Myth: A New Age CYOA

[Kipeci]

C.

 

[Fangshi]

Torture? I figured our mastery of mind spells can loosen the tongue of a mere peasant without having to take drastic action.

Sure you can if you want and it will cost you no real time.

You slip a suggestion into his mind. It takes a bit of doing but eventually it seems to sway him. He tells you that he knows absolutely nothing. His mind is strangely flat though, you can not get your hooks into it and you do not pick up any strong emotions... It is like a great and still lake... the surface a complete mirror...

He may simply know nothing. Or he may have a way to protect himself from your more subtle magics. You can of course force the issue but it will hurt him and would essentially be 2.A.

 

[Cassidy]

Time to go EXTREME and grab some collars.

1) Dii

2) A

 

[Zero Credibility]

Ok, seriously. Why are we considering torture and what are we hoping to get from it other than make our allies think we lost our mind? Do we have a real reason to believe he is hiding something?

 

[Kz3r0]

Torture? I figured our mastery of mind spells can loosen the tongue of a mere peasant without having to take drastic action.

Sure you can if you want and it will cost you no real time.

You slip a suggestion into his mind. It takes a bit of doing but eventually it seems to sway him. He tells you that he knows absolutely nothing. His mind is strangely flat though, you can not get your hooks into it and you do not pick up any strong emotions... It is like a great and still lake... the surface a complete mirror...

Someone sealed his mind, canceled his memories or transformed him into a pawn, a sort of living zombie, we should try to undo the magic if possible, maybe we should ask Nine for advice privately and then try to 'interrogate' the major using or mental magic.

 

[Zero Credibility]

Or he simply doesn't know anything.

 

[Nevill]

Ok, seriously. Why are we considering torture and what are we hoping to get from it other than make our allies think we lost our mind? Do we have a real reason to believe he is hiding something?

Other than there is some mindfuckery affecting both a peasant and a necromancer - why, absolutely no reason.
I mean, you can take any peasant from any backwater village and they know how to reflect mind spells.

There is something fishy going on. I do not consider torture, but a research is in order. Alternatively, we can just move on.

Or he simply doesn't know anything.

Does not mean nothing out of the ordinary is happening.

The mayor has stood this entire time in silence. He is a tiny, round man with a happy if rather vacant expression on his face. He seems a touch simple and more than a little intimidated by your presence and the strange scene that has played out in front of him. Now however he works up enough courage to speak, "I... I would like to thank ya Mistress Derryth for ya assistance... um... without ya aid we... well... um..." he trails off uncertain of how to address actual mages.
[...]
You can tell that he does not fully grasp everything she is saying. Instead he seizes upon a few words here and there, "Thank ya ma'am, we do try ta work hard. If there be anything... um... anything at all that me and mine can do for ya..."

The man behaves odd, and our mind scan just proved it.

 

[Zero Credibility]

Not the way I'm reading it.

"He may simply know nothing. Or he may have a way to protect himself from your more subtle magics."

What we got from him is that either he knows nothing about what we want to know or he can shield himself somehow. Which of these possibilities is more probable? Without anything concrete to act on torturing people we just saved from the undead is a really strange behavior.

 

[Nevill]

Ah, you misunderstood me. I don't think he knows anything. We are just searching for the option that would let us understand what is going on without involving ourselves with these people first.

Maybe it's just paranoia speaking, but I really do not want to stop here or escort people that don't give off normal reactions. The fact that the undead didn't attack some of these people while burning the others can be interpreted in several ways.

Di B for now.

 

[Grimgravy]

DiB

 

[Fangshi]

Current Vote:
Smashing Axe 1.Dii>Di>C 2.A
Anabanana 1.C
Baltika9 1.Di 2.B
GreyViper 1.A
Zero Credibility 1.A>E>Di 2.B
Azira 1.Dii>Di>C
Kz3r0 1.A 2.A
Jester 1.F>Dii 2.B
Kipeci 1.C
Cassidy 1.Dii 2.A
Nevill 1.Di 2.B
Grimgravy 1.Di 2.B
Boxer 1.Dii 2.A

Pre-flop:

1.
A) 3 votes
B)
C) 2 votes
D)
i. 3 votes
ii. 4 votes
iii.
E)
F) 1 vote

2.
A) 4 votes
B) 4 votes


Post-flop:

1.
A) 2 votes
B)
C) 2 votes
D)
i. 4 votes
ii. 5 votes
iii.
E)
F)

2.
A) 4 votes
B) 5 votes

I will close it up in another 12-14 hrs provided there are no ties.

