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A + C This is a great thread OP.
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Sep 5, 2016 22:26
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 11:32 |
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Bedtime Stories Leaving the organizing of tonight’s defensive measures to your cousin, you instead opt to take it upon yourself to raise the spirits of the remaining survivors. And what better way to do this then to enjoy the scrumptious barbecue that has become the centre of attention for those present? You ambulate over to the fire and find a place in the middle of things to the sound of mild cheering, as some people recognize you as one of the outsiders that saved them and theirs. Soon a platter (looted from the wreck) of camp-fire-grilled snake-meat, carved from the slowly rotting corpse behind you is pushed your way. You and many others dig in and partake of an activity greatly appreciated by imperial citizens when no other entertainment presents itself: the sharing of stories.  The past few days have been harrowing and filled with death and despair, so the topics of discussion turn to life and merriment out of necessity and survival. Many interesting tales are regaled, and you share some you know with those assembled in turn. Your interest peaks however, when a curious and enthusiastic gnome named Dawner asks a pertinent question to a dour, elder dwarf.  “Where do Dwarven babies come from!?!!” It is not something you have really thought much about before, but something inside you perks up when the old dwarf starts explaining. Perhaps, you ponder, the Call has come for you.  “Well, y'see. Dwarven family structure differs from the standard imperial template of blood relation in several important but ultimately not significant ways. First and foremost and most confusingly for those who have not encountered many Dwarrow in their days is the lack of 'biological gender', as defined by Imperial Science. Oh, most of us default to the imperial masculine, but this is more for your sake than ours as a typical dwarf resembles an 'imperial human biological male' (a deeply flawed if not ridiculous concept in and of itself) in most aesthetics. Aside of course from stature which on average is slightly less than half in height and a tad wider in breadth. Secondly, what could be translated as the prototypical Dwarven family is nothing more than a business partnership. One in which two adult Dwarrov have come together, after the appropriate licensing test have been completed, to take responsibility of overseeing the upbringing of one or more of the new generation until such a time as their designated progeny is self sufficient. These partnerships are sponsored and monitored by the 'Generational Community Expansion Program' to ensure a stable population. At times when no eligible couples volunteer, the Call for draft might instead be issued by the Imperial Census. So, if the Dwarrov lack biological genders and mostly form partnerships through government intervention, - and here we come to the meat of your question - where do little Dwarven babies come from? The answer is simple, my friend. The couple, through a long series of ritualized and some would say agonizing paperwork, apply to the God of Labour for the guardianship of a fresh soul: to be guided into a mold of clay filled with primordial slime. After a grueling days long session, the child is brought to life with the breath of Divinity. It is said amongst the sentimental and jocular that this is the only time that Toil takes 'a breather' though I would never say such a thing myself. Though some of these partnerships unravel after the raising period ends, a lot of 'designated guardians' find a liking or tolerance for each others quirks and personalities during the long years they must be together and so stay acquainted, living under the same roof much like the families of other imperial species. Does this answer your question?"  “Uuuh.. yeah?! But what if they want babies with someone who isn't a dwarf?!?”  “The process remains unchanged. If a couple desires a non-dwarven child, the Imperial Census will gladly point the way to the nearest orphanage .” “Wow!” Wow indeed. With your stomach full of snake and the fears of the survivors soothed for now, you retire from the gathering and take first guard with your cousin. What follows is a wholly uneventful hour were neither of you speak much, as all the excitement of the day has worn you both out. Soon, your shift is over and you sleep. --- That night, you dream. And for the most part they are regular dreams. Things shift as they ought, scenes change with nary a cue, the experiences of the day and night filtering through your subconsciousness as your brain works out what to keep in long term storage and what to discard as unimportant to its own inscrutable purposes. But soon, your dreams become clearer. Less random, more focused. You are a man. A knight. After a long vigil and a violent battle you stand triumphant over the corpse of a giant snake, slewn by your hands with the aid of your terrifying two handed sword that you have named Abigail. A crowd has gathered to cheer your accomplishments and a beautiful frog has thrown a token of her affection your ways. A man in the crowd raises an eyebrow, looks to you in the most peculiar fashion. Raises a hand as if to speak. You are old. Much older than you will ever be. A kind gnome has fashioned a walking harness for your fragile, legless body and a kindly nurse frog is helping you take a walk around the ITEC Memorial Park. You think back fondly to your accomplishments but find the memories hard to grasp, the details slipping away with age. Urchins dance around a statue singing the imperial anthem and a man walks by, stops, looks as surprised as you feel. Raises a hand as if