OOC:
He's coming. You read Shadow of the Flame, right? Our party showed up right after the end of that and had some interesting minutes dealing with it.
As to the rest, I don't think any elf of any variety really wants nosy human physicians poking around in the secrets of elven immortality. Not light elves, not dark elves, not red-and-green Christmas elves. Also there's the whole "higher lifeform dissected by lower" thing going- the premise that the elves are the one's who are supposed to understand how living things work and shape or not shape them accordingly. That's not for the mud people.
IC:
So the village knows what's going on, we know about the elves and roughly where they are- deVerett might want to do something about them soon, after arriving here. If it's getting dark, the thought of riding back to them comes to mind; deVerett's column might get lost in the dark, especially given that all the good trackers and guides in the realm probably stayed topside with Sir Detrick.
Larric continues to give the dissection as wide a berth as humanly possible. If it's happening in front of the tavern, he's going to try to leave through the back door- or possibly wriggle out through a back window- and skirt the buildings that front on the 'square' if he needs to move around and arrange things. He tries to get Rohal, Sir Alfred and Dame Tamarin together- Rohal for the scout report, Alfred and Tamarin for advice on the care and feeding of noblemen.
Panzer? You around?
Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
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Simon_Jester
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
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Eleventh Century Remnant
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
Sick headache last night, couldn't post much, typed something and spent ages looking at it before realising it was gibberish. Anyway,
On into the breach- the baron wasn't there then, that was a case of wrongendofhtestickitis- Rohal was reporting that the main body of the Elves have been found, and I really should have said which direction they were in- the cavern is north and very slightly east of here (The village you're in- it's name is Roodeby, by the way)- the elves are ten miles, not long if they decide to head this way fast at all, south south east in a cutting off the river valley that flows from the lake Qulan stands on into the Chura.
On the other hand, his and his people's arrival about an hour and a half after sunset is the next thing that actually does happen. The people kind of stop having a choice after that, and in a process attended by much confusion the six hundred hungry men at arms billet themselves on the people whether they like it or not, and those who still have the energy proceed to butcher and eat as much of the local livestock as they can fit into their bellies, and there are going to be some very ill people in the morning.
The locals are largely stunned by this whirlwind of armed loonies, and it's fair to say the armed loonies aren't taking in much of the locals' concerns. I'm just going straight into this because, well, not much you can do to stop them really. They do take slightly less than the elves would have, but that's still a lot. It's a shambles of a process, but what else is there to expect? Food and rest on something other than a stone floor is priority one- and there are probably going to be quite a few noble bastards concieved by the morning, as well, if any of them still have the energy for it.
They do, of course, notice the dissected elf on the cobbles, but they're in a pretty numbed state of sensitivity to such things; deVerett- who has an urgent appointment with a knife and fork- simply glances at it in passing, says 'Hm.', and delegates Lisanna to deal with the problem. She comes looking for you- Randolf is probably still there.
What's the word?
On into the breach- the baron wasn't there then, that was a case of wrongendofhtestickitis- Rohal was reporting that the main body of the Elves have been found, and I really should have said which direction they were in- the cavern is north and very slightly east of here (The village you're in- it's name is Roodeby, by the way)- the elves are ten miles, not long if they decide to head this way fast at all, south south east in a cutting off the river valley that flows from the lake Qulan stands on into the Chura.
On the other hand, his and his people's arrival about an hour and a half after sunset is the next thing that actually does happen. The people kind of stop having a choice after that, and in a process attended by much confusion the six hundred hungry men at arms billet themselves on the people whether they like it or not, and those who still have the energy proceed to butcher and eat as much of the local livestock as they can fit into their bellies, and there are going to be some very ill people in the morning.
The locals are largely stunned by this whirlwind of armed loonies, and it's fair to say the armed loonies aren't taking in much of the locals' concerns. I'm just going straight into this because, well, not much you can do to stop them really. They do take slightly less than the elves would have, but that's still a lot. It's a shambles of a process, but what else is there to expect? Food and rest on something other than a stone floor is priority one- and there are probably going to be quite a few noble bastards concieved by the morning, as well, if any of them still have the energy for it.
