Dyoniss and Kessil Series

The Temple of Karasis is very important to the people of the Ydlontrostl basin. It combines the functions of a religion, a research university, a charitable organization and in some sense a government into one institution. In this ancient and nearly unchanging land it is the pillar of their society, a society that believes society itself is holy. One of the most delicate services that the Temple of Karasis provides is arbitration of business disputes. The bishops who preside over this arbitration must be above reproach and free of outside pressure. Since the sums of money involved can be substantial, the Temple goes to great lengths to protect the anonymity and integrity of these bishops. An acolyte auditing the accounts of one of these bishops makes an appointment with an important watchdog agency in the Temple and is murdered before she can report her findings. Dyoniss is called in to investigate, since it seems likely that antidote to the Instinct was used. Not only must he track down the killer, but the corrupt bishop the acolyte was investigating, the one who most likely ordered the murder. Meanwhile the witch of the ancient windwheel has killed two of her lovers, undoubtedly using the antidote, and been killed herself. The owner of Kessil's company knows a movie will be made of these events and wants to put the most positive possible spin on it. To help secure the deal he asks Kessil to impersonate the witch for a scene up on the tower of the ancient windwheel, offering her an important new position in the company if she will do so. Putting her fear and loathing aside she goes to the tower and while there, finds evidence of a Centorin assassin, one who's partner is soon stalking her. Other than the fact that it happens on the planet Kassidor in 5959ad, this is a murder mystery and not a science fiction story. The different place and time means that the methods of solving the crime are far different and the people involved are far different. There is no police force. Murder is so rare that the society really has no mechanisms to deal with it. What mechanisms there are are geared toward finding the truth, but not guarding against danger. Add in shifting loyalties, ancient family feuds and guilt at the highest levels and unraveling what really happened and why becomes quite a challenge.

First there was the book, 'The Pod People' written by Yhikhiing thirty something decades ago. Then there was the movie, then the blockbuster remake of the movie starring Aleenya, the actress who gained fame portraying the witch of the ancient windwheel. Now she is also starring in a sequel that promises to be bigger and bloodier than the remake. When Dyoniss and Kessil find the sliced open body of one of the zombies from the Pod People movie, they think it is a prop left by the cinema company to publicize the upcoming release, but when it is analyzed in a laboratory, it is determined that the zombie was genetically engineered and could well be spreading in the wilds. When members of Kessil's former tribe arrive, looking for weapons to defend themselves and the All Basin Powwow where most of the plains tribes have gathered, they realize that this is a much more serious situation than they thought. They find that the movies are all documentaries and people had actually been killed making them. They come to believe that the cinema company is responsible for these zombies and had deliberately released them into the wild to provide scenes for their movie. They plan to chase down those responsible, but find that first they must defend the people of the plains from the zombie apocalypse. When they lose some of their own, including a good friend of Kessil's granddaughter, bringing them to justice becomes even more important. Dyoniss finds out all too clearly just how close to the Instinct those people will come to defend their ill-gotten gains. If not for an unexpected ally, he could well have succumbed to their trickery. When Kessil learns of the unexpected part she plays in all this she is even more horrified. She is most horrified however when she has to face the guilt that results from taking a life. This may be the second most violent of the stories of Kassidor, even though most of the dead are plant-based artificial zombies. There are more advanced zombies and several humans are their victims also. Kessil is not the only one who has to face the executioner’s guilt. At 6011ad. this takes place at the latest time of any of the Kassidor stories.

In the year 5876ad. the Blue Kite club and the tower above it is the center of the East Hdengragger region of the Ydlontrostl cities. On this particular evening a well known band playing songs of the ‘Caravan’ genre is there instead of their usual acts which primarily play ‘Lectroshock’. The club is where the most sexually active come for entertainment most of the time. Kessil has friends who frequent it but she only comes by occasionally, mostly when there is someone on stage she wants to see. On this particular evening a huge crowd is present so she runs into none of her friends, but she does meet a guy who turns her on, mainly because he’s cuddly and listens to the same songs she does and converses thru the same songs she does. Before long, they are both too aroused to wait til after, and spend an incredible time in one of the clubs smallest trysting suites. They already know they want to see more of each other, but forget to exchange info until late in the encore, just before the huge crowd begins to press for the doors. This short story follows them during their encounter, one that is totally consensual for both, one which involves no pain, no coercion, no deception, no attempts at dominance. This is an encounter like a thousand others at the Blue Kite that evening, and millions in the Ydlontrostl cities but special to them because it is theirs and special to us because they will (eventually) go on to be involved in some of the most momentous events of the time and place. This story is also something of an experiment, is there any interest in sex that is pain-free, dominance free, entirely consensual and not taboo? If so, there could be more to follow.