Riddles!

[samsoneffect]

I make decisions you cannot, I pay the piper's price,
Hold on to those of me you've got, or I'll vanish in a trice.
Two-faced, seldom by myself, I'm a welcome sight indeed,
For whether human, gnome, or elf, I'll get you what you need.
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The fool is he who swears by me, and yet the fool I bless,
My touch is felt in poker, but seldom felt in chess.
In battle I can save your life, or cut you with a subtle knife,
And turn my back on those for whom I'm lost,
My name can be the same as gold, by any name, I help the bold,
But trusting in me bears a hidden cost.
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If you try to hold me, I burn like unto a fire,
But if you cannot take me, you will certainly expire.
The strongest man alive can hold me for a little while,
But a weakling could achieve the same, without a loss of smile.
I cannot be touched but can be held,
Cannot be seen, but sometimes smelled.
Neither poor nor rich are of me bereft,
But the aged have far fewer left.
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I always take the given path, I shun the harder way,
But I can grind stone into dust, if given time to play.
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GO!