"I thought that was not an issue. It shocked me when I found out it was."
Sent from my HAL 9000 in transit to Jupiter
-----Original Message-----
From: stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On ;
Behalf Of Tim Farley ("timfarleynj")
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2021 1:36 PM
To: stoddard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [stoddard] Re: The Next Morning?
Softly, Sean says, "Forgiving those who have trespassed against you,
especially inadvertently, is part of what it means to be family. Or so Mother
March told me often enough." Smiling, Sean says "There be elves out there.
Followers of Corella, the elven aspect of Sylva. If this family is
insufficient, you should come along and we will hopefully meet some. Northen
and Gladdell were good men, though I found Northen to be somewhat evasive.
Could be my natural inability to comprehend priests." Sean winks. "And then
there were the brothers, Mandri and Pandri. And their rear guard, Bau. Maybe
they will help you find the cultural connection you feel we are lacking."
On Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 02:28:20 PM EDT, Nicole Massey
<nyyki@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"I'm so different from the rest of you save for Eregwen. That's been pointed
out to me. When it comes to people, as these guys can attest," she motions to
the dogs and Duthoron, "It has to be all or nothing, and I can't do that if I'm
going to be a problem, a distraction, or treated as someone outside of the
group. I came very close to just walking away, but I stopped myself because it
wouldn't be fair for any of you to worry where I was or what happened to me. I
guess I'm a lot more sensitive than I appear."
She wipes a tear off her right cheek.
Sent from my HAL 9000 in transit to Jupiter
-----Original Message-----
From: stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ;<mailto:stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> ]
On Behalf Of Tim Farley ("timfarleynj")
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2021 1:15 PM
To: stoddard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:stoddard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [stoddard] Re: The Next Morning?
"We are like family, Carandolana. We ARE family. My culture is not relevant
to that. We are the better part of family, we are the family we choose, not
the one we are born into." Sean pauses, looking for the right words. "I have a
brother and a sister, born of the same parents. My sister was married off to a
prominent farmer in the next village over while I was a young child. I rarely
saw her after that, and have no real connection to her beyond obligatory
familial fondness, which I believe she reciprocates those rare times we cross
each other's paths. My brother is the Eldest, and he never really cared to
have me around, for fear I would somehow impact his inheritance. He and my
father worked closely together, as it was my father's plan to leave him
everything while he was still alive, as his father did for him. My mother
loved each of her children, but was most firmly in love with my father. Which
is as it should be. My grandfather... well, he and I had a connection,
possibly because by the time I was old enough to be in the way and underfoot,
he was also in the way and underfoot. I don't think I would have ever met you
if not for my grandfather, and through him my entre into a world for more rich
and vast than my father or siblings ever knew." Sean pauses again. "We are
family, Carandolana. The best kind of family, I think. Family of choice.
Family where each member is valued. I don't know what it is you think you've
done that you owe me an apology for, but, whatever offense you think you've
offered, I did not receive it, and whatever injury you feel you did me, I did
not feel it. I am sorry that my youthful exuberance for fighting evil has made
me blind to whatever it is that is troubling you. In that way, we are from
different cultures. With luck, you will be telling my great great great great
grandchildren about all the stupid things I've done, while I will have long
since fertilized some flower or weed. And you will be their Great Aunt
Carandolana, and they will look upon you with wonder and awe and respect, as
befits all elder family members, and they will ask you about their crazy great
great great great grandfather and all the silly things he did. And you'll tell
them 'Yes, he once challenged a pirate ship, after he burned their longboats,
and another time he stood defiantly, screaming at a dragon to come after him,
and the dodgy wyrm teleported away in fear.' And, later, when they are older,
you will tell them 'how he killed a dear friend in order to save his life., and
how the only thing he seemed to fear was your great great great great
grandmother Tina, and making her sad.' But, mainly, I hope, you will tell him
how he relied on your counsel every waking day of his life, and you would be
pleased to offer the same to them, should they so desire. So, no, I do not
accept your apology, because there is no need for one." Sean watches
Carandolana for a moment. Now, if the rest of the group is ready, I propose we
take the fight to the Dragon. If not, well, unless you can help me come up
with a better alternative, I do intend to besiege the bastard in his own lair,
much the way he is besieging us in ours. And if I have to start that siege by
burning the brush around his lair, so be it. And then I will use a pick axe
and break his tribute altar. Or something. But we must fight him,
Carandolana, we must."
On Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 01:43:40 PM EDT, Nicole Massey
<nyyki@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:nyyki@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
"Sean, I can't decide this without talking to the plants in question. They
sound like a curiosity, though it's possible to tell plants to do this with a
mid-range prayer. I counsel you against this action unless you have the full
group working behind you, because this action is sure to rile the dragon and
we'll need to be ready to face the creature soon afterwards. I've been around
you long enough that your preferred method of dealing with something is to run
out and plow through it. Step to the back porch, as you called it, and look out
over the bay to see the masts of the dread ship Medusa for a better course in
dealing with the wyrm."
She swallows hard, still looking somber instead of her normal light-hearted
self, and says, "Sean, I also owe you an apology. I've forgotten that we're not
from the same culture, and though we're all people we're often very different
types of people. I deluded myself into thinking like we were family. That was
wrong of me, and Ahearn pointed that out to me. I'll try not to make the same
mistake going forward. I hope you'll accept my apology. Now, what's your
timeframe again, and do you need my help or attendance in this?"
Sent from my HAL 9000 in transit to Jupiter
-----Original Message-----
From: stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<mailto:stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ;<mailto:stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> >
[mailto:stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ;<mailto:stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<mailto:stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ;<mailto:stoddard-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> >
] On Behalf Of Tim Farley ("timfarleynj")
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2021 11:34 AM
To: stoddard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:stoddard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<mailto:stoddard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ;<mailto:stoddard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> >
Subject: [stoddard] The Next Morning?
Sean and company went out and returned, unable to find the source of the acid
stench. Sean is frustrated. He speaks with Pomeroy, prays to Artor, and goes
to sleep. In the morning, he seeks out Carandolana. Assuming he can find her,
he explains his plans for the next few days. "The Elves of the Lady of the
Waters think that dragons can turn the flora and fauna in the area around their
lair to their service. I saw this first hand when I was ambushed by needle
throwing creatures. Had I not worked out a quick escape before walking into
the ambush, I might not be here today. I intend to resolve this threat by
fire. It dawns on me that such an action might be poorly received by you, so I
wanted to tell you my plan and listen to your objections."
