[LP CYOA] Epic

[Storyfag]

Guys, guys, stop acting as if our Empire had some sort of a ban on Concordiat weapons. It doesn't. We did acquire them in secret, yes, but would they really be of any use to frame anyone? Or a real danger to anyone we hand them to? The weapons are exotic and draw attention, yes, but they aren't illegal. Nobody will think twice about the Hero of Korinthos having some!

 

[Baltika9]

treave: let me get another thing straight, just in case I misunderstood:
Ban is playing DoW(the first one) as the Imperial Guard, in that he leads armies of men to kill other men and take their resources/women.

Aodh is off LARPing James Bond.

The madman is playing the Total War series, without a nation.

And we're playing a weird cross between EU, as the Prince's chancellor, and Icewind Dale when furthering our own ambitions/enforcing the Prince's will, in that we have an extremely small party of hyper-competent and specialized men that we lead/guide.

Edit: and RK-47 is the poor bastard motherboardless android who has to keep all of them from killing one another.

Correct?

Edit 2: also, this is meta, but did the Concordiat progress past muzzle-loading muskets and invent rifles yet?

 

[TOME]

Diogenes is a diplomat, not a general, why would he be named as the next commander of the army? As you said, we chose to play a scheming noble, so leading and commanding men doesn't fit that character concept.

I didn't mean a commander as in leading front line charges, but a commander as in the one who tells generals where to go and what to do, not how to do it.

 

[Baltika9]

Minos has grown more and more comfortably decadent in the past few decades,

“What is Minos planning by inviting Mehrune? Does he plan to infiltrate the Egyptian court as well?” you ask.

Sekhenun shakes her head. “I don’t think so. He has grown comfortable in his skin after so many years. All I have heard points to Minos being obsessed with the ruling of his little island. He appears to be thinking only about securing his seat of power in Crete.”

Marduk:
Physical: 5
Telepathy: 3
Telekinesis: 4
Elemental manipulation: 4 (general), 8 (wind)
Psionics: 2
Shadow: 2
AMBITION!: 10

Treave, sorry to spoil your vacation, but I've a question about Gieloth and their hunger. Now, as stated by the above quotes, Marduk is one powerful and ambitious bastard. We also know only one way by which Gieloth can gain in power is eating other sentient beings, a process which also increases their passion and corrupts their character (which explains his ambition).

It follows that Minos has become complacent by doing the exact opposite, i.e starving and thus weakening himself, which is further supported by the de-powered Ean actually standing a chance against him, a Gieloth (also, he isn't really dead, is he?), even if with guile, and him not being able to detect Sek and Ean.
We also know that, apparently, Minos had a weak moral fibre, hence his degeneracy.

Am I correct, then, in assuming that prolonged starvation, in the absence of a strong enough will, can lead to complete apathy/complacency and decay of character, and if you are slothful/murderous/lustful, no amount of starvation can change the nature of a man?
I will wait for you to (hopefully) answer this question and confirm/deny it's premise before continuing.

 

[treave]

A3B wins, all the waiting due to the D speculation was for naught.

***

Chapter 7.11: Cold Winds of Change

It is often said that the old are cynics while the young merely pretend to be so. No where is this more true than the northern kingdom of Skane; some political scholars theorize that the bitter weather plays a role in this. Skane had always prided itself on its history as a strong rival to the fledgling Shinar Empire. Talk of secession appears every few dozen years before inevitably dying down as each successive generation of young Skane, eager and hotblooded to gain their independence, realize that the practical truth of this cruel world isn't something that can be changed with mere idealism, and that to serve their people, power politics would trump brute strength anyday. Still, the youth of Skane are a hotbed of revolutionary feelings that can be swiftly tapped by anyone with the knowhow to do so and the skill to outmaneuver the crusty power-brokers that surround the king. Those able to do so are rare - very rare indeed.

You arrive in Skane at the coldest point in the year, with Father Winter at his worst. However, even the freezing weather does not dampen your gladness to be here. The fiasco with the guns had made it most advisable for you to spend some time away from Ankida and Runikylos; pinning it on the prince, a man with access to more Watchers than you know, might not have been the smartest thing to do, and had left you in a slightly precarious position. The moment Runikylos had heard of Ban being gifted a batch of Concordiat firearms via a minor patron - not a strange thing except for the part about foreign weaponry - he had begun his investigations, and was surprised to find his own name in the mix. Thankfully, your Watchers assured you that the trail was already cold; you certainly hoped you could trust them on this.

