[LP CYOA] Epic

[treave]

Shulgi remains popular even though he hasn't shown up since the first chapter. I really should find something for him to do.

 

[TOME]

Why is it better than A? We know that the fire-and-steel approach worked quite well for Marduk, and it will work well for Ean. However, I definitely see how it sets a bad example for our people - perhaps we shouldn't go so far.

I do mean A will have Ean wiping out every Gutian man, woman and child he can reach and doesn't bend two knees to him. No half measures.

Our stocks are going to plummet when people find out what happened to Gutians, after a few raids. It's a bit extreme. Sure, others are going to fear us, but it is going to make diplomacy very hard in the future. And I don't think our Gutian tribe will respect slaughtering innocent woman and children, even if they are with us at start. And it probably won't make wonders for Ean's personality. Firm and gentle reminder is the way to go here.

 

[Kukulkan]

treave, how long before you employ a timeskip so more advanced technology is introduced?

 

[Baltika9]

Shulgi remains popular even though he hasn't shown up since the first chapter. I really should find something for him to do.

Have him shapeshift into a woman, LARP a queen, get into bed with Ean and permakill him. Because, strangely, no one ever loves Ean. No good deed goes unpunished, as the old saying goes.

Alternatively, have him bro around with us.

I think this is a plot to lure Ean out into the mountains so Shulgi can cause a landslide and bury us and then proceed to takeover. It's happening guys, he's coming for us.

I seriously doubt it's Shulgi, he's probably the guy behind the Potato Ascendancy, leading the top secret Gieloth Extermination Unit, aka the TWitchers. If it's an Immortal, it's probably Naram. If not, it's probably Marduk's last priest, the one that got away. I'm almost sure that someone is pulling their strings and the wounds Gudersu has taken were meant for us.
Of course, there's always the possibility that these guys just got too uppity and need to be smacked back into their place.

About Athena and Greece, I'm not surprised in the least, this is actually exactly what I expected (nothing difficult to read here, her first sentence already showed that she thinks of Ean as Lucifer's older brother). We'll have to win her loyalty and it's not going to be done by being an asslicker either. We'll need to be a good Emperor: just, loyal to those that are loyal to him and the one guy nobody wants to piss off. I also think that a good way to win her over is to be a tough, but fair Emperor to her (as in, we actually go to Greece from time to time, every year say, and inspect the country. Let her know what needs improving, what you like and don't like, etc... Also, undertake civil projects: build orphanages and schools, hence the question, treavebro.

Real leadership is not leading those that want to follow you, it's leading those that don't. Or something.

Edit:

Our stocks are going to plummet when people find out what happened to Gutians, after a few raids. It's a bit extreme. Sure, others are going to fear us, but it is going to make diplomacy very hard in the future. And I don't think our Gutian tribe will respect slaughtering innocent woman and children, even if they are with us at start. And it probably won't make wonders for Ean's personality. Firm and gentle reminder is the way to go here.

Not to mention Athena will pretty much secede immediately.

 

[Storyfag]

B

Edit: Why A is bad - we're trying to convince Athena that we're not Marduk 2.0. Going Hitler on the Gutians is not the best way to achieve it imo. Also, it seems Athena shares our principles - that the duty of the Immortals is to guide and protect Mankind. We must find a way to explain to her (or better yet, prove)that we're like that too.

Edit2: My thoughts on the Terasphagos: Seems like something is producing them on the other side of the Olympus Rift, sending them our way to gather biomass and return with it. Kinda like lesser Tyranid bioforms. We must be prepared when that something decides to spawn dedicated warrior breeds... or come through itself. ALSO, it would appear the Olympus Rift is a two-way gateway, since the Terasphagos routinely return home. How about sending some scouting parties through (since we don't have unmanned probes...)?

 

[m4davis]

B

 

[CappenVarra]

Artemis, now that's a proper goddess. Mm. Uhm, sorry, what was the topic?

The Terasphagos are gathering biomass, and as Storyfag said, that's very Tyranid-like. Since they are also made out of biomass themselves, I don't think it's just raw material harvesting (although that's possible) - could it be related to something specific in Current Terra genes that they're harvesting? Since there are multiple worlds with slightly different conditions (one with a missing replacement water chip, another with hundreds of them?), and this was supposed to be the control one (closely resembling the original world from which the masters came from before they ascended to lords of the universe?), perhaps there is a component that control-world beings have that non-control-world beings lack? Like an imperfection that makes them slightly less human (a safeguard that guarantees they aren't capable of the ascending like the original humans did?).

