Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Haggling

Rolling vs Gesture 13 --- 8+1 to merchant
Rolling vs Linguistics 12 -- 7+1 to merchant
Rolling at merchant 12 - 4 (worse than broken) +1 +1 = 10 vs 7

He gets 15s per rice wrap. He now has 3L 4s. It strikes him as a bit odd that the vendors seem to sell the exact same food in the morning and in the evening. He also thinks the set of vendors out in the morning vs. evening is different.

The boys meet him just inside the mine, and want to play more of the coin flip game. It seems it is not yet quite time for work. The Kapatas keeps glancing at them. Then its time for what appears to be a shift change. Another set of boys comes out of the tunnels, turn in their light-stones, and receive their money, along with men coming out of various places to stash wheelbarrows, buckets, and other gear.

The boys each head off to their own tunnels, with Ump and Julian together. They receive their light stones, and its time for work again.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Hopefully I don't drop any of these coins.

Hm. It does seem at least consistent. Brog didn't know what morning meant. Apparently mines operate around the clock and it's daylight all the time, so why would there be a difference in the food being sold either?

Well, surely they go to sleep too, right? It'd be weirder if there weren't different people at different times of day.

Well, apparently I need to kill time anyway, so I'll join in. Hopefully I don't make a fool of myself.

I guess they might not think we're entirely trustworthy.

Where does the supervisor keep the money when he's not paying people?
--
Are there multiple supervisors? Do the hand over the money when they receive the Vasic lights?

Well, depending on how talkative Ump is being, I might try to make up a song. Nothing special, just something to the tune of the wheels on the bus.

"This is how we push the basket, push the basket, push the basket. This is how we push the basket, all day long."
"This is how we light the hole, light the hole, light the hole. This is how we light the hole, all day long."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Make a DX roll. Make an IQ-based carousing roll.


The Kapatas keeps the money in a big wooden chest with a heavy old-fashioned lock built into it. The chest is kept in plain sight, and the key is in the Kapatas's pocket and tied to his belt. The stones are handed in before the money is handed out, but some care is made to ensure they are all handed back in. There are different Kapata's for each crew of workers, and they each use a different chest of money.

Ump is almost always talkative!



He likes the song, and wants to know what the meaning is, and then starts making up his own words in his own language.



After a few minutes and verses, someone else in the tunnel yells at them, and Ump stops singing, gestures for Julian to do so, and looks sheepish.



The work is really being hard on Julian's knees: they hurt.



Roll against HT.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Put up a dice log on the same site as the others and added the email you use there.
Good, I didn't toss a real into a crack in the wall. Or say something stupid... OK, maybe I said something stupid but at least it's something forgivably stupid given I don't speak Riask well.

And each crew's, what, 10 people? Probably wouldn't be able to jump into a second line with a second Vasic light.

I'll try to avoid tripping over the word day; I don't imagine they have something that matches just right if they don't understand morning.
Do I understand what his verses are saying? Maybe I'll ask later.

I guess I'll stop. Bad things happen to kids who don't keep their mouth shut. I can hum in the meantime. This is real boring work.

I wonder how much a pair of pants would really help. I bet kneepads like what rollerskaters and skateboarders use would probably be best...
I guess my legs haven't given out yet.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

forgivably stupid, hillarious, and endearing... the boys have fun, and Julian doesn't do too terrible at the game.


In this context, "Shift" is probably a better word, and there are easily over 50 people, maybe a hundred or even more. There are multiple holes, and those holes have multiple branches, and each branch is full of people moving earth out.


He's talking about actions in the mine: the sounds of the pick, the shuffle of the basket, and something about the light stones. He's using a word that Julian thinks means "shift".

Your legs have not given out yet...that's not what the roll was for. Julian has a number of cuts and scrapes on the knees.

His third shift ends. The boys all get their coins, and head back to the place where they all slept immediately. Julian has 5L 2s.


OCC: I think we're getting close to defining a routine... at least for work.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

And I take it they get off at different times?
Like shift of people or move slightly?
Hopefully nothing's infected... I may need to do something drastic if this grind keeps up.
I'll momentarily peel off from the group to grab something to eat. Won't bother haggling this time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericthered (Post 2426300) Julian has 5L 2s.

Oh well I guess... Wait a minute:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericthered (Post 2424961) He now has 3L 4s.

This wasn't a particularly short shift, right?
"That's less than two Escudo; what's going on here?"

Hopefully I get paid what I've been shorted, or at least get a good explanation.
Yeah probably. Even if I was getting paid a steady four Escudo, it's still forever away from any clothes.

Hm. Back to three escudo for a shift. Maybe I could ask Ump about why pay might vary from shift to shift. No need to make a big deal about it.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

sorry, 8L 2s. More coming tomorrow.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

No, most people get off all at once.


Like shift of people. You finally have at least one unit of time.

And you've figured out what the HT roll was for...



8L 4s. You got five escudo. Somewhere in my higher math classes I lost the ability to do basic arithmetic.


One meal or two? you skipped lunch...


Julian has almost enough money for clothes ... before he eats!



Will Julian join his friends after eating?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Hm. Maybe it would be possible to get paid twice then. Then again, I should be able to afford clothes and food tomorrow.
I briefly wonder if it's some kind of siesta pattern, then rule it out given that I'm still hungry for meals at the right times.
Apparently I did too. Along with how much Julian was paid the previous two shifts. Maybe I shouldn't post after midnight.
Hm... I thought having a big breakfast would have covered that... I'll take one I guess.

I thought it was 8L... Still, buying clothes will have to wait until tomorrow.

