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Today we cover Chapters 24 and 25 of Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Palamedes is back with a whole new bod! Nona destroys a blood ward and gives a corpse a kiss. Kiriona is here, she's queer, and she's pissed. TLDR: Reunions are sometimes not as cuddly as you would like them to be.SPOILER WARNING! This episode is filled with spoilers for the entire series.GET IN TOUCH!Email us at theninth@lockedtombpod.comHead to our website lockedtombpod.comMusic credit: Olivia K
Today we cover The Unwanted Guest, by Tamsyn Muir. This short story can be found in the appendices of the paperback edition of Nona the Ninth. It takes place immediately after chapter 23 of the book, so we're taking a little break from Nona to cover it here on the pod. Palamedes and Ianthe in a battle of wits? Saucy quips? Coach Dulcinea?! Yes, please.SPOILER WARNING! This episode is filled with spoilers for the entire series.GET IN TOUCH!Follow us on Twitter @lockedtombpodEmail us at theninth@lockedtombpod.comHead to our website lockedtombpod.comMusic credit: Olivia K
In this episode, Gideon finds “her last two living allies” [citation needed] in the Canaan House sickroom, and Palamedes goes out with a bang. Baily then torments Kabriya with another word definitions quiz. We end with a long-awaited discussion of our favourite indoor kids, Pal and Cam!SPOILER ALERT: We reference events from all three books in this podcast, as it's intended for readers who are caught up with the series.This episode was edited by Adam and transcribed by Katie.Thank you so much to all our supporters on Patreon. If you would like to help us out, you can find us at patreon.com/onefleshonepod.If you'd like to chat with us about this episode, we're on Twitter, Tumblr, and TikTok @onefleshonepod, or you can e-mail us at onefleshonepod@gmail.com.All references for this episode can be found on our website here.Intro/Segment Music: "Turismo" by Spaceinvader (Icons8 Music)Outro Music: "Warm Vacuum Tube" by Admiral Bob (2019 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0))Support the Show.
It's so over... We're so back! And we're so excited to begin by sinking our teeth into the short story, "The Unwanted Guest," from the paperback edition of Nona the Ninth. This episode is the first of a two-part discussion—in part one, we recap the events of the short story, featuring our personal faves Ianthe and Palamedes, and in part two (coming soon July 1), we'll get more in-depth about the broader implications of "The Unwanted Guest" for the series as a whole. * SPOILER ALERT * We reference events from all three books in this podcast, as it's intended for readers who are caught up with the seriesA huge thank you to everyone who helped us resurrect the pod with your Patreon support, and to our new audio editor, Adam! And to everyone who's simply stuck around through our hiatus and still wants to listen to us talk about these books. We're looking forward to putting out episodes reguarly again every two weeks.If you want to become a patron, you can find us at patreon.com/onefleshonepod.And if you just want to say hi or have any questions or theories to discuss, we're on Twitter, Tumblr, and TikTok @onefleshonepod or you can e-mail onefleshonepod@gmail.com.References: All references for this episode can be found on our website here.Intro/Segment Music: "Turismo" by Spaceinvader (Icons8 Music)Outro Music: "Warm Vacuum Tube" by Admiral Bob (2019 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0))
We're onto the last currently released book in the Locked Tomb series! We reminisce with God about his time in New Zealand. Meanwhile, Camilla, Palamedes, and all of us try to figure out who Nona is, Pyrrha acts like a pimp, the kids discuss the creepy Convoy, and Kevin... Kevins.Timestamps available on Patreon as always. Next time up we're covering: Chapter 9 through John 19:18 Bonus Episodes and more available on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode carries content warnings for body horror, description of teeth, discussion of mass destruction/death, small/tight spaces, indentured servants and slavery, and extreme heat. Behind a twirling ornament of metal, the sun grows—the sun grows. Inside a concrete body, the feeling of a hand, pulling downward. Across a planet under red light, fear. They would not wait. They could not. This week on PALISADE: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 1 The "war" will appear on the surface to be a peace Dossier People Stargrave Elcessor (she/her): Leader of the Bilateral Interecession's occupation of Palisade, assigned personally by Cynosure Whitestar-Kesh. As a Stargrave, she has been granted the means and “right” to detonate the star at the center of Palisade's star system if she