Also, I consulted my grimoire of clairvoyant insight and discovered the identity of the mysterious northern empire: Glorious Georgia!

 

[Bloodshifter]

A

 

[Omicron]

b

 

[Stygian Lurker]

B

 

[treave]

treave, how long before you employ a timeskip so more advanced technology is introduced?

This chapter will have updates that span months and years at the minimum, and there will be tech focuses. Technology will begin to advance at a faster rate than in our history once Ean manages to stabilize his little corner of the world.

 

[Kukulkan]

treave, how long before you employ a timeskip so more advanced technology is introduced?

This chapter will have updates that span months and years at the minimum, and there will be tech focuses. Technology will begin to advance at a faster rate than in our history once Ean manages to stabilize his little corner of the world.

Thanks.
More questions for you. Are there areas in the world free from tentacle and immortal infuence? Will you use the isolation of areas like Sub-saharan Africa, Polynesia, and the Americas to portray them more or less as they were when the whiteys met them? Have we utterly prevented the existence of the Christ and Islamic cancer? If not, how do we do that? Are there any empires able to rival ours?

 

[treave]

The Jews... well... given that you have a strong empire going on that frowns strongly on inter-tribal conflicts, there's no room for them to do all that tribe smashing they mentioned in the Bible. You can assume they're still nomadic. Naram's probably palling about with them because he loves sheep. Whether a Jesus will still come about depends on many factors. The tentacles are right now concentrated in Central/South America, and there are some in the north, and you'll always find a few loners scattered here and there about the world, creating their own cults. Immortal wise, the only large group is in China now that Marduk ate most of the Greek pantheon.

As far as rivals go, in terms of military, economic and cultural power only the Xia in China can be your equals once you get into stride. The Hittites would be hard to deal with militarily if you don't take into account the superhuman gap. The kingdom in the north is still considered a fledgling one. They don't hold too much territory, but their people are industrious. The details will be in the next update when Edem returns from his little trip.

 

[Baltika9]

Naram's probably palling about with them because he loves sheep.

I'm sure he does. So, he's the one that's going to be Moses, eh? Somehow, I'm not surprised. Bros, we'd better be prepared for him to whip up his people in a frenzy once the Master speaks to him.​

​

Alright, here's a couple for ya, treave: how is Gudersu's little boy coming along? I think we should reward him through his son, if he's got the talent and/or desire to do important shit in for the Imperium. Also, can Sekhenun fashion a prosthetic for Gudersu? I'd hate to lose such a loyal and talented fighter. He should also probably be given command of the Olympian garrison, for two reasons: one, and I hope I'm not just assuming here, that it is an extremely honorable post and two, we really should have someone right by Athena's side who will tell her all about how awesome Ean is without sounding like an asskisser.

Because, the simple truth is, if that anyone wants to instigate revolt in our Empire, right now the only thing they have to do is go up to Athena and tell her what she wants to hear. And then we're divided and conquered.

 

[treave]

Gudersu's little bratlings are working hard studying/training to be of use to you. They should come of age soon. With the materials technology lying around Sekhenun could probably whip up something rudimentary, like a peg leg. Their biotech is not really compatible with human physiology so nothing fancy. Also, Athena may dislike you right now but she isn't that unwise. Unless you really fuck up or piss her off, you can expect her to maintain the status quo, or at least give the appearance of doing so.

 

[Kukulkan]

There was never a Jew Exodus from Egypt much less a Moses. With the Jews we should give them the Cyrus treatment. They'd be praising our actions in their holy book and claiming Ean's their messiah.

 

[Kipeci]

B.

A goes way too far, C is unlikely to work unless we give a decent show of force (which we haven't thus far) and D will just piss off the Gutians and Assyrians alike.

 

[Baltika9]

There was never a Jew Exodus from Egypt much less a Moses.

