Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

(At some point I'm sure I'll get lazy and just post to the wiki, but for our loyal readers who have not yet found the wiki, here's my first turn, aka "Turn 3". To see Turn 0, you'll have to go to the wiki.

--- C'tis, Turn 3 ---

KEE-RACK

"Are you sure we should be in here?" The dank air hung closely around the two little lizards as they struggled to see, to find movement their eyes could latch onto. So far the darkness was winning.

"You scared, little egg-brother?" came the taunting reply. Laph's cohort had hatched a mere four days before his, and she wasn't about to let him forget it. Ruli ignored her, and focused on trying to find what they'd come for. It was his idea, after all.

KR-R-R-R-R...

There, by the shaft of warm air. A few photons, much battered after their long passage through tiny crevasses and barely perceptible cracks in the rock, were bouncing again, this time off of something vaguely off-white, on the far side of the cavern. And it was definitely moving.

"Found 'em!" said Laph, as Ruli opened his mouth to announce his discovery. She had sharper eyes than him, too. They skittered over to the weary dancing photons, eyes locked now on subtle movements they hadn't noticed before.

... ck

When the tiny lizard finally broke through, the final bit of eggshell popped off with an anticlimactic whisper. The hatchling took a hesitant step forward, stopped, then looked around wide-eyed, taking in the nest; already, cracks were forming on two other eggs, and three more were not far behind. His eyes moved next to the two slightly larger lizards hovering over him, one of them staring at him with great fascination... and the other busily scooping his discarded egg shell into a bag. The hatchling began to cry.

"Oh, now look what you've done, Ruli," said Laph, hastily scouring the floor for something.

"They have to be fresh," Ruli protested. "Great-grandfather says otherwise they don't have enough life force left for his incantations to work, and ..." And she wasn't listening to him, again.

But at least the hatchling was no longer crying. He was making happy gurgling sounds as he shook something that looked suspiciously like a falchion, but rattled. "I always knew the elite nurseries were well taken care of," said Laph, "but wow. Remember Crotalus?"

The legendary sacred serpent, from when Mother Gehyra was a hatchling, the one who drove the scale-leavers from the land, and spoke persuasively with a certain dragon about relocating his lair... He remembered the stories. "I think that rattle was his," said Laph.

"Oh," said Ruli. What lucky hatchlings. I bet Cole will take them on raids with him long before Laph or I get to go. He turned to leave. "Laph?" She had disappeared. "C'mon, stop playing games." He looked all around, but she had vanished. "If Cole finds us here..."

"He'll eat you for dinner, is that it?" There was a deep chuckle. Ruli jumped, then looked up, and saw Laph high above him, dangling by her tail. "Now why would I want to eat such enterprising and scrawny youngsters as yourselves, when the world is brimming with fat, lazy warm-blooded prey?"

The giant head bent slowly down, placing Laph gently on the ground. Her eyes shone with excitement; Ruli wondered idly why he was the only one whose first response, on meeting the huge carnivorous lizard up close, was a little healthy fear.

But do stop bothering the hatchlings, said Cole. They're no good to me terrified. He turned to the remaining five eggs, intently watching one whose cracks were beginning to grow.

Ruli grabbed his bag of eggshell, nudged Laph out of her reverie, and they skittered quickly toward the exit tunnel. "Did you see me?" said Laph, a little breathlessly. "I must've been nearly a thousand centimeters in the air!" They were almost out of the birthing cavern when they heard Cole's voice again.

"Do be patient, Ruli," he said. "There will be plenty of battles left for you when you are ready for them." The last thing Ruli and Laph heard as they scampered out of the cavern was the sound of a rattle shaking, and a very deep voice saying, "Coochie-coochie-coo."

---

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Here's Vanheim's turn 3 yarn. For turn 0, and all the rest, see the wiki (link in my sig).

Vanheim Turn 3

In which Vethru arrives and considers what he's arrived to, and Pherios finds himself with greater, more exciting responsibilities.


Vethru

There are many ways to begin...philosophical, historical, paradoxical, with excitement, with romance, with suspense, literally, literarily, literately, emotionally, intellectually, viscerally, whimsically...but let's try factually on for size.

I'm returning empty-handed from a distant land where, I kid you not, the people are ruled by baker-kings, when I meet the old man at a crossroads. We're in one of those synesthetic dimensions where you feel like you're walking on music, and every time you open your mouth, it looks like the dreams of an abstract expressionist. I wasn't having any trouble with it, but he looked very puzzled.

"Ho, traveler," he says, calling down from his horse. "Do you know this land? I seem to have lost my way."

Maybe it has something to do with the fact he's only got one eye. Before I can answer, he asks, "Is that a seagull on your shoulder?"

"Yes," I tell him. "He's a pet." I say this mostly because Ji hates being called a pet.

"Are you a sailor, then? I am searching for land of sailors."

"I was," I say. There's something wrong with the stranger beside his eye; his appearance is very uncertain, very shaky. In this dimension, it comes across like an indistinct mix of aromas from a dozen kitchens. (I still can't get that baker's land out of my mind!)

"A sailor, and a bird lover! Fate has brought me just the man I need. I, too, have birds. Usually, they guide me, but I cannot find them. Have you seen two ravens in your travels?"

I had, and they were delicious. "I saw them down the right fork," I tell him, because I'm sensing something very, very interesting down the left fork. "Not too far along, either."

"Excellent," he says. "Thank you, old sailor, and may the wind be at your back." He straightens in his saddle. "I must be going; they are waiting for me."

After he disappears down the right fork, I follow the prayers I hear down the left fork. Don't judge me. I really was a sailor, once. Besides, he would've done the same to me, if I'd given him the chance. You can't trust a god, ever.

