This turned into a planning session, really, a lot of OOC tactical discussion near the end.
As a side note, Imhotep has nothing against slavery considering where he's from, Egyptians kept slaves you know. But he is against poor treatment of the slaves, and that's why he's for freeing them from the would-be dictators... Plus, those dictators aren't true pharoahs, as a Pharoah is a god, and he doesn't see any godly behavior there.
And yes, Imhotep really believes the Egyptian mythology... It would not be doing the character justice to do otherwise. Will he ever not believe in it? I doubt it: Egyptians were (and still are) a very proud people, and it's rather difficult to convince them that they are wrong about anything. This is not a judgemental statement, just an observation of culture. Notice that the Egyptians didn't record their military defeats, only their victories.
(614) Demiurge: So when we last left our heroes..... :)
(614) Demiurge: They were sailing upriver, looking for a slave state to overthrow, so they can recruit people to build and crew an even bigger ship? Is that about right?
(613) Imhotep: (Overthrowing dictators is a good thing...)
(623) Sarpedon: (I believe so.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Toying with the idea, anyway. And Imhotep had been visited by the man in rags again.)
** (613) Imhotep has filled Sarpedon in on the dark Pharoah. **
(614) Demiurge: As you sail the river you realize something. People under the age of 6 have not been resurrected apparently. Also the severely retarded or insane have not been reborn.
(614) Demiurge: So, if you have any kids who died before the age of 6, you might have cause for worry.
** (623) Sarpedon keeps sailing. **
(623) Sarpedon: (The history of Sarpedon doesn't go into that. He was in his 60s when he died, though, so I doubt it unless he was a playa.)
** (613) Imhotep keeps an eye on the boat, looking for leaks. Also, watching the shore for signs of anyone able to cut stone or shape metal. **
(614) Demiurge: (Shaping metal is a useful skill, but there doesn't seem to be much metal to shape on this world.
(623) Sarpedon: (Aside from the cannisters, none that we've found, correct?)
(614) Demiurge: (No, and the canisters seem to be unshapable by any means you have found.)
(614) Demiurge: (Trying to think of a good pic to put up there.)
(614) Demiurge: (I notice that Imhotep is a good fisherman.)
(614) Demiurge: (Hmm. How did people make fishing line in the olden days?)
(613) Imhotep: (Only two real sources of food in Egypt, farming and fishing the Nile.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Hair. No kidding.)
(623) Sarpedon: (They often used nets instead.)
** (613) Imhotep teaches Gwenefra to weave some of the reed rope into a fishnet. **
(614) Demiurge: (Well, some people have used the vines on the ironwood trees. They have woven them into threads that can string bows.)
(614) Demiurge: (They could also double as fishing line, I suppose.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Or make slings. Sarpedon could teach them how to make and use both.)
(614) Demiurge: (I know from the books that lots of people fished. I am trying to think of how they did it. hehe)
(614) Demiurge: (What was the date again, last time we checked? How long had you been on the Riverworld?)
(613) Imhotep: When the net is complete, Imhotep will use the net to catch some fish by dragging it behind the boat.
(623) Sarpedon: (Let me check.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Can't find it. Try the logs.)
(623) Sarpedon: (I just noticed that Sarpedon has a 1 point quirk that he hates boats. GM: Should I change it or roleplay it?)
(613) Imhotep: (Didn't you say we were 6 months after waking up?)
(614) Demiurge: (I remember that. It's only Quirk level, so it's not a major hindrance. You can roleplay it if you want, but it's something you can easily overcome.)
(614) Demiurge: (If you want to roleplay it for a while, then change it do something like "Sees boats as a necessary evil" that would be cool. hehe)
(623) Sarpedon: (Gotcha.)
** (623) Sarpedon steels himself as they continue voyaging on this rickety deathtrap of a tub. **
(614) Demiurge: (You can get a lot of the small surface fish easily, but there are a couple of others you wouldn't mind catching. The hornfish, which lives about 100 feet down. It has lots of useful bones, delicious meat, and a 6 inch horn that can be incoporated into weapons.)
(614) Demiurge: (You have seen some fishing communities catch those.)
(614) Demiurge: (Also, there is the dragonfish, which you have caught glimpses of. It would take whaling techniques to catch that, though.)
