driftfleet | [Open] Watch each card you play, and play it slow

Who: Adalwolfe Hawke
Broadcast: Video!
Action: Sure; Malum
When: Now

[It's not long into drift week before Adalwolfe Hawke gets bored. And when a Hawke gets board, then ridiculous things happen. Luckily, thanks to some seeds already planted in his brain before, Adalwolfe has been working on a pet project so not too much destruction has occurred. (This time, anyway.)

Wolfe pops onto the network with a video with an eager smile.]

Hey fleet! So there's this card game from Thedas called Wicked Grace and since we haven't had any proper cards that I've found, I decided to make my own.

[He holds up a few card. One labeled Angel of Death and a few others from various suits, all labeled and with crude drawings.]

I found a deck of very plain cards in Malum, so if those belonged to anyone sorry about that, but you really shouldn't leave your stuff around. Anyway, I made them playable for Wicked Grace. If anyone wants to play, you should know that if we're using my cards, then we go by Ferelden rules. See? The Swords are Dogs instead and they're high instead of Angels. Also I made the Drakes into Dragons instead because I can.

[He pauses in his excitement for a moment, then sits back a bit sheepishly as it occurs to him that anyone not from Thedas probably has no idea what he's talking about.]

So, the rules are everyone is dealt 5 cards. Each player takes turns drawing one card from either the deck or the discard pile and then discarding a card face up into the discard. You can't take a card you've previously discarded. When the Angel of Death card is drawn and discarded, then the game is over and everyone scores their hands. You're supposed to discard the Angel of Death right away, but cheating is also part of the game so almost no one ever does unless they have a good hand. But if you get caught cheating, then you lose right away.

[Wolfe grins again and leans into the video, holding up cards as examples as he talks.]

There's four suits - Dogs, Angels, Songs, and Dragons. Some other countries use other suits, like in Orlais they have Masks for Songs and everywhere but Ferelden Angels are highest. Though I actually think in Tevinter Dragons are high but they call them Serpents...

[A pause to mull that over, then Wolfe continues.]

In any case, Dogs always beat Angels, Angels beat Songs, etc. Also more of a suit will beat less of a suit. So say you have three Dragons. That'll beat two Angels. Pretty simple. Where it gets sort of complicated is with themes. You can beat four Songs, for example, if you have the Song, Dog, Angel, and Dragon all of Roses. There's other things too, but it's a lot to just explain like this.

[Wolfe puts the cards he'd been showing off back on top of the deck and leans back.]

If you have any questions, ask away! Or I can show you in person, since it's pretty slow in Malum today. But if you do come to learn you've got to order a drink. 'Sonly fair.

[He shuffles the cards between his hands, nothing fancy but he's at least got a bit of deftness there. For a moment, a dog nose is visible at the bottom corner of the shot, over the counter on which Wolfe's device is sitting, then it moves back out of view with a loud snuffle.]

Oh, and fellow Thedosians, we should set up a night to play now that we've got cards. Let me know what works for everyone. I'm good for any time.

[He waves at the video, dropping about half the deck in the process. The video ends with a yelp and Wolfe diving under the bar to save his precious cards.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Blinking ]

That sounds very complicated.

Not once you get the hang of it. I bet whatever games Elves have to pass the time seem complicated at first too.

[ Maglor laughs softly ]

Well I suppose when you put it that way...

Consider it another form of cultural exchange! Would you care to learn? We don't have to play for coin at first if you don't care to.

I do not have much coin, so even if we were playing you would not earn much. [ Maglor chuckles softly ]

But aye, I would be glad to learn. And if I can find a set of Kings and Castles, I will teach you that in turn.

No? I can't imagine the sponsors not liking you enough to send you ample payment. Maybe you should play more, that'll get the coin rolling in.

What's Kings and Castles? How's it played?

[ Embarassed he admits ] I mostly spend it all on music and instruments. Although I did buy a new sword, last time.

From what I can gather, I believe it is rather similar to chess, if you know that game? The pieces are different, and the rules are slightly as well, but it is similar enough to be virtually the same game.

Oh, well, if it's spent then it's spent. I never worry too much about that so long as I get what I was after for it.

[He shrugs.]

I do know chess. I'm not really all that good at it. Decent, but not good by any stretch. Still fun so long as your opponent doesn't cheat though.

In that case never play with my cousin Galadriel if she comes. [ Maglor says dramatically and then laughs softly ]

Not that she can always help it, but her Sight is too keen, at times. Playing against someone who can see your actions so clearly tends to wind up with you losing.

Makes sense. Wish I had something like that with my magic. I'd never lose my trousers in a game again.

She was a terrible cheat. [ Maglor remembers fondly ] But she was also very, very, clever, and learnt fast. She did not have to cheat to win - but she did like to win. Also, she used to argue that since she could not stop, it was our fault as well for not shutting her out, and thus could not be considered cheating

Can you even shut that sort of thing out? I can't imagine it would be an easy thing even if you could. Mind control, yes, but that's hard enough. A passive ability to just see the future? I don't know how you'd block that.

You raise a good point, and I do not know... I suppose one can hope to control it better, but beyond that...

Hm. Maybe your sister got more control of it as you all got older. Its quite a gift though. Did she use it to help people?

Cousin. [ Maglor corrects with a chuckle ] She's Finrod's sister.

Mm, as she could - but the Sight, as she would say, is an uncertain weapon. She can sometimes see what Might Be - but they are only that. Possibilities. Her ability to read hearts is much more acute, though.

Right sorry. And that sounds like an interesting power to have. Reading hearts? I've never heard of that. How does it work?

We call it "osanwe" - literally, "thought opening". Our folk all have the ability to...I suppose you would call it mind reading? Although it is not quite accurate - that is why I said 'reading hearts', instead. It is less reading of thoughts, and more intentions. Unless you are Galadriel, and your acuity is so sharp it might as well be mind reading. The gift varies in strength, but her family are all strongly gifted in that area.

Osanwe.

[He tries the word out, pronouncing it okay for a Human tongue unpracticed at Elvish. Merrill had taught him a few words, mostly ones from her stories or words for plants as they traveled about, but the language of the ancient elves on Thedas has been mostly lost to time and ruin and even Merrill as a First only knew so much.]

Huh. That would certainly be useful, knowing if someone you were talking to was planning on betraying you right away before they tried. Would have made my life a lot simpler, I'll tell you that.

Your pronounciation is very good!

And mind, it is hardly fool proof! But it... well, we do not lie, usually. Prevaricate, yes - but amongst ourselves, at any rate, it is... not really a thing that happens.

[ Since there's a damn good chance someone will call you on it ]

You're humoring me.

[He snorts. Elvish doesn't sound right coming out of his mouth ever, or at least that's what he thinks.]

But thanks. And it makes sense you wouldn't lie if basically any other elf could tell. I still think it would make life easier if everyone could do that. I mean, everything but Wicked Grace.

I promise I am not.

[ Maglor laughs softly ]

It is not perfect, but it is fairly good. Well, it is hardly perfectly accurate, but yes, it can be useful.