It's a dark and stormy night when I finally arrive. It's a normal world, where light goes in your eyes, and sound comes out of your mouth. Everything looks very old, which is good for what I'm looking for. But as you'd expect, they summoned me to the newest, cleanest temple. The priests are just like that one eyed old man, tall, with that shimmering, wavy appearance. I walk out into the courtyard, and it's filled with humans and a few more of the tall ones.

It becomes apparent they feel some dire need to conduct military exercises for me, in the rain, at midnight. They're all very enthusiastic, very eager to pledge their loyalty and honor and lives to me. I accept, of course, with great dignity. I let them parade back and forth a couple times, then I send them home so I can get out of the rain.

A couple hours later, after being introduced to a passel of Vanherses and Vanjarls, I'm finally left alone.

"I don't know," I say. "They're a fine fighting force, but honor and purity of heart will only get you so far."

Ji squawks. "Yeah, boss, I don't think these guys are cut out for back-alley wet work."

I'm wondering if I shouldn't have let One-Eye have them when there's a noise of the door. A wild eyed human is there. He's dressed in brown, and he's got a scraggly beard. "Come with me, if you would," he says. "There's more to see." He gives me a wink and a grin and a nod, so I follow him.

Around the back of the castle, in a dark, overgrown courtyard, are another dozen like him. No mounts, no spears or javelins for them. Big swords and axes. Not a one of the men is unscarred.

"This land's light and dark," he says. "These're your folk, too."

He takes me out the gate. The rain's stopped, and the wind blows the clouds from the moon. A beam catches a group of men milling around the base of a tower belching thick smoke. They make the einhere look tame. No armor, only furs. They twitch in the moonlight, snuffle as I pass. My guide pulls open the tower's rotting door, and as I enter and descend, I hear howls behind me.

In the flickering firelight, dark shapes work. Clanging punctuates the flare and spark of hot metal being hammered. A tall shape among the small limps toward me. She's got the usual uncertain presence, but unlike the boys out front, with their shine and dazzle, her misdirection is all oily shadow.

She's not a pretty picture. Her head's tilted over to touch an ear to a shoulder. Her skin is waxy blue-grey. Her bloody eyes bulge. The edges of her mouth twist upward, baring her teeth. I choose to interpret it as a smile.

This, I can work with.




Pherios

The castle on Paistellus is the second highest point in the city. From here, you can see the surrounding mountains and badlands, the plains to the north, and the Black Gorge to the south. The land looks just like it did the first time I saw it, when I was a boy. It's not. Nothing's the same. Everything has changed.

Yesterday I was summoned before the Konella Koreia. I never thought I'd see them when I was so young. Someday, sure. Our House often sits on the council. Belletennares does right now. But I thought I'd be a few hundred years older before I had the chance to serve.

I was nervous, and excited, but I told them my dream, answered their questions, and offered my service to them.

"Vanheim accepts your service, Pherios of Alteion," their leader said. "This is what we require: Vethru has sent for you. Our orders to you are to serve him."

Later I learned that the Konella Koreia gave Vethru its approval to rule over Vanheim. But right then, they escorted me on wobbly knees to a library in the castle to meet Vethru.

I had been there when he arrived, of course. Belletennares had rushed us to Vanheim just in time for that. I didn't get a good look at him, on that dark night. Now, in person, Vethru was a paradox. He sat at a table with a pile of books in front of him, just a small, gray-faced old man, yet he radiated power like the greatest of Vanjarls. His violet eyes were clear and piercing.

"So you're the one who foresaw my arrival," he said.

"Yes, sir," I said. There was a gull standing on the table. It walked a few steps forward and tipped its head toward me.

"Have you seen anything more?" he asked. He seemed kind. His voice was grandfatherly, and he was almost smiling. "I'd pay well for accurate predictions of the future."

"Well...I see things, but I can't always tell what it means. I mean, I may see something that eventually might happen, but I can't always figure out the symbols until after. I may not even know the people involved until later, when I've heard what happened." The bird was definitely watching me. Birds are usually twitchy. Their heads always jerk from one side to another. This gull was staring right at me. "I could describe exactly what I see. Which may mean nothing. That's the best I can promise. And I don't need to be paid. I serve Vanheim. That's all the payment I need."

He laughed. "An honest seer! That's something I haven't seen in a long time." Then he studied me. I couldn't look away from his eyes. It seemed like he could see into my soul, and I was afraid of what he'd find--a Van too young to know what nonsense he was wasting a god's time with.

But then he did smile, a real smile. "I need your eyes," he said. And with that, he made me head of the seers. Which right now is only me, but he says there will be more. It's my job to watch the skies and record what I see. I'll get to look at all the reports of the armies and their scouts and spies, so I can recognize the significance of what I'm seeing.

"And keep studying magic," he said. "We've got a lot to do. I'll need you even more later."

So now I study magic and theology in the mornings, and I read reports and orders in the afternoon. In the evenings, I study more, or I train with the spear and the javelin with my uncle and my cousins, until I'm ready to fall asleep in the saddle.

In the moments in between, I come up to the high places and watch the skies. Everywhere I look, I see things. The spring skies are turbulent. The gulls are everywhere, chasing away the other birds. The winds sculpt the clouds into shapes that twists and battle in the air. I write it all down in my notebook.

Today, from my turret high in the castle, I saw someone on the slopes of Triastellus, someone who, like me, was watching the sunset. She was sketching the shifting columns of red and purple clouds. Now and then, she would gather her papers and fly to another spot for a better view. I wondered who this Valkyrie was. I waved to her, to try to get her attention, but she didn't see me.

I had been watching her for half an hour when birds began to flock around her. She didn't seem to notice. Gulls circled, and I caught flashes of a white bird, and a black one. They formed a maelstrom around her, then, moments later, I couldn't see her or the birds in the gathering twilight.

That night, I dreamed it again. Now she was a snowy egret flying with a flock of gulls and a few ravens. They flew far and wide across the countryside, often diving toward the ground, only to regain the sky and fly to another spot. Dark clouds gathered overhead. Lightning started to flash. The birds continued their search, I don’t know for what. The clouds billowed and the wind roared, but the bird flew on, ignoring the storm chasing them across the land. Then I woke.

