It would take a couple hours to get through the woods and over the fields to the remaining village, traveling in daylight. He has no idea whether he would even ever find the place in the dark, and is not eager to attempt to find his way through the forest at night.
The woman has had a bad cough for months, and has lost weight and is very weak but doesn't eat enough. She sometimes sweats even on cold nights, and sometimes shivers.
--M. J. Young
OOC: What are our options for remaining here? Has anyone offered us a roof for the night? What does my companion seem inclined to do? :)
Your companion is of the opinion that lodging for the night comes easily for any Christian traveling in these parts, "at least so long as he doesn't work for the shire reeve, and more so if he's connected to Robin. And for a saint, the difficult part will be making sure we don't offend someone by accepting hospitality from someone else."
The family of the man with the abdominal pain would be happy to give up their beds for the night, although your companion insists that you would be comfortable enough in the hay barn. Other members of the village are offering food, which your companion is accepting and sharing with the family of the sick man.
--M. J. Young
Even from someone not native to the culture, my companion's inclinations seem spot on.
I wholeheartedly follow his lead, contentedly settling in the hay barn for the night, and accepting and sharing the village offered food with the family of the sick man.
As opportunity presents itself, I get to know these people a bit as well as I am able. If it is appropriate, I encourage them from the Word of the LORD, and/or share a bit of song or story, and/or listen to theirs.
And on the morrow, I assume we head out to the remaining village, where I proceed to minister as before...
You settle into the hay barn. At first there are people around. Your companion suggests you keep an eye on your things, though--"as some of these might thing there be value in a stolen relic, like taking your old kerchiefs to use against future disease." The two of you wind up staying up a bit later than you'd have liked, and being tired in the morning. All your things appear to be accounted for, however.
You arrive at the next village before lunch.
I note that you frequently take the hour for your prayer and worship, which bonuses your healing skills, but you did not mention having done so this time. It could be that you are skipping that (the healings do work without it, and not doing it first allows you to get the second roll by doing it subsequently and returning), or that you did it when you awoke or when you arrived at the village. How you answer that might matter to your chance of success on the healing.
--M. J. Young
Oops, I wrote that rather ambiguously. I meant that I am proceeding in my usual manner, which indeed includes my Quiet Time, starting the day in prayer...
Actually, however, sometimes I find it effective to have my prayer time not only when in the LORD's creation, but while walking through it. Walking in a temperate forest, feeling the breeze, hearing the birds singing, seeing the sunlight filtering through the leaves... such things would facilitate prayer for me.
Would having the Quiet Time while walking en route to the new village work within the scope of our more flexible rituals, or would that be considered a new skill?
I will attempt to have a quality prayer time while walking to the next village. If I feel like it wasn't a quality prayer time (distracted, etc.), then I'll take an hour just before arriving at the new village before proceeding to visit the new patient. If I feel like it was a quality prayer time, then I'll proceed directly to the new patient.
I will proceed as before in attempting to heal the patient. If I'm not successful, I'll proceed with my previous "unsuccessful healing of patient protocol" by going off for an extended prayer time, then returning to try again.
As before, I will give the house my blessing, encourage from the Word of the LORD, get to know the folks as well as I am able, perhaps share a story or song and/or listen to theirs, etc.
And when the time is right, I'll head back to Robin's camp, unless there are others who need me... :)
The ritual reads, "1@1 Bonus Healing Magic M+1@4 RS/5 bonus to all magic healing skills performed in the next RSx15 minutes, requires reading aloud from a bible and singing and praying with appropriate words for 1:00:00, +43SM". I note specifically that there are no body involvement components, and therefore it can be done sitting, kneeling, standing, walking, running, swimming, hanging upside down from a rope--as long as you have the ability to read aloud from a bible, sing, and pray, you can do this. No penalty for walking through the woods, although it might slow your travel just a tad when you're doing the reading part.
You feel the Lord's presence with you. Then you face a patient who has all the marks of "consumption"--tuberculosis. You pray, annointing him with oil, but see no improvement.
You ask for a place to spend some time in prayer, and spend another hour alone in prayer and worship. Then you emerge and again pray for the sick man, who this time begins to recover and asks for something to eat.
The villagers cheer.
--M. J. Young
"Let us give thanks unto the LORD for his grace and mercy."
"Dearest LORD, thank you that you are Sovereign, and have the power to heal and save our bodies as well as our souls."
