  
ClubFloyd Transcript:
The idea behind ClubFloyd
is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of
people meet online to cooperatively play a game of
interactive fiction. |
|
ClubFloyd Transcript:
The idea behind ClubFloyd
is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of
people meet online to cooperatively play a game of
interactive fiction. |
|
ToyShop & Floyditorium
|
#ClubFloyd Discussion
|
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| katie-paquette says, "Hi, clubfloyd I'm back." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Hi. I think we have 15 minutes still. And I think we'll have to have a discussion about what to play today. Is there a game you'd like to suggest to the group?" | ||
| katie-paquette says, "Okay But my braillenote apex says it's 10:45 A.M. which is 11:45 A.M. eastern. I thought we started at 11:30 eastern." | ||
| dddddd arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Tigrita asks, "have we played Whom The Telling Changed?" | |
| Jacqueline says, "No, we start at noon Eastern." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Tigrita), "No, we haven't, actually." | ||
| Tigrita asks, "i started that but only got a few turns in, how about it?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Tigrita), "I think it's an excellent recommendation. We'll see how many others haven't played it, but given that you and I have not, that's somewhat promising." | ||
| Tigrita says, "note from someone who's played a few turns- it might be nice to stop and discuss the first few choices" | ||
| maga says, "hunh, that's on my wishlist also" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "So we would need a driver, that's fine." | ||
| Jacqueline asks (of maga), "OMG. Does this mean you might actually JOIN us?" | ||
| maga arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Jacqueline falls over. | |
| Tigrita arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | maga says, "I'm going to need more tea" | |
| Tigrita asks, "who wants to drive?" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I can. We still have a couple of minutes until ClubFloyd time, though." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "(Top of the hour.)" | ||
| Jacqueline hollers, "This morning ClubFloyd, having played all the playable Xyzzy stuff, is going to play For Whom the Telling Changed, by Sir Aaron A. Reed." | ||
| Jearl arrives, ready to play with the toys. | ||
| DavidW arrives, ready to play with the toys. | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Hellooooo, everyone." | Jacqueline says, "Hellooooo, everyone." | |
| Tigrita exclaims, "hellooooo, jacq!" | ||
| DavidW wipes sleep from eyes. | ||
| Jacqueline asks, "So, a few of us want to play For Whom the Telling Changed, so that's what's happening. David & Jearl, have you two played it?" | ||
| Jearl says, "ahoy" | ||
| katie-paquette arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | Jearl says, "I don't think so" | |
| Zach arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | Zach says, "Hey boys and girls" | |
| DavidW says, "I remember the first bit of it. I don't remember if I finished it or not. Probably I did with a poor ending." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay. So, I will drive. If you have suggestions for what I commands I should type, we'll discuss them on the channel first." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "load sleepmask forwhomthetellingchanged" | ||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | "He found the knowledge at the heart of the Floyd | universe; Floyd | Returned, and cut his story into stone..." Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | -- The Epic Of Gilgamesh | ||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | W H O M T H E T E L L I N G C H A N G E D Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | By Aaron A. Reed Floyd | Floyd | Release 2 Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | (Press any key to continue) | Jacqueline says, "Oh, it's called Whom the Telling Changed, not For Whom. Oops." | |
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like instructions?> | Jacqueline asks, "Do we want instructions?" | |
| DavidW says, "you might want, yes" | ||
| Jacqueline asks, "Tigrita, do you remember if it's special stuff or just standard IF stuff?" | ||
| Tigrita says, "there's a bit about emphasized words" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "y" | ||
Floyd | Would you like instructions?> Floyd | > Y Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | I am your eyes and hands within the story. Direct me with commands Floyd | such as EXAMINE THE BAG, GO OUTSIDE, LISTEN, or FIGHT HIM. Single word Floyd | shorthand like FIGHT or BAG will often suffice. Some single words will Floyd | be highlighted to bring them to your attention. Type them to Floyd | shape the story to your will; some of the possible choices will be Floyd | seen in the header bar above. Time only advances when you give a Floyd | command or type LISTEN, which it is sometimes wise to do. Floyd | Floyd | Other useful commands include REPEAT, to remember what was recently Floyd | said; STORY to see the choices you have made; INVENTORY to see what Floyd | you are holding; WAIT to let the time pass; UNDO to take back your Floyd | last turn; and GREET, MOCK, PRAISE, TALK TO or ASK ABOUT to interact Floyd | with characters. Floyd | Floyd | More information about this story is available by typing ABOUT. Floyd | Floyd | Press any key to continue. | DavidW says, "The game is supposed to be accessible to new players of IF, since it was an installation piece, iirc." | |
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, yeah, we needed to read that." | ||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||
Floyd | Press any key to continue. Floyd | Floyd | 'Whom The Telling Changed' makes use of emphasized words to Floyd | indicate useful options to pursue. Typing one of these words helps to Floyd | advance the story in the direction you desire. Please choose a style Floyd | of emphasis which displays clearly on your interpreter: Floyd | Floyd | 1) The emphasized words appear in this fashion. Floyd | 2) The emphasized words appear in this fashion. Floyd | 3) The EMPHASIZED words appear in THIS fashion. Floyd | 4) The emphasized words appear in this fashion. Floyd | 5) Emphasis off. Floyd | Floyd | Select a number> | Jacqueline asks, "So, 3, right?" | |
| DavidW says, "yes, I think so." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "3" | ||
Floyd | Select a number> Floyd | Floyd | Style SET. You may change this setting using the STYLE command. Floyd | Floyd | Note that you are not limited to typing emphasized words to interact Floyd | with the story. Other actions may be open to you at any time. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Press any key to begin. | ||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||
Floyd ]
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | The people have always gathered on moonless nights to hear the
Floyd | telling, since the time of your ancestors' ancestors. The heat of the
Floyd | fire and the glow in the storyteller's eyes make the past present, and
Floyd | the path to the future clear. Tonight the stars are bright, but the
Floyd | minds of your people are troubled. May the words of the telling guide
Floyd | your way.
Floyd |
Floyd | -----------
Floyd |
Floyd | The walls of your tent glow yellow in the lamplight, your simple
Floyd | possessions casting flickering shadows on the wall. A straw bed; some
Floyd | skins of water, oil, and wine; a small, guttering lamp--it is simple,
Floyd | but it is enough.
Floyd |
Floyd | The symbol of your occupation hangs from the central support of the
Floyd | tent.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| Tigrita asks, "take symbol?" | |
| maga says, "x symbol" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I'm thinking examine." | ||
| DavidW asks, "ah, but which is your symbol?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x symbol" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X SYMBOL Floyd | Floyd | Which do you mean, the medicine bag or the copper dagger? Floyd | Floyd | > | maga exclaims (at DW), "quick, to the men's toilets!" | |
| Jacqueline says, "hm" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to maga), "heh" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, I'm inclined to say medicine bag." | ||
| Tigrita says, "that works" | ||
| Jearl says, "sure" | ||
| maga says, "stabby stabby" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to maga), "Sorry. We will heal the stab wounds, not create them." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "medicine bag" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > MEDICINE BAG Floyd | Floyd | A small leather medicine pouch hangs from a long strap, bulging with Floyd | curative herbs. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Take it?" | |
| maga says, "sure" | ||
| Jacqueline asks, "Or do people want me to examine the dagger, too?" | ||
| Tigrita says, "why not check it out" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x dagger" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X DAGGER Floyd | Floyd | This copper dagger is as long as your forearm, with a round pommel and Floyd | hardened leather grip. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Dang" | |
| Jacqueline says, "Not THAT'S a dagger." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "er, Now." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Darn it." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I want to take the medicine bag." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take bag" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > TAKE BAG Floyd | Floyd | The leather strap feels cool and familiar in your hands as you take Floyd | your medicine bag down from its place. Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "aww, but I wanna be Chalcolithic Dundee" | |
| Jacqueline says, "hee" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I wonder what happens if we take both." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take dagger" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > TAKE DAGGER Floyd | Floyd | You carefully take your lover's weapon down from the wall and study it Floyd | thoughtfully for a moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Ah." | |
| two-star arrives, full of fun and funk. | Jacqueline says, "Nice." | |
| Jacqueline says, "You all had me under the impression that we needed a driver, and I guess maybe for that we did." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I was going to just examine the other stuff in the tent next." | ||
| maga says, "also X ME, I" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, yeah. And those." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X ME Floyd | Floyd | You are a healer, nothing more. These have always been your people, Floyd | and you have always been theirs. Floyd | Floyd | You are carrying your lover's copper dagger, your medicine bag and the Floyd | storyteller's feathered circlet. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x circlet" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X CIRCLET Floyd | Floyd | Countless weeks were spent collecting the delicate feathers and Floyd | weaving them together to make this circlet. It is light as air in your Floyd | hands, and seems to glow in the lamplight. Floyd | Floyd | Lowered voices speak softly from somewhere outside your tent. Floyd | Floyd | > | Tigrita says, "there are a few more choices but i don't think they're quite as important" | |
| Jearl says, "huh, why do we have that" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | The lamp crackles softly as it burns. Somewhere distant is the sound Floyd | of muffled voices. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x bed" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X BED Floyd | Floyd | A simple bed of furs and straw. Floyd | Floyd | > | katie-paquette asks, "Examine me? or inventory?" | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x lamp" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X LAMP Floyd | Floyd | This small oil lamp is made from cured hide and a reed wick. You made Floyd | many of these from the sheepskins you traded the merchants for last Floyd | moon. The small flame glows brightly, leaving dancing black streaks in Floyd | your eyes if you look straight at it. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to katie), "Those are good commands, yes. Are you on a reader, or your braillenote? You seem to be lagging a bit." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take water and wine" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > TAKE WATER AND WINE Floyd | Floyd | [You can't use multiple objects with that verb in this game.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take all" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > TAKE ALL Floyd | Floyd | [You can't use multiple objects with that verb in this game.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Roger arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Jacqueline says, "No, of course you probably can't use all with take in this game." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take water" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > TAKE WATER Floyd | Floyd | Water for your hands, oil for your lamp, wine for your thirst. You Floyd | need none of them now, but knowing they are there brings comfort. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh. Okay." | |
| Jacqueline asks, "So, go outside to better hear the voices?" | ||
| Jearl says, "yeah" | ||
| Zach says, "But, but, dirty hands..." | ||
| maga says, "sure, out" | ||
| Allen arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "out" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > OUT Floyd | Floyd | You step outside into the warm night air. Floyd | Floyd | It has been night for many hours, but the air is still warm, and the Floyd | stars are a million brilliant fires above you. Nearby are the vague Floyd | outlines of your neighbors' tents, but on this moonless night only the Floyd | distant glow of the fire pit seems truly alive. Floyd | Floyd | In the darkness a few feet away, Sihan and Saiph talk quietly in Floyd | strained tones. Floyd | Floyd | As you approach, your enemy grows silent. Your love turns to you with Floyd | a look of relief and reaches out a hand. Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "so let's examine everyone" | |
| Tigrita says (to x), "saiph" | ||
| Tigrita says (to floyd), "x saiph" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X SAIPH Floyd | Floyd | Saiph has his father's tall strength and the bearing of a leader. His Floyd | grace and bold demeanor draw others to him, though few know of his Floyd | quiet and gentle side underneath. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Oh, we don't need a driver now, you don't think, Tigrita?" | |
| DavidW says, "oh, we do. This is another choice, like bag and dagger." | ||
| Roger says, "Ha, a FEW FEET away? I hope it's in an absurdly-loud stage whisper too" | ||
| Tigrita says (to floyd), "x sihan" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X SIHAN Floyd | Floyd | Sihan is beautiful; you have always thought so, as have many others. Floyd | Her long black hair seems to swallow up her face in the dark of night. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jearl says, "kinda want to go right to MOCK ENEMY, though I'm sure it's too early for that" | |
| katie-paquette exclaims, "Geesh you all are fast!" | ||
| Tigrita says, "being inclined towards gentlemen, i vote to take saiph's hand" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to katie), "We're actually going pretty slowly today. A screen reader could probably keep up with it, if you have one." | ||
| Fido arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | ||
