Transcript
Estimated duration: about 2 hours.
This game was played in French. This page is an English translation of the original transcript.
The translation preserves the real order of play, hesitations, corrections, Focuses, Bets, dice results, and out-of-fiction exchanges that contributed to running the game.
[TIME]
The next morning, Jonstown finally gives the Library back to you — at least for a while. The great hall is already awake. Styli run across wax; somewhere farther away, someone slowly recites a text while another copies it. The smells of ink, parchment, and warm smoke from the kitchens mingle in the air. Hendrik is sitting in front of a stack of tablets. For once, no one seems to need him. Then a white robe appears at the entrance. It is the healer from the House of Peace. Her sleeve is no longer stained with blood. — Karest made it through the night. He woke at dawn. She looks at Hendrik, then at you. — He can speak. A little. Not for long. I came as promised. Hendrik closes the tablet in front of him. But he does not get up yet. He simply turns his eyes toward you. — Yesterday, you told them we would continue if he could speak.
[TAL]
actually during the night I had trouble falling asleep and I think Tal went prowling around the House of Peace. I know it may not be the role of a Grey Sage but I'm young and this affair is shaking me more than it probably should. What am I risking. And what if, discreetly, I managed to hear someone talking who could reveal an essential clue to me. And I think it's also a way for me to stop turning the case over in my head wondering if there isn't some important detail I might have missed. And before leaving I even perform the following ritual: the eyes see, the ears hear, the head understands, together they serve the search for truth. A way for me to justify my act by placing myself in a silent accord with Lhankor Mhy. Then I put on neutral clothes and go out.
[TIME]
Off: Yes. We go back to the night. You cannot sleep. Every time you close your eyes, the affair returns in another form: Beren's position, the knife, Darin's voice, Enissa's reconstruction, then that phrase that has become almost unbearable because it is right: we do not know. Before going out, you remain still for a moment and perform your ritual: — The eyes see. The ears hear. The head understands. Together they serve the search for Truth. You do not ask Lhankor Mhy to give you an answer. You offer him your vigilance instead. Then you leave behind the most obvious signs of a Grey Sage and put on clothes with nothing distinctive about them. The House of Peace is not asleep. A lamp is still burning near the entrance. From time to time, a figure in white robes passes behind a lit opening. Elsewhere, Jonstown has largely fallen silent. You can measure the risk. If someone catches you prowling around the place where Karest lies, it will be hard to believe you were simply out for some air. If they later discover that you are one of the Sages investigating the affair, your neutrality may be called into question, and the people you still need to question may become much more wary. If you are not recognized, you could simply be taken for someone trying to reach the wounded man and be chased off, detained, or handed over to the guards. And even if you hear something: it will be words. Not automatically facts. Your Intention is nevertheless clear: overhear, without being seen, something you could not have learned through the official investigation and that deserves to be examined afterward. Focus — Sequence Zoom: can you prowl discreetly enough around the House of Peace to overhear something genuinely useful to the investigation, without being spotted as an observer?
Your 3 Bets:
- Truth, enacted through your ritual — you deliberately discipline your senses and judgment toward what may be genuinely significant.
- You already know the affair precisely — names, testimony, contradictions, and material facts; you can recognize the importance of a detail others might overlook.
- Your neutral clothing — at first glance, nothing announces the young Grey Sage who came to investigate yesterday.
The 3 Counter-Bets:
- The House of Peace keeps watch even at night — healers, patients, and assistants still move through it.
- Karest is a wounded man at the heart of a dispute between two groups — his presence naturally draws attention and vigilance.
- You are unfamiliar with the night-time habits of this quarter — you know what you are looking for, but not yet which passages, doors, or figures are ordinary at this hour.
3 against 3.
Your roll is read through ordinary Theism. The opposition here belongs to the outside world. Roll 3d6 and give me the raw results.
[TAL]
6,5,4 -> my senses are heightened, my mind sharp, I reroll the 5 and get a 2 -> final result: 6,4,2: 3 successes. Your turn.
