among the Houses began to suspect that there may have been more to his actions; that he may have limited the lives of the Great Houses, not out of necessity, but as a way of easing the inevitable escape from his eternal prison...

Sunday, December 20, 2009

#1

Granduncle Muldwych cackled incessantly, the storm lamp flickering angrily as he continued, “Now you listen here you little bastard, I've been here a long time, and these apes, they're not going to give in without a fight!”

“Then you will not help us?” The gaslight pleaded.

A twinkle lit Muldwych's sunken eyes as he settled back into his chair, arm folded over his chest. He looked around his cramped little book shop, turning his gaze to the window, and the cobbled, filthy streets beyond, a handsome's horse-drawn clopping past.

“Now, I didn't say that, now did I?”

Welcome, welcome, one and all

So, I've decided to do a drabble a day, in order to hone my writing abilities. For those of you who don't know what a drabble is, it's a one hundred word story. It was suggested that I do this as a blog, so, here it is. Not much more to say on that front.

I decided to do drabbles about Faction Paradox because it's a good way to get all those tidbits of story out of my head and into your heads, yeah?

Incidentally, this post, in and of itself is also a drabble! Yes, lame, I know.

Anyway...