Myth: A New Age CYOA

[Nevill]

I'm for 4A because we are teaching other mages something of great value for things that will benefit others directly, but us only indirectly.

Why should it bother us that others benefit from it? If that helps us stay alive, doesn't that justify the effort?

Why would you sabotage your combat efficiency out of greed?

The bulk of what they enchant will go to the soldiers who wont be paying for them and likely will not return them.

The bulk of what they enchant is the equipment the soldiers already have. Who should they return their own equipment to? Why should they pay for it? What.

 

[Grimgravy]

Which would all be fine and dandy if we completely trust the seekers. I do not.

 

[Nevill]

I do not trust them, too, and would prefer to keep a distance between us, especially since we are working with demons closely and are involved in many rather dubious plots. Though I put some degree of confidence in their professionalism.

But why is the question of trust even raised? What downside would there be if this 'trust' is misplaced?

What can they do with these enchantmant spells that they can't do with their elemental ones?

I see benefits, and I do not see a lot of drawbacks, provided that we avoid direct hostilities between us. And if we can't avoid hostilities, I do not see enchantments as a deciding factor in a 20-40 vs 3-6 men fight.

 

[Absinthe]

Frankly, it's because I don't quite trust them that I want to win them over. It's the same reason why I originally voted to meet up with Thais when we gathered our party. If they turn against us, we're screwed. The way I see it:

Low rep:

• Someone: "Derryth and Thais are working with demons!"
• We got trouble.

High rep:

• Someone: "Derryth and Thais are working with demons!"
• Seekers: "That can't be right."

Even Miosguinn was kind enough to give us a warning and stop Isolde from killing Gareth and Brigit when he left because of our good relations with him. There is value in improving our rep. That's why I want to put everyone on Bii.

 

[Nevill]

Eh, I don't want to bother with winning them over, as we are unlikely to work together again, given our differences. Not antagonizing them works well enough for me.

From where I am standing, we are championing Albrecht's cause, and he is the only player that is not controlled by some Dark God or the other. Neither the Watcher, nor Eberhardt, nor the ghols with their Lamashtu winning would be acceptable for the Seekers, which leaves us as the only partner at best, and as a lesser evil at worst. Regardless of what they think of us, they will have to work with us if they don't want to see the Kingdom turned into a puppet theater for some unsavory types.

My reason for going Bii is a) nothing is stopping them from sharing the knowledge between themselves anyway, as they are more of a sect than a Circle of paranoid loners, and b) enchanting items is quicker and they last for much longer the more mages are involved. Seems like a more efficient way to do it.

 

[Grimgravy]

I just feel that a mage, we shouldn't be empowering that aren't us to that extent. We should get some short term utility / survivability from the exchange but we get squat (or precious close to squat) long term.

 

[Nevill]

We are on a suicide mission to kill the second best archmage in the world. Or at least inconvenience him by killing his armies - led by lesser archmages - one by one. All the while dodging assassination attempts by the cultists of a pissed Goddess and evading ghol raiding parties. With a sprinkle of repelling demonic invasions in-between.

What long term are we talking about?

 

[Absinthe]

Nevill, for the most part we are fighting against the dark, so I don't see a problem working with them again in the future if it all goes well. But if they were to think we're working for the dark ourselves then we'd be part of that puppet theater they'd fight against, so building a good rep would decrease the chances of shit going south.

I agree that the only difference between Bi and Bii is that Bii is just more efficient and better for our relations with them.

I just feel that a mage, we shouldn't be empowering that aren't us to that extent. We should get some short term utility / survivability from the exchange but we get squat (or precious close to squat) long term.

I think if we teach them some of our magics, they should be open to teaching us some of their magics as well. Also, given the dire circumstances, I think improving our short term utility / survivability is a very good idea. And given that we'd have extra training time, there are long term benefits in the skills we can pick up during our own expanded training.

