In Progress [LP CYOA] Tower

[Nevill]

I was speaking of the burn scars on our face ffs.

Did you buy into Scotty's vampire story?

It is the only one that connects Rain to our house burning down, after all.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Or maybe the priest was focused on his holy mission when he walked in and started paying attention to his surroundings later. He's got some kind of weird senses to detect people nearby. Stop assuming it has to be permanent X-Ray Vision or nothing.

If his holy mission is that important, he should have been on the alert for some time. It makes no sense that his special power would switch on and off like that.

More likely, the boys had been following them and only just now got close enough for the priest to hear them.

He likely has no special powers other than a really high perception stat. (Ours is decent at 6, but higher than that is very possible).

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

I was speaking of the burn scars on our face ffs.

Did you buy into Scotty's vampire story?

It is the only one that connects Rain to our house burning down, after all.

Again:

Your brown hair is long and unkempt, hanging over most of your burnt face on one end.

There are several references to our face being burnt and Sophie being repulsed by it. How can you doubt that it is?

edit: I didn't see your edit until after I quoted and replied to it.

 

[Nevill]

We sacrificed our leg and our FACE for her!

Our face was burned since we were five and our (former) Master fished us out of the ruins of our house.

It has nothing to do with Rain.

 

[Absinthe]

He likely has no special powers other than a really high perception stat. (Ours is decent at 6, but higher than that is very possible).

Yeah, why would an important priest on a mission to unlock the 30th floor's wall who gives us an unusual feeling of wrongness that uses a ritual dagger with a blood offering and unusual chant to unlock faraway secrets have any special powers or astras or shit? Are you trying to go full retard, Lambchop? Because you're doing an admirable job of it.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

We sacrificed our leg and our FACE for her!

Our face was burned since we were five and our (former) Master fished us out of the ruins of our house.

Ah, I forgot about that. I thought it was the flames from the creature we fought.

I thought you didn't believe we were burnt at all. My bad.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Yeah, why would an important priest on a mission to unlock the 30th floor's wall who gives us an unusual feeling of wrongness that uses a ritual dagger with a blood offering and unusual chant to unlock faraway secrets have any special powers or astras or shit? Are you trying to go full retard, Lambchop? Because you're doing an admirable job of it.

He might have an astra and it might give him special powers, but that doesn't mean that clairvoyance is one of them.

 

[Nevill]

He likely has no special powers other than a really high perception stat. (Ours is decent at 6, but higher than that is very possible).

I would... probably be inclined to agree with that.

I would also agree that our character feeling that something may be the case does not automatically make it so. Unreliable narration exists, and we are a (remarkably rational) kid who was nonetheless unsettled by a strange monk even before he started doing blood rituals.

But then one has to question, does him having a "really high perception stat" make things better for us? There are three of us here, after all.

 

[CappenVarra]

damn Harry Potter book fans choosing an item of no immediate utility

...

damn fire mage Rasputin posing as a cleric, he was either the nazgul or a close friend and can smell the corruption in our wound

...

E (wait one turn - too bad none of our potions can serve as buffs, can we at least cast True Strike oh ffs)

>

A (cast Chaos, save vs. spell +5 - we're not dealing with a bunch of kids afraid of the dark, and they have more lanterns to light - at best we'll give Fancy Boy a bonus on his next attack, too bad he's too far/dumb to strike Rasputin instead of the minions)

P.S. damn fake clerics hindering the communist revolution with their mumbo-jumbo, too bad we're in no position to backstab him

 

[Absinthe]

The exact nature of his perception is not as important at any rate as the fact that he already exposed our friends hiding outside behind the closed door and that we have a feeling he is already looking at us right now.

“That is where we must go, yes.” The monk stares upwards before closing his eyes. “One step closer to God.” Suddenly, his eyes snap open, and you press yourself against the metal block, ceasing your spying. “We have visitors, it seems. There seems to be someone… hiding outside the door.”

