# Copyright (c) 2021 by Arachi-Lover
#
# Endless Sky is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the
# terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
# Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
#
# Endless Sky is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
# WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
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mission "Coalition Folklore: Saryd"
	minor
	invisible
	to offer
		random < 30
	source
		attributes "saryd"
		attributes "folklore"
	on offer
		conversation
			`Walking through the spaceport, you're approached by a Saryd in unusually traditional clothing, even by Saryd standards. Silk robes not too different from human kimonos cover most of his body, and thin ropes tightly wrap around the fabric near his hoofs.`
			`	"Greetings, Captain. Interested in participating in a cultural celebration, would you be?" he asks.`
			choice
				`	"What sort of celebration?"`
				`	"Sorry, I'm busy right now."`
					decline
			`	"A celebration of Saryd folklore, it is," he explains. "Though for a long time among the stars we've lived, timeless classics from before our spacefaring age, we still celebrate. A set of theatrical plays about some of them, today we are hosting. Watch them for free, anyone can."`
			choice
				`	"I've always got time for a story. Lead the way."`
				`	"I'm not really up for a story now. I'll pass."`
					decline
			`	You follow him outside the spaceport city and deep into a nearby forest. On the way there, several other Saryds in similar ancient garbs are guiding others who were also intrigued by the offer.`
			`	You arrive at a clearing with three different paths to take, and you can make out a faint light from deep within each of them. After a few minutes, it seems as if all the Saryds involved in the celebration have arrived. They grab three caskets from behind a bush and lay them before you and the others they brought here.`
			`	"Now friends, choose your path, you must," one of the Saryds says, and many from the crowd grab small objects from the caskets, seemingly already familiar with this. You move forward to look into the caskets and see that each one has different things inside: the left one is full of seeds, the middle one full of seashells, and the right one full of feathers.`
			choice
				`	(Grab a seed.)`
					goto seed
				`	(Grab a seashell.)`
					goto pearl
				`	(Grab a feather.)`
			`	Once you have the feather in your hands, the organizers tell you to go through the path on the right.`
			`	The light you had seen turns out to be a bonfire near a wooden stage, about a third of the size of human opera stages, and you find a spot to sit on one of the logs positioned near the fire. Several lights shine onto the stage, and as you look up, you can only barely see some spotlights hidden high up in the trees. After the audience is all gathered, the curtains of the stage open to reveal many small figures made out of what looks like paper in a style that loosely resembles origami. They are supported either by thin wooden poles from below or strings from above. There are figures close to where the curtains were and others further away on the stage, the various layers granting depth to the scenery. After a brief moment, the show begins:`
			`	Entering a clearing, a Saryd huntress with gray hair stalks a large bird resting on a rock. She moves on the borders of the clearing, hiding behind bushes and small trees. She looks for the best spot from which to snipe at the bird, her bow and arrow ready in her hands. It's only when she is nearing a large entrance to the clearing, on the opposite side of where she entered, that she finds the spot, and takes aim.`
			`	She is disrupted when she hears a loud roar and jumps to the ground, narrowly avoiding the beast that had come from behind her. You're unsure how accurate the paper's depiction of the creature is, but you can only describe it as a "hedge-lion": slightly larger than lions from Earth, with various quills where its mane should be. The quills continue in a line on its back, reaching the tip of the tail.`
			`	Having dodged the pounce, the huntress runs past the bird, looking for cover, but the forest isn't dense enough to block the beast's advance. It attacks again, and wounds the top of one of her frontal legs. She kicks it with another leg and readies an arrow, but only manages to scratch its face. The animal gets on its hind legs to swipe down at her but is stunned; the bird has attacked its eyes, blinding it! The huntress is swift to take aim in the opening granted, and an arrow pierces the creature's torso. Once the hedge-lion has fallen, the bird flies away, and the curtains close.`
				goto end
			label seed
			`	Once you have the seed in your hands, the organizers tell you to go through the path on the left.`
			`	The light you had seen turns out to be a bonfire near a wooden stage, about a third of the size of human opera stages, and you find a spot to sit on one of the logs positioned near the fire. Several lights shine onto the stage, and as you look up, you can only barely see some spotlights hidden high up in the trees. After the audience is all gathered, the curtains of the stage open to reveal many small figures made out of what looks like paper in a style that loosely resembles origami. They are supported either by thin wooden poles from below or strings from above. There are figures close to where the curtains were and others further away on the stage, the various layers granting depth to the scenery. After a brief moment, the show begins:`