Well I'll try to. I've got more things I've been wondering about:
"What do they dig for at the lower mine? Vasic?"
"How far down do the vegetative tunnels after the wooden tunnel go?"
"Where do the vegetative tunnels after the wooden tunnel go?"
"What's with the real big piece of Vasic near the fountain? People got on it and disappeared..."
"I understand that rocks are dumped in the waterfall otherwise people might be hurt. Who would be hurt if rocks were dumped in the wrong place? The flying people; Lawin? Somebody below the clouds?"

[To Brog and/or Rails]
"Where did you get the piece of Vasic?"
"How do you know what pattern you need to draw to make it light up?"
"Could you make your Vasic make heat? Or does the piece of Vasic matter?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I suppose my point is you are still a meal behind! (but just one)

Vasic Stone, much like here. That's what this place is all about. Mining Vasic stone. And selling things to Hawkin.

There are lots and lots of tunnels. They're not sure how far you could go. maybe in a big circle? The tunnels go to more vegetated tunnels, and to Hawkin places. And something about a giant bug that digs.

Its how you get to the bottom of the waterfall.

People at the bottom of the waterfall. Something about ships. But not the Hawkin.

Their "big people" got it for them. 25 Large coins, it seems.

They happily show it to him. This is seemingly something they all practice and can do, drawing the lines fairly accurately.

Yes, they know the heat pattern. Not as well though. Same stone.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I dunno, I rather eat when I have more time to haggle I guess. Maybe go back to get something to eat after everyone goes home.

Well I guess that tracks. "Do people mine Vasic anywhere else?"

Hm. Maybe they're rich, or maybe I just haven't seen them selling anything. Maybe they're indigenous. I seriously doubt all these different, um, types just naturally arose up here.
"Where do they get their money? I haven't seen any of them working..."

"Wait, what? A giant bug? What does it look like? What does it eat?"

I take a little time to process this. "But how? It's just a flash of light. I thought they were incinerated."
"And they can see the sun down there? Does the sun, um, go away down there? How far down is the bottom?"

Hm. I guess that makes sense. I bet if I snagged a second one in the mines I could get more 5L if I could find a buyer.

"But how do you know those are the lines you need to draw to make light and not some other set of lines? Were you taught by someone else? How did they know?"

"Would the pattern they drew on the big stone work on a little stone?"

Hawkin sounds suspiciously like a name that's been invented by the dominant group... Maybe that Lawin name has something to do with it. "Are they called Hawkin or Lawin?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Yes, they mine vasic some distance from the bottom of the waterfall.


They hunt. Some of them fight.


Its big and round and black with six legs, two big mandibles, and two small mandibles. And a hard shell and wings. It also has a brown and green grub form with the mandibles but short legs with big hooked claws. They eat various plants that grow. The flying bugs are longer than an adult is tall. or maybe just two of Ump's arm-spans.


No, No, they're still alive! How could he think such a silly thing! Everyone laughs. The stone moves them! That's what the stone does!


No, the sun is all surrounded by cloud. They can't see it there either. The bottom would take at least a shift to fall all the way to. You would die. Somehow. burned or frozen, they say. Or get smashed at the bottom.

They don't know. Its not important to them.


They think so. But it would only effect little things! and you'd have to write really really small!


Lawin are Hawkin. And the small winged people are Hawkin. And the winged people with tails. They're all Hawkin.


And the GM totally isn't making up stuff to cover a slip-up!



Now you bring up thievery! I expected it to come up a little sooner in this game!

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"So why bother coming all the way up here?"

"I suppose they hunt the bugs. Who do they fight? Is there a war going on?"

Well I guess something had to make all those tunnels. "Hm. Is it dangerous?"

"Vasic makes light, heat. It does not follow that it makes people appear somewhere else."

I suppose I'm going to be laughed at some more. I guess it makes some sense, but it sounds so unbelievable, like something out of science fiction... Or maybe a fantasy novel.

"What else can Vasic do?"

"Well surely it can't be burnt or frozen, or nobody would have been able to get up here to setup up the big Vasic thing in the first place."

I try to back of the envelope how far there could be. 1 shift ~ 1 day, terminal velocity ~100 m/s, so 24*3600*100... 8,640 km... That's uh, wow. Maybe they'd suffocate on the way down.

"Well, coins would be small enough, right? No need to be afraid of muggers."

I think briefly about the use of the word write. "So, do you know how to write in Riask?"

I glance at my legs briefly, "How often is someone injured working in the mine tunnels?"

Well there's two major reasons. The first is that Julian doesn't have any clothes and thus can't really vanish into a crowd in a pinch. The other is that he doesn't feel especially strained financially. After eating, he's clearing 2L a shift. The work seems boring, not life-threatening. If Julian had some kind of motivation beyond, "I'm being worked ragged every day", he probably would have tried something by now. At this point it's just idle thoughts, just like keeping a second Vasic light to turn in with a different shift to make twice the money.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

There is less rain, water and mud up here. Building dams is hard.


They fight thieves. and sometimes each other. And sometimes they go a long ways away to fight.


Yes. If you're dumb. Or not an awesome hunter.


Vasic moves things. It moves the sun to make light and heat. He really thought vasic made the light and heat? They say he must be from far far away.


Vasic can move people. It can let people talk from a long ways away.



No, they didn't fly it up. They sent it with vasic. There was vasic in the cliff and the vasic in the cliff and the branches caught the big vasic stone. The man who did this is named Pilagro. Very smart.


Not muggers. But pickpockets would get them on the way! And you couldn't fend them off with a small vasic. With a big Vasic you can.

Yes, yes! they all know how to write the patterns!
When they realize he means words, they say they know numbers. They don't know how to write words.


Sometimes. He should really buy pants. The small tunnels are pretty safe. Vasic is solid. Not like other mines.



