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CYOA: Honeyman's quest

Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,865
Location
Ottawa, Can.
I've been thinking about this story for a long time, and seeing this forum, I thought I might try turning it into some sort of CYOA format. I have the basic outline largely figured out, with the details to be added as we go along.

My inspiration is that I always wanted to make an adventure game about a hero that was an everyman, living in the fringes of society, that everyone could easily identify to, who becomes intertwined in an unexpected situation that also becomes a sort of quest for identity.

Another one is that there was a TV show that aired when I was very young that was called Hamilton's Quest, which was about a young man who's parents died. He then discovers that they really were his adoptive parents, and must try to find his aunt which is his only surviving relative, who leads him towards her with clues that take the form of tarot cards. The show was actually set in Canada, and I always found it to be an overlooked, but yet very interesting setting due to the sheer variety of locations available.

I have other inspirations which I will not mention here because they would constitute spoilers.

I intend to follow a very simple process: I would post a few paragraphs, sometimes many to advance the story forward then offer a choice between a few different alternatives. I would wait a while and go with the option that the most people had selected. That is, anyone who is posting in good faith. Sometimes there might not be any choices but the story would progress. When it comes to choices, I would ignore anyone that is being needlessly belligerent or flat out trolling. If we need to break a tie, I would go at random. We would pursue like this until the story is complete.

I am sure it would take anyone partaking in it into strange and unexpected directions and we would all have a lot of fun with the adventures of one named Bruno Honeyman.
 
Last edited:
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,865
Location
Ottawa, Can.
INTRODUCTION:

You live in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is September 2025.

You are not one who has had it particularly easy in life. You never knew who your father was. Your mother was a drug addict who died of an overdose when you were very young. From that point out, you went back and forth between adoptive families and youth shelters, never fitting very well in any particular place. You grew up inquisitive, angry and rebellious. But in such circumstances, who wouldn't be?

You've gotten in trouble with the law a few times, but only for petty crimes, that resulted in community service, without getting you a criminal record.

In these last few years, things are better. You are now in your mid-twenties and your life has become more stable. You never went to college, but you do some construction jobs here and there, to earn a meager living. You are doing decently.

You keep away from other people, due to having been betrayed at numerous occasions in the past. You like anonymity and quietness.

In South Osborne is a little cafe called the Moonlight Haze that you go to regularly, because it is open late and has very few customers. You go there after a hard day of work to unwind, change your mind, drink coffee, watch sports. You feel comfortable there.

Tonight, things are a little different. Next to you, you notice a customer you've never seen before. The man is close to middle age and some sort of strongly built colossus. He is well-shaven and wears a leather jacket along a red scarf. He is smiling but has a hard look on his face, and a faint scar is visible on his right cheek.

The man smiles and speaks to you:

"Not much going on here, is there?"
"No, you're right, that's why I like this place."
"Sorry I was kind of bored too. My name is Frank."
"Hi, I'm Bruno, pleased to meet you."

You spend the next 30 minutes or so discussing with the man named Frank. Despite his intimidating appearance, he is quite friendly and well-versed. You talk about life in general, and disclose to him that you work in construction. He says he is a "businessman", without entering into details.

As it is getting late, Frank decides it is time to leave. He shakes your hand, says he is pleased to meet you, looking very enthusiastic.
"Maybe we could go play pool some time if you don't mind? I'll come around here more often."
"Sure, why not, I'd like that."

Frank then leaves.

As it is getting late, you pay for your order, and then leave as well.

You enter your car, turn the key, and drive up to your small apartment, located in the nearby neighborhood of Grant Park. You enter your apartment, take a shower, and go to bed, pleased of having made this new acquaintance, for a change.

As you fall into a deep sleep, you have no means to know it, but the apparently mundane encounter you had tonight is about turn your life around completely, in directions no one could have ever possibly foreseen...
 
