Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Idiot. You could have let them bring you almost where you wanted to be, and then escaped. Now you're just going to stumble about until you starve.

I shake off the negativity. Nobody lights fires up here. Maybe someone will eventually notice the smoke? If I just lie down, I'm going to starve anyway, so I might as well keep going.

Hm. I should fetch the fifth branch now and light it with the fourth branch when that gets low. I should only stop when I'm exhausted. It'll probably only be worse when I wake up.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

If the smoke was going into the sky, maybe. But its not, its rising up the passage.


Julian gets that branch lit. How long will he march for? He's got three hours of sleep right now.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well I guess I'll check to see if it's thin near the top of the tunnel occasionally. If I find a spot I could try burning through.

Well if my hands gone out and that's as long as Reslins light, I suppose that's about half an hour. I'd like to march (with breaks) as long as I slept, but I'll probably get ready to sleep once I catch myself dozing when I rest.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Thin spots on the bottom of the tunnel are easy to see: light shines through them from the sky below. Thin spots at the top... that's harder. After a couple dozen checks, Julian can't find a spot that is "thin" at the top, all that seems to be there is more roots and vegetation, with small amounts of dirt.

Its about two hours, not half an hour. So that would be about another hour of marching. Which is pretty doable.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well let's burn through one of the thin spots on the bottom of the tunnel then. I don't imagine the dirt and vegetation will burn that well.

I think about roots and the vegetation as I continue marching. Probably makes sense to have leaves at the bottom when all the sunlight comes from that direction. Don't really need to grow against gravity either. The mass tangle I'm walking on is probably like the canopy of a rainforest. A little surprising that it can handle the weight of a person.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

The fire on his hand has gone out... make a roll to make it again.



Did you write down the pattern in your diary?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well Rails, Ump, etc. knew light and heat, so the answer looks like yes. Maybe worth a bonus.
I guess the burning twig just won't do it.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

yeah, a burning twig won't do it.



I suppose its time to standardize the mechanics behind vasic... or at least explain them to you (Vasic is one of the first custom magic systems I ever did in Gurps.) You are using Vasic Operation (Energy Stone), which is an IQ/A skill. You're doing it by default(-5), with extra time (+?) and a reference (doubles bonus from extra time spent). So spending x4 the time gets you a +4, which is enough.



Julian takes his time, and puts another beam of intense heat on his hand. He slowly starts burning a hole in the vegetation... its not a particuarly efficient way to make a hole. Below him he can see the clouds shining up.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Yeah, I skimmed that when I realized that Riask was mentioned twice in passing before. I'll update the character sheet with the default.

Well if it's still burning, hopefully that will draw attention. Then I guess I'll rest away from the burning hole while I wait for the heat on my hand fade. Rather not roll over and burn myself.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

How big around a hole is Julian going to make?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I dunno, 30 cm in diameter? If it's still burning it will do.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Its not still burning: the closer to the surface, the wetter and greener the vegetation. Making that hole took over half an hour.



Julian rests. Eventually, the heat stops coming from his hand.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I briefly wonder if there's reverse lightning here. I get an idea before I sleep; I'll draw most of a heat Vasic, so I can complete the pattern in a hurry if necessary.

Now I sleep (unless my hand is hot again.)

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Julian's hand is not hot, and he falls asleep near the hole he's burned in the vegetation.


He sleeps peacefully, free of his captors, and free of dreams.


When he wakes up, he's hungry. He's not sure how long its been since he ate and then escaped.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I'll check if there are still embers on the stick. If not, I'll try to draw a light Vasic on the other side of my hand. When I get light I'll check around the tunnel to see if there's anything edible here. I think it's just the vegetation, which I don't imagine is very edible.
I stick my head through the hole and see if there's anything hanging from the bottom that looks edible. Probably not, fruit exists to get animals to spread seeds, and what would need spreading up here? If there's anything, I'll try to climb under the vegetation to get at the fruit.
If I can't find anything, I'll try the vegetation. Then I'll head onwards. It's not as if the vegetation really differs from one spot to the next

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

looking around, Julian spots some fruit... bright red, maybe 30 feet away, hanging from the bottom of the vegetation.