With the tensions on the Tamur border subsiding, the Empire now turned its attention back to Skane, which bordered Free Scania and the plains of the Rus tribes. The threat of the Madman of Anatolia was ever present, and somehow he had managed to rally the Rus under his banner. A quarter of the Imperial Army, freed up by the situation in Tamur turning for the better, had been sent into Rus together with ten regiments from Skane to smash the gathering tribes in a pre-emptive strike. Ban went along for the ride with his shiny new guns, having been allowed to keep them via an order from the Emperor himself; the most powerful man in the Empire apparently thought the whole thing funny once he found out about it, as always ignoring the political realities of his empire.

All along the journey to the capital of Skane, Roskilde, you had seen signs of unrest. The long winter had taken its toll on the stores of food. Though Skane had a long tradition of saving and storing their surplus, it was evident that now it was not enough, especially after the population boom of recent years thanks to the Empire's prosperity and advances in technology. Closer to the capital, there were even posters proclaiming the return of Ean put up by villages friendly to the cultists. Reports of corpses washed up on the shores of the Mediterranean coming to life and attacking the living have started coming in and those did not help matters any, as people began to see those as signs of doom approaching the Empire, and by extension, its client kingdoms. It seems that the grip of the royal family on the kingdom has become more and more tenuous in recent months. The disappearance of the young prince, barely ten years of age, had caused even greater loss of confidence in King Aegil XIXI's rule.

The mastermind of the kidnapping and the man leading the Cult of the Returned Emperor, Jannik Inge, remained reclusive despite the cult's increasing influence. He was real; that much you knew from Aodh's report and news from your own Watchers, but he appeared only to the faithful, the blood-sworn members of his cult. He did not make a habit of walking around in public and only moved under the cover of darkness between the cult's various hideouts. Their demands of late had been to elevate Jannik to the throne of Skane and Ankida simultaneously, arguing that the rebirth of Shinar's founding emperor in a Skane man only meant that it was destiny - or prophecy fulfilled, depending on who you asked - for Jannik to sit on both thrones. You wondered if he had a posterior that wide, though you were sure his head was, at least.

In the carriage, you begin considering your options. It seems that there are several initial points of contact that you would have access to, though first you would have to think about what you hoped to achieve here in Skane.

***

A. The royal family, still stricken in grief over the disappearance of the crown prince, would be an ideal point to start. You should be able to ingratiate yourself to them easily and use their resources to establish a base with which to root out Jannik Inge. They would be even more grateful to you once you succeed, and that is always something to look forward to. Skane was still one of the more powerful kingdoms in the Empire and you would do well to be on friendly terms with them.

B. The ambassador from Free Scania is rumoured to have links with the cult, channeling funding from Shinar's northern neighbour to support the cult's expansion. Of course, his connection with them has already been confirmed by your Watchers. You knew, however, that Free Scania wanted for Skane independence and not for Skane to become the head of the Empire - a goal that differed from the cult's ambitions. Perhaps there was something to exploit here.

C. One of your Watchers has managed to infiltrate the lower levels of the cult. You express a desire to join the cult directly and see if you can manage to get any leads from there. With your ability to read people, going straight to the source would be more effective, and you were not defenseless with your telekinesis. Gaining admission as a young and upcoming noble of the Empire would be easy - you are precisely the type of cultist they want.

 

[oscar]

A

 

[Baltika9]

C. One of your Watchers has managed to infiltrate the lower levels of the cult. You express a desire to join the cult directly and see if you can manage to get any leads from there. With your ability to read people, going straight to the source would be more effective, and you were not defenseless with your telekinesis. Gaining admission as a young and upcoming noble of the Empire would be easy - you are precisely the type of cultist they want.

Since my stance in this situation is "Ave Imperia! Ave Imperator!", Dio's personal advancement takes a back seat, which is what this is really about: do we start working with far-off leads, sacrificing time and risking revolt to increase Dio's political standing, or do we cut the crap and go stright for the heart, at great risk to Dio.

