a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
Now we wait and see how badly screwed over we get for agreeing to go into some dangerous ruins with a bunch of kids not bringing Rain along for an obvious deus ex machina powerup. 
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In Progress [LP CYOA] Tower
- Thread starter treave
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Nevill
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Can't blame you, man. Who cares for delving into god-forsaken ruins with a baby strapped to your back when there is a choice between Doyle and Poe to ponder?
You are blameless of the crime Lambchop assuses us of, though, since your vote was counted for A1. Sure it was phrased as a question, but it was also bolded, so...
You are blameless of the crime Lambchop assuses us of, though, since your vote was counted for A1. Sure it was phrased as a question, but it was also bolded, so...
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Baltika9
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What are you talking about? There's ruins, tentacle monsters, and our Scooby Gang to take care of everything with one magic sword and a lot of gumption. It's gonna be a great time!Now we wait and see how badly screwed over we get foragreeing to go into some dangerous ruins with a bunch of kidsnot bringing Rain along for an obvious deus ex machina powerup.
As much as I disagree with our decision to go there, I'm sure there's a way we can get an optimal outcome even without Rain. What that outcome is, however, depends on your perspective.
Yeah, about that...
PSA: please don't bold your choices unless you actually want to vote for them. Thank you.
Nevill
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Clearly the kids will get themselves in trouble, and we will have to pick between saving the administrator's kid and Father McClellan's ward. Making it a choice between significantly complicating our standing in the village, and disappointing our surrogate parent.
Nevill
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Oh, I've seen this one before. Didn't end well for the boy.
Is this the kind of game where monsters are more likely to pursue boys or girls? Any reports of tentacles in the ruins?
Are there blondes in our party? I hear they make best disaster bait and we should choose the other team.
Are there blondes in our party? I hear they make best disaster bait and we should choose the other team.
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
Given that the last monster we faced seemed to singlemindedly pursue the two females we tried to save last time...
But I think that had more to do with the fact that they were elves, so meh.
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Into the Ruins (I)
You were not aware that a baby could look betrayed, but you are now. For some reason, Rain had sensed that you were going to leave her behind, and the feeling of utter disappointment and sadness emanating from her while in Madam Daviana’s arms had almost made you change your mind. Still, she had not kicked up a fuss, against your expectations.
But you are here now, skulking through the woods once again. You had brought along some supplies that you kept packed at home, as well as a slingshot with a handful of pebbles. The others did not seem to be particularly prepared, but it was not your place to lecture them about it. Even though this particular forest was a different one from the place you spent your early childhood, you found yourself acclimatizing to it all the same. However, you did not take the lead – Andrew did, while Scotty told him where to go. All Andrew had said to you was: “Oh, just tell us if you sense anything dangerous.”
The twins are chatting animatedly, while Sophie and Elizabeth are talking – or at least, trying to talk – to Andrew. It was not going very well, not least because the two girls kept interjecting each other with pointed barbs. Not particularly ladylike behaviour, one would think. Weren’t they supposed to be fans of Jane Austen? Then again, you hadn’t been paying particular attention to the contents of those romance novels, so you wouldn’t know yourself.
“Oh, darn,” gasps Scotty. “They’re already here.”
Andrew gestures for everyone to get down. They do so, rather clumsily, while you call upon your experience and sink into the bushes. Slowly creeping forward, you peer through the leaves.
The sleek airship is floating in the skies above you, disgorging men from a large gondola that was lowered and raised repeatedly. They bore guns and swords, and were dressed in a smart, white uniform. Knights, most likely, but which Order do they belong to? None of the other children seem to know. The only clue to their identity is a double-headed eagle emblazoned on the side of the airship.
You watch as a young man in a more ornate uniform, lined with gold plaid, gives instructions to the rest. With him is an older man wearing a brown fedora – him you recognized as Scotty’s father, Nathaniel. They begin talking about something that you can’t quite make out at this distance. The men are already putting up simple tents in the small clearing.
“C’mon, no need to tarry around here,” whispers Andrew impatiently. “Scotty knows about another way in.”
“Y-Yeah,” replies Scotty nervously. “See where that little mound is in the clearing? That’s the main entrance, but I heard me dad talkin’ about another one a ways off. That’s where we’re going.”
“Then let’s get going,” says John.
“We need to be home before dinner after all,” says his twin, Jane.
