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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Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:27 pm

Ljungtroll says... · Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:27 pm

"Do you...do you suppose he would say yes?"

"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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Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:29 pm

Teddybear says... · Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:29 pm

"Do you want me to answer that honestly?"

formerly TheMulticoloredCyr

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Ljungtroll

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Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:32 pm

Ljungtroll says... · Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:32 pm

He sighed. "Good point. But maybe....maybe one day?"

"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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Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:42 pm

Teddybear says... · Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:42 pm

"Maybe one day you'll be able to find someone else to make a body for you."

formerly TheMulticoloredCyr

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Ljungtroll

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Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:44 pm

Ljungtroll says... · Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:44 pm

"I hope so." He glanced at Kivvien. "I...don't suppose you could?"

"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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Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:49 pm

Teddybear says... · Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:49 pm

Kivvien hesitated. "That...may be out of my reach. Perhaps one day I'll give it a try."

formerly TheMulticoloredCyr

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Ljungtroll

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Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:54 pm

Ljungtroll says... · Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:54 pm

Hieronymus's eyes lit up, and he sat up straight. "You mean that? Really??"

"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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Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:56 pm

Teddybear says... · Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:56 pm

"Do not get your hopes up, Hieronymus. It could take many years for me to be capable of such a thing."

formerly TheMulticoloredCyr

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Ljungtroll

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Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:00 am

Ljungtroll says... · Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:00 am

He nodded quickly. "Of course. Of course!"

"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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Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:03 am

Teddybear says... · Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:03 am

Kivvien nodded.

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Ljungtroll

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Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:05 am

Ljungtroll says... · Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:05 am

He glanced back toward the door "I should probably get back inside. Thank you for talking with 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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Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:08 am

Teddybear says... · Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:08 am

"Yes," he said, "I'll be in in a few minutes."

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Ljungtroll

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Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:10 am

Ljungtroll says... · Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:10 am

Hieronymus nodded and headed inside.

"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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Points 999

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Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:13 am

Teddybear says... · Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:13 am

Kivvien re-lit his cigar and spent a few minutes finishing it off and considering the choices that led him here. Then he went inside to pay penance for his foolishness.

formerly TheMulticoloredCyr

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Ljungtroll

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Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:22 am

Ljungtroll says... · Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:22 am

Laurean was trying to work on the experiment but he had his face inches from the workspace, trying to see.

"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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