"Thank you that you are so loving and gracious and merciful to us, that you would choose to do so today."
"Thank you that you offer new life to us freely through faith, as the apostle Paul writes in the book of Ephesians:"
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
"Thank you that you give us your Holy Scriptures, that through them we may know you, and know your will."
"Help us all to turn from our own rebellion and sins, and our own efforts to save ourselves, and forgive us when we seek salvation in anyone or anything else, except for your grace through the sacrifice of your son, Jesus Christ."
"Help us to follow you faithfully, and you alone, and use our restored bodies and souls from your healing and saving grace to please you."
"Thank you for hearing our humble prayers. We pray in the Name and Power of Jesus Christ... Amen."
As before, I will give the village my blessing, encourage from the Word of the LORD, get to know the folks as well as I am able, perhaps share a story or song and/or listen to theirs, etc.
And when the time is right, I'll head back to Robin's camp, unless there are others who need me... :)
There are indeed others who want you to travel with them to pray for their own sick loved ones. One wants you to travel east with him to another small village tucked into the eastern edge of the forest. The other wants you to come west with him, into Nottingham itself, the capital of Nottinghamshire in which Sherwood Forest is located, and the home of the castle of the Shire Reeve of Nottingham.
Your companion from Robin's camp dare not go with you there unless serious precautions are taken. He, like all the Merry Men, is wanted there, for opposition to the Crown. It is, after all, criminal to rob from the mostly Norman rich and give to the mostly Saxon poor. It is also criminal to give aid and comfort to the enemies of the Crown.
--M. J. Young
I nod quietly.
"The LORD has sent me to help those in need, and there are many bodies and many souls in need of healing. Let us go, then, to those we hear of in need, and pray for His mercy and grace."
"Let us first go east to the small village together, friend Philip. After that, we shall part ways for a time, and I shall proceed onwards to the west with our Nottingham friend."
And so I give a final exhortation and blessing, and take my leave of our current village, and proceed to the eastern village.
As before, I attempt to get to know my new companions along the way. And when we arrive I proceed as before to seek the LORD's healing upon the afflicted one (repeatedly if necessary, as before), and to exhort and bless the family and villagers, and perhaps to share a song or story as appropriate.
And afterwards, I part ways with Philip, and head with my Nottingham companion westward...
Again you reach the village in the late afternoon, having been miles away at lunchtime.
Your prayer has dramatic results, as the sick man nearly leaps from bed, hugs you in his gratitude, and rushes out shouting to the village about his miraculous recovery. His more subdued but clearly grateful wife offers you, Philip, and your Nottingham companion a meager dinner and space by the fire for the night.
And before you can as much as wash your hands, villager are massed outside the cottage with children for you to bless.
Assuming you agree to "bless" the children, please tell me what affect you anticipate the blessing having on them.
--M. J. Young
I thank the LORD for manifesting His power, and smile in surprise as I am hugged, and quietly thank my patient's wife for her kindness.
And when the villagers appear outside the cottage, I go to meet them, and smile warmly at the children, and nod.
"Dear friends, hear the Word of the LORD. As it is written in the book of Luke:"
"But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."
"I am but a humble servant of the LORD, but I will gladly ask His blessing for these little ones."
"Let us pray together."
"Dearest LORD, we pray for these children, and lift them up to Thee now."
"We pray that each of them will love Thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their mind, and with all their strength, and their neighbors as themselves, all the days of their lives."
"We pray that Thy Word would be a lamp unto their feet, and a light unto their path."
"We pray that they would walk before Thee in such a way that when they appear before Thee, they would have the joy of hearing Thy voice, saying, 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant'."
"And we pray for wisdom for these parents, that Thou would guide them to train up these children in the way they should go."
"Thank you for hearing our prayers. We pray in Jesus' Name... Amen."
After praying for them all, I take each of the children individually, asking their names, laying my hands upon them, and praying.
"{Child's Name}, 'The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.' "
You pray for over a hundred children that day, and every one of them appears to benefit from the power of God touching their lives.
Tired from the long day, you retire to eat the meal that has been held waiting for you. Your hosts ask you many questions about your faith and God and the church (which is of course the Roman Catholic church, as it is not yet 1200 AD). You sleep on the dirt floor by the fire.
Breakfast is prepared in the morning. They appear to have stretched their resources to provide you with a better meal than most peasants usually have.