Also there is the fact that the text pretty much states that this is a superior option, so .

Edit: just you wait and see, those guns would have come in handy.

 

[Esquilax]

Don't pay attention to how attractive the text makes the choice sound, pay attention to the circumstances and situation. I get the feeling that sometimes treave trolls us by making certain choices sound sexier than they really are. For example:

Having brought a piece of Vajra with you, you can sense the immense power gathered in the storm over you. You realize that if you time it right, you can add the power of your Vajra fragment to Zeus’s strike and hijack it to hit Marduk. FRY THE MOTHERFUCKER!

First, I don't think we'll get much mileage out of A because of this:

It seems that the grip of the royal family on the kingdom has become more and more tenuous in recent months. The disappearance of the young prince, barely ten years of age, had caused even greater loss of confidence in King Aegil XIXI's rule.
...
The mastermind of the kidnapping and the man leading the Cult of the Returned Emperor, Jannik Inge, remained reclusive despite the cult's increasing influence. He was real; that much you knew from Aodh's report and news from your own Watchers, but he appeared only to the faithful, the blood-sworn members of his cult. He did not make a habit of walking around in public and only moved under the cover of darkness between the cult's various hideouts.

This cult operates from the shadows, and we aren't going to stamp them out through force. It doesn't matter how many resources we have at our disposal, as long as people are convinced that he is the Emperor, they'll support him. Think of this situation as similar to finding a terrorist like Bin Laden - you aren't going to find bin Laden by marching a shitload of people and bombing the place. Likewise, you aren't going to find Jannik Inge by torching cultist villages and marching hundreds of thousands of men throughout Skane - that's only going to make things worse. This is a problem that requires finesse, not force.

On the other hand, I don't like the idea of attempting to infiltrate the cult directly. treave, would infiltration involve using our own identity or assuming someone else's? In any case, I'm not sure if infiltration is really Dio's forte here. Even if we manage to succeed, that still leaves us in the difficult position of actually trying to kill the dude, something that I feel we can't really do given our lack of physical abilities.

Because of this, I believe that our best bet is to turn his backers against him. He derives a great deal of his power from Free Skanian funding - if his backers are convinced that Inge has begun to bite the hand that feeds and he's become a serious liability, they're going to be far more likely to work with us than they are with him. Remember that Inge also trusts these people and has worked with them for quite a while, so if we use them against him and convince them to betray him, I'm certain that we can lay the foundation for an assassination in the near future.

B

 

[treave]

Am I correct, then, in assuming that prolonged starvation, in the absence of a strong enough will, can lead to complete apathy/complacency and decay of character, and if you are slothful/murderous/lustful, no amount of starvation can change the nature of a man?
I will wait for you to (hopefully) answer this question and confirm/deny it's premise before continuing.

Nope. Don't mistake ambition for corruption. Minos is certainly as nasty a Gieloth bastard as any, he just prefers to channel his bastardry into safer pursuits like bullying weak Greek cities and getting live pawns for his labyrinth.

Don't pay attention to how attractive the text makes the choice sound, pay attention to the circumstances and situation. I get the feeling that sometimes treave trolls us by making certain choices sound sexier than they really are. For example:

Having brought a piece of Vajra with you, you can sense the immense power gathered in the storm over you. You realize that if you time it right, you can add the power of your Vajra fragment to Zeus’s strike and hijack it to hit Marduk. FRY THE MOTHERFUCKER!

Well, certainly I rarely, if ever, put any potential downsides in the choice itself.

On the other hand, I don't like the idea of attempting to infiltrate the cult directly. treave, would infiltration involve using our own identity or assuming someone else's? In any case, I'm not sure if infiltration is really Dio's forte here. Even if we manage to succeed, that still leaves us in the difficult position of actually trying to kill the dude, something that I feel we can't really do given our lack of physical abilities.

Your own, because while Dio can act to hide his own intentions, he can't act well enough to hide the years of refined upbringing that come as second nature to him. No matter how many times a chameleon changes its colours, it's still a chameleon. More promising watchers in the field of play-acting would get enough mummer training to pull off disguising themselves as a beggar and nobleman in the same day, but Dio never had that benefit.

edit: If you're talking about masquerading as another nobleman, though, it'd have to be someone known to have the same pull and up-and-coming-ness that Dio exudes... interesting idea. I'll consider it, it's ripe for more levels of bastardry. Infiltrating a cult and framing one of his young rivals for joining the cult at the same time? Massive points.