to speak. You are a boy, no more then ten. With the wages from your apprenticeship you are on the way to the marketplace to purchase a cupcake for nigh immediate consumption. Your belly rumbles. But when you make to remove an Imperial Coin from the confines of your +kobold leather purse+ to pay for your confectionery, you are greatly surprised when a toy snake appears from it in place of legal tender. In an instance it has lunged away from its walletian prison and begins chasing a young lady frog throughout the ancient halls of your mountainhome. Aghast, you make to follow the example set by the foremost hero in the Empire (a Paladin of the imperial order named Stella, your brain helpfully supplies) to rescue the harried citizen from the evil monster. A man in the crowd stands out to you. His face familiar though you have never seen him before. Unless... Unless he was in your previous dream, and the one before that? But those scenes are now a blur of already forgotten images and you strain to keep the current narrative together. The man looks as surprised as you feel. Raises a hand as if to speak. "Remain." And you are still. All the walls fall away, the world around you crumbles.  You are alone on the shore of the river Ennui. No. Not alone. The stars are absent from the sky but dance in the water as it streams silently. Hundreds of orbs ache and joy. Tug and pull. The man, that same man, steps out of the lighthless shadows. Conjures a mask of ivory, gold. Looks into your eyes - the windows to your soul. And he speaks.  "What are you doing in my dream?"
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Sep 10, 2016 18:20
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How do you know you are not in my dream?
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Sep 10, 2016 18:27
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Swedish Thaumocracy posted:
Uhhh...talking to a strange person with a gold-and ivory mask? Who are you? Where am I?
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Sep 10, 2016 18:36
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This is my dream, thank you very much.
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Sep 10, 2016 18:48
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Ask him to produce proof of ownership, preferably an authenticated signed document of Rim detailed the ownership of this dream land belongs to you
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Sep 10, 2016 19:22
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Nyaa posted:Ask him to produce proof of ownership, preferably an authenticated signed document of Rim detailed the ownership of this dream land belongs to you This is the only true way forwards  We'll have to find some way to roll Accounting here...
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Sep 10, 2016 19:29
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There Bias Two posted:Uhhh...talking to a strange person with a gold-and ivory mask? Who are you? Where am I? "Why, on the shore of the River Ennui of course. It seems a great battle has taken place here recently, but I see no clear victor. Pray tell, do you know what happened?" Hot Dog Day 80 posted:How do you know you are not in my dream? Mr. Nemo posted:This is my dream, thank you very much. "Do you wish to claim dominion of this space? Test your mettle against mine? Hah! What folly." 1: Do you wish to contest ownership of the dream? A: Yes. How do you go about this? B: Yes. Plan Nyaa. Nyaa posted:Ask him to produce proof of ownership, preferably an authenticated signed document of Rim detailed the ownership of this dream land belongs to you. C: No. Leave it as a status quo for now. D: No. Surrender your claim, if you even have one.
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Sep 10, 2016 19:39
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B Accounting shall see us through!
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Sep 10, 2016 19:41
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Theantero posted:B This, plus if we have to get into a legal word battle we should point out that in all the dreams we were in we were an active and dominant participant while he was a bystander.
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Sep 10, 2016 20:23
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Nyaa posted:Ask him to produce proof of ownership, preferably an authenticated signed document of Rim detailed the ownership of this dream land belongs to you Telsa Cola posted:This, plus if we have to get into a legal word battle we should point out that in all the dreams we were in we were an active and dominant participant while he was a bystander. Yep.
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Sep 10, 2016 20:30
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No clear victor? What do you call me standing here, with the remains of the snake in my belly? C Mr. Nemo fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Sep 10, 2016 |
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Sep 10, 2016 20:53
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C - eh. Tell him about the snake.
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Sep 10, 2016 20:55
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B
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Sep 10, 2016 21:04
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B. We were here first anyway so well have to ask you to leave.
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Sep 10, 2016 21:37
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C I'm inclined to haggle over my right to own my own dreams but I fear the more time we spend on that the less time we'll have to answer one another's question. So let's put that to the side as an issue to be resolved at another imperial date and time.
