An excerpt from "The Gods Must Be Cranky"

"Oh Great Jisan, the bountiful, our lady of the floods, the people starve. They cannot work and thus cannot follow your dictates. Formerly strong, engergetic men and women languish in the streets. Our fields are dead! We humbly request that you lead us to a way to solve our problem."

"I have told you exactly 143 times that I expect you to solve your own problems. 143 times this year."

"The people don't have the strength. The crops have failed!"

"Oh, all right. Here."

"What's this? A soft rock?"

"It's a potato, foolish priest. It makes a tasty soup. Now stop asking questions! Do I look like Zann the Learned?"

"Actually, oh benificent lady, you have never taken corporeal form, so we do not know. Do you look like Zann the Learned?"

"Begone! And you better plant that potato right, 'cause I'm not giving you another one!"

"Woe! It's a drought! What shall we do? All our new potatoes will die."

"We can't call on Jisan of the floods, she'd be torqued at us for losing her potato. And isn't she still mad at you for that crack about her looking like Zann?"

"Alas, it is true. Each night I pray for spells, each morning I wake up with 117 'Invisibility to Undead' spells. I've never even seen an undead, yet she fills my head with them far beyond it's normal meager space."

"You are cursed. Stupid of you to provoke a storm goddess, they are not known for being overly tolerant. Perhaps you could preach in the streets for a year, on your knees? But back to our greater concern. I had hoped it would not come to this, but I suppose there is nothing to it. Go and wake the high priest. He must cast summon weather and make it rain."

"Can't you send someone else? He gives me the willies. I don't want him to wake up cross and give me the Evil Eye as well."

"No, it will be you. As I have already noted.you are cursed by the goddess, so it can't get much worse for you. Now go! Our people have suffered enough! Besides, the Sultana has promised to convert to any religion which saves the city."

"You just want to be vizier again..."

"I said go!"