The hole is too small to get his whole body through right now.

Did you really just risk one of the multiverses's most spectacular falls on skill 11?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well better make that hole bigger.
I assume finishing the pattern isn't a roll.
I finish the heat pattern and burn a larger hole so I can make it through to the fruit. Might be troublesome getting it back through the hole.

Do I have any of the end of the rope that was used to tie me to Reslin and Togar, or did that fall off with the pack, or is it to burnt to be used?

Well with Luck it's only 5% chance of failure. And a plain failure might not be instantly lethal.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Finishing the pattern works, an Julian has a source of heat coming from his palm. He opens up the hole quite a bit more, taking quite a while to open in up, and then climbs after the fruit.



Its a long ways down. The thick vegetation does give a number of hand-holds, and Julian manages to get sort of on top of the thinnest layer so he can rest his arms occasionally. His light weight probably also helps him.



He notices that there is quite a lot of variety in the vegetation, and there is a fair amount of green fruit that isn't yet ripe. The fruit he reaches has a red skin, and is yellow on the inside with lots and lots of seeds dispersed throughout the fruit. The fruit is only a little sweet, but seems to have a fair amount of starch in it. And water. And so many seeds.


Julian notices flyers in the distance... some sort of Hawkin, it looks like.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I imagine I waited for the heat to dissipate before climbed downwards.

I guess, pppt, these seeds, pppt, aren't edible, pppt, like pomegranates. Hopefully this isn't like eating raw potato either.

So how am I positioned when I noticed them? Eating without hands? Sitting on the thin layer? I'll call out and wave my hands. "Help! Hello! Over here!"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

What, on your hand, or the hole? Either way, its a while... but food is probably worth it. Julian has been in this spot for hours.

It tastes plateable enough. Julian has certainly eaten worse. The seeds seem swallowable if he cares to do so.


Lying down on the thin layer: its pretty shallow.



There seems to be a change in their flight, But Julian isn't quite sure what they are doing after that.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

It was more verification that Julian couldn't try signalling with fire.
Well let's eat fast and swallow the seeds. My arms are getting tired.
I briefly worry that the Hawkin may have been hired by Reslin or Togar to look for me. Or maybe this is like a farm or something and I'm obliviously stealing from somebody.

Let's eat until I'm full (or the fruit's all gone) and then climb back out.
Then I'll rest for, I dunno half an hour, then, light up my hand, and carry on. If the Hawkin are going to do something surely they'll be back soon.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Julian is resting when two Lawin, armed with spears, march down the tunnel towards him.



"Who... you?"

They have thick accents, that's what Julian thinks they're saying.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well here's hoping I don't say the wrong thing and they don't get the wrong idea. Or at least one of those. I'll try to hit the following across:

"I'm Jules, who are you? Two men dragged me down here. They were going to have me moved to some other place. I ran off when they were attacked by a bug."

I suppose they'll ask why I was kidnapped, and I'll claim not to know.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"who were these men? what did they want with you? Where did you start from?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Soldiers; they were sent to take Bumundo. That's where I started from."

Do the Vasic signs vanish after use? If so,

"I don't know why. Nothing good I imagine."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Yes, they do.



The Hawkin confirm with Julian that the soldiers were trying to invade Bumundo, and this seems to back up his story... they're aware of an attempted attack on Bumundo, with a soldier going missing recently.


One of the Hawkin is named Gabil, The other is named Alimah. They have their own language, and after discussing a bit, decide that Gabil will stay here and guard him while Alimah gets enough people to take Julian back. Or decide to abandon him. The two synchronize their watches before Alimah flies off.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Yeah, they mentioned they killed a guard. Probably the one I told about the three of them (the soldiers) I saw."

If they ask, I'll explain about that I saw Tarbreth talking on a Vasic about spears (but not how), how I found spears, and the incident with the guard that day.

Well, surely if they were going to abandon me, they'd just fly off together, right? Well, unless they're looking in to seeing if there's a payoff. If the were working for Reslin they'd probably already have some idea who they're looking for. So no need to worry I guess.

