(8866) Demiurge: Fun facts about the Riverworld:
(8866) Demiurge: I forgot to mention this last time: All men are reborn circumsized. All women are reborn with their maidenheads restored.
(8864) Imhotep: Odd...
(8866) Demiurge: At night, the stars are densely packed, and there are odd luminous gas clouds. There is no moon, but the lights at night are equal to a full moon.
(8866) Demiurge: It rains for about a half hour every night, often with thunder and lightning. The timing is strangely regular.
(8866) Demiurge: There is some native animal life. Mostly various forms of fish. There are also some earthworm-like creatures. The earthworms seem to feed on human excrement.
(8864) Imhotep: Fishing should be good...
(8866) Demiurge: It's very hard to dig. The grass's roots are bound together very very tightly. Almost as if all the grass were one big organism. This makes Imhotep reasses his opinion on the shoreline, since this grass would be very resistant to erosion.
(8866) Demiurge: It's not impossible to dig. But very difficult.
** (8864) Imhotep only knows the Nile, so any river is bound by the rules of Flood-Plant-Harvest. **
** (8868) Sarpedon tries to light a fire. **
(8866) Demiurge: Anyway, we will start up on Day 5, A.R. The first night was difficult. You were probably all more scared than you liked to admit. Many people were crying and wailing, but after a few days it's setted down..
(8866) Demiurge: There are many simple huts erected. Imhotep's is probably much nicer than most. :)
** (8864) Imhotep is proud of his hut. **
(8866) Demiurge: Gwenafra seems to have latched onto Imhotep as a surrogate father, and sleeps in his hut most nights.
(8866) Demiurge: You all get 2 XP, plus 1 for language. You all have the rudiments of Broken level spoken english now.
** (8864) Imhotep attempts to school the girl with building stick structures. **
(8866) Demiurge: Loghu casts a shadow of doubt on all forms of philosophy and religion by shacking up with Martin Bixby. He seems more stunned than anyone. Also, if Sarpedon is teaching spear use, she is learning.
(8866) Demiurge: Any other ideas of what you want to do? You mostly are getting your new settlement organized.
** (8868) Sarpedon teaches "Spear Chucking 101" for Dummies. **
(8868) Sarpedon: Figure out why we're here?
** (8864) Imhotep has built his hut far away from the river's edge, in anticipation of the flood. **
(8866) Demiurge: Kazz is teaching how to create weapons and tools. He is better at the TL0 stuff than Imhotep. :)
(8866) Demiurge: Well, there are lots of theories. The Eqyptians seem to think that the gods have placed them here, awaiting a judgement of some kind. The brits have a very different idea, thinking that "God" has placed them here, awaiting a judgment of some kind.
** (8864) Imhotep wonders why Osiris has not appeared yet. **
** (8868) Sarpedon thinks that this is Apollo's curse. **
(8866) Demiurge: It's hard to get some of them to be productive, since the Gods/God will be showing up to take them away. Any minute now. Any.... minute... now.......
Font is now Sans point size 10
** (8868) Sarpedon tells anyone who will listen that the gods have abandoned us and this is Hades. Deal with it and practice with your spears. **
** (8864) Imhotep laughs at Sarpedon. **
** (8868) Sarpedon doesn't think what he said was particularly amusing. He was serious. **
(8866) Demiurge: Loghu is no more or less talented with the spear than most, but she has a lot of enthusiasm, and so learns quickly.
(8866) Demiurge: It's an english lesson, and you all are practicing in groups, by telling aspects of your past lives.
(8868) Sarpedon: GM, can we ask questions of you about the environment?
(8866) Demiurge: Sure.
(8868) Sarpedon: Just a few things--the mountains are extremely steep, correct? The river had predatory fish it it, is that not so? Finally, what's on the other side of the river? Can we see that?
(8866) Demiurge: Well, do you see the map of the immediate area I put up there? There are a couple of islands there, and they have grailstones. You see them flare up at mealtimes.