Just remember that this world is being explained by poor kids in a mine who may have a skewed or incomplete understanding.



Actually, given how long I've had this world and how hard its been to explain, the perspective of street kids in a fairly exotic part of the world is a nice device for making it simple and understandable. I don't have to explain what's actually going on, just what they see.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Sounds like a mess down there."

"What do they do with thieves they catch?"

"Yeah that sounds about right. Do lots of people from far away make that mistake? Where do they come from?"

I wonder what other kinds of energy could be transported through Vasic.

"I thought someone would have just found or made the stone all the way up here."

"By fly, you mean the Hawkin? Could they even move something that heavy while flying?"

"So you can move stuff anywhere with the vasic? You don't need something specific to target on?"

"Was it just the bugs up here before the stone?"

"Huh? Someone could take the coins transported by Vasic along the way?"

"So how can you fend people off with a big Vasic? Burn 'em?"

"What do they do with thieves they catch?"

I count my coins again. I don't really need a shirt, do I? Guess I'll get on buying a pair of pants now. And eat until I'm full.

Well, even a fraction of that distance would still be crazy high. An hour at half the speed would be way taller than Everest. And looking it at it from the other direction, it's also the wrong distance for a sun, just by a different order of magnitude.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Not bad. Just hard to dig.


They beat them, and sometimes chop off their heads. Of course. What else do you do with thieves?


Yes. They come from... places. far far away. Not here. Not Riask. They're not sure how to confirm that Julian got the right concept.


Placing new stones is hard! But makes money! Not by accident.


Or big bugs. Or other fliers. Not from here. From ... other places. far far way.


Only if you're good. It takes practice and training. And you need some sort vasic that isn't a vasic stone. Like the cliff. The cliff is made of vasic, but not nice and polished.


And Hawkin. And other flyers. Birds. Birds with four legs.


Yes. Not usually used for money. Usually used for protection. Or to guide travelers.


The man stands on the vasic stone and pushes away people who try to come near it. They land at a nearby stone, not the one they try to land at.


I think you wanted to ask a different question here.

Let me know what Julian does.


Indeed...

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I briefly recall the rainy seasons on Rattan. "Sound gloomy with all that rain though."
Well, don't think I want to steal anything now.
"Prison?" I answer, probably in English. I struggle to explain, "Be locked away, sometimes reeducate, mostly just lock away though."
"Like... Get on a boat and sail for many shifts far away? Further?"

Maybe I should get a better grasp on the geography before I ask how far away the far far away are. I'll try to explain a geographic hierarchy with that map I drew earlier. Point out/circle locations, draw a little tree: London -> Britain -> Europe -> Earth. Then start another tree: Bumundo -> ? And ask for help filling in the next steps up.

"So if it's rougher and less pure, the Vasic is more versatile?"
"Ah, so the Hawkin come from here. Do you know if they were happy about the stone?"
"What is?"
"You can push people away before they land on the stone?"
Well this is what I get for using a template
I ask to see the numbers written out. I wonder if they're like Roman or Arabic numerals.
OK, once I get this far far away thing sorted, I'll head out to go get some pants.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Sad weather? yes, a little sad. happier weather up here.


They wonder if they make the people locked away work.

No, boats won't work. walking won't work. flying won't work. Only Vasic.

Bumundo -> The Top-> Riask -> Kiraskan.


No No No! The rough less pure Vasic is less versatile! the big stone does the work! it helps the rough Vasic! But the big stone can't help out if there is nothing to help.


They don't know. They like to go to market.


The technique for pushing around and directing objects sent through stones.


Yes. Not hand pushing. Vasic pushing. change which stone they come to.


They act and sort of look like arabic numerals, but have more curls.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Yes, and no. It's complicated. Not as punishment, but still required. They get paid, badly. Some people think it's wrong. Others don't care. Other places are simpler."
"So what's the obstacle? Distance? Unclear location?"

"I suppose the far far away places were discovered like The Top was; send a big Vasic stone and get it caught by the Vasic over there."

I think for a moment, "If they have Vasic in the far far away places, why would they think the Vasic makes the light or the heat?"

"So could a small Vasic help the big stone?"

"How does the chalk fit into this? Does it have to be that kind of chalk, or could something else that writes on Vasic work?"
Do they mean "They like to go to market" as in "They don't know because they don't go where the Hawkin do." or as in "The Hawkin like to go to the market."?

Hm. I see. "What do they do with the people they push away? Is it just to keep the big stone clear? How aware are they of who's coming through?"

Well that's an odd coincidence.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Sounds tricky. That's different. The boys seem to think that they should work.

Unclear location, it seems.


Yes.


They don't have real vasic. They have bad vasic. pretend vasic. unusable vasic.

Some of the boys think it could, some think it couldn't.


Chalk is convenient. You can see it. You can write with anything. But easier to make a mistake. Some expensive stones have guide-marks.


The Hawkin like to go to the market

They feel them. Vasic guides work hard. Study. feel people moving. Feel stones they can reach. Kind of mysterious. Keep stones clear. Keep bad guys and bad fighters out.


They have a similar feel to them... the actual shapes are different though. its more that they have a combination of lines and curves, rather than the two looking like '2'.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"It's not simple. Long ago, people relied on criminal labour, to the point they punished badly for small crimes. Settled all of Australia with them..."

I think for a moment.
"How sure are you The Top is above, um, The Bottom?"

"What makes it fake?"
"Can the big stone they have over there help the fake Vasic?"

"So... Do they taste or smell or feel anything strange coming off Vasic stones, when the Vasic is moving something?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Very sure. Vasic rock in both places. The waterfall. The vasic pattern on the big stone.


Its not usually black. Its not a rock. you can't drawn patterns on it.


