I was hoping when this board was established that we could raise cynicism to the loftiest of eloquent heights, as clearly no elder experienced fighter would share strategies on a bb, and naturally only young fighters feel their conflicts introduce Ava

lon to something new.

Cheers to Flogga for brilliantly meeting the challenge of this board, each post of yours is like a giant grey boulder lobbed directly through the flimsy half-rational constructions of the preceding 400 or so posts.

I have always liked you.

To offer something pseudo-practical instead of just agreeing with you, though, I will say I consider challenges - whether defined as honourable or sacred, or defined only by the power the combatants have to enforce it - somewhat strategic.

If a knight goads a thief into a mutual challenge, using whatever rhetoric (sincerely or manipulatively) he can, then that knight has just assured something of a strategic advantage in the fight.

Thieves have been more effective against me, at least, when I have to spend a few minutes figuring out who they actually are and where they're headed. To neutralize hit-and-run tactics, which are a large part of a thief's arsenal, make them challenge

and come to you.

A knight does well to wage arguments for the sacredness of challenges, his skills benefit when some of us agree with him.

I'm sure Julian, Arthor, and the rest are sincere in their beliefs about justice, and that only someone like me would use such a thing for strategic advantage regardless of belief.

S

Written by my hand on the 27th of Paglost, in the year 981.