Harry's Game · Page 13

For my sword attack, I'll stab the guy who stabbed me.

For my non-sword attack, I'll groin-kick the other one.

As explained in the thread behind the screens, you were entitled to some bonuses that I missed, and so that last failed maneuver will instead be a success.

You succeed in diverting the incoming attack such that it injures the other opponent some. Congratulations on developing this new technique.

Are you changing your intended action for your remaining two attacks?

--M. J. Young

No. I'll kick the guy I baited into getting stabbed, then stab the guy who stabbed him. It still works.

Your kick deflects off the man's hip, but your sword slices the uninjured man nearly in half.

At this moment you notice a familiar wirey figure and brown afro dodging and weaving unarmed in the midst of the combat. Your attention is brought back to the fray as a decent gash lands on you from the man you tried to kick.

--M. J. Young

Quartz (Ronny) can tend to himself. He's been fine this far, maybe he has some stoner boxing tricks up his sleeve.

I'll attempt to finish off the guy who just gashed me. Let out a Kiai and skewer him a good one.

You shout, he quails, you skewer him and he goes down in a heap.

Several pirates have swung over on lines into the rigging, and are coming down the masts; security and deck hands are struggling to hold their own.

--M. J. Young

Can I see their helmsman? If so, I pick up the fallen pirate's sword and throw it at the helmsman, using Psionic Accuracy in order to gauge the arc I need to hit him from this range hard enough to count. (I can, IRL, hurl a softball (weight 7oz) the length of an apartment building, I want to say 95 paces, accurately enough to hit a man, if that gives you any gauge of my throwing ability.)

If not, I look around.
Are there any pirates nearby enough to me? If there are, I move up to engage them.

If not, I look around. Are there many pirates still on the ropes? If there are, I'll TK Pulse their ship to roll it away from us, the goal being to make their swings fall short - they either swing back or fall in the water.

If not, I look around. Are many of our guys significantly hurt? If so, I move back from the line of fighting and drop to my knees, sword point-down in front of me, hands folded on the hilt, and I spend one combat round praying to Freya, goddess of life and healing, to restore the health of all of those men (Mass Limited Damage Repair?) injured in defense of this ship. Alliance Holy Magic, full body involvement, my named-unique sword in both hands, appropriate words spoken so sound matters, NOT using or discharging the holy ground. I want to do another freaky split casting time: one round now causes the spell to go off, but as a price for this immediate aid I cannot invoke another divine spell for fifteen minutes.

None of those things are so. You are on the main deck near the aftcastle; the pirates are near the forecastle, in sufficient numbers that the security and deck hands are retreating into the hatches on that side. You could race across the deck and attack the pirates from behind, but by the time you reached them you and Ronny might be the only members of the Piper crew still on the main deck. It might be better to retreat either into the map room in the aftcastle or up the ladders to the helm. Of course, maybe they won't notice you for the moment.

--M. J. Young

Summary update from UberCon XI:

>I sang, giving my guys a +46 bonus to attacks.
>They started to drive the pirates back.
>I tried to shoot the rigging rope off the pirate ship and missed.
>The pirates tried to flee, cursing their helmsman for not keeping the ship steady (I was flicking their ship with TK Pulse at the time).
>I picked up a pirate cutlass and started learning to parry off-handed.
>I botch learning to parry off-handed and had to heal my left arm (freaking out Doc Evans a little more when I regenerated a wound overnight and he had to cut the stitches out of me - I'm convinced he enjoyed making me bite down on his stupid brick thing while he did it, too).
>Three days after the pirates, I succeeded in learning the off-handed parry as a maneuver under my sword style.
>Then we saw a ship from another nation, passing by, and I got +1 skill mark on Telescopic Vision and Use Telescope for using them both together to pick out the details of their deck.
>Then I botched an Empathy check and got myself a couple of days of Brain Burn, which I was sleeping off in sick bay when we last left off.

I see editing a post doesn't bump it, so this double-post is just a bump, because I posted my summary as an edit.

You are back in the routine in five days. It is the two hundred thirty-fourth day of this run, and navigation hopes to be able to give news of Durnmist soon.

You reach Durnmist ten days later. Port is made and shore leave offered.

--M. J. Young

I don't really remember what sort of town Durnmist is, so before we arrive in port I'll check my journal to see what went on last time we were here. Ah, gambling is illegal here, there's a bit of a mob presence, and the barmaids on the dockside aren't impressed by sailors.