I'll try befriending Gabil; maybe make small talk or maybe play some kind of toss game with my pen.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

They are fairly interested in Julian's story about the invasion: they seem to oscillate between suspicion of Julian himself and contained excitement of what they have found.



Gabil isn't interested in playing games... but he will happily drill Julian for more details about the soldiers, especially visual details and the exact time and place various things happened.


How much of the story about his escape will Julian reveal? will he let them know about the clock error?


Gabil is also interested in telling about how foolish the journey into the vegetation was, about the various monsters and hidden dangers found in here, and about how the wilderness should be left to his kind rather than the "wingless", and about how lucky Julian is to be alive.



On schedule, Gabil completes a vasic, and talks with an old grizzled man in a guard's uniform, but fancier. Gabil recommends that its worth the effort of bringing Julian back, because of his information.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

While repeating the part about how Paldrian and Tarbreth were arguing about how to get where they were going, I remember something. I forgot too

"They mentioned that they were considering taking me over the top to this place, Paglog. That might be where Paldrian is or a settlement related, like Bumundo and Tiskar."

I'll tell them most of the story, but I'll neglect to mention my part of how the Reslin's watch broke. So, heading downwards delaying them with the jump through the hole, searching for the watch, wearing at the ropes with a stick, and making a break for it when the large bug showed up. In my imagination it's like a giant centipede with a helmet

I listen to his stories about the monsters. I suppose he might be playing them up a little.

"Were the Hawkin up here first?"

Hopefully he doesn't think about how weird it is that they went to all this danger and trouble for one kid.

Hopefully this boss guard (Guard commander?) doesn't realize I have nothing more to offer beyond what I said.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Gabil: "Paglog. makes sense. and might confirm what we suspect. Their vasic navigator could be there. Or he might not."

A giant centipede with a helmet isn't terribly far off. Fatter body, shorter legs.

"My people came up here when the first stones were brought up. Riask has brought us here, and came with us, but the wingless are poorly suited for this place. It reminds me of Awan, the mothersky. Humans like you are confined to slowly crawl along the top, hanging for dear life, while we soar through it."


Gabil says he needs to search Julian before they take him back.


Three Hawkin arrive with a harness thing they strap Julian into to, and the four Hawkin start flying him back to Bumundo, suspended below them.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"I can't imagine Hawkin are terribly well suited to the mines. Everyone has their own place to be I guess."

"Have you been there?"

I suppose if Hawkin can get back, maybe I could... Wait,

"Is everyone on Riask from somewhere else?"
"Well I've got nothing to hide."
I show him my book and pen.

"How invasive are you going to be?"
I wish I had a camera; well, maybe this will do.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Yes, I suppose we need you wingless up here for the mines."

"Yes, I've visited Awan. I was born here, in Riask, but I have been able to visit my homeland."

"You mean all the peoples of Riask? The Mugraggle seem to have been first. At least on the floor. Its very wet down there."

"Please strip and I'll look through your things"

You are aware that Julian can't see himself being carried? At any rate, he can draw the harness, and get a decent idea, and the picture comes out pretty good.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I mumble, "I wonder if I'll ever get back..."

"So they're from here originally?"

I grit my teeth and comply.

Well I was more thinking that Julian would draw a picture of the view. Different perspective of Bumundo and all.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"From here? no. They're made for the floor of Riask. With all the rain and mud."


He finds the book, of course, but remarkably little else. He looks at the art in it "You didn't make this did you? can you draw faces?"



"Thank you. Had to make sure you weren't a spy with a communication stone. You really were in freefall. Lucky we found you."



Below him is nothing but more clouds. He's able to get a better look above him though, at the giant cone that forms the ceiling of riask, and at the waterfall. He isn't able to see all of it: The green fades away in the distance.



The trip takes maybe half an hour. They all land on that first platform he showed up on, leaving him dangling below it for a minute or two before he is hauled up.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Oh, so they were the first and then others started showing up. I guess... Pilagro was after that.
"Well, I drew the pictures but I didn't make the book."

I flip back a few pages:
I show him the picture.
"These are two of the men I saw. I only saw the bearded man on Vasic; the other is Tarbreth."

"Freefall? I wasn't falling."

I nod in agreement.