They do, of course, notice the dissected elf on the cobbles, but they're in a pretty numbed state of sensitivity to such things; deVerett- who has an urgent appointment with a knife and fork- simply glances at it in passing, says 'Hm.', and delegates Lisanna to deal with the problem. She comes looking for you- Randolf is probably still there.
What's the word?
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Simon_Jester
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
OOC:
On behalf of the Yanks in the group, to the Britons: Now see, this is how baby Third Amendments are born!
IC:
Larric had figured that this would happen. Sure the elves are only about... what, at least four hours out at a walking pace for people who've been living on limited food. More like three for warriors who are serious about making it on foot, two if they can keep up a long distance run, less if they all have horses and come in at the trot. But they're expecting their own scouts to come back first, which would take an hour or more in its own right, more if they come back chivvying a herd of sheep. And in any case, they wouldn't have done it this way if they were in immediate danger of starving. So he figured they probably wouldn't come looking for their scouts until after sundown, and that deVerett's men would come up first- moving slower, but it's a tortoise and hare thing.
By the time deVerett's whirlwind shows up, what I think we'd have worked out is, oh... present the elf-horses to deVerett, assuming any of us can control them. Probably after he's finished his food.
If we can't control the horses, they may be too wild and/or password-encrypted to be a good gift in any case. Tell him they exist, but ran away/lash out at anyone who comes near/whatever.
Either way that segues into an explanation of the two elf scouts who came here as outriders for a band of- they're up from Zarthan, they're basically resorting to banditry now. Party of fifty, that includes dependents, located there, could be here in an hour or two if they really wanted, probably best to post guards, milord. Anything more final can wait until morning.
That sort of thing.
Randolf can be left to explain the dissection to Lisanna. Of course, given the timing, she may also find Larric and the others.
On behalf of the Yanks in the group, to the Britons: Now see, this is how baby Third Amendments are born!
IC:
Larric had figured that this would happen. Sure the elves are only about... what, at least four hours out at a walking pace for people who've been living on limited food. More like three for warriors who are serious about making it on foot, two if they can keep up a long distance run, less if they all have horses and come in at the trot. But they're expecting their own scouts to come back first, which would take an hour or more in its own right, more if they come back chivvying a herd of sheep. And in any case, they wouldn't have done it this way if they were in immediate danger of starving. So he figured they probably wouldn't come looking for their scouts until after sundown, and that deVerett's men would come up first- moving slower, but it's a tortoise and hare thing.
By the time deVerett's whirlwind shows up, what I think we'd have worked out is, oh... present the elf-horses to deVerett, assuming any of us can control them. Probably after he's finished his food.
If we can't control the horses, they may be too wild and/or password-encrypted to be a good gift in any case. Tell him they exist, but ran away/lash out at anyone who comes near/whatever.
Either way that segues into an explanation of the two elf scouts who came here as outriders for a band of- they're up from Zarthan, they're basically resorting to banditry now. Party of fifty, that includes dependents, located there, could be here in an hour or two if they really wanted, probably best to post guards, milord. Anything more final can wait until morning.
That sort of thing.
Randolf can be left to explain the dissection to Lisanna. Of course, given the timing, she may also find Larric and the others.
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Eleventh Century Remnant
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
Kind of hard to come up with a constitutional amendment that includes the possibility of eight hundred pound gorillas, metaphorically speaking...
Between you, you manage to catch and calm the horses- keeping them upwind of the scent of blood, of course, and present them; Lisanna finds Randolf.
Worryingly, she's quite calm about the splayed and dismembered bits of elf- there is a forcedness to it that suggests she may wander off into the bushes to void her stomach shortly afterwards, but she maintains very well. Which is actually quite worrying, because that sort of poise and calm could hide a lot.
They talk (Vehrec- what gets said?) and after that she says 'You still have one intact, of whom questions can be asked- I'll need some backup. A large maniac with a sharp axe should do.'
Between you, you manage to catch and calm the horses- keeping them upwind of the scent of blood, of course, and present them; Lisanna finds Randolf.
Worryingly, she's quite calm about the splayed and dismembered bits of elf- there is a forcedness to it that suggests she may wander off into the bushes to void her stomach shortly afterwards, but she maintains very well. Which is actually quite worrying, because that sort of poise and calm could hide a lot.
