A Crook-Tailed Khajiit, On the Lunar Lattice

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Description

To give credence to my pet theory that Khajiit worship through the expression of dance, martial arts, consumption of moon sugar, singing, and other arts...rather than scripture, prayer, or sermons. It's also implied the Khajiit saying this has stolen from the audience while they were distracted by the dance and half-poem put on.
 

TITLE: A Crook-Tailed Khajiit, On the Lunar Lattice

[As told by a crooked-tailed Khajiit, found begging on the steps of the Temple of Zenithar in Leyawiin.]

You ask this one to tell you what Khajiit believe? This one does not often give voice to his beliefs, it is true. It is not Khajiit's way, but not out of any respect to differences, no. Worry about this is the way of the mewling cub, always going back to the warmth of the certain dam's-milk, or the way of the politician, with their words of many-roads-diguised-as-one and their own vanity, a dirty word. Now this one is here, with these strange bent-lovers in their tall heavy buildings, saying words of devotions to still figures all painted in glass who do not hear. This is not Khajiit's way, so this one understands your confusion, and your question.

Instead, look above, if you would ask. This one will show you. See the moons dancing across the sky, over and again? This is the Khajiit way. Turning with the moons, our skins mimicking the pattern, and so too do our feet. What else can Khajiit do, those not dancing like mer but dumb beasts? The world-changers would have us think differently of them, of course.

Do you? See now the curl of the moon-smoke and the glitter of the sweetness! Twinkling this way and that in the light, never still, like this and this. The sugar is in Khajiit's blood, whispering life-leading-along. So does this one go with eyes alight like fire and shaking with moon songs from the rain!

You would call Khajiit a lush, this one sees, for misunderstanding the tremor in this one's paws. Still you do not see? Look at the water under the docks if you wish to know its true worth. See the water pull in and out, at the beck and call of the moons, cladding the beach in sparkle and memory? The sea sways to the moon-songs too, yes? So do we, the dancing cats with the deft paws. What is music if it stays only on one note? If it sounds once, long and fading, never again like your dull stones of devotion? So the pipers trill and the drummers drum, so the Khajiit move up and down the scales instead of playing to just eight or nine, all-in-a-chord in your chapels. So the Khajiit follow the moons, and not the still painted figures who hear much but say nothing!

Dance and twist, sway and spin, following the moons across the skies. This is the Khajiit way. To remain still is to remain always-there, and that is not the name of this one's home, you see.
 
Now, this one has elsewhere to be, and look! You are one step closer to enlightenment. Do not be angry! This one shows you the meat of his beliefs, as you have asked. This one considers this coin of yours fair payment, and will sing your sweet praises to the moons tonight. Can you truly say the sour gold would have been so filling in your own mouth?
 

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Comments

Hm, some corrections

Atrayonis's picture

Hm, some corrections/suggestions. Other than that, I like the text. It's not objectively correct, but it has that right mixture of correct knowledge and misunderstandings, all the while sweet-talking to someone to get at their coin purse.

From the text I gather that this is a quardripedal breed. Those don't talk, which is my one big problem here.
 

[As told to me by a crooked-tailed Khajiit, found begging on the steps of the Chapel to Zenithar in Leyawiin.]

So strange, these ones in their tall, heavy buildings, saying words of devotions to still figures all painted in glass who do not hear. This is not Khajiit's way, so this one understands your confusion, and your question. (What question? This should start differently, I think.)

[...]

See the moons dancing across the sky, over and over again? This is the Khajiit way. Turning with the moons, our skins mimicking the pattern, and so too do our feet. What else can we do, when we are not mer-form, but dumb beasts? The world-changers would have us think differently, of course. (I don't quite think he should refer to this as mer-forms, as the Ohmes go to great lengths to look more like cats and they are the only "proper" mer-form. This seems more the difference between bipedal and quadripedal. Maybe try something "What else can we do, when we have no hands to clap as men and mer?")

Do you? See now the curl of the moon-smoke and the glitter of the sweetness! Twinkling this way and that in the light, never still, like this and this. The sugar is in Khajiit's blood, whispering life-leading-along. So does this one go with eyes fire-a-light and shake with the moon-song-from-the-rain! (Bit too many compound words, should use at least one descriptive instead.)

[...]
 
Now, this one has elsewhere to be, and look! You are one step closer to enlightenment. Do not be angry! This one shows you the meat of his beliefs, as you have asked. This one considers your coin fair payment, and will sing your sweet praises to the moons tonight. Can you truly say the sour gold would have been so filling in your own mouth?

As told to me--I prefer "as

Kevaar's picture

As told to me--I prefer "as told", as it's supposed to be an impersonal writing. Some Imperial researcher recorded it for use by the Empire's propagandists, or something like that.

What question?--is answered in the very next paragraph, first sentence. Maybe putting the paragraphs together would help?

Over and again--Khajiit-ism/poetical rhythm, purposefully not the right grammar.

What else can we do, when we are not mer-form, but dumb beasts? -- he's talking about Khajiit as a whole. More plainly put, it would go like: "some of us dance because that is the only thing we can do without hands to show our devotion to the gods, and so the rest of Khajiit culture dances too, even though it's not necessary for the bipeds."

Will have to think about the compound words. It's a common trope in some parts of the TES lore, but maybe not so many.

Alright, "as told" it is. The

Atrayonis's picture

Alright, "as told" it is.

The problem here is that there's a medium-sized block of text before the Khajiit even deigns to answer the question about his belief. I would prefer if it was switched around, if he started with "You ask about my belief", and then adds the block about the "still glass images" later on.

I don't get "Khajiit as a whole" from the text, and it's confusing the way it's currently worded. It sounds like he's talking about himself, as if explaining that the himself has to dance on his feet because he can do nothing else/he has no mer-form. I'd suggest keeping it a bit less personal then, maybe "Turning with the moons, our skins mimicking the pattern, and so too do our feet. What else can we do, those of us not of mer-form, but dumb beasts?"

Current Cyrodiil concepts

Infragris's picture

Current Cyrodiil concepts lean towards calling it a Temple of Zenithar, not a chapel. Very nice text.