I guess the waterfall makes it too harsh for even the hardiest plants to grow. Blowing away nutrients, air, heat...
I'm glad to have solid ground below me again, and get my bearings. Then I comment, <Hm. Full circle.>

"I guess we go see the bossman now."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"A long time after that"

Didn't the picture of Tarbreth get confiscated to try and track him down?


"Not... Its a thing people say. You would have died and could do nothing. like someone in freefall"


You mean inside the waterfall? I'm not getting this comment. The ceiling of riask is overgrown with vegetation.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Oh right. Instead:

"I had one, but I gave it to a guard. I think they killed him."

He's probably right; I was getting nowhere fast and probably would have starved.

Maybe I'm confused, but I read this as, "There's just clouds below Julian, but above he can see the ceiling and the waterfall. The green [on the ceiling] fades away in the distance [i.e. closer to the top]"

If it was meant to be read more like: "He can see along a wall whose greenness fades away in the distance," he'll instead be pondering about whether Riask is curved or if water is condensing up here."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"could you draw it again from memory?"

The visibility fades. Kind of like how green mountains appear blue from a distance because of atmospheric interference. The green stretches as far as you can physically see it.

Julian is escorted up through the tunnel and into the nice neighborhood he was denied entrance to just a few weeks ago. The doors in here have facades that look like brightly colored houses with enormous gutters and waterspouts. It runs mostly parallel to the main passage. A man in a more impressive looking uniform than the others is waiting for them.

"Julian, I am Shuzu Lorek. I understand you have seen the enemy soldiers hiding in Bumundo. If you can find them for me, I will reward you well."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Well that is what I did before, but I'm not a good drawer."

I suppose that may or may not sound as awkward as it does in English.
I guess the rich have enough money to burn to make things feel like they're on the ground. Those spouts are probably useless built under rooves, but if what I hear about the bottom is accurate, they probably useful and common down there. I guess this is kind of like what a space colony could be like.
"I don't know about finding them, but I can tell you what I know and try to draw pictures of them."

I start drawing and explaining. "It was a few days ago, the 11th. I was wandering around vegetation tunnels, and I saw two men talking, one on what I now know is a communication Vasic. I didn't really understand them, but it seemed obvious they were talking about an attack, so I got out of there. I forgot how I got there, but I remembered their faces. So I drew a picture to show people and started looking around. I stumbled upon a cache of spears, which I took apart and sold."

"The next day, I decided the market was as good a place as any, so I decided to go looking for the man around there. Eventually a guard got fed up with me loitering, and had me searched. He found a bunch of money and the picture, so I explained what I knew to him. After he decided I wasn't involved, I noticed the thin man, Tarbreth, with two others. I reported them to the guard, and he went after them. He gave me this tablet; I made a rubbing of it before handing it off to another guard."

"I went back to sleep after that. I was woken later by Tarbreth and some other men. They had knives. I had little choice but to go with them, and they brought me back to their tunnel dwelling. There were six of them on this side. They contacted this guy, Paldrian, on Vasic. He's not the bearded man. I mentioned their spears went missing and they killed a guard, so they needed to 'go to ground'. In hiding I guess. They eventually decided to head downward to hire Hawkin to haul me across to Paglog."

I think there's a good chance Julian might be asked about the "why" behind the kidnapping. So:
"I don't know. They weren't making any sense when they talked about me. Nothing good probably."

"Anyway, I made a nuisance out of myself for the past few days and they responded by trying to beat some sense into me. Two of them were sent to drag me down to the Hawkin point, Reslin and Togar. They only had one watch between the two of them and when it lost time, they needed to turn around. They were attacked by this big bug, and that's when I ran. And that brings things up to now."

"There's six soldiers in total. Reslin and Togar are either heading back into town to fix their watch today or tomorrow, or maybe they were got by the centipede. Tarbreth and the other three are probably trying to pretend to be just regular poor people. It's possible they're aware Togar and Reslin didn't check in. I doubt either group thinks I'm back in town."

