[LP CYOA] Epic

[oscar]

Whatever the equivalent for Ean-town/ville/burg/home is.

 

[Baltika9]

Akkad, I believe. And I think that place still exists, I think. Otherwise, I'm all for it.
Edit: Or, even better, New Akkad.

 

[Bloodshifter]

Baltika9's idea for a name for the Empire prior to the time we settled on calling it Shin'ar was Ankida. I'd like that to be the name of the city. It means the joining of heaven and Earth, but I think it's fitting because our Empire is a joining of many different peoples. Plus it sounds kinda cool.

Like this name for Capital

B for the choice setting up the mine BEFORE we need them will give us more time / lodestones before the drop in raids

Proposal (X) can we get Sek to see if repeated non-lethal exposure to the Miasma helps build a tolerance / immunity to it? *this will cut into her Teles. research and bring about Miasma resistant humans hopefully*

 

[Storyfag]

I'm with Esquilax on naming the capital Ankida.

 

[treave]

A - 1
B - 2
D - 6

***

Chapter 6.10: The Second Terasphagos Incursion

Kastor shivered as he waited out in the freezing weather. He hated the north.

The sacred forges were the only places where ore of all sorts could be traded in Skane; the priest-smiths wielded a strong and jealous grip on their secrets in metalworking, always seeking to gather knowledge but rarely, if ever, letting it go. The Emperor had decreed the import of large quantities of lodestone, ostensibly for decoration. Few knew the true reason, but as one of his watchers, Kastor had been privy to the fact that it was related to navigation of accursed Olympus - now there was a place he'd not rather be than in the north. So here he was, making good use of one of his old merchant personas, negotiating a bargain from the northerners. It had been a taxing deal.

'We do not have enough in stock', 'it would be hard to find a proper container for what we do have', 'what did you need such large quantities for', and 'I didn't know your Emperor was into fashion and toys, always struck me as a serious chap'; all of these excuses and questions appeared, and as they grew more and more pointed, Kastor had to begin getting creative in answering the local priest of the forge, Frode. Thankfully, as he found himself getting tongue-tied, Frode stopped asking more questions and quoted an extremely low - in Kastor's own estimates - price for the lodestone that he could sell. He snapped it up immediately.

Now he was waiting for the lodestone to be carried out, and in the cold to boot. He couldn't wait to get the caravans going so that he could enjoy the warm air and sunshine of his homeland... well, what was left of it that wasn't eaten by the Terasphagos anyway. Frode appeared just at that very moment, his apprentices bringing out a small box filled with the iron he needed.

"The payment has been received, and here is your purchase, Master Kastor." The priest-smith bowed, and shooed his apprentices to get back to work. As he turned to leave himself, he said, in an slightly pleased tone, "Float a shard on a small vessel of water. That should suit your emperor's purposes. Tying it to a string is... well... primitive." He was gone, the gate to the forge closing shut behind him, before Kastor could say another word.

***

Without a doubt, the lodestone helped. The quantities you received were too small to provide every soldier with one, but you had organized them into basic groups of ten, and every leader of those ten groups were provided with one. The lodestone helped with navigation not only within the miasma, but also wherever they went. The mapping effort of Olympus started up again in earnest, but due to the increased Terasphagos activity, there were delays everywhere.

Within a year, the mapping stopped again, as the scouts began suffering casualties. You continued to do so yourself, together with Artemis and Edem - the Terasphagos were strong, but not strong enough to pose too much danger to you - but soon even you had to take a rest, and you returned to your palace. Progress was slow but good; if you did not have the incursion to worry about, you could probably complete it by the next year.

It was at this time that the Second Incursion happened. The armies were more prepared than they had been in the previous attack, but the numbers of the Terasphagos this time were bigger. Much bigger. The miasma prevented your forces from accurately gauging their numbers, but reports were that the first day saw at least a thousand Terasphagos dead, and for each one they defeated, a hundred more took their place. It was only due to luck that they had converged on the strongest point of your defenses, Fort Aspis. Still, with the number of Terasphagos rampaging mindlessly, even your reinforced fortifications would not hold for long, and even with 70,000 soldiers in Greece, you did not have enough men to hold every location along the line. The miasma had expanded to such an extent that you could not tell where they would strike from; you could only hope your men moved swiftly to respond to the threat if they diverted their attentions from Fort Aspis. Still, you had to be prepared for the eventuality of the Terasphagos breaking through at a point in your defenses.