Andrew and Scotty lead the way to a bare patch on the forest floor, a good ten minutes’ walk away from where the knights were. Bending down, Scotty sweeps away the dirt to reveal a large metal hatch in the ground. “There we go. That’s our ticket in,” Scotty says excitedly. “Handle’s over… here.” He points at a latch, sunken into the hatch.
“Go on, Wrinkly, pull it,” Andrew urges. You glance at him. He is older and larger than you are, so shouldn’t he be stronger? But Andrew just stands there with one hand on his sword’s hilt, keeping watch and waiting for you to get to work.
“Make yourself useful, why don’tcha?” quips John. Jane agrees with him, just like she always does. You don’t think you’ve ever seen the twins disagree on anything.
“What’s the matter, Sophie? Wrinkly can’t even open a door?” laughs Elizabeth.
“He has nothing to do with me!” huffs Sophie in return.
Without a word, you bend over the hatch, grab hold of the latch, and pull it. It takes a strong tug and you almost slip as your bum leg gives way, but you manage to pop it open. Musty air wafts out of the dark, rectangular hole. You see rungs embedded into the walls leading downwards.
Andrew steps forward, eager to be the first one in now that the way is open. As he makes to climb down, you notice that he doesn’t have any lanterns or torches with him.
“Need a light?” you ask, holding out the small lantern that you brought.
Andrew stares at you and raises an eyebrow, while Scotty chuckles loudly. “Oh boy, Andrew, why did you bring this runt along again?” Scotty laughs meanly. “He doesn’t even know the most basic thing about ruins exploring.”
“Ruins generate their own light, dummy,” remarks Jane.
“I thought he read a lot of books,” laughs Elizabeth. “Maybe you should tutor him some more, Sophie.”
“That’s right,” sighs Andrew. “I thought you would have known that. See, it lights up.” He demonstrates by beginning to climb down the rungs. The dark walls of the passageway begin emitting a dull blue glow from within as he passes through, automatically lighting his way. It is an amazing sight… but you don’t think that is any reason to not bring a light. Just in case.
“I’ll let you know if it is safe to come down after me,” he calls out gallantly as he disappears further down the shaft. “Stay cautious until then.”
The all clear comes not too long after. Scotty goes next, huffing and puffing his way down, followed by the twins. Elizabeth goes after them, leaving just you and Sophie. Sophie shakes her head, sighing. “Why do I have to be embarrassed by you?” she mutters, before going down the ladder without offering you a second glance.
You follow after them, taking the rungs a bit more slowly because of your leg. You can’t support your weight very well on the injured leg after all. When you reach the bottom, the others are nowhere to be seen – they had gone on ahead without waiting for you. You walk faster, limping to catch up. All around you, the blue glow illuminates your path. The entire corridor is made out of metal, and for some reason, the alien machines in The War of the Worlds comes to mind.
You catch up to the others while they are standing at a crossroads. There, the corridor diverges into three paths, like a forked trident. They are indistinguishable from the other, with no appreciable difference that you can notice.
“Where should we go, Andrew?” asks Sophie.
“Let us see… do you have any ideas, Scotty?” he asks.
“Uh, from what I overheard… we’ll usually find Astras further into the ruins. All three do lead further in, so…”
Click. You turn around to see Elizabeth with a sheepish expression, looking at the wall. “I’m sorry…” she mumbles. “I think… I touched something.” She raises her hands guiltily. A panel that was set in the wall now glows green.
***
At that sight, you cannot help but think to yourself:
***
There is a grinding noise above you. You look up, and see something dark lowering towards you. The light does not reach up that high, but from what you can see, it looks like the ceiling is dropping. It is not doing so at a particularly high speed so there should be plenty of time for everyone to get to safety...
“Get out of the crossroads! Run!” shouts Andrew, diving to save his own skin. In a panic, everyone follows his instructions and end up scattering in different directions.
***
You leave the crossroads too, and find yourself ending up with:
You were not aware that a baby could look betrayed, but you are now. For some reason, Rain had sensed that you were going to leave her behind, and the feeling of utter disappointment and sadness emanating from her while in Madam Daviana’s arms had almost made you change your mind. Still, she had not kicked up a fuss, against your expectations.
But you are here now, skulking through the woods once again. You had brought along some supplies that you kept packed at home, as well as a slingshot with a handful of pebbles. The others did not seem to be particularly prepared, but it was not your place to lecture them about it. Even though this particular forest was a different one from the place you spent your early childhood, you found yourself acclimatizing to it all the same. However, you did not take the lead – Andrew did, while Scotty told him where to go. All Andrew had said to you was: “Oh, just tell us if you sense anything dangerous.”
