Sphinx/dialogue

Speaking to the Sphinx without a cat. Speaking to the Sphinx with a cat. Start of dialogue that only appears if you are wearing a Catspeak amulet. End of dialogue that only appears if you are wearing a Catspeak amulet.
 * Player: Good day.
 * Sphinx: You have the feel of a cat person about you. Do you look after one?
 * Player: Yes, but I don't bring it to harsh places like this.
 * Player: Yes, but I don't bring it to harsh places like this.
 * Sphinx: A pity; they can be of great help in some adventures. I would like to talk to your cat. Would you bring it to me?
 * Player: I might, but I have a few things to sort out first though.
 * Player: No, you are mistaken.
 * Player: No, you are mistaken.
 * Sphinx: Really? I'm generally quite good at knowing these sorts of things.
 * Player: Yes, but I've left mine in the bank.
 * Player: Yes, but I've left mine in the bank.
 * Sphinx: What? That's no place for a cat!
 * Player: Good day.
 * Infobox: The Sphinx ignores you.
 * Sphinx: Ah, how interesting...a cat. Come here to me, kitty.
 * Cat: Meow.
 * Infobox: Your cat and the Sphinx converse in a yeowling language for a short time.
 * Sphinx: Do you think that you'll be able to communicate with me at a deeper level because you're wearing that amulet of catspeak?
 * Player: Ummm, yes.
 * Sphinx: Foolish human, am I not part human? (The Sphinx shakes her head in bemusement)
 * Player: I need help.
 * Sphinx: What with? Your cat tells me that you have held The Devourer at bay.
 * Player: I need help with The Devourer.
 * Player: I need help with The Devourer. I haven't defeated her.
 * Sphinx: I hope that you will come to the understanding that not all the world's problems can be solved by an individual. You've done your bit; it's now up to the Menaphites and the priests of Icthlarin to solve this standoff.
 * Sphinx: I have to confess that, despite myself, I am impressed by your actions. I may have some work for you at a later date.
 * Player: Can you tell me about the gods of the Menaphites.
 * Player: Can you tell me about the gods of the Menaphites.
 * Sphinx: I suppose I could spare a moment or two. Who do you want to know about?
 * Player: Tell me about yourself.
 * Player: Tell me about yourself.
 * Sphinx: I am an agent of neither good nor evil. I am unconcerned with the plight of mankind and their petty wars and beliefs.
 * Player: Well, now that you've told me what you're not, can you please tell me who or what you are?
 * Sphinx: I am the guardian of feline kind
 * Player: Why would they need a guardian
 * Sphinx: Cats play a significant role in the religion of this area, particularly when it comes to guarding the dead from The Devourer.
 * Player: The Devourer?
 * Sphinx: She's the very incarnation of destruction. I would think you remember her from your previous activities.
 * Player: Can I ask about someone else?
 * Goes back to Sphinx: I suppose I could spare a moment or two. Who do you want to know about?
 * Player: Thanks, I think I have a better understanding of this place.
 * Player: Thanks, I think I have a better understanding of this place.
 * Player: Tell me about the major gods.
 * Player: Tell me about Tumeken.
 * Player: Tell me about Tumeken.
 * Sphinx: Tumeken is the chief god of the area. You could say that you see him wherever you look but never notice him.
 * Player: So he's the god of this land. The desert is a harsh place; would that make him friendly or unfriendly? Or will you say, 'both', as usual?
 * Sphinx: You begin to understand. The desert is indeed harsh but it protects us from outsiders. Outsiders generally mean us no good, so he protects Menaphos through this harshness.
 * Sphinx: You humans have a saying, 'you have to be cruel to be kind', it seems to fit Tumeken.
 * Player: If he is so powerful, why doesn't he get involved more? After all, I've had to do some missions where a deity could have polished off miraculously.
 * Sphinx: Well, if you can imagine the force of the desert, it's not exactly a subtle instrument. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut...especially when you can be persuaded to help?
 * Player: Sounds a bit lazy, really.
 * Sphinx: It's lucky that he prefers to spend his time with Elidinis rather than smiting you.
 * Player: Can I ask about someone else?
 * Goes back to Sphinx: I suppose I could spare a moment or two. Who do you want to know about?
 * Player: Thanks, I think I have a better understanding of this place.
 * Player: Thanks, I think I have a better understanding of this place.
 * Player: Tell me about Elidinis.
 * Player: Tell me about Elidinis.
 * Sphinx: The Menaphite pantheon is made up of four main deities.
 * Player: Hang on... Pantheon? Deities? What are you talking about?
 * Sphinx: Sorry, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. A pantheon is the collective name for the gods or deities of a group of people.
 * Sphinx: The main god which the Menaphites worship is called Tumeken. His wife, Elidinis, is the god of fertility and growth.
 * Player: Does she have anything to do with the river?
 * Sphinx: That's very observant of you. The river Elid is named in her honour as it brings growth and life to the area during times of flood.