They talk (Vehrec- what gets said?) and after that she says 'You still have one intact, of whom questions can be asked- I'll need some backup. A large maniac with a sharp axe should do.'
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Panzersharkcat
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
(OOC: Yes, I am.)
"I don't quite fit the description but I'll bite."
"I don't quite fit the description but I'll bite."
"I'm just reading through your formspring here, and your responses to many questions seem to indicate that you are ready and willing to sacrifice realism/believability for the sake of (sometimes) marginal increases in gameplay quality. Why is this?"
"Because until I see gamers sincerely demanding that if they get winged in the gut with a bullet that they spend the next three hours bleeding out on the ground before permanently dying, they probably are too." - J.E. Sawyer
"Because until I see gamers sincerely demanding that if they get winged in the gut with a bullet that they spend the next three hours bleeding out on the ground before permanently dying, they probably are too." - J.E. Sawyer
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Vehrec
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
Randolf decides after a bit to get between the woman and his work, either to soften the impact of it all or to keep her from accidentally making a mess of it if her control slips and does his best to explain himself.
"Surgery's a bit like a military campaign you understand, one has to know the lay of the land unless you want to wind up marching hither and yon through the countryside, with no idea where to go except for vague indications of the cardinal directions and the lay of what you can see. And you so rarely see a dead elf, the opportunity was too much to resist. I work with men for the most part, but having maps of an Elf could certainly come in useful if I ever am called on to work on another again. And while they have their own doctors, they aren't exactly forthcoming about all this. But it's all so different, hardly any points of commonality to speak of. Same general shape, two legs, two arms, head, that's where it ends. Under the skin it's recognizable but very different."
He enumerates a few of the outstanding things, bones, muscle layers, seven chambered heart instead of four. And if she's willing to still listen, he muses about whether or not to work any of this into that book he has planned, or make a whole different volume of it. He's terrifying in a different way, not a maniac with an axe, but in the manner of someone who's capable of doing a thing like this and only remembering 'oh yes, consequences. Those things.' when it's half-done.
"Surgery's a bit like a military campaign you understand, one has to know the lay of the land unless you want to wind up marching hither and yon through the countryside, with no idea where to go except for vague indications of the cardinal directions and the lay of what you can see. And you so rarely see a dead elf, the opportunity was too much to resist. I work with men for the most part, but having maps of an Elf could certainly come in useful if I ever am called on to work on another again. And while they have their own doctors, they aren't exactly forthcoming about all this. But it's all so different, hardly any points of commonality to speak of. Same general shape, two legs, two arms, head, that's where it ends. Under the skin it's recognizable but very different."
He enumerates a few of the outstanding things, bones, muscle layers, seven chambered heart instead of four. And if she's willing to still listen, he muses about whether or not to work any of this into that book he has planned, or make a whole different volume of it. He's terrifying in a different way, not a maniac with an axe, but in the manner of someone who's capable of doing a thing like this and only remembering 'oh yes, consequences. Those things.' when it's half-done.
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Eleventh Century Remnant
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
'I do know a little bit about the theory,' she says, carefully not looking at the practise, 'and I think I can fill in a couple of the gaps for you. Just not literally.
The largest single difference is that while humans are mostly totally ignorant of what's actually happening in their own bodies, consider how little the ordinary person knows, folk wisdom goes further than half- baked theories but not as far as good ones- elves aren't.
They have a conscious, or at least semiconscious, control over it all that just doesn't exist in the human, and equally not in almost all things related to us. They can manage, and drive, their own processes, their own growth and regrowth, and this is the part they really don't like talking about.
There is a limit to their lifespan, they can't go on indefinitely, and that limit is set by the mind, not the body. When they lose the plot- drift out of reasonable equilibrium, when the mind can no longer effectively manage the body, when it loses all the threads- that is when and usually how they end.
A mad elf is a dying elf, effectively by default, and generally they're not so mad that they don't know they're running out of time; and it can take a long time for them to fade out and they can do a lot of damage in the process.
Why do you think they are so utterly absorbed by the plant and animal world? It's their stability, it's the anchor and the balance they need for their long lives. Take that away from them- you have what the Alavanirimirean elves were turning into.'