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,865
Location
Ottawa, Can.
You wake up in the middle of the night because tonight it is very chilly in the air. You fail to sleep again for now. You have no idea what time it is, probably about 2 am. You lay conscious under your comforter, thinking of your life as it stands. You think of the blissful peace outside.

You hear the door at the entrance of your apartment complex closing. You think to yourself that surely, someone is coming back from the bar or from a party. Apparently, that someone didn't "score that night", the thought of which amuses you.

Then suddenly, you hear the very dim sound of steps first going up the stairs, and second, getting closer to your own apartment!

Surely, it must be my next door neighbor, you think.

And then, unbelievably, you hear a sound that seems like someone picking at the lock...

Wait, is this even real? What is going on here? You begin panicking.

Before you can realize what's going on, the person apparently succeeds, and pushes the door open very slowly... you barely hear it, but it is clearly going on.

In these panicked instants, you think fast. Someone decided to break into your apartment.

But why? You don't have any real valuables in your apartment. Unless they're prepared to carry your HDTV?

Unless... they want to harm you? Kill you?

Why would someone want to harm such an unremarkable man as you? It simply defies comprehension!

You realize that you must act quickly, to counter something that is very, very wrong. You're not sure whether or not you're dreaming.

Fortunately, your cellphone is in your left pocket. Your wallet and your keys are in your right pocket, in the jeans that you are still wearing right now. You have all you need to leave your apartment immediately. But how to do so without being noticed? What if the other party is armed and notices you?

You stay immobile under those bedsheets and ponder the three following options:

A) There is a patio door in your room, you live at the first floor, and your car happens to be just below. You could open it, go to the patio, jump down on the hood of your car, and then flee immediately. You believe you can do this without harming yourself.

B) You can remain immobile under your comforter, wait for the intruder to enter your room, and when he gets close enough, lunge at him with the comforter, wrap him in it to obstruct his view and movement, push him on the floor, hit him, and flee through your front door.

C) There is an unused bottle of whisky on your nightstand. You can take him, await in ambush next to the door, and immediately hit the intruder on the head with it as he enters. Then push him away and escape through the door.
 

tsuke

Educated
Joined
May 29, 2018
Messages
116
A sounds sketchy and a good way to comically injure ourselves. B sounds lol.

C it is :)

We also have the tools at hand to craft a Barmans Shanker can we not do that?
 

ERYFKRAD

Barbarian
Patron
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
28,190
Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
I would wait a while and go with the option that the most people had selected. That is, anyone who is posting in good faith. Sometimes there might not be any choices but the story would progress. When it comes to choices, I would ignore anyone
This is reasonable, however I shall perforce warn you that we do make DUMB choices in these parts ever so often.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
C) There is an unused bottle of whisky on your nightstand. You can take him, await in ambush next to the door, and immediately hit the intruder on the head with it as he enters. Then push him away and escape through the door.

Classic moves are called that for a reason.
scale_1200
 
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,865
Location
Ottawa, Can.
I would wait a while and go with the option that the most people had selected. That is, anyone who is posting in good faith. Sometimes there might not be any choices but the story would progress. When it comes to choices, I would ignore anyone
This is reasonable, however I shall perforce warn you that we do make DUMB choices in these parts ever so often.

Like I said in the first post, I will try to take choices of people, unless someone is very belligerent or very obviously trolling. But since this is the Codex, I'll try to be tolerant of our typical irreverence and jabs.
 
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,865
Location
Ottawa, Can.
You decide to settle on the bottle of whisky. You still hear footsteps coming from the living room. Seemingly, the other person is attempting to quickly figure out his surroundings. While he is doing so, you put your shoes on, take the bottle of whisky, and wait close to the door, in a way that if the intruder decides to open the door, he will not see you immediately and you can take him by surprise.

So you wait.

You hear very slight footsteps every now and then.

Your heart is racing inside.

You struggle to figure out what is going on.

Who was that man at the cafe before? Why was he so friendly?

Was that a ruse?

What would these people want from you?

When suddenly, the door creeks open...

