In Progress [LP CYOA] Tower

[Grimgravy]

Flop me to C4 > A2

 

[Kz3r0]

Flop me to C4 > A2

This is a vote for A2 essentially.

 

[Baltika9]

Kz3r0, you missed Life of the Party's flop to A2, maybe some others.

===Poll by packages===

A2 - 6 (10)

A4 - 1 (0)

C1 - 5 (2)

C2 - 3 (1)

C3 - 1

C4 - 4 (6)

Votes

Nevill - A2
Baltika9 - A2>C1
Kz3r0 - A2
Absinthe - A2>C4
Life of the Party - A2
oscar - A2

ItsChon - A4>A2

Lambchop19 - C1>A1
CappenVarra - C1
Tigranes - C1>C4
baud - C1>A2
Kipeci - C1>C4

Azira - C2>C3>A2
Orbit - C2
hello friend - C2>A2

asxetos - C3

Kalarion - C4
ERYFKRAD - C4
Egosphere - C4
Grimgravy - C4>A2

 

[Kz3r0]

C1 - 5 (2)

You count two conditionals here, yours, that shouldn’t been counted because A2 has more votes without conditionals if Life of the Party really flopped and another one that doesn’t exist.

 

[Nevill]

You count two conditionals here

You have different notations. I know because it took me some time to puzzle yours out.
Your numbers in the brackets are additional votes from conditionals. His are numbers after flops. Which means in your notation C1 - 5(2) means "two people flop to that option" (i.e. the total number of votes is 7), while what Baltika means is "three people flop away from C1" (one to A2, and two to C4), leaving the total number at 2 instead of 5.

...oh, I see. Baltika9, plz fix the count to C4 - 4(6).

 

[ItsChon]

Ah yes, he is right. Regardless, it is still

A2 - 6(9)
C4 - 4(6)

so A2 is winning by a healthy margin anyway.

 

[Kz3r0]

Seems that there’s some confusion so I will explain how I count them.
First I look at the single or first votes then I proceed to count the conditionals for the option with the highest votes, in the case of a draw I count the conditionals for all the tied up options.

 

[Kz3r0]

Here all the votes plus all (conditionals):
A2 6(5)
C1 5(1)
C4 4(3)
C2 3
C3 1(1)
A4 1
A1 (1)

 

[treave]

Closing and locking A2 as the winner.

 

[Azira]

Waiting for Death by Papercuts..

 

[CappenVarra]

bookworms, bookworms never change

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

We had the chance to play a stealthy thief, a brilliant scholar, an invincible brute or a cunning politician.

Instead we chose to play a burnt fish who reads books and simps toward women who can barely stand to look at him.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

We had the chance to play a stealthy thief, a brilliant scholar, an invincible brute or a cunning politician.

Instead we chose to play a burnt fish who reads books and simps toward women who can barely stand to look at him.

Playing as we do, it's no mean feat getting Man Tiger Pig to be as versatile as he was.

 

[Nevill]

I dunno what kind of looks Lambchop wants to get from 12 year olds, but scars are man's badges of honor; Sophie and Tlalli are cool and I am glad to be in this company when it comes to hobbies; and no scholar or politician would have stood against a tentacle demon with nothing but a dagger, or lodge a stone between a cannibal's--

Oh, right.

 

[ItsChon]

We had the chance to play a stealthy thief, a brilliant scholar, an invincible brute or a cunning politician.

Instead we chose to play a burnt fish who reads books and simps toward women who can barely stand to look at him.

You're tripping. We've been a total badass so far. Although, not going to lie, playing Comrade Bull would have been a ton of fun and next LP we should totally do it.

 

[Baltika9]

It seems that the gods of DISCUSS and butthurt were not pleased with our meager offerings, and have sent foul erinyes to frustrate treave. We must atone.

Instead we chose to play a burnt fish who reads books and simps toward women who can barely stand to look at him.

I don't see what simping has to do with building a solid, supportive relationship with our adoptive family.

And as for us being a bookworm, well, it makes sense that a lonely, disfigured boy with poor social skills and above average intelligence would be inclined towards introversion and develop a rich inner world. This feels like a very natural way to develop a Hunter-Scholar multiclass, to be honest. Doesn't feel forced at all.

Besides, treave said that we could yet develop into a proper intellectual, provided that we have a good teacher:

We can be the bookwise mountain man if we just force it hard enough??

Yes, but it'll take years (aka not in this chapter) and you should find the proper mentor to educate you in philosophical thought too.

In other words, we need to be ready for when Lenin shows up in the Tower during his exile.

and no scholar or politician would have stood against a tentacle demon with nothing but a dagger, or lodge a stone between a cannibal's--

Oh, right.