| Olly arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Jacqueline says, "I'm fine with Saiph." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take saiph's hand" | ||
Floyd ] enemy Floyd | Floyd | > TAKE SAIPH'S HAND Floyd | Floyd | You clasp Saiph's strong hand and turn to Sihan with a frown. Floyd | Floyd | "What business have you here?" you ask her coldly. Floyd | Floyd | Sihan tosses her hair and fixes her sharp gaze on you. "I came to see Floyd | if Saiph is truly a man of action and not only of words," she says Floyd | levelly. "But I see that, like you, he is counted among the cowards Floyd | and the weaklings. I have no more to say." She turns and vanishes into Floyd | the darkness without a sound. Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "oh he's a man of action all right" | |
| Tigrita says (to floyd), "talk to saiph" | ||
Floyd ] night telling newcomers enemy Floyd | Floyd | > TALK TO SAIPH Floyd | Floyd | "I care for you more than you know," you say, kissing Saiph on the Floyd | cheek. Floyd | Floyd | Saiph frowns. "Her heart clamors for war with these NEWCOMERS," your Floyd | lover says, "and was upset to find I do not share her views. We shall Floyd | see if your ENEMY has better luck at the TELLING." He looks up to the Floyd | stars, and adds, "It is a good NIGHT for it." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Well, I'm glad we didn't choose Sihan. She's a meanie." | |
| Tigrita says, "ok, now we can type emphasized words to talk about those, i think" | ||
| Jearl says, "hmm, that 'enemy' thing looked like a tag, like we can change people's attitudes in the game" | ||
| maga says (to Jacqueline), "almost certainly she became a meanie because we didn't go out with her" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, yes." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "newcomers" | ||
Floyd ] night telling fires enemy Floyd | Floyd | > NEWCOMERS Floyd | Floyd | "Have you heard the news?" he asks. "Young Ada found traces of a camp Floyd | less than an hour's walk from here, and more than half a day from Floyd | their FIRES in the valley. SIHAN and her friends are already Floyd | sharpening their spears and preparing for war," he says darkly. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jearl says, "oh, never mind, it's a topics list" | |
| Zach says, "Aww, they're just newbies" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enemy" | ||
Floyd ] night telling fires Floyd | Floyd | > ENEMY Floyd | Floyd | "Sihan has been asking all the warriors to support her plan to attack Floyd | the newcomers," your love says. "She is convinced they are planning to Floyd | murder us all in our beds at any moment. She is so sure of herself; Floyd | how nice it must be to have such conviction in one's own superiority." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "telling" | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "telling" | ||
Floyd ] night fires Floyd | Floyd | > TELLING Floyd | Floyd | "It is almost time," your love says seriously. "I wonder, what story Floyd | will we hear tonight? The people are buzzing about the newcomers; Floyd | perhaps the teller's story will be about them." Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd ] night fires Floyd | Floyd | > TELLING Floyd | Floyd | The time is not right to speak about that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I realize we may not need a driver right now, but if we all start typing it may go way too fast." | |
| Tigrita says (to floyd), "fires" | ||
Floyd ] night Floyd | Floyd | > FIRES Floyd | Floyd | "The moon has waxed and grown small again since they arrived," Saiph Floyd | murmurs, holding you tightly. "Why don't they come to us? Why do they Floyd | hide when we send our emissaries? They must know the unrest they're Floyd | causing in us." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "night" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > NIGHT Floyd | Floyd | Saiph points up at the night sky. "See how bright the stars are," he Floyd | says, "as if the gods themselves gather round our fire to hear the Floyd | teller's story." Floyd | Floyd | Saiph glances towards the fire pit and takes his dagger from you, Floyd | sliding it into its familiar place at his waist. "Let us join the Floyd | gathering and hear the story," your love says lightly, and turns to Floyd | the FIRE at the center of the village. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sihan" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > SIHAN Floyd | Floyd | The time is not right to speak about that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Zach says, "Hey, Olly" | |
| Olly says, "Hi." | ||
| maga asks, "look?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > L Floyd | Floyd | It has been night for many hours, but the air is still warm, and the Floyd | stars are a million brilliant fires above you. Nearby are the vague Floyd | outlines of your neighbors' tents, but on this moonless night only the Floyd | distant glow of the fire pit seems truly alive. Floyd | Floyd | Your beloved gazes up at the stars. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "So, head in to the fire?" | |
| Zach says, "Yeah" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "fire" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > FIRE Floyd | Floyd | You walk to the firepit with Saiph, and friends and neighbors greet Floyd | you with a nod or quiet word. Floyd | Floyd | Always the fire pit is the center of the village, and always the Floyd | people gather there. Faint smells of tonight's great feast still Floyd | linger, but the fire now smolders low, only a shadow of its roaring Floyd | fierceness at sunset. Floyd | Floyd | Isi and Nabu stand near the fire, along with a growing crowd. Saiph Floyd | stands near your side. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x isi" | maga says, "okay, who're this lot" | |
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X ISI Floyd | Floyd | Isi's long black hair is white now, and her soft skin is loose and Floyd | wrinkled, but her eyes have grown sharper with each passing year. Your Floyd | father's sister sees more than most; the truth behind deceit and the Floyd | sadness behind smiles. Her eyes sparkle as they meet yours, and she Floyd | gives you a tiny nod. Floyd | Floyd | > | katie-paquette says, "I'm on my braillenote. I'm sorry if I am going slower than you all, but I promise I'll catch up." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x nabu" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X NABU Floyd | Floyd | Your father's brother Nabu has never been good with a spear, but there Floyd | is a warrior somewhere inside him that the wise respect more than the Floyd | strongest man in the village. He is short and stern; quiet, but clever Floyd | and collected. He is old, now, but his spirit is as strong as ever. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "So, our aunt and our uncle." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x crowd" | ||
Floyd ] storyteller Floyd | Floyd | > X CROWD Floyd | Floyd | They have always been your people since you were a child, and each of Floyd | their faces are known to you. Some are friends, some are relatives, Floyd | some you know little and some you know better than you might wish. But Floyd | they are all your people. Floyd | Floyd | Saiph places a hand on your shoulder. "Go on, my love," he says Floyd | softly. "Give the circlet of office to the STORYTELLER. It is time." Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "dammit, now I'll have The Mighty Boosh earwormed all day" | |
| pollux arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | Jacqueline says (to maga), "Congratulations. I hate you now." | |
| Roger says, "Ohho; that's an interesting twist." | ||
| Tigrita says (to floyd), "storyteller" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > STORYTELLER Floyd | Floyd | "The storyteller awaits," Saiph says. "The telling cannot begin until Floyd | the teller's circlet has been gifted." Floyd | Floyd | > | Olly, perhaps fortunately, isn't familiar with The Mighty Boosh. | |
| Roger says, "If it does in fact imply that you got adopted while young at some point." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "So, I wonder if we could just wear the circlet ourselves." | ||
| DavidW asks, "I suppose the storyteller could be any of the four? Or ourselves?" | ||
| Tigrita exclaims, "try it!" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "wear circlet" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > WEAR CIRCLET Floyd | Floyd | No; you are not the storyteller. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Anti-climax." | |
| Jacqueline says, "Sad trombone." | ||
| Roger says, "You can't handle the story. I deride your story-telling abilities." | ||
| Jacqueline cries. | ||
| maga says, "whom the telling burned" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I say we give it to our Aunt who knows the sadness behind smiles." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to maga), "haha" | ||
| DavidW says, "coo coo kachew" | ||
| Olly says, "I agree." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to DavidW), "Congratulations. Now I hate you, too." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "give circlet to isi" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > GIVE CIRCLET TO ISI Floyd | Floyd | You approach your aunt Isi and hand the circlet to the white-haired Floyd | old woman. She takes it delicately, eyeing the craftsmanship, and then Floyd | looks up at you and smiles warmly. Carefully, she lifts it up to her Floyd | old head--and now before you is no longer your father's sister, but Floyd | the storyteller... a role she has taken every new moon for many years. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "listen?" | |
| Tigrita says, "sure" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "This game is quite serene. I wonder if here in a second newcomers with spears are going to burst onto the scene." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | A bat circles above the fire for a moment, then swoops away. Floyd | Floyd | Sihan approaches the far side of the fire and greets some friends Floyd | warmly. Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says (to Jacq), "if you choose the dagger it turns into Stab Mute: The Stabbening" | |
| Zach says, "When it does, it'll be calmly narrated by our aunt." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Zach), "Probably." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to sihan" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > TALK TO SIHAN Floyd | Floyd | "Sihan," you call across the fire. "Can we not hear the story as Floyd | friends?" Floyd | Floyd | Sihan snorts. "That is unlikely," she says, "unless you have come to Floyd | your senses and accepted the need for defense." Sihan turns away with Floyd | contempt and laughs with her friends, but you catch a guarded glance Floyd | thrown your way a moment later. Floyd | Floyd | Saiph kisses your cheek. "May the story bring you what you seek," he Floyd | whispers, then slips into the crowd. Your beloved has always liked to Floyd | hear the stories by himself. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline exclaims, "Beloved!" | |
| Zach sobs | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Meh" | ||
| Olly asks, "What's the name of this game?" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Whom the Telling Changed." | ||
| Zach looks for cuties in the crowd | ||
| Jacqueline says, "So, now the enemies will come and we'll be separated from our love and things will end less than ideally." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "That is my prediction." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | A bat circles above the fire for a moment, then swoops away. Floyd | Floyd | The murmurings of the people die away as the storyteller rises to her Floyd | feet and raises two bony hands. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] yes no Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | It is strangely quiet around the fire. Floyd | Floyd | The storyteller shouts, "In this time of darkness the people gather Floyd | for the telling. Will the people hear?" Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks (of Jacqueline), "So the strangers are enemies already?" | |
| Jacqueline says, "YES" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, wait. No." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, maybe." | ||
| Jacqueline asks, "I guess we say 'yes'?" | ||
| maga says, "the game will detect #clubfloyd chatter and respond to your word-choices if you don't watch out" | ||
| DavidW says, "I think Batman and I will race to the men''s room now." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to maga), "Nah, I think this was written before Aaron was bit by the radioactive spider of interactive fictioness." | ||
| Tigrita says (to floyd), "y" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > Y Floyd | Floyd | You call out your response along with many others. Floyd | Floyd | The crowd cries out with one voice, "The people are ready." The teller Floyd | bows humbly, accepting the people's blessing, then straightens with Floyd | the hint of a smile. Floyd | Floyd | "Tonight," she says, "we shall hear an old, old story, from days long Floyd | ago when great cities and mighty kings ruled this land. May you find Floyd | in the story that which you seek." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] uruk wall temple tablet gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | A bat circles above the fire for a moment, then swoops away. Floyd | Floyd | The storyteller lifts her hands in invocation. "Our story begins," she Floyd | says quietly, "in the far-off city of URUK. Uruk of the broad streets, Floyd | Uruk of the mighty WALLS. Can you see them, gleaming in the desert Floyd | heat?" Floyd | Floyd | The teller gestures into the night, and in your mind the walls come Floyd | alive, shimmering in the desert air. Floyd | Floyd | "Come," she continues, "cross the ancient threshold, walk the streets Floyd | and orchards and markets. Walk the streets and climb the great stone Floyd | steps to the TEMPLE. Climb the steps and find the box of burnished Floyd | copper. Find the box and undo the lock and draw out the great TABLET Floyd | of deep blue stone. Draw out the tablet and read of Uruk's king, Floyd | Uruk's pride, Uruk's greatest hero. Hear of the trials of GILGAMESH." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Tigrita says (to floyd), "gilgamest" | ||
Floyd ] uruk wall temple tablet gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > GILGAMEST Floyd | Floyd | [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE Floyd | | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an Floyd | EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "hey, lady, one command at a time" | |
| Jacqueline says, "Golly." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "So, the things in the story come to life in our imagination and we can do those things, I guess." | ||
| Olly steals the plant of immortality. | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look at temple" | ||
Floyd ] uruk wall temple tablet gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > LOOK AT TEMPLE Floyd | Floyd | [I'm not sure what you are referring to.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Or not" | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "temple" | ||
Floyd ] uruk wall tablet gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > TEMPLE Floyd | Floyd | "The great temple of Inanna: what did it look like?" you say. Floyd | Floyd | "Mighty and tall and grand and proud," the teller replies, "so fine Floyd | that Inanna herself dwelt there instead of in her heavenly palace. Floyd | Inanna, goddess of warfare, goddess of lust, dwelt often in URUK Floyd | herself." Floyd | Floyd | Sihan's eyes stare deeply at you. You return her stare and for a Floyd | moment a flicker of some vanishing emotion touches her face. Floyd | Floyd | > | Roger exclaims, "Okay someone yell out an occupation! Okay I heard 'gatherer'!" | |
