(16) Demiurge: Okay. Some fun facts about Riverworld. In your grails, you get the packets of crystals. If you pour them in water, the water boils within seconds, and becomes coffee or tea. :)
(16) Demiurge: (The packets could become nice little scraps of paper to write on.)
(16) Demiurge: Also, in the 8 months or so you have been here, there have been no illnesses, and no pregnancies. Sex becomes less problematic as a result. :)
(20) Sarpedon: (Heh.)
(11) Imhotep: (So, we get a scouting party together, no more than 4)
(20) Sarpedon: (Sarpedon will go. Imhotep could give advice on how the place is built. I think Kazz has stealth skills. Anyone else?)
(11) Imhotep: (Not sure who else to suggest. Somebody good with a spear.)
(16) Demiurge: (Loghu is good. Or we could come up with a random warrior guy.)
(11) Imhotep: (Stick with the named NPC... Heh!)
(16) Demiurge: (Or just the three of you, if you have some old-fashioned no-women rules.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Yeah! We need a hot babe with us.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Unless she does cliche dumb things like scream at the worst possible time.) :)
(11) Imhotep: (Let's hope not.)
(16) Demiurge: Sarpedon: "Hmmm... Maybe Martin can have some kind of.... accident. And she would find solace in the arms of the noble... Sarpedon..."
** (11) Imhotep grins at Sarpedon. **
(16) Demiurge: (Just kidding)
(11) Imhotep: (Ok, we've got a scouting party, let's stick to the trees, and see how close they keep their patrols.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Heh, if he learned ANYTHING from the siege at Troy, it's that pretty women are trouble!)
(16) Demiurge: (hehe)
** (20) Sarpedon leads. He tries to keep out of sight and not get too close. **
** (11) Imhotep tries to keep quiet and unseen. **
(16) Demiurge: (So, who is coming? Imhotep, Sarpedon, Loghu and Kazz?)
(11) Imhotep: (Yep.)
(16) Demiurge: (Okay, and this is land based?)
(11) Imhotep: (Yep.)
(16) Demiurge: (At night?)
(11) Imhotep: (We'll probably be better off at night, we have a small chance of being taken for animals.)
(16) Demiurge: (Bear in mind, that since there are no land animals of apprieciable size, or birds or insects to make noise, any sound you make will be especially noticable.)
(11) Imhotep: (Well, yes, but let's face it, these people were born on earth, and old habits die hard.)
(16) Demiurge: (I already pointed out that the Riverworld is eerily silent, especially at night. The only sounds are human ones, and river lapping. There is a weird lungfish called a Croaker that climbs on shore and eats excremenr, but that's an exception.)
(16) Demiurge: (True, but you have been on the Riverworld for about 8 months, and you know how eerily silent the nights can be.)
(20) Sarpedon: (So THAT'S their solution to waste management!)
(11) Imhotep: (Heh!)
(20) Sarpedon: (We'll watch from a distance during the day and get closer at night.)
(16) Demiurge: (There are also earthworms that serve a similar function.)
(16) Demiurge: (Martin pointed out that every animal on this world seems to, directly or indirectly, support human life. Like the planet, and it's native life, was purposefully built for you to live on.)
(20) Sarpedon: (We're looking for overall strength, size and number of patrols, what the compound looks like, possible points of entry, weaknesses, obvious leader-types, anything sloppy, anything really efficient, etc.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Oh, and armament levels and types. If they have machine guns, we need to rethink this.)
(11) Imhotep: (But mostly, we're looking for the 'Super Secret Escape Tunnel Reserved for PC Use')
(20) Sarpedon: (Hah! And fortifications. If we can bypass them, we're halfway there.)
(16) Demiurge: Well, there are some guard posts, but not many. There are patrols though. Fairly regular. They look like they are in the process of building a fence. It's incomplete though.
(16) Demiurge: There are slaves doing the work. They are guarded, but not heavily. They know that the slaves are not going too far without their grails.
(16) Demiurge: There is a building in the center, which is nearly a palace. Very nicely built. There is a building on the opposite side that is medium sized, and VERY well guarded.
(16) Demiurge: The palace is very well guarded but the other medium place is guarded extremely well.
(20) Sarpedon: "That's probably the harem.)
(16) Demiurge: (IQ roll?)
