Don your TIN STAR and Lay Down the Law in the West (Choice of Games CYOA)

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achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

3. Winter is coming!

Get Caraway�s free saddle, autograph book, maintain pistol and reshoe horse, buy home materials if no freebie this time. Don�t buy a special weapon (There�s something I don�t want to lock out).

# ? Nov 5, 2018 10:02

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# ? Jun 10, 2024 04:37

where the red fern gropes: Aug 24, 2011

achtungnight posted:

Don�t buy a special weapon (There�s something I don�t want to lock out).[/b]

i guess i can get behind that but it better be cooler than a meteor hammer

# ? Nov 5, 2018 10:43

Dong Quixote: Oct 3, 2015; Fun Shoe

3. Winters must be rough out here.

Free saddle for Caraway
Pistol maintenance
Reshoe horse
Materials for house
Autograph the book.

# ? Nov 5, 2018 13:55

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

Dong Quixote posted:

Free saddle for Caraway
Pistol maintenance
Reshoe horse
Materials for house
Autograph the book.

# ? Nov 5, 2018 14:48

Deadmeat5150: Nov 21, 2005; OLD MAN YELLS AT CLAN

Avalerion posted:

3. Winters must be rough out here.

Free saddle for Caraway
Pistol maintenance
Reshoe horse
Meteor hammer
Materials for house (assuming our free stock ran out since you didn't mention that)

Autograph the book.

Yes please.

# ? Nov 5, 2018 15:25

CourValant: Feb 25, 2016; Do You Remember Love?

LightWarden posted:

We pretty much can buy anything and everything here if we want, and still have some to a lot left over depending on how many discounts we can talk our way into.

In that case, I vote we buy 'all the things' and ask for 'all the discounts'.

And if there is a story choice that gets us a better melee weapon than the Meteor Hammer, then sure, let's go for that (although, what's better than the meteor hammer?).

# ? Nov 5, 2018 20:21

sebmojo: Oct 23, 2010; Legit Cyberpunk

Not so keen on the metagaming.

# ? Nov 5, 2018 20:23

Regallion: Nov 11, 2012

dreadmojo posted:

Not so keen on the metagaming.

Things i am not keen on: being able to lock yourself out of something without due warning. At least with pets in those games it generally mentions that you can only have one, or it is reasonably implied.
For me, metagaming is fine if it's to get around BS locks. For reference, if you aren't already knowledgeable, look up "how to get zodiac spear in FF12". That kind of bullshit is best countered by metagaming.

# ? Nov 5, 2018 22:10

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

Sounds like they're on to something, so we'd better not take it lightly.

quote:

Winters must be rough out here.

They certainly aren't taking any chances. At least none that you can see. But despite the incessant labor, the townsfolk readily gossip about how you convinced an entire saloon of the guilt of Mister Steele. Though to hear them tell it, none really expected anything less from you.

Soon what happened will be old news though. Marshal Tyler took custody of the prisoner at the county line and those at Carson City will proceed from there.

Preston's latest 'gift' has almost filled your pockets.

(Wealth increased) (+2 Wealth, 9 total)

Skip the window shopping this time around.
Head over to the Saddler.
Step on over to the General Store.
See if Godfrey the gunsmith has gotten anything new in stock.
Purchase some materials for my homestead.
Employ some idle men to work on my land.
Head to the blacksmith.

quote:

Head over to the Saddler.

The saddler's workshop is filled people examining the leather work. Timothy notes your arrival and waves you over after he quickly dispenses with a customer by giving the fellow an earnest promise.

"Good to see you Marshal," Timothy says. "What can I do for you? Need a horse-blanket? They're going quick."

Just start chatting.

quote:
"I done heard about that lady and the balloon. Is it true? Because I gots to wonder what its like, being up so high," Timothy wonders.

(Persuasion very slightly increased) (+1 Persuasion)

"You know, I didn't ask her."

quote:
"Strange that," Timothy says, "or maybe not, considering. I imagine she's got all sorts of stories to tell."

It is hard not to agree with that. You chat a while longer until it is time to move on.

"Probably like being on top of a mountain peak."

quote:
"Maybe. Maybe not. No ground beneath your feet. Just air," Timothy notes. "Scares me something, I tell you. But sometimes I likes a good scare, if'n it ain't followed by worse."

The two of you chat a while longer about the benefits of a good scare until it is time to move on.

"To soar with the eagles would be amazing."

quote:
"You think they'd look at me funny?" Timothy ponders. "I'd be coming into their home and all..."

The graciousness of eagles is a difficult thing to pin down but you chat a while longer until it is time to move on.

"You want me to see if she'd let you up one of these days?"

quote:
"Oh, no, Miss Shen," Timothy says and waves away the notion. "I can't see why she'd allow it. I'm just a saddler wondering about the bird's eye view."

But you can tell he's thinking about it. When at last it is time to move on you catch him staring out the window into the cloud swept sky.

"I'd like to discuss a new saddle for Maria Agustina. Something practical."

"I wonder if you could whip up a special battle saddle for Carrie."

quote:
Timothy motions you over to his work table, "I seen Miss Caraway about and she�she don't ride side-saddle none. So, I expect you'll want something along more regular lines."

The two of you talk over the details and know that soon enough you will have a special saddle for Carrie.

(Wealth slightly decreased) (-2 Wealth) 7 total

"That's all for now, thanks."
"Then you have a great day," Timothy says and clearly means it.

The sky outside is blue with but a swirl of cotton white clouds above distant mountains.

Whoops, misread that, the free saddle is only if you're totally broke (which we can't really do at this point since we have more money than we can spend here), and it turns out that unlike the other romantic partners (Carrie, Dan) you don't actually have to be romancing Maria in order to make a special saddle for her. Oh well, something to consider the next time around.

quote:

Step on over to the General Store.

A Wells-Fargo stagecoach pulls away from the front of the General Store as you approach; the four horses pulling the handsome wagon on down the street and westward toward Carson City.

"Welcome back Marshal," Matthew waves to you from behind the counter as you enter. His affable side-burns are trim and oiled. "Take a careful look about, we might have something new."

"Got a moment to talk?"

quote:
"I can spare a bit while I stock," Matthew tenders over, "especially considering how you handled that Steele fella. He came sniffing around here, you know, asking all sorts of questions. From the tone of them the man deserves every day in jail and then some."

"That's a little harsh."

quote:
"Not really. See, I could tell what he was really asking. 'How much is the place worth?' and 'Do you have any guns in the back?' Them's the things that marshals don't ask. I figure he was looking for me to be the goose at his Christmas supper. Why exactly, I don't know."

Matthew shakes his head as if to clear away unseen cobwebs, "But enough about that. Is there anything I can do you for today?"

"What do you mean?"

quote:
"That man kept giving me an eyeful. Like he was thinking of taking, not buying," Matthew explains, "I seen the same from plenty of people out this way. That's one reason I keep a shotgun under the counter. Thing is, I ain't never seen that from a lawman before."

"I did what I had to do."

quote:
"I know. I'm doubly glad you did it quick. A few more weeks around here and Steele would have had his hooks set in nearly everyone. Why exactly, I don't know," Matthew says and gives himself a little shake, "Well enough about that. Anything I can help you with today?"

"I'd like to look at those chocolates there."

quote:
"Certainly," Matthew says then sweeps over both brown boxes.

The first bears the words 'Cadbury, Bournville, England' and the chocolate inside is a dark sort but well made with a foil wrap beneath heavy paper. The second reads 'Fry, Bristol, London and Sydney': it holds a brick of traditional milk chocolate wrapped in thick wax paper. Sweet stuff and weighty too. Either one could sing upon your tongue.

"Your choice on them. Either one's a winner," Matthew promises with a practiced grin. "The Cadbury keeps well no matter the weather, but Fry is coming out with a chocolate cream bar to match them. Bout time really, everyone wants their chocolate tidy. I expect I'll have the new bars in stock before Christmas of next year."

"I'll take a Cadbury."
"The Fry will do just fine."
"How about a sample of the Cadbury?"

quote:
"Most of the time I'd say no," Matthew considers. "But I expect you'll pass along a sweet word."

He slides a thick bar from the Cadbury box, passes it on over. The foil fairly crinkles in your grip.
"How about a sample of the Fry?"

quote:
"Well, I have had a little breakage," Matthew muses, "and a little whisper of sweet delight around town couldn't hurt."

He removes a broken portions of a chocolate brick from the bottom of the box, wraps the wax paper up tight and passes it over."
"Never mind."

"What's that washboard doing there?"
The wood and iron washboard is quite a sight, what with paint peeling and rust threatening to creep in. It must be years old and yet there isn't a lick of dust on it.

"That there is charity," Matthew says with a sigh. "Settlers rolling through, lost an ox and the rest of their team were getting tired. They wanted to sell what they could so it wouldn't weigh them down. I gave them a fair deal, but all the silver in their pockets won't mean they'll get to Oregon before winter sets in."

quote:

"Does that really say 'The Glorious Rush of the Golden Stagecoach'?"
Matthew coughs into the back of his hand, "Yes, yes it does at that. The book also says, based on actual accounts. However, if you read it, the author allows certain�embellishments."

He's not kidding in the least. A quick page through finds that a stagecoach made entirely out of gold set out through the mountains; this despite the fact that it'd be so heavy it would never move and quite possibly just collapse where it stood. Nonetheless, it apparently set out for San Francisco, made the journey in just six days and quite possibly trampled every bandit and their sons for seven generations to come.

Give it back to Matthew.
Autograph it anyway, then return it.

quote:
"Just remember that people are gonna ask where are your twelve mighty white stallions, eight shot revolvers and that solid gold stetson," Matthew chuckles as he pays out an advance for the premium item.