No, they are blind when moving Vasic. No sight, no hearing of the world around them. Just the stone. And what the stone tells them. They all think its very cool.



Its interesting to contemplate what a bunch of modern kids would know about how flying an airplane works. Without the internet or good schooling.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Boxed in with cliffs down at the bottom?"
"The patterns don't work or it resists being drawn on? And what do you mean "not a rock"? Ground up and fine like sand? A liquid?"
I guess I'm just having some odd feelings again. Or maybe Ump, Brog, etc. wouldn't know. Or maybe I'm a confused and starving kid.
Or educational television shows. Or maybe even fictional media that depict cockpits. They might not tell you how an airfoil works, but they might have an idea of what the wings, flaps, rudders and engines do. Then again, 747s on treadmill arguments probably indicate that they'd get something important wrong. Maybe Julian will try to explain planes in the future.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

No, the ocean the waterfall comes from. A big whirlpool. You put things in on one side and they come out on the other. No cliffs.


The patterns don't work. sometimes is a rock. But wrong rock. Doesn't take patterns. Sometimes a liquid or a sand.



Yeah, modern kids have access to a lot of art describing the world to them.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"So the waterfall falls into a whirlpool which comes out back on top of the cliff to begin the waterfall again. Is it just all water on top of the cliffs?"

"Well everything's surrounded by cliffs up here. If there's no cliffs down there, what's holding the cliffs up?"

"Maybe the patterns would work with liquid and sand Vasic if you used them as the chalk as opposed to the rock."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Yes. That's where the Vasic and Ocean are!


The Vasic! the cliffs are made of Vasic, and Vasic can hold up the world!


They don't know: maybe. They don't have any of it here. It would sure be easier if you scoop up vasic like sand!

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"So there's an ocean at the top and an ocean at the bottom? Must be something to see."

"So why's there a whirlpool that feeds the ocean at the top? Someone draw a symbol in Vasic at the bottom of the sea?"

"So it floats?"

"All the Vasic at the top is from all the waste dumped into the waterfall, right? Won't that eventually make the cliffs top heavy and eventually lead to disaster?"


"I dunno, the Tibetans don't make sand painting look easy."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Too big to see all at once. And its one ocean. On the top and on the bottom.


Yes. But No. But essentially yes. Sort of. Thats how a lot of people think of it. But they're wrong. In some subtle way the boys can't explain.


No, it surrounds the world like a jar.


No, Vasic is that strong. Sort of.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"So you could sail from the bottom to the top?"

"But it is some effect of the Vasic, and not some physical mechanism, right?"

"And the cliffs are on the side of the jar, right?"

"What's above the ocean?"

"What's outside of the jar?"

"What do you mean, 'sort of'?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Yes. There is only one ocean.


That's not quite it either, but yes. They think. and argue faster than you can follow.


The cliffs ARE the side of the jar. A narrow mouth, here, near the waterfall.


Clouds. The sun. on its edges, rivers, farms, and people. All the way above it is here.


Vasic. Lots and Lots of Vasic.


When its a cliff, or bedrock, its strong. When its used to build buildings in chunks, its just stone.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"So it's just a giant loop, right? We're below the ocean and the ocean's below here. Is that why it would take so long to reach the bottom if you fell off? Because you'd fall forever?"

"And the jar pinches in at the bottom to provide space for all the oceans and farmland and everything."

I wonder if the tube we're in is curved. Probably not; the gravity wouldn't fit properly.

"And the Vasic just keeps going? Nobody ever made it passed all that stone?"

Hm. Interesting.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Yes, big loop. No, you hit the ocean if you fall.


Yes! Yes! Beaming smiling faces.


Digging vasic is hard. We would know.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Has anyone ever found anything that's fallen from bottom to top? I mean, besides the waterfall?"

"How deep do the mines go?"

I'm getting the impression that there's tons of Vasic extending from every direction from the tube. All that mass should be drawing everything towards it. Maybe the Vasic pushes everything "downwards". That could make a big loop.

"Why do things fall down?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

The barrel. People have sent things through in a barrel. Not all at once. but in stages.


Maybe three times as far as Bumundo is long? not very far.



Because they do? They laugh at him. Its how gravity works!

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"How do you mean 'in stages'? Do they only put some of what they're sending at a time? Or does the barrel make stops along the way down?"

"Does the barrel get scorched by the sun?"

"Is the barrel special or is it just a barrel?"

That's, what, an hour's walk? That's pretty thick even if it's a steep slope downward.

I'm getting a bit tired of being laughed at. I'll try to explain. "Where I come from, the world's a big ball; so big it seems flat when unless you're far above it. Everything gets pulled to the middle of the ball. This is because things pull everything towards them. Big things pull harder than small things, so you only really see meaningful effects if it's really big, like the world."

"Here, the mass is all on the edge, but everything isn't being pulled to the edge. That does not make sense."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

If you don't catch it after the waterfall it will burn up in the sun. So you put a bunch through the ocean and watch in the waterfall. Then you put one from the top of the jar way out away from the sun.



They make the barrels to make the trip. The ones you stick through the falls are tough and heavy so they sink and survive. The ones from here to the bottom are just barrels... or any object really. Sometimes the Hawkin drop corpses from the sky.


I'd say the whole path is about a half-hour walk. So yeah, the vasic is pretty thick.



They get a kick out of the idea that two people standing on the opposite side of his world are upside-down compared to each other. They do seem to believe him though, and have a word for "world" that works in this context.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"So they, the barrel droppers, know the relative location of the sun? And the waterfall, it passes close by the sun? Does that mean that they can't see the waterfall's stream from the bottom?"

"What do they drop in the barrels anyway?"

"Do any of the barrels go missing, or do they arrive in a position on a schedule?"