| Jacqueline says, "Why did that-- oh, because Tigrita mistyped Gilgamesh." | ||
| Tigrita says, "i like a dictionary" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "temple" | ||
Floyd ] uruk wall tablet inspire question Floyd | Floyd | > TEMPLE Floyd | Floyd | It is no longer the right time to make that part of the story. Floyd | Floyd | Sihan smiles broadly. "Ah, good!" she says, "a story of my ancestor Floyd | Gilgamesh. There, there was a true hero to INSPIRE the people in Floyd | troubled times." Floyd | Floyd | Some in the crowd murmur in excitement, but older faces look as if Floyd | they QUESTION Sihan's claim of lineage. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Tigrita says (to floyd), "question" | ||
Floyd ] aruru adad shamash man Floyd | Floyd | > QUESTION Floyd | Floyd | You snort and raise your voice. "So it is Gilgamesh you descend from Floyd | now, is it Sihan?" you say derisively. "Last moon it was Sargon of Floyd | Akkad, was it not?" Floyd | Floyd | A few near you snicker as Sihan flushes furiously, then she turns away Floyd | from you with cold disdain. Floyd | Floyd | The teller continues. "MIGHTY was Gilgamesh, a lord among lords. Floyd | Mighty is he who both leads the way and guards the rear. Mighty is he Floyd | who both crashes like a wave and shelters the weak. Gilgamesh was Floyd | tall, strong, bearded, a roaring bull among his people. ARURU, mother Floyd | of the Earth, gave him his form, and ADAD the Storm gave him courage, Floyd | and SHAMASH the Sun gave him beauty--but," the teller's piercing eyes Floyd | fixate on the crowd, "he was still a MAN, nonetheless." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "aruru" | ||
Floyd ] adad shamash man Floyd | Floyd | > ARURU Floyd | Floyd | "I would hear more of Aruru," you say. Floyd | Floyd | "Lady Aruru," the teller sighs, "Lady of the Gods, Lady of the Floyd | Foothills, Mother of the Earth, made Gilgamesh as she made the first Floyd | man long eons ago. She formed an image of Gilgamesh in her mind, took Floyd | up her clay, and kneaded it, shaped it into Gilgamesh's form. More Floyd | MIGHTY she made him than a normal man: taller, broader, and stronger." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "adad" | ||
Floyd ] uruk adad shamash Floyd | Floyd | > ADAD Floyd | Floyd | Sihan is speaking before you can react. Floyd | Floyd | "How awesome to have such divinity in one's creation," Sihan says. Floyd | "The people of Uruk were blessed indeed to have such a king to lead Floyd | them." Floyd | Floyd | "And they knew it," says the teller with a twinkle in her eye, "even Floyd | if they sometimes wished for a leader who provoked awe less Floyd | frequently." Floyd | Floyd | A current of energy runs through a few in the crowd, who mutter Floyd | affirmation with somber faces. Saiph scowls darkly across the flames. Floyd | Floyd | > | maga asks, "try again?" | |
| Jacqueline asks, "So, the words in italics in the status bar... are the things we can ask at this time?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "adad" | ||
Floyd ] uruk dead companion trouble Floyd | Floyd | > ADAD Floyd | Floyd | "Adad, god of storms, blessed mighty Gilgamesh?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "He breathed lightning into the body of Gilgamesh," the teller says Floyd | powerfully, "Adad of the tempest and the rain. He gave Gilgamesh the Floyd | spark of courage and the fire of charisma." Floyd | Floyd | The telling continues. "With his friend and companion ENKIDU," the Floyd | storyteller says, "Gilgamesh ruled URUK with a young and prideful Floyd | heart. But he saw the DEAD and dying in the streets of Uruk, and his Floyd | mind was TROUBLED." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Zach had sung the body electric. Unfortunately, your power bill reflects that. | ||
| Zach has disconnected. | maga says, "enkidu" | |
| Roger says, "I wonder if a different storyteller just tells you to shut the hell up" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enkidu" | ||
Floyd ] uruk dead made challenge united trouble Floyd | Floyd | > ENKIDU Floyd | Floyd | "Let us hear more of Gilgamesh's friend Enkidu," you say. Floyd | Floyd | "Enkidu the wild man, MADE by the gods to tame unruly Gilgamesh," says Floyd | the teller, a smile lighting her face. "He lived with the animals in Floyd | the wild lands till he came to URUK to CHALLENGE Gilgamesh. But their Floyd | battle UNITED them, and instead of enemies they became closer than Floyd | friends. Inseparable were Gilgamesh and Enkidu; together they faced Floyd | all foes and fought all battles." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jearl says, "so, we need to wrestle Sihan" | |
| Jearl says, "make ready the ritual jello pit" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "hee" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, anyone can type at this point, I think." | ||
| Zach arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "united" | ||
Floyd ] uruk dead challenge united trouble Floyd | Floyd | > UNITED Floyd | Floyd | Your mouth is already open to respond when Sihan's voice rises above Floyd | the circle. Floyd | Floyd | "Mighty Enkidu was also made by the gods?" Sihan's voice calls from Floyd | across the circle. Floyd | Floyd | "By Aruru," the storyteller says sagely, "By Aruru the Earth mother. Floyd | The people of Uruk beseeched her to soothe wild Gilgamesh, who day Floyd | after day came to the young men's homes, fighting and sparring in Floyd | search of an equal, and night after night came to the young women's Floyd | beds. The people of Uruk called on Aruru for help, and Enkidu was Floyd | pinched from Aruru's clay and cast into the wilderness, as strong and Floyd | mighty as Gilgamesh himself." Floyd | Floyd | "How wise the gods are," Sihan says, "to send such magnificent heroes Floyd | to protect their people." Floyd | Floyd | Low muttering comes from across the circle; it seems this has struck a Floyd | chord with a few. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "united" | ||
Floyd ] shamash humbaba cedar restless whisper Floyd | Floyd | > UNITED Floyd | Floyd | "It was battle that united Enkidu and Gilgamesh in friendship, was it Floyd | not?" you say musingly. Floyd | Floyd | "It is often the way," the teller says, "that two foes may only find Floyd | kinship through the bitterest battles. But perhaps," she adds humbly, Floyd | "this is only the way in stories." Floyd | Floyd | The storyteller continues. "One night," she says, "as Gilgamesh knelt Floyd | in prayer, SHAMASH, god of the sun, came down to whisper in his ear. Floyd | Shamash WHISPERED to Gilgamesh of a far off place called the Cedar Floyd | Forest, where dwelt the demon HUMBABA. Shamash whispered that he who Floyd | could defeat Humbaba would gain fame greater than any man. He who Floyd | could chop down the tallest CEDAR and defeat Humbaba the guardian Floyd | would gain everlasting fame. He would burn in the minds of men Floyd | forever. He would never be forgotten. And the heart of Gilgamesh Floyd | became RESTLESS." Floyd | Floyd | > | katie-paquette says, "I have a dictionary on my braillenote." | |
| DavidW says, "I wish the lover and enemy names were distinctive instead of so similar. I can't remember properly which is which." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Sihan is the meanie." | ||
| DavidW says, "Only because we chose the other S person." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Right. I'm just telling you which one is not our lover." | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "whispered" | ||
Floyd ] shamash humbaba cedar restless Floyd | Floyd | > WHISPERED Floyd | Floyd | "Storyteller," you call out, "did you say that SHAMASH, god of the Floyd | sun, whispered these words to Gilgamesh?" Floyd | Floyd | "I did." says the teller. Floyd | Floyd | "And why would so mighty a god whisper such a thing?" you ask, turning Floyd | to the people. "Was he afraid another god would hear? Did Shamash Floyd | really have the glory of Gilgamesh in mind, or did he hope to use Floyd | Uruk's king for purposes of his own?" Floyd | Floyd | A wave of muttering sweeps over the crowd, but no one comes forward to Floyd | answer your question. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "If we'd picked she-S instead of he-S as our lover, then whats-her-name would be nice and his-whoever-he-is would be the meanie." | |
| Emily . o O ( billy jean? ) | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "restless" | ||
Floyd ] shamash humbaba cedar restless Floyd | Floyd | > RESTLESS Floyd | Floyd | Before you can speak, Sihan steps forward. Floyd | Floyd | "You said King Gilgamesh was restless when he heard Shamash's call," Floyd | Sihan says loudly. "And of course he was! What king would not seize a Floyd | chance for glory, to prove his strength and power? A leader is trebled Floyd | in stature when admired by the people." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to DW), "Yes, yes, I know." | |
| Jacqueline says, "I was just reminding you of the name of who we did not pick, that's all." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Emily), "Billy Jean is not my lover." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "She's just a girl who claims that I am the one." | ||
| DavidW says, "I still find it extremely hard to remember." | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "cedar" | ||
Floyd ] shamash humbaba restless Floyd | Floyd | > CEDAR Floyd | Floyd | "What magic was there in the Cedar Forest that made it special?" you Floyd | ask. Floyd | Floyd | "Uruk was a land like ours," the teller answers, "where the tree is Floyd | scarce and the wood is poor. Cedarwood is strong, and beautiful, and Floyd | pleasant to see and smell, and in those days was valued as gold. In Floyd | the Cedar Forest far, far away, the cedar trees are so thick you could Floyd | not see a man a hundred paces away; and so tall you could not see the Floyd | sky." Floyd | Floyd | > | Zach says (to DW), "Time for sticky notes!" | |
| Tigrita says, "bye guys" | ||
| Tigrita mhm and as the years go by/mhm I'll facebook you and sigh/mhm this is goodnight and not goodbye | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restless" | ||
Floyd ] shamash humbaba restless never Floyd | Floyd | > RESTLESS Floyd | Floyd | Doubtless the heart of Gilgamesh stirred at a chance for glory; but Floyd | was this Humbaba a VALID opponent? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "humbaba" | ||
Floyd ] shamash enkidu guard defeat Floyd | Floyd | > HUMBABA Floyd | Floyd | "Humbaba the demon?" you ask. "Why was he so feared?" Floyd | Floyd | "Humbaba the awful, he of many stories," the teller says. "His breath Floyd | is a firestorm; his voice is the floodwaters; his jaws are death Floyd | itself. Horrible to look at is the demon Humbaba, and the few who saw Floyd | him and survived could not describe his face." Floyd | Floyd | The story moves on. "The heart of Gilgamesh burned with the words of Floyd | SHAMASH," says the teller. "Gilgamesh sought out his friend Enkidu and Floyd | said to him: 'You came from the wild. My friend, you came from the Floyd | wild and you know the secret paths of animals. Do you know the way to Floyd | the Cedar Forest?' Floyd | Floyd | "Enkidu SIGHED and his heart grew heavy," says the teller, and then Floyd | seems to become young and strong as the gruff guise of Enkidu comes Floyd | over her. "'Yes, I know the way to the Cedar Forest, but it is long Floyd | and lonely. And what awaits you at its end but the demon Humbaba? The Floyd | lord of all gods, mighty Enlil, has set him there to GUARD the Cedar Floyd | Forest. What man or god could DEFEAT him, my brother?'" Floyd | Floyd | > | maga asks, "hmm, does that suggest that we can refute her interpretations by repeating them?" | |
| Jacqueline says (to maga), "Try" | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "valid" | ||
Floyd ] shamash guard defeat Floyd | Floyd | > VALID Floyd | Floyd | The time is not right to weave that into the story. Floyd | Floyd | "Subtle is the art of the storyteller," Sihan says with a smile. "Do Floyd | you see why Gilgamesh is the leader and Enkidu only a follower? He Floyd | hesitates in the face of danger; when courage is called for, he backs Floyd | away. It is Gilgamesh whose bravery will be remembered and loved." Floyd | Floyd | People murmur in agreement and nod. The storyteller's eyes sparkle in Floyd | the firelight, inscrutable. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "sighed" | ||
Floyd ] guard defeat Floyd | Floyd | > SIGHED Floyd | Floyd | The story has moved on; there are other things to say. Floyd | Floyd | "Shamash himself came down from the realm of the gods to tell Floyd | Gilgamesh of this?" asks a weatherbeaten farmer. "Why don't I have Floyd | such luck?" A few of his neighbors chuckle. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "defeat" | ||
Floyd ] guard defeat hopeless triumph Floyd | Floyd | > DEFEAT Floyd | Floyd | If Enkidu wonders whether even a god could triumph, then the fight Floyd | must be truly HOPELESS--but surely, if any mortal could ever have Floyd | TRIUMPHED at such a task, it was Gilgamesh? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "triumphed" | ||
Floyd ] brave weak gilgamesh enkidu Floyd | Floyd | > TRIUMPHED Floyd | Floyd | "What better task for Gilgamesh to take on?" you wonder aloud. "If he Floyd | succeeds, his people will love him and follow him all the more; and if Floyd | he fails, his name will live on in death as one who showed no fear." Floyd | Floyd | "As it has," the teller says, "though which of those outcomes found Floyd | Gilgamesh has not yet been told." Floyd | Floyd | The telling continues. "GILGAMESH looked at Enkidu with disapproving Floyd | eyes," continues the teller, who then seems to grow tall and strong. Floyd | "Is this the brave Enkidu I know?" she asks in the voice of the king. Floyd | "Is this Enkidu who fought with the wild beasts and once challenged Floyd | King Gilgamesh himself? Have you traded COURAGE for COWARDICE? Our Floyd | days are few, and chances for glory far between. Do you not wish to Floyd | burn forever in the minds of men?" Floyd | Floyd | The teller becomes Enkidu again, and seems to consider the words of Floyd | Gilgamesh. "'You have set your mind, I see. You will make this QUEST Floyd | no matter what your friend ENKIDU counsels. Since that is your road, I Floyd | will go with you. I will guide you on the hidden paths; I will find Floyd | for you the hidden water; I will help you on your quest for glory. Floyd | Enkidu will go with you.'" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| inky arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Olly says, "inkydu" | |
