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You have carried Tudiya's chair a number of times, but never with such a sense of urgency. As best as you know, it is a symbolic piece of furniture and not magical. Or maybe it is just comfy and his favorite chair? You pick up the King's Chair and rush through the streets towards Tudiya's home neat the center of the city. More horns are blown to raise the alarm and you hear other horns blowing now, from beyond the city, you swear you could almost hear the bestial roars of the invading horde and the sound of their hooves. Men and women rush through the streets, women to their homes or to the Temples and men to arm themselves and then to the gate. You see some men embrace their loved ones and then depart but you also see some men who take the event with an almost festival attitude, you pass by a group of men you know to be some of Ishamal's drinking buddies who you see head towards the gate, spears in one hand and beer-skins in the other, boasting to each other of who will slay the most beasts this day, one beckons you to come with them but you keep on your path. You arrive at Tudiya's home, your home and put the King's Chair back in Tudiya's study. You find your mother there, safe, who gives you a hug and reassures you that all will be fine. You find Keza too, drat, seems it was too much to hope she was outside of the walls for some reason. You find Arushevah, the Captain of Tudiya's household guard, of which there are 20. Not to guard Tudiya of course, who could harm him? But to guard his home from thieves and the other inhabitants therein. Such as you. Arushevah is about 7 feet tall, well muscled and generally serious and humorless. You know that he reports to Keza for day to day affairs. Arushevah is standing outside of Tudiya's home with the rest of the guards. "I can help!" You say "Give me some armor!" You say enthusiastically. Arushevah shakes his head. "If you want to help, keep an eye on Danal, I already caught him trying to sneak out once." Rebuked, you find your staff and then search for Danal. You find him, trying to scale one of the walls behind Tudiya's home, a bag over his shoulder, several javelins pointing out if it. Unless he planned to use them as a spear appropriate in size for his shorter stature, being 8, which he may have, he may have intended them for you. Where did he get those? "There you are!" He says when he sees you and stops trying to climb. "Come on! We have to get there before they get all the monsters!" More horns blare, you can almost imagine you hear the invaders approaching roars. Since you took a stronger hand with Danal your relationship has changed. He is less of a brat and generally does what you tell him to do, indeed, though you never told Danal, Tudiya told you your job is to keep an eye on Danal and keep him out of trouble. Yet, Danal's love of hero stories rivals your own and you know seeing a battle is just about the greatest thing Danal could ever imagine! And perhaps, you as well? You..... A. Help Danal sneak out and take him to the walls to watch the battle below, you know that these sorts of monster attacks happen a few times a generation, though this is your first, you should be safe up there. B. Take Danal to the battle, but keep far, far, far to the rear. With everyone far ahead you will be safe and have a better view. Besides, you know that the City will win, this battle is not a HUGE deal, the city always wins! C. Convince Danal this is a bad idea and to stay put. D. Danal does what you say and he WILL do what you say now! You do not try to convince him, you TELL him he will stay put. E. Tell him his father ordered him to stay here. F. Something else. Fill in. If you want to ask Danal any questions related to this decision, ask away, I will answer them as I see them.
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Sep 9, 2013 18:49
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Sep 9, 2013 18:51
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E, play the Dad Card.
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Sep 9, 2013 19:11
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What is the fastest escape route in case the city falls?
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Sep 9, 2013 19:12
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C
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Sep 9, 2013 19:20
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A RICH WHITE MAN posted:E, play the Dad Card. This. Tudiya's word is law.
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Sep 9, 2013 19:23
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C with a touch of D. We have been given a duty. We don't actually know how important it is or not in terms of random furniture, but it is clear we have been given a duty and Danal's safety is at the center of that. We can get as high in the King's home as possible in order to watch approaches and perhaps observe the battle. Tell Danal we need the height, here, in order to rain down destruction on anything that dares to approach the palace. We are the last line of defense. It will be hard, but we can do it. No city walls. No leaving the palace. This is really important. We genuinely care for Danal and Tudiya. Putting Danal in harms way, fighting or even potentially fighting Minotaurs at age eight is a bad idea. Even if successful it will serve to distract the men actually defending the city. Danal needs to understand that staying here is an honorable, if difficult thing.
