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[LP CYOA] Epic

Esquilax

Arcane
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
4,833
This is an awesome premise for an LP. Looking forward to more.

The astrologer's apprentice or the shepherd might come up with a story to make us look bad in front of the King, but we've saved Sargon's life before, so I'm pretty sure he'll trust our word over that of theirs, no matter how convincing their lies are. Still, we should be mindful that our skills are on the battlefield, and not in the King's court. And it would be wise for us immortals to stick together for the time being.

I'll be a good little sheeple and vote B
 

Vernydar

Learned
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
579
Location
Italy
Guess it will be the same for me. Better keep an eye on these guys before we know more. After all, we can't kill them permanently, we do not want to have them as enemy if it's not needed. As a side note, since these other two were also "big enough" for the voices, they all have what it takes. And as such, I'd keep an eye in particular on the shepherd. After all, he must have some hidden qualities in order to qualify.

B

Can I ask for an index in the first post, with links to the various updates? It is rather practical ... Something like the one I did in my LP. Takes like 20 seconds per post.
 

TOME

Cuckmaster General
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
1,820
A

There can be only one. We don't want assassin and sheep boy stealing our glory. Attack and kill them, then keep them in regenerative statis by cutting their vital organs out burning them over and over again.
 

Vernydar

Learned
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
579
Location
Italy
A

There can be only one. We don't want assassin and sheep boy stealing our glory. Attack and kill them, then keep them in regenerative statis by cutting their vital organs out burning them over and over again.

Uh, do you want to stay here doing that for all time? I got better things to do :P
 

TOME

Cuckmaster General
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
1,820
No, just cut their head and burn rest of the body. Regeneration should start from the head. And
You can't die, but make the wrong choices, and you can miss entire centuries at a go
So we shouldn't have problem with them for a while.
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Can I ask for an index in the first post, with links to the various updates? It is rather practical ... Something like the one I did in my LP. Takes like 20 seconds per post.

Yeah, I was going to get around to doing that... and done.

I'll keep the vote open for a few more hours just in case anyone wants to flip-flop.
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,519
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
You want to return to the king? Heh. Run. Run and don't look back. Forge an empire elsewhere, rise to fame as the undying gladiator and march an army to take over your homeland.

D
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Chapter 1.3: The First Power

Trust me, it's better to make friends than enemies right now.
Better to keep an eye on them, eh?

"You are sure of this?" you think.

Well, unless you want to try killing them?
I'm afraid the nays have it on that one, brother.

...
.....
.........
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

You listen intently to the voices dispensing their nuggets of wisdom. That last one sounded a bit iffy, though. It appears as if they have reached a consensus, and you are struck with a sudden compulsion to obey. Grinding your teeth, you wonder if this will be your fate for the rest of your life; still, you have seen firsthand the ‘treatment’ that madmen receive from the priests. The voices are right. You should not speak of them.

The shepherd is looking at you expectantly, waiting for an answer.

“We’ll have to submit a report to the king. However, His Majesty sent us out here to obtain the favour of the gods, and if we are to return with tales of dead soldiers and astrologers he will not be happy. Do you have any suggestions… uh…” Pausing, you look at the apprentice. You still don’t know his name.

“But if we flee… yes, yes I see. Of course.” The astrologer’s apprentice nodded at the air. You get the feeling that he is not paying attention to you. “Sargon’s interest in the star will lead him to hunt us down for answers anyway. I’m not sure whether we can hide from that man for long.”

“It wouldn’t be much of a problem for me. No one notices a shepherd.”

“At any rate, I never planned on running.” you remark brusquely. “So here’s the plan: Uh… astrologer. You know what the king expects of the fallen star. Can you deliver him something that he will believe while saving all our heads?”

The apprentice sneered. “My name is Shulgi, soldier. And yes, I’ll think of something to tell him. My master was Sargon’s closest confidant after all.” He seems to grow more confident the more he talks, his dark eyes bearing a glint of amusement. You’re not sure if he had ever behaved this way before. “However, for your… no, our plan to work, I’ll need the shepherd to come with us.”

The shepherd was surprised. “Why is that? I have no intention of getting myself involved in this mess, my friends.”

“Don’t be a simpleton. What better way is there to demonstrate the truth of our story than to have an honest shepherd boy vouch for it? Wait, you are an honest shepherd boy, aren’t you?”

The shepherd closed his eyes. A brief moment later, he opened them, staring straight at Shulgi. “Fine, I’ll come along. The name’s Naram, by the way.” He smiled at Shulgi and held out his hand. “No ill feelings, friend, but I’ve always preferred the simple life. I’ll help you two out if that’s what you want, as fellow survivors.”

Shulgi grasped his hand firmly and gave a pale grin in return.

You shake your head. “Right, well, my name is Ean and now that we all know each other well, we better be getting back to the village. I’m surprised that the rest of the guard haven’t been sent out to look for us already.” Naram nods and begins to walk. “I’ll guide you back. I know these plains like the back of my hand.”