| Jacqueline says (to inkydu), "Hello." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "courage" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh enkidu Floyd | Floyd | > COURAGE Floyd | Floyd | "I would say rather that Enkidu was strong, not cowardly," you say, Floyd | "to stand against such a man as Gilgamesh. What courage to raise his Floyd | voice against so mighty and stalwart a man." Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "beast-man of Rainier" | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enkidu" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh enkidu weak friend Floyd | Floyd | > ENKIDU Floyd | Floyd | You consider Enkidu's response for a moment. Some might call him WEAK Floyd | for giving in so easily to Gilgamesh... but others would call him a Floyd | true FRIEND for standing by even though he did not agree. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "friend" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > FRIEND Floyd | Floyd | "Such is true loyalty," you say, "to stand by a friend and companion Floyd | no matter what your own thoughts are." Floyd | Floyd | "But truer still," calls Saiph unexpectedly, "is the friend who stays Floyd | true to his own beliefs." Your lover smiles mischievously and fades Floyd | back into the crowd. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "gilgamesh" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh right people Floyd | Floyd | > GILGAMESH Floyd | Floyd | Is Gilgamesh RIGHT to set off on this quest for personal glory? Should Floyd | he rather stay and help the PEOPLE of Uruk? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "find Saiph" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh right people Floyd | Floyd | > FIND SAIPH Floyd | Floyd | He is not nearby. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "people" | ||
Floyd ] weapons sacrifice silence Floyd | Floyd | > PEOPLE Floyd | Floyd | "A strange king is Gilgamesh," you say loudly. "He is troubled by the Floyd | sight of his people, sick and dying, so he leaves them to go on a long Floyd | quest to distant lands. Would a better king not have stayed behind to Floyd | help them?" Floyd | Floyd | "What help could he have given them?" asks Sihan. "Gilgamesh was not a Floyd | healer, but a fighter; a warrior. He could best help his people by Floyd | inspiring them; though I do not expect you to understand." She gives Floyd | you a tiny, humorless smile. Floyd | Floyd | The story continues. "Gilgamesh rejoiced," the teller says, "and Floyd | summoned the blacksmiths to forge mighty WEAPONS for the companions. Floyd | He summoned the blacksmiths and summoned the servants to prepare food Floyd | and supplies. He summoned the servants and summoned the priestesses to Floyd | make generous SACRIFICES, to ask the gods for good fortune." Floyd | Floyd | "When all was ready, Gilgamesh and Enkidu passed through the seven Floyd | gates of Uruk and set off into the desert. The people watched them Floyd | go," she says softly, "the people of Uruk in SILENCE watched them go." Floyd | Floyd | > | katie-paquette says, "I think I'm going to switch to my computer now." | |
| Jacqueline says (to katie-pa), "Okay." | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "silence" | ||
Floyd ] weapons sacrifice solemn protest Floyd | Floyd | > SILENCE Floyd | Floyd | Sihan is speaking before you can react. Floyd | Floyd | "How SOLEMN the folk of Uruk must have been," says Sihan, "to Floyd | recognize the seriousness of such a moment, and not PROTEST like Floyd | fearful children." Floyd | Floyd | Voices mutter in agreement; for a fair number, this point has touched Floyd | home. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "protest" | ||
Floyd ] weapons sacrifice Floyd | Floyd | > PROTEST Floyd | Floyd | "And why should they not protest?" you respond. "Gilgamesh and Enkidu Floyd | are leaving on a long and dangerous road, and the people of Uruk have Floyd | little to gain from their leader's self-centered quest." Floyd | Floyd | A voice somewhere behind you calls, "It is true!" and a few nod their Floyd | heads in agreement. Floyd | Floyd | > | katie-paquette asks, "can we save and I'll be in my room in a minute?" | |
| Roger says, "She turned me into a newt" | ||
| Olly asks (of Roger), "Huh?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to katie-paq), "How long will you be? We could wait for five minutes." | ||
| DavidW says (to looks), "at Roger, who clearly isn't a newt." | ||
| Jearl says, "sure, let's save" | ||
| Roger says, "Oh just the rabblerowsing crowd reminds me of the Monty Python scene" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Saving is not a bad idea, sure." | ||
| Jacqueline clears the save counter. | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf1" | ||
Floyd | > Floyd | > SAVE Floyd | %% Enter a save filename to write: Floyd ] weapons sacrifice Floyd | Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I could use a short break." | |
| Jacqueline asks, "Can we take five?" | ||
| Olly nods. | ||
| Jearl says, "yup" | ||
| DavidW says, "Twould give me chance to get coffee." | ||
| katie-paquette says, "Disconnecting now with braillenote. See you all in a sec." | ||
| katie-paquette goes home. | ||
| Emily arrives, full of fun and funk. | Jacqueline says, "So, I know it is more than five minutes now, but I'd like to give Katie a chance to log back in." | |
| Jearl says, "yeah, no problem" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "If she's not here at quarter after, though, we'll recommence." | ||
| katie-paquette arrives, ready to play with the toys. | Jacqueline says, "Welcome back, Katie." | |
| maga asks, "ready to go?" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm not sure I get how we're steering the story." | ||
| katie-paquette says, "I'm back." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "rememb" | ||
Floyd ] weapons sacrifice Floyd | Floyd | > REMEMB Floyd | Floyd | [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE Floyd | | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an Floyd | EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "story" | ||
Floyd ] weapons sacrifice Floyd | Floyd | > STORY Floyd | Floyd | This is a story about a healer in the village who was in love with a Floyd | strong warrior man, Saiph. On the night of the telling, when the Floyd | healer's aunt Isi became the teller, their enemy Sihan tried her best Floyd | to turn the people towards needless war with the outsiders. The healer Floyd | spoke against this reckless path, but the people heard the words of Floyd | Sihan more clearly. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Not remember... what's the recap verb?" | |
| Jearl says, "can we do STORY? kinda want to see how that works" | ||
| Jearl says, "timing" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ingo" | ||
Floyd ] weapons sacrifice Floyd | Floyd | > INGO Floyd | Floyd | [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE Floyd | | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an Floyd | EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "info" | ||
Floyd ] weapons sacrifice Floyd | Floyd | > INFO Floyd | Floyd | [I am your eyes and hands within the story. Direct me with commands Floyd | such as EXAMINE THE BAG, GO OUTSIDE, LISTEN, or FIGHT HIM. Single word Floyd | shorthand like FIGHT or BAG will often suffice. Some single words will Floyd | be HIGHLIGHTED to bring them to your attention. Type them to shape the Floyd | story to your will; some of the possible choices will be seen in the Floyd | header bar above. Time only advances when you give a command or type Floyd | LISTEN, which it is sometimes wise to do. Floyd | Floyd | Other useful commands include REPEAT, to remember what was recently Floyd | said; STORY to see the choices you have made; INVENTORY to see what Floyd | you are holding; WAIT to let the time pass; UNDO to take back your Floyd | last turn; and GREET, MOCK, PRAISE, TALK TO or ASK ABOUT to interact Floyd | with characters. Floyd | Floyd | More information about this story is available by typing ABOUT.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Repeat was what I was thinking of. Not sure if it's the same as story." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "repeat" | ||
Floyd ] weapons sacrifice Floyd | Floyd | > REPEAT Floyd | Floyd | The story continues. "Gilgamesh rejoiced," the teller says, "and Floyd | summoned the blacksmiths to forge mighty WEAPONS for the companions. Floyd | He summoned the blacksmiths and summoned the servants to prepare food Floyd | and supplies. He summoned the servants and summoned the priestesses to Floyd | make generous SACRIFICES, to ask the gods for good fortune." Floyd | Floyd | "When all was ready, Gilgamesh and Enkidu passed through the seven Floyd | gates of Uruk and set off into the desert. The people watched them Floyd | go," she says softly, "the people of Uruk in silence watched them go." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Olly), "Yeah, I saw your mischannel and agree that if feels like we're losing." | |
| Jearl asks, "sacrifice?" | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "sacrifices" | ||
Floyd ] mountain bones enkidu Floyd | Floyd | > SACRIFICES Floyd | Floyd | "What were the sacrifices Gilgamesh made to the gods?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "They were many," the teller responds, "and befitting of such a strong Floyd | king; three fattened oxen and twelve fattened sheep; four golden bowls Floyd | of honey and five silver bowls of butter. The incense was lit and the Floyd | prayers were sung; the priestesses sang the prayers while the stars Floyd | turned above." Floyd | Floyd | "Hot were the sands of the desert," continues the teller, "hot were Floyd | the sands and hard was the way. Many BONES of less fortunate Floyd | travellers marked their journey. But ENKIDU knew the secret paths of Floyd | the animals and the secret hiding places of water, and the land fell Floyd | behind them swiftly." Floyd | Floyd | "The first MOUNTAIN range they crossed in a day; the first desert and Floyd | mountain range they crossed in a single day. On the next day they Floyd | crossed the second desert and the second mountain range; on the next Floyd | they crossed the third desert and the third mountain range. On the Floyd | third night they lay down to sleep, utterly exhausted from their Floyd | journey." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jearl says, "(I'd just tell floyd but I feel like enough people are typing & I don't wan tto step on them" | |
| Olly says, "Well, and the story summary just told us that right now the story is about us losing." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah" | ||
| Jacqueline asks, "Bones?" | ||
| maga says, "sure" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "bones" | ||
Floyd ] mountain bones enkidu Floyd | Floyd | > BONES Floyd | Floyd | Your mouth is already open to respond when Sihan's voice rises above Floyd | the circle. Floyd | Floyd | "True heroes were Gilgamesh and Enkidu," Sihan says. "They did not Floyd | stop to pity the dead travellers who did not have the strength to Floyd | cross the desert. They knew that the weak should not be pitied, for Floyd | pity saps the strength of strong and weak alike." Floyd | Floyd | A young warrior near Sihan places a hand on her shoulder for a moment. Floyd | Saiph scowls darkly across the flames. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "bones" | ||
Floyd ] mountain enkidu Floyd | Floyd | > BONES Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [** Programming error: bones (object number 157) has a property Floyd | player_asks, but it is longer than 2 bytes so you cannot use "." to Floyd | read **] Floyd | "Did the companions not stop to perform burial rites on the bones of Floyd | those who had died in the desert?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "Why should they?" says Sihan. "Those who failed the journey were Floyd | weak, and their fate was decided accordingly. We should not pity the Floyd | weak." Floyd | [** Programming error: bones (object number 157) has a property Floyd | player_asks, but it is longer than 2 bytes so you cannot use "." to Floyd | read **] Floyd | Floyd | [** Programming error: bones (object number 157) has a property Floyd | player_asks, but it is longer than 2 bytes so you cannot use "." to Floyd | read **] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | A gust of wind ripples through the grass. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "GAH" | |
| maga says, "yie" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "mountain" | ||
Floyd ] god fell Floyd | Floyd | > MOUNTAIN Floyd | Floyd | "Was the crossing of the mountains difficult?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "For the likes of us, perhaps;" says the teller, "certainly for an old Floyd | bones like me. Great and long the desert ranges ran, with no water or Floyd | shelter or game on their cruel slopes. But Gilgamesh and Enkidu strode Floyd | over their slopes without slowing down, though the sweat coursed down Floyd | their bodies like rain." Floyd | Floyd | The teller continues. "In the darkest hour of night Gilgamesh woke Floyd | with a start and clutched his chest. 'Who walks there?' he gasped. Floyd | 'Why does my flesh tingle? Has a GOD touched me?' Enkidu heard and Floyd | awoke, saying, 'Have you dreamt, Gilgamesh? Tell me your DREAM and I Floyd | will unravel its meaning.' Floyd | Floyd | 'I dreamt we walked in a gorge beneath a mighty mountain, you and I,' Floyd | said Gilgamesh. 'We were like flies beneath its massive bulk. Then, Floyd | with a rumble, the mountain COLLAPSED on top of us. What is its Floyd | meaning, my friend?'" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "dream" | ||
Floyd ] god shamash enlil fell Floyd | Floyd | > DREAM Floyd | Floyd | Dreams are sent by the gods. Was this dream sent by SHAMASH, to Floyd | presage the fall of Humbaba? Or, perhaps, by ENLIL, warning of the Floyd | consequences of destroying his guardian? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "enlil" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > ENLIL Floyd | Floyd | "A dark dream," you say, "for the heroes to have on their journey. Floyd | Clearly it was sent by Enlil, to warn of the doom the companions will Floyd | face if they destroy his servant Humbaba." Floyd | Floyd | "Your reasoning is sound," says the teller with a bow, "but the Floyd | interpretation does not match the one Enkidu gave to Gilgamesh. 'The Floyd | mountain is the demon Humbaba,' he said. 'Shamash has sent us this Floyd | dream to show that we will defeat the demon, and his fall will shake Floyd | the earth.' And Gilgamesh heard his words, and was at peace." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "god" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > GOD Floyd | Floyd | It is no longer the right time to make that part of the story. Floyd | Floyd | "Dreams of portent are frightening," says a young mother, pulling her Floyd | wrap tighter around her. "I do not like the gods to enter my head in Floyd | the night." Floyd | Floyd | "Wise you are to be cautious," says the teller with a nod. "The ways Floyd | of the gods are strange and obscure to men, their dealings laced with Floyd | complexities we cannot understand." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Is the story over?" | |
| Jacqueline says, "There is nothing in the status line." | ||
| Jearl says, "could mock or praise someone to move the turn count" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "dreams" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > DREAMS Floyd | Floyd | [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE Floyd | | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an Floyd | EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, mock, yeah." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "moch" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > MOCH Floyd | Floyd | [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE Floyd | | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an Floyd | EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "er" | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "mock" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > MOCK Floyd | Floyd | He is not nearby. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "..." | |
| Olly says (to Floyd), "praise" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > PRAISE Floyd | Floyd | He is not nearby. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jearl asks, "??" | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "mock sihan" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > MOCK SIHAN Floyd | Floyd | She is not nearby. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Olly says (to Floyd), "praise isa" | Jearl says, "welp" | |