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Sep 9, 2013 19:30
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my dad posted:What is the fastest escape route in case the city falls? If the city what's?  If this is accurate there is a river. Aaron and Tudiya rushed East. Which way is East on that image? If the image is sunset, then the Minotaurs are coming from across the river delta, which seems unlikely to me. If it is sunrise the image is flipped from North at the top orientation and they are coming across the plains. Sogol fucked around with this message at 19:47 on Sep 9, 2013 |
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Sep 9, 2013 19:34
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Sogol posted:C with a touch of D. We have been given a duty. We don't actually know how important it is or not in terms of random furniture, but it is clear we have been given a duty and Danal's safety is at the center of that. We can get as high in the King's home as possible in order to watch approaches and perhaps observe the battle. Tell Danal we need the height, here, in order to rain down destruction on anything that dares to approach the palace. We are the last line of defense. It will be hard, but we can do it. Voting for this.
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Sep 9, 2013 19:41
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The walls aren't very high, as a reminder to those who think we'll be safe on top of them.
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Sep 9, 2013 19:41
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C
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Sep 9, 2013 19:44
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Sogol posted:C with a touch of D. We have been given a duty. We don't actually know how important it is or not in terms of random furniture, but it is clear we have been given a duty and Danal's safety is at the center of that. We can get as high in the King's home as possible in order to watch approaches and perhaps observe the battle. Tell Danal we need the height, here, in order to rain down destruction on anything that dares to approach the palace. We are the last line of defense. It will be hard, but we can do it. I vote for this. Hold the White Noise Marine fucked around with this message at 19:49 on Sep 9, 2013 |
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Sep 9, 2013 19:46
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Sogol posted:C with a touch of D. We have been given a duty. We don't actually know how important it is or not in terms of random furniture, but it is clear we have been given a duty and Danal's safety is at the center of that. We can get as high in the King's home as possible in order to watch approaches and perhaps observe the battle. Tell Danal we need the height, here, in order to rain down destruction on anything that dares to approach the palace. We are the last line of defense. It will be hard, but we can do it. This thing.
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Sep 9, 2013 20:01
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Sogol posted:C with a touch of D. We have been given a duty. We don't actually know how important it is or not in terms of random furniture, but it is clear we have been given a duty and Danal's safety is at the center of that. We can get as high in the King's home as possible in order to watch approaches and perhaps observe the battle. Tell Danal we need the height, here, in order to rain down destruction on anything that dares to approach the palace. We are the last line of defense. It will be hard, but we can do it. Sounds good to me.
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Sep 9, 2013 20:07
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Sogol posted:C with a touch of D. We have been given a duty. We don't actually know how important it is or not in terms of random furniture, but it is clear we have been given a duty and Danal's safety is at the center of that. We can get as high in the King's home as possible in order to watch approaches and perhaps observe the battle. Tell Danal we need the height, here, in order to rain down destruction on anything that dares to approach the palace. We are the last line of defense. It will be hard, but we can do it. This. Noted and logged as my vote.
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Sep 9, 2013 20:18
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F - Convince Danal to watch from the roof The walls were described as pretty minimal so we should have a good view from the roof especially if it is on a hill or has more than one story. We also won't get into trouble for leaving the house like we might for going to the walls.
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Sep 9, 2013 20:28
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Sogol posted:C with a touch of D. We have been given a duty. We don't actually know how important it is or not in terms of random furniture, but it is clear we have been given a duty and Danal's safety is at the center of that. We can get as high in the King's home as possible in order to watch approaches and perhaps observe the battle. Tell Danal we need the height, here, in order to rain down destruction on anything that dares to approach the palace. We are the last line of defense. It will be hard, but we can do it. I vote this.
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Sep 9, 2013 20:33
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C
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Sep 9, 2013 20:35
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Sogol posted:C with a touch of D. We have been given a duty. We don't actually know how important it is or not in terms of random furniture, but it is clear we have been given a duty and Danal's safety is at the center of that. We can get as high in the King's home as possible in order to watch approaches and perhaps observe the battle. Tell Danal we need the height, here, in order to rain down destruction on anything that dares to approach the palace. We are the last line of defense. It will be hard, but we can do it. sounds good to me
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Sep 9, 2013 20:41
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I got a great idea: how about get on top of the house and see if we can...Sogol posted:C with a touch of D. We have been given a duty. We don't actually know how important it is or not in terms of random furniture, but it is clear we have been given a duty and Danal's safety is at the center of that. We can get as high in the King's home as possible in order to watch approaches and perhaps observe the battle. Tell Danal we need the height, here, in order to rain down destruction on anything that dares to approach the palace. We are the last line of defense. It will be hard, but we can do it.
