In Progress [LP CYOA] Tower

[Baltika9]

Tigranes, my bad, bro, I didn't communicate well. What I meant was that one smile and show of emotion won't make us a friendly and open person overnight. We were still raised in abuse and isolation, which is what explains our ghastly CHA 3. I did not mean to imply that we get to have a cake and eat it too.

You're just assuming that we're some traumatised antisocial recluse when the only conversation dude has had so far is with a dickbag who doesn't even want to chat.

This contradicts what treave put out earlier:

For as long as you could remember, your master had drilled into you how to hunt beasts in the wilds. How to follow their tracks, how to lie in wait without making a sound, and how to bring them down. And that was all you learnt. At the age of ten, where other children would be indulging in learning and playing, you know of nothing but the hunt. Not that you can say you are particularly good at it, at least compared to your master.

But that is fine. There’s no need for you to think about anything else in life. Your master tells you to hunt, and you hunt.

You take in a deep breath and hold it. Your fingers tighten around the bowstring ever so briefly as your focus sharpens. Then, you let the arrow fly.

Your master will be angry if you go home empty-handed today, but then again, he gets angry for many other reasons, most of which you don’t really understand. Shine or rain earns you a backhand, and you have had your fair share of lashings even if you bring back prey. So, you decide to indulge your curiosity for once. It might be just a small spark of rebellion, though you know that you will pay for it later.

He snorts. “Hmph. Maybe I can sell the kid and this bauble for something, at least.” His eyes glint greedily as he spots the silver pendant. “Stay put, boy. I’ll be back tomorrow once I check about a buyer for this little shit. It’s a pretty little thing and those weird pointy ears might go for a higher price.”

“But-“

You should not have said that. You know how much he hates that word. The moment it leaves your mouth, you are met with a backhand, sending you crashing to the ground.

“But fucking shut up. I didn’t raise you to say buts,” he growls. “Who fed and clothed you for the past five years? Just do what I tell you to do.”

And he also mentioned that our master prohibits us from visiting the village too often. Based on this, I am comfortable with stating that we are indeed a victim of child abuse. That type of shit deforms the psyche and we are by no means 'normal.' That is all I am asserting about our character, what we do with thus quirk of ours is up to us.

 

[Tigranes]

Yeah, I get you. And to be fair I don't think 1A is going to turn us into some kind of obnoxious youtube personality.

It just comes down to - I'm pretty fine with our low CHA hunterboi being a not very good communicator, someone who focuses on getting shit done and observing the environment. I think that suits what we talked about when we voted Hunter in. So there's simply no reason to not vote 1B. You clearly want someone who's a more well-adjusted on the talky front, which is fine.

Perhaps the elf baby will grow up to be our mouthpiece.

 

[Nevill]

The elf baby is going to be sold/stolen/taken away and we'll have to murder some cult and their god for it after 6 years of searching, I just know it.

 

[Baltika9]

You clearly want someone who's a more well-adjusted on the talky front, which is fine.

Actually, I'm more in favor of this:

If you want to merge it, how about something along the lines of the Hunter being open only when caught off guard, with people whom he feels comfortable with showing a vulnerable side?

This way, we're not a total basket case. Kind of like Geralt, actually.

And I just want to smile at the baby. Is that so wrong?

 

[ItsChon]

Perhaps the elf baby will grow up to be our mouthpiece.

This sounds like a great suggestion. Perhaps the Elf baby is the protagonist, and we're meant to be the stoic mentor that taught them everything they know? I think that this would create an interesting dynamic, and it's far more unique than just smiling at the lil shit.

 

[Baltika9]

We are currently tied between A and B for the first choice. I think that this is one of our longer voting stare-downs.

P.S.: Please flop to 1A, bros. Let's be a supportive older brother and give this baby the happy childhood that we never had.

You have no idea exactly how old the baby is, but it is looking up at you with clear green eyes. Short blonde locks cover the top of its head, and its ears are just as pointed as the dead woman’s. The last baby you had seen up close was… it would have been before your parents died. Before your younger sister died. How long ago was that? Your memories are vague – you cannot even remember their faces; only that they existed.

The baby waves its stubby little hands in the air. You extend a hand, and reflexively, it grabs onto your blood-stained little finger. And even though you must look like a ghastly mess right now, it smiles at you.

===Penultimate poll===

==1st choice==
A - 9
B - 11

==2nd choice==
A - 2
B - 15
C - 1
D - 2

Votes

Baltika9 - AB>AA
Kz3r0 - AB
CappenVarra - AD
Life of the Party - AB
Grimgravy - AB
baud - AB>BB>CC
Zerafall - AB
Nevill - AB
MoistCloister - AB

oscar - BC>AC
Absinthe - BB
Esquilax - BB
ERYFKRAD - BB
Azira - BB>BA
ItsChon - BA
asxetos - BB
Tigranes - BB
hello friend - BD
Egosphere - BB
Kipeci - BA

P.P.S.: I'm in the mood for some baseless speculation. I think this elvish child is very much related to the impending 'change in the Tower's status quo.'

The long stagnant status quo in the Tower, however, is about to change… and that change threatens to sweep away the rest of the world with it.