** (8864) Imhotep fashions a narrow spear with a needle like tip, and tries to spear a fish in the river. **
(8866) Demiurge: You can see the other side, but it's distant. The grailstones there are flaring up.
(8866) Demiurge: You manage to get one of the smaller ones. There are bigger ones, but they are further out. You caught a glimpse of one out in the deeper water that was the size of a sperm whale.
(8864) Imhotep: "That is a large fish."
(8866) Demiurge: The water is shallow near the edge, but gets very very deep as you go out.
** Sorry, don't understand what a /me's is...
** (8864) Imhotep 's curiousity is getting the better of him. **
(8864) Imhotep: "Sarpedon, can you come here a moment?"
(8866) Demiurge: Anyway, you get a basic overview of history from Martin, if you want to pump him for information.
** (8868) Sarpedon advances to Imhotep's side. "What is it?" **
(8864) Imhotep: "That island, there. Can you swim that far?"
Font is now Sans point size 8
(8866) Demiurge: (Each hex is about a third of a mile. So it's about a mile out.)
(8868) Sarpedon: (Thanks for the clarification. Climbing out: tough. Swimming: Probably suicidal. People on the islands: Likely. Stuff on the other shore: possible.)
(8868) Sarpedon: "Yes."
(8864) Imhotep: "I think we should build a boat, and go to see if there is anything there."
(8868) Sarpedon: "Barring I'm consumed by Poseidon's children."
(8866) Demiurge: (You could probably build a simple raft to get out there.)
(8868) Sarpedon: "Aye. Better than swimming. Do we have the wood for a proper ship?"
(8866) Demiurge: (Anyway, with a raft or boat, you could fish in the deeper waters.)
(8864) Imhotep: "There are the trees, back there. Let me get some of my men to sharpen stones to cut them down."
** (8864) Imhotep begins supervising a team of Egyptians. **
(8866) Demiurge: (You notice that the wood grows extremely quickly after being cut down. All the bamboo you have cut is mostly back.)
(8866) Demiurge: (At least the stuff you cut on the first day.)
(8868) Sarpedon: "That won't make a proper ship! That's a child's toy on a large scale."
** (8864) Imhotep takes a sharpened stone and scrapes the side of the cut tree. "Cut down like this, to make strings to tie with. Tie the logs together like so." **
(8864) Imhotep: "It will make a vessel that will carry us to the island."
(8866) Demiurge: Also, from any minor cuts and gashes you get while working, or see other people get, you realize something. Everyone here has the advantage of Very Rapid Healing.
(8864) Imhotep: (The arrow in the graphic, that means downriver?)
(8866) Demiurge: (Yes, that is the direction of the current.)
(8868) Sarpedon: "Well, anything is better than walking. What do you propose we do with this 'boat' you have in mind?"
** (8868) Sarpedon helps gather the wood, placing a large bundle of it over his shoulder. **
(8864) Imhotep: "I wish to see what is on the island."
(8866) Demiurge: (Normally, when you are healing, you roll your health every day, and a successful roll heals 1 HT. This gives the average HT 10 person one HT every two days on average. You all get +5 to your HT rolls to heal, and you get 2 HT if successful.)
(8864) Imhotep: "Perhaps it contains others like us. Perhaps it contains other resources."
(8866) Demiurge: (Since you only fail a HT roll on a botch, I won't even make you roll, unless there is some cicrumstance to make healing more difficult.)
(8868) Sarpedon: "I think we should carve out a stronghold here and explore up and down the river. The islands are a good place to start."
(8866) Demiurge: (From this distance, it looks pretty bare. Just grass and a couple of grailstones. The other, smaller one seems to have a couple of those giant ironwood trees.)
(8864) Imhotep: "The land is too low here to stay throughout Achet. The floodwater will consume the huts.
(8868) Sarpedon: "See those trees? They would make a wothy vessel."