			`	The central figure is a young Saryd boy, galloping through a dense forest. Sound effects of thunder begin and grow increasingly frequent, echoing around you as if in a real thunderstorm. A white piece of paper, shaped like a lightning bolt, comes down swiftly and strikes one of the trees in the boy's way. Flame-shaped folds rain down from the top of the stage and stick to the tree as it falls, blocking the boy's path. He turns to run elsewhere. Another lightning bolt, and another tree falls. After a few more repetitions, the boy is too tired to run anymore. Hurt by some of the flames, he is now limping through the forest.`
			`	Whimpering as the thunder grows closer once more, he spots a tree unlike the others, a great oak with branches thicker than the other trees around him. He goes to it and lays down at its base, and soon he falls asleep as the curtain closes.`
			`	It opens once again after a few moments, with the boy waking up in darkness. When he gets up, rumbling sounds are accompanied by rays of light reaching the ground, and he realizes the great oak had lowered its branches around him. As it lifts them up, the several smaller trees that had fallen on the mighty oak's branches during the storm are scattered away. The sun as his guide, the boy manages to leave the forest, and the curtains close again.`
				goto end
			label pearl
			`	Once you have the seashell in your hands, the organizers tell you to go through the path in the middle.`
			`	The light you had seen turns out to be a bonfire near a wooden stage, about a third of the size of human opera stages, and you find a spot to sit on one of the logs positioned near the fire. Several lights shine onto the stage, and as you look up, you can only barely see some spotlights hidden high up in the trees. After the audience is all gathered, the curtains of the stage open to reveal many small figures made out of what looks like paper in a style that loosely resembles origami. They are supported either by thin wooden poles from below or strings from above. There are figures close to where the curtains were and others further away on the stage, the various layers granting depth to the scenery. After a brief moment, the show begins:`
			`	A Saryd is on top of some sort of long, wooden platform, with a deep blue background under it. Only when you see the fishing rod do you realize that he is on a boat, fishing at sea. He feels a bite, but when he reels it in, there is nothing on the hook. He feels another bite and again finds nothing. Time and again, he looks at the hook to find the bait still there, intact, yet he continues to feel bites, some so powerful even the boat moves a little. The day moves by quickly, with a piece of paper representing the sun moving swiftly from one side of the "sky" to the other.`
			`	Once it is night, the waves grow increasingly stronger, and the Saryd stops fishing altogether. He puts the rod on the boat and tries to steer it back to shore, but he can't find his way. A huge wave that goes beyond the stage's top approaches, and engulfs the boat.`
			`	The fisherman kicks and struggles for air, having lost his boat and still at the mercy of the great waves. The view on the stage starts going down, following the kicks, and something starts rising up to meet the Saryd's legs. As it raises the view back with it, a creature reminiscent of a whale, only with much larger, longer flippers that almost link to its tail, comes to the surface. It rises gently and with care, as if trying to serve as ground for the sailor. Another wave is approaching, large enough to engulf them both, but the whale keeps on going up until it is out of the water.`
			`	As it flies through the night sky, the whale is careful to not drop the Saryd, always waiting for him to find stable footing before turning. For the rest of the night, the whale slowly dances in the sky, and when morning comes and the waves subside, it goes back to the sea and swims close to shore. Once the Saryd is at the beach, he turns back to see the whale's tail hitting the water as it dives deep once again, and the curtains close.`
			label end
			`	People in the audience start getting up and performing a short bow toward the stage, with both hands clenched together close to their chests, as if silently applauding the performance. Once most of them are done, they prepare to leave, and you follow them. Once you're back at the clearing, you return the small object back to its casket after seeing others do the same, and the organizers guide everyone back to the spaceport.`
			`	Once there, the Saryd who first approached you says, "That you enjoyed the spectacle, I hope," and bids you farewell.`
				decline



mission "Coalition Folklore: Arach"
	minor
	invisible
	to offer
		random < 30
	source
		attributes "arach"
		attributes "folklore"
	on offer
		conversation
			`Shortly after entering the spaceport, you observe an Arach in what you guess is a formal "dress," a delicate silk wrap covering most of her body with each leg covered by its own embroidered skirt. She exclaims something loudly into a personal communication device before putting it away with a shove. Like everyone else who has momentarily been witness to this, you go to look away, but the Arach has cast their gaze around, seen you, and immediately begun to approach. "Our honorable human visitor, I salute," she says loudly as she closes the gap. "Say, Captain, appreciate the fine arts, do you? To a cultural soiree, I'm headed, but busy with work, dearest Papa is, so vacant, his reserved seat is. Accompany me, would you?"`
