>>28626098
> Bluff
Say that these Druzans are our servants, and we are here to make sure they remained unharmed. One does not just discard such an investment. We've poured time and money into these people.

Remind them that angering wealthy Tudan families is not in their interests. Just do some general bluffing along those lines.

>>28626098
>> Bluff

>>28626286
Make sure to show contempt for Druzan's in general. More like property than people. I think the guard would be more sympathetic that way.

Bluffing it is

"You two," you point to Robert and Anni. "Go into Milya's room and look sombre. I will convince the guard not to try and evict us, somehow."
Robert just glares at you and starts whispering fervently. "What kind of idea is that, you idiot!? I told you, any Tudans who are helping Druzans are considered the same! Your stature means nothing here!"
"Just go, damn you!" you reply. You grab their shoulders and turn them towards the room, shoving them along. "I'll handle this, just get out of sight. Go!" You give them one last shove, and then turn to the door. It slowly opens, pushed by a sword tip. A young man steps in; someone you know.

"Brandon?" you ask him. Brandon looks up into your face, expressing shock when he sees you.
"Joshua? What are you doing here?" he hisses. "You shouldn't be here! You need to leave! Do you know what they'll do to you if they find you here? Why are you here?" he asks again.
"I'm protecting my... Druzan servants," you reply.
"You don't have any Druzan servants," he states. "My home is across the street from yours, of course I know that."
"You're right," you admit. "They're my friends. Good friends. I need to help them."
"Well they can't stay in the city or they'll be killed. Hand them over to me, I'll make sure they make it out safely. You can stay inside."
"They can't leave, Brandon. There's a little girl in there that has Death Lung. If they move her, she'll die. We can't risk that."
Brandon frowns. "Maybe the captain will make an exception. I'm sure he-"
You cut him off. "Brandon, I was at the castle earlier. I saw what they did up there. You know that won't happen. Please, Brandon."
Brandon hops nervously on the balls of his feet, thinking. "Fine," he says. "Fine. I'll just say this house was empty. But the moment that girl heals, you get them out of here, Josh. Don't let this be for nothing. Just, fine." He's out the door before you can say another word, yelling to the guards that it seemed the occupants of your house had already left.

>>28626923
>1/?

barely squeezed that into the character limit.

You breathe a sigh of relief. You’re safe, for now, but you still need to stay quiet and out of sight while the guards are still outside. If they see you, all of your necks will be on the chopping block. You crouch down and scurry into the bedroom where the others are.
“They’re not going to search the house,” you mutter. “Stay quiet and stay out of sight of the windows.” Robert and Anni nod. Now you wait.

The guards leave after a little over an hour, taking with them many of the Druzan occupants from their homes. The ones who resisted were... dealt with, as was promised. You didn’t dare look outside for fear of discovery. No one came to investigate the house you were in, and soon the guards all left. You let out the pent up tension you had been feeling in an exhaling of air. You weren’t safe, but you weren’t in any direct danger either.
Robert looks over at you; his eyes hollow in the fading afternoon light. It will be dark soon. He asks you, “What now?”
“What now indeed?” you reply. You pause, thinking. “Milya is too sick for us to take out of the city and travel the road. I don’t know how long it will take her to get better, however. She hasn’t gotten worse, which I take is a good sign; but she hasn’t gotten better, either. If we’re going to spend more time in the city, we need to be somewhere safer.”
“Where did you live again?” Robert asks you.
“I live in the noble district near the summit of the hill. Why do you ask?”
“Which house in particular?” he prods.
“The white one with a red roof that is six houses down from the castle. Again, why do you want to know?”
“I think I might have a way to get us to your house without going through the streets.”

>2/3

“How?” you ask simply.
“Underneath Hillfort there is a network of tunnels that hardly anyone knows about. One of them leads right up nearby your house. Rory and I have explored these tunnels since we were small children. Using these tunnels we could get up to your house without venturing into the open. They are tunnels, however. It’s hard going.”
“It’s not safe,” Anni says. “Milya is still too sick to walk. How big are these tunnels? Do you think you could carry Milya on your back through them?”
Robert pauses for a moment. “...No. You have to crawl in some places.”
“Exactly,” Anni says. “Rory told me a little about these tunnels, and I’ve been in them on my own; but not very far. Milya is far too sick for this kind of endeavour. We should stay here until she’s well enough to make the journey to Joshua’s house.”
“We can’t make a fire here, Anni,” you tell her. “These houses are supposed to be empty. It’s still winter. Milya will get cold.”
“Robert, do you know how to make a smokeless fire?” she asks.
“Yes, of course.”
“You make a smokeless fire. Only large enough to boil the water for Milya’s medicine. We wrap Milya in as many blankets as we can find and place her in front of the fire. The rest of us will have to bear with it.”