I shudder at the thought that maybe sometimes they aren't yet corpses before they're dropped.

2.7 km if it had a sharp slope, 5.4 km if it's just straight out... Has to be pretty thick if they aren't anywhere near close to the edge.

Thank god there wasn't more laughter; Julian was about ready to explode!

"Are things heavier at the bottom?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

The waterfall drops directly into the sun. That's where the clouds come from. They only see the big whirlpool that feeds the waterfall, not the waterfall itself at the bottom.

Messages and Frogs. The frogs die most of the time.

Most of the barrels through the waterfall go missing. Its hard to aim them, and if they end up in the waterfall they go through the sun. They come out mostly when expect though. The ones dropped from up here arrive mostly where expected on schedule.

No.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Yep, about what I figured.
"Why frogs? Are people curious what happens to life that goes through the whirlpool or by the sun?"
"And the schedule is about a day long?"
Well so much for there being a massive object below the bottom pulling everything downwards.

Maybe the sun is pulling everything down, and the gravitational influence extends all the way up to the bottom. There should be a way to test if the forces converge to a point; perhaps a pendulum...

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

They want to know if people could make it. And frogs are everywhere. At the bottom of the world, with the rain and the rivers.


Maybe? They are not sure. Its at least one cycle of a vasic stone.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"And I take it they haven't been too successful keeping the frogs alive."

"A cycle? How long is a cycle?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

No, they haven't


The amount of time between when they rotate the vasic light stones in the mine. All light stones last for exactly one cycle. People sleep once every 10 cycles.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

So is Julian the sleepiest and hungriest guy around these parts or have we just been glossing over the number of swapping points?

--

At last, Julian had enough of the amazing conversation and decided to go buy some pants.

OK, so I'll head all the way up to the upper market and go to buy some pants. If I can afford the price, I'll haggle a little anyway, and if I can't... I guess I'll literally get on my hands and knees and beg if I have to.

Some haggling rolls:
Hm. The 12-4+1+1 seems to have been reduced in the output. Looks like Julian may have gotten a deal?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Julian has failed to notice some of the swapping points. A full mine shift lasts a little less than four cycles, and thus has three swaps in it.


The price remains at 4L... but the merchant throws in some old rags Julian can use as knee pads/bandages for his poor scraped knees.

(thank your pitiable!)

124 posts to get pants... that might be a record!


I'm curious, do you want to know the gurps value of those coins or not?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Curious... I guess a basket full of Vasics looks about the same as a basket full of dirt. But what about the light? Maybe the light isn't going out.

I quickly dress and thank him very much. It's a small comfort; though without a shirt I still feel... exposed. The idea so many people around here have seen me like that unnerves me slightly.

Then I'll go off to buy something to eat. I think I have 3L left.
More arguing over prices!
OK, I think that saves me another real. I guess I'll finish an entry in the light up here, grab a sip of water in the fountain and head back down. Then I'll try to bandage my knees up; don't want to have to rush to get the rags on when I get to the mines.

I knew it'd be useful!

If you think Julian's got a good enough feel for the price of things. I don't; he's only been at the market to really buy lunch and pants. I've been going with 1L = G$1, but that's could be wrong. I think the pre-industrial state of agriculture could be push the price of food up a good deal.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I thought I was running the mining consistently: three rotations per shift. The rotations around when the shift starts and ends he almost never sees.


3L 4s.... which becomes 2L 5s and a chunk of food... I think at this point we'll just have food at 15s, taking in to account haggling so far.


yeah, its a pretty reliable staple in Lost in Dreams.



Yeah, you're quite a bit off. Its a whole number of G$, and its higher than $1. Preindustrial and all that (though frankly this place is pretty wealthy for preindustrial).

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

So these would be the same as when I get a stone at the beginning of the shift and turn them in at the end?

Yeah, I think that's prudent. Three times should be enough for a pattern.
Hm... Maybe just go off of a meal is 1% CoL, and a set of summer clothes is 10%, so the minimal set of clothes leaves something out to reduce cost by 2pp (shoes maybe?), and everything fits together just fine.

If people around here are living at status 0, I guess that would mean 1L = G$6, despite how poor it seems by comparison to Julian.

--

If people are still around by the time I get back from the market, I'll show off my new pants, hang out for a little while longer, and go to sleep. If not I guess it's right to bed.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Basically.

hmmm... we'll run a bit more without knowing the ratio.

There is time. Everyone is really happy to see his trousers, and some of the "big people" look at "Jules" a little less of a scowl.

He sleeps soundly that night.

In the "morning", Brog gets him up again, and the boys congregate before work, playing a sort of variant on tag this time. The Kapatas keeps on throwing glances at them to ensure they don't cause him trouble in some unspecified manner.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Hm... I guess a little effort does go a long way. Guess I'll get a shirt next. Maybe some shoes.

I'll grab something to eat before congregating around.

I'm not the best runner, but I'll give it a go. Maybe we could play freeze tag later or tomorrow.
I wasn't sure if it was HT or DX but they're the same so...
I wonder what he's so suspicious about. Maybe he had some difficulties with other child workers before. I don't need to cause any trouble. I don't want to cause any trouble.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I think at this point we have a routine for Julian, yes? What will he be focusing on acomplishing and learning over the next few days?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well let's see...
-> Eat three meals a day
-> Buy a shirt and shoes
-> Practice Riask, both passively by hanging out, and by deliberately repeating words and phrases like a mantra.
-> If I get shoes, go wandering around. Push conversations in the direction of, "What's around Bumundo". Generally improve knowledge of the area.
-> Practice drawing Vasic patterns
-> Keep at daily journal entries, if only to keep track of the date. Though they will be glossed over.
-> Look at spots I could put a pendulum. Ideally shouldn't be directly over a platform, high above another platform, and have footholds to help climbing up to it.
-> Try to work up the nerve to ask a Vasic guide about the ozone smell I get when I'm around Vasic lights and similar effects. It'd be hard enough with a language gap. Adding in the fact Julian thinks the question's a waste of time...
-> Try to put to rest the conflicted feelings I get about being in this strange place on some mornings.