 

[Baltika9]

Esquilax: I have to disagree on your interpretation: all of these choices state how we approach the situation, not how we deal with it, not yet. That's up to us in a future update.

It is more likely for us, through A, to become the PR rep for the Empire, calling Inge out on his bullshit and publically disgracing him, rather than assuming the role you described. Because, hey, this is Dio we're speaking of.

More coming up on why I consider C the superior choice after I get some sleep.

Oh, and I'll leave this here (it was right before Dio backstabbing the Watchers, which worked out pretty well, considering it was the awesome option)

That's mean, sometimes the awesome option is the awesome option and isn't a trap.

 

[Storyfag]

A, for now.

 

[treave]

It is more likely for us, through A, to become the PR rep for the Empire, calling Inge out on his bullshit and publically disgracing him, rather than assuming the role you described. Because, hey, this is Dio we're speaking of.

Not exactly, but rest assured that in addition to the possibility of employing brute force tactics (which might be necessary at some point), Dio will also be better able to wage a war of public perception should he prioritize getting in good with the royal family.

Option B involves wheeling and dealing behind the scenes as Dio seeks to starve the cult of foreign support and also attempt to execute again the plan that his Watchers had before (basically, they tried it without Dio and it didn't work out too well because they weren't convincing enough for Free Scania to turn on Jannik, while Dio is... for obvious reasons), and C is self explanatory.

 

[TOME]

A

 

[Tigranes]

B for now, a good mix of likelihood to succeed and likelihood to get caught, drawn, hung and quartered.

 

[Baltika9]

The problems I see with A and B is that we are essentially focusing on debunking Inge's powerbases from the outside, A for Skane and B for Free Scania.
Here's the problem: destroy one, he turns to the other. Cut off Free Scania's support(B) and he won't care because he is already well-entrenched in Skane and it's population.
Go after Skane(A), which may not work, since initiating Purgatus may only drive the innocent and otherwise apathetic civilians towards Inge's cult, just for pissing them off (hearts and minds), and even if we somewhat suceed, then he may just go back to Free Scania for support, becoming their puppet, yes, but securing them nevertheless.

C, on the other hand, puts Dio in direct risk and confrontation with Inge(who is secretly Shulgi ) and his cult. Basically, we risk everything for a tremendous payoff in time, resources and, most importantly, decreasing, or at least controlling, the amount of damage done. And posing as another noble is a good idea, by the way. Consider me in favor.

However, why I consider C the superior option is this: we have the right amount of social ans political finesse, psychic powers and sheer bastardry to pull this off. We need not even do most of the killings ourselves, only expose the key members to being assassinated and let the Empire and our Watchers to do the rest. If we're busted, we can make a quick getaway via surprise application of telekinesis.

Overall, we'd better hurry up and solve this, so we can focus our attention to other pressing matters, such ashelping out Ban and Aodh.

 

[Kipeci]

C.

 

[Arpad]

C.

 

[Esquilax]

Baltika9, that's a good point. Assassinating him via the same plan we had before we met with Zhang may not exactly be viable now that Inge is more firmly entrenched in Skane. However, I have come around to A a little bit:

Talk of secession appears every few dozen years before inevitably dying down as each successive generation of young Skane, eager and hotblooded to gain their independence, realize that the practical truth of this cruel world isn't something that can be changed with mere idealism, and that to serve their people, power politics would trump brute strength anyday. Still, the youth of Skane are a hotbed of revolutionary feelings that can be swiftly tapped by anyone with the knowhow to do so and the skill to outmaneuver the crusty power-brokers that surround the king. Those able to do so are rare - very rare indeed.

I definitely think that this presents a ton of opportunity that we can exploit. The biggest problem with A is that we would be working outside of the system (i.e. Free Skania and the Cult of the Returned Emperor) to remove a target that is very cautious and operates from the shadows. Nevertheless, we might still be able to use Dio's political acumen to subvert any potential Inge sympathizers surrounding the royal family. The King's own son was kidnapped, and I am fairly certain that there was someone working from the inside that made that possible. Dio's telepathy would allow him to find any potential sympathizers and conspirators quite easily and start plotting against them.