***
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
He was telling the truth, as you arrive at the village before the day is out. On the way back, you rehearsed the story you would tell the king. No one mentioned anything about voices. When you try to bring up the issue to warn them not to mention it, Naram just nodded in understanding while Shulgi pretended not to hear a thing.

As you enter the village, you find that the rest of the royal guard are still lounging around the village, enjoying its meager hospitality.

Such discipline!

The voices were sniggering, and you felt obliged to think up a reply.

“The more you enjoy the pleasures of life, the more you fight to preserve it.”

Hah, you could enjoy life very well by running away to preserve your own. You should have done that just now, you know. Evading Sargon’s attention can be easy if we teach you how.

You ignore the voice. Hopefully they will not begin agreeing on one course of action and yet start to instruct you on how to do another. That would truly drive you mad.

The most senior soldier of the guard, and the person in charge, a grizzled veteran by the name of Nammu, notices the three of you. He lumbers towards you, slightly tipsy. “Well, it’s about time you guys got back… hey, where are the others?”

“It’s a long story, sir.” Taking on a polite tone, you begin your excuse. “Something weird happened at the site and I fear the others are lost. Dead, really. We must return to the king to warn him.” Nammu’s face grew grim. “They’re dead? Even Master Ammun? His Majesty will not be happy about this. What happened, exactly?”

“That matter is only for the ears of His Most Divine Majesty, King Sargon!” exclaimed Shulgi suddenly. “The messages from the stars are not to be spread about like idle gossip!”

“Ah… yes. I am sorry, Master Shulgi.” Nammu bowed, surprised at Shulgi’s assertiveness. Shulgi sighed and put a hand on the bearish man’s shoulder. “No apologies required. Just understand that this is a matter of grave importance and we need to get word to the king immediately. We must return to Kish right now.”

Nammu agreed and began rousing the rest of the guard to prepare for the journey back. You look at Shulgi; you are certain he was not as confident before this. But for now, you worry more about going before the king. The journey will take at least five days in fine weather. As you pack your own belongings, you hear the voices again.

So, have you felt anything change? Checked down there recently?

“What are you getting at?”

Oh, you’ll find out. Don’t worry, it’s just like puberty all over again!

You think you’ll never be able to understand these weird voices. However, they turned out to be right, as during the return trip you discover something happening to your body…

***

A. It was a surprise to you when a wooden sign toppled over just as you were idly thinking about kicking it. You have realized your ability to move things with your mind. You can now shift light objects without touching them.

B. During a card game with the other soldiers, you suddenly found yourself able to read slight inflections in their expressions and catching brief flashes of their cards in your mind. You have developed the ability to understand the thoughts of others and the possibility to read their intentions.

C. As the march went on, you found yourself feeling healthier and stronger. You feel like you can move in ways you have never imagined. Your agility and strength have increased. You still can’t run up walls, but you can run along them for about half a metre now. You might not land well, though.

D. Glancing in a puddle of water, you suddenly found yourself wishing that your nose was a little sharper. Imagine your surprise when your nose did a bit of reshaping in front of your eyes. You now have better control over the shape of our body, limited to very minor, subtle alterations.

E. Thinking about how nice it would be to warm yourself up during a particularly rainy night at camp, you were shocked to have sparks leap from your fingers and singe your eyebrows as you were rubbing your hands. You are able to elicit minor elemental reactions; calling a breeze, condensing moisture and creating tiny little sinkholes are among some of the wondrous feats you can now perform.
 

newcomer

Learned
Joined
May 23, 2012
Messages
919
Tough choice... B for now, mind reading should prevail in even the most dire situation... right?

And I will also aim for D if given the choice in later update. After all, I don't want to miss even a second in this epic world & this will come handy against political enemies (read: the other 2 immortals)
 

newcomer

Learned
Joined
May 23, 2012
Messages
919
A. Useful to stab the king and the other 2 immortals
B. Mind reading. Nuff said...
C. Escaping natural disaster? Escaping "random homing dagger"?
D. Change your appearance, escape king's or the 2 immortals' wrath... Also useful if you want to fake your death & kill the crown prince, making yourself the crown prince...
E. Generic magic
 

Esquilax

Arcane
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
4,833
I think D and E are right out. Changing the way we look to deceive people is a neat trick, but it's not really suitable for a mighty warrior like us. Our greatest asset at the moment is our martial might - in a straight-up fight against the other two immortals, we'd kill them very easily. The only way that they'd be able to get us is through deception, and based on the update, I trust Shulgi the apprentice the least. The guy seems like the type who has been kicked around, and now that he has the power of immortality, he'll try and leverage it against us. I see our meeting with Sargon going badly unless we're able to figure out what he's up to.

So based on that, I think that it's more handy to learn how to defend ourselves from deception rather than become a shapeshifter, since that's where most of the trouble from the others will come from. And also developing our physical abilities to become a one-man army would be pretty cool too; very surprised that C is so unpopular.

