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Journey to the Centre of Arcanum - CYOA

ironyuri

Guest
Prologue, Part V.ii. (Final).

As the morning of the 26th breaks, you seem no nearer to your destination than before. Still the sea stretches out in all directions, with no land in sight. Dawn brings with it a great din on deck, angry shouts in coarse tones belonging undoubtedly to the crew pierce your uneasy sleep. You wake, wash and dress, and go above deck to investigate. Surely the ship cannot have been boarded by pirates, for that would be luck of the worst sort. Death might bring relief from your embarrassment at last night’s exchange with the 2nd Lieutenant.

Arriving on deck, you find some of the crew huddled together, the captain above them on the quarter deck, beside whom stands a fair-haired woman looking most dreadfully dishevelled. “Alright now, lads! Back to your posts! I’ll escort the stowaway below and see what the officers want done with ‘er! Keep your noses out of it, now!”
He gives the woman a push, directing her down the stairs. He spots you and beckons you over. “Here, Lieutenant Colonel, we found this one stowed away in the cargo hold. She had a camera and a few personal items with her; they’ve been locked away in my cabin for safekeeping. Might be best you take her to the Professor and set about finding out what she’s here for.”

The woman gives you a scandalised look as the captain places her in your custody.
“Unhand me you cretin! I’ll not be manhandled and dragged below deck for gods know what! I demand to see Professor Brockenlid this insant, sir!”

With no ready alternatives, you decide it best you take her to Brockenlid immediately. It is far too early in the morning to have her shrill cries further shaking your jangled nerves. Reaching the Professor’s cabin, you are welcomed in, while the Professor himself shows great interest in the new arrival.

“Take a seat both of you, please. And who might you be, madam? For what purpose have you stowed yourself away on this ship? It was chartered privately by myself, surely you are here mistakenly... or perhaps you are acquainted with a certain Professor Euler... would that be the case, madam?”
She smooths out her windswept hair and plucks at her skirts, restoring order to her appearance. She launches into an high velocity explanation of how exactly she came to be aboard the ship, “Professor Brockenlid, sir, it is a pleasure to meet you! Cochrane, Bonnie Cochane. Of the Tarantian! I was given this assignment by the editor himself you see, Professor. I’m here to cover your expedition, our readers need to know exactly what you discover and you know what they say about the early bird! It’s a long story, Professor... well, not that long really, you see I bribed one of the dockhands at Ashbury to sneak me aboard ship in one of the supply crates and I’ve been down there for the last two nights, and, oh gods it has been absolutely dreadful! The damp and the cold have been positively disastrous for my hair, sir! I was also becoming quite worried that my camera might be damaged, and then where would we be? Now, if you might ask the Captain to provide me a cabin, I can start working on the story, that’ll keep your expedition the talk of Tarant! Do please give me something as far away from all of these men as possible, though Professor! The ones that found me in the hold couldn’t keep their hands to themselves, the cads! Might I get a photo of you on deck with the team later this afternoon, sir? Oh that would look very good on the front page.” Finally she pauses for breath and before she can open her mouth again, the Professor holds up a finger to indicate silence.

“Dear girl, we cannot have you along with us! This expedition might become incredibly dangerous, we’ve no idea what awaits us—”

“Nonsense, Professor! Surely you’ve seen my travel columns in the Tarantian? Six Months in the Grey Wastes, Five Weeks in a Balloon! Last year, I took an assignment photographing the wrecked pirate vessels of the southern coast! I’m no fading violet, Professor, I’ll have you know. I may be a woman, but I can pull my bloody weight! Excuse the language.”
“Well, my girl... I suppose I have no reason to turn you down. You are here now, after all, and we can’t very well dump you at sea and send you on your way. I’ll arrange a cabin for you. I do believe, however, that it is imperative you return to the mainland with the Captain after we have made land. I won’t have you endangering yourself, or the safety of the expedition for the front page of the late edition, madam.”

*****

By mid-afternoon, the requisite arrangements have been made for Miss Cochrane, who is given the cabin which had been used by Mr. Langfield, for his part, Langfield has to make do with a smaller cabin off the galley. While he grumbles, he acknowledges that the remainder of the journey is now a formality.

Miss Cochrane joins the team for dinner at the Captain’s table that evening, during which she regales the group with tales of her exploits, photographing pirate wrecks off Razor’s Pointe. She claims even to have discovered the wreck of the Gypsy Shadow, once owned by Edward Teach, but lost some years past in storms off the Morbihan coast. Her beauty and charm seem to win over not only the Professors, Brockenlid and An’ar but soothe the sulking expression of Langfield as well. Maug, for his part, appears unmoved; though his gaze does seem to follow the sway of her hips when, to highlight the climaxes of her tales, she stands and gesticulates to drive the point home. All in all, she brings a pleasant, freer air to the as yet formal and academic discussions of the past night’s dinners.

