April 23, 2024: Dwarf Fortress 50.13 has been released.
News: February 3, 2024: The February '24 Report is up.
News: February 4, 2021: Dwarf Fortress Talk #28 has been posted.
News: November 21, 2018: A new Threetoe story has been posted.
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"I see... Excuse me for a moment then. Thank you nonetheless."
"Alright, group, once everyone has something to eat, emergency meeting. We need to agree on a group name for the race."
"... Err, kinda awkward. I'm here with an adventurer group willing to register, but we don't have discussed an official name yet."
"Probably happens more often than one might think though, right? Ehehe..."
"Hmm... Would it be okay if I would give you a temporary name so that we can be registered and I come back soon with an official name? The entire group's here and ordering burger, so I'm sure this won't take long."
"Would you be so kind and order a burger for me while I sign up for the race? Thank you, Keith.""...Okay, I don't know where is that. Silly me."
"Pfffft, priceless! Ahahaha!" "Sorry for the ruckus, Blondie's here a fullblood adventurer."
"Hm... Sorry for your loss, Xerxes, but it sounds like that dog really was something else. He'll continue being your partner in your heart."
"Must be nice, having a pet. Maybe I'll get one when my life situation becomes more stable. A blob or a small animal that could always play and crawl around on my shoulders, sounds cute."
"Then again, I've always been the nomadic sort before I joined this crew... If the wild parts of Generia call my name again, it'll be hard taking care of a pet if me being well-nourished every day isn't guaranteed."
"That's good enough for me. Thank you, Marta." "Sooo..."
"Unlike that red-headed fool, I'll ask you where we can sign up for the race, since I'm sure you know the way."
"While you're right, Keith, we still have to deal with travel provisions and maintenace on a job that goes on for months, if not even one or two full years, where the payment happens once the job is done." "So, Marta, if you can help with either when the race is done, that should be enough."
"Oh, I can imagine how, Jenkins... Probably a mix of tickets, government funds because it's an event featuring wyverns, the kingdom's pride and icon, and the good ol' classic: Ad revenue. Expect to see all kinds of posters for products and people getting paid to shout non-stop how certain products are the best thing since Blobbos."
"I'm not your boss, but again, language in the presence of a kid, Cocytus."
"Said buddy I mentioned who betrayed me? He was my second-in-command. I led people. I made sure they got something to eat and something to drink. I memorized their strengths and their weaknesses. I had to make plans with several unknown factors. I had to make hard decisions within seconds. I lost two good men, but I also saved the people I led multiple times. At one occasion, I came up with my most desperate plan yet. It was doomed to fail, yet there was no other choice than to do it or die. As you can observe with your own eyes, I did it!"
"And who, exactly, are you to lay claim that your comrades can't handle the risks?"
"Oi, Burhardt, Cocytus, calm down..."
"And sure, Burhardt, you don't like putting others at risk..." "But none of us would be comfortable with you increasing your own risk just so your own conciousness can be pleased in such a selfish manner disguised as martyrdom. Think of your comrades' feelings too. Two will be the minimum and that's the last word on the matter."
"And you, those have been enough bad words in the kid's presence for today. I feel bad enough about her being hired, but I trust the two bluebloods there having their reasons..."
"Hrrrrm..."
"I'm starting to believe that Cocytus is a more capable tactician than you, my dear Burhardt, dowahahahaha!" "... In all seriousness though. I understand your unwillingness to put people at risk, so you're trying to find reasons to not use one of us as bait."
"After all, the pain of losing a comrade due to poor planning cuts deep..." "However, we must do something, or more villages will get razed. More innocent villagers will lose their possessions, their hopes, their futures, their lives. It is easy to overlook the fate of people you don't know. But their numbers will weight more than one of us losing their life to prevent that from happening." "So choose. A direct strike? Trying to be stealthy and squeezing out intel from stray cultists? Drawing them out with a bait? They all have risks. Failing any of these will have devastating results. Choose one plan, then stick to it. Because I will not choose to stay idle, and that goes for the rest of our band."
"And if you cannot bear the burden of having one of us be bait... Then lead by example!"
"A target of opportunity..." "... One of my former buddies has betrayed me in the past, leaving me to die while declaring that he will join the cult." "If I have confirmation that this person is in the area, that would make me a pristine target of opportunity. Because I'm not dead. And he has reasons to not keep me alive." "If he is there, I'll volunteer as bait. That way we don't need the royals here to make their presence known and a Commoner becomes a target. This would serve us well in the long run." "But I cannot guarantee that I can hold myself back. He betrayed me and attempted to kill me. If I will feel like I can get the opportunity, nothing can stop me wanting to wrap my hands around his throat and..." "... and not be very nice to him overall."
"I'll sign up too. I mean, we're most likely not the only group of adventurers trying to rig our chances of winning by making everyone apply."
"On the contrary, Burhardt. A properly defended prince is a very suitable bait."
"Assuming I'd be hunting for some princeling's head, if he would be outside of his castle, relatively alone, with few to no company, frolicking over green pastures, I would get extremely nervous. Because that can't be right." "... But!" "If you want it to be convincing enough, we should limit the bodyguards to those candidates that would look like the prince's usual entourage, not like a ragtag bunch of misfits." "People like Cocytus, Evelin, Emilia, and Flavius. Armored and looking somewhat like proper knights or vassals. Or looking like a threatening outlier in Cocytus' case, which actually helps. But someone like me would stick out like a sore thumb. I would need to be in the background, acting like I don't belong to you. Alina and Odette are similar cases." "Would still be a small entourage though, a prince that doesn't look much like a fighter would have a larger one. But a more martial-looking princess, now that one might get away with a smaller entourage without looking suspicious, dowahahaha!"