determines that those here are an existential threat to the Principality. Connadine (he/him): Commander of the BIS on Palisade. An expert in psychological operations and folklore. As a composer, his opus is the Adagio, a plan to get everyone on Palisade operating in ways not only predictable, but scripted. As a conductor, his orchestra now turns towards the second movement. Routine Rennari (he/him): Half-Apostolsian, scion of a minor Kesh noble house, and the Blue Channel's heavy. Mustard Red (she/her): A cyborg who once served as a member of Brink Proxy, with a speciality in surveillance. Joined the Cause during the Devotees expansion onto Palisade. Midnite Matinee (she/her): Leporine scout and member of the Blue Channel. She and her trusty Pack-model light AutoHollow Popcorn used to run a repo company, but now are tentatively committed to the Cause and Millennium Break. Places Chimera's Lantern: The second moon of Palisade, shaped oddly like a wasp's nest or paper lantern. New arrivals to the world find its occasional glow unnatural and frightening. Thisbe and the Figure found evidence that it could be tied to driving the bulk of ancient Divine Principality forces off of Palisade. Objects Gambeson: The Gambeson is only about 10 meters tall (less than half an Altar), but it is nevertheless a terrifying scourge of the battlefield. Modeled after an iron maiden, except with it's tortorous doors attached to its back serving as wings. Its head features a metalworked face, twisted into extreme and offputting smile. Its skeletal frame serves not only as body, but cage: pilots are criminal conscripts forced to pay off their “debt” to Kesh by the Divine Plight, earning their freedom through combat achievements. Paramerion: Cori's new Altar, as designed by her brother Formido. Constantly twitching and rippling underneath the regal embellishments of its filigreed armor. Massive metallic wings stay folded on its back, a smaller pair cover its eyes like a visor and the sickles jut out from its forearms when stowed. A halo shaped like a crown rotates above its skull-like head. The Stellar Combustor: A weapon of immense destruction, capable of destroying countless star systems if deployed without a firebreak. Has been used in some form or another since the time of the earliest Divines. In current form they take the form of a twirling, 3-ringed space station that rotates around a system's sun. Divines The Divine, Arbitrage (it/its): The amoral machine turned de facto treasurer keeps the Frontier Syndicate a step ahead in all matters of commerce. Sole minter of “glint,” a newly popular currency on Palisade. The Divine Plight (she/her): Plight is a 40 meter tall, humanoid Divine cast in black metal armor, and wearing the of a judge or inquisitor. She conscripts the guilty into her army as Gambeson pilots, compelling their loyalty with terrible, Divine feelings of guilt. Hemlock, whose interest is fundamentally in punishment and not justice, was born heir to a mid-tier Kesh House, but jumped at the chance to become an Elect. Mysteries Perennial (she/her): The Principality's so-called 'adversary,' who lives at the center of the galaxy and whose chaotic whims spread through her "Perennial Wave," an ever-present nanoparticle that has recently bonded with Kalmeria. Additional Notes The 23 Star Systems Nearest Palisade (with developmental focus): Tartarus 5: Gas Mining Lonn: Resorts Helaine Delta: Duplicate of Helaine Gamma Thulsa: Standard Spread Xenacip: Lost Contact. Lost Portcullis Repair Team Bhopal Kha: Pact Occupied Maine: Lumber, Spice Bishamonten: Arms Manufacturing Carjel: Standard Spread Isfahan: Standard Spread Yoca: Standard Spread KX 93-39: Black Hole Research Lab Dul-Kaw: Established via Nidean Art grant Darre: Tomb Sector Ecou: Refugee Camps Edino: Quarantined Sector Skarnoc: Debris Fields Hilde: Gas Mining Por: Standard Spread Nova Melides: Abandoned Divine Clash Worlds Palamedes 8: Regional Refueling Depot Castax 8: Stratus Research Facility Ashlen: Standard Spread Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Bullet (@sylvibullet), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by by aurahack (aurahack.jp) With thanks to Arthur B., chocoube, DB, deepFlaw, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, huw, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, K. Morris, Katie Diekhaus, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mike & Ruby, Nich Maragos, Olive Perry, Patrick Murray, Robert Lasica, Shawn Hall, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, viviridian, and Voi for their support We are playing Armour Astir: Advent with additional playbooks from Strangers in the Night and 106th Astir Squadron. If you enjoy the show, consider supporting the TTRPG. This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.