She was in danger. I had to find her.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Sorry, but because I havent had a chance to get on during the last 30 hours, we are behind schedule.

Here is a screenshot of the map as seen by the eyes of god.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

The Kingdom of Man, Turn 3

I was royally pissed.

Hmm… I kind of like that word royally. It makes me feel special.

But enough of that. One thing about being the Queen of Man is that people instantly respond to your every command. I might actually get used to this! So…

“GET RALPH IN HERE RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!”

I even managed to keep a stern face until AFTER my handsome young attendant ran off to obey me!

It did not take him long. Of course, I started on Ralph the instant he arrived inside my huge field tent in the mountains of Gryphon Spires.
“Uncle Ralph”, I said, using my iciest voice. “You told me they would bow before me. You said that my dominion already controlled this land. You even said your preaching is paying dividends inside all the borders of our so-called friendly neighbors. SO WHY ARE THERE 28 CORPSES ON THIS BATTLEFIELD?”

That darn man. He is always so very glib. He knows the proper words in any situation. I was therefore totally unable to faze him in the slightest. “Twenty eight, huh? That many…” he replied evenly.
“Yes, I personally counted them. Furthermore one of my own loyal spearmen is dead and three axemen are over in the medical tent being treated for injuries. Two of them have even lost an eye!”

Ralph paused for just a tiny moment before continuing, “Well, my dear niece,” he said lightly, “I did not expect to find the local Lord with such a large army. I suppose he took affront when I asked him to contribute gold to the rise of the Age of Man in your honor.”
“Asked, smasked, you slippery man you. I am sure it was more like you ordered him to pay up or else.”
“Perhaps, my dear, perhaps I did. You could be right.”
“I AM right.”
“Yes, my queen, your word is gospel.”
I stared at him in silence, letting him squirm under my glare.

But he was not squirming at all! In fact, he seemed highly amused. Darn that man! Why did my father have to die while Uncle Ralph continued to live?

I sighed deeply and said, “Well, uncle, I do admit I am very happy that I came along with you. That flying shard spell taught to me by the Royal Library was most effective indeed. I did not know I could do such things.” The memory of stones being conjured out of my hands and landing on the heads of the enemy was still fresh in my mind.

Ralph eventually replied, “Oh, I knew you could do many things, Selena. I have always known that you inherited much of the gypsy ways of my mother, your grandam. You have far more magic ability than your fair share, my young enchantress. Of that I am totally certain.”
“As do you, my dear uncle. What was that spell you kept casting to keep our axemen from running away when they engaged the enemy? Can you teach me that?”
Uncle Ralph answered, “I call it the ‘Sermon of Courage’. But I think you are not holy enough to try it as yet. I think you are better off attempting some other spells more suited to your style.”
“Like?”
“Well, I have heard of a splendid spell called ‘Quickness’. We will try to discover how it is done and teach it to you.”
“What would this new spell do for me?”
“It makes you move at twice the speed of most mortals.”
“Could I cast my spells faster?”
“Yes, twice as fast!”
“I see. Do it then.”
“Yes, my Queen. I hear and obey.”
And with that, Uncle Ralph turned and left my royal field tent without even a goodbye.

Darn that man!

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

My recollection is that yarns are due every Monday. Right? I hope so!! Now, let me see where I left my muse. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

It's not exactly a school assignment, but that was the vague guideline. However, we never put a firm deadline on it, and there was some discussion about awarding the pearls no matter when the yarns came in (an idea I agree with strongly).

I say, get 'em done when you get 'em done, and I hope people will worry about fun and quality before what the calendar says. I'm a slow writer, and I need to rewrite a lot, so I expect I will lag at some point in the future myself.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

So, you won't send Dusty after me if I am late? [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Hammer.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Hammer.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Target.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/PointRight.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/PointRight.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon44.gif[/img]

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

996 A.P.P.M
To his Lord, the Archbishop of Polgrave,

Dominus Vobiscum. I trust the new year finds you well, and that the recent murder in your househould has not proved too great a burden. I understand that the attacker was caught, and as a personal favor to you I will see that she is tried as a witch and barred from paradise.

The Three of Three will not be happy at the next conclave. AFTIAL has declared that, in honor of Her arrival, the period of peace for Carrofactum should be extended to two months. The Three Above believe AFTIAL's arrival to be a sign that we are supposed to establish God's Kingdom on earth by military conquest, so they will be frustrated by this period of waiting and prayer.

Yet I believe we see eye-to-eye on this matter: AFTIAL comes to cleanse not the exterior world, but to renew the LORD's church from within. She comes to purge the last vestiges of death-worship from our lands, to drive the devil-worshipers and druids out of the Church, and to restore doctrinal purity. Unfortunately, our view will not carry the Church, despite my close ties to AFTIAL. The Three Between are also enamored of conquest, and so we will have war with the neighboring barons to bring them more closely in line with the church, but let us pledge never to lose sight of this true goal:

For nothing that comes from without a man can defile him.
It enters him and leaves him, and does not change him.
Yet as each man dies, so death waits within each of us.
And this is the corruption of man."

Cum flammae et fidei et gladiis,
Father Muszinger

* * * * * * * * *

On the first day or Carrofactum I rose early and wandered the twisted halls of the library in search of The Map of Jerovia, reputed to be "Thee most trvest and accvrate portrayle of the lands hereabovts, with propre notes to gvide the faithfvl pilgrim". I was skeptical, and rightly so, for the tattered shard of map I found hidden within a tome contained precious little information not commonly known throughout the kingdom. I was on my way out when I saw her, sitting by herself on the floor, quietly turning the pages of a ancient volume. The dawn sun had just crept high enough to pour in through the nearest window, and it sparkled off the dust in the air, providing her with a halo. She was dressed all in purest white, and I for a moment I could hear chanting from the choir below.

