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Post by Judge Sam on Nov 14, 2007 22:00:43 GMT -5
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Post by Judge Sam on Nov 14, 2007 22:07:02 GMT -5
The Bishop was coming back.
It had been a very long time, four weeks in fact, since the stern old man had come to the Burg. In that time the Bishop’s hair had gotten a little grayer, his gait had gotten a little wobblier, and his temperament had gotten a lot more angrier.
Before this had all began, the idea that the Burg would resist had never once entered the Bishop’s mind. As the events of the past month happened one by one, it had seemed like every setback had to have been the last. Things had to have gotten better, and the Church had to be on the brink of getting it’s way. But despite this misconception, the Bishop and the Orthodoxy were light years away from reaching their ultimate goals.
The Mayor and her Traditionalists experienced the same frustration. When she had stood up to the Bishop on that dramatic night 28 days ago, she never imagined the resistance would get this brutal. Who could have guessed that the Official Church would care so much about a backwater village? Tragedy after tragedy, loss after loss, had hit her team hard. Maybe there was a time where they could have afforded a surrender. Maybe they could have cut their losses back then.
But they were far, far too deep in things now. Neither side could afford to give up, not after how much they had lost. Not after how much they had sacrificed. It was all or nothing, death or control. The struggle hadn’t even become about the core principles and ethics each group espoused to their followers at rallies. It wasn’t about creating a safe place for their families and friends to live. And it wasn’t about fighting for Religion and for what’s right.
It was about one thing: Winning.
SAFE:      VULNERABLE:         |
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Post by Judge Sam on Nov 14, 2007 22:13:37 GMT -5
Although the two groups of Spies thought they didn’t have a choice but to continue on, in reality there was only one group that had zero other options: the Citizens. The town where the battles would be fought was their Burg, their home, their birthplace. Literally everything they accumulated during their lives – buildings, friends, livestock, memories, possessions, and family – was a part of the town.
They couldn’t give up trying to save the town because there was nowhere else for them to go. If either group of the Spies lost, sure the Burg would be under someone else’s control for awhile, but it would still be there. If the Citizens lost, the Burg would probably be reduced to ashes for good.
When the Bishop came to visit, the Mayor decided she was going to be prepared. The first time he had come to the town she had greeted him with feasts, games, and a celebration. She never expected his antagonistic sermon and firm ultimatum that divided the town into two. This time the Mayor had a different plan for the Bishop’s visit.
She was going to prevent the Bishop from coming to the Burg by force. Though the Burg didn’t have a defensive wall around the city, the Mayor decided she was going to build one.
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Post by Judge Sam on Nov 14, 2007 22:18:38 GMT -5
One quick pace around the perimeter of the Burg quickly shot down the “build a giant wall” theory. Even if the whole town spent the entire next month building one it wouldn’t be completed in time. The Bishop was coming in just under a week.
Not losing hope, the Mayor decided to build a smaller blockade around the main entrance into the Burg. The wagons and caravans would have to get into the city somehow, and if she could create a front gate on the main road she would be in control.
She ordered all her subordinates to go recruit help around the city while she drew up the blueprints. She decided she was going to build a large beam connecting two two-story buildings that stood near the entrance. Then they would lay upright wooden beams under it to form the foundation. She spent the whole first day drawing up the blueprints of the structure and planning its construction.
Her helpers came back at night with the people they had managed to recruit during the day. Some of her allies had been abused both physically and verbally. Many villagers were not happy with her plan to block out the Bishop, many of whom were in support of. As a result, the turnout for recruits was scarce. Only ten more people came to help. SAFE: VULNERABLE: |
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Post by Judge Sam on Nov 14, 2007 22:24:05 GMT -5
Finally, after nearly a week of nonstop labor, the wall was finished. Looking at the massive gate with pride, the Mayor and her supporters sat on the ground. This was the very first break any of them had taken on the project.
They promptly fell asleep.
The Bishop and his entourage strolled confidently into the Burg directly through the front gate’s open doors. The people sleeping on the ground were so exhausted that not even the Bishop’s hearty guffawing could wake them from their slumber.
The Bishop set up camp in the middle of the city. By this point the Burg had effectively split into two – the supporters of the Church on one half and the supporters of the local tradition on the other half. The middle ground was Main Street, an extremely wide dirt road separating the two halves.
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Post by Judge Sam on Nov 14, 2007 22:30:42 GMT -5
This time it was the Bishop who was awoken from his nap by the yelling of a screaming woman outside the window.
“GET OUT OF MY TOWN YOU CALLOUS CARDINAL! YOU CARELESS CLERIC!"
“What the hell is that racket?” The Bishop murmured, awakening. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he sat up to see the Mayor’s furious, wrathful face spewing spittle from her enraged lips and onto the window.
“CONFOUNDED CHAPLAIN!”
“Jesus Christ woman!” exasperated the Bishop, calling for his servants. They came into his room and began to dress him in his garbs and robes while the Mayor continued shouting epithets at him.
“CONTEMPTIBLE CURATE!”
By the time the Bishop was dressed and ready to meet the Mayor she had gone silent, having run out of alliterative insults. But when the Bishop got outside he realized that it wasn’t just the Mayor he’d be talking to. Hundreds of supporters stood directly behind an invisible line going down the middle of the road.
The Bishop looked to his left to see that hundreds of his own supporters had also gathered. They too began to line up along the middle of the road, staring angrily at the other group.
“CONCEITED CHARLATAN!” The Mayor burst out, smiling at her creativity. But after her final provocation the Burg went silent. Completely silent. No one said a word as they stared at each other.
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Post by Judge Sam on Nov 14, 2007 22:37:22 GMT -5
Both sides stared at each other in the eye, daring the other to begin what could become a bloody battle.
But the Bishop had no intention of fighting a messy brawl in the middle of town. He had more sophisticated ways of getting his point across.
Suddenly, five knights on horseback galloped directly into the crowd. People climbed over each other in order to flee. Homing in on their target, the knights yanked them from the ground, knocked them out, threw them over their shoulder, and galloped away.
Johan has been kidnapped and Imprisoned by the Spies.
You will never see them again. [/center] Johan : please post Final Words in your confessional immediately. Judge Sam: “I am sad to see you go Johan. I know you were busy in the beginning of the game but for the past few episodes you really started to get into the swing of things. Reading every confessional you posted recently really got me involved in your gameplay. I also loved reading your conversations – for those that got to talk to you your way of speaking is humorous and endearing. It is a sad time for you to go especially when things were looking so up for you. I hope you enjoyed your 39 days in the game and I will enjoy talking with you in the Loser’s Lounge.” Johan was a Citizen. Judge Sam: “Johan is gone, and 13 remain. After Exile IX-1 on Thursday and Exile IX-2 on Saturday we will be down to just 10. 3 Spies remain. Let’s try and knock one down in the next few days, shall we?”[/size]
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