Myth: A New Age CYOA

[Fangshi]

Hm... can we just meet Mayer instead of all the other parties? I firmly believe that he is all we need, business-wise, and I'd rather not waste the time trying to befriend those Barings and Goldsmith pricks. We'll be leaving them in dust once we start our own business with the Empire anyway.

Sure, if you do not want to be diplomatic about it, I will add it as an option.

Edit:

Added as option F

 

[Nevill]

Well, Mayer knows best, I suppose.

If he deems it necessary to maintain ties with these guys, we'll abide.

By the way, what does building a reputation with the rabble poor folks entail? As far as I've seen, there is no such faction as 'dwarven people'. How would it help us, and will there be repercussions as far as the reputatuion with the other factions is concerned (I kind of expect the nobles to become offended a bit)?

 

[Fangshi]

Well, Mayer knows best, I suppose.

If he deems it necessary to maintain ties with these guys, we'll abide.

Well it has more to do with exploring all available avenues and not purposefully offending people but like I said it is your call. Derryth and Thaïs also are not really prepared to grant financial control to someone they have had one conversation with so there is also that to consider.

By the way, what does building a reputation with the rabble poor folks entail? As far as I've seen, there is no such faction as 'dwarven people'. How would it help us, and will there be repercussions as far as the reputatuion with the other factions is concerned (I kind of expect the nobles to become offended a bit)?

Factions tend not to be as broad as the whole dwarven race but there are a lot of factions out there that you do not (and may never) know about and they do watch your actions if you catch their attention.

As for reputation it won't hurt you with anyone really. You would be doing charitable work, shaking hands, kissing babies, meeting with the 'dwarf on the street' that sort of thing. The nobles and merchants might even approve in that it is fairly harmless all things considered and could be seen as fulfilling the obligations the 'better sorts' of people have to the 'less fortunate'.

Really though the outcomes are based on how Derryth deals with the situation in front of her more than anything.

 

[Zero Credibility]

Well I never really cared about the merchants that much in the first place and this reputation drop with them definitely doesn't help with that. Fuck' em. I'll be voting for something that doesn’t involve people that don't like us.

D > B > A

Anyway, maybe doing some PR charity work would help the king by strengthening our heroic reputation.

As for my second choice, I'm not sure. The girls can go, sure, but just how likely is it for someone to recognise our former necromancer? Because that would be very awkward. Can we ask her that, or maybe can we disguise her a bit, just in case? And what about our prisoners, would we move them to prison or would someone remain in the safe house to watch them?

 

[Kz3r0]

1A.
2A.

 

[Nevill]

I'd rather we think more carefully about who we invite to the palace. The reason why we wanted the girls to stay at the safehouse when we left for the Assembly was to avoid bringing heat on them. Nothing really changed since then. I don't know if we want to bring everyone in the spotlight just yet, even though I personally want to keep them as close as possible.

 

[Nevill]

He begins to cast but is distracted when a single arrow fired from the darkness of a nearby rooftop flies through the hole created by the dwarves and strikes one of the red and white mercenaries in the throat.

You are attacked by the odd mercenary here or there but the ones you can not handle are quickly dropped with an arrow in the throat. Part of you suspects that someone must be looking out for you but you have no idea who or why.

An arrow flies across the courtyard from the roof of the compound and catches the necromancer in the shoulder. She screams and loses some of her control over her minions.

Finally of the archer that provided your much needed opening, not a trace was found.

Congratulations, ladies, you've got yourselves a stalker. And we just barely got rid of one, too!

*sigh* The beauty is a curse, indeed. At least the new guy is more shy and less obnoxious than the previous one.

Can we ask the Pathfinders to - gently - investigate this helper? I'd like to meet them in person.

Was the piece of the Watcher we recovered from the necromancer the same Ori captured with her, or was it a new one, similar to the ones the Warlock and the Oneiroi mage got? At this rate King Albrecht would actually be the one to assemble the Watcher in his basement from all the pieces the enemy brings to his doors.

 

[Fangshi]

The girls can go, sure, but just how likely is it for someone to recognise our former necromancer? Because that would be very awkward. Can we ask her that, or maybe can we disguise her a bit, just in case? And what about our prisoners, would we move them to prison or would someone remain in the safe house to watch them?

Well there are people she worked with in Soulblighter's service that could recognize her just like the necromancer she murdered before meeting Mazzarin so it is a possibility. If you want to disguise her that would certainly be possible though it might raise questions among the dwarves and they might start to wonder who she is that she needs to hide her identity. The prisoners would stay at the safe house unless you bring everyone over in which case they would be brought to the palace prisons for ease of access. Meletē would stay as well unless you decide to move everyone over or come up with a another option.

