<![CDATA[Malcontent Productions Community Forum - All Forums]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/ Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:05:51 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[Lament Races]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=154 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:27:29 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=154
[Image: LamentRacesUncolored.jpg]

[Image: LamentRacesColored.jpg]]]>
[Image: LamentRacesUncolored.jpg]

[Image: LamentRacesColored.jpg]]]> <![CDATA[Impending Downtime - Sunday the 18th]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=153 Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:50:35 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=153 <![CDATA[Progress Report for 8/16 - 11/1]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=152 Wed, 02 Nov 2011 05:04:42 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=152
  • New villages: 2
  • New landmarks: 1
  • New items: wheelbarrows, simple wheels, cooking spits, simple cooking spits
  • New/updated helpfiles: accessibility, accounts, aim, attack speed, axe, boards, boats, books, brawling, burden, characters, classless, club, color, commonsense, control, dagger, Darcantel, daring, disclaimer, dodge, encumbrance, jobs, keywords, Kungesvald lore, Lament, Liidhaga lore, link-dead, lost, Moorvic, Moorva lore, offensive, parry, Plaintongue, power, quit, rejection, resurrection, scrape, scrollback, sky, smiles, spear, staff, style, style samples, submissions, sword, throwing, unarmed combat, where, Yddr, Ydra lore
  • Skill selection in character generation is now fully point-buy, allowing players to mix and match skills by distributing a pool of 15 points. Equipment is still generated by skill choice, with a maximum of three different equipment sets available. Quick-start skill packages have also been added to chargen so people can skip the allocation process and get into the game with a concept-appropriate skillset; as with the older chargen, some packages are more innately viable than others.
  • One may now switch between characters on an account using "su charactername" (where "charactername" is the name of the character, of course), or return to the character selection screen via "quit charactername."
  • Characters can seek out jobs to earn some money while logged out. Jobs can be found in various places throughout both cities and have varying requirements for stats, skills, and/or gear based on what job is involved; each city has started with two skilled and four unskilled job options. See "help jobs" for details.
  • Bandages have received some work: their ids now update properly (so a bandage that no longer can be applied won't show up as "unused"), they should no longer take up a hand without being droppable, and attempts to tend another person who is using a timed skill will fail (instead of interrupting the patient), since the subject isn't sitting still enough.
  • Aim now takes agility and size into more consideration; it is easier to hit the limb you're aiming for if your target is larger and less agile than you, and vice versa. This does not influence whether your blows connect, merely what limb they strike.
  • Common sense now keeps players from ramming their hands into lit campfires.
  • Livings involved in combat will now be shown as "fighting" in room contents, though their exact opponents will not be listed. Additionally, info has been updated to show if your character is involved in combat, whether it be one-sided or reciprocal; only the first opponent (i.e. the living who would id as "opponent") in any given fray will be mentioned.
  • The "where" command now properly tracks players in subsections of cities, such as the Kungesvald sinkhole or the Liidhaga docks. It will also show if any players are in areas flagged as "public" (that is, an explicitly social area); currently these are city squares and taverns. Players will see the note "(including you)" in totals that include them to help clarify the results.
  • "Natural" objects, like sticks, leaves, and rocks, now have a mild amount of weight variance. This should not negatively impact crafting with them.
  • Cargo-carrying objects, such as wheelbarrows, can now have different efficiency rates in different terrains.
  • Crippled limbs now appear as "crippled" in place of "broken" in health readouts to better reflect the various ways they can be rendered unusable.
  • Leather cord is now both saleable and buyable in both cities. Svanhild the Tanner's in Kungesvald and Sri Binaa's Sundries in Liidhaga keep it in stock, though it's more expensive in Liidhaga.
  • Some tweaks and redescription work in Liidhaga and Mahavhi.
  • Miscellaneous minor bug & typo fixes.
    • See you next time!]]>
  • New villages: 2
  • New landmarks: 1
  • New items: wheelbarrows, simple wheels, cooking spits, simple cooking spits
  • New/updated helpfiles: accessibility, accounts, aim, attack speed, axe, boards, boats, books, brawling, burden, characters, classless, club, color, commonsense, control, dagger, Darcantel, daring, disclaimer, dodge, encumbrance, jobs, keywords, Kungesvald lore, Lament, Liidhaga lore, link-dead, lost, Moorvic, Moorva lore, offensive, parry, Plaintongue, power, quit, rejection, resurrection, scrape, scrollback, sky, smiles, spear, staff, style, style samples, submissions, sword, throwing, unarmed combat, where, Yddr, Ydra lore
  • Skill selection in character generation is now fully point-buy, allowing players to mix and match skills by distributing a pool of 15 points. Equipment is still generated by skill choice, with a maximum of three different equipment sets available. Quick-start skill packages have also been added to chargen so people can skip the allocation process and get into the game with a concept-appropriate skillset; as with the older chargen, some packages are more innately viable than others.
  • One may now switch between characters on an account using "su charactername" (where "charactername" is the name of the character, of course), or return to the character selection screen via "quit charactername."
  • Characters can seek out jobs to earn some money while logged out. Jobs can be found in various places throughout both cities and have varying requirements for stats, skills, and/or gear based on what job is involved; each city has started with two skilled and four unskilled job options. See "help jobs" for details.
  • Bandages have received some work: their ids now update properly (so a bandage that no longer can be applied won't show up as "unused"), they should no longer take up a hand without being droppable, and attempts to tend another person who is using a timed skill will fail (instead of interrupting the patient), since the subject isn't sitting still enough.
  • Aim now takes agility and size into more consideration; it is easier to hit the limb you're aiming for if your target is larger and less agile than you, and vice versa. This does not influence whether your blows connect, merely what limb they strike.
  • Common sense now keeps players from ramming their hands into lit campfires.
  • Livings involved in combat will now be shown as "fighting" in room contents, though their exact opponents will not be listed. Additionally, info has been updated to show if your character is involved in combat, whether it be one-sided or reciprocal; only the first opponent (i.e. the living who would id as "opponent") in any given fray will be mentioned.
  • The "where" command now properly tracks players in subsections of cities, such as the Kungesvald sinkhole or the Liidhaga docks. It will also show if any players are in areas flagged as "public" (that is, an explicitly social area); currently these are city squares and taverns. Players will see the note "(including you)" in totals that include them to help clarify the results.
  • "Natural" objects, like sticks, leaves, and rocks, now have a mild amount of weight variance. This should not negatively impact crafting with them.
  • Cargo-carrying objects, such as wheelbarrows, can now have different efficiency rates in different terrains.
  • Crippled limbs now appear as "crippled" in place of "broken" in health readouts to better reflect the various ways they can be rendered unusable.
  • Leather cord is now both saleable and buyable in both cities. Svanhild the Tanner's in Kungesvald and Sri Binaa's Sundries in Liidhaga keep it in stock, though it's more expensive in Liidhaga.
  • Some tweaks and redescription work in Liidhaga and Mahavhi.
  • Miscellaneous minor bug & typo fixes.
    • See you next time!]]>         <![CDATA[Progress Report for 5/15 - 8/15]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=151 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 07:16:28 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=151
  • New craftables: roast chicken, roast duck, roast pheasant, roast quail, campfires
  • New/updated helpfiles: age, agility, anachronisms, aura, brief, campfires, commonsense, consider, damage, detail vision, dexterity, distance vision, draw, endurance, example, fasten, fatigue, fatigue levels, fire, health (both the command and the stat), intelligence, land speed, night vision, OOC feelings, perception, postures, prompt, retire, stats, storage, strength, tents, vomit, water speed, willpower
  • New feelings: amused, avert, backhand, chatter, hungry, moo, orz, triumph, victory
  • New accounts now have the option of entering a basic command tutorial before making a character. This is only asked once at account creation, not character creation.
  • You can now potentially have certain absent features (i.e. no hair, etc.) in character generation.
  • Starting region can now subtly influence your non-clothing starting gear.
  • Campfires are craftable, for those who would rather not muck about with carrying torches. In addition to being a viable source of heat and light, they can be used to destroy nondiscardable objects, or to torment one's friends by making them reach into the flames to retrieve something potentially valuable. One can "tend fire" to automatically keep it fed; in forested situations, this will mean keeping it as bright as possible, while in locations with limited fuel, tending will instead try to keep the fire lit for as long as possible. Lit campfires show up on the wilderness map.
  • When you climb into a room that contains a reciprocally climbable object linking to the room you were just in, you'll now be placed by it. No more ending up halfway across the room from a ladder you just descended!
  • Wells now take friendlier syntax and have received major functional upgrades.
  • Commonense will now have characters attempt to change posture when entering exits too small to pass at their current stance.
  • Relative heights have been changed to use more descriptive terms (waist-height, etc.). Note that many animals' heights are measured at the shoulder and may seem a little shorter than they really are.
  • Players can now headbutt their enemies in combat. These are queued in the same manner as kicks are.
  • Players who surrender their characters while asleep will no longer remain unconscious into chargen.
  • Characters who do not select a belt in chargen will now automatically receive a braided leather one. Those who intentionally avoid belts for some reason can always throw it into the sea.
  • It is now possible to get things from, and put things into, unconscious people's containers without having to remove them first.
  • Those who longed for the ability to drink or fill containers while standing by the Liidhaga beach or Kungesvald docks now have the option to do so.
  • Reeds are now gettable from forested lakesides.
    • See you in the funny pages!]]>
  • New craftables: roast chicken, roast duck, roast pheasant, roast quail, campfires
  • New/updated helpfiles: age, agility, anachronisms, aura, brief, campfires, commonsense, consider, damage, detail vision, dexterity, distance vision, draw, endurance, example, fasten, fatigue, fatigue levels, fire, health (both the command and the stat), intelligence, land speed, night vision, OOC feelings, perception, postures, prompt, retire, stats, storage, strength, tents, vomit, water speed, willpower
  • New feelings: amused, avert, backhand, chatter, hungry, moo, orz, triumph, victory
  • New accounts now have the option of entering a basic command tutorial before making a character. This is only asked once at account creation, not character creation.
  • You can now potentially have certain absent features (i.e. no hair, etc.) in character generation.
  • Starting region can now subtly influence your non-clothing starting gear.
  • Campfires are craftable, for those who would rather not muck about with carrying torches. In addition to being a viable source of heat and light, they can be used to destroy nondiscardable objects, or to torment one's friends by making them reach into the flames to retrieve something potentially valuable. One can "tend fire" to automatically keep it fed; in forested situations, this will mean keeping it as bright as possible, while in locations with limited fuel, tending will instead try to keep the fire lit for as long as possible. Lit campfires show up on the wilderness map.
  • When you climb into a room that contains a reciprocally climbable object linking to the room you were just in, you'll now be placed by it. No more ending up halfway across the room from a ladder you just descended!
  • Wells now take friendlier syntax and have received major functional upgrades.
  • Commonense will now have characters attempt to change posture when entering exits too small to pass at their current stance.
  • Relative heights have been changed to use more descriptive terms (waist-height, etc.). Note that many animals' heights are measured at the shoulder and may seem a little shorter than they really are.
  • Players can now headbutt their enemies in combat. These are queued in the same manner as kicks are.
  • Players who surrender their characters while asleep will no longer remain unconscious into chargen.
  • Characters who do not select a belt in chargen will now automatically receive a braided leather one. Those who intentionally avoid belts for some reason can always throw it into the sea.
  • It is now possible to get things from, and put things into, unconscious people's containers without having to remove them first.
  • Those who longed for the ability to drink or fill containers while standing by the Liidhaga beach or Kungesvald docks now have the option to do so.
  • Reeds are now gettable from forested lakesides.
    • See you in the funny pages!]]>         <![CDATA[HOW TO GET AN ACCOUNT]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=150 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:04:39 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=150 <![CDATA[Everything's Coming Up Redesigns]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=149 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:36:54 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=149
  • A nice new logo. This one's easy, since I even have the perfect assets from an older project lying around. My preferred method of design means having a finished project with both a full and simplified format.
  • Reorganize information. The first page was made before we had a wiki and it shows. I want information to be clear, accessible, and interesting, but with the option to link to pages that go into more depth we can keep from infobombing people who just want to know what the funny words mean.
  • More, better art. A-duhhh. I'm going to be switching to a more detailed style, I think, but either way we need more than just four pictures to help reflect some of the cool stuff about the game.
  • Clearer layout in general. It should be incredibly obvious, even to first-time visitors, where to find most (if not all) the info there is. Right now our Flash clients are an obvious late addition, for instance, and need to be better integrated into the design.
  • Making "How to Play" actually discuss gameplay. Our current page focuses more on how to connect, and while this is a necessity of sorts, Lament has a huge learning curve! This might be an appropriate place for screenshots.
  • W3C compliance. This one's more of a matter of pride.
    • The finished product will not rely on fancy Flash or Java doodads aside from built-in clients and will ideally work in any resolution from 1024x768 on up, though it's going to look pretty weird if you insist on fullscreening it on some absurdo-high-rez monitor. Ideally it'll also work on any browser, though I am already dreading playing the "which client is doing something stupid this time?" game.

    Anyway, here's the important part: player (and staff) feedback. Commenting on this thread is not going to guarantee something is or isn't implemented, but I'm going to read everything posted here regardless. Posting with examples is particularly good! Note that this is primarily about site functionality, and that Lament is not going to be built with social networking in mind (i.e. no Digg links/Facebook page/et.al.). We are also not going to have any form of Limaweb support like our predecessor does, as it was made by a staffer who prefers not to associate with Lament.

    I'll try and post screenshots or dummy indexes of the work in progress once I have something to show.

    So, have at it.]]>
  • A nice new logo. This one's easy, since I even have the perfect assets from an older project lying around. My preferred method of design means having a finished project with both a full and simplified format.
  • Reorganize information. The first page was made before we had a wiki and it shows. I want information to be clear, accessible, and interesting, but with the option to link to pages that go into more depth we can keep from infobombing people who just want to know what the funny words mean.
  • More, better art. A-duhhh. I'm going to be switching to a more detailed style, I think, but either way we need more than just four pictures to help reflect some of the cool stuff about the game.
  • Clearer layout in general. It should be incredibly obvious, even to first-time visitors, where to find most (if not all) the info there is. Right now our Flash clients are an obvious late addition, for instance, and need to be better integrated into the design.
  • Making "How to Play" actually discuss gameplay. Our current page focuses more on how to connect, and while this is a necessity of sorts, Lament has a huge learning curve! This might be an appropriate place for screenshots.
  • W3C compliance. This one's more of a matter of pride.
    • The finished product will not rely on fancy Flash or Java doodads aside from built-in clients and will ideally work in any resolution from 1024x768 on up, though it's going to look pretty weird if you insist on fullscreening it on some absurdo-high-rez monitor. Ideally it'll also work on any browser, though I am already dreading playing the "which client is doing something stupid this time?" game.

    Anyway, here's the important part: player (and staff) feedback. Commenting on this thread is not going to guarantee something is or isn't implemented, but I'm going to read everything posted here regardless. Posting with examples is particularly good! Note that this is primarily about site functionality, and that Lament is not going to be built with social networking in mind (i.e. no Digg links/Facebook page/et.al.). We are also not going to have any form of Limaweb support like our predecessor does, as it was made by a staffer who prefers not to associate with Lament.

    I'll try and post screenshots or dummy indexes of the work in progress once I have something to show.

    So, have at it.]]>         <![CDATA[Scheduled Downtime - COMPLETE]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=148 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:50:25 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=148
    EDIT: And we're back.]]>
    EDIT: And we're back.]]>         <![CDATA[Question: on Room Inventory Management]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=147 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 07:13:46 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=147
    If you had an IC house, and said IC house was free of the current existing item limit that plagues permanent shelter (therefore being limited only by its coded dimensions and how much of a crazy hoarder your character is), would you store things in it?

    If you were given the option of buying proper storage containers, like chests, would you buy and store things in those, or just leave them on the floor?

    If you had the option of condensing any furniture-type objects in a room into a "furnishings" grouping instead of being in the room list, would you use it?

    Example:
    Code:
    A generic room
    Exits: east
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Boy howdy this room is generic!  Boring as hell, yessirree.  Nothing to see here, move along.
    This area is small with a high ceiling.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    A cot is nearby to the north.
    Two chairs are nearby to the east.
    A table is close by to the southwest.
    A rug is nearby to the north.
    ===============================================================================

    ...becomes...

    Code:
    A generic room
    Exits: east
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Boy howdy this room is generic!  Boring as hell, yessirree.  Nothing to see here, move along.
    This area is small with a high ceiling.  It is sparsely-furnished.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ...and if you were to "look furnishings" you'd see...

    Code:
    The room is furnished with a cot, a table, a rug, and two chairs.  The table has been pushed against the wall.

    Would having a long room contents list bother you, or would it not matter because the place is yours to call home?

    Would you prefer being able to use the arrange command on multiple objects instead of dealing with installing furniture?

    Would you just want a list of the installed furnishings listed in the long description after the room size instead of having to "look furnishings"?

    If any of your answers to the above questions are conditional, please elaborate.

    Regardless of what people do with them, we're definitely going to have permanent in-city housing in the game. Right now we're trying to gauge whether or not coding extra bells and whistles would be worth it, or if it'd be a lot of work for something nobody is going to use.]]>
    If you had an IC house, and said IC house was free of the current existing item limit that plagues permanent shelter (therefore being limited only by its coded dimensions and how much of a crazy hoarder your character is), would you store things in it?

    If you were given the option of buying proper storage containers, like chests, would you buy and store things in those, or just leave them on the floor?

    If you had the option of condensing any furniture-type objects in a room into a "furnishings" grouping instead of being in the room list, would you use it?

    Example:
    Code:
    A generic room
    Exits: east
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Boy howdy this room is generic!  Boring as hell, yessirree.  Nothing to see here, move along.
    This area is small with a high ceiling.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    A cot is nearby to the north.
    Two chairs are nearby to the east.
    A table is close by to the southwest.
    A rug is nearby to the north.
    ===============================================================================

    ...becomes...

    Code:
    A generic room
    Exits: east
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Boy howdy this room is generic!  Boring as hell, yessirree.  Nothing to see here, move along.
    This area is small with a high ceiling.  It is sparsely-furnished.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ...and if you were to "look furnishings" you'd see...

    Code:
    The room is furnished with a cot, a table, a rug, and two chairs.  The table has been pushed against the wall.

    Would having a long room contents list bother you, or would it not matter because the place is yours to call home?

    Would you prefer being able to use the arrange command on multiple objects instead of dealing with installing furniture?

    Would you just want a list of the installed furnishings listed in the long description after the room size instead of having to "look furnishings"?

    If any of your answers to the above questions are conditional, please elaborate.

    Regardless of what people do with them, we're definitely going to have permanent in-city housing in the game. Right now we're trying to gauge whether or not coding extra bells and whistles would be worth it, or if it'd be a lot of work for something nobody is going to use.]]>         <![CDATA[Stuff that can't be done]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=145 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:16:26 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=145 <![CDATA[Progress Report, 03/12/2011 - 05/14/2011]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=144 Sun, 15 May 2011 07:18:35 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=144
    • New craftables: finger cymbals, cheese and fig rolls
    • New gatherables: lemongrass, lime leaves
    • Two new landmarks
    • New/updated helpfiles: channels, assist, mail, banking, furniture
    • Parries are now sorted more properly so that items designed to be good at parrying (such as shields) will be checked before other held objects.
    • Dodging uses significantly different math now; weapon skill is now properly figured into things, as opposed to pure offensive skill, and smaller animals will ideally no longer be quite the ninja masters that they were before.
    • Combat skill gain has been given a smoother progression. It is now most efficient to fight an opponent slightly better than you are.
    • A new channel has been created: [events]! This is meant for people wanting to organize IC events, from meet-ups to hunting parties to trade.
    • You can now use "chan history" to read a color-coded and timestamped history of all your channels at once. "chan history [#]" will limit the results to anything posted within the specified number of hours.
    • The "glance" command will now show a living subject's posture, distance, fatigue, and health in addition to their sex, species, and descriptives.
    • Available items in the wilderness can now vary according to the surrounding terrain in addition to the immediate terrain. Sand is now gettable on the seashore plains, for example.
    • Updates to the wiki.
    • Additional food options available in Liidhaga.
    • Various changes to Liidhaga, some cosmetic, some not.
    • Staffers have had some tweaks to the assist queue system so it's easier for us to track users upon login.
    • Security patches to the server.
    • Assorted backend bits that will help the game run more efficiently and no doubt come in handy for making things interesting.
    • Some smaller typo- and bugfixes, as per norm.
    • You can now command channels during the character generation prompts (that is, you can speak on them, turn them on or off, and check their histories, etc.).

    If I've missed any contributions folks feel like sharing, feel free to edit this post or ask me to do so.

    See you around.

    [edit]
    Ah, I forgot -- wilderness items can vary by season as well as terrain context.
    [/edit]]]>
    • New craftables: finger cymbals, cheese and fig rolls
    • New gatherables: lemongrass, lime leaves
    • Two new landmarks
    • New/updated helpfiles: channels, assist, mail, banking, furniture
    • Parries are now sorted more properly so that items designed to be good at parrying (such as shields) will be checked before other held objects.
    • Dodging uses significantly different math now; weapon skill is now properly figured into things, as opposed to pure offensive skill, and smaller animals will ideally no longer be quite the ninja masters that they were before.
    • Combat skill gain has been given a smoother progression. It is now most efficient to fight an opponent slightly better than you are.
    • A new channel has been created: [events]! This is meant for people wanting to organize IC events, from meet-ups to hunting parties to trade.
    • You can now use "chan history" to read a color-coded and timestamped history of all your channels at once. "chan history [#]" will limit the results to anything posted within the specified number of hours.
    • The "glance" command will now show a living subject's posture, distance, fatigue, and health in addition to their sex, species, and descriptives.
    • Available items in the wilderness can now vary according to the surrounding terrain in addition to the immediate terrain. Sand is now gettable on the seashore plains, for example.
    • Updates to the wiki.
    • Additional food options available in Liidhaga.
    • Various changes to Liidhaga, some cosmetic, some not.
    • Staffers have had some tweaks to the assist queue system so it's easier for us to track users upon login.
    • Security patches to the server.
    • Assorted backend bits that will help the game run more efficiently and no doubt come in handy for making things interesting.
    • Some smaller typo- and bugfixes, as per norm.
    • You can now command channels during the character generation prompts (that is, you can speak on them, turn them on or off, and check their histories, etc.).

    If I've missed any contributions folks feel like sharing, feel free to edit this post or ask me to do so.

    See you around.

