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treave

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Codex 2012
Okay, we get the whip. Now what? It's a serious question, do we even know how to handle one, treave?

You don't know how to handle a whip, but at least she doesn't have it. And you might have some creative uses for the whip if it's in your hands, though you don't know what yet. You're confident you'll think of something, but you're gunning for the outcome of pulling her off the horse in the first place.
 

TOME

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I don't see the appeal of option D. It isn't that easy to grab. And even if we manage to grab it, she is going to let go of it rather than falling. Then we have a whip which we don't know how to use, and our over confident tiger here will probably end up whipping her horse. Losing here in a straight fight isn't bad, but breaking the rules is. So I say we try to jump on her horse. Best case scenario we both fall, our tiger here cushioning her fall. The princess saves face by winning the match but we gain massive bro points among the tribe by letting her save face and by doing so well.
 

Kipeci

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Getting whipped in the hand hurts, and we have only average endurance. Jumping on the horse doesn't imply much other than agility, and from there strength could probably take it.

Additionally, consider that it's less of a jump and more of a step given the distance (or lack thereof) between us.
 

Esquilax

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At least in C, we're at a clear advantage: there's only so much room on the horse, and in close quarters it's all down to strength. An average fourteen year old girl stands no chance against an average fourteen year old boy in a strength contest, good luck against Tigerbro's 8 STR.

This had occurred to me, but then consider that she could retreat towards our own horse as well. This little trick goes both ways. Besides, there are other creative uses for the whip as well - a fairly intelligent guy like our Tiger could use it as a makeshift rope or maybe try to trip her with it as well. He is clearly pretty good at improvising, as the little shoe trick demonstrates.

Getting whipped in the hand hurts, and we have only average endurance. Jumping on the horse doesn't imply much other than agility, and from there strength could probably take it.

Endurance isn't our forte, but we are sturdy enough to take a few lashes and agile enough to catch the whip before they really begin to take their toll. Once we have a grip, she's other going down or getting disarmed.
 

Baltika9

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Okay, we get the whip. Now what? It's a serious question, do we even know how to handle one, treave?

You don't know how to handle a whip, but at least she doesn't have it. And you might have some creative uses for the whip if it's in your hands, though you don't know what yet. You're confident you'll think of something, but you're gunning for the outcome of pulling her off the horse in the first place.
So instead of ending the fight decisively, we're going back to square one: facing a more experienced opponent on unfamiliar ground. Honestly, the only reason we held out is our retarded strength and agility, and beginner's luck (hard to believe, I know), she's slowly adjusting to us. Give her room to maneuver, and we're done. Esquilax said it best, this is her wheelhouse right now. Let's make it ours.
At least in C, we're at a clear advantage: there's only so much room on the horse, and in close quarters it's all down to strength. An average fourteen year old girl stands no chance against an average fourteen year old boy in a strength contest, good luck against Tigerbro's 8 STR.

This had occurred to me, but then consider that she could retreat towards our own horse as well. This little trick goes both ways. Besides, there are other creative uses for the whip as well - a fairly intelligent guy like our Tiger could use it as a makeshift rope or maybe try to trip her with it as well. He is clearly pretty good at improvising, as the little shoe trick demonstrates.
Okay, she retreats to our agitated, unstable horse and we get on Andyman. The risk here is that the horse may start bucking on us if we're there alone, which means we pretty much insta-lose (unless Tigerbro will be able to rein it in on the fly with mad ballz; steal her horsey, that will definitely piss her off). As for improvising, I'm not sure he'll be able to do it without clipping her horse, because we're not skilled with whips, like, at all (she can teach us later, though).

And another thing, Tigerbro isn't Senya, him being confident in something doesn't automatically mean he'll succeed. Cockiness is one of his defining characteristics.
The princess saves face by winning the match but we gain massive bro points among the tribe by letting her save face and by doing so well.
After that shoe trick, I don't think her face has any chance of being saved. She got owned, no, PWNED.
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Baltika said:
I just realized: D will take her off the horse hard. As in, she may get seriously injured, because getting thrown off a horse face-first into the dirt fucking hurts, I should know, I did it. And that will piss off the locals more than anything else, harming their princess.
Doubtful. It is just 2 meters at worst, she is pretty light, and it is unlikely she got that skilled without falling off her horse a few dozens of times when she trained anyway. She'll be fine.

Kipeci said:
The problem I see with D is that it's more focused on endurance, which we have no particular skills at, while the other option focuses more on the agility that we're decent at.
The character had explicitly stated that he had eaten worse for punishment. I wouldn't worry about it just yet.