"And I'll tell them the truth; they're all in my pocket."

quote:
"Good an answer as any," Matthew says with a grin.
"Solid gold Stetson? As in hat?"

quote:
"You're gonna have to have a stiff neck to live up to that one," Matthew notes.
(Notoriety slightly increased, Wealth increased) (+2 Notoriety, +4 Wealth, 11 total)

Buy it. Keep it.

"Be seeing you, Matthew."
You head back on out and let Matthew return to tending his store.

The sky outside is a patchwork of fluffy white clouds and dark blue sky set against the distant mountains.

quote:

See if Godfrey the gunsmith has gotten anything new in stock.

The shop sign in front of Godfrey's has been freshly painted once again and the words 'Everybody needs a gun. Especially those who don't have one' are spelled out clearly. From the constant bustle in and out of his store, business is booming. And with prospectors toting out half barrels of powder that often means literally.

Godfrey looks up from a lead into gold transaction as you enter, "Marshal, be with you in a minute."

"Got a moment to chat?"
"A moment," he indicates as he steps outside and motions for a young man to tend the customers. "There's been so much gravy in my dish that I hired on an assistant. I can't trust him with a lick of powder yet, but he's honest with the till and doesn't talk back."

"Did you happen to talk to Mister Steele while he was around?"

quote:
"You mean, before you arrested him?" Godfrey asks with a hint of a smile.
"Yes, he did come by. Laid on a lot of strange questions. About how much powder I stored, how many rifles I had, things like that. I figured he was just hashing out things if he should need to call up a posse, but now I'm not so certain."
"How are you set for winter?"

quote:
"Fine, just fine. Assuming the mice don't dig in through the walls like they did last year. Little rodents get everywhere, and sometimes they take a shine to gunpowder. Maybe its like roughage for them. I certainly don't know. The only gunpowder cured steak I ever had came right back up," Godfrey says off-handedly, "Say, I hear tell you've adopted a cat. A fluffy orange lay-about?"

"Yes. Goes by the name of Chairman Maow."

quote:
"Bet you don't have a mouse problem. Me, the little bastards have already started trying to burrow in," Godfrey notes. "I'd get a cat myself to keep them away, but they like to rub against things and that's a bad idea where black powder is concerned."

(Persuasion very slightly increased) (+1 Persuasion)
"No."

quote:
"My mistake," Godfrey says with a shrug.",

(Resolve very slightly increased) (+1 Resolve)

"That's my business."

quote:
"That it is. I just... well, never mind," Godfrey says with a shrug.

(Intimidate very slightly increased) (+1 Intimidate)

Technically I could have put this one up to a vote but I'm pretty sure that the thread and Marshal Shen are like all cat people and will gladly talk about their furry residents if given the opportunity.

quote:

"I'd like to buy something."

"Let me take a look at your handguns."
"I'd like you to give my Colt Walker a thorough looking at."
out here, things get wet when you think its dry and rust tries to creep in. And when winter comes, well, the cold does things to the metal that makes me curse."

You watch him get to work. It is a meticulous effort, sparing no component a pondering or sometimes a rub; done more by feel than anything else. By the time he's got it back together, you know this particular weapon inside and out.

(Gunfighting slightly increased, Wealth very slightly decreased) (+2 Gunfighting, -1 Wealth, 10 total)

"I've got a few questions about black powder."
"Well ask away," Godfrey suggests. "I've still got all ten of my fingers, so I expect I'm an expert in these parts."

It doesn't take long to pick up a few pointers but soon enough a customer interrupts. You just know the man has got plenty more wisdom in the black powder arts in reserve, perhaps waiting for a better time.

(Explosives slightly increased) (+2 Explosives)

"I've got to go, Godfrey. Take care now."
"You too, Marshal," Godfrey says as he waves you on out the door.

The sky outside is overcast with just a few hints of blue sky beyond billowing white clouds that tower above the mountain peaks.

quote:

Purchase some materials for my homestead

Good wood is always expensive out here, especially with winter closing in, and you'll need plenty of it for the guest house, extended porch, and maybe a gazebo. Glass and metal framing too.

Fortunately, being the Marshal gives you a little leeway with things. People around town are all too willing to help you out.

(Wealth slightly reduced, Materials obtained) (-2 Wealth, 8 total)

The sky outside is heavy with clouds, especially over the distant mountains where a light rain has begun to fall.

quote:

Head to the blacksmith.

An incessant clank and clatter drift out the door of the black-smithy. A half dozen cats lounge about the opening and bask in the heat.

Inside, Kevin Coolidge hammers upon an iron rod beside a fiery pit of coals. Satisfied, he sets it aside and plucks a fresh one out of the pit, examines the ruddy metal then lays it atop his anvil. No doubt each and every one one of those will go to prop up roofs and walls throughout town.

The man looks up from his work and blinks away a trickle of sweat, "Marshal."

"Got a moment to talk?"
Kevin shakes his head, "Got work."

"I'd like a special weapon made."
"I'd like you to re-shoe my horse."
Kevin gives a nod and has you bring the beast over. "Still strange," he says mostly to himself as he considers your striped Grulla.

It hardly takes him any time at all to ease the old, worn shoes off your Grulla and affix a new set.

(Riding slightly increased, Wealth very slightly decreased) (+2 Riding, -1 Wealth, 7 total)
"Guess I'm done here. Thanks for hearing me out."
"You're welcome," Kevin replies and returns to his labor.

The air outside is thick and heavy. In the distance the mountain peaks are sluiced by a steady rain.

Votes are divided as to whether or not we want the meteor hammer, so I suppose we can put it off one more time and see if there's something else that catches our eye this chapter.

quote:

Employ some idle men to work on my land

Unfortunately the usual saloons and halls are utterly bare of idle hands this time around. Most of the saddle tramps have moved on in advance of winter and those that are left just don't like the looks of the weather.

Skip the window shopping this time around.

quote:

Head out on the town.
Head over to the hotel and visit with Maria.
See if Dan is around.
Rustle up Carrie wherever she may be. [Continue Romance]

Time to catch up with some folks in the next post!

# ? Nov 6, 2018 02:41

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

We'll catch up with Dan first since it's a bit simpler.

quote:

See if Dan is around.

You catch sight of Dan as the Prospector lumbers into the Grand Haven hotel with his saddlebags slung idly over shoulder.

Go in and greet him.

quote:
You find him just inside the lobby, slowly pulling off a dusty boot. He looks up and flashes an honest smile, "Ruolan! What brings you by?"
Wait for him to come back out.

quote:
Dan emerges just a minute later with an almost angry furrow upon his brow as he stumps toward a nearby water trough. He glances over then double takes back with a grin, "Ruolan! I almost didn't see you there."
Peer through a window.

quote:
You look in, find Dan at the front desk talking sweet to Miss MacMurphy.

The part owner of the Grand Haven Hotel, not to mention the Babylon saloon next door, idly shifts the high collar of her sapphire blue dress as she most definitely flirts back at the big Prospector. Indeed, they are of a similar age and have an ease to their conversation that lets them flow like twin streams into one river. It is a bit of a wonder then that Miss MacMurphy even notes you in the window, let alone waves you inside.

"Ruolan!" Dan offers over as you enter. "What brings you by?"

quote:

"I just wanted to see how you were doing."
"Been better. There is a storm coming. I can feel it in my knees," Dan says and shifts where he stands.

"I've got a lineament for that, so I do," Miss MacMurphy tells the Prospector softly.

"It may take the whole bottle this time."

"Storm?"

quote:
"Yep," Dan sighs. "And I dreamed of lions."

"And?"

quote:
"That's twice as bad, now isn't it?" Dan explains. "Like when I dreamed I was in China and had a fox run off with darn near all my grub the next day. Thankfully, it didn't get to the river."

You stare at him. So does Miss MacMurphy.

He clears his throat amid the prolonged silence, "What?"
"A fox? Out here?"
"This was back east a ways. Ten, twenty years ago."
"Its hard to tell when you're kidding."
"Not for me it isn't."

"How many of them?"

quote:
"Three. Two small ones�or at least smaller than the big one in the middle with a mane like spun gold," Dan relates, "not unlike that bodyguard the Mexican princess has got. Wonder if they're related?"

"I have no idea."
"Neither do I."
"Who knows?"
"Yeah. Probably just a coincidence."

"This happen often?"

quote:
"Never before. I mean, I've dreamed of buffalo before hunts and cougars in summer, but never lions and not like this," he explains. "It was thrilling. They were standing there and I swear I could feel the heat rippling off of them."

"Think that meant something?"
"Probably."
"Maybe you will dream of them again."
"Maybe. Wouldn't mind it really."

"You getting old?"

quote:
"Starting to feel that way. All sorts of little twinges telling me to slow down. I don't like that a bit." (-2 Schmidt)

quote:

"They won't let you stay in the hotel?

quote:
"They will, once I brush the mud off. Funny how I came here to do just that; but I got to wash before I can get clean."
"They're sticklers for that."

quote:
"Miss MacMurphy is anyway," Dan notes, "I've fought bears and wolves and once a cougar big as a horse, but I ain't gonna go up against her."
"I don't know that the trough is what they had in mind.

quote:
"Just need to get the dirt off. Then I can go in and wash up proper.

"Hello there Miss MacMurphy."

quote:
"Hello Miss Shen," Miss MacMurphy replies, "Always good to have you stop by, even if you never stay. Are you in to visit Dan here, or will you be needing a table?"

"I'm just here for Dan."

quote:
"I thought so," she offers over and lets the matter rest."
"A table, eventually."

quote:
"It will be ready then," she replies.

"Got time to swap stories?"

quote:
"Absolutely, over dinner?" Dan asks with a hint of hunger.