    [edit]
    Ah, I forgot -- wilderness items can vary by season as well as terrain context.
    [/edit]]]>         <![CDATA[Progress Report for 1/02 to 3/11]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=142 Sun, 13 Mar 2011 00:15:15 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=142
  • Accounts can now host multiple characters! Each account can have up to three active characters stored on it simultaneously. Functionality is still being set in place, so please report any bugs or suggestions to the staff. See "help multiple characters" for details.
  • Three sizes of Flash client are now available for your perusal for those who wish to game away from, or without, a downloadable MUD client. These are linked on the front page beneath our connection information.
  • New items: iron, bone, and wooden fishhooks (yes, fishing poles now require hooks to make!); fishhook pendants; bark caps; fur-trimmed caps; rounded and conical reed hats.
  • New gatherables: fennel bulbs, holy basil.
  • New/updated helpfiles: multiple characters, accounts, nobility, logs, forum.
  • Updated animal descriptions: turtles, tortoises, maggots, carrionflies, carrionfly maggots, mosquitoes, bats, vultures, seagulls.
  • Combat has been receiving regular updates. Parry damage, swing time calculation, et.al. have all been adjusted and combat is still being actively overhauled; please keep us posted with potential balance issues you find!
  • Players now have the ability to "kick" one's opponent while in combat; this attack can be queued up in advance and will replace a standard attack with a strike using a character's legs (assuming they have any in good enough shape to do so). Kicks use unarmed combat and will potentially attack with whatever you're wearing on your feet.
  • It should now be more obvious when your character is using a weapon two-handed.
  • Character generation now has a birthday option for "today" for characters who have just turned their set age. "Any" should no longer randomly add a year to a new character's age, as well.
  • Some adjustments to buying prices on easily-made goods to keep the economy sane.
  • Cosmetic improvements in Liidhaga.
  • General bug, typo, and balance fixes, as usual.
    • We'll see you cats and kittens next time. Thank you for playing!]]>
  • Accounts can now host multiple characters! Each account can have up to three active characters stored on it simultaneously. Functionality is still being set in place, so please report any bugs or suggestions to the staff. See "help multiple characters" for details.
  • Three sizes of Flash client are now available for your perusal for those who wish to game away from, or without, a downloadable MUD client. These are linked on the front page beneath our connection information.
  • New items: iron, bone, and wooden fishhooks (yes, fishing poles now require hooks to make!); fishhook pendants; bark caps; fur-trimmed caps; rounded and conical reed hats.
  • New gatherables: fennel bulbs, holy basil.
  • New/updated helpfiles: multiple characters, accounts, nobility, logs, forum.
  • Updated animal descriptions: turtles, tortoises, maggots, carrionflies, carrionfly maggots, mosquitoes, bats, vultures, seagulls.
  • Combat has been receiving regular updates. Parry damage, swing time calculation, et.al. have all been adjusted and combat is still being actively overhauled; please keep us posted with potential balance issues you find!
  • Players now have the ability to "kick" one's opponent while in combat; this attack can be queued up in advance and will replace a standard attack with a strike using a character's legs (assuming they have any in good enough shape to do so). Kicks use unarmed combat and will potentially attack with whatever you're wearing on your feet.
  • It should now be more obvious when your character is using a weapon two-handed.
  • Character generation now has a birthday option for "today" for characters who have just turned their set age. "Any" should no longer randomly add a year to a new character's age, as well.
  • Some adjustments to buying prices on easily-made goods to keep the economy sane.
  • Cosmetic improvements in Liidhaga.
  • General bug, typo, and balance fixes, as usual.
    • We'll see you cats and kittens next time. Thank you for playing!]]>         <![CDATA[Flash Client]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=136 Sun, 16 Jan 2011 08:12:25 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=136
    http://lament.ghostglass.net/FMud.html

    Known issues: FMud does odd things with color settings, and may not display things as expected. We don't currently have the source code for the client; for now, consider it a hazard of using a browser-side client.]]>
    http://lament.ghostglass.net/FMud.html

    Known issues: FMud does odd things with color settings, and may not display things as expected. We don't currently have the source code for the client; for now, consider it a hazard of using a browser-side client.]]>         <![CDATA[Progress Report for 12/08 to 1/01]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=135 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 08:32:24 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=135
  • New landmarks: 4
  • New villages: 1
  • New items: fur loincloths, fur halters, bricks (the clay and straw kind), broad steel axe heads, simple swords, short iron swords, blunt-tipped swords, rowboats, oars, paddles, woolen jackets, fur-trimmed jackets
  • New gatherables: chicken of the woods
  • New/updated helpfiles: eat, drink, common sense, buy, sell, skills, skill levels, whisper, languages, write, shops, terminology, wiki, website, boats
  • The world has gotten a makeover! Moorva especially has been relocated, and the empty places on the map now contain plenty of proper terraforming. The ferry between Liidhaga and Moorness works as usual; it costs the same amount of money and takes the same amount of travel time despite covering several hundred more miles.
  • Boats are now live. They can be docked at the ports of either city or rowed along the rivers of the world.
  • Whole and half cowhides can be purchased at the tanner's in Kungesvald, while cow horns and horsehair bundles are available at the butcher's.
  • Hawkshelf has been phased out in favor of chicken of the woods. Enjoy the lemony flavor!
  • It is now technically possible to eat or drink more than absolutely necessary, so characters can enjoy a full meal without needing to vomit every so often; this also means that it will take a bit longer to starve to death or die of dehydration. Common sense has two applications for this: if tending to a need, your character will stop once their hunger or thirst is quenched, and if consuming for pleasure, your character will stop shortly before they become overfull.
  • The "stats" command is now more legible.
  • Objects on the ground can now be targeted with the "wear" command.
  • We've updated how languages are generated, with new histograms for all four accessible tongues.
  • Cosmetic touchups in Liidhaga, fixes in Lowercity and Lime District, plus working docks.
  • Working docks in Kungesvald.
  • Back-end work to increase stability.
  • Assorted bug, typo, and balance posts, as per norm.
    • Here's to another productive year from all of us to all of you! See you next time!]]>
  • New landmarks: 4
  • New villages: 1
  • New items: fur loincloths, fur halters, bricks (the clay and straw kind), broad steel axe heads, simple swords, short iron swords, blunt-tipped swords, rowboats, oars, paddles, woolen jackets, fur-trimmed jackets
  • New gatherables: chicken of the woods
  • New/updated helpfiles: eat, drink, common sense, buy, sell, skills, skill levels, whisper, languages, write, shops, terminology, wiki, website, boats
  • The world has gotten a makeover! Moorva especially has been relocated, and the empty places on the map now contain plenty of proper terraforming. The ferry between Liidhaga and Moorness works as usual; it costs the same amount of money and takes the same amount of travel time despite covering several hundred more miles.
  • Boats are now live. They can be docked at the ports of either city or rowed along the rivers of the world.
  • Whole and half cowhides can be purchased at the tanner's in Kungesvald, while cow horns and horsehair bundles are available at the butcher's.
  • Hawkshelf has been phased out in favor of chicken of the woods. Enjoy the lemony flavor!
  • It is now technically possible to eat or drink more than absolutely necessary, so characters can enjoy a full meal without needing to vomit every so often; this also means that it will take a bit longer to starve to death or die of dehydration. Common sense has two applications for this: if tending to a need, your character will stop once their hunger or thirst is quenched, and if consuming for pleasure, your character will stop shortly before they become overfull.
  • The "stats" command is now more legible.
  • Objects on the ground can now be targeted with the "wear" command.
  • We've updated how languages are generated, with new histograms for all four accessible tongues.
  • Cosmetic touchups in Liidhaga, fixes in Lowercity and Lime District, plus working docks.
  • Working docks in Kungesvald.
  • Back-end work to increase stability.
  • Assorted bug, typo, and balance posts, as per norm.
    • Here's to another productive year from all of us to all of you! See you next time!]]>         <![CDATA[Blood, Sweat and Ale]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=134 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 07:37:51 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=134
    Exits: west, north, and northwest
    It is well lit here.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    A tall wooden gallows stands in this corner of the square, its stained noose
    swaying a half-dozen strides above the cobbles. The platform below supports a
    heavy sign carved with Yddr runes; twin poles stand before it, a rope laden
    with bright tassels and bleached canine skulls hanging between. Timber halls,
    roofed in tattered thatch, stand to the south and west. The square itself
    stretches north and east, a few dense patches of weeds growing near its edges.

    This area is quite large.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Two preserved deer pelts are nearby to the southwest.
    A very very large pile of fresh meat is nearby to the southwest.
    A glass bottle is nearby to the southwest.
    Leaning against the gallows, a canvas backpack sits in the shadow of the steps.
    Olga is sitting down on a mossy wooden gallows close by to the southwest.
    The braziers burn steadily nearby.

    You raise your eyebrow.
    Gunny says, "'ey, Edgar."
    Olga waves at you.

    You wave a hand in response and approach Gunny.
    Ruud is interrupted.

    You smile at Olga.
    Gunny continues watching the sky dreamily. She looks a little mussed up but no worse for wear. The same cannot necessarily be said about Olga.
    Ruud continues cooking a venison steak.

    You nod to Ruud.

    Ruud scratches his chest, "'Ullo, Eggar. Jus' cookin' up some dinners."

    You exclaim, "Donna mind me, but, Olga was it? Y'looks like hell!"

    Olga says, "Yeah. Gunny does that to you."

    Ruud continues cooking a venison steak.

    You look around the area, "Aye, an the dinna say nothin t'ye?" he asks of Ruud.

    Ruud continues cooking a venison steak.
    Ruud shrugs a shoulder. "I guess it said, 'augh no dun' shoot me none Ruud, yer so good at shootin' and then I shot it."
    Ruud is successful at cooking a venison steak.

    You begin to walk off to Ruud.
    You stop in front of Ruud.
    You squat down.

    Ruud sets a thick venison steak down.
    Ruud begins cooking a venison steak.

    Gunny rubs her arm idly. "You wanna pick a fight later on, Edgar?"
    Gunny says, "Got a tiny bit of stiffness in my shoulder. It'll pass soon, though."

    You smirks, looking Olga over. "Well, i'canna be any worse than the last time, I s'pose."

    Ruud continues cooking a venison steak.
    Ruud messes up while cooking a venison steak.
    Ruud retires his iron dirk to his short leather sheath.
    Ruud takes a glass bottle.
    Ruud closes a glass bottle.
    Ruud puts a glass bottle into a canvas backpack.
    Ruud takes a preserved deer pelt.
    Ruud puts a preserved deer pelt into a canvas backpack.
    Ruud takes a preserved deer pelt.
    Ruud puts a preserved deer pelt into a canvas backpack.
    Ruud takes a thick venison steak.
    Ruud drops a thick venison steak.
    Ruud takes a thick venison steak.
    Ruud drops a thick venison steak.
    Ruud takes a very very large pile of fresh meat.
    Ruud hefts a very very large pile of fresh meat.
    Ruud stands up straight.
    Ruud grunts.

    Olga looks at you. "I'll stick around and watch, if you guys are gonna fight."

    Ruud jogs to the north, wielding a very very large pile of fresh meat.
    Ruud goes out of sight to the north.

    You remove a canvas backpack.

    Gunny sits up.

    You are moderately thirsty.
    You rub at your throat. "Ima get some water first, ey."

    *leaves/comes back*

    You stop in front of Olga.

    Gunny grins at you.
    Gunny stands up straight.

    You say to Olga, "Well, y'look better... somewha."

    Gunny stands up straight on a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny grins and asks, "You wanna be my second match, Edgar?"
    You look Gunny over, grinning. "Well, I never said I wanted t'live forever." he says, slipping your canvas backpack to the ground.

    Olga gets off a mossy wooden gallows.
    Olga sits down.


    You check yourself over, before looking back at Gunny, nodding your head.

    Gunny says, "Get on up, then."

    You hear a call of a distressed pheasant from very far away to the southeast.

    You slide your fight out to the side, raising your fists to either side of your head.

    Gunny knocks on a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny grins and says, "First to fall off loses."

    You say, "A'right, a'right. Forgive me for not being inna hurry t'get m'ass handed to me."

    Gunny sniggers.

    You slide a foot forward before launching yourself at Gunny.

    You start a fight with Gunny!
    Gunny retaliates against you!

    *fight spam*

    Everything darkens...

    Gradually, you become aware of your surroundings...

    Gunny doubles over, wheezing and laughing as blood streams down her face.

    Olga laughs. "Down so easily?"

    You turn your head to Olga, "Easy? Ha!"

    Gunny kicks her legs idly, smirking.

    You exclaim, "Second time y'knocked me out!"

    Gunny grins and says, "I like fightin'."

    Olga asks, "Should I go and get him some bandages, then?"

    Gunny sniggers.
    Gunny says, "If you like, yeh."

    Olga stands up straight.
    Olga goes out of sight to the north.
    You sigh.
    You say, "One o' these days, Gunny."

    Gunny peels away the shredded remains of her trousers.

    You say, "Though, I gotta say. Y'look worser'n I feels."

    Gunny reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a pair of red wool pants.
    Gunny wears a pair of red wool pants.
    Gunny grins toothily.

    You laughs, coughing up little red spit bubbles.

    Gunny says, "Pain don't hurt."

    You laugh.
    You say, "That explains i'then."

    Gunny rubs at her split lip.

    Olga jogs in from the west, brandishing an unused bandage and unused bandage.

    You regain enough strength to run your hands over your body.
    You say, "Nnngggh, I dinna think y'broke anything a'least."

    Olga sits down next to you. "Stay still, lemme put these on you."

    Gunny stretches her muscles.
    Gunny gazes up into the sky.
    Gunny says, "Sundown's comin'. Time for a nap afore Ruud shows up all with his eyeshine."

    You gurgle something incomprehensible through clenched teeth.

    Gunny lies down on a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny stretches her muscles.
    Gunny begins trying to sleep.
    Gunny slumps off a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny falls over onto the ground.
    Gunny's body goes limp.

    Olga crawls to you, brandishing an unused bandage and unused bandage.
    Olga starts to tend your body.
    Olga wraps an unused bandage on your body.
    Olga starts to tend your left arm.

    You lift your head, wincing at the pain in your ribs. "Thank ye. She's got a mean fist, she do."
    Darkness draws in as the sun sets in the west.

    Olga chuckles.
    Olga wraps an unused bandage on your left arm.

    Gradually, Gunny becomes aware of her surroundings...
    Gunny stretches her muscles.

    You say to Gunny. "I felt better after I saw your left arm."

    Gunny adopts a more casual resting pose, hands behind her head.

    You grins, your lips parting to show your red, sharpened teeth.

    Gunny grins and asks, "See you're still not doin' so great, eh?"

    Olga says, "Patchin' him up after what you've done's a little hard."
    Gunny smiles smugly.

    Gunny asks, "That's the idea, ennit?"

    You laughs, clutching at your side.

    "Aye, so ittis." you says weakly.

    Olga looks at you.

    You roll over and look at Olga. "Damn, lass. Y'still look worse'n dung."
    Olga shrugs her shoulders slightly. "Feel like it, too."

    You struggle to sit up, folding your legs in front off him.
    You rummage through a canvas backpack for a little bit.
    You reach to a canvas backpack and take a somewhat used bandage.
    You say, "'ere, lemme repay yer kindness."
    You start to tend Olga's body.

    Olga nods gratefully, then takes in a deep breath and stays still.

    You continue to tend Olga's body.

    Gunny looks up at the sky.
    Gunny appears to be thinking.
    Gunny stares up at the night sky.

    You continue to tend Olga's body.
    You continue to bandage Olga's body.
    You wrap an unused bandage on Olga's body.
    You reach to a canvas backpack and take an unused bandage.
    You tenderly pokes at Olga's left arm.

    Olga winces. "Careful."

    You look up at Olga and nod before looking back at the arm.
    You hear a calling pheasant from nearby to the northwest.
    You say, "Coulda been worse... unless it's already started healing."

    Gunny grins and says, "You're healin' up pretty good, Edgar. Nice work."

    You lift Olga's arm and begin to wrap your unused bandage around it.

    You start to tend Olga's left arm.

    You smirk.
    You say, "Well, I been told I've a hard head..."

    Gunny grins and asks, "So, who's up for a third once my blood crusts up s'more?"
    You continue to bandage Olga's left arm.

    Olga says, "Maybe when I'm feelin' a bit better."

    You pause to look at Gunny as if Gunny is completely insane before your eyes light up and you smiles.

    Gunny grins toothily.

    You continue to tend Olga's left arm.
    You say, "I guess, I could stand another round."
    You poke at the bandages covering your body experimentally.
    You continue to bandage Olga's left arm.

    Gunny smiles wryly and says, "I ain't fightin' with a bum arm, dumbass! I'd crack my bones in half on that thick skull o' yours."

    You wrap an unused bandage on Olga's left arm.
    You throw your head back and laughs. "It's the only thing wha saved m'life!"
    You exclaim, "Asides, with that arm out, I'd stand a'chance!"
    You grin at Gunny.

    Gunny grins at you.
    Gunny removes a leather strap with a shield in it.

    You grin at Olga, looking at Gunny out of the corner of your eyes. He pitches your voice just loud enough so that Gunny can hear. "Y'know, maybe if we got at her together." he says, almost conspiratorially.

    Gunny sets a leather strap with a shield in it down.
    Gunny starts drinking from a leather canteen.
    Gunny stops drinking.
    Gunny wipes her mouth.

    Olga stretches out. "That wouldn't be any fun."

    You laugh loudly.
    You glance at Gunny.

    Gunny looks up at the sky.
    Gunny appears to be thinking.
    Gunny stares up at the night sky.

    Gunny stretches her muscles.
    Gunny asks, "You lot wanna go throw shit at targets while my arm heals up?"
    Gunny flexes her bicep, which has a brilliant array of nasty bruises dappling
    the scars already there.
    Gunny says, "Think you got it good, Edgar."

    Olga shakes her head. "Nah."

    Gunny grunts.
    Gunny says, "A'ight."

    You blink.
    You say, "Ack, sorry, spaced out."
    You rub at the back of your head.
    You say, "Think y'hit me harder than I thought."

    Gunny grins toothily.

    You slowly, carefully stretches your arms out their full length.
    You nods, grunting.
    You say, "A'least I don' hurt n'more."

    Gunny grins and says, "I can fix that once my bone knits up."

    You cackle loudly, a rough sounding noise.
    You exclaim, "A lass after m'own heart!"
    You slap your knee and grins.
    You say, "Well, Ima hopin I can return the favor, actually."
    You grin wickedly.

    Olga sits up.

    You make a thoughtful noise.

    Gunny licks her teeth slowly. "Yeh. I'm after your heart, all right."
    "Prefer'bly roasted," Gunny adds.

    You laugh.
    You shake your head, "Nah, y'wanna have it raw. Nice and bloody."
    You smack your lips loudly.
    You say, "Best way."

    Olga sits up, and extends her left arm slowly. "Ahh. Doesn't hurt as bad, now."

    Gunny says, "Maybe cut in half, have it both."

    You ponder the situation.
    You say, "Now there's a thought."

    Gunny says, "I ain't gonna make it into no bowl of vigor soup, though."

    You say, "Pffft, soup?! Waste of a perfectly good lump o' meat."

    Gunny says, "If Ruud offers you some, don't drink it unless you want somethin' made outta boiled dicks."
    Gunny says, "He keeps 'em. For strength, y'see."

    You tilt your head to the left.

    The moon rises in the eastern sky.

    You say, "Hmmm. I'll hafta remember it then."

    Gunny says, "Me, I just practice hard, make proper sacrifices, pray to the Hroendir to keep me strong, an' drink the heart's blood of any man I kill."

    You tap your chest.
    You say, "Le's jes keep it where it is fer now."

    Gunny sniggers.

    You climb to your feet, brushing yourself off.
    You stand up straight.
    You say, "Could use a drink, maybe wash off some o'me face."

    Gunny nods.

    Olga opens a canvas backpack.
    Olga reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a thick venison steak.
    Olga takes a bite of the crunchy charred meat.

    You dig at the red crust on your cheeks as you wanders off.

    *leaves/comes back*

    You walk to a canvas backpack.
    You take a canvas backpack.
    You sit down.
    You examine a canvas backpack.
    You make a thoughtful noise.
    You wear a canvas backpack.
    You reach to a canvas backpack and take a wooden flute.
    You begin playing a wooden flute.
    *flute spam*
    You finish playing a wooden flute.

    Ruud walks in from the north, brandishing a boar pelt.
    Ruud walks to a mossy wooden gallows, wielding a boar pelt.
    Ruud stops in front of a mossy wooden gallows.
    Ruud sits down.

    Gunny grunts at Ruud.

    You nod to Ruud.

    Gunny says, "'ey, Ruud."

    Ruud flops onto the ground with a grunt. "Fuckin' boars. 'Eya, folks."

    You grin.

    Olga looks at Ruud.

    Ruud reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a glass bottle.


    Ruud drops a boar pelt.
    Ruud opens a glass bottle.
    Ruud starts tanning a boar pelt.
    Ruud waits for the skin to dry.
    Ruud trims off a ragged edge.
    Ruud rubs some acid into the skin.
    Ruud wipes off a patch of excess acid.

    Gunny gets off a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny stretches her muscles.
    Gunny rummages through her gear before clambering back up the gallows stairs.
    Gunny stands up straight on a mossy wooden gallows.

    Ruud examines a canvas backpack.
    Ruud reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a sheet of leather.
    Ruud sets a sheet of leather down.
    Ruud closes a glass bottle.

    Gunny asks, "Who'll fight me next, eh?"

    Ruud puts a glass bottle into a canvas backpack.
    Ruud reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a bolt of undyed burlap.
    Ruud drops a bolt of undyed burlap.

    Olga removes a somewhat used bandage.
    Olga removes a somewhat used bandage.

    Ruud grunts to himself. "When I ain't so tired, yeh."

    You make a thoughtful noise.

    Ruud draws an iron dirk from his short leather sheath.
    Ruud drops an iron dirk.
    Ruud reaches to a moneybag and takes a bone needle.
    Ruud reaches to a moneybag and takes a loop of thread.

    Olga removes a leather tool belt with a few knives, a dirk, and a knife in it.
    Olga reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud lies down.

    Olga puts a leather tool belt with a few knives, a dirk, and a knife in it into a coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud begins sewing a padded glove.

    Olga unfastens a long scabbard with a broadsword in it from a heavy leather belt.
    Olga takes a long scabbard with a broadsword in it.
    Olga puts a long scabbard with a broadsword in it into a coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud messes up while sewing a padded glove.

    Olga removes a leather strap with a shield in it.

    Ruud begins sewing a padded glove.

    Olga puts a leather strap with a shield in it into a coarse cloth sack.
    Olga removes a canvas backpack.

    Ruud messes up while sewing a padded glove.

    Olga puts a canvas backpack into a coarse cloth sack.

    Gunny examines a leather strap with a shield in it.
    Gunny asks, "Ready?"

    Ruud takes a loop of thread.
    Ruud puts a loop of thread into a moneybag.
    Ruud puts a bone needle into a moneybag.
    Ruud takes a sheet of leather.
    Ruud sets a sheet of leather down.

    Olga stretches out. "I'll do it. Take off that armor, though, have to give me a chance." She grins.

    Ruud examines a moneybag.

    Olga drops a coarse cloth sack.

    Gunny asks, "Which bit?"

    Ruud perks up his ears.

    Gunny thumps her breastplate. "Don't wear nothin' under this."

    After a moment of thought, Ruud quietly interjects. "Y'oughta go bare chested too, Olga. Make it fair."

    Olga chuckles. "What about the rest of it?"

    You coughs, trying to cover your laugh.
    Ruud perks up his ears.
    Ruud says, "I thinks she's got a great idea..."

    Gunny says, "You's always tryin' to look at titties, Ruud."
    You reach to a canvas backpack and take a leaf-wrapped portion of meat.
    You remove a handful of ground meat from its wrappings and eat it.
    You stop eating, having sated your hunger.

    Olga says, "Take off the bits that you're wearing stuff under, then."

    Ruud grins and exclaims, "An' if I'm lucky, I might get ta see some!"

    Gunny grunts.
    Gunny removes a leather greave.
    Gunny removes a leather greave.

    You chuckle at Ruud.
    You shake your head.

    Gunny puts a leather greave into a canvas backpack.
    Gunny puts a leather greave into a canvas backpack.
    Gunny says, "There. Ain't wearin' nothin' under my bracers."

    Ruud begins making a bowstring.
    Ruud starts to cut a series of thin, even thongs.

    Olga examines a coarse cloth sack.
    Olga stands up straight on a mossy wooden gallows.

    Gunny cracks her knuckles.
    Gunny grins and exclaims, "Let's fuckin' fight!"