** (613) Imhotep gets some of the others to help hauling in the net. **
** (623) Sarpedon stares hard at the seas whenever a dragonfish surfaces. He wonders whether Posiedon would punish him for getting one or two of those beasts. **
(623) Sarpedon: (Meanwhile, we keep sailin'. Anyone else have Crosby, Stills, and Nash going through their heads?)
(614) Demiurge: (Um, no. I don't get the joke.)
(613) Imhotep: (Ack!)
(623) Sarpedon: (It's a song they did called "Southern Cross." It's all about sailing.) :)
(613) Imhotep: (What came up in the net?)
(623) Sarpedon: (An old shoe!)
(614) Demiurge: Hmm. Make a fishing roll. :)
(613) Imhotep: (I'm sure we didn't drag a hundred feet down...)
(623) Sarpedon: (Attached to Jimmy Hoffa!)
(623) Sarpedon: (Okay, that joke bombed.)
(613) Imhotep: Fishing: 12: [3d6] -> [6,3,2] = (11)
(614) Demiurge: (No, wait! Jimmy Hoffa is alive again! Maybe some people have some questions for him!)
(613) Imhotep: (It is 3d6, right?)
(614) Demiurge: (You got a decent haul. Several small fishes. What do you plan to do with them?)
** (613) Imhotep shows the others how to clean fish. When they're cleaned, we'll land and build a fire, and cook them. **
(614) Demiurge: (Well, some people are eager to learn this. Others decide to stick with their grails.)
** (613) Imhotep watches the others clean fish, and whispers to Sarpedon, "It would be good for them to know the skills of catching food, if for some reason these grails were to stop working." **
(614) Demiurge: (Hmm. Can you make fish jerky? To be saved for later use?)
(613) Imhotep: (If you dried it properly, yes.)
(623) Sarpedon: Alice would call them "kippers."
(614) Demiurge: (As the months pass, boredom sets in. People are happy to learn fishing and kipper making to pass the time. Also, half the crew has learned basic Esperanto thanks to Martin.)
** (613) Imhotep also teaches people a proper language, Egyptian. **
(613) Imhotep: Or at least the ancient version of Egyptian.
(614) Demiurge: Eventually, during a shore leave, you hear about a slave state. It's a couple of hundred miles upriver. There are a couple of escapees, and a former guard whose conscience got to him, that told you about it.
(613) Imhotep: (How are the spear lessons going?)
** (623) Sarpedon asks about the "rulers." How many of them, how are they armed, how organized, etc. **
(614) Demiurge: You are warned, because it's dangerous to sail past. They tend to send boats out to capture anyone who sails by.
(623) Sarpedon: (As well as can be expected from a bunch of non-professional warriors on a boat.)
(613) Imhotep: "Sarpedon, we should recruit some more fighting men from here first."
(614) Demiurge: It's simple enough. There are two rulers, lots of guards. They recruit warrior types and enslave everyone else. They control a pretty large area. The guards and warriors get lots of extra food and bonus stuff from the captured grails.)
(614) Demiurge: (The rulers of course get everything they want.)
(623) Sarpedon: "Agreed. Our adversaries seem to have some tactics. We could give them a surprise if we had enough warriors. As they sail out to our boat, we surprise them with a hail of arrows. Meanwhile, a detachment attacks their camp."
(614) Demiurge: The slaves are kept locked up, and are kept barely fed.
(614) Demiurge: They are there to open their grails, to get the contents.
(613) Imhotep: "This boat will not support so many. Perhaps we should think of another approach."
(623) Sarpedon: "Or we could go in at night when they are drunk and take them."
(614) Demiurge: (You would be outnumbered. It's grown fairly large.)
(613) Imhotep: "We do not have the time to construct more boats. It would be wise to attack them at night, during the rains. Our noise will be covered by the raindrops."
(614) Demiurge: (The women are kept separate, since they have additional uses.)
(613) Imhotep: "Their guards will not be able to see for a long distance in the rain."
** (623) Sarpedon considers the women, but discounts them. "They would not fight without training. Yes. We must prepare carefully." **
(614) Bill: "I don't know anything about combat, but we can also attack by land, right?"
