Book VIII: Ajax the Freemaker
Chapter 4: Escape to Oz
Although there’s more to the story, the quick and dirty on the Ajax-Bashumel ordeal is that Ajax came out on top – freeing the Drokka people from centuries of bondage.
Before I tell you more about Ajax, let’s talk briefly about the man he overcame. Bashumel – furious at the escape of the Drokka and the loss of his prized slaves, the Derkka King turned his wrath upon his own people. The citizens of Gor soon cowered under the rule of Bashumel the Butcher, although I was kinda amused to see that he often wore a skull mask when he performed his rituals in the dark temple…
The cities of Gor echoed for years with the screams of his ever more ghastly sacrifices and the streets became stained with the blood of his own kin as the angry king sought to appease his god Baal. Frankly I was all too happy to receive Bashumel’s gifts of blood and I visited his temples as Baal on numerous occasions – always encouraging Bashumel’s reign of terror, yet never fulfilling his request to bring the Drokka slaves back.
Meanwhile, following Rhokki’s commands, Ajax and the Drokka slaves embarked on their perilous journey east, escaping from their centuries-old chains. The path through the wilderness was fraught with danger and despair, each step taking them farther from their familiar, albeit harsh, lives in Gor and instead into the unknown.
Ajax’s inner turmoil was a constant companion, gnawing at his resolve. He struggled with the weight of his past atrocities against his own people, the burden of his newfound identity as their deliverer, and the divine mandate imposed upon him by a god he still barely understood.
Physically, the journey was grueling for everyone. The rugged terrain of the mountains tested their endurance, and scarce resources pushed them to their limits. Yet, it was the emotional trials that weighed heaviest on their leader Ajax. The guilt of his past crimes, the fear of leading his people into a trap, and the daunting task of uniting the Drokka under a new vision plagued his thoughts. Each night, as he stared into the flickering campfire, Ajax wrestled with his doubts, seeking solace in the faint whispers of Rhokki’s guidance.
Meanwhile, there was more trouble brewing. Remember those former turncoat families from the Drokka clans who’d become wealthy by working for the Derkka at the expense of their Drok brothers back in Gor? Well, I orchestrated events such that these greedy bastards took the opportunity to ‘escape’ into freedom with the rest of the Drok clan by luring these traitors with the chance for untold riches in a NEW Promised Land.
As expected the turncoats took the bait and followed Ajax. Also as expected, the majority of the Drokka did NOT welcome those traitorous families back into the fold. Civil war within the clan threatened to doom them all!
Here I stepped in – acting at Rhokki, I reminded Ajax privately that the seven families who formerly served as evil slave overseers of their own people, were in fact the only people who had money and resources – and since Ajax was going to need their wealth in order to build his new society, he needed those traitors to remain with the clan. Realizing he had no choice, Ajax commanded his entire clan to accept the seven hated families back into the fold without punishment. While it didn’t go smoothly at first, Ajax’s law was enough to keep the clan together.
As their trials in the wilderness continued, I’m happy to admit that I didn’t abandon Ajax’s people in their plight. Eventually they made it to the mountains that split the continent of TerrVerde in two and then they installed themselves in the caves of the same mountain where Ajax had been living for the past decade under the care of his god Rhokki. As they founded their new city, Ajax named it Oz, and the mountains he proclaimed would forever after be called The Rhokki Mountains.
Yet even then, Ajax’s trouble didn’t end. Upon their arrival at the Rhokki Mountains, the reactions of the clan were mixed. Elements of the Drokka’s lower class voiced their fears to one another about Ajax’s true purpose – well remembering Ajax’s many crimes and still angry that their leader had forced the clans to accept the hated families back. Whispers of disbelief and anger spread through the ranks.
The tension was palpable. And only an uneasy truce held all together by the promise of freedom.
Meanwhile I had my own fears – for I knew there was a chance that the real Rhokki might learn of their plight and perhaps even take them under his wing. Thankfully that never happened.
Free to conspire, I then instituted the next step of my plans: using Rhokki’s persona to help the Drokka forsake their worship of Baal (since that alter ego of mine had done little to actually help them, I can’t say I honestly blame them) and instead create a new religion glorifying my version of Rhokki in his place. Eventually they build a statue of Rhokki at Oz and after that it was off to the races with my plans!
Since my intellect is incredibly superior to yours I don’t expect you to understand all this but follow along if you can. Since my long-term plan was for this ‘Rhokki’ religion to ultimately fail and leave ‘his’ people out in the cold, I allowed the faith to be abused by its leadership. As with most religions the Drokka’s new faith was used as a means to keep the lower class masses distracted from their pitiful lives, whilst the rich stole all the resources for themselves.
In the case of the Drokka, much of the theology came from a single powerful family (The Naves) – one of the seven former turncoats. Though not the wealthiest, the Naves cunning and ambition made them the perfect candidates to lead my new religion of Rhokki. Under my influence, they crafted a theology that reinforced class divisions, ensuring that the elite families remained in power while the masses were kept subjugated.
Nave priests pushing a ‘dogma of the classes’ that claimed the lord Rhokki had made different classes of society to serve a specific purposes: the nobility (who enjoyed all the rights of privileges of their rank), the merchants (who drove the economy), the peasants and farmers (who supplied the food), and of course those who were still slaves (and were who thus nothing more than property themselves). The key messaging was, of course, designed to ensure that everyone be satisfied with their station in life and not begrudge their position – and no matter what, no person should ever attempt to elevate their rank, lest they face the divine wrath of Rhokki, himself!
Since I saw the obvious advantages TO ME of this preposterous idea I let it take root as the Drokka built their society in The Rhokki’s. Yes, it’s true that, for the common Drokka, they found themselves merely trading one form of oppression for another, but isn’t that always how these things play out? The hope of people’s freedom is ALWAYS subjugated to machinations of power-hungry leaders and false prophets [even to this very day].
However, I didn’t kill all their hope – amidst this chaos, I allowed the secret seeds of rebellion to take root among the lower classes – slowly grooming it or the right moment to bloom down the road…
The Apocrypha of Azazel 