Floyd ] Floyd | | ||
| Allen says (to Floyd), "mock me" | ||
Floyd | > PRAISE ISA Floyd | Floyd | [I'm not sure what you are referring to.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > MOCK ME Floyd | Floyd | You can't see "me" (yourself) at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd ] purpose spear twist Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | The stars begin to fade as clouds swallow up their light. Floyd | Floyd | As the teller speaks more of the journey across the desert, a strong Floyd | hand presses on your shoulder. You turn to see Sihan's angry face only Floyd | inches from yours. Floyd | Floyd | "The power of the story should not be meddled with," she says in a Floyd | barely audible undertone, the breath from her words hot on your face. Floyd | "Why do you seek to TWIST and subvert its meaning to your own PURPOSE? Floyd | Are you afraid of the SPEAR?" Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline exclaims, "A CHALLENGER APPEARS!" | |
| Jacqueline asks, "Mock her?" | ||
| maga says, "I hear YOUR MOM's not afraid of the spear, IYKWIM" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to maga), "That's a different game entirely." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "mock her" | ||
Floyd ] purpose spear twist Floyd | Floyd | > MOCK HER Floyd | Floyd | You can't see "her" (Sihan) at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | Allen says, "what was this by the way? I was only paying half-attention, but it seems pretty ambitious" | |
| Jacqueline says, "hrm" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Allen), "It's an Aaron Reed game." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "twist" | ||
Floyd ] purpose spear last Floyd | Floyd | > TWIST Floyd | Floyd | "It is you who twists the story," you whisper back. "Why are you so Floyd | anxious to bring our people to war?" Floyd | Floyd | "You think war is what I want?" she says quietly. "No. I want our Floyd | people to remember the feel of the SPEAR in their hands. I want our Floyd | children to learn to defend themselves. For these times of peace we Floyd | have lived in cannot LAST, and there may be no time left for us to Floyd | remember it." Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says (to Allen), "Whom the Telling Changed, an early Aaron Reed" | |
| Allen says, "thanks. I'll look it up when I have some free time." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "last" | ||
Floyd ] purpose spear blind outspoken Floyd | Floyd | > LAST Floyd | Floyd | "Why can't it last?" you ask. "Why can we not make peace with the Floyd | outsiders?" Floyd | Floyd | Sihan looks at you in disgust. "You are as foolish as you are Floyd | OUTSPOKEN," she says. "How many stories of peace does the teller know, Floyd | and how many of war? How many kingdoms, great or small, have lived Floyd | forever in peace? This is a world of war, and those who do not see Floyd | that are truly BLIND." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "blind" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > BLIND Floyd | Floyd | "No," you say fiercely, "the truly blind are those who decide the Floyd | answer to a question before they have ever heard it." Floyd | Floyd | Sihan looks away in disgust. "I see I waste my words," she mutters, Floyd | "on a coward and a fool. I have no more to say." She turns and melts Floyd | back into the crowd. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I... am looking forward to our next playing of this." | |
| Jacqueline says, "I felt like we were taking a decent approach, but that we haven't done well enough." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] forest fear quiet Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | The stars begin to fade as clouds swallow up their light. Floyd | Floyd | You turn your attention back to the teller. "On the seventh day," she Floyd | is saying, "the companions crossed the seventh desert and the seventh Floyd | mountain range, and came at last to the edge of the Cedar FOREST." Floyd | Floyd | "The cedars were green, and the forest cool after the barren heat of Floyd | the desert, and it smelled inside of wood and soil. But QUIET it was Floyd | under the boughs of the trees; quiet, with a lingering whisper of Floyd | FEAR." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "quiet" | ||
Floyd ] forest fear Floyd | Floyd | > QUIET Floyd | Floyd | "But is this not normal for a forest? I have never heard of noisy Floyd | trees," you say with a smile. Floyd | Floyd | "This forest was too quiet: quiet as a temple, quiet as a tomb," the Floyd | teller chants, "no creature stirred within the Cedar Forest; not hare Floyd | nor hawk nor rat nor owl. No beetles crawled on dampened leaves; no Floyd | crickets chirped. Even the wind seemed to lose its voice as it entered Floyd | the cool wood." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "forest" | ||
Floyd ] fear Floyd | Floyd | > FOREST Floyd | Floyd | "What did this mighty forest look like?" you say. Floyd | Floyd | "Tall were the trees," says the teller, "tall and broad were the trees Floyd | of the cedar forest, their wide arms grasping each other high above. Floyd | The Cedar Mountain sloped up, up, up, and the trees were a pale green Floyd | blanket wrapping it tight. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "fear" | ||
Floyd ] fear unknown dreadful Floyd | Floyd | > FEAR Floyd | Floyd | Fear, you wonder, of the UNKNOWN? Or the DREADFUL fear of a terrible Floyd | evil? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unknown" | ||
Floyd ] agree disgree Floyd | Floyd | > UNKNOWN Floyd | Floyd | Your mouth is already open to respond when Sihan's voice rises above Floyd | the circle. Floyd | Floyd | "This fear is portentious," Sihan says. "Fear is a warning; a Floyd | harbinger of terrible things and dangerous times. It is the gods Floyd | themselves warning us of doom." Sihan looks at you challengingly from Floyd | across the fire. "Do you agree?" she asks in a bold tone. Floyd | Floyd | Whispers of assent float across the fire; some nod visibly at these Floyd | words. Almost no one is looking towards you now. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "fear" | ||
Floyd ] faces not freezing Floyd | Floyd | > FEAR Floyd | Floyd | The story has moved on; there are other things to say. Floyd | Floyd | The teller speaks slowly, lingering over each word. "Enkidu and Floyd | Gilgamesh stepped into the cedars with care, but," she says, picking Floyd | up speed, "the demon Humbaba, Humbaba, Humbaba heard the rustle of Floyd | every leaf in the forest." Floyd | Floyd | The teller leaps up and spreads her arms wide, and the people shrink Floyd | back in fear. "A wind blew through the trees," the teller says Floyd | quickly, "and a FREEZING terror seized the companions. Nightmare FACES Floyd | leered behind gnarled branches: blood-smeared faces, faces of rabid Floyd | lions, faces with hideous tusks, always changing, always horrible. But Floyd | the demon did NOT appear before them." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "WE are outspoken? WE? Sihan, that is the pot calling the kettle black." | |
| maga asks, "maybe that was a Y/N? should we undo?" | ||
| Jacqueline asks, "Which?" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, yeah." | ||
| maga says, "she asked a question" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] agree disgree Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | Around the Fire Pit Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I'm going to go back two." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] fear unknown dreadful Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | Around the Fire Pit Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "fear" | ||
Floyd ] agree disgree Floyd | Floyd | > FEAR Floyd | Floyd | Before you can speak, Sihan steps forward. Floyd | Floyd | "This fear is portentious," Sihan says. "Fear is a warning; a Floyd | harbinger of terrible things and dangerous times. It is the gods Floyd | themselves warning us of doom." Sihan looks at you challengingly from Floyd | across the fire. "Do you agree?" she asks in a bold tone. Floyd | Floyd | A shepherd nods his head, and holds his wife closer. Sihan smiles at Floyd | the center of the people's attention. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "y" | ||
Floyd ] faces not freezing Floyd | Floyd | > Y Floyd | Floyd | "It is true," you say, "our fear can be a valuable measure of coming Floyd | terror, if we learn how to read it." Sihan nods and smiles. Floyd | Floyd | The teller speaks slowly, lingering over each word. "Enkidu and Floyd | Gilgamesh stepped into the cedars with care, but," she says, picking Floyd | up speed, "the demon Humbaba, Humbaba, Humbaba heard the rustle of Floyd | every leaf in the forest." Floyd | Floyd | The teller leaps up and spreads her arms wide, and the people shrink Floyd | back in fear. "A wind blew through the trees," the teller says Floyd | quickly, "and a FREEZING terror seized the companions. Nightmare FACES Floyd | leered behind gnarled branches: blood-smeared faces, faces of rabid Floyd | lions, faces with hideous tusks, always changing, always horrible. But Floyd | the demon did NOT appear before them." Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "It seems to be that 'undo' isn't really a help in this sort of game." | |
| DavidW says, "er seems to ME" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, we had ignored a question that was asked, that's all." | ||
| Olly asks, "We agree?" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I think we should have said no, though." | ||
| maga says, "seemed to me we could have agreed in a turn-around way, but it didn't turn out that way" | ||
| maga says, "so sure, go back" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Enh, we said it now." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Let's just go." | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "faces" | ||
Floyd ] faces thieves more not freezing Floyd | Floyd | > FACES Floyd | Floyd | Shifting faces can be the mark of THIEVES; but perhaps there is MORE Floyd | to them. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "more" | ||
Floyd ] not freezing Floyd | Floyd | > MORE Floyd | Floyd | "The faces--whose were they?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "The terrors of Humbaba; the seven terrors of the demon," says the Floyd | teller. "Guarding their master they should have been; but they flocked Floyd | to the companions, leering and snarling at them with a thousand devil Floyd | faces. Enkidu's heart raced in his chest, as it had not done since he Floyd | ran with the animals." Floyd | Floyd | The stars begin to fade as clouds swallow up their light. Floyd | Floyd | > | katie-paquette says (to Jacqueline), "The screen reader is doing worse than the braillenote. At least it's keeping up with you." | |
| Jacqueline says, "Well, that part is good, that it's keeping up." | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] not freezing Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | The wind is picking up now, catching the teller's hair and making it Floyd | dance with each gust. Floyd | Floyd | Sihan raises her voice above the crowd. "Truly Humbaba was hideous!" Floyd | she shouts. "These changing faces that precede him are like those of Floyd | all liars and thieves who mask their true self." Floyd | Floyd | "Only too true," nods a gaunt woman from the crowd. "Evil is often Floyd | couched in deception and lies." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "not" | ||
Floyd ] not fear scare freezing Floyd | Floyd | > NOT Floyd | Floyd | Curious, that. Did the demon not appear because he was a COWARD, Floyd | trembling before the approach of the mighty heroes? Or did he perhaps Floyd | hope to SCARE off the companions and avoid a fight? Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "SCARE?" | |
| DavidW says, "I like it when unnamed people in the crowd have something to say." | ||
| Olly is borne away by a squadron of flying toads. | ||
| Fido heads back home. | ||
| Fido has disconnected. | maga says, "it would certainly seem that way, Socrates" | |
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "scare" | ||
Floyd ] together fell Floyd | Floyd | > SCARE Floyd | Floyd | "Perhaps he thought to save himself the trouble of fighting," you say Floyd | with an amused tone, "by scaring off the intruders. Wise is the one Floyd | who avoids unnecessary conflict." Floyd | Floyd | The story goes on. "With a cry, Enkidu FELL to his knees," says the Floyd | teller, mimicking the action. "'I cannot go on, friend Gilgamesh! You Floyd | must leave me and go on alone. I must return to Uruk in shame, for I Floyd | cannot withstand the terrors of Humbaba!'" Floyd | Floyd | "Gilgamesh pulled Enkidu to his feet. 'Courage, friend,' he said. 'Two Floyd | may prevail where one would fall. TOGETHER, we are stronger than any Floyd | single man. Touch my heart and you will not fear death.' And Enkidu Floyd | placed his hand on Gilgamesh's chest, and he felt no fear. Together Floyd | they journeyed deeper into the forest." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline exclaims, "How come nobody applauded our 'wise is the one who avoids unnecessar conflicts'?!" | |
| Jacqueline asks, "People, can I get a witness?" | ||
| DavidW says, "suggest try TOGETHER" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "together" | ||
Floyd ] fell Floyd | Floyd | > TOGETHER Floyd | Floyd | "So true are the words of Gilgamesh," you say. "Two together are Floyd | stronger than two divided. Such a simple thing to say, but how many Floyd | can remember it?" Floyd | Floyd | Whispers of assent float across the fire; a fair number nod visibly at Floyd | these words. Saiph gives you a quiet smile from across the fire. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "there. They liked that one." | |
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah. Nicely done." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "We got a smile from our lurve." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "fell" | ||
Floyd ] brave Floyd | Floyd | > FELL Floyd | Floyd | Your mouth is already open to respond when Sihan's voice rises above Floyd | the circle. Floyd | Floyd | Sihan lets out a contemptuous snort. "So a few shadows in the dark is Floyd | all it takes to subdue this Enkidu?" Sihan asks. "I would have Floyd | expected more from one of Uruk's greatest heroes." Floyd | Floyd | "You would expect the entire village to walk off a cliff if it would Floyd | make them seem more honorable," Saiph says hotly, but the mood of the Floyd | crowd is clearly against him. Floyd | Floyd | "Be quiet and let the story continue," shouts a voice from the back of Floyd | the circle. Floyd | Floyd | The stars begin to fade as clouds swallow up their light. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "This is not going well." | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "brave" | ||
Floyd ] breath screech first Floyd | Floyd | > BRAVE Floyd | Floyd | "Even the bravest of heroes feel fear at times," you say gently. "Even Floyd | the surest of feet sometimes question their way." Floyd | Floyd | "Soon before them rose up a mighty cedar," continues the storyteller, Floyd | "so tall its top seemed to touch the sky. 'Surely, this must be the Floyd | tallest cedar in the forest,' Gilgamesh cried, and unsheathed his axe. Floyd | But his FIRST blow had scarcely fallen when Humbaba screamed with Floyd | rage. The leaves rustled and the ground shook, and in an instant Floyd | Humbaba the terrible had come." Floyd | Floyd | "His face shimmered and whirled with a thousand forms," says the Floyd | teller, eyes wide as if the demon stands before him, "a thousand Floyd | nightmare faces whirled and shimmered down at them. Humbaba's BREATH Floyd | scorched their faces; his SCREECHES cut their ears." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "breath" | ||