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Sep 9, 2013 21:00
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my dad posted:What is the fastest escape route in case the city falls? You know that the city has several gates. The quickest way would be out them, or if you tried to steal a raft, down the river, or swim if you had to. The people of Zepath do not use boats, they have simple rafts used to move goods on the river near the city with poles, you might use them You can only guess at the approximate location of three other places with people. Your home village, which you could find with greatest certainty if you went west and just followed the coast, though the way is long and probably full of monster. There are two cities northeast, one is north north-east and one is east east-north. There is no road and the walk takes a little under a month. You do not know the way and there is no road, there are likely monsters to boot, but fewer and some shelters on the way which you might find to know you are on the right path. Zepath is as you know, the most remote city of Ur. The invaders come from the east. Sogol posted:If the city what's? The walls are not as high, between ten and twenty feet in sections and the city is not as densely populated, there is only one wall, but that picture is otherwise generally roughly accurate. It was tough to find a picture with a perfect match. The walls are not wide enough to station men atop or easily run atop but two youths looking to scamper up them and watch from a stationary position should have few problems. The top of the picture is north. The river flows southwest from the edge of the picture. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
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Sep 9, 2013 21:04
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Sogol posted:C with a touch of D. We have been given a duty. We don't actually know how important it is or not in terms of random furniture, but it is clear we have been given a duty and Danal's safety is at the center of that. We can get as high in the King's home as possible in order to watch approaches and perhaps observe the battle. Tell Danal we need the height, here, in order to rain down destruction on anything that dares to approach the palace. We are the last line of defense. It will be hard, but we can do it. I like this, but fib to Danal that Tudiyah told us that we were both ordered to hold the house at all costs.
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Sep 9, 2013 21:24
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Voting C: Thank him for getting the equipment ready, but suggest that if he gets to the walls, he can WATCH heroes, but if he defends the palace and the women, he gets to BE a hero. Heroes do what is necessary, and with almost everyone else gone, there's only a small handful left to defend the palace and the women. What if a rampaging minotaur should happen to make its way inside the palace? The Mighty Men will win, of course, but before they win a cowardly or lucky monster might make its way through while everyone is distracted, and what happens then? Hint, too, that with fewer of us in the palace, we'd see greater glory in the event of adventure than we would in the middle of a massive mob. Be sure to point out, though, that even if nothing happens while we're defending the palace, we'd have done the right thing - heroes need to be just as well as brave, and must be sure to protect innocents. With Tudiya and the Mighty Men gone, that task falls to us, and what kind of heroes would we be if we left the helpless behind for our own fun? Remind him, too, that there will be more such attacks - and next time, we'll be ready to take them on ourselves. Why are we trying to convince Danal of all this instead of joining in? Because damnit, we didn't vote to take the Chair back and defend it just to run right back into the bloody fight!
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Sep 9, 2013 22:59
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There seems to be a clear trend, but the night is young. Would you want a second update in a few hours or wait till tomorrow night?
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Sep 9, 2013 23:06
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Sooner, I think.
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Sep 9, 2013 23:08
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I am going to very slightly buck the trend: C with a touch of E. And yeah, having an update tonight would be awesome.
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Sep 9, 2013 23:12
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Let's have another vote tonight.
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Sep 9, 2013 23:36
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Sooner sounds good to me, looking at the previous vote I don't think outcomes are gonna change.
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Sep 9, 2013 23:47
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Tomn posted:Voting C: Thank him for getting the equipment ready, but suggest that if he gets to the walls, he can WATCH heroes, but if he defends the palace and the women, he gets to BE a hero. Heroes do what is necessary, and with almost everyone else gone, there's only a small handful left to defend the palace and the women. What if a rampaging minotaur should happen to make its way inside the palace? The Mighty Men will win, of course, but before they win a cowardly or lucky monster might make its way through while everyone is distracted, and what happens then? Hint, too, that with fewer of us in the palace, we'd see greater glory in the event of adventure than we would in the middle of a massive mob. Be sure to point out, though, that even if nothing happens while we're defending the palace, we'd have done the right thing - heroes need to be just as well as brave, and must be sure to protect innocents. With Tudiya and the Mighty Men gone, that task falls to us, and what kind of heroes would we be if we left the helpless behind for our own fun? Remind him, too, that there will be more such attacks - and next time, we'll be ready to take them on ourselves. Seconding this.
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Sep 10, 2013 00:08
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Looks like the vote is pretty set already, but I'm going to go with something completely different. F: Go out to do battle, fully into the fray!. We've been ordered to stay home, but we are at the critical stage in any heroes life where they need to start distinguishing themselves. Once we've proven to the world that we're great heroes, we can start being responsible. Now, its time to be reckless!
