Myth: A New Age CYOA

[Nevill]

Wasnt there an idea to employ one of Al children companies to look into that? It didnt pass?

Yes, there was, and the daughter in question is Letta, the leader of Ten Sovereigns.

It was put off until we have time to meet her, and I would like to see to it after our business with Jan is done.

And we are enchanting things everyday i think. Those enchants we got have limited time spawn, or do i recall wrong?

Yes, but we are using Paths (of Memory, of Intellect and of Clarity) exclusively. We are yet to use the other two subschools, which is what I am talking about.

I don't want to risk our Spinner for anything other than Batman Cape. If we don't make that, I only want the cloaks - and to take the Spinner away from the dwarves before they break it.

I guess that would be 2BF. +1 vote for Janine as the head researcher.

Our inverntor friend is not going to wake up for another month and a half, by the looks of it.

 

[Nevill]

I don't want to inform him about the conflict with the Damned. That shit is pretty top secret for now. I only want to do piecemeal revelations about our breadth of knowledge and indicate familiarity by sharing bits of our own knowledge of such devices. If we trade him some unrelated yet otherwise engrossing stories, he might be inclined to share more with us about the goddess.

I believe there is a misunderstanding. First, our conflict with the Damned is not top secret at all, as it does not concern anyone but us. The secret is the presence of the dwarven maul among their artefacts, and it does not need to be mentioned at all.

Second, my suggestion is to avoid talking about our role in the conflict and concentrate on the conflict itself. Three orders have fought in a battle because of their religious differences, and no one have walked away unscathed. The Goddess' once powerful champion, Miosguinn, was pursued by the remnants of the Reds and Silvers, and then slain, abandoned and betrayed by his deity. Jan talks about whether power granted by the Goddess was real or not, and we can confirm his suspicions, but that power commands a hefty price, and it can just as easily be taken away, leaving you with absolutely nothing.

My take on the choice is a mix between Jester's E and your D. We don't have to mention sensitive parts.

Don't know where this falls, letter-wise.

 

[Fangshi]

What spells would we learn in 2E?

Derry will likely learn something that is WIS or INT based while Taide will likely learn something that is INT or CHA based.

Fangshi can we show Jan the Spinner asking for his opinion and if is a spider goddess artifact?

Yes you can.

He says its construction reminds him of a number of motifs he once encountered in a temple south of Stoneheim but he seems unwilling to go into too much detail at the moment. He probably does not trust you enough to tell you more.

E - Share a tale of our friend Mios fate story, the way he was screwed up would discourage any contacts attempts and show how dangerous this whole clutist situation is. It show part of goddess true character to.

Added.

I ask that we pursue weaving parts if we add condition that spinner will be put under Janine protection.

Certainly, that condition can be added to question 2.

Did he told anyone about his findings about control magic or shady parts of cult in general?

He hesitates and shifts uncomfortably. He says he may have told Timo and his father on occasion but neither of them seemed to take his theories very seriously. He seems a little depressed about that actually though he is quick to add that the existence of such artefacts and the ability to communicate across different planes of existence would be a bit of a shock to most people, and something they would likely find hard to accept. Such spells are unheard of even in magical Circles.

How did he get those artefacts?

He is far more eager to talk about this. He says he recovered them from a number of digs he undertook in the east, south and southeast of the Kingdom. He says that all sorts of things are buried out in the desert if you know where to look for them and he has dedicated his life to uncovering the history of the Kingdom.

The newest piece in his collection was recovered less than a year ago by one of his field teams though he is a little concerned for them now as he has not heard word from them in several weeks and the situation in the south of the Kingdom is getting out of hand.

Why the hell there are so much people with death wish here? Dont you have any safety protocols? (judging from our experiences with Academy)

He gets a little defensive at first, stating that his people are no more dangerous than any other large Circle of mages when taken together. He may well be right too, you have had very little experience with proper mage insitutions so you can not really gauge if the behavior of the fellows is 'normal' or not. Either way you silent stares break through his defences, he sighs and nods his head, saying that, yes, the fellows can be quite eccentric and they tend to play fast and loose with their own lives and the lives of others but they are also dedicated to the advancement of the magical arts and to a systemic understanding of the principles behind magic itself.

