Masugatan awaits the order to extinguish the miserable… not eagerly, but worse: indifferently.  Meanwhile, he picks something out from between two molars.

"We've met a few of those, Christine, but I think these weren't trying to steal from us because we're women -- which would imply they're blind if they can't see Ginger and Masugatan, not to mention Chris looks pretty masculine -- but simply because we have things they need, like food, or coin to buy food from those who have it, or goods to sell for coin to buy food.  If these folk are genuinely starving, our sex has nothing to do with this."

In reply to Evelina Grattan (msg # 212):

"We are in fertile country, and there is no snow yet and plenty of scope to grow or hunt for food. That excuse is bullshit. Whyever they attacked us, it was not because they were hungry and lacked options."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:20, Thu 09 May.

"You forget we were born farm girls.

"Even in fertile land, with good weather, enough sun and enough rain, and at the right times, it takes so little to destroy crops -- leaving too little to cover food, livestock feed, and seed for the next season.  Eat the seed, and you'll surely starve next year; eat the stock instead of feeding them and you'll starve as well -- but don't eat and you starve anyway.  All while the sun shines and the rain falls as it should.  Stock that can graze helps, but just removes one set of mouths.

"If these folk suffered a blight, they might be trying to get by on roots and berries until the harvest -- or they might have eaten their seed and chickens last winter and had nothing to plant this spring, and already eaten what their wool could buy.

"I'm not saying we should trust them with our lives without knowing more -- I'm saying we shouldn't murder folk without knowing more.  If they ambush us again, Holy Sister and I will help kill them, as we've done before."

In reply to Evelina Grattan (msg # 214):

"But farming is just one of several options. There are creatures to hunt, likely rivers to fish in. Hell, anyone can put in even a small vegetable garden that will have enough variety that any blight, which usually just effects a single type of plant, will not wipe it all out.

I am not killing them yet, but given they have tried to kill us once, it makes it hard to relax if they know we are here. I do not want to wait until hey have a more opportune time if I have the slightest inkling they will try to finish what they started so badly."

Ginger follows the ladies' dialogue with rapt interest. For once he knows when to keep quiet.

In reply to Evelina Grattan (msg # 214):

As farm girls, you noted when the graves were dug that the soil here is particularly rocky and the pathway is on an incline; there may not
be very much level truly fertile ground.  As to the bandits preying on you because some of you are women, some of the bandits are as well.

Masugatan keeps his mouth shut, but a keen observer of his face might readily conclude that he thinks certain members of the party are overcomplicating matters.

In reply to Narrator (msg # 217):

Any of the survivors women? That would change how Christine responds to them...

In reply to Christine Bjorn (msg # 219):

One of them is. The other, semi-conscious one looks like a teenage male.
He isn't doing very well, and it might take a great deal of healing to get him conscious again.

In reply to Narrator (msg # 220):

In that case Christine will ask Emma to heal the girl/lady.

In reply to Christine Bjorn (msg # 221):

Emma will begrudgingly heal her...

In reply to Emma Wilson (msg # 222):

"Ugh, that hurts... less"

In reply to Bandit (msg # 223):

"Feeling more cooperative now? What were you doing with these idiots?"

In reply to Christine Bjorn (msg # 224):

"They are...were my kin."

In reply to Bandit (msg # 225):

"They were acting like idiots all the same. Do you know him?"

She indicates the other prisoner with her head.

Masugatan picks some dirt from beneath his thumbnails.

In reply to Christine Bjorn (msg # 226):

"He is a cousin, from my village. His name is Jean."


Jean is unconscious and pale and sweating.

In reply to Bandit (msg # 228):

"Right. Family of thieves. Why should we spare you?"

The bandit blinks
"Um, because your priestess' god will be angry if you wasted healing on me and then killed me?"




successful fast talk roll there

In reply to Bandit (msg # 230):

"Nice try. The healing was for information, not necessarily saving your lives. Next suggestion?"

In reply to Christine Bjorn (msg # 231):

"I never actually hurt anyone of you. You killed those who did."

Masugatan grins, enjoying the back and forth.

In reply to Bandit (msg # 232):

"Not for lack of trying. So you are just an incompetent thief?"

In reply to Christine Bjorn (msg # 234):

"None of us have ever been anything than poor."