Xiahou Yu would definitely do it after a few drinks.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

I’m just screwing with you all. There’s nothing terrible about the choice, it’s just not our usual balls to the wall badassery.

 

[ItsChon]

muh update....

 

[treave]

The Sea of Sand (I)



You glance at the books scattered and piled up all over the shack. “Sophie,” you ask. “Want to take a look at these?”

“Oh, sure,” she replies. “Maybe we’ll find a copy of Bronte here.”

However, her hopes are soon dashed – the title of every book cover appears to be quite solidly non-fiction. Even so, she doesn’t go off to do something else. She opens up a book, flips through the pages slowly as she reads lightly, and closes it again, before picking up yet another book. The two of you sit there in silence, continuing to browse the books. However, where the silence would have been stifling and awkward before, somehow it feels comfortable for you now. You wonder if it is the same for her.

“Interested in books, eh?”

You are not sure how long it was that the two of you sat there, but Tlalli’s voice interrupts your browsing. You turn around and see her sitting up in bed, seemingly no worse for the wear.

“Sorry if I worried you, kids,” She smirks wryly and gets out of the bed, stretching her limbs. “Not as young as I used to be, y’see. Ain’t easy to call a god into your body… Most people would just drop dead.”

“A god?” asks Elizabeth, who’s back from poking around the chests and drawers.

Tlalli nods. “The Turquoise Lord, Xiuhtecuhtli is my protector. He is the god of fire, of light. My main Astra, the Eye of Cuezaltzin, allows the wielder to draw upon a portion of his divinity… at a cost, of course.”

“You’re not going to say it costs you your own life, are you?” says Elizabeth.

“Hah, well, that’s the thing, girl. Back, oh, maybe two hundred years ago, the holders of the Eye would empower it with sacrifices. The hearts of three strong children like yourselves would grant the wielder supreme power for thirty years.” The old lady’s eyes twinkle with amusement as she watches Sophie draw back behind you in fright. “Oh, we can’t really do that anymore nowadays, you know. Child sacrifice and all that’s old tradition, it’s behind the times for we Azteca,” chuckles Tlalli. “After so many centuries, we’ve finally understood that the gods care not what you sacrifice, only that you pay the price.”

“Gods…” mutters Sophie. “You’re not trying to say that this Azteca god is real, are you?”

“Hm? Oh, sorry,” laughs Tlalli. “You believe in only one god, don’t you?”

“And that’s the right belief,” she replies, with conviction. “There is none other but our Lord, my God.”

“Well… that’s the funny thing, isn’t it?” shrugs Tlalli. “The Christian knights have found Astras that seem shaped to fit their belief system too. We know of the Lance of Longinus, for one… and then there’s the rumoured Holy Grail, of course. And if you were to take a trip to our headquarters, the Jesuit there can tell you about the hundreds more of powerful Astras which all appear to call upon the divine or mythological might of humanity’s legends and stories of old. Me, I don’t think there’s any one right answer. In this Tower, at least.”

Sophie bites her lip, not knowing how to respond. Perhaps her father could have made a better rebuttal, but she hasn’t spent her young years immersed in the study of theology. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is giggling away.

“That’s right! Why do people get hung up on this or that god? As long as they bring you a benefit, that’s all that matters!”

“Hah, now you’re a girl that speaks my language!” snorts Tlalli as she ruffles Elizabeth’s hair before turning to you and asking: “So, you like books, don’t you? The other members of the association have a habit of dropping off books here every time they stop by the outpost. Especially Blackwood, he’s probably responsible for half of the mess in here. Why don’t you take a couple of books with you? They’re just going to rot from the humidity anyway if kept here for long.”


***


A. You accept Tlalli’s offer and pick two books.

I. Stars, Cosmos, Gods

II. Towerspace: A Topological Study

III. Flora and Fauna of the Tower

IV. A Primer to Astras

V. Mathematics Part I

VI. How to Make Friends​

B. You do not take any books – it would be troublesome to bring them around with you.


***


Having recovered, Tlalli is ready to do what she promised: sending you and the girls back to Scotsfield. The stairs to the lower floor are just a short distance away from the outpost, barely an hour’s hike. There is a vast hole in the ground, large enough to swallow up an airship. A stairway lines the sides of the hole, spiralling down into the depths. The stairway itself is wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side, though the steps hewn into the surface would make it difficult for wheels to travel. There are no railings and anyone who slips off would find a long drop to the bottom.

Tlalli leads the way, with the girls in the middle. As if it was your natural position, you find yourself taking up the rear. Both you and Tlalli are holding lanterns. You can hear Tlalli talk from the front of the pack: “No lights all the way up here yet, so we need our own. Things are different on the lower floors, of course.”