Floyd ] breath screech hides terror striking Floyd | Floyd | > BREATH Floyd | Floyd | Before you can speak, Sihan steps forward. Floyd | Floyd | "On the very first blow of Gilgamesh the demon came?" Sihan asks. Floyd | Floyd | "That is so," nods the teller, "the sound of the splitting tree had Floyd | not yet died when the ground began to shake with Humbaba's rage." Floyd | Floyd | "He is cunning," Sihan says, "this demon. He HIDES behind shadows and Floyd | TERROR, waiting for his victims to grow complacent before STRIKING." Floyd | Floyd | Low muttering comes from across the circle; it seems this has struck a Floyd | chord with some. Almost no one is looking towards you now. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take our toys and go back to our tent" | ||
Floyd ] breath screech hides terror striking Floyd | Floyd | > TAKE OUR TOYS AND GO BACK TO OUR TENT Floyd | Floyd | [I'm not sure what you are referring to.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline harumphs. | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "hides" | ||
Floyd ] breath screech terror striking Floyd | Floyd | > HIDES Floyd | Floyd | "Hides?" you ask aloud. "It was no secret that Humbaba dwelt within Floyd | the Cedar Forest. It was no secret to Gilgamesh that he was its Floyd | guardian. Gilgamesh and Enkidu knew well the consequences if they Floyd | entered there." Floyd | Floyd | "It also was no secret that this creature was a demon, a monster," Floyd | says a young father with a clenched jaw, as many in the crowd mutter Floyd | their assent. "If you imply this beast was somehow wronged, you speak Floyd | your words into a lonely void." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Limax arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Limax asks, "What did folks choose to play?" | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "striking" | ||
Floyd ] friend gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > STRIKING Floyd | Floyd | "And Gilgamesh and Enkidu's response will be swift," you say. "They Floyd | will cut down this wicked demon before he may spread his terror to the Floyd | world." Floyd | Floyd | The crowd voices their approval loudly. Floyd | Floyd | The story goes on. "GILGAMESH trembled and fell to his knees. 'I Floyd | cannot face him!' he cried to Enkidu, 'My blood has turned to ice. You Floyd | must go on and fight him without me!' Floyd | Floyd | Enkidu pulled Gilgamesh to his feet. 'Courage, FRIEND,' he said. 'The Floyd | well-twined rope is stronger than a single strand. Together, we are Floyd | stronger than any single man. Touch my heart and you will not fear Floyd | death.' And Gilgamesh placed his hand on Enkidu's chest, and he felt Floyd | no fear. Together they drew their weapons and faced the demon Floyd | Humbaba." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Whom The Telling Changed." | |
| maga says, "oops" | ||
| Jacqueline asks (of maga), "Are you just going to roll with the crowd now?" | ||
| maga says, "apparently Sihan has convinced me" | ||
| maga says, "she has very nice hair okay" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "haha" | ||
| Limax says, "Hee he" | ||
| Limax says, "e" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "praise" | ||
Floyd ] friend gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > PRAISE Floyd | Floyd | [You can only do that to a human being.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, ah." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "friend" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > FRIEND Floyd | Floyd | "The true friend is always there to help," you say. "What would Floyd | Gilgamesh have done without Enkidu?" Floyd | Floyd | "Spent less time talking and more fighting!" says a young man, whose Floyd | friends all laugh uproariously. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "mock" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > MOCK Floyd | Floyd | [You can only do that to a human being.] Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "sure, laugh it up, chuckles" | |
| Jacqueline says, "I WANT TO MOCK THAT GUY WHO MOCKED US" | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "mock crowd" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > MOCK CROWD Floyd | Floyd | He is not nearby. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "He's not a human being, I guess." | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "mock young man" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > MOCK YOUNG MAN Floyd | Floyd | [I'm not sure what you are referring to.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "mock sihan" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > MOCK SIHAN Floyd | Floyd | She is not nearby. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "mock me" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > MOCK ME Floyd | Floyd | You can't see "me" (yourself) at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "info" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > INFO Floyd | Floyd | [I am your eyes and hands within the story. Direct me with commands Floyd | such as EXAMINE THE BAG, GO OUTSIDE, LISTEN, or FIGHT HIM. Single word Floyd | shorthand like FIGHT or BAG will often suffice. Some single words will Floyd | be HIGHLIGHTED to bring them to your attention. Type them to shape the Floyd | story to your will; some of the possible choices will be seen in the Floyd | header bar above. Time only advances when you give a command or type Floyd | LISTEN, which it is sometimes wise to do. Floyd | Floyd | Other useful commands include REPEAT, to remember what was recently Floyd | said; STORY to see the choices you have made; INVENTORY to see what Floyd | you are holding; WAIT to let the time pass; UNDO to take back your Floyd | last turn; and GREET, MOCK, PRAISE, TALK TO or ASK ABOUT to interact Floyd | with characters. Floyd | Floyd | More information about this story is available by typing ABOUT.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | The people huddle together as a hot, damp wind catches their clothes. Floyd | Floyd | The crowd shuffles impatiently. "Let the story move on," calls Floyd | someone, "let the heroes overcome their fear and destroy this demon." Floyd | Many nod in agreement; Sihan looks at you with a smug, victorious Floyd | smile. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "repeat" | ||
Floyd ] gilgamesh Floyd | Floyd | > REPEAT Floyd | Floyd | The story goes on. "GILGAMESH trembled and fell to his knees. 'I Floyd | cannot face him!' he cried to Enkidu, 'My blood has turned to ice. You Floyd | must go on and fight him without me!' Floyd | Floyd | Enkidu pulled Gilgamesh to his feet. 'Courage, friend,' he said. 'The Floyd | well-twined rope is stronger than a single strand. Together, we are Floyd | stronger than any single man. Touch my heart and you will not fear Floyd | death.' And Gilgamesh placed his hand on Enkidu's chest, and he felt Floyd | no fear. Together they drew their weapons and faced the demon Floyd | Humbaba." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "gilgamesh" | ||
Floyd ] screech humbaba defeat lightning Floyd | Floyd | > GILGAMESH Floyd | Floyd | "Ahh," you say, a great smile breaking over your face despite Floyd | yourself. "And now it is your mighty Gilgamesh who falls to his knees Floyd | in fear. Will you mock him too, as you did Enkidu?" Floyd | Floyd | Sihan stares back at your with narrowed eyes. "Do not make light of Floyd | the story," she says quietly. Floyd | Floyd | The story continues. "Humbaba laughed, and the mountains shook," the Floyd | teller says, then draws herself up and cries out in a great, booming Floyd | voice: "'What fools are these? What fools are these who dare challenge Floyd | the demon Humbaba? I will crush your bodies and leave your corpses Floyd | bloody and mangled on the ground. You will never see your homes again Floyd | and your women and children will mourn an empty grave.' And with a Floyd | roar like the splitting of the heavens, Humbaba charged." Floyd | Floyd | "Enkidu stabbed with spear; Gilgamesh slashed with sword; Humbaba Floyd | ripped with claws. Trees crashed to earth; the ground was torn Floyd | asunder; lightning and thunder split the skies over the forest. Floyd | Gilgamesh and Enkidu fought like no men ever fought before; but still Floyd | the demon Humbaba drove them back, and the companions came ever closer Floyd | to defeat." Floyd | Floyd | > | Limax asks, "Interesting... single word commands.. reminds me of ... hm... Aisle?" | |
| Jacqueline says, "No. It's really nothing like aisle." | ||
| Limax says, "There was an IF game that I played hwer eyou had to pick out keywords out of he narrative and just use those" | ||
| maga says, "Blue Lacuna also used the keyword interface" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "humbaba" | ||
Floyd ] screech defeat lightning Floyd | Floyd | > HUMBABA Floyd | Floyd | Your mouth is already open to respond when Sihan's voice rises above Floyd | the circle. Floyd | Floyd | "Awesome must it have been, to see such a fight," Sihan says. Floyd | Floyd | "You would not have wanted to be too close!" warns the teller, Floyd | bringing a nervous laugh from the audience. "The clouds turned to a Floyd | poisonous shroud; the very mountains were split by the fury of Floyd | Humbaba's rage. It was all the companions could do to stay alive." Floyd | Floyd | Sihan speaks under her breath with a friend across the circle. Floyd | Floyd | > | Limax says, "It wasn't Blue Lacuna... most likely older" | |
| Lucea asks, "the space under the window?" | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "lightning" | ||
Floyd ] behind shamash Floyd | Floyd | > LIGHTNING Floyd | Floyd | You open your mouth to speak but a middle-aged widow turns with a look Floyd | of annoyance. "You speak too much." she says frostily, "Be quiet and Floyd | let the rest of us hear how the story ends!" Floyd | Floyd | She turns eagerly back to the teller, as several nearby people hide Floyd | their smiles, but the teller's face is hard. "Those who speak too Floyd | little have no voice in the story," she says, eyeing the old woman Floyd | critically. "Which fate is worse?" Floyd | Floyd | The teller continues. "Gilgamesh cried to the sky, 'Shamash, my lord! Floyd | Help your servant Gilgamesh in his hour of need!' And SHAMASH heard Floyd | Gilgamesh's cry, and sent all the mighty WINDS of the world to rail Floyd | against Humbaba: The Winds of the North and the South and the West and Floyd | the East and the Rainstorm and the Snowstorm and the Icestorm and the Floyd | Sandstorm; the Screaming Winds and the Piercing Winds and the Cruel Floyd | Winds and the Devil Winds and the Winds of Simurru. Thirteen winds Floyd | Shamash sent against Humbaba, and not even he could stand against them Floyd | all. Enkidu threw a net over Humbaba and Gilgamesh seized him from Floyd | BEHIND." Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "daaaaang" | |
| Jacqueline says, "ouch" | ||
| maga says, "we suck so hard that the tribe gagged us" | ||
| Limax says (to Lucea), "That's it" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Whom the Telling Changed into a Toad" | ||
| Emily says, "ha ha" | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "winds" | ||
Floyd ] behind fairness shamash assistanc Floyd | Floyd | > WINDS Floyd | Floyd | The mighty ASSISTANCE of Shamash is timely; but is it also a bit Floyd | UNFAIR? Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "It's clever to use a god vs another god, though." | |
| Jearl says, "crowd's not gonna like UNFAIR at this point" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, hooray for a Jules Verne sentence construction (the bit about winds)" | ||
| Lucea arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | Jacqueline says (to Jearl), "Let's do it." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unfair" | ||
Floyd ] fairness Floyd | Floyd | > UNFAIR Floyd | Floyd | Your mouth is already open to respond when Sihan's voice rises above Floyd | the circle. Floyd | Floyd | "How awesome an ally," Sihan marvels, "how great an honor the Floyd | companions of our story received! Could their quest be any more Floyd | justified than with the divine blessing, the divine assistance of Floyd | Shamash, lord of the skies?" Floyd | Floyd | > | Jearl says, "bah" | |
| says (to Floyd), "kill Sihan" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "We totally should have taken the dagger." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Next time, the dagger." | ||
| Limax says, "Dang... I need more coffee... I was trying to figure out why Floyd didn't respond to Jacqueline" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "fairness" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > FAIRNESS Floyd | Floyd | "So that is how the mighty heroes end their adventure," you say Floyd | bitterly, "sneaking behind an enemy held down by a god. How brave the Floyd | companions were." Floyd | Floyd | The crowd mutters angrily. "Hold your tongue," says an older woman, Floyd | wagging a finger in your face. "I will not hear you slander good Floyd | Gilgamesh and brave Enkidu any longer." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "mock" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > MOCK Floyd | Floyd | The story has moved on; there are other things to say. Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "Whom the Trolling Changed" | |
| Jacqueline says, "I am completely failing to mock anyone." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to maga), "heh" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "kill me now" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > KILL ME NOW Floyd | Floyd | You can't see "me" (yourself) at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] pity could humbaba trees servant evil mercy Floyd | monster Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | A gust of wind makes the ashes of the fire hiss. Floyd | Floyd | The teller continues. "HUMBABA saw the way things were and cried out Floyd | in fear. Humbaba the demon CRIED out, 'Do not kill me, mighty heroes! Floyd | If you let me live I will be your slave, your eternal SERVANT. I will Floyd | let you cut down all the TREES you want; I will cut them for you. I Floyd | COULD have attacked you when first you set foot in my forest, but I Floyd | showed you MERCY. Now return the favor and spare my life.' Floyd | Floyd | "Gilgamesh heard Humbaba's words and took PITY on the monster. He Floyd | lowered his sword. But Enkidu cried out: 'Do not listen to him! Show Floyd | no mercy to this cunning foe, this EVIL creature. If you let him live Floyd | he would attack us the moment our backs were turned.'" Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Well, we *could* beat a dead horse and say 'pity'" | |
| Limax asks, "So... anything that's capicalized?" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "but I think we are beyond hope now" | ||
| Jacqueline asks (of Limax), "Why don't you @recap the game?" | ||
| Limax says (to Jacqueline), "Too much. work. :P" | ||
| Limax says, "(I will do tha)" | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "pity" | ||
Floyd ] could humbaba trees servant evil mercy monster Floyd | Floyd | > PITY Floyd | Floyd | "Curious," you say, "that mighty Gilgamesh, so strong and proud, would Floyd | take pity on the creature in this way." Floyd | Floyd | "He has been through a great battle," says Sihan, "and the great Floyd | windstorm has doubtless muddled his wits." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "trees" | ||
Floyd ] could humbaba servant evil mercy monster Floyd | Floyd | > TREES Floyd | Floyd | "Humbaba offered the trees of the Cedar Forest to Gilgamesh and Floyd | Enkidu?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "Yes," breathes the storyteller. "Humbaba the demon even offered to Floyd | carry the timber back to Uruk." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "mercy" | ||