(8864) Imhotep: "Then we will go to that island and get them."
(8866) Demiurge: (There are more ironwood trees near the mountains, but they are not shown on the map, since they are fairly numerous.)
(8866) Demiurge: (The wood is really really hard. You are not sure you can cut it. If you can, it may be worth it.)
(8864) Imhotep: "Let us try cutting some of those trees."
(8868) Sarpedon: Buoyed by that thought, Sarpedon helps as much as he can.
(8866) Demiurge: (There are other, more normal trees. Regular oak and yew and stuff.)
(8864) Imhotep: "Take a cutting stone, and attach it to a piece of wood like this, then you may swing it and cut deeply."
** (8864) Imhotep attaches a stone to a piece of bamboo. **
(8864) Imhotep: (One good thing about being Egyptian, one is not too reliant on metal.)
(8868) Sarpedon: "An axe? Aye. And it makes a fine weapon as well." Sarpedon hefts it after Imhotep makes it. "Too bad there is no bronze here."
** (8864) Imhotep wishes for some copper. **
(8866) Demiurge: (Good thing, You have seen almost no metal since coming here.)
(8866) Demiurge: (Except for the grails, but they seem to be indestructable.)
** (8864) Imhotep yells out in Egyptian, "Who here is skilled as a carpenter?" **
(8866) Demiurge: A man walks up, raising his hand. (Since I don't know anything about Egypt, I will let you name him.)
(8868) Sarpedon: "Or as a shipbuilder? We may be fortunate..."
(8868) Sarpedon: Knokonwud.
(8864) Imhotep: "Come, you will be able to split these into timbers. But first, we will need tools crafted."
(8868) Sarpedon: Wait Anakhanwut
** (8864) Imhotep shows the axe. **
(8864) Imhotep: (Ha!)
(8866) Demiurge: (Okay, let's not get too silly. hehe)
(8868) Sarpedon: (Couldn't resist.)
(8866) Demiurge: (What are you making? A simple raft? Or something a bit more impressive?)
(8864) Imhotep: (Since we have tougher wood available, something more than a raft, more like a barge.)
(8866) Demiurge: (Surprisingly, Kazz has some basic boatmaking skills, so he is able to help.)
(8868) Sarpedon: (If the Brits get involved, it'll look like the QE2, only made of rough boards.)
** (8864) Imhotep puts Kazz to work with the Egyptian crews. **
(8864) Imhotep: (Heh! Too true, Sarpedon!)
(8868) Sarpedon: "I feel no wind. I fear it will be a long row."
(8866) Demiurge: (One of the british women has woven herself a simple top and skirt out of the grasses. She wears it proudly for about half a day, before the itching forces her to discard it.)
(8864) Imhotep: "We will take many to pole the river, and I shall craft oars for the deeper waters."
(8866) Demiurge: (One weird thing about the Riverworld. Except for human sounds, and the lapping of the river, the valley is eerily silent. No animals, and no insects!)
(8866) Demiurge: (At night, this is the most noticable.)
** (8864) Imhotep is glad not to have to scratch sand flea bites. **
(8866) Demiurge: (The woman in the itchy grass skirt is helping to teach you english. She tried to teach proper table etiquette for a short time, but gave up.
(8866) Demiurge: (She did manage to get Kazz to stop peeing on the ground in front of everyone.)
** (8864) Imhotep uses wood to build a fire, and blackened pieces of wood to draw what he means. **
(8866) Demiurge: (There is also a small stream near the inland grailstone, coming down from the mountain.)
(8866) Demiurge: (What do you draw on?)
(8864) Imhotep: (On the wood, marking how long to make various pieces, etc.)
(8866) Demiurge: (The woman with the ill-fated skirt experiment is called Alice, by the way.)
** (8864) Imhotep follows the stream towards it's source. **
(8866) Demiurge: (Also, since it's the fifth day, you all have hair stubble growing in. Odd side note. The men are not growing facial hair.)