"That 'eventually' just became now, did it?" Miss MacMurphy asks, "it does that from time to time, so it does."

"Interested in dinner? My treat."

quote:
"Oh, I'd like that. Been living on greens and fish too long. A steak and proper potatoes would be a treat."

(-1 Wealth)

"That 'eventually' just became now, did it?" Miss MacMurphy asks, "it does that from time to time, so it does."

"Well, it was good to see you again. Take care now."

Time for dinner! It doesn't really change much if we pay for both of them or just ourselves, other than costing a bit of extra money if we cover the tab.

quote:

Steak, always steak. With so many cattle about, it is hard not to have one with any meal. Not a thin slice of it either, but a big frazzle sided with fat. Potatoes, mashed or whole, boiled or fried, are heaped atop the meat. A fair pile of red beans in their own red sauce is piled beside. Flat bread is next, just about the only thing not covered in gravy.

The Grand Haven Hotel, being a posh place, also has a bowl with a tumble of greens to round things out. Spinach and lettuce mostly, though this late in the year there is hardly enough for the two of you to share.

"Now this is why I come on in," Dan says dives right in and soon has his hands and mouth full.

"Hungry?"

quote:
"Starving. I been living off jerky and mice these past few days. Mice ain't so bad once you clean them out and skin them up."

He notes, "ask your cat all about that when you can."

1. "I don't speak cat."
2. "Oh, I will. Anyway..."

"Could you use a fork?"

quote:
"Sure could. Why?" Dan asks then catches your glance and sheepishly picks the utensil up. "I... don't eat much in hotels much."

3. "You must have stayed in a few over the years."
4. "Why not?"

Eat right alongside him.

quote:
It takes some doing because his pace is a voracious one, but soon enough the plates are mostly cleared.

"That's a good meal, and I ain't talking about the gravy Dan says as he leans back with a sigh. "Just being here, out in front of everything and taking our time. That's the best part of towns like these. Go where you please, but stay if you like. Wolves and bears are fine, but being away from this sort of meal is just unbearable."

5. "I bet."
6. "Was that a pun? That sounded dangerously like a pun."

What's tonight's dinner conversation going to be?

Afterwards Ruolan Shen is going to see Carrie, and the two of them can either go down to Elko to catch a play or stay in town and sift gunpowder?

Lastly, since it's election season here in the US, how about one more interesting vote? This chapter is the last call for romances- anything not started here will not be seen in this playthrough. Last time around Carrie was the strong favorite but there were enough votes for the rest that I'd have no problem showing off one other person if you want. No one voted for Dan Schmidt last time so I'm cutting him from the options, leaving the choice of Maria, Preston or Yiska (or no one else, of course).

LightWarden fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Nov 6, 2018

# ? Nov 6, 2018 02:41

wedgekree: Feb 20, 2013

Looking for Maria as the secondary person to go after. SHe seems to be the most interesting person other than the ever awesome Carrie. So if you could show off her 'path' as well would enjoy seeing it.

And then abstain on whether to Rustle up Carrie or Go to Marie

Unless we can do both of course.

# ? Nov 6, 2018 05:41

Dong Quixote: Oct 3, 2015; Fun Shoe

2. Talk to our cat

Sift gunpowder with Carrie

Also voting to be a one girl kinda woman for now

# ? Nov 6, 2018 05:55

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Dong Quixote posted:

2. Talk to our cat

Sift gunpowder with Carrie

Also voting to be a one girl kinda woman for now

One girl yes, but also Romance Yiska.

Thanks for putting up with the meta gaming. If we somehow miss what I�m after I�m ok with us getting a meteor hammer next opportunity. Also want to note that this game has an actual economy in effect. I think at this point shops can actually close if the town isn�t doing well (stage got robbed, river still dammed). Do a bad job and shopkeepers may actually leave the frontier. But we�re doing a good job thus far.

\/\/ Black Bart says �Draw.�

achtungnight fucked around with this message at 12:40 on Nov 6, 2018

# ? Nov 6, 2018 06:39

sebmojo: Oct 23, 2010; Legit Cyberpunk

After this I would love a Black Bart, kill/rob everyone run, just to see how different it is.

# ? Nov 6, 2018 06:43

Dong Quixote: Oct 3, 2015; Fun Shoe

dreadmojo posted:

After this I would love a Black Bart, kill/rob everyone run, just to see how different it is.

# ? Nov 6, 2018 06:50

Regallion: Nov 11, 2012

dreadmojo posted:

After this I would love a Black Bart, kill/rob everyone run, just to see how different it is.

Yep, a No mercy run would be very nice to see.

# ? Nov 6, 2018 07:57

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Dong Quixote posted:

2. Talk to our cat

Sift gunpowder with Carrie

Also voting to be a one girl kinda woman for now

This, though I'm not sure what "sift" means I think Carraway's more into guns than plays.

# ? Nov 6, 2018 09:10

sebmojo: Oct 23, 2010; Legit Cyberpunk

Avalerion posted:

This, though I'm not sure what "sift" means I think Carraway's more into guns than plays.

a sieve to sift gunpowder

# ? Nov 6, 2018 09:37

CourValant: Feb 25, 2016; Do You Remember Love?

LightWarden posted:

What's tonight's dinner conversation going to be?

Vote:

2. "Oh, I will. Anyway..."

3. "You must have stayed in a few over the years."

6. "Was that a pun? That sounded dangerously like a pun."

LightWarden posted:

Afterwards Ruolan Shen is going to see Carrie, and the two of them can either go down to Elko to catch a play or stay in town and sift gunpowder?

Vote: Elko

Let�s go have an actual date.

LightWarden posted:

. . . leaving the choice of Maria, Preston or Yiska (or no one else, of course).

Vote: I�d like to see the Maria track as well then.

# ? Nov 6, 2018 21:50

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

quote:

"Oh, I will. Anyway..."

"I'm listening," Dan says but doesn't stop eating.

(Persuasion slightly increased) (+2 Persuasion)

"I'd like to know more about panning for gold."
"Oh, that's easy enough. Its all about thinking like gold," he explains. "Gold is about as heavy as things get; ounce for ounce. That means it is always going to try and get on the bottom of things. That is what you look for out by the river, where things would come to rest over thousands of years. Try a pan, give a couple of tests and if there is a bit of golden sparkles, then have at it until you can't feel your hands anymore. Sometimes you can use a little gunpowder to blast open rocks and get at the gold that's pooled beneath, but that can be a real problem if�"

He talks and talks a long while about how to prospect in and around rivers and streams from Mexico to the Yukon.

(Survival increased, Explosives slightly increased) (+5 Survival, +2 Explosives)

"You must have had a very strange family."
"Weren't strange at all. Not to me," he says. "They were family. We moved around a lot, I pieced it together only after we got run out of town for selling cure-alls and the like. My father was a charlatan, selling snake oil cures to the gullible. My mother, well, she helped. All of us kids did. I might be doing that right now in some eastern town except that they came for us this one time with torches and tar, pursued us a long while. I fell out of the wagon during the night and fled into the wild."

He takes a deep breath, "Looking back, that might've been the best thing that ever happened to me. I mean, it helped make me the man I am today and I can't and won't take it back. But enough about all that." (+5 Schmidt)

"I been thinking about the two of us.�" [Start Romance]

"Dinner was good, but I got to go."

quote:
"Don't be a stranger," Dan says as he stands to shake your hand.

"I'm going to cover dinner."

quote:
"You don't have to do that... though I do appreciate the gesture," Dan says and stands to shake your hand. "Don't be a stranger now." (+6 Schmidt)

"Hope you enjoyed the dinner, but I have got to go."

quote:
"Don't be a stranger now," Dan says and stands to firmly shake your hand. (+3 Schmidt)

quote:

Rustle up Carrie wherever she may be. [Continue Romance]

You catch sight of Carrie as she exits Godfrey's busy store. A quarter barrel of powder is cradled under one arm while the other totes a satchel that rattles with shot.

She catches sight of you and raises the satchel up a little, "Ruolan, you're just in time!"

"You have your hands full there."

quote:
"Don't I always?" she grins, "and speaking of that..."
"Is there something going on I should know about?"

quote:
"Nope, this is all for me. At least, it will be soon once I get it sifted," she notes and glances over at you. "Speaking of that�"

She passes you the satchel then hefts the quarter barrel atop a shoulder. "They got new players at Elko and I want to see a show. You up for riding down?"

"How could I say no?"

quote:
"You couldn't, but I figured I'd be polite," Carrie says and tilts her head toward a nearby barn. "Let's stow these and get our horses. I'm in a theater mood."

Before the hour is gone, the two of you are off.
"If this is what you want�"

quote:
"I think I said as much. Try and keep up," she says then heads for a nearby barn to stow her powder."

Before the hour is gone, she leads the way south toward Elko.
"I'd rather stay around town."

quote:
"Well, I'd rather go to Elko. So, what is it going to be?"
"Fine. We'll go."
"I'll go, and you'll follow. That's what it sounds like," Carrie says then heads off toward a nearby barn to stow the powder.

Without delay she saddles up then heads out and leaves you hurrying to catch up.
"I'm staying here."
"Dang it. Why can't I say no to you," Carrie sighs then nods towards the nearby barn. "Let's sift powder then."

In hindsight I probably should have made this clearer that this was Carrie's idea, since I suspect it switches things around somewhat. I'll just show off both then, starting with the gunpowder

quote:

Up in the loft she opens the quarter barrel with a slow but steady pry of the lid. At last the wax seal gives out and the solid wood covering comes free.

"Don't ever use an iron bar when you do this," she warns lightly, "because one spark is all it takes."