--M. J. Young
I silently pray for wisdom, and thankfully and thoughtfully answer their many questions, emphasizing the "five Solas" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_solas) as the doctrinal foundation of true faith:
- Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
- Sola fide ("by faith alone")
- Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
- Solus Christus ("Christ alone")
- Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")
As needed, I expand on these points (with Scriptural proofs) based upon the 1689 London Baptist Confession (http://www.ccel.org/creeds/bcf/bcf.htm#confession).
OOC: Yes, I'm aware that this makes me... wait for it... "John the Baptist"... :p
I make my explanations as accessible as possible, gauging their ability to absorb the information as I teach.
In the morning, I thank them for their kindness and hospitality, and pray for them and their house.
"Dearest LORD, thank you for this family, and for their kindness and hospitality. As they have received a servant coming in your name, I pray that you would bless them, and that you would bless this house, and that you would bless the work of their hands, that what they have sacrificially given to us would be received back from you many fold. And even more importantly, I pray that the seeds of salvation and truth planted here would take root and grow, and that they would be a blessing and a light to all that pass this way. Thank you for loving us, and blessing us, and sparing us so much. We pray in the Name and Power of Jesus Christ... Amen."
OOC: BTW, my prayers would be not only verbal, but accompanied by some physical gesture (either bowing head and closing eyes, or raising right hand, depending upon the situation).
Ah, but therein lies the rub.OOC: BTW, my prayers would be not only verbal, but accompanied by some physical gesture (either bowing head and closing eyes, or raising right hand, depending upon the situation).
The statement is that you can choose what physical gesture to use, "depending on the situation". That means, in theory, you could pray this same prayer while holding off enemies with pistol fire: unless the gesture is specified in a way that limits what other actions you could take at the same time, it is not a required part of the prayer.
Were you to say that to make this prayer effective, you place your hand on the lintel of the door, or the outer wall of the building, or one of the adults in the family; or that you have to bow your head (preventing you from seeing what is happening around you) or raise your left hand palm toward them (preventing you from using your left hand for something else), these actions would matter because they would be limiting. That you do
something that indicates an attitude of prayer is a very minor point taken for granted by the inclusion of your religion SAL bonus. That you can alter what it is you do without affecting the efficacy of the prayer means that what you do doesn't matter.You pray for them, confident that they have been touched.
Philip, being one of the Merry Men, will accompany you only part of the way toward Nottingham. Your other companion will take you into the city and introduce you to his sick sister. As mentioned, it may take more than two days to walk through Sherwood Forest from east to west.
--M. J. Young
Interesting. I might have awarded -4 (instead of -10) for "bowing the head or closing the eyes or raising the right hand", stipulating that one of those must be done (one body part for baseline, -2 for each alternative, so -6 if the left hand is okay, too). That would require marking the options in the skill, though, and it seems an oddly disjunctive definition of somatic involvement. Perhaps your way is best.
Is there any situation in which an attitude of prayer would be impossible? If so, could the skill not be performed, or be possible but denied the religion bonus?
OOC: Sorry, I didn't write that very clearly. I was referring to the blessing of the children as well as the blessing of my hosts, but not being clear about either of them... :p
To be more specific, I envisioned myself as raising my right hand when blessing a group, and bowing my head when blessing an individual. :)
BTW, how am I fixed up for provisions? Do we have enough to get to Nottingham? And back? :o
From Scott:
Is there any situation in which an attitude of prayer would be impossible? If so, could the skill not be performed, or be possible but denied the religion bonus?I think this helps underscore why I don't give any bonus to "attitude of prayer" without something more. I think I can assume an "attitude of prayer" while driving, or reading, or running, or cooking, or probably fighting. It might be argued that under some particular circumstance this would be impossible, but how would I determine that it was or was not possible? The simplest is to say that the assumption of an attitude of prayer is part of the ordinary means of blessing in his faith, and that failure of the skill might reflect that he was distracted or otherwise unable to achieve the appropriate frame of mind. That is much easier, and gives me much better explanations for prayer failure, than determining the success of failure of achieving the appropriate attitude up front and then having the skill fail for some other reason.
John, I can rewrite and recalculate the rituals on that basis, if you like. It should get you a few intensities bonus on the latter. The former already included that you were laying hands on the individuals; I'm not certain (I would have to look at the details again) whether bowing your head would make a difference to it.
As far as I am aware, you have no provisions. Your original trip was to be a hike to a village near enough that you were certain of making it in a day, and you have been traveling from one village to another since, getting your meals and drink along the way.