** (8868) Sarpedon shrugs at Alice's attempts to impart manners to barbarians. **
** (8864) Imhotep scratches his head, wishing he had a copper knife to shave it with. **
(8866) Demiurge: (It's basically run-off from the mountain. The mountain seems designed to funnel it into streams every so often.)
** (8868) Sarpedon rubs his naked chin. "Most unusual. This must be the afterlife, though the oracles said nothing of this place." **
(8864) Imhotep: "Curious is the underworld of Osiris."
(8866) Demiurge: The grails tend to give you meals from your homes. But you get surprises now and then. Last night, Sarpedon got tacos.
(8868) Sarpedon: "Bah, that is clearly the River Styx, but it seems to have no magical powers to rob you of your mind."
** (8864) Imhotep laughs. **
(8866) Demiurge: (Wasn't that Lethe?)
(8868) Sarpedon: (Did someone explain tacos to him?)
(8864) Imhotep: "This is the water that Set threw Osiris' body into."
(8868) Sarpedon: (Crap: Correction. The River Lethe is the river of forgetfulness. Anyone remember what the Styx did?)
(8866) Demiurge: (Well, Martin recognized tacos. Your meal also came with tequila, salt and lemon, and Martin showed you how to do a tequila shot.)
** (8868) Sarpedon downs the tequila but misses good wine from Greece. "Only good thing to come from that cursed land." **
(8866) Demiurge: (As you learn english, you find that Kazz's long name means He-who-slew-the-long-white-tooth.)
** (8864) Imhotep chokes on the tequila. **
(8864) Imhotep: "Bah, this is not beer."
(8866) Demiurge: (Well, Imhotep got a standard egyptian meal in his grail that night.)
(8864) Imhotep: (Oh, sorry.)
(8866) Demiurge: (You also got cigarettes, and marijuana. You also get dreamgum at least once a day.)
(8866) Demiurge: (You remember the dreamgum, eh?)
(8864) Imhotep: (Yep...)
** (8868) Sarpedon is beginning to like Kazz. At least there's someone else here who knows how to kill things. **
(8866) Demiurge: At the evening meal, Imhotep gets an odd one. Kangaroo meat, burned on the outside and raw on the inside. Live grubworms of three varieties, tubers. And beer.)
** (8864) Imhotep eats thoughtfully, drinking the beer. **
(8864) Imhotep: "This is strange food. Do you recognize it?"
(8866) Demiurge: Something odd happened that day. Kazz stared at Imhotep oddly and started writing odd angular symbols on the boat.
(8864) Imhotep: "What is he doing?"
(8866) Demiurge: It was a series of symbols. He was staring at Imhotep's forehead. Then she stared at Sarpedon's forehead, and wrote another series of symbols.
(8866) Demiurge: Then, he put the burnt stick in Imhotep's hand, and pointed to his own forehead, as if asking your to write down his.
** (8868) Sarpedon looks at the almost-man and frowns. "I know not." **
** (8866) Demiurge looks frustrated. **
** (8866) Kazz looks frustrated. **
(8868) Sarpedon: "Kazz. What do you want?"
** (8866) Kazz seems to give up. His english isn't good enough to say. **
(8866) Kazz: He tries pointing to everyone's foreheads.
** (8864) Imhotep looks at the symbols, then at Kazz's forehead. **
** (8866) Kazz 's forehead looks normal. **
(8866) Kazz: He points at the first one, then at Imhotep's forehead. Then he points to the second one, then to Sarpedon's forehead.
(8864) Imhotep: "He writes our name upon the boat?"
** (8866) Kazz struggles with his new english. "You.. can't see?" **
** (8864) Imhotep writes the glyphs for Kazz on the boat. **
(8864) Imhotep: (Hieroglyphs are phonetic, mostly.)
** (8866) Kazz shakes his head. "No. You have pictures on head." **
(8868) Sarpedon: "I see nothing."
