Yup, you do seem to be rolling ridiculously low rolls at the moment. Still, get multiple 1's out of the way, rather than rolling 1 with a reroll of a 1!

Anyway, you both have reasonable Inspiration, so perhaps one other hint...


Both Meri and Nym spotted - when the others did not - that Geekaar's eyes sparked and he grinned despite himself when Nym first started talking, as if her initial comments of the Captain taking a big share was on the right track, as was the Captain still needing to share. He then seemed to grin more - as if then seeing Nym talk herself out of the solution.

Jessa had turned to Gibb, meanwhile. "Well, what about the weakest sailor? He doesn't matter, does he?" She looked areound the group. "I mean, even if he mutinies with the others, it's going to get down to the last two, and then the second weakest sailor gets all the treasure, because the other sailor's stronger and it's a tie. So he's not important, is he?" Jessa seemed worried she was missing something.

"Isn't he?" asked Geekaar laughing, making Jessa even more nervous.

"I mean, how weak are the others? What if the Captain and the second strongest just team up then?"

"Ah, no, it won't work. Each is barely stronger than the next - though each equally as clever, of course-"

"You keep saying that!"

"- and the Captain can only swing a tie. If the Captain and his second went against the other three, they would still lose. No, To be on the minority is to be dead, unless you are the Captain and can succeed with a draw!"

"I mean, the weakest sailor is important, if he's got nothing to lose, isn't he?" asked Muppler, reluctant to be the focus of attention.

However, Geekaar focused on Nym. "Ah, indeed in the real world people can be sneaky, and someone is sneakier and can plot. But these sailors are all equally as clever, and would spot each other's plots. More importantly, this is a puzzle. But think about the real world. There are evil men, but the truly evil are fools if they do not consider others. Sometimes we have to put the fear of death in to a criminal to curb their baser desires, and to let them be better. To force them to think of others for a change. This senario is no different... when death is on the line, no matter how greedy, one must at least try to see things from other's points of view, and reach a compromise."


There you go, so a couple of hints, and you were starting to go well there too. I'll let you and Meri have one more go around, then Geekaar might just reveal the answer :)

"Sooo...what if the captain split a big share between himself and the next two, and then split the rest in half and gave that to the other two, so that the three strong people all got an equal big share, and the two weaker people both got an equal smaller share?" suggests Nym, still frowning in concentration as she tries to work out the puzzle whilst eating a potato and maintaining a stream of moderate warmth toward Maggrath's pot.

Meri seemed have retreated into her own thoughts for now.  Although she was clearly still following the discussion on the puzzle, glancing towards anyone who spoke up.


OOC: Just so you know I'm still here, but that Meri doesn't seem to be commenting on this one.

"Yeah, I'd go with that, seems reasonable," said Jessa.

"Would be nice," said Gibb, then lapsing in to silence.

Muppler grumbled but then apparently decided he couldn't think of a better answer, and Desmine had been distracted enough with her own new acquisition that she simply shrugged and nodded.

Geekaar gave a broad grin, and turned his attention to Nym. "Well now, funnily in the real world, that was approximately how the real Captain usually did things. It was understood he kepts a bigger share for himself and for maintenance of the ship, experienced men and senior rank got a great share, but even the lowest of the low got a fair share - if slightly smaller. The man was far better than some - I have heard of crews who got either a fixed wage, or a percentage of the haul, whichever was smaller. No, our real Captain was a fair man, as these things go. When he did find a discarded box of treasures during exploratiosn for a shelter, even thoug there were indeed only four others with him whose silence could have been bought off, the man went back to his ship and distribiuted the chest equally. But the Captain did like to drink, and drink with me, and the good Captain perhaps did once express how he wondered if there could have been a way to have kept more or all of the chest. A half jest, a drunken musing, but it stuck with me. What if we took his greed and the greed of other's to a logical limit? With only the barest amounts of decency observed - morality through fear - could a bargain be struck? What would it tell us about people?"

Geekaar laughed, clapping his hands. "So imagine our puzzling sailors, all greed and fear. The Captain stands looking at his men, wishing to keep all the gems for himself...and yet seeing nothing but death! How could he offer anything to them? He has nothing to give them that they cannot take, surely? And they are all as intelligent and clever as each other. Not a thought does not cross the mind of the Catpain that does not cross the minds of the others at nearly the same time. They can all see the inevitability of what will happen as if i were playing out!"