(614) Loghu: "Yes, we can attack on two fronts, right?"
(613) Imhotep: "That is our only real option. This is not a ship of war, and will not shield us from spears or arrows."
(623) Sarpedon: "My first thought was an attack by land with the ship as a decoy to get them in the water."
(623) Sarpedon: "But Imhotep is correct. This is not a ship of war. We need shields, bows, and better information. We must plan before we fight."
(613) Imhotep: "We must craft more weapons and shields."
(614) Kazz: "Maybe we could pretend to join them. Then we can find out more about them, and attack from inside."
(613) Imhotep: "It is not the desire of ambitious men to allow others to join them."
(623) Sarpedon: "We could not all join them. They would suspect."
(623) Sarpedon: "Perhaps one or two of us. It would be very dangerous."
(614) Kazz: "They need guards and fighters?
(613) Imhotep: "We have one of their guards here, do we not? Should we not ask him of their patterns?"
(614) Demiurge: The guard tells you that basically they capture any boats that sail by. Anyone who looks like a good fighter will be given the option of joining. Usually they will be tested, by having them kill some prisoners. If they refuse, they become slaves.
(613) Imhotep: "Then our approach will be as follows, five men will sail the boat up the river, during the rains. We will place as many fighting men as we are able on as many sides of them as we can. When they focus their attention on the boat, we will attack."
(623) Sarpedon: "Do they have any defenses?"
(623) Sarpedon: "Given some time, we could prepare an ambush. Lead them into a cleft in the mountains and then destroy them."
(613) Imhotep: "Perhaps draw them back downstream, near the shore, where arrows and spears will greet them."
(614) Demiurge: The main palace is heavily guarded of course. There are compounds where slaves are kept, and guards quarters.
(614) Demiurge: There is also a place where the more attractive women are kept. The guards use that place when they are off-duty.
(623) Sarpedon: "We cannot burn the place. Too many slaves would perish as well. If they are men, they want women. If the women 'escaped', they would follow and we would destroy them."
** (614) Demiurge shrugs. "They die. So what? They wake up somewhere else." **
** (623) Sarpedon finds out where the "attractive" women are kept in relation to the guard barracks. How many total are we talking about anyway? **
(623) Sarpedon: "That is an option, friend, but not the best one."
(613) Imhotep: "Then their leaders must not die, we must inflict upon them what they have inflicted upon others."
(623) Sarpedon: "Nor does it do much to swell our ranks with willing recruits."
(623) Sarpedon: "Toss their grails into the deep part of the river. Cut off their hands and feet and continue doing so. Or break their limbs and set them awry so that they will be useless. Let them suffer."
(614) Demiurge: (You have noticed an odd duality in Kazz, because of his tribal upbringing. When he is with his "tribe" he is relaxed, friendly and open. Buy he doesn't seem to consider people outside the tribe to be fully human.)
(613) Imhotep: "Then we must not kill them, only bring them to harm, to incapacitate them."
(623) Sarpedon: "But we put the punishment before the victory. Is there anything else you can tell us?"
(623) Sarpedon: "Kill the guards if we must, but not the leaders."
(613) Imhotep: "We will need many fighters."
** (623) Sarpedon understands that mentality. He doesn't share it, but he understands. **
(623) Sarpedon: "And a plan."
(614) Demiurge: (The area of the slave state is unusual, you hear.)
(614) Demiurge: (The River opens up to a lake with a few islands scattered in it.)
(623) Sarpedon: "And they may not speak a language we understand--should we free the women as a ruse and they cannot obey."
** (623) Sarpedon stiffens at the mention of islands. **
(613) Imhotep: "The guard speaks as we."
(614) Demiurge: (The guard speaks a little bit of english. He was a soldier who died in 2011, but he was from France. His english level is "broken")
(623) Sarpedon: "True. But there is another thought. Perhaps we can reduce the number we have to fight. Perhaps we can lure them out to one of the islands and strand them there. Then our fight will be much easier, particularly if they have starved for a few weeks on the island or have to swim back."
(614) Demiurge: (The guard informs you that there are nine islands. Two of them have grailstones.)
(623) Sarpedon: (How durable are the grailstones?)
(613) Imhotep: "How would we strand them?"