 

[Nevill]

There is a six legged sorrow sucker clothed in the skin of a dwarven advocate/lawyer by the name of Audamar. He has a fondness for almonds and children and knows most of what is going on amongst the rich in the city by virtue of his profession.

Fangshi, what exactly is a sorrow sucker and what does Morpheus mean by fondness of children by a demon, especially mentioning them in a same breath with almonds?

The first is a distant member of his family. A great, great, great, great grandson of his brother Phobetor. He is a demon masquerading as a bookseller in the slums of the first ring of the city. He is known as the Coughing Man, seems the air in the old city does not agree with him. He generally tries to pass for human using a few persistent illusions, more than enough to trick the poor and 'undesirable' he deals with on a daily basis...

What exactly is his business in the city that makes him deal with poor and undesireables?

...he has heard rumours about an army of 'Hunters' operating to the southeast of the city. They seem to be hostile to just about anything they encounter. They are faster and stronger than a dwarf, have the ability disappear seemingly at will and can 'bewitch' individuals with their voices.

I will probably add to my plan a pair of dwarves with their ears plugged, whose sole job would be to observe our behavior and signal us if there is something amiss. Oh, and keep us inside the barricades at all times. Just as a precaution.

- the Green mage's possessions amount to a pair of exquisitely crafted knives and a couple dozen vials of what you assume are poison. They seem fairly straightforward though for all you know there may be more to them then there appears at first.

Can we send one vial away with Ceannard for research in the Academy? It looks like we will be contacting the King sometime soon to claim our Energon Cubes, it would be nice if they had the information ready for us when we do.

 

[Azira]

Fangshi, what exactly is a sorrow sucker and what does Morpheus mean by fondness of children by a demon, especially mentioning them in a same breath with almonds?

Here's a guess; "Om nom nom nom"

 

[Nevill]

A good guess, but he would have to be an ogre instead of a 'sorrow sucker' for that, no?

 

[Azira]

He's a demon. Anything goes for naming conventions.

As to utilising vocal magic against our ladies, here's to hoping that humming a little tune will help them now that they know a bit of musical magic.

But yes. Extra precautions are in order.

 

[Jester]

But yes. Extra precautions are in order.

Probably explosions will be quite good earplugs.

 

[Fangshi]

Fangshi, what exactly is a sorrow sucker and what does Morpheus mean by fondness of children by a demon, especially mentioning them in a same breath with almonds?

A demonic parasite. Burrows in behind the ear and slowly integrates itself into the host. Eventually it takes over entirely. Beyond that they have no real abilities of their own. They can secret a powerful pain killing paste from a pair of glands near their tail end and they will eventually gain/master all the physical abilities of their host but that is about it.

As for what he meant by a fondness for children...

Here's a guess; "Om nom nom nom"

This. Don't leave the parasites alone with anything helpless and easy to overpower. They love cracking open bones and sucking out the marrow, often when the victim is still alive.

What exactly is his business in the city that makes him deal with poor and undesireables?

Drugs, contraband, stolen items, just about anything that can turn a profit really.

Can we send one vial away with Ceannard for research in the Academy?

Sure, just like with TWM's page though it will need a vote since you are giving up an item so:

Part 1:

5. Do you want to give one of the Green Mage's vials to Ceannard to take back to the Royal Academy. They might be able to analyse it and determine what exactly it is and what it is meant to do.

A) Yes, send one or more vials (be sure to include how many samples you want to send, most popular option wins).

B) No, don't send any.

 

[Grimgravy]

5)A (1)

 

[Nevill]

A demonic parasite. Burrows in behind the ear and slowly integrates itself into the host. Eventually it takes over entirely.

How do you know you are infected and how do you get rid of it?

5) A (1)

The first is a distant member of his family. A great, great, great, great grandson of his brother Phobetor.

Also, how do demons feel about their family?

Say, should it come to a conflict between un and the Coughing Man, would Morpheus or his brother hold it against us?

I know the family relationship between demons are pretty fucked up by human standarts, but how representative are the Wyrm and the Spider Goddess of their species overall?

