Corpus Tamrielicum - The Imperial Library

[30.9] KING EDWARD IX
"A taunt like that rates an insult. Mats, that hand is almost worth the viewing price. Five
beautiful Ladies! You don't see them together every day; they're not that fond of one another's
company."
"How'd you know?" Edward demanded.
"Ah, that'd be telling," Moraelyn grinned. "Some things you're supposed to learn for yourself.
That's part of the game. But remember that a good hand's worthless if someone else holds a
better."
"I'm sorry." Edward looked ruefully at the few remaining coins.
"No matter. It's foolish to play with Mats on those nights when the God of Luck himself
stands at his shoulder and all I have at mine is a runaway Breton prince who should be in his
bed. He'd have had that money off me i' the end. This way we'll get a bit of sleep."
"Spoilsport," Mats grumped. "It's not every night Sai visits me and I do enjoy his presence."
"He can leave as quickly as he comes. Sai's not someone you want to get overfond of, Mats."
"Who should know that better than I? Nay, do not apologize. I appreciate your concern for
me, my friend. It's not altogether unwarranted, but I am mindful of the temptation. I know
how undependable Sai's favor is, and how capricious. I play only among my friends, whom I
do trust."
"Goodnight, then." Moraelyn and Mith went off to join those who were already asleep,
leaving Mats and Beech and Edward by the fire. The dark elves' natural sleep pattern was a
period of five or six hours during the day, and a short nap of two or three hours after
midnight. Now that they were travelling, they were sleeping only at night, which was a
difficult adjustment for Mith and Moraelyn, who had to use spells to cope with it. Edward had
slept a bit as soon as they had stopped for the night, while the others prepared supper. In
consequence he was now wide awake. Beech was yawning. Mats seemed to require less sleep
than the rest.
"Tell me about Sai, Mats. I've never heard of him before. I didn't know there was a god of
luck. I thought luck just happened."
"Being as you're Breton, I can understand that. Bretons like things explained, clear and
reasonable, in sequence, so one thing follows from another, and you know where you are.
Most gods are like that. They lay down rules and if you obey them and pay homage to the
god, why then he or she grants you favor. And the better you keep the rules and the more you
worship the god, the higher you rise in his favor. Those rules aren't always easy to keep, and
one god's rules may require you to violate another's but you know where you are. Well, Sai's
not like that. He's not a daedra, but he's got a daedric side to him, for sure. One thing, if you
worship him too much, he'll abandon you altogether. They call it 'Sai's Affliction'. It's an
overwhelming desire for the god's constant presence. My father suffered from it, poor man.
The disease is more than just a desire for the god's presence. The sufferers require continual
proof of the god's favor. So they gamble incessantly. Not to win, for all they do with winnings
is keep on gambling until they lose. Then they do what they must to raise a stake so they can
gamble again.
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