** (8866) Kazz shrugs his shoulders and gets back to work. **
** (8866) Loghu offers to help with the work. She seems excited about the idea of sailing. **
(8864) Imhotep: "What do you think he sees?"
(8868) Sarpedon: "Perhaps if he looked at himself in still water."
(8866) Loghu: During your english lessons, you discover that she was basically a trophy wife to a rich merchant. She died of a lung infection at 21, and is now excited about her new life. She wants to be a warrior and adventurer, not some rich guy's toy.
(8868) Sarpedon: "Amazon. There are tales of such women."
(8866) Demiurge: At dinner at the end of Day 5, a man named Bill casually mentions that he was present for the destruction of the earth in 2041 AD.
(8868) Sarpedon: "Did you see the gods walk the earth?"
** (8866) Bill considers. Gods aren't as popular in my time. People try to figure out other explanations. But basically a giant rock fell from the sky. A rock the size of an entire country. **
(8882) ganse (enter): 21:15
** (8868) Sarpedon looks incredulous. **
(8864) Imhotep: (Horrendous lag.)
(8866) Demiurge: (Hey! What was the last thing you saw?)
(8882) ganse: Piffle!
(8882) ganse (exit): 21:15
(8864) Imhotep: (I think it caught up.)
(8866) Demiurge: (Did you see Bill?)
(8864) Imhotep: (Nope, doesn't look like it.)
(8866) Demiurge: A man named Bill casually mentioned at dinner that he was present for the destruction of the earth in 2041 AD. :)
(8864) Imhotep: (Ah, I see.)
(8866) Demiurge: (Martin is translating the tough parts for you)
** (8864) Imhotep practices his broken english. "What were the gods angry about?" **
(8868) Sarpedon: (And Sarpedon wanted to know if the gods showed up at the end.)
** (8866) Martin Bixby mentions that they did get to meet a man from the sky. He came from another world, on a ship that travelled between the stars. He tried to warn of the giant falling rock, but too late.) **
(8866) Martin Bixby: "I doubt the gods were angry. More like a random thing, like floods or storms. Only this one was more than the world could take.)
(8866) Martin Bixby: (Sorry. That was Bill talking.)
(8864) Imhotep: "Floods are not random, floods are the gift of Hapi, so that the harvest will be rich."
** (8866) Bill 's full name is Bill Alan Robertson. He lived in america, and was about 70 when he died. **
(8864) Imhotep: (The Nile floods once a year, bringing dark soil, and after the floodwaters recede the soil is planted, and later harvested.)
(8866) Bill: "Anyway, the alien showed up, made a big announcement, even got on TV. Tried to get everyone behind him. But there was arguing. No one wanted to believe him. And by the time we detected it, it was too late to do anything.)
(8866) Bill: (The concepts are basically explained to you.)
(8866) Demiurge: (You have already learned that in later times, technology rose to levels that were basically like magic.)
(8866) Demiurge: (You hear Bill mutter that since he's been here, he can't get the song "Walk Like an Egyptian" out of his head.)
** (8864) Imhotep cannot believe that people would forget Hapi and Osiris. **
** (8868) Sarpedon doesn't care much about this "high technology" concept since it does nothing to solve their problems HERE. **
(8866) Demiurge: (That night, Imhotep gets a strange visitor in his hut.)
(8868) Sarpedon: (Too bad the Brits don't believe they're here because of what they did for world cuisine--kippers.)
(8864) Imhotep: "Who disturbs the rest of Imhotep?"
(8866) Demiurge: (It's a strange figure. He is cloaked in black and his face is obscured. You recognize the cloak. He is the man from the pre-resurrection chamber.)
(8866) Demiurge: (It is storming outside.)
(8864) Imhotep: "What do you wish of Imhotep?"
(8866) Mysterious Stranger: "We don't have long. We must speak before I am detected." He is speaking in basic Greek.