Dos dez anos da Guerra de Troia, os nove primeiros foram de um conflito burocrático, sem avanços nem reveses para os dois lados. Mas muita coisa aconteceu nos bastidores, especialmente no acampamento grego. Neste episódio, o professor Moreno conta a história de Palamedes e as várias versões de sua morte – todas causadas pela vingança de Ulisses, seu grande adversário. Você também vai ouvir sobre o desafio logístico enfrentado pelos gregos nesse longo período, ssobre o papel das vinhateiras para a longa jornada longe de casa e, não menos importante, sobre o momento exato em que começa a Ilíada. Apoiar: https://noitesgregas.com.br/apoiar
Oh Muses! The Trojan War will never be over and we return to it in this episode. We encounter some light treason, a competitive edge, and murder for plotting purposes. —- National Geographic Kids Greeking Out is a kid-friendly retelling of some of the best stories from Greek mythology. This podcast is an extension of the Zeus the Mighty series by Nat Geo Kids. Check Out bit.ly/ZeusOut to meet Zeus the Hamster and his friends—Athena the cat, Ares the pug, Demeter the grasshopper, and many more—who also listen to the Greeking Out podcast. Watch a video, read an excerpt, or check out the truth behind the stories!
Papilio palamedes, the Palamedes swallowtail or laurel swallowtail, is a North American butterfly in the family Papilionidae. This species may be found in habitats such as cypress swamplands, coastal swamplands, wet riparian forests, bay forests, and savannas in the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico.
Gideon's reeling from discovering the head of Protelisaus the Seventh in Harrow's closet when we start our recap of Chapter 30. A heavy dose of childhood secrets and guilt come to the surface in a conversation with Palamedes that we got very emotional about, and then the mood lightens with some good old inter-House bickering about Dulcinea's use of the beguiling corpse and the very important decision of what to do with the dead guy's head. Then it's time for another round of The Price Is Right: One Flesh, One End edition, aka how much do these bones cost online? And finally, we try to match up all the Houses to the nine planets of our own solar system and discuss a controversial Bone of Week! * SPOILER ALERT * We reference events from GTN and HTN in this podcast, as it's intended for readers who've already finished both books.If you like the episode, find us on Twitter, Tumblr, or TikTok @onefleshonepod or e-mail onefleshonepod@gmail.com with any questions or theories!References:Recap:coronabeth: Gideon and Pal guilt discussiongothicenjoyer: Gideon and Pal friendshipthunderon: Camilla, Harrow, and the handcuffscatradora-queen: Harrow's first impression of Procorpsesoldier: Teacher's "Maybe later"Etsy items: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6Discussion:lookserratic: Language development in the HousesReddit thread about locations of the Houses (quoted posts by fishsupreme, caeciliusinhorto, and icarus-daedelus)lesbrarians: Theories about Houses/planetssuspishish: Jupiter's magnetic fieldmayasaura: The Houses' orbitIda, nurse of Zeus (Wikipedia)Spiliotopoulos, Georgios, "The Redefinition of the Tragic Cycle of hybris-ate-nemesis-tisis in Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides"babylyctor: Eighth House jokeIntro/Segment Music: "Turismo" by Spaceinvader (Icons8 Music)Outro Music: "Warm Vacuum Tube" by Admiral Bob (2019 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0))
We cover Tamsyn Muir's short story, The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex, gossip about the sixth house, and fangirl Palamedes and Camilla. Also v cute letter from Dulcinea. Also the Nireids. Also the applications of the thanergetic permeability of copper. This is our last "mini" episode before we dive into Harrow the Ninth. This is a podcast filled with spoilers both for Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth. First time readers beware.Music credit: Olivia KThe Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex: https://www.tor.com/2020/07/29/the-mysterious-study-of-dr-sex-tamsyn-muir/