			choice
				`	"Is that some sort of event?"`
				`	"I'm busy right now, so I'll pass."`
					decline
			`	"No simple gathering, but a collection of plays by esteemed professionals, completed by a dedicated orchestra, the soiree is," she explains. "A celebration of Arach folklore, it is, which in our finest outfits, us local patrons attend. Streamed live for others, the show also is, but compare to the live performance, it cannot."`
			choice
				`	"Alright, I'm interested. Where is this 'soiree' taking place?"`
				`	"I'm not a fan of plays, sorry."`
					decline
			`	You follow her around the central portion of the city to a building which from the outside looks like some form of auditorium; there, some Arachi in uniform are seeing to the entries of the "patrons" of the event. "A human? Quite an exotic guest you've brought, lady Matlub," one of them says to your guide as she shows him a touchpad displaying two tickets. He verifies them and allows the two of you to enter. The inside reminds you of an opera house, with a large stage in front of dozens of rows of seats, and six levels of balconies on both sides. Matlub leads you to two excellent seats in one of the first few rows, and she helps you "adjust" the chair so that you're more comfortably seated. Just before the stage is an area a few steps below the level of the seats, with a few Arach musicians fine-tuning a variety of instruments. Up on the ceiling, and on all of the balconies, you see small cameras pointed at the stage to broadcast the event for those who didn't have the chance to attend it live.`
			`	As the rows and balconies fill up with more guests, you notice a few Kimek and Saryds amidst the masses of Arachi, most of them accompanying an Arach patron; a few are seemingly patrons themselves, coming in on their own. A great many of them seem to take notice of you as you look around, but your patron studiously ignores the attention.`
			choice
				`	"I can see why you were speaking so highly about this, looks like a really organized event."`
				`	"Not every day that they see a human in one of these, I take it?"`
			`	She nods. "A prestigious event, this is. Bring friends from all around the Coalition to watch, the patrons do. The most unique guest we've had, you are."`
			`	Once all seats are filled, the doors are closed, and an Arach comes to the stage. "Welcome you, esteemed guests, to this celebration of saga and song, our theater does," he says. "Make you wait any longer, I shall not, so for our first play, a timeless classic dear to all, I present: Moonstruck."`
			`	He quickly leaves the stage as the curtains open to reveal a rocky wall with two tunnels leading to the sides. The orchestra begins to play a slow, soft theme on accordion-like instruments, and a young Arach comes into the scene from the tunnel on the left. He hangs onto the rocky wall, a small lantern hanging from his abdomen and a large sack strapped to his back. The Arach then picks rocks from the corners of the wall, throwing most to the ground but placing a few inside the sack he carries. Once the sack is full, he enters the tunnel on the right, and the rocky wall is rotated to show the other side; there, the young miner is shown under the night sky smelting the ore he collected. As he looks to the top of the stage with his back facing the audience, the accordions grow quieter, a slow harp starts to play, and a full moon comes into view at the top of the background sky.`
			`	The curtains close as the scene changes, opening again with the accordions picking up the pace. The Arach is now on a larger wall with only one tunnel from above. He claws away at the rocky corners, the accordions following his rhythm. Once he's dug out most of the ore, the wall starts shaking, as if the mine were collapsing. The accordions become erratic as he rushes for the escape tunnel. With a hectic clamor, the rock wall appears to disassemble on stage with great boulders descending gracefully from the fly tower, caving in the mine. The accordions stop, but after a long pause they, along with the harp, slowly pick up again. The young Arach then climbs into view and pushes first one boulder away, and then another, and another. This goes on until the Arach stands atop a mountain of metal carved out of the rock, reaching for the moon. As he nearly touches it, the curtains close and the music stops.`
			`	The Arachi in the audience rub two of their legs together, as if clapping at the end of the performance. Shortly after, some get up, heading to the exit as the doors open up once again. At the same time, more patrons are coming in to fill the vacant seats. "Interested in only some of the plays, some patrons are, so only for those they wish to see, they stay," Matlub explains. "Leave after any of the performances, you may, if someplace else, you must be, but remain for the rest of the show, I will."`
			choice
				`	(Stay for the next play.)`
				`	(Leave.)`
					goto leave
			`	Once everyone is seated, the same Arach from before goes to the stage again. "A surprise for you, tonight we have. A brand new play, an anonymous group of patrons commissioned. As a critique of one of the issues that persist in our society, described it is. For our second play: Babbling Bebliss."`