--M. J. Young
Before departing the village, I spend an hour apart in prayer and Bible reading and worship.
And at the end of that time, I petition the LORD for guidance and for provision...
"Dearest LORD, you have put before me someone in need, in Nottingham, but we lack provision for the journey. I do not want to ask these poor villagers, and be a burden to them. I do not want to lead anyone to Robin's camp to get more provisions, lest I put anyone in danger. I do not want to part ways with my guide to Nottingham, and lose the way to his needy sister."
"I pray now that you will provide the means for us to make this journey, if it be your will. If you wish the villagers to be the means, then I pray that you will move their hearts to offer what provision is needed, without my asking. If you wish to bring the provision with manifested power, as when you multiplied loaves and fishes or brought manna, I pray that you will show this to me, and help me do your will. If you wish us to go forth without provision, I pray that you will either lead us to find whatever provisions are needed along the way, or sustain us so that we do not need any provision on the journey. And if you do not want me to make this journey, I pray that you will show me, so that I would do your will, in this, and in all things. Thank you for loving me, and for hearing my prayers. I pray in the Name and Power of Jesus Christ... Amen."
The answer comes more as a question: what would you choose?
--M. J. Young
OOC: I want whatever the LORD wants. However, if He really has no preference, other than deferring to mine, then I suppose that I would go for the first option:
If you wish the villagers to be the means, then I pray that you will move their hearts to offer what provision is needed, without my asking.
This seems to me to presume the least on my part, not seeking a flashy overt manifestation of His power, yet would also encourage me that I am doing what pleases the LORD, and receiving support in the same way that the LORD provided support for Paul via the Philippians (Phil 4). :)
I certainly do not want to "impose" my own theology of guidance on anyone; my answer above is based strictly on the roll of dice and an effort on my part to make it consistent with your own faith. Permit me, though, to raise a few thoughts.
Sometimes in my life, God has told me quite clearly what He wants me to do. Yet sometimes He seems to tell me to figure it out for myself.
Some of these situations are obvious. If I'm tempted to shoplift, I don't really spend a lot of time asking God whether it is His will for me to shoplift or not, because no matter how easy it appears to me I know that it's not God's way of meeting my needs. In fact, I'm pretty sure that God would never tell me to shoplift, and if I thought He was telling me that I would expect some really extraordinary confirmation before I would do it.
It is not always those "obviously right and wrong" situations, though. I'm not much of a fan for the "What Would Jesus Do?" school of thought, because 1) nine times out of ten there's no way to know and we wind up projecting what we think into His will for us, and 2) I'm much more interested in what Jesus would have me do than what He would do Himself--His gifts are obviously different from mine. I'm sure that were He to visit my sick friend, He would probably heal the man; that's not a gift He has given me, so the best I can do is comfort and encourage, and I think that's probably what He wants me to do, even though it is not what He would do in the same situation. Still, it is sometimes the case that I don't have the clear impression "God wants me to do this," but I am asking myself what is the more loving choice, what is the more trusting choice, what is the more Christian choice. I think that on some level God wants us to grow to the place where we choose to do the kinds of things that children of God do, not necessarily by asking Him what we should do now but by beginning to understand how He thinks and what He expects of us.
The other point I would mention is that sometimes God does not tell us what He is going to do because he wants us to step out in faith. We are called to trust Him, and to do what we believe He would have us do even when we do not see how it is going to work.
All of that is my "out of character" thought on the subject. What I know is that the dice showed no clear answer from the Lord, but were so close that I would say you knew you were in touch with God and that He simply left it to you to come up with an answer.
The local peasants in this village thank you for coming, and feed you breakfast, but they do not offer you food for the road. Your companion does fill a skin from water from the well.
--M. J. Young
I appreciatively enjoy their breakfast, listen and share, etc.
And before we depart...
"Dearest LORD, I know that you can sustain us on our journey by whatever means you desire. I pray that you would strengthen us as we journey, to your glory alone. I pray in the Name and Power of Jesus Christ... Amen."
And thus I depart with my two companions...
Late in the afternoon you hear a carriage coming from behind you.
Your companion Philip, who comes from Robin's band, says, "I think your prayers might have been answered. We've got Normans coming down the road, and they're running late. I'll bet they've got a bit of food, and they'll be frightened enough we could relieve them of some of their burden."