 

[Smashing Axe]

I'm A 2 Fangshi. Voting for a touch more insanity. It should make us more Machiavellian

 

[Fangshi]

Currently we have two ties, on whether or not to pay for supplies and whether or not to torture the poor mayor. If you have not voted on the second option feel free to do so. The polls will close when they are resolved. (Either in the next three hours or sometime tomorrow (24-48 hrs)).

 

[Baltika9]

I vote against torturing the dude.

 

[Boxer]

1Dii
2A

 

[Boxer]

 

[Boxer]

Will it count if somebody new comes in right now and votes? ;p

sanity is for the weak

dont remeber the artist

Also this LP turned dumber and gayer than I thought possible.
Its dumb cause OP does not even try anymore to write pretty.
And its gay cause the voters are gay.

 

[Nevill]

I think this calls for Anabanana to resolve the torturing vote.

 

[Jester]

No torture.

Will it count if somebody new comes in right now and votes? ;p
sanity is for the weak

Rather for boring. No one will throw you away.

dont remeber the artist

Shame, its autor used interesting style.

Also this LP turned dumber and gayer than I thought possible.
Its dumb cause OP does not even try anymore to write pretty.
And its gay cause the voters are gay.

Obligatory preference joke, the most original thing i saw in internet since... 5 sec ago.
If you got problems with storytelling either give pointers to improve content, or start your own CYOA.

 

[Fangshi]

Okay, that should do it. You will take what supplies you can and leave and you will not torture the mayor. The update will either be up in six hours or sometime tomorrow (thirty six hours maybe).

Also the artist.

 

[Fangshi]

Chapter 3: Smoke on the Horizon

"You are all going to love Myrgard," Bari sits cross-legged in front of the small campfire; a glass of Tyrvard's Brew clasped in one hand as the fire casts deep shadows across the walls of the cave you are currently settled in.

The girls sleep in the back while your mercenaries keep watch in pairs. You, Thaïs and Bari sit around working on your understanding of dwarven, drinking and just generally passing time. It is a calm night and cool. Almost uncomfortably so, but your fire and a healthy dose of alcohol keep the worst of it a bay.

The mood of the dwarves has been improving every hour it seems. The closer you come to the heart of the kingdom the happier they seem. You are a day and a half from Blackford, half way to the nearest dwarven fort. Bari assures you that once you meet up with the garrison you will be supplied with a whole company of soldiers as an escort. You stand at the still filling up a pair of glasses, you have every reason to believe that you will be safe, perhaps that is why you feel so worried...

"There is no city in the world like it! The wide avenues filled with shops, the great exchange, the banks, the bars," he takes an easy sip from his glass, his eyes closed as he pictures the great city, "Ah, the bars, Derryth. They are a thing to behold. Every shape and size imaginable. Bars and banks, Derryth, that is Myrgard. If you want to understand anything about the city then that is where you must start."

"I can't wait to see it Bari," you reply as you return to the fire, two glasses in hand. You pass one off to Thaïs as he warms to the subject, "Ah, it is magnificent Derryth. My people have achieved wonders in the last sixty years. Perhaps some day the city will rival Stoneheim before the fall."

"Do you spend much time in Myrgard, Bari?" Thaïs leans forward resting her chin on her knees.

He smiles at the question, happy that his audience is in fact paying attention, "Ah, not much no. There was always work to do of some kind or another but I am young and it isn't the place of the young to sit at home and watch the world go by."

You give the dwarf a sly grin, "How old is young Bari?"

His laugh is a short, gruff thing. A bark really, "Young is oh, about ninety years," he nods once, "Yeah, ninety four to be precise, a long time for a human but for a dwarf," he snaps his fingers, "the blink of an eye, so many years but all of it gone in just a moment."