My biggest misgiving with C is that I'm not sure how our telepathy would do us any favours with the Cultists. It might tell us if they're on to us, but it wouldn't really aid us in getting close to Inge or in killing him. We still need to find a way to kill the dude.

edit: If you're talking about masquerading as another nobleman, though, it'd have to be someone known to have the same pull and up-and-coming-ness that Dio exudes... interesting idea. I'll consider it, it's ripe for more levels of bastardry. Infiltrating a cult and framing one of his young rivals for joining the cult at the same time? Massive points.

Yes, that's actually exactly what I was considering. It wasn't listed as an option, so that's why I didn't consider it. Anyways, this update is strangely absent voters for some reason. Let's fix that. Smashing Axe Bloodshifter ScubaV newcomer, I summon you forth!

 

[Baltika9]

Yes, that's actually exactly what I was considering. It wasn't listed as an option, so that's why I didn't consider it. Anyways, this update is strangely absent voters for some reason. Let's fix that. Smashing Axe Bloodshifter ScubaV newcomer, I summon you forth!

Yes! Be roused from the dark corners in which you lurk and come forth! Come, servants of Andhaira, this is thine task: A, B or C: which is better and why? DISCUSS!

Esquilax: indeed, A is attractive in that it puts Dio on his preffered field of politics and social interaction. However, the deal-breaker here is that
a) we'll be entangled with other, no less savvy, Eldrads, costing us precious time;
b) it will apparently lead to a forceful suppression of the cult, via exterminatus, which is likely to make unaffiliated citizens flock to Inge, if only for retibution, FUBARing the situation. Hearts and minds is his game;
and c) it may take a while, increasing the risk that something bad happens in other corners of the Empire (Aodh/Ban failing, for starters) and us not being able to respond.
In essence,we're risking the Empire for the eventual benefit of personal standing.

C, on the other hand, lets us cut through the bullshit, at great personal risk, to get this over quickly, if we act right. No personal rewards, true, besides the one to be handed out by RK-47 (and even then, it will probably be jarpu LP with no screenshots or Sek, so fuck him), but it placex Dio in a better position to both control/minimize the damage and expose the cuot's key members to assassination by our watchers and the Imperium ay once.

Lastly, our psychic powers can very easily aid us in the following: sensing who is about to betray/rat on us, who found us out, who is suspicious, who trustworthy and how to approach these people. And, most importantly, to how to read and influence the massess.
Remember Ean in Sargon's service?

During the journey, guided by the voices, you made great improvements to the military organization and logistics of the army. By the time you reached the sands of Egypt with the mighty Sumerian host, all five thousand of the men were well fed and disciplined. Your ability to read other people allowed you to group the men and appoint leaders efficiently to ensure there was little conflict within the army.

This will allow Dio to work his voodoo on the cult and anyone it comes in contact with, especially mobs.

Flop to C, bros. Don't let Aodh one-up Dio, he's probably chilling with D'Arc like Bond with his girls right now, thinking he's all cool and an 31337 superspy. Which is obviously a lie, he can't speak half as well as Dio.

 

[Baltika9]

Also, anoyne else noticed that Ban is one letter away from being Ean?
And treave, if I could bother you with this completely unfounded question: is the hunger that Ean and the Gieloth have in any way, shape or form connected to black holes?

 

[Smashing Axe]

Voting B for the moment.

 

[treave]

Yes, that's actually exactly what I was considering. It wasn't listed as an option, so that's why I didn't consider it.

C will now be, by default, masquerading as another nobleman with the help of your Watchers. If that's not okay, you guys let me know.

 

[TOME]

So if I counted right, it's a 3-3-3 deadlock. Who has balls big enough to flop?

 

[treave]

C it is, then.

***

Chapter 7.12: Initiation Rites

“Sir Rammu? Sir Ashur Rammu?”

