The multiverse beckons you riftwalker. How will you answer its call?

[CappenVarra]

Losing Paul would hurt because only he speaks Latin. It's pointless. Stop voting for stupid options FFS.

The Vigiles? Really? Popamole lawful faggot option...

I say, let's do shit that suits us, instead of fapping to foreign ideas and powers.

That said, I like risky options with interesting consequences (as long as the choices aren't Wellerian): D 4 X II

 

[Stygian Lurker]

A)…visit the Vineyard and the Villa. See if Lucius Bucco or any of his slaves knows something about the box.
1)…breaking into a store at night.
Z)…he does not need to know why. You will tell him he should know better than to question his superiors.
I)…join the Vigiles.

 

[Hellraiser]

A 1 Z II wins. The update will be posted soon.

 

[Hellraiser]

2.11 The Chatterbox

It is dark, light from the gas lamps is dimly reflected off the sett blocks forming the street. Your target seems perfect, a clothes shop located between the city center and the Forum, on a street branching off the main promenade. While a prestigious area of the city, where all the wannabe patricians no doubt do their shopping, it is yet to have electric lighting installed.

The weather couldn’t be better, fog severely limits visibility. The sparse Vigiles patrols around are easily noticeable thanks to the light of the lamps they carry. You avoid them with ease. “This is actually rather fun.” - Paul whispers, you remind him that you haven’t even broke into the place yet.

“Fabianus & Antonius Clothing for Patricians and other Gentlemen” - says the sign above the store. Paul looks out for more patrols while the toolkit creates a key matching the lock on the door, out of the few spare nuts and bolts you had with you.

Just when you are about to reach for the key, Paul grabs your arm. Somebody is coming. Quickly you hide in the back alley near the store. After a moment you can hear two loud and most likely drunk Vigiles officers, who are clumsily strolling along the street.

“Apparently they were out celebrating the transfer from the plebian quarter.” Paul whispers after the coast is clear. “They said they can now get drunk on duty as much as they want, knowing that they don’t need to watch out for the random thugs roaming the plebian quarter at night.”

Inside the store you quickly locate a “Testudo” safe, it looks rather sturdy. Unfortunately for its owner, your structural scanner can map out the safe’s combination lock’s interior in real time. X II IV I VIII VIII II is the combination and the contents of the safe are yours to pillage.

Within the safe you find 49 gold coins, solidi no doubt, a few nummi coins of various denominations along with some documents and jewelry. You barely finished counting the coins when Paul gives you the signal, another patrol is near. You hastily grab what you can and escape. The Vigiles patrol tries to chase you, but you lose them in one of the many narrow alleys around.

*

The house of Liber, one of the many establishments in the Forum still open at this late hour. Just before you enter the inn, a drunken man with a face all covered in blood is thrown out of it. Seems like a lovely place to spend the night in. You pay for a room for yourself and Paul, the noise made by the brawl that happened while you were trying to fall asleep, wasn’t making it easy to get some rest.

*

Forty eight solidii and forty three nummi, that is how much money you have left after paying for the room at the house of Liber and for today’s issue of the “Vox Populi” newspaper.

Outside of the recent Sino-Roman diplomatic crisis, the paper tells you of a few other things. Four Vigiles officers died this week, while three others were injured when patrolling the plebian quarter.

Isaac’s Firearms managed to get a government contract on supplying the army with new rifles. Some Senators do not like the fact that a Jew, a member of an ethnic group exiled from its homeland for rebelling against Roman rule, will earn money from the Republic’s coffers. Some even claim he used bribery to get the contract.

Senators from the Christian minority, demand that their Church would not require permission to build temples on private land. Conservative hardliners claim that such demands are “unreasonable”.

Then there is the mention of the Caesarea “Parlor of Prestige”, a club for gentlemen where all the industrialist patricians meet. A very exclusive club closed to the vast majority of citizens.

When you and Paul finished analyzing the newspaper, the horse-drawn cab you paid 20 nummi for, is getting close to the Bucco Villa.

