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Through the Eyes of Others: An Orc Quest

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[X] Wait for her pursuers to show up, then decide what to do next.

let's find out what's going on before we commit ourselves to anything
 
[ X] Grab her and dive into the tall grass or thicket off the side of the deer path to hide.
With this option we have more to gain and less to lose.

Wait till the pursuers appear, save the girl: We'll have to run or fight, and judging by the noise the attackers are a group, mounted and well armed.
Wait till the pursuers appear, ignore the girl: We gain or lose nothing.
Save the girl now: When we grab her, the pursuers won't know were she went or that we're present, thus giving us an easier time escaping or getting the drop on them if we have to fight.
Grab the girl, turn her over: There might be a reward for helping to catch her.
 
She's probably terrified of us, you realize? We're in full armor and such, it can't be helping.

[X] Wait for her pursuers to show up, then decide what to do next.
 
[X] Wait for her pursuers to show up, then decide what to do next.
 
[X] Wait for her pursuers to show up, then decide what to do next.

Yeah, probably not a smart move to just grab the human child.
 
[X] Wait for her pursuers to show up, then decide what to do next.
 
[X] Wait for her pursuers to show up, then decide what to do next.

We'll see if they're searching for a little lost lamb, or if it's a hunt.
 
[X] Grab her and dive into the tall grass or thicket off the side of the deer path to hide.
 
Voting is closed! Waiting for the pursuers squeaks out a win with 7 votes. Update momentarily.

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Adhoc vote count started by Artificial Girl on Apr 25, 2018 at 1:04 PM, finished with 16 posts and 14 votes.
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3. Torchlight talks
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    • [X] Wait for her pursuers to show up, then decide what to do next.
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    ------

    The girl recoils from you and half-turns. She clearly means to run back the way she's come if she can but before the girl can take more than another step or two, the running feet you've heard materialize into a group of men that come hurrying down the trail. The one in the lead carries a torch and a naked sword in his hand. Those behind are similarly armed. Your nostrils flare for a moment and you can see as well smell the blood on the leading man's sword. There's been killing done tonight.

    The sudden appearance of the torch light makes you wince at the brightness of it. The girl lets out a faint cry, wordless and plaintive as she sees the men and stumbles back before she falls onto her rump at your feet.

    The men slow as they approach. With a silent motion, you tug your blade free from its sheath and let your arm hang at your side. Even if they don't mean to start trouble with you, you're not one to let yourself be caught unarmed.

    "Here now, girl. No need to go runnin' off. We ain't planning on hurting you none long as you're good… Come out from wherever you're hi-- Oh Hells--!" The last is shouted reflexively as the men seem to be startled by your sudden appearance at the edge of their torchlight once they've closed in enough to see you and the girl trembling at your feet. You can understand their speech well enough--you speak the language, though you can't read it, as well as your own tongue (which they call 'Black.' as if it were something foul dredged from the bottom of a scummy pond or cesspit). The three spread out a little, wary all of a sudden as they realize that they aren't the only things out here in the dark. You strain your ears for a moment. The sounds of combat have completely died away by now and there's only the night sounds left, frogs, crickets, and the movement of small animals out in the dark.

    You set your feet a little wider and glower at the men. The leader (you assume he's the leader since he has the torch, anyway) speaks again, gruff and angry. He's middling height, dark haired and a little portly, though the scar on his face speaks of a man who's had to deal with his fair share of trouble.

    "...Here now. That little bird is ours. So why don't you jus' disappear back into whatever dirty little hole you crawled out of and leave us to our business, orc."

    One of the other men, the one to your left, tall and lanky and fair-haired hisses between his teeth in a soft voice, as if you can't hear them speaking. That one looks nervous, eyes darting off to the edge of the torchlight before looking back to you, unable to decide where the greater danger lies.

    "Keller, what if there's more of 'em?"

    "Shut your gob, Grummett! Well? You going to leave and save yourself some trouble? If not there's still good bounty on orc ears..."

    The third man hasn't spoken yet. Man is probably the wrong word for him, honestly. He's barely more than a boy and his face is drawn and pale, blood spattered across one cheek. The girl makes a quiet whimper, then shakes her head and finally speaks in a shrill, strained voice.

    "No! No, I'm not going with you--where are mum and da?! I won't go!"

    This is quite the argument you're caught in the middle of. The girl is at your feet and the men pursuing her clearly don't feel comfortable getting any closer to you than they have to. You think you could take care of these three if it came down to it, but it's not a certainty. And there might be more up the path. Like it or not, you're in the middle of it now.

    [ ] Leave and let them take the girl. None of YOUR business, right?
    [ ] Bluff. Tell them there are more orcs out here watching them right this moment so they'd better turn around and go back the way they came.
    [ ] Refuse. Finder's keepers, you filthy tarks1​.
    [ ] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.
    [ ] Other. Please specify in vote.

    1. Tark, a derogatory word often used by orcs to refer to men.
     
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    • [X] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.

    Can't trust tarks, Vru.
     
    Letting the men go, with/without the girl, doesn't seem like a good idea. We could try bluffing them, but they might wait for backup.

    [X] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.
     
    If we're going to kill them to prevent them coming back for us, there's a smarter way to go about it.

    [X] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.
    -[X] Pretend to leave, then ambush them when their guard is down and they're distracted.
     
    Yeah, do it smart-like.

    [X] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.
    -[X] Pretend to leave, then ambush them when their guard is down and they're distracted.
    Adhoc vote count started by Rat King on Apr 25, 2018 at 1:20 PM, finished with 22 posts and 15 votes.
    • [X] Grab her and dive into the tall grass or thicket off the side of the deer path to hide.
      [X] Wait for her pursuers to show up, then decide what to do next.
      [X] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.
      -[X] Pretend to leave, then ambush them when their guard is down and they're distracted.
      [X] Let her go past you.
      [X] Wait for her pursuers to show up, then decide what to do next.
      [X] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.
    Click to expand...
     
    [X] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.

    They already said they're gonna take the bounty on our ears if we don't play along, so there isn't much room left for peaceful option. And the rumors of an armed orc group hiding out here, that might come from the bluffing, isn't going to help us any in the long run.
     
    [X] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.
    -[X] Pretend to leave, then ambush them when their guard is down and they're distracted.

    If they hadn't explicitly mentioned the bounty, they might not have to die. But there's no way they don't come back, no matter what we do, barring this.
     
    [X] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.
    -[X] Pretend to leave, then ambush them when their guard is down and they're distracted.
     
    [X] Refuse. Finder's keepers, you filthy tarks.

    I think this is a nice mix of bluff and fighting? It plays into our reputation as being savage and dangerous.
     
    [X] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.
    -[X] Pretend to leave, then ambush them when their guard is down and they're distracted.
     
    [X] Kill them. They know you're here now and there's no guarantee that they'll not come back for the bounty on you or kill you anyway once they have the girl.
    -[X] Pretend to leave, then ambush them when their guard is down and they're distracted.
     
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