The Age of Chivalry, or Legends of King Arthur by Thomas Bulfinch
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Los dados y sus precursores son los implementos de juego más antiguos conocidos por el hombre. Sófocles informó que los dados fueron inventados por el legendario griego Palamedes durante el sitio de Troya. Mientras que Herodoto sostenía que fueron inventados por los lidios en los días del rey Atis. Ambas "leyendas" han sido desacreditadas por numerosos hallazgos arqueológicos que demuestran que los dados se usaban en muchas sociedades anteriores. Los precursores de los dados fueron dispositivos mágicos que los pueblos primitivos usaban para echar suertes y adivinar el futuro. Los probables precursores inmediatos de los dados fueron los nudillos. Que eran astragales: los huesos de los tobillos de ovejas, búfalos u otros animales, a veces con marcas en las cuatro caras. Estos objetos todavía se utilizan en algunas partes del mundo. En la época griega y romana posteriores, la mayoría de los dados estaban hechos de hueso y marfil. Otros eran de bronce, ágata, cristal de roca, ónix, azabache, alabastro, mármol , ámbar, porcelana y otros materiales. Atendamos al relato…
Survivor Boston Palamedes Ep 5 Recap
Odysseus reflects on his deadly rivalry with Palamedes, one of the Warlord Agamemnon's most skilful generals on the fields of Troy. This episode of Lore & Legend comes to you thanks to the contributions of our Patreon subscribers: Storyfolk Christy Carson, Paul Jackson, Sian Powell and Shawnie Baskett; thanks to all of you your generosity and your enthusiasm for our stories. Please consider joining our Storyfolk in supporting the podcast by becoming a patron. For more details, visit our website and click ‘Support Us’, or go directly our patreon page at www.patreon.com/loreandlegend. Licensed/Approved Music 'Garden of the Hesperides' by Michael Levy on Album: Ancient Dreamscapes 'The Magic of Hekate' by Michael Levy on Album: Ancient Dreamscapes 'Ancient Dreamscapes' by Michael Levy on Album: Ancient Dreamscapes 'The Trance of Terpsichore' by Michael Levy on Album: Ancient Dreamscapes 'Seek Comfort in the Arms of Mother Nature' by Michael Levy on Album: New Ancestral Music MICHAEL LEVY: https://ancientlyre.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautifullyre Twitter: @ancientlyre 'A Coin on the Cobblestone' by Caleb Henessey on Album: Mediterranean CALEB HENESSEY: https://calebhennessy.bandcamp.com/music Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calebhennessyscompositions 'ΨYXOΠOMΠOΣ' by Seikilo on Album: τo Káλεσµa τnς Moύσaς ΎMNOΣ ΣTON ΆΛΩNI by Seikilo on Album: τo Káλεσµa τnς Moύσaς 'O XOPOΣ THΣ NAΛΛAKIΔAΣ' by Seikilo on Album: τo Káλεσµa τnς Moύσaς SEIKILO: https://seikilo.com/ LUTHERIOS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS: https://luthieros.com/ Additional music and sound-effects sourced from the community at Freesound.org. Visit the episode blog post linked below for full Audio Credits. LINKS BLOG: https://www.loreandlegend.co.uk/palamedes YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/UcFeftRpbek --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/loreandlegend/message
1990 Christmas Catalogs & Movie Trivia, plus: Arch Rivals, Conquest of the Crystal Palace, F1, The Immortal, Mega Man 3, Muppet Adventure, Palamedes, The Punisher, Puzznic, Silver Surfer, Werewolf, Wrestlemania Challenge & Yo! Noid.
In dieser Folge geht es um Paris, Helena, Menelaos, Agamemnon, Aias 1, Aias 2, Idomeneus, Diomedes, Palamedes, Odysseus, Agamemnon, Peleus, Thetis, Achill, Artemis, Poseidon, Chryseis, Apoll, Patroklos und Hector.