You see a dark hood emerge. A man looking about six feet tall rushes in.

He never has a chance you see you coming. You immediately smash the bottle on his head!

The man starts screaming ARGH!!!! and some blood pours out from under his hood.

You waste no time. You push him out of the way, immediately rush out of the door into the living room, race to the front door, and close it back violently.

Then, you race downstairs. You open the door and close it.

You sprint to the parking lot. To your gray car.

Your hand is shaking as you take your keychain and try to insert your car key in the lock.

You enter your car. Buckle up. Turn the ignition on.

You back up the car.

As you do, you have a view of your patio.

You see that the man has seemingly emerged from his commotion and is standing on the patio, though he still seems slightly disoriented.

He has a gun drawn in his right hand. However, he refrains from trying to shoot you. He seems to have realized that chasing you further is futile as of now.

And his attempts at discretion have failed, he doesn't seem to want to create a bigger commotion.

Instead, he just stares at you.

Menacingly.

With his piercing, menacing black eyes.

As if to say "You escaped me this time, but next time, you won't be so lucky."

You speed away as you keep those black eyes in mind.

You arrive on highway 42 and drive south as fast as you can.
 
Last edited:
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,865
Location
Ottawa, Can.
Finally, you see a strip mall to your right. You take the next exit. You arrive to the strip mall's parking lot. You stop there.

You can hear your heart racing.

You try to come out of this frenzied state.

Your panic goes down a little after roughly ten minutes have elapsed.

A man just tried to kill you.

For some reason, someone wanted you gone. And fast.

Indeed. It seems to you that when it comes to assassinations, home invasions are very rare.

Most people are kidnapped or killed when they are out and about.

What was so urgent about getting rid of you?

Was that a plot by "Frank"?

Why would he have been so friendly to you, and then try to kill you?

Or maybe Frank was just a coincidence, an innocent party in all this.

That is still very possible.

For sure, the intruder didn't look like he was Frank, although you didn't get more than a very brief glimpse at him and he hid his face.

Frank looked more muscular.

At any rate, at this point, you don't know what is going on.

You just need to find a safe place and get some sleep.

Should you call the police? You decide against it for now.

How would they protect you against a crazed assassin?

Plus you've had run-ins with them in the past. You don't trust them. Not one bit.

You've seen how quickly they become prejudiced.

Right now, you think your choices are either:

A) Find a hotel to sleep at and get a good night's rest.
B) Stay in the car and sleep here in this deserted parking lot. It would have the advantage of not leaving a record of where you are. You don't know if they could've not gained access to your accounts.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
He never has a chance you see you coming. You immediately smash the bottle on his head!
to see

A) Find a hotel to sleep at and get a good night's rest.

They won't find that record today, and tomorrow we won't be here. I do not want to go to ground completely and live the rest of our days in the car, with no Internet and ATMs. They may take our life, but they will never take our comforts!
 
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,865
Location
Ottawa, Can.
After mulling it over, you think it wiser to sleep in a hotel for the time being. From tomorrow on, you still consider other options to lay low.

You also think that if they have been scouring the streets of Winnipeg to find you, and they see you sleeping in your car... you would definitely be done for.

You also don't want to be awakened by a police officer wondering what is going on. The fewer explanations you have to give law enforcement, the better.

Browsing on your phone, you happen to find another hotel just nearby. On top of that, the hotel's site mentions that the elevators are protected by keycard. Just what you need for some more peace of mind.

Considering that, and the fact that these places are filled with cameras, you consider yourself safe for the time being.

You decide just to be safer, to park your car in an adjacent residential road. Did they get your plate number? You can't be sure.

After you have parked, you walk up to the hotel, enter it, and head to the lobby.

"Hi, I'd like a room."
"Oh this is pretty late.
"Well you know, I painted by apartment and the smell is making me dizzy... you know..."

After the receptionist checked your ID and you pay the deposit with your credit card, you are granted the keycard to room 303.

You head up the elevator.