Roll for the lies and omissions, (Dreamt the Tarbreth/Bearded meeting, Julian knows why they want him, omitted stealing the watch to change the time)
I'm not sure what the penalty is like, or whether Julian's aware the drawings are wrong or not.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Julian can only really get good pictures of the three he spent a lot of time talking to: Reslin, Togar, and Tarbreth. The Shuzu is mostly interested in Tarbreth: "The other two are isolated and lost in the top. Besides, if they can't keep a watch synched, they're not a threat. Tarbreth was probably disposing of liabilities."

"You only saw six of them. Hmmm. I wonder where the others were."

He is pushed on why they wanted him, but ultimately the language barrier convinces them that this won't be useful.

The rubbing of the small clay token seems to cement his story: its unique to the guard who died, and the clay token wasn't on his person when he was killed.

He's given 20 L and told "I will give you more when we catch this Tarbreth. You have done Bumundo a great service. Where do you live? How can we find you to reward you when that happens, or if we have more questions. "

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Because syncing a watch is trivial or because without a synced watch they're screwed? Because... I broke the watch."

"I guess six soldiers trying to seize the transport stone would be insane? Maybe each of them has six more reporting in, but they don't know any of the others."

I tell him about the vegetation hole. "It's either there or the mine. Or maybe at the market."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Oh, you left that out? And you bring it up now because you want them extra dead for sure, or because you want me to buy your picture? That was a risky move, breaking the watch. Did they catch you doing it? We'll keep our eye on you. If we were in Tiskar, I'd have work for you."


"No, because they operate in groups of ten. So there are four you haven't seen. Glad to know about the two in the wild, I won't pull my hair out looking for them."


"One of the squatter's holes. Of course. Which one? and you usually go to that mine? write this down Kaligar."


As Julian leaves, he notices a pair of guards exits shortly after him and just happen to go the same direction he does.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"I want them," I catch the word in my mouth; I don't really want them dead. "You can have their pictures for nothing. I don't want them coming back, notifying Tarbreth, or otherwise causing trouble."

"If the noticed me changing the time, Reslin would have noticed me taking the watch to begin with."

The less I say about things I've stolen the better I think.

I check my notes. "Shouldn't there be as many as the spears? There were twenty of those. Could some have been spares?"


"I push baskets in the mine."

I tell Lorek which hole.


Hm... I'll go check the time and maybe get something for lunch. I'll see if they keep following me while I go about my business.

Observation to check

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Twenty Spears. That sounds right. That's good intelligence. There are twenty then. You've seen six. But this Tarbreth seems to be the leader."

Its more dinner time than lunch, at least on his old schedule. He notes that the stone time system the mines use is much less familiar than the standard watches Reslin and Tarbreth were using.


The soldiers continue to follow him...

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I was thinking of the clock near the fountain when it came to checking the time, but anyway.

I wonder if the stone time system has a standard format. Maybe they change it from time to time?
Well... I walk right up to them and say, "What do you want?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

right, there is a proper clock. Its 3:48.



Its the fourth stone right now.


"Nothing. What makes you think we want something. We aren't following you."


The men are terrible liars.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Wow, my players are right, blatant lies are hard to deal with.

"Look, I've seen you follow me since I left the gated area. Why?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Its just a coincidence. Besides, if we were following you, it'd be in our rights."

HA HA HA HA HA!


The power of owning your decision!

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

This isn't getting anywhere. "Fine. Okay."

I guess they'll be following me back to the "squatter's hole". If they were sent by Lorek, I guess they'll now where that is and catch up with me anyway. If not, I'll try to escape their sight.

I'll be going with a Stealth roll, Shadowing might fit better but Julian's best default is Stealth - 4.
NPC: I've never met him in my life.

PC: We have video evidence and testimony that shows you met on multiple occasions.

NPC: You must be mistaken; that's not me.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

They do indeed follow him back to the hole. The other boys aren't back yet. The guards stop and loiter around for a few minutes, asking questions to anyone walking through the area. Everyone watches them very nervously.



Julian's stuff is all gone from its location.



The soldiers loose sight of Julian, and this causes them some consternation, though they're doing their best not to show it, he notices they are talking to each other and moving around a lot more.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

So did they lose sight after Julian reached the hole or did they know the way somehow?