Geekaar seemed to be getting in to it, gesturing and pointing left and right as if in the cave and pointing to each sailor in turn. "And so the second strongest would be smiling, knowing the gems would be his, and then... well, of course, then he will turn to the rest of the men, and all would see his fate too, as surely as his Captain's. For the second strongest has nothing extra to offer, either. Even though he only needs to good will of one of the three others, why should he get it from any of them? And so now the middle sailor - neither strong nor weak, perfectly plain - would suddenly come in to the wealth. Briefly. For he has the same problem aswell, and a fraction less strength to boot. And so now the second weakest will smile, and he will smile the widest smile. It is as plain as plain for all to see, for self interest each sailor will vote against their betters, to get the treasure, until finally the second weakest gets all the gems. And then, with it only coming down to him and the weakest, he gets all of the treasure, and the weakest gets none. As our friend Young Gibb there said, who cares about the weakest? What does he have?"

Geekaar leaves a pause, and then laughs. "Of course, it will occur to them all, these equally intellgience pirates - I mean sailors - that the weakest has nothing. That is his strength. If logically everything occurs as greed and human nature dictates, he gets nothing. So if he was to be offerd anything - even a single gem - then his vote could be turned... his own personal greed, seemingly fruitless, clould be sated..."

"And so we come to our perfectly plain sailor! The fulcrum as it were. He will realise immediately, and his fellows a moment later, that he has a chance after all. He only but needs to offer a single gem to the weakest sailor, and he secures his fellow's vote, and then the second weakest gets nothing instead."

Geekaar laughs. "And so, by considering the weakest, even in all his greed, does our fulcrum show the way. But then, thes sailors all realise this. And so, of course, the strongest can use this as his way to the vote he needs! He only needs one, for his strength swings the tie. He cannot rely on the weakest though, not this time, for either way the weakest knows he will get a gem now. So the second strongest's survival is not assured. And our fulcrum would not vote for the second strongest, a single gem rather than them all? No, but our dear second weakest has gone from having all the gems to having none. The second strongest can offer that poor man a single gem, and secure the vote now!"

Geekaar was positively dancing at the dizzying array of thoughts. "And so, now we come back to our Captain. That Captain would realise then, that there is a path. There is an offer. The weakest once again has the power, by having nothing. The Captain needs but offer him a single gem again to get his vote. Hmm, now, the second weakest is no sure bet, for a gem is alreayd on offer. But no, the fulcrum, our plain and simple middle sailor - he is currently expecting nothing. And so our Captain can offer a single paultry gem to the one who first realised the way to break the deadlock, and the weakest, and secure his two votes. For the cost of only two gems, our good Captain of the Imagination can keep his life of fantasy, and the ninety- eight gems. And we get a fine puzzle form the exercise, and perhaps a heart warming moral to our dark little riddle!"


Geekaar looks around at the group, to see if they agreed with the answer and saw the deeper message.


And that seems about enough words out of me tonight - feels free to react to the answer, ask me for clarification OOC if you want, and of course ask Geekaar about messages, etc too :p

Nym listens as Geekaar reels off his lengthy explanation as to the solution of the puzzle. She looks a little excited at first, thinking she's guessed the right answer, but then turns confused and ends up just sort of staring as the full logic of the puzzle is explained.

"Oh." she says. "Well...that was...a thing."

She doesn't really seem to know what to say, so takes another bite out of the potato.

Argh, my brain, lol.

Meri seemed to be listening intently to Geekaar's explanation, though gave no indication as to whether she followed it or not.
Nym's comment drew a slight smirk from her though...


OOC: Error: BRAIN.EXE has crashed!  And also exploded!

If you want a more OOC explanation in the OOC thread, just yell :D

"Ah, well, logical and puzzles never go well with the real world," says Geekaar. "Biut look at it this way. People are so comoplicated, and sometimes it can feel that there is no dealing with the bad ones. But if you take a step back, and do puzzles like this, making such complicated people no more than their worst instincts... it is possible to imagine a way that they will not do bad things. And if that mental puzzle works, then surely there must be ways - no matter the disagreement or even the conflict - that we can puzzle out how to bring a consensus to real people. No matter how contrary they are being, or hateful, there are also complex enough to find ways to make them ameniable. To hash out agreements. It is the true skill of the merchant, but also an uplifting revelation for all, I would have thought!"

Geekaar then shrugged, and helpd the small bag aloft the small bag. "Oh well," he said, and then upon flamboyantly placing it back in his robe, seemed to 'accidentally'catch it and tip the whole contents in to the pot.

