Inactive [LP CYOA] Overlord

[Nevill]

They might not have planned for a fight in the first place.

Is it why they have sent 17 secret agents to track the governor?

Though it could be they just wanted to make their report, first.

“Perhaps I should have a chat with them, see what they think about this.”

What could they possibly think of Haswell embezzling a supply of magnatite that is supposedly worth more than the Royal Palace?

 

[treave]

No I am not certain. I have no idea what the look was, after all.

A thoughtful look, which as you have said is generally lacking in her repertoire.

Is it why they have sent 17 secret agents to track the governor?

The Governor is pretty strong.

 

[asxetos]

They probably sent 17 agents to subdue the one that has a hold over Haswell, not Haswell himself... Thats also a point against B.

 

[Baltika9]

A
Rin can go to blow off stream and we'll keep watch over the governor and his daughter. If these people are Hargreave's MI-6, then I expect a lot of sneaky shit.

It would be nice to have some way of verifying that Rin is actually Rin next time we see her.

Punch her in the face after she's done. Or have a password in demon tongue that she can say, if that is a point of concern.

However I look at it, it does not come off like something 'positive'. Maybe I am just paranoid around her.

Sounds to me like a

'Fair enough. '

 

[Nevill]

If these people are Hargreave's MI-6, then I expect a lot of sneaky shit.

If they are up to sneaky shit and don't indend to fight, shouldn't we take the lead? We have more experience with being sneaky.

I don't believe for a second there can be a compromise between us and Hargreave (until the choice becomes to either drop it or lose his head, which would involve a lot of prior death and destruction to prove that we are serious), but can there be one between us and his agents?

 

[Baltika9]

If they are up to sneaky shit and don't indend to fight, shouldn't we take the lead? We have more experience with being sneaky.

I don't for a second believe there can be a compromise between us and Hargreave (until the choice becomes to either drop it or lose his head, which would involve a lot of prior death and destruction to prove that we are serious), but can there be one between us and his agents? hilosoraptor:

I guess we could try and buy them out, but we have no estimate on their loyalty and that talented sneak can easily go for Hargreave and Eileen while we're downstairs. The man can be a great business partner and I don't want to place him in danger.

The Governor is pretty strong.

Unless the guvna is one of those old men who lift and wrestle almost every day? Seeing him catch the Golden Snake in a full Nelson would be hilarious.

 

[Nevill]

I guess we could try and buy them out, but we have no estimate on their loyalty and that talented sneak can easily go for Hargreave and Eileen while we're downstairs.

Eyes of bullshit seeing.

But yes, keeping Hastwell in his seat as long as possible is one of my goals. I just don't know what would better serve it.

 

[Baltika9]

Staying with him, of course, having a pleasant conversation about his fashion sense.

You chuckle and enter the room. The governor awaits you inside. A balding man of forty or so, he has a strong jaw and is built like a brick wall: he looks like he could be working the mines himself if not for the ill-fitting suit that looks to be a classic example of expensively bad tailoring.

If he is to be associated with us, he needs a new wardrobe. I'm thinking something like this:

 

[Nevill]

“Hey, he wouldn’t happen to be a blasphemous priest of some sort, would he?”

“No. Who are you talking about?"

This is also of interest. That priest... he is not a very famous one, is he? Was he even supposed to be there on the day we brought Wist over?

He surely knows how to be a mystery man.

 

[lightbane]

You raise your eyebrows. “You came alone? Oh, is it that ploy where you place some form of time-delayed spell in the chest so that I will kill myself when I open it?” You are no stranger to that, having used precisely the same tactic to rid the world of one Pig-Duke of Butarn, a lascivious demon commander with a distasteful lust for human women and gold; it was said that no one knew which he loved more. You had used both, disguising both yourself as a woman to lower his guard – why waste real women on him? – and bringing a booby-trapped chest which contained Lobelia’s best spell as tribute. It had saved you a tough fight and given you a lot more time to loot his castle before the regular army had come storming in to do their part.

I see Erdrick is no stranger to cross-dressing, just like a certain cloudy, spiky-haired jrpg hero. What was his back-up plan if the demon had chosen the "woman" instead of the chest? Also, how big the Demon Army was at that time? It seems they already had 3/4 parts of the world conquered before the good guys Goddesses made their move... Which is usually the case.

In any case, now it's not the moment to overthink Rin's reaction, we can deal with that shit later. Right now I'm a bit worried about the assassin sneaking in and killing both the governor and his daughter the moment we stop looking*, so using a password to check who's entering the tent is a good idea for both A and B. That reminds me, treave, what's Erd going to do in A? I assume he's going to have a somewhat awkward conversation with the Hastwell family while he mentally counts the number of dying screams, then step outside once the noise stops, right? Just to be sure.



*Amusingly enough, the Golden Snake is probably the one who is more of a threat to Rin than us, thanks to Angels' natural resistance towards chemical and others.

PS: Considering our reputation as a wizard, the only danger in B is that one or several of the adventurers employing an anti-magic trick to rob us of our ability to spell-cast and talking, but even that is not that much of an issue with Barbatos.

PPS: I bet The Priest was actually one avatar of the local gods, who was waiting for the opportunity to troll someone.

 

[Nevill]

I assume he's going to have a somewhat awkward conversation with the Hastwell family while he mentally counts the number of dying screams, then step outside once the noise stops, right?

Why step out of the tent if he can wait for Rin to bring him the prisoner?

PS: Considering our reputation as a wizard, the only danger in B is that one or several of the adventurers employing an anti-magic trick to rob us of our ability to spell-cast and talking, but even that is not that much of an issue with Barbatos.