Hopefully they already knew about this hole, and I didn't lead them back here.

I wonder if there was enough time in the day to bother going to the mine.

Hopefully they already knew about this hole, and I didn't lead them back here.

Well that's a shame. But just a knife and some money really.

I'll try to slip out of the tunnel and try to remain unnoticed when they leave the vegetation area.
If I'm not noticed, I'll follow them and see where they go:
Ugh. Let's apply luck.
Sweet!

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

After he reached the hole. The way you phrased it I thought that is when you tried to loose them. Also, you told them where you lived.

No, its about an hour to quitting time.

One of them is standing guard by the tunnel entrance, but Julian catches them at an inattentive moment and slips out.



They look around for him for quite some time, and then finally one of them tells something to another guard who is coming down the tunnel. They're still there when the shift's change, and all of Julian's friends come down the tunnel. They are scanning the crowd there for someone, probably him. After everyone has passed and the rush is over, they head back up the tunnel towards Lorek's headquarters.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I may have phrased it badly, but the idea was basically, "Julian tries to lose them in the market, which means that if that works:
A) They give up.
B) They decide to try the hole I told Lorek about. (Which means that Lorek told them about the hole, and they (probably) aren't going off the reservation).

It looks like B is the more plausible result at this point.

When I realize they're going back to headquarters, I briefly consider catching up with them. Then I worry that Lorek may have figured out why Tarbreth and co wanted to haul me off. Almost as worthwhile as a town... And they were lying. I turn around and head back to the hole. They can find me easily if they want to.

I suppose Ump, Brog, and Rails might be around when I get back. If they have questions about where I was, I'll give them the same story I gave Lorek. I'll also tell them I gave the information to Lorek.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Yeah, he'd run into them at the hole.


Ump: "Hey, you're back! We thought you'd gone somewhere else for sure!"


Yip: "Don't say that too loud, there were soldiers hanging around today. Don't want him to get carried off for questioning."


Brog:"I saved your stuff so it wouldn't get stolen. Where did you go?"


The boys want to hear ALL about everything. They're still talking when Ump's youngest sister Kati stops by to yell at him "Mom says to come home and eat! You're holding up dinner!"


The boys think its the coolest thing ever, though some of them are taken aback at the danger. And surprised that there really were enemy soldiers.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well, let's say that Julian jumped to his, "let's avoid them entirely" conclusion earlier.

"Well it wasn't by choice..."

"Tch. Did they say they were looking for me? Did they say why? Do you think they'll be back aroun"


"Thanks for that."


"Oh, it's a long story..."

One long story later:
"Don't let me keep you."

"It was really scary; they kept hitting me, and threatening to kill me... Why's everything cool that happens to me the result of some terrible circumstance dropped on me?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

ok.


Ump: "Talk to soldiers? no way! I stayed clear!"
Brog: "I think they were asking about you. Is it because you went missing?"


Ump yells at his sister that he's busy, but she's persistant, and he hurries off. Brog says to follow him and he'll give Julian his stuff.




Rails: "And why are Bumundo soldiers still looking for you? Are you going to have to leave again?"


Yip: "Its your luck. Something has changed your fortune, I bet"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"I don't know. I asked two of them point-blank why they were following me, and they claimed they weren't. The whole thing reeks like dead fish."

I mumble, "... Maybe the same reason I was taken away before that..."

"Maybe. I don't seem to get much choice in the matter."

"I dunno, I think it might be about the same. I get just enough luck to go from one problem to another."

"Sounds good to me."
I follow.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Brog has Julian's knife and Money.


"That's a lot. Are you going to get someone to help you make a real home? I suppose you've got a lot to buy."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

So that makes... ~40L?
"Guess I hadn't really thought that far... Been more focused on getting through the day more than anything else. Probably should. One big bag of rice costs about the same as a meal from a stand, right?"

I start counting off what I think I'd need: "Vasic to cook with, pot, proper bedding, bag of rice, bar of soap... Do you think I ought to find a more isolated area? Or would I need to start cutting my way through?"