The twins are chatting animatedly, while Sophie and Elizabeth are talking – or at least, trying to talk – to Andrew. It was not going very well, not least because the two girls kept interjecting each other with pointed barbs. Not particularly ladylike behaviour, one would think. Weren’t they supposed to be fans of Jane Austen? Then again, you hadn’t been paying particular attention to the contents of those romance novels, so you wouldn’t know yourself.
“Oh, darn,” gasps Scotty. “They’re already here.”
Andrew gestures for everyone to get down. They do so, rather clumsily, while you call upon your experience and sink into the bushes. Slowly creeping forward, you peer through the leaves.
The sleek airship is floating in the skies above you, disgorging men from a large gondola that was lowered and raised repeatedly. They bore guns and swords, and were dressed in a smart, white uniform. Knights, most likely, but which Order do they belong to? None of the other children seem to know. The only clue to their identity is a double-headed eagle emblazoned on the side of the airship.
You watch as a young man in a more ornate uniform, lined with gold plaid, gives instructions to the rest. With him is an older man wearing a brown fedora – him you recognized as Scotty’s father, Nathaniel. They begin talking about something that you can’t quite make out at this distance. The men are already putting up simple tents in the small clearing.
“C’mon, no need to tarry around here,” whispers Andrew impatiently. “Scotty knows about another way in.”
“Y-Yeah,” replies Scotty nervously. “See where that little mound is in the clearing? That’s the main entrance, but I heard me dad talkin’ about another one a ways off. That’s where we’re going.”
“Then let’s get going,” says John.
“We need to be home before dinner after all,” says his twin, Jane.
Andrew and Scotty lead the way to a bare patch on the forest floor, a good ten minutes’ walk away from where the knights were. Bending down, Scotty sweeps away the dirt to reveal a large metal hatch in the ground. “There we go. That’s our ticket in,” Scotty says excitedly. “Handle’s over… here.” He points at a latch, sunken into the hatch.
“Go on, Wrinkly, pull it,” Andrew urges. You glance at him. He is older and larger than you are, so shouldn’t he be stronger? But Andrew just stands there with one hand on his sword’s hilt, keeping watch and waiting for you to get to work.
“Make yourself useful, why don’tcha?” quips John. Jane agrees with him, just like she always does. You don’t think you’ve ever seen the twins disagree on anything.
“What’s the matter, Sophie? Wrinkly can’t even open a door?” laughs Elizabeth.
“He has nothing to do with me!” huffs Sophie in return.
Without a word, you bend over the hatch, grab hold of the latch, and pull it. It takes a strong tug and you almost slip as your bum leg gives way, but you manage to pop it open. Musty air wafts out of the dark, rectangular hole. You see rungs embedded into the walls leading downwards.
Andrew steps forward, eager to be the first one in now that the way is open. As he makes to climb down, you notice that he doesn’t have any lanterns or torches with him.
“Need a light?” you ask, holding out the small lantern that you brought.
Andrew stares at you and raises an eyebrow, while Scotty chuckles loudly. “Oh boy, Andrew, why did you bring this runt along again?” Scotty laughs meanly. “He doesn’t even know the most basic thing about ruins exploring.”
“Ruins generate their own light, dummy,” remarks Jane.
“I thought he read a lot of books,” laughs Elizabeth. “Maybe you should tutor him some more, Sophie.”
“That’s right,” sighs Andrew. “I thought you would have known that. See, it lights up.” He demonstrates by beginning to climb down the rungs. The dark walls of the passageway begin emitting a dull blue glow from within as he passes through, automatically lighting his way. It is an amazing sight… but you don’t think that is any reason to not bring a light. Just in case.
“I’ll let you know if it is safe to come down after me,” he calls out gallantly as he disappears further down the shaft. “Stay cautious until then.”
The all clear comes not too long after. Scotty goes next, huffing and puffing his way down, followed by the twins. Elizabeth goes after them, leaving just you and Sophie. Sophie shakes her head, sighing. “Why do I have to be embarrassed by you?” she mutters, before going down the ladder without offering you a second glance.
You follow after them, taking the rungs a bit more slowly because of your leg. You can’t support your weight very well on the injured leg after all. When you reach the bottom, the others are nowhere to be seen – they had gone on ahead without waiting for you. You walk faster, limping to catch up. All around you, the blue glow illuminates your path. The entire corridor is made out of metal, and for some reason, the alien machines in The War of the Worlds comes to mind.