You find room 303 right next to it.

You enter it.

And upon closing back the door... you feel relief like never before.

You can't think straight anymore... you just need some sleep...
 
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,865
Location
Ottawa, Can.
You awaken at 9:30 am after a reasonable 6 hours of sleep.

The fact that you awaken in a hotel room and not in your apartment makes you realize that sadly, you were not dreaming.

You decide to order breakfast to your room. A reasonable reprieve, after such an ordeal.

After having eaten the subpar eggs, sausage, hash browns and toast that is delivered to your door within 20 minutes, you decide to open the TV.

You zap through the channels.

Then you see a news broadcast.

Nothing special so far. The usual crappy Manitoba weather. Politicians complaining. Unions complaining. Special interest groups complaining. What else is new?

Until they proceed to a breaking news story...

"Today the Winnipeg Police Service was alerted by warehouse workers who made a most sordid discovery. After entering a long unoccupied warehouse for maintenance purposes, they found what appeared to be the dead body of a man. The man was apparently burned alive and tortured. Due to the sorry state of the corpse, no further details are available right now as to his identity.

Lieutenant Heartfield of the WPS convened a press conference today to deliver the press the few scant details available and urging the population not to panic.

"I want to reassure everyone who lives in Winnipeg: we will get to the bottom of this. We will find the despicable beings responsible for such an odious act and make them pay. Our best detectives have been assigned this case. They will not relent until these criminals are caught. Until then, we urge everyone to remain cautious, and to contact the police should they have any information on this matter, no matter how remote. No stone is worth being left unturned here."

Afterwards the TV shows a shot of the crime scene, with the body blurred out.

Looking over it carefully, you seem to recognize something...

Laying a few meters away from the body, some of the deceased's clothes are present.

Among them... a red scarf...

You blurt out "Frank????"

Oh wow, they got him! Frank was completely innocent in all this!

Looking over the scene... they must have wanted him to spill the beans on something...

And he paid the most expensive price for his refusal.

Still in shock, you realize that you haven't showered up.

You decide that a good warm shower will clear your mind.

Still mulling over this terrible tragedy, you enter the bathroom.

You undress.

You start the shower.

Hmmm.... this warmth is blissful.

As you are about to enter the shower... you notice something...

It seems there was something stuck in your shirt...

A small piece of paper.

You turn the shower off.

Still naked, you pick up the tiny piece of paper (where did it come from)?

And you read it

"IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME
LOOK FOR DAVID JOHANSON
-FRANK"

It looks like Frank left this for you! He wanted you to have it!

How did it happen?

Then you remember "The handshake!"

He must have stuck it in your sleeve with some sort of sleight of hand!

And then it fell off your sleeve when you undressed.

Well, you definitely have more to think about in the shower now.

You hop back into the shower...

Who is David Johanson?
 
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,865
Location
Ottawa, Can.
Somehow, Frank trusted you with it.

It seems that he knew something bad was about to happen.

And he sent out this S.O.S out in the world.

To a complete stranger.

You feel that you have been endowed with something extremely valuable. Something sacrosanct.

You must find ways to keep yourself safe, and get to the bottom of who both Frank and David Johanson are.

What step would you rather take first?

A) Run the risk of going back to you apartment (if someone is staking out the place), to see if the assassin has left a clue, or if the place is trashed, or some belongings have been stolen.
B)Call a neighbor you know to have a brief look at the apartment to see if anything is amiss.
C) Run searches online to find out who David Johanson is.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
And he sent out this S.O.S out in the world.

To a complete stranger.
Yeah, and without telling that stranger what they were getting into, resulting in an assassin visit. If we didn't have insomnia we'd be dead by now. Goddammit, Frank, we didn't need that!

B)Call a neighbor you know to have a brief look at the apartment to see if anything is amiss.

Nope, not going back. Anyone who wants to be thorough would have the place staked.
 