			`	As he leaves, the curtains open to a set of an Arach street, where a child is purchasing some form of candy. From behind a building in the set, an Arach wearing tall, blue and white "socks" emerges as trumpets and tubas start playing an obnoxious track. He runs for the child and knocks the candy to the ground as he makes some gargling sound. Matlub sighs, saying, "Gibberish, it is. Nonsense, and words best left untranslated." The Arach actor goes on to cling to the walls of the building and grab things from inside the candy shop, throwing them wildly. By now, many well-dressed patrons, most likely members of House Bebliss, are getting up and leaving the theater. Meanwhile, a group of Arachi on one of the balconies doesn't even try to muffle their laughter.`
			`	The scene continues as a couple comes to the set, walking down the street. As they're about to lean in for what looks like a kiss, the Arach leaps from the building, landing on the bachelor with a thud. He steals the kiss, as the tubas and trumpets blast as loudly as they can. After a while, the authorities show up, only for the Arach to make a run for it down the street. The orchestra plays a tune that is as uncoordinated as his movements, and the curtains close. Not many in the audience manifest themselves, most sighing or getting ready to leave, save for the group that was laughing earlier who are now very vocal in announcing their appreciation for the play. "Know of subtlety, House Chamgar does not," Matlub says. "A shame it is, that tainted the soiree with this rivalry, they have."`
			`	The doors open once again as new patrons cycle in to watch the third play.`
			choice
				`	(Stay for the next play.)`
				`	(Leave.)`
					goto leave
			`	Everyone takes their seats, and the Arach announcer heads to the stage again. "A cathartic tragedy, our third play of this evening is. For our next performance: 'Til Death."`
			`	The stage lights go dark as the curtains open to a single spotlight. It illuminates an old Arach getting dressed inside a small shack on the right side of the stage. He coughs, and something akin to an organ begins to play a melancholic melody. Once he leaves, the shack is left in the dark as the spotlight follows him to the middle of the stage, where he makes his way carefully down an empty street. He is allowed to pass beyond the spotlight, which goes dark as the perspective shifts and a second spotlight renews the focus. The left side of the stage is finally lit up, where the Arach starts tending to a garden by the entrance of a manor. The organ stops its weeping every once in a while, right when the Arach is coughing, only to resume once he's done. Leaving the manor, a richly dressed Arach points to one of the flowers in the garden, showing it to be shriveled and dead. He plucks it and throws it to the ground before leaving. The gardener picks up the flower, sticks it inside his clothes, and continues his work.`
			`	Once his work is done, he heads back to his shack, the spotlights following him as he moves around the stage. Once inside, he looks inside a small box, taking a simple vase and placing the flower inside it. The stage goes dark as he goes to sleep and the piano stops, with only the occasional cough echoing throughout the theater. When the light comes to the shack again, the Arach slowly gets up and again leaves for his job, pausing for a moment on the street part of the stage during a heavy coughing fit. Once he's done with the work and begins going back home, he starts coughing again, not letting up for more than a second at a time. During this the spotlights transition to the next section of the stage, and the piano plays a brief note. Once inside his shack, he collapses, knocking down the flower vase in the process. The piano plays a few slow chords, and the last spotlight goes out during the final note.`
			`	You hear the curtains closing, and the lights of the theater turn back on again as the audience is taken by a round of applause. Once they've settled, the announcer goes up to the stage again. "And with that, concluded, our soiree is. Thank you all for gracing us with your presence, I, in name of the theater, do." He lowers his head in a bow and leaves the stage again as nearly all of the patrons in the audience get up and head for the exit, this time with nobody else coming in to take their seats. At the same time, the orchestra starts packing up their instruments. There are, however, a few who remain in their seats, including Matlub.`
			choice
				`	(Stay.)`
					goto end
				`	(Leave.)`
			label leave
			`	You thank Matlub for inviting you here, and while she doesn't seem to pay you much mind, you can feel the gazes of other Arach patrons on you, whispering among themselves as you leave.`
				decline
			label end
			`	The theater workers leave one after the other, leaving you and the other guests with an empty stage. After a while, the lights are turned off. A couple minutes later, however, you hear the curtains open, as some violins start to play in unison. Their music doesn't come from where the orchestra was seated, but as if they were all over the theater, behind you and even up on the balconies. A strong light comes from the stage, most of it blocked by a tall, dark figure. It isn't an actor, however, instead seeming to be made out of wooden parts kept up by thin wires you can barely spot when looking at the top of the stage. The violins' song is disrupted by dull, successive drum hits, at which point the figure moves, with its "arms" opening to the sides; it becomes even taller as it stands up. It is a humanoid creature, and it begins to slowly move around the stage, as if dancing in a pendulum. Cellos join in with the violin screams, and are followed by a choir, though you cannot understand their words. You do recognize, however, that it isn't being sung in any language of the Coalition.`