(Explosives increased) (+4 Explosives)

"You have a healthy respect for black powder.

quote:
"Course I do. I want to keep all my fingers," she says and gently sets aside the top. "Now, let that sit. The powder sometimes works itself into the wood. It shouldn't have, because I bought it full price, but no sense risking when there ain't no pay out."
"Now I know why Godfrey keeps it sealed away from everything else."

quote:
"Yep. He's a careful man who still got all his fingers," she says and gently sets aside the top. "Now, mind the top. The powder shouldn't have had the chance to work itself into the wood, especially not with what Godfrey charged me, but I don't want to take chances for nothing."
"Do you do this often?"

quote:
"I go through a lot of powder, so yeah, often enough," she says and gently sets aside the top. "Mind that there; the powder sometimes works its way into the wood. Shouldn't have, not with what Godfrey's charging me, but there ain't no reason to shirk a finger when it don't get you nothing."
"Can I help?"

quote:
"Not yet. Best if there's only one set of hands to it right now," she explains and gently sets aside the top. "There's that old adage of too many cooks spoiling the stew? Well, too many hands will ruin a lot more than that.

"How much did this set you back?"
"Not much. Just a little friendly poker over at the Babylon. Someone assumed I was drunk when actually I'd just been drinking."

"That smell...",
"Charcoal, sulfur and lots of nitre. Ain't nothing like it in the world to get the blood rushing," she says then inhales the aroma. "My grandpa, when he was around, would start every day with a sniff. Said it made him feel years younger. Guess its in the blood."

"What are you planning on using this for?"
"Well, I ain't gonna spill it all in one place," she promises. "This here's a winter's worth of practice and such. Maybe a little play too. Hard to say right now what'll come my way."

"You look happy."
"Guess I am," she says then looks up into your eyes. "I got lots of reasons to be over the moon." (+5 Caraway)

She swiftly sets to work with a cup and mesh screen then works her way toward the bottom with a steady ease as she picks out the smallest grains.

"See these? They're black lead. Won't burn a lick. But with them in, the powder won't get wet or moldy so quick. Either way, it burns slow. Throws off your timing and aim. But the fine grains I can fix up tidy. That's what makes Godfrey's the best. Now, its time to fill the cartridges and then we can seal it back up," she indicates then glances over to you. "This is where you can help."

"Of course."

quote:
So, when I ask, pass me a cartridge with the end open and right side up so there's no fuss getting the powder in.
"I'll do what I can."

quote:
"All you need to do is pass me the paper cartridges. Make sure they're open when I get them. My hands will be peppered with powder and that can get in the way of a good grip," she notes as she prepares a sieve."
"I'd rather watch you work."

quote:
"Course you would," she says with a sigh. "That's the way most people are. Watch and talk; but don't dare do." (-2 Caraway)

Carrie sets to work; methodically fills each paper cartridge up then inspects it sideways to see whether it has reached one of several lines. As need be she adds or removes the sifted powder. When done, she seals up the waxy end and stows it in a little box with holes for forty rounds.

When the meticulous work is done she seals the quarter barrel back up and then laboriously washes her hands, "Shot's up next. Anything that's the wrong shape won't travel right and I don't need my scatter gun to scatter even more.

She opens up the satchel and paws through the little lead pellets then begins to roll the little spheres between her fingertips; searching for imperfections.

Playfully toss a bit of bad shot her way 'accidentally'.

quote:
The first oblong pellet you toss rolls off her jacket. She looks up from her work, a little confused. Then the second pellet hits and she breaks into a grin. Before you know it, a full scale war is on and ends only with you both on the boards, laughing near to tears.

The rest of the work just doesn't get done until later. A lot later.

Hum a tune while we work.

quote:
Before long Carrie joins in and it become a duet. The work passes by quickly and when everything is done she gives over a sigh of regret, "I almost want to sort them again."

She moves in close and presses against you, "Almost."

Dinner has to wait a while. A long while.

Dive right into things.

quote:
Before you know it the work is done and the two of you are headed out to the target range. She fires off a few rounds of the new cartridges and tin cans go flying each time.

"That'll do. Dinner?" she asks and just like that the evening plays out until the two of you are keeping back the chill of the night together. All night.

Let my hand brush hers while reaching for the shot.

quote:
The first brush is casual. The second draws her gaze and the third has her toss the satchel aside.

"This can wait," she says then all but tackles you. It is hard to remember exactly what happened afterward. But it is also impossible to forget.

And here's the theater.

quote:

Before the hour is gone, the two of you are off.

Elko's muddy streets are packed. From the outskirts of the grazing fields to the door of the telegraph shack, people from all over the county brush elbows. Well heeled townsfolk, rough leather cowboys, tidy line workers, and a smattering of quiet white-shirted farmers all headed towards the theater. There are even a Shoshone and a pair of Chinese to be seen at the edges of things.

The crowd swiftly gathers round the theater stage. Instead of it being held in a rickety scrap structure that moans with every gust of wind, someone has crafted a sturdy overhang beneath which drop cloths painted with foreign lands and a swarm of stage lights await the coming of dusk.

"We'll be lucky to see more than one show," Carrie sighs as she pulls you straight toward the stage. "Come on, I want a good seat."

You take your seats and settle in. Moments later a young man clad in a tartan of Scottish design steps to the fore, "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the tragedy of Macbeth."

"I ain't heard about this one," Carrie whispers over. Her eyes are fixed wholly upon the stage. "Hope there's a little blood in it."

A boom of thunder crashes off stage and the curtain goes up on a dreary moor where three witches stride. The future is in the balance and their phrases are cryptic but the name 'Macbeth' stands out chief of all.

King Duncan is putting down a rebellion and Macbeth, along with Banquo, hunt for the rebels amid a fetid marsh. There the three witches appear and deliver their prophecy. That Macbeth shall be thane of Cawdor and then King thereafter. Banquo shall be greater; for he shall sire Kings and yet not be one.

Macbeth and Banquo dismiss the witches from their sight just as a courier arrives with word of greater successes. This is due in no small part to the efforts of the two men. To Macbeth is extended word that he has justly earned the title of thane of Cawdor, just as the witches predicted. This startles Macbeth into strange and dangerous thoughts that he retreats from only with a noticeable effort.

"Whatever he's thinking, it ain't good," Carrie notes softly as she leans against you in the dark.

But Macbeth can't stop thinking about it. About being King.

King Duncan chooses to visit Glamis castle which Macbeth calls home. Lady Macbeth, upon hearing of the prophecy, realizes a method for her husband to achieve it and quickly for the King shall sleep beneath their roof. Hectored, Macbeth succumbs to his wife's taunts and arranges to do the deed. Lady Macbeth would have plunged the sword herself but that the King looked like her father when asleep. Macbeth, for all his qualms, delivers the stroke himself.

Carrie hisses when the deed is done and hers is not the only voice to be heard.

The two contrive to deflect the suspicion of murder and succeed, except for Banquo who well knew the prophecy. He suspects but can not prove the murder. Macbeth realizes this and arranges for the death of his good friend Banquo.

Macbeth escapes blame and becomes King. And were it not for the ghost of Banquo appearing to sit in his place at a feast, he would have ruled on and on.

Lady Macbeth does not escape a guilty conscience either but sleep-walks her way through that terrible night of murder, washing her hands over and over to try and remove the blood that only she can see.

More murders follow, but eventually the thanes take to the field against Macbeth but the murdering king receives one more visit by the witches who tell him plain that he can not be killed by one born of woman.

Thinking himself invincible, Macbeth wages war and corners the last leader of the rebellion; MacDuff. Taunting the man, he reveals the witches words. MacDuff replies, 'MacDuff was from his mother's womb untimely ripped'. Macbeth, realizing his doom, battles on but falters in the end and is slain.

That sad affair ended, MacDuff and the other thanes greet Malcolm, son of Banquo, as the rightful King of Scotland.

The ovation is near to deafening.

"That's the way of it," Carrie calls out between whoops of admiration. "Find the villain and slay him right."

(Intimidate and Persuasion increased) (+5 Intimidate, +5 Persuasion)

"We should do this again."

quote:
"I'd go twice," Carrie says on the way out. "That Macbeth fellow was a pleasure to hate."
"Glad that's over."

quote:
"How can you say that?" Carrie says on the way out. "That Macbeth fellow was a pleasure to hate."
Escort them out.

quote:
"I loved it," Carrie says on the way out. "That Macbeth fellow was a pleasure to hate."

The streets of Elko are a lively place even in the late hours. Under lamp and torch the theater-goers begin to mingle with the townsfolk to talk and consort. Musicians forsake the safety of the saloons and step out to pluck their strings. A few people start to dance and soon enough a carnival-like atmosphere prevails.

"Now this, this is why I came down," Carrie says as she draws you into the midst of things.

The rest of the evening racks up quite a debt for the morning to settle.

And with that, we're over to Maria.

# ? Nov 7, 2018 07:14

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

quote:

Head over to the hotel and visit with Maria.

It isn't hard to find Maria. There are not many women to be found in Preston Springs. There are not any such as her. Furthermore, the Grand Haven Hotel has but one sitting room; a simple affair with three rough chairs and a simple table that she nonetheless occupies as though it were a parlor gilded with gold. Her dress is a shade of jade green woven with silver thread from hem to high neck. A pair of white silk gloves are tucked behind a brocade belt fit with a matching buckle. A wave of dark hair has been braided to a loose coil and topped by an emerald eyed comb.

The tome before her is bound by soft leather; the Holy Bible. From what you can see the words are all in a meticulously hand-written Latin.

She looks up and offers over a small smile, "Ah, Marshal Shen. How good of you to stop by."

"How are you today?"

quote:
"Well enough, I think. Breakfast proved tolerable, though I admit I am not accustomed to frontier fare. Yourself?"