We encountered it and its (assumed) mother being chased by some sort of Nazgul through the woods. The mother was decked out in some swanky clothes and the child has a fancy amulet:

You turn her over, and gasp. Her pale, bloodless face is possessed of an ethereal beauty that you have never known, never imagined could exist. The sight burns itself into your young heart. The woman had long, golden hair, matted with blood, and was dressed in fine – if bloodied – robes smoother than any fabric you have ever felt. Her beauty aside, however, the strangest thing about her had to be her ears. They were rather long, and pointed, compared to your own. As if entranced, you reach out to touch them.

A small moan makes you pause. The woman’s eyes flutter open – they are a brilliant blue – and her lips part. She begins speaking haltingly in a language that you have never heard, and she grabs your sleeves. She turns her gaze towards the child she had been protecting, muttering some word that sounds like “rain” to you. Then, her eyes glaze over. You know the look – you have seen it before on countless deer as they bed down to die, bleeding out from your arrows. The woman takes a deep breath, then a second. And she moves no more.

...

After some time, you get around to digging a grave for the woman. Despite your busted leg, you make decent progress, and manage to get to a good depth just as the sun reaches its zenith. All the while, the baby has been looking at you without making a sound. You slowly roll the woman inside, being unable to lift her in your injured state. Then, you get to filling in the grave. There was nothing to identify the woman or the child, except for a silver pendant that had been hanging around the baby’s neck. It was intricately decorated with the crest of a stylized tree, though you have no idea what that meant.

I think we may be holding elvish royalty in our hands.

 

[Tigranes]

Please flop to 1B, bros. We will need our poker face when we need to pretend we are not related to the elf baby, so that they will take us to the torture chamber but leave him/her/it/thing unharmed!

 

[Baltika9]

when we need to pretend we are not related to the elf baby,

Don't our ears make that obvious?

 

[Kipeci]

BetrAyal to break the tie

 

[Baltika9]

Et tu, Kipeci?

 

[ItsChon]

Nice. So BB is whats been decided on then? treave

 

[treave]

A Day in the Forest (V)

You remember the day you were first handed a bow. It was perhaps a week after your master had told you to live in this little hut from now on. The burns scarring half of your body still hurt, the raw, pink skin oozing clear liquid. Yet, he had thrown the small wooden bow at you, and told you to hunt. If you did not hunt, then you would not eat.

At the time, you were confused but grateful, thinking that he had made the tool for you by hand. He had even picked you out of the ashes of your former home, after all, and dug a grave for your family. Expecting boundless charity just because you are a child would be too much to ask. It was not until later that you learnt the bow was just something he picked up in the trash.

Do you owe your master? Maybe. If he had not picked you up, perhaps someone else would have. Your life might have been better. It might have been worse. But who you are now is a product of how he raised you. The way he taught you to hunt was to tell you to watch and give you a slap or two when you failed to imitate him; sure, he might not have truly taught you anything like a proper teacher would, but undoubtedly, you still learnt from him. At the very least, you quickly learnt how to be independent, and not to rely on him for anything.

Which is why you swaddle the little blond child in cloth right now, tying it to your chest. If it was just you alone, you might have continued to put up with your master. But you can make a difference for the baby’s life – whatever you owe your master is your debt to pay. The baby has nothing to do with him, and if he’s insisting… well, in all honesty, you think that a little selfishness of your own isn’t unfair, given that half of what he sells to the village is usually your prey, passed off as his.

After checking the lantern to ensure it has enough oil, you proceed to gather whatever rations you can scrounge up from the hut. The moon is high in the sky, its light illuminating the path you must take even in this dark, cloudy night. The baby is sleeping contentedly, nestled against your chest, little fingers clutching your bloodied and dirty tunic. You look up at the moon, then at the hut.

You set fire to the hut, not allowing a single expression to show on your face. As the flames rage behind you, you take the first step of your new life.

It’s a long journey ahead, but at least you won’t be alone.


---CHAPTER END---

 

[treave]

As for the stat updates, I'm considering changing it up to something along these lines, after the Arcanum style:

Strength: 5
Intelligence: 5
Dexterity: 6 (4)
Perception: 6
Constitution: 8
Willpower: 7
Beauty: 3
Charisma: 4

Perception can be a substat for various skills while Willpower will be the main stat for Astra-related techniques, supplanting wisdom whilst being combined with other substats as necessary. Would this be an acceptable change?

 

[Azira]

Looks good to me. That way we also avoid the tricky "luck" stat.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

As for the stat updates, I'm considering changing it up to something along these lines, after the Arcanum style:

Strength: 5
Intelligence: 5
Dexterity: 6 (4)
Perception: 6
Constitution: 8
Willpower: 7
Beauty: 3
Charisma: 4

Perception can be a substat for various skills while Willpower will be the main stat for Astra-related techniques, supplanting wisdom whilst being combined with other substats as necessary. Would this be an acceptable change?

Ok.
Incidentally, I just realised, living in the woods, probably means we haven't washed our mouth in ages so smiling might do more harm than good.