At that exact timing, the door slides open, revealing Andrew with his sword raised, and Scotty trembling behind him.

[...]

You take another deep breath and frown. Where you are, you cannot see the monk… but you have the feeling that he is looking right at the metal block you are hiding behind.

In Lambchop19 and ItsChon's view none of this suggests anything and the kids were just unlucky to get caught while we would not be noticed. Somehow, I suspect otherwise.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

In Lambchop19 and ItsChon's view none of this suggests anything and the kids were just unlucky to get caught while we would not be noticed. Somehow, I suspect otherwise.

Unlucky? They’re fucking morons who just assaulted a knight for no reason. Think about how such a moron might try to sneak and you’ll have your answer as to why they got caught.

 

[Tigranes]

Why do I think Rasputin will take an interest in us? Because, as a literary character, we ooze mystery and the historical Rasputin had a lot of sympathy for lepers, outcasts and the downtrodden. Like I said earlier, my intuition is leading me to him as it did to Master Zhang, another character with a menacing, creepy aura.

Baltika9 I love you buddy but you're either trolling hard or getting corona in the brain cells. I can't take a single thing you say for this decision seriously.

 

[Nevill]

It really doesn't suggest much beyond good hearing, especially since his eyes were closed. Shutting out one sense sharpens others, it's not unheard of.

Whether he has anything else going for him on account of being a magic man is pure speculation.

Edit: ...which I nonetheless tend to believe. The man has bad juju written all over him.

 

[Tigranes]

Back to business,

I don't share absinthe's certainty that Rasputin has already detected us, but I do think, in the absence of alternatives, we should be taking our hunch seriously.

And yes, while A is the only reasonable distraction option, A also carries a fair risk that Andrew continues to go berserk, the dumbass.

Actually, I think there's a question here - just why is Andrew so panicked at seeing the knights? If he's just scared about getting in trouble after venturing into the ruins, there's no way he's panicked enough to literally swing a sword at the knights. He's more likely to be both relieved at finding help and scared of being grounded. Andrew & other kids never talked about the knights with any such great fear. I feel like Andrew saw something that spooked him after our separation, or he has some reason to be very scared of the knights.

Perhaps I'm reaching, but that makes me even more uneasy about getting ourselves caught by these guys. Maybe it's not just the case that they'll give us a slap on the wrist and send us back home.

 

[Life of the Party]

It's between D and E, the other options really sound like plans only a child could come up with. We're not going to outrun them, outfight them, outmanoeuvre them, any of that stuff.

I kinda like E, to be honest. I suspect it might lead to either the twins joining the party or to Rasputin pretending he didn't sense us.

 

[CappenVarra]

also, our chances of seeing Rain any time this decade have just been reduce to "slight to none" - no wonder she looked so disappointed in us

also, if all three items were astras, the girls are getting conscripted right alongside us

assuming kids with astras get conscripted instead of "conscripted, died in the line of duty shortly after, tragic really (was real tasty though, delicate soul with a hint of cinnamon)"

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Actually, I think there's a question here - just why is Andrew so panicked at seeing the knights? If he's just scared about getting in trouble after venturing into the ruins, there's no way he's panicked enough to literally swing a sword at the knights. He's more likely to be both relieved at finding help and scared of being grounded. Andrew & other kids never talked about the knights with any such great fear. I feel like Andrew saw something that spooked him after our separation, or he has some reason to be very scared of the knights.

For all we know, he witnessed the knights killing someone, overheard them talking about killing someone or else Scotty has been spooking him with scary stories.

We really don't know, but I think that if he was so afraid of these knights, he shouldn't have been following them so closely or should have tried to run.

There's very little that can justify this level of idiocy.

 

[Tigranes]

Actually, I think there's a question here - just why is Andrew so panicked at seeing the knights? If he's just scared about getting in trouble after venturing into the ruins, there's no way he's panicked enough to literally swing a sword at the knights. He's more likely to be both relieved at finding help and scared of being grounded. Andrew & other kids never talked about the knights with any such great fear. I feel like Andrew saw something that spooked him after our separation, or he has some reason to be very scared of the knights.