*

The Villa itself looks grand, but the surrounding vineyard and slave quarters look run-down as if they saw better days. Even the few rag-wearing slaves working in the field look malnourished and in poor health. A guard meets you at the gate. You show him the box and Paul explains why you are here. The guard seems confused, but he doesn’t want to risk angering his master by potentially turning away people who may have found his property.

Lucius Bucco meets you in his office, a fine room filled with gold and silver decorations. Everything in it looks expensive. You wonder how the chair he sits on manages to support his weight. A man as fat as him, would need one made at least out of steel if not out of adamantine. He seems annoyed that some commoners were let in by his guard. Even after the guard explains, his dissatisfaction does not go away.

Paul asks him about the box, Lucius starts a long tirade the end of which you think you won’t live to see. He seems rather offended. “Well apparently,” Paul starts explaining, “boxes like these were a fad among local tycoons not long ago. He treated the fact that we thought he, who despises the new patricians and their ways, might have ever possessed such an object as an insult.”

Bucco keeps going on and on about how foolish it was of you to assume he ever had such a box. “Wait he just said who made boxes like these,” Paul interrupts him thus making the fat dark-haired patrician even more angry, “Cunctator’s Carpentry in the forum.” Bucco is even more displeased with the fact you keep talking in a foreign tongue in his presence. He tells you to leave, unless you actually have anything important to tell him.

You (or rather Paul) will tell Lucius Bucco…
A)…that you can help his family regain power and influence. His money could be used to fund a business venture which could change the Republic. A business venture slowly introducing technology from other parallels.
B)…that you actually have powerful benefactors in the Senate. If he could use his local resources to help you locate the previous owner of the box, they would be very grateful.
C)…that unless he helps you, you will reveal his fascination with trinkets from the Orient to the press. Qing-sympathizers aren’t exactly the most popular group of people these days after all.
D)…that if he doesn’t tell you more, you will kill him. You will shoot his guard with your laspistol to prove your point.
E)…nothing. You will just leave.

Money is not an issue for the time being. Therefore you will…
1)…check out Cunctator’s Carpentry and other establishments in the forum for clues.
2)…attempt to contact Valerius Gurges, the Governor of Augustia Minor as this region is called. Offer to provide him with advanced technology.
3)…visit the Western Caesarea Christian Society.
4)…visit the library and learn more of this parallel.
5)…visit the Coitus Maximus and get yourself and Paul a nice private orgy. You’re neck deep in solidi and you’re technically on leave now. Might as well have fun.
6)…attempt to enter the “Parlor of Prestige” and meet some local moguls.

Finally, when just before you had to escape from the Vigiles, you grabbed…
X)…the documents from the safe.
Y)…the jewelry from the safe.

Vote now.

You will pick up the filtering unit tomorrow, so long as you don’t get into a mess that will prevent Heracles from walking around the city.

 

[CappenVarra]

E 1 X

 

[Monty]

A seems risky, but Heracles is a tech smuggler after all. He's spent years making these sorts of arrangements. While this sort of offer could attract unwelcome attention, having a local powerbase could make the investigation much easier, and Bucco might be desperate enough to go for it. The Romans are also in need of more advanced tech to deal with the Chinese. Time to take a risk...

A 1 X

 

[skuphundaku]

A seems risky, but Heracles is a tech smuggler after all. He's spent years making these sorts of arrangements. While this sort of offer could attract unwelcome attention, having a local powerbase could make the investigation much easier, and Bucco might be desperate enough to go for it. The Romans are also in need of more advanced tech to deal with the Chinese. Time to take a risk...

A 1 X

 

[Kz3r0]

A seems risky, but Heracles is a tech smuggler after all. He's spent years making these sorts of arrangements. While this sort of offer could attract unwelcome attention, having a local powerbase could make the investigation much easier, and Bucco might be desperate enough to go for it. The Romans are also in need of more advanced tech to deal with the Chinese. Time to take a risk...

A 1 X

 

[oscar]

A 2 X

 

[Cassidy]

A - Support House Daratan.



1 - It's time to trace back this stuff with automatons and every clue will be important.

X - Information like this does not show up twice. Jewelry does.