Baltika said:
Okay, we get the whip. Now what? It's a serious question, do we even know how to handle one, treave?
Sure, we can flail it around and try to capture her, but with our lack of skills, well, it will do us more harm than good.
Then she doesn't have one. It is going to be a physical contest, and it is already established we are matched in agility and superior in strength. I'd rather not use the whip in a direct way - with no skill we'll just end up whipping her horse.

TOME said:
I don't see the appeal of option D. It isn't that easy to grab. And even if we manage to grab it, she is going to let go of it rather than falling. Then we have a whip which we don't know how to use, and our over confident tiger here will probably end up whipping her horse. Losing here in a straight fight isn't bad, but breaking the rules is. So I say we try to jump on her horse. Best case scenario we both fall, our tiger here cushioning her fall. The princess saves face by winning the match but we gain massive bro points among the tribe by letting her save face and by doing so well.
Yes, C is simplier, easier to pull and more elegant. The crowd would apreciate it, too. It screams 'here is your superior option', with the only unknown factor being the horse, which is why I am distrustful of it.
The best we can hope for is to fall off with her, but the one who touches the ground first loses, and if we are dragging her from the horse, that's us.

Baltika said:
So instead of ending the fight decisively, we're going back to square one: facing a more experienced opponent on unfamiliar ground. Honestly, the only reason we held out is our retarded strength and agility, and beginner's luck (hard to believe, I know), she's slowly adjusting to us. Give her room to maneuver, and we're done. Esquilax said it best, this is her wheelhouse right now. Let's make it ours.
More experienced opponent on unfamiliar ground, yes, but we are physically superior. I'd take a prolonged combat (with all drawbacks it entails) over the chance to settle matters quickly, if the said chance comes with the risks that are comletely outside of our field of expertise. Known evil vs unknown one, so to speak.

Esquilax said:
However, if we actually end up winning the match, we might end up having to marry her.
Marry princess to a servant of the prince, who was fighting on prince's behalf? Very unlikely to happen.
 
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Tigranes

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C has a bigger chance of hurting the girl than D, we're basically going to jump in her general direction and hope for the best. So it's a moot point.
 

Baltika9

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Then she doesn't have one. It going to be a physical contest, and it is already established we are matched in agility and superior in strength. I'd rather not use the whip in a direct way - with no skill we'll just end up whipping her horse.
That's kinda it, though. Tigerbro is already planning on using the whip if he fails to knock her off the horse. Honestly, the only thing that spooks me in C is our shit luck. Our foot will be just one millimeter off, and we'll fall or something.
Anyway, here are the votes:
C-9
Kashmir Slippers
ERYFKRAD
Azira
XenomorphII
TOME
Storyfag
Smashing Axe
Baltika9 (preferential vote)
Kipeci

D-8
The Brazilian Slaughter
Ifeex
Esquilax
Zero Credibility
Nevill
Tigranes
m4davis
ScubaV
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Good arguments all around, but I'm closing the vote for the update, unfortunately.

I think it is
C - 10
D - 8

Baltika9, you missed out on Jester's vote for C.
 

Baltika9

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So I did. Let's hope this works out, bros. Goddammit you were right, this is just like a young Ean.

I finally get to play Lil' E. :love:
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Art of the Wolf

You land on the other horse’s back successfully if clumsily, having abandoned your rearing steed. It was an easy hop that took Yunzi by surprise, bringing the two of you face to face. She was more shocked than angered. The moment you arrive, however, she drives her foot towards you, hoping to knock you off before you have recovered from your landing. You barely manage to avoid it, twisting to the side. Your hasty dodge puts you in a poor position, your right heel touching thin air. Yunzi steps towards you aggressively, pressing her advantage with speed - she could knock you off with another blow. You brace yourself.

Then, her horse begins to move. Neighing loudly, it breaks into a trot. You can hear the crowd shouting; from the corner of your eyes, you see men beginning to run towards the horse. Even after having crouched down to steady yourself, you feel like you may be thrown off at any second. The princess, however, is caught by surprise, letting out a little yelp as she loses her balance and latches on to you for just a brief while, falling into your arms.

You see her eyes widen as she registers her mistake. Too late. You grab her left arm with both hands and pull, using the motion to balance yourself in the process - she attempts to resist, but cannot fight your strength. The princess falls. You’ve won.

Yunzi’s leg kicks out, unexpectedly sweeping you off your feet. You realize that her hand has been gripping the collar of your robes tightly, and you are pulled down along with her.