Since then I have seen her every morning. I admit that I seek out the library now, in the hopes of seeing her. I have not yet worked up the nerve to speak to her and ask how a woman gets access to the inmost library in the House of Just Fires. Her choice of books is decidedly esoteric. After she departs for morningsong I have gone to her place of study and easily located the books she has been readings as the ones without a fine layer of dust. Many a time she has been reading a work in one of the Lost Tongues, but I cannot imagine what she hopes to gain therein. But, ah, my heart beats fast every morning when I catch a glimpse of her, my goddess of the morning (forgive, oh LORD, your servant for this small blasphemy).

* * * * * * * * *

I hate priests with a passion above all else. If there is a god anywhere I hope there is an eternal lake for fire for these vermin to swim in. After three weeks the food stops; the cell changes; torture begins. For hours they ply me with fire and blade and ask me to recant my allegiance to She Who Loves Not The Light. From what I can understand through the pain and the smell of my own smoldering flesh I am accused of having sold my soul to acquire the skill and strength to become an assassin, despite the handicaps of the female body and mind. I will not give them the confession they want which is further proof of my guilt. They cut the sun from my skin, condemn my soul in stern, solemn voices that betray none of the joy they took in my trial.

The crowd is in a frenzy at my burning. No longer a member of the church, I am an animal to be sported with. The wood is stacked, and lit. The heat begins to curl my hairs and itch my skin. Then the heavens open and the rain comes down. Lightning strikes amongst the blood-thirsty vulture-peasants. The smoke and steam overpower me.

I am in my mother's arms, on the verge of sleep as she sings to me. I am awake, and seeing the very living face of light. She tells me I am safe now, that I should be at peace. The evil men who did this to me will face justice, not just in the world to come but in the here and now, and I am to be the instrument for this justice. She will guide and protect me as I walk the dangerous road of my life. When I can no longer walk, she will help me crawl. When I can no longer crawl, she will carry me home.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

That's good, as I will probably not be adding onto my yarn for about a month, but I anticipate filling in all the missed ones.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Here is T'ien Ch'i's yarn for turn 3. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif



Late Spring in the Year of Good Fortune’s Coming

The cherry trees are in full celebration.
The white pines dance in the breeze.

I, X’ing Gao, take it upon myself to provide a written record of the tremendous events that are unfolding in our lands. Chi Chi Tzu, the Venerable Sage, foretold in his masterpiece, the Mou Mou Ching, of the Coming of Good Fortune, and it appears that all is happening as he foresaw.

I humbly offer myself as the perfect choice to write such a record, for I am the scribe of a country lord of T’ien Ch’i. I have withstood the rigorous training by our wise calligraphy masters, and my brush and ink has been blessed by Heaven. I am not boasting. I cannot. Indeed, the rigors inflicted upon me by the Masters has changed me ontologically. Any ink I use... any brush I touch... through me is blessed by Heaven... and the blessings worked through my skills are such that I am absolutely incapable of exaggeration or even writing falsehoods. (Now, I will admit this “blessing” is not always the most convenient of benefits. Once I was asked to write a poem praising the beauty of my former lord’s wife. Alas! To my distress and the demise of my then employed position, I could only write about the beauty of her shadow, the charm of her silence, and the elegance of her absence.)

So it should be that I am now the honored scribe of a young, impoverished country lord by the name of Zhaung Li Lou. His ancestors were great warlords, but the family’s holdings have been greatly diminished through eternal squabbles in T’ien Ch’i’s courts. So far as I can tell, he will treat me respectfully, and he wishes to do well by all those within his influence. But, he has been my lord for only 6 days. It was his acrimonious father, Zhaung Cow Jo, whom I served for the past two years, but this leads well to present events.

In the Mou Mou Ching (The Way of the Way), the venerable sage Chi Chi Tzu wrote that when the People follow the Way, Heaven will bless them, Fortune will walk the land, and the Warlords will unite. Well, reports had been coming to our village since early Spring that fortunate events were popping up in the Great City with impressive regularity. Common people found gold coins in their pockets after doing the laundry! Long lost pets suddenly found their way home! Even the street astrologers were popular because they read nothing but happy predictions.

Then suddenly She appeared out of the sky... the Goddess. Taller than the Temple of Heaven with an unnerving mixture of beauty and ferocity only found in the divine. She stood in the Park of the Eternal Ancestors by the Pool of Celestial Reflection and declared to His Majesty, the Highest Lord of T’ien Ch’i, “I bring you BLESSINGS and GOOD FORTUNE. YOU shall FOLLOW me. It is the will of HEAVEN that T’ien Ch’i shall rule the world THROUGH ME!” Then She stomped her foot and thereby shook the ground so insistently that everyone in the park fell to their knees, including His Majesty, the Highest Lord! Well... what else does one say to that but “Ok”?

Next She persuaded to His Majesty to call all the warlords to the Great City. And so it was, except for my master’s father, who saw this as an opportunity to wage war against his neighbors while they were away. My master pleaded with his father to stop bringing disgrace on the family. He would have none of it. Zhaung Cow Jo rampaged across the countryside, burning fields and taking booty. His son cried up to Heaven every night for two months wondering how such disaster could befall his family!

Ah... but Heaven was listening, and good fortune struck our little village right where it counts... or maybe I should write that good fortune struck Zhaung Cow Jo right were it counts! One evening while my master’s father was eating his dinner in his chariot, a mischievous breeze took it upon itself to waft an innocent silk worm into the ear of Zhaung Cow Jo’s horse. The horse squealed in surprise and leapt back right as my master’s father was taking his last bite of rice. He fell forward and somehow managed to choke on one chopstick while the other stabbed him in the greatest source of his pride. It happened exactly like that. I was there and cannot write a lie.