    Olga attacks Gunny!
    Gunny turns to fight Olga!

    You yawn.

    Olga's body goes limp.
    Gunny stops fighting.

    Gunny crows with harsh, mean-spirited laughter.

    You wince.

    Gunny exclaims, "I win again!"

    You say, "I'm tempted to come at you now."

    You smirk.

    Gunny sniggers.

    You say, "Pffft. All I wanted was a fair fight."
    You wink.

    Ruud says, "I'll fight yeh, Eggar."

    Gunny sits down on a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny breathes a deep sigh of relief.

    Ruud puts a bowstring into a moneybag.

    You nod to Ruud.

    Ruud takes an iron dirk.

    You say, "Sure. 'Avenna seen y'in action yet."

    Ruud stands up straight.
    Ruud nods to you.
    Ruud retires his iron dirk to his short leather sheath.
    Ruud launches himself at you!

    You turn to fight Ruud!
    You effortlessly sidestep Ruud's leather glove.

    You exclaim, "Hope y'dinna kick me arse like the-ack!"
    You put a leaf-wrapped portion of meat into a canvas backpack.
    You put a wooden flute into a canvas backpack.

    Everything darkens...

    Gradually, you become aware of your surroundings...

    Ruud raises a fist triumphantly, staggering around punch-drunk.
    Ruud falls to the ground.

    Olga slowly wakes, groaning. "Huh..."

    You laugh.

    Olga takes a coarse cloth sack.
    Olga examines a coarse cloth sack.

    You spit up blood.
    You say, "Good, I were about t'trip y'anyways."

    Ruud wheezes, grabbing feebly at cobblestones. "Imma fall off..."

    You say, "Nothin' but a ringer, dammit."

    Olga begins trying to sleep.
    Olga's body goes limp.

    You say, "Course, travelin' wit' Gunny, I canna say that I'm surprised."

    Ruud says, "Hah, if yeh can't take 'em in a straight fight..."
    Ruud wheezes.

    Gradually, Gunny becomes aware of her surroundings...

    Ruud says, "Y'oughta be able t'punch 'em tired."
    Ruud begins trying to sleep.

    You say, "Aye... aya."

    Ruud's body goes limp.

    You push yourself up against a beam, rummaging around through your canvas
    You reach to a canvas backpack and take a wooden flute.
    You begin playing a wooden flute.

    Gradually, Olga becomes aware of her surroundings...
    Olga slowly gets on her feet, groaning. "Damn. I'm done for today."
    Gunny grins toothily.

    You nod.

    Gunny says, "You popped me good a few times. Kept me on my toes."

    You say, "I think tha makes two of us."

    Olga looks at Gunny. "Wanna go to the Dog's Tooth? I'll buy you a drink."

    Gunny grins and says, "You ain't shit. You just ain't me."
    Gunny exclaims, "Fuckin' aye, sounds like a good one!"
    Gunny takes a canvas backpack.
    Gunny wears a canvas backpack.
    Gunny takes a leather strap with a shield in it.
    Gunny wears a leather strap with a shield in it.
    Gunny sits up on a mossy wooden gallows.

    Olga chuckles, and stretches out. "Sounds good."

    Gunny gets off a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny offers a hand to Olga. "C'mon, we can go get piss-drunk and leer at thebar-boys."

    Olga grins, and takes Gunny's hand.

    Gunny asks, "You lads wanna join us?"
    Gunny grins and says, "I'll even tell a story if I have enough beer in me."

    You nudge Ruud with your boot.
    You say, "'e's knocked out but good."

    Gunny says, "Eh, he'll wake up."
    Gunny nudges Ruud with her foot.
    Gunny kneels down.

    You say, "Well, I s'pose I'll keep an eye on 'im 'til then."

    Gunny leans over, her lips close to Ruud's ear.
    Gunny shouts, "WAKE THE FUCK UP, RUUD!"
    Gunny gently tap Ruud on the shoulder.

    Gradually, Ruud becomes aware of his surroundings...

    You cackles, bloody spittle flying over the place.

    Ruud says, "..You ain't tits..."

    You snicker.

    Gunny says, "No we ain't. Get your shit and let's go get drunk."
    Gunny exclaims, "To drink!"
    Gunny begins to walk off to the north, holding a thick venison steak.

    Ruud begins to walk off to the north.

    Olga jogs to the north, holding a coarse cloth sack.

    You catch up with Gunny and try to keep pace.

    Gunny goes out of sight to the north.
    Olga goes out of sight to the north.
    You approach the north and stop before leaving sight of the area.
    Ruud goes out of sight to the north.

    You walk to a wooden bench, holding a wooden flute.
    Ruud walks to a wooden bench.
    Olga stops in front of a wooden bench.
    Gunny sits down on a wooden bench.


    Ruud walks to Gunny, wielding a wooden tankard and wooden tankard.
    Ruud stops in front of Gunny.
    Ruud sits down on a wooden bench.
    Gunny wraps up the rest of the venison and tucks it in her carryall.
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.
    Gunny puts a thick venison steak into a canvas backpack.

    Olga throws a few pennies on the bar. "For my friend Gunny." She grins.
    You get off a wooden bench.
    You count out six pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    You put a few copper pennies into a moneybag.
    You take a wooden tankard.

    Olga walks to Gunny, holding a wooden tankard and coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Olga gives a wooden tankard to Gunny.

    You sit down on a wooden bench.

    Gunny thanks Olga.

    Olga walks to a scrap of hide, holding a coarse cloth sack.

    Gunny starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Olga counts out four pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    Olga takes a wooden tankard.
    Olga sits down on a wooden bench.

    You stretch your muscles.
    You start drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Ruud discards a couple wooden tankards.

    Gunny smashes the tankard against her forehead when finished, as is her way.
    Gunny discards a wooden tankard.

    Olga stretches out on the bench, and starts taking deep sips from the tanakrd.
    Ruud gets off a wooden bench.
    Ruud walks to a scrap of hide.
    Ruud counts out four pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    Ruud takes a wooden tankard.
    Ruud counts out four pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    Ruud takes a wooden tankard.
    Olga starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    You blink.

    Ruud sits down on a wooden bench.

    You turn your wooden tankard upside down and grunts.
    You discard a wooden tankard.

    Olga drops a coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud mumbles to himself, rubbing the side of his face as he two-fists his tankards.

    *beer is bought and drunk*

    You sit down on a wooden bench.

    Olga gets off a wooden bench.
    Olga walks to Gunny, wielding a wooden tankard and wooden tankard.

    You start drinking from a wooden tankard.
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.
    You take a drink from a wooden tankard.
    Olga gives a wooden tankard to Gunny.
    Gunny grins and says, "You're all right, Olga."

    Olga asks, "Said you'd tell us a story?"

    Olga chuckles.
    Olga starts drinking from a wooden tankard.
    Gunny quaffs happily, nodding between gulps.

    You say, "If'n y'got 'er good'n drunk."

    Gunny starts drinking from a wooden tankard.
    Gunny discards a wooden tankard.
    Gunny says, "Right, right...story."
    Gunny wipes her mouth.

    Gunny says, "Phwoooh...gimme a sec to think of a good one."

    Gunny asks, "How's about Jaloschian Woos His Bride?"

    Olga wipes her mouth, and slowly sets her tankard down. "Yeah, yeah..."

    Gunny says, "Ho-kay..."
    Ruud stares at his moneybag thoughtfully, before exchanging another star for drinks.

    Olga is clearly not used to drinking very much.

    Gunny slumps over a bit, her braid drooping across her shoulders, then straightens up.
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Olga walks to a coarse cloth sack, holding a wooden tankard.
    Olga takes a coarse cloth sack.
    Olga walks to Gunny, wielding a coarse cloth sack and wooden tankard.
    Olga walks to a wooden bench, brandishing a coarse cloth sack and wooden tankard.
    Olga sits down on a wooden bench.
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Gunny says, "Right then. So in the days before days, there wasn't nearly so
    many gods and demi-gods and things, yeh? Back when the Findahlir still raged
    against the Hroendir, an' the sun weren't belongin' to Nesh."

    You think: ....

    Olga listens intently.

    You shake your wooden tankard before throwing it across the room.
    You discard a wooden tankard.

    Gunny says, "This was back when mankind had been freshly-shaken from Isengrim's
    hair, and the Hroendir still were perplexed by these things that were neither
    beast nor god. During those days, Jaloschian was wanderin' in the mountains,
    whistlin' his song as he is known to do."

    You get off a wooden bench.
    You take a wooden tankard.
    You grunt thanks to the barkeep before flopping back onto a wooden bench.
    You sit down on a wooden bench.

    Ruud grunts to himself, flinging his tankards at a nearby table before resting his forehead against a wooden beam.

    You swirl your wooden tankard around, careful not to spill anything before turning it upside down.

    Ruud throws a wooden tankard at a scrap of hide!
    A wooden tankard strikes a scrap of hide.
    Ruud throws a wooden tankard at a wooden bench!
    A wooden tankard strikes a wooden bench.

    You slam your wooden tankard down on the bar, mumbling something incoherently.

    You discard a wooden tankard.
    You exclaim, "MORE!"

    Gunny says, "He'd whistle up the mountain and whistle down the mountain,
    callin' birds to him so they'd be easier to catch. The first walkers in the
    world would hear his tunes and they called him the Whistler, thinking he was a
    wicked thing, and he took joy in this, 'cause he is a god who thrives on that
    which isn't."

    You get off a wooden bench.
    You take a wooden tankard.
    You sit down on a wooden bench.
    You grunt.

    Gunny says, "An' such a slight and thin-armed god is one who takes great laughter from bein' thought of as a great and terrible monster."

    You start drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Ruud walks to a wooden bench.
    Ruud sits down on a wooden bench.
    Ruud lies down on a wooden bench.

    You groans, your head slumping down between your knees where you belches loudly.
    You let your wooden tankard fall from your hand and roll across the tavern floor.

    Olga glances away from Gunny to Ruud. "Ruud, go get me another. I don't feel like gettin' up right now."

    Gunny says, "The Smilin' Man walked the trails, thinkin' of new songs to sing and new tricks to play, when he rounded a craggy bend to spy his sister-not, Roghasoldarian. Now, in those very first days the gods had little form to themselves, and while Isengrim had taken cold Grisindr as his queen, none of the true-born Hroendir saw her as anything more than not-kin."
    Gunny says, "Jal had fought with her before, and spoke with her before, and many such things before, but he had scarcely given her a second thought aside from thinkin' of new tricks to play or fleein' from her anger."

    Ruud grumbles to himself, picking himself up from the bench with a bit of effort.
    Ruud gets off a wooden bench.
    Ruud counts out six pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    Ruud takes a couple wooden tankards.
    Ruud gives a wooden tankard to Olga.
    Ruud walks to a wooden bench, brandishing a wooden tankard.
    Ruud sits down on a wooden bench.
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Olga laughs loudly. "Thanks."
    Olga starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Gunny says, "But in those days the gates of Thyrnirheim had been freshly thrown open, and Vadai had just begun to chase her quarry down Terian Rose's throat, and this had given the gods many new insights. One o' these was how the Mother of Agony had pieced this knowledge of the thing called Death together with her war-wyrd and her wound-wyrd, and she found her true callin' was dancin' the line between life and death."
    Gunny says, "She found great joy in runnin' her talons down a man's belly or pushin' her blade through a woman's thigh-bones, and her breath swam with weird elixirs that'd keep any mortal thing alive for days upon weeks, kept nourished and healed by her methods, and in this way she learned methods to see the future amid the pain she drank."

    You sitt up straight, only to belch loudly, before slumping back down on a wooden bench.

    After a few more seconds of flopping about, Ruud pulls out a small drum, thumping a quiet backbeat to Gunny's story.
    Ruud reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a leather and wood drum.

    Gunny asks, "Ro's laughter echoed high and wild off the jagged rocks, and Jal thought to himself that it would be a very strange and terrible thing indeed were he to wish to get near to her, and in the instant he thought it it was so. His heart yearned for her in all her wretched savagery, for what better trick is there than to fool the Trickster himself?"
    Gunny says, "He fled to the safety of a cave, for though he'd fought against her and lived in them long forever hours afore night and day, he still feared her rage."

    You eye a wooden flute suspiciously.
    You grunt.

    Gunny makes a shadow-puppet on the wall. It vaguely resembles an animal's face, or perhaps a person's; it isn't very clear, probably because she isn't very good at it.

    You squint at the wall. "Whhhaazat?" he asks groggily
    .
    "I must have her!" says Gunny's shadow as she doesn't even bother to hide her lips moving. "I must woo her and beguile her and melt her thorny heart so she will be mine. But how'm I gonna do this? She hates anything that gets too close, and'll rip out your throat soon as look at you."

    You poke at Gunny with your wooden flute.

    Olga chuckles, and lightly elbows you. "Q-quiet."

    "Chop off yer dick!" Ruud calls from the peanut gallery.

    "Whhaazat?" you asks, pointing to the wall.

    Gunny's puppet continues, "I've seen her dancin' to distant songs when she thought nobody was lookin', so maybe I could win her with my music. But she's known my face since afore time began to unroll, so she'd know it was me and not no other man or beast or god."
    Gunny makes a rude gesture at Ruud before continuing.

    You squint with one eye, staring at the shadows on the wall for a while longer before trying to get up.

    You trip over a wooden bench and fall flat on your face.
    You fall off a wooden bench.
    You collapse to the ground.
    You mumble to no one in particular.
    You ask, "....whaaaazat?"
    You hiccup.

    Gunny says through her wall-proxy, "I can't not chase her, though, or I know I'll die of the very heartbreak I fooled myself into. And who'll fool every fuckin' thing under the sun when I'm gone? No, I gotta think about this."

    Ruud slurs, still beating on his drum while leering like a horrible, drunken crow. "Cutcher dick off an' pretend it's tits!"

    You frown at the wall. "The hell? Talkin, talking' shades?"

    You try to push yourself up off the floor but rises only a few inches before falling back on the tavern's wonderfully clean and sanitary floor.

    Gunny pulls her hands away from the wall and continues. "So the King of Games slept for a week in that cave, then he plotted for three more, then when the wind howled down to say winter had returned he had his answer: he'd disguise himself!"

    Olga lightly nudges you with her boot. "Hhhey, get up."

    You bat at Olga's foot without turning over. "I'ma do anna thing, by the where, cause tha's wha's gonna happnen an, aye!"

    Olga laughs loudly. "You're drunk as... damn, you're drunk."


    Gunny says, "He'd disguise himself! Not as another god from foreign parts, but as a woman, with a harp to play and honeyed songs to sing and maybe half a chance of gettin' the Blood Woman to listen for half a second afore she cut his head off. He was a thief of voices even then, and fast on his tongue, and even his own voice was sweet and soothin' so that the other Hroendir would often beg him to sing for them in their halls."
    Gunny says, "So the Trickster set about to make hisself look the part. He cut his flesh so he wouldn't look like a man, and bound hisself up so he'd look like a woman, and groomed his hair and clothing to look very fine, indeed. Then he gulped down his own voice to keep in his belly, instead takin' the tongue of a girl just barely a woman, and slung his harp under his arm."

    Ruud pumps his fist victoriously, flopping over onto his back for a moment. "Hah! I knew he'd cut his dick off! Always gotta listen to Ruud!"

    You exclaim, "Harp?!"

    Gunny asks, "Yeh, the Trickster's the best harper there's ever been. Ain't you payin' attention?"

    You ask, "I'm the, the best, eh, whatnow?"

    Olga says, "Nah, he been fuckin' around on the floor."

    Gunny says, "Yeh, looks like he's humpin' the sawdust or somethin'."

    You wipe the drools from the corner of your mouth and growls, finally puching yourself up into a sitting position.
    You blink.
    You ask, "....harp?"

    Gunny says, "Where was I? Oh. Right. An' it weren't too long afore Jal found Ro sittin' on her throne o' meat and bones, readin' portents in the unspoolin' guts at her feet, her hair all silver an' her mouth all red."

    You squint with one eye across the bar.

    Gunny makes another shadow-puppet, this one slightly different but still unfortunately amateurish.

    You say, "Throne o' meat? Should be... should be, uuggghh."
    You fall flat on your back, narrowly missing cracking your skull against a wooden bench.

    "You there!" bellows Gunny's shadow. "Get your ass out! I'm Roghasoldarian, the Mother of Agony, and I ain't got time for you to be here! Run away fast or I'll pull the skin from your meat, and your meat from your bones, and your bones from your marrow, and only when I'm done with you will I let Vadai take you away to her corpse-consort!"

    Ruud sniggers loudly to himself, mumbling something /incredibly/ vulgar about meat thrones.

    "I take joy in butchery, and you're nothin' but a speck in my eye, another skull for my pile, another pair of eyes for my soup pot! Nothin' you can do can bring fear to me, 'cause I'm kin to the Winter Lord, the Thunderer, and the Whistler, and I've bared my fangs at the Sun-Prince and his damned sky-shield more times than there are hairs on your head!" continues Gunny's shadow.

    You sit up suddenly, blaring at the top of your lungs. "Under the dress and through the legs!!"
    You lie back down just as suddenly.

    Gunny takes a deep breath and a sip of water before continuing. That voice must be tricky to keep up for a long time. "I've felt the Green Man's points in my side and wrestled down a thousand behemoths! All these things are far more terrible than you, girl. What could you hope to offer for to change my heart?"

    Gunny pulls down the puppet.
    Gunny says, "Now, Jal heard these things, and knew them to be true, but he didn't run or weep or cry out or nothin'. Instead he bowed down low, and ended it in a merry hop that jangled them pretties he'd tied in his long black hair."
    Gunny says in a ridiculous falsetto, "Great lady, I've heard of your wrath, (he said to her) an' it's such a perfect thing that I, Leuyia, could think of no finer death than to throw myself at your terrible claws. But oh, lady! Let me play for you! I've written my own death-dirge, and my harp should have a final tune on its strings before you crush down my throat!"

    You cover your ears, cringing, and rolls over onto your side.

    Ruud cackles with laughter. "Eggar's gonna die."

    Gunny says, "Now, the Bringer of Pain loves gifts of praise an' adoration an' all that good shit, just like any god who's worth a damn..."
    Gunny trails off.
    Gunny cracks her knuckles methodically. "I think I heard a buzzin' fly in here."

    You wave your hand over your head, "Ack, Gunny, will ye kill that bard fer me? 'e's killin m'head!"
    You groan.

    Gunny says, "'ey, Ruud, quit drummin', you're makin' Edgar hurt."

    Ruud says, "Wot? I ain't even doin' it all that loud. Sheesh... Fine."
    Ruud puts a leather and wood drum into a canvas backpack.

    Gunny lifts up her helm and rubs the top of her head.
    Gunny asks, "Fuck. Where was I?"

    Ruud says, "Jally were talkin'g up Rogosallgian."

    You exclaim, "Y'was talkin' bout what a ferocious bastard I is!"
    You pull yourself over to a wooden bench and lean against it.

    Gunny cracks her neck from side to side.
    Gunny asks, "Right, right, so Jal's dressed all with tits on and offerin' to play for Ro, right?"

    You groan.
    You rub at the side of your head.


    Gunny happily ignores you.

    You say, "Y'dinna hafta scream, I'm righ' here."

    Gunny says, "Anyway, gods like it when you give 'em shit just for bein' gods, so of course Ro's all for this smooth-talkin' girlie who wants to sing, 'cause Ro loves music like nothin' else."

    Olga leans back lazily. "Someone buy me another drink."

    Gunny says, "So she told him to sing, thinkin' he was a woman named Leuyia, and he lifted up his harp an' lifted up his voice. He sang of her bein' savage, and bein' majestic, and all kinds of things what she held near and dear to herself, and his voice filled up the empty spaces where her butcher's laughter had been."
    Gunny says, "He played until his fingers ran red, and then played until his fingers tore pink, and then played until he had nothin' but bloody bones, and his stolen voice sang all the while about how sweet it'd be to die that day. Ro sat through the whole thing, all enchanted by it, and didn't say nothin' until his voice finally went still."

    You lay your head on a wooden bench and begin to snore loudly.

    Gunny brings up the Ro-puppet again, saying, "It's a good song, a fine song, one worthy of my ears hearin' it. I'll tear you to pieces like you asked me to, but I'll ask you this first: you got another song for me?"

    Gunny brings up the Jal-puppet. It still doesn't look very different from the other one. "I've got this one idea," says the puppet, "But you can see my hands is worn all down, and it'll take time to write it up proper anyway. Maybe I could teach it to someone else once it's done, great lady?"

    Olga groans. "Ruuuuud. Another drink."

    You bat at Olga's thigh, "Looouuudd..."

    Ruud mumbles to himself as he flops off the bench. "Can I at least see yer tits later?" Regardless, he shuffles over to the bar.
    Ruud stands up straight on a wooden bench.
    Ruud takes a wooden tankard.
    Ruud gives a wooden tankard to Olga.
    Ruud sits down on a wooden bench.

    Olga says, "Yeah, yeah, sure you can."
    Olga starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Ruud perks up his ears.

    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "No! I ain't heard no finer voice than yours, not man or woman or bird or beast, nor any harp that strings so truly. I'll heal up your wounds, and give you all day tomorrow to write up your song, and you can play it for me after we eat tomorrow. After that you'll get that death you crave."

    Gunny says, "So Jal simply smiled, knowin' that his ruse was workin', and let Ro bind up his hands with ointment cloth. He slept on the floorboards by the Crimson Hand's fire, a new song already brewin' in his trickster's brain, and his dreams were rich and promisin'."

    Ruud looks at Olga.
    Ruud says, "...Mebbe when y'ain't so bruised up."

    Gunny says, "So the next day came and both god and goddess rose with the sun, breakin' their fast over the same meat an' bread, and when Ro unwound the bandages Jal was both delightin' and dismayin' to see that his hands were smooth and soft and whole again."

    Gunny says, "The hour of his song drew near, and again he took up his harp, this time singin' of winter's fierce chill and the fury of the snowstorm and the chill bite of the wind from the north, and again his fingers weren't nothin' but raggedy scraps by the time he put that harp down. Just like
    before, Ro nodded her head to him and spoke."
    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "It's a good song, a fine song, one worthy of my ears hearin' it. I'll tear you to pieces like you asked me to, but I'll ask you this first: you got another song for me?"

    Gunny says, "Now, Leuyia the woman smiled and bowed to hear this, but on the inside Jaloschian the god laughed and laughed and damn near laughed his ass off, 'cause his plan was workin'. Every day he'd sing her a new song, and every afternoon the Wound Woman would bind up his hands, and every evening he'd feast at her table, and every night he'd sleep on her floorboards by the fire."

    Gunny says, "He'd play down his hands, and each morning he'd rise up fresh and healed, and every time he finished a song Roghasoldarian would say to him again..."

    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "It's a good song, a fine song, one worthy of my ears hearin' it. I'll tear you to pieces like you asked me to, but I'll ask you this first: you got another song for me?"

    Gunny says, "Now, as Leuyia, he did more than sing for her, for he would tell her jokes and tales and lies, and brush her hair, and find her flowers, and wash the blood from her dresses, and point out her quarry should it be hidin' from her, and as Leuyia he became as close to her as a sister, though he had a brother's heart."

    You snorts, slapping at the side of your head before slipping back into an alochol-induced coma.

    Gunny says, "Jal knew the time to reveal himself was comin' close, 'cause while he was joyful to be in the presence of the Mad Goddess, it ached that he couldn't take her in his arms and know her as a man knows a woman, but before he could let slip his disguise a terrible thing surprised him durin' his daily song."

    Gunny's sentences keep getting longer and longer as she gets into the whole storytelling groove.