"Excellent."

quote:
"Maravilloso," she remarks and motions to the chair beside her. "Let us hope that this continues for the both of us."
"Well enough, though I think my breakfast proved no better than yours."

quote:
"I would think you were more accustomed to the frontier," she remarks and motions to the chair beside her. "Or perhaps you were not speaking of breakfast?"
"Nothing hurts too badly."

quote:
"You have injured yourself?" she asks and motions to the chair beside her. "That is distressing, though perhaps unavoidable given your profession."
"I didn't sleep well at all."

quote:
"That is distressing to hear," she remarks and motions to the chair beside her. "Sleep is a gift from God, for where else can we dream?"

"May I ask what you are reading?"

quote:
"The Bible, of course. Specifically the writings of Luke; they tie the Old Testament to the New, much as I seek to do with my former life," she explains and gently closes the Bible with a hint of regret.

"Everything has changed for you�"

quote:
"Yes. From toe to brow, I am a changed woman," she admits, "and I can not say that I like where I am headed." (+2 Maria)
"And you can't leave your old life behind."

quote:
"No, no I can not. None can. Indeed, I shall always remember fondly the quiet and contemplative days in which I could pray with all my heart," she says distantly.
"Yeah, that sounds like something you should do."

quote:
"Indeed," she notes. (-2 Maria)
"So, anyway�"

quote:
She stares at you for a long moment that swiftly becomes uncomfortable one. (-5 Maria)

"What language is that in?"
"Latin, of course. Admittedly, the best way to read the New Testament is in Greek or the or Aramaic, but my father would not allow me to take any heirlooms with me. For good reason I suppose."

"Do you have any other books with you?"
"Only my usual traveling companions. The Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid," she says. "My personal triumvirate as it were."

"The Iliad?"

quote:
"Yes, Homer's epic poem of the ten year siege of the city of Troy. It begins with an act of love and betrayal, leads to a gathering of warriors that gives way to battles, duels, love affairs and terrible prophecies of doom. Especially for Achilles. To read it is to walk amongst the heroes of the golden age, feel as they did as they gathered glory and sorrow."

"I think you like it."

quote:
"I think you are right," she flashes a little smile. (+2 Maria)
"Is it a long poem?"

quote:
"It is a book unto itself," she indicates, "and well worth the reading."
"Why is it called the Iliad and not the Siege of Troy?"

quote:
"Because in the original Greek, the city of Troy is named Ilion. Scholars kept the original title even though they translated everything else," she explains.

"The Odyssey?"

quote:
"The very long voyage of Odysseus, hero of the Trojan war. He is striving to return to his wife Penelope after a separation of ten years, but the gods of Greece have other plans, for he has upset them so. Great struggles ensue and perils must be faced, until ten more years later, he again returns to the arms of his wife�after he slays a great many presumptuous suitors," she says almost fondly. "A thing to which we can all relate."

"It seems like an enjoyable read."

quote:
"Indeed it is. Best in little gulps though. Too much and it becomes a struggle to pick back up," she explains.
"Your favorite?"

quote:
"By far. Everyone should read it. The story stands at the start of a grand tradition of story telling," she says fondly.
"Is this the one where that sorceress turns a whole bunch of men into animals?"

quote:
"No, you are thinking of the Argonautica. The quest of Jason for the Golden Fleece," she says. "I only ever read that once. Father forbade it because of the character of Medea who�well, the details are not important." +2 Maria)

"The Aeneid?"

quote:
"The writer Virgil put an epic poem together to give a more firm grounding to the founding of Rome. It details the plight of Aeneas, his family and other survivors who fled the sack of Troy; the same besieged city from the Iliad," she says. "It is the grand tale of a people looking for a home, their struggles to do so and the price they pay along the way to eventually found Rome. Well worth the read. Anyone who is literate can tell you as much, even though the work itself is unfinished."

"I shall have to read it someday."

quote:
"Yes indeed," she replies with a firm delight. (+2 Maria)
"I can see you enjoy it."

quote:
"I do, though I admit some of the scenes concerning the Queen of Carthage, Dido, makes me a bit queasy. She... well, you really should read it if you wish to understand."
"Didn't Rome have Romulus and Remus as founders?"

quote:
"Yes, but that was not enough. You see, the Greeks would laugh at the Romans and say, 'Such a backward people, with she-wolves suckling their human children' and so forth. This despite the fact that Greece was held as a Roman Province. So, Augustus, my namesake as it were, utilized this work to change that."

"Wait, the Aeneid is a lie?"
"A glorious one that the Romans wished to believe," she indicates, "and who are we to say it is not true? Much of Rome's history is shrouded in mystery." (+2 Maria)
"Seems like Augustus got what he wanted."
"That he did."
"Virgil died before completing it?"

quote:
"Sadly, yes. He caught a fever in Megara and died shortly after sailing to Italy to revise the Aeneid. This all followed a meeting in Greece with Augustus. It was said that Virgil requested of his friends that they burn his manuscript of the Aeneid. Apparently he believed it to be unfinished and furthermore that there were parts in book eight that were... indelicate and immoral. Thankfully, his friends refused," she says. "That proved to be an especially good thing for them as Augustus himself forbade that very thing and later decreed that the work be published with as few changes as possible."

"Will you be staying here through the winter?"

quote:
"I believe so," she admits and folds her hands in her lap. "The hermitage site has only just begun. But come spring, I may need to leave altogether. You see, there are a number of churches I should like to visit. Small, modest beacons of faith in these wild lands. Perhaps afterward, things will have resolved themselves back in Mexico."

"You long to return home?"

quote:
"It is a small thing to wait and be patient," she says, "and yet I do have so many other endeavors I should like to attempt rather than remain here."
"You have your husband's lands to look after."

quote:
"I do, in fact, have exactly that," she says then glances out the window. "They need a steady hand there. All of Jalisco does. Certainly I know I would be a good steward." (+5 Maria)
"It is warmer there, that is for certain."

quote:
"Climate does not concern me," she says simply, "the well being of the people there does." (-2 Maria)

"Can I ask you something personal?" [Start Romance]
"Would you be interested in a game of chess?"
"Well, I must go. It was great to speak with you."

Maria still has the second-strongest showing, so let's see what the runner up looks like...

quote:

"Can I ask you something personal?" [Start Romance]

She looks to you and subtly leans forward, "Something personal? What do you think we have been�"

A steady staccato of thumps sounds out down the stairs and into the hall beside the sitting room. A moment later Carlos swaggers in. If the man has slept a full night since his arrival he certainly seems reluctant to show it, "Maria? What does the Marshal want?"

"A game of chess," Maria replies without pause then gestures toward a checkered board tucked into the corner. "We were just about to play."

Carlos settles in by the window and peers out through the frosted glass at the dusty town, "Don't let me delay you."

Maria turns back to you then gestures to the set in the corner, "Shall we?"

The chess board proves to be a simple affair; a single panel of oak painted with black squares to form the board. The pieces are carved of local granite from the mountains and done to such intricate detail that you can see the features of the horses and sharp tips of the royal crowns.

"Do you know the game of chess?" Maria asks as she takes up two pawns, one white and the other black. She then curls her fingers about each to hide their color.

Carlos continues to stare out the window and seems oblivious to anything else.

"I know all about chess. Its my favorite board game."
"I think I know how to play."

quote:
"Are you not acquainted with the storied roots of the tree of strategy?" she asks. "Chess has a long history that began in India..."
"Tell me more"
"Remind me how to play."
"Let's just play."
"I know next to nothing about chess."

We're just going to choose the option that gives all the discussion.

quote:

"Remind me how to play."

"The checker board is our battlefield. Two rows of pieces stand arrayed against one another. White moves one of their pieces first, then black moves one of their pieces after. When one piece moves atop another, it captures it, sets it aside and ends its turn; its turn also ends once its movement is complete. Pawns move one square straight forward, capture pieces on the first diagonal. Rooks may move any number of squares straight forward, back or to the sides. Bishops move diagonally a likewise without limit save only for the edge of the board.

"Knights move either two squares up or down and one to the side or two to the side and then one up or down, forming an 'L' shape. Queens may move as either a rook or bishop. Kings move only one square, but can do so in any direction.

"The goal is to maneuver the King into a position where, no matter what it does, it will be captured come the next turn. When the King is imperiled directly by any piece, the opposing player announces 'check', and the other player must either move his King out of peril or move another piece to block. If this is impossible, then the king is dead; 'check-mate'."

She swiftly sets up the board and demonstrates how the pieces move as well as the concept of castling and capture-in-passing. The game seems easy enough or at least the basics do.

"One last thing," she adds, "if a pawn makes it all the way to the opponents end of the board, it may be replaced by a previously captured piece of the same color. Would you like to hear why that is?"

quote:

"I would"

"So, where exactly did chess come from?"
"Northwestern India. The Guptas, I believe, had an empire in the sixth century BC and a game they called chaturanga; meaning literally the 'four divisions'," she raises a hand to tick them off with a sweep of fingers. "Infantry, elephants, cavalry and chariots. The game migrated, as games do I suppose, to Persia, to Greece, to Spain and so on. It has changed somewhat over the centuries, but the essence of the game remains."

"What do the pawns represent?"
"Pawns may be seen as footmen. They have little to offer on the field, being slow and limited in how they capture, but they make excellent blocks to defend other pieces and if they can reach the end of the board, they may gain a title that will allow them to become ever so much more. Even a queen, if they can manage the feat and there is a need.\"",

"What of the rooks?"
"Rooks were once called elephants, which is why they rampage in straight lines. Now, however, they are castles of stout stone that project force where it needs to go. The right castle at the right place can stymie a foe's entire plans."