(20) Sarpedon: "
(11) Imhotep: "King's quarters?"
(20) Sarpedon: [3d6] -> [1,6,5] = (12) base 11.
(20) Sarpedon: (D'oh!)
(16) Demiurge: (Cool. The most highly guarded place is likely used for storing grails.)
(11) Imhotep: "If that is what they value, then they must be brought to believe they are in danger."
(16) Demiurge: There are various buildings about the sides, which are slave quarters. You see slaves being led to and from work projects.
(16) Demiurge: (They obviously value the grails. A grail slavery state pretty much depends on taking and controlling someone else's grail.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Then my blown "harem" roll is perfect! Sarpedon's thinkin' about T&A.)
(11) Imhotep: "We must either steal them, which is unlikely, or make them believe they are about to be stolen."
(16) Demiurge: (Anyone can escape if they really want to, via the Suicide Express. They will wake up with a new grail, in a new place. But it's hard to do. Even if you have the mental strength to do it, you might not want to leave behind friends and family.)
(20) Sarpedon: "Nothing can harm them. We could burn the place without fear of lasting damage."
(11) Imhotep: "Are you suggesting killing all the slaves?"
(20) Sarpedon: (Harm the grails, specifically.)
(11) Imhotep: (Oh.)
(20) Sarpedon: "No, the grails. We could burn the grail storage. We need the slaves."
(11) Imhotep: "That is true, how much oil do we have?"
(16) Demiurge: (You have enough to light some arrows. You don't have 55-gallon drums or anything.)
(16) Demiurge: (But you have a fair amount)
(11) Imhotep: (What is the building made of?)
(20) Sarpedon: (Just our luck: asbestos trees.)
(16) Demiurge: (hehe. Nope. Wood burns here.)
(16) Demiurge: (It's a wooden building, with a sort of thatch roof.
(11) Imhotep: "Flaming arrows would be put out quickly by those guards."
(11) Imhotep: "But the roof would burn quickly."
(16) Demiurge: (True, the building is fairly close to the river, and they have buckets nearby)
(11) Imhotep: "The fire would take up a lot of attention, and the soldiers would have to decide whether to fight or fight the fire."
(20) Sarpedon: "Let them fight it first. Get them tired. Then attack in force when they are distracted.)
(20) Sarpedon: "
(11) Imhotep: "That is wise."
(11) Imhotep: "Do we have many skilled with arrows?"
(16) Loghu: "What if they don't fight the fire? What if they let it burn? They know the grails won't be damaged, and the building can be rebuilt."
(20) Sarpedon: "Some. They can hit a building."
** (20) Sarpedon chuckles. **
(20) Sarpedon: "They'll have to worry about guarding all those grails. They want to avoid a slave revolt. It took time to build it. They have buckets there, too. They'll fight the fire."
(11) Imhotep: "The building has some value, as a place to store the grails. They will not be ready to abandon it."
(11) Imhotep: (Jinx...)
(20) Sarpedon: (Snap!)
(16) Loghu: "Abandon, no. But I don't think they will completely ignore the attack. They probably aren't stupid."
(20) Sarpedon: "Agreed. That is why a slinger with a good eye can put a few hot stones on the roof without much chance of being spotted."
(11) Imhotep: "No, they will not. But they will protect their investment, and will not be able to field their entire force against us."
(20) Sarpedon: "Stones heated in a fire work well. Dipped in oil and set alight works, too."
** (16) Loghu nods. **
(11) Imhotep: "If all the arrows could be fired at once, the flames will be great. High flames will draw attention."
** (16) Kazz is a great spear fighter, but a rotten shot with any distance weapons. **
(20) Sarpedon: "We have a good idea of what they are about. It is a good thing they haven't completed the wall. That was their first mistake. Build the wall first, then build the palace."
(20) Sarpedon: (Kazz is Sarpedon's sidekick! Short, hairy, and cool.)
(11) Imhotep: "Let us select archers, thirty or fourty, who can hit the building."
(16) Demiurge: (The wall almost seems like an afterthought. They had patrols, and were still deciding whether to expand. Now they are settled.)
(11) Imhotep: "Sarpedon, we are forgetting something."
(11) Imhotep: "We have not seen these people fight."
(20) Sarpedon: "I know. Do you wish to challenge one to a duel?"