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Sep 10, 2016 21:55
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RandomPauI posted:C +1
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Sep 11, 2016 03:47
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Contesting Ownership Though you carefully consider your next words, feeling perhaps that taking the fight would just be a waste of time over such a triviality, your inner bureaucrat just cannot get over the lack of logic inherent in the notion that the dream you are having could be his. His dream?! When you were the active participant? The dominant protagonist? Him, just a face in the crowd? "Where is your proof of ownership, dear sir!" you exclaim. "Your thrice-singed documentation, your deed to the land!" Your experience in accounting allows you to pull forth a barrage of minutiae with which to counter him. Your reasoning manifesting as chains, threatening to bind the man and the environment itself in place. But the masked man merely laughs. With a flick of his wrist, the chains turn into paper and buries you in pages upon pages of meaningless drivel. Word-salad of the sort you could only find in dreams. What was once your iron-clad argument, now is a shopping list for cake, no, an old weather report, no, a maths-test, no, a selection of only the middle section of the second verse of a hundred poems and so on and so on, ad infinitum.  More laughter, and the paper disappears, turned into nothing but so much dust. You feel shaken by the experience, but you are otherwise unhurt. Perhaps he was right, and this is not your dream? He certainly seems to be in control of things. Still, beyond what just happened he does not seem inclined to escalate things further. "Imperial Laws hold no power here, dreamer. Besides, it's all about perspective, is it not? We are all central to our own stories, but let that not blind you to the stories of others; or much will be missed. Now, will you tell me what happened here? Or better yet; show me. I am oh so curious."
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Sep 12, 2016 13:00
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Dream about the snake battle, including the cupcake realm
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Sep 12, 2016 13:04
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Show him. Why not.
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Sep 12, 2016 13:04
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Cooperate. We might learn something new in the process.
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Sep 12, 2016 13:05
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Yeah, sure, play along with dream-person.
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Sep 12, 2016 13:09
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Cooperate to the best of our abilities
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Sep 12, 2016 13:19
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Ok he win. Show him
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Sep 12, 2016 13:19
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Show him.
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Sep 12, 2016 13:29
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That isn't how this is going to work. You tell me what you think happened and I'll correct you.
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Sep 12, 2016 14:08
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Dream: Repeat You look over to Abigail, riding beside you with a scowl on her face. You look behind and in front of you to the rest of your crew. The three brothers Loman: Tommy, Johakim and Konnie. Khami lost as always I'm quiet contemplation, your cousin Kvelar and the man masked in gold and ivory. He waves at you. "Oh don't mind me. I'm just along for the journey. How exciting. Traveling with your friends. Ah, but they are angry. See how they seethe! They are positively steaming! Ahaha." You come at last to the small hill, the bend in the river. Beyond lies the wreck that will soon provide background to the central conflict. You stop and plan, the masked man looking on with interest. "So you expected a monster? That would explain the siege engine, for there is nary a castle in sight. Though it is a curious contraption indeed. How did you come about it?" Together with the others you decided to fake an argument, to lure the snake into an ambush. Nearly Everyone agreed it was a good idea, even though you neglected to tell Abigail she was to be bait. "The girl. The angriest of them all. Such leverage might move the world, if one but wields it correctly." You take up position, Khami and the masked man and you setting up ##Nåzom Stegëth## whilst the others start arguing ahead of schedule. By this point even the dream itself takes on a noticeable tint of anger. "You best calm yourself, dreamer, for all this is in the past, and what can hurt you more than memories?" An unknown time passes, and then the wreck is re-wrecked by the Boas arrival, heralded by the thrown-so-hard-as-to -appear-flying Paladin of Toil. You fire ##Nåzom Stegëth## and the javelin it was loaded with disappears entirely. You shoot it again and ITEC scrambles to engage. The Paladin tries to grab it by the tail end and Abigail punches the snake in the eye, Khami pulls his chains close around it's snout and is dragged of for his effort. The masked man guffaws behind you. "What a curious strategy!" Soon Tommy hops upon the snake like a falling redwood and not long after that Abigail delivers the finishing blow to the paralyzed creatures neck. --- You find yourself back on the silent shore, the masked man standing before you as he did earlier. "Ah, and so it ends. But does it? The girl lives, yet I feel not her presence in the area. Her fire would be unmistakable. And the knight, who is he? What happened to him? He lay there dying, but is likewise missing. Pray tell. I would be very thankful." --- 1: Question time is re-opened. You may ask him anything, he seems receptive enough. Answering one of his questions requires support from other voters so as to keep it fair. Write-in. --- 2: You are dreaming. The masked man seems to be in control but doesn't seem to be using his control against you in any way. Do you wish to do anything to change that? A: Attempt to take control of the dream. You were shut down hard last time. Will another attempt anger him? Or will he just laugh it off, as before? If you want to do this, please state what approach you take to accomplish your goal and what you actually want to do once you have control if you get it. B: Continue with the status quo. C: Wake up.