Think that should cover at least a few days, probably more.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Julian settles into a routine, working in the mines, playing with the boys, and shopping at the market. He works hard on the language, attempting to become basically conversant.



He is becoming more confident in his language abilities. He's finally sure that the "big people" are the kid's parents, not their owners or something else. The boys ask Julian about his parents: where are they? how did he get here?



What does Julian practice drawing the Vasic patterns on?



Well, if he doesn't want to hang a pendulum in one of the OBVIOUS spots... The biggest indoor drop is in the mine: its floor is down below the main tunnel, but then several of the tunnels are accessed by ladders and indoor platforms higher on the cliff face. Inside the vegetated tunnels aren't bad either: they're only hall height, but have lots of handholds on the side and places to tie a string to. If you can get some light in there.



Julian's wardrobe proceeds slowly but surely. He spends 2L 13s on food each day, leaving 2L 3s behind*. The shirt costs 4L, the shoes 6L. We'll count his currency at the time he goes to sleep: he has 8L 14s three days after he buys his pants: is he getting the shirt or the shoes first?


Asking around about Bumundo, he finds out that the only people who really travel beyond it physically are the Hawkin: folks with wings. Other communities on the roof of riask exist as well, but generally they're traveled to via the teleportation stone.



*this is if he eats the blandest food. If he doesn't, that's another 15s gone.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Towards broken I suppose.
Well, that's a relief. Though I think I've only met Brog and Ump's mothers. Where are their fathers? Tch; I'll need to think of a more delicate way of saying that.

I get a bit tense at the question. "I don't know who they are, much less where they are. I think they died when I was very young, but they might have just abandoned me. I had a,"

I get lost and trip over the words. "I had a, carer. He runs an orphanage; that's a place where they keep unwanted children. He works very hard keeping thing running smoothly. He's probably at his wits end with the way I disappeared..."

"I went to sleep in my bed at the orphanage, and I woke up here with nothing but my journal. I don't know how this happened; it just did."

I feel a bit nauseous lying to their faces like that. My hands shake a little, and I have difficulty calming myself down. They'd hate me if they knew the truth; all the things that were my fault; me trying to escape punishment...

Back pages/in the margins of the journal, dirt on the ground...
Well I'm mean obvious is fine if:
1) It wouldn't be an obstacle
2) I could keep an eye on it from any direction it would swing
3) I could would be able to swing it easily without a stick or anything
4) Ideally it would be out of the wind

Maybe a pendulum in the mine would work. Guess I'd have to ask a Kapatas about this.

I'll aim to buy the shoes on day 2, and eat less bland food on alternate days starting on day 3 (2023-02-02), leaving me with 1L 15s. I'll aim to buy a shirt on day 4 (which would then leave me at 2s).

Actually, there's one thing I should ask, well the boys I guess, before all this buying; are there no regular days off? Like the weekend?

Oh, so there are other communities like Bumundo around The Top. The cylinder's certainly big enough for there to be several communities around here.

...

If this is the roof of Riask, and way down below is the floor of Riask, then... Where's not Riask? Beyond the Vasic?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

getting closer, yeah.


Broken language robs one of both subtly and of the unintentional insult. The fathers work in other parts of the mines, mostly. Brog's father is dead, and Rail's father is ... his step father, you think. They point them out at various times. Yip's father is a porter for a merchant, and isn't currently in town.



Ump: "Is that true, or are you just scared to tell us?"

ok, just checking.


ahh, I see. That kind of pendulum.


Go right ahead...



They say Holidays happen on the 10th, 15th, 20th, 30th, and 35th days of the "month" (which is always 40 days). Some other holidays happen as well. It is currently (on buying the pants) the 4th day of the "month".



a shirt on day 4: 2s


With shoes (sandals, really), Julian makes trips around the town. There are several smaller communities much like the one he's currently sleeping in. He also discovers (on the other side of the spring) a section where he thinks the wealthier people in the city live... at least that's where they come out of. Everyone seems eager to shoo him away when he tries to go in.



If he wishes, he can venture further into the vegetation...


On the fifth day after buying his pants (9th of the month), a number of guards with spears block the entrance to the wooden passage just as its time to leave. others start yelling something at everyone. "organize" maybe? There is a bunch of that word.


Beyond the Vasic.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I look down at my hands. "It's... It's not all a lie. I ran away a month ago. I slept in a, hole, storm sewer. I woke up here."

I tremble a little, "My carer, he's not a nice man. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Yeah, a demonstrate the Earth rotates pendulum
I'll try to persuade the Kapatas that I could setup a pendulum in here and it wouldn't harm anything. If he wants a reason, it's simple curiosity

I must have really thrown him off with the way I swung my arms around to explain, "pendulum".

With that in mind I'll put off eating better until after the holiday on the 10th. And so:
Would become 1L 1s.

How far in can I see to that area? Is it gated or guarded? Do the residents approximate the general population of Bumundo or is it more lopsided? Don't see how I could get in; even in a crowd they'd just shoo me out.

Well it's not as if the Lawin are going to stab me if they see me in the vegetated areas, so why not? I'll just have to be careful about

I steady myself amongst the mass of people, and try to get to an edge in case there's a stampede of people. Then I try to ask someone what's going on.
"Organize"... Could that be like labour organize?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Well then say that!"