** (20) Sarpedon smiles broadly. **
(11) Imhotep: "No. Perhaps an opportunity to observe them will be presented."
(11) Imhotep: "I think they will use the slaves in their front lines. They slaves will not wish to fight, and should be easy to defeat. The commanders may be more of a challenge."
(16) Demiurge: (Well, there are some open areas, that could be used for combat practice, but there doesn't seem to be anything happening.)
(11) Imhotep: (s/They/The/)
** (20) Sarpedon continues to study the area. **
(20) Sarpedon: (What are the guards armed with?)
(16) Demiurge: (Spears, mostly. You don't see many archers. There are a lot of boats near the shore, and a couple patrolling the lake. They seem to be searching for travellers to capture and enslave.)
(11) Imhotep: (How large are the boats?"
(20) Sarpedon: "They patrol the lake. Good. They will be the first to see our distraction. We must make it irresistable to their leaders. Separate the leaders from the pack and the pack will flee."
(11) Imhotep: "That is a good plan."
(16) Demiurge: (Fairly small. They are meant to be quick, and carry small groups of warriors.)
(11) Imhotep: "They will likely send two boats to our distraction."
(11) Imhotep: "We must have enough fighters in place there to survive."
(20) Sarpedon: "If my diversion is successful, I think they will send more than two."
(16) Kazz: "What's the diversion?"
(20) Sarpedon: "My friend, we need enough fighters there to man the boat, keep them from closing upon our boat, and steal theirs. Archers would be the best choice."
(11) Imhotep: "Yes, I think you are correct."
(20) Sarpedon: "Kazz, all warriors have symbols. These symbols mark friend from foe. They are used in banners or flags, sometimes on sails of ships. We simply need to find out what symbols the leaders--this Ro-man and this Ger-man revere. What symbols they recognize as friends. Fly that symbol and I'll wager my spear that at least one will go personally to investigate."
** (11) Imhotep nods at Sarpedon. **
(16) Demiurge: (They don't seem to have any friends, from what you hear. And it's hard to make medals or distictive clothes or flags.)
(20) Sarpedon: (I'm thinking that Bill would know what kind of flag would get a Nazi interested.)
(16) Demiurge: (True. hehe)
(20) Sarpedon: (I'm thinking of a big burning swastika on the island. That should get their attention.)
(16) Demiurge: (Niiice!)
(11) Imhotep: (Heh, I guess we're not going for subtlety there!)
(20) Sarpedon: (My guess is the Roman eagle is too tough to make out of wood--hah!--and it didn't become widely used until later in Rome's history.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Hey, it's a diversion! It's supposed to get them split up.)
(16) Demiurge: (True. He was an early guy.)
(11) Imhotep: (Shall we put our plan into action, then?)
(20) Sarpedon: (No points for subtlety here! Only victory. Rah rah rah!)
(20) Sarpedon: (Yes.)
(11) Imhotep: (It's easy to see that you were a warlord style king, heh!)
(20) Sarpedon: We leave and get picked up by the boat. After returning to the island, Sarpedon has a chat with Bill and any other 20th century-types. He's looking for buttons to push that will get the leaders to react.
(16) Demiurge: (Well, the swastika comes to mind, obviously.)
(16) Demiurge: (and now.. cheesecake.)
(11) Imhotep: (email me that pic, and I'll post it on the Riverworld page.)
(16) Demiurge: Hm. Okay. Want me to email some maps too?
(11) Imhotep: (Sure, I'll post 'em.)
(16) Demiurge: So what will you do? Build a giant wooden swastika?
(11) Imhotep: (Ok, we're dropping off our poor distractionary force, laying out a swastika with dried reeds. They'll set it on fire at dusk.)
(20) Sarpedon: (We're attacking at night?)
(11) Imhotep: (At dusk. They're eyes won't be adjusted.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Actually, that's a good idea. They won't see us coming.)
(16) Demiurge: (Will the be able to see it? They will see the fire, but not the shape of it, unless it's standing up somehow.)
(11) Imhotep: (S/They're/their/)
(20) Sarpedon: (My thought was a giant swastika on some 30' poles.)
(11) Imhotep: (Maybe an ironwood frame, then.Should be easy enough to build one.)
(11) Imhotep: (Dried reeds will burn brightly.)
(16) Demiurge: (Ironwood is nearly impossible to get from the tree, sadly. regular wood would be better.)