You catch up to the others while they are standing at a crossroads. There, the corridor diverges into three paths, like a forked trident. They are indistinguishable from the other, with no appreciable difference that you can notice.
“Where should we go, Andrew?” asks Sophie.
“Let us see… do you have any ideas, Scotty?” he asks.
“Uh, from what I overheard… we’ll usually find Astras further into the ruins. All three do lead further in, so…”
Click. You turn around to see Elizabeth with a sheepish expression, looking at the wall. “I’m sorry…” she mumbles. “I think… I touched something.” She raises her hands guiltily. A panel that was set in the wall now glows green.
***
At that sight, you cannot help but think to yourself:
A. Well, it looks like my luck is as excellent, as usual. A small amount of sarcasm is creeping into your thoughts, although you do not let it show, of course.
B. Oh no, that is some terrible luck. You remain as straightforward and genuine as ever, even in your personal thoughts.
B. Oh no, that is some terrible luck. You remain as straightforward and genuine as ever, even in your personal thoughts.
***
There is a grinding noise above you. You look up, and see something dark lowering towards you. The light does not reach up that high, but from what you can see, it looks like the ceiling is dropping. It is not doing so at a particularly high speed so there should be plenty of time for everyone to get to safety...
“Get out of the crossroads! Run!” shouts Andrew, diving to save his own skin. In a panic, everyone follows his instructions and end up scattering in different directions.
***
You leave the crossroads too, and find yourself ending up with:
A. Andrew and Scotty.
B. John and Jane.
C. Sophie and Elizabeth.
B. John and Jane.
C. Sophie and Elizabeth.
Nevill
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Is there a cliche we have not yet invoked?
Ah, Andrew. So gallant, so dashing!
He would look good even squashed by one of the dungeon's many traps; I think we'd only spoil the image if we went along.
Normally I'd go with twins because twins are justice, but I am also compelled to look after Sophie even if she doesn't appreciate our attention. What with the common foster parent, and her occasionally keeping an eye on Rain. Probably at Father McClellan's behest, but hey.
Besides, that pair is also the one most likely to split further. Hmm...
Also, sarcasm, what's that? Is this one of those strange nuances we overheard people talking about?
B. Oh no, that is some terrible luck. You remain as straightforward and genuine as ever, even in your personal thoughts.
B. John and Jane.
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Baltika9
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Scotty is such an insecure fat prick. He's probably the most useless part of the gang and he's now trying to take it out on the ugly new kid. I'm glad we didn't bring Rain with us, I'm pretty sure he'd snitch on us if she did anything magical.
And speaking of Rain, we really need to spend time with the kid when we get a chance.
I think that she is as special to us and the setting as Ciri was to Geralt and his world.
Next up, the knightly order:
I think these are Russian Imperial soldiers. I'm down for being caught and conscripted by them, but I'm not sure that it's possible without Rain.
A. I like my protagonists with a sense of humour, and gallows humour is my favorite kind.
B. Andrew can handle himself alright, and Scotty is a fat fuck who will do his best to mess with us, so we have no reason to follow them. Sophie and Elizabeth will probably complain the entire way as we're saving them, and then complain about how slow and stupid we were after we're done saving them. The only lady I am prepared to white knight for is Rain.
And since we came here to make friends, we also must remember the dynamics of our childhood groups. I think that the twins are our way into this clique, since they seem pretty open and if we win one of them over, we automatically have the other on our side.
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hello friend
Arcane
B
B
B
BC
I’m rather partial to his genuine and straightforward thinking.
For the 2nd choice, that really depends on what we want to get out of this.
If we want to see the Astra, I think the best option to that end is A. Everyone here is more or less incompetent, but there are some advantages in this crew. Andrew already has an Astra that enhances his combat effectiveness and probably gives him a slight edge on Astra knowledge, and Scotty has clearly picked up some degree of intel from his father’s adventures here and in general. They’d be most likely to reach the intended destination, I think.
If we care more about keeping the household we live in stable and minimizing Father McClellan’s irritation over this episode it’d likely be best to go for C and keep Sophie and Elizabeth safe. Andrew’s absence and Sophie’s screw-up should go some ways to kick her down off that high pedestal she was building up to tower over us. Plus Sophie’s family is fairly well, wouldn’t hurt to make sure she winds up OK too.
B is appealing in that the twins haven’t been nearly so obnoxious as the other groups (they’ll still join in of course, but don’t seem to initiate as much) and perhaps we might learn something of interest about these kids that we don’t know as well as the others.