[TAL]
My heart is pounding. I realize the risk I'm taking. But I decide to take that risk. Whatever happens, happens. So I leave my somewhat protected vantage point, which seems just a little too protected to actually learn anything, and circle the house, maybe moving closer to the walls, or an opening... So I reroll with 4 bets: 6,6,4,3 -> first 6, the 3 becomes 5 -> second 6, the 5 becomes 4 -> final result: 6, 6, 4, 4: 4 successes. This isn't a manifestation of LM yet but I feel well inspired, my mind sharpened to seek the slightest clue while remaining discreet.
[TIME — corrected resolution]
Raise: 4 Bets against 4 Bets. Tal: 4 Successes. Time, Middle World: 3, 6, 4, 6 → 3 Successes. Victory for Tal, 4–3.
[TAL]
I'd be curious to know what Tal discovers: a conversation between two people connected to the affair, from Beren's clan or Karest's clan, or maybe a discussion between a Chalana Arroy priestess and another one talking about Karest or something he might have said, or any other clue :)
[TIME]
You leave your shelter and slowly follow the outer wall of the House of Peace. Twice, you have to freeze completely: a white-clad figure crosses a gallery, then someone opens a door onto the courtyard. No one looks in your direction. A little farther on, a narrow opening lets out light — and voices. Two healers are speaking quietly. One seems to be taking over the watch from the other. — He woke once before the middle of the night. — Really awake? A silence. — Not for long. He may not even have known where he was. He grabbed my wrist. — Did he speak? — He asked: “Beren?” The other does not answer immediately. Then the first adds: — I told him not to speak. He tried anyway. He said: “He still had the knife.” After that he lost consciousness again. You remain perfectly still. The second healer asks: — Are you certain of the words? — Those words, yes. Then their voices recede. It is not proof. Karest was badly wounded, half-conscious, and nothing tells you what he believed he was seeing or exactly which moment he was thinking of. But you have just obtained something no one had given you until now: a spontaneous statement by Karest, spoken before his questioning. And above all, tomorrow, if he speaks, you will know exactly which phrase to keep in mind.
[TAL]
So I go back to bed with this element in mind, which supports the idea of Beren still being armed when Karest skewered him with his spear. And now we can go back to the morning scene. I'm in great shape and ready to go see Karest.
[TIME]
Hendrik finally gets up. — Then let's go. The healer leads you back to the House of Peace. In the morning, the place seems almost quieter than it did during the night: less mysterious, but more deeply inhabited by exhaustion. Karest lies on his side, supported by cushions and rolled blankets. His complexion is grey, his breathing short. A thick bandage wraps his flank. His eyes are open. The healer approaches him. — The Sages have come to speak with you about what happened yesterday. Only a few questions. If I say that's enough, that's enough. Karest gives a weak nod. His gaze passes over Hendrik, then stops on you. Hendrik stays slightly back. — Tal. Nothing more. He lets you begin.
[TAL]
“Hello Karest, my name is Tal and I'm accompanied by my teacher Hendrik. Do you remember what happened yesterday during your cattle raid? How were you wounded, and what happened before and after your wound?” I say, moving close enough to hear him since he is very weak.
[TIME]
Karest closes his eyes for a moment, as if he has to put the events back in order before finding the words. — Yes… I remember. His hand slides weakly toward the bandage around his flank. — Beren got me here with his spear. I thought he'd opened me right to the belly. He catches his breath. The healer never takes her eyes off him. — After… he fell. Or slipped. His spear was far from him. Another silence. — I went toward him. He still had the knife. He struck at me… from below. Karest makes a tiny movement with his shoulder, as if seeing the gesture again. — I stepped back. Then I struck once with my spear. He keeps his eyes closed for a few seconds. — After that… shouting. Someone grabbed me. I think I fell. I don't remember anything else before waking up here. The healer places two fingers on his wrist, then looks at you. — One or two more questions. No more. Hendrik still does not intervene.
[TAL]
“How did you manage to move toward him after he'd messed you up that badly? And more importantly, why, Karest? You wanted to take him into death with you, didn't you, after he'd opened your belly?”