    Gunny says, "From one of the wild places came Iom the Lion, a wild beast of the Findahlir! He was a great monster, like Yago, but held no loyalty to the King of All Stags. He crashed into Ro's hall, his laughter boomin' and his claws sharper than a mother's tongue."

    Gunny says, "He threw Jal-as-Leuyia to the side, forcing the breath from his body, and tore down Yellow-Eye's tapestries before striking her sharply, ripping her tail in two. She roared in her rage and fought fiercely against him, but her fine lodge was ruined by their fighting before she drove him away."

    Gunny makes a few very excited shadow-shapes that don't look like anything much.

    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "Leuyia, Leuyia, I've been fucked up! I'm Hroendir, War God, but this fire-lover has come into my home to ruin my wealth and bite my health. Who'll fear me if they learn I have limits? Who'll quake when they learn I've been caused pain?"

    Gunny says, "And as she wailed so she took up her needle and thread, the same needle and thread with which she would sew up Lord Isengrim's eyes, and fixed up her tail, but her hands slipped from her anger, making it heal in a knot. That's why alphyns got funny-lookin' tails, 'cause they share her aspect."

    Gunny's Jal-puppet says, "Cheer up, great lady, 'cause hasn't even the God of All Gods fallen in battle before? None would say he's less a man than that grunting boar, Zeik-Bogge, though."

    Gunny says, "And though this was true, it didn't lift her black mood none, nor ease her achin' pride. Jal saw this and was inspired to do a thing only a fool, or a madman, or a trickster would even think to do."

    Gunny's Jal-puppet says, "Stay here, great lady, and lick your wounds. I'll go out into the world and see if I can't find somethin' that'll help you forget how low you feel."

    Gunny says, "So he went out into the world to take his lunatic revenge in the name of the Cradle of Suffering, such was his anger and such was his love."

    Gunny says, "He went down to a village of men and women, and there he got a team of oxen and lashed 'em to a cart. He filled up that cart with barrels of strong wine, and into each barrel he put in a draught mixed up of herbs and toxins and other nasty shit. It was enough to kill any normal man in a single sip, but Jal knew that this was Iom the Lion, who was greater than any man who'd ever lived, so he added a powdered snake head to each barrel for luck."

    Gunny says, "He rode them oxen up to Iom's hall and slipped the barrels in with the beast's meal, putting them one by one alongside the tables all covered in skewers and platters, and a final one next to Iom's throne."

    Gunny says, "He hid himself, then, and watched as Iom came to gorge himself. Iom opened up one barrel, then another, then another, drinking them all down to the dribbles at the bottom, and it was soon after that he fell forward in a daze on the floor of his own feast-hall."

    Gunny says, "Iom's servants fled, then, for they knew their lord always awoke hungrier and hungrier, and he'd not care about their loyalty if they looked to be food. Soon none were left but Findahlir and Hroendir."

    Gunny says, "Jal lept from his hiding-place and skinned Iom with his own claws, which were the only thing in creation which could pierce his thick hide. Though it wounded Iom greatly he couldn't wake up from his drugged stupor, and Jaloschian cackled merrily to hisself in his stolen voice as he hauled the Highest of Lions away."

    Gunny starts drinking from a leather canteen.
    Gunny wipes her mouth.

    Gunny says, "That night he returned to Roghasoldarian's lodge, bringin' with him a big-ass box made of wood and ivory, and set it up before her throne. He called out to her, shakin' her from her broodin', and she ran to where Jal-as-Leuyia sat. Her jaw dropped at the size of the present there."

    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "Leuyia, where the fuck did this come from? I can't think of anyone who'd give me this, not man nor woman nor child nor beast nor god, and you're far too poor and simple to have done it, havin' nothing to give me but your sweet songs."

    Gunny's Jal-puppet says, "Open it! Open it! I'm sure it's from a secret admirer! Oh, imagine the songs I could write about what's in there. Open it quick before your curiosity gets the better of you!"

    Gunny says, "The Mother of Agony opened up the box, and inside she discovered the raw and skinless body of Iom the Lion, still undyin' and still ensorcelled by the wine, and his lungs gurgled as he slept. She gasped when she saw this, and enough of her healin' breath crept into Iom's nostrils to rouse him. Recognizin' him as her enemy she fell on him with claws and blades, and even as
    weak as he was he was a fierce son of a bitch, bein' greater than even the Sun-Prince hisself."

    Gunny says, "The fight was long and terrible, but Jal-as-Leuyia was always at her side, misdirectin' and fightin' most cleverly, and when the sun had risen and set three times inna row Iom lay dead. Ro stood victorious over his guts, which she knelt down to read, for she's always wantin' to know the future in our bellies."

    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "As the serpent sheds its skin to cleave to the wolf, so shall the songbird shed her feathers to reveal her heart. The fuck does that mean, Leuyia?"

    Gunny's Jal-puppet says, "I'm tired of this trick. I've gotten more'n I could ever want from this. Iom's dead by both our hands, a great victory 'gainst the Findahlir, and I've spent whole seasons in your presence. You saw me as I willed you to, because you know as well as I that you'd fuck me up most serious if you knew who I really was back then. Every day I was a hair's breadth away
    from death, and every day I lived to see another sunrise."

    Gunny says, "He spat up the woman's voice, then, and revealed his disguise, and despite the carvings in his body she knew him as Jaloschian, her brother-not who came from the same void as she when the world began."

    Gunny's Jal-puppet says, "My heart cracked at my own trick on myself and yet I stayed near. I am Jaloschian, wearer of many names and thief of many voices, and I have done all that I can. I'd wife you, should you have me."

    Gunny says, "Roghasoldarian didn't say nothin' to this, instead pickin' up her needle and thread and sewin' him back together properly usin' her secret know-hows, removin' the last bits of his disguise. She cupped his face hin her taloned hand and pressed her lips to his, fillin' his lungs with her sweet
    breath that he'd be healed inside and out. From there they unrolled Iom's skin and started fuckin' with great and terrible passion, and they've pretty much not stopped."

    Gunny says, "And that's how Ro and Jal became wed, and how Jal got his lionskin mantle, and how Ro got that fucked-up part of her tail, and why we give 'em both sacrifices askin' for longevity and strong children."

    Olga laughs loudly, clapping infrequently.

    Gunny grins and exclaims, "And now my throat hurts. Someone bring me a fuckin' drink!"

    Olga stands up slowly, and walks to the bar.
    Olga gets off a wooden bench.
    Olga counts out six pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    Olga takes a wooden tankard.

    Ruud rolls off of his bench one last time, remarkably deft for someone who has as much alcohol in him as he does.

    Olga walks to Gunny, holding a wooden tankard and coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud gets off a wooden bench.

    *much beer and ale is bought and imbibed*


    You open your eyes blearily.

    Olga says, "Thankee, Ruud."

    Gunny drinks long and heartily. One could call it quaffing.
    Ruud says, "Ain't nae problem. I dropped a boar, an' then I dropped an'Eggar."
    Ruud says, "So I'm feelin' loose wit' my money."

    Gunny grins toothily.

    You open your mouth as if to speak but, on seeing your wooden tankard, smile and grunts, lifting your wooden tankard in Ruud's general direction.

    Gunny wipes her mouth.
    Gunny says, "Goddamn but I ain't storytold in forever."
    You til your wooden tankard over on its side, spilling ale over your chin and onto a wooden bench.

    Ruud takes a couple of deep breaths, before cracking the tankard in one triumpant blow against his face.

    Olga exclaims, "Tha' was a good story, Gunny!"

    Ruud exclaims, "Haw! Finally did it in one!"

    You ask, "Story? Wha story?"
    You frown.

    Ruud says, "An' that were a real fuckin' good story, Gunny. I ain't never heard but the short version."

    You hiccup.

    Gunny says, "You're supposed to hit your forehead, not your face, Ruud."
    Gunny grins and says, "Thanks, Olga."

    Olga says, "She was a tellin' a story, you drunk."

    Ruud says, "Wot where Jal done cuts off his dick an' ties it to his chest. But you made it all pretty."

    You wave your wooden tankard around at Olga. "I'm na, wait, hnh?"

    Gunny asks, "What, the one that's basically 'Jal cut off his dick and pretended to be a lady and sang for Ro and then they both killed Iom and fucked a lot as seen on them tapestries on the hospice'?"

    Ruud nods to Gunny.
    Ruud says, "Thas' the one I 'eard."

    Gunny says, "Punch that bastard in the face, they ain't good at skaldin'."

    You lay your head to rest on a wooden bench, mumbling silently.

    Ruud says, "I done heard this one lady tella story 'bout some other weirdo lady from 'cross the ocean wot lived inside a pearl."

    Gunny asks, "Yeh?"

    Ruud says, "But I ain't no good at that kinda shit. She's onna them mosers."

    Gunny asks, "What's a moser? Can you eat it?"

    Ruud says, "Nuh. They's creep inta yer 'ead an' teach yeh how ta do stuff."

    Gunny ponders the situation.
    Gunny asks, "Like how carrionflies get in your belly?"

    You winces, your features scrunched up against the surface of a wooden bench.

    Olga leans back lazily. "Hey, Gunny, I'm too drunk t' feel the bruises y' gave me."

    Gunny grins.
    Gunny asks, "Good bruises, yeh?"

    Olga says, "Yeah. Guess I shoul' get drunk more often."

    You slam your wooden tankard against a wooden bench. "More often and the thing where..." hi voice trails off.

    Ruud stretches a bit, peering on over at Olga. "Yer feelin' better yet? 'Causeif'n y'are, then I ain't mind seein' yer tats."

    Gunny sniggers.

    Olga belches, and laughs loudly. "Huh? Oh, yeah..." She lifts up her shirt for a moment, laughing, then brings it back down.

    Ruud blinks slowly, before grinning like a madman. "Haw! Yer great, Olga!" He cheers a bit, wobbling on his bench. "They might even be better'n Gunny's, I bet!"

    Gunny looks up from her latest drink, which she promptly hurls over her shoulder into the head of a passing patron.
    Gunny asks, "Yeh? You think so?"

    Olga giggles loudly, leaning back again.

    Ruud blinks slowly, focusing in on Gunny. "Dunno, maybe. Bigger fer sure." Ye gods, it's like the hairy little twit knows something about subterfuge!

    Gunny stretches with a very loud creak of leather from her aptly-named breastplate.
    Gunny says, "Nah, I don't think so. I'm bigger. Therefore I'm bigger everywhere."

    Ruud rubs the side of his head, trying to take that logic in. "Nuh-uh. I's seen shorter ladies wit' big ole' titties. I's seen 'em."

    Olga stretches out. "Naaaaaah, mine aren't big."

    Gunny exclaims, "I say we arm-wrestle! Whoever wins has bigger tits!"
    Gunny doesn't appear to use Earth-logic.

    Olga asks, "Yeah?"

    Gunny exclaims, "Yeh!"

    "Nuh-uh, you've got bigguns, Olga. Them's pretty good." Ruud offers with a
    little bit of wobble in his gait. "I get winner, eh?"

    Gunny asks, "...what, so you can have the biggest titties?"
    Gunny looks puzzled.

    Ruud exclaims, "Yeh!"
    Ruud says, "Wait.."

    Gunny says, "Gonna hide on the second floor of the Bells and never come out again if'n you do."
    Gunny says, "You'll starve to death."

    Ruud says, "Well, fuggit then. I still wanna wrassle the winner."
    Ruud sulks, ears tilting back a bit.

    Olga gets to her feet slowly, walking to Gunny.
    Olga gets off a wooden bench.
    Olga walks to Gunny, wielding a wooden tankard and coarse cloth sack.

    Gunny grins toothily.
    Gunny seats herself opposite Olga and puts her elbow on the table.

    Olga sits down carefully. "Alrigh', Gunny, let's do this." She puts her elbow
    on the table and takes Gunny's hand.

    Gunny grips Olga's hand tightly. "Ready when you is, Olga," she says, grinning as usual.
    Gunny cheerfully ignores concepts like sportsmanship and begins exerting pressure immediately after speaking.

    You open your eyes staring at your wooden tankard in your hand. "How'd tha
    get-?" he asks, your eyes falling on the others. "Y'jes canna stop yer blood
    from boiling, eh women?"

    Olga grins, and attempts to push Gunny's hand down with all her strength.

    You blink.

    Gunny's scars ripple across her arm as she strains against Olga's grip.

    You stand up and flop down on a wooden bench with some effort.

    Gunny grits her teeth.

    Olga struggles against her strength, her hand slowly lowering towards the table.

    Gunny sets her shoulder as she begins exerting more and more force, her hand
    still occasionally trembling as Olga pushes against her.
    Gunny concentrates.

    Olga's hand finally hits the table. She laughs loudly. "Guess you got bigger
    tits then, Gunny."

    Gunny roars with laughter, slapping Olga on the back. "Fuckin' right I do!"

    Olga exclaims, "Then let's see 'em!"

    Ruud nods quickly at Olga. "Eh, can't argue with that!"

    Gunny says, "Eh, why not? First, though, I think I better show off this trick I know..."
    Gunny exclaims, "'ey, Ruud! See if you can get a coin in again!"
    Gunny leans over. That armor can't be very protective at all.

    Ruud examines a moneybag.
    Ruud looks in his moneybag.

    Olga giggles loudly. "Good idea!"

    Gunny points at her cleavage. "C'mon, right in there!"

    Ruud fumbles around in his moneybag, staring intently at Gunny.
    Ruud reaches to a moneybag and takes a silver moon.
    Ruud flicks the coin with all the expertise of a drunken teenager.
    Ruud tosses a silver moon to Gunny.

    Gunny catches a silver moon.
    Gunny still catches it, although it requires quite a bit of leaning back and flinging herself to the side to keep it from hitting the floor. That's a hell of a party trick.
    Gunny plucks the coin from her cleavage and pockets it.
    Gunny puts a silver moon into a moneybag.

    Olga claps.

    Gunny asks, "Good trick, yeh?"

    Ruud puts his fingers up to his lips and whistles sharply.

    You raise your empty tankard and nods.
    Olga exclaims, "Yeah, 'cause now you got his money!"

    Gunny nods repeatedly.

    You chuckle.

    Ruud will likely miss that moon next morning, but for now, he's still impressed.

    Gunny loosens the ties on her leather clamshell, flashes Ruud for the briefest of moments, then returns her armor top to a state of 'highly suggestive.'.

    Olga laughs. "They are nice!"

    Gunny says, "You're one rich sonofabitch for a bastard what walks on his knuckles half the time, Ruud."

    Ruud goes a little bit slackjaw, before adopting an expression that might possibly be a contender for 'goofiest grin ever made'.
    Ruud says, "Yuh, on account of ain't havin' no kinda self-preservations when I go huntin'."
    Ruud asks, "Y'know how I shoots when yer standin' in front?"

    Gunny asks, "Yeh?"

    Ruud says, "I shoots like that when y'aint, too."

    Gunny says, "...I think you got kicked in the head too many times, Ruud."

    Olga leans back in her chair. "Go get me 'nother drink, Ruud. You owe me."

    Gunny says, "Yeh, you owe her, Ruud."

    Ruud says, "At this rate, I might oughter see some asses, too."
    Ruud grins lopsidedly.
    Ruud gets off a wooden bench.
    Ruud walks to a scrap of hide.

    *buying and handing out of tankards*

    Gunny says, "You ain't gonna see no ass o' mine unless you start throwin' suns
    down my top."
    Gunny says, "And then I'd hafta think about it."

    Ruud raises his tankard high. "Here's to the kick that ain't killed me yet!"
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Olga waves Ruud off. "Tha's all of me your seein' tonight, Ruud."

    Gunny raises her tankard in a toast.

    Ruud discards a wooden tankard.

    Olga shakily raises her tankard, too, spilling some beer on the table.

    Gunny exclaims, "To one fuckin' lucky bastard son o' Yago!"

    Olga starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Gunny starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Ruud drinks the mug down to the bottom, throwing it into the firepit with a loud 'clonk'.

    Olga discards a wooden tankard.

    Gunny continues the tradition of throwing tankards every which way. Hers appears to have ended up in the rafters somewhere.
    Gunny discards a wooden tankard.

    Ruud says, "An' while that offer's temptin', Gunny, I ain't gonna drop no sun down yer top. It'll sour up th' friendship."
    Ruud examines a canvas backpack.

    Olga grins. "Wha' bout mine?"

    Gunny asks, "Yeh, what 'bout hers?"

    Ruud peers at Olga. "How long I getta look at it?"

    Gunny asks, "What, the sun that's goin' down 'tween her teats?"
    Gunny says, "Long as you want afore you throw it, I figure."

    Olga giggles. "You give me a sun an' you can look up my skirt long as you want, Ruud."

    Ruud asks, "Pfft, I ain't talkin' bout no coin. Moreso th'purse, yanno?"
    Ruud attempts to lean on the table, but a combination of alcohol and Olga's response causes him to miss in a spectacular fashion, cracking his jaw on the surface before falling on his ass.
    Ruud falls to the ground.

    Gunny nudges Ruud with her boot.
    Gunny says, "Walp, he's dead, guess we'd better skin and eat him."

    Ruud offers everybody a free show, thanks to the vagaries of a kilt. He doesn't seem to be getting up any time soon, either.

    Gunny ponders the situation.
    Gunny reaches over to grab a loose rock from the side of the hearth.
    Gunny raises the rock over Ruud's sensitive bits.
    Gunny asks, "How much you bet it'll bounce off?"

    Olga giggles. "You'd better get up, Ruud."

    Gunny flexes her fingers, ever-so-slightly loosening her grip.

    Ruud doesn't reply. He lifts his head up just a bit, trying desperately to focus on Gunny. "Whurs y'got dere?"

    Gunny says, "Nothin' much, Ruud. Just gonna drop a rock on your dick."

    "Oh, oghay 'den..." Ruud lets his head flop back against the floor with a soft thud.

    Gunny grins toothily.
    Gunny says, "A star says it bounces right off. I'll buy a round if it hits Edgar, though."

    You blink.
    You say, "Hnh? I dinna bounce."

    Olga exclaims, "Edgar! Y' missed Gunny's tits!"

    You squint at Olga.
    You ask, "She's got tits?"
    You look at Gunny.

    Ruud perks up a bit at the mention of the magic word, only to clock his forehead against the bench.

    Olga says, "Big'ns, too. Too bad you missed it."

    Gunny says, "I'm gonna see if'n this here rock'll bounce off of Ruud's cock. A star says it will."

    You scratch the side of your head with your wooden tankard. "Canna say that I missed much." He shrugs. "They jes get inna way."
    You blink.

    Ruud lay on the floor, half drunk, half concussed, legs sprawled every which
    way. This doesn't seem like his idea.

    You make a thoughtful noise.

    Gunny asks, "His kilt's gone all flop, so I figured this was a good time for figurin' stuff out, yeh?"

    You rub at your eyes. "Figurin? Wha's there t'figure?"

    Gunny says, "Whether or not rocks bounce off Ruud."

    You rub at your temples.
    You say, "Now yer goin' too fast fer me."
    You ask, "Bounce?"

    Gunny exclaims, "Yeh, I am. Think fast, Ruud!"

    Ruud asks, "Hwa?"

    You shake your head, then winces.

    Gunny doesn't drop the rock. She instead hurls it. Overhand.

    There's a sound like a steak being slapped against a marble countertop. Followed by a low-pitched groaning. To Ruud's credit, it is soon followed by the soft clattering of deflected stone. Ruud curls up into a ball slowly.

    You blink.

    Gunny exclaims, "A bounec! I win!"
    Gunny raises her hands over her head.

    Ruud says, "Augh, I'm gonna get a lump right in the middle of my dick..."

    You ask, "Add some length?"

    Olga says, "You weren't usin' it, anyways."

    Gunny asks, "Yeh, maybe girls'll talk to you, then?"

    You scratch your head, seemingly bewildered.

    Ruud grimaces, turning over onto his stomach. "Fowling arrow right up your ass, Gunny."
    Gunny grins and says, "You keep promisin', you keep promisin'..."

    You ask, "But, yer a girl, ain'cha?"
    You squints, your brain struggling to move gears.

    Gunny grins and says, "I'm no girlie. I'm a tooth-spittin' village-burnin' Yddrwoman, and don't you forget it, Edgar."

    Olga laughs. "I'm a girl, I think."

    You ask, "So... tha's differn, then?"
    You wrinkle your nose and shake your head.

    Gunny says, "Yeh. Means I'm better."

    You say, "All this talk... too much."

    Gunny nods sagely.

    Ruud grumbles to himself, shaking his head. "Y'broke my dick, Gunny. Now I gotta go down to the hospice an' get Ingrboda t'wrap it all up..."
    Ruud pauses.
    Ruud grins lopsidedly.

    You blink.
    Gunny sniggers.

    You throw your head back and laughs loudly, splitting your own skull.
    You grab at your head and groans.

    Gunny grins and asks, "Them Roghians can be real pretty afore they pull out the spikes and nettles, yeh?"

    Ruud says, "Wurf, but at least yeh expect it from 'em... Ugh, someone go drag
    Eggar an' dunk 'is fool head inta th' well or summat."

    You collapse against a long table, snoring loudly, fast asleep.]]>
    Exits: west, north, and northwest
    It is well lit here.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    A tall wooden gallows stands in this corner of the square, its stained noose
    swaying a half-dozen strides above the cobbles. The platform below supports a
    heavy sign carved with Yddr runes; twin poles stand before it, a rope laden
    with bright tassels and bleached canine skulls hanging between. Timber halls,
    roofed in tattered thatch, stand to the south and west. The square itself
    stretches north and east, a few dense patches of weeds growing near its edges.

    This area is quite large.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Two preserved deer pelts are nearby to the southwest.
    A very very large pile of fresh meat is nearby to the southwest.
    A glass bottle is nearby to the southwest.
    Leaning against the gallows, a canvas backpack sits in the shadow of the steps.
    Olga is sitting down on a mossy wooden gallows close by to the southwest.
    The braziers burn steadily nearby.

    You raise your eyebrow.
    Gunny says, "'ey, Edgar."
    Olga waves at you.

    You wave a hand in response and approach Gunny.
    Ruud is interrupted.

    You smile at Olga.
    Gunny continues watching the sky dreamily. She looks a little mussed up but no worse for wear. The same cannot necessarily be said about Olga.
    Ruud continues cooking a venison steak.

    You nod to Ruud.

    Ruud scratches his chest, "'Ullo, Eggar. Jus' cookin' up some dinners."

    You exclaim, "Donna mind me, but, Olga was it? Y'looks like hell!"

    Olga says, "Yeah. Gunny does that to you."

    Ruud continues cooking a venison steak.

    You look around the area, "Aye, an the dinna say nothin t'ye?" he asks of Ruud.

    Ruud continues cooking a venison steak.
    Ruud shrugs a shoulder. "I guess it said, 'augh no dun' shoot me none Ruud, yer so good at shootin' and then I shot it."
    Ruud is successful at cooking a venison steak.

    You begin to walk off to Ruud.
    You stop in front of Ruud.
    You squat down.

    Ruud sets a thick venison steak down.
    Ruud begins cooking a venison steak.

    Gunny rubs her arm idly. "You wanna pick a fight later on, Edgar?"
    Gunny says, "Got a tiny bit of stiffness in my shoulder. It'll pass soon, though."

    You smirks, looking Olga over. "Well, i'canna be any worse than the last time, I s'pose."