(614) Demiurge: (The grailstones seem to be made of the same material as the grails.)
(623) Sarpedon: "Sail the boat there at night. Lure them out to the island with a fire or some other point of interest. They would not send their entire force. When they land, we leave in the boat while some of us ruin or steal their boats."
(623) Sarpedon: (Never mind. Another brilliant plan shot to hell.)
(613) Imhotep: "Fire is detrimental to wooden boats."
(614) Demiurge: He draws you a map on vellum made from the hornfish's stomach lining.
(613) Imhotep: "We will need man dry reeds."
(614) Demiurge: (The kingdom is on the north half of the lake, near the middle.)
(613) Imhotep: (That is a big lake...)
(614) Demiurge: (Yeah, the water slows down to nearly a crawl there.)
(614) Demiurge: (In case you haven't guessed the little black dots are grailstones. Let me know if any other part of the map needs explaining.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Each hex is how large?)
(614) Demiurge: (A hex is one-third of a mile.)
(623) Sarpedon: (May I use the whiteboard?)
(614) Demiurge: Sure.
(613) Imhotep: "If we were to sail out there during the rain, dry out the reeds during the day, and light a fire at dusk, then we might lure them to us."
(623) Sarpedon: (Is this where the bad guys are?)
(614) Demiurge: I was imagining near the middle of the map.
(623) Sarpedon: (Better.)
(614) Demiurge: (You guys are about a hundred miles downstream now)
(623) Sarpedon: (We could use any one of the islands as a temporary hideout, though the one with the grailstones are probably the best.)
(614) Demiurge: (Unless there are people there already.)
(613) Imhotep: "Then we could light torches from the fires, dump the dry reeds in their boats, and set fire to them."
(614) Bill: "Man, too bad we don't have flaming arrows or something."
(613) Imhotep: "Why should we not use arrows with bundles of reeds?"
(623) Sarpedon: "If only there were pigs. We need fat or oil. Perhaps pitch can be found."
** (614) Alice seems pensive. She has thought about maybe getting into combat, but it suddenly seems real and immediate now. **
(614) Alice: (Some of the larger fish can provide some oil.)
** (623) Sarpedon notices. "Alice. Bravery is something that must be nurtured. You cannot be killed. You cannot be permanently harmed. Pain is temporary. Wounds heal. Glory is forever." **
(623) Sarpedon: "Besides, women like interesting scars." The Lycean king grins.
** (614) Alice smiles. "Of course. I will do what I must. But I wonder. Without the threat of death, does glory still hold meaning?" **
(614) Alice: "Not on themselves!" She laughs.
(623) Sarpedon: "In this place, perhaps not. It holds meaning in your heart and the hearts of your companions."
(623) Sarpedon: "Bah! Be a man, Alice!"
** (623) Sarpedon laughs thunderously. **
(623) Sarpedon: (That's about the only godly trait Sarpedon has--a loud, booming voice.
** (614) Alice smiles. "I suppose I must. My life is very different than I ever imagined. Who would of thought I would be sailing a river on an alien world, weilding a spear, and dressed more scantiliy than a common trollop?" **
(613) Imhotep: "This is not life. This is the first step in the underworld."
(614) Loghu: "I don't know. I feel pretty alive. I breathe. I eat. I piss, shit and fart. I thought in the afterlife that would be left behind."
(613) Imhotep: "We do not always choose the path on which we are set."
** (614) Bill drawls "Of course, being a woman when you fart, it smells like roses and fresh baked cookies." **
(613) Imhotep: "But where such choices are to be made, let us make them with honor."
(614) Alice: "I look forward to when the battle is over. The slaves will be freed, and we will be able to settle down under a roof for a while, whilst we build our ship. I am getting tired of being on that cramped boat week after week."
(623) Sarpedon: "Where do we go from here? If these are the Eleysian Fields, I am disappointed. Perhaps we will find something better, or make something better."
** (613) Imhotep already envisions a larger, more capable vessel. **
(623) Sarpedon: 'Again, the aftermath before the victory. Consider instead how we should separate the enemy, confuse him, delay him, and destroy him."
(614) Demiurge: The guard, who is named Jules, tells that the two rulers are a german man and an ancient roman.