She should still hit the ground first, you expect. Her desperate attempt won’t rob you of your win.

Her thin fingers dig into your collar-bone as she twists.

She swings herself above you in mid-air, using her grip on you as leverage.

You have got to be kidding me, you think, as you slam into the ground. Her knees follow, sinking into your abdomen and compounding the pain. The reversal has happened so fast that you barely had time to register it, but at the very last second, the princess has somehow snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Yunzi gets off you unsteadily, her legs trembling. Panting from the exertions of the fight, she gives you a weak, contemptuous kick in the ribs before staggering towards the horse with a concerned look on her face. You’re still winded from that last blow and can’t offer her any reply. Wheezing on the ground, you can see that the horse is bucking and whinnying, a rather alarming amount of foam coming from its mouth.

Hopefully it’ll be okay.

A shadow falls over you.

“Good job, Jing,” says Shun cheerfully as he bends over your fallen body. He reaches out a hand. You clasp it, allowing him to help you to your feet. You see that the princess and several other tribespeople are dragging the struggling white horse away. When she turns to glare daggers at you, her eyes are wet, upset at the ailment that has stricken the horse. You get the feeling that she is blaming it on you.

Meanwhile, the Ashina are cheering loudly, some of them having started blowing on horns and flutes in an impromptu performance. Others are dancing to the music. It almost looks like a celebration. Several burly men and rough-looking women come up to you and pat you on the back, speaking excitedly and unintelligibly in their language. You cannot do anything but give them a confused smile, still groggy from hitting the ground. As they lead you away from the waving, grinning Crown Prince, a little girl with a cheeky smile runs up on her stubby legs and puts a garland over your neck. You wonder what it’s for.

***

“You’ve spent the last half hour expressing your irritation with the princess, Jing,” groans Shun, pinching your gloomy face. “I know you hate losing in a match, but she did beat you fair and square.” The both of you are resting in a tent, waiting for news from the Duke of Xiliang.

“I’ll admit that,” you say grudgingly, “though you think she could be a bit more gracious about it, being a princess and all. Anyway, if we were fighting on solid ground, I would have won.” You rub your aching stomach, sore at your loss. “So, what did the duke say?”

The prince’s face turns serious. “Stay out of his way for a while. Your horse-jumping stunt made him really angry. It was too reckless.”

“You think it was too reckless?”

“Well, it was fun to watch, but I wouldn’t have tried it. For multiple reasons. I’m sure it will work out fine in the end, however.”

You are about to ask him what reasons, when Bulun Khan comes sweeping into the tent. You remember your manners and drop to one knee, though Shun, being Shun, merely greets the khan with a smile and a lazy wave. A tall Ashina with a powerful build follows Bulun into the tent, his face seemingly carved from stone. His hair hangs in multiple braids.

“There’s no need to be so formal,” laughs the khan as he drops to the ground and sits down without a care. He beckons at you to do the same. You bow and proceed to sit cross-legged, facing him.

“Have you come to terms with Xiliang?” asks Shun directly. The khan places both hands on his thighs, leans forward, and replies, “Yes, Prince Shun. The Ashina will be a voice of moderation in the upcoming kurultai. We will tell them that the Tang are full of young tigers,” -he gestures at both you and the prince when he says that, “-and will not be easy prey. However, the current Khagan is a man who takes advantage where he sees it. Despite what we may say, he knows that your borders are weak, and porous to his raids. Our words will only buy you time. The Pugu and Bayegu tribes are pressing for full invasion, and their influence grows by the day.”

Shun nods, bowing his head respectfully. “That will be sufficient, Bulun Khan. The Tang thanks you for your understanding. It is better for us to grow stronger together. There is enough in the world for both the Tujue and the Tang.”

“Indeed. I have always been convinced of the importance of cooperation, but we needed to show the representatives of the other tribes what we already knew. They have witnessed a great performance from the Han today and will return impressed,” says the khan. “I apologize for not being straightforward, but it was necessary to see what you would do. More importantly, what should we do with the young lad that just declared his love so publicly?”

“What?” You sputter.

“Right, I guess you didn’t know,” explains Shun calmly, though there is an amused glint in his eyes. “For a man to give up his own steed and cross over to a woman’s horse is a confident declaration of undying love amongst the Ashina.”

“I didn’t… well, forget about that,” you groan. You understand that rituals are rituals, and symbolism overrides intent. At least you will be returning to the capital soon, where you can forget about all that has happened here. Who cares if you mistakenly professed love to that girl? Something else concerned you more. “Was our match just a show, then, wise khan?”