Can we ask the Pathfinders to - gently - investigate this helper? I'd like to meet them in person.

They are already looking into it. So far they have nothing.

Was the piece of the Watcher we recovered from the necromancer the same Ori captured with her, or was it a new one, similar to the ones the Warlock and the Oneiroi mage got?

It was the piece Ori brought in. They did not think anyone would dare to attack the palace so they kept both the necromancer and the stone on site. They have split them up now and each is going to a less well known destination.

 

[archaen]

Fangshi, I assume we are still working on waking up Meletē and that is happening independent of our choice here? If so:

1. A>F>C

We have the backing of the royal house and access to a business shark that should be able to pull the rug out from under the rest of the merchant class with our support. No need to kowtow to lesser men Dorfs. We could also cozy up to the nobility and get them on our side. If we do the parties, maybe we could make sure that Mayer gets invites to all of them and have a back room to do a little business in when convenient.

We need Lyssa with us before her necklace makes her go bonkers because she is too far away from us.

2. A>C

 

[Nevill]

Instead of having Lyssa with us all the time, why not grant her full access to the Magic Academy for a week and allow her to visit us whenever she pleases? I am sure she would like that arrangement much more than being a public person.

 

[Fangshi]

Fangshi, I assume we are still working on waking up Meletē and that is happening independent of our choice here?

That is correct yes.

Instead of having Lyssa with us all the time, why not grant her full access to the Magic Academy for a week and allow her to visit us whenever she pleases? I am sure she would like that arrangement much more than being a public person.

Certainly, she can access the academy regardless of what you pick in 2. Albrecht is only really concerned about something happening to you before the trial he is not too worried about what your friends get up to.

 

[Jester]

Reputation Loses:
The Brannons -40
The Honourable House of Eberhardt -100
The Barings -30
The Goldsmith Guild -30
Mayer's Estate -10

This is interesting. I assume brannons, barings and guild were either Eberhardt allies or one of people who run away, reputation loss with Mayer is confusing to me. Is he pissed about stronger control of King?

1) B > D > F - Army like us very much we should get to ally reputation here. Helping poor would show us in good light and i like dwarfs dont mind to buddy up with ordinary people here (ehm there is that little part we took part in blowing up half city too).If not any of that go speak money.
2) E - we didnt take them for a reason Marvin.

Edit. actually in 2 we do need Lyssa to avoid mental stress. E should clear Mazzarin artefact part and mby she will borrow us magic books as bed time stories. ;D

 

[GreyViper]

1F 2A

We work better with her around due nature of the necklace.

 

[Jester]

Hero of the Kingdom? Dont see description anything special about that?
Wonder if we will ever get friend of dorfs. On one hand we are heroes... looks like hero... we could be... they think we are heroes, on other we pissed of half of state and burned half of capital.

 

[Nevill]

Alright, so in no particular order.

1. Reputation.
a) What does being the Hero of the Kingdom mean for us? How well-known are we going to be beyond Myrgard?
b) Since the Assembly never happened, why did we become the sworn enemies of the House of Eberhardt? Did we still testify against them as per the original plan, only without them being able to retort due to having fled already? The King mentioned that the Eberhardts were the vanguard of the opposition. Did the other houses who fled got in trouble as well?
c) Is the girls' connection to us well-known? I guess most of the dwarves got wind of what happened in the fort, but Trakk vanished without a trace and no one seems to raise an eyebrow. Maybe people already forgot everyone but us?
d) Speaking of Trakk, what happened to his family? Did they testify as well? If so, what did they say? Is their connection to our case known? I mean, it can be spun that the traitors to the crown tried to get to us through our companions that we defended the fort with, so they are actually martyrs to the royal cause... or something like that. Can anything be done for them?

Actually, I want to ask the king to grant us the right to pardon Trakk if we see fit to do so. The reason for this is that the next time we cross paths with the dwarf (which is likely to be violent), I'd like to settle matters with him. He comlained he didn't have a choice back then, so I want to offer him one. He can return to his family as a loyal servant to the country who suffered for aiding the allies of the crown against the traitorous house - and every word of it would be the truth, since I am almost completely sure the Eberhardts dealt with the Brannons (and surrendering Melete to them was another one of their deals) because they needed allies and resourses to oppose Albrecht. Or he can choose to continue his vendetta against us, even though we were not the ones who wronged him, and die a dog's death as a traitor to his country who fell for the promises of the house that succumbed to the Dark, without a right to be buried alongside his ancestors - and this could very well be the the truth, too. The point is, the choice would be his and his alone this time.