With a few glasses of claret down you, and your bulging nose a beetroot red, even you discover your primal urge to put one up the appealing young thing. You do remind yourself to be weary of her, however, the Tarantian is oft the source of the most slanderous and vile exposés on the supposed doings of the city’s élite. You recall that one of your second cousins, a promising young politician angling for the Industrial Council, was caught in one such honeytrap. How anyone could possibly have believed the absolutely preposterous lies that were printed about allowing himself to be whipped by a half-orc, while he fornicated with livestock in the back room of Madam Lil’s you’ll never know. It has always seemed to you a distasteful sign of the times that the liberalised print media is given free rein to print such slanders.

By the end of the evening, Miss Cochrane has convinced Brockenlid, who has had more than one snifter of brandy it must be said, to allow her to accompany the expedition into the depths. The only objection to this prospect is raised by Maug himself, who attempts to remind the Professor that adding another to the party will stretch the capacity of the small military contingent charged with the safe passage of the expedition rather thin. While you harbour your own objections, you withhold them, the half-orc can make a fool of himself if he wishes. For all you care, he can be saddled with her, which will let you get on with your own affairs undisturbed.

*****
022.jpg
As dawn breaks on the 27th, the fourth day since the ship set off from Ashbury, land is sighted. Rising out of the eastern sea is the mysterious black isle, surrounded by shoals of sharp rock which have been the end of many an unweary Captain. The steamship slows, and the Captain turns the wheel hard to port. Alongside the rest of the team, you are standing on the quarterdeck, watching as the island looms ever closer.

A great black spike juts into the air, a volcanic peak which marks the islet out against the seemingly endless sea. The Captain deftly navigates the rocky inlets, finding a small rocky bay on the windward side of the island, he brings the ship in as close to the island as he might without running aground.

036.jpg

The expedition and its supplies are loaded into the landing craft, and you set off for the island. The Professor stands at the prow of the small boat, holding a carbon copy map of the island to the light as he tries to pinpoint the bay on the map. The landing is rough. There is no beach, rather a collection of lagoons and rock pools inside a tiny cove over looms a dark rocky outcrop, with an unsteady rock face leading up the volcanic mountain. The ship will remain anchored off-shore until the Professor has signalled them to indicate he has found the entrance into the earth that he seeks. You prepare to disembark the boat, you hope that Kerlin’s good fortune smiles upon you.
021.jpg

DO YOU:
A) Join the Professor, as well as his colleague An’ar who plan to hike up the rockface so that they might find the entrance to the caverns which will grant you passage further into the earth. You would be accompanied by Pte. Henderson, an average soldier but competent.

B)Send Maug with the Professor. You will remain here to set up camp. Langfield will remain behind to off-load the scientific equipment for the expedition, while Pte. Jenks prepares a fire and builds a small shelter for the evening.

WHO WILL TAKE CHARGE OF MS. COCHRANE?:
1.You will personally take charge of Miss Cochrane’s care. Having the journalist at hand to document the great deeds you shall no doubt accomplish will only benefit your reputation at home. Her presence would, of course, make it rather difficult for you to arrange any accidents for other members of the party, without the possibility of her acquiring evidence.

2.You place her in the care of 2nd Lieutenant Maug. She will surely be a burden for the poor dolt, which will allow you to get on with things without his interference. This, of course, will present difficulties later if you wish to discredit him, or theoretically, see the end of the man.

3.She can look after herself. Allow her to do as she pleases. The woman is an inquiring sort, certainly, but you think it better entirely to wash your hands of her. In this case, you will have no control over where she will be, or what she will see. Obviously, she will be more than likely to choose to be where the action is. This may present you with more clear opportunities for subterfuge.


YOUR INVENTORY CONSISTS OF:
A 23" (minute race) Officer's sword bayonet.
A Fassbender F96 early development model semi-automatic pistol, 9 rounds.
3 stripper clips of 9 rounds apiece, 27 rounds in total.
A heavy suede officer's jacket.
A pair of officer's brass strap leather gaiters.
An heirloom pith helmet, emblazoned with the Kleinmann crest.
One flask of Dr. Scott's Miraculous Energizing Tonic (full, 3 uses).
 

oscar

Arcane
Joined
Aug 30, 2008
Messages
8,036
Location
NZ
A1

Let's get the glory of being the first into the entrance while Cochrane documents.
 

ironyuri

Guest
A1

Let's get the glory of being the first into the entrance while Cochrane documents.

