the city and beyond
that to the lesser villages all the way from A-lur to Tu-lur.

The real god had come--Jad-ben-Otho himself, and he had espoused the
cause of Lu-don, the high priest. Mo-sar lost no time in placing
himself at the disposal of Lu-don, nor did he mention aught about his
claims to the throne. It was Mo-sar's opinion that he might consider
himself fortunate were he allowed to remain in peaceful occupation of
his chieftainship at Tu-lur, nor was Mo-sar wrong in his deductions.

But Lu-don could still use him and so he let him live and sent word to
him to come to A-lur with all his warriors, for it was rumored that
Ja-don was raising a great army in the north and might soon march upon
the City of Light.

Obergatz thoroughly enjoyed being a god. Plenty of food and peace of
mind and rest partially brought back to him the reason that had been so
rapidly slipping from him; but in one respect he was madder than ever,
since now no power on earth would ever be able to convince him that he
was not a god. Slaves were put at his disposal and these he ordered
about in godly fashion. The same portion of his naturally cruel mind
met upon common ground the mind of Lu-don, so that the two seemed
always in accord. The high priest saw in the stranger a mighty force
wherewith to hold forever his power over all Pal-ul-don and thus the
future of Obergatz was assured so long as he cared to play god to
Lu-don's high priest.

A throne was erected in the main temple court before the eastern altar
where Jad-ben-Otho might sit in person and behold the sacrifices that
were offered up to him there each day at sunset. So much did the
cruel, half-crazed mind enjoy these spectacles that at times he even
insisted upon wielding the sacrificial knife himself and upon such
occasions the priests and the people fell upon their faces in awe of
the dread deity.

If Obergatz taught them not to love their god more he taught them to
fear him as they never had before, so that the name of Jad-ben-Otho was
whispered in the city and little children were frightened into
obedience by the mere mention of it. Lu-don, through his priests and
slaves, circulated the information that Jad-ben-Otho had commanded all
his faithful followers to flock to the standard of the high priest at
A-lur and that all others were cursed, especially Ja-don and the base
impostor who had posed as the Dor-ul-Otho. The curse was to take the
form of early death following terr