Thursday, September 16, 2010

'Interview with a Roleplayer: Laule Kimori' by Aell von Glitz

Written in Agatean:

This month's interview had to be brief, as my organising of the
Assassins' House Games left me with very little spare time to
write. I sat in my study sorting papers, wondering who I should
ask to interview, when a leaflet dropped out from inside a stack
of forms. "TAXI -- The Original Portal Club" decorated the front,
with a picture of a smiling priest on the front. The priest, I
knew, was Laule Kimori -- President of the Taxi Club. After some
inquiring, I found that Laule was on an extended break to his
grandmother's house in Bois. So, summoning my own taxi, I headed
on to meet him.

He answered the door with his usual welcoming smile. "I'm very
much looking forward to talking to you," he stated, gesturing for
me to come in. "If you're happy to come into my little room
upstairs, it's quiet and safe, and we won't be disturbed."
Thanking him, I followed him up the stairs and took the empty
seat he gestured to. As he perched on the edge of his bed, I
immediately got right down to business, questioning Laule about
his early life.

"Well I grew up in the forests near here," he started, gazing out
the windows to the woodlands of Bois. "It was such a wonderful
place to be a child; kind woodsmen, talking mice... quite ideal,
I think!" I noticed his gaze was dreamy and reminiscent so I left
him with his thoughts for a few moments before encouraging him to
tell me more.

"I didn't know at the time that my family originated from far
across the sea. I always wondered about my father's accent, but
being a child I was quite oblivious to the world outside Bois!"
He chuckled to himself, his rounded belly shaking with the
movement. "When I grew older and desired to venture from Bois, I
travelled to Genua. I found, to my surprise, an older brother and
sister that I had not known about. Suddenly the world seemed very
big."

I noticed a certain innocence about Laule that was not
immediately apparent when meeting him. I speculate now, whilst
writing this, that growing up in a secluded fairytale village
like Bois leaves you with a certain childish naivety, especially
when venturing out into the rest of the Disc.

"Suddenly I had family where I only had solitude before,"
continued Laule, warmth reaching his reminiscent eyes. "There
were so many people I had not met, so I travelled to Ankh-Morpork
where the rest of my family had made a home. It took me qite a
while to get there," he added, "but I had some skills, and I had
seen an advertisement in the paper for people who could transport
others around... so by the powers that Pishe granted me I was
able to use this as a chance to earn a living whilst exploring my
heritage!"

I'd noticed that Laule had mentioned he was a follower of Pishe.
My curiosity taking the better of me, I inquired what had drawn
him to this walk of life. "If I said that I was lost in the
forest and found Pishe, it would not be far from the truth! I
wandered at night into a wooded place, with a pool," he stated,
his gestures now somewhat animated. "There was a priest there and
his words rang clear in my mind. I had only ever a desire for
good."

The whole scenario struck me as being the closest thing to
'fate', but I did have to wonder what Laule would have done had
he not found that secluded pool. "Well, I don't think it's a
secret the admiration, should I say, that I have developed for
witches." He chuckled to himself. "I would talk about them so
frequently with the fellow members of taxi, they jokingly made me
their head witch."

And it was with this that our interview ended. The sun was
setting over the peaceful village of Bois, and Laule escorted me
to the door where my taxi was patiently waiting. I asked if he
had any closing remarks before I left. "Do you know what it's
like to stand on the ice fields at the Hub and look over all of
the Disc?" And with a wink, he shut the door, leaving me to
ponder this on my short journey back home.

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