It's likely that she'll come along on the hike either way, but by choosing 1 you're charged with her care as long as she's alive (which is your duty). Each possibility should have some benefit/detriment.
 

ironyuri

Guest
Didn't we also get a box of bullets to reload our clips?

Yes. Those will be brought ashore with the supplies. I'll add some clips to the inventory, but its doubtful we can lug a box around.

Edit: What we can carry, vs: what we are able to access will work on the basis of rest/resupply. I'll add inventory to the end of each update once we're on our way down. As long as the supplies aren't lost/destroyed, we'll be moving down progressively with new base camps, if the pistol ever becomes broken/useless we won't have to worry (hence the sword bayonet).
 

Monty

Arcane
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
Messages
1,582
Location
Grognardia
A1

'A' because the only thing more important to us than self-preservation is our acute sense of social status. The commanding officer should be with the Professor not setting up camp. We need to take every opportunity to keep Maug in his place. The journalist can document our amazing discovery of the cave while Maug hammers in tent pegs.
 

ironyuri

Guest
The two first class privates who have been attached to the mission (Henderson & Jenks) are basically like redshirts in Star Trek for all intents and purposes. I won't flesh them out much, eventhough I don't like the idea of having random nameless characters whose sole purpose is narrative expedience, but think of them as disposable/expendable. Of course, don't piss them off too much, because there is another officer on the mission that might lead them mutinously against you.

For most outings, you'll have the fire support of one competent low-ranking soldier (unless one or both of them are killed), or should Maug acommpany you, the two support soldiers will remain at camp to guard the supplies.
 

Statik

Educated
Joined
Sep 29, 2012
Messages
83
A1

'A' because the only thing more important to us than self-preservation is our acute sense of social status. The commanding officer should be with the Professor not setting up camp. We need to take every opportunity to keep Maug in his place. The journalist can document our amazing discovery of the cave while Maug hammers in tent pegs.
This. We'll not get any prestige from staying behind and setting up tents, and, considering what happened to our cousin because of the press, I'm not too keen on letting the journalist roam free or assigning her to our rival. Taking charge of her care should give us some control over what she does, and having someone to document our glorious deeds of heroism is a plus.
 

Gondolin

Arcane
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
5,827
Location
Purveyor of fine art
A3

The journalist will write whatever she wants, whether we stick close to her or not. And even if she wrote a positive story, there's no guarantee that the newspaper would publish it as written. I suggest we find some way to blackmail her and her paper.
 

grotsnik

Arcane
Joined
Jul 11, 2010
Messages
1,671
I suggest we find some way to blackmail her and her paper.

Aye - B3. The reporter will surely go with the Professor in the hope of witnessing this historic moment, and it sounds as if the other two will be busy with the practical arrangements. Leaving our hero plenty of time to rummage through her belongings.
 

ironyuri

Guest
I suggest we find some way to blackmail her and her paper.

Aye - B3. The reporter will surely go with the Professor in the hope of witnessing this historic moment, and it sounds as if the other two will be busy with the practical arrangements. Leaving our hero plenty of time to rummage through her belongings.

You have gained a new trait: Dirty Knickers Thief.
 

Erebus

Arcane
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
4,763
A1

It is clear that our goals now include tumbling Miss Cochrane, so she can spread the tale of both our heroism and virility.
 

tuluse

Arcane
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
11,400
Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Shadorwun: Hong Kong
B3

Why run into this expedition head first? Much better to sit back and and uh "look" over the supplies.

I don't have a strong opinion about what to do with Ms Cochrane, but I feel at this time it's best to stay on the sideline. Alluring though she may be, she is sure to cause us problems in the future.
 

ironyuri

Guest
Current voting tally: A: 11; B: 4

1: 6; 2: 1; 3: 7 (Salvius second vote can't be counted to any of the three current options)
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
A3. While B is a good option too, I feel at the moment, especially having disclosed the identity of the other party, there's not a lot to be done if we sit back and wait - unless we pick B1 and try and butter up Ms. Cochrane, but given our miserable failure with Maug, perhaps we should be more cautious about trying to solve things 'diplomatically'. Let's see what the expedition brings up.
 
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
382
Project: Eternity
A1

We need to keep the reporter close. Assuming that we can favorably influnce her (and/or stick it in). This is all about what is said about us at home and the story that is told is the one that really matters to our dear hero. Assuming that we don't die or piss her off then we have a huge advantage. I am thinking about how a slanderous story about being saved by a half-orc vice the true story about us leading a cunning ambush against the bandits.
 

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