The largest single difference is that while humans are mostly totally ignorant of what's actually happening in their own bodies, consider how little the ordinary person knows, folk wisdom goes further than half- baked theories but not as far as good ones- elves aren't.
They have a conscious, or at least semiconscious, control over it all that just doesn't exist in the human, and equally not in almost all things related to us. They can manage, and drive, their own processes, their own growth and regrowth, and this is the part they really don't like talking about.
There is a limit to their lifespan, they can't go on indefinitely, and that limit is set by the mind, not the body. When they lose the plot- drift out of reasonable equilibrium, when the mind can no longer effectively manage the body, when it loses all the threads- that is when and usually how they end.
A mad elf is a dying elf, effectively by default, and generally they're not so mad that they don't know they're running out of time; and it can take a long time for them to fade out and they can do a lot of damage in the process.
Why do you think they are so utterly absorbed by the plant and animal world? It's their stability, it's the anchor and the balance they need for their long lives. Take that away from them- you have what the Alavanirimirean elves were turning into.'
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Eleventh Century Remnant
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
Obviously that bit of information left everyone so dumbstruck that nobody's posted over the weekend- and was that Alfred volunteering to be resident maniac? Right.
'Oh, I doubt you'll need to threaten to eat him, Sir Alfred.' Lisanna says. 'Although-how much elvish do you speak? I have a little, a few words really- and I certainly do intend to torture him, in the only way that matters; psychologically. Lies, threats and promises may work, and I'm not sure I have the linguistic subtlety to pull it off- but we'll try.'
You did kind of leave the elf's body draped over a table in the inn, and that table is now in use- he has not been carted off to be butchered, cooked and served up, which would be interesting in a blowfish- esque kind of way. He ahs been rolled of the table and is lying in the straw.
You get to him, through the crowd of flying elbows and bony men at arms trying to put some weight back on, just as he starts to recover consciousness- you see him start to lever himelf up off the floor. Action?
'Oh, I doubt you'll need to threaten to eat him, Sir Alfred.' Lisanna says. 'Although-how much elvish do you speak? I have a little, a few words really- and I certainly do intend to torture him, in the only way that matters; psychologically. Lies, threats and promises may work, and I'm not sure I have the linguistic subtlety to pull it off- but we'll try.'
You did kind of leave the elf's body draped over a table in the inn, and that table is now in use- he has not been carted off to be butchered, cooked and served up, which would be interesting in a blowfish- esque kind of way. He ahs been rolled of the table and is lying in the straw.
You get to him, through the crowd of flying elbows and bony men at arms trying to put some weight back on, just as he starts to recover consciousness- you see him start to lever himelf up off the floor. Action?
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Panzersharkcat
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
"I speak no elvish but I think my body language will suffice." Basically a slasher smile. He walks up to the elf and pushes him back down.
"I'm just reading through your formspring here, and your responses to many questions seem to indicate that you are ready and willing to sacrifice realism/believability for the sake of (sometimes) marginal increases in gameplay quality. Why is this?"
"Because until I see gamers sincerely demanding that if they get winged in the gut with a bullet that they spend the next three hours bleeding out on the ground before permanently dying, they probably are too." - J.E. Sawyer
"Because until I see gamers sincerely demanding that if they get winged in the gut with a bullet that they spend the next three hours bleeding out on the ground before permanently dying, they probably are too." - J.E. Sawyer
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Eleventh Century Remnant
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
'Not in here, too busy, too noisy- too much of the smell of blood. Let's find a nice soothing shrub, somewhere far away from where we left his friend scattered all over the cobbles.' Lisanna suggests, and the elf tries to wriggle out of Alfred's grasp. Doesn't make it.
Going with Lisanna's plan or trying to do it in full public view of all the hungry people?
Going with Lisanna's plan or trying to do it in full public view of all the hungry people?
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Panzersharkcat
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
"Good idea. Up you go!" He hoists the elf over his shoulder and proceeds to carry him outside.
"I'm just reading through your formspring here, and your responses to many questions seem to indicate that you are ready and willing to sacrifice realism/believability for the sake of (sometimes) marginal increases in gameplay quality. Why is this?"