I'll probably take some shore leave, and I'll give myself one of my usual good-for-two-days Remove Fatigue peps right before we arrive.

If we're in town for the usual 24 hours, I'll take my time about it. I won't go to one of the dockside pubs - everyone there is used to dealing with sailors, and probably none too favorably. I'll take my usual regalia - smallsword, pistol and two extra rounds, cloak and hat - and head off into town, cutting a dashing figure, such as it is. (Is there a skill for having a sense of style? Alas, I've never developed it. Perhaps some day I should pay more attention to that sort of thing...) What I will do is find myself a place suitably away from the docks, preferably the sort of place locals would go. Pub, coffee shop, book store, whatever, so long as there are girls.
The problem for me at this point is that it's been a while since my last attempt to find a nice local girl to hook up with. I know my personal magnetism isn't the greatest, but I do have something now that I didn't have then: Read Surface Thoughts, and Empathy. And what better practice than a day on the town? I'll find someone cute and perhaps a year or three younger than me, and try my luck.
Why am I doing this here? Because the next port is Tempest, and I sodding hate Tempest, so I need an adventure and possibly an encounter to cheer me up before we get there. Plus it's been something like two years since I got to this world - What is this world actually called, anyway? - and a man my age has needs even if, like me, he doesn't think about them very often.
Alas, IC I don't know about the whole "Scriff is an STD" thing. On the one hand, Verser-me would probably feel guilty as Hell about that if he did know. On the other, he'd probably invest in some condoms and stop worrying.

While I'm out on the prowl, I'll see if I happen to pass a place in town that sells blades. I'd like something a bit lighter than the shabby pirate cutlass to use off-hand. Another smallsword would be ideal - though it would be astonishing if any matched mine - but a lighter, less shabby cutlass would be fine, too. Just something a bit better balanced, perhaps a hair faster in the hand than that. I'm not left-handed and parrying with that cutlass, I'd be better off with an axe! In fact a hatchet might not be a bad idea either...

(Is there a skill for having a sense of style? Alas, I've never developed it. Perhaps some day I should pay more attention to that sort of thing...)

The world is just called "the world". It hasn't occurred to these people that there might be another one. Scholars are aware that the world is a planet which revolves around a star, and that other planets do likewise, but they are fairly confident there is no life on those other planets--it would be too hot or too cold for people to live there. They also can see the other stars, but they have not seen any evidence that there might be other planets.

You've arrived around midday and are not needed until departure, about twenty-four hours hence. I'm guessing you'll look for the sword in the afternoon and the girl in the evening. Does that fit with your thinking?

Your left-handed swordwork is not all that bad, actually. Part of your training with security has included switching hands on the weapon precisely because you cannot always rely on being able to use your good hand for the weapon in combat. In any case, left-handed sword use is better than left-handed axe use.

--M. J. Young

Actually I'm going to do that in the exact opposite order: I'm going to look for the girl in the afternoon and evening and the sword tomorrow morning before we leave.

And I'm not saying my left-handed swordwork is bad, per se, only that a lighter, easier to handle sword could only help. That said, that's what I'll look for - something lighter and a bit more comfortable than a second-rate pirate cutlass, which I will trade in toward the price.

Osevens, don't forget to reply to the game you're running.

It's a rainy day, and the street vendors are not out; you wander in and out of shops browsing more for the people than for the goods.

Your wandering brings you to a shop that is completely out of the ordinary. According to the sign, it belongs to a local matchmaker, and when she sees you near the door, she says, "Come in, young man. Have I got a girl for you!"

--M. J. Young

I boggle. A matchmaker? What are the odds...

I sweep off my hat, and follow her in. What could it hurt?

She is talking about you even while she hobbles back to her sitting area. There are several overstuffed chairs, a coffee table, a few end tables, and tea already out, sitting on a warmer using a candle.

"You are an adventurer, a traveler--no, don't deny it, it is written all over you--but you want to find a nice sweet girl and settle down, have a place you can call home, raise a family. You want her pretty, but practical, someone who can keep a home while you're away, who can love you and be faithful during your times at sea, holding her home together until you return with the money to care for her. Have some tea," she says as she hands you the cup. "Help yourself to honey or curds, if you like, and have a biscuit. Sweet but tough--not the biscuits, the girl, a shopkeeper's daughter, perhaps, someone who can hold her own haggling, bring in a bit of extra income. Marta can find you such a girl, yes?"