** (8864) Imhotep squints, trying to seem him clearly. **
(8866) Mysterious Stranger: "The creators of this world do not know I am working against them."
(8866) Mysterious Stranger: "They see all of humanity as... an experiment."
(8864) Imhotep: "People as an experiment?"
(8866) Mysterious Stranger: "But I see you different. You are as.. I must use your word. You are as human as we are. Just as your friend Kazz is as human as you, in his way."
(8866) Mysterious Stranger: "I can only help in small ways."
(8864) Imhotep: "What would you have me do, Osiris?"
(8866) Mysterious Stranger: "The answers you seek are at the head of the River."
(8864) Imhotep: "Then there I will journey."
(8866) Mysterious Stranger: "I am not Osiris. As I told you, this world is the work of man. They have arrogantly taken upon themselves the power of the gods."
** (8864) Imhotep looks puzzled. "Are you Set, then?" **
(8866) Mysterious Stranger: "Find people you can trust. Take them with you. It is a long journey to the river's head."
(8866) Mysterious Stranger: "No. I am.... also a man. But one with great knowledge and experience."
(8864) Imhotep: "Then I will journey to the head of the river, and seek the answers there."
(8866) Mysterious Stranger: "Do not spread that you have seen me. If the people who created this world discover you, they will strip your memory of all knowledge of me."
(8866) Mysterious Stranger: "I must go."
** (8866) Mysterious Stranger is gone. **
** (8864) Imhotep ponders this. **
(8864) Imhotep: He is not Osiris and not Set, but a man, who has great knowledge and experience. He must be a Pharoah, and should therefore be obeyed.
** (8864) Imhotep wonders if he will perhaps find the missing Osiris at the head of the river. **
** (8864) Imhotep crawls outside his hut, to look for guidance in the stars. **
(8868) Sarpedon: (Anyone seen the movie Dark City? This reminds me of it.)
(8866) Demiurge: (The stars are strange and unrecognizable. It's a little frightening.)
(8866) Demiurge: (The night sky reminds you more than anything that you are very far from home.)
(8866) Demiurge: You all get up before dawn, and charge your breakfast grails.
(8864) Imhotep: "Sarpedon? Come to the water with me."
(8866) Demiurge: Some people take turns sleeping in, and have friends charge the grails. But it's impossible to sleep though the grailstones firing.
** (8868) Sarpedon rouses himself from slumber. "What is it? The Greeks?" He reflexively grabs his spear and follows Imhotep. **
(8864) Imhotep: "This barge must be modified. We must travel upriver. For that, we will need a sail, and strong men to row when the winds do not blow."
(8864) Imhotep: "I will have the women weave a sail of reeds."
(8864) Imhotep: "I will select ome men to row, strong men who can also fight if needed."
(8864) Imhotep: (s/ome/some/)
(8868) Sarpedon: "Why upriver? I thought we agreed to go to the islands first."
(8864) Imhotep: "I would rather travel up the river now. I fear the fate of Osiris. I shall speak no more of it until we are away."
** (8866) Bill eats nearby singing, "Blonde waitresses take their trays, They spin around and they cross the floor, They've got the moves (oh whey oh), You drop your drink then they bring you more " **
(8864) Imhotep: (Argh!)
(8866) Demiurge: (You see an odd shimmering near the grailstone.)
** (8864) Imhotep inspects the shimmering. **
(8866) Demiurge: The shimmering is replaced by a man. He is lying on the ground with a grail strapped to his wrist. He wakes up, then looks around frantically.
(8866) Demiurge: He speaks quickly. One of the brits can understand him, calling the language "Italian"
(8864) Imhotep: "What does this one say?"
(8866) Demiurge: After the man tells his story, the brit translates. The man awoke like everyone else. He was in an area populated by a short swarthy people. The swarthy people captured everyone who didn't look like them. And three times a day, they would tie one up and put him on the grailstone, After it fired, they would supplement their meals with the body.
(8864) Imhotep: "Uncivilized."
