Two Posts



Samantha sees you start crying, and she hugs you to comfort you.

Then she points in the direction of Mankato, away from Walnut Grove.

"I need to go there. I don't know why. I just need to. Will you take me?"

Maybe it's another equipment sense, maybe she's psychic, or maybe the referee is just trying to move the story along. But Samantha wants you to take her to Mankato.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 30):

"First we get you cleaned up, and fed more, and rested."  So I cook some alligator.  I have her go off and wash herself and her clothes in the stream.  After the alligator is done, I yell to tell her I'm going to scout out the area toward Mankato for a trip tommorrow.  She needs to dry her clothes near the fire.  I'll be back in three hours.

So I go scouting, and probably find something to hunt on the way back to make dinner.  We have dinner, and while she looks better, I can tell she's still dirty.

"Did you clean behind your ears?  Of course not.  Next time, do that as well."

We sleep, and next day, with three full meals in her, and cleaned up, I hope she looks less like an orphaned waif about to pass out as we head to Mankato.

At first she begs you not to leave her alone. But you manage to convince her that she'll be fine. She's made it this long on her own, right?

In the end, you leave. Samantha promises to take a bath.



You go scouting. You rustle up some grub. When you get back, Samantha is much cleaner than you expected.

She tells you "That guy, Nasty Nellie's Papa came around right after you left. I don't think he saw me in the stream. But he left me my coat and a bar of soap and a couple cans of food."

And indeed, her coat is sitting underneath three label-less cans of something.

OOC) I suddenly realized, you getting the coat back for her would probably require violence of some sort against the 11 year old girl and/or her mother and family. Can't have that.

She picks up one of the cans, holds it to her ear and shakes it vigorously.

"Beef Stew."

She does it again.

"Chicken Noodle Soup."

Third time

She gets a huge smile and holds up the can

"This is chocolate syrup!!!!"

When you open them for dinner, she's right on all counts.



She rolls her eyes at you and says "Yes Papa." all sarcastic and whatnot. Then she giggles.



She looks better. She doesn't ask you to carry her very often. Usually just when the grass is too thick for her to walk through.

You pass by a log cabin. A large man is holding a much smaller man by the collar, shaking him violently. "There's got to be something you can do for her doctor!!! There's just got to!!!!"

The doctor says timidly "I'm sorry Charles. That's beyond my knowledge!!!"

And in his panic, he spouts off some medical jargon that you interpret as an affliction easily healed by a guy with Heracles's gauntlets.

They don't know you're there. You could just keep going.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 07:15, Wed 10 June 2020.

OOC)Good thinking on the coat.

"That was nice of him."

 I laugh when she is revealed to be right about the cans.  "Very impressive."

When we get to the log cabin, I look, think, and then decide.

"Follow me. And not much talking please."  And I walk up to the log cabin with the girl following me.  "Gentlemen, I overhead.  I know a few things, and I think I can help.  If you're willing."  I say this from a good twenty five feet away so as to not scare them.

OOC) Thanks.



"He leaves cans out by the dumpster sometimes. He never came in this far though.... The cans he leaves out never have any labels on them..... I never knew what I was gonna eat. I had to teach myself to tell what was in them."

OOC) Nels Oleson can justify to himself giving her what are, technically, defective cans. Ordinarily he'd just glue the label back on. If he didn't have the label, he'd shake it himself to tell what was in it. If he still couldn't tell, his family would have it for dinner that night. But since she is here and she needs it, he can justify to himself throwing them away so she can have them. Label-less is technically defective and unsalable. He's obeying his wife's rules, to the letter.



It's an infection of some sort, easily cured by antibiotics, which have not yet been invented. Your gauntlets removed zombie infection, stands to reason they'd work here.

You're not close enough to activate their detection crystals, although they definitely have a stare at your armor.

Charles asks you sarcastically "You one a them Roman Soldiers muh daughter reads 'bout in His-Story class?"

And they both have a laugh.

OOC) I just realized the other day how out of place you look here.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 07:26, Wed 10 June 2020.

Two Posts

Samantha tells you that she's been here for about a month and a half, as far as she can tell. Probably longer.

She got caught by Nasty Nellie two days ago, trying to sneak into the Oleson's mercantile dumpster. A fight ensued in which Samantha lost her coat and gave Nasty Nellie a black eye. Harriet Oleson wants Samantha's head on a platter. Nels thinks it's quite humorous that his well-fed, well-rested 11 year old daughter was bested by a half starved and exhausted eight year old girl. He has great respect for Samantha. But due to the situation, there's not much more he can do for her.

The Oleson's are the wealthiest family in Walnut Grove. In Mankato, they're more like upper middle class.

You've been told or heard by listening that, in Mankato, there is an asylum where Slidehammer's victims were taken as well as a museum dedicated to his rampage.

And at some point whilst you're walking, Samantha asks "Teach me to fight???"