--M. J. Young

I do indeed help myself to some honey and a biscuit, with a grin of thanks.

"Marta, if you can find me such a girl, I would be ever in your debt." Of course, there's also the matter of her being young and with a sense of humor, but Marta here seems to have a handle on things well enough - no need to nitpick the woman at her own forte'.

Have I mentioned how much I like Durnmist? With its criminal presence but nothing too seedy, no bloodthirsty cannibals or weird rules... I think I could do good here...

"I'm sure we can come to some fair compensation to relieve that debt; and of course you will undoubtedly tell your friends of the good work Marta does in this area. But tell me more. Tell me about yourself, tell me why any girl would think you a good husband. And tell me what I've missed, what you need in a wife. Who is the woman who could be wife to--I do not think I caught your name?"

--M. J. Young

"John Sevenwind," I answer, more or less effortlessly. I've been answering to it these two years and change, so it comes easily enough.

"As for what I would be looking for... someone young, smart, with an interest in the world around her, the state of things. A thinking girl, but not one who spends ALL of her time in libraries, either. Like you said, a merchant's daughter. To be honest, you've mostly covered all the bases. Someone I could come home to after another year at sea, or settle down with if I decide to give up sailing."

"But you are not from Durnmist. Are you planning to settle here, possibly transfer to a ship that runs from Durnmist so you will be here longer on your layovers? Or are you hoping this girl I find for you will relocate to--what city would it be?"

--M. J. Young

I shake my head. "I call no city home yet... but I look around at Durnmist and I see a city I could call home. I see a place with good people, but not entirely without problems. A city I feel I could do well in, and do good in, if you follow my meaning. If I found someone worth staying for, I would be willing to return here when my current cruise is over. From here to Sardic the long way around, and then back as quickly as possible."

"Very good. Well answered, Master Sevenwind. Can you join me here for dinner at sunset tonight? I shall have someone here you will want to meet."

--M. J. Young

"Absolutely."

I'll thank her and take my leave.
Provided it's not too late in the day, that should give me time to go back to the ship for a pouch of money, in case she wants payment in advance, and possibly to find that sword shop, too, if I'm really lucky.

I wonder if that Restore Freshness spell I use on my food can also be used to clean my clothes? I suppose it can't hurt to try, if I have an hour to spare. So the real question is, how long have I got?

You know what? Bugger it. I'll look for the sword shop in the morning. I know me - if I had a blind date coming up I would be far too nervous to do anything useful. I'll just go back to the ship Freshen my clothes, and try not to be a nervous wreck the rest of the afternoon.

Harry, there is a critical question here: when you designed the skill that is listed as Purify Food and Drink, was a limitation to consumables the basis for any part of the significant sit-mod bonus? If it was, then the skill is limited to food and drink; if it was not, then it just worked. I think it probably worked, but I thought I'd ask you to confirm that for me if you can.

--M. J. Young

To be honest, I named it that after the D&D spell of the same name.

Edit: Looking back, we designed this spell on page 11 of my game thread. There is, in fact, nothing in the spell that limits what it can be used on in any way. I could theoretically use this to purify forging steel if I felt thus inclined.

There's an implication of something cyclic in the incantation; depending on how strictly that is interpreted, you could end up with some very interesting restrictions.

For example: the fruit which you bring back from spoilage was once every bit as fresh as you have just made it; was the forging steel ever pure, at any time in its past? If you left it alone, would it become less pure? And if so, would its remnants ever give rise to new, pure steel?

That sort of thing is why I'm glad that divine magic looks at your intentions more than your methods.

That sort of thing is why I'm glad that divine magic looks at your intentions more than your methods.

Yes, but at least for referees, intentions are expressed through methods.

I concur that the spell will work to "freshen" anything by restoring it to an earlier state of freshness, but will not work to purify objects which were never in such a state. It would, however, serve as a reasonable example for the creation of a spell that removed impurities from objects that cannot be covered by this one.

The spell description now reads:

1@4 Freshen M+3@1, will purify food and drink or restore other materials to a desired previous state of freshness or purity, sit in activated holy ground for 1:00:00 TF while invoking Hel, Baldur, and Heimdall, saying "Restore what was, for the good of all, that what once passed may all the sooner come again," +74SM.