"That's too much!" said Maggrath, startled and concerned.

Geekaar then grinned, and with a gesture showed the original pouch. "Ah, but that was just salt - you never put in half as much as I think you should!" Maggrath grumbled at that.

Geekaar then put away the puch of the rare herb. "Ah, sadly, I cannot share with you my prize. And yet..." He then drew another pouch from somewhere. "It seems Nym's answer was close to the real world solution, and so you should get something. This is no herb fit for an emperor, oh no, but I do think it a good one nonetheless. Something I got form one of your elders, I believe sought after in Blackwood Village?"

Geekaae pulled out a leaf or two, that seemed to have little gold sparkles on the think green leaves. It seemed that, for some reason, the guards around were actually impressed and excited for this herb and it had perhaps assuaged some of the disappointment.

Geekaar handed the pouch to Maggratth, then turned to look outside group. "Perhaps I can share some of the tales of the real Saolir Captain, he was quite the character..." said Geekaar, distracted, "but first let's see where all of those other guards with our deer have been..."


Farren, meanwhile, had leaned over to Meri. "So, what did you think of his puzzle?" he asked quietly, when he thought Geekaar was not looking.

Nym seems almost relieved that Geekaar has finally moved on to other things, and turns back to Maggrath. She eyes the leaves with interest.

"Ooh, what are those?" she asks. "Will they make the food taste even more yummy?"

Meri didn't reply for a moment, eyeing the leaves with a hint of interest then looking back at Farren and replying in a low voice, clearly intended not to carry past the two of them.

"From what I know of human greed?  I had half-expected the Captain to leave the gems out and said that they could take as many as they wanted.  Then watched the others argue and eventually fight over them, once the strongest had killed the others and was wounded and weakened from the fighting, the Captain could more easily kill him and take all the gems for himself."

She smirked at that then shrugged.
"Of course, he would then have had to hire a new crew, so perhaps not the most efficient means of dealing with the situation.  But not all of them are smart enough to think beyond instant gratification.  Anyway, I didn't think it was the answer in this case."


OOC: Combination of Meri's past dealings with the shadier side of human society, and a bit of my own bitterness at the innate stupidity of real world humanity merging together there perhaps ;)

Maggrah looks a he bag of leaves. "Seems like it will, but I can't quite place it..." She offers the leaves for Nym to sniff and look at.

Feel free to roll Nature :)

Farren replied with almost a tone of humour. "Remember, all the 'sailors' were equally intelligent. I'm sure if the Captain made that offer, all of his men would have realised the only reason he would be making that offer and kill him anyway. I suppose that's why in the real world a Captain shouldn't emply people as smart as himself, let alone an entire crew of them."

Farren then started looking around Geekaar's retinue, as if trying to work the relative intelligence of them compared to Geekaar.

Farren thne looked back to Meri, his voice kept even lower. "So first Geekaar plays a 'game' that distracts with a reward but divides the group and gets everyone overthinking things. But then he goes on with a puzzle that was supposed to have us all work together and try to see other points of view? How does that work? What was the purpsoe of that. Were we supposed to join in, or was he relying on us not joining in, to isolate us from a group decision. I wish I knew what the real purpose of his 'games' were."

Nym obligingly leans forward and gives the leaves a sniff.

Well, let's hope I can at least roll above a ten this time (I mean the base roll, given that my bonus is ten ;))...ooh, now that's more like it - Nature roll total is a healthy-looking 28 :D.

"Maybe" replied Meri, "never been all that fond of puzzles and riddles, except those that relate to my craft."

She glanced towards Geekaar as Farren asked his other question.
"Learning something about us through our answers or reactions perhaps.  If you know what to look for, it's not all that hard to figure people out.  Only people like him, whose motives are less transparent, are trickier."

[Secret to Nym: Nym's nostrils were filled with an odd mixed scent. It was like the mint, but far sweeter like the other spice. Clearly it would compliment the flavours alreayd being added. The leaves has subtle red veins to it, and seemed familiar. While Celindara had been leading the group through the Blackwood, the dryad had pointed out leaves that had looked like this. She mentioned how rare they were anywhere outside of the Blackwood, and had been something she had traded to the village in times past. The leaves could be boiled apparently for soups and stews, which Celibdara had not quite understood, but did understand that they also could be boiled in drinks that both refreshed and cured minor ills. She'd called the leaf something in her language, which seemed to translate to Melora's Dew Catcher.