    Ruud continues cooking a venison steak.
    Ruud messes up while cooking a venison steak.
    Ruud retires his iron dirk to his short leather sheath.
    Ruud takes a glass bottle.
    Ruud closes a glass bottle.
    Ruud puts a glass bottle into a canvas backpack.
    Ruud takes a preserved deer pelt.
    Ruud puts a preserved deer pelt into a canvas backpack.
    Ruud takes a preserved deer pelt.
    Ruud puts a preserved deer pelt into a canvas backpack.
    Ruud takes a thick venison steak.
    Ruud drops a thick venison steak.
    Ruud takes a thick venison steak.
    Ruud drops a thick venison steak.
    Ruud takes a very very large pile of fresh meat.
    Ruud hefts a very very large pile of fresh meat.
    Ruud stands up straight.
    Ruud grunts.

    Olga looks at you. "I'll stick around and watch, if you guys are gonna fight."

    Ruud jogs to the north, wielding a very very large pile of fresh meat.
    Ruud goes out of sight to the north.

    You remove a canvas backpack.

    Gunny sits up.

    You are moderately thirsty.
    You rub at your throat. "Ima get some water first, ey."

    *leaves/comes back*

    You stop in front of Olga.

    Gunny grins at you.
    Gunny stands up straight.

    You say to Olga, "Well, y'look better... somewha."

    Gunny stands up straight on a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny grins and asks, "You wanna be my second match, Edgar?"
    You look Gunny over, grinning. "Well, I never said I wanted t'live forever." he says, slipping your canvas backpack to the ground.

    Olga gets off a mossy wooden gallows.
    Olga sits down.


    You check yourself over, before looking back at Gunny, nodding your head.

    Gunny says, "Get on up, then."

    You hear a call of a distressed pheasant from very far away to the southeast.

    You slide your fight out to the side, raising your fists to either side of your head.

    Gunny knocks on a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny grins and says, "First to fall off loses."

    You say, "A'right, a'right. Forgive me for not being inna hurry t'get m'ass handed to me."

    Gunny sniggers.

    You slide a foot forward before launching yourself at Gunny.

    You start a fight with Gunny!
    Gunny retaliates against you!

    *fight spam*

    Everything darkens...

    Gradually, you become aware of your surroundings...

    Gunny doubles over, wheezing and laughing as blood streams down her face.

    Olga laughs. "Down so easily?"

    You turn your head to Olga, "Easy? Ha!"

    Gunny kicks her legs idly, smirking.

    You exclaim, "Second time y'knocked me out!"

    Gunny grins and says, "I like fightin'."

    Olga asks, "Should I go and get him some bandages, then?"

    Gunny sniggers.
    Gunny says, "If you like, yeh."

    Olga stands up straight.
    Olga goes out of sight to the north.
    You sigh.
    You say, "One o' these days, Gunny."

    Gunny peels away the shredded remains of her trousers.

    You say, "Though, I gotta say. Y'look worser'n I feels."

    Gunny reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a pair of red wool pants.
    Gunny wears a pair of red wool pants.
    Gunny grins toothily.

    You laughs, coughing up little red spit bubbles.

    Gunny says, "Pain don't hurt."

    You laugh.
    You say, "That explains i'then."

    Gunny rubs at her split lip.

    Olga jogs in from the west, brandishing an unused bandage and unused bandage.

    You regain enough strength to run your hands over your body.
    You say, "Nnngggh, I dinna think y'broke anything a'least."

    Olga sits down next to you. "Stay still, lemme put these on you."

    Gunny stretches her muscles.
    Gunny gazes up into the sky.
    Gunny says, "Sundown's comin'. Time for a nap afore Ruud shows up all with his eyeshine."

    You gurgle something incomprehensible through clenched teeth.

    Gunny lies down on a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny stretches her muscles.
    Gunny begins trying to sleep.
    Gunny slumps off a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny falls over onto the ground.
    Gunny's body goes limp.

    Olga crawls to you, brandishing an unused bandage and unused bandage.
    Olga starts to tend your body.
    Olga wraps an unused bandage on your body.
    Olga starts to tend your left arm.

    You lift your head, wincing at the pain in your ribs. "Thank ye. She's got a mean fist, she do."
    Darkness draws in as the sun sets in the west.

    Olga chuckles.
    Olga wraps an unused bandage on your left arm.

    Gradually, Gunny becomes aware of her surroundings...
    Gunny stretches her muscles.

    You say to Gunny. "I felt better after I saw your left arm."

    Gunny adopts a more casual resting pose, hands behind her head.

    You grins, your lips parting to show your red, sharpened teeth.

    Gunny grins and asks, "See you're still not doin' so great, eh?"

    Olga says, "Patchin' him up after what you've done's a little hard."
    Gunny smiles smugly.

    Gunny asks, "That's the idea, ennit?"

    You laughs, clutching at your side.

    "Aye, so ittis." you says weakly.

    Olga looks at you.

    You roll over and look at Olga. "Damn, lass. Y'still look worse'n dung."
    Olga shrugs her shoulders slightly. "Feel like it, too."

    You struggle to sit up, folding your legs in front off him.
    You rummage through a canvas backpack for a little bit.
    You reach to a canvas backpack and take a somewhat used bandage.
    You say, "'ere, lemme repay yer kindness."
    You start to tend Olga's body.

    Olga nods gratefully, then takes in a deep breath and stays still.

    You continue to tend Olga's body.

    Gunny looks up at the sky.
    Gunny appears to be thinking.
    Gunny stares up at the night sky.

    You continue to tend Olga's body.
    You continue to bandage Olga's body.
    You wrap an unused bandage on Olga's body.
    You reach to a canvas backpack and take an unused bandage.
    You tenderly pokes at Olga's left arm.

    Olga winces. "Careful."

    You look up at Olga and nod before looking back at the arm.
    You hear a calling pheasant from nearby to the northwest.
    You say, "Coulda been worse... unless it's already started healing."

    Gunny grins and says, "You're healin' up pretty good, Edgar. Nice work."

    You lift Olga's arm and begin to wrap your unused bandage around it.

    You start to tend Olga's left arm.

    You smirk.
    You say, "Well, I been told I've a hard head..."

    Gunny grins and asks, "So, who's up for a third once my blood crusts up s'more?"
    You continue to bandage Olga's left arm.

    Olga says, "Maybe when I'm feelin' a bit better."

    You pause to look at Gunny as if Gunny is completely insane before your eyes light up and you smiles.

    Gunny grins toothily.

    You continue to tend Olga's left arm.
    You say, "I guess, I could stand another round."
    You poke at the bandages covering your body experimentally.
    You continue to bandage Olga's left arm.

    Gunny smiles wryly and says, "I ain't fightin' with a bum arm, dumbass! I'd crack my bones in half on that thick skull o' yours."

    You wrap an unused bandage on Olga's left arm.
    You throw your head back and laughs. "It's the only thing wha saved m'life!"
    You exclaim, "Asides, with that arm out, I'd stand a'chance!"
    You grin at Gunny.

    Gunny grins at you.
    Gunny removes a leather strap with a shield in it.

    You grin at Olga, looking at Gunny out of the corner of your eyes. He pitches your voice just loud enough so that Gunny can hear. "Y'know, maybe if we got at her together." he says, almost conspiratorially.

    Gunny sets a leather strap with a shield in it down.
    Gunny starts drinking from a leather canteen.
    Gunny stops drinking.
    Gunny wipes her mouth.

    Olga stretches out. "That wouldn't be any fun."

    You laugh loudly.
    You glance at Gunny.

    Gunny looks up at the sky.
    Gunny appears to be thinking.
    Gunny stares up at the night sky.

    Gunny stretches her muscles.
    Gunny asks, "You lot wanna go throw shit at targets while my arm heals up?"
    Gunny flexes her bicep, which has a brilliant array of nasty bruises dappling
    the scars already there.
    Gunny says, "Think you got it good, Edgar."

    Olga shakes her head. "Nah."

    Gunny grunts.
    Gunny says, "A'ight."

    You blink.
    You say, "Ack, sorry, spaced out."
    You rub at the back of your head.
    You say, "Think y'hit me harder than I thought."

    Gunny grins toothily.

    You slowly, carefully stretches your arms out their full length.
    You nods, grunting.
    You say, "A'least I don' hurt n'more."

    Gunny grins and says, "I can fix that once my bone knits up."

    You cackle loudly, a rough sounding noise.
    You exclaim, "A lass after m'own heart!"
    You slap your knee and grins.
    You say, "Well, Ima hopin I can return the favor, actually."
    You grin wickedly.

    Olga sits up.

    You make a thoughtful noise.

    Gunny licks her teeth slowly. "Yeh. I'm after your heart, all right."
    "Prefer'bly roasted," Gunny adds.

    You laugh.
    You shake your head, "Nah, y'wanna have it raw. Nice and bloody."
    You smack your lips loudly.
    You say, "Best way."

    Olga sits up, and extends her left arm slowly. "Ahh. Doesn't hurt as bad, now."

    Gunny says, "Maybe cut in half, have it both."

    You ponder the situation.
    You say, "Now there's a thought."

    Gunny says, "I ain't gonna make it into no bowl of vigor soup, though."

    You say, "Pffft, soup?! Waste of a perfectly good lump o' meat."

    Gunny says, "If Ruud offers you some, don't drink it unless you want somethin' made outta boiled dicks."
    Gunny says, "He keeps 'em. For strength, y'see."

    You tilt your head to the left.

    The moon rises in the eastern sky.

    You say, "Hmmm. I'll hafta remember it then."

    Gunny says, "Me, I just practice hard, make proper sacrifices, pray to the Hroendir to keep me strong, an' drink the heart's blood of any man I kill."

    You tap your chest.
    You say, "Le's jes keep it where it is fer now."

    Gunny sniggers.

    You climb to your feet, brushing yourself off.
    You stand up straight.
    You say, "Could use a drink, maybe wash off some o'me face."

    Gunny nods.

    Olga opens a canvas backpack.
    Olga reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a thick venison steak.
    Olga takes a bite of the crunchy charred meat.

    You dig at the red crust on your cheeks as you wanders off.

    *leaves/comes back*

    You walk to a canvas backpack.
    You take a canvas backpack.
    You sit down.
    You examine a canvas backpack.
    You make a thoughtful noise.
    You wear a canvas backpack.
    You reach to a canvas backpack and take a wooden flute.
    You begin playing a wooden flute.
    *flute spam*
    You finish playing a wooden flute.

    Ruud walks in from the north, brandishing a boar pelt.
    Ruud walks to a mossy wooden gallows, wielding a boar pelt.
    Ruud stops in front of a mossy wooden gallows.
    Ruud sits down.

    Gunny grunts at Ruud.

    You nod to Ruud.

    Gunny says, "'ey, Ruud."

    Ruud flops onto the ground with a grunt. "Fuckin' boars. 'Eya, folks."

    You grin.

    Olga looks at Ruud.

    Ruud reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a glass bottle.


    Ruud drops a boar pelt.
    Ruud opens a glass bottle.
    Ruud starts tanning a boar pelt.
    Ruud waits for the skin to dry.
    Ruud trims off a ragged edge.
    Ruud rubs some acid into the skin.
    Ruud wipes off a patch of excess acid.

    Gunny gets off a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny stretches her muscles.
    Gunny rummages through her gear before clambering back up the gallows stairs.
    Gunny stands up straight on a mossy wooden gallows.

    Ruud examines a canvas backpack.
    Ruud reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a sheet of leather.
    Ruud sets a sheet of leather down.
    Ruud closes a glass bottle.

    Gunny asks, "Who'll fight me next, eh?"

    Ruud puts a glass bottle into a canvas backpack.
    Ruud reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a bolt of undyed burlap.
    Ruud drops a bolt of undyed burlap.

    Olga removes a somewhat used bandage.
    Olga removes a somewhat used bandage.

    Ruud grunts to himself. "When I ain't so tired, yeh."

    You make a thoughtful noise.

    Ruud draws an iron dirk from his short leather sheath.
    Ruud drops an iron dirk.
    Ruud reaches to a moneybag and takes a bone needle.
    Ruud reaches to a moneybag and takes a loop of thread.

    Olga removes a leather tool belt with a few knives, a dirk, and a knife in it.
    Olga reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud lies down.

    Olga puts a leather tool belt with a few knives, a dirk, and a knife in it into a coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud begins sewing a padded glove.

    Olga unfastens a long scabbard with a broadsword in it from a heavy leather belt.
    Olga takes a long scabbard with a broadsword in it.
    Olga puts a long scabbard with a broadsword in it into a coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud messes up while sewing a padded glove.

    Olga removes a leather strap with a shield in it.

    Ruud begins sewing a padded glove.

    Olga puts a leather strap with a shield in it into a coarse cloth sack.
    Olga removes a canvas backpack.

    Ruud messes up while sewing a padded glove.

    Olga puts a canvas backpack into a coarse cloth sack.

    Gunny examines a leather strap with a shield in it.
    Gunny asks, "Ready?"

    Ruud takes a loop of thread.
    Ruud puts a loop of thread into a moneybag.
    Ruud puts a bone needle into a moneybag.
    Ruud takes a sheet of leather.
    Ruud sets a sheet of leather down.

    Olga stretches out. "I'll do it. Take off that armor, though, have to give me a chance." She grins.

    Ruud examines a moneybag.

    Olga drops a coarse cloth sack.

    Gunny asks, "Which bit?"

    Ruud perks up his ears.

    Gunny thumps her breastplate. "Don't wear nothin' under this."

    After a moment of thought, Ruud quietly interjects. "Y'oughta go bare chested too, Olga. Make it fair."

    Olga chuckles. "What about the rest of it?"

    You coughs, trying to cover your laugh.
    Ruud perks up his ears.
    Ruud says, "I thinks she's got a great idea..."

    Gunny says, "You's always tryin' to look at titties, Ruud."
    You reach to a canvas backpack and take a leaf-wrapped portion of meat.
    You remove a handful of ground meat from its wrappings and eat it.
    You stop eating, having sated your hunger.

    Olga says, "Take off the bits that you're wearing stuff under, then."

    Ruud grins and exclaims, "An' if I'm lucky, I might get ta see some!"

    Gunny grunts.
    Gunny removes a leather greave.
    Gunny removes a leather greave.

    You chuckle at Ruud.
    You shake your head.

    Gunny puts a leather greave into a canvas backpack.
    Gunny puts a leather greave into a canvas backpack.
    Gunny says, "There. Ain't wearin' nothin' under my bracers."

    Ruud begins making a bowstring.
    Ruud starts to cut a series of thin, even thongs.

    Olga examines a coarse cloth sack.
    Olga stands up straight on a mossy wooden gallows.

    Gunny cracks her knuckles.
    Gunny grins and exclaims, "Let's fuckin' fight!"

    Olga attacks Gunny!
    Gunny turns to fight Olga!

    You yawn.

    Olga's body goes limp.
    Gunny stops fighting.

    Gunny crows with harsh, mean-spirited laughter.

    You wince.

    Gunny exclaims, "I win again!"

    You say, "I'm tempted to come at you now."

    You smirk.

    Gunny sniggers.

    You say, "Pffft. All I wanted was a fair fight."
    You wink.

    Ruud says, "I'll fight yeh, Eggar."

    Gunny sits down on a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny breathes a deep sigh of relief.

    Ruud puts a bowstring into a moneybag.

    You nod to Ruud.

    Ruud takes an iron dirk.

    You say, "Sure. 'Avenna seen y'in action yet."

    Ruud stands up straight.
    Ruud nods to you.
    Ruud retires his iron dirk to his short leather sheath.
    Ruud launches himself at you!

    You turn to fight Ruud!
    You effortlessly sidestep Ruud's leather glove.

    You exclaim, "Hope y'dinna kick me arse like the-ack!"
    You put a leaf-wrapped portion of meat into a canvas backpack.
    You put a wooden flute into a canvas backpack.

    Everything darkens...

    Gradually, you become aware of your surroundings...

    Ruud raises a fist triumphantly, staggering around punch-drunk.
    Ruud falls to the ground.

    Olga slowly wakes, groaning. "Huh..."

    You laugh.

    Olga takes a coarse cloth sack.
    Olga examines a coarse cloth sack.

    You spit up blood.
    You say, "Good, I were about t'trip y'anyways."

    Ruud wheezes, grabbing feebly at cobblestones. "Imma fall off..."

    You say, "Nothin' but a ringer, dammit."

    Olga begins trying to sleep.
    Olga's body goes limp.

    You say, "Course, travelin' wit' Gunny, I canna say that I'm surprised."

    Ruud says, "Hah, if yeh can't take 'em in a straight fight..."
    Ruud wheezes.

    Gradually, Gunny becomes aware of her surroundings...

    Ruud says, "Y'oughta be able t'punch 'em tired."
    Ruud begins trying to sleep.

    You say, "Aye... aya."

    Ruud's body goes limp.

    You push yourself up against a beam, rummaging around through your canvas
    You reach to a canvas backpack and take a wooden flute.
    You begin playing a wooden flute.

    Gradually, Olga becomes aware of her surroundings...
    Olga slowly gets on her feet, groaning. "Damn. I'm done for today."
    Gunny grins toothily.

    You nod.

    Gunny says, "You popped me good a few times. Kept me on my toes."

    You say, "I think tha makes two of us."

    Olga looks at Gunny. "Wanna go to the Dog's Tooth? I'll buy you a drink."

    Gunny grins and says, "You ain't shit. You just ain't me."
    Gunny exclaims, "Fuckin' aye, sounds like a good one!"
    Gunny takes a canvas backpack.
    Gunny wears a canvas backpack.
    Gunny takes a leather strap with a shield in it.
    Gunny wears a leather strap with a shield in it.
    Gunny sits up on a mossy wooden gallows.

    Olga chuckles, and stretches out. "Sounds good."

    Gunny gets off a mossy wooden gallows.
    Gunny offers a hand to Olga. "C'mon, we can go get piss-drunk and leer at thebar-boys."

    Olga grins, and takes Gunny's hand.

    Gunny asks, "You lads wanna join us?"
    Gunny grins and says, "I'll even tell a story if I have enough beer in me."

    You nudge Ruud with your boot.
    You say, "'e's knocked out but good."

    Gunny says, "Eh, he'll wake up."
    Gunny nudges Ruud with her foot.
    Gunny kneels down.

    You say, "Well, I s'pose I'll keep an eye on 'im 'til then."

    Gunny leans over, her lips close to Ruud's ear.
    Gunny shouts, "WAKE THE FUCK UP, RUUD!"
    Gunny gently tap Ruud on the shoulder.

    Gradually, Ruud becomes aware of his surroundings...

    You cackles, bloody spittle flying over the place.

    Ruud says, "..You ain't tits..."

    You snicker.

    Gunny says, "No we ain't. Get your shit and let's go get drunk."
    Gunny exclaims, "To drink!"
    Gunny begins to walk off to the north, holding a thick venison steak.

    Ruud begins to walk off to the north.

    Olga jogs to the north, holding a coarse cloth sack.

    You catch up with Gunny and try to keep pace.

    Gunny goes out of sight to the north.
    Olga goes out of sight to the north.
    You approach the north and stop before leaving sight of the area.
    Ruud goes out of sight to the north.

    You walk to a wooden bench, holding a wooden flute.
    Ruud walks to a wooden bench.
    Olga stops in front of a wooden bench.
    Gunny sits down on a wooden bench.


    Ruud walks to Gunny, wielding a wooden tankard and wooden tankard.
    Ruud stops in front of Gunny.
    Ruud sits down on a wooden bench.
    Gunny wraps up the rest of the venison and tucks it in her carryall.
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.
    Gunny puts a thick venison steak into a canvas backpack.

    Olga throws a few pennies on the bar. "For my friend Gunny." She grins.
    You get off a wooden bench.
    You count out six pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    You put a few copper pennies into a moneybag.
    You take a wooden tankard.

    Olga walks to Gunny, holding a wooden tankard and coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Olga gives a wooden tankard to Gunny.

    You sit down on a wooden bench.

    Gunny thanks Olga.

    Olga walks to a scrap of hide, holding a coarse cloth sack.

    Gunny starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Olga counts out four pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    Olga takes a wooden tankard.
    Olga sits down on a wooden bench.

    You stretch your muscles.
    You start drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Ruud discards a couple wooden tankards.

    Gunny smashes the tankard against her forehead when finished, as is her way.
    Gunny discards a wooden tankard.

    Olga stretches out on the bench, and starts taking deep sips from the tanakrd.
    Ruud gets off a wooden bench.
    Ruud walks to a scrap of hide.
    Ruud counts out four pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    Ruud takes a wooden tankard.
    Ruud counts out four pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    Ruud takes a wooden tankard.
    Olga starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    You blink.

    Ruud sits down on a wooden bench.

    You turn your wooden tankard upside down and grunts.
    You discard a wooden tankard.

    Olga drops a coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud mumbles to himself, rubbing the side of his face as he two-fists his tankards.

    *beer is bought and drunk*

    You sit down on a wooden bench.

    Olga gets off a wooden bench.
    Olga walks to Gunny, wielding a wooden tankard and wooden tankard.

    You start drinking from a wooden tankard.
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.
    You take a drink from a wooden tankard.
    Olga gives a wooden tankard to Gunny.
    Gunny grins and says, "You're all right, Olga."

    Olga asks, "Said you'd tell us a story?"

    Olga chuckles.
    Olga starts drinking from a wooden tankard.
    Gunny quaffs happily, nodding between gulps.

    You say, "If'n y'got 'er good'n drunk."

    Gunny starts drinking from a wooden tankard.
    Gunny discards a wooden tankard.
    Gunny says, "Right, right...story."
    Gunny wipes her mouth.

    Gunny says, "Phwoooh...gimme a sec to think of a good one."

    Gunny asks, "How's about Jaloschian Woos His Bride?"

    Olga wipes her mouth, and slowly sets her tankard down. "Yeah, yeah..."

    Gunny says, "Ho-kay..."
    Ruud stares at his moneybag thoughtfully, before exchanging another star for drinks.

    Olga is clearly not used to drinking very much.

    Gunny slumps over a bit, her braid drooping across her shoulders, then straightens up.
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Olga walks to a coarse cloth sack, holding a wooden tankard.
    Olga takes a coarse cloth sack.
    Olga walks to Gunny, wielding a coarse cloth sack and wooden tankard.
    Olga walks to a wooden bench, brandishing a coarse cloth sack and wooden tankard.
    Olga sits down on a wooden bench.
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Gunny says, "Right then. So in the days before days, there wasn't nearly so
    many gods and demi-gods and things, yeh? Back when the Findahlir still raged
    against the Hroendir, an' the sun weren't belongin' to Nesh."

    You think: ....

    Olga listens intently.

    You shake your wooden tankard before throwing it across the room.
    You discard a wooden tankard.

    Gunny says, "This was back when mankind had been freshly-shaken from Isengrim's
    hair, and the Hroendir still were perplexed by these things that were neither
    beast nor god. During those days, Jaloschian was wanderin' in the mountains,
    whistlin' his song as he is known to do."

    You get off a wooden bench.
    You take a wooden tankard.
    You grunt thanks to the barkeep before flopping back onto a wooden bench.
    You sit down on a wooden bench.

    Ruud grunts to himself, flinging his tankards at a nearby table before resting his forehead against a wooden beam.

    You swirl your wooden tankard around, careful not to spill anything before turning it upside down.

    Ruud throws a wooden tankard at a scrap of hide!
    A wooden tankard strikes a scrap of hide.
    Ruud throws a wooden tankard at a wooden bench!
    A wooden tankard strikes a wooden bench.

    You slam your wooden tankard down on the bar, mumbling something incoherently.

    You discard a wooden tankard.
    You exclaim, "MORE!"

    Gunny says, "He'd whistle up the mountain and whistle down the mountain,
    callin' birds to him so they'd be easier to catch. The first walkers in the
    world would hear his tunes and they called him the Whistler, thinking he was a
    wicked thing, and he took joy in this, 'cause he is a god who thrives on that
    which isn't."