“Oh, let me guess,” says the khan with a grin. “You dislike the idea of having competed falsely, in a rigged match? Even if you lost, you wanted to lose in a meaningful competition?”

You nod.

“Do not worry about that, kid,” says Bulun. “My wayward daughter reacted entirely out of her own impetuousness. I had other plans for this visit, but she acted rashly and jumped to conclusions about her marriage prospects, devising a ploy to challenge you and show how much better she is. It was unexpected to me too, but I decided to work with that instead.” The khan’s sly smile tells you that he is rather more cunning than you gave him credit for… or perhaps that is just the slyness of adults.

He continues cheerfully, “Even though you lost today, the Ashina will be very happy to see you challenge Yunzi again. Already my people say that they haven’t seen such a show since my own trial against my dearly departed wife. They think it is only a matter of time before you marry Yunzi, and have already started celebrating in earnest at the prospect of adding a promising young man to the tribe. Then again, they need very little reason to bring out the music and alcohol, so do not be too alarmed.”

“Challenge her again? I am sorry, noble khan, but we will definitely kill each other if we have a second match,” you mutter bitterly but politely.

That just seems to feed the khan’s amusement, and he roars in laughter. “That’s exactly what she said! You two really are alike, kid. Xu Jing, was it? Well, Xu Jing, there is no hurry. You may return to challenge her anytime before the age of maturity, before both of you turn twenty. I highly doubt there is any other man that would be able to take her.”

“I must decline, great khan. With all due respect, I do not get along with your daughter in the slightest. It would be an unhappy marriage. If I had won, I would have to honour my word, but it seems that I have lost. I have accepted my defeat.” Of course, you haven’t really gotten over it, but you feel the need to make your intentions clear to the khan, and swallowing your loss appears to be the quickest way to do so.

The khan’s eyes only twinkles in a manner that suggests he understands something that you don’t. His good humour does not seem to fade at your rejection. “If you say so, Xu Jing. That is fine, young people have their own minds and will do as they desire. Now, in recognition of your bravery and entertaining display, I would like to present you with a gift that honours your skill.” He beckons the tall man behind him to come forward.

“My name is Huluzi,” bows the man. “Brother to Bulun.” His voice is coarse and guttural.

“Huluzi is the strongest warrior in the tribe,” boasts the khan. “Xu Jing, he will impart to you a technique of the Ashina.”

Shun’s eyes brighten up at the sound of that. “Marvellous. Jing, do it,” he dictates, pointing a finger at me. It looks like you have no choice but to accept.

***

You find yourself back in the open field with Huluzi. He stretches himself and gives your body a look over. “You have a natural gift for martial arts, Xu Jing,” says Huluzi. “The clan of the wolf has many techniques, but here are the three that I think will suit your level of skill and physical capability the most. I will instruct you in one technique, as per the khan’s request.”

A. Langya Fist. (狼牙拳 Wolf’s Fang Fist). A wolf pack harries and coordinates their movements to bring down their prey. This unarmed technique focuses on continuous, rapid moves to wear down an opponent’s guard.

B. Yinglang Step. (影狼步 Shadow Wolf Step). A wolf is silent and stealthy in its hunt. This qinggong technique teaches the user to move swiftly, gently and quietly in the wilderness to avoid attracting attention.

C. Tujue Shuzan Bow (突厥速寁弓 Tujue Swift Bow) A Tujue nomad is known for his mastery of the bow. This flexible bow technique allows its user to fire an arrow quickly while on the move.
 
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Kipeci

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Excellent. I wonder, would we have beaten her with D or somehow one of the other two options? This certainly appears to have worked out, though.

I'll go with A, wolf fisting our opponents into submission is better than sneaking.
 

Baltika9

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“Indeed. I have always been convinced of the importance of cooperation, but we needed to show the representatives of the other tribes what we already knew. They have witnessed a great performance from the Han today and will return impressed,” laughs the khan. “I apologize for not being straightforward, but it was necessary to see what you would do. More importantly, what should we do with the young lad that just declared his love so publicly?”

“What?” You sputter.

“Right, I guess you didn’t know,” explains Shun calmly, though there is an amused glint in his eyes. “For a man to give up his own steed and cross over to a woman’s horse is a confident declaration of undying love amongst the Ashina.”