It was really unfortunate that you had just received word of one of your consort's pregnancy - Fukayna, a great great granddaughter of Iltani, who had inherited the dark Egyptian hair and the fair skin of the Gutians - just as you were about to leave to defend against the Terasphagos.

***

A. You attempt to fight through the hordes of Terasphagos and reach the rift. You feel that you have just about mastered your piece of Vajra, and surely you will be able to do something about it once you get there. Who knows how many Terasphagos are here in this incursion - every day you delay might only make things worse.

B. You rally a defense, attempting to hold out with a strategy similar to the previous one you employed, except on a wider scale - defend, respond, push back. If they retreated once, they'll retreat again. They might have more Terasphagos now, but you have more men too, better trained and equipped. It is not a lost cause.

C. There is no hope. FLEE! FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!

***

1. If the Terasphagos manage to defeat your army, the spread of the miasma now means that every part of Greece north of Peloponnesus was in danger. You begin relocating the Greeks down south; it would be too late to prevent a slaughter should the monsters break through and be unleashed on the populace.

2. Relocation shows a distinct lack of confidence in the strength of your army to hold the line, and might invite talk of weakness. They can go if they want, but you will not ask them to leave their land, as they have put their trust in you to defend the walls around Olympus.

 

[oscar]

B2

Hold the line.

 

[Storyfag]

B1

 

[newcomer]

I should say I'm glad we made a purchase; now we know that the North is extremely ahead of us in technology and possibly better trained spies. That, or the new master is bestowing them with all this tech speedups.

B2 here. And congratz to Ean for the :baby:

 

[Esquilax]

C is out, of course. So is A, because we aren't going to close that rift from this side with only a single piece. We're going to need to go riftwalking to close this shit down. At best, we'll traverse onto the other side of the rift and encounter the Terasphagos horde as they're crossing over, so fuck that.

The miasma had expanded to such an extent that you could not tell where they would strike from; you could only hope your men moved swiftly to respond to the threat if they diverted their attentions from Fort Aspis. Still, you had to be prepared for the eventuality of the Terasphagos breaking through at a point in your defenses.

I'm going to disagree with not warning the populace. I think it's a bad idea because it will destroy a ton of goodwill that we've built up over the years with Athena and Artemis. I don't see why it would show a lack of confidence; even in prior incursions, there have always been some Terasphagos who have managed to get through. More importantly, we're the fucking God-Emperor, if there's one segment of our population that is completely and utterly devoted to us, it's the military.

They're going to understand that we're doing this for the right reasons and that we have faith in them.

A2
B1

 

[Anabanana]

B1

I don't think Ean would want to be responsible for the deaths of civilians.

 

[Smashing Axe]

We definitely need to go riftwalking soon, but now's not the right time. I think we'll be able to hold at a heavy price.
B1

A1/A2

 

[treave]

Ah, the military is fine, but the people might lose confidence in your ability to protect them, is what I meant.

 

[Bloodshifter]

B1 We are not that uber powered to hold off the invasion completely we need to move off the civ's before shit hits the fan. What if we do hold the line after the Invasion? then everyone goes home happy and shows we are cautious.

the Northern spies are of course the Forges we allowed built into our cities. Northerner's knowledge of the Lodestones use is not surprising. What is surprising is the willingness to share that last tidbit of info something tells me they already have a compass.

WOOT FOR TEH Demi-God What should we name the kid?

Treave ALL our Iron Tributes are being used by the Greece Defense Initiative*GDI* how effective is our Iron Troops over the Bronze ones?

Also

Proposition (X) We start focusing on Elemental Map. who needs an army when you can summon a ring of lava? *daily training and use after invasion* foregoing any training we have on Varja. Main Focus on Map. of vast quantities of Earth \ Metals.

Proposition (Y) Again Sek. starts checking on effects to repeated NON lethal exposure to Miasma. *cutting into Telas. study*

 

[ScubaV]

Hmm, tough call between 1 and 2. I think I'll go B1. Pragmatism outweighs morale here, in my mind. Hopefully we can make it through this relatively unscathed and then close the rift. If we do that, we won't need to care how the populace feels about us and the Terasphagos. If we fail, well better that we moved them.

 

[Baltika9]

Pride versus human life. Of course human life takes precedence.
I see two ways here: B1 and A2.
B2 has us relocate the civvies and hold the line with our men, with a safety net in case we fail.
A1, on the other hand, has Ean charging into the rift and leaving behind an inspiration for centuries to come and giving the people even more hope in his children and grandchildren. Plus, the Terrasphagos will be too distracted/thinned out by Ean from the inside to mount a coherent offense against the men. Basically, we go dimension hopping.
So, the question here is: do we feel lucky?