"The bishops are..."
"Clergy. That is why they are able to slide between gaps that other pieces could not exploit. We are all God's children, and an appeal to that is something that is difficult to deny.\"",

"Why can't the king be attacked directly?"
"Because a King must either have another means to turn such a thing aside or else surrender," she explains, "Certainly each piece has a method to better inconvenience the enemy than the sovereign. Thus the goal of chess is to maneuver a King into capitulation, without regicide being required. After all, most Kings are in fact related, even if only distantly, and it would never do to have a cousin killed. Also, it would be a poor precedent for the victorious King."

"What of the knight? Why do they move so strangely?"
"That us because a minor noble can often leap over difficulties in war that would cause others to stumble. History is replete with those who, by dint of bravery and cunning, have managed great things for their sovereign."

"Tell me of the Queen. Why is that piece so powerful?"
"Because there were a number of powerful queens starting in or about the tenth century. Previously the piece had been called the vizier and could move only one square in any direction," she gives over the tiniest of smiles, "but some women exceeded the bounds of what is thought possible and for this the piece was given the movement of both bishops and rooks. Naturally, I approve."

quote:

Choose her left hand.
Choose her right hand.

It flips a coin to figure out which hand she's putting the white pawn in and if you pick it, you play white and thus go first. It has no actual effect on the game itself though.

quote:

The white pawn is revealed. "You move first," Maria indicates and the game begins shortly thereafter.

Castle my king to a better position as quickly as I can.
Move my pawns up to create a interwoven front.
Hop my knights out to seize control of the center.
Slide the bishops free and pick off a few pieces.
Play conservative, wait for Maria to reveal her strategy.

So, chess. For what amounts to a random interlude in the middle of a chapter of a western CYOA this thing is rather complicated. Essentially you make your opening play, then she randomly picks a strategy to counter it, which determines things like the relative state of the board and the pieces of each player, and both your and her offensiveness and defensiveness. The game effectively ends when one of you either controls enough of the board or has the most pieces in play, represented by a sliding scale that the game updates on you each "phase". Pressing buttons at random will likely end in a defeat. Maria's aggressiveness in the game determines how she responds to your plays, and that can shift from round to round so even if you're looking at the code she can still body you pretty hard.

For my first trick, I'm just going to randomly mash buttons.

quote:

Hop my knights out to seize control of the center.

She responds by establishing a interwoven defense of pawns behind which she marshals her other pieces.

As the middle game begins, Maria has settled several pieces in the center of the board that are making things difficult for you. You have managed to trade a pawn for one of Maria's more valuable pieces.

Try and swap the capture of pieces in my favor.
Attempt to dominate the center.
Play conservatively.
Be aggressive in moving to her side of the board.
Protect my King.

quote:

Play conservatively.

Maria continues to methodically attempt to dominate the center.

As the middle game begins, Maria has settled several pieces in the center of the board that are making things difficult for you. You have managed to trade a pawn for one of Maria's more valuable pieces.

Try and swap the capture of pieces in my favor.
Attempt to dominate the center.
Play conservatively.
Be aggressive in moving to her side of the board.
Protect my King.

quote:

Maria responds with a sortie of knights and bishops. The end-game has arrived and there is time for one last gambit. Maria's pieces dominate the center of the board and that requires you to flirt about the edges. You have managed to trade a pawn for one of Maria's more valuable pieces.

Press her king toward a corner.
Swap queens and see what pieces are left standing.
Wait for her to commit to a strategy.
Keep my king safe.
Maintain my defenses.

quote:

Wait for her to commit to a strategy.

Maria captures your queen in a stunning reversal.

"Mate in twelve," she pronounces and soon proves herself right. "Shall we play again?"

"Yes, another game."
Reset the board.
"I think that is enough for one evening."
Shake my head.

Fortunately we can play again up to two more times. I manage to only draw even when I'm using the script as a guide. While I can tell what Maria is going to do based on her level of aggression, I can't actually tell what that level is ahead of time, since it's a range between her state last round (which I can tell by her response) then the game randomly either shifts it up a level, down a level or lets it stay the same.

quote:

"A draw," she pronounces as the two of you find yourselves down to kings and a scatter of blocked pawns. "Your defensive play prevented me from winning. A pity there is not time for another game."

(Resolve increased, Stamina very slightly increased, Legal Understanding very slightly increased) (+4 Resolve, +1 Stamina, +1 Legal)

Carlos stirs from his window, "Coffee, I think, and perhaps something a little stronger."

When he is gone Maria glances to her bodyguard, "Eduardo?"

The big blond fellow gives a little nod then steps just outside the door and softly shuts it behind him.

"I get the feeling there is something you want to tell me."

quote:
"Indeed I do," she says softly and lays her hand atop your own.
"Look at the time.�"

quote:
You stand and she draws you right back down with a firm pull of her hand.
Take her hand.

quote:
She allows you that and blushes ever so slightly as fingers touch.
Move in for a kiss.

quote:
She halts you with the heel of a hand, "No, not yet..."

Then she lets her fingers fall upon your chest then taps out an idle rhythm.

You get an influence boost for winning, but then that's it for the game. Good news is you get more stat boosts the more games of chess you play with her, up to the amount we got.

quote:

Her skin is smooth, almost silken as it glides across your own. Her breath catches in her throat as she gazes into your eyes.

1. It is as though spring has come early, for I swear I can hear birds singing.
2. The whole world narrows until it is only her.
3. I can feel her pulse as I can feel my own, and we are both in tune.
4. My heart is burning and I love it so.

# ? Nov 7, 2018 07:21

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

1. Why do birds suddenly appear... Btw, my door bell is broken and I need to call senor ding dong.

# ? Nov 7, 2018 07:30

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

# ? Nov 7, 2018 09:48

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

Tie so time to randomly pick between the two votes. Winter's coming, so let's turn up the heat.

quote:

My heart is burning and I love it so.

"I can feel it," she murmurs, "the passion that I have long denied. The fire I thought quenched is stoked once more."

The moment lasts for a slice of forever before she draws a deep and shuddering breath.

"You must understand, there are troubles involved with this," Maria explains. "Limitations and exclusions. Eduardo is a good bodyguard, but I chose him because he is discrete and utterly loyal to me. Carlos, my uncle, will not be so obliging. I can not be seen with you except as expectations demand. Rumors spread, you understand, and I can not dishonor my family by appearing imprudent."

Nod.

quote:
"I am glad you understand. Already there are lies about me, but the tiniest grain of truth could well convince some who would otherwise never doubt my virtue." (+2 Maria)
"Will not your enemies spread lies anyway?"

quote:
"Sadly true. They call me 'the Virgin Bride' as they try and strip away what my husband left to me, but they will call me far worse if they learn of us. And if there are details, if people talk, then those lies may well be seen as the truth."
"This is going to be difficult."

quote:
"You have no idea." (+4 Maria)

A soft cough from the hall. Maria eases back then taps the table twice in rapid succession before she sets about putting away the chess board. Eduardo reappears and slides back into the place he formerly occupied.

Moments later the distinctive footfalls of Maria's uncle sounds out in the hall and echoes in through the now open door. Maria herself flashes you a tight smile and you know this is the last you will be able to see of her for some while.

quote:

Head out on the town

The air is thick and heavy. In the distance the mountain peaks are sluiced by a steady rain.

Later in the day a soft knock on your office door draws your attention. A tall and trim lady, dark of hair and eye, leans in but does not enter; as if the threshold held a razor's edge, "Pardon the intrusion, but I am looking for the Marshal."

"Right here."

quote:
Her gaze locks upon your own and something like a smile curls her lips, "How interesting. A celestial as law enforcer."
"Why?"

quote:
"My reasons are my own and shall remain so until I deem otherwise," she says simply. "I think... yes, I think you are in fact the Marshal."
"Is there something I can help you with?"

quote:
"Perhaps," she says. "I think, yes, I think you are in fact the Marshal."
Stare at her.

quote:
"Ah, I appear to have found the Marshal after all," she notes.

There is a long pause as if she were gathering in an impossibly deep breath. Those dark eyes roam about your magnificent office; every item is weighed, everything marked.

Her blouse is pressed and white with a lacy collar that ably matches that which droops at her cuffs. A small ruby lies inset upon a ribbon of black silk wrapped lightly about her throat. A brimmed bonnet of a similar fabric rests absently in her hand. A harsh and stinging scent, not unlike spoiled vinegar, wafts in along with her and clings to her clothes.

"So, do you like what you see?"

quote:
"Indeed," the stranger notes almost absently then blinks in surprise. "Oh, how rude I have been. Call me Julie, Julie Moore. And you are?"
"I have to say, I ain't liking you much."

quote:
"Oh, that must be because I am being rude," she replies. "Please, call me Julie. Julie Moore. And you are?"
Just stare at her.

quote:
"Oh, I am being rude, aren't I?" she notes. "Please, call me Julie. Julie Moore. And you are?"
"What is that smell?"

quote:
"Formaldehyde. A bottle broke amongst the bags," she notes with a strange cheerfulness. "After a little while it was like having everyone sip at a rainbow; if they could see that far through blurry eyes. Oh, forgive me. I am Julie. Julie Moore. And you are?"

quote:

"Annoyed."

quote:
"Always an occupational hazard," Julie notes. "I too have had my share of those, though my customers rarely complain."
"Ruolan Shen."

quote:
"A pleasure," Julie replies. "I think, yes, I shall forgo asking after the spelling. It is not my place."
"The Marshal."

quote:
"Yes, of course," Julie replies. "It is easier this way."
Stare.

quote:
"I love it out here; for the very reason you now give," Julie says softly. "It is only in the quiet that we can hear the important things."

The formaldehyde scent almost has your head spinning with the strength of it.