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Sep 10, 2013 00:10
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"We can see them from the roof!" You say to Danal. "Besides, we need to be ready to defend the home when the monsters get here!" You say. "They will get HERE!?" Says Danal."Wont dad stop them?" "I don't know" you say with a tone that only an eight year old would believe "they looked pretty mean! We better get up top and get ready! Come on!" And then head for the house, towards a wood pile you can use to scamper up towards the roof. Danal is quick to follow you and the two of you climb the building together. Your home is only a single story but it is elevated a bit in the middle of the city on a small rise and there are some statues atop it that you and Danal climb for extra height. You use the staff to steady yourself and take the bag of javelins from Danal to boot, but let him hold onto one. You finally have a position perched atop a statue of a winged figure pointing southwest, a statue which is very probably, Damat, the nominal patron Ophanim of the city, who is said to have guided Zepa to this spot to build the city. Sometime it rains, sometimes it is sunny and sometimes roving armies of monsters roam out of the wilderness and attack the city. They, like the weather, are a fact of life and not a serious threat to the city, or so you have been told, such attacks happen a few times each generation. Considering the powers you have seen the Mighty Men of Zepath use, the city can't truly be in danger, can it? Peering, if you squint a bit, you can just make out the approaching army on the horizon and... and there are sure a whole lot of them... were... were there always so many? Your counting has improved to the point you can count to a hundred and do simple addition and subtraction. There are many-many-lots, possibly as many as the whole male population of the city. It is tough to gauge their height from this range but you might guess the beasts range from between seven and twelve feet tall. From this height, you can hear them, the blasts of their horns, the stomping of their feet and a few of their roars. It is tough to make out their arms or armor from this distance. If you really squint, you make out some banners held by the beasts, of a birds beak painted in red and dripping with blood.  They may be a few miles off. Your own people are still assembling in front of the city, only bits of them visible, mostly obscured by the city wall. The beasts have many miles to cross, the battle is not likely to start for some time. Danal complains that "I can't see them! I can't see anything!" You point out the beasts and ask if Danal can see them, he shakes his head. "We are too far away! Come on, we can still make it to the walls!" You know that Danal loves nothing more than stories of heroes and to see fighting and is highly enthusiastic about all such matters. Not seeing the battle would be a huge disappointment to him. Need you worry how much you will upset him if you deny him, or do you have other concerns? Danal moves to climb down the statue you are perched upon... 1. Are you afraid of the monstrous horde?  A. No. Our Mighty Men are pretty badass and will wipe the floor with them, as always! B. No. I believe El and/or the Melachim are on our side. We can't lose! C. No. These battles happen a few times a generation and I know we always win without much trouble, even if this is the first time I have seen it. D. No, because I am 14 and do not believe anything really bad can happen because of my youth. E. Maybe a little... there sure are a lot of them. F. I mean... a LOT, could this be more than normal...? G. I... I think it may be... there are a LOT of them... H. This is way more than usual! CRAP! We are in trouble here! I. AHHHHHH! AHHHHHH! AHHHHHH! WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE! 2. As Danal moves to climb down, what is your PRIMARY concern at this moment? A. Danal getting hurt, of course! He is my little brother! B. Me getting in trouble if Danal gets hurt! C. Me getting in trouble if Danal gets caught! D. Me getting in trouble if I disobey Tudiya or fail him! E. There are a lot of monsters and we may be in genuine danger, I want us to stay here where it is safe! F. I do not want to dissapoint Danal or make him mad! G. Pffft! Pansy! I will be a great adventurer, I need to see the action up close! Danal has the right idea! H. Something else is your PRIMARY motivation. Fill in. 3. Are you frustrated or angry that Danal is disobeying you? A. What? No, of course not. B. A little! My butt may be on the line here! C. Quite a bit! Why won't that kid listen to me? I know whats best! D. A whole bunch! This is serious and he SHOULD listen to me! E. Something else. Fill in. 4. ....but you are going to keep calm, right?(Only pick one if you did NOT vote for A for #3 above) A. Of course. B. I am finding it a little hard, but I keep calm. C. Things are a bit stressful here... D. There is an army of monsters AND I could get in trouble AND Danal could slip and hurt himself! I am finding it hard to remain perfectly calm here! He SHOULD listen to me, damnit! E. Something else. Fill in. F. I did not vote for A for #3, so I do not get a vote on this one. Or, I can just leave this question blank! 