Whose plan do you pick?
> Robert’s. It will be tough going, but we can’t stay here.
> Anni’s. She’s right, we can’t move Milya yet. Her idea may leave us cold, but Milya should be safe, and that’s what matters right now.
> I have a better idea. [Write in]

>>28627468
>> Anni’s. She’s right, we can’t move Milya yet. Her idea may leave us cold, but Milya should be safe, and that’s what matters right now.

>>28627468
>> Robert’s. It will be tough going, but we can’t stay here.

Rolled 4

Odds is Robert's, evens is Anni's

File: 1386044554518.jpg-(71 KB, 750x600, Joshua Graham motivational.jpg)

71 KB JPG

>>28626098
>Oh hey thisquest looks interesting, i'll go check it out
>Your name is Joshua Graham
Oh god. Oh god....

>>28628042
http://www.behindthename.com/random/

it's great

>>28628057
>The Burned Man claims to be working for the lord
>Quest MC's name chosen by the RNG gods.
This doesn't ease my fears, OP.

“Anni’s right, Robert,” you say. “We can’t risk moving her at this stage, it’s too dangerous. We do what Anni said and then we’ll see how Milya is tomorrow.”
“Yeah, alright,” he says. “It does seem like the most sensible option right now.”
The three of you get working. You close all the doors and windows, making sure that no light gets out and no one will be able to see inside. When darkness finally falls, you and Robert go search the other houses and gather as many blankets as you can find. You get a sizeable amount; more than enough for Milya and enough for one each for all of you. It’s like this that you spend the night; Robert takes a blanket and volunteers for first sentry. There was a short argument about whether you even needed a sentry, but you all decided that it was better safe than sorry after a stray cat startled you all with its call. Robert curled up by the door with your dirk resting next to him, ready if he needed it. You tell him to come wake you the moment he gets tired, and then you find your own place to lie down on the cold, hard floor. You watch as Anni curls up facing her sister, watching her face in the dim light of the coals of the fire.

>1/?

Your mind drifts back to everything you did today. You started the morning looking forward to hanging out with your best friend, only to end up in the mess that was today. You had always known that there had been some distrust between the Druzans and the Tudans, but you never thought they would be so openly hostile. You wonder how many people had died today. Too many, you muse. You try and swallow the ball in your throat but fail. Anni’s parents are missing, and so is Rory, and possibly any number of people that you know. You think of your own family and hope that they’re okay. You resolve to yourself that you’ll go back to your home at the first chance you get.

You wake with a start, thrown out of whatever dream you were having. Robert has woken you up with a light shake of your shoulder.
“Your turn,” he says.
You stretch and yawn as Robert finds somewhere to curl up. Anni is fast asleep, and as you listen, you hear that Milya’s breathing has become a lot less strained. She’s getting better. With conviction, you sit yourself by the door and stare out into the night, keeping watch.

>Roll 1d20, taking first three rolls

Rolled 6

>>28628647

Rolled 17

>>28628647

Apologies for being such a slow writer, guys. I am actually spending all this time writing. I just spend a lot of time trying to make sure it's good.

>>28628726
no worries.

>>28628726
Would you prefer to continue with the 17 or do you want another roll?

>>28628812
You know what, I'll just go with this.

I honestly was worried about asking for a roll when I saw only two replies to that last choice.

You spend nearly an hour keeping watch when a flicker of movement catches your eye. You squint your eyes at the darkness to try and make it out. A small white ermine stops by the corner of a nearby house and looks back at you, before disappearing out of sight.

You’re the first one to spot the sunrise the next morning. As the skies get brighter, you get up and stretch your legs, preparing for another day. You walk over to Robert and gently shake him awake. You do the same with Anni before making your way over to the door. It’s a new day.

- - - - - -

My reserves of inspiration have dried up and I don't think I can keep going today. Since that was the best I could come up with after making you guys wait for an hour, I think it's about time I stopped. It's like trying to walk up a waterfall.

I'm not giving up on the quest, though. The next thread will be on Thursday at 6PM PST, 9PM EST. Otherwise known as Friday at midday for me.

Again, seriously sorry for this. I am the complete opposite of happy with this result.

>>28629242
thanks for running. good luck.