(8866) Demiurge: Yesterday, it was his turn. They put him on the grailstone, and he died. It is now the next morning, and he just appeared here.
(8864) Imhotep: "This is unsettling."
(8868) Sarpedon: "Can he row or wield a spear?"
(8868) Sarpedon: "Or a bow, or an axe? We have no need of the useless."
** (8864) Imhotep selects a few sturdy Egyptians, and a few others that look strong. **
(8866) Demiurge: (He was a Florentine noble. He was an artist, but was also a skilled architect. Better than Imhotep, but he is at a disadvantage with the low technology.
(8866) Demiurge: (His name is Manuelo Toccini)
(8864) Imhotep: "Sarpedon, you must teach those that do not know about the spear."
** (8864) Imhotep oversees the attaching of the sail, and the crafting of the oars. **
(8866) Demiurge: The woman called Alice approaches and asks to join. She stands with her Victorian prim politeness. "I shall learn whatever you have to teach. I have a husband and family somewhere along this River. And I cannot abandon the hope that I may someday find them."
** (8868) Sarpedon sighs and gathers any who are willing AND able to wield spears, fight in formation (sort of a prototype of the phalanx), and elementary tactics. **
** (8864) Imhotep turns to Sarpedon. "Can she be taught?" he asks in Greek. **
(8866) Demiurge: (Sadly, Sarpedon, few of the people here are soldier types.)
** (8868) Sarpedon shrugs. "I should teach slinging as well. Even women can use a sling. It requires no strength." **
(8866) Demiurge: (sarpedon, did you ever finish the character sheet? I don't seem to have it.)
(8868) Sarpedon: "Unfortunately, my training is mostly with spear and sword. Since we do not have metal for swords, spears will have to do."
(8864) Imhotep: "The boat will carry about 20. I will take the girl Gwenafra with me, there is no one to look after her."
(8866) Demiurge: (You are all starting to get nice tans.)
(8868) Sarpedon: "I shall try." (Switching to English) "Come Alice. Learn to use the spear. Pay attention."
(8868) Sarpedon: (GM--I sent you his node instead.)
(8868) Sarpedon: (Rephrase: His OpenRPG sheet.)
** (8866) Alice does not have the same enthusiasm for the spear as Loghu. But she dutifully takes her lessons, and does pretty well. **
(8864) Imhotep: When the boat is ready, Imhotep gathers the selected members onto it, and casts off.
(8866) Alice: (Well, it will take a while.)
(8864) Imhotep: (When have we observed wind?)
(8866) Demiurge: (It's pretty steady. Coming downstream at maybe 5 MPH.)
(8864) Imhotep: (Good thing the river is so wide, so we can tack back and forth to get upriver.)
(8866) Demiurge: (How big will the boat be?)
(8864) Imhotep: (The boat will be a flatbottomed barge, that could carry cargo in Ancient Egypt. It can carry 20 men comfortably enough, provided they don't mind sleeping under the stars.)
(8866) Demiurge: (What is the general design and appearance?)
(8866) Demiurge: (Fair enough. Kazz is unfamiliar with that design, but when you explain it, he catches on easily enough.)
(8866) Demiurge: (How long do you think it will take to build?)
(8864) Imhotep: (Depending on how well the tools hold up, two weeks is not unreasonable. Longer if we have to keep replacing axes and hammers.)
(8866) Demiurge: (Well, lets say a month. It takes a while, since not many people know what they are doing. And you do have to replace your tools now and then.)
** (8866) Gwenefra tries her best to help. **
** (8864) Imhotep has been trying to teach the girl Egyptian, so she can speak properly. **
(8868) Sarpedon: Meanwhile, spear training, small unit tactics, and rudimentary slinging go on. And on. And on.
** (8866) Gwenefra picks up a little egyptian. **
** (8866) Martin Bixby is still half-heartedly trying to get people to try learning Esperanto. **
(8864) Imhotep: "Sarpedon, we must name this vessel before we sail her."