He stares now into the fire as his mind goes back to earlier times, "My parents, they were refugees. Fled west into the Province... I remember being a child in Madrigal. Living in the Dwarven Quarter there... you grew up tough or you did not grow up at all. Some thug, or pimp, or crime boss would scoop you up and that would be the end of it. I was barely in my twenties when the Fallen Lords pushed westward. Signed up with the Legion as soon as I could... just another stupid kid really."

He drains his glass, stands, stretches and gets a refill. You sit there huddled around the fire. Instinctively you scan the horizon for enemies and the sky for birds. Thaïs has told you time and again not to worry but you can not help it. Just the burden of being in charge you suppose.

Bari returns with another glass and drops to the ground in one fluid motion. Tucking his legs back underneath him he picks up where he left off, "So there I was, just this dumb kid, right. I sign up with the Legion, pay was shit, food was shit, and being a dwarf none of the humans would give me the time of day. This was back before the debacle at Covenant. Three quarters of the nobility of the Province, the king included, all dead. The army was broken and it was down to irregulars like us to keep the fight going. Those were some bad days my friends... some of the worst fuckin' days I have ever had. 'Course there were some good things about them as well. I met my Lord Jori in the service... met Ari too..."

"Bari, we don't have to do this now-" he stares into the fire but raises one hand to silence you.

"Don't worry Derryth, what is done is done. I am not going to go all weepy on you," he takes a hard gulp from his glass, "I met my Lord there. Not far from Silvermines, he was putting together a new chapter of a very old Order."

"The Pathfinders?" you make the leap and are rewarded with a nod.

"Yeah, Jori wanted to recruit the best of this new generation of dwarves. Really stir things up so to speak. I was good enough to make the cut, hell I was the best one there... well except for Ari, girl was one hell of a shot. We bonded over cheap ale and dead ghôls, like a fairytale..." he chuckles a little, "So the war ends, we win, the kingdom is re-established and the Pathfinders set to work evening out the old ledger. A lot of debts to be paid, friends to be rewarded, enemies to be crushed. The two of us barely saw one another for years on end. I got the idea in my head that maybe I should do something about that..."

His brow furrows as he stairs at the pair of rings on his finger, "Well turns out she had been waiting for me to ask since the War. Me being the idiot that I am, just didn't have the courage to act... Finally did it a year ago... we were going to take our pay from this mission and retire. Fuck... things just never work out like you want them to I guess. Still I am here, that bastard is dead and we have the hammer so I guess that is a win..."

He knocks back another drink and wanders off to get a refill. When he returns you decide to turn matters to a brighter subject, "So how exactly did you meet Trakk and his men?"

"Ah well that is a story of daring exploits, heroics and great battles," the dwarf gives you a wide grin, "Trakk and his men are ex-military. They used to patrol the borders a bit to the south of here actually. Well one day I am running reconnaissance, looking for this real bastard of a ghôl... named Gorefang... or Gnarlfang... or some such shit. Big white one with red eyes and this nasty scar across its throat from an earlier encounter with a Pathfinder. The ghôl survived, the Pathfinder didn't and we always avenge our dead... Anyway, I am running recon and I hear the sounds of battle. I come up over the ridge and Trakk and his patrol are down there under attack by my target and fifty of his best friends. Well I sneak in nice and close and lob a fire bomb right at the bastard. He goes up in flames and his little raiding party scatter to the four winds." Bari slaps his knee as he lets out a series of short barks.

"Bragging again Bari?" Trakk wanders into camp, "Our shift is over, time to switch."

You wake the girls and the five of you head out while the mercenaries move in to take some rest.

---------------------------------------------

Smoke on the horizon...

You have had a quiet and relaxing trip south to the fort. Naturally this was not meant to last.

As the sparse foliage of the southern empire gives way to the broad orange canyons of the Dwarven Kingdom Bari spots smoke billowing to the south, in the direction of the fort. You send your scouts ahead to observe, what they report back is not reassuring.