B
 

Vernydar

Learned
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
579
Location
Italy
B

It's just too convenient. Being able to read minds, being able to sway people, being able to avoid conflicts
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Looks like B takes it. I'm going to have to try and make the choices more interesting if we keep getting overwhelming consensus. Let's hope Ean has sufficient powers of persuasion to capitalize on his mind-reading later on. >_> On an off note: had you picked another character, you would have had a slightly different set of powers to pick from. There is some overlap, but due to the natural strengths of the characters they gain certain powers earlier than others.

You'll have access to almost all the powers in their rudimentary form by the end of the chapter, though.

***
Chapter 1.4: Sargon's Ambition

So how does it feel, being able to peek at minds?

"It's unsettling. I was just saw Murea the other day, looking at a flock of sheep passing by. There was a strong throb of lust coming from him; I'm not sure whether it was for the sheep or the boy guarding the flock."

Could be both. No, probably both.
Anyway, this is going to be some useful ability you have here, little monkey.
At least, it's going to stop your gullible butt from getting fooled by people all the time.

"If I were gullible, I'd never have survived living in the streets."

You stand up from the bath. Now that you've freshened up and look somewhat presentable, you are ready to go before the king.

***

"So what you are telling me... is that the star that killed my best astrologer and some of my personal guard was a message from Enlil?" Sargon the Great sat upon his throne, gazing intently at you. You gulp. This was the man that had conquered all of Sumer, and his presence remained commanding despite his age. "Yes, my king. Master Ammun's apprentice, Shulgi, may explain it to you better than I can." You keep your head bowed, waiting for Shulgi to begin his explanation.

Shulgi too keeps his head down as he begins to speak, radiating a great sense of earnestness. "O Great King, when we reached the star, Enlil's visage appeared in divine light before us. I, Ean and the shepherd Naram were overawed by His presence and we dared not look at Him directly, as we are with Your Majesty right now. Master Ammun and the other soldiers were struck down by Enlil's light when they gazed upon His face."

I can almost hear the capitalizations in his words. Pretty nifty skill, that one.

You ignore the voices. Shulgi continues his story. "Enlil then declared, in a voice that was both as loud as thunder and as gentle as a cooling breeze, that King Sargon the Great, descendant of His bloodline, had honoured the throne of Sumer with his deeds. He decreed that King Sargon the Great would thus sit on the throne for all the cycles of the world, and that all which is not yet his shall become so before the end of time. This is what Enlil has decreed, and He has spared our lives so that we may convey His word to Your Majesty."

Sargon stares at the three of you, deep in thought.

"You, shepherd. Naram, was it not?"

"Yes, my king." The shepherd was calm and collected. You are a bit envious, as you stuttered and stammered the first time you met the king yourself.

"You have done great service as a messenger of Enlil. From now on, you shall want for nothing. You need only speak and I will grant even a city unto you."

"You are too kind, my king. I am a humble shepherd and have wanted for nothing before this. All I need, my king, is to live my days out peacefully."

"You are sure of this, Naram?"

Naram nods. "Yes, my king." He pauses for a while, uncertain, before adding, "Well, a bag of gold would help me live quite a bit more peacefully. By this time I'm sure my fellow villagers will have divided up my sheep and claim that beasts had gotten them."

Sargon laughs out loud. "Good! Very good! You shall have your bag of gold, and should you ever require more, you need only ask. In the meantime, enjoy the hospitality of Kish. I will arrange for you to tend to some of my own flock." Turning his gaze to Shulgi, he speaks to the apprentice. "Ammun was always too brash for his own good. I am glad that he has left behind an apprentice as capable as you. From now on, you shall be the chief astrologer of the palace. I am sure you will read the stars and guide my purpose well." Shulgi smiled. "Thank you, O Great King. I could ask for no better."

Finally, Sargon turns to you. "Ean, my trusted soldier. You know the decree of Enlil." You say, quietly, "Yes, my king." A wide grin spreads across his face. You can feel the bloodlust and naked ambition pouring from the king, and you wonder how one man could hold so much drive.

"We will begin preparations for the invasion of Egypt immediately. Those crocodile-loving bastards have been a thorn in my side for a long time, and as Enlil has spoken, we have all the divine favour in the world to crush them." chuckled the king. "I want you to ride with me, as my second-in-command. You have grasped much glory in your short time of service to me, yet I will offer you more. Together we will scatter the Egyptians and take the Nile for our own."

***

A. You accept the king's order to march on Egypt together with him. It is your duty to do so, and you see no reason to defy him. Crushing the Egyptians would gain you great standing in the empire. Besides, since the arrival of the fallen star, you have been struck by inspiration with several military concepts you want to put into practice.

B. You decline the king's order. He would not take offense to your refusal, of that you are certain. You don't trust Shulgi and Naram fully just yet, and you plan to approach them to investigate their intents and purposes. You might be able to learn more about them and about the voices should you stay behind.

C. Fuck this shit! say the voices. You agree. You flee into the wilderness.
 

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