    You get off a wooden bench.
    You take a wooden tankard.
    You sit down on a wooden bench.
    You grunt.

    Gunny says, "An' such a slight and thin-armed god is one who takes great laughter from bein' thought of as a great and terrible monster."

    You start drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Ruud walks to a wooden bench.
    Ruud sits down on a wooden bench.
    Ruud lies down on a wooden bench.

    You groans, your head slumping down between your knees where you belches loudly.
    You let your wooden tankard fall from your hand and roll across the tavern floor.

    Olga glances away from Gunny to Ruud. "Ruud, go get me another. I don't feel like gettin' up right now."

    Gunny says, "The Smilin' Man walked the trails, thinkin' of new songs to sing and new tricks to play, when he rounded a craggy bend to spy his sister-not, Roghasoldarian. Now, in those very first days the gods had little form to themselves, and while Isengrim had taken cold Grisindr as his queen, none of the true-born Hroendir saw her as anything more than not-kin."
    Gunny says, "Jal had fought with her before, and spoke with her before, and many such things before, but he had scarcely given her a second thought aside from thinkin' of new tricks to play or fleein' from her anger."

    Ruud grumbles to himself, picking himself up from the bench with a bit of effort.
    Ruud gets off a wooden bench.
    Ruud counts out six pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    Ruud takes a couple wooden tankards.
    Ruud gives a wooden tankard to Olga.
    Ruud walks to a wooden bench, brandishing a wooden tankard.
    Ruud sits down on a wooden bench.
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Olga laughs loudly. "Thanks."
    Olga starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Gunny says, "But in those days the gates of Thyrnirheim had been freshly thrown open, and Vadai had just begun to chase her quarry down Terian Rose's throat, and this had given the gods many new insights. One o' these was how the Mother of Agony had pieced this knowledge of the thing called Death together with her war-wyrd and her wound-wyrd, and she found her true callin' was dancin' the line between life and death."
    Gunny says, "She found great joy in runnin' her talons down a man's belly or pushin' her blade through a woman's thigh-bones, and her breath swam with weird elixirs that'd keep any mortal thing alive for days upon weeks, kept nourished and healed by her methods, and in this way she learned methods to see the future amid the pain she drank."

    You sitt up straight, only to belch loudly, before slumping back down on a wooden bench.

    After a few more seconds of flopping about, Ruud pulls out a small drum, thumping a quiet backbeat to Gunny's story.
    Ruud reaches to a canvas backpack and takes a leather and wood drum.

    Gunny asks, "Ro's laughter echoed high and wild off the jagged rocks, and Jal thought to himself that it would be a very strange and terrible thing indeed were he to wish to get near to her, and in the instant he thought it it was so. His heart yearned for her in all her wretched savagery, for what better trick is there than to fool the Trickster himself?"
    Gunny says, "He fled to the safety of a cave, for though he'd fought against her and lived in them long forever hours afore night and day, he still feared her rage."

    You eye a wooden flute suspiciously.
    You grunt.

    Gunny makes a shadow-puppet on the wall. It vaguely resembles an animal's face, or perhaps a person's; it isn't very clear, probably because she isn't very good at it.

    You squint at the wall. "Whhhaazat?" he asks groggily
    .
    "I must have her!" says Gunny's shadow as she doesn't even bother to hide her lips moving. "I must woo her and beguile her and melt her thorny heart so she will be mine. But how'm I gonna do this? She hates anything that gets too close, and'll rip out your throat soon as look at you."

    You poke at Gunny with your wooden flute.

    Olga chuckles, and lightly elbows you. "Q-quiet."

    "Chop off yer dick!" Ruud calls from the peanut gallery.

    "Whhaazat?" you asks, pointing to the wall.

    Gunny's puppet continues, "I've seen her dancin' to distant songs when she thought nobody was lookin', so maybe I could win her with my music. But she's known my face since afore time began to unroll, so she'd know it was me and not no other man or beast or god."
    Gunny makes a rude gesture at Ruud before continuing.

    You squint with one eye, staring at the shadows on the wall for a while longer before trying to get up.

    You trip over a wooden bench and fall flat on your face.
    You fall off a wooden bench.
    You collapse to the ground.
    You mumble to no one in particular.
    You ask, "....whaaaazat?"
    You hiccup.

    Gunny says through her wall-proxy, "I can't not chase her, though, or I know I'll die of the very heartbreak I fooled myself into. And who'll fool every fuckin' thing under the sun when I'm gone? No, I gotta think about this."

    Ruud slurs, still beating on his drum while leering like a horrible, drunken crow. "Cutcher dick off an' pretend it's tits!"

    You frown at the wall. "The hell? Talkin, talking' shades?"

    You try to push yourself up off the floor but rises only a few inches before falling back on the tavern's wonderfully clean and sanitary floor.

    Gunny pulls her hands away from the wall and continues. "So the King of Games slept for a week in that cave, then he plotted for three more, then when the wind howled down to say winter had returned he had his answer: he'd disguise himself!"

    Olga lightly nudges you with her boot. "Hhhey, get up."

    You bat at Olga's foot without turning over. "I'ma do anna thing, by the where, cause tha's wha's gonna happnen an, aye!"

    Olga laughs loudly. "You're drunk as... damn, you're drunk."


    Gunny says, "He'd disguise himself! Not as another god from foreign parts, but as a woman, with a harp to play and honeyed songs to sing and maybe half a chance of gettin' the Blood Woman to listen for half a second afore she cut his head off. He was a thief of voices even then, and fast on his tongue, and even his own voice was sweet and soothin' so that the other Hroendir would often beg him to sing for them in their halls."
    Gunny says, "So the Trickster set about to make hisself look the part. He cut his flesh so he wouldn't look like a man, and bound hisself up so he'd look like a woman, and groomed his hair and clothing to look very fine, indeed. Then he gulped down his own voice to keep in his belly, instead takin' the tongue of a girl just barely a woman, and slung his harp under his arm."

    Ruud pumps his fist victoriously, flopping over onto his back for a moment. "Hah! I knew he'd cut his dick off! Always gotta listen to Ruud!"

    You exclaim, "Harp?!"

    Gunny asks, "Yeh, the Trickster's the best harper there's ever been. Ain't you payin' attention?"

    You ask, "I'm the, the best, eh, whatnow?"

    Olga says, "Nah, he been fuckin' around on the floor."

    Gunny says, "Yeh, looks like he's humpin' the sawdust or somethin'."

    You wipe the drools from the corner of your mouth and growls, finally puching yourself up into a sitting position.
    You blink.
    You ask, "....harp?"

    Gunny says, "Where was I? Oh. Right. An' it weren't too long afore Jal found Ro sittin' on her throne o' meat and bones, readin' portents in the unspoolin' guts at her feet, her hair all silver an' her mouth all red."

    You squint with one eye across the bar.

    Gunny makes another shadow-puppet, this one slightly different but still unfortunately amateurish.

    You say, "Throne o' meat? Should be... should be, uuggghh."
    You fall flat on your back, narrowly missing cracking your skull against a wooden bench.

    "You there!" bellows Gunny's shadow. "Get your ass out! I'm Roghasoldarian, the Mother of Agony, and I ain't got time for you to be here! Run away fast or I'll pull the skin from your meat, and your meat from your bones, and your bones from your marrow, and only when I'm done with you will I let Vadai take you away to her corpse-consort!"

    Ruud sniggers loudly to himself, mumbling something /incredibly/ vulgar about meat thrones.

    "I take joy in butchery, and you're nothin' but a speck in my eye, another skull for my pile, another pair of eyes for my soup pot! Nothin' you can do can bring fear to me, 'cause I'm kin to the Winter Lord, the Thunderer, and the Whistler, and I've bared my fangs at the Sun-Prince and his damned sky-shield more times than there are hairs on your head!" continues Gunny's shadow.

    You sit up suddenly, blaring at the top of your lungs. "Under the dress and through the legs!!"
    You lie back down just as suddenly.

    Gunny takes a deep breath and a sip of water before continuing. That voice must be tricky to keep up for a long time. "I've felt the Green Man's points in my side and wrestled down a thousand behemoths! All these things are far more terrible than you, girl. What could you hope to offer for to change my heart?"

    Gunny pulls down the puppet.
    Gunny says, "Now, Jal heard these things, and knew them to be true, but he didn't run or weep or cry out or nothin'. Instead he bowed down low, and ended it in a merry hop that jangled them pretties he'd tied in his long black hair."
    Gunny says in a ridiculous falsetto, "Great lady, I've heard of your wrath, (he said to her) an' it's such a perfect thing that I, Leuyia, could think of no finer death than to throw myself at your terrible claws. But oh, lady! Let me play for you! I've written my own death-dirge, and my harp should have a final tune on its strings before you crush down my throat!"

    You cover your ears, cringing, and rolls over onto your side.

    Ruud cackles with laughter. "Eggar's gonna die."

    Gunny says, "Now, the Bringer of Pain loves gifts of praise an' adoration an' all that good shit, just like any god who's worth a damn..."
    Gunny trails off.
    Gunny cracks her knuckles methodically. "I think I heard a buzzin' fly in here."

    You wave your hand over your head, "Ack, Gunny, will ye kill that bard fer me? 'e's killin m'head!"
    You groan.

    Gunny says, "'ey, Ruud, quit drummin', you're makin' Edgar hurt."

    Ruud says, "Wot? I ain't even doin' it all that loud. Sheesh... Fine."
    Ruud puts a leather and wood drum into a canvas backpack.

    Gunny lifts up her helm and rubs the top of her head.
    Gunny asks, "Fuck. Where was I?"

    Ruud says, "Jally were talkin'g up Rogosallgian."

    You exclaim, "Y'was talkin' bout what a ferocious bastard I is!"
    You pull yourself over to a wooden bench and lean against it.

    Gunny cracks her neck from side to side.
    Gunny asks, "Right, right, so Jal's dressed all with tits on and offerin' to play for Ro, right?"

    You groan.
    You rub at the side of your head.


    Gunny happily ignores you.

    You say, "Y'dinna hafta scream, I'm righ' here."

    Gunny says, "Anyway, gods like it when you give 'em shit just for bein' gods, so of course Ro's all for this smooth-talkin' girlie who wants to sing, 'cause Ro loves music like nothin' else."

    Olga leans back lazily. "Someone buy me another drink."

    Gunny says, "So she told him to sing, thinkin' he was a woman named Leuyia, and he lifted up his harp an' lifted up his voice. He sang of her bein' savage, and bein' majestic, and all kinds of things what she held near and dear to herself, and his voice filled up the empty spaces where her butcher's laughter had been."
    Gunny says, "He played until his fingers ran red, and then played until his fingers tore pink, and then played until he had nothin' but bloody bones, and his stolen voice sang all the while about how sweet it'd be to die that day. Ro sat through the whole thing, all enchanted by it, and didn't say nothin' until his voice finally went still."

    You lay your head on a wooden bench and begin to snore loudly.

    Gunny brings up the Ro-puppet again, saying, "It's a good song, a fine song, one worthy of my ears hearin' it. I'll tear you to pieces like you asked me to, but I'll ask you this first: you got another song for me?"

    Gunny brings up the Jal-puppet. It still doesn't look very different from the other one. "I've got this one idea," says the puppet, "But you can see my hands is worn all down, and it'll take time to write it up proper anyway. Maybe I could teach it to someone else once it's done, great lady?"

    Olga groans. "Ruuuuud. Another drink."

    You bat at Olga's thigh, "Looouuudd..."

    Ruud mumbles to himself as he flops off the bench. "Can I at least see yer tits later?" Regardless, he shuffles over to the bar.
    Ruud stands up straight on a wooden bench.
    Ruud takes a wooden tankard.
    Ruud gives a wooden tankard to Olga.
    Ruud sits down on a wooden bench.

    Olga says, "Yeah, yeah, sure you can."
    Olga starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Ruud perks up his ears.

    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "No! I ain't heard no finer voice than yours, not man or woman or bird or beast, nor any harp that strings so truly. I'll heal up your wounds, and give you all day tomorrow to write up your song, and you can play it for me after we eat tomorrow. After that you'll get that death you crave."

    Gunny says, "So Jal simply smiled, knowin' that his ruse was workin', and let Ro bind up his hands with ointment cloth. He slept on the floorboards by the Crimson Hand's fire, a new song already brewin' in his trickster's brain, and his dreams were rich and promisin'."

    Ruud looks at Olga.
    Ruud says, "...Mebbe when y'ain't so bruised up."

    Gunny says, "So the next day came and both god and goddess rose with the sun, breakin' their fast over the same meat an' bread, and when Ro unwound the bandages Jal was both delightin' and dismayin' to see that his hands were smooth and soft and whole again."

    Gunny says, "The hour of his song drew near, and again he took up his harp, this time singin' of winter's fierce chill and the fury of the snowstorm and the chill bite of the wind from the north, and again his fingers weren't nothin' but raggedy scraps by the time he put that harp down. Just like
    before, Ro nodded her head to him and spoke."
    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "It's a good song, a fine song, one worthy of my ears hearin' it. I'll tear you to pieces like you asked me to, but I'll ask you this first: you got another song for me?"

    Gunny says, "Now, Leuyia the woman smiled and bowed to hear this, but on the inside Jaloschian the god laughed and laughed and damn near laughed his ass off, 'cause his plan was workin'. Every day he'd sing her a new song, and every afternoon the Wound Woman would bind up his hands, and every evening he'd feast at her table, and every night he'd sleep on her floorboards by the fire."

    Gunny says, "He'd play down his hands, and each morning he'd rise up fresh and healed, and every time he finished a song Roghasoldarian would say to him again..."

    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "It's a good song, a fine song, one worthy of my ears hearin' it. I'll tear you to pieces like you asked me to, but I'll ask you this first: you got another song for me?"

    Gunny says, "Now, as Leuyia, he did more than sing for her, for he would tell her jokes and tales and lies, and brush her hair, and find her flowers, and wash the blood from her dresses, and point out her quarry should it be hidin' from her, and as Leuyia he became as close to her as a sister, though he had a brother's heart."

    You snorts, slapping at the side of your head before slipping back into an alochol-induced coma.

    Gunny says, "Jal knew the time to reveal himself was comin' close, 'cause while he was joyful to be in the presence of the Mad Goddess, it ached that he couldn't take her in his arms and know her as a man knows a woman, but before he could let slip his disguise a terrible thing surprised him durin' his daily song."

    Gunny's sentences keep getting longer and longer as she gets into the whole storytelling groove.

    Gunny says, "From one of the wild places came Iom the Lion, a wild beast of the Findahlir! He was a great monster, like Yago, but held no loyalty to the King of All Stags. He crashed into Ro's hall, his laughter boomin' and his claws sharper than a mother's tongue."

    Gunny says, "He threw Jal-as-Leuyia to the side, forcing the breath from his body, and tore down Yellow-Eye's tapestries before striking her sharply, ripping her tail in two. She roared in her rage and fought fiercely against him, but her fine lodge was ruined by their fighting before she drove him away."

    Gunny makes a few very excited shadow-shapes that don't look like anything much.

    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "Leuyia, Leuyia, I've been fucked up! I'm Hroendir, War God, but this fire-lover has come into my home to ruin my wealth and bite my health. Who'll fear me if they learn I have limits? Who'll quake when they learn I've been caused pain?"

    Gunny says, "And as she wailed so she took up her needle and thread, the same needle and thread with which she would sew up Lord Isengrim's eyes, and fixed up her tail, but her hands slipped from her anger, making it heal in a knot. That's why alphyns got funny-lookin' tails, 'cause they share her aspect."

    Gunny's Jal-puppet says, "Cheer up, great lady, 'cause hasn't even the God of All Gods fallen in battle before? None would say he's less a man than that grunting boar, Zeik-Bogge, though."

    Gunny says, "And though this was true, it didn't lift her black mood none, nor ease her achin' pride. Jal saw this and was inspired to do a thing only a fool, or a madman, or a trickster would even think to do."

    Gunny's Jal-puppet says, "Stay here, great lady, and lick your wounds. I'll go out into the world and see if I can't find somethin' that'll help you forget how low you feel."

    Gunny says, "So he went out into the world to take his lunatic revenge in the name of the Cradle of Suffering, such was his anger and such was his love."

    Gunny says, "He went down to a village of men and women, and there he got a team of oxen and lashed 'em to a cart. He filled up that cart with barrels of strong wine, and into each barrel he put in a draught mixed up of herbs and toxins and other nasty shit. It was enough to kill any normal man in a single sip, but Jal knew that this was Iom the Lion, who was greater than any man who'd ever lived, so he added a powdered snake head to each barrel for luck."

    Gunny says, "He rode them oxen up to Iom's hall and slipped the barrels in with the beast's meal, putting them one by one alongside the tables all covered in skewers and platters, and a final one next to Iom's throne."

    Gunny says, "He hid himself, then, and watched as Iom came to gorge himself. Iom opened up one barrel, then another, then another, drinking them all down to the dribbles at the bottom, and it was soon after that he fell forward in a daze on the floor of his own feast-hall."

    Gunny says, "Iom's servants fled, then, for they knew their lord always awoke hungrier and hungrier, and he'd not care about their loyalty if they looked to be food. Soon none were left but Findahlir and Hroendir."

    Gunny says, "Jal lept from his hiding-place and skinned Iom with his own claws, which were the only thing in creation which could pierce his thick hide. Though it wounded Iom greatly he couldn't wake up from his drugged stupor, and Jaloschian cackled merrily to hisself in his stolen voice as he hauled the Highest of Lions away."

    Gunny starts drinking from a leather canteen.
    Gunny wipes her mouth.

    Gunny says, "That night he returned to Roghasoldarian's lodge, bringin' with him a big-ass box made of wood and ivory, and set it up before her throne. He called out to her, shakin' her from her broodin', and she ran to where Jal-as-Leuyia sat. Her jaw dropped at the size of the present there."

    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "Leuyia, where the fuck did this come from? I can't think of anyone who'd give me this, not man nor woman nor child nor beast nor god, and you're far too poor and simple to have done it, havin' nothing to give me but your sweet songs."

    Gunny's Jal-puppet says, "Open it! Open it! I'm sure it's from a secret admirer! Oh, imagine the songs I could write about what's in there. Open it quick before your curiosity gets the better of you!"

    Gunny says, "The Mother of Agony opened up the box, and inside she discovered the raw and skinless body of Iom the Lion, still undyin' and still ensorcelled by the wine, and his lungs gurgled as he slept. She gasped when she saw this, and enough of her healin' breath crept into Iom's nostrils to rouse him. Recognizin' him as her enemy she fell on him with claws and blades, and even as
    weak as he was he was a fierce son of a bitch, bein' greater than even the Sun-Prince hisself."

    Gunny says, "The fight was long and terrible, but Jal-as-Leuyia was always at her side, misdirectin' and fightin' most cleverly, and when the sun had risen and set three times inna row Iom lay dead. Ro stood victorious over his guts, which she knelt down to read, for she's always wantin' to know the future in our bellies."

    Gunny's Ro-puppet says, "As the serpent sheds its skin to cleave to the wolf, so shall the songbird shed her feathers to reveal her heart. The fuck does that mean, Leuyia?"

    Gunny's Jal-puppet says, "I'm tired of this trick. I've gotten more'n I could ever want from this. Iom's dead by both our hands, a great victory 'gainst the Findahlir, and I've spent whole seasons in your presence. You saw me as I willed you to, because you know as well as I that you'd fuck me up most serious if you knew who I really was back then. Every day I was a hair's breadth away
    from death, and every day I lived to see another sunrise."

    Gunny says, "He spat up the woman's voice, then, and revealed his disguise, and despite the carvings in his body she knew him as Jaloschian, her brother-not who came from the same void as she when the world began."

    Gunny's Jal-puppet says, "My heart cracked at my own trick on myself and yet I stayed near. I am Jaloschian, wearer of many names and thief of many voices, and I have done all that I can. I'd wife you, should you have me."

    Gunny says, "Roghasoldarian didn't say nothin' to this, instead pickin' up her needle and thread and sewin' him back together properly usin' her secret know-hows, removin' the last bits of his disguise. She cupped his face hin her taloned hand and pressed her lips to his, fillin' his lungs with her sweet
    breath that he'd be healed inside and out. From there they unrolled Iom's skin and started fuckin' with great and terrible passion, and they've pretty much not stopped."

    Gunny says, "And that's how Ro and Jal became wed, and how Jal got his lionskin mantle, and how Ro got that fucked-up part of her tail, and why we give 'em both sacrifices askin' for longevity and strong children."

    Olga laughs loudly, clapping infrequently.

    Gunny grins and exclaims, "And now my throat hurts. Someone bring me a fuckin' drink!"

    Olga stands up slowly, and walks to the bar.
    Olga gets off a wooden bench.
    Olga counts out six pennies to purchase a wooden tankard.
    Olga takes a wooden tankard.

    Ruud rolls off of his bench one last time, remarkably deft for someone who has as much alcohol in him as he does.

    Olga walks to Gunny, holding a wooden tankard and coarse cloth sack.

    Ruud gets off a wooden bench.

    *much beer and ale is bought and imbibed*


    You open your eyes blearily.

    Olga says, "Thankee, Ruud."

    Gunny drinks long and heartily. One could call it quaffing.
    Ruud says, "Ain't nae problem. I dropped a boar, an' then I dropped an'Eggar."
    Ruud says, "So I'm feelin' loose wit' my money."

    Gunny grins toothily.

    You open your mouth as if to speak but, on seeing your wooden tankard, smile and grunts, lifting your wooden tankard in Ruud's general direction.

    Gunny wipes her mouth.
    Gunny says, "Goddamn but I ain't storytold in forever."
    You til your wooden tankard over on its side, spilling ale over your chin and onto a wooden bench.

    Ruud takes a couple of deep breaths, before cracking the tankard in one triumpant blow against his face.

    Olga exclaims, "Tha' was a good story, Gunny!"

    Ruud exclaims, "Haw! Finally did it in one!"

    You ask, "Story? Wha story?"
    You frown.

    Ruud says, "An' that were a real fuckin' good story, Gunny. I ain't never heard but the short version."

    You hiccup.

    Gunny says, "You're supposed to hit your forehead, not your face, Ruud."
    Gunny grins and says, "Thanks, Olga."

    Olga says, "She was a tellin' a story, you drunk."

    Ruud says, "Wot where Jal done cuts off his dick an' ties it to his chest. But you made it all pretty."

    You wave your wooden tankard around at Olga. "I'm na, wait, hnh?"

    Gunny asks, "What, the one that's basically 'Jal cut off his dick and pretended to be a lady and sang for Ro and then they both killed Iom and fucked a lot as seen on them tapestries on the hospice'?"

    Ruud nods to Gunny.
    Ruud says, "Thas' the one I 'eard."

    Gunny says, "Punch that bastard in the face, they ain't good at skaldin'."

    You lay your head to rest on a wooden bench, mumbling silently.

    Ruud says, "I done heard this one lady tella story 'bout some other weirdo lady from 'cross the ocean wot lived inside a pearl."

    Gunny asks, "Yeh?"

    Ruud says, "But I ain't no good at that kinda shit. She's onna them mosers."

    Gunny asks, "What's a moser? Can you eat it?"

    Ruud says, "Nuh. They's creep inta yer 'ead an' teach yeh how ta do stuff."

    Gunny ponders the situation.
    Gunny asks, "Like how carrionflies get in your belly?"

    You winces, your features scrunched up against the surface of a wooden bench.

    Olga leans back lazily. "Hey, Gunny, I'm too drunk t' feel the bruises y' gave me."