I’m inclined to C, personally. Maybe having to rely on us for a bit might shock them out of being total bitches to us, which pays dividends when we live with one of them.
I’m rather partial to his genuine and straightforward thinking.
For the 2nd choice, that really depends on what we want to get out of this.
If we want to see the Astra, I think the best option to that end is A. Everyone here is more or less incompetent, but there are some advantages in this crew. Andrew already has an Astra that enhances his combat effectiveness and probably gives him a slight edge on Astra knowledge, and Scotty has clearly picked up some degree of intel from his father’s adventures here and in general. They’d be most likely to reach the intended destination, I think.
If we care more about keeping the household we live in stable and minimizing Father McClellan’s irritation over this episode it’d likely be best to go for C and keep Sophie and Elizabeth safe. Andrew’s absence and Sophie’s screw-up should go some ways to kick her down off that high pedestal she was building up to tower over us. Plus Sophie’s family is fairly well, wouldn’t hurt to make sure she winds up OK too.
B is appealing in that the twins haven’t been nearly so obnoxious as the other groups (they’ll still join in of course, but don’t seem to initiate as much) and perhaps we might learn something of interest about these kids that we don’t know as well as the others.
I’m inclined to C, personally. Maybe having to rely on us for a bit might shock them out of being total bitches to us, which pays dividends when we live with one of them.
Nevill
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Well... yeah, but is it a character's choice? I read it more like everyone scattered to wherever they could, and we found ourselves with these people rather than consciously going with them. In which case, hey, not our fault!
...I am curious about the duo. Even though it woul probably be easier to go with the girls, if only because they do not know what they are doing and are constantly bickering between themselves, turning us into a kingmaker. Probably.
...I am curious about the duo. Even though it woul probably be easier to go with the girls, if only because they do not know what they are doing and are constantly bickering between themselves, turning us into a kingmaker. Probably.
I’m sure we can try to justify things later on, but I think it’d hit home closer to the priest if Sophie ended up getting abducted by the knights to a black ops site or something compared to one of the twins or something. Not as concerned about Andrew and Scotty since they have a bit better connections and capabilities at play here.
Baltika9
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Depends. I would like to break into their clique and make some friends. I'm also fine with being conscripted into the knightly order, but I have no idea how to make that happen, or if it's even possible to begin with. Hopefully Rain's absence doesn't lock us out of that path.
What could they possibly want with Sophie, though? No, I think the girls won't encounter anything they can't handle if we don't come with them. In fact, I think that each girls' greatest threat is the other; I fully expect them to get into a catfight in our absence and I see no reason for us to accompany them.
Like I said above, I expect them to whine every step of the way, and then whine about how useless and lame (
) we were to their friends. Do we really want to be putting up with this for the next update or two:Forget that shit, let's go with the twins. They seem pretty chill and savvy, and if we win over one of them, we win over both.
Tigranes
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What a surprise, "I love being the centre of attention" Andrew and "I'll suck your day any day for a piece of that" Scotty are dumb useless douchebags who brought the village freak as the fall boy. Well, at least they're an open book.
B/C.
Not hugely fussed, but Andrew and Scotty will be the most keen to throw us under an Indiana Jones ceiling to make their escape. The others are less likely to be quite as assholes away from the group dynamic, if only because they are more timid about it. And if we can get the girls out safely then we might at least emerge with some credit when the knights have to fish everybody out from a spiked pit somewhere.
B/C.
Not hugely fussed, but Andrew and Scotty will be the most keen to throw us under an Indiana Jones ceiling to make their escape. The others are less likely to be quite as assholes away from the group dynamic, if only because they are more timid about it. And if we can get the girls out safely then we might at least emerge with some credit when the knights have to fish everybody out from a spiked pit somewhere.
Flopping my second vote to B>A>C. So my vote is currently,
B
B>A>C
I feel like we have a better chance at winning the twins over than the two whores. And I'll take the boys over the whores because they increase our chances of finding an Astra, even if we would have to compete with them to secure it.
B
B>A>C
I feel like we have a better chance at winning the twins over than the two whores. And I'll take the boys over the whores because they increase our chances of finding an Astra, even if we would have to compete with them to secure it.
I'm with Baltika on this one.
AB
AB
Life of the Party
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All that bickering could provide some amusement, and besides, the main quest is making sure Father McClellan's whatshername is safe, regardless of what we may think of her and of how many mean looks she gives us.
B/C
B/C
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