"Because until I see gamers sincerely demanding that if they get winged in the gut with a bullet that they spend the next three hours bleeding out on the ground before permanently dying, they probably are too." - J.E. Sawyer
"Because until I see gamers sincerely demanding that if they get winged in the gut with a bullet that they spend the next three hours bleeding out on the ground before permanently dying, they probably are too." - J.E. Sawyer
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Eleventh Century Remnant
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
Between them, Alfred and Lisanna manage to get quite a lot of information out of the elf- I'm not glossing over the gory details, largely because they really aren't that gory; psychological torture, as she suggests, is quite effective.
She taunts him with having lost to an inferior species, in his eyes; points out that an inferior species has little choice and alternative but to strike for superior, that nothign makes enemies for the elves quite as much as their assumption that they are superior- which they've just had graphic proof of, or did you not notice your friend is now a street ornament?
Then reminds him that equity breeds equity, that these lands had an elvish queen not very long ago, and also that hostility breeds hostility- the bad blood they bring with them will be thrown back at them, with interest. And so forth.
Whipsawing him between promise and threat, all with that slightly unlikely air that she's acting out a part she's read in a book, going off someone else's notes as to how this is supposed to be done.
Alfred manages to do the mummery practically spot on, growling and grinning menacingly at just the right moments. He's quite good at this, somewhat to his own surprise.
The key thing that emrges from it all is when she asks him how many more of them there are, how many other parties. The answer is basically too many- lots of refugees, far more than the fifty or so in their immediate group, headed for the handy woods along the flanks of the Silverroot range, and for the demesnes of the local elves (who have been strangely reluctant to put them up, but that's another story.)
In the near term, there are fifty or so of them. Long term, there will be thousands.
Lisanna sits back on her heels, looking slightly blank at this. Looks at Alfred. 'So- what do we do with this one then?'
She taunts him with having lost to an inferior species, in his eyes; points out that an inferior species has little choice and alternative but to strike for superior, that nothign makes enemies for the elves quite as much as their assumption that they are superior- which they've just had graphic proof of, or did you not notice your friend is now a street ornament?
Then reminds him that equity breeds equity, that these lands had an elvish queen not very long ago, and also that hostility breeds hostility- the bad blood they bring with them will be thrown back at them, with interest. And so forth.
Whipsawing him between promise and threat, all with that slightly unlikely air that she's acting out a part she's read in a book, going off someone else's notes as to how this is supposed to be done.
Alfred manages to do the mummery practically spot on, growling and grinning menacingly at just the right moments. He's quite good at this, somewhat to his own surprise.
The key thing that emrges from it all is when she asks him how many more of them there are, how many other parties. The answer is basically too many- lots of refugees, far more than the fifty or so in their immediate group, headed for the handy woods along the flanks of the Silverroot range, and for the demesnes of the local elves (who have been strangely reluctant to put them up, but that's another story.)
In the near term, there are fifty or so of them. Long term, there will be thousands.
Lisanna sits back on her heels, looking slightly blank at this. Looks at Alfred. 'So- what do we do with this one then?'
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Panzersharkcat
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
"Perhaps we should keep him as a hostage. In the short term, we release him in exchange for them going away, with the releasing part done later, of course. If that doesn't work, we may as well just kill him or use him along with any others we capture as hostages in exchange for not attacking in the long term. I doubt they'd just take it, though, so we may be forced to give then some hostages, too."
"I'm just reading through your formspring here, and your responses to many questions seem to indicate that you are ready and willing to sacrifice realism/believability for the sake of (sometimes) marginal increases in gameplay quality. Why is this?"
"Because until I see gamers sincerely demanding that if they get winged in the gut with a bullet that they spend the next three hours bleeding out on the ground before permanently dying, they probably are too." - J.E. Sawyer
"Because until I see gamers sincerely demanding that if they get winged in the gut with a bullet that they spend the next three hours bleeding out on the ground before permanently dying, they probably are too." - J.E. Sawyer
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Eleventh Century Remnant
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
'If you think that's likely to work, given the state their heads are in at the moment...' she says, skeptically. 'Think of the timing of this. They wait for their scouts to come back, and when they don't- then what?
They may send another group, a rescue team, which we'd be lucky to see coming. If we don't, they steal him back, he tells them what happened and they proceed to murder as many as possible of us in our beds. If we do spot them, we offer an ultimatum, they either genuinely eat that much crow, swallow that much pride- not impossible, but...
or they do what I would do, which is pretend to, go away and launch a sneak attack later in the dead hours of the night. or they go for it there and then, which I doubt they would be mad enough for- under normal circumstances.