Casualty rates can be high when something goes wrong, he will grant you that, but some of the items and creations they have constructed have been of immense use to the Kingdom and though he admits he may be bias he insists that the benefits far outweight the risks.

As for safety precautions they do exist... the fellows often forget to employ them... but they do exist. For example the entire compound is capable of being sealed at a moment's notice should it be necessary to contain anything or anyone. You do not really like the idea of being sealed in the Academy with whatever artefacts and horrors might be locked up here but you must admit it is better for the city as a whole that such a safeguard exists. The concentration of all the Kingdom's mages in one place is also something of a safety precaution, he admits with a slight grin, it minimizes the amount of havoc they can cause in general with their inventions.

Don't know where this falls, letter-wise.

Well, if you don't think it is covered by either option then it would be a separate one.

 

[Kz3r0]

Fangshi several questions.
Jan said that if the eggs will be taken out of the room it will be possible to contact the spideress, what is special about the room we are in that impedes such communication?

I feel adventurous, can we feed one of the eggs to the spinner?

And just to startle him, ask if he has ever heard of spider-folks roaming around or of cultists transforming into spiders to be in communnin with their goddess.

Also, when Thais has become Thaide, a Dante reference perchance?

 

[Nevill]

D)Play up your archaeologist side with Thais's vocal help and silent communication via suggestions to create a favorable impression.

Fangshi, which part of D as stated is important and which one is superficial?

I would really like to avoid the 'silent suggestions' part. The point of silent communication is to remain unnoticed by the third party, to keep it a secret from them. It worked beautifully in our own fort, because none of the Great Lords were mages. Here, though, Jan would be able to instantly recognize that we are casting and would immediately know we are trying to hide something from him. It is not conducive to making a positive impression.

Besides, at this point, I don't think we need magic to communicate. Back at the fort she helped us out because we weren't paying attention to the conversation as we were trying to assault Hesse's mind. Here, though, things are completely different.

But I really like the archeological angle. We are somewhat of a fellow expert on the Spider Goddess. We know her history and origins as told by Nephila, we know her followers (though Jan does not need to know the girls were ones), we have held her artefacts in our hands and we have even spoken with the deity itself. I think we can tell him a lot if we pose ourselves a fellow explorer, which we are, to a point. Also, Biliku and Uttu know the tongue of the Spider Goddess, which might help us if there are any written documents around or if there are inscriptions on the artefacts.

Speaking of which, Fangshi, are there any, and does Professor Jan know enough to translate them by himself? If not, I think we have our hook for the conversation.

Should I introduce another choice, an amalgamation of the ones by Jester and Absinthe?

F) Play up your archaeologist side with Thais's vocal help and pose yourself as a fellow researcher on the matters concerning the Spider Goddess. Share your findings and 'progress' with him - Miosguinn's story (with several touchy details omitted), knowledge about the origins of the Goddess and her story (say we've found it in some ancient manuscript or whatever is more plausible), Biliku's and Uttu's proficiency with the language (tell him they are daughters of late professor Casgair in Muirthemne or something) - and get everything he knows about the Goddess (and her potential followers) in return.

I think he would only be glad to show his 'colleague' how knowledgeable he himself is on the subject. Try to create a working relationship with the man - because we really are very interested in finding out more about the Goddess.

I'll vote for 1F.

 

[Baltika9]

F
EF (Janine)
B

 

[Grimgravy]

E>D
BE

 

[Fangshi]

Jan said that if the eggs will be taken out of the room it will be possible to contact the spideress, what is special about the room we are in that impedes such communication?

Lead. He discovered long ago that lead can block out many magical signals and it seems to work with the artifacts too. The doors are plated in lead and the walls and roof behind the paneling are also lined in lead.

I feel adventurous, can we feed one of the eggs to the spinner?

Sure, he is willing to let you try but it will require a vote.