In dieser Folge geht es um Peleus, Thetis, Hera, Pallas Athene, Aphrodite, Eris, Helena, Tyndareos, Idomeneus, Diomedes, Palamedes, Nestor, Menelaos, Agamemnon, Odysseus, Penelope, Ikarus, Zeus und Paris.
Hello! Welcome to GlitterShip episode #53 for March 29, 2018. This is your host, Keffy, and I'm super excited to be sharing these stories with you. Today we have three GlitterShip originals for you: a poem, a piece of flash fiction, and a short story for you. The poem is "Cucumber" by Penny Stirling. Penny Stirling edits and embroiders in Western Australia. Their speculative fiction and poetry can be found in Lackington's, Interfictions, Strange Horizons, Heiresses of Russ, Transcendent and other venues. For aroace discussion and bird photography, follow them at www.pennystirling.com or on Twitter @numbathyal. Cucumber Penny Stirling He lullabies my ghosts so I can sleep in, my life-compeer, my comrade-errant, and I risk griffin bite for his medicine. We don't kiss or act how a couple should and people enquire: when will we progress? Surely we've been just friends long enough. We find tracking migrating dragons more wondrous than our hearts, entrusting each other's lives in combat more significant than vows, unearthing riddle-hid treasure before rivals more satisfying than sex; we are closer than quest-allies yet less physical than love-couples. But feelings outside romance have less import even if we are one another's most important. Just friends. He doesn't care, he says. He never cares what allies or enemies say, he says. I say enough! My life-partner, my peril-mate, we are enough. But I just have had enough. My friend, please: matching rings, balance-enchanted. He doesn't care, either, congratulated for finally maturing enough. We don't kiss or act how a couple should yet people don't enquire if we will progress. Being just spouse and spouse is enough. END Izzy Wasserstein teaches English at a midwestern university, writes poetry and fiction, and shares a house with several animal companions and the writer Nora E. Derrington. Her work has recently appeared in or is forthcoming from Clarkesworld, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Pseudopod and elsewhere. She is an enthusiastic member of the 2017 class of Clarion West. She likes to slowly run long distances. Her website is izzywasserstein.com Ports of Perceptions Izzy Wasserstein Chase had come down with both kind of viruses, and worried Hunter had been growing distant, so Hunter suggested they indulge in some PKD. While the drug kicked in, they sprawled on the mattress in Hunter’s flat and exchanged. Hunter’s arm-ports synched with the receivers on Chase’s back and data flowed between them, which they agreed was worth the risk, despite Chase’s cold and the v0x virus still being rooted out by antivi. Chase felt Hunter’s concern turn to desire, and they explored each other and the PKD. Chase unclasped each of their right forearms, then swapped them. Hunter’s arm, which was, or had been, or would be Chase’s, moved over their bodies. They disconnected Hunter’s not-quite-legal sensory enhancer and synched it with Chase’s, and the rush was like data exchange but more immediate, more vivid. They swapped more parts as the sensory loop built between them. Soon Chase cried out for release, but Hunter let anticipation build, feeling Chase’s rising desire, which was Hunter’s. The drug worked on their flesh, their firmware, their coil of tech and limbs; it bypassed the neurons that told Chase which body was Chase’s, which Hunter’s, that told Hunter where Hunter ended and the Universe began; and so they grew into each other, their bodies and consciousnesses spreading from their node across the web. They were together. They were everywhere. When finally they collapsed and held one another, Chase said Hunter’s name, or Hunter said Chase’s, or each said their own. They lay in the tangle of each other, and Chase was Hunter and Hunter’s thoughts were Chase’s, and neither was sure where they ended and reality began. Hunter caught Chase’s cold, or had always had it, or had always been Chase. Neither cared, if indeed they had ever been separate. END Amy Griswold is the author (with Melissa Scott) of Death by Silver (winner of the Lambda Literary Award) and A Death at the Dionysus Club, fantasy/mystery novels set in an alternate Victorian England. Her interactive novel The Eagle's Heir (with Jo Graham) was published in 2017, and their second interactive novel Stronghold, a heroic fantasy game about defending a town and building a community, is forthcoming in 2018. The Questing Beast Amy Griswold The first time Sir Palamedes is tempted to give up pursuing the Questing Beast, he is tramping through the woods on