(613) Imhotep: "Their warriors will be distracted by the fires. We must attach ropes to our nets, to catch fish from deep in the water."
(614) Demiurge: The Roman is named Tullius Hostillius.
(613) Imhotep: "We will need the oil."
(613) Imhotep: (Tullius Hostillius?HA
(614) Demiurge: The German is named Hermann Goring.
(613) Imhotep: (Chief of the Luftwaffe?)
(614) Demiurge: That's the name you were told. ;)
(613) Imhotep: (Yikes, we need real strategery...)
(613) Imhotep: (What about our deep fishing?)
(614) Demiurge: (What are you looking for with the fishing?)
** (623) Sarpedon recognizes neither name. **
(613) Imhotep: (Big fish that we can render oil from.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Or some other source of flammable substances such as tar or pitch.)
(614) Demiurge: (Make a fishing roll?)
(613) Imhotep: Fishing: 12: [3d6] -> [4,5,3] = (12)
(613) Imhotep: (Eeep.)
(614) Demiurge: Nice!
(614) Demiurge: With the help of the locals, you get some large fish. You get a hornfish, and a redfish. The redfish has a thick hide that you can make a small amount of leather from.
(623) Sarpedon: (Long John Imhotep.)
(613) Imhotep: (Arrr, matey...)
** (623) Sarpedon likes the thought of armor. Meanwhile, he gets busy organizing a shield manufacturing team. **
** (613) Imhotep tries to figure out how best to use the bones. **
(613) Imhotep: (Points for spears and arrows, naturally. Ironwood for shields.)
** (613) Imhotep supervises boiling the fish bodies and collecting the oil. **
(614) Demiurge: (The hornfish has a nice six-inch horn that would be quite nice on the end of a spear.)
(613) Imhotep: "Sarpedon! Can you make use of this?"
(623) Sarpedon: "Yes!"
** (623) Sarpedon immediately makes "Vunderboy." **
(623) Sarpedon: (Just kidding.)
(613) Imhotep: (HAHAHAHA!)
** (623) Sarpedon immediately makes "Cerberus." **
(613) Imhotep: (The three headed dog guarding the gates of Hades?)
(613) Imhotep: (Vunderspear?)
(623) Sarpedon: (Yep. It's a forked spear with the horn in the middle--sort of like a proto-trident.)
(613) Imhotep: "That should inspire fear in your enemies."
(614) Demiurge: (Nice!)
** (623) Sarpedon tests it on a convenient stack of something relatively soft. **
(614) Demiurge: (Do you have any weapon making skills?)
(623) Sarpedon: "It will do. We will have enough shields soon. We must practice."
(623) Sarpedon: (Yes. Checking...)
(623) Sarpedon: (Armory level 11.)
(614) Demiurge: Ah, cool. Roll!
** (613) Imhotep watches Gwenefra watching the construction of weapons. "These are weapons of war. War is a terrible thing. There is only one thing that mean of great power respect, and that is a greater power." **
(613) Imhotep: "I do not wish you to come to believe that what we will do soon is the answer for every problem."
(623) Sarpedon: [3d6] -> [5,2,1] = (8)
(623) Sarpedon: (Roll under or over?)
(614) Demiurge: (Under. You got it.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Thought so.)
** (623) Sarpedon supervises and crafts weapons and shields. With a little time, he could also make some fish-scale armor! **
(614) Gwenefra: "I've seen fighting before. I've seen buildings burn. I've seen people die. Including myself."
(613) Imhotep: "Good, then you will not wish to repeat the experience."
(614) Gwenefra: "No. No, I don't."
(613) Imhotep: "That is wise. Often, men of power, once defeated, only seek vengeance. Such will be the way of these men, I am sure."
** (613) Imhotep turns his attention back to the weapons. **
(623) Sarpedon: "Then we shall make certain that they cannot do so again."
** (613) Imhotep smiles grimly. **
(614) Demiurge: (Since you are downriver, it's safe to assume you will be approaching from the right side of the map. What was your overall plan again?)
(613) Imhotep: (Get to an island during a rainstorm, dry out the reeds throughout the following day, and light a fire at dusk to attract the bad guys.)