[TIME]
Karest opens his eyes again. This time, something harder passes through his gaze. — No. The word comes faster than the others, then he has to catch his breath. — I didn't know how badly I was hurt. It burned… but I was still on my feet. He swallows with difficulty. — And I was angry. Yes. I thought he'd almost killed me. His hand tightens slightly on the blanket. — But I didn't go toward him thinking I was going to die with him. I wanted him to stay down. To stop fighting. He turns his eyes toward you. — If he'd dropped his knife… I don't know what I would have done after that. But he didn't drop it. He struck at me. The healer immediately intervenes: — That's enough. Karest closes his eyes. This time, he does not open them again. Hendrik waits until you are a few paces from the bed before speaking, very quietly: — We have his answer. No more than that.
[TAL]
We go outside after thanking Karest and the healers. I say to Hendrik: “he seems sincere. And anyway I believe his version about the knife in Beren's hand. But obviously as for Beren then trying to strike him, that comes from Enissa's testimony and now Karest's. 2 testimonies against none on the other side saying the opposite. That's what we know, Master.”
[TIME]
Hendrik walks a few paces in silence beside you before answering. — Almost. He turns his head slightly toward you. — “He seems sincere” is your judgment. Keep it, but don't confuse it with what we know. Then he continues: — Enissa says Beren still had his knife and tried to strike Karest. Karest now says the same. No one has told us they saw Beren unarmed at that moment, and what we observed on his body is not incompatible with their accounts. He lets a few steps pass. — Darin, meanwhile, says he heard Beren say: “Enough,” then saw Karest strike him. That does not establish that Beren had stopped fighting. No more than the other two testimonies establish with certainty that he had not. Hendrik finally stops. — But yes: we now have two matching testimonies about Beren's knife and his movement, and no direct testimony saying otherwise. A brief glance toward you. — That is what we know.
[TAL]
“When are the clans going to meet to decide?”
[TIME]
Hendrik gives a slight shake of his head. — Not fixed yet. He starts walking again. — They were waiting to see whether Karest would survive long enough to speak. Now that he has, nothing forces them to wait any longer. The elders of both groups can meet today if they wish. Then he adds: — But it isn't the Sages who call that meeting. We can hand over what we have established. After that, it will be for them to decide when they sit — and what they do with it. He thinks for a moment. — I expect them to try to meet before the end of the day, precisely because the longer they wait, the more time each side has to turn the facts into a story.
[TAL]
“Then let's go tell them what we know and what we don't know, Master” (with a touch of irony on the what we don't know) “Unless you think we should do something else now?”
[TIME]
Hendrik catches the hint of irony. One corner of his mouth moves, barely. — No. Nothing else. He resumes walking toward the city. — We questioned those who could speak, examined the body, and compared the accounts with what we could observe. Continuing now simply because uncertainty displeases us would not make our investigation better. After a few steps, he adds: — But we are not going to carry two different versions to two different groups. We will ask the elders on both sides to hear us together. The same facts. The same limits. Then he looks at you. — And you will be the one to speak. I'll be there if you forget something.
[TAL]
And that sparks my curiosity, because we're in Jonstown and I still don't really know which clans Karest and Beren respectively belong to.
Probably clans that aren't very far away, since Karest was brought here to be treated and Beren was taken to a house in Jonstown, so I suppose his clan must be the Jonstown clan.
For an affair like this, would the clan Rings be assembled? That seems like a lot to me.
Or would there just be one or two representatives from each Ring? Will there be other Grey Sages?
This is all new to me and quite stimulating, since it's my first time.
It's as if I'm gaining access to a whole new world through my status as a young Grey Sage — one who, on top of that, has taken an active part in the investigation.
[TIME]
Your curiosity is justified — and there is one thing you understand as you think it through: you were a little too quick to imagine a “Jonstown clan.” Jonstown does not work that way.
The city has its own Jonstown Ring and a citizenship that resembles clan membership in some respects, but it welcomes people from many clans and several tribes. The House of Peace heals people from far beyond the city's population. The fact that Karest was brought there therefore tells you almost nothing about his origin, and the house where Beren's body lies is simply a place where his kin were able to lay him.