And so it was. With his father dead, my master became the lord of our village and swiftly made plans to leave for the Great City. We have been riding for two days. My Lord expects to reach the City by noon tomorrow. There is word that war has already begun.

May Heaven bless my master! May he find his way through the Way.

Humbly and truthfully,

X’ing Gao,
Honored Scribe of Lord Zhaung Li Lou

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Hey Panther!

I notice that your turn 3 yarn is not on the Wikki.

Pasha

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

I hate to have people miss turns this early in the game. How do people feel about the delay for Zen?

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Was he going to be out of town?

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

I sent the reply mail to the wrong email I resent it this afternoon after I got the Email.

I don't know Tauren's schedule so he probably hasn't had a chance yet to check his Email.

Edit: I was actually hoping he'd be able to send the hostturn soon so I could do it right away, since my Early turns don't amount to much.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

I'd be happy to wikify anyone's yarns from this thread, if they'd like. Just give me the word...

I almost did Panther's without asking, but that would be impolite and wrong.

The wiki is like a nice little growing shrubbery; it just wants some more leaves so it doesn't look scraggly.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

I am on a business trip in California right now, so go ahead and Wikki my Turn 3 djo, I don't mind. When I posted my yarn in this forum, I could not find the Turn 3 page on the site, but I doubt I looked very closely and I am not the most computer literate person. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

It's done! I love the wiki.

For some reason, the wiki logged me out at some point (despite "remember me on this computer"), so I'm tagged by IP# instead of login name on the "recent changes" page for this edit. Has anyone else seen that? Maybe there's a timeout on logins.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

My Turn 3 is in finally. Please remember you can barely even consider it a second draft. If only I had to go through it a little bit when I was mangling it into the wiki and made some revisions off of a first draft.

So expectations = bad grammar http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Good job, y'all. Love the first round of yarns! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

I commented in the wiki on the variety we have (see the talk/discussion page for turn 3), but I mostly addressed form, tone, things like that. Zen's turn 3 made me realize we also have good variety of subgenre. Ermor reads like military fiction. Pan/Man are mainstream/bestseller. Marignon has what might be political intrigue going on. C'tis looks like a coming-of-age story so far. Tien Chi (add apostrophes as you like) reads like a folk tale.

Something for everyone! And remember, spectators can add comments, too, on the talk/discussion pages.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Thanks for writing everyone. After far too long on Yarnspinners Classic it is strange (but nice) to have all these other people's stories to read.

There seems to be some sort of delay in hosting this turn though. Is something up, Tauren?

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Hey Friends!

I am going out of town this weekend until Sunday evening.

Thanks.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Tauren is on a vacation down in Texas with his mother. His internet access is spotty at best down there. I have not heard from him in several days now so he may be having technical difficulties. Also, his cell phone seems to be turned off and I have no desire to try and track down my ex...

I am sure Tauren will surface soon.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

New turn is finally out. Looks like I wont be able to do this regularly until I get home Wednesday, so just bear with me until then.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

So are we supposed to do yarns for Turn 6?

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Absolutely!

Writewritewrite...

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Well, I am assuming the yarns are done AFTER Turn 6. I am using results from Turn 6 in my narrative, so I can't finish with my prose until after it hosts.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Good point, P-Kat. I shall wait until after the host, but I fear that the narrative is swiftly turning tragic for the good folk of T'ien Ch'i. Good thing this game is about writing and not winning... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Don't worry Pasha: my own troops still have trouble figuring out where is the business end of a sword.

And pointlessness galore: I have used the Gender Genie on all our yarns for turn 0 and turn 3, and it appears that we are all males, according to the bot. Sedna and myself are the least males, with a very marginal difference (virtually no difference at all), and Djo's male part doesn't have much of a lead over the female part.

Figuring out the cases where the bot is wrong is left as an exercice for the reader.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Before, after, details, details...

I intentionally decoupled (or loosely coupled) a lot of my story from the game to make the writing easier, and more interesting to me.


I second that thought, and a big thanks from Vanheim to TC for making us look not so puny. And keep in mind that your neighbor to the N is not a ravening land-grabber like the purple-legionnaire-snake-people.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Yes. And I forgot to send gems for yarn writing thus far, so this turn I will do that.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

I do wish there was a way to make the gui dissapear completely for the screenshots...

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Yeah, what about them Pythites? Buying up the mercs and expanding like there's no tomorrow...

I'm going to guess that the bot is wrong in it's conclusion that some contributors are neither male nor female.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

I suppose I like being a well-balanced (male) person.

When a few more yarns are up, I'm thinking of feeding in my (and Sedna's) separate story threads to see how the different POV characters differ.

It might also be interesting to feed an author's posts in and see how much the results differ from the author's fiction.

In the list of words the site tagged as male was "said", which would seem to skew fiction. Also: "is" = male, "was" = female? Fiction is most often written in past tense, but I chose present tense for 1/3 of my work. Makes you wonder.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

Was is the weakest keyword for female, so it should not have much of an impact, I think. Said is more annoying though...

Still, it's only good for pointless statistics, though the bot appears to be correct 60% of the time. Not bad, but the advertisted result was 80% correct answers.

Re: Yarnspinners II: The raveling
 

So... the bot is right 60% of the time for Yarnspinners 2 players? With 9 players that's really either 67% or 56% (3 or 4 females). I believe I know the genders of 5 players (of which one is female). 2 other players I have some reason to believe are male, leaving both "unknowns" female.

This could be an excellent logic puzzle: If A knows that 1 out of 5 are female, and B knows that 2 out of 6, how long will it take the train to reach St. Louis?

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

Puffyn, Alneyan, and Sedna are female. The rest are male.

Then again, I could be wrong.

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

What is this program that you are talking about?

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

I think this one:

http://www.bookblog.net/gender/genie.php

Just for kicks, I threw all of Yarnspinners 1 into the Genie. A bigger sample should be more accurate, no? All of the above show up as male. In truth, you are correct in at least one instance, and wrong in at least one.