(11) Imhotep: (Whatever wood we can build quickly, then.)
(11) Imhotep: (Won't matter, since it just needs to burn for about 30 minutes.)
(16) Demiurge: What island are you building on? The ones with grails on them have guard posts.
(16) Demiurge: (Since people can stay there for long periods.)
(11) Imhotep: (Largest one without a grailstone.)
(16) Demiurge: (at least on that side of the river)
(16) Demiurge: (I assume you sail at night, and silently.)
(16) Demiurge: (They immediately go after any boats they see.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Correct. All of this is done at night or far out of sight.)
(16) Demiurge: (Good. Well, you lie low on the island till dusk. You probably have some fish or something to eat, since you don't have a grailstone.)
(11) Imhotep: (Lots of kippers left over, I'm sure.)
(16) Demiurge: (Okay, at dusk you set it off?)
(11) Imhotep: (Yep.)
(16) Demiurge: (What happens then?)
(11) Imhotep: (They'll naturally investigate, the force on the island attacks, and steals or sabotages the boats. The ground force attacks the grail building with fiery arrows, and our spearmen charge.)
(16) Demiurge: Well, they do investigate. They send out a few boats to you.
(20) Sarpedon: (They try to entice the slaves to revolt while they're at it!)
(16) Demiurge: (The slaves will likely be weak from hunger, unless they have been on a work force.)
(11) Imhotep: (Yep! Liberate as many slaves as possible, and rally them to fight however they can, using fists or throwing rocks.)
(16) Demiurge: (They are given a little extra food in that case.)
** (20) Sarpedon gets Kazz and Loghu to hide in the shallows with him. They wait, mostly submerged, for the bad guys to beach their boats and disembark. **
(20) Sarpedon: (Wait a sec. Are we supervising the main assault or the diversion?)
(16) Demiurge: (I thought you guys were lighting the swastika. Which are you doing?)
(11) Imhotep: (I thought you and I would be with the ground force.)
(16) Demiurge: (Okay. Who is doing the diversion? Just some fighter guys?)
(20) Sarpedon: (We shouldn't both be at one spot.)
(11) Imhotep: (Ok, I'll go with the ground force.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Arguably, Sarpedon would be the best choice to pull off the bait-and-steal part, but he also should lead the main attack.)
(16) Demiurge: (Yeah, he is the Fearless Leader.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Can't be in two places at once, though.)
(11) Imhotep: (To inspire and rally the slaves, you'd probably better lead the ground force, then.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Okay. What about the diversion party?)
(16) Demiurge: (Will Imhotep be on the diversion team?)
(11) Imhotep: (If Sarpedon is leading the ground force, yeah.)
** (20) Sarpedon leads his "army." **
(16) Demiurge: (Okay, Imhotep, three boats come out. They are filled with warriors. Who are you with on the island, and what are you doing?)
(11) Imhotep: Most of us will be concealed in the water, in rushes or reeds. The rest of the fighting force will be concealed on the island, to attack once the boats are dealt with.)
(16) Demiurge: The island is fairly large. But it's has some trees and brushes, so hiding isn't too big a deal.
(16) Demiurge: So, when you attack, Sarpedon, what buildings get attacked first?
(20) Sarpedon: (We wait until the boats are out of sight. Then we hit the grail warehouse. We try to get it lit with hot stones first--the subtle approach. Failing that, a few fire arrows.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Let it burn for a while and see what happens.)
(16) Demiurge: Okay, the stones land on the grail hut, and sit for a minute or so. Just as you are about to give up, you see it start to ignite.
(16) Demiurge: The guards don't notice at first. It's kind of funny, seeing them stand there oblivious. But then one of them seems to smell something.
(16) Demiurge: Imhotep, the men have landed on your island. One of them, the leader, seems to be calling out to you in some harsh language.
(20) Sarpedon: "Perfect. Get ready. Archers, you'll fire a volley when we advance. Fall in behind the phalanx and give us support. But now, we wait until they grow tired fighting fires. We burn the palace in a few minutes."
(16) Demiurge: (The men on the island see the fires starting on the mainland. They realize it was a diversion now, and start yelling. They put two of their boats back. It will take time to get back to the mainland though.
(11) Imhotep: (One ship is better than none, and by the time those two get back, it will probably be too late.)