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,865
Location
Ottawa, Can.
I want to sincerely thank anyone who is participating and derives some entertainment or excitement from it. I am beyond grateful. I can promise you guys that we are only getting started and there is much, much more yet to come. It will be worth your while.
 

ERYFKRAD

Barbarian
Patron
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
28,190
Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
I want to sincerely thank anyone who is participating and derives some entertainment or excitement from it. I am beyond grateful. I can promise you guys that we are only getting started and there is much, much more yet to come. It will be worth your while.
Don't thank us yet.
 
Repressed Homosexual
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
17,865
Location
Ottawa, Can.
You decide to scour various news sites and search engines to find out if you can identify who your man is.

Obviously, you find many "David Johanson's". But none of them are obvious candidates, and there are far too many to attempt to check them out one by one. You obviously need to narrow your search or find other clues.

You thought for instance that, if David Johanson was part of a criminal organization, he could have been arrested, suspected of a crime, or done time, and this could have left a trace in the media. But there is none that you can find as of now.

Just as you're starting to think that you're an at impasse, your phone starts ringing.

You are filled with dread. "Have they decided to start threatening me now?"

You nervously accept the call.

"Hey Bruno my man, how's it going? What are you doing over the weekend?"

This immediately fills you with relief, as this familiar voice is from one of your only close friends, Julian Arsenault.

Julian is an engineer whom you met at an amateur sports league. Very quickly, the two of you clicked.

Julian is very laid back and affable, while you are the more reserved, cautious, pensive one. In fact, that might be why the two of you became friends, as some commented that your personalities seemed to complement each other to perfection.

Finally a little reprieve in this nightmare that never seems to end.

You realize that your nerves are about to crack. If you're not too keen on the police, you're certainly going to need an ally or two. And since Julian is a dependable type who always goes out of his way to help others, this is providential help.

"Julian, I must tell you I didn't have any entertainment in mind right now. I'm very preoccupied by something else."
"Oh it's not too serious I hope?"
"Well, I need to discuss it with you I think. But not over the phone. I would prefer a really quiet place, in fact. Do you have any in mind?"
"Hmmm let me think... how about Little Mountain Park? It's a little out of the way as it's North of James Armstrong airport, but it's a really comfortable, quiet place, and I am familiar with it. I like just hiking there."

You look at your watch. It is now noon.

"Perfect. Can you be there at 6PM?"
"Of course, no problem, I will. I will try to help you with whatever ails you. In the meantime, take it easy Bruno."

You now feel a little more relieved. You are no longer all alone in all this.

It is now time to checkout, so you pay and decide to go eat a burger somewhere.

You then walk back to your car. You find it undisturbed.

You have become sufficiently paranoid at this point that you search it for the presence of a GPS tracker but you cannot find any.

Good.

Then you head to the nearest Burger Ace to soothe your worry over a quarter pounder and fries.

After you've eaten, you wonder how you are going to fill the time between now and 6PM.

One thing that you wonder about is whether or not you want to warn the police about what happened to you. After all, you do have important clues for the most important criminal investigation in town.

You don't want to get involved with the police, but you think of another possibility: make an anonymous phone call from a phone booth. In this call, you would mention basic facts of the case, without delving into specifics.

You don't want to mention the Moonlight Haze. They know you so well over there that the police will find you out in a heartbeat.

But you could mention that you have met a man that you are certain is Frank at a certain time of the day, and that afterwards, someone snuck into your own apartment at night and almost killed you. You only escaped death because you acted faster than him. You would then tell the police that since you are fearful of reprisals, you have decided to go into hiding, and that you might contact them again if the situation changes.

So, what will you do?

A)Make the anonymous phone call to help the police.
B)Not contact them. It's their problem, and you don't want to be involved. Their best detectives are on the case. As such, they don't really need you.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
B)Not contact them. It's their problem, and you don't want to be involved. Their best detectives are on the case. As such, they don't really need you.

Nah. If the killers haven't figured out where we are yet, we won't be giving them hints.
 

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