The Kapatas is really not sure what Julian is trying to ask him, but something about the swinging arms makes him glance nervously at the other boys and say "No."

The big wood double doors function as a gate.

he quickly discovers that its difficult to do so without light. Trails abound, but most of them are pretty dark. Any particular direction or destination?

Yip looks Julian up and down, and looks somewhat confused. Then he points at the back of the group and says "Stand there!"

The people sort themselves out into families and the armed men start going through the group, asking questions. They seem to focus particularly on older teenager boys and young men.

When they get to Julian, they ask a question rapidly. Something about his family.

ok.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Do they know what "month" and "year" it is?

I nod my head carefully, and quietly trying to settle myself.

That's disappointing. Maybe I could try again in a couple weeks. I need to find a good length of wire or a strong and thin rope first anyway.

Maybe I could hang around near by and maybe sneak a peek when somebody enters or leaves.

Not vertically; don't want to have to climb in the dark. Though otherwise not in any particular direction in mind.

I-is this a draft? That'd explain why they're focusing on younger men... I-I don't want to go off to war. I don't understand anything; I'll be killed! I'm too young to die!

My mind's racing a mile-a-minute as they come to question me. They want to know about my family; they're not around. That's not good for me is it? They're going to figure no one's going to care if I'm taken away. And they're probably right. My parents were too dead or something else to want me; if not them, then who?
I hold myself together long enough to say, "I don't understand, could you speak slower?".

Given that the question's probably, "Where's your family?", my answer is, "They're dead."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Its the 3rd month and the 159th year.

yeah. And figure out the right attachment method...

It looks much like the hall you were in, but with closely spaced doors and a set of stairs after a short stretch of hall

"Your family. Where are they?"
rolling a reaction roll...12+3 (appearance) + 3 (pitiable)

The man shouts something to the others. Then he says to Julian
"Take Care. Be Safe."

After standing there for 10 minutes or so, the soldiers all move on out of the section, and the boys can go to work.
Ump: "what were they looking for?"
Yip: "someone. They were looking at people. I think they searched all of our homes as well. hope they didn't steal anything."


Holding off this for now...

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

How many months to a year?

I don't suppose anybody's making ball and socket joints. I don't think I've seen any machinery around here at all, so it would fit.

Maybe I should just build a simpler pendulum with only one degree of freedom and see if the bob ends up listing towards the sun.

Apartments I guess. Probably fancier than the vegetation space Ump, Brog, etc. live in.

Misread where this situation was the first time around.
"Well, if they were looking for someone, they probably have someone in mind, right? Or at least a general idea. Why are they looking for someone and why here?"

After work, I think I'll ask around if anyone knows about who the guards (?) are (were?) looking for, and why they're looking for them. Maybe do that the next day too.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

10 months to a year.


They've seemingly got high TL4 tools in the mine. So its not out of the question...


The suggestions from the boys are a thief who stole something really valuable, a runaway rich kid, violent bandits, or enemy soldiers.


The next morning, Ump invites "Jules" to breakfast with his family. Which mostly consists of sisters. There are three of them: two older and one younger. Ump's father is also present. The food is much wetter and looser than Julian has been eating: a bowl of rice with a broth poured over it.

Ump's father favors the thought that they are looking for enemy soldiers. He also doesn't think that they exist: "Just paranoia by thugs with too little to do and an excuse for them to steal a few coins".


Its a holiday, and it seems all of Bamundo is taking it off. Something about a bunch of people down on riask's floor meeting.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well I guess I can ask around where they would make fancy mechanisms like that. I could probably motion it out with my fist cupped in my other hand moving around... Though I'll have to wait until tomorrow even if I find out where I could get something like that I guess.


"Thank you very much for your hospitality. [Probably gets mangled into "food"]"

I suppose Ump's father was pointed out yesterday in the mines.
I direct the next question to one of Ump's older sisters, "So, what do you do all day? Do you work too?" And then to the other, "How about you?"

"Soldiers. Who look like us. How would they even get here? Wouldn't they just get pushed off when they tried to land on the Vasic? And what could a few soldiers do anyway?"

"If they just wanted to rob people why would they even need an excuse? They didn't give one to us."

All or almost all? I'd think that at least the food vendors would be working; big money on the holiday season... Otherwise, I guess I starve.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Ump's father was indeed pointed out.
Oldest Sister: "I'm an assistant at the food-place."
Second Sister: "I help mother with washing, cooking, and sewing"
Mother: "There is a lot of extra work to be done here. Men without women pay us to help"


Father after several simplifications: "They think the soldiers left their weapons behind and looked normal. Came as miners. Then they can make spears and steal Bamudo for their city. But this is not happening."


Father: "They need an excuse to their leaders, not to us. They must at least pretend to be keeping us safe."


almost all. The oldest sister has a big day ahead of her. Many people are not working. Vendors are spotty: many aren't working today, but many new ones show up in the market. At least for selling food.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Do you know why they serve the same food all hours of the day?"
Figures; an entire day's work gets one shirt and I doubt anyone has a washing machine. Maybe you could use Vasic to construct a washing machine, warping the water and clothes throughout the basin, sloshing about.
"Has that ever happened here? Anywhere?"
"If it's obviously a paper-thin excuse, why would their leaders buy it? And if they're willing to lie, why not just say they were never here?"

"But if they're as bad as you say, maybe somebody should do something about them."

I guess I'll get to go browse and have something new and exciting today!

Is that the best answer Julian's getting for now or can he ask for details? If so:
"What exactly is going down on the floor of Riask? A government meeting? A religious festival?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Who? the Market Vendors? They sell the same food because they're market vendors. We change up the food."


"Not here, but in other communities on the ceiling. Four years ago Temiri was taken that way. That made everyone paranoid. Nothing has happened since though, and they've had time."