(16) Demiurge: (Yes, the islands are at least a mile out.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Hey, hit them in the water, Imhotep. You have archers!)
** (20) Sarpedon smacks himself for intruding. **
(20) Sarpedon: (Knee jerk reaction.)
(16) Demiurge: (Good one. )
(16) Demiurge: (Well I don't think we want to play out all these combats. I see one of two outcomes. You win, or you are forced to retreat after weakening them. I think you guys did really well planning, so you probably win.)
(11) Imhotep: (Once the boat lands, we attack. Most of them will attack the soldiers on the boat, and a few of us will attempt to get the boat, or failing that, sink it by hammering holes in the hull.)
(16) Demiurge: (The slaves are happy to join the revolt, by the way.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Either way is okay. If the former, cool! If the latter, we come back in a few days after hitting them with some psychological warfare--yelling at whatever slaves remain that their fellows are free--and showing them proof--issuing threats, farting in their general direction, etc.)
(16) Demiurge: At the end of the battle, most of the guards are either dead, driven off, or captured.
** (20) Sarpedon looks for the leaders. **
(16) Demiurge: The Roman guy was killed. He strode into battle bravely, and died before anyone even knew who he was.
** (20) Sarpedon nods at his body. "A warrior." **
(20) Sarpedon: "A despot, but a warrior, nonetheless."
(11) Imhotep: (Did we capture the boat, or did we have to sink it?)
(16) Demiurge: Goring was captured. He is overweight, and was coming down from a dreamgum high when you captured him.
(16) Demiurge: At the end, you have about half a dozen boats still in one piece, and two more that you could probably fix.
(20) Sarpedon: (How about casualties? We spend time fixing up our wounded and/or mourning our dead.)
(20) Sarpedon: (Well, "dead" being relative.)
(11) Imhotep: (Actually, we spend more time consoling the living that the dead have merely reawakened somewhere.)
(16) Demiurge: (There were casualties on both sides. But mostly on theirs, since it was a surprise attack. Also, the guards weren't all as well trained as you expected. They were bullies and thugs mostly.
(16) Demiurge: A few were really good fighters, but not many,
** (20) Sarpedon probably fought a few of them. **
** (11) Imhotep addresses the survivors. **
(11) Imhotep: "There has been war today, in the land of the dead."
** (20) Sarpedon shakes his trident over his head and calls for order. "Listen to Imhotep the Wise!" **
(11) Imhotep: "You have all fought, either for us or against us, and that is now past."
(11) Imhotep: "What is left is what you will do tomorrow, and the days following."
(16) Demiurge: (I assume you have found a translator, for those who don't speak english.)
(11) Imhotep: "And that, for now, is up to you."
(11) Imhotep: "But it is a time for building, and building something that will keep you from being enslaved by those we have defeated today."
(16) Demiurge: (Rebuilding is a first step. Building separate huts for people to live in, instead of communal slave quarters or guard quarters.)
(16) Demiurge: They all consider you to be their heroes.
(16) Demiurge: They decide that the palace will be rebuilt, and their kind Sarpedon and his personal inner circle will live there.
(16) Demiurge: kind=king
(11) Imhotep: "You must build homes, but you must build much more than that. Together, you are strong. Together, you will not be enslaved. Together, you must build a community. And you must build it together, else you will fall again into despair."
** (20) Sarpedon is torn between being king and finding out what this strange world is all about. **
** (20) Sarpedon comes to a decision. He waits for Imhotep to finish, nodding and thumping his spear against the ground in approval. **
(11) Imhotep: "As we build homes and boats together, you will learn to be a community. You will learn to live together. You will learn that you are all family. Will you rebuild this place in the spirit it deserves?"
** (11) Imhotep waits for the crowd to respond. **
(16) Demiurge: The crowd roars approval!
(11) Imhotep: "Then let us build a nation that none shall threaten again!"
(20) Sarpedon: ("Gimme an I. Gimme an M. Gimme an H...")
** (11) Imhotep smiles and begins supervising returning the grails to the people. **
(20) Sarpedon: "People! Hear me speak! Imhotep has given you a vision of the future and it is good. I must tell you this--"
(16) Demiurge: (Everyone tries opening a grail until they find the one that only they can open. This community also has a free grail.)