a bleak winter day, his frosty breath hanging in a white cloud each time he exhales. His feet are sore, and his shoes are worn thin. His horse went lame a week ago, and is returning home in the uncertain care of Palamedes' squire. Palamedes is following the sound of distant barking, and is beginning to think the sound will drive him mad. He is far off any beaten track, although he can see the prints of men and horses frozen into the icy turf. They might have been following the Questing Beast themselves, overcome with wonder at a sight that Palamedes is beginning to find commonplace. Or they might have been about some other errand entirely. They might even now be sipping mulled wine by a warm fire at home, rather than tramping through the woods after an abominable beast. The trees are thinning, and through them Palamedes can see the rutted track of a road. It will be easier walking, and surely he can pick up the trail of the Beast again later. Nothing else leaves such tracks, shaped like the hoofprints of a deer but dug deep into the turf under its monstrous weight. Nothing else makes such a clamor, like a pack of hounds gone mad with no answering music of horns. He smells smoke before he sees the little camp by the side of the road. A horse is picketed and cropping at the thin brown grass, and a man is warming his hands over the fire. His shield is propped against a log, and it is by the arms more than by his travel-dirtied face that Palamedes knows him: Sir Tristan, who swore to kill Palamedes when they last met. They have been sworn enemies for years, for reasons that begin to seem increasingly absurd. Once when Palamedes was a light-hearted youth, Iseult the Fair smiled at him, and he supposes that explains why he and Tristan must be enemies, even though Iseult has long since wedded Mark of Cornwall in obedience to her duty. He suspects that competing for a lady's adulterous favors is less than the true spirit of chivalry. And yet he pauses, thinking of Iseult with sunlight on her hair, her face tipped up to him as she asked him curiously about distant Babylon which he will never see again. She did not scorn him for keeping faith with the gods of his childhood. Perhaps she would never have married a pagan, but there can be no question of marriage, now. If Tristan fell, and he were there to bring her the comfort she would not seek in her unloving husband's arms … But these are unworthy thoughts. If he steps out of the woods and declares himself, it will be to meet Tristan in battle as Tristan has long desired. Tristan looks cold and drawn, clearly the worse for his travels, but surely no more so than Palamedes himself. Tristan has been riding, not walking, his heavy cloak not frayed to shreds and his boots not worn parchment-thin. It would be a fair fight, surely. The sound of hounds baying rises over the woods, a wild familiar clamor. Tristan lifts his head, gazes into the trees for a moment, and then turns back to warming his hands, like a man too weary to think wonders any of his concern. Palamedes turns and sees the Questing Beast through the trees, distant but clear, its serpent's neck outstretched, its heavy leopard's body, from which the barking of hounds perpetually sounds, crouching balanced on its cloven hooves. The beast itself is mute, no sound coming from its throat even when it opens its mouth as if to taste the air. The voice that whispers in his head is an older one, the goddess of his childhood, Anahita-of-the-beasts. Or perhaps there is no voice at all, only the familiar sound of his own thoughts, his only companion on his long road. Will you keep faith with him, or with your oath? it asks. He swore to follow the Beast, and not only at his leisure. Palamedes turns his back on the fire, the fight, and the ease of following the road, and follows the Questing Beast, quickening his steps as the Beast begins to run. The second time Sir Palamedes is tempted to stop pursuing the Questing Beast, he is riding down a well-traveled road on a warm summer evening. He has met with many travelers, and answered their courteous inquiries with the tale of his quest, which is becoming wearisome to tell. Most of them look at him as if he is mad, which is not entirely out of the question. The tracks of the Beast are dug deep into the mud beside the road, and he does not fear losing its trail, though it must be a day or more ahead of him. It will sleep, for the night, and so must he. He turns his horse's head from the road into a meadow beside a running stream. Another traveler is camped there already, and as Palamedes dismounts he prepares to tell his story once again. Tristan emerges from his tent, stops as he recognizes Palamedes, and stands staring, apparently