"Because their leaders care that they are were they are supposed to be more than they care about what they steal. We could report them if they were in the wrong place and the leaders would punish them."


"Thugs are Thugs. Can't fix it, just make the best of the situation."


A government meeting with religious ceremonies beforehand. The council of Tiskara is meeting today. Tiskara is the city that controls bamundo.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Yeah, the market vendors. Would the tastes of people change throughout the day, so it would be smart to sell different food at different times?"

"So maybe the security measures are working? You wouldn't need to actually catch an enemy soldier to neutralize them. All you need to do is to make it too risky to gather weapons in the first place."

"Oh, so their leaders told them to go investigate this neighborhood, and they just took advantage."

I open my mouth as if to say something, and then close it back up. I can't really judge them; I didn't do anything about Beatty either. Just made the best of a bad situation... And look where that got me.

"I was in a bad situation too once. Making the best of it didn't really help anything in the long run. Things got worse either way."

I suppose the councilors have different jobs the rest of the time, which is why everyone gets time off. Does Bumundo have a councilor?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Vendors sell one kind of food. Every day. That's how it works. People choose what they want. The <place she works at> feeds people on our shift, and we change up the food type by meal."


(that is far too fancy language for what he is actually saying!)
"That could be. They still could paranoid and running the checks far too often."


"Yes"


"I can see that. How far from trouble are you now?"


Skalindir. Bumundo is his.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"I see. I thought it had to do with the..." I'm at a loss for words to describe night. "Constant light? No darkness? No... [English] nighttime."

I suppose I could start looking at a Simple English dictionary and make sentences terser, but I think adding in a simplification step to the translation convention works just as fine.

"Maybe the guards are lying so they have more opportunities to steal. The guards are the eyes and ears, right? Garbage in, garbage out."

"Unsure. Far, beyond Riask far. Maybe beyond beyond Riask. Beyond Kiraskan maybe." I gather my thoughts for a moment, It's bittersweet; happy and sad. I've left my troubles behind, along with everything else."

I glance at my journal, "Almost everything else."

"I suppose little people," I pause to look for something less idiomatic, "not rich, unimportant people, have no say in whether Bumundo is Skalindir's or not. Who decides?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"It does. The vendors sell to whoever is awake and out, and we sell to people on our shift the right meals"


Yeah, its just a flavor comment. I will continue trying to use small words in the answers he gets, at least for now.


"I'm sure they are".


They're quiet and let him have his moment.


Ump's Father: "Hah! No! Not at all. Money, Swords, and Oaths decide that."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I notice the silence after a few seconds. "Sorry, I'm bringing the mood down, aren't I?"

"Swords? So every now and then they have a fight in the streets to see who gets to be the new councilor? And oaths? Do they put a lot of weight in what a politician says?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Not usually in the streets, but its happened. A councilor without an army will loose what has. Unless his friends remember their oaths. They control things by having their soldiers beat or kill those who disagree with them, and by oaths to each other about where their soldiers go."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

These are starting to sound less like councillors and more like feudal lords.

"So how does money fit into this? Money to pay for the army? Do they literally buy a spot on the council? Why do they do all this? Vasic tolls? Taxes? Rent?"

I start to worry that they're looking for people who are evading taxes. I haven't paid anything like that.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Impossible. Their power base is urban!


"Money to pay for the army. And to bribe other people with power. They take the taxes and rent from the places they own".

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Maybe more like mobsters collecting protection money then... That's even worse!
I get a bit tense. "Who collects for this neighborhood? Am I going to get in trouble for not paying anything to sleep here?"

I just realized that Julian didn't bother asking for the names of Ump's family. I'm willing to just say that I asked earlier and save you the trouble of coming up with the names.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Neez: "We don't pay either. As long as we don't do anything fancy here, they won't bother taxing it. They get money from us through the employers at the mine and the vendors in the market. Much easier than tracking down all of us in our little caves."



Father: "Neez"
Mother: "Elma"
Oldest Sister: "Mina"
Middle Sister: "Maruhom"
Younger Sister: "Kati"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"I see. Easier to focus on a tiny group of people and have them pass on the taxes through lower pay and higher prices, I suppose."

"Are the guards, well their leaders, are they worried the Lawin might try to take Bumundo in a surprise attack?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Neez: "Aerial attack is the main reason the troops are up here. That and to keep us down. They'd have to fly in, and that gives the soldiers some warning and space to defend. I think they have enough Hawkin to patrol around the mines for some distance".

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Oh, so they pay the ones who live around here."

Well I'm out of questions. So,
I linger and make small talk for a socially acceptable period of time.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I believe Julian wanted to go exploring sometime... he's able to do so now, venturing into the tunnels, looking for... stuff. he has not been looking long when he spots a stack of wooden poles, all piled up in the tunnel.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Hm. Too many poles to count I guess. Are they pointy? How long are they? Spear length I would guess. Were they at all hidden?

I don't suppose that anyone hiding poles would be up to any good; probably want these poles for weapons but are waiting on the spear points. If I tell the guards about the poles they'll probably decide I have something to do with the poles, and that would not be good.

There's no proper trees up here; maybe somebody would be willing to buy them. Given it's a holiday, I can't imagine anybody willing to buy poles would be working today. Maybe I could find somewhere else to hide the poles, then in the next couple days find someone who wants to buy poles. And if I can't find anyone who wants poles, then at least they don't have them.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

16 poles, spear length, tapered at one end, and on closer inspection, with knives attached to one end. They're tucked away in a corner and under some loose dead branches/roots (its hard to tell here) ... unless someone was exploring this area, they wouldn't have spotted the spears.


So will he be acting on that?