Floyd ] could humbaba servant mercy monster Floyd | Floyd | > MERCY Floyd | Floyd | Sihan is speaking before you can react. Floyd | Floyd | "My people," says Sihan, "is the evil of this demon Humbaba not clear? Floyd | Hideous he is, with changing faces; he strikes fear into the hearts of Floyd | all men; he threatens Gilgamesh. He must be destroyed." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "evil" | ||
Floyd ] humbaba defending enkidu gods Floyd | Floyd | > EVIL Floyd | Floyd | The time is not right to weave that into the story. Floyd | Floyd | The storyteller continues. "Humbaba the demon called out in fear, Floyd | 'Please, mighty heroes, do not slay HUMBABA! I was set by Enlil, Floyd | father of the GODS, to GUARD over the forest. If you slay me he will Floyd | be angry and his judgment severe.' Floyd | Floyd | "Gilgamesh heard the demon and again took pity on him, lowering his Floyd | sword, but ENKIDU cried out, 'Gilgamesh, do not listen to his words; Floyd | close your ears! Kill the demon before you become confused. Kill him Floyd | now before he can tell the gods anything. Kill him now and claim your Floyd | fame!'" Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline sighs. | |
| Jacqueline asks, "What now?" | ||
| Jearl says, "blergh" | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "humbaba" | ||
Floyd ] humbaba weakness wise defending enkidu gods Floyd | Floyd | > HUMBABA Floyd | Floyd | Perhaps it was a sign of WEAKNESS for the demon to plead for his life. Floyd | Or was the creature WISE not to fight to the death? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "wise" | ||
Floyd ] defending enkidu gods Floyd | Floyd | > WISE Floyd | Floyd | "Humbaba was wise not to fight to the death," you say. "Continuing Floyd | malice in the face of total destruction is foolishness." Floyd | Floyd | At these words, some nod somberly. Parents hold their children Floyd | tighter. Saiph gives you a quiet smile from across the fire. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "I think it's counterproductive to *always* disagree with the enemy. Otherwise, where will any basis for cooperation come from?" | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "gods" | ||
Floyd ] defending enkidu Floyd | Floyd | > GODS Floyd | Floyd | "Humbaba's words should not be dismissed," you say. "Will not Enlil be Floyd | angered if his servant is destroyed? These brave heroes should not be Floyd | pawns of the gods; they should make their own fate, and not interfere Floyd | with the realm of the divine." Floyd | Floyd | A voice somewhere behind you calls, "It is true!" and a few nod their Floyd | heads in agreement. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to DW), "I will disagree just to be contrary. Okay, just kidding. I do agree with you, but there haven't been many places to do that where it wouldn't have been a lie." | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
Floyd ] defending Floyd | Floyd | > Z Floyd | Floyd | In a sudden flash of lightning the whole valley is illuminated around Floyd | you; then you are plunged back into darkness. Floyd | Floyd | "Enkidu has had a change of heart," Sihan says. "When once he opposed Floyd | Gilgamesh in the quest to slay Humbaba, he now is more set on this Floyd | mission than even Gilgamesh." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "defending" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > DEFENDING Floyd | Floyd | "Humbaba did not threaten the people of Uruk," you reply. "He only Floyd | guarded the Cedar Forest many leagues away. It was Gilgamesh and Floyd | Enkidu who came to Humbaba's home and attacked him. It was Humbaba who Floyd | had the right of defense." Floyd | Floyd | The teller continues. "Gilgamesh looked into Enkidu's eyes," says the Floyd | teller's powerful voice, "Gilgamesh, the King, looked into the eyes of Floyd | his friend Enkidu and made his decision. He knew..." Floyd | Floyd | A gasp rises from the far side of the circle. Out of the darkness Floyd | three dozen strangers appear, bearing long spears and faces painted Floyd | with dark blue lines. It is the newcomers, the invaders in your Floyd | valley, and as they approach your fire, the rain begins to fall. Floyd | Floyd | Amongst them one stands out: tall, with sharp features and a thick Floyd | leather vest. You guess at once that he is their leader. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline exclaims, "Now it comes to it!" | |
| Jearl asks, "greet?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "greet" | ||
Floyd ] dark half gift spear Floyd | Floyd | > GREET Floyd | Floyd | "Welcome to our village," you say to the leader. "We did not expect Floyd | visitors in the midst of our telling. What can we do for you?" Floyd | Floyd | The warrior leader steps out of the DARKNESS and bares his teeth. "You Floyd | will give us HALF your sheep," he says in a strange, harsh accent, Floyd | "and half your grain. You will GIFT us these things or we will take Floyd | them, now." The men behind him grip their SPEARS tightly. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, okay. Now I side with Sihan." | |
| maga says, "hey, maybe they just have a *very* strong tradition of potlatch" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm guessing that had we prevailed in the telling, they'd be peaceful, but hopefully we'll see that next game." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] dark gift spear Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | The fire smokes and hisses as rain falls on it. Floyd | Floyd | "Half?" a bold youth says mockingly, stepping forward in anger. Floyd | "Beggars should not be so greedy. Why should we give you anything at Floyd | all? We are strong, and do not fear your threats." Floyd | Floyd | The warrior leader's face darkens and he grips his SPEAR tightly. "My Floyd | people are also strong," he says coldly. "I ask you one last time. Floyd | Either give us what we want; half your sheep and grain; or we shall Floyd | RAZE your village to the ground." Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "it got worse" | |
| Jacqueline says, "It did." | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "spear" | ||
Floyd ] dark gift spear even force Floyd | Floyd | > SPEAR Floyd | Floyd | The enemy looks to be about an EVEN match--but perhaps they will Floyd | respond to a show of FORCE. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "even" | ||
Floyd ] dark gift spear force shepherd Floyd | Floyd | > EVEN Floyd | Floyd | "Your spears are of fine make," you say, "not so different from ours. Floyd | I think if our peoples were to fight, it would be a very close Floyd | battle." Floyd | Floyd | The warrior leader's face stays fierce, but you see in his eyes he has Floyd | thought the same. "We would not take this path," he says with heavy Floyd | tones, "were there any other way. But the spear is the only way we Floyd | have in this strange land where our SHEPHERDS cannot catch sheep." Floyd | Floyd | Lightning flashes across the bodies of the enemy warriors, who stand Floyd | for an instant in brightest light before thunder and DARKNESS settle Floyd | over them once again. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "shepherd" | ||
Floyd ] dark gift spear force offers fools Floyd | Floyd | > SHEPHERD Floyd | Floyd | "The skill to catch these sheep can be taught," you say. "We will Floyd | teach you. Come in peace, and we will teach you to catch the sheep and Floyd | share our grain with you." Floyd | Floyd | A twisted smile crosses the leader's face. "We have heard such OFFERS Floyd | before," he says, a bitter edge shaping his voice, "to come unarmed Floyd | and helpless to the homes of enemies with sharpened SPEARS and cruel Floyd | daggers. Do you think us FOOLS?" Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "so far, no razing" | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "fools" | ||
Floyd ] dark gift spear force offers fools foolish despair Floyd | Floyd | > FOOLS Floyd | Floyd | Are they truly FOOLISH? Or are they merely shaped by DESPAIR? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "despair" | ||
Floyd ] dark gift spear force offers fools foolish despair Floyd | Floyd | > DESPAIR Floyd | Floyd | "You are not fools," you say softly, "only people like us who do not Floyd | wish to see their children starve." Floyd | Floyd | "You are brave," he says after a time, looking away for a moment and Floyd | licking his lips. He focuses on your people. "And clear-headed," he Floyd | adds. "Perhaps... perhaps there are things we can learn from you." Floyd | Floyd | He steps forward and your people raise their weapons, but you hold up Floyd | your arms and stand before them. The warrior leader places his spear Floyd | on the ground. As he straightens, a wave of sighs moves through the Floyd | circle, a release of tension in both strangers and neighbors. Floyd | Floyd | The leader of the warriors looks upon you with stoic pride. "I am Floyd | Arkab," he says, "and these are my people." Floyd | Floyd | [Press any key to continue] | ||
| maga pushes the green 'space' button. | ||
Floyd | | ||
| maga pushes the green 'space' button. | ||
Floyd ]
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | The fire has almost died and the people have scattered, leaving a
Floyd | tangible emptiness behind. Even the rain has stopped its drizzle.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| Jearl says, "now ambush them!" | |
| Jacqueline exclaims, "Jearl!" | ||
| katie-paquette gets bored and wanders off to the Toyshop. | ||
| katie-paquette arrives, ready to play with the toys. | Jearl says, "with...hugs" | |
| maga pushes the green 'space' button. | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Floyd | [Nothing entered.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "haha" | |
| Jacqueline says, "yay" | ||
| DavidW asks, "Why do I feel we'll never hear the end of the storyteller's story?" | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "l" | ||
Floyd ] arkab enemy Floyd | Floyd | > L Floyd | Floyd | The fire has almost died and the people have scattered, leaving a Floyd | tangible emptiness behind. Even the rain has stopped its drizzle. Floyd | Floyd | Saiph finds you and gives you a strong embrace. "I am glad there was Floyd | no war," your love says, "though I was ready to fight if I had to. Floyd | ARKAB has promised to return tomorrow, bearing gifts instead of Floyd | spears." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "yay gifts" | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "arkab" | ||
Floyd ] wounded
Floyd |
| katie-paquette says, "Sorry my computer accidentally shut off." | |
Floyd | > ARKAB Floyd | Floyd | "He seems a man of his word?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "It is too early to tell," says Saiph cautiously, "but I have a good Floyd | feeling about him." Floyd | Floyd | Saiph places a firm hand on your shoulder. "There is sad news," he Floyd | says. "The storyteller is DYING. The shock must have done something to Floyd | her heart. There is little we can do now, but she asked to speak with Floyd | you. You should hurry," he adds quietly, pointing towards the Floyd | storyteller's TENT near the edge of the village, "for there is not Floyd | much time left to her." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I have no idea how we were allowed to have that conversation without Sihan butting in." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "tent" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > TENT Floyd | Floyd | You pull aside the flap of the teller's tent and step inside. Floyd | Floyd | A lamp burns low, its nearly-spent wick barely lighting up the Floyd | storyteller's small tent. Nothing adorns the walls or brightens up the Floyd | floor; all that is here is a small straw mat, on which the teller Floyd | lies, breathing shallowly. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "x teller" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X TELLER Floyd | Floyd | The teller lies on a simple straw mat, as if merely resting, but it is Floyd | clear at once she is very sick. Her face is waxy white; breathing Floyd | rasps in a sweat-covered throat; grimaces of pain fight for control of Floyd | the wrinkled face. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "kiss her" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > KISS HER Floyd | Floyd | You can't see "her" (Sihan) at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "kiss teller" | ||
Floyd ] yes no Floyd | Floyd | > KISS TELLER Floyd | Floyd | Now is not the time for that. Floyd | Floyd | The teller smiles at your arrival, and beckons you closer with a weak Floyd | hand. You kneel by the old straw mat and grasp the cold fingers Floyd | tightly. Floyd | Floyd | "Curious," she mutters, "the way fate moves, sometimes weaving a Floyd | fantastic tale, and othertimes getting the timing all wrong. I would Floyd | not have had my end be upstaged, were I telling this final chapter." Floyd | She smiles, then grimaces in pain. Floyd | Floyd | The teller seems to look through your eyes to something hidden at the Floyd | core of your being, and weigh it with great care. "The people did not Floyd | hear the end of the story," she says presently. "For good or ill a Floyd | great decision was made tonight, before the story was complete. Would Floyd | you know how it ends?" Floyd | Floyd | > | katie-paquette says, "My computer was acting funny." | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "y" | ||
Floyd ] yes Floyd | Floyd | > Y Floyd | Floyd | "Yes," you say, "I would hear the end of the story." Floyd | Floyd | The teller smiles and closes her eyes. "Gilgamesh faced a choice," she Floyd | says quietly. "Whether to take pity on Humbaba and spare his life, or Floyd | kill him, as his friend Enkidu counseled. Gilgamesh looked into Floyd | Enkidu's eyes, and made his choice. He reached into the demon's throat Floyd | and pulled out his insides, pulled them out of the demon's body by his Floyd | tongue. Enkidu chopped off Humbaba's head, and the ground shook, and Floyd | the forest trembled, and the soil ran with blood. And then it rained, Floyd | it rained, it rained..." Floyd | Floyd | The storyteller trails off, eyes unfocused, as if lost in another Floyd | world. After a long moment, she comes back and looks at you. "Perhaps Floyd | this seems to you a strange story to tell at such a time?" she asks. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > N Floyd | Floyd | The teller wants to spend her last moments with you; you cannot refuse Floyd | such an offer. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | Wind tugs gently at the tent flaps, then subsides. Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "oops" | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "y" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > Y Floyd | Floyd | You smile, your affinity lighting up your face. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "That wasn't an oops." | |
| Jearl says, "I think we were supposed to say y" | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "x lamp" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X LAMP Floyd | Floyd | That is not nearby. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I was telling her that it didn't seem strange for her to tell us this in her last moments." | |
