Slur and Heckle

CharacterWe know your secrets. Those indiscriminate acts of the past you'd like to forget. Clemency is barred; exoneration beats a hasty retreat from here long ago berk. Don't look for leniency or understanding--what we understand is that you deserve an outing, a public humiliation and jostling at that. And if you don't like it tough, let your fists be your riposte, and maybe you'll shut us up.

RulerHell if I know cutter; this town isn't about rules as you or I write 'em, and it especially ain't about the etiquette of Pandemonium. You know, the rules that say it’s impolite to delve into a blood's past, to the point of asking for a cuffing or worse? Hell, they don't care 'bout that 'ere. There are a few berks who've been here longer than most (as have some of their 'opposites'), many of whom have set up shop and run various services, but they don't try to enforce normal rules, 'specially since they might be inclined to break 'em.

DescriptionAt first this looks like a small town at an intersection of tunnels, but all isn’t, as it seems. The walls have eyes here as its said; the area radiates a magical aura, almost a life-force of its own amidst the howling gales. As soon as a cutter enters city limits, a spiritual 'heckler' of sorts enters from the other side of town; its a bizarre manifestation, though from where is unknown - a link with the Negative Plane, a conduit from some unknown layer of the Abyss, or Pandemonium itself? - no one knows.

The 'heckler' immediately begins to seek out the being behind his/her creation. If the cutter is sitting in a tavern sippin' ale, the heckler is likely to enter and start recounting the flaws of a berks past; perhaps its the time he faltered in a confrontation with an Umber Hulk, resulting in a friend's death; or maybe its the time he had the amorous encounter with the Elven Maiden who wasn't even 150 years old - you know the one whose heart he broke, and left ostracized amongst her own people? - yes that one.

The Heckler pokes and jabs and mocks and croons about a cutter's failings, in front of a crowd whose reaction ranges from bemusement (and joining in) to boredom - just about all of them have gone through this before themselves, and observed it a hundred times. Finally a cutter is forced to face the antagonist, and the vision of the heckler is always a but unnerving - it is said to always be the vision of that one person the cutter detests most from his life. In cases of extreme self-loathing, the poor berk actually sees his double! The heckler at any rate will continue to riddle the poor sod until the heckled reacts - and how he reacts determines the next course of events.

If the berk decides to stand up and fight he will find that his 'opposite' is a duplicate in ability and experience. The opposite will only attack/defend against his target when attacked first. It will be a fair fight - that’s the one rule that all the towns folk agree upon, unless one of the combatants should injure a member of the audience, and then all bets are off. Once the fight is joined, it can only truly end in blood or his opposite's death; if a blood kills an opposite then things quiet down, most townspeople will respect the berk and he can stay or leave, as he likes. If the opposite kills the blood, then he immediately evaporates the second he puts the poor sod in the Dead Book, his reason for being here ended.

Of course one can choose to try and avoid the confrontation, but they won't usually get far with that attitude, and I mean that literally. Those trying to walk out of town, as soon as they cross the 'city limits' will find themselves suddenly transported to the other side of town, which they are now entering. Works that way no matter which direction you walk, and the townsfolk get a good snicker out of following a poor sod around and heckling him with names as he tries to figure a way out.

The Dark on the matter is this - it is possible to leave Slur and Heckle without fighting your opposite, but to do so you must be completely at peace with what you've done with your life. Accept the past, all mistakes included for what it is, and let the Heckler's insults roll off you like water off a duck's back - you must have complete peace of mind, and that is one RARE quality berk - happens once in a quiet day on Pandemonium.

Which leaves the burning dark - who are all the people LIVING here? Well many different answers for that. Most are bloods who faced their hecklers long ago and killed the sorry sobs, and were so relieved by it they decided to settle down - that and they had nowhere else to go. For members of the Banished Slur and Heckle is a Training Ground Tour de Force - you have to be able to beat back your own demons if you're ever going to exact vengeance for being in these miserable tunnels in the first place.

Some of the real barmy bone-gnawers actually miss their opposites once they've slain 'em; sometimes they can be heard in the streets shouting to the wind, asking them for another challenge, best 2 out of 3, and the like - though its always straight one-hand poker with the opposites, luck is either with you or 'gainst that day.

And then there are those that actually develop a sort of comic repartee with the opposites, seeing them again and again and again on a daily basis, never at peace with themselves nor ready for a duel - this is especially true of the self-loathers. They'll actually get used to the insults and hurl back their own, effectively insulting themselves in many cases. Its either jolly fun or pathetic, pending your view - though its said that the moment many self-loathers grow angry enough to fight, the visage of their opposite changes from their own to that of an enemy, in effect transferring the anger from themselves to those who wronged them. When it happens it always arouses a sympathetic cheer from the crowd, who know the games are about to begin, while it sometimes takes the grown complacent opposite off guard.

MilitiaNot much need for one. Any band of rogues looking to stir things up will find their hands full with their opposites to cause much trouble for the town.

ServicesThe town has begun to gain a reputation for mercenaries and its Armory, due to the visitors it gets among Banished and Fated who come to test themselves against their own psyche and demons. Those who like a good fight usually don't want to stop after their personal duel, though they don't hire out cheap. Oh, and if you like gamblin' on the life and death of a blood or his/her opposite, check with Olrac of the Fear and Folly Tavern - he takes all wagers on the winner as well as various sidebets on the over/under in hours, manner of death etc. At least you'll know the action isn't fixed.