			`	The creature appears to get closer to the audience, growing in size, and as the choir and instruments become more intense, it swings one of its arms upward and removes the wires. Despite this, it stays upright and continues to move. It brings both arms close and strikes its own head to form two small holes which the background light shines through. Then, it falls to its knees, with one arm reaching for the audience, as the light behind it turns off and the choir and music subside.`
			`	The lights turn back on, revealing curtains still open, but nothing on the stage. A few workers come in to tidy up the place, and the remaining guests now get up to leave. "Enjoyed the soiree, have you, Captain?" Matlub asks, as she herself gets up to leave. "Come now, actually over, the show now is."`
			choice
				`	"What the hell was that thing?"`
				`	"If it only ended now, why did that announcer come up after the third play to dismiss the guests?"`
			`	She doesn't answer, heading straight for the exit. You follow her outside, and she guides you back to your ship. "Thankful for you accompanying me, I am, Captain. Safe travels, may you have."`
				decline



mission "Coalition Folklore: Kimek"
	minor
	invisible
	to offer
		random < 30
	source
		attributes "kimek"
		attributes "folklore"
	on offer
		conversation
			`A Kimek flags you down when you enter the spaceport. "Busy are you, Captain?" he asks. "Taking place today, a cultural festival is, and participate in it, anyone can. A reenactment of the old 'Spring Siege' folk tale, it is. Play the part of one of the characters, anyone can."`
			choice
				`	"That sounds like fun. Where is it being held?"`
				`	"Sorry, I'm too busy right now for that."`
					decline
			`	He asks you to follow him, and the two of you board a train leading to another section of the city, where you exit the train at the edge of a large park. There, you see that many sets of camps dot the savanna plains, and an equal number of wooden forts stare down from the top of a long hill. Each "set" of fort and camp is separated from the others by many patches of vegetation that go up the hill.`
			`	You follow the Kimek for a while longer until he finds you a pairing of camp and fort that have a vacant spot in either side. "Well Captain, choose a side to play as, you must. The hang of it, you will get, once started, the event has, but as a quick summary, take the 'crops' inside the fort before time runs out, the attacking team must. Prevent them from doing that, the defenders must. At the end, rewarded, the victors are."`
			choice
				`	"I'll join the attackers."`
					goto att
				`	"I'll join the defenders."`
					goto def
				`	"Hang on, if this is a folk tale, how come you're reenacting it as if any side could win?"`
			`	He chitters, as if expecting the question. "Witnessed by a minstrel, the battle was. Traveling on fields like these, he was, before the fort and the raider camp, he spotted in the distance. Hid himself in foliage close to the scene, he had, and writing and painting it as it happened, he was. When reached its climax, the battle had, swept up by the wind, many flowers were, and block his vision they did. Once settled down the wind had, over, the battle was. Spring it was, so 'Spring Siege' became the story's title."`
			`	Seeing you have more questions now, he continues. "Silly and nonsensical at times, the story is. Know that, we do, and that simply looking to entertain a crowd, the minstrel was, but with all forms of classic tales, is that not the case?" He chitters some more, and looks at the group up on the hill and the other in the camp, before continuing. "Foreign as it might seem, participate in it, will you not? Perhaps like it, you might."`
			choice
				`	"Alright, I'll join the attackers."`
					goto att
				`	"Alright, I'll join the defenders."`
			label def
			`	He brings you to the small fort up the hill. Its gates open as those inside (mostly Kimek as expected, but also a couple Arachi and a lone Saryd) are still getting ready. A small "farm" sits in the middle, with plastic replicas serving as the crops. The walls of the fort are made of various tall logs, densely covered by tufts of vicious, reddish thorns nearly as long as your arm. Inside, you can see that a higher level with battlements is accessible via staircases on either side of the courtyard; you also notice that the defenders are all wearing a green strip of cloth over their clothing. Another Kimek organizer, wearing a rugged leather vest that you assume is the Kimek equivalent of medieval armor, comes to meet you both at the gate. He greets his colleague, who introduces you and says that you have chosen to join the defenders, before heading back down the hill.`