For all we know, he witnessed the knights killing someone, overheard them talking about killing someone or else Scotty has been spooking him with scary stories.

We really don't know, but I think that if he was so afraid of these knights, he shouldn't have been following them so closely or should have tried to run.

There's very little that can justify this level of idiocy.

Oh, I don't give a shit about Andrew. I just think that Andrew must know / have seen something to make him very fearful of the knights beyond reason - and that's a useful sliver of data for us right now.

It suggests that the situation isn't exactly "oh shucks sorry dad we thought it'd be fun to sneak in".

 

[Kz3r0]

E

 

[Absinthe]

also, our chances of seeing Rain any time this decade have just been reduce to "slight to none" - no wonder she looked so disappointed in us

Vote A if you want to stick with Rain. It's our best escape plan. The rest are just various editions of how we want to get caught.

 

[asxetos]

E.
Gives us the chance to learn more about the factions and the lore in the future without committing to a side, and staying with Rain.
Yes, Rasputin would provide a pretty good story but i dont think we should suck the first big dick we see just to make things interesting.
Also i have a feeling that with E, Andrew gets out of the picture and that is a plus (either by being slaughtered or conscripted).

Spoiler

I cant wait for a fight between Rasputin and Aleister Crowley in this setting

 

[Baltika9]

===Early poll===
A - 6
B - 0
C - 0
D - 2 (1)
E - 9 (10)

Votes

ERYFKRAD - A>C
Nevill - A
Absinthe - A
Esquilax- A
Tigranes - A>E
hello friend- A

Baltika9 - D>E
Nahel - D

ItsChon - E
Egosphere - E>A
Grimgravy - E>A
Azira - E
Lambchop19 - E>D
CappenVarra - E>A
Kz3r0 - E
asxetos - E
oscar - E

========

Ah-kay, the discussion is starting to look like this:


Let's try to get back on track, yeah? I think we have eliminated B and C from the list of desirable choices, and A and E are the current front-runners. Out of these two, we are stuck between deciding which one gives us a better chance of escaping the clutches of Father Grisha and the Russian Knights. The source of disagreement is this:

You take another deep breath and frown. Where you are, you cannot see the monk… but you have the feeling that he is looking right at the metal block you are hiding behind.

If it is true that Rasputin can sense our presence, then us and the girls are already caught, and E won't work. In this case, A is the only viable alternative.

However, if Wrinkly is just (justifiably) nervous right now, then E will allow us to get out of here safely, provided the girls don't do anything stupid.

I think it is worthwhile to underline that we have absolutely no knowledge of Rasputin's having or lacking supernatural senses.

D will do exactly what it says on the tin.

Baltika9 I love you buddy but you're either trolling hard or getting corona in the brain cells. I can't take a single thing you say for this decision seriously.

Bro, I love you too, but my trolling is always accompanied with the appropriate smilies. Plus, I only troll when the discussion starts going in circles or becomes disingenuous.

I say this honestly: while I want to join Father Grisha's Wild Journey to the Center of Arcanum top of the Tower, I realize that this dude has all sorts of bad vibes and the Codex as a whole wants nothing to do with the man. I am being completely genuine when I say that I don't think that there's a good choice here: we either (A) flee through a lit corridor towards the only exit we know with a bad leg and get caught by physically fit adults, (D) sacrifice ourselves for the good of the group and either get conscripted or apprenticed by Rasputin, or (E) keep our mouths shut and pray that Nathaniel can smooth everything over with Rasputin and the army. If he can't, then us and the girls will get caught and probably conscripted.