“I didn’t… well, forget about that,” you groan. You understand that rituals are rituals, and symbolism overrides intent. At least you will be returning to the capital soon, where you can forget about all that has happened here. Who cares if you mistakenly professed love to that girl? Something else concerned you more. “Was our match just a show, then, wise khan?”

“Oh, let me guess,” says the khan with a grin. “You dislike the idea of having competed falsely, in a rigged match? Even if you lost, you wanted to lose in a meaningful competition?”

You nod.

“Do not worry about that, kid,” says Bulun. “My wayward daughter reacted entirely out of her own impetuousness. I had other plans for this visit, but she acted rashly and jumped to conclusions about her marriage prospects, devising a ploy to challenge you and show how much better she is. It was unexpected to me too, but I decided to work with that instead.” The khan’s sly smile tells you that he is rather more cunning than you gave him credit for… or perhaps that is just the slyness of adults.

He continues cheerfully, “Even though you lost today, the Ashina will be very happy to see you challenge Yunzi again. Already my people say that they haven’t seen such a show since my own trial against my dearly departed wife. They think it is only a matter of time before you marry Yunzi, and have already started celebrating in earnest at the prospect of adding a promising young man to the tribe. Then again, they need very little reason to bring out the music and alcohol, so do not be too alarmed.”
Called it.
C just seems like a straight-up marriage proposal. "Hey, uh, wanna share a horse?"

:incline: We're definitely coming back here, oh yeah.
Going for A, seems like our guy's style. Strong and fast, he's not one for sneaking. And bows? Are you fucking kidding me? Also, what would've been the outcome of D?
It was an easy hop that took Yunzi by surprise, bringing the two of you face to face. She was more shocked than angered, as if she .
Looks like an incomplete sentence, bro.
 

treave

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Codex 2012
For skills in which you have no ranks, you can obtain the technique but will usually be unable to execute it until you train the skill to the appropriate rank. That doesn't apply here, special dispensation for the prologue. If you pick the qinggong or bow you'll get an automatic rank one in the relevant skill.

Furthermore, techniques can increase in level up till 10, and descriptions of the levels will be given in the skill sheet as you advance. Of course, higher level techniques require higher level of skill.
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Also, what would've been the outcome of D?
It was an easy hop that took Yunzi by surprise, bringing the two of you face to face. She was more shocked than angered, as if she .
Looks like an incomplete sentence, bro.

Ah, fixed it.

D would have been a victory. You manage to catch the whip, but don't pull on it immediately. The princess instinctively tries to pull back and you take the chance to give her a helping push before she thinks to let go of the whip. She almost drags you down with her by lashing the whip around your leg, but sadly this isn't Moria. Interestingly, even though you win, you don't get as much bonus reputation with the Ashina as in C because they appreciate your daring 'love confession' a lot more. But the Duke would be satisfied with the outcome.

B would have been the worst choice. You would have insulted the Ashina and especially the princess by just giving up like that. Duke would be displeased at your stupidity.

A would have worked - you don't get as much love from the tribe, but you don't anger the Duke either.
 
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Baltika9

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So it was the absolutely superior choice then, just with less tsundere involved?
Goddammit.
 

Kipeci

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darn.

We must distinguish our guy from Ean by assembling a harem with all possible haste, but I do think that this way is a bit better. We can return when we come to our senses instead of getting forced together at ~14, and I think this way was probably better for relations with the tribe. Maybe not.

I don't think we'd have gotten the chance for wolf-fu if we had won the challenge, but I guess I could be wrong.
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Well, if you're looking to get the Wolf-Friend title by the end of the prologue, you would have wanted C to maximize reputation with the Ashina.

You would still get a selection of techniques if you win, it's partly for being a good sport and accepting the challenge. Goddammit we are only in the prologue, let me railroad you guys around just a bit. :(
 

Kipeci

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I'm going to go ahead and say that this was the best outcome, then, except for that our own country's court is on a pretty quick path to despising us.
 

Smashing Axe

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Divinity: Original Sin
B - We're already a fairly strong warrior archetype, adding some utility to our skill mix seems prudent. Plus, who knows what secrets we could uncover in the palace with our stealth skills. Also guys, we're a god damn Tiger, they're silent as fuck. In addition our agility is high-enough to support this. Let's be a stealth warrior, rather than an upright fighter. I don't think we've done a really stealthy dude before.
 

Baltika9

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Goddammit dude, we already missed the chance to play the rouge. :rpgcodex:
A makes a lot of sense for our dude: he's fast and strong, with this style he'll be a killer.
Edit: what sign was the Prince born under, treave?
 

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