			`	"Glad to have you as part of the garrison, our fort is," the armored Kimek begins. "Told about the enemy's objective, I assume you have been. Protect our farm, we must, so allow the produce to be stolen, we cannot." He tells you to follow him to the "keep," a shack too small for any non-Kimek, and gives you a long piece of green cloth. He then informs you that it is meant to be worn, so that others can tell what team you are on. As you wrap it around you like a scarf, you notice that, behind the shack, there is a smaller gate that grants entry to the fort. Once you're done, he gives you a brief tour of the rest of the fort, taking you up the battlements and above the main gate, where you see buckets of what at first appears to be water. Your guide informs you that the liquid inside is actually quite slick, and during the re-enactment, it is poured downhill to slow the attackers.`
			`	Once he's done, he tells you to wait in the courtyard, as the "battle" will begin soon. A few minutes pass before a loud whistle blows, and the Kimek in charge of the fort tells everyone that the other side has begun their attack. The front gate is closed, and some of the defenders begin placing heavy objects behind to barricade it; others are already up by the battlements, waiting for the right time to use the buckets of slippery liquid.`
			choice
				`	(Help reinforce the main gate.)`
					goto defr
				`	(Go help slow down the attackers.)`
					goto defw
			label defr
			`	You join the others in gathering and moving heavy objects, and quickly find some crates behind the small shack, which a couple of Arachi help bring to the gate. Some Kimek take logs they find stashed under a staircase and bring them as well, burying one end in the ground with the other end against the door. The liquid poured on the attackers does slow them down for some minutes, but once you're done, they're already banging at the gate. Most of those inside the fort, particularly the Saryd that has joined in, head to the main gate to try and keep it closed, but a few Kimek head around the back to check on the smaller gate.`
			choice
				`	(Help keep the main gate closed.)`
					goto defrw
				`	(Go with the others and check the back gate.)`
			`	Once you get to the back gate, you and the Kimek there stay quiet and try to listen for anyone approaching this side of the fort. Sure enough, you hear scuttling Kimek legs swishing through the grass as the attackers come circling around. Fortunately, not many came to this gate, so, with your help, your Kimek teammates don't have much trouble keeping the gate closed. Thanks to the main gate having been reinforced, the group there holds well enough that some more come to the back to help, and after some minutes of struggling with the attackers on the gate, another whistle is sounded. It marks that time has run out and that the defenders have won.`
				goto won
			label defrw
			`	With the fortifications from earlier helping keep it shut, holding the main gate proves easy enough. After a few minutes pass, however, you hear a commotion from behind the shack. As you and others go there to check, you arrive to see the small gate open, the attackers, wearing blue sashes in place of your team's green, having already made their way inside. The whistle sounds again, marking the end of the battle and the victory of the attackers.`
				goto lost
			label defw
			`	You go up the stairs and are given one of the buckets with the slippery substance. You notice that the others up here are all Kimek and Arachi, however, and they are only pouring the liquid down directly in front of the gate. When you see some of the blue sash wearing attackers advancing from the sides, where the liquid hasn't been poured, you chuck a bucket their way. This leaves a line of the liquid on that side, and those attacking from there lose their footing, tripping and falling again and again. Once your teammates realize what you've done, they begin to egg you on, encouraging you to throw more buckets to cover the sides while they continue to drench the middle. Despite your efforts, however, the attackers do eventually make it up the hill and start banging at the gate. Most of those inside the fort, including the Saryd, head to the main gate to try and keep it closed, but some Kimek instead head around the back to check on the smaller gate.`
			choice
				`	(Help keep the main gate closed.)`
					goto defww
				`	(Go with the others and check the back gate.)`
			`	Once you get to the back gate, you and the Kimek there stay quiet and try to listen for anyone approaching this side of the fort. Sure enough, you hear scuttling Kimek legs swishing through the grass as the attackers come circling around. Fortunately, not many came to this gate, so, with your help, your Kimek teammates don't have much trouble keeping the gate closed. The group at the front gate isn't so lucky, however, and after a brief minute, the whistle sounds again. Your group comes back to the courtyard to find that the gate has been busted open and that the attackers with their blue sashes have won.`
				goto lost
			label defww
			`	At first, holding the gate isn't too troublesome, but after a few minutes pass, it starts being pounded by some form of battering ram, and before long the group there can't hold it closed. At the same time, you hear a commotion from behind the shack, and as you and others go there to check, you arrive to see the small gate open. The attackers having made their way inside via both gates, the whistle sounds again, marking the end of the battle and the victory of the other side.`
				goto lost
			label att
			`	He brings you to the nearby camp, where many Kimek, Arachi, and even a few Saryds are gathered for the event. Most of them are waiting in anticipation inside one of the tents, or looking up at the fort; all of them have long, blue strips of cloth over their own clothing. Once she notices you two, another Kimek organizer, donning what looks like a thin gambeson, comes to say hello. She greets her colleague, who then introduces you and tells her you have chosen to join the attackers, before leaving the camp to welcome a family who has come to watch the event.`