Not so sure on the visual of the "squatter's hole". I kind of assumed that all the more settled families had "apartments" separate from each other, while Julian was sleeping in the "lobby/common area"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

[QUOTE=TGLS;2467209]So that makes... ~40L?
I think so. Lets go with an even 40L.

So a heaping double handful of rice... the main starch needed for two bland meals.


"all the good holes are already taken, you'll need to dig your own. This little cubby hole is probably a good start though"


He's in a natural little cranny off the main tunnel.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well, let's see if that's enough...
Given Julian doesn't know how to cook, bland rice is probably something to hope for over burnt rice.
I examine my knife. "Will this do to make the hole bigger? Do you think I could buy something better?"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Brog: "You'll want something with a lot more chop to it. Like an axe"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Guess I should got buy an axe now. Hopefully they aren't too heavy."

I go axe shopping. I should keep an eye out in case guards decide to follow me a second time.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

The cheapest axes are 4 coins, but most of them cost around 10 coins.



Julian doesn't see any of the guards watching him... at least not more than usual. Any other purchases?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well, I guess you pay for quality. I'll buy a 10L axe.
Well, I'll pick up chalk, a Vasic suitable for putting a pot on and a pot if I can. If there's more than 5L left rice too.

If I get a Vasic, I'd like to try something: I'd like to wait until the time Vasic in the hole are relit, and then light mine at the same time. If I recall, the light stone I used in a tunnel went long enough to wait for a second basket of light stones. Maybe there's some odd effect between me and Vasic, like how "the mountain helps the Vasic".

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

The Vasic stone is 20L. The clay pot is 1L. after 5L of rice, That's 4 L left.

The timing on the stones is almost perfect: his stone and the other stones go out all within a two minute period. his is towards the end, but not the last.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well at least I won't be broke if I suck at cooking rice.

Hm. I guess the basket isn't run like a watch then. Probably a safety thing. If I'm all by myself and the hole feels isolated enough, maybe I'll see if Me-Vasic works any differently than the stone I have.

I'll start digging away to expand my hole. Once I'm really tired from digging out the hole, I'll try cooking rice for dinner.

Well that was a disaster. Maybe it's a little edible?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Digging is hard work. He can move 2 cf x Basic Lift per hour. What's his basic lift? I know Julian is a little guy...



Rice is always "edible". Julian burns his: maybe there was too little water? He's not convinced that it was done cooking and soft at the time it started cooking.


Does he run the "me-vasic" test?

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I think it's either 7 or 8, so that places the hourly rate somewhere between 19.6 - 25.6 cf. This in turn places a jail sized (6 feet high) cell at about 11.29 - 14.76 hours work. Being realistic that's probably about a week's work. Julian could probably cut corners and live with something smaller probably.

Edit: It's 7, so ~20 cf, ~15 hours work.

"Lovely," I say, to no one in particular.

Well I was hoping for more of an idea of how alone Julian is but sure.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

15 hours... quite a bit of work.

Its a little cubby-hole in a passage. So people walk by the nook every 5 minutes to an hour, depending on the time of day.


(I didn't charge you for the chalk... but I can see one small piece being provided complementary with the vasic stone)

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Yeah that's too often. I'll wait until the hole is bigger.

Well I guess that's the next thing on the list. I wonder if they sell chalk monopolies to raise funds

--

I eat the overcooked rice and write another diary entry. Then I guess it's time to sleep

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Julian sleeps, dreaming of Reslin and Togar camping around a fire, scowling at each other in silence.

Brog is there in the morning.

"We need a better place to hide your stuff. Especially if you have a vasic stone. I'll help you register your stone with the Kapatas."

The Kapatas is scowling at Julian and teaching him a new word that he thinks translates to "reliability" when two soldiers come into the mine looking for Julian: "We need his eyes."

To Julian: "The Shuzu thinks we caught Tarbreth. We need you to confirm it, and possibly to help break him. You'll be rewarded for your time."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I guess they lost their Vasic? Or maybe they figure the centipede doesn't like fire?

"Your place?", I suggest
"Register? What does that mean? Will I have to pay a fine if I don't register it?"
This feels pretty familiar despite not understanding about half of what he saying. I always end up screwing up and ruining good things. Anything I say will probably sound like excuses, so maybe I could try explaining after the shift.
I say to the Kapatas, "I'm very sorry, it looks like I won't have [reliability] again today."

