Paul's Kingdom
"I'm not going home with you," you stamp your foot. "I know you, Tom. You'll just make fun of me."
Tom continues to soften. "It's okay, Paul. Are you afraid of how sad Dad's been? Because it's okay to be afraid. He'll get over it."
"I'm not afraid!" you shriek, now losing control. You pick up a cobble and hurl it at your brother. He nimbly dodges the inaccurate throw.
"Now that's not allowed," he grins. "You could hurt me."
"That's just what I want to do! Now leave!" For good measure, you chase Tom out of the woods with a bamboo stick you found a month ago. You successfully eradicate Tom from your kingdom and heave a sigh.
Back to business. The Yuras. You shoulder your bamboo stick, a weapon that had been quite a find. You had previously thought that bamboo only grew in faraway places like China, but lo and behold there was a bamboo patch ten minutes from your house! You had discovered the intense pain a fully-grown bamboo stick induces when you slapped Tom with it later. The particular bamboo stick you now have had personally found the skulls of many Yuras.
You return to your court. Murgog looks at you grimly. "You've got a great brother, Paul," he comments sardonically.
"He's not so bad," you say defensively. "Could be worse."
Once again, it is Restuit who brings you back to attention. "The Yuras, my king. What are we going to do?"
"Attack them," you say firmly. "For too long have they hindered the development of the kingdom. I will not let little green monsters impede the progress of my city. We'll go fight them."
"Excellent choice, my lord," Q'iol breathes. "Finally, we will rid ourselves of the Yuras."
"I also think you have made a good choice, Paul," Restuit agrees. "It's time we take it to the Yuras; we really need more people here."
Vero still looks nervous. "Well, just promise us you won't do anything stupid, my king."
"I won't," you promise. "So, who's coming with me?"
"I'll come with you," Q'iol offers.
"Well, if he's going, I better go too," Vero sighs.
"And I will come to protect you," Restuit declares. "If you die, there basically is no kingdom. We all depend on you."
"Right. So let's go."
"And what about me?" Murgog asks apprehensively. "Can't I come?"
"You've got a temple to create. You've been procrastinating."
"Yeah." Murgog appears crestfallen and stays behind as you lead the others to the lands of the Yuras.
The Yuras are deeper into the woods behind your house; past your kingdom. While the Yuras only cross the unofficial border about once a week, they make the citizens of your kingdom nervous and prevent the expansion of the kingdom.
In addition to that, the citizens of your kingdom are basically defenseless because you're the only one strong enough to defeat a Yura.
You lead the group to the creek that separates your lands from the Yuran homelands. Two days ago there had been a fierce storm, raising the level of the stream to heights you'd never seen.
And the bridge is gone. Previously, there had been a rickety bridge strung across the creek. But now it's gone.
You stop in your tracks. "What are we going to do? There's no bridge."
"Go across anyway!" Q'iol proposes. "We need to get to Yura as soon as we can."
"No." Vero again has his concerned look on his face. "It is too dangerous. We can either go back or find a way around."
"Find a way around?" Q'iol seethes. "That'd take forever! Paul's gotta go back to his other home eventually, remember?"
You turn to Restuit, who always seems to take the middle ground. "What do you think, my general?"
For once, Restuit appears indecisive. "Well, Q'iol is right, it would take many hours for us to reach the Yuras' homeland if we go around. But then again, it would be dangerous. If we try to cross, we could be swept away by the force of the creek."
You remember having crossed the creek before without a bridge. But not with the water at this height.
Tom continues to soften. "It's okay, Paul. Are you afraid of how sad Dad's been? Because it's okay to be afraid. He'll get over it."
"I'm not afraid!" you shriek, now losing control. You pick up a cobble and hurl it at your brother. He nimbly dodges the inaccurate throw.
"Now that's not allowed," he grins. "You could hurt me."
"That's just what I want to do! Now leave!" For good measure, you chase Tom out of the woods with a bamboo stick you found a month ago. You successfully eradicate Tom from your kingdom and heave a sigh.
Back to business. The Yuras. You shoulder your bamboo stick, a weapon that had been quite a find. You had previously thought that bamboo only grew in faraway places like China, but lo and behold there was a bamboo patch ten minutes from your house! You had discovered the intense pain a fully-grown bamboo stick induces when you slapped Tom with it later. The particular bamboo stick you now have had personally found the skulls of many Yuras.
You return to your court. Murgog looks at you grimly. "You've got a great brother, Paul," he comments sardonically.
"He's not so bad," you say defensively. "Could be worse."
Once again, it is Restuit who brings you back to attention. "The Yuras, my king. What are we going to do?"
"Attack them," you say firmly. "For too long have they hindered the development of the kingdom. I will not let little green monsters impede the progress of my city. We'll go fight them."
"Excellent choice, my lord," Q'iol breathes. "Finally, we will rid ourselves of the Yuras."
"I also think you have made a good choice, Paul," Restuit agrees. "It's time we take it to the Yuras; we really need more people here."
Vero still looks nervous. "Well, just promise us you won't do anything stupid, my king."
"I won't," you promise. "So, who's coming with me?"
"I'll come with you," Q'iol offers.
"Well, if he's going, I better go too," Vero sighs.
"And I will come to protect you," Restuit declares. "If you die, there basically is no kingdom. We all depend on you."
"Right. So let's go."
"And what about me?" Murgog asks apprehensively. "Can't I come?"
"You've got a temple to create. You've been procrastinating."
"Yeah." Murgog appears crestfallen and stays behind as you lead the others to the lands of the Yuras.
The Yuras are deeper into the woods behind your house; past your kingdom. While the Yuras only cross the unofficial border about once a week, they make the citizens of your kingdom nervous and prevent the expansion of the kingdom.
In addition to that, the citizens of your kingdom are basically defenseless because you're the only one strong enough to defeat a Yura.
You lead the group to the creek that separates your lands from the Yuran homelands. Two days ago there had been a fierce storm, raising the level of the stream to heights you'd never seen.
And the bridge is gone. Previously, there had been a rickety bridge strung across the creek. But now it's gone.
You stop in your tracks. "What are we going to do? There's no bridge."
"Go across anyway!" Q'iol proposes. "We need to get to Yura as soon as we can."
"No." Vero again has his concerned look on his face. "It is too dangerous. We can either go back or find a way around."
"Find a way around?" Q'iol seethes. "That'd take forever! Paul's gotta go back to his other home eventually, remember?"
You turn to Restuit, who always seems to take the middle ground. "What do you think, my general?"
For once, Restuit appears indecisive. "Well, Q'iol is right, it would take many hours for us to reach the Yuras' homeland if we go around. But then again, it would be dangerous. If we try to cross, we could be swept away by the force of the creek."
You remember having crossed the creek before without a bridge. But not with the water at this height.