Of course, he could do something that would render this point moot and make us kill him on the spot, but this does not cost Albrecht anything, so I don't see a reason not to keep this option in the reserve. Especially since I wanted to do this even before we sent the guy into the exile.

e) What the hell is wrong with the merchant houses? What do they have against the crown and us, personally?
f) Why is Mayer pissed at us? Is it because it makes his dealings with the rest of the bankers less convenient if he is on good terms with us? Why is the reputation drop less with him, what sets him apart from the others? I'd very much like to follow up on our initial talk with him, but I guess there is no doing so discreetly with an escort of 40 royal guards in tow, and the other bankers would not take it kindly if we continued to publicly ignore them? Or is there a way to meet Mayer without attracting too much attention?
g) I guess this is going to be covered in the next update, but I'd very much like to know how and why the human Empire become involved in all of this. The presence of the cavalry officer (heh, a fitting death for a Bai Jiutian expy a dashing gentleman if I ever saw one) and the Heron Guard at the Royal Palace can't be a coincidence. Can we get acquaintanced with the Heron Guard? The guy seems cool.
h) Isn't Albrecht going a bit overboard with his concern for us? How much freedom of action are we allowed? It looks like he has other plans for us, but can we at least squeeze a hint out of him about what they are?
i) I guess the minor reputation increase with the Warlocks is due to the fact that there are no ex-Warlocks, and we just solved one of their problems for them?

2. The battle.
a) Did we ever learn how the attack started and went up until the point we intervened? Was its purpose to break the necromancer out? Were the attacks on the rest of the city merely distractions to prevent the army from assisting where it mattered the most?
b) Did we learn what the manacles were and why did they glow when the mages cast spells? For that matter, did we learn what was wrong with them? They weren't behaving like sane people. Was it the influence of the stones, or was it something different?
c) Just who or what was the thin mage? That thing was definitely not human. The way it moved bore uncanning resemblance to the desription that was given to the Deceiver, who 'moved through odd angles, faster than any man, and if unobserved, much faster than that'. But of course it couldn't have been him, because there is no way he would be working for the Watcher, as the insight in his thoughts implied, and no way he would go down that easily. So, who was it? A mage that is as powerful as two exceptional mages combined is surely someone of note. It was ancient, it wasn't even completely alive... Was it a Shade, after all?
d) Did they get the necromancer to talk? I wonder why the enemy got through hoops to get her out. Or was it the stone they were after? What measures are taken to prevent the history from repeating itself?
e) Were the rogue dwarves ever identified?

3. Misc.
a) How bad is Lyssa's sanity loss due to being away from us? Is visiting us once a day enough to offset the loss, or does she need prolonged exposure to our necklaces to remain well?
b) Since we are pretty chummy with the military, can we get our girls to learn the basics of the Military Tactics? They both have the Leadership skill, they both led men into battle. It would be a shame to stiffle their potential, especially since I feel that we'll be leading an army before long. They may not be generals, but they are a perfect officer material. I want both sisters on it, because they can cover nuances of both close and ranged combat between the two of them, and their rivalry will help them perfect their plans by pointing out weak points in each other's strategies. I know they aren't going to learn it all in a week, but we should start somewhere.

Edit: Huh, the trial didn't happen yet, but we became the enemies of the Eberhardts? How come? I thought they would not know we are responsible for their fall until then.

c) Are we still working on integrating the impressions with Thais, or is our work on that front done?
d) Is there anyone on the 'good side' that could recognize Lyssa? It sounds unlikely, since she worked the assambly lines and did not participate in any of the battle operations (from what she told us), but she was there during the fall of Scales, so I don't really know about that.
e) What is it that Lyssa wants to do with her free time? I really want her to make use of that academy while we are stuck at the Palace duing social stuff.

 

[Fangshi]

Hmm... okay:

1. Reputation:

Hero of the Kingdom? Dont see description anything special about that?
Wonder if we will ever get friend of dorfs. On one hand we are heroes... looks like hero... we could be... they think we are heroes, on other we pissed of half of state and burned half of capital.

A) Hero of the Kingdom means that you are now very well known throughout the Kingdom and even vaguely known beyond its borders. Most dwarves in Myrgard know your name now even if they do not know what you look like yet. This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the situation. I will add a proper description to the list when I have a moment.