 * Sphinx: Some might also phrase it that she is named after the river, or that she is the river. It's a common area of theological debate.
 * Player: So where do the other two main deities fit in?
 * Sphinx: Tumeken and Elidinis had two children: Icthlarin and The Devourer.
 * Player: Tell me about Amascut.
 * Player: Tell me about The Devourer. With a name like that, it's no wonder she turned out to be messed up.
 * Sphinx: She was not always called such. She is thought of by her deeds, now, rather than her name.
 * Sphinx: The Devourer is the goddess of destruction; she craves only to destroy things.
 * Player: I thought someone said she wasn't evil?
 * Sphinx: Fire destroys, but is that evil?
 * Player: Um, no, but it also creates heat.
 * Sphinx: Okay, we could have an overlong theological debate now, but to get to my point, recently - well, in the last age or so - The Devourer has taken to destroying humans.
 * Player: And...?
 * Sphinx: Not just killing them; totally destroying them, body and soul. This has brought her into conflict with Icthlarin.
 * Player: Ah hah, I see where this is going: the cats are used to protect the dead from The Devourer.
 * Sphinx: Indeed, The Devourer is terrified of cats for reasons I will not explain. Her followers - although few in number - are not, so I have to watch for them in my role as protector of cats.
 * Player: Tell me about Icthlarin.
 * Player: Tell me about Icthlarin.
 * Sphinx: I ensure the survival of cats and, for this service, Icthlarin grants me eternal life.
 * Player: So, then, you are a follower of Icthlarin?
 * Sphinx: Nothing of the sort. As I've said before, I have no interest in humans. I look after my kind and, for that, Icthlarin looks after me.
 * Player: So you protect the good cats against the follower of the bad god, the Devourer? That I can understand, at last.
 * Sphinx: No, it's not really that simple. Neither are either good or bad. Icthlarin is the god of the dead and takes care of the passing of souls from one plane to another.
 * Sphinx: He once even was worshipped by the Mahjarrat but they turned away from him in the Third Age to follow Zamorak.
 * Sphinx: Or maybe it was Zaros to whom they turned; it was a long time ago and not that important. Suffice to say, Icthlarin cares for the dead rather than creating them.
 * Player: Tell me about the minor gods.
 * Player: Tell me about Scabaras.
 * Player: Tell me about Scabaras.
 * Sphinx: The Sect of Scabaras: a cult dedicated to the lesser deity Scabaras.
 * Player: What's a lesser deity?
 * Sphinx: The book of Light and Day says that Tumeken once fell into a deep sleep and dreamt for four days and four nights. The first night he slept and dreamt a good dream. He dreamt of a journey long and arduous. From the loins
 * Sphinx: of his subconscious, Apmeken was born into reality, a physical manifestation of his dream. Tumeken continued to have pleasant dreams for a further two days and two nights. After each, a new deity came into being. On the
 * Sphinx: fourth night, however, Tumeken dreamt a bad dream. He dreamt of himself and he dreamt of his increasing isolation caused by his extended sleep. This isolation sprung forth into the world and took on the form of Scabaras.
 * Player: Okay, you could've just said...'a dream' or something. Where were we?
 * Sphinx: Yes, the followers of Scabaras used to be great architects of the subterranean. According to legend, they once planned to build a passage under the river lid. No doubt Elidinis smote them because none of the followers were ever seen again.
 * Player: That sounds interesting. Do they have any altars or temples left in the city?
 * Sphinx: Yes, there is a shrine dedicated to Scabaras in the Temple of the Lesser Gods in the north-east of this city. Jex there might know more about the minor deities.
 * Player: Tell me about Het.
 * Player: Tell me about Het.
 * Sphinx: Het is the lesser deity concerned with strength and physical health. Sophanem is the city of the dead. so Het isn't worshipped much here.
 * Player: Can you tell me any more?
 * Sphinx: Yes, there is a shrine dedicated to Het in the Temple of the Lesser Gods in the north-east of this city. Jex there should know more about Het.
 * Player: Tell me about Crondis.
 * Player: Tell me about Crondis.
 * Sphinx: Crondis is the lesser deity of resourcefulness and unassuming cunning. She has the head of a crocodile, which I don't see as being physically pleasant.
 * Player: Coming from a mixed up creature like yourself, that's an interesting criticism. Any other information you can impart?
 * Sphinx: There is a place sacred to Crondis in the Temple of the Lesser Gods in the north-east of this city. Jex there should know more about this deity.
 * Player: Tell me about Apmeken.
 * Sphinx: Apmeken has the head of a monkey and is the incarnation of friendship and jest. Good for a chat, but prone to exaggeration, by all reports.
 * Player: You've met Apmeken?
 * Sphinx: That's for me to know and you to contemplate. By all accounts she's a feisty thing. It is said that, during Tumeken's Dream, she scampered upon Tumeken's very shoulders.
 * Player: What did Tumeken do?
 * Sphinx: Turned her into a deity, of all things. I'm sure Jex at the Temple of the Lesser Gods can give more information, should you seek it.