 

[Fangshi]

How do you know you are infected and how do you get rid of it?

You start to lose control over your senses and your movements. It is subtle at first, it may manifest as vision problems or hearing problems or even just general fatigue. After about forty eight hours though it would be impossible not to notice as you would lose control over your senses and your movements. Normally this happens while the host is asleep. The parasite takes that opportunity to cut the mind of the host off from their body and after that the host is powerless to regain control. Most go mad as a result.

The host will usually disappear shortly thereafter as the parasite does not have their memories or access to their minds so generally it will not be able to pass itself off as the host.

However some of the parasites are quite clever. They will infest the host and connect themselves to the host's body but they will not actually try and take over right away. Instead they will simply watch the host and learn everything they can about their life, attitude and patterns of behavior. In some cases this allows them to near seamlessly replace the host at a time of their choosing.

They do leave a scar behind the ear though so if you ever want to know if someone is infected that is an easy way to tell. No scar, no parasite though it is often difficult to get people to show you the back of their ears on command.

As for how to get rid of it you could try cutting it out. If you can get it in the first six to eight hours the host has about a even odds of surviving. If you try and remove it after it has fully 'bonded' (after the first day or so) then the host's odds drop to about two or three percent. More often than not the parasite will kill the host either while trying to protect itself or simply out of spite. If you could somehow incapacitate the parasite you might be able to improve the odds of a successful removal but Morpheus knows of no sure way to achieve that.

 

[Nevill]

Well, all I really want to know is how dangerous it would be for us to visit Audamar? Is there something to watch out for?

I would like to ask the 'Great Demon Lord' a few questions about Birgir & Anja in return for keeping his little secret... right before executing him, that is.

Morpheus makes it sound like he is a small fry, but can he really harm someone like us, and if yes, how?

 

[Fangshi]

Morpheus makes it sound like he is a small fry, but can he really harm someone like us, and if yes, how?

Well, he could have his guards attack you. He could have you arrested for trying to threaten him and then have you disposed of while in prison. He could pay to have mercenaries attack you. He could turn a decent chunk of the local upper class against you. Things like that, he does have money.

 

[Kz3r0]

5)A (1)

 

[Nevill]

Things like that, he does have money.

So, he is only dangerous via indirect means. Is that right?

How does the parasite change hosts, by the way? Do they need their target incapacitated?

 

[Fangshi]

So, he is only dangerous via indirect means. Is that right?

For all practical purposes he is simply a regular dwarf, at least as far as Morpheus knows.

How does the parasite change hosts, by the way? Do they need their target incapacitated?

It certainly helps. To change hosts it would need to tear itself out of its current host and burrow into a new one.

 

[Absinthe]

Votes:
1Biii We don't even work for Mazzarin. And I rather suspect D is just throwing someone to the wolves while we wind up attacking anyway, except those 5 figures in the distance may have caught up too if we delay the fighting.
2A>Biv Leadership and tactics are important when leading an army. Also, it will help us progress towards the Unorthodox Tactics skill (which gives us better odds when doing the absurd) and boost our charisma growth (relevant for singing).
3A We're in top condition mentally and both the amulet and our enchantments improve our sanity, so I'm not as worried about losing some sleep.
4Bii Getting extra training time is paramount. Improving the quality of our army is important too.
5A(1) Sounds like a good idea.

Also, Fangshi, I recall that we got information a while ago about the Watcher's agents among the nobles in Myrgard. We're flushing those cultists out too, right? Not just the spider cultists? Also, is it possible for our characters to practice meditating and passively meditating in those spare moments that fill the day just to help maintain their health and sanity? It is said meditating just 10 minutes a day improves one's health.

Another question, if we teach Uttu Calm Casting, would that boost her aim with her arrows?

 

[Nevill]

I'll adjust my votes to 2 Bii>Biv (if there is a tie) and 4 Bii>Bi (if there is a tie) respectively.

 

[Karwelas]

5. A(1)