And now that you put the names and people back in order, the affiliations become clear: Beren is of the Blueberry clan; Karest of the Greenhaft clan. Both belong to the Cinsina tribe. They are therefore two clans close enough for matters of cattle, grazing lands, marriages, and old grudges to bring them into regular contact.
But Hendrik is indeed not taking you to a solemn gathering of both full Rings.
For an affair like this, that would be far too heavy.
What can gather today is something more compact: a few people capable of committing their side — an elder or important kinsman of Beren, someone speaking for the Greenhaft since Karest cannot sit in council, and above all people recognized as knowing custom. A lawspeaker or juror may be among them. The clans can thus hear what the Sages have established and try to reach an agreement about responsibility and compensation.
The clan Ring is something else: it is the circle that advises the chieftain and carries the authority of the clan. It can of course be consulted, especially if the affair threatens to become a true feud between clans, but the whole Ring is not necessarily assembled for every death that occurs during a raid.
And if both parties refuse a settlement or genuinely dispute the law, then the affair can become much more formal: jurors from both sides, a judge acceptable to all, and perhaps a court with jurisdiction over both clans. Since Blueberry and Greenhaft are both Cinsina, the tribe is their natural common jurisdiction. Jonstown also offers institutions and people capable of facilitating that kind of settlement.
As for the Grey Sages: no, you are probably not about to discover an entire row of grey beards waiting for your report.
Hendrik and you became involved in this affair because you gathered and checked the facts. Other people learned in the law may intervene if the dispute becomes a true legal procedure. But for this first meeting, you are the Sages who know what the investigation has actually established.
And that changes something in the way you see the streets of Jonstown.
Yesterday, you were above all a young initiate who had come to learn at the Library.
Today, as you walk behind Hendrik toward those waiting for your report, you understand that your initiation has opened a much wider door: behind the houses, herds, and quarrels you once saw only from the outside lies an entire network of clans, Rings, jurors, compensations, oaths, and memory.
And this time, you are not merely going to observe it.
You are going to speak before it.
[TAL]
I'm ready to deliver our version in the name of Truth: what we know and what we don't know. But before I speak I'm first going to observe, listen, notice what is happening, what is being played out, so I can adjust as well as possible to what is expected of me as a Grey Sage. It's my first time and it would be disrespectful and even foolish to impose myself.
[TIME]
Hendrik inclines his head slightly when you explain your intention.
— Good.
He does not elaborate.
The meeting is nothing like a grand assembly. In a borrowed room near the market, two small groups face each other, with enough space between them that the space itself seems to carry meaning.
On Beren's side, you recognize Darin. Beside him sits a much older man, still broad-shouldered despite his age, who gives you only a brief glance before resuming a quiet conversation. A middle-aged woman is also present, silent.
Opposite them, Enissa is there. With her are two men you have never seen before. One has the bearing of a man accustomed to speaking for others; the other seems mostly to listen. There is also a man who clearly belongs to neither group. Older than Hendrik, without any particular display, he holds a tablet on his knees. From the way he has placed himself — neither at the center nor with either side — you understand that he is here more for the procedure than for the affair itself.
No one begins immediately.
You observe.
Darin looks at Enissa often, but Enissa carefully avoids answering his gaze. The older man on Beren's side says little, but when he murmurs something, Darin falls silent. Among the Greenhaft, the first man you noticed seems to hold the authority to speak.
And above all, you quickly understand that they did not come here to hear a story.
They already know their stories.
They are waiting for something else from you.
The man with the tablet eventually raises his eyes toward Hendrik.
— You spoke to the wounded man?
— Yes.
— And you consider your investigation finished?
Hendrik then turns his head toward you.
He does not answer.
Around the room, several gazes settle on you for the first time with genuine attention.
You understand that this is the moment.
