Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Path: netcom.com!netcomsv!decwrl!sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!csn!yuma!lamar!arsmith From: arsmith@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Alan Smith) Subject: [Green] Descent on the park. Sender: news@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU (News Account) Message-ID: Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 04:23:47 GMT Nntp-Posting-Host: lamar.acns.colostate.edu Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 Lines: 44 Professor Bowwin, Hubert Lansing (A&P), Elanor Underhill (A&P), Withhold Tellstory (Majo-eek), and Palandun Lintesul (pure-eek) strode onto the green, what the locals called Kron Park, carrying large packs mostly full of delicate equipment. Bowwin, Lansing, and Lintesul were humans, Underhill was a Hobbit (Hey, it's a common name, gimme a break), and Tellstory was a Kender. Every- body but Bowwin was a grad student, and everybody but Underhill was male. "Prof," Palandun said, surveying the land with the eye of a tactician, "I think we should camp atop that hill." "What's wrong with here?" The professor asked. "Close to the water, even." "Er...Nothing, actually. I always look at prospective campsites with an eye towards defence." "You should probably have gone to St. Cuthberts, then." Elanor said, laughing while she shucked her pack. "There's small enough work for us pure-eeks." Palandun replied, ditching his own pack. He pulled out his mess-kit, went down and filled his water-flask, and suddenly realized they neglected to bring firewood. With a word to his companions about where he was going, He went off to find some. And returned two hours later, shaking his head, but without any wood. "What?" The Prof asked, first to note Palandun's consternation. "I didn't find any dead wood." Palandun replied. "Well, that's only to be expected," Withold said, "It *is* a very young forest." "I didn't find any dead *anything*." Palandun continued. "Not even grass. Look for yourself." The rest of them did, and didn't find anything either. "That's some serious decomposition." one of them remarked. "Maybe we should sleep on the rocks tonight." Another one said. "Nah." The Professor decreed, "I think the decomposers can tell the difference between a warm body and a cold, dead one." "I still think we should put up a watch, at least." Palandun said, going through the watch assignments in his head. "All right, Paranoid one, how do you propose to decide who wakes when, draw lots?" "Withold and you from sunset to ten, then Withold sleeps and you wake Hubert, at twelve you sleep and Hubert wakes Elanor, at two Hubert sleeps and Elanor wakes Me, at Four Elanor sleeps and I wake Withold. At six the sun rises. That way everybody has a partner keeping them awake, and the watches are staggered so we get some variety in our watches." Everybody agreed with the plan, so the settled down t a cold dinner and the night watches. Nobody would be able to report anything save an owl, and maybe some other birds. Definitely nothing unusual, besides maybe the lack of sleep. Promptly they started to work.