Who are around what, said these many more?

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

Well, at least one player will have to consider suing the bot for libel... for Sedna is indeed correct in hir assessment. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif That should tell you the gender of all those three players, unless someone happens to be lying, of course.

The only "unknown" I can think of would be Djo. The Inquisition will have some work to do it seems; I mean, that's the whole point of having an Inquisition to begin with.

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

Argh, my head...I haven't done this kind of problem since the GREs.

There is undoubtedly some kind of clever semi-cryptographic protocol that will reveal the true distribution while not classifying any particular person. Something like, everyone tells their true gender to two other players and lies to four others. You pass half your answer to the left and half to the right. Sum what you get and take the opposite answer. Works best for N goes to infinity.

(That's a joke, but there must be something like that that would work...)

Fortunately, the Inquisition is on the other side of the world from me. Or maybe not so fortunately--maybe they'd be good neighbors!

As I stated on the ys2 wiki, the 'd' in 'djo' stands for "Don" ==> XY-type person.

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

I'll use posting my turn here as an excuse to bug you all about writing your turn sixes. So far we only have 3 out of 9...
----

<h4>Marignon, Turn 6</h4>


Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies;
make thy way straight before my face.

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
their inward part is very wickedness;
their throat is an open sepulchre;
they flatter with their tongue.

Destroy thou them, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions;
for they have rebelled against thee.

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice:
let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:
let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous;
with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psalms 5:8-12

Muszinger

"By all that is holy! I should smite your where you stand!"

Father Muszinger grinned softly at that thought as the Archbishop of Marignon strode across the conclave room, spittle flying from his massive jowls.

"You have torn the Church apart with your mad support of this... Aftial. You have sown the soil of faith with the bitter seed of war, and watered the harvest with blood!"

Eventually, Muszinger knew, Marignon would tire. The summer heat still lingered in the House of Just Fires, and the old man was, well, indecently obese.

"The kingdom is falling apart! Condemned witches disappear from embarrassingly public places, and while you play solider in the :Image:MapOfJerovia.jpg|Plains of Eternal Peril, the mighty Aftial, Goddess of... Courage," the sarcasm dripped from his lips, "remains cloistered in the library playing with the minds of schoolboys and sucking at the rotten teat of ancient-- nay, heretical-- knowledge!"

With the last, Marignon pounded on Muszinger's desk with his diadem, then, overcome by exertion, started coughing uncontrollably.

The Archbishop of Wic strode into the center of the chamber. "Friends!"

A hush fell, as this perfect specimen of a man lifted his hands unto heaven.

"Friends. Let us not quarrel. It is true that the lords refused to accept the authority of Aftial, and that most have risen in open revolt, but so much the better. The chance lies before us know to clear the kingdom of this black bile, and bring all power directly under the control of the Church. Father Muszinger's campaign to do this has been quick and decisive. I returned to my home province for the first time in several years, and found the cathedral there in shocking disrepair, and the peasants cowering from me-- from me, a true servant of the LORD."

"Vampire..." muttered someone from behind Muszinger, but he pretended not to hear.

"There is some truth in what Wic says," said the Archbishop of Avoca from where he stood by the fire, despite the heat of the day. "Woledar was a crook who cheated the church out of its rightful tithe. The people will be much better off with their taxes going directly to the church through me."

"And, you, Archbishop of Amiridon?" Wic turned toward the shortest of the archbishops.

"Ach, 'tis true" he murmured. "Me people be better off wid out the yoke of tyranny."

"But what of the witch?" asked the Archbishop of Spire. "Old Ratty let her get away. He's not doing his job properly."

If Muszinger had one regret in life, it was not killing everyone who knew his nickname from school. The indignity of being called back here to answer these ridiculous charges was grating enough. Things were so much simpler out in the field where a good smite took care of everything.

Muszinger rose. He knew he lacked the stage presence of Wic, but... "By the grace of God, I have been charged with a sacred quest. Aftial guards every hair on my head. No man may hinder me." He puled out his dagger and spun it gently on the desk, then sat again and leaned back. "I challenge any man to face me in combat. I will be unarmed, but the LORD will protect me, and the false accuser's soul will never enter the Kingdom."

The blue robes of the Archbishop of Elkland parted with inhuman quickness, and a wicked looking man darted forth with dagger and short sword. Muszinger's heart froze for a second. He'd expected an attack by one of the elderly archbishops, not a fully trained assassin. What if Aftial's protection...?

A searing pain in his arm, and then a flash of light and a thunderclap. The assassin's bloody dagger clattered down with his sword onto the empty stone. Only the faint smell of brimestone and a little wisp of smoke remained.

Muszinger rose. "May the LORD bless and protect you all, as he has blessed me. I return now to the front-lines of the war against death. The Archbishop of Elkland is hereby excommunicated for allowing this assassin to infiltrate the conclave."

And with that he strode from the room, dizzy lights before his eyes. The dagger had been poisoned were his last thoughts as he pushed into the crowd of inquisitors who swirled their black cloaks around him and prevented the Archbishops from seeing his collapse.

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

A question for C'tis...

(see the wiki, C'tis turn 6 for the background)

How long ago did the war with the giants take place? I have decided that, since Vanir have the whole elf thing going, that Vans are very long-lived. I know my character's ages, and I'm wondering if they or their anscestors (esp. Alteion) may have been around then.

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

Djo,

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away... shrouded in the mists of time... once upon a time?

A contextual analysis of my turn 0 shows that Aetonyx was long dead as of five generations of lizards ago. But lizards grow up fast, and can have rather short generations. How short, I'm flexible on... perhaps this ancient war was only a few hundred years ago. Myths can be so unreliable for accurate dating.

The real point, of course, is that it completely and utterly explains why Jontunheim has never been in any Yarnspinners game up 'til now. 'Cause the lizards killed them off.