"This has been fun. We ought never do it again."

quote:
"Well, chatter-box, we shall see about that," Julie says softly as she eases out the door toward a stagecoach before which many a bag has been piled.
Stare.

quote:
"You have learned silence, and quickly too. Would that I had been your teacher," Julie says softly then eases out the door toward a stagecoach before which many a bag has been piled.

The stagecoach rumbles off and leaves Julie and her bags behind. So many of them, and one all wet from something that�then you see it; on the side of a dark leather satchel are the words 'Julie Moore, Undertaker'. Undertaker; that at least explains the formaldehyde.

1. There was something odd, yet almost lyrical about Julie's prose though.
2. Part of me wanted to shake some sense into her.
3. That was crazy with a capital 'C'.

Looks like we just met the new undertaker, any reaction?

Also, after this we'll have the opportunity to catch up with some people, including cashing in some favors with Caraway and Preston. Gunfighting is the only thing left that Caraway can teach us, but Preston offers a loan of Wealth or lessons on Persuasion, Intimidate, Legal or Resolve (and also dating).

# ? Nov 8, 2018 05:16

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

3. That was crazy with a capital 'C'.

Learn Resolve from Preston. The dating bit sounds funny.

# ? Nov 8, 2018 05:29

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

2 and persuasion.

# ? Nov 8, 2018 05:46

where the red fern gropes: Aug 24, 2011

what are our stats at

# ? Nov 8, 2018 07:38

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

3 That was crazy, train resolve.

# ? Nov 8, 2018 08:45

Dong Quixote: Oct 3, 2015; Fun Shoe

Avalerion posted:

3 That was crazy, train resolve.

# ? Nov 8, 2018 13:29

CourValant: Feb 25, 2016; Do You Remember Love?

Vote: Train Persuasion

Undertaker huh? That's not ominous at all.

# ? Nov 8, 2018 20:48

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

Looks like Julie is more than we're used to.

quote:

That was crazy with a capital 'C'.

You shrug off further thoughts of it and set off to undertake more meaningful tasks.

(Resolve increased) (+5 Resolve)

The air is thick and heavy. In the distance the mountain peaks are sluiced by a steady rain.

Move on to bigger things.
Raise a glass at the Mother-Lode.
Visit the Babylon saloon.
Stop in at the Evening Star.
Lounge about the Grand Haven Hotel for bit.
Get some pointers from Carrie.
Ask a favor of JT Preston.

Now it's time to catch up with people.

quote:

Raise a glass at the Mother-Lode.
The Mother-Lode, the favorite watering hole of prospectors and those who don't mind drinking with them. Sure the Babylon has style and the Evening Star has quite the looker for an owner, but when you want a drink and don't mind a little mud on your boots, it is the place to go.

It helps that Mother Maddy, owner, bartender, cook and confidant, tolerates you as she does few others who don't pan for gold. She won't speak about what brought her out here though, no matter how you ask after it. Apparently somethings in the west stay secret.

quote:

Visit the Babylon saloon.
The Babylon caters to the upper crust of the townsfolk. Those that don't have to get their hands dirty unless they want. Brass fittings, silver mirrors and canvasses from around the world adorn the interior.

Exotic drinks too, and not just whiskey. Cactus wine, authentic honey mead, wheat beer and a few other specialties from who knows where line the back of the bar. It serves a grand pepper steak too, just as good as the one from the Grand Haven hotel. Mainly because they share a kitchen and a cook.

quote:

Stop in at the Evening Star.

The Evening star isn't all that different from other saloons. Oak bar, pine floor and lots of bottles of booze. But when the lantern is hung high up in the rafters, that means the Evening star herself is down and ready to play hostess to thirsty travelers and prospectors.

Eve, as she likes to be called, has the oddest of patois accents. Claims to have been born in Paris, raised in Quebec and schooled in New Orleans. Any one of those would be exotic, but rolled up together in a young and beautiful figure adorned by silk and feathers, well, she's a rarity alright. That she has bought the land to build a library is even more impressive in some ways. Though there are some scandalous rumors about the books she intends to shelve.

quote:

Lounge about the Grand Haven Hotel for bit.

You head back to the Grand Haven Hotel. A glance about the tables finds that Dan isn't there. Nor is there any sign of Maria in the sitting room downstairs. Both her and Carlos' horses gone from the barn out back. Wherever they are, they are not here. But there are still plenty of places to put your feet up.

Gonna learn to shoot better from Carrie.

quote:

Get some pointers from Carrie.

It doesn't take long to find Carrie at the Mother-Lode Saloon; talking on with Mother Maddy beside the bar.

"My Ruolan can't get enough of me," she says only for your ears and lets her hand briefly brush your own. Then propriety takes over and she eases away. "Business first?"

"I'd like to ask you about the art of the draw."
"First thing to it is lots of practice," she says smoothly. "Do anything enough and it becomes second nature. But the important thing is, when you draw, you got to mean it. You got to aim your rounds on a walking corpse that's just too stupid to fall over. At least, its always worked for me."

(Gunfighting increased) (+5 Gunfighting)

After that, the two of you spend another perfectly enjoyable evening together.

And how to put up with poo poo from Preston.

quote:

Ask a favor of JT Preston.

You catch sight of Preston over at the assayers, testing out the scales himself. Each little lead weight gets its turn, sometimes twice. The moment you step inside, his head swivels toward you and a hand slaps down on his pistol. Just as quickly, he lifts it right back up.

"Never sneak up on a man when he's doing his weights," he admonishes lightly, "its a different mind to set them right, and that means the old rules don't always apply."

Two of his deputies, including the tall one, shift about to cover both you and the door.

"I'd like to borrow a sum of money. I'm good for it."
"Can I ask how you got where you are today? Not right here, but Sheriff and owner of nearly the whole town?"
"I have got to get me some deputies like yours. I bet they keep things quiet around you."
"Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me a little about the local law and how you apply it. Just so I have something to compare my own efforts with."
"What's all this I keep hearing about you and women?"
"Forget I came by."

quote:

"What's all this I keep hearing about you and women?"

"Well, I like women," Preston says, "when they're attentive. And I am the biggest thing around, so it all works out pretty well. Why do you ask?"

"Heard rumors. That's all."

quote:
"Well, throw a splash of color in there if you like. The more outrageous the rumor, the more they impress and less likely they are to be believed. A good thing either way."
"They keep saying you don't have no lead for your bullets."

quote:
"It ain't that. "I'm just picky about things. Don't buy a cow if you don't want to feed it," he recommends.
"I'm sure its all lies."

quote:
"They're easier to learn than the truth," he admits.

(Resolve increased) (+5 Resolve)

There's actually a timer on this chapter, where each building and person you visit back in the shopping section and over in this section takes up a block of time. Of course, I got the visits with JT and Carrie in first, since the rest of the events are just flavor which I can easily pull from the script. After you've done enough events in the two sections (or just choose to skip through them), something comes up...

quote:

Amid the darkness, a man begins to shout. It is the rasp of a horse ridden too hard, too long, or by someone too heavy. In this case it is two of three from Sam Pitcavage.

The man all but flings himself from the saddle. His boots are muddy and his hands are little better, "Marshal, there's Indians out by the river."

"What? In Nevada? Are you certain?"

quote:
"Hate sarcasm," Sam shakes his head. "Injuns. A hundred of them if it were one. Headed this way!"
"And�"

quote:
"And there's a hundred of them," Sam blurts out. "Headed this way!"

quote:

"A hundred Indians. Did you count them?"
"No, but I saw plenty. Dozens and dozens of them, men and women both bedding down in the twilight."

"Braves and Squaws? What about children?"
"Yes, them too," Sam nods then gives a long blink. "Oh, does that mean something?"

"It means they're a village on the move, not a war-party on a raid."
"Oh. Well, alright then," Sam says then sits himself down with a thud. "No reason to get worked up. You know, I think I could do with a nap. That was too far a ride and my horse is real new."

"They're coming here?"
"Yep. The river's swollen right now, but when that goes down they'll be headed straight for Preston Springs. Could be here by tomorrow morning."

"Wait, tomorrow? How fast were they riding?"
"Oh, some weren't. That's the thing. They got horses and mules, but those were all laden down," Sam explains. "Lots of them Indians were just walking."

"Doesn't sound like they are looking for a fight."
"Yeah. Yeah you might be right," Sam says.

"Now, do I want to ask about your horse?
"For the last time, I didn't get that hungry," Sam says pointedly.

"Well, best I go and see to this."

quote:

Indians. Lots of Indians. They are on the move and headed this way. But there hasn't been a hint of trouble from them.

The tribe will be cautious. That much is clear. They've got women and children along after all. But whenever two peoples brush up against one another there is always the chance for trouble. Most of the time there isn't, people being cautious about strangers. Often there is an exchange of gifts; buffalo hides for iron or worked goods. That usually leaves everyone happy. You can only hope that will be true here.

Set out at dawn to find the Indians.
Talk to Preston first.

quote:
You find Preston in the sitting room of the Grand Haven Hotel. Blue smoke rises from a thick cigar between his fingers as he gazes out upon the still dark streets. When he takes a puff the end flares and sets his gold ring to gleaming in a sulfur light.

"Indians," he tells you straight away. "Yes, I heard already. Sam might have the worst luck I've ever seen but he doesn't compound it by keeping secrets. Nor should you; if there's trouble, light a pyre so we'll all know."

1. "I could use a few extra guns on this."
2. "I could use some trade goods to earn the Indian's good will."
3. "I'm going out to meet the Indians. If I don't come back, you'll be having problems."

Find Dan.
A quick check of Donner's house finds no sign of Dan's horse or mule. Apparently that dinner and night in the Grand Haven Hotel flung him back out into the wild again.

