Submitted: 20 April 1999

In Response to Confused Raf

by Rouslan Teploh, not Leridil

My ma taught me to always count to ten before saying anything when I am angry. One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…eight…nine…ten. I’m still mad, but I will try to be nice.

My name is Rouslan Teploh, and I am a cleric of Tamsine. My ma’s poor health precludes me from traveling away from Zoluren at this time, so I have to study and work at the Crossing cleric guild.

I do not like it when a corpse is old enough to know better, but is favorless nevertheless. Thus, I always take it upon myself to lecture such a corpse while I restore its memories, if anyone is willing to raise them back to life (I can’t). If a ghost that belongs to the corpse is rude to me while I do my job, I stop helping. I never, ever, try to prevent anyone else from working on the corpse, though I may continue to lecture about perils of favorless living and reprimand the ghost for rudeness. I never drag anyone away from help, even if I think (and say) that they are not deserving of help. I never even considered killing anyone. Hmmm… Perhaps I better count again. One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…eight…nine…ten. I still don’t consider killing anyone.

That is my story, Raf. You were indeed already there when I arrived, and I have never claimed otherwise. You were very rude to me and others, and I still think you did not deserve a clerical favor to be spent on you. I am glad that you have many favors now, but it does not excuse you for being favorless then. I expect your apology for falsely accusing me of planning a murder.

Baresh will listen to your well-presented viewpoint on this, too.