(8864) Imhotep: "You are strong, you walk like a Pharoah. The men will follow you when they are afraid. Therefore, you must captain the vessel."
** (8866) Kazz says, "We need.... what is word?.... We kill man. So gods will not sink ship." **
(8864) Imhotep: "The Gods will not sink the ship."
** (8866) Kazz looks nervous. **
(8864) Imhotep: "The waters have not risen, Hapi is not pleased. I have been praying to him for a good inundation."
(8868) Sarpedon: "The gods favor us, Kazz. I am son of the great Zeus, greatest of the gods. Have no fear."
** (8866) Alice is shicked by Kazz's comment. She has always been nervous around him, **
(8866) Alice: (schicked = shocked)
(8864) Imhotep: "I have faith that Osiris will not allow this vessel to be sunk."
** (8866) Demiurge nods. "Of course, Sarpedon-naq. I will follow." **
(8868) Sarpedon: "This shall be a great quest. May Poseidon grant us speed and safety. Fear nothing. Farewell to the others."
(8864) Imhotep: "Martin Bixby must join us as well. He may speak to others who do not know our language."
** (8866) Martin Bixby is glad to join. **
** (8866) Bill also wants to join. Most of the people volunteering are of the random 10%. Most of the others want to stay with familiar people. **
** (8864) Imhotep scratches the hieroglyphs for "Spear" on the side of the boat with charcoal. **
(8866) Demiurge: By the way...
(8866) Demiurge: On Day 20 A.R. something interesting happens.
(8868) Sarpedon: Sarpedon wants Kazz, suspecting he can "see" things, much like the Oracles. The little girl is welcome as are anyone with the spine to leave this strange place for something better.
(8866) Demiurge: Your grails skip a meal at lunch on Day 20. Instead your grails are filled with towel-like clothes of various colors and patterns.
(8868) Sarpedon: Same with Bill and Martin Bixby. If they want to come, they're welcome, but they better be able to pull their weight (or at least an oar).
(8864) Imhotep: "At last, clothing."
** (8868) Sarpedon makes a kind of tunic out of his towels. **
(8866) Demiurge: They have magnetic tabs on the edges. You can wrap them around your waist to for a kind of kilt. There are also tops that look kind of bra-like. They are in everyone's grail, but are clearly meant for the women.
(8868) Sarpedon: "Curses. If only this were bronze!"
(8866) Demiurge: You discover that the kilt-cloths are light and comfortable. They are also nearly impossible to rip or tear.
(8868) Sarpedon: "Still, better than nothing." Sarpedon tears the bra into strips and makes grips for his spears.
(8868) Sarpedon: (Amend that.)
** (8868) Sarpedon TRIES to tear the bra into strips... **
(8866) Demiurge: Nope. It won't even cut with your flint knives.
** (8864) Imhotep inspects the boat. **
(8866) Demiurge: The boat looks pretty good. I won't bother with lots of roll. I will assume you make a servicable barge. :)
** (8868) Sarpedon wraps the bra around his left wrist. If it can't be cut, his arm can't either! **
(8868) Sarpedon: When given a moment, Sarpedon examines the strange runes that Kazz wrote on the boat.
(8864) Imhotep: "Come, let us take this vessel into the water, and see how seaworthy she is."
(8866) Demiurge: It turns out to be pretty seaworthy. The people are obviously inexperience sailors, but they learn quickly.
(8866) Demiurge: They have to be supervised at first, though. :)
** (8864) Imhotep smiles proudly. **
(8864) Imhotep: "Come, we will sail with dawn. Aten rising will be a good omen."
** (8864) Imhotep mutters a quick prayer to Aten. **
(8866) Demiurge: (Want to close up? It's about 11:30 pm)
(8864) Imhotep: (Yep, good enough)
(8868) Sarpedon: (Sounds like it's a logical stopping point.)