			`	"Honored to have you fight alongside us, our company is," the armored Kimek begins. "Told about our objective, I assume you have been. Break into the fort, we must, before up the time is. Ten minutes, we have, once started, the battle has." She tells you to follow her to the "war tent," one that's slightly larger than the others around it. There she gives you a long piece of blue cloth and informs you that it is meant to be worn so that others can tell what team you are on. Wrapping it around your neck like a scarf while you look around the main tent, you see that there is a stumpy log reinforced with metal bits stored here, which the Kimek tells you will be used as a battering ram to force open the gates. She then has you follow her to the edge of the camp to show you the limits of this "set," which is marked by patches of vegetation meant to indicate the boundaries of the game. "Also, discourage anyone from trying it, the thorns should, but against the rules, it is, to crawl up the walls of the fort, so-" She pauses, looking at you as if just realizing that such a thing is impossible for you. "Sorry, out of habit, I said it. Participate in this event, not many groundlocked people do; few Saryds here I've met. Even fewer humans, as imagine, you can."`
			`	Once she's done, she says you're free to roam the camp as you wait for the "battle" to begin. A few minutes pass before a loud whistle blows, and the Kimek in charge of the camp tells everyone that the time has come. She leads the charge up the hill, with most of those from the camp following her. Others split into smaller groups and instead move up along the trees that separate the sets, trying to approach the fort from the sides.`
			choice
				`	(Charge with the main group.)`
					goto attw
				`	(Take the longer side route.)`
					goto attr
			label attw
			`	You follow the lead of the Kimek and start to run straight up the hill, directly at the fort. Once you get closer, however, you see the defenders, garbed in strips of green cloth as opposed to your blue, pouring out buckets of what looks like water. As it flows down the hill to meet your steps, though, you immediately lose your balance and your feet slip out from under you, and you slide a short distance back down the hill. You get up, but, try it as you may, you cannot find stable footing in the wet grass, instead having to step on the few tufts that have grown too high for the liquid to cover them. Even with all their legs, the Kimek and Saryds fare no better, and find themselves in similar trouble, losing their balance again and again. Only the Arachi can press onward, digging down into the dirt beneath the grass with half their legs at each step. They slowly but surely help you and the others move up, and eventually you reach the gate, only to find that the groups that came from the sides are already working on busting it open. You can also see what the Kimek meant when she spoke of "thorns;" tufts of vicious, reddish barbs nearly as long as your arm cover the logs that make up the walls.`
			choice
				`	(Try and find another way in.)`
					goto attwr
				`	(Help the others bust the gate open.)`
			`	You start pushing along with the others, the Saryds joining you from below, and the Kimek and Arachi crawling up to push at the top of the gate. They take turns with each others when one gets tired so that someone is always pushing, even though their attempts aren't the most effective. After a while, you hear a cracking noise, and the gate finally begins budging slightly, as if something barricading it had broken off. As the latecomers of the main force come up, bringing with them the battering ram, everyone makes way for them to begin hammering it against the gate. The gate shudders with each hit and gradually begins to give even more, but even the battering ram team cannot break through fast enough as the whistle from the start of the event sounds again. Evidently this means that time has run out, and the defenders have won.`
				goto lost
			label attwr
			`	You and a part of the group stick close to the walls and follow along them to the other side, careful not to scratch yourself on the thorns along the fort. You soon find another, smaller gate, and begin pushing. Unlike what you can see of the efforts you left at the main gate, you can feel this one budging immediately, and there is no slick ground to worry about. Once they realize the vulnerability of this gate, the Saryds in the group ask others to move out of the way. You are a bit startled as they suddenly charge it in unison, almost forcing it open with a single concerted effort. More defenders come to hold it, though, and the gate becomes increasingly difficult to move any further. One Arach heads back to the main group to call for more help, but when they arrive, so do more defenders. The struggle continues for many minutes, with the attackers alongside you unable to make a final breakthrough. The whistle sounds again, marking the end of the battle, announcing that the defenders have won.`
				goto lost
			label attr