OOC) I wrote this world for Krillis. Krillis just came out of Candy Store. He's got five years of intensive survival training and a magical Order hammer. On top of that, he spent his last world with Slider, Aka Slidehammer. Slider allowed himself to be possessed by the Demigod of Chaos after receiving a white iron Chaos hammer from your favorite superverser. And so became Slidehammer. One of the most powerful Chaos mages ever.

But anyway..... This world would have fit Krillis perfectly. I regret that I never got to run it for him. Tying to shoehorn other players into it is..... challenging.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 07:55, Wed 10 June 2020.

Three Posts

You teach Samantha how to build a shelter and sleep before heading out to Mankato. She was sleeping on cardboard boxes she pulled from the Mercantile dumpster.

The next morning, Samantha will tell you that being in that shelter was the best sleep, and the first time she's felt safe, since she got here.

"Thanks" She says.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 08:27, Wed 10 June 2020.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 36):

"No, I can see how you would think that.  But why are you laughing?  Do you need help or not?"

They immediately stop laughing. Charles says "Begging your pardon sir. We just don't see too many Roman gladiators 'round these parts."

They're still snickering, but it's subsided.

Then the doctor says "Do ya think there's anything you can do for his wife?"

Still not close enough to detect you as a verser.

Samantha is cowering behind you.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 38):

"Yes." I walk forward.

GE 15

You step forward. At about 10-15 feet, their detection crystals light up. Charles screams "VERSERSCUM!!!!"

And he runs inside the house and grabs a double barrel shotgun and brings it out, cocking both the hammers and levels it at you.

He says "Get off my land verserscum!!!"

Samantha is crying and cowering behind you.

And the doctor tells Charles "Put the gun down. He could have killed us already if he wanted to."

But Charles just keeps waving it.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:33, Sat 13 June 2020.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 40):

"Lay down flat behind me." I say softly to the girl.  Then I shrug.  "Do you hate me enough to watch your wife die?  If you kill me, I can't save her."  I wait, and after a bit I yawn.  "If you kill me, I just go somewhere else.  I don't really die.  So....make up your mind, man, time's a wasting."

GE 12.

Samantha obeys.

Charles becomes a bit shaky with the shotgun. The doctor says to him softly "Charles, your wife will be dead by suppertime Monday. There's nothing I can do. You should give him a chance. I watched Slidehammer heal someone...."

In frustration, Charles fires both barrels of the shotgun into the air. Then he relents. You're free to do what you need to do.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 42):

I walk slowly, praying a bit as I go, and enter the cabin, and try to use the healing of the gauntlets.  If it fails, well, good thing Charles unloaded his shotgun.  I'd be trying to teleport out with the girl if that happens.  But hopefully this poor woman gets well.

You enter. The woman is laying in a bed, covered in a quilt and sweating profusely. She's moaning and obviously in considerable discomfort.

You lay your hands on her. From the doorway, you hear the doctor whisper "See Charles? He's not so different. He also believes in laying on of hands."

Your gauntlets draw out the infection. Her color clears up, she stops sweating and opens her eyes. Looking into your eyes, she smiles and says "Are you Saint Peter?"

Charles pushes you out of the way and takes her. He's happier than he's been in a very long time. He offers you his hand and says "Thank you verserscum."

Samantha looks up at you and smiles broadly.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 44):

I'm tempted, I'm tempted to say 'you're welcome, violent idiot' but I simply nod and walk away with Samantha in tow.  He has reasons, and he has had a very rough day.  I can show some compassion.  We were going somewhere before and we keep on going.

You start to walk away but Charles cuts you off. He gets in front of you, blocking your path. He drops down onto one knee and bows his head, in complete and total submission.

"What can.... what can I do to repay you versers..... good sir."

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 46):

I'm shocked.

"Ah. Tell other people  what happened.  Not every verser is a monster."

I pat his shoulder.

"Take care of your wife, friend, and thank God for his good gifts."

And then I walk on.

And Samantha announces triumphantly "And don't let verser kids starve to death outside!!!!" Then she huffs and turns to follow you.

Continuing on, you see a sign that says "Mankato 6 miles."

Samantha asks to be carried sometimes.

But you soldier on. Off in the distance, you see a large town. Wood and brick and stone. Closer than that though, you see a settlement of tents and wooden shacks filled with Chinese people.

When you approach, it will become clear to you that the Chinese are almost as shunned here as versers and that the Chinese have no prejudice or malice towards you. They welcome you and Samantha to stay in their settlement if you agree to do your share of the work. You'll be assigned something. That is, if you want to stay here.

There are several training areas where you see Chinese masters training children with staffs and katana swords. Samantha runs off to investigate this.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 48):

I'll take a job, and ask also if one of the Chinese masters can teach me the use of the staff.

So you get a job doing something you're good at. You begin training with the staffs. Very quickly you find out that these are not ordinary staffs. They're Order weapons. (Unless you really really don't want them to be.) Some of the masters can throw wind tornadoes.

Samantha starts training with katanas. Chaos katanas, they are. After about a week, you hear people calling her Mogwai. It's the Chinese word for demon. She's incredibly vicious in her fighting prowess. After a week, she's beating kids who have been training for months. She's got a lot of pent up rage to work through.

