Bay 12 Games Forum

...fine.

describe what happens to a sheep's wool if it's left unshorn too long.

Spoiler: it's not pretty (click to show/hide)

people are the same way, see? that's why everyone needs regular haircuts.
we also eat it, but that's beside the point

Kip offers his... incredible wisdom.

"That, uhh..."
"That isn't... people don't—" she drops her dagger and places her face in the palm of her hands, massaging in exasperation "—this is useless."
"So. Still gonna carry sailor's justice on this, uh, feral and... mental fellow?"

Pem massages her temples for a brief moment before returning to the inane situation at hand.
"No, Herri. You win. But tie him up and gag him for now. Please."
Herri looks back at Kip with pity and empathy. "Ahh... that I can do."

Kip can hardly resist in his current state. It wasn't all that long ago that he fainted from dehydration. So, he ends up tied and gagged with rope from one of the barrels. Afterwards, Herri begins preparing the caught crabs. He takes a dark metal pot from another barrel to boil them in over the fire. The trio eat in silence for a while, with Herri undoing Kip's gag only to feed him crab. Kip is too hungry to frustrate Herri's efforts. Eventually, Herri breaks the nervous stillness around the fire.

"So... where you from, lieutenant Pem?"
"My ship is sunk and my captain's dead. I am not a lieutenant anymore."
"Right. Sorry." The conversation stalls on that for an uncomfortable time.
"Mabragh. By the sea."
"Ah, way down South from me! Never been. I'm from Ellis, but the tippy top North."
"I know. We picked you up for exile. I know where you're from."
"Right. Just a bit o' chit-chat." The exchange hangs coldly again. "So... where are we now?"
"Don't know. When the night grows darker, I'll take a look at the sky. Don't have any navigation instruments, but I still have the stars and moon."
"Spiff. Never done any of that. I manned the nets on the bayboats. Hard stuff, but easy on the brain, not like all that stars and moon stuff."
"Was the work too hard? How else does a fisherman turn to thieving his own crew?"

Herri shrugs his shoulders and goes quiet. The conversation dies thereafter.

Quote from: techno65535 on December 23, 2022, 11:15:24 am

Quote from: King Zultan on December 23, 2022, 03:31:23 am

Mumble something about needing to cut hair.

+1
That black hair looks pretty cuttable...

+1
Attempt to cut the black hair!

Kip's lips part and susurrate something about hair, hair, snip, snip. Kip flexes his hands and slowly brings them close to his side, feigning bodily adjustment and fingering around for his Snipping Claws instead. And he finds them. He actually finds them! Tucked right into his pants, opposite the waterskin!

"Bah, see! He's live and well!"
"Fine. This is just another problem for us now. Only thing worse than two lost is three."
"Three's a troupe, is what. More is merry."

The pair bicker on about this and that... with the dark-haired lady cleanly in reach. Kip steadies his nerves. The hair's loose at the sides with slightly greasy, hanging strands offering a plethora of targets. Just need one—AND LUNGE!
Kip's arm extends true to its target! Like a beast practicing instinct, Kip places those Claws comfortably around a lock of hair and snip. The Barber's Claw, Praying Mantis Style. Euphoric. Strands of dark fiber part away from each other and gently float down to the ground. Between the first twitch of his shoulder and the final shutting of his fist, there was barely enough time to blink twice. The snipped hair graces the ground like autumn leaves.

"Huh." The lady slaps away Kip's offending arm and rolls off like she's just seen a spider on her shoulder.
"Agh, feral boy!" Before any further damage occurs, Herri has his hands on Kip's shoulders and is pressing him down on that dampness behind. Those long, thin arms are surprisingly strong. "Pem, wait!"
"He tried to get me. You saw," Pem offers cold condemnation before drawing a dagger from her suspended trousers. "Hold him, Herri. We only need a few fingers. I won't gut him."
"Nonononono! Pem, he wanted your hair! It's how he got exile inna first place! He cut some priest beard; he cuts hair. He just wants hair! Some feral tradition, I dunno!"
"You're just a thief, Herri. Feral boy's done sacrilege and armed aggravation. He's a thug."
"Don't make it seeming worse than it's been, Pem! He's got crab claws and he cut a bit of your hair, that's all!" Herri turns to Kip. "C'mon, feral boy, tell her you wasn't meaning no harm. Help me help you, pleeaase."

