The Hand That Mocked Them

Ljungtroll · 2022-05-20T03:53:14Z

Name: Hieronymus Heel Age: 10 years (mentally much older) Species/Race: Homunculus Appearance: Very large, swollen head that's quite soft and covered by a very loose gray knit cap, which is tied under a receded chin with a neat bow. Three withered arms, one of which grows out of his left shoulder blade and turns a wooden crank, which moves a pair of ingeniously crafted wooden leg prosthetics to compensate for his shriveled natural legs. The prosthetic device is steered by a series of strings tied to the fingers of his other two hands and is a four-legged structure, sort of like the carriage in the animated Beauty and the Beast. He has mismatched eyes both in size and color--the large one is brown and the small one is hazel. His body is very stocky but extremely emaciated, which emphasizes his severe scoliosis. Some of his teeth are growing out of the wrong parts of his gums, giving him a jutting underlip and making it difficult for him to close his mouth. His upper lip is almost nonexistent. He has two extra pairs of ribs, which makes it difficult for him to bend, and his limbs and neck are all double jointed. His ears are extremely undersized, as is his nose. He has no nipples but does have a very large scar where his belly button should be. He's about as big as a cat and, in addition, to the hat, wears a loose burlap skirt-wrap and a tattered shirt. He has extremely sensitive skin--sensitive to anything from the wrong fabric to the light of the sun to sand. It was nearly noon when Hieronymus Heel returned to The Bird's Helm, the inn in which he had reluctantly taken up residence. The sky that day was cloudless and threatened to burn Hieronymus's already itching flesh in the most horrible way, so he found himself huddled under a table waiting for scraps to drop from customers' plates. The day had been unproductive--this town had no books nor any alchemists or artificers to speak of, and there was only so much one could do even posing as a little person. Hiding his head and face was difficult enough without his legs and arm posing a problem, and he'd been nearly stomped on in several shops while making inquiries. He retreated early from his endeavors and resolved to save money by scrounging, which was more lucrative later in the day when the drunks could keep next to nothing on their plates. Hieronymus himself never drank; he was far too small and besides, drinking dulled the senses. A hounded creature such as himself couldn't afford to slip up. Hieronymus turned the crank sideways to bend and reached for a scrap of bread that had fallen from the customer's table and nibbled on it quietly, glancing around to gauge if anybody had seen. It seemed they hadn't, and so he crouched there chewing, a few crumbs falling to the ground from his mouth. (@TheMultiColoredCyr)

Ljungtroll

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Mon May 30, 2022 4:24 am

Ljungtroll says... · Mon May 30, 2022 4:24 am

"What would you have done with me, if I didn't have an opportunity for you?"

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Teddybear

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Mon May 30, 2022 4:26 am

Teddybear says... · Mon May 30, 2022 4:26 am

"I would have left you where i found you. You would not have been my problem to deal with, and I have more important matters to attend to."

formerly TheMulticoloredCyr

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Ljungtroll

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Mon May 30, 2022 4:30 am

Ljungtroll says... · Mon May 30, 2022 4:30 am

"You wouldn't have stepped on me?"

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Teddybear

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Mon May 30, 2022 4:31 am

Teddybear says... · Mon May 30, 2022 4:31 am

"Why would i do that?"

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Ljungtroll

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Mon May 30, 2022 4:34 am

Ljungtroll says... · Mon May 30, 2022 4:34 am

"Lots of people tried to step on me even when they didn't know what I was," he said quietly. "And my head is very fragile. One apothecary tried to kick it and nearly fractured my skull."

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Teddybear

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Mon May 30, 2022 4:36 am

Teddybear says... · Mon May 30, 2022 4:36 am

"That is pointless and fairly cruel."

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Ljungtroll

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Mon May 30, 2022 4:39 am

Ljungtroll says... · Mon May 30, 2022 4:39 am

He shrugged. "I fully expected you to do the same when you caught me reading those journals, sir."

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Teddybear

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Mon May 30, 2022 4:41 am

Teddybear says... · Mon May 30, 2022 4:41 am

"I am not a violent person. You crossed a line but striking you would solve nothing."

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Ljungtroll

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Mon May 30, 2022 4:49 am

Ljungtroll says... · Mon May 30, 2022 4:49 am

"But I'm not--or I don't think I'm a person." Funny, he'd always been sure before. "It's not the same as striking a human being, surely."

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Teddybear

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Mon May 30, 2022 4:55 am

Teddybear says... · Mon May 30, 2022 4:55 am

"That's irrelevant. I wouldn't strike a cat either."

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Ljungtroll

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Mon May 30, 2022 4:56 am

Ljungtroll says... · Mon May 30, 2022 4:56 am

Hieronymus nodded hesitantly. "Either way, you're a good man, Kivvien. Thank you for saying I'm human enough, even if I'm not supposed to be."

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Teddybear

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Mon May 30, 2022 5:00 am

Teddybear says... · Mon May 30, 2022 5:00 am

"You're not supposed to be at all, you may as well be whatever you please. Until the crown discovers and litigated your existence anyway."

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Ljungtroll

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Mon May 30, 2022 5:02 am

Ljungtroll says... · Mon May 30, 2022 5:02 am

"Your opinion has changed so much," he marveled. "I'm appreciative. Just...confused."

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Teddybear

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Mon May 30, 2022 5:05 am

Teddybear says... · Mon May 30, 2022 5:05 am

"No true scholar is fixed in their opinions."

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Ljungtroll

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Mon May 30, 2022 5:14 am

Ljungtroll says... · Mon May 30, 2022 5:14 am

"That is very true." He nodded in agreement. "I admire that trait."

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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