    Gunny grins.
    Gunny asks, "Good bruises, yeh?"

    Olga says, "Yeah. Guess I shoul' get drunk more often."

    You slam your wooden tankard against a wooden bench. "More often and the thing where..." hi voice trails off.

    Ruud stretches a bit, peering on over at Olga. "Yer feelin' better yet? 'Causeif'n y'are, then I ain't mind seein' yer tats."

    Gunny sniggers.

    Olga belches, and laughs loudly. "Huh? Oh, yeah..." She lifts up her shirt for a moment, laughing, then brings it back down.

    Ruud blinks slowly, before grinning like a madman. "Haw! Yer great, Olga!" He cheers a bit, wobbling on his bench. "They might even be better'n Gunny's, I bet!"

    Gunny looks up from her latest drink, which she promptly hurls over her shoulder into the head of a passing patron.
    Gunny asks, "Yeh? You think so?"

    Olga giggles loudly, leaning back again.

    Ruud blinks slowly, focusing in on Gunny. "Dunno, maybe. Bigger fer sure." Ye gods, it's like the hairy little twit knows something about subterfuge!

    Gunny stretches with a very loud creak of leather from her aptly-named breastplate.
    Gunny says, "Nah, I don't think so. I'm bigger. Therefore I'm bigger everywhere."

    Ruud rubs the side of his head, trying to take that logic in. "Nuh-uh. I's seen shorter ladies wit' big ole' titties. I's seen 'em."

    Olga stretches out. "Naaaaaah, mine aren't big."

    Gunny exclaims, "I say we arm-wrestle! Whoever wins has bigger tits!"
    Gunny doesn't appear to use Earth-logic.

    Olga asks, "Yeah?"

    Gunny exclaims, "Yeh!"

    "Nuh-uh, you've got bigguns, Olga. Them's pretty good." Ruud offers with a
    little bit of wobble in his gait. "I get winner, eh?"

    Gunny asks, "...what, so you can have the biggest titties?"
    Gunny looks puzzled.

    Ruud exclaims, "Yeh!"
    Ruud says, "Wait.."

    Gunny says, "Gonna hide on the second floor of the Bells and never come out again if'n you do."
    Gunny says, "You'll starve to death."

    Ruud says, "Well, fuggit then. I still wanna wrassle the winner."
    Ruud sulks, ears tilting back a bit.

    Olga gets to her feet slowly, walking to Gunny.
    Olga gets off a wooden bench.
    Olga walks to Gunny, wielding a wooden tankard and coarse cloth sack.

    Gunny grins toothily.
    Gunny seats herself opposite Olga and puts her elbow on the table.

    Olga sits down carefully. "Alrigh', Gunny, let's do this." She puts her elbow
    on the table and takes Gunny's hand.

    Gunny grips Olga's hand tightly. "Ready when you is, Olga," she says, grinning as usual.
    Gunny cheerfully ignores concepts like sportsmanship and begins exerting pressure immediately after speaking.

    You open your eyes staring at your wooden tankard in your hand. "How'd tha
    get-?" he asks, your eyes falling on the others. "Y'jes canna stop yer blood
    from boiling, eh women?"

    Olga grins, and attempts to push Gunny's hand down with all her strength.

    You blink.

    Gunny's scars ripple across her arm as she strains against Olga's grip.

    You stand up and flop down on a wooden bench with some effort.

    Gunny grits her teeth.

    Olga struggles against her strength, her hand slowly lowering towards the table.

    Gunny sets her shoulder as she begins exerting more and more force, her hand
    still occasionally trembling as Olga pushes against her.
    Gunny concentrates.

    Olga's hand finally hits the table. She laughs loudly. "Guess you got bigger
    tits then, Gunny."

    Gunny roars with laughter, slapping Olga on the back. "Fuckin' right I do!"

    Olga exclaims, "Then let's see 'em!"

    Ruud nods quickly at Olga. "Eh, can't argue with that!"

    Gunny says, "Eh, why not? First, though, I think I better show off this trick I know..."
    Gunny exclaims, "'ey, Ruud! See if you can get a coin in again!"
    Gunny leans over. That armor can't be very protective at all.

    Ruud examines a moneybag.
    Ruud looks in his moneybag.

    Olga giggles loudly. "Good idea!"

    Gunny points at her cleavage. "C'mon, right in there!"

    Ruud fumbles around in his moneybag, staring intently at Gunny.
    Ruud reaches to a moneybag and takes a silver moon.
    Ruud flicks the coin with all the expertise of a drunken teenager.
    Ruud tosses a silver moon to Gunny.

    Gunny catches a silver moon.
    Gunny still catches it, although it requires quite a bit of leaning back and flinging herself to the side to keep it from hitting the floor. That's a hell of a party trick.
    Gunny plucks the coin from her cleavage and pockets it.
    Gunny puts a silver moon into a moneybag.

    Olga claps.

    Gunny asks, "Good trick, yeh?"

    Ruud puts his fingers up to his lips and whistles sharply.

    You raise your empty tankard and nods.
    Olga exclaims, "Yeah, 'cause now you got his money!"

    Gunny nods repeatedly.

    You chuckle.

    Ruud will likely miss that moon next morning, but for now, he's still impressed.

    Gunny loosens the ties on her leather clamshell, flashes Ruud for the briefest of moments, then returns her armor top to a state of 'highly suggestive.'.

    Olga laughs. "They are nice!"

    Gunny says, "You're one rich sonofabitch for a bastard what walks on his knuckles half the time, Ruud."

    Ruud goes a little bit slackjaw, before adopting an expression that might possibly be a contender for 'goofiest grin ever made'.
    Ruud says, "Yuh, on account of ain't havin' no kinda self-preservations when I go huntin'."
    Ruud asks, "Y'know how I shoots when yer standin' in front?"

    Gunny asks, "Yeh?"

    Ruud says, "I shoots like that when y'aint, too."

    Gunny says, "...I think you got kicked in the head too many times, Ruud."

    Olga leans back in her chair. "Go get me 'nother drink, Ruud. You owe me."

    Gunny says, "Yeh, you owe her, Ruud."

    Ruud says, "At this rate, I might oughter see some asses, too."
    Ruud grins lopsidedly.
    Ruud gets off a wooden bench.
    Ruud walks to a scrap of hide.

    *buying and handing out of tankards*

    Gunny says, "You ain't gonna see no ass o' mine unless you start throwin' suns
    down my top."
    Gunny says, "And then I'd hafta think about it."

    Ruud raises his tankard high. "Here's to the kick that ain't killed me yet!"
    Ruud starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Olga waves Ruud off. "Tha's all of me your seein' tonight, Ruud."

    Gunny raises her tankard in a toast.

    Ruud discards a wooden tankard.

    Olga shakily raises her tankard, too, spilling some beer on the table.

    Gunny exclaims, "To one fuckin' lucky bastard son o' Yago!"

    Olga starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Gunny starts drinking from a wooden tankard.

    Ruud drinks the mug down to the bottom, throwing it into the firepit with a loud 'clonk'.

    Olga discards a wooden tankard.

    Gunny continues the tradition of throwing tankards every which way. Hers appears to have ended up in the rafters somewhere.
    Gunny discards a wooden tankard.

    Ruud says, "An' while that offer's temptin', Gunny, I ain't gonna drop no sun down yer top. It'll sour up th' friendship."
    Ruud examines a canvas backpack.

    Olga grins. "Wha' bout mine?"

    Gunny asks, "Yeh, what 'bout hers?"

    Ruud peers at Olga. "How long I getta look at it?"

    Gunny asks, "What, the sun that's goin' down 'tween her teats?"
    Gunny says, "Long as you want afore you throw it, I figure."

    Olga giggles. "You give me a sun an' you can look up my skirt long as you want, Ruud."

    Ruud asks, "Pfft, I ain't talkin' bout no coin. Moreso th'purse, yanno?"
    Ruud attempts to lean on the table, but a combination of alcohol and Olga's response causes him to miss in a spectacular fashion, cracking his jaw on the surface before falling on his ass.
    Ruud falls to the ground.

    Gunny nudges Ruud with her boot.
    Gunny says, "Walp, he's dead, guess we'd better skin and eat him."

    Ruud offers everybody a free show, thanks to the vagaries of a kilt. He doesn't seem to be getting up any time soon, either.

    Gunny ponders the situation.
    Gunny reaches over to grab a loose rock from the side of the hearth.
    Gunny raises the rock over Ruud's sensitive bits.
    Gunny asks, "How much you bet it'll bounce off?"

    Olga giggles. "You'd better get up, Ruud."

    Gunny flexes her fingers, ever-so-slightly loosening her grip.

    Ruud doesn't reply. He lifts his head up just a bit, trying desperately to focus on Gunny. "Whurs y'got dere?"

    Gunny says, "Nothin' much, Ruud. Just gonna drop a rock on your dick."

    "Oh, oghay 'den..." Ruud lets his head flop back against the floor with a soft thud.

    Gunny grins toothily.
    Gunny says, "A star says it bounces right off. I'll buy a round if it hits Edgar, though."

    You blink.
    You say, "Hnh? I dinna bounce."

    Olga exclaims, "Edgar! Y' missed Gunny's tits!"

    You squint at Olga.
    You ask, "She's got tits?"
    You look at Gunny.

    Ruud perks up a bit at the mention of the magic word, only to clock his forehead against the bench.

    Olga says, "Big'ns, too. Too bad you missed it."

    Gunny says, "I'm gonna see if'n this here rock'll bounce off of Ruud's cock. A star says it will."

    You scratch the side of your head with your wooden tankard. "Canna say that I missed much." He shrugs. "They jes get inna way."
    You blink.

    Ruud lay on the floor, half drunk, half concussed, legs sprawled every which
    way. This doesn't seem like his idea.

    You make a thoughtful noise.

    Gunny asks, "His kilt's gone all flop, so I figured this was a good time for figurin' stuff out, yeh?"

    You rub at your eyes. "Figurin? Wha's there t'figure?"

    Gunny says, "Whether or not rocks bounce off Ruud."

    You rub at your temples.
    You say, "Now yer goin' too fast fer me."
    You ask, "Bounce?"

    Gunny exclaims, "Yeh, I am. Think fast, Ruud!"

    Ruud asks, "Hwa?"

    You shake your head, then winces.

    Gunny doesn't drop the rock. She instead hurls it. Overhand.

    There's a sound like a steak being slapped against a marble countertop. Followed by a low-pitched groaning. To Ruud's credit, it is soon followed by the soft clattering of deflected stone. Ruud curls up into a ball slowly.

    You blink.

    Gunny exclaims, "A bounec! I win!"
    Gunny raises her hands over her head.

    Ruud says, "Augh, I'm gonna get a lump right in the middle of my dick..."

    You ask, "Add some length?"

    Olga says, "You weren't usin' it, anyways."

    Gunny asks, "Yeh, maybe girls'll talk to you, then?"

    You scratch your head, seemingly bewildered.

    Ruud grimaces, turning over onto his stomach. "Fowling arrow right up your ass, Gunny."
    Gunny grins and says, "You keep promisin', you keep promisin'..."

    You ask, "But, yer a girl, ain'cha?"
    You squints, your brain struggling to move gears.

    Gunny grins and says, "I'm no girlie. I'm a tooth-spittin' village-burnin' Yddrwoman, and don't you forget it, Edgar."

    Olga laughs. "I'm a girl, I think."

    You ask, "So... tha's differn, then?"
    You wrinkle your nose and shake your head.

    Gunny says, "Yeh. Means I'm better."

    You say, "All this talk... too much."

    Gunny nods sagely.

    Ruud grumbles to himself, shaking his head. "Y'broke my dick, Gunny. Now I gotta go down to the hospice an' get Ingrboda t'wrap it all up..."
    Ruud pauses.
    Ruud grins lopsidedly.

    You blink.
    Gunny sniggers.

    You throw your head back and laughs loudly, splitting your own skull.
    You grab at your head and groans.

    Gunny grins and asks, "Them Roghians can be real pretty afore they pull out the spikes and nettles, yeh?"

    Ruud says, "Wurf, but at least yeh expect it from 'em... Ugh, someone go drag
    Eggar an' dunk 'is fool head inta th' well or summat."

    You collapse against a long table, snoring loudly, fast asleep.]]>         <![CDATA[Landmarks and Villages]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=133 Sat, 18 Dec 2010 06:05:29 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=133
  • Descriptions must be between 4 and 6 sentences long and use proper spelling and grammar.
  • Additional descriptions for the single-room area (known as set_looks) may be accepted on a case by case basis; we encourage authors to try their hand at these, but they are by no means a requirement.
  • Village descriptions must fit the area, timeframe, and theme. i.e., longhouses, thatched dwellings, and general Viking-themed architecture in Ydra; Cambodian, Mediterranean, or Middle Eastern-style dwellings in Moorva; no storybook castles or steampunk sprawls, please.
  • Landmarks can be anything that would logically be found in the middle of nowhere, from abandoned structures to interesting rock formations. They have to be able to weather the elements, however.
  • No excessive magic. Supernatural elements are best used as a spice.
  • Write as objectively as possible. This is a great time to practice showing in place of telling and stretching your descriptive muscles.
  • Keep things written in the third person; avoid the use of "you" and "your" in descriptions.
  • Don't write purple if you can help it. Conversely, it's always easier to cut down overwriting than to fluff out underwriting.
    • Collaboration is allowed, as are questions over [chat]. All areas will be assessed, edited, rejected or accepted, and placed in the game by Lament staffers. While requests as to locations may certainly be made, they will not necessarily be honored. We highly recommend reading over the Lament Wiki and looking at existing areas and points of interest to get an idea what we're looking for. The wilderness building thread and TrekEarth may also be useful to you.

    There is no in-game benefit for having a village or landmark approved save for bragging rights and the joy of leaving a permanent mark on the game.

    An edited log of initial project discussion should be up within the next half day to a day depending on staff workload. Any submissions or project discussion outside of [chat] should go in this thread.]]>
  • Descriptions must be between 4 and 6 sentences long and use proper spelling and grammar.
  • Additional descriptions for the single-room area (known as set_looks) may be accepted on a case by case basis; we encourage authors to try their hand at these, but they are by no means a requirement.
  • Village descriptions must fit the area, timeframe, and theme. i.e., longhouses, thatched dwellings, and general Viking-themed architecture in Ydra; Cambodian, Mediterranean, or Middle Eastern-style dwellings in Moorva; no storybook castles or steampunk sprawls, please.
  • Landmarks can be anything that would logically be found in the middle of nowhere, from abandoned structures to interesting rock formations. They have to be able to weather the elements, however.
  • No excessive magic. Supernatural elements are best used as a spice.
  • Write as objectively as possible. This is a great time to practice showing in place of telling and stretching your descriptive muscles.
  • Keep things written in the third person; avoid the use of "you" and "your" in descriptions.
  • Don't write purple if you can help it. Conversely, it's always easier to cut down overwriting than to fluff out underwriting.
    • Collaboration is allowed, as are questions over [chat]. All areas will be assessed, edited, rejected or accepted, and placed in the game by Lament staffers. While requests as to locations may certainly be made, they will not necessarily be honored. We highly recommend reading over the Lament Wiki and looking at existing areas and points of interest to get an idea what we're looking for. The wilderness building thread and TrekEarth may also be useful to you.

    There is no in-game benefit for having a village or landmark approved save for bragging rights and the joy of leaving a permanent mark on the game.

    An edited log of initial project discussion should be up within the next half day to a day depending on staff workload. Any submissions or project discussion outside of [chat] should go in this thread.]]>         <![CDATA[Progress Report for 9/28 to 12/07]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=132 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 08:00:49 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=132
  • New/updated craftables: cairns, potter's wheels, wavy-bladed daggers, throwing axes & throwing axe heads
  • New/updated helpfiles: notebook, ooc, accounts, exchange
  • Tombstones have been removed from the craftable object list; they are being phased out in favor of cairns, which are dismantle-enabled permanent objects.
  • Moorness has been added to the where mapping.
  • Entering and leaving the OOC area no longer requires meditation! "ooc" on its own will enter the area after a yes/no prompt, while "ic" on its own returns you to the game.
  • Stun damage now heals during combat, instead of waiting until the fight has ended.
  • Info now displays your character's primary descriptive, and condenses more information into fewer lines.
  • Glance now uses slightly better grammar when examining oneself or others.
  • Rooms considered to be unbounded--such as all wilderness rooms--no longer have a mass limit for their contents. No more being trapped by your own felled trees!
  • "Attach" is now a valid id for "fasten."
  • "Sheathe all" now only applies to held objects and will no longer try to sheathe things on the ground, etc.
  • Commonsense has been upgraded to be smart enough to open containers of tannin if one tries tanning with a closed bottle.
  • Craftables which require a "whole preserved pelt" properly recognize unsullied tanned furs.
  • Emotes have been added to the list of color-codeable text. This will also include output from feelings.
  • Emotes properly support double spacing now.
  • Passive emotes beginning with speech no longer have a vestigial space at the beginning.
  • Dividers for room descriptions tweaked to properly extend the length of one's terminal width.
  • Piles of meat will not appear to be rotten nearly as quickly; they still decay at the same rate.
  • The Kungesvald butcher has been adjusted to offer somewhat better prices for game birds.
  • Newly-made moneybags will have "wallet," "purse," and "coinpurse" as additional valid ids.
  • Assorted other bug, balance, and typo fixes.
    • We have also had an ENORMOUS influx of players! Welcome, everyone, new and old, and thank you for all the ideas, issue reports, and good company! We'll see you cool cats next time.]]>
  • New/updated craftables: cairns, potter's wheels, wavy-bladed daggers, throwing axes & throwing axe heads
  • New/updated helpfiles: notebook, ooc, accounts, exchange
  • Tombstones have been removed from the craftable object list; they are being phased out in favor of cairns, which are dismantle-enabled permanent objects.
  • Moorness has been added to the where mapping.
  • Entering and leaving the OOC area no longer requires meditation! "ooc" on its own will enter the area after a yes/no prompt, while "ic" on its own returns you to the game.
  • Stun damage now heals during combat, instead of waiting until the fight has ended.
  • Info now displays your character's primary descriptive, and condenses more information into fewer lines.
  • Glance now uses slightly better grammar when examining oneself or others.
  • Rooms considered to be unbounded--such as all wilderness rooms--no longer have a mass limit for their contents. No more being trapped by your own felled trees!
  • "Attach" is now a valid id for "fasten."
  • "Sheathe all" now only applies to held objects and will no longer try to sheathe things on the ground, etc.
  • Commonsense has been upgraded to be smart enough to open containers of tannin if one tries tanning with a closed bottle.
  • Craftables which require a "whole preserved pelt" properly recognize unsullied tanned furs.
  • Emotes have been added to the list of color-codeable text. This will also include output from feelings.
  • Emotes properly support double spacing now.
  • Passive emotes beginning with speech no longer have a vestigial space at the beginning.
  • Dividers for room descriptions tweaked to properly extend the length of one's terminal width.
  • Piles of meat will not appear to be rotten nearly as quickly; they still decay at the same rate.
  • The Kungesvald butcher has been adjusted to offer somewhat better prices for game birds.
  • Newly-made moneybags will have "wallet," "purse," and "coinpurse" as additional valid ids.
  • Assorted other bug, balance, and typo fixes.
    • We have also had an ENORMOUS influx of players! Welcome, everyone, new and old, and thank you for all the ideas, issue reports, and good company! We'll see you cool cats next time.]]>         <![CDATA[Log: How Do You Like Them Apples?]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=131 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 07:54:21 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=131 This log was taken on the evening of Saturday, December 4th at the crossroads of Market Street and the Way of Winter in Kungesvald. It features Shesgunndis (my character), Ruud, Edgar, and Ingrid, as well as some highly questionable anti-logic. Our scene begins shortly after Gunny returns from selling an entire boar.

    Ingrid scuffs her shoe against the dirt road, shouting, "Yams! Swee' roasted yams! Tuppence each! Yams!"

    You stroll back in, dusting yourself off. She pauses when you hears Ingrid.
    You ask, "Cooked yam, huh?"
    You examine a wicker basket.

    [it has clay in it]

    You say, "Those look like pretty weird yams."

    Ingrid laughs quietly. "Not those. Here."

    You crane your neck.

    Ingrid tilts the pot, drawing a yam out of it.
    Ingrid reaches to a pinchpot and takes a roast yam.

    You grunt.
    You ask, "That don't look half bad. How fresh?"

    Ingrid watches the woman intently, hand slightly extended. "Dug 'em up and roasted 'em myself, earlier today."

    You nod.

    Ingrid says, "You won't find any fresher anywhere else."

    You say, "How much each? I'll give you a penny for it."

    Ingrid leans forward, pursing her lips with a look of concentration. "Was gonna sell 'em for tuppence each."
    Ingrid says, "Look, I'll give ya one pence each for two."

    You ponder the situation.
    You nod.
    You say, "Yah, that sounds good."
    You fumble for a place to give the coins, nearly sticking one in a yam.

    Ingrid draws the yam back protectively, trying to shield it from the coin. "You pick the yams first."
    Ingrid puts a roast yam into a pinchpot.

    You grunt.
    You nod.
    You examine Ingrid's pinchpot.

    [there are three roasted yams in it]

    Ingrid gives a pinchpot to you.

    You peer into the pot, occasionally giving it a thoughtful shake. You come unnervingly close to tipping them out a few times.
    You say, "Here, hold these."
    You give a couple copper pennies to Ingrid.

    Ingrid watches you carefully, before taking the pennies and glancing at them.

    You rummage through the yams. At least your hands look surprisingly clean given the boar carcass you were hauling.
    You say, "I'll take...this'n..."
    You reach to a pinchpot and take a roast yam.

    Ingrid licks at her parched lips as she nods slightly.

    You tuck the yam into a pouch on your carryall.
    You say, "Aaand...this'n."
    You reach to a pinchpot and take a roast yam.
    You give a pinchpot to Ingrid.
    You take a bite from your roast yam.

    Ingrid takes the pinch pot and watches expectantly.

    You hold the yam in both hands, masticating the mouthful thoughtfully.

    Ingrid asks, "What d'you think?"

    "S'good," you say. You spray a little chunk of tuber as you do so.


    With a small, self-satisfied smile, Ingrid nods at you, relaxing slightly.

    You ask, "Yah, I like this. I'll tell my buddy you're sellin' these. You be here until sundown?"

    Ingrid examines a pinchpot.
    Ingrid shrugs, glancing into the pot. "Only got one left."

    You nod.
    You say, "He's dumb. Tell him it's an apple."
    You grin and say, "He'll probably give you a moon for it."

    Ingrid laughs, her eyes widening slightly. "I'll remember that."

    You say, "Gotta sell some shit. See you later, if you're still sellin'."

    Ingrid nods. "G' luck wi' that."

    You nod.
    You say, "Strike like the Thunderer, laugh like the Trickster."
    You tap your fingers to your temple.

    [a brief interlude in which things are sold]

    You dust yourself off.
    You peer through the crowd. "That looked like him just now."

    Ingrid glances back toward you and straightens, a small smile passing across her face. "Huh. Didn't get a chance to sell anything to 'im."

    You lean casually against a stall.
    You say, "He'll be back. Probably got a heavy carcass to drop off, like me an' my boar."

    Ingrid shifts her weight and nods, before glancing away momentarily to call to the crowd, "Yams! Last one! Get yer yam while it's still fresh!"
    Glancing back at you, Ingrid asks, "You an' your friend hunters, then?"

    You nod.
    You say, "Yah, him more'n me."
    You say, "He does it for money. I do it 'cause I like killin' shit."

    Ingrid laughs, stretching her neck.

