>>
|
31b497.jpg
Light Wonder
31b497
>I have said this before and I will say this again. Reading is tremendously useful and you should never allow pride to get between you and power. And it's not even much loss of pride! everyone already knows you're illiterate, at this point the only truly shameful course of action is refusal to improve yourself.
>He wouldn't be offering to do this if he didn't think it was important, Deem.
>Dear Deem, do you want to remain less literate than a quasidragon? Do you want to have other people read potentially private letters that might be addressed to you?
>What would the other dungeon hearts think of you if they found out you couldn't read?
>Realistically, you can get by without reading, Deem, but the ability to read closes off one avenue of deceiving you, and opens up useful options. Like being able to do bookkeeping for your dungeon. Keeping notes. Passing written messages between followers. Reading and receiving letters. Being able to read for pleasure and for knowledge.
>It's not a big investment, there are a lot of upsides, and you're intelligent enough that it shouldn't be an ordeal.
>Literacy is an essential skill. Though you are amazingly talented as you are now, there is always room to learn.
>You shouldn't feel ashamed about lacking an ability if you had no choice, but if you had the opportunity and means to do so then you really should.
>Learn to read and write, Deem. It's humiliating THAT YOU ARE THE ONLY LIFEFORM IN THE ENTIRE DUNGEON WHO CAN DO NEITHER. I bet Merud's HOMONCULI can read and write better at this point, and they're quasi-sapient at best!
>You would benefit from getting into the habit of observing and learning, rather than trusting what was true millennia ago to be true now.
>You are in an unfamiliar time and will need to break some of your habits if you are to match it.
>You will always have denizens to read and write for you, but can they be trusted? They are surely all loyal, but... If they think something insulting or improper, or if they fear the words might cause you sorrow, then they might not recount all of the details.
>On the other hand, being illiterate is mostly harmless for a dungeon, and foibles are cute!
>A good dungeon needs at least one puzzle based on a flowery, barely helpful, slightly condescending riddle.
>It seems like you're the only one who truly gets the whole "Hohoho Adventurer, You've done well to come this far"-shtick, so it would be a shame if any of that adorable dramatic flair was lost in translation.
>Learn to read or we'll never stop bullying you, Deem.
>Deem, don't be ridiculous, of course you need to know the language of the region in which you reside. Why would you turn down such a useful tool? And this is exactly the kind of thing the will encourage Merud. No, you can't always give him his way, but this is something very beneficial and should be encouraged.
>Deem, you know the secret shapes that dictate the very form of reality around them. Learning some chicken-scratch that merely conveys the spoken word will be trivial for you.
>Uh. Make sure Merud doesn't try teaching the chicken though.
>Education is empowering. His scheme is entirely in your favour.
Fiiiiiine.
>Chakarchelou is waiting to see if he impressed you by doing that. Go ahead and tell him that he did a good job and give him head pats!
I kneel next to Chakarchelou and give him the reward he craves. Then I look up at Merud, who may have done this.
"I might as well do too then."
>... Say, is there such a thing as rune magic? That'd be related to reading and writing, right?
Symbols can have power, yes.
>How about you attend in Kallia form?
I don't have one of those.
>On other subjects, have you associated with elves in the past? Since you seem to be fond of pointed ears.
I've associated with many creatures. I think elves are extinct.
>>A golem shaped like Stargazer's staff form wouldn't be particularly useful.
>Blatant discrimination against snake golems.
Stargazer herself has to transform if she wants to do much more than getting carried around by her wizard. Why would I want a golem like that?
|