Welcome back, gang. Now with Marcius I had to cheat a bit. Since he was born before the 'trade language' he should only be speaking the evabon language. To get around that I came up with the concept that when it comes to spirits they speak a language understood by everyone, which might make sense. As a voice for Marcius I ended up mentally casting Anthony Hopkins. Also by having Marcius be aware of his predicament it makes him all the more interesting. Enjoy.
The Tale of Marcius
Marcius' spirit, unable to become a celestial, unable to become an eternal, unable to go into a cycle of reincarnation, stood there completely white like he was made from marble. Tygra and Cheetara starred in shock. They didn't know if it was because of the violence in his burial chamber or the fact living people were in his tomb that the spirit stood there.
They both noticed how vaguely Thunderan Marcius' clothing looked. It caused them to wonder if the way Thundera had been during the time of its fall was the way the evabon were during the time of Marcius. It seemed to make sense.
"One of my own kind and two of the kind whose spirits I've been seeing a lot of for the last millennia or so." Marcius moved forward, not as much walking as hovering, moving straight through Sothap and stopping in front of Tygra and Cheetara. "At least I think it was a millennia. I've been here so long, unable to leave my tomb while other spirits pass by."
"Four hundred and ninety three years before the birth of Antaeus." Sothap's muttering was not unheard. Upon hearing this Marcius turned, his body still hovering, no movement at all. No movement from any part of the body, he just turned as if he was on a rotating platform.
"I know of him, although born after my death I know of him." The expressionless look on Marcius' face caused Sothap to be quite nervous. It was like a death mask and Sothap always found masks to be a bit frightening. "He can move on through reincarnation and I can't!" He turned around and looked at Tygra and Cheetara. "My spirit is trapped here and I've just about faded into myth resulting in people like you not knowing my story." Marcius once again turned around to look at Sothap. "I doubt even you know. Well, do you?" Sothap swallowed and nervously shook his head. Marcius had both an expressionless face and voice and Sothap was so nervous that to Tygra and Cheetara, he looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown. "You also don't seem like the patient kind to listen to a long story." Sothap nervously sat down next to Marcius' shrouded body. He just couldn't stand this spirit knowing everything about him. "My tomb is a prison and I can't move on. The life I had has trapped me here." Cheetara moved towards the spirit, hovering before her. A lot of what Marcius was talking about she understood because of her being a cleric.
"May I here your tale?" Marcius turned around, once again and starred at her. He starred at her with critical eyes. To Marcius, she was no more alive than he was.
"In life I was the noblest of my people. A great general of a great empire." Tygra's eyes widened. The description of Marcius' time fit Thundera too well. A great empire! It just didn't seem possible. "I led my city's soldiers against an enemy tribe, filled with nothing more but peach skins!" Marcius was prejudiced. Tygra could tell. Cheetara could tell. They only wondered what his skin color could have been in life. "Finally I was convinced by my to become consul. I was hesitant but I bowed to the wishes of she who convinced me, my mother. I won the support of the commoners and the senate. I was later condemned as a traitor for so much as showing compassion to my enemies by not wanting to kill children. Those who banished me caused me to retort I banished my city from my presence. They were speechless as I left and after being exiled I went to my defeated enemies who embraced me as the victorious conqueror and they allowed me to lead an assault on my city. Emor in it's panic pleaded for me to stop my crusade for vengeance and failed! Then who should come to me bowing but my mother, wife and children. They persuaded me to make a peaceful treaty between Emor, my city, and Icslov, the city of my former enemies. When I returned to Icslov they branded me a failure and a traitor and they killed me!" Tygra and Cheetara didn't know what to say to that. It was just so sad. "I am a traitor, twice over."
"Do you really believe that?" Tygra looked at Marcius. He didn't expect an answer.
"I don't know. I just don't know." Marcius then faded away. Tygra had learned from the spirit that truly no species was perfect. Any species could be prejudiced. But to be considered a traitor twice over? That was something that he couldn't comprehend.