3. You wonder what would happen if you feed on of the pulsing eggs to the spinner. Do you do it?

A) Yes

B) No

And just to startle him, ask if he has ever heard of spider-folks roaming around or of cultists transforming into spiders to be in communing with their goddess.

He pales, no, never, he has never heard of anything like that and he hopes he will never have to encounter such a creature.

Also, when Thais has become Thaide, a Dante reference perchance?

She is only Taide to Berty, Derryth becomes Derry, Lyssa becomes Lys, and so on. Just the way he speaks really and some times it bleeds over into what I call them in general. (Taide is an uncommon Italian variant of Thaïs though so there is that connection I suppose).

Fangshi, which part of D as stated is important and which one is superficial?

Well it is all important, that is how the ladies will go about it if D wins.

Speaking of which, Fangshi, are there any, and does Professor Jan know enough to translate them by himself? If not, I think we have our hook for the conversation.

He has a few collections of texts but he can not read them.

F) Play up your archaeologist side with Thais's vocal help and pose yourself as a fellow researcher on the matters concerning the Spider Goddess. Share your findings and 'progress' with him - Miosguinn's story (with several touchy details omitted), knowledge about the origins of the Goddess and her story (say we've found it in some ancient manuscript or whatever is more plausible), Biliku's and Uttu's proficiency with the language (tell him they are daughters of late professor Casgair in Muirthemne or something) - and get everything he knows about the Goddess (and her potential followers) in return.

Added

Current Tally:

Spoiler

Absinthe:
1.D,
2.E,F,
3.B

Baltika9:
1.F,
2.E,F,
3.x

Nevill:
1.F>D,
2.B,F - Janine,
3.B

Azira:
1.D,
2.B,E,
3.x

Jester:
1.F
2.B,D,F - Janine,
3.B

archaen:
1.F
2.B,D - Janine,
3.x

Grimgravy:
1.F>E>D,
2.B,E,
3.B

zerozero:
1.D
2.F
3.B

Kz3r0:
1.x
2.x
3.A

1. 1 abstain
A)
B)
C)
D) 3 votes
E)
F) 5 votes

2. 1 abstain
A)
B) 5/8 votes
C)
D) 2/8 votes
E) 4/8 votes
F) 5/8 votes

3. 4 abstain
A) 1 vote
B) 4 vote

 

[Nevill]

Fangshi, which part of D as stated is important and which one is superficial?

Well it is all important, that is how the ladies will go about it if D wins.

Allright. A call to Absinthe, Azira, archaen, Jester, Grimgravy and everyone who have voted so far.

Can we please not try to outsmart a mage with suggestions while also aiming to make a good impression of ourselves, and drop that part that has us casting spells behind his back (that he will probably feel anyway)?

Also, 3B.

 

[Absinthe]

Hm, I guess casting spells would make Jan suspicious. Alright then, I'm willing to forgo the silent suggestions for the usual subtle cues. Thais and Derryth should know each other well enough to be able to communicate their thoughts in a look or slight nudge, etc. Fangshi, could you make this adjustment?

Also, 3B. Lets not do things that could break our device or give the spider goddess influence over it.

 

[Baltika9]

From the depths of the Abyss, through the thousand twisting currents, through unfathomable distances, I summon Esquilax! Rise, rise and impart thine knowledge upon us!

 

[Absinthe]

Our inverntor friend is not going to wake up for another month and a half, by the looks of it.

I figure we'll just take Melete with us and have the Seekers assist us with our ritual when the time comes.

 

[Kz3r0]

I feel adventurous, can we feed one of the eggs to the spinner?

Sure, he is willing to let you try but it will require a vote.

3. You wonder what would happen if you feed on of the pulsing eggs to the spinner. Do you do it?

A) Yes

B) No

I had a hunch that this would have required a vote.
3 A) Yes
Of course.

Also, when Thais has become Thaide, a Dante reference perchance?

She is only Taide to Berty, Derryth becomes Derry, Lyssa becomes Lys, and so on. Just the way he speaks really and some times it bleeds over into what I call them in general. (Taide is an uncommon Italian variant of Thaïs though so there is that connection I suppose).