 

[Hellraiser]

Landslide victory for A 1 X. I'll write and post an update as soon as I finish doing some other stuff.

 

[Hellraiser]

2.12 Smuggling is my business and business is good

Bucco stares at you, he is clearly infuriated by the conversation you had with him so far. Paul nervously starts explaining, how you can make Lucius into a very wealthy and powerful man. However instead of listening to what you have to say, Bucco shouts "Excedo!".

The guard draws his weapon to show you that he means business. Unluckily for him, you quickly disarm him. Both Lucius and his guard stare surprised at what you just did, but what you do afterwards surprises them even more.

He is absolutely speechless as the floor tiles of his villa get scorched by your laspistol. Little by little the burned marks turn into letters and those into a word. "Sistite." It appears Lucius got the message, he orders his guard to stand down and while still somewhat shocked by the whole affair, he starts to listen.

"Well," Paul tells you, "he says he is willing to talk. Provided we show him something else to prove our claims about parallel universes." Well then, it appears you will have to show him how you depart from this parallel. Paul tells Lucius that you will return here in the evening, you still have some things to do in the Forum. Not to mention having to pick up the filtering unit from the canals.

*

You look over the documents you took from the store. Apparently what you took was a mostly useless ledger. The only interesting piece of information, is that a manager or assistant working in Isaac's Firearm factory, seems to owe the storeowner 55 solidii for a very expensive suit.
The cab stops near the canals, you easily retrieve the filtering unit and walk with Paul towards the Forum.

*

Busy, noisy and crowded. Not the best of impressions a place can make. Although after spending the night at the house of Liber, you kind of expected the forum to look like this. All the zigzagging you have to do to avoid the crowd is starting to make your head spin. Temple-goers and merchants, plebians and patricians, slaves and citizens. All of them are drawn to this place. It is the heart of the city, even if the more prestigious establishments are closer to the administrative center.

Somewhere a blacksmith is hammering a piece of metal, while elsewhere a middle-eastern looking merchant is bargaining with a customer over some kind of primitive trinket. Amidst the hodge-podge of various different commercial enterprises you find a wooden shack. Although one would not be lying, if he claimed that calling the structure a shack is an insult.

Yes it is made of wood, but the decorations are rather splendid. The place, which obviously is Cunctator's Carpentry, is clear proof that it is not the material but what you do with it that matters. You open the large decorated door depicting the god Hephaestus, the patron of craftsmen, architects, blacksmiths and of course volcanoes, and enter into the building.

Chests, doors, tables and chairs displayed inside of the store, serve as an example of Cunctator's skill. As if the outside of the establishment wasn't proof enough. A young man greets you inside, he asks how he may be of service. Paul shows him the box, what he hears from Cunctator seems to have disappointed him.

"Well," Paul starts, "this is Cunctator junior. The box was made by Cunctator senior, who died a few months ago." But the son knows who bought the box does he not? "It appears not Heracles. There were many similar boxes made, all of them bought by patricians. The governor, a few merchants, important clerks from various factories. Far too many to remember them all he says, his father would have no doubt remembered who bought the box. He himself might have remembered, if he was not serving in the XXIII Legion at the time when this box was made."

Gods damn it! Where in the name of Hades are you supposed to look for more information? "I have no idea sir." Paul coldly replies.

*

A slave trading auction has caught your eye, the dark-skinned African who is on sale seems to be gathering quite a bit of attention. Two parties are involved in a bidding skirmish over the man. You can see why, he is well-built and doesn't look malnourished like the other slaves on offer. Even in Atlantis he would fetch a high price, although odds are he would have ended up as a toy for one of the spoiled rich daughters of upper-class gentlemen running the Corporations, rather than working in the fields.

You recognize one of the bidders, it is the same man who tried to chase away the Christian protesters gathered in front of the "Coitus Maximus" yesterday. He's looking for new merchandise perhaps?

The other man bidding furiously for the slave looks like a patrician snob. He and his wife have the most obnoxious smug-sounding manner of speech. One which no doubt is supposed to tell the "commoners" around them that those superior to them are present here.