Update 3.9

It is a familiar, but old presence.
"It is nice to see you again."
You turn to see a decrepit old shepherd, hunched over, a gnarled staff in his hand. His robes are tattered, and you see numerous gaping wounds inflicted across his face and body. They appear to be healing, but slowly. His features flicker and temporarily take on a more youthful bent, before wrinkling again. Samun takes a step forward, axe at the ready, but you raise your hand to stop him. The old man grins a gap-toothed grin at you. You do not return it.
"Well, you have certainly looked better. This is the last place I'd have expected you to be in. I suppose the sheep are yours?"
Naram nods. "Don't be so surprised. You hear the voices too. You know what our purpose on this world is - to cleanse it of those black demons. Of course I'd come here, to their final bastion in these lands."

and update 3.10

We'll let you decide on this. We're... ah... washing our hands of all responsibility.
We should be giving him a way back here, but honestly, we don't really want to see that insufferable twat again either.
You have the opportunity to act with free will right now. It seems that the voices aren't too keen on bringing this Ra back either. Since they're unwilling to be responsible for this, though... well, you don't really care for gods anyway.
You crush the Sceptre with your hands and stomp on the pieces. Naram is dumbfounded. "You... traitor."
Well, that's it.
He's going to be really, really pissed if he ever finds out you did this.
We just have to make sure he never finds out. Stay optimistic, guys!
"If we work together, Naram, we can beat her -"
"YOU BLASPHEMER!"

Naram's probably palling about with them because he loves sheep.

I'm starting to see some dots here, which I hope are not hallucinations, that I'll go ahead and connect. Obviously speculation.

Naram is religiously devoted to the Masters, and just because the voices are making him do this does not change the fact.
He also refers to them as Demons.

The Masters are the "Allfather" figures in the pantheons, as Zeus showed us. I'll just go ahead and assume that had we summoned the master in Egypt, he'd be Amun-Ra.
The Immortals are the "lesser gods" and their "right hands."
The Gieloth are obviously antagonistic against them. It would not surprise me in the least if the Greek pantheon referred to them as Titans.

I'll go ahead and draw parallels with the Bible:
The new Master: God of Abraham.
Naram and subsequent Immortals and their children: Prophet and (Arch)Angels and Saints.
Gieloth: Hell's demons and the chief Gieloth would be Lucifer. They certainly fit the bill: eat humans, massive assholes (If Marduk and the Mayan/Aztec cultures are anything to go by).

Hance: Masters=Creators; Immortals=Enforcers; Gieloth=Rebels.



In conclusion, I'll leave this here: "An apology for the Devil - it must be remembered that we have only heard one side of the case. God has written all of the books." - Samuel Butler.
TL;DR: I think the Gieloth are actually the far better option to the Masters. Hence, if my speculations are true, I'm all for curing them.

 

[Kukulkan]

I'd prefer if the new master was Cthuhlu or Odin rather than the bipolar Abrahamic god. If you must utilize semitic mythology then use El of the Canaanite pantheon. Also stop making connections where there are none. Is Naram Merlin too?

 

[Baltika9]

If you must utilize semitic mythology then use El of the Canaanite pantheon. Also stop making connections where there are none. Is Naram Merlin too?

Relax. It was a) speculation and b) I used the Bipolar One to just get the general idea across. It's not like I'm expecting everything to be a perfect match. I was simply comparing the themes and trends I see, or think I see.

And no, Naram is not Merlin. Shulgi is. And Naram will be the dragon. And we'll be Mordred. Athena will be Arthur, because this is Kodex. With Sekhenun as Guinevere, also because this is Kodex.

I'd prefer if the new master was Cthuhlu

Although I'd prefer Ean to be Cthulhu.

Edit: treave, speaking of Ean becoming Mordred, after we completely go Dark side and go Ghengis Khan for a couple generations, will our "evil" eventually burn out, or we'll remain evil forever with starvation being the only way to return to normalcy? And does he know anything at all about ships and naval combat?
Oh, and how are the Spartans coming along? And the Sacred Band of Thebes, for that matter?
Also, can we split up research between different agents? For instance, Sekehenun does her SCIENCE, someone else does cultural research and Ean focuses on militaries/navies? Or is it going to be the Civ system, one thing at a time?

 

[Kattze]

C

 

[Bloodshifter]

Okay so as to a light troll for you fellows you do know that artimes and athena both switch places during our talks right I felt that I should tell you guys that because NO ONE caught that during the last update which made me a sad panda but hey you guys did pick A afterall so I decided to edit out when I put that helpful hint in also treave did drop NUMBEROUS hints in the post to the switch even Ean was like wtf y u so mad wisdom bro? And the hunter was like trolol I am deciding the way she acts and the final decisions.