It works. You freshen your clothes. They still look worn to the degree that you have been working in them, but they are clean and smell fresh.

What time are you leaving the ship for the matchmaker, how many diktar are you taking, and are you doing anything along the way?

--M. J. Young

I have 5,000 or so on me, so I'll take 1,000. If she's charging more than that, she'd have to be very sodding good.

I'll leave the ship about an hour before sunset.
On the way, I'll buy some flowers for my blind date, if there are any florists about, otherwise I'll just show up. Marta didn't tell me to bring anything...

And then I'll arrive, as close to on time as I can manage.

Flowers are sold from carts in the street, brought in from outside the city every day (because lacking refrigeration they can't keep cut flowers and lacking space they can't grow them fast enough to sell). It is easy to find a flower cart getting ready to pack up for the day, and to buy a very substantial bouquet for a single diktar. The child who takes your money thanks you, and runs back to his mother.

You arrive at Marta's a bit early, and she invites you in and commends you on punctuality. (There are clocks in this world, but not many people have them as they tend to be big, expensive, and stationary.) "I've been telling Arabella a bit about you, and she is eager to meet you. Come, I have dinner waiting; I hope you will enjoy the wine."

The girl is what you have come to see, but I will first describe the dinner. It is a roast leg of lamb, with carrots and potatoes roasted in the same pot, heavily seasoned with garlic and scallion. The wine is delicate, not the finest wine you've ever encountered but certainly not a cheap one. The table is set for two, with a side table a short distance away from which your matchmaker serves and chaperones. There is also fresh water, and although water in the city might not be as good as that in the country, it is fresher than most of the water from the kegs on the ship.

"John, this is Arabella. I cannot tell you too much about her family--after all, there are sailors unscrupulous enough to cheat a matchmaker out of her wage--but I can tell you that she is the second daughter of a merchant, not one of the wealthier ones but he owns his own shop and does a fair business. She and I made the dinner together, as is my usual practice, so you can see that she has some talent in the kitchen. She also made her own dress--not special for this evening, obviously, since such a product would take weeks to complete, but it shows her skill in this as well."

Arabella is probably nineteen or twenty. She is demure, clearly shy even as she repeats your name and extends a gloved hand. Her auburn hair has been made up a bit hurriedly into a high bun that draws it back from her face, which shows just a few faint freckles on pale skin. Her green eyes stand out brightly against the quiet of her expression; her nose and mouth are small, but her lips are dark--whether by nature or by art is more than you can tell. The dress, well made from fine fabrics in pleasant subdued colors, hides her figure significantly, but it is clear that she is slender with natural curves. Her hands are thin with somewhat longer fingers.

"Marta tells me you are a sailor looking to settle down to a quieter life. It must be very exciting, being on the sea like that. I've not been out of sight of the docks. What's it like?"

Marta begins serving the meal, as Arabella removes her gloves. Her hands are similarly pale, but very smooth in the main; there are some signs of callouses on the fingers and palms, as would be natural for someone who works with her hands.

--M. J. Young

Oh but she's perfect! Marta more than earned her take.

I appreciate the scent of dinner, and take an appreciative breath. I also sweep off my hat in a polite way and hang it, and my cloak, where appropriate.

When Arabella is introduced, I accept her hand with a gentle kiss on the backs of her gloved fingers, ever so formal, and I present her with the flowers while Marta is going on about her background. She is everything Marta promised and more. Her hair, her skin, her shape, all gorgeous, and such talent! Cooking and sewing... someone I can compare notes with. And a merchant's daughter, just like she said.

As we return to the table, I pull out Arabella's chair for her, then sit and thank Marta for serving. While I will sample the wine, as not to insult anyone, it will be no more than a glass or two all night. I'll mostly stick with water during dinner, the better to keep a clear head.

"Oh yes," I answer her, "Very exciting. The wind in your hair, a good rolling sea, legions of pirates all out to take what you've got." I finish this with a smirk, "But the land has challenges of its own, and I think it's high time I seek them out."
At that point I'll focus more completely on her, in that 'you have my undivided attention' sort of way, "But tell me about you. What sort of business does your family do?" That seems so impersonal I almost wince to ask it, but what else have I got to go on? "What is it like being here? I've never spent more than a day or two at a time in Durnmist..."

