(1209) AFD Translation Competition

[Key]

Along the alcoves on the far end of the former church there were a few tables set out with laminated pieces of text on them. Beside is paper and writing tools for the competition.

"To keep my mind in control I numbered the blows, but after twenty lost count and could feel only the shapeless weight of pain, not tearing claws, for which I had prepared, but a gradual cracking apart of my whole being by some too-great force whose waves rolled up my spine till they were pent within my brain, to clash terribly together. Somewhere in the place a cheap clock ticked loudly, and it distressed me that their beating was not in time. I writhed and twisted, but was held so tightly that my struggles were useless...As the punishment proceeded the whip fell more and more upon existing weals, biting blacker or more wet, till my flesh quivered with accumulated pain, and with terror of the next blow coming. They soon conquered my determination not to cry, but while my will ruled my lips I used only Arabic, and before the end a merciful sickness choked my utterence."
- T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Please check the rules on This post

[Vassagon]

Toren ran over giddily to the translation tables. He wasn't sure what would be involved with this but since learning the basics of high speech he had found the text fascinating and wanted to test his application of the language. "Oh this should be very enlightening," he commented aloud.

[Cryotic]

Translations were somethng Orpheus didnt find very exciting, but he could easily remember the english counterpart to any language he so chose to learn. Which, sorta unfortunately really, limited him to english and high speech. "The mind is a powerful thing, is it not? he called out to both Toren and the other mage. "Im just glad that they have compititions I can do well in. At least he wouldn't entirely screw up in all the compititions.

[Vae]

Why am I even doing this?

Why did I even include it as an option? Vaeltia thought as she slid into a chair and stared at the passage. There had been a reason, it wasn’t one that she wanted to really think about, but there would be at least one person in the room that might understand the why behind it all.

[Key]

You may start posting rolls and descriptions at any time

[Toren]

  Translation Efforts, Three hours

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2012-10-02 14:50:54		Toren rolls 6 to sixth series of translations [Int+Academics] (10 Again)		1, 6, 9, 8, 1, 2		2 successes
2012-10-02 14:50:31		Toren rolls 5 to fifth series of translations (the rest of it) (10 Again)		2, 1, 8, 3, 7		1 success
2012-10-02 14:50:09		Toren rolls 1 to fifth series of translations [Int+Academics] (10 Again)		3		failure
2012-10-02 14:49:56		Toren rolls 6 to fourth series of translations [Int+Academics] (10 Again)		5, 1, 3, 2, 5, 5		failure
2012-10-02 14:49:33		Toren rolls 6 to third series of translations [Int+Academics] (10 Again)		3, 9, 10, 10, 7, 7, 6, 5		3 successes
2012-10-02 14:49:15		Toren rolls 6 to second series of translations [Int+Academics] (10 Again)		6, 9, 7, 10, 4, 3, 3		2 successes
2012-10-02 14:48:58		Toren rolls 6 to first series of translations [Int+Academics] (10 Again)		8, 3, 2, 2, 8, 2		2 successes

Toren thought he would do well with this, initially. But as he began writing out the symbols his mind began to wander, perhaps getting lost in the detail or just from a lack of attention. In any case his first attempt came out like so (possibly):

My mind numbered blows in place, twenty felt shapeless heavy pain, cutting claws I knew before, -gibberish- harrowed pattern ultimate force rolled up my spine into mind, at bad odds together.

No, wait, that can't be right, he reads back over the symbols. Toren had left out certain important characters. This was difficult. It challenged his memory, training under Lux's tutorship. Ah Lux, where had you disappeared to, it's been so long...

As punishment moved forward the whip fell many times upon existing -gibberish- eating wet black flesh quivering in growing pain, fear of the next blow.

By the time Toren had even come close to the final translation his paper was a mess of symbols, some crossed out and edited and taking more time than he meant.

[Vae]

  3suxx, 1 hour before failure

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2012-10-02 21:38:53		[02] Vaeltia rolls 2 to Translations [Int+Academics-3] (10 Again)		10, 6, 9		2 successes
2012-10-02 21:38:53		[01] Vaeltia rolls 2 to Translations [Int+Academics-3] (10 Again)		8, 1		1 success

She looked at the quote, more specifically she looked at the number of words there were, and her complete inability to even think of what it would translate into. The whole competition of translations was a bad idea. And there were people around her just zipping along with it.

Words to symbols, she couldn’t even read the scrawl that was on the Written in Water. That was in High Speach or Atlantean or whatever. It was virtually unintelligible.

She had never learned the damn language, she couldn’t even use it to cast spells.

And she was trying to translate english...it was english, right?...into Atlantean, a language she had no grasp on except for the small sigil that meant Obrimos.

Like that would help.

She breathed out as she mostly started doodling, pulling some of the sigils off of the walls of the Circle, and generally guessing where they went.

It wasn’t the best of work, but some time later she looked down.

And then crumpled the paper up and tossed it.

She wasn’t good at translations any way... at least she had tried.

[Cryotic]

  2.5 hours before required successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2012-10-03 15:17:37		Orpheus (translate) rolls 6 to Really dice? Current time: 2 hours not including this roll (10 Again)		1, 8, 7, 3, 2, 9		2 successes
2012-10-03 15:16:35		Orpheus rolls 6 to Translate after an hour and 30 minutes (10 Again)		6, 4, 5, 3, 1, 3		failure
2012-10-03 15:16:01		Orpheus rolls 6 to Translate after an hour (10 Again)		7, 4, 10, 9, 7, 9, 9		4 successes
2012-10-03 15:15:29		Orpheus rolls 6 to Translate after 30 minutes (10 Again)		9, 1, 1, 7, 7, 8		2 successes
2012-10-03 15:14:47		Orpheus rolls 6 to Translate (10 Again)		2, 6, 1, 10, 4, 8, 8		3 successes

Orpheus quickly began scribbling down the symbols he had memorized above the words in the passage. lets see here, the symbol for claw, clock, twenty, brain, andso on... Nouns were fairly easy for him to use, as they only had one symbol, the hard part was translating adjectives and such that describe ideas or qualites rather than concrete things. Certain words had slipped through his current knowledge of High Speech, and were simply guessed at them using symbols that represented simpler things than the actual word Time, however, had begun slipping the Scientist's notice, as it does when he is too occupied with his work. When he had completed the passage to his satisfaction, two and a half hours had already passed.

Toren's still working, and Vaeltia gave up entirely not long after she started, as for the other person though...