Surely the Kapatas isn't the kind of guy to argue with soldiers. Once we get underway, I'll ask about the soldiers who were following me around yesterday.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Who knows?

Brog: "I suppose I could do that..."

Brog: "No, so they know you get to keep your stone and take it home. They check us for stones when we leave right? But you show them your stone when you come, and you can leave with it too."

He isn't the type to argue with soldiers, but he still has one more thing to say:

"If you want pay, you need to work!"

"I don't know anything about following you" the soldier says. "You can ask Shuzu Lorek".

When he gets to Lorek's building, he is lead into a room with Shuzu Lorek and Tarbreth. Tarbreth is chained to a chair.

Tarbreth: "I don't know this kid! I've never touched him! he's just trying to rip you off!"

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Probably Reslin or Togar, not that Julian expects an answer
"Sounds good to me."
"Oh, so it would be OK to swap a darkened stone for a lit one in the tunnels?"
I nod in agreement. Seems like a firm but fair kinda guy.
I'll wait until after the interrogation to ask him about that.

"I suppose playing dumb comes naturally to someone as stupid as you, Tarbreth"

I guess whatever Julian rolls is complementary to Lorek's Interrogation roll?

"I mean, I'm only starting out spying on people, but this was just pathetic. Getting a good look at you and the bearded man, finding and destroying your cache of spears... Too easy."

"And getting you to capture me... Did you think I went along with you because I was afraid? Of you?" I steady my hand before it betrays my false confidence, "Don't make me laugh. It was all part of the plan. Make you give up more of your operation, get a couple of your men killed... All for nothing in the end."

"At this point, I suppose you could keep your mouth shut, and face some nasty fate... Or you could try to cut a deal and save your skin. Up to you."

I went with Fast-Talk; Julian's just stitching facts together after all. If Acting would work instead that'd basically be a +1 to the skill. It's a pretty clear success, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"I can do that."


"If no-one notices you, yes. Some people do that when their stones are chipped. Its against the rules, but they can't stop you unless someone sees you do it."


"My name is Kilan".

If that's the way you want to play it.


"An easy story to tell. You have the wrong man. He's tricking you! I bet he's one of them."



He hesitates, for just a moment, and then says "He's lying for your money."


Lorek: "Oh, you wanted to know about your men, didn't you? You still don't know how the kid got back. I'm going to take that as confirmation. We'll get the truth out of you eventually. And we'll find the rest of your men."



Lorek to a guard: "Go get him his money. We've confirmed what we need. And get me some heat vasic stones."



As Julian leaves, Tarbreth glowers at him.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

Well let's do that.
"Damage to the stone would be a problem, wouldn't it..."

I breathe slightly easier; hopefully without Tarbreth the rest of the soldiers are headless chickens.
I rather not stay to watch Lorek torch Tarbreth, but I stay around to ask: "After I left yesterday, a few guards followed me back. Would you know anything about that?"
Well let's collect my money and get out of there before they start burning Tarbreth. Then maybe I can get back to the mine and offer to work (half?) a shift free to smooth things over with the Kapatas.

--

I worry about being followed on my walk back; the guys guarding Bumundo aren't really any better than the ones who wanted to take it, are they... If they know figure out about me, then I'm finished...

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

"Yeah, they break after a while".


"ask the man giving you the money." He glances at Tarbreth.


Julian gets 200L in payment.


The man giving the money explains the following: "We want to verify your story, of course. The obvious out for anyone you tell us about is for them to claim that you are lying or up to some other plot."

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

I glance at my hand. I wonder if I'll break after a while. Well, before I die.
"I see."

I wonder if the guards reported a problem.

Well this is an awful lot of money. "Is there somewhere I can store this?" I try to communicate the idea of a bank.

If there isn't or not for this much money, then I guess I'll spend the rest of the day looking for somewhere to hide all this money like I'm a pirate or something.

Re: (IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)
 

The obvious place is somewhere in the vegetation outside of town: the question is how far out of town? or is it best hidden inside of his little cubbyhole?