Perhaps half an hour into the descent, you can feel the air suddenly change. Where it was cool, yet humid, now it is suddenly dry… arid. Your feet pause for just a while at this realization, and Tlalli laughs. “Picked that up, did you? We’re at the exit soon. Take a gander down, see that?”

You peer over the edge of the stairway and see what she’s talking about: the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. You’re almost there.

The stairway continues out of the hole and into a winding spiral walled in by nothing but empty air. It is a wonder how the structure remains intact and steady, but asking yourself too many of these questions while you are still on said structure is probably a bad idea.

You take your first steps onto the new floor, and take in the sights. Here, there is a sea of sand that goes on endlessly, as far as the eye can see.

“Welcome to the twenty-fifth floor,” grins Tlalli.


***


“You did well back when confronting the Cannibal Duke,” says Tlalli suddenly, while you are resting at the bottom of the stairs. The girls are exhausted from the trek, and Tlalli had taken the opportunity to give them a break. “You kept your calm and you didn’t give in. Not a lot of children can say that… and he has preyed on many.”

“I just did what I had to,” you say quietly.

“That’s a good way to live,” smiles the old lady gently. “You should keep doing that, especially if you have people to protect. Anyway, we still have a long journey ahead, and it’ll help me out if you get better at surviving. It won’t be easy looking after the two lil’ princesses all by myself, after all. How about it? Want an old goat to teach you a few tricks?”


***


Tlalli has offered to train you on your journey. She will teach you a little of everything, but you would like to focus on improving:

A. Melee and unarmed combat. This is Tlalli’s specialty, and being able to hold your ground in close quarters would be important in a fight.

B. Ranged combat. Although not as proficient as her melee skills, Tlalli is still far more adept than you at engaging a target from a distance.

C. Astra usage. You would like to train in your ability to use an Astra more efficiently, and also to understand your current Astra better.

D. Alchemy. As it turns out, all Hunters are expected to know some field alchemy, even if they might not be experts. She can give you pointers to improve.

E. Traps. Having spent a good amount of her life in the wilderness, Tlalli is experienced at both setting and spotting traps.​

***


While being trained, you can muster up the conversational energy to ask about a single topic of Tlalli. You ask about:

A. The association that she belongs to, the Hunters.

B. The monsters that she hunts.

C. The Cannibal Duke, John Bull.

D. Her personal history.

E. Nothing.

​

***

 

[Kz3r0]

I. Stars, Cosmos, Gods

III. Flora and Fauna of the Tower



C. Astra usage.



C. The Cannibal Duke, John Bull.

 

[Orbit]

I guess picking A VI is a 100% guarantee to get teased by the girls for the rest of the journey and this CYOA will degenerate into some shitty school romance manga.

Anyway, my choices are:

A IV. A Primer to Astras
Because astras are new, shiny and cool.

A V. Mathematics Part I
Being able to calculate the necessary amount of laxatives for colored weddings is .

C. Astra usage. You would like to train in your ability to use an Astra more efficiently, and also to understand your current Astra better.
Would be hard to find a teacher that is better at astras than Tlalli. I mean god summoning, anyone? And with Sophie, Liz and Rain we already got the right amount of sacrifices. This can't be a coincidence.

Alternative: E. Traps. Having spent a good amount of her life in the wilderness, Tlalli is experienced at both setting and spotting traps.
I want to be a trap! .. And with our puny little sling no one will take us seriously, so we should have an easy time goating our enemies into traps.

Edit: 2nd Alternative: B. Ranged combat. Although not as proficient as her melee skills, Tlalli is still far more adept than you at engaging a target from a distance.

A. The association that she belongs to, the Hunters.
With our background this organization is basically our calling. Time to learn the initiation rituals (involving lots of non-codexian virgins).

 

[asxetos]

A IV + III, so that we can tell what Astra our enemies might be holding and also know a bit more about them.
C>B, I dont think we should focus on melee.
A, seems the most interesting.

 

[CappenVarra]

1A
III. Flora and Fauna of the Tower
>
II. Towerspace: A Topological Study
>
IV. A Primer to Astras
>
I. Stars, Cosmos, Gods
>
V. Mathematics Part I
>
VI. How to Make Friends

2
D. Alchemy
>
B. Ranged combat
>
E. Traps
>
C. Astra usage
>
A. Melee and unarmed combat

3
B. The monsters that she hunts
>
A. The association that she belongs to, the Hunters
>
D. Her personal history
>
C. The Cannibal Duke, John Bull
>
E. Nothing

 

[Kz3r0]

Considering that the duke is interested in us, he is also Scottish as the village we live in, I think is vital to know more about him.

 

[Egosphere]

I + V
C
A