You find their outrage at the fact that the brothel representative is outbidding them rather amusing. The plebeians around you start gossiping and whispering. "He appears to be a local politician, the head of the city's treasury if I understand correctly." Paul explains.

Eventually the brothel's representative bids an outrageous 300 solidii. The patrician is so shocked by that bid, that his monocle falls off. He quickly puts it back in place and angrily leaves the area dragging his fur coat-wearing wife along.

*

"Sir, I want to ask you something." Paul says out of the blue as you prepare to head towards your next destination. "Why are we going to smuggle technology into this parallel? It makes no sense. I can understand not being briefed on the box. But why was I not briefed about it? You're hiding something from me aren't you?" You deny it naturally. "This isn't part of an Ahnenerbe operation now is it? Are you trying to go rogue?"

Paul is getting a bit too curious, you have to deal with him. Now.

Tell Paul...
1)...that he should know better than to question his superiors.
2)...that you are indeed going rogue. That Ajax is doing things you do not approve of, and you cannot forgive the Ahnenerbe the torture you had to endure.
3)...that this is part of the operation. The orders are secret and Ajax will explain everything when you get back.
4)...that you want to gain influence among the patricians, to help you investigate the matter of the "automaton faction". Ajax does not need to know about this.

Furthermore, the thing you will do next will be...
A)...getting the container for Bucco. Transit to ββ-17 via αε-13.
B)...getting the container for Bucco. Transit to ββ-17 via αδ-37.
C)...trying to enter the "Parlor of Prestige". Meeting some of the local tycoons should prove prudent.
D)...visiting the Coitus Maximus. Time to see if an expensive whore (or two) is worth the money.
E)...checking out the Christian Society of Western Caesarea. Maybe the Christans know something.
F)...trying to contact the head of the city's treasury. Ask him if he needs more slaves or knows anything that could be of use to you.
G)...contacting the local governor and offering him technology.
H)...contacting the Isaac's Firearms manager that owes the clothes shop owner money.

Vote now.

Remember that the container was hidden north, with the refinery being close to it. Luckily for you, that's more or less the location of the Bucco Vineyards in this parallel.

You will return with the container through the same parallel you used to travel to the post-nuclear hellhole where you hid it.

Consult the map and info on paralells for details if you need them.

 

[oscar]

1D

 

[CappenVarra]

The patrician is so shocked by that bid, that his monocle falls off.

4A

 

[Kz3r0]

4A

 

[Monty]

3A

edit: flip-flop (below)

 

[skuphundaku]

4) because: 1) would have worked if we had chosen the Nazi fanboy sidekick, 2) would have worked if we had chosen the hacker and, between 3) and 4), in order to keep Paul on our side, we should try to be as truthful as possible with him, otherwise we may find ourselves in the position of being fucked over by him at some point in the future.

H) because:
- A) and B) can be done later, but if we leave now, who knows what happens and we may never get back to this parallel.
- D) is just plain wasting time and E) would, most likely, be just as big of a waste of time.
- C) and F) don't sound that promising either
- G) is useless for two reasons: first, we already got a "representative" in this parallel, now that we have a deal with Bucco. Second, Cunctator junior said that the box may have been bought by "The governor, a few merchants, important clerks from various factories." If it was the governor, then the Governor either has the backing of a faction even more advanced than us, and we would be entering the lion's den by getting in touch with him, or, more likely, he has no connection to them, otherwise the colonies, and the Romans by extension, would have absolutely no reason to fear the Chinese. The fear they display is not indicative of someone being backed by a faction that could roflstomp all their enemies using vastly superior technology.
H) is the most likely way of getting to the bottom of the android faction. Cunctator junior already mentioned that important clerks from various factories may have bought the box, the manager of the Isaac's Firearms factory seems to be either very rich, or in need of some high-end suit for some reason. That suit may not even be a regular dress suit but some specialized clothing, which further suggests that the Isaac's Firearms factory is up to something. Also, a firearms factory would be the perfect location from where to run an android operations base. EDIT: here's a quote that describes the piece of cloth that we found when investigating the destroyed android camp "The cloth looks natural but it is not. The scan’s results indicate it is made out of synthetic textiles, sophisticated ones at that. It has the look of a natural one, but it is more durable and protects from the elements better you guess. The tents were made out of the same material your scans tell you." That sounds exactly like the thing an extremely expensive suit would be made of. In my opinion, this piece of information makes it perfectly clear that Isaac's Firearms factory is where we'll find the androids. We shouldn't even try going in the front door. We should do a covert recon and gather as much data as possible, then go back home for reinforcements and come back and raid the factory with a whole platoon (or, better, a whole company) of stormtroopers.

