This myth was last used by Galostin at the city of Mintinus, where he resisted the Carmanian Interrogators and won the right for the Temple of Bentus to remain.
And so it is told:
Once upon a time the world was shrouded in darkness and death lurked behind every tree and hill. One by one the great gods and goddesses were slain and forced to dwell in the joyless realms. Thus it came to pass that Great Bentus, High God of Pleasure, was slain - and those left behind could no longer find solace from their woes. Wine no longer helped the sorrowful to forget, or the shy to become bold. The hearthfire merely kept them alive. Pleasures of the flesh were no more – only empty acts that brought more joyless children into a bleak world.
The dead God of Pleasure turned his back on the world and began the long journey to the Land of Bones. At last, he came to a great mountain pass blocked by high walls and a foreboding keep. All around, the land was silent but for the cries of pain and misery drifting from within the keep’s pale towers. Obviously a great battle had taken place here, for the wall had crumbled in many places, and the keep’s large doors were hanging from broken hinges, blackened with fire and splintered by great blows.
In the doorway of the keep stood Ikadz the Torturer. When Bentus approached, he saw no light of recognition in the ruined eyes of the Master of Pain. “Stand fast!” cried the Torturer. “None may pass my domain carrying the weight of their Sin and Self-deceit.” Bentus smiled, and replied “So it is.” Ikadz stood still for a moment, eyeing this odd stranger up and down. Then he continued, saying “This will not be easy, for no one lets go of their illusions without struggle. Prepare for pain and misery, for you will find no mercy in me!” “Aye” replied Bentus, “Nor from me as well.”
Ikadz gaped for a moment at the audacity of this bizarre soul and then advanced, waving his barbed flail threateningly. “Come with me now – there is no escape from the Excruciator! Struggle will only add to the length of your suffering.” Bentus fairly beamed, and replied “It is ever so, shriver of sin, let us proceed.” The Lord of Pleasure took the Torturer by the arm and and made to lead him inside. Ikadz shook the hand from him, grabbed Bentus by the collar, and lifted him bodily from the floor. “Do not make light of me!” He exclaimed, “You know not what you do! I shall meet upon your flesh such suffering as your pitiful mind cannot comprehend! Know fear, fool, for it is the truth that you must face – and the truth cuts worse than any knife.”
Bentus smiled, enjoying his state of weightlessness for a moment and reveling in the warm breeze upon his face. When the Torturer finished his speech, Bentus sighed happily and said, “So it is – let us proceed.” Ikadz spun around, and dragged Bentus behind him like a sack of grain. As they made their way through the castle, Bentus saw endless cells, filled with the souls of dead gods, goddesses, and heroes. Oria was here, as was Entekos, crying with despair and covered with sores, cuts, and bruises. “There is no end to our suffering, for the Torturer is mad!” cried Oria while Dendara wept. Bentus enjoyed the harmony of their voices, and smiled with anticipation.
At last, they arrived at Ikadz’ Chamber of Horrors. “Behold!” Exclaimed the Torturer, “Behold the instruments of Truth!” A broad wave of his arm took in a frightening array of exotic implements. “Begging will not serve, and I cannot be bribed! I will be your sole judge of Truth and Deceit. Upon the rack, I will break your will. Within the Iron Maiden, your vanity shall be pierced. Your illusion of self-reliance will be burned away by boiling lead, and hot iron will sear the pride from your heart!” The Excruciator began to laugh hysterically.
“Perfect!” replied Bentus. “Let us begin, for while anticipation is sweet, action is sweeter still.” Ikadz gagged, and his ruined orbs fairly bugged from their sockets. “Silence!!!” cried the Excruciator as he laid Bentus upon the cold, hard rack. Bentus smiled as his hands and feet were shackled to its four corners. Ikadz slowly turned the screw, his skeletal face pulled back in a gruesome grin. The rack slowly pulled Bentus’ arms and legs from their sockets, but the Lord of Pleasure new the secret of Ecstatic Transformation and savored the intense sensations like spiced wine. At last the rack could pull no further, and still Bentus showed no sign of discomfort. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Ikadz was enraged. “What trickery is this!” he cried. “Well… you seem a man who had his way with the ladies. Lets see how your charms work on the Iron Maiden!” As the spikes within the casket drove into his flesh, Bentus let out a sigh of pleasure. “What is this?” cried the Torturer. “Ah, such an experience is but the greatest joy to one who knows the secret” replied Bentus. “What secret? You are mad! Madness will not save you from the boiling lead – I will wash away your foolish prideful notions.” The red hot liquid poured into Bentus’ boots, burning away his feet. Another pipe funneled the searing metal into his eyes, ears, and throat. The God of Pleasure arched his back and clutched at the sides of his confining chair. When the metal had drained away, Bentus was a skinless wreck. A laughing, smiling, skinless wreck.
Ikadz was beside himself with rage. He pulled the hair from his head, and clenched his jaw so tight that it cracked loudly. Howling in pain, he dove for the fire, ignored the searing heat, and grabbed a red hot iron shaft. Slowly he turned, palms sizzling from the heat. Although he could no longer speak, his intention was clear - his face was a mask of rage. The hot metal plunged deep into the charred flesh of Bentus, black smoke and steam rising in a foul mist around the Torturer... and still the Lord of Pleasure smiled.
The Excruciator could stand no more. He ground his teeth to splinters, and clenched his fists until the bones cracked. He grabbed the High God in his ruined hands and stomped over to the fire so hard that his bony feet were crushed. There, Ikadz tossed Bentus into the flames and cackled with glee. The flames rose higher and higher, until they suddenly died – and Bentus stepped out whole and completely restored. Ikadz’ jaw fell to the floor and he wailed mournfully. Unable to accept what he saw, the Excruciator collapsed upon the stones and wept.
“Still you do not see” said Bentus. “Pleasure and pain are but states of mind, as those who have studied at the feet of Jerontius often say. The common man is at the mercy of sensation, but the Enlightened Ones may choose. I choose Pleasure. What will you choose?” At last the darkness fell from Ikadz’ eyes and he saw the High God for who he truly was. In that sacred moment, Sin and Self-Deceit fell from the Torturer as leaves in Earth Season and he rose whole and as new. Together, they freed the gods, goddesses, and heroes from their cells and made their way to the Land of the Dead.
KPM
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