You toy a bit with your hair, now darkened with dye, as you acknowledge the call of the waitress bringing you your beer. There were many drinking halls scattered around Skane, and the Cult of the Returned Emperor tended to gather in those. With a bit of help from your Watchers, you had darkened your hair and complexion. Here they knew you as Ashur Rammu, who you knew as an extraordinary prick with plenty of pedigree but no talent. Rammu had been standing in your way with regards to several legislations that the Prince had tasked you with rallying support for, and miraculously he had managed to stonewall you successfully so far. It was sheer luck, of course, given that you had to embark on missions beyond Ankida so often, but it still nagged at you. As you down your mug, you wish that you had gotten someone to shoot him with the guns you got from the Concordiat.

“Mr. Rammu.”

It was not the waitress this time. The deep baritone was a dead giveaway. You turn to look at the voice and are forced to raise your head quite a bit upward to see the speaker.

“I have heard,” he began slowly, his Shinar heavily accented with a twang that more than showed off his Skane heritage, “…That you have expressed the desire… to be one of us.”

“Yes,” you nod. “I have. I’ve always been a big believer in the Emperor’s return, and given the wonderful things your… organization has done so far, I believe in your goals too.”

“Brother Lamplock here testifies to your honest soul.” The tall man gestured to his side, at an unremarkable peasant grinning at you. ‘Brother Lamplock’ was of course one of your Watchers. “That much is true, Brother Skarfeld, Master Rammu here is as righteous a noble as any have ever seen.”

Skarfeld gives a short, barking laugh and spits at your feet. “Shinari nobles are righteous? Bah!” A sharp feeling of hostility suddenly emanates from the man and he leans forward, grabbing you by the front of your tunic.

“We know who your friend Lamplock really is, Shinari. Do you know?” Out of the corner of your eye you spot the grin wiped from Lamplock’s face.

You put on a frightened smile and shake your head. “He’s… a brother of a servant of mine. What else can he be?”

“He’s a spy. A Shinari spy. You sent him didn’t you?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about! Mr. Skarfeld, I must say you are being very rude. Is this how servants of the true Emperor conduct themselves? Is Jannik not known to be welcoming to all those who believe?”

As Skarfeld grins, his mouth splits wide enough for you to see that he had plenty of missing teeth.

“You speak pretty words, Shinari. Prove that you truly believe them.”

“How do you want it proven?”

“Emperor Jannik desires a tribute of flesh from each of his initiates.”

You gulp. You were not ready to go that far, despite the brave front you put up.

Skarfeld laughs. “Oh no, do not fear. For you, we will not demand a tribute from your own body. We prefer you unmarked. No, your tribute can be exacted from Lamplock over there, who has testified to the honest soul that you bear. His eyes would do fine, though if you would want any part of his limbs I could get a cleaver from the kitchen.”

This was your initiation, it seemed. You looked around you. Of course, you didn’t need to see it to know it, but the drinking hall was now devoid of anyone but cultists. It just so happened that nearly everyone in the hall just now were cultists. Their mood had shifted as fast as the northern wind, turning from friendly and amiable to cold and suspicious in an instant. You estimated there were at least three dozen of them, staring at you and Lamplock. You look at Lamplock, who stares back with a stony face.

***

A. You attempt Skarfeld diplomacy. Surely you can talk your way out of this? You have no desire to blind a loyal servant and deprive yourself of his further use.

B. You take Lamplock’s eyes. He led you into this situation, he can lead you out of it; even if it means blinding him.

C. In a sudden fit of courage and nobility, you offer your own eye, which is surely worth more than two of Lamplock’s. One good eye is all you need anyway.

D. You fight your way out. You can take them by surprise with your telekinesis and flee the drinking hall before they can pile up on you. This cult is rubbing you the wrong way, and violence suddenly seems very tempting to you.

 

[Baltika9]

A test of character, perhaps?
Something tells me C is the correct option. Just a gut feeling, honestly. Besides, I doubt our Watchers will take kindly to us sacrificing yet another man.

This is exactly the kind of change in character I was talking of: being influenced by Ean's memories, real or fake. Edit: who knows, this just might start to bring him out.

Also, this is a good opportunity to test wether or not we have regenerative powers.

Edit 2: look at me, first I was saying Dio has the requisite bastardry to succeed and now I'm flopping to "hurr durr Ean." Undecided for now.