5. As Danal moves to climb down you.... A. Repeat your earlier message that you need to stay here and defend the house! B. Repeat your message, more forcefully. C. Order Danal to stay here. D. Danal WILL stay up here and do what I say! E. He did not, but tell him his father ordered him to stay here. F. Plead with Danal to stay here. G. Try to persuade Danal to stay here in another way. H. I changed my mind and decide it is time to go see the battle closer up! I head to the city walls with Danal! I. Something else. Fill in. You can ask Danal anything you would like related to these decisions and your current situation. I will answer as I see the questions. We have had a few time skips, but, generally, if your decisions are happening in "real time", if you want to ask the persons currently around you questions related to your current decision or concern, go for it. On the whole, the number of questions will ask not matter and the person you talk to will not point out how ridiculous it is to ask a hundred questions in the span of thirty seconds and time freezes for the purposes of asking questions. Obviously inflammatory questions will require a mini vote or possibly a full vote depending on how infalamtory they are. This is a rough rule with some exceptions, but follows the same general guideline as the Land Between the Rivers. If you want to, feel free to join us on irc #madgod on synirc.net. The channel tends to always have some people in it and is especially active when updates go up. If you do not know what IRC is, here is a web based chat version which will not require you to register or download anything: http://chat.mibbit.com/ Diogines fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Sep 10, 2013 |
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Sep 10, 2013 01:03
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1. B 2. A 3. A 4. - 5. G. We have to keep a look out. From here, we can see everything in every direction. If any monsters attack from another direction, then we need to warn others and fight them. Deadly Ham Sandwich fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Sep 10, 2013 |
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Sep 10, 2013 01:07
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1. A + D 2. C - We aren't worried about the monsters, we'll get caught and stopped long before we get to where anything good is going on. 3. B 4. A 5. E - He needs us up here to be scouts! From here, we can see if anything gets inside the city, and if they do, we need to warn everyone inside the house.
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Sep 10, 2013 01:18
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1. Are you afraid of the monstrous horde? B. No. I believe El and/or the Melachim are on our side. We can't lose! 2. As Danal moves to climb down, what is your PRIMARY concern at this moment? A. Danal getting hurt, of course! He is my little brother! 3. Are you frustrated or angry that Danal is disobeying you? B. A little! My butt may be on the line here! 4. ....but you are going to keep calm, right?(Only pick one if you did not vote for A for #3 above) B. I am finding it a little hard, but I keep calm. 5. As Danal moves to climb down you.... E. He did not, but tell him his father ordered him to stay here.
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Sep 10, 2013 01:19
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1. E 2. A 3. A 4. B 5. H
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Sep 10, 2013 01:21
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1. A 2. A 3. C 4. B 5. B
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Sep 10, 2013 01:22
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1. E. Maybe a little... there sure are a lot of them. 2. E. There are a lot of monsters and we may be in genuine danger, I want us to stay here where it is safe! 3. B. A little! 4. B. I am finding it a little hard, but I keep calm. 5. E. He did not, but tell him his father ordered him to stay here. Continuing the proud tradition of Enkidel, the Wet Blanket.
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Sep 10, 2013 01:34
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 Spreadsheet is up. My votes: 1.  2. 3.  4.  5.  We're just going to sigh exasperatedly after trying ONE MORE TIME to persuade him and then get dragged along with our arms crossed and lots of proclamations of "it's your fault if we get in trouble". And then break our necks to keep him safe. Oh, and: 
Canuck-Errant fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Sep 10, 2013 |
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Sep 10, 2013 01:39
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1. Are you afraid of the monstrous horde? E. Maybe a little... there sure are a lot of them. 2. As Danal moves to climb down, what is your PRIMARY concern at this moment? A. Danal getting hurt, of course! He is my little brother! 3. Are you frustrated or angry that Danal is disobeying you? B. A little! My butt may be on the line here! 4. ....but you are going to keep calm, right?(Only pick one if you did NOT vote for A for #3 above) B. I am finding it a little hard, but I keep calm. 5. As Danal moves to climb down you.... I. Remind Danal that the palace is currently full of women (including our mother) and puppies, and if any of them slip past the mighty men we and Danal are the only bad enough dudes for quite some distance who will be able to help defend them. The household guard clearly aren't nearly as awesome as us, so we need to be on hand to help them out. Remind him further that as the King's son this duty is expected of him (regardless of how true that is). Hopefully that appeals to an 8 year old.
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Sep 10, 2013 01:45
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1B 2F 3A 5I "You know, Danal, we're not as mighty as the Mighty Men. This is more serious than adventures in the forest, we could be in real danger. If I say we have to come back, do you promise you'll come with me?" Show Danal trust is a two-way road.
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Sep 10, 2013 01:49
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