He was dissected, that's- can't get round that, this is likely to get bloody. Your plan is as likely to work as anything else I suppose, unless you come up with a better idea. Whoever is to voulnteer as hostage holder had best be longbow- proof, though.'
They may send another group, a rescue team, which we'd be lucky to see coming. If we don't, they steal him back, he tells them what happened and they proceed to murder as many as possible of us in our beds. If we do spot them, we offer an ultimatum, they either genuinely eat that much crow, swallow that much pride- not impossible, but...
or they do what I would do, which is pretend to, go away and launch a sneak attack later in the dead hours of the night. or they go for it there and then, which I doubt they would be mad enough for- under normal circumstances.
He was dissected, that's- can't get round that, this is likely to get bloody. Your plan is as likely to work as anything else I suppose, unless you come up with a better idea. Whoever is to voulnteer as hostage holder had best be longbow- proof, though.'
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Simon_Jester
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
OOC:
As detailed, Larric is off doing something else entirely. But consider. The dead elf died because he randomly decided to attack us, on far less provocation than "we're holding one of you hostage."
These elves are used to total, brutal, to-the-last-ditch warfare against hordes of humans who hate every member of their species- and they hate every member of our species right back. They are not going to take this lying down; if they've learned any lessons about hostages dealing with the Zarthani, they'll have learned "never negotiate with a terrorist." Which does not work in a hostage-taker's favor.
As for hostage exchanges, I doubt these elves (so full of racial supremacy) would even consider it. One elf is not a fair trade for one (or many) humans to that way of thinking; elves take longer to replace.
We're kind of out of luck here- even without the dissection, if the rest of these elves are anywhere near as twitchy and ready to fight as the first two we met, the mere fact that one of them attacked us and died will probably convince them to try to kill us. They're so damn aggressive I can't see how we could have avoided fighting them other than "give you everything you want and hope you don't kill us."
As detailed, Larric is off doing something else entirely. But consider. The dead elf died because he randomly decided to attack us, on far less provocation than "we're holding one of you hostage."
These elves are used to total, brutal, to-the-last-ditch warfare against hordes of humans who hate every member of their species- and they hate every member of our species right back. They are not going to take this lying down; if they've learned any lessons about hostages dealing with the Zarthani, they'll have learned "never negotiate with a terrorist." Which does not work in a hostage-taker's favor.
As for hostage exchanges, I doubt these elves (so full of racial supremacy) would even consider it. One elf is not a fair trade for one (or many) humans to that way of thinking; elves take longer to replace.
We're kind of out of luck here- even without the dissection, if the rest of these elves are anywhere near as twitchy and ready to fight as the first two we met, the mere fact that one of them attacked us and died will probably convince them to try to kill us. They're so damn aggressive I can't see how we could have avoided fighting them other than "give you everything you want and hope you don't kill us."
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Panzersharkcat
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
"Well, when I meant 'go away,' I meant hundreds of miles. Your point is made." He makes to grab the elf by the head and break his neck. Unless Lisanna intervenes, he's going through with it.
"I'm just reading through your formspring here, and your responses to many questions seem to indicate that you are ready and willing to sacrifice realism/believability for the sake of (sometimes) marginal increases in gameplay quality. Why is this?"
"Because until I see gamers sincerely demanding that if they get winged in the gut with a bullet that they spend the next three hours bleeding out on the ground before permanently dying, they probably are too." - J.E. Sawyer
"Because until I see gamers sincerely demanding that if they get winged in the gut with a bullet that they spend the next three hours bleeding out on the ground before permanently dying, they probably are too." - J.E. Sawyer
Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
.He makes to grab the elf by the head and break his neck. Unless Lisanna intervenes, he's going through with it
“Wait, Dirt give work to keep elf safe if other elf talk. Other elf talk, Dirt keep word.”
Lets see now, a few hundred humans with the remains of a broken army Vs a hoard of homicidal magic throwing hundred years of combat training elves. Anybody up for calling on the Eleventh to do their duty again?