"Father is in textiles. Marta doesn't want me saying too much about who he is, but he has done reasonably well in weaving, and we sell to most of the dressmakers and tailors, even a few of the milliners, as well as some of the fabric shops. We work mostly in cotton and wool, which we buy processed into thread and yarn, but we have done a little silk."

"Well, it's difficult to say. The city is more dangerous than the countryside, perhaps, but there is plenty happening here--arts, theater, lots of people. I've only once been very far, and that was to Tempest--a very violent city, from what I could see, and Father would not let me explore unaccompanied, so I don't know what is there. They tell me that Tempest is not very usual, and that Sardic is much more like Durnmist--or rather, Durnmist is more like Sardic, which is really the bigger and more--does the word cosmopolitan mean what I think? They have more colleges at their university, more museums, more theaters. But I only know that from reading about it. Father insisted we all learn to read. He said if nothing else we could help with the bookkeeping." She smiles at this, as it seems to be some sort of joke.

"So, what are other places like? Maybe I can tell you how Durnmist is different, if you can tell me what makes them what they are."

--M. J. Young

I listen intently to her descriptions, and smile at her joke even though I don't really get it - it's obviously something important to her.

I'll tell her about the major cities. That yes, in fact, Sardic is very much like Durnmist, only bigger, and yes, cosmopolitan means exactly what she thinks it means. Tempest is, uniquely, every bit the dive town she thinks it is, which is why I'm not terribly happy about our ship going there next, but it can't be helped. Emerald would be prettier without the savages and such. Rough Passage is just what it sounds like, and Moon of Korg... well... it's Moon of Korg, what can you really say? On Sardic, though, they do have universities - I even took a History class there once, and I have the book if she would like to read it.

I'll give her that 'I've been talking too much' sort of grin and lower my eyes, letting her have a word edgewise. I always feel like I talk too much, unless she really looks rapt.

"I would love to read the book. I've read a few history books, and it is interesting to see how far advanced we are in this modern world, how much better off we are than our forefathers. I had wanted to go to school, but Father says I am already too much of a bookworm, and that men don't like women who know more than they should. So, what else have you studied?"

--M. J. Young

I can't help but grin at that. I bow my head, and say, "With all due respect to your father, some men love women who know a good book when they see one. As for me, I've studied a bit of everything, really. History and Literature always my favorites, mathematics less so," and I'll finish that with a sort of wince to show just how much less so, but in a mildly comic sort of way. "If you did go to school, what would you study, given your choice?"

"Oh, that's a very difficult question. After all, if the opportunity were to arise for me to attend school, it would certainly mean that my circumstances had changed in some way. Suppose, for example, Father suddenly left me in charge of the business, instead of my sister's husband. I certainly know how to operate the looms well enough to manage that end, but I would probably want to learn much more about the business administration aspects. On the other hand, if I were to marry--and let me try to keep this hypothetical, to say were I to marry someone--it would be unlikely that I would wind up running Father's business, as my husband would probably do so if my sister's husband could not. So then, it depends on who my husband is. I might find it desireable to learn the genteel arts of high society, if he is a wealthy aristocrat; I might need to study something of his business if he is a tradesman, so I could help him with that.

"I guess what I mean is, in order to decide what you need to learn, you need to have some idea of what you will need to do with what you learn. For example, if--hypothetically--I were to marry you, what subjects would be useful for me to know?

--M. J. Young

I playfully make a face when she mentions the aristocracy. I might have been middle class back home, but I'm no one's nobleman.

"Me? Well, anything you like. If - hypothetically - I were to marry you, I think I would take up a career in the city watch here. So, you could study whatever you liked. Business if you felt like running one of your own. The law if you felt like helping me. It depends entirely on your interests, and what you would like to know." I finish off with a smile.

Perhaps the idea that I want a smart, independent woman isn't quite getting through yet, but I'm content to keep at it. She's still entertaining the idea, at least hypothetically, so it must not be going too badly.

She laughs at your idea. "You sound like you're asking what I would do if I were the second son of a wealthy aristocrat who could lounge around and do nothing for his entire life, supported by his allowance, and so who goes to school to avoid boredom. If you think people can just learn whatever they want to learn, you have had an unusual sort of life. People who can afford to go to school usually need to learn something that they can sell--law, for example, or medicine. But there are probably few women in medicine and none at all in law. If they would even teach me, what would I do with the knowledge?"

--M. J. Young