(613) Imhotep: (When they get there, unleash fiery arrows at their boat, and take as many prisoners as possible.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Find a place to hole up. Talk to the locals. They probably don't like their tyranical neighbors. See if they want to help. Observe the bad guys. Train. Hone the plan.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Don't let slip that we're out for blood. They might have spies/friendlies in the area posing as locals.)
(614) Demiurge: (Starting fires will be easy, since the grails give people new firestarters every six months or so. They last about six months, before running out of power.)
(613) Imhotep: (Heh, that's why you're captain!)
(614) Demiurge: (Kazz calls him Sarpedon-naq. "Naq" seems to mean "chief")
** (613) Imhotep watches the training with spears and arrows. **
(614) Demiurge: (Also, I don't know if this will factor in the plans, but those things near the grailstones on the map are the huge ironwood trees. They are only shown near the shore, since they are common when you get closer to the mountains.)
(623) Sarpedon: (I marked on the map a likely island. It's probably populated, though. We could try the large one to the left, but it doesn't have a grailstone. The shore below it has lots of trees for weapons and shields. Maybe for another boat.)
(613) Imhotep: (Good plan. A boat will take time, though, probably a month for another one equivalent to the one we have.)
(614) Demiurge: (The ironwood trees are nearly impossible to get material from, since they are so tough.
(614) Demiurge: (So lets assume the plan is proceeding. What happens first?)
(613) Imhotep: (Load up the boat with arrows with bundles of reeds soaked in oil, spears, and dried reeds.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Let's clarify. Do we ambush the investigating committee or do we land our main force at night near their place, then get a bunch to investigate one of the islands?)
(613) Imhotep: (Option B, it sounds bad for the guys on the island, but probably has a higher chance of success.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Oh, the boat is on the other side of the island waiting to get them out of there. The real heroes get to burn/smash/steal the bad guys' boats.)
(613) Imhotep: (Chances are, they'll send a large portion of their force to the island.)
(613) Imhotep: (Preferably steal the boats.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Personally, I'd opt for steal. That way we have boats without having to build them.)
(613) Imhotep: (Jinx, you owe me a grail-coke.)
(614) Demiurge: (hehe)
(623) Sarpedon: (So that's the plan. Main force waits until the bad guys leave. When they get to the decoy point, they attack the main camp. The decoy team steals the boats and strands the investigating force. I suggest using blue island for the decoy since it's big, far away from their base, and doesn't have a grailstone.)
(613) Imhotep: (Good thinking.)
(614) Demiurge: (Yeah, the one with no grailstone won't be inhabited, for one thing.)
(623) Sarpedon: (They'll either have to swim or starve. Either way, we pick them off later. The decoy island will be a good spot for our staging area the day before the attack.)
(613) Imhotep: (Then that's the plan we go with.)
(614) Demiurge: (So how many fighters are you planning to recruit for the main force?)
(613) Imhotep: (As many as we can get, at least a couple hundred.)
(614) Demiurge: Well, it should be easy. There are many able-bodied men in the area.
(623) Sarpedon: (Agreed. As many as we can recruit. My guess is that these guys raid their neighbors when boats aren't coming by often enough.)
(613) Imhotep: (Much more than a couple hundred, and we'll have communication problems on the battlefield.)
(623) Sarpedon: (We arm them and Sarpedon gives them lessons in large-unit tactics. The boat crew are the commandoes. They have the most training and can work on their own better. The untrained troops will work better with a bunch of their buddies in a phalanx.)
(623) Sarpedon: (The archers and slingers (probably women, mostly) can be more mobile and can shoot and run if need be.)
(614) Demiurge: (By the way, what have you guys been spending XP on?)
(613) Imhotep: (Well, nothing yet... I've still got to spend it...)
(614) Demiurge: (Well, recruiting women is harder. These are mostly women from times when men were the soldiers, and not all are exceptional like Loghu.)
(613) Imhotep: (I'm not too worried about the women.)
(623) Sarpedon: (Same here. I've been a bit busy with my campaign meltdown.) :(
(614) Demiurge: (Hmm. Should we start this? Or is it getting late?)
(613) Imhotep: (Probably next time, it's late here.)
(614) Demiurge: (Yeah, this was mostly a planning episode.)
(614) Demiurge: (2 XP, everyone.)