at a loss for words. He looks well-fed and well-rested this time, and certainly fit for a duel. But it feels a bit ridiculous at this point to call themselves mortal enemies, having rescued each other from perils that interfered with their duel to the death so many times that it’s clear neither of them relishes having the duel at all. "Well met, Sir Tristan," he says. "May I share your camp, or must we settle our differences on the field of arms first?" "I expect it can wait until morning," Tristan says. "Sit and have some dinner." They share a roasted grouse and sit chewing over the bones as the stars come out. "You've never told me how you came to hunt the Questing Beast," Tristan says. He supposes he hasn't, although it feels as if he's told the tale to everyone in England. "Sir Pellinore was growing old," he says. "But he said he couldn't lay down his charge until there was a man willing to take it up, and he wouldn't lay such a thing on his sons." "So he laid it on you? That seems sharp dealing." "I offered to do it," Palamedes says. "And I suppose he thought as a stranger to these shores I wouldn't be leaving a home and responsibilities behind." He shrugs. "I don't regret it." "You've had little chance of winning a lady this way, though," Tristan says, as close as Palamedes thinks they will come to speaking of Iseult. He wonders how many years it has been since Tristan has seen her. "Surely that must come hard." "One hardly misses what one has never had," Palamedes says. The memory of Iseult is a distant dream. The reality is this, the road, the quest, and the sometime company of other knights who are willing to go some distance down his unending road at his side. "If I have been deprived of the favors of fair ladies, I have had the friendship of the most gallant of knights." "I hope you count me among them," Tristan says, and Palamedes does, although he is aware they still might end by shedding each other's blood on the thirsty earth. "I would be honored," he says, and reaches out a hand to clasp Tristan's. The other man's hand is rough and warm in his, the pulse beating hard under the skin. It is a warm night full of possibilities. He pulls Tristan toward him for a kiss he does not intend as brotherly. Tristan turns his head, and it ends up a brotherly salute after all. "You know I am a Christian knight," he says. Palamedes spreads his hands to grant that Tristan's god may be more forgiving of adultery than of other sins of the flesh. The blood is high in Tristan's cheeks all the same, his eyes intent. "If you were a Christian as well …" Palamedes breathes a laugh. "Then you would feel it justified?" "Well so, if it brought you to Christ." It is a high-handed offer, and a perverse one, and still for a moment tempting. Of all men, there are few he respects as much as Tristan, and few whose company he desires as much. "And would you then bear me company on my quest?" "I think you would find if you accepted baptism that there were other quests more worth the pursuing," Tristan says. "Whether the Grail or the peace of a Christian marriage and a family." There is wistfulness in his voice when he speaks of such comforts, which certainly Tristan has never had himself. For a moment Palamedes is tempted himself to agree. He does not regret his quest, it is true, but it is growing ever difficult to remember why it matters. Friendship and ease would surely be worth putting himself in the bleeding hands of the Christian god. There is a breath of noise that might be the murmuring of the brook, but he knows it for the distant sound of hounds barking, barely a whisper on the wind. Are you his or mine? a voice says in the quiet of his heart, the warm implacable voice of Anahita-of-the-winds with her outstretched hands. "I can only be as I am," Palamedes says, and stands. "And I have tarried here too long. If I ride through the night, I can at least get closer to my quarry." He bows to Tristan. "We can fight next time we meet." "I will look forward to it," Tristan says quite courteously, and Palamedes swings himself up to the saddle and turns his horse's head into the darkness. The third time Palamedes is tempted to stop pursuing the Questing Beast, he dismounts to drink at a forest stream in a crisp autumn, and raises his head to see the Questing Beast on the other side of the stream, its head bent to the water. It is silent while drinking, as if the water calms the maddened hounds who howl from its belly. Palamedes reaches silently for the bow hung from his saddle, and fits an arrow to the string. He draws it back, aiming for the Beast's heart. One clean shot will bring it down, and end his quest forever. The Beast's eyes are closed as if in pleasure at the taste