Quote from: IronyOwl on December 21, 2022, 12:00:32 am

Quote from: Egan_BW on December 20, 2022, 04:28:48 pm

Summary: a bunch of insane ramblings about cutting hair and being feral.

+1!

+1!

Kip confesses just how feral he is, and how he can't stop himself from doing the things that got him here in the first place. Oh, and that Herri's next.
"Ayyup, feral folk."

The crab isn't cooperating, so Kip tears off those claws in a feat of incredible grip strength. Poor crab. Kip has acquired Snipping Claws. Kip charges with his signature Hair-Cutting Blitz!
—THUD!

And meets the end of Herri's stick.

"You know, am sure that fellow had the shaving thing coming. Me, though, am keen on keeping me hair. An don't be touching the crabs—"

Before Kip can finish making the worst first impression possible, a rumbling deafens the pair. It comes from the sand below; something massive and hulking is billowing out from beneath it.

A really big crab.

"Riiiight. Don't touch them crabs an hurt them like that. Is a mum or pa in the sand. Time to run, ah?"

Quote from: King Zultan on December 18, 2022, 02:30:09 am

Quote from: Haspen on December 17, 2022, 02:54:43 pm

Fool! The tender meat of the crabs is juicy, and has moisture!

Capture and eat the crabs, they shall nourish us!

+1 Gotta get some of that sweet crab juice!

+1 Crab sashimi!

This turns out to be... not so easy.

The crabs are small and fast and never stray far from their sand burrows. It takes the better part of Kip's patience and reflexes to muster a decent effort. But, eventually, a big enough crab makes the mistake of straying from the waves...

And Kip snatches it!

Kip has acquired one live crab!
_{Now he's just gotta crack it and maybe cook it...}


"Trick'sa let'em do the work. Wait'em out by the rock pools."

There's a tall, lanky blond fellow real close. He's carrying a wooden pole and a bucket full of... crabs? Crabs. Kip must've missed him during all that desperate hunting.

"I got a big stick, though. That helps. Am Herri, by the by. You was on the exile ship, huh? Me an' too." He holds up his bucket'o'crabs. "Wanna some? Got lots, more than me or Pem can eat."

Quote from: King Zultan on December 14, 2022, 03:28:39 am

He was exiled for committing the worst crime imaginable, he insulted the king's mustache!

+1

What was the nature of Kip's crimes?
Kip Committed the crime of "returning from Exile", the crime he was previously exiled for was "Double Deicide"

---

A few weeks ago...

Mere days into awaiting his first exile for carving up a sacred tree, Kip returned to the site. He has a problem with authority, it seems.

And there was a pointy-eared, bearded druid.

Kip knew exactly what he had to do...


Give him a shave! Poor guy looked completely ridiculous with that facial hair. Unfortunately for Kip, he was something-something lord of the forest, something-something sacred beard.
^{Plus the whole Kip's-already-a-criminal thing.}
So...

---

And Kip will defy fate and the natural order by going towards the land!

The unfortunate present...

Kip manages to run that dinghy aground without getting toppled by the waves. Kip also found an small, empty waterskin sitting in the boat while jostling the tide.

He's all alone on the beach now ^(kinda). Just relieved to be on land again.


There's a silent, hooded figure just ahead of Kip.
There are a few crabs scuttling about their sand burrows.
The rolling beach continues East and West.
Forested hills begin rising to the north.
^{Kip's next move is...}

That would be as deadly to the wielder as to anyone else!  You'd sever your own arm at the first swing!  It's perfect!

user is Gizogin, but i'm too dumb to use forum quotes properly. Here's the forum

so I started my first real game of Aurora and I've encountered an alien race that obliterated all three of my survey ships. They blasted them only when they were right on top of the planet, and proceeded to only use missiles on the two that tried to escape. The system has a destroyed alien outpost providing a bonus to all research in the system, two x2.00 colony cost planets, and several shipwrecks. First of all: how should I  go about researching and building a combat ready fleet? Second: what would be the best course of action to conquering the system, as it seems like a great boon to my civ.