“Dirt take elf back to his people, stop night attack. Maybe other come to talk to elf and try stop fight before fight start. Humans and elf both sick in head. Fight over ground. Ground not care who stand on it.”
Either way Dirt start to prepare his kit for moving out.
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Eleventh Century Remnant
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
Good plan; now find some of the Twentieth Cataphract to actually point at the problem. (The Twentieth, Striking Phoenix, are the homicidal lunatics who left such a mess in Kuquan to begin with. The Eleventh, Dragon's Claw, are actually the senior Cataphract regiment in the Authrani Empire's army list, one through ten being Chevalier and it being consecutive, and are generally appalled and horrified by the Twentieth.)
The three of them you have met so far, you're actually trying to avoid, remember? Goodbye and hope we don't see you again for a long, long time? Not that it's actually a bad idea.
The three of them you have met so far, you're actually trying to avoid, remember? Goodbye and hope we don't see you again for a long, long time? Not that it's actually a bad idea.
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Vehrec
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
Left behind in the town, Randolf has thought it over and decided to maybe cut things a bit short-one night of examinations is enough, and though his notes are not as detailed as he might like, there is a political concern, as well as a sanitary one. He's got a corpse to burn now, doesn't he? Which might not be that hard-firewood is in ample supply, he just has no experience building pyres and most of it is spoken for. On the other hand, he may not have to do that just yet-or maybe he'll get more Elves to cut up? The way they have to get produced though, no he doesn't like that much.
And even before that, there are all those men at arms who might be willing to risk a mad elf-disector's services for any wounds they might have.
And even before that, there are all those men at arms who might be willing to risk a mad elf-disector's services for any wounds they might have.
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Eleventh Century Remnant
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
So what did Randolf make of Lisanna's- well, she's just passing on what she's been taught as a well trained guild sorceress, but what she believes to be the case- an active, intimate link between mind and body?
I haven't been belabouring the point, but Randolf has a corpse full of highly peculiar chemicals to dispose of- incineration is probably actually the safest way, and the dice have already been kind enough not to let him poison himself doing the autopsy in the first place.
Dirt's about to take the first one back to his group- I strongly suggest that Randolf, and anyone else who was there, not go with him; safety in numbers is one thing, but 'Hi, there may be a reason I smell strongly of elvish blood' would not be safe at all.
There are several injuries that could do with being patched up- there's more than enough work to keep Randolf busy. How's he handling the social side? Most of these people are men at arms, but there are certainly more than enough shinies to go round- giving offence could be dangerous, being useful could be rewarding.
Lisanna thinks the plan is worryingly dangerous, but since all possibilities seem to be so anyway,
A few men at arms can be found to help build the pyre- downwind, presumably, which would be to the north, but the wind's being very fluky.
I haven't been belabouring the point, but Randolf has a corpse full of highly peculiar chemicals to dispose of- incineration is probably actually the safest way, and the dice have already been kind enough not to let him poison himself doing the autopsy in the first place.
Dirt's about to take the first one back to his group- I strongly suggest that Randolf, and anyone else who was there, not go with him; safety in numbers is one thing, but 'Hi, there may be a reason I smell strongly of elvish blood' would not be safe at all.
There are several injuries that could do with being patched up- there's more than enough work to keep Randolf busy. How's he handling the social side? Most of these people are men at arms, but there are certainly more than enough shinies to go round- giving offence could be dangerous, being useful could be rewarding.
Lisanna thinks the plan is worryingly dangerous, but since all possibilities seem to be so anyway,
A few men at arms can be found to help build the pyre- downwind, presumably, which would be to the north, but the wind's being very fluky.
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Simon_Jester
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
OOC:
OK, this has gotten so... far-reaching that I'm going to have to bring Larric in IC, regardless of what he was doing.
Also, let's see, of the Twentieth we've met, I thought that was only the Countess and Njal Strongarm, and we're not actively avoiding Strongarm. Aburon and Hara, they're scouts in the regiment's service, don't much care whether they come or go- not a problem. Of course, Calvern outnumbers the others, one to three.
Anyway.
IC:
Larric to Dirt- and Larric is not at his best with the messily dead and spread out body around- "...What are you going to tell them? I'm told you talk fancier in Elf, but fancy enough to get out of this without getting shot full of arrows... that'd be pretty hard."