B) Albrecht is quite good at spinning a story. In preparation for the trial his agents have been spreading tales of your exploits throughout the city. He wants everyone to know who you are before this starts. Hell, he wants the people cheering you when you arrive and calling for the deaths of Eberhardt, his family and everyone who has ever had dealings with him. As a result people now know the 'official' version of events and the Eberhardts know it was you that screwed them.

C) They have been left out of the stories at your request. Some dwarves know about them (the innkeeper whose establishment you frequented or the soldiers that escorted you to the capital for example) but it is not common knowledge. According to the stories that are currently circulating you faced down the army by yourselves or with a small group of companions all of which were sadly killed. Trakk no longer exists, he is a non person as far as the state is concerned and they are doing their best to keep it that way.

D) The connection is not yet known. It will be though when the trial begins. The version of events they will recount may be a little different than what actually happened though. As for what happened to them, they are alive and in protective custody and that is about all you know.

The Pardon: If you really want one he will grant you one in writing as a personal favour.

E) You do not know though one might suspect that they are hostile to parties that undermine their interests and that their interests may not always line up with those of the crown and old nobility. If you want more you will need to choose an option that deals with that.

reputation loss with Mayer is confusing to me. Is he pissed about stronger control of King?

F) You don't know why he is upset, you could always ask him but you have only met the man once. It is not like you know him well. You speculate that his is less upset than the others because he is the sort of dwarf that can see opportunities in adversity.

If you pay a visit solely to Mayer the other merchant houses will feel snubbed. It is as simple as that, it is up to you whether or not you want to be diplomatic about this. It might be worth it or it might be a waste of time.

G) The Empire maintains an active embassy to the Kingdom at all times. It is possible they were visiting on business but you do no know. The nobles love to gossip though so you might be able to get information that way including information on who the Officer was and how you can meet Eagle should you so desire.

H) He does not want anything happening to you or to his city before the trial, this has to be handled just right. Every time you wander off something is blown up or burnt down. The guards are there to prevent that and to discourage potential assassins and mercenaries. He is willing to entertain suggestions on how to spend your time but he would very much prefer if you checked with him before doing anything. If you want to slip away on your own though you could certainly try it.

I) You solved a very old problem for the Warlocks yes.

2. The battle:

A) It started about fifteen minutes before you arrived. Dwarven infiltrators seized the prison complex at high cost to themselves. They freed the prisoners and at some point the thin, white mage appeared though no one agrees on when or how. It seems that the attack was aimed at retrieving the piece of the Watcher and freeing the necromancer. Beyond that you do not know.

It seems likely that the other attacks were distractions but you can not be sure.

B) The manacles were meant to prevent a mage from casting. The thin, white mage must have had a way to break their magic. They glowed when the Warlock cast because he was throwing around a lot of magical fire without a care in the world, those manacles probably got awfully hot though he did not seem to notice.

You think that the Watcher was controlling them through the pieces of him that they carried though you can not be sure what was happening really.

C) Perhaps he is simply an amoral zombie...

D) They won't tell you anything about her at the moment. Something has them spooked.

E) They were dead men. Legally dead that is. Each was a violent criminal that is on the books as deceased, this time it stuck.

3. Misc.

A) Her SAN loss is the same as yours or Thaïs'. If she were in perfect mental health she could survive for a week without doing permanent damage though she would be a wreck by the time she joined up again. Two weeks and she would be completely and permanently insane. Symptoms start to show after a day or two and you do not know how sane she is to begin with though she seems normal enough all things considered. Short term exposure will keep her from getting worse, long term exposure will actually improve her sanity.

B) Sure though it would take time to arrange something and months for them to learn anything really useful. I will keep it in mind should training options become available while in the city.

The Trial: Albrecht is busy laying the groundwork for the trial. He does not want anything left to chance. That means bribing people, 'finding' evidence, marshaling the actual evidence and also playing the public opinion game. His agents are in every bar and salon in the city talking up your achievements. Soon everyone will know who you are and what you have done (though the official story may not bear much resemblance to the actual events).



Current Tally:

Spoiler

asxetos 1.C 2.A
Zero Credibility 1.D>B>A 2.x
Kz3r0 1.A 2.A
archaen 1.A>F>C 2.A>C
Jester 1.B>D>F 2.E
GreyViper 1.F 2.A
Smashing Axe 1.B>A>C 2.B>D>E
Nevill 1.C>B 2.A
Azira 1.C>B 2.A
Grimgravy 1.D 2.E

1.
A) 2 votes
B) 2 votes
C) 3 votes
D) 2 votes
E)
F) 1 vote

2.
A) 6 votes
B)
C)
D) 1 vote
E) 2 votes

 

[Smashing Axe]

B> A> C

B> D> E

On phone can't discuss

 

[Nevill]

All right.