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

OK everyone, sorry for all that confusion and whatnot. Things are finally running smoothly, and I hope you are enjoying writing as much as I am enjoying reading the yarns.
Now that Im home, I will be able to actually be a proper host, so here's the scoop:

I forgot to send everyone the screenshot for turn 6, I believe, so I will send that out with the next turn. I am also open to suggestions on how to completely do away with the GUI for the screenshots.
I would like people to vote on if I should have province names on or off for the screenshots. It seems to be a bit cluttered as is.
My policy for yarn writing/rewards will be as follows: I will send out rewards 3 turns after the turn the yarn should have been written. That means on turn 9 I will send the pearls to everyone who wrote a yarn for turn 6. If you have not completed the yarn by that time, you will not receive any pearls for writing it.
I would like to just gradually slip into the monday/wednesday/friday hosting schedule, so we will be pretty much running on quickhost only, much as we have been while I was away. However, eventually I hope things will line up nicely, and I will notify everyone when the actual schedule begins, though as long as everyone remains as quick and dedicated as they have been, it wont be much of a problem.

If anyone has any questions, comments, or flames, feel free to bring them up when you vote on the screenshot province names.

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

Here's my turn 6. It's long--I may just post to the wiki if they stay this length. I've got to start pacing myself...I didn't intend to do all 3 POV in one turn, but what can you do.

3 turns/1 week (or so) to get a yarn in is a little faster than I'd prefer. Maybe we can shift the yarn check to +6 or even +9 turns? I'm already starting to lag. I'd limit turn 9 to one POV (I've got a good idea for Vethru), but I don't think I can wait any longer to introduce Galameteia.


Vanheim turn 6 (also on the wiki)

In which Belletennares gains something he did not seek, Pherios is found by something he was seeking, and Vethru just snoops.


Vethru

It's a breezy summer day. I'm pacing in the library when Quellian Ji flies in. He drops a scroll on the table, lands, clears his throat, and extends a wing. " 'All I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying/And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the seagulls crying,' " he recites.

I laugh. "So now you're a mind reader?"

"Tk-k-k. Five libraries in the castle, and you hole up in the smallest one? Why you think that is?"

"It's quiet," I say.

Ji squawks. "Look out the window! It's the only library with a view of the water."

"Land of sailors ..." I say. "Some fishing boats on an inland lake. Racing shells. A few traders."

"But it's still in 'em," he says. "I've been down by the docks. They've all got salt water in their veins. They're the real deal."

"Maybe. It's not the same."

"Sorry, boss," Ji says. "But it's not forever. We'll be out of here someday, right? This, too, shall pass, and all that?"

I nod. This will pass. I'll pass it by. In a hundred years, or a thousand, I may not remember Vanheim and its land-locked sailors. Life is motion; existence is change. It takes astonishingly little time before everything you love fades into indistinct, blurry memories, and you're left with an empty soul, a feeling you can't believe will also fade, but it does--you stumble into unexpected beauty or kindness, and your heart thaws and starts to beat again. And it happens over and over and over.

On the other hand, I don't live, and my heart doesn't beat, so why should you listen to me?

I open the scroll. It's written in an elegant, feminine hand. The neat lines trail down and to the right. It reads:


Project Excelsior is progressing. I hope to have the results you want by the end of the year. On the other matter, I can give you one squad per month, but I'm not sure they're worth the resources. It will take much longer before we can do better. Send me more dwarves!

Come visit the tower, my friend. There are many fascinating mysteries we can discuss.

Yours in service, T.


"She gives me the creeps," says Ji.

"Why? It's no different than what I did. A little messier. What she did took cojones. I like that."

"Frankly, boss, sometimes you give me the creeps, too."

"Do you scare yourself when you pass a mirror? Because you've walked that path, too, my friend."

Ji shivers. "Never again."

"Not even to save your life?"

"Please don't ask me that." Ji is still uncomfortable with the liberties I take with the "natural order" of things. All in good cause, of course,

We watch tiny figures drifting over the hills of the city. "This place is getting to me," he says. "I like it better when we're the only weird, mythological things wandering around."

"Not this time," I say. "It won't be easy, with other powers active. We'll be fighting for everything. And if they figure out what I'm after..."

"Gah. Creepy. And they take it all for granted! Belletennares leads the army like he was born to be the anointed one of a god," Ji says. "I hate that. It took me forever to get used to it."

"He's perfect," I reply. I watch the Valkyries in the sky. Graceful creatures, and deadly. And all of them quite beautiful. I wonder if I know the death god who gave them their powers. I'd like to buy him lunch. "And what about young Pherios? We've never been anticipated so specifically. He even managed to pull you into his dream."

"Like a puppet! I have no idea where those words came from. Or what they mean."

"Watch him. Talk to him, when you find the right moment. We need him. He's got great potential."

"OK, boss. Whatever you say."

"House Alteion will win us this war," I say. "They are extraordinary."

Ji says, "Blech. They're extraordinary, I'm extraordinary, you're extraordinary. We've got a real shortage of ordinary around here."

"And round me up some Valkyries. I have an idea."


Pherios

"Quack, quack. Quack?"

I stared at the ducks swimming in Alteion's fountain. One of them stared back for a moment, then got bored and left. Smart duck.

The ducks weren't telling me anything. As far as I could tell, they were just swimming around in circles, and it didn't mean anything. None of the scholars on Triastellus could read the parchments Vethru gave me to show around. And no one could tell me anything about a Valkyrie who sketched the skies from the hill. I looked up at great-grandfather's statue and despaired.

"Hey, Pherios!" I turned around in time to be swept up in Petema's embrace. "Ah, little cousin," she said. She called us all cousins, even though she was the eldest of the family now. Although she wore a few wrinkles and grey hairs, she still chose to ride with the army rather than sit on the Konella Koreia. "How are you? What are you doing on Triastellus?"

"Everything and nothing." I looked up at Alteion again. "Not enough."