I do. A2.
Edit: and since nothing interesting in China hasn't been going on for a couple of decades now, I'd say we have time. The Tree needs some time to mature as well, so if we're smart, we'll get out of there in time.

treave, where the hell did C come from? Does eating make Ean a coward as well, or is he just going soft? If we choose to go Warp scouting, will we be able to take someone with us, like Edem for instance?
Edit 2:Also, since Ean almost mastered his fragment, can't we just start thunderstriking the Terrasphagos to smithereens?

Edit 3: B1, so that B2 doesn't win.

 

[Stygian Lurker]

B2

 

[Omicron]

A2

 

[m4davis]

B2

 

[Arpad]

B1

 

[Baltika9]

Maybe delaying Olympus and China until we'll have a choice between the Terrasphagos crawling up our sphincter or the Chinese (whoever wins) gangraping us isn't such a bright idea? Certainly, jumping into Olympus is risky as hell, all things considered, but isn't that what Ean is about? Leading, inspiring and taking on impossible odds to come out on top, not playing it safe with papers and threesomes?
We have a more-or-less stable empire, an heir on the way and a fanatical army to carry the boy to the throne. The Gieeloth aren't any closer to going tree-form, and even if they do, it'll take them some years to get mining. The Chinese know they're infiltrated.
Even if it takes us a while to do, I think we have the brains to do this.

 

[Tigranes]

B2. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if there was limited damage to some Greek cities, if only to convince the rest of the Empire and the world that the threat is real. I'm willing to hear out A, but we've been consistent thus far in believing in the Empire rather than Ean Solo, so we shouldn't throw it away if we don't have a good plan for the rift.

 

[Esquilax]

Maybe delaying Olympus and China until we'll have a choice between the Terrasphagos crawling up our sphincter or the Chinese (whoever wins) gangraping us isn't such a bright idea? Certainly, jumping into Olympus is risky as hell, all things considered, but isn't that what Ean is about? Leading, inspiring and taking on impossible odds to come out on top, not playing it safe with papers and threesomes?

If we wanted to do this, the previous choice would have been the time. At that point, there were far less Terasphagos within the miasma than there are now. Because the miasma is swarming with them, we pretty much need an army.

B2. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if there was limited damage to some Greek cities, if only to convince the rest of the Empire and the world that the threat is real. I'm willing to hear out A, but we've been consistent thus far in believing in the Empire rather than Ean Solo, so we shouldn't throw it away if we don't have a good plan for the rift.

Is it worth pissing off Athena over? It just seems like a very short-sighted thing to do. treave already mentioned that our army's morale would remain unaffected, so I don't see why we shouldn't just get these people to safety. If we win, nobody is going to remember that we evacuated them. If we lose, at least the Terasphagos can't ravage the countryside for more biomass.

 

[Baltika9]

If we wanted to do this, the previous choice would have been the time. At that point, there were far less Terasphagos within the miasma than there are now. Because the miasma is swarming with them, we pretty much need an army.

I have to disagree, actually. While it is risky as hell, which I don't deny in the slightest, the Terrasphagos are on this side of the portal. On the other side, well, we don't really know what is on the other side. We could go in there and come out blind babbling about stars everywhere (which I seriously doubt, since we're Immortal and all), but one thing is for sure: if we show balls and guts, this will inspire the men. Coupled with Ean tearing up whoever is stupid enough to get in his way and destroying/closing the access to the Terrasphagos could turn the tide ultimately in our favor. Or, jumping into the Warp could be simply suicide. But, with Kodexian ability to prevail and horribly fuck up at the same time, I believe we shall be successful. 'Sides, we have Vajra to guide us. I just hope the new Master doesn't corner Ean in there after he's done kicking ass.

And 2 in conjunction with B is unnecessary waste of life. When treave said

A. You attempt to fight through the hordes of Terrasphagos and reach the rift. You feel that you have just about mastered your piece of Vajra, and surely you will be able to do something about it once you get there. Who knows how many Terrasphagos are here in this incursion - every day you delay might only make things worse.

it means that it probably will make things worse, which means the Terrasphagos probably will break through. And losing both lives and cities will invite even more talks of weakness and sour our relationship with Athena.

Which, come to think of it, is another reason to charge into the Warp. Any fucker that tries to split the Empire/usurp it will be swiftly put in place by Lil' E.

Edit: treave, I know you're probably tired of my questions, but can Immortal-human crossbreeds be amplified by the voices and the Masters, like Ean was?