So, 4)H)

P.S.: If we really have to go to ββ-17 now, I think that A) is a worse idea than B) because "αε-13: Similar tech level to the other alpha parallels you visited recently but shows signs of geoengineering, it could be a promising market in demand of your services. Visited by pioneers at least once, so you may need to watch out for agents. Last thing you need is a luxury cruise on an Atlantean dreadnought, straight into an agonization chamber, funded by the Rift Armada’s and the Counter Trans-Parallel Crime and Terrorism unit’s budgets. Also there is apparently some kind superpower controlling over 68% of the landmass there.", while "αδ-37: You spent 5 years trapped there. Fairly generic, minor social unrest caused by some sort of economic crisis. Homeland security was investigating your involvement in the "incident" at the Infinity Apartments. The local government tried to capture you when you tried to sell them technology. Caution is advised should you ever return here." First, we have spent 5 years on αδ-37, which means that we know our way around the place, even if we have DHS on our ass. Also, now we have Paul and enough tech and firepower to get out of a tight spot if the shit hits the fan because their technology level is relatively low. On the other hand, on αε-13 we may have Atlantean agents on our ass, which will be, definitely, better equipped than us. Secondly, they would, most likely, have the advantage of doing regular recon of αε-13, while we never set foot in that place. And, finally, the αε-13 (almost) world government probably has a high enough level of technology to match our gear and they may not be friendly at all. In fact, they may be as bad as the Nazis, without the saving throw of having Ajax work for them and come get our ass out of prison if things go south.

 

[Kz3r0]

Flipflopping to H.
So now is 4H.

 

[Arpad]

4H

 

[Cassidy]

4H

 

[Hellraiser]

Bros, I have dreadful news. The cosmic forces of the universe (no doubt those of eldritch origin) keep throwing more and more "important" bullshit in my direction. Therefore I have no fucking idea when I will find the time to write the next update. Possibly this week, maybe next. Not before this Friday anyway.

So you have time to vote or flip-flop until whenever the hell I finish doing all the crap keeping me busy. After that you can expect both an update of this and the ToEE never-ending slaughter where codexians drop like flies LP.

 

[Monty]

Skuphundaku's reasoning has swayed me, flip-flopping to
4H

 

[Hellraiser]

4H it is, now I need to think of some hard choices preferably with lethal consequences

 

[Hellraiser]

Bumping this bros. Update incoming.

 

[Hellraiser]

2.13 The streetcar and the beholder

This is the best course of action, the box after all belonged to somebody rich. How are you supposed to discover who it was without making connections? You are a nobody to these savages, that is until you can show them otherwise. So how are you supposed make them willing to cooperate? This is the fastest way, anything else could take months or years.

“Well Herr Kyriazis, I can understand that but if anyone in the Reich learns about this we could be in trouble.” – Paul replies, he appears to be somewhat convinced by your reasoning.

You explain to him how you will deal with that problem and what your plan actually is.

*

Hercules Boulevard XVIIA, Paul tells you that is an accurate translation of the street’s name. It is here where the home of one called Marcus Salvitto is located. While not as luxurious and grand as the Bucco Villa, it is definitely at least a class above the cookie-cutter prefab plebian housing. It looks like this is as Roman upper-middle class neighborhood. A rather safe looking area unlike the plebian quarter. Nobody seems to be inside the house.