Even though I introduced F as a choice, now that I have considered the alternatives, I prefer C. It looks like it might alienate the other merchant houses to the point where they may become our enemies. While it does not bother me much, this leaves Mayer as the only business opportunity we can pursue, and monopoly is never a good thing. He can easily use that against us if we don't have a choice in the matter. In this case, it is in our interests to be diplomatic about this.

I don't want to invalidate our initial time investment in Mayer by pursuing something else. We have to begin making money one day, because we've went through 1/3 of our wealth in a month that we've been here.

If that fails, I want to bro it up with the younger generation of nobles who are part of the Royal Army. I don't want to deal with the old farts who don't know how to hold a sword.

I guess in the long run it does not matter if the girls stay at the safehouse or come with us, renown-wise. If so, I prefer to keep everyone together.

So, C>B A for me.

Also, at Albrecht:

Every time you wander off something is blown up or burnt down.

Doesn't he know that's exactly the thing that makes one a hero?
Did he think that 'like a dorf' sticker was just for show?

 

[Azira]

I'm with Nevill on this choice (gasp!).

C>B
A

 

[Fangshi]

More answers:

c) Are we still working on integrating the impressions with Thais, or is our work on that front done?

Yes but it has only been a couple of very busy days since you started working on it. All of these updates have maybe covered two weeks or so in game so it will take some time and some peace and quiet to make more progress on it. If you choose to stay in the palace they can probably work on it in their spare time, if not then they will likely be too busy to give it much attention now.

d) Is there anyone on the 'good side' that could recognize Lyssa? It sounds unlikely, since she worked the assembly lines and did not participate in any of the battle operations (from what she told us), but she was there during the fall of Scales, so I don't really know about that.

No way to know really though it is not likely.

e) What is it that Lyssa wants to do with her free time? I really want her to make use of that academy while we are stuck at the Palace doing social stuff.

If you tell her to go to the academy then she will go to the academy. Otherwise she will spend her time how she likes, that may involve going to the academy anyway but it also might be something else. She still wants her birds back so she spends a lot of time on top of the safe house waiting for them.

I can add it as a question on the next update if there is interest.

 

[Nevill]

Well, I don't want to force her, and it would be good to show interest in what she is doing. I intend to fully integrate her in our circle and get her to green status ASAP, so count me in for everything that helps with that.

What were her birds told to do last time she saw them? Were they to spy on the Watcher's activities to the east?

By the way, does she know how did Mazzarin dispose of the necromancers in Myrgard? Ceannard reported that four of them went missing.

Can we ask Albrecht or Argus about the robed figures and the riders Ceannard told us about? I imagine Argus would be easier to talk to due to him being a simpler fellow somewhat indebted to us due to the recent events, although he may know less. Were the riders from the Empire? At least that would explain the Cavalry officer.

I feel like the dwarves are holding out on us.

 

[Fangshi]

What were her birds told to do last time she saw them? Were they to spy on the Watcher's activities to the east?

A variety of things but mostly they were to search for and keep tabs on any necromancer activity in the area.

By the way, does she know how did Mazzarin dispose of the necromancers in Myrgard? Ceannard reported that four of them went missing.

She says she has no idea.

Can we ask Albrecht or Argus about the robed figures and the riders Ceannard told us about? I imagine Argus would be easier to talk to due to him being a simpler fellow somewhat indebted to us due to the recent events, although he may know less. Were the riders from the Empire? At least that would explain the Cavalry officer.

This will have to be put to a vote. If they know nothing it will make them curious as to where you got this information. If they know something then it will make them very curious as to where you got this information. Naturally you can always lie to them but it might not be the course you wish to take with this. If there is interest then I can add it as a question on the next update.

 

[Nevill]

We can always tell them we can talk to the birds and the birds told us. Lyssa did use them to spy on the necros, after all, so it's not that far from the truth. If they don't know anything, they deserve to be informed. If they know something, we deserve to know this as well.

Yeah, I'll bite. Is anyone with me?

 

[Jester]

We can always tell them we can talk to the birds and the birds told us. Lyssa did use them to spy on the necros, after all, so it's not that far from the truth. If they don't know anything, they deserve to be informed. If they know something, we deserve to know this as well.

Yeah, I'll bite. Is anyone with me?

Im in if Derryth answer will be "a little bird told me". Later she can explain.

 

[archaen]

I'll go along with a little bird told me. We should also look into finding an offer that they can not refuse.