So basically, a sort of herb/tea leave that has minor curing properties. And yes, the high dice roll simulates that somehow this retconned comment by Celindara would have actually stuck in Nym's head somehow! :p]


Farren's brows furrowed. "Or too transparent, even to themselves? Perhaps that was why he tried to single me out earlier. If I do not know myself, and if I kept myself hidden before for the sake of Blace's own movements, then perhaps he knows nothing about me nor can work anything out about me?"

Farren then smiled. "And Nym is so open it's hard not to see it as a trick, perhaps." He then looked to Meri. "And it's hard to perhaps tie your usual demeanour to the selfless actions you seem to undertake."

Many was buzzing around, and darted forwards. "'Cause she-sah a goohd per-son!" said Many, hugging the back of Meri's ankle with his eyestalks.
[Private to Meri:
Lol, not sure how that will actually cause Meri to react, but there you go - Many thingks Meri is a good person, and Farren is pointing out tha Meri is basically doing all this good stuff for absolutely no gain. Which is compeltely true :D]

Nym looks excited as she recognises the scent.

"Ooh, yes, I remember Celindara telling us about these!" she says. "They grow in the Blackwood, but not really anywhere else. Celindara said she used to trade them sometimes with people outside. She said they can be heated up in water to make a nice drink that makes you feel better. She said they were called, umm...what was it...Melora-something. Melora's dew-catchers? That was what she said it meant in Common, anyway - she actually called it something else, first, in her own language. But I don't speak that, so I don't know exactly what it was. Maybe you can go to the Blackwood some time and ask her about it."

At first, Meri didn't react visibly to Farren's comments, her gaze fixed on the campfire.
"Anyone can make others see them as they'd want to be seen, if they know how" she replied.  "Perhaps it takes an open mind like Nym's to see through such pretences."

Her gaze dropped briefly to Timur then looked back to the fire.
"She can see through mine, that's twice now she's assumed I'm a 'bad person', and it probably won't be the last time.  I'm only who I am.  Not all that good or selfless actually."

She looked around at Farren with a wry grin.
"Someone once told me I alone best know what lurks in The Dark, and that was the kind of... entity, that would know such things."


OOC: "Good"?  "Selfless"?  What are these alien concepts? :)

Maggrath looked at the leaves impressed. With a further sniff, she shrugged and tossed the leaves in to the water, clearly trusting Nym. "Well, I am certain everyone will want all the wellness they can get. A cook is happy to accept any benefits of their food as being part of their own skill. Even when it isn't true." She stirred the leaves well, then looked around to see what was keeping the meat.

Maggrath then looked to Nym. "Any other herbs or flowers your friend spoke to you about?"

Nothing ominous about not returning guards at all... nope...


Farren looked concerned then gave a hollow laugh. "You don't strike me as one who can hide their feelings nor create illusions. But I would not rush to assume that someone who sees the worst in people is somehow more insightful. An open mind can mean having the imagination to give the benefit of the doubt, or to rush to judgement no matter the lack of evidence. Neither means they see the real person, and labelling one naive and the other insightful seems dangerous on both counts. After all, if one listened to Alyne... as I did, for about a third of my remembered life... I would have quite the reverse idea about the two of you."

Farren looked as if he was going to elaborate, but then seemed to notice Many and thought better of it. "I've seen what lurks in the dark too. It is the Raven Queen. No surperstitious fear nor real monster from description really can hold a candle to that for me." He did not elaborate on his feelings about that, either.

Many, meanwhile, seemed to be butting the back of Meri's leg with his eyestalks, asif playfully punching her. "Nyoh, duh-mmy! Good! Ny-meh was joh-king! Yeah, yeah!" He looked up with wide eyes and nodded vigourously.


Geekaar had been striding around the edge of the camp, with his guards silently shadowing him. Finally he clapped his hands. "Well, finally!" he said.

Sarah and Stark emerged fro mthe woods, with the other four guards in tow. Those guards were carrying some deer, hung on makeshift carriers and apparently already skinned.

"We were just preparing them away from the camp," explained one of the guards.

"That seems wise," said Geekaar, his tone somehow conveying the exact opposite without there being any evidence of that in the memory to be offended by. "I have guests and first time campers whose constitutions may not be as hardened as some. Good food is like a good deal - the less savoury aspects made to accomplish it should never be dwelt upon in the light of day."

Geekaar still looked to the guards and the woods as if wondering about their actions.

Nature roll to see if Nym has any more random info about herbs or anything, whether from Celindara or someone else...hmm, 17.