You wait for a while, a long while in fact. There is no sign of the Isaac’s Firearms manager. However one of the neighbors has just returned home. Paul asks him about Mr. Salvitto.
“Nobody saw him for over two week, it’s like he vanished he said. Apparently he’s quite the gardener, rather proud of his plants. They’re all withered now, he wouldn’t leave town without having anyone taking care of them.” Paul reports what he learned.

Does he live alone? “He does, his wife vanished a few months back. People thought she ran away with some rich guy or something. Apparently Marcus was rather heartbroken after she disappeared. He also seemed a bit on the edge as of late. Rather nervous and all that.” This is rather suspicious, it looks like he ran into some trouble. The question remains what kind of trouble it was.

“We could investigate the matter,” Paul suggests, “men don’t just disappear without a reason.” Indeed they don’t and that’s why you find this affair worrying.

*

A large crowd has gathered at the nearest streetcar stop, no doubt people returning from work as it is close to sunset. For some reason, you think that you should have taken a cab. After walking aboard the vehicle you really start regretting not taking a cab. The crude electrically powered machine resembles a can of sardines, you have no idea how these people can travel like this. Then again they are savages, what could they know of comfort?

“This reminds me of rush hour back in Hamburg, back when I was a teenager. Getting to school was a real torment. So many people and so little room on the bus.” Paul reminisces. However you notice something or rather someone. An eavesdropper seems rather interested in your conversation.

You try not to give away that you noticed what he is doing. Still, the question remains why is he interested in you and Paul. Is it because hearing foreign tongues in Western Caesarea is rather unusual? Or is there another reason?
Even after you and Paul stop talking, the man keeps looking at you. He tries to hide it. Frankly if you weren’t as paranoid as you are, you wouldn’t notice him. Something doesn’t feel right, you have to think of a way to deal with him.

Someone in the streetcar appears to be observing you. You will deal with him by…
A)…getting off at the next stop and attempting to lose him in the crowds.
B)…confronting him, ask him what seems to be the problem.
C)…ignoring him. Act as if you never noticed him.
D)…luring him into an ambush if he follows you. Kill him in a back alley and search his body.
E)…following him. Ride the streetcar as long as it takes until he gets off. See where he is going to.

After dealing with the curious passenger, you will…
1)...get the container for Bucco. Transit to ββ-17 via αε-13.
2)...get the container for Bucco. Transit to ββ-17 via αδ-37.
3)...try to enter the "Parlor of Prestige". Meeting some of the local tycoons should prove prudent.
4)...visit the Coitus Maximus. Time to see if an expensive whore (or two) is worth the money.
5)...check out the Christian Society of Western Caesarea. Maybe the Christians know something.
6)...try to contact the head of the city's treasury. Ask him if he needs more slaves or knows anything that could be of use to you.
7)...contact the local governor and offering him technology.
8)...break into Salvitto’s house at night. Search for clues relating to its owner’s disappearance and for valuable “souvenirs”.
9)…visit the Isaac’s Firearms factory and investigate Mr. Salvitto’s disappearance there.

Finally, you told Paul that your plan is to…
X)…smuggle only token amounts of tech and know-how. Enough to show Bucco that you don’t want to screw him over.
Y)…smuggle as much tech as you can. Treat this as a regular business opportunity, a way to make money and get supplies on the side without Ajax knowing about it.
Z)…show Bucco a thing or two but never actually deliver more than a single device. If he wants his family to become influential again, he needs to manage the whole endeavor himself.

Vote now.

As always, remember that however you choose to deal with the “beholder” may prevent or delay any action out of those listed as 1) to 9) from happening.

Actions 1) to 4) and 9) take place on the same day (or around midnight), the rest takes place during the next day. Which reminds me that I’ll need to count what day it is and how long has been since Heracles and Paul arrived in Western Caesarea.

Consult the map and info on paralells for details if you need them.

Oh and in the last update it said Paul and Heracles were going back to the Bucco villa. In hindsight it should have said something vague like "to their next destination". I'll change that.

Sorry for the delay. I went out with the bros and drank enough vodka to be absolutely wasted even yesterday but not enough to regret it In fact I think the potato chips I ate made me feel a lot worse than the vodka ever did.