Book 2 - Text Updates 004
Vurp‘s allied side had a strange warlord named Lord Hamster.
This warlord was strange in more than one way.
His first strangeness was that he talked to Hobgobwins in strange ways. He had once asked Vurp this: “How do you feel about that?”
The “that” was: “being the last Hobgobwin of your tribe, and rebuilding.”
Vurp did have one feeling about that: “proud.”
He also had one feeling about being asked by Lord Hamster about his feelings. That feeling was this: “awkward.”
Lord Hamster did not ask him about that feeling, however.
Lord Hamster‘s second strangeness was that he was not Chief Warlord any more, even though he had made his side very strong when they were very weak. He was like Vurp in that way. So he should have been a Chief like Vurp.
He thought he should ask Lord Hamster “How do you feel about that?” But he did not. Vurp was not strange in that way.
His third strangeness was that Lord Hamster did not know what a warlord should know. Vurp knew this because he had ordered Vurp to walk rounds with him one time. On the rounds, Lord Hamster asked him more than ten things a warlord should know. Some of those things were these:
Natural Allies such as Hobgobwins have their own languages, and only some units in a tribe speak Language.
Natural Allies know the will of their tribe‘s Chief or Chiefs by Natural Thinkamancy, even from other hexes.
Tribes have no purse and keep no Shmuckers. When they are in an alliance, their allied side pops rations for them from its treasury. But a feral tribe must hunt or gather or farm or mine.
If they are given Shmuckers, the tribe must convert it all to new or promoted units or popped rations or equipment on the next turn.
Lord Hamster did not know any of this. He wrote it down to remember. Strange.
Lord Hamster also asked more than one question about making alliance and breaking alliance. Vurp told him that the Chief or Chiefs make such decisions. Such decisions are serious. Changing such decisions is also serious. A tribe prefers to stay with their allied side for good, if the side allows it.
Vurp believed in the wisdom of this. His tribe was now very strong, because he had stayed with Lord Stanley, even until he was the only one left.
Vurp had more than one feeling about Lord Stanley.
When the march around the city had ended that day, Vurp also had more than one feeling about Lord Hamster. One of these feelings was this: “trust.”
So when Lord Hamster had asked him about the fall of King Saline IV, Vurp had one feeling about lying to him. That feeling was this: “guilt.”
After more than ten turns, Vurp still had that feeling.