 

[Esquilax]

I have to disagree, actually. While it is risky as hell, which I don't deny in the slightest, the Terrasphagos are on this side of the portal. On the other side, well, we don't really know what is on the other side. We could go in there and come out blind babbling about stars everywhere (which I seriously doubt, since we're Immortal and all), but one thing is for sure: if we show balls and guts, this will inspire the men. Coupled with Ean tearing up whoever is stupid enough to get in his way and destroying/closing the access to the Terrasphagos could turn the tide ultimately in our favor. Or, jumping into the Warp could be simply suicide. But, with Kodexian ability to prevail and horribly fuck up at the same time, I believe we shall be successful. 'Sides, we have Vajra to guide us. I just hope the new Master doesn't corner Ean in there after he's done kicking ass.

I don't think that jumping into a transdimensional portal will be suicide for Ean at all - it'll be safe. Zeus created this rift with two pieces of Vajra, but couldn't teleport with Master Base Command without our crucial third piece. Likewise, Ean can't even create a rift with one piece, but it's reasonable to assume that Ean will have the ability to safely traverse already existing rifts with one piece. The recent updates wouldn't have mentioned Ean's increasing connection to Vajra as a red herring. I'm willing to flop to A2, but treave, will we have somebody like Artemis/Edem serving as backup in the miasma?

And yeah, I'm with you on B2, it's dumb. The Terasphagos will break through our lines at some point, it's inevitable. And when they do, they'll be wreaking havoc on nearby villages:

Still, with the number of Terasphagos rampaging mindlessly, even your reinforced fortifications would not hold for long, and even with 70,000 soldiers in Greece, you did not have enough men to hold every location along the line. The miasma had expanded to such an extent that you could not tell where they would strike from; you could only hope your men moved swiftly to respond to the threat if they diverted their attentions from Fort Aspis. Still, you had to be prepared for the eventuality of the Terasphagos breaking through at a point in your defenses.

With the numbers that we're expecting, we aren't going to hold off all of them. So what if a bunch of peasants see it as weakness? If they have a problem with it, then they can join our men at Olympus if they think they're so fucking brave. Letting them gorge their way through Greece is reckless, and I don't like Tigranes suggestion that this might jog our people into action. If there's anyone that knows about the threat the Terasphagos pose, it's the Greeks:

It appears that your men might have done too good a job of keeping the monsters at bay, as outside of Greece, few were concerned.

They know the danger that this swarm presents, and they'll leave their houses without a fuss. Besides, our Empire has enough internal stability to handle it.

Which, come to think of it, is another reason to charge into the Warp. Any fucker that tries to split the Empire/usurp it will be swiftly put in place by Lil' E.

The E in Lil' E must stand for Embryo. Our unborn child can't do shit, but we can rely on the network of spies we've built up over the decades to protect him/her from any potential assassination plots. No matter what happens, I'm certain that our child is going to grow to adulthood to lead the Empire.

Edit: So, should A2 succeed, what would be the plan? Fight our way through the miasma while our men hold Olympus, then traverse the rift with the intention of acquiring the other pieces, right?

 

[Baltika9]

The E in Lil' E must stand for Embryo. Our unborn child can't do shit, but we can rely on the network of spies we've built up over the decades to protect him/her from any potential assassination plots. No matter what happens, I'm certain that our child is going to grow to adulthood to lead the Empire.

Am I the only one that got a picture of a burly, seven foot tall rebel leader getting bitchslapped by an embryo? "Gwit da fwuck owta hewe wit dat sheet, mudda fudda!" Yeah, the Empire is probably in good hands, excluding the Gieloth reaching a breakthrough. I am actually looking forward to Ean walking out twenty years later and meeting Lil' E ("So, whatcha doin' on my turf, gramps?").

Seriously, though, I doubt Sekhenun will let Ean's progeny get compromised (remember the Big Sis Sekhenun short, somewhere in chapter five?), and even then he has these guys

and these guys:

to back him up, so excluding a birth defect/corruption because of his father's nature, he's good to go.
Hmm...I wonder if he'll end up like Creed (Not that I'm suggesting anything here, treave. Nope, not at all. Don't mind me. Oh just do a short, for chrissake).

Edit: and besides, running into the Eye of Terror and yelling "KHORNE, I'M COMING FOR YOUR PUNK ASS!" should win Athena to Ean's side completely and pretty much have her carry the kid to the throne personally. If it doesn't, I'm giving up on that woman, there's just no convincing a cold-hearted bitch like her.