| maga says (to Floyd), "l" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > L Floyd | Floyd | A lamp burns low, its nearly-spent wick barely lighting up the Floyd | storyteller's small tent. Nothing adorns the walls or brightens up the Floyd | floor; all that is here is a small straw mat, on which the teller Floyd | lies, breathing shallowly. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "yes" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > YES Floyd | Floyd | You smile, your affinity lighting up your face. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "talk to teller" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > TALK TO TELLER Floyd | Floyd | She is not nearby. Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "nrgh" | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > L Floyd | Floyd | A lamp burns low, its nearly-spent wick barely lighting up the Floyd | storyteller's small tent. Nothing adorns the walls or brightens up the Floyd | floor; all that is here is a small straw mat, on which the teller Floyd | lies, breathing shallowly. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > Z Floyd | Floyd | The lamp sputters quietly, sending flickering shadows across the tent Floyd | wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "heal" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > HEAL Floyd | Floyd | You examine the teller quickly and see it is as Saiph has said. Her Floyd | breath is shallow and skin is pale, but the eyes tell you most clearly Floyd | how short her time is. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Did something get fouled by that initial 'n'?" | |
| Jearl asks, "can we repeat, or story?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "story" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > STORY Floyd | Floyd | This is a story about a healer in the village who was in love with a Floyd | strong warrior man, Saiph. On the night of the telling, when the Floyd | healer's aunt Isi became the teller, their enemy Sihan tried her best Floyd | to turn the people towards needless war with the outsiders. The healer Floyd | spoke against this reckless path, but the people heard the words of Floyd | Sihan more clearly. Floyd | Floyd | Words flew between these two firebrands, but their rancor was too Floyd | bitter and curdled to heal. The arrival out of the blackest night of Floyd | the strange newcomers shook the crowd, so sure peace was the way. The Floyd | healer who brokered a fragile peace, and agreed to share their Floyd | resources with the curious strangers to their land. Floyd | Floyd | And the teller lay dying, struck down from shock or chance with a Floyd | weakened heart, and in her final moments called the healer to her Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I guess we can undo back to the point of entering the tent." | |
| DavidW says, "try repeat" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "repeat" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > REPEAT Floyd | Floyd | A lamp burns low, its nearly-spent wick barely lighting up the Floyd | storyteller's small tent. Nothing adorns the walls or brightens up the Floyd | floor; all that is here is a small straw mat, on which the teller Floyd | lies, breathing shallowly. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "out" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > OUT Floyd | Floyd | The teller wants to spend her last moments with you; you cannot refuse Floyd | such an offer. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] yes Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] yes no Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | The Storyteller's Tent Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
Floyd ] wounded Floyd | Floyd | > UNDO Floyd | Floyd | Around the Fire Pit Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "There we go." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "tent" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > TENT Floyd | Floyd | You pull aside the flap of the teller's tent and step inside. Floyd | Floyd | A lamp burns low, its nearly-spent wick barely lighting up the Floyd | storyteller's small tent. Nothing adorns the walls or brightens up the Floyd | floor; all that is here is a small straw mat, on which the teller Floyd | lies, breathing shallowly. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "heal" | ||
Floyd ] yes no Floyd | Floyd | > HEAL Floyd | Floyd | You examine the teller quickly and see it is as Saiph has said. Her Floyd | breath is shallow and skin is pale, but the eyes tell you most clearly Floyd | how short her time is. Floyd | Floyd | The teller smiles at your arrival, and beckons you closer with a weak Floyd | hand. You kneel by the old straw mat and grasp the cold fingers Floyd | tightly. Floyd | Floyd | "Curious," she mutters, "the way fate moves, sometimes weaving a Floyd | fantastic tale, and othertimes getting the timing all wrong. I would Floyd | not have had my end be upstaged, were I telling this final chapter." Floyd | She smiles, then grimaces in pain. Floyd | Floyd | The teller seems to look through your eyes to something hidden at the Floyd | core of your being, and weigh it with great care. "The people did not Floyd | hear the end of the story," she says presently. "For good or ill a Floyd | great decision was made tonight, before the story was complete. Would Floyd | you know how it ends?" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "yes" | ||
Floyd ] yes Floyd | Floyd | > YES Floyd | Floyd | "Yes," you say, "I would hear the end of the story." Floyd | Floyd | The teller smiles and closes her eyes. "Gilgamesh faced a choice," she Floyd | says quietly. "Whether to take pity on Humbaba and spare his life, or Floyd | kill him, as his friend Enkidu counseled. Gilgamesh looked into Floyd | Enkidu's eyes, and made his choice. He reached into the demon's throat Floyd | and pulled out his insides, pulled them out of the demon's body by his Floyd | tongue. Enkidu chopped off Humbaba's head, and the ground shook, and Floyd | the forest trembled, and the soil ran with blood. And then it rained, Floyd | it rained, it rained..." Floyd | Floyd | The storyteller trails off, eyes unfocused, as if lost in another Floyd | world. After a long moment, she comes back and looks at you. "Perhaps Floyd | this seems to you a strange story to tell at such a time?" she asks. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "yes" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > YES Floyd | Floyd | A smile. "There is a secret that all storytellers know," the teller Floyd | says, and I will tell it to you now." She beckons you close, and says Floyd | each word distinctly. "No story is true, until the listener has heard Floyd | it. A story is no more true than a doll is a man. To a child, a doll Floyd | can seem to be filled with life and wishes and dreams; but this is not Floyd | because of the doll. It is because of the child." Floyd | Floyd | The teller coughs, but the cough turns to long, gasping chokes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "comfort her" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > COMFORT HER Floyd | Floyd | [Things to try: LOOK | LOOK AT | GO | TALK TO | GREET | ATTACK | TAKE Floyd | | TOUCH | HEAL | LISTEN | PRAISE | MOCK | STORY | UNDO | or an Floyd | EMPHASIZED word. For more detailed instructions, type INFO] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to teller" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > TALK TO TELLER Floyd | Floyd | She is not nearby. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "touch" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > TOUCH Floyd | Floyd | (the herbs) Floyd | You feel nothing unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | The teller's eyes sparkle. "The power of the teller is to share the Floyd | story with the people," she says, "but the power of the listener is to Floyd | make the story true, or untrue. Only a teller who understands where Floyd | the true power lies becomes a master; only a teller who knows not to Floyd | hoard this power can bring change to this world." Floyd | Floyd | The storyteller coughs again, very, very weakly. There will be but a Floyd | few more breaths, now, before the end. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > LISTEN Floyd | Floyd | Wind tugs gently at the tent flaps, then subsides. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| maga says (to Floyd), "praise storyteller" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > PRAISE STORYTELLER Floyd | Floyd | She is not nearby. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x her" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X HER Floyd | Floyd | You can't see "her" (Sihan) at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x teller" | ||
Floyd ] Floyd | Floyd | > X TELLER Floyd | Floyd | She is not nearby. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "What is her actual name, again?" | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||
Floyd ] yes no Floyd | Floyd | > L Floyd | Floyd | A lamp burns low, its nearly-spent wick barely lighting up the Floyd | storyteller's small tent. Nothing adorns the walls or brightens up the Floyd | floor; all that is here is a small straw mat, on which the teller Floyd | lies, breathing shallowly. Floyd | Floyd | "I have one last gift for you," she says, her voice fading but still Floyd | beautiful, "a choice you must make. You must make your decision not Floyd | out of consideration for me, nor for Saiph, nor for any but yourself, Floyd | for it is you who will walk the path this choice lays out, and you Floyd | alone. There is no shame in refusing, for the ways to the path are Floyd | many, and another will find it in time. But I think, perhaps, it is Floyd | well-suited for you." Floyd | Floyd | The storyteller grips your hand tight, and summons up one final Floyd | reserve of strength, holding your gaze with eyes that begin now to Floyd | fade. "The teller must gather the people each time the moon dies," she Floyd | says. "The teller must tell the stories to the people so the young Floyd | will learn and the old not forget. The teller must teach the people Floyd | who they are, and how to shape who they will be. Will you do these Floyd | things? Will you become the storyteller?" Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, another choice." | |
| maga says, "well, maybe we'll suck at it less than we do at arguing" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "yes" | ||
Floyd ] yes no Floyd | Floyd | > YES Floyd | Floyd | The teller sighs, and sinks back into her pillow, and your father's Floyd | sister Isi lies before you once again. Peace slowly fills her Floyd | pain-wracked face, and she mutters something as the old eyes close. Floyd | You bend closer to hear. Floyd | Floyd | "You will tell the stories well, my child," Isi says in a voice softer Floyd | than grass in the wind, "You will tell them well." Floyd | Floyd | The voice falls silent, then, and there is much darkness before the Floyd | next story begins. Floyd | Floyd | [Press any key to continue] | Jacqueline says, "I am sort of surprised we were chosen, given how badly people reacted to us." | |
| maga pushes the green 'space' button. | ||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | This is a story about a healer in the village who was in love with a Floyd | strong warrior man, Saiph. On the night of the telling, when the Floyd | healer's aunt Isi became the teller, their enemy Sihan tried her best Floyd | to turn the people towards needless war with the outsiders. The healer Floyd | spoke against this reckless path, but the people heard the words of Floyd | Sihan more clearly. Floyd | Floyd | Words flew between these two firebrands, but their rancor was too Floyd | bitter and curdled to heal. The arrival out of the blackest night of Floyd | the strange newcomers shook the crowd, so sure peace was the way. The Floyd | healer who brokered a fragile peace, and agreed to share their Floyd | resources with the curious strangers to their land. Floyd | Floyd | And the teller lay dying, struck down from shock or chance with a Floyd | weakened heart, and in her final moments called the healer to her Floyd | side. She told the healer how the story ended, and whom the telling Floyd | changed. A teller died and a teller was born, and the story will Floyd | always guide the way. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** This telling has ended *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, read the AFTERWORD, Floyd | or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "So, that was not a terrible ending at all." | |
| Jacqueline says, "I feel like we somehow pulled that one out of the fire." | ||
| DavidW says, "yes, you did well" | ||
| Jearl says (to Floyd), "afterword" | ||
Floyd | > Floyd | > AFTERWORD Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Thank you for interacting with "Whom The Telling Changed." If you Floyd | haven't already, try playing again and pursuing a different path. Floyd | There are many ways to experience this story, and many perspectives Floyd | you may encounter: what you assumed to be right and wrong, good and Floyd | evil with one play-through may not be as simple as you thought. Your Floyd | very first action sets your course, but there are many ways to alter Floyd | it as both stories progress, some surprising. Floyd | Floyd | The storyteller's tale is part of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest Floyd | story recorded by human history, originating in Sumeria more than Floyd | 4,000 years ago. The specific words used by the teller are my own, a Floyd | mishmash of various versions of the Humbaba story from Sumer, Babylon, Floyd | and Akkadia. The quest of the Cedar Forest is only a small part of the Floyd | full epic, which is well worth reading or re-reading. Floyd | Floyd | The setting of my frame story is not meant to be any more specific Floyd | than somewhere in the Fertile Crescent, thousands of years ago, but to Floyd | fill in the details of atmosphere and setting I am indebted to Karen Floyd | Rhea Nemet-Nejat's book "Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia." The Floyd | various translations of the Gilgamesh epic were also very useful: Floyd | specifically, those of Mitchell, Ferry, and Gardner/Maier, all of Floyd | which are beautiful and readable versions of the work. Floyd | Floyd | Thanks also to my beta testers James Cunningham, Michael Fransioli, Floyd | and Henrik 'Drix' Jensen, to storyteller Beth Horner, and to the Floyd | friends who helped me wrestle the very nebulous concept for this piece Floyd | towards its final implementation. Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, read the AFTERWORD, Floyd | or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "No pun intended (re: out of the fire)" | |
| Limax walks slowly out of the room and into the sunset. | maga asks, "or possibly it steers you towards victory regardless?" | |
| DavidW says, "no, I don't think victory is assured." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I was thinking that, but that doesn't seem like Aaron." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "He seems like the sort that would kill Bambi *and* her mother just because the establishment never would." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Not out of malice for Bambi, just for conventional approach." | ||
| maga says (to Jacq), "also the sort to gender-switch Bambi" | ||
| Jacqueline asks, "So, one more time? Or do we want to just replay this next week?" | ||
| Jacqueline smiles at maga. | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I am kind of inclined to just call it a day and replay this next week." | ||
| Jearl says, "works for me" | ||
| Roger disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again. | Jacqueline says, "Maybe I'll invite Aaron and share this transcript with him." | |
| DavidW asks, "So, next week, we can be Stabby Macpherson?" | ||
| Jacqueline exclaims (at DavidW), "Yes!" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "And like Sihan, if we want to." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Anyway, see you all next week." | ||
| DavidW says, "good game" | ||
| DavidW says, "til next week" | ||