of the cool water. Its sinuous neck lowers, and it settles down on its haunches, resting in the mossy bank. It must be an effort to support that bulk on ill-fitted hooves, and to sleep with the noise of baying eternally in its own ears. It is the child of a human woman, or so Pellinore told him, the child of a liar who lusted after her own brother and lay with a demon to win him. It will never have a mate or a home. He thinks for a moment that he knows how it must feel. But Palamedes has friends he has loved well, and the satisfaction of having mended a hundred small hurts while on the road: he has fought monsters and found lost sheep, brought stray children back to their mothers and jousted with menacing giants. The road has been more a reward to him than a punishment. He wonders which it is for the Beast, and knows that he will never know. Palamedes puts down the bow and stoops to fill his cupped hands with water. The Beast startles at the movement, raising its serpentine head and staring at him with its unblinking eyes, its whole body poised for flight. He holds out his hands to it, and the Beast takes one step into the water, and then another, and then lowers its head to drink. Its flickering tongue is warm. It stands quietly, trusting, and Palamedes knows that this is a wonder no other man has seen before him. Would the Grail be better? a voice asks, the teasing voice of Anahita-of-the-waters. "You know it would not," he says aloud. The Beast raises its head sharply at the sound, the clamor of barking beginning again. It whips its bulk around and springs away, the barking retreating through the underbrush. Palamedes bends to drink, and then mounts his horse again, turning its head toward the sound of baying hounds. It is a long afternoon's pursuit through the cool clear autumn air, the leaves turning to all the colors of a tapestry lit by dancing flames. The trees thin at the edge of the wood, and when he comes out onto the road, he is somehow unsurprised to see a familiar knight riding under a familiar banner. Tristan's face is set in lines of frustration, and Palamedes supposes that he has been trying to persuade Iseult to run away with him again, as suitably impossible a quest as any. "Well met, Sir Tristan," he says, falling in beside him on the road. "May I ride a little ways with you, or must we stop to have our battle?" "We might ride on a little ways beforehand," Tristan says. He smiles, and some few of his cares seem to lift from him. "Have you given more thought to baptism since last we met? It seems to me you were undecided when we spoke before." "I was not, and I am not," Palamedes says. "But you may go on trying to persuade me." He spurs his horse on to a faster walk, knowing soon enough he will have to turn away from the road toward the sound of distant baying. But for now he has a good road underfoot, and on such a fine day, he cannot think of any road he would rather be traveling. END “Cucumber” is copyright Penny Stirling 2018. "Ports of Perceptions" is copyright Izzy Wasserstein 2018. "The Questing Beast" is copyright Amy Griswold 2018. 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THE STORY: (43 minutes) Operation Trojan Storm needs the craft and cunning of Odysseus, Greece’s most clever man. But Odysseus has mysteriously vanished. Agamemnon puts his best man, Palamedes, on the case. “Find Odysseus; bring him to me, one way or another”, Agamemnon commands. But what Palamedes discovers when he finally locates Odysseus ….! Tune in to the podcast to learn the whole, horrifying truth! THE COMMENTARY: GREEK PIRATES vs. TROJAN MERCHANTS (17 minutes; begins at 43:00) I shamelessly spend this entire post-story commentary geeking-out on Greek naval technology and tactics. First I paint a quick picture of sort of ships that Agamemnon was building in order to launch his amphibious invasion of Troy. Then I review Greek naval tactics, explaining how Agamemnon’s fast, nimble and highly mobile ships managed to terrorize the towns and cities of the Mediterranean world. Then I explain how the Greeks of 1250 B.C.E. “looked outward” for economic opportunity: how they proudly sacked, pillaged and raped their way through the Mediterranean with the help of their boats. Then I turn to Troy – a Mediterranean power with no navy at all. I explore the reason for this: namely that the Trojans were merchants who had no need to venture outward for economic opportunity. They simply sat safely behind their high walls and waited for the world’s wealth to come to them. Finally I review doubts expressed by contemporary historians concerning the actual size of Agamemnon’s invasion fleet: were there really 1186 ships, as Homer claims? Lots of fun! Jeff RELATED IMAGES