Track down Carrie.
Strangely enough, you don't find her in any of the saloons. That night in Elko must have done something to her.

Looks like we've got company... Carrie and Dan are off doing their own things right now, but what do we want from Preston?

quote:

Miss Shen Ruolan:
Traits: Chinese.
Current Companions:
Health: Healthy and vigorous.
Wealth: Enough for a week in town.
Values:
Order: 79% Freedom: 21% (The streets are quiet because the criminals have gotten the hint.)
Honor: 91% Arbitrary: 9% (Your word is your bond.)
Law: 76% Individuality: 24% (It is best if everyone lives on the same page.)
Notoriety: 10% Anonymity: 90%

Skills:
Gunfighting: 60% (Your draw is as smooth as a serpent and far more lethal.)
Sharpshooting: 47% (You are long accustomed to seeing the world over iron-sights. )
Brawling: 42% (You have been in your share of fights.)
Riding: 41% (There is hardly a riding trick you don't know.)
Survival: 45% (The wilderness can be a buffet to those who know what to look for.)
Legal: 28% (You could head your own law firm.)
Engineering: 18% (It is easy to break things down than build them up.)
Explosives: 31% (Everything has a weak point, and that is the place to lay in the powder.)
Persuasion: 57% (Your silver tongue knows no bounds.)
Intimidate: 55% (People think twice before crossing you.)
Stamina: 36% (You can push yourself when others would falter.)
Resolve: 57% (When you set your mind to something, you finish it. All of it.)

Influence:
Influence Carson: 73% (The two of you are good friends.)
Influence Schmidt: 90% (The two of you are close friends.)
Influence Caraway: 107% (She loves you more than whiskey itself.)
Influence Preston: 112% (You are his one, true friend.)
Influence Hartigan: 45% (He believes you are just another stuffy tin star. You owe each other no favors.)
Influence Albion: 60% (Bishop Hancock is still uncertain about you.)
Influence Maria: 135% (Her love for you could scorch the heavens.)
Influence Marshal James: 55% (He is still uncertain of how you will turn out.)
Influence Yiska: 93% (He knows that Tahoma will always be his friend.)

# ? Nov 9, 2018 06:13

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

I wonder about those skill descriptions sometimes. If 28 Legal Understanding is enough to head a law firm, what must 90 or 100 be able to do? I've never gotten it that high, so without a glance at the script for the game I may never know. :shrug:

2. Get some trade goods for exchange with the travelers. They aren't looking to make trouble unless we start it and they might have something cool to offer us.

# ? Nov 9, 2018 06:24

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

We want trade goods.

# ? Nov 9, 2018 06:28

sebmojo: Oct 23, 2010; Legit Cyberpunk

Is yiska in elko? And yeah trade goods.

# ? Nov 9, 2018 06:55

Akratic Method: Mar 9, 2013; It's going to pay off eventually--I'm sure of it.

Any day now.

achtungnight posted:

I wonder about those skill descriptions sometimes. If 28 Legal Understanding is enough to head a law firm, what must 90 or 100 be able to do? I've never gotten it that high, so without a glance at the script for the game I may never know.

It may be that the game just doesn't have enough opportunities to get that high? We seem pretty far along and haven't got a single skill above 60, whereas in other games of this type I've seen a lot of 100s.

Anyway, I vote for trade goods. If the natives are nice, it'll help cement that. If they're not, then maybe we can bribe our way out of the immediate situation and come back for guns.

# ? Nov 9, 2018 06:58

The Lone Badger: Sep 24, 2007

Gifts. About 7 cows worth.

# ? Nov 9, 2018 07:16

sebmojo: Oct 23, 2010; Legit Cyberpunk

The Lone Badger posted:

Gifts. About 7 cows worth.

Yes, make sure we have an Issaries worshipper on the clan ring, too.

# ? Nov 9, 2018 07:23

CourValant: Feb 25, 2016; Do You Remember Love?

Vote: 2. "I could use some trade goods to earn the Indian's good will."

achtungnight posted:

I wonder about those skill descriptions sometimes. If 28 Legal Understanding is enough to head a law firm, what must 90 or 100 be able to do? I've never gotten it that high, so without a glance at the script for the game I may never know.

I was about to ask the same thing.

Maybe its quiet social commentary about the state of law and order in the Old West, and how a law clerk from out East is good enough to found their own Law Dynasty on the frontier.

Kinda like being a jailhouse lawyer.

# ? Nov 9, 2018 19:51

Slor The Destroyer: Aug 4, 2012

2. Get some trade goods for exchange with the travelers.

Maybe its quiet social commentary about the state of law and order in the Old West, and how a law clerk from out East is good enough to found their own Law Dynasty on the frontier. That was my thought too. Lawyers with lucrative jobs out east didn't go out west to live in hard scrabble towns, hoping to gain enough clients to squeak by. Same was probably true of doctors. Other skilled labor (Blacksmiths, leatherworkers, etc) might also have to have a good reason to relocate.

# ? Nov 10, 2018 01:45

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# ? Jun 10, 2024 04:37

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

Akratic Method posted:

It may be that the game just doesn't have enough opportunities to get that high? We seem pretty far along and haven't got a single skill above 60, whereas in other games of this type I've seen a lot of 100s.

This is pretty much it. Legal, Engineering and Explosives all have a low starting value and few opportunities to get major boosts, because they're basically tertiary skills and don't get used nearly as much as your combat and talking skills, so they have a much lower threshold for success and lower numbers get treated as perfectly fine in comparison. Nothing in this game actually requires a score of 100 in a skill, or anything close to 100.

Anyways, Dark Season is approaching, and Chief Shen recognizes the ring's wisdom. It is better to have more friends than enemies.

quote:

"I could use some trade goods to earn the Indian's good will."

"Smart. Lead may be cheap, but not when you're paying for it by the volley," Preston notes as he taps the ash off his cigar. "I'll get you something. Matthew has got to have a box of pretty nick-nacks he can throw together quick."

quote:

Come the dawn you set out alone. Your saddlebags jingle with every bounce of your Grulla, laden as they are with trade goods.

Soon enough you see them; a long line of silhouettes moving against the rising sun. As Sam said, a whole lot of Indians.

In pairs they struggle to cross a swollen river. Close to a hundred of them, with twice as many horses and mules. The men guide the animals across while the women and children labor on a dozen rafts that are set to float across, heap them with all manner of cloth and leather, chests and sacks.

This is a village, or at least a fair number of lodges on the move. Rather late in the year too.

The whiny of a horse sounds out and you turn to find a familiar figure riding close; an Indian in shirt-sleeves with a crisp collar. Yiska, up from Elko.

Yiska tenders over a nod, He rides right up and settles in beside you.

Yiska raises a hand to shade the morning sun and squints toward the Indian column, "Shoshone. Eastern tribe I'd think. Not Bannocks certainly. Too many women with them. Also, we're not being shot at."

The two of you watch as a quartet of Indians finishes crossing the river. Those four leap astride their horses and ride bareback toward you at a slow gait.

"No spears. No guns. No war feathers or paint," Yiska observes. "They want to talk, Tahoma. Nothing more. A good thing too. Thirty braves are worth a hundred soldiers."

"Do you know their leader?"
"I expect I will know of him, even if I have never met the man."

"How can you be certain they do not come to fight?"
"I can't be. But they have nothing to gain but honor by sending equal numbers this way. Everything I know tells me they merely wish to converse, not kill."

"Any idea why they are out here?"
"Several. But it boils down to either they have had very good luck, or very bad."

"What do you mean, good luck or bad?"
"To be out this late in the year means they were delayed in reaching their winter camp. Either they reveled in their good fortune, or were struggling against the ill," Yiska explains. "We shall know more shortly."

"Will you translate for me?"
"Tragedies have their seeds in misunderstanding. And while I do enjoy a good tragedy, comedies are more of a bromide for the soul," Yiska explains and lets his answer rest a moment. "That means yes." (+2 Yiska)

Greet the coming riders and find out what it going on.

Time to say hello.

quote:

The Indians slow to a walk as they ride close. The foremost of them, a handsome if weathered fellow who bears a necklace of bear teeth flush upon his chest, raises a hand.

"Hello. Allons-nous parler dans cette langue�" he says slowly in French.

"Restons avec notre langue natale," Yiska replies.

"Naingi-nananga shoshni newe?" the other answers in the Shoshone language as he lays a hand over his heart. "Taboonsheya, daatsewiti aa'."

Yiska gives his own name and then gestures toward you, "Ika wa'aipe' nananga-enne, Marshal Shen Ruolan. Also known as Tahoma. Marshal? This is Taboonsheya, Chief of the Six Horns."

1. "Tell him it is an honor to meet him."
2. "Ask him what his people are doing out here."
3. "Inform him that many people are worried of his people's presence and that accidents could happen."

Then it's time to figure out how we're handling this.

quote:

"He says you are the one who soars above while others walk below. That you strive to carve the mark of the whites into the very hills. But if you try to lay your law upon his lodge, then know that he has his own lore for his people.

Yiska pauses to catch a breath as Taboonsheya continues to talk, "Taboonsheya has not heard dark tellings of your deeds. Indeed, he must strain to hear your whispers above the wind."

1. "Yiska, tell him that we need to get to talking about what is going on right now."
2. "Tell him that though we first meet here, I feel as though I have known him long."
3. "Tell him I would like to discuss what can be done to help his people."
4. "Tell him we need to sort this out before his people get hurt."
5. "Tell him, that though we have much in common, there is much that must be resolved."
6. "Tell him that I am willing to let the past rest in tales and take up today with both hands."

How do we greet them and what do we discuss?

# ? Nov 10, 2018 04:13

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Don your TIN STAR and Lay Down the Law in the West (Choice of Games CYOA)

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