"Well, Nym has been with me longer than I've allowed most people to be, so she should know me well enough by now" replied Meri with a careless shrug.

She reached down to pat Many gently, then looked back at Farren.
"Not that I care much on what others think of me, but I'm not one to claim to be someone greater than I am either.  I'm who I am."

Her gaze moved briefly towards Geekaar, as if checking he wasn't close by before continuing in a lower tone of voice.
"The one who told me that wasn't the Raven Queen.  He said myself and Nym were the Light and the Dark, so I'd imagine she understands the Light as I understand the Dark.  Who knows?  Difficult to tell what goes on in her head sometimes."

She looked back at the fire, seemingly sinking back into her own thoughts...

Farren raised an eyebrow. "There are many books on philosophy of the Light and the Dark," he said. Clearly by his tone again acknowledging that was all he seemed to be allowed to recall.

He bent down to the ground, and drew a circle, then an undulating line splitting the circle in two, followed finally by drawing a large dot in the oversized 'bulb' of each have. "The light in the dark, and the dark in the light. It's a symbol of balance older than time, I would say..."

Yeah,  Yin-Yang symbol seems very appropriate for this game, and something that could easily echo throughout various planes and worlds :) Especially if there was some cosmic being doing it. :p

[Private to Nym: Hmm. for a 17 I will say that Nym won't know the specific names of any of the herbs / flowers nor exactly recall ones from this region, but will know the general descriptions of some. In practical terms, what that means if feel free to just make up anything you like within reason - from real world or from your imagination - and I can retcon which Nym is misrecalling, which are correct and might have actual names, and which are maybe real but from her previous travels :p She's knowledgeable just not helpfully so! :D]

Meri looked over to the symbol as Farren began to draw it.
"Curious, can't recall if I've ever seen that one anywhere.  Though possibly it just slipped my mind if I didn't know what it represented at the time."

Reaching back into her pack, she dug out one of the crumpled pieces of parchment she often doodled things on and drew a copy of the symbol.
She stared at it for a short time, clearly thinking something over.

"Between the Light and the Dark lies the Shadow.  Both Light and Dark, yet neither" she murmured quietly.

"That wrinkle I've apparently never heard," said Farren. "Who was this philosopher of yours?" He gave a small laugh at some thought, then voiced it. "What were they styling as a shadow?"

Okay, cool. I'll just do what I usually do, then -  start typing, and see what comes out :D.

"Hmm..." Nym ponders. "Well, I think there was one that was...I think it was like lots of little yellow flowers in a bunch, with teeny-tiny little petals, and you had to pull all of them off because the stalk tasted really disgusting, and they made thigns taste like...weird, I think. And I think there was another one that was like spiky-looking leaves with blue in them. I mean, I don't mean the leaves were spiky, I mean they were sort of spiky around the edges, but it wasn't sharp. And the lines in them...erm...veins, that's it. Those. They were sort of blue. But the leaves were green. I can't remember what they were for. And I remember one time someone was using these little purple berries, but they were very hard so you couldn't use the outside - you had to sort of poke a hole in them and squeeze out the juice. But they were very small so you had to be careful not to poke yourself by accident. Um...and I think there were probably some other things I've heard of but I can't remember. And I don't know if they were all to do with cooking - some of them might have been more for helping people feel better when they were ill. So not something you'd put in healthy people's food. Or drink."

She finishes and looks expectantly at Maggrath, waiting to find out if her vague and rambling string of recollection actually contained any accurate and/or useful information.

Ryn, meanwhile, seems to have stopped wandering around the camp and has settled down near Meri and Farren, and is now watching them with her head cocked.

"Just someone I met on my travels" replied Meri.

She glanced in Geekaar's direction then back at Farren.
"It's a long story, and not one I'd want to trouble our host with."


OOC: Hmm, it just occurred to me that Nym could probably use her wish to restore Farren's memory, or probably just give him back his old life (assuming she didn't mind the possibility of gaining the Raven Queen as a personal nemesis though!)
Then again I suspect she's saving her wish for infinite food ;)

Yeah, there's a lot of cool stuff she could wish for...hadn't thought of returning Farren's memories but yeah, like you say, that would probably piss off the Raven Queen a little bit so probably wouldn't be a particularly good idea ;). Anyway, how do you know Nym didn't already use her Wish? Dun dun dunnnn...

OOC: So if Meri gets struck by lightning or something tonight, I'll know who to blame? ;) hehe.