She laughed. "He's not grading you." People in the busy square were starting to watch us. I wasn't used to it, people pointing at me and whispering. I can't even figure out how they know who I am, or why they care. Petema noticed, took my arm, and said, "Let's go get a drink."

Once in a comfortable tavern a couple blocks away from Alteion's tomb, I showed her the papers, a collection of a dozen pages in a dozen alien alphabets. They all were recent copies, of what, I don't know. The scribe who gave them to me claimed the originals had been written by Vethru himself.

"This one doesn't even look like writing," Petema said. "What are all those lines for? They're not pretty enough to be art. Sorry," she said, handing them back to me. "I don't recognize the writing. Your father might know. Too bad, the real linguist in the family was Tilneia. Poor kid. Vethru is really interested in antiquities, isn't he? I've seen scholars running all over the hill, even a few dwarves."

"Yes. Every time I talk to him, he's in one of the libraries, reading old books, or talking to the old Jarls on the council."

"Have you found anyone who could read them?"

"Not yet. Just one guy who said he saw something like it in Cimri once."

"And what about your girlfriend? Any luck finding her?"

"What?" I said. "I mean, how...?"

"Old Epimerius told me. He's the keeper of the Meila Galleria. He told me you were asking about a Valkyrie after you showed him these papers. What? What's wrong?"

"I'm not supposed...I mean, I did see her--thought I saw her, thought she was, or, might be in danger...but I guess that wasn't what I was thinking of when I went looking for her. I shouldn't have been wasting my time on my own...um...pursuits?"

She smiled and touched my arm. "It's OK. Don't worry, cousin. There's time for everything. Listen. You know there's going to be tough times ahead. Better than me."

"A few years," I said. "Maybe more. Probably."

"A few years--it doesn't sound like much. You think you can focus on the war and leave all the rest for later. Put it all out of your mind and do your duty, and nothing else. But those five years, you've got to live them. There are a lot of moments to fill. You can't spend all your time fighting or studying or planning. You'll go nuts. Do you want to end up as serious as your dad? Besides, when you think Alteion met Philia?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. He started out like you, you know? Mom always described him as a skinny kid running around the hill with the future in his eyes. He met Mom, predicted the Utreian war, and won it with time to spare."

"That's hard to live up to," I said.

"Wrong lesson," she said. "Don't live up to him--live up yourself. I see changes, too. I think a new era is beginning. Alteion had his. It's going to be up to you and me what the next one will be like. Not Alteion."

"So," Petema continued, "Be strong, but be yourself. And remember your family; we'll look out for you."

"Thanks," I said.

"And you look out for us!" She said this very seriously, but her face immediately became carefree again. "I've got to go--good luck finding your Valkyrie, and write to your mother!"

With new optimism, I visited another handful of antiquarians, but my hopes quickly waned. I had no luck in my searches, either of them. I didn't think I'd ever succeed.

Some seer I am. She was waiting in my little turret when I arrived back at the castle.

Belletennares

They call me a hero They call me prophet, the chosen one of god. They tell me, yes, you were right all along. The troubles started, just as you described. You have shown foresight and wisdom, and for that, we place in your command the defense of our nation. They laud my every decision, follow my orders without question. I serve Vanheim as few are ever called to do.

I find no comfort in any of it. I sought responsibilities, not honors. I have foreseen this cusp of history, prepared for it, and led my people to meet it, but I feel as much dread as any of us when I speak the words: the war has begun.

Our little skirmishes with neighboring provinces seeking to evade responsibilities of ancient, and they say forgotten and irrelevant, treaties, are no more than a wisp of smoke to the coming firestorm. Pherios predicted it, and now we have begun to receive reports, travellers' tales, really, of the disintegration of peace across the land.

To the west, Man has dared to take Stone Grave Mountain. The Konella Koreia believes Man's new leader, Selena the Great Enchantress, to be rational, so diplomats have been sent to their land to warn her of the dangers of further encroachment. I hope they are correct, but I fear that someday we will need to remind Man that, though the reputation of their vaunted wardens and foresters and their clever woodcraft is not undeserved, Vanir and Valkyries, too, may pass without being detected by mortal eyes.

There is plague to the north, but that is no surprise from the dead lands. Some days I look around the stony hills of our provinces, not half so green as I remember from my youth, and wonder if it has not already touched us.

In the east, a great red dragon has been sighted flying over the Black Gorge. It is a sign that the lizards rise again. Once we were allies, of a kind--I remember they made a small contribution in the wars with the giants. Some part of me hopes we will again find the lizards to be friendly. I mentioned this to Vethru (I am back in Vanheim for a short time), and he, to my surprise, for I can rarely determine the quarter of his thoughts, agreed. Something about them fascinates him.

Elsewhere, there is little news. The Pythian empire grows again. Their legions march, but not toward us. To the south, Tenecheia (or however their name is rendered; I cannot write their native script) is wracked, they say, by some internal catastrophe, but I can pay little credence to the single tale we've heard from that region.

I must put these reports from my mind. My brother can exercise his intellect upton the contemplation of distant lands, and his son may divine the future. I work in the here and now. Tomorrow I ride for Namor in another wasteful demonstration of the sanctity of treaties forged with Vanheim. Some of the younger men who have just joined us think of this as an opportunity for honor and glory. Tomorrow they may be as wary of glory as I, and learn that honor cannot be hunted.

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

Hmm, as I understood it earlier in the thread I could still get the pearls if I filled in the story later? I must admit that takes away the incentive to catch up if most of what I am catching up will already be to late.

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

Truth to tell I just came up with that on the spot, but If you guys had already decided on something else, we can roll with that instead.

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

Yes. I believe it was agreed that someone would get their reward of pearls whenever they do a yarn (even if late).

Re: PBEM Game: Yarnspinners 2
 

I'm fine with the current pace of yarning, and would prefer to remove the province names from the screenshots (all names are removed to protect the guilty and all that).