Olidammara looked up from his scheming as somebody walked into his office. Oh lovely, it was Nerull. He never had anything nice to say.
"Evening, Brother," Nerull began icily.
"What do you want, Nerull?" Olidammara asked absently.
"Oh, just stopping to say hi."
"No, you are not. You never do. The only time you ever stop by is when you feel like depressing me. Now go away."
"Well, that's not a very nice way to great someone who only wanted to help you." Nerull smiled, a maggot dropping from his teeth to the rug.
Olidammara flinched. "Your smile could make the dead scream."
"Oh, they do," Nerull replied, that awful smile spreading like rot across his face. "But I was only stopping to let you know that I have a new follower."
"How nice for you," Olidammara said, not really thinking it was nice at all.
"She's a fine one. Her god abandoned her. I found her starving to death and saved her, and now she's mine."
Olidammara paused. Nerull never talked so nice about anything unless he'd been exceptionally clever.
"I see you're starting to catch on. Reflexes slowing?" Nerull asked delightedly. He was never so happy. Olidammara looked up, braving the awful smile.
"Fine thing when I get better at your trade than you are," Nerull cackled.
"What do you mean?" Oliammara asked cautiously, almost sure he was not going to like the answer one tiny little bit.
"Oh, Brother, I mean I stole one of the Rogue God's followers."
Olidammara went cold. Nerull laughed so hard his eye fell out. Olidammara no longer cared.
"What do you mean I abandoned one of my followers? I leave her for a few puny days and she wants to kill herself?"
If it were possible, Nerull laughed harder and more horribly. "A few days? Olidammara, you've been locked up in here for five years!"
Olidammara quailed as a wave of icy horror swept over him. He hardly noticed Nerull leave, still laughing so hard his head was in danger of joining his eye on the floor. Olidammara almost cried. How could he, the most faithful of gods, the Laughing Rogue, have abandoned his followers for five years?
As soon as he unfroze, he checked his Prayerbox. Jammed full. Somehow, it had failed to warn him with one of its silly pranks that he had better stop having fun and get down to answering prayers, the business this bloody office was designed for.
Well, he would prove his loyalty to his followers for once and for all. Heironeus had done it and ended up dying for all of his followers, so how hard could it be to live as a human? Olidammara was about to find out.