			`	You follow a group to the edges of this set, losing some time before beginning your run up the hill. Once you finally start making your way up, you turn to see the main group repeatedly tripping and falling back. It seems the defenders, who are wearing green identifiers instead of blue, are pouring some slippery liquid down from the battlements above the gate, slowing those that are coming along a direct path. You reach the top while the main force still struggles, and your group makes its way to the gate. On your way, you see what the Kimek meant when she spoke of "thorns," with closely-spaced tufts of vicious, reddish barbs nearly as long as your arm covering the logs that make up the walls. You reach the gate, but as you push and push, it refuses to budge even the slightest bit, clearly having been barricaded from the inside. The main group eventually catches up to you, but even with many more people pushing now, the gate still holds firm and unmoving.`
			choice
				`	(Try and find another way in.)`
					goto attrr
				`	(Continue trying to bust the gate open.)`
			`	You start pushing along with the others, the Saryds joining you from below, and the Kimek and Arachi crawling up to push at the top of the gate. They take turns with each others when one gets tired so that someone is always pushing, even though their attempts aren't the most effective. After a while, you hear a cracking noise, and the gate finally begins budging slightly, as if something barricading it had broken off. As the latecomers of the main force come up, bringing with them the battering ram, everyone makes way for them to begin hammering it against the gate. The gate shudders with each hit and gradually begins to give even more, but even the battering ram team cannot break through fast enough as the whistle from the start of the event sounds again. Evidently this means that time has run out, and the defenders have won.`
				goto lost
			label attrr
			`	You and a part of the group stick close to the walls and follow along them to the other side, careful not to scratch yourself on the thorns along the fort. You soon find another, smaller gate, and begin pushing. Unlike what you can see of the efforts you left at the main gate, you can feel this one budging immediately, and there is no slick ground to worry about. Once they realize the vulnerability of this gate, the Saryds in the group ask others to move out of the way. You are a bit startled as they suddenly charge it in unison, almost forcing it open with a single concerted effort. More defenders come to hold it, though, and the gate becomes increasingly difficult to move any further. One Arach heads back to the main group to call for more help, but when they arrive, so do more defenders. The struggle continues for a while, before you hear loud bangs from the other side of the fort. The Kimek organizer comes around the back to tell everyone to return to the main entrance. As you come to the main gate, you see the battering ram has forced the main gate open, something that must've been made easier with so many leaving it unguarded to instead defend the back gate. With that, the whistle sounds again, marking the end of the battle, announcing that the attackers have won.`
			label won
			`	The Kimek organizer in charge of your side starts a cheer, which quickly spreads to the others. After the leaders of both teams meet to greet each other, everyone is asked to return the colored cloth they were given and make their way down the hill. Your group is pointed to a nearby building to wash off any dirt, if needed. Once you're all cleaned up, you head back to the camp, where the Kimek who brought you here is waiting to guide your group to many short tables with plates on them; apparently, the reward for winning is a feast. As most of those who participate are Kimek, almost all of the food comes the way they prefer it: a soupy, half-digested mess. Thankfully there are a few meals prepared the way the other species like them, meaning you can pick one prepared for Saryds; their meals are the closest you can get to human cuisine here.`
			`	The Saryd first course offered consists of many cooked vegetables, arranged in a little mound on the plate, with a thin trail of steam still coming from them. Talking with the organizers, you learn that the meals are meant to represent the produce of the fort's "farm," and that those who win earn the right to the banquet. Once you're done eating, you return to where the train dropped you off and get on the next one heading back to the spaceport.`
				decline
			label lost
			`	The Kimek organizer of the other side starts a cheer, which quickly spreads to the others. After the leaders of both teams meet to greet each other, everyone is asked to return the colored cloth they were given and make their way down the hill. Your group is pointed to a nearby building to wash off any dirt, if needed. Once you're all cleaned up, the Kimek who brought you here is waiting by the camp to guide your opponents to many short tables with plates on them; apparently, the reward for winning is a feast. "A shame it is, that lost the battle your team has," he says. "But hopefully, still fun with the event you had."`
			`	Before he leaves with the victors, he explains a bit more about the event, telling you that the meals that will be served at the banquet are meant to represent the produce of the fort's "farm," and that those who win earn the right to it. Finally, he thanks you for participating, and goes with the winners to the tables. You return to where the train dropped you off and get on the next one heading back to the spaceport.`
				decline