(20) Sarpedon: "I am king of another people. I shall always be their king. Even a son of Zeus cannot govern two peoples far apart. I cannot be your king. I shall be your war-leader, should you wish it. This world has dangers. It has mysteries. It has answers as well. We shall build, then we shall go about finding those answers. Now, let us reclaim freedom from tyranny. Let us reclaim lives from slavery."
(20) Sarpedon: "Let us reclaim hope from misery. Let us go forward!"
** (20) Sarpedon raises his spear to the heavens. **
** (11) Imhotep raises his spear to the sky. **
** (20) Sarpedon suddenly wonders if his speech went over badly. Maybe the Ro-man or the Ger-man tried something like it earlier... **
(16) Demiurge: The speech goes well. :) But they seem disappointed that you won't rule them. You can still stay in the palace, though.
** (11) Imhotep sets about supervising work crews to build family housing instead of slave pens. (Next day, that is.) **
** (20) Sarpedon hopes they will appreciate their freedom more tomorrow. How could ones so recently freed be willing to trade that freedom so quickly for another ruler? Sarpedon sighs. Perhaps it is the lot of Man to look ever to someone else for direction rather than himself. **
(16) Demiurge: There are many small huts made, for single or doubles, or larger groups.
** (11) Imhotep unveils his plans for a larger boat, one that provides shelter, and can carry more people. **
** (20) Sarpedon points out that the other, smaller craft can tag along or be towed. We have the makings of an armada. **
(11) Imhotep: "Sarpedon! There is something we must discuss..."
(16) Demiurge: Some people are not interested. Some people are willing to help because they like to keep busy, and some are very interested in building and joining the crew..
(11) Imhotep: "It is this, you will not be their king. You must name a successor, who will be king after the war-leader has gone."
(11) Imhotep: "This should be no idle choice, you must choose someone wisely, as we may travel this way again."
** (16) Martin Bixby gives a weird suggestion. "Maybe a general election?" **
(11) Imhotep: "A what?"
(16) Martin Bixby: "You know, we choose some candidates, and the people all vote on who they want to lead."
** (20) Sarpedon looks at Martin like he's speaking Esperanto again. **
(11) Imhotep: "What a foolish government! Still, it will make the people happy, and we must choose while our fame is still warm."
** (16) Martin Bixby "Just a thought. But should you choose now? If you put up a new leader now, he'll just be a puppet. Everyone still wants to follow you guys." **
(11) Imhotep: "If we do not, then we would be no better than those that led them before. They must have a king, one of their own."
(16) Martin Bixby: "Maybe we should wait, and watch who has leadership potential."
(11) Imhotep: "That is wise enough."
(20) Sarpedon: "Who would you suggest for this 'election?'"
(16) Martin Bixby: "I don't think any of our group will want to stay, though Loghu would make a great Amazon Queen." He smirks, obviously not serious. :)
(20) Sarpedon: "True. The natural leaders will become apparent."
** (20) Sarpedon laughs. He's heard the tales of Amazons. **
(11) Imhotep: "They will present themselves, no doubt."
** (16) Loghu overhears. "Amazon Queen? Will I get a harem?" **
(11) Imhotep: "When the boat is ready, we will select some to go with us, and we will let them choose a leader."
(20) Sarpedon: "If you wish, oh Queen."
** (20) Sarpedon also has a side project. He wants Imhotep to write down the names of any of our people who died/got recycled. We might run into the again. **
(20) Sarpedon: *them
(11) Imhotep: "Very well, that may be the case."
(16) Demiurge: (Well, there isn't much to write on, but Imhotep does have Level 1 or Eidetic memory.)
(16) Demiurge: or=of
(20) Sarpedon: (ping? Am I locked up?)
** (11) Imhotep supervises the boat construction, noting whether or not they are able to work as a team. Also, if any leaders seem to be emerging, he remembers the names. **
(11) Imhotep: (Bit quiet for a sec...)
(20) Sarpedon: (Whew.)
** (20) Sarpedon trains anyone who wants to learn how to use a spear and fight in formation. **
(16) Demiurge: Cool. :)
(16) Demiurge: The palace is a multi room affair, with two stories.
(16) Demiurge: What do you do with Goerring, by the way? He was captured.
** (11) Imhotep notes the architecture. **
(11) Imhotep: Those who were slaves have they say so over Goering.
