Shadizar: Tablet of Derketo

[René]

For those among you who want to give her Shadizar-sessions some more background:

Lay your hands on a copy of the Gilgamesh-Epos. It is a Mesopotamian epos detailing the voyages of an ancient, probably real king of the city-state of Uruk (Dark Sun-Veterans will remember Urik...)

For readers of today it is not the easiest lecture, since it is written on fragmented and broken stone tablets (to make things more complicated: in different languages and in different ages).

The 6th stone tablet details an unsuccessful seduction of the hero by Ishtar and his curses against her. Imho it is ideal to give it to your players if the they get the Tablet of Derketo mentioned in the Shadizar adventure: it is a harsh anti-Ishtar statement that is suitable to use in blasphemous demonic rituals and is a secret that the Stygian priestesses of Derketo want to remain hidden (Derketo and Ishtar seem often to be two sides of the same coin in Conan).

And don't be afraid: the 6th tablet is only 7 pages in a translation

:wink:

Don't know which english translation may be good and cheap, for German GMs: go for the Reclam-edition (3,10 Euro).

Hope, you like the idea!

 

[Hadrathas]

Here is a link to the tablets in English:

http://gilgamesh.psnc.pl/index.html

 

[sbarrie]

The Epic of Gilgamesh, in english, by tablet

 

[The King]

I heard from the Tablets of Fate in the Sumerian mythology. Bel (who is also called Enlil) was the keeper of these tablets.
Bel was one of the mightiest god before Anu time. He created the humans dilsiked them because they were too noisy (waging war). So he brought on scourge after scouge on them (flood, plagues, drought and cataclysm). However they always survived; He got tired of this and eventually accepted them as they are.

He lost the tablets during the war of the gods and they were recovered by Marduk who became then the king of the gods.

Marduk's wife was Ishtar.

 

[toothill man]

great links thank you for the sites 8)