[TAL]
“Our investigation is indeed finished. Lankhor Mhy guided it and it is ready to be recorded. What you do with Truth is no longer our concern. Here is what we know: Karest of the Greenhaft clan carried out a cattle raid on beasts belonging to the Blueberry clan. They were surprised and intercepted by members of the Blueberry clan, including Beren. A fight took place. Beren and Karest became somewhat isolated and fought. Beren wounded Karest in the belly, then found himself in a bad position after losing his spear. Even so, two witnesses say Beren still had his knife in hand at that point and no witness says otherwise. Karest approached Karest to tell him to stop fighting, according to his account. One witness said he heard an ‘Enough’ from a distance, but given the distance and the confusion of the fighting, nothing allows us to establish whether those words were spoken by Beren or by Karest. Two witnesses then say they saw Beren try to stab Karest with his knife, but Karest defended himself by driving his spear into Beren's ribs. Karest then collapsed, and the people of both clans had the wisdom not to worsen the situation, bringing the wounded man to the House of Peace and taking Beren's body away so that he could be honored. We leave you to judge. Lankhor Mhy knows, Humakt decides.” (can you make a resolution for that?)
[TIME]
Yes. This clearly deserves a resolution: you are not merely trying to recite facts, but to bring your investigation into the common space as the word of a Grey Sage recognized as accurate and impartial.
And there is one fragile point in what you have just said: Darin did not merely report hearing “Enough”; he claims Beren said it. Your report therefore turns his testimony into uncertainty about who spoke the words. That may be legitimate caution on your part, but Darin may also consider that you are distorting what he said.
Focus — Sequence Zoom: can you deliver before both clans a report that everyone recognizes as sufficiently faithful, precise, and impartial to serve as a basis for their judgment?
Your 5 Bets:
- You speak as an initiate of Lhankor Mhy, in the name of Truth rather than either clan.
- You took part directly in the entire investigation: testimony, Beren's body, the reconstruction, the interview with Karest.
- Hendrik is present and can attest to the method that was followed.
- Both sides hear exactly the same report, together.
- You refuse to pronounce judgment in their place: “Lankhor Mhy knows, Humakt decides.”
The 5 Counter-Bets:
- Beren is dead: the Blueberry listen with the weight of a dead man among them.
- Karest is alive and belongs to the other side: the Greenhaft also have something to defend.
- Darin gave precise testimony about ‘Enough’, and your wording weakens its force.
- Beren and Karest already had a known history of resentment, which colors everything that is heard.
- Your words will now have concrete consequences: compensation, honor, responsibility; everyone will listen to every nuance as something they may later seize upon.
5 against 5.
Your speech here is unambiguously read through Theism: you are explicitly acting as a Sage of Lhankor Mhy in the exercise of your function. The opposition will also be read through Theism, because what answers you here is not a material obstacle but an Orlanthi assembly caught in its obligations of clan, honor, law, and speech.
Roll 5d6 and give me the raw results.
[TAL]
Ouch: 5,5,5,4,2 :( That's rough. Only 2 successes.
[TIME]
Time rolls 5d6: 1, 4, 1, 6, 3. The 6 rerolls one of the 1s: 3. Final result: 3, 4, 1, 6, 3 → 2 Successes. 2 against 2: Status Quo. When you finish with: — Lhankor Mhy knows, Humakt decides. no one speaks immediately. Then Darin straightens. — No. His face has closed. — That's not what I said. I said Beren shouted “Enough.” I recognized his voice. The older Blueberry man does not interrupt him. Enissa speaks, more calmly: — I didn't hear those words. The man speaking for the Greenhaft turns his head toward her. — Which is not the same as saying they were not spoken. The man with the tablet raises a hand. Silence returns. Then he looks directly at you. — Sage, answer only this. Does Darin claim, yes or no, that he heard Beren say “Enough”? Hendrik does not move. You understand exactly where your wording caught: the assembly rejects neither your investigation nor the rest of your report. But on this precise point, you mixed two different things: what a witness claims and what your investigation allows you to establish as fact. For now, your report is therefore neither accepted as common ground nor rejected. Status Quo. You can raise the stakes. If you do, tell me what new Bet Tal commits to carry this statement through to the end.