(11) Imhotep: (s/they/the/)
(31) Demiurge (enter): 22:50
(11) Imhotep: (Doh!)
(31) Demiurge: Howdy. Got booted.
(31) Demiurge: What did I miss?
(11) Imhotep: Those who were slaves have the say so over Goering.
(11) Imhotep: (That's about it.)
(31) Demiurge: A lot of people want Goering killed. The whole "no one really dies" hasn't sunk in for a lot of them, and the knee-jerk reaction is "kill him!"
** (20) Sarpedon agrees. Let them have some fun with him. Anyone who got captured gets their grails confiscated. Sarpedon suggests dumping them in the river. If they wanna eat, they can go diving for their meal tickets. **
(11) Imhotep: We encourage them to act practically, and keep him prisoner for a while, but ultimately, this decision is a vote of our confidence in their ability.
(31) Demiurge: Well, the closed ones float.
(31) Demiurge: Goerring mostly just whines a lot, and asks for dreamgum.
(20) Sarpedon: Oh, I'm sure that Sarpedon can convince the owners to open their grails. Open grails probably don't float, especially if they're filled with rocks.
(11) Imhotep: (Ha!)
(31) Demiurge: Booting '(16) Demiurge' from room...
(16) Demiurge (exit): 22:53
(31) Demiurge: Goering is actually rather pathetic. He keeps asking for dreamgum, then when he gets it, it just gives him nightmares and tormenting visions that leave him shrieking.
(11) Imhotep: "Such is the way of power for power's sake."
** (31) Martin Bixby mentions that Goering was addicted to morphine in his earthly life. **
(11) Imhotep: "And what is morphine?"
(31) Demiurge: Dreamgum has a way of dredging up what's inside you.
(31) Martin Bixby: "It's a drug. Opium based"
** (11) Imhotep looks blank. **
(31) Martin Bixby: "It's tends to numb pain and create a mental haze. Goring seems to want to escape reality."
(11) Imhotep: "Then he is foolish to seek such in the underworld."
(20) Sarpedon: "Particularly if the world he helped shape has caught him. I would not want to be him when the women tear his privates off with their bare hands."
(11) Imhotep: "Unpleasant. But such mean often draw unpleasant fates upon themselves."
(11) Imhotep: "In the end, Osiris and Anubis claim all."
(31) Demiurge: There is a mix of languages here. What do you do about that?
(11) Imhotep: "There must be many who speak several languages. Even a slave community must communicate."
(31) Martin Bixby: "We could start the english lessons again." He adds hopefully, "Or Esperanto."
(11) Imhotep: "That may serve to draw them together."
(31) Demiurge: As the days pass, there is one odd person they called the Running Girl. She is small, with straight dark hair and slanted eyes. She runs. A lot. You often see her running back and forth through the trees or through the grass.
(31) Demiurge: Sometimes, she collapses from exhaustion. Then after a while, she gets up and starts running again.
(31) Demiurge: She doesn't really seem overly crazed. She just seems to really like to run.
(11) Imhotep: "That is a strange one."
(31) Demiurge: When she is calmer, she stares at her feet a lot. She seems to be overly fascinated by her own feet. She speaks a strange chattering language.
(11) Imhotep: (Probably wheelchair bound on earth, but Imhotep wouldn't know that.)
(20) Sarpedon: "Agreed. I've seen nothing like it. We should ask her why she does this."
(20) Sarpedon: (Is there anyone who speaks her language?)
(31) Demiurge: Well, she doesn't speak english. But you manage to get her to sit still for a few english lessons. :)
(11) Imhotep: (Does she reveal anything?)
(31) Demiurge: She refers to you guys as Sarpedon-sama and Imhotep-sama.
(31) Demiurge: Martin is Martin-sensei.
(31) Demiurge: She is friendly enough in a slightly obsequious way.
(31) Demiurge: Her name is Junko.
** (11) Imhotep encourages Gwenefra to befriend her. It is not wise to feel alone. **
(31) Demiurge: Well, she is an adult, for one thing. :)
(11) Imhotep: (Yes, but she may bond with Gwenefra.)
(31) Demiurge: There are other children in the group. Gwenefra prefers her own group, but has started playing with the other kids as well.
(31) Demiurge: As time passes, Junko mentions that she has died a couple times, and saw a place near the beginning of the River. But we can go more into that later.