The fort is surrounded, the smoke drifting into the air is coming from within. Bari counts maybe three hundred ghasts, one hundred thrall and a couple dozen soulless. Also of note is a pen at the center of the enemy camp containing about thirty wights. Bari spotted three necromancers in and around the command tent though there could be more.

You run the numbers through your head, not great odds but there are a few things working in your favour, "Bari, this might be an odd question, but were there any crows over there?"

He gives you a confused look and scratched the back of his head, "Ah, well... yes... yes I suppose there were. Um... maybe a dozen or so. It is a siege Derryth, they are probably waiting to feed on the dead..."

You narrow your eyes, you know this next question is going to sound insane but you have to ask, "Did any of the crows see you Bari?"

"Well no... I mean I don't think so..." you think the dwarf may be a little worried about you, "Are they important somehow Derryth."

You give the slightest nod, "Possibly, might be more magic involved is this..."

Trakk spits, "Damn mages!" he hesitates a moment, "Ah, sorry ladies, didn't mean either of you."

You wave it off, "Don't worry," turning back to Bari you continue your questioning, "Alright so we are up against a few hundred undead here and at least three mages. What are our options? Is there anything we can do about this situation?"

"Attack?" suggests Telling before Trakk swats him in the back of the head, "Not against these numbers you idiot."

"Retreat?" Thaïs hazards.

Trakk frowns, "We could try for Blackford but the undead may be there as well. We could push on to the capital through the center of the desert but we would have to scavenge after a few days. Food would probably be doable but water..."

You remove your hat, fanning yourself under the midday sun, "How big would a garrison like this be? What sort of allies could we expect."

Trakk shrugs, "Ah, back in my day a full garrison on the northern border was maybe one hundred and fifty dwarves. Fifty or so are out on patrol at any given time so we are looking at less than one hundred dwarves in there. Fairly good odds for them as long as the walls hold out. That is probably why they are besieging them, to storm the fort would eat up most of their resources..."

You feel like there is something missing here, "Wights? You said they have about thirty wights? If I remember right a wight is essentially a walking bomb right?"

The Pathfinder nods, "Yeah if they can get those wights to the walls then the siege will be over in minutes..."

What to do... what to do... you look up into the sky, searching for an answer.

You spot a large eagle circling your position. It notices you watching and flies off to the south.


A) Go around. No one knows you are here. You can slip into the central desert and make your way directly to Myrgard. Food should not be a problem though water might be.

B) Attack. It may seem crazy but if you pick your targets you can do a lot of damage.

i. Infiltration - you will slip into the enemy camp and attempt to destroy the Wight pen and the command tent with satchel charges and dwarven cocktails.

ii. The Mortar 1 - you can shell the camp from here. You target the wight pen first. That should take pressure off the garrison but it would also draw a lot of attention.

iii. The Mortar 2 -you can shell the camp from here. You target the command tent first. If you can neutralize the enemy mages the undead will lose cohesion. Of course if you do not get them all...

iv. Breakthrough - you punch a hole through the undead lines and attempt to get inside the fort.

C) Go back - you head back towards Blackford

D) Wait - you give it a few days and see how things develop.

E) Negotiate? - well you could try talking to the necromancers, one mage to another...

F) Follow the eagle south into the desert. You don't know why but you have a feeling it may be important.

G) Infiltration/Mortar 1 - You will split your forces. Bari will slip through the camp while you relocate the mortar. You will shell the wight camp and attempt to split the enemy. Bari will then signal the garrison to sally forth and strike at the enemy. A lot will depend on the garrison sallying forth but you will just have to trust them and be ready to fall back.

H) freeform - have a strategy? feel free to suggest it.

 

[Baltika9]

Bii

 

[Kz3r0]

Follow the eagle.

 

[Grimgravy]

Biii

 

[Smashing Axe]

F>Biii>A>Bi>Bii

It sounds like the eagle is significant enough that it's worth checking out. My only concern is that it might lead us to a mage who wants our stuff. That would be bad.

I prefer to attempt to bomb the command tent. If the undead lose cohesion the wights may very well become a threat to their own force.