[TAL]
“yes he did claim that Beren said enough but confirmed he was 20 paces away and things were pretty chaotic around them.. I'm not going to teach you Thanes about the noise of battle.. that's why I minimized his testimony .. but yes that's what he said .. at 20 paces, in the middle of battle” 6 bets: 2,2,2,2,3,1: 4 successes
[TIME]
Raise: 6 against 6. Tal: 4 Successes. Time, ordinary Theism: 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 → 5 Successes. Defeat for Tal, 4–5. No domination. Darin opens his mouth, but the man with the tablet raises his hand before he can speak. — There. That is accurate. He lowers his eyes to his tablet and resumes, slowly, as if separating each thing from the next. — Darin claims to have recognized Beren's voice saying “Enough,” from about twenty paces away, during the fighting. The Sages cannot establish that Beren did in fact speak those words. Nor can they establish that he did not. He looks up. — Enissa claims she saw Beren, knife in hand, strike at Karest. Karest claims the same. No witness claims to have seen Beren unarmed at that moment. The examination of the body is not incompatible with this account. Then he turns toward you. — But, young Sage, it was not for you to minimize Darin's testimony. It was for you to tell us exactly what he claimed — and then exactly what your investigation did, or did not, allow you to conclude from it. The remark is neither contemptuous nor gentle. It simply falls. Darin is still staring at you, visibly annoyed. The older Blueberry man says nothing. Hendrik finally intervenes. — Correct. Not to defend you. Not to condemn you either. The man with the tablet writes down a few words, then looks from one group to the other. — Then the report will be accepted in that form, with that distinction. You have delivered the substance of the investigation. But not in the perfectly impartial way you wanted: the assembly itself had to restore the boundary between Darin's testimony and the judgment you placed on its reliability. The facts are now before them. And this time, Hendrik says nothing more.
[TAL]
I stay silent and try to keep a low profile, but not for them, my reference point is Lhankor Mhy, my only judge. Not that I look down on the others because I've already accepted and understood certain judgments, like during my initiation (but that was a direct link with LM), or Hendrik's teachings, but here I feel like they're judging my youth which seems pretty unfair to me. Whatever. They have all the elements and now I'm curious to see what they'll do with them. And that's a real subject of curiosity: what do people do when they're given an incomplete truth.
[TIME]
You say nothing. No one seems to expect anything more from you. The man with the tablet now turns his attention to the two groups. — The established facts end there, then. The older Blueberry man finally speaks. — Beren died defending our cattle against a raid. Whether he still had his knife or not, he is a dead man we must take home. The Greenhaft representative answers at once: — And Karest nearly died from Beren's spear. We will not accept anyone calling that murder. — I didn't say murder. The word hangs between them. The man with the tablet intervenes: — Then let us not argue about what no one here can establish. There was a raid. There was a fight. Beren died by Karest's hand. Karest was badly wounded by Beren. Whether Beren had actually stopped fighting is not established. He looks from one side to the other. — You can now choose to turn that uncertainty into a feud. Or choose what must be repaired without pretending to know what we do not know. The Blueberry murmur among themselves. So do the Greenhaft. Then things become surprisingly concrete. They talk about the cattle taken in the raid. Their return. Compensation for Beren's death. The Greenhaft representative refuses to have that compensation phrased as an admission of murder. The older Blueberry man refuses to have Beren's death spoken of as if it were merely an accident with no debt attached. So they bargain over words almost as much as goods. At one point, Darin returns yet again to “Enough.” This time, the older man of his own clan simply places a hand on his forearm. — We heard you. Darin falls silent. This is not a decision about the truth of what he saw. It is a decision not to make the entire future of both clans rest on this single point. Gradually, a form of agreement emerges: the Greenhaft will acknowledge a debt for the death that occurred during their raid and offer compensation; the Blueberry will not demand that Karest be declared a murderer on the basis of a surrender that could not be established. The details will still have to be settled between those who can commit their clans. No one has discovered exactly what happened in the heart of Beren or Karest. Yet something has still been decided.