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Sep 13, 2016 10:48
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I have a bad feeling about this C
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Sep 13, 2016 10:52
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Why do you have so much interest in this dream? B I think this is a god that is not officially endorsed by our civilization.
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Sep 13, 2016 12:21
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Tell me who you are before I risk revealing any more informations that might endangers Rim B
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Sep 13, 2016 13:23
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"We wear many masks, but the mask of truth wears us all. Before I unmask (reveal the cupcake reality) I ask you, unmask. A name, if you will and a face to place it with". B
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Sep 13, 2016 15:32
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C We're stuck in a dream controlled by a mysterious entity that doesn't value or respect Imperial Law. I don't think this is going to end well for us if we stick around.
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Sep 13, 2016 16:03
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Did we shoot Abigail with our doom cannon? No, the bolts were in the snake. Are you afraid of yourself? Take off the mask. I've seen all this before, do you want something or not? C, I think this clown is loving with us and even worse using cryptic bullshit.
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Sep 13, 2016 17:37
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Tell me who you are before i reveal more, etc.
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Sep 13, 2016 17:42
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B - Honestly I thought we were gonna tell him with the first vote anyway.
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Sep 13, 2016 18:35
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Nyaa posted:Tell me who you are before I risk revealing any more informations that might endangers Rim "Ahahaha. Now that would be a shame, wouldn't it?" Mr. Nemo posted:Tell me who you are before i reveal more, etc. There Bias Two posted:Who are you? Arkanomen posted:"We wear many masks, but the mask of truth wears us all. Before I unmask (reveal the cupcake reality) I ask you, unmask. A name, if you will and a face to place it with". Outrail posted:Are you afraid of yourself? Take off the mask. "I am the most honest man you will ever meet, for I wear my mask on the outside, that all may see I am disguised. I am, a dreamer, much like yourself. Though I dare say such commodities as ours are rare. As for my name; let me offer you an apology for my in-courtesy and instead teach you a valuable lesson. Never give your name freely in a realm such as this. Names Are Power. For they define the world." There Bias Two posted:Why do you have so much interest in this dream? "I was nearby and felt a disturbance, that is all. Would you not do the same?" Outrail posted:I've seen all this before, do you want something or not? "Well I have not. And I am curious. I want to know everything." ---
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Sep 13, 2016 19:41
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Well, if I can't have your name then teach us how to get back in here ourself so i can hunt you down in the worst case that you endangered Rim with my information
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Sep 13, 2016 20:04
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Swedish Thaumocracy posted:"I am the most honest man you will ever meet, for I wear my mask on the outside, that all may see I am disguised. That's some A grade crypto-bullshit right there friend. Are you taking the mask off or not? And I want to know everything as well. But since you don't want to tell me anything useful why should I do the same? Unless you want to threaten me?
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Sep 13, 2016 20:33
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Nyaa posted:Well, if I can't have your name then teach us how to get back in here ourself so i can hunt you down in the worst case that you endangered Rim with my information "We would not be talking had you not the power to do so already, Dreamer. <A pause.> See all those forms around you, orbs of endless colour in all of their majesty? They are the souls of Our Fellows, but their minds do not reach this plane. We, you and I, are different." Outrail posted:And I want to know everything as well. But since you don't want to tell me anything useful why should I do the same? Unless you want to threaten me? "Why threaten, when asking will do? If there is something you wish to know - aside from the trivialities of my personae - merely inquire it of me. All I ask is that you return the favour, describe the scene. As you so generously have thus far."
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Sep 13, 2016 20:57
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 11:32 |
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"My method of coming here is limited in the form of consumables with rare ingredient and I don't think i can easily replicated it again, which is why I need better alternative. Can you teach me?"
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Sep 13, 2016 21:05
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