Your other companion, headed for Nottingham, says, "Oh, I can't be involved in anything like that. I have family in Nottingham, and if the Shire Reeve determines that I'm in league with Robin Hood, he'll arrest me for certain."
It appears to fall to you as to what to do next.
--M. J. Young
I smile, and gently shake my head.
"The LORD has brought me here, as best as I can tell, to help bring healing to sin-sick bodies and souls, whether Saxon or Norman. How then can I raise my hand against those whom the LORD might have me minister to?"
"I will happily take what is freely offered, but I have no desire to take another man's food by force or threat. Whether they be friend or foe, I desire to let them go their way in peace."
The carriage rides by, the driver giving you a wary look. The move into the trees beyond.
"We could have gotten quite a bit from that one, I think," Philip says. "Ah, well, probably all the better--it would have been a bluff, and if they'd called it, it would have cost."
The sound of the carriage stops abruptly.
"Mon dieu," a voice says, and continues in French (I do not see French on your character sheet, but I would expect that it is familiar enough to most Americans that we know the sound of it even without knowing the meaning). The horses snort and stamp their feet, and the French voice sounds distressed and apologetic at once.
--M. J. Young
OOC: No, French is not on my character sheet. I know a pitiful few phrases in Modern French ("Hello", "How are you", "Sir", "Ma'am" married and unmarried, "Do you speak French", "Do you speak English", etc). I also have some additional familiarity with a small subset of vocabulary via a few choral pieces that I know the overall translation of, and via reading historical fiction like Dumas, so I can figure out "Mon dieu". However, that wouldn't get me anywhere near understanding most Modern French, much less Medieval French. :/
I gently smile and give a friendly nod as the carriage passes by.
Once I hear the carriage stop, I glance at my companions with a slightly raised eyebrow, and then start walking toward it.
As I walk, I silently pray that the LORD will give me insight into their thoughts, and help bridge the language barrier. Then I quietly sing an appropriate song as I continue walking (a choral piece based upon Psalm 139). Also, as I walk, I hold my Bible over my heart (one-handed, since I'm carrying my oak staff as a walking stick), and my prayer includes a relevant Scripture passage. However, I do not attempt to open and read from the Bible, since I'm walking.
I continue the petitioning/preparation right up to the time that our walking brings them into view, however long that takes. (So the mechanics of this M7@8 Hear Thoughts attempt are somewhat different than my other attempt back on my first day in Sherwood Forest, as is the duration.)
Once they are in view, I make my attempt to sense the French speaker's thoughts.
IF I am NOT successful, then I experimentally stretch forth my psionic senses, attempting to read thoughts and tap language center that way instead... :)
I don't know whether this matters, but as you come around the bend you see the carriage stopped, and a large tree fallen across the road. The driver looks very nervous and ill equipped to move an obstacle of that size.
The carriage is less than three minutes ahead of you afoot. If you wish to attempt to contact the man's thoughts, I will roll for that, but I think what he is thinking is at this point fairly obvious.
--M. J. Young
I want to know not only his surface thoughts, but also details such as who they are, why are they here, etc. So yes, please do roll.
"Well, lads, it seems the LORD has brought us someone in need. Shall we lend them a hand, and see if we can be of service?"
If they are agreeable, I head over toward them in a friendly, non-threatening manner, and ask (with gestures, if necessary) if we can be of help...
As John Cross would insist, God certainly knows what it is that you are hoping this prayer will accomplish. As I have often told him, I do not, and can only go by what you appear to be asking.
I have examined Psalm 139 and concluded that it is too long for a three minute song. (I noticed that many years ago, that most settings of scripture took very small snippets, and those which did not turned into major works.) Thus I'd like to know what words are included in the song as you are singing it. That should help.
Also, you are praying for "insight into their thoughts" and also that it would "help bridge the language barrier". However, you want "not only his surface thoughts, but also details such as who they are, why they are here". I can make a long list of distinct things you want to know--names, titles, station in life, current business, immediate and ultimate destination, purpose of journey, understanding of their language, luggage, skills....obviously this is more than you expect to discover, but I think it's necessary for us to figure out between us what it is you do hope and expect to discover.
For example, I think that knowing who someone "is", in the sense of name, title, employ, possibly the purpose of this journey and such, requires a searching of someone's memories in some way; knowing their present intentions and what they are trying to communicate is much more about surface thoughts (and possibly emotions). Knowing whether these are essentially good trustworthy people is something else again--you would have to search through a lot of memories to draw such a conclusion, but you could presumably detect their character directly without any contact with their memories.
