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Challenge #04935-M186: Legal Rites

Invited to a dwarven wedding, and you’re not sure if this is a joining ceremony or a courtroom proceeding. Either way, you hope you brought the right gift. -- Weirdlet

The ceremony was in a beautiful cavern, where stalactites and stalagmites were decorated with glowing crystals and fungi. The surface world had its traditions. Flowers. Manner of dress. Vows. On the surface, the marrying partners met each other in the middle and there were portents regarding how quickly they did it.

Here in the D'varuv portions of the Everdark, the marrying partners came with lawyers. All dressed to the best of their ability. The would-be matrimonial participants were wearing their wealth on their bodies, while the rest were merely wearing their best clothing. Each parent or guardian argued their reasons why their child should remain in their family, before each child argued why they should wed.

All of it was in formal D'varuk, so Espial was completely lost. He was the only Hellkin and the only outsider, invited there by Reinwulyn, and feeling like the only petunia in the onion patch. Or rather, the tallest poppy in the field.

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Challenge #04934-M185: Had a Bad Day

this is as close to a princess as the orcs reckon, and she is not amused -- Weirdlet

For untold centuries, the Harukh'ai were seen as the most Unwelcome People. Often cast as villains. Stereotyped as instantly aggressive or prone to violent outbursts. What people generally neglected to think about was that the Harukh'ai were nomadic folk with centuries-long migration paths and oral histories to match.

They needed them, because the crops other species failed to recognise took decades to grow to

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Challenge #04933-M184: As You Wish

In an alternate timeline, Earl Valiant Whitekeep catches wind that the elder God Wothyn is regaining strength thanks to the return of his son and his rival. With his wife heavily pregnant, he begs the elder God for help averting the curse. As he's made a deal with the hangman god and worded his request foolishly, this can only end well for everyone not named Valiant Whitekeep. -- Deathshead419

Whitekeep owed allegiance to Tyr by long and ancient tradition. The ancient Warlock

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Challenge #04932-M183: Suspicious Coded Messages

While transcribing her grandmother’s old handwritten recipes to send to a friend, a girl finds out that the ratios and measurements by pure coincidence match up to a heavily-restricted code, and is immediately flagged for red alert investigation. -- Tergon

Tell me you're in a highly-monitored fascist polity without telling me you're in a highly-monitored fascist polity...

Okay. So. Gamgam's actually my great-great gramma on account of the CEO's Breed 'Em And Weed 'Em policy. Basically have the kids as quickly

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Challenge #04931-M182: One Little Slip

A human decides to go and learn tons of languages. Ends up using the wrong whistling trill and accidentally insults a saurian's ancestors and has to do a dance-style apology ceremony! -- Bridget Kielas-Fecyk

Humans are versatile vocalists. Many are excellent at imitation. A rare few are creepy at being that excellent. Those are the Humans who are encouraged to become linguist, ambassadorial aids, and First Contact consultants.

It's encouraged, not mandatory. Mostly because of Human Zif.

He was one of the

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Challenge #04930-M181: Trees in the Way

Wraithvine suddenly loses access to all hir powers for no discernible reason right when it would be very convenient to have them, forcing hir to lean on an alternate source of power. -- Deathshead419

[AN: Considering how Wraithvine has had millennia to multiclass... I might go with anything. This is tangentially related to Important Developments ]

Good news, bad news, good news. Good news, the children were safe and far away from whatever this was by technicality. Bad news, ze couldn't open hir

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Challenge #04929-M180: In Daydreams of Daisies

"I disassociate for one afternoon and now I'm MARRIED?!" -- Your Humble Author

Princess Felicitee Miette Trajydiegh Parleighview de Maunterazz had a habit of retreating into her rich fantasy world and letting her body do what Lithonesse trained it to do. It was much more pleasant in her fantasy world, where she did little more but weave daisy crowns for a long, long queue of creatures happy to wait for her next daisy crown.

Everyone who was schooled in Lithonesse had their

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Challenge #04928-M179: Important Developments

Wraithvine and Bibrid take their two young family members to a beautiful lake for swimming lessons, and they get to meet the fly-dragon. Lilbit isn't impressed with water, but loves sunning herself. -- Bridget Kielas-Fecyk

[AN: Callback to Deserved Reward ]

Children need the best protection in the world - knowing how to survive various situations. How to find good food. How to cook it safely. How to preserve some for travel. How to truly use their gifts.

This day, it was how

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Challenge #04927-M178: A-Hunting They Will Go

There are ten stuffed heads in my trophy room right now. Two Game Wardens, Seven Hunters, and a Pure Bred Guernsey Cow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQyoSLOlglw -- Deathshead419

They say, when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. And it's a very apropos statement on the Terran Colony of Libertaria. Where every man is an island and all the homes are bulletproof.

They need to be bulletproof, because every spring is hunting season.

Where

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Challenge #04926-M177: Damned Foolish Stunt

Tilting at windmills -- Deathshead419

Kosh would have to apologise to Artie for insisting this mobile chair be disposable. Even though the autonomous automaton's face was immobile, it nevertheless managed o convey heatbreak and disappointment when he told it, "The chair won't last long anyway. Just make sure it will last long enough."

He'd have a lot of apologies to make if he survived this.

First and most importantly, to his beloved Cordelia, for making her wait nine months for his return

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Challenge #04925-M176: In Good Company

It's dangerous to go alone -- Spare AMitA Prompt

Pipi raised the sacred weapon and hollered the sacred vow, "I found a stick onna ground, an' now I'm gonna use it! All the power that I found, I don't wanna abuse it!" Their voice echoed in the streets and no other kids called challenge. Nobody else called dibs. The obvious next thing to do was become a Hero.

Which meant that Pipi needed to become a protector and helper to the poor,

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Challenge #04924-M175: Trust to Not Fall

Leap of Faith -- Spare AMitA Prompt

For such a small stone, the Icon of Edass weighed heavily inside a fold of Kosh's gi. As he raced across the rooftops of Arbordeep, he had to wonder how much of the stretched truth he told to Xiolein was something he covertly believed.

It was so easy to believe the artifact was cursed. Those who sought it had killed so many of those who held it. As well as unnumbered innocent bystanders who had

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Challenge #04923-M174: Monsters in the Night

Shh, they'll hear you -- Spare AMitA Prompt

In the Forest of Giants, a war has raged for centuries.

The Elves did not know that some trees were more alive than others. They did not have reason to ask before the first branch reached out and crushed the first Elf to bent a bivouac into someone's head. The actual war happened because they did not care to ask.

They were Elves. The first people to make civilisation as they defined it. They

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Challenge #04921-M172: Trouble in Them Hills

Them dang varmint demons -- Spare AMitA Prompt

Nate-Ray's old pickup made it to Winslow's Farm Supplies Warehouse and Car Repair. Right across from Rosie's Bar and Grill. Nate-Ray did pull up at the car repair side, chucking his keys to Sid, but then hustled his ass straight to the warehouse. That got a lot of attention, since Nate-Ray never did nothing more than a mosey anywhere.

Even Winslow got up from his napping chair instead of letting little Peggy see to

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Challenge #04920-M171: A Deal With... You Know

Friends on the Other Side -- Spare AMitA Prompt

Well hello there, new friend. What's your name? Very nice. Pleased to meet you. You may know me as Tolgrolaz, and I am very pleased to help you. You have to be desperate indeed to contact me. I know. Life is difficult. The very forces of the universe are against you. You've tried everything, and I have the infinite pleasure of being your last resort.

I'm not offended in the slightest. We're friends,

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