 

[treave]

Chapter 6.5: The Hidden Hand

The attacks that you led quelled the Gutians. No more further raids were forthcoming, as you exacted punishment on those tribes that had been the most culpable for the raids and Gudersu’s ambush. Though you thought the matter solved, in a matter of months, after you had returned to the capital, the Gutians began acting up again. This time, you made a point of finding out what exactly was causing their discontent. After your scouts had identified the ringleader behind the Gutians, you made a point of leading another raid and capturing him alive. Bringing him back for interrogation, you found that one of Marduk’s former men, Dapimsin, had been the source of your problems. Dapimsin now represented the Hittite Empire, and in recent years he had managed to contact some of his former subordinates who were now working in your government. The Hittites had cautiously opted to stay out of the Aegean war under their old king, but his son, who recently ascended to power, was more aggressive and believed that you were a weak emperor that could only preach of ideals of brotherhood to hold together Marduk’s conquests.

In the mean time, Edem and Mehrune had also returned from the north, with valuable information to share. The last of the free tribes of the north had been united under the banner of Egill’s clan about fifty years ago, and they have made remarkable progress since then despite the poor weather and lands. Their population was small compared to the great cities of the South, but they were an industrious folk and have apparently discovered ways of forging better, more durable iron. Unfortunately, Edem was unable to visit the forges, which were held a sacred site and off limits to those not initiated in the art. As for the Gieloth, there were a few of them holding minor positions, but their machinations to ascend were invariably, mysteriously foiled by some setback or another. Edem also found that the chief adviser of King Egill, a man who is rumoured to be the real power behind the throne and a shaman that has served his clan for many generations, turned out to be just a normal human, albeit one that was intelligent and resourceful – it was his idea to send an emissary to the south, and he was knowledgeable enough about events that were happening in Greece and elsewhere.

***

A. Give the Gutians an ultimatum – cease their misbehavior or be exterminated. You will then launch a war against the Hittites to punish them for their transgressions against your empire.

B. Raid the Gutians again and give them one last chance to stop their attacks or face death, but ignore the Hittite role, as you do not want to begin another war so soon. As long as the Gutians stand down, you will be satisfied.

C. Ignore the Gutians and invade the Hittites, the true culprit behind these raids. Once the Gutians see that their backers have been destroyed, they will naturally fall back into line.

D. Ignore them both. It’s too much of a hassle.

***

Having the information about Dapimsin’s men in your government, you know their identities. It would be a simple matter to round them up should you want to.

A. You purge the traitors in your government publicly, to set an example to others.

B. You have them quietly dealt with. There is no point in alarming the people with public executions.

C. You keep them around. How would they feed misinformation to Dapimsin from now on if you kill them?

***

A. Although Edem was unable to bring you back the secret of better iron, craftsmen in the empire are already beginning to figure out ways to temper superior iron on their own. You encourage this path of progress and work together with those in the know to create higher quality metal to replace the bronze equipment prevalent throughout the empire.

B. You focus on teaching every citizen in the empire to be able to read, write and count. You do not demand that they are able to speak more than one language, but they should at least be able to read and write in the language of the place they stayed in, as well as understand the basic principle of arithmetic.

C. To explore the world better, you need a way to travel further and faster. It was no good knowing about all these places if you couldn’t reach them in a reasonable amount of time. You focus your efforts on creating hardier, faster ships. A vessel enabling mortals to cross the great ocean to the west was still a faraway dream, but this is the first path towards that goal.

 

[Baltika9]

CCA.
They naturally complement one another. Feeding false information to the Hittites to lead them into ambushes of our superior weaponry, while the same weaponry controls the Gutian raids and minimizes damage. Then we kill the traitors.
Yes, we'll take a hit to our reputation with the Assyrians, but staying our hand with the Gutians will avoid making us a villain in the eyes of our other subjects, especially Athena.
As for the navy, had our Empire already had iron as the dominant metal, I'd be all for it. As it stands, we'd better modernize and fast, if we're marching off to war again.

Edit: And letting the whole thing slide is out of the question. Dapimsin dies. The Hittites bow and join us as equals to the Kings and Queen or die.

 

[Kattze]

A
C
B