Now that I made the connection, poor Thais, you were mean in choosing such a name.

 

[Jester]

Changes to vote:
1F - it sound good enough for me. Bit complicated, but should work.
3B - we even know what those are?

 

[zerozero]

Vote
1 D
2 F
3 B

 

[Absinthe]

Jester, I really don't recommend that. I do not want to spill the beans about what happened there. That story is very closely related to our circle, our source of funds, the Pathfinder secret mission, and what happened to Jori. Just because Nevill wants to spin a slightly bullshit variant of the story doesn't mean that they wouldn't start trying to piece details together to figure shit out. That knowledge can really screw us over, since the Pathfinder mission is meant to be secret and our own ruins dive was rather illegal.

Fangshi, could you explain the difference between 2B and 2F to me. It looks like we'll have both B and F winning but that doesn't make sense. The 2F cloak is naturally also a protective cloak like 2B, right?

 

[Fangshi]

Now that I made the connection, poor Thais, you were mean in choosing such a name.

Well maybe a little, but I am cruel to them only because I care.

The rest though is all on Dante, he is the one that threw her in a trench full of shit.

I named her after the original, Alexander's hetaira, which is also likely who Dante was referring to. So same inspiration but (hopefully) different fates.

And it worked a bit better with the original concept of the character. All of the characters were originally going to be more, well, evil but the 'Dex consistently picked the heroic choices which served to 'better' all of your core group quite a bit. If you look closely though you can still see the odd hint here and there as to the sorts of people they would have become without their experiences under Muirthemne.

Derryth is probably the most 'heroic' character I have ever run a campaign for. Most of the PCs I deal with regualrly are complete assholes (the players are good guys/gals but the characters they choose to play are often just miserable to the NPCs and to each other ).

Fangshi, could you explain the difference between 2B and 2F to me. It looks like we'll have both B and F winning but that doesn't make sense. The 2F cloak is naturally also a protective cloak like 2B, right?

In 2F they will design a cloak with the ability to glide in mind, they will need to experiment with a variety of different materials and they are not sure how long it will take (though they are as always confident they can figure something out). It is unlike anything they have tried to do so they can not give you much in the way of details at the moment though it is likely they will have something for you within the month. (They will prioritize this gliding quality over all other qualities so some things might have to go, such as protection for example.)

2B is much easier for them to handle as they just have to get decent quality metal capable of protecting the wearer. They should be able to weave several cloaks much faster than in 2F but these cloaks will not have the capacity to glide.

So the 2F cloaks may have protective qualities but the dwarves can not guarantee that they will. The 2B cloaks will have protective qualities (and the level of protection offered by them will likely be higher than the 2F cloaks in most cases even if the glider cloaks do manage to offer some protection) but they naturally will have no 'flight' capabilities.

 

[Baltika9]

But will they look like Batman's cape?

 

[Fangshi]

But will they look like Batman's cape?

If you really want them to the dwarves might be able to manage something.

 

[Absinthe]

With 2E can we learn some physical protection runes to put on our cloaks?

 

[Fangshi]

Yes it is possible to learn physical protection runes though like all your other enchantments they would need to reapplied on a regular basis.

 

[archaen]

Flop 1.F

 

[Absinthe]

Hm, I guess casting spells would make Jan suspicious. Alright then, I'm willing to forgo the silent suggestions for the usual subtle cues. Thais and Derryth should know each other well enough to be able to communicate their thoughts in a look or slight nudge, etc.

Fangshi, could you make this adjustment?

 

[Fangshi]

Sure, done. I have removed the bit about using magic to communicate. They will rely on mundane methods. If there are any objections I can create a separate option where the ladies choose to use magic.

 

[Nevill]

I figure we'll just take Melete with us and have the Seekers assist us with our ritual when the time comes.

Maybe we shouldn't take an unconscious person with a huge bounty still set for her head - the same person we are keeping in a bunker with a blind, deaf and dumb nurse precisely so that no one would ever find out about her existence - with us into the warzone for everyone to see.

Hell, I don't want even the Seekers to know about her.