    You say, "He's dumb as hell, too. Think a deer got him in the head too many times or somethin'."

    Ingrid snorts. "They do that?"

    You nod.
    You say, "They rear up and stomp down."
    You say, "Hurts like a son of a bitch."

    Ingrid blinks, slumping back against the stall. "Never thought they'd be too strong."
    Ingrid says, "They don't got no armour or weapons."

    You say, "Armor no. Weapons, though...hooves hurt pretty bad if they get you right. Antlers, too."
    You grin and say, "But it's pretty satisfying to get 'em back."

    Ingrid studies you carefully and then chuckles. "Saw you gotta big boar. You killed it all by yerself?"

    You say, "Nah, had a little help. Did most of the work, though, and struck the killin' blow with this thing."
    You rattle a spear strapped to your backpack.

    Ingrid draws in a breath, her expression impressed as she glances toward the spear.
    Ingrid gazes up into the sky.

    [enter Ruud and Edgar]

    You say, "Damn near wore me out."

    Ruud says, "Be ready t'ead back out in a bit, Gunny. Gonna go drop off these skins."

    Ingrid glances up at the sky and then glances away from you, yelling, "Yams! Yams! Get the last one before sunset!"

    You nudge Ingrid. "Once he comes back, remember what I told you," you say.

    You nod to Ruud.

    [exit Ruud and Edgar]

    Ingrid looks back at you and laughs. "Which one's he? Didn't get too good a look at yer friends."

    You snigger.
    You say, "He's the one with the...you know..."
    You poke your fingers up next to your mouth like a pair of tusks.
    You say, "Looks like a nightmare, he does."

    Ingrid chokes back a bark of laughter.

    [enter Ruud and Edgar]

    Ingrid inclines her head. "I'll keep that in mind."

    You say, "Here he comes now."
    You ask, "Hey, Ruud, guess what this lady's got?"

    Ingrid nods, glancing from you to Ruud.

    Ruud scratches at the side of his head, thinking.
    Ruud says, "She's gotta pot."

    You ask, "Yah, but you know what's IN the pot?"

    Ruud sniffs.

    Ingrid raises her eyebrows slightly, tilting the pot toward him as she studies Ruud.
    Ingrid nods briskly at Edgar.

    "Yah got an apple, eh?" Ruud grins.

    Her eyes widening, Ingrid glances from Ruud to you.

    You grin and wink at Ingrid over Ruud's shoulder.

    Ruud says, "I'll give yeh a star fer it. I ain't got an apple in a while."

    With a swift intake of breath, Ingrid glances at you before looking back at Ruud.
    Ingrid says calmly, "Oh, sure. It's the biggest 'un today, I think."

    Ruud rummages around in his moneybag, jingling the change around before fishing out a tarnished coin.
    Ruud says, "Gimme the apple, lady. I want it."
    Ruud rocks on the balls of his feet.

    Ingrid reaches up to take the star, before cursing softly and stuffing the pennies in her moneybag.
    Ingrid says, "Sure. Just gimme a moment here."
    Ingrid pauses for a moment, frowning slightly. "You wan' the pot too?"

    Ruud asks, "... Er. Iunno. Does it cost extra?"

    You nod repeatedly, still just out of Ruud's range of vision.

    Edgar frowns.
    Edgar crosses his arms in front of himself.

    Ingrid is silent for a moment, glancing at you, before looking back at Ruud. "Naw, not t'day. Gave yer friend a discount, so I might as well give ya one too."
    Ingrid shifts from foot to foot, saying slowly, "'s a good pot. All y' gotta do is tell people y' got it from Ingrid, an' if they want pots they oughta come find me."

    Ruud widens his grin by several notches. "Got a pot from Ingrid. Gotcha."

    Ingrid extends the pot toward Ruud, after a glance at you.

    You look smug.

    [the transaction occurs]

    Edgar eyes Ingrid suspiciously.

    Ruud examines a pinchpot.

    Ingrid glances from you to Ruud, furrowing her brow slightly.

    Ruud rattles the pot around excitedly, peering into it.

    Edgar asks Ruud, "Good?"

    You say, "See? Apple."

    Ingrid eyes the others for a moment, before crouching down to gather her things with a sigh.

    Ruud sniffs a pinchpot.
    Ruud says flatly. "This ain't an apple. It's a dirt-turd."

    You say, "Sure it is."
    You ask, "Ain't you ever seen a cooked apple before?"

    Edgar shakes his head.

    You say, "They change color."

    Ingrid blinks, looking from Ruud to you, and seems about to speak for a moment, before she busies herself with her basket.

    Edgar eyes you suspiciously.

    "I knows two things, Gunny. Apples an' tits. This ain't neither." Ruud has let his grin collapse somewhat.

    Edgar says to you. "Then you wouldn't mind taking a nice big bite, 'en?"
    Edgar grins at Ruud.

    [Gunny displays her yam and replaces it]

    You say, "Already bought my apple."
    You ask, "Savin' it for later. You sayin' I should take Ruud's apple?"

    Edgar opens his mouth, "But, but..."

    Ingrid frowns at Edgar, saying shortly, "They're good, even if - well. Never mind that."

    You ask, "Well? Are you?"

    Edgar shakes his head.

    Ingrid looks back down, fiddling with the burlap in her basket for no discernable reason.

    Ruud grumbles to himself. "I'm owed an apple or some tits."

    You say, "You just bought an apple, dumbass."
    You say, "Now stick your mouth in there and get at it."

    Edgar chuckles.
    Edgar shakes his head.

    Ruud exclaims, "Tch, fine, I'll eat it an' prove it ain't no apple!"
    Ruud snorfles his face into a pinchpot noisily.

    You put your hands on your hips and tap your foot impatiently.

    Ingrid eyes Ruud for a moment, the crease in her brow deepning.

    [the yam-apple is eaten]

    You ask, "Roasted apples sure are good, huh?"

    Edgar opens his mouth but words simply will not come out.

    Ingrid glances between Ruud and you, standing up and brushing the dust from her knees.

    Edgar snaps his jaw shut and tries to stare off into space.

    Ruud says, "Shesgunndis Ohksdottr, you's a liar."

    You say, "No'm not. It's a cooked ground-apple."
    You say, "From underground trees."

    Ingrid starts at Ruud's words, stiffening and glancing at you.

    You say, "You have to dig 'em up."

    Edgar asks, "Ground... apple?"

    Ingrid chews on her lip, scratching at a pockmark upon her cheek.

    Ruud begins to retort, but lets it hang in the air.
    Ruud asks, "...Huh. Underground trees, eh?"

    You ask, "You don't mean you've never heard of ground-apples?"
    You say, "I thought you knew all about trees and forests and shit."

    After a sidelong glance back, Ingrid mutters, "Well, I'll be off."

    Ruud says, "I know whats a yam, an' I've eaten 'em afore."

    Edgar says, "Sure and the wee little men from the skies that shit gold and candy."
    Edgar scoffs at the situation, making a loud and disbelieving sound.

    Ingrid steps hastily away.

    You nod to Ingrid.

    Ruud says, "An' that one was a pretty good one, I gotta say..."
    Ruud exclaims, "But it ain't no apple!"

    You say, "Ground-apple."

    Edgar grins.

    You say, "It's the same thing, but different."

    Ingrid pauses for a moment, before dipping her head in response to your nod.

    [exit Ingrid]

    Ruud mumbles to no one in particular.
    Ruud says, "This is stupid."

    Edgar rubs at his temples, shaking his head.

    You say, "YOU'RE stupid."

    Ruud exclaims, "Yeh, I knows!"
    Ruud exclaims, "An' I knows stupid!"

    Edgar snorts, stifling a laugh behind his fist.
    Edgar says, "How about we find something outside."
    Edgar shakes his head.

    Ruud says, "You oughter watch yerself, Gunny."
    Ruud says, "Onna these days, I'ma climb to the tower an' peg you right in the asshole wit' a fowling arrow."

    Edgar snorts.
    Edgar coughs.

    Ruud exclaims, "Right in the hole!"

    You smile wryly and say, "Only 'cause I'd stand still for it if you asked
    nice."

    Edgar pulls at his earlobe, his eyes studying the heavens intently.

    You say, "Let's go find somethin' and kill it."
    You say, "I'll show you one of those underground trees if we dig one up."

    Ruud trails off for a moment, before shaking his head out.
    Ruud says, "Eh? Yuh, sure 'nuff."

    Edgar starts after you, shaking his head. A small smile on his face.

    [exit all]]]>     This log was taken on the evening of Saturday, December 4th at the crossroads of Market Street and the Way of Winter in Kungesvald. It features Shesgunndis (my character), Ruud, Edgar, and Ingrid, as well as some highly questionable anti-logic. Our scene begins shortly after Gunny returns from selling an entire boar.

    Ingrid scuffs her shoe against the dirt road, shouting, "Yams! Swee' roasted yams! Tuppence each! Yams!"

    You stroll back in, dusting yourself off. She pauses when you hears Ingrid.
    You ask, "Cooked yam, huh?"
    You examine a wicker basket.

    [it has clay in it]

    You say, "Those look like pretty weird yams."

    Ingrid laughs quietly. "Not those. Here."

    You crane your neck.

    Ingrid tilts the pot, drawing a yam out of it.
    Ingrid reaches to a pinchpot and takes a roast yam.

    You grunt.
    You ask, "That don't look half bad. How fresh?"

    Ingrid watches the woman intently, hand slightly extended. "Dug 'em up and roasted 'em myself, earlier today."

    You nod.

    Ingrid says, "You won't find any fresher anywhere else."

    You say, "How much each? I'll give you a penny for it."

    Ingrid leans forward, pursing her lips with a look of concentration. "Was gonna sell 'em for tuppence each."
    Ingrid says, "Look, I'll give ya one pence each for two."

    You ponder the situation.
    You nod.
    You say, "Yah, that sounds good."
    You fumble for a place to give the coins, nearly sticking one in a yam.

    Ingrid draws the yam back protectively, trying to shield it from the coin. "You pick the yams first."
    Ingrid puts a roast yam into a pinchpot.

    You grunt.
    You nod.
    You examine Ingrid's pinchpot.

    [there are three roasted yams in it]

    Ingrid gives a pinchpot to you.

    You peer into the pot, occasionally giving it a thoughtful shake. You come unnervingly close to tipping them out a few times.
    You say, "Here, hold these."
    You give a couple copper pennies to Ingrid.

    Ingrid watches you carefully, before taking the pennies and glancing at them.

    You rummage through the yams. At least your hands look surprisingly clean given the boar carcass you were hauling.
    You say, "I'll take...this'n..."
    You reach to a pinchpot and take a roast yam.

    Ingrid licks at her parched lips as she nods slightly.

    You tuck the yam into a pouch on your carryall.
    You say, "Aaand...this'n."
    You reach to a pinchpot and take a roast yam.
    You give a pinchpot to Ingrid.
    You take a bite from your roast yam.

    Ingrid takes the pinch pot and watches expectantly.

    You hold the yam in both hands, masticating the mouthful thoughtfully.

    Ingrid asks, "What d'you think?"

    "S'good," you say. You spray a little chunk of tuber as you do so.


    With a small, self-satisfied smile, Ingrid nods at you, relaxing slightly.

    You ask, "Yah, I like this. I'll tell my buddy you're sellin' these. You be here until sundown?"

    Ingrid examines a pinchpot.
    Ingrid shrugs, glancing into the pot. "Only got one left."

    You nod.
    You say, "He's dumb. Tell him it's an apple."
    You grin and say, "He'll probably give you a moon for it."

    Ingrid laughs, her eyes widening slightly. "I'll remember that."

    You say, "Gotta sell some shit. See you later, if you're still sellin'."

    Ingrid nods. "G' luck wi' that."

    You nod.
    You say, "Strike like the Thunderer, laugh like the Trickster."
    You tap your fingers to your temple.

    [a brief interlude in which things are sold]

    You dust yourself off.
    You peer through the crowd. "That looked like him just now."

    Ingrid glances back toward you and straightens, a small smile passing across her face. "Huh. Didn't get a chance to sell anything to 'im."

    You lean casually against a stall.
    You say, "He'll be back. Probably got a heavy carcass to drop off, like me an' my boar."

    Ingrid shifts her weight and nods, before glancing away momentarily to call to the crowd, "Yams! Last one! Get yer yam while it's still fresh!"
    Glancing back at you, Ingrid asks, "You an' your friend hunters, then?"

    You nod.
    You say, "Yah, him more'n me."
    You say, "He does it for money. I do it 'cause I like killin' shit."

    Ingrid laughs, stretching her neck.

    You say, "He's dumb as hell, too. Think a deer got him in the head too many times or somethin'."

    Ingrid snorts. "They do that?"

    You nod.
    You say, "They rear up and stomp down."
    You say, "Hurts like a son of a bitch."

    Ingrid blinks, slumping back against the stall. "Never thought they'd be too strong."
    Ingrid says, "They don't got no armour or weapons."

    You say, "Armor no. Weapons, though...hooves hurt pretty bad if they get you right. Antlers, too."
    You grin and say, "But it's pretty satisfying to get 'em back."

    Ingrid studies you carefully and then chuckles. "Saw you gotta big boar. You killed it all by yerself?"

    You say, "Nah, had a little help. Did most of the work, though, and struck the killin' blow with this thing."
    You rattle a spear strapped to your backpack.

    Ingrid draws in a breath, her expression impressed as she glances toward the spear.
    Ingrid gazes up into the sky.

    [enter Ruud and Edgar]

    You say, "Damn near wore me out."

    Ruud says, "Be ready t'ead back out in a bit, Gunny. Gonna go drop off these skins."

    Ingrid glances up at the sky and then glances away from you, yelling, "Yams! Yams! Get the last one before sunset!"

    You nudge Ingrid. "Once he comes back, remember what I told you," you say.

    You nod to Ruud.

    [exit Ruud and Edgar]

    Ingrid looks back at you and laughs. "Which one's he? Didn't get too good a look at yer friends."

    You snigger.
    You say, "He's the one with the...you know..."
    You poke your fingers up next to your mouth like a pair of tusks.
    You say, "Looks like a nightmare, he does."

    Ingrid chokes back a bark of laughter.

    [enter Ruud and Edgar]

    Ingrid inclines her head. "I'll keep that in mind."

    You say, "Here he comes now."
    You ask, "Hey, Ruud, guess what this lady's got?"

    Ingrid nods, glancing from you to Ruud.

    Ruud scratches at the side of his head, thinking.
    Ruud says, "She's gotta pot."

    You ask, "Yah, but you know what's IN the pot?"

    Ruud sniffs.

    Ingrid raises her eyebrows slightly, tilting the pot toward him as she studies Ruud.
    Ingrid nods briskly at Edgar.

    "Yah got an apple, eh?" Ruud grins.

    Her eyes widening, Ingrid glances from Ruud to you.

    You grin and wink at Ingrid over Ruud's shoulder.

    Ruud says, "I'll give yeh a star fer it. I ain't got an apple in a while."

    With a swift intake of breath, Ingrid glances at you before looking back at Ruud.
    Ingrid says calmly, "Oh, sure. It's the biggest 'un today, I think."

    Ruud rummages around in his moneybag, jingling the change around before fishing out a tarnished coin.
    Ruud says, "Gimme the apple, lady. I want it."
    Ruud rocks on the balls of his feet.

    Ingrid reaches up to take the star, before cursing softly and stuffing the pennies in her moneybag.
    Ingrid says, "Sure. Just gimme a moment here."
    Ingrid pauses for a moment, frowning slightly. "You wan' the pot too?"

    Ruud asks, "... Er. Iunno. Does it cost extra?"

    You nod repeatedly, still just out of Ruud's range of vision.

    Edgar frowns.
    Edgar crosses his arms in front of himself.

    Ingrid is silent for a moment, glancing at you, before looking back at Ruud. "Naw, not t'day. Gave yer friend a discount, so I might as well give ya one too."
    Ingrid shifts from foot to foot, saying slowly, "'s a good pot. All y' gotta do is tell people y' got it from Ingrid, an' if they want pots they oughta come find me."

    Ruud widens his grin by several notches. "Got a pot from Ingrid. Gotcha."

    Ingrid extends the pot toward Ruud, after a glance at you.

    You look smug.

    [the transaction occurs]

    Edgar eyes Ingrid suspiciously.

    Ruud examines a pinchpot.

    Ingrid glances from you to Ruud, furrowing her brow slightly.

    Ruud rattles the pot around excitedly, peering into it.

    Edgar asks Ruud, "Good?"

    You say, "See? Apple."

    Ingrid eyes the others for a moment, before crouching down to gather her things with a sigh.

    Ruud sniffs a pinchpot.
    Ruud says flatly. "This ain't an apple. It's a dirt-turd."

    You say, "Sure it is."
    You ask, "Ain't you ever seen a cooked apple before?"

    Edgar shakes his head.

    You say, "They change color."

    Ingrid blinks, looking from Ruud to you, and seems about to speak for a moment, before she busies herself with her basket.

    Edgar eyes you suspiciously.

    "I knows two things, Gunny. Apples an' tits. This ain't neither." Ruud has let his grin collapse somewhat.

    Edgar says to you. "Then you wouldn't mind taking a nice big bite, 'en?"
    Edgar grins at Ruud.

    [Gunny displays her yam and replaces it]

    You say, "Already bought my apple."
    You ask, "Savin' it for later. You sayin' I should take Ruud's apple?"

    Edgar opens his mouth, "But, but..."

    Ingrid frowns at Edgar, saying shortly, "They're good, even if - well. Never mind that."

    You ask, "Well? Are you?"

    Edgar shakes his head.

    Ingrid looks back down, fiddling with the burlap in her basket for no discernable reason.

    Ruud grumbles to himself. "I'm owed an apple or some tits."

    You say, "You just bought an apple, dumbass."
    You say, "Now stick your mouth in there and get at it."

    Edgar chuckles.
    Edgar shakes his head.

    Ruud exclaims, "Tch, fine, I'll eat it an' prove it ain't no apple!"
    Ruud snorfles his face into a pinchpot noisily.

    You put your hands on your hips and tap your foot impatiently.

    Ingrid eyes Ruud for a moment, the crease in her brow deepning.

    [the yam-apple is eaten]

    You ask, "Roasted apples sure are good, huh?"

    Edgar opens his mouth but words simply will not come out.

    Ingrid glances between Ruud and you, standing up and brushing the dust from her knees.

    Edgar snaps his jaw shut and tries to stare off into space.

    Ruud says, "Shesgunndis Ohksdottr, you's a liar."

    You say, "No'm not. It's a cooked ground-apple."
    You say, "From underground trees."

    Ingrid starts at Ruud's words, stiffening and glancing at you.

    You say, "You have to dig 'em up."

    Edgar asks, "Ground... apple?"

    Ingrid chews on her lip, scratching at a pockmark upon her cheek.

    Ruud begins to retort, but lets it hang in the air.
    Ruud asks, "...Huh. Underground trees, eh?"

    You ask, "You don't mean you've never heard of ground-apples?"
    You say, "I thought you knew all about trees and forests and shit."

    After a sidelong glance back, Ingrid mutters, "Well, I'll be off."

    Ruud says, "I know whats a yam, an' I've eaten 'em afore."

    Edgar says, "Sure and the wee little men from the skies that shit gold and candy."
    Edgar scoffs at the situation, making a loud and disbelieving sound.

    Ingrid steps hastily away.

    You nod to Ingrid.

    Ruud says, "An' that one was a pretty good one, I gotta say..."
    Ruud exclaims, "But it ain't no apple!"

    You say, "Ground-apple."

    Edgar grins.

    You say, "It's the same thing, but different."

    Ingrid pauses for a moment, before dipping her head in response to your nod.

    [exit Ingrid]

    Ruud mumbles to no one in particular.
    Ruud says, "This is stupid."

    Edgar rubs at his temples, shaking his head.

    You say, "YOU'RE stupid."

    Ruud exclaims, "Yeh, I knows!"
    Ruud exclaims, "An' I knows stupid!"

    Edgar snorts, stifling a laugh behind his fist.
    Edgar says, "How about we find something outside."
    Edgar shakes his head.

    Ruud says, "You oughter watch yerself, Gunny."
    Ruud says, "Onna these days, I'ma climb to the tower an' peg you right in the asshole wit' a fowling arrow."

    Edgar snorts.
    Edgar coughs.

    Ruud exclaims, "Right in the hole!"

    You smile wryly and say, "Only 'cause I'd stand still for it if you asked
    nice."

    Edgar pulls at his earlobe, his eyes studying the heavens intently.

    You say, "Let's go find somethin' and kill it."
    You say, "I'll show you one of those underground trees if we dig one up."

    Ruud trails off for a moment, before shaking his head out.
    Ruud says, "Eh? Yuh, sure 'nuff."

    Edgar starts after you, shaking his head. A small smile on his face.

    [exit all]]]>         <![CDATA[Progress Report for 7/12 to 9/27]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=129 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 07:55:48 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=129
    • New server! Welcome to Themis.
    • Lots of work on the server, including plenty of security patches and Apache wizardry.
    • New craftables: balance scales, lead weights (one-dram, three-dram, one-ounce, three-ounce, one-pound, and three-pound varieties).
    • New gatherables: milkwort, hyssop, quinces.
    • New plants: ferns, orchids, flytraps, pear trees.
    • New verbs: flop, foam
    • One new landmark
    • Two new villages
    • Wild rice is gatherable again, and uncooked brown and uncooked white rices are once more craftable after clearing up some verb trouble.
    • Released a new section of Lowercity Liidhaga.
    • Released a new section of the Gardens of Ascension in Liidhaga.
    • Touchups and cleanup in Liidhaga.
    • New wiki content.
    • Terrain tweaking here and there on the world map.
    • Various bug and typo fixes.
    • Backend mudlib work.
    ]]>
    • New server! Welcome to Themis.
    • Lots of work on the server, including plenty of security patches and Apache wizardry.
    • New craftables: balance scales, lead weights (one-dram, three-dram, one-ounce, three-ounce, one-pound, and three-pound varieties).
    • New gatherables: milkwort, hyssop, quinces.
    • New plants: ferns, orchids, flytraps, pear trees.
    • New verbs: flop, foam
    • One new landmark
    • Two new villages
    • Wild rice is gatherable again, and uncooked brown and uncooked white rices are once more craftable after clearing up some verb trouble.
    • Released a new section of Lowercity Liidhaga.
    • Released a new section of the Gardens of Ascension in Liidhaga.
    • Touchups and cleanup in Liidhaga.
    • New wiki content.
    • Terrain tweaking here and there on the world map.
    • Various bug and typo fixes.
    • Backend mudlib work.
    ]]>         <![CDATA[Outages, Data Integrity, Migrations]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=128 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:05:50 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=128
    Within the next few days, assuming all new memory tests clean, we'll have another downtime period of an hour in order to migrate back onto the original server, at which point we should remain online indefinitely. All player data and staff data is intact at this time, and we're not expecting any further weirdness with missing data or partitions for the forseeable future.

    As always, if you have any questions, feel free to respond to this thread, send me a PM, send me mail ingame, or contact me at blueprintsmistress -at- gmail -dot- com.]]>
    Within the next few days, assuming all new memory tests clean, we'll have another downtime period of an hour in order to migrate back onto the original server, at which point we should remain online indefinitely. All player data and staff data is intact at this time, and we're not expecting any further weirdness with missing data or partitions for the forseeable future.

    As always, if you have any questions, feel free to respond to this thread, send me a PM, send me mail ingame, or contact me at blueprintsmistress -at- gmail -dot- com.]]>         <![CDATA[Brief outage]]> http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=127 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:31:11 +0000 http://forums.ghostglass.net/showthread.php?tid=127