Larric likes the idea of havingthe pyre upwind, and is willing to take some pains that it might remain so; it occurs to him to create a slight pressure gradient, to keep the wind blowing that way instead of this. Let's try and keep our hawks and handsaws separate, shall we?
OK, this has gotten so... far-reaching that I'm going to have to bring Larric in IC, regardless of what he was doing.
Also, let's see, of the Twentieth we've met, I thought that was only the Countess and Njal Strongarm, and we're not actively avoiding Strongarm. Aburon and Hara, they're scouts in the regiment's service, don't much care whether they come or go- not a problem. Of course, Calvern outnumbers the others, one to three.
Anyway.
IC:
Larric to Dirt- and Larric is not at his best with the messily dead and spread out body around- "...What are you going to tell them? I'm told you talk fancier in Elf, but fancy enough to get out of this without getting shot full of arrows... that'd be pretty hard."
Larric likes the idea of havingthe pyre upwind, and is willing to take some pains that it might remain so; it occurs to him to create a slight pressure gradient, to keep the wind blowing that way instead of this. Let's try and keep our hawks and handsaws separate, shall we?
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Vehrec
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
Randolf's not sure what to make of that theory, it might be right, but if it was that simple, someone would have figured it out by now, surely. On the other hand, human brains only last what, 100 years or thereabouts? Maybe no human ever gets over the inital hump, their lifespan too short to figure it all out in the first place. He suspects there is something more, hidden complexity and secrets but...
Well, a puzzle for another day or another generation. He's rather hastilly sewn the elf's torso back up and stuffed the organs back inside, not a perfect fit, but better than some of his early work. He's not sure if he's actually achieved his goal here-improving his ability to perform surgery on an elf, to diagnose and treat and put them right? They might be more qualified than he is, without any medical training at all.
Downwind, yes, most definately. He knows what burning flesh smells like after the Twentieth passed through, it's a mood and stomach killer. No telling what burning elf smells like, but probably very bad.
Well, a puzzle for another day or another generation. He's rather hastilly sewn the elf's torso back up and stuffed the organs back inside, not a perfect fit, but better than some of his early work. He's not sure if he's actually achieved his goal here-improving his ability to perform surgery on an elf, to diagnose and treat and put them right? They might be more qualified than he is, without any medical training at all.
Downwind, yes, most definately. He knows what burning flesh smells like after the Twentieth passed through, it's a mood and stomach killer. No telling what burning elf smells like, but probably very bad.
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Simon_Jester
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
OOC:Larric likes the idea of havingthe pyre upwind, and is willing to take some pains that it might remain so; it occurs to him to create a slight pressure gradient, to keep the wind blowing that way instead of this. Let's try and keep our hawks and handsaws separate, shall we?
Oh HELL
DOWNWIND. I said "upwind" and I meant DOWNWIND.
Have mercy...
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
"Walk with him near elf place. Let go and walk back. Quickly. Dirt have no problem with elf. Dirt not like human, not mating making too many babies and have strange customs. Dirt part of nature. Like rock, tree, hawk. Why elf want to shoot dirt? You - yes, me no. Maybe tell elf on way about evil creatures in hills.""...What are you going to tell them? I'm told you talk fancier in Elf, but fancy enough to get out of this without getting shot full of arrows... that'd be pretty hard."
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Simon_Jester
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Re: Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II
Larric fumbles a bit trying to think of a way to explain "guilt by association." Which he'd have a bit of trouble doing, even with someone whose Kuquanese was such that he knew the other fellow understood everything he said properly.
Then he shrugs. Maybe Dirt's right about some of that. "I sure hope it works. Do you want to leave now, or wait a while? If they come pouring down on us, two or three hours from now, middle of the night... not good. But I don't know, can we wait without them coming to us?"
He's very unhappy that there seems to be no right answer, or at least no right answer the other side is sane enough to accept...
Then he shrugs. Maybe Dirt's right about some of that. "I sure hope it works. Do you want to leave now, or wait a while? If they come pouring down on us, two or three hours from now, middle of the night... not good. But I don't know, can we wait without them coming to us?"
He's very unhappy that there seems to be no right answer, or at least no right answer the other side is sane enough to accept...
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