Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal - part II

I'd forgotten Tom ran through a couple of characters like that. The irony about the first story is that at a typical Tsolyani party, if you have ANY social graces, any vestige of intelligence, or even average looks, it's about as much work to set up an amorous encounter as it is to get a beer out of my fridge.

Of course, let's not forget the differences between Tsolyani and late 20th century American culture. The old 50's beach movie routine of the guy pretending to yawn and putting his arm down around the girl's shoulders would be insulting to a young Tsolyani woman, as you are implying either she is too stupid to understand what you are doing, or to ignorant to discuss sex openly.

Phil pretty much had no time for "coy." Knowing Umbreen I'm not surprised...

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

I'd forgotten Tom ran through a couple of characters like that. The irony about the first story is that at a typical Tsolyani party, if you have ANY social graces, any vestige of intelligence, or even average looks, it's about as much work to set up an amorous encounter as it is to get a beer out of my fridge.

Agreed. He just never really seemed to understand how the societies worked, of how to deal with the people we met.

Well, waddya do, eh? Send Turning Wheel another twenty kaitars for this year's fee...

Worth every hlash.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Of course, let's not forget the differences between Tsolyani and late 20th century American culture. The old 50's beach movie routine of the guy pretending to yawn and putting his arm down around the girl's shoulders would be insulting to a young Tsolyani woman, as you are implying either she is too stupid to understand what you are doing, or to ignorant to discuss sex openly.

Phil pretty much had no time for "coy." Knowing Umbreen I'm not surprised...

Oh, yes indeed. He never did learn how to ask politely, sad to say...

Ah, me. Some people's children.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

It's in the book, in Book Five. You may not have that part yet, so...

Three million kaitars.

At 3 grams each, that's nine million grams of gold; some tons worth, as you might guess. (About sixteen cubic feet of filthy lucre.) He'd dumped it ll into the Imperial treasury in Hekellu, issuing himself a writ for the money that he figured that he could cash back in the central empire and then took off. Phil was pretty cheesed off at him for bugging out, and took a moment out of the game play to politely remind Yours Truly that there was an entry on my 3x5 card saying that the Imperium owed me some money. Lord Takodai, the NPC Governor, took this opportunity to make good on the writ and pay off the Imperial debt. I located and hired a very secure vault, at very high speed.

Decades later, I was watching "Rome" one of Phil's favorites, and there is a scene where one of the heroes discovers a wagon full of the treasury of the Temple of Saturn. I laughed all over again, as I knew Phil had...

Yes you are right it is in the book. I had forgotten about it until you mentioned the secure vault.
Good old Titus Pullo my all time favourite TV character. "Thirteenth! Thirteenth!"

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

Yes you are right it is in the book. I had forgotten about it until you mentioned the secure vault.
Good old Titus Pullo my all time favourite TV character. "Thirteenth! Thirteenth!"

And some very good guardians, too...

Phil really liked the series, and I think GMs would find it both illuminating and useful for ideas and plots.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

And some very good guardians, too...

Phil really liked the series, and I think GMs would find it both illuminating and useful for ideas and plots.

Sometimes it seems to me, people are so obsessed with stressing the "alien" "non-western" character of Tekumel (oh look, Mayans in space!) that they downplay the huge classical Hellenistic/Imperial-Roman Mediterranean elements in the Professor's grand pastiche. It's a mashup sure, with a lot of ingredients, but much of it really isn't as "non-western" as some people pretend.