 

[Baltika9]

I love the new stat system. It is much more clear than what we had before. I am butthurt that we didn't smile at the kid, though. I guess we will be playing as John Wick.

On the bright side, all issues arising from our emotional constipation in this LP are automatically Kipeci's fault.

 

[Nevill]

I would like to look at what new skill dependencies will be like.

I was a bit concerned about making Constitution our highest stat because while it allows us to survive Kunning Kodexian Plans it is also... the least interesting, skill-wise. It allows us to drink a lot, and that's it.

...maybe things will improve once we get access to Astra and magic-like abilities.

Incidentally, I just realised, living in the woods, probably means we haven't washed our mouth in ages so smiling might do more harm than good.

That made me look up how people cared for their teeth when they didn't have access to toothpaste and tap water. What do you know, the practices are as ancient as humanity itself. Soot and pine needles are your friends!

 

[ERYFKRAD]

What do you know, the practices are as ancient as humanity itself. Soot and pine needles are your friends!

We use twigs out of the neem tree. Pretty useful tree actually, pesticide, disinfectant, teeth cleaner all in one.

 

[Absinthe]

Of course they are, Nevill. In the ancient world, dental decay and tooth loss were no small mater. And even without tap water people were familiar with what kinds of waters are potable and the concept of boiling water before drinking it. Water mixed with salt is also a solid rinse for oral hygiene, btw.

BTW, it just occurred to me that Kz3r0's post touched on what exactly I found so deliriously absurd about all these exaggerated claims that it requires an extraordinary mind or special training or some form of expertise somehow just to remember a few lines spoken in a different language. You see, I've watched a fair amount of foreign language movies and the like, usually with subtitles, on rare occasion without. And there would definitely be the occasional scene that would just end up sticking in my head, and I would remember the lines and the delivery even though I didn't speak a word of that language. Sometimes I wouldn't figure out what those exact words meant until a good 7 or so years later. And I don't think that was because I was just that amazing or whatever certain posters here are claiming. That shit just strikes me as extremely basic and normal. So the idea that if you were actually in such a scene, and not just watching it on a TV, it would be so impossibly difficult to remember what was said, and people actually believe this, just leaves me confounded. What the heck is happening on that front anyway, treave?

About the Arcanum-style stats, I assume they are still from 1 to 10 instead of 1 to 20 like in Arcanum? Looks fine overall.

 

[Baltika9]

More than fine. They give me a better handle on the character. 'Wisdom' is too general, 'Perception' and 'willpower' are much more descriptive. With END 8, WIL 7 and our gloomy personality, we have the baseline qualities of an action movie hero. Now we need to get our physical stats up to par (after we heal our leg).

Which is why you swaddle the little blond child in cloth right now, tying it to your chest. If it was just you alone, you might have continued to put up with your master. But you can make a difference for the baby’s life – whatever you owe your master is your debt to pay. The baby has nothing to do with him, and if he’s insisting… well, in all honesty, you think that a little selfishness of your own isn’t unfair, given that half of what he sells to the village is usually your prey, passed off as his.

After checking the lantern to ensure it has enough oil, you proceed to gather whatever rations you can scrounge up from the hut. The moon is high in the sky, its light illuminating the path you must take even in this dark, cloudy night. The baby is sleeping contentedly, nestled against your chest, little fingers clutching your bloodied and dirty tunic. You look up at the moon, then at the hut.

You set fire to the hut, not allowing a single expression to show on your face. As the flames rage behind you, you take the first step of your new life.

It’s a long journey ahead, but at least you won’t be alone.

I think this is a fitting background tune for this segment:

 

[treave]

So the idea that if you were actually in such a scene, and not just watching it on a TV, it would be so impossibly difficult to remember what was said, and people actually believe this, just leaves me confounded. What the heck is happening on that front anyway, treave?

No, you just have super language skills if you can remember some line from a foreign movie you only ever watched all of once 7 years ago and repeat that line word for word perfectly even if you don't know a word of the language. I can't do that and I doubt most people in here can even in their native language. That's without our heads being messed with by pain and exhaustion, too.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Water mixed with salt is also a solid rinse

I see what you did there.

 

[Absinthe]

No, you just have super language skills if you can remember some line from a foreign movie you only ever watched all of once 7 years ago and repeat that line word for word perfectly even if you don't know a word of the language. I can't do that and I doubt most people in here can even in their native language. That's without our heads being messed with by pain and exhaustion, too.

Huh. Welp. I was told I was "linguistically gifted" by language teachers from an early age. Still, I didn't imagine there would be a gap like that. I figured most of the average person's language acquisition difficulties were due to the fact that language classes really suck and should be mixed with other learning methods (like, say, watching subtitled TV in that language, or trying to read the occasional basic text in that language) if you want actual results.

I see what you did there.

I actually wasn't going for any kind of hidden meaning there. That was a serious comment. But on a similar note to your implications, I think the romans used urine to rinse their teeth (and the science supports that this actually was a working method).

 

[treave]

Should've picked the Ambassador's son for all the linguistic genius and jumping right into intrigue and politics with that genius.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

I actually wasn't going for any kind of hidden meaning there

Yeah I know. Just a fortuitous choice of words.