I'm probably confusing the issues here. I suppose what I'm asking is, are you trying to cram complete and total knowledge of the carriageful of people you are about to meet into one three minute prayer, or is your expectation focused in some way that I am not yet comprehending?
Thanks.
--M. J. Young
OOC: When I first arrived in Sherwood Forest, I read the thoughts of the rider on the road ("http://discussions.gamingoutpost.com/index.php?&showtopic=82995&st=20").
I first read his surface thoughts.
Then you gave me the option of prioritizing what else I wanted to know before the rider vanished from view, and I gave you a wish list.
All this was translated from French as necessary.
I aspire to do the same thing here, except that I would have a longer time to prepare, but I would be walking, and not looking down to read from the Bible.
Since I have longer than the 18 seconds I used last time, wouldn't this potentially work? :)
Got it. You are using this:
1@2 Hear Thoughts M+7@8 sing, read from bible, requires both hands, 0:18TF, includes surface thoughts, memories, and translation if necessary, -5 SMas an example for creating a new skill, something like this:
Hear Thoughts M+7@8 silently pray for insight into thoughts and to bridge language barrier, including relevant Scripture passage, then quietly sing song based upon Psalm 139, while holding Bible over heart one-handed, 3:00TFWhen you use the words "silently" and "quietly", exactly what do you mean? Is "silent prayer" entirely in your head, or do you move your lips, or do you vocalize it very quietly? Is "quiet singing" actually audible to those around you, and how hard do they have to listen to hear it?
And yes, it ostensibly should work, depending on--well, on whether or not it does.
--M. J. Young
I move my lips for the prayer and Scripture, and sing with volume as if I was singing to myself -- light conversational, rather than project-from-stage-to-rear-of-auditorium volume.
Do I get the benefit of the same example I used for the original Hear Thoughts, or is my previous Hear Thoughts used as the example? Which one is more beneficial in terms of game mechanics? :)
The man is afraid that he has driven his employer into a trap, that robbers are about to emerge from the trees and take their money and goods. He does not know whether he can shift that tree himself, and thinks he will have to unhitch one of the horses to do so--which will immobilize the carriage if they are attacked in that time.
He is not certain who or what you are.
He is a Saxon, and so speaks English; his employers are Norman, and their English is limited. They are wanting to know what is happening out there, and he is trying to explain to them that he has to clear the road as it has been blocked by a fallen tree.
Your arrival could be fortuitous, or it could be the trap springing closed, and he does not yet know which.
His employers are bound for Nottingham, and although they are aware of the dangers of passing through Sherwood Forest, they have their own reasons for doing so. These are somehow related to a son seeking a position in which to learn combat at arms, and the belief that the Shire Reeve in Nottingham can use such a man.
--M. J. Young
I approach the driver with a friendly nod and gentle smile, walking neither faster nor slower than when he earlier saw us walking along the road.
My pace slows casually as I draw nearer, and I speak with gentle friendliness.
"Peace be unto you, friend. Do you need any help?"
He relaxes some.
"Oh, you are a godsend. When I saw the road blocked, I feared--well, no matter. If you would be so kind as to lend a hand clearing the road...."
Philip can see your inclination. He mutters, "I can't believe I'm doing this," but moves over to get a grip on the fallen log. Your other companion does so as well, as does the driver of the carriage. His employers remain inside.
--M. J. Young
"Glad to help, friend. I am John, by the way..."
I find a suitable place to grip the fallen log, and heave in time with the others...
The four of you shift the log until it is lying alongside the road, leaving space for the carriage to pass.
The driver thanks you profusely, and asks if there is anything he can do to return the favor.
--M. J. Young
"It is a blessing to be able to serve the LORD by serving you."
I smile warmly and nod in response to his offer.
"Well, this lad and I are bound for Nottingham to visit his sick sister, but that wasn't decided until after I had set off journeying a few days ago, and our food is already gone. If you have food enough to share a bite with us, that would be a blessing indeed."
"The two of you, ey?" He glances at Philip, the one you've excluded. "Well, I can do you one better, perhaps. If you don't mind one riding up top with me and the other hanging on the back as footman, I'll have you to Nottingham by nightfall, assuming we don't hit any obstacles the three of us can't manage. Does that solve your problem?"
"Don't worry about me," Philip says. "I can find food in the woods and get back, er, home without trouble."
--M. J. Young