B is not necessarily a combat encounter. That might have its upsides and drawbacks.

There will be a conversation, and it might yet surprise us how it turns out. That may or may not offer them a chance to flee/do something else. Not really dangerous, but with a different set of consequences than a fight would entail.

 

[lightbane]

There will be a conversation, and it might yet surprise us how it turns out. That may or may not offer them a chance to flee/do something else. Not really dangerous, but with a different set of consequences than a fight would entail.

True, but it is likely that the following conversation will turn hostile once/if they recognize Erdrick's dressing habits (specifically his hat). We can make it a bit more difficult with the Another Face spell, but they may have the means of seeing past our disguise. And we don't plan to take prisoners anyway except for the female adventurers (the young-looking ones at least), so doesn't matter that much. It is nearly impossible to avoid combat in jrpgs after all.

 

[Azira]

A>B

 

[Kipeci]

treave, what does Trider intend to do in A while Rin is out murdering everyone? Just protect the two inside or something?

 

[archaen]

B > A. I like our protags snark.

 

[Storyfag]

B > A
Though I would have preferred a D: go kill them together with Rin. But B is likely to present that option further down the road.

 

[Kayerts]

The update spent some time establishing the group's leader as a master of poisons. It seems like it'd be a mistake to send poison-vulnerable Rin to deal with her boys when we have our poison-immune self right here.

B

 

[treave]

I see Erdrick is no stranger to cross-dressing, just like a certain cloudy, spiky-haired jrpg hero. What was his back-up plan if the demon had chosen the "woman" instead of the chest?

Gigadyne has all the answers.

Also, how big the Demon Army was at that time?

Before or after Erdrick began his career as a Hero?

That reminds me, treave, what's Erd going to do in A? I assume he's going to have a somewhat awkward conversation with the Hastwell family while he mentally counts the number of dying screams, then step outside once the noise stops, right? Just to be sure.

treave, what does Trider intend to do in A while Rin is out murdering everyone? Just protect the two inside or something?

Doing nothing seems to be very appealing. He can always talk with the Governor about the latest fashions.

 

[Esquilax]

A
Rin can go to blow off stream and we'll keep watch over the governor and his daughter. If these people are Hargreave's MI-6, then I expect a lot of sneaky shit.

If these people are Hargreaves' MI-6, I actually expect a lot of shaky, divided loyalties given the Byzantine politics of this region. Given this fact, and the knowledge that this is the sort of task that requires a deft subtlety that Rin seems to lack, I think the wisest course of action is to do it ourselves.

I am reluctant to go with C because I think that it is wise to develop our relationship with this man. Like it or not, he is one of the few people around that are able and willing to work with us. I'd rather not burn that bridge right away.

B

Btw, treave, how much magnatite did we receive from Hastwell?

 

[Kipeci]

I hate to delay the violence by another update, but the XP is so tempting... I'll have to vote B > A.

 

[Baltika9]

If these people are Hargreaves' MI-6, I actually expect a lot of shaky, divided loyalties given the Byzantine politics of this region. Given this fact, and the knowledge that this is the sort of task that requires a deft subtlety that Rin seems to lack, I think the wisest course of action is to do it ourselves.

The thing is that we'll be gambling on their loyalty here:

“You assume rightly. They are Duke Hargreave’s. I thought I could lose them if I acted alone, but it seems that they are more resourceful than I had expected. These are new recruits, men that I have not yet time to buy. Though I had an agreement with his previous agents, it seems that the Duke has caught on.”

The guvna assumes he could have bought them out, given time, but we have no idea of their level of loyalty. Maybe they're malleable and we can come to an agreement, maybe they are not, and will distract us long enough for the Golden Snake to do something behind our back, like getting the guvna or his daughter.
I'm reluctant to do that at the moment, since these people strike me as professionals. Then again, adventurers are basically mercenaries and all mercenaries have a price.

 

[Kz3r0]

A.

 

[Grimgravy]

B>A

 

[Nevill]

If these people are Hargreaves' MI-6, I actually expect a lot of shaky, divided loyalties given the Byzantine politics of this region.

Not to disagree with your conclusion (I may yet switch to B for other reasons), but to discuss the logic... how much divided loyalties do you expect from someone who is called Hargreave's right hand? If your right hand starts having second thoughts about serving you... you might be better off with a prosthesis.

Another consideration to keep in mind is that these people have no idea we are here yet. All they have seen is Hastwell entering the old windmill. Who or what is inside is still a mystery to them. If Rin comes out and slaughters half of them, while the other half escapes, they would know of Hastwell's shady deals, but they wouldn't know we are the one he had the deal with. Assuming Rin's identity as a Black Knight didn't become linked to us, of course, which I don't think it should yet.

That said, there is definitely something to the notion that if you want something done right, you should do it yourself.

While we have the advantage of being immune to poisons and, ah, more subtle than the rest of us, Rin has her Demon Eyes and supernatural awareness that allowed her to detect 17 people. It is debatable who would fare better, given the goals of the situation (to prevent report from reaching Hargreave).

Tally

m4davis B
Lambchop19 A
ScubaV A>B
lightbane B>A
Nevill A
Elfberserker A
asxetos A
Baltika9 A
Azira A>B
archaen B
Storyfag B>A
Kayerts B
Esquilax B
Kipeci B>A
Kz3r0 A
Grimgravy B>A
Karwelas B
TOME B
Jester B

A - 8
B - 11

 

[Karwelas]

B.

To broke tie and do... Right... Thing?

(Yep, better do it ourselves)