In all events, though, I think that our fate is sealed at this point. It is a hunch that I have, based on the fact that we found our own Astras and we are in an enclosed space with a squad of professional soldiers and explorers, and a mystic monk with an apparent sixth sense

I also think that everyone is discounting Nathaniel's presence: it is in his interest to diffuse the situation and get the kids out of here, seeing as one of them is his son. This is why I think E has the best chances of getting us out of here safely.

Next, I want to join Rasputin because he has knowledge on what's going on with the larger plot and with Rain. Like CappenVarra pointed out, he might be connected to the Nazguls. Will we have to play the long game here and betray our master in the future, like Jing would have done with Yang Xue? Very likely, and I very much want to pursue that story. If everyone disagrees with me, then I respect that and I have no problems with not playing that story.

Tigranes, to you I want to say that this situation is very similar to when Master Zhang tried to recruit us, in that I am all in on it, and you are (yet again) accusing me of living in a fantasy world for following a particular storyline. If you think this time is different, then I respect that, but I respectfully disagree.

Baltika9 I love you buddy but you're either trolling hard or getting corona in the brain cells.

The truth is much, much worse.

Spoiler

Bro, it's been almost two months since I lifted anything heavier than 180 lbs.



I do 120 pull-ups daily, I do hill sprints for half an hour, I do push-ups, squats and sit-ups. I tried deadlifting the ass-end of my car the other day (it didn't end well for my car).



I can't go on like this, I NEED THE GYM!!!



This is me joking around, btw.

 

[Absinthe]

Oh, I don't give a shit about Andrew. I just think that Andrew must know / have seen something to make him very fearful of the knights beyond reason - and that's a useful sliver of data for us right now.

Admittedly, Andrew struck us as the guy most likely to have a clue and unlikely to just blindly risk his own neck, considering how he made us go first. Which makes it all the more curious why he chose to run in and swing his sword. Writing it off as "dumb kid" seems a little too dismissive for my tastes.

It suggests that the situation isn't exactly "oh shucks sorry dad we thought it'd be fun to sneak in".

We already figured something's up. We've just been witness to something we shouldn't have seen. I honestly doubt they'd let us go with E.

 

[Tigranes]

Oh, I don't give a shit about Andrew. I just think that Andrew must know / have seen something to make him very fearful of the knights beyond reason - and that's a useful sliver of data for us right now.

Admittedly, Andrew struck us as the guy most likely to have a clue and unlikely to just blindly risk his own neck, considering how he made us go first. Which makes it all the more curious why he chose to run in and swing his sword. Writing it off as "dumb kid" seems a little too dismissive for my tastes.

It suggests that the situation isn't exactly "oh shucks sorry dad we thought it'd be fun to sneak in".

We already figured something's up. We've just been witness to something we shouldn't have seen. I honestly doubt they'd let us go with E.

Well, that's what I mean, though. Andrew might be a douchebag but he's not an idiot. I really think he's seen/heard something that fucked with him, whether it's part of the ruins or something about the knights/Rasputin. He feels extremely unsafe, and that's why I think we can't do D.

The only question is which of A or E is going to help us escape. The entrance isn't exactly big, right? So even if darkness causes total chaos in a best case scenario, we'd have to shoulder past a bunch of people to get out? It probably means at least one of us three would be caught.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

D will do exactly what it says on the tin.

Eh, I think D won't do anything but save Andrew and ensure that we get conscripted (and blamed for all of this by Scotty).

I don't think the girls are going to be able to sneak out of here. Sitting still and being quiet is something they can probably do, as they didn't scream even when the tower was shaking.

However, expecting them to be able to use our distraction to sneak away is asking too much.
edit:

I also think that everyone is discounting Nathaniel's presence: it is in his interest to diffuse the situation and get the kids out of here, seeing as one of them is his son. This is why I think E has the best chacnes of getting us out of here safely.

I agree with this btw.

We shouldn't freak out just because Andrew is a moron. *If* they find us, they are unlikely to string us up, dissect us and pickle us or whatever. Not unless we directly attack them.