Book VIII: Ajax the Freemaker
Chapter 1: The Birth of Ajax
I let the slavery of Drok’s clans play out for awhile in order to mold them a bit.
During this time I was pleased to see that a few of the more enterprising families of the Drok clan sold out their brethren to the Derkka in exchange for positions of power for themselves. [Greed is good, right?] Since those turncoats offered me additional pawns for the machine I let them prosper in their evil ways. But after about 400 years of slavery I figured the Droks were ripe for the next step in my plans.
That’s when I raised up a fellow by the name of Ajax.
Now Ajax was born a Drokka, therefore he should have been raised as a slave. His mother, a Drokka woman named Mara, had hidden her pregnancy beneath the overflowing robes of her servant class – for she feared her child might be used in sacrifice by the priests of Baal. While he was still in the womb, Ajax’s father – a bricklayer slave, was murdered in the tar pits in a dispute with one of the traitorous Drokka overseers. Feeling hopeless, when the time came for her to give berth, Mara did so in secret. Then risking her life, she smuggled the baby into the palace grounds and abandoned her still nameless child in the royal gardens – hoping beyond hope that the fates would save him.
Although hope didn’t intervene, I did. I knew all about Mara’s child for it was destined to be my pawn. That’s why I’d also been influencing the life of a Derkka princess named Jezze – the only child of King Rokan – the current ruler of the Derkka clans of Gor. Although she’d never married, Jezze had bred with countless Derkka elites in the hopes of producing an heir for her father’s lineages. When things didn’t work out initially, Jezze sought help from the priests of Baal – who were all to happy to sacrifice countless babies from the Drokka clan as offerings to their god – causing great lamentations among the slaves.
Although I never answered her prayers as Baal, I did orchestrate events so that it was Jezze who found Mara’s baby.
I knew she’d be desperate enough to keep the child. Then, after hiding herself in her apartments for months and telling her father she was ‘with child,’ eventually she came forward with a baby to prove it. It was Jezze who gave the baby the name Ajax.
Although the age of the infant didn’t match Jezze’s claim, when the princess proclaimed that her child was the not the result of any her many consorts, but instead was the Spawn of Baal – no one could dispute her words. In fact, given it’s lineage, and with the King’s blessing, Ajax was immediately elevated to King Rokan’s heir.
King Rokan grew to love Ajax, for even though he was an evil man, the king saw in Jezze’s son the potential for greatness and groomed him as his successor, unaware of the boy’s true lineage.
Ajax’s upbringing in the Derkka palace was one of opulence and grandeur.
Raised as a royal, he enjoyed luxuries beyond the imagination of most – for so far had the Derkka’s society advanced by this time. Marble floors, golden chandeliers, and silk draperies adorned his surroundings. He dined on the finest foods, served by a plethora of Drokka slaves whose toil ensured his every comfort. The Derkka nobles spared no expense in ensuring that Ajax lived a life of excess, with tutors, exotic pets, and lavish celebrations marking his days. And all while Ajax’s true heritage remained a secret.
Despite his regal lifestyle, Ajax’s childhood was steeped in darkness. The priests of Baal, always dressed in their sinister black robes and adorned with grotesque masks, were frequent visitors to the palace – including Bashumel, the high priest of their religion, a man whose evil knew no bounds.
Led by Bashumel, the rituals of the Derkka holy men were macabre sights, always designed to honor Baal with blood and terror – for the priests believed that power came to them through the suffering of others and that Baal demanded constant appeasement. One particularly gruesome ritual involved what Bashumel called “The Feast of Shadows,” where Drokka slaves were drained of blood to feed a dark flame that the high priest claimed was connected to Baal’s essence – after that blood was ‘washed in the flames’ it was a highly prized luxury, reserved for the high priest and the royal family alone. [Who’s up for some Adenochrome?]
As you can imagine, I thought Bashumel was pretty darn cool and since he was making my plans roll ahead easier, I even donned the ugly disguise of the beastly Baal and interacted with the royal family and the priest Bashumel – confirming my supposed fatherhood of the boy. Ajax thus grew up insanely committed to honoring Baal as his father and as such he participated in every imaginable (and usually horrific) service that Bashumel could contrive to honor the evil deity (and sate his own bloodlust).
As you can imagine, because the Drokka slaves suffered unspeakable atrocities in honor of Ajax and Baal, their people quickly learned to fear the even the name of the evil boy. Only the traitorous Drokka families who sold out their brothers and served as the Derkka’s slave master underlings were safe from peril – yet perhaps not forever.
Had I left events to play out like this, Ajax would have made a fine heir to King Rokan – evil in every way. Perhaps even Bashumel might have approved – in spite of the secret ambitions I knew the evil priest harbored. Too bad for Ajax, when he reached his adult years, then it was that I began calling to him with a powerful voice from afar – telling him that I was a god and calling him to the mountains. Much to Ajax’s horror, I made sure that his mystery voice made it clear that his as yet unknown deity was NOT the god of his people – it was not Baal.
Ever loyal to his supposed father, Ajax tried hard to ignore the voice – a calling that only he could hear. He sought the help of his mother, King Rokan, and Bashumel – again committing terrible atrocities against the slaves in order to make the voice go away.
Yet try though he might to avoid the voice I tortured him with, eventually my calling threatened to drive him insane. At last, Ajax realized his only recourse was to follow this strange god’s command and head to the mountains.
Princess Jezze, watched in anguish as Ajax left, fearing that her secret was the cause of all her son’s troubles. King Rokan, now aged and knowing his death was fast approaching, didn’t let Ajax leave until the prince and heir promised that he would return to Gor after completing his quest – and the King sacrificed so many Drokka slaves to Baal that the streets in front of every temple ran red with blood for weeks on end. Only Bashumel didn’t seem upset to see Ajax go – for the conniving priest saw the obvious opportunity that was being presented to him.
As for Ajax, when he ventured into the wild lands, he felt a mix of fear and exhilaration. The opulent life he’d left behind in the palace of Gor contrasted sharply with the rugged terrain he now faced. He wandered through dense forests, over jagged mountains, and across vast plains, always driven by the relentless voice in his head. By now Ajax’s mind teetered on the edge of madness. Yet the voice mercilessly urged him onward.
Back home, The Derkka people prayed to Baal to bring Ajax back to them quickly, whilst the Drokka prayed for his demise, yet in the end, neither of them would get their wish – for I had other plans…
The Apocrypha of Azazel 