Most of the people here speak Chinese, but they speak enough English that you can get by. You hear Samantha conversing in broken Chinese with some of the other children.

Meals are served three times a day. However, if you're hungry throughout the day, you can get a bowl of peas porridge. There's a couple kettles of nearly boiling water. People throw miscellaneous bits of meat and vegetables into them, as well as taking them out. The nursery rhyme "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot, nine days old." is a reference to this practice. Sometimes there might be meat in the pots that are days old.

Occasionally you see other white folks from town who come to trade with the Chinese. So far, you've not been made as a verser.

You hear a story about how Slidehammer healed people. The doctor was telling the truth. He would beat people to within an inch of their life, then heal them and beat them to within an inch of their life, then heal them, over and over as a fear/interrogation tactic.

You hear of an asylum in Mankato where Slidehammer's victims were taken, as well as a museum dedicated to his rampage.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 50):

Then I learn very good defensive skills with the Order staffs.  I enjoy staffs as a weapon, and this is going well for me.

And one of my key concerns is making sure Samantha knows how to survive on her own.  I tell her to help out whereever she can because whatever skills she learns from peeling potatoes to boiling noodles will be useful.

I'm not ready to tackle the asylum project yet.

Samantha trains staffs as well. After a while, she's given an Order staff and a Chaos katana. You are given these as well, if you want them.



They hunt with bows and arrows mostly. Slings and sometimes just throwing rocks. You are one of the more capable hunters here. Samantha accompanies you on the hunting trips. Somebody crafts for her a new bow. She rarely comes home without a rabbit to throw in the stew pot.

She was up to 1@3 Wilderness Survival when you found her. She says she hopes she never has to do that again. But yeah, she's getting better.



Understood. You hear that Slidehammer would curse people by injecting a piece of magical iron underneath their skin. The best doctors and surgeons here cannot remove them. A guy with magnetic gauntlets shouldn't have a problem with that though.

You are welcome to stay here so long as you pull your own weight. You are expected to help in gathering food and to defend the camp if needed. That so far has not happened, but they do train for a reason. And whatever else they ask of you. Occasionally you are called upon to blacksmith. You stay in a tent which would be the equivalent of a Single Gentleman's dorm. Most of the guys in there are late teens, early 20s who have not yet found a wife. You're one of the oldest single guys there. Married guys get their own tents. Samantha stays in the children's tent. She's making friends among the children.

You often times catch her eyeing a certain young boy with a dreamy look in her eyes. "Andy is so cute..." she mumbles. They train together.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:58, Thu 02 July 2020.

I will stick with the Order staff.  It feels good as it spins in my hands.
And I think it helps me think more clearly and calmly.

"OK, Samantha. You can shoot with your bow, and fight with staff and katana.  Good.  Can you track a rabbit? Do you know what signs these are....?" I sketch in some mud the footprints for fox, and bunny, and oppossum, and several others.

"Show me how to start a fire. Campfire that is."

I also check around a bit on this young boy she likes just to make sure he's not obvious a bad seed.

I also see if I can find a small bell.  If I can, and if I can trade labor for it, I'll get it.  And then next time, Samantha goes out hunting, she wears it on her clothing. Teach her to be really stealthy.

You find that with some practice, you can throw an Order tornado with it. You could likely do other Order magic as well.



She can track rabbits. She learned what a game trail looks like. She's figured out that if a rabbit can eat the plant, she can eat it too. Then she has a nice salad whilst she eats the rabbit.

She wants you to teach her to make snares and traps.



She can do that with a magnifying glass, but that's it. You'd have to teach her to do it with friction. But as far as using a magnifying glass, she says:

"I saw that in a movie once. I didn't think it would really work, but it did."



He's a boy from town. Nine or ten years old. The son of the town blacksmith. He hangs out with the Chinese because he likes learning how to fight with swords. They welcome him. The Chinese don't seem to understand the concept of prejudice. All are welcome here. He runs errands in town for them sometimes. So far he's not made you as a verser. He doesn't wear a detection crystal. None of the Chinese care about the fact that you're a verser. But yeah, he could be a problem. It wouldn't even be his fault. He could just say the wrong thing to the wrong person and half the town is on their way here. So far so good though.



Oh she knows stealth. She had to evade men with rifles who were hunting her on more than one occasion. Stayed away from them until they gave up.

But she takes the bell.

So your days pass. There's only one blacksmith and his apprentice among the Chinese so you are called upon to work in that area on occasion.

GE 10

But yeah, the weather is nice. The hunting is good. The crops are growing nicely. No one has made you as a verser. You're making friends among the Chinese. Samantha is obeying you and learning. She's getting rather fluent speaking Chinese. She often has to interpret for you. Things are going well.

OOC) When I ran Misty in this world, she said that if it wasn't for Samantha, she would verse herself out of the world. I was wondering if you're sharing that sentiment, or are you enjoying playing? When I ran it for her, it was the first time I'd ran it. Scord said this was one of his favorite worlds.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:38, Tue 07 July 2020.