Myth: A New Age CYOA

[Fangshi]

Fangshi, am I correct in understanding that our new contract with Morpheus invoves the transfer of the letter and TWM's journal only in case we are dead/insane/otherwise unable to execute it ourselves?

That is correct, yes.

 

[Nevill]

Can we ask Berty how did he come to know Finnbheara?

Also, he seems knowledgeable about salt and iron. Ask him if there is such an agreement that the fairies are unwilling or unable to break, and what it involves. Is a word good enough, or is there something more that needs doing?

What about our scouts? Are they alive? Can we check on the ones that we didn't identify through the scout? Why are the others chained? Can we cross-check them, first with fairies' help, and then, if needed, ourselves? If they aren't guilty, they need to be healed. If they are, that is a reason for concern as there might be several different factions infiltrating us.

Also, did we learn the reason why the Watcher's agents sought refuge with us? What about our own scouts? Weren't they from Hamundr's team? Are they infiltrated, too? Moreover, I don't believe a scout who happened to be the Watcher's agent just happened to randomly stumble upon another group of scouts consisting primarily of the Watcher's agents. There must have been some plan here.

Can we try and learn about it?

 

[Fangshi]

Can we ask Berty how did he come to know Finnbheara?

You can if you wish, certainly. He might not want to answer though with the King right next to you.

Also, he seems knowledgeable about salt and iron. Ask him if there is such an agreement that the fairies are unwilling or unable to break, and what it involves. Is a word good enough, or is there something more that needs doing?

He informs you that the Tuath Dé do not generally lie, it would be seen as rude, not that they will tell you the whole truth either, mind. He also says that an oath should be taken seriously if you can extract one, provided things have not changed at court too much.

The King nods, "Dear ladies, what your 'Berty' says is true," the King's eyes dart between you and your tactician, he smiles broadly. He must find something awfully amusing.

What about our scouts? Are they alive?

They seem to be, yes.

Can we check on the ones that we didn't identify through the scout?

From what you can see, three of the scouts are unchained and standing with your other soldiers. The rest, including their captain are bound and a bit worse for wear.

Why are the others chained?

They did not pass the test presumably.

Can we cross-check them, first with fairies' help, and then, if needed, ourselves? If they aren't guilty, they need to be healed. If they are, that is a reason for concern as there might be several different factions infiltrating us.

If you decide to work with the Tuath Dé then sure. If you attack them then probably not. You can not really ignore the King though, one way or the other, it would be incredibly rude.

Also, did we learn the reason why the Watcher's agents sought refuge with us?

No, you didn't, not yet at least.

What about our own scouts? Weren't they from Hamundr's team?

Some were, that is correct. Most were not though. Your scouts ran into retreating Royal Army chariots while on patrol and they all fled back to your lines as Cropper's people began to close.

Are they infiltrated, too? Moreover, I don't believe a scout who happened to be the Watcher's agent just happened to randomly stumble upon another group of scouts consisting primarily of the Watcher's agents. There must have been some plan here.

Certainly a possibility from what you have seen of the Kingdom so far.

Can we try and learn about it?

You can but you are going to need to sort out what to do with the army of Aos Sí currently surrounding you first.

A fight could still break out rather easily at the moment and many of your own soldiers are still at least partially under the glamour of these beings.

 

[Nevill]

If you decide to work with the Tuath Dé then sure. If you attack them then probably not. You can not really ignore the King though, one way or the other, it would be incredibly rude.

Why can't we ask him to help us settle the matter of the scouts' guilt first? Weren't they the reason for his presence here in the first place? We aren't going anywhere anyway.

Why are you saying that we would be ignoring the King? He only said he isn't leaving until he confirms that everyone is clear. That's all fine, but we aren't asking him to leave.

I want to find out if it wasn't the Watcher's plan to get our forces in each other's way. I assume the King might be interested in this as well, and less eager to go all trigger-happy if that was the enemy's tactics all along. No one likes being played like a fiddle.

And if the rest do not belong to the Watcher, it might provide interesting results as well.

You can but you are going to need to sort out what to do with the army of Aos Sí currently surrounding you first.

So? It's not like we are trying to break through their ranks.

There appears to be a stalemate between our forces, and they do not want to force the issue. It is as good a time to talk about other things as any.

 

[Fangshi]

Why can't we ask him to help us settle the matter of the scouts' guilt first? Weren't they the reason for his presence here in the first place? We aren't going anywhere anyway.

You can ask for his help if you wish. He will then begin scanning your people, starting with the scouts.

Yes, they are the reason the King is here since Cropper sounded the horns when he caught up to the fleeing scouts. Now that he is here though he is not terribly interested in the scouts in particular.

Well, you might be going somewhere though. If one of the options that does not require cooperating wins then a fight will break out.

Why are you saying that we would be ignoring the King? He only said he isn't leaving until he confirms that everyone is clear. That's all fine, but we aren't asking him to leave.

Well he is a King, interviewing/questioning your subordinates in detail could be seen as a snub. Strictly speaking he should get all the attention. Not that you have to care at all really, Berty certainly doesn't, but then he is Berty.

It is just that 'wasting' time on such 'trivial' issues may annoy the King somewhat. It is likely he would prefer to filter out the traitors as quickly as possible and dispose of them without delay.

I want to find out if it wasn't the Watcher's plan to get our forces in each other's way. I assume the King might be interested in this as well, and less eager to go all trigger-happy if that was the enemy's tactics all along. No one likes being played like a fiddle.

And if the rest do not belong to the Watcher, it might provide interesting results as well.

Well, one way to go about this is to look at things from his perspective (or try to). Derryth thinks that the King might consider it easier to scan you all first and then worry about the details after.

So? It's not like we are trying to break through their ranks.

There appears to be a stalemate between our forces, and they do not want to force the issue. It is as good a time to talk about other things as any.

Sure, simply submit to scanning and he will talk all you want.

 

[Nevill]

Ask him why Berty is excluded from scanning.

 

[Fangshi]

Ask him why Berty is excluded from scanning.

He glances at Berty.

Berty beams.

He shrugs, "It would be unnecessary. He is not compromised."

 

[Baltika9]

I think Lyssa is safe since she was Big M's understudy and was kinda-sorta 'redeemed' by him.

 

[Nevill]

I think Lyssa is safe since she was Big M's understudy and was kinda-sorta 'redeemed' by him.

Nine is the most suspect. But I think we can solve it by giviing our backpack to Berty before we go for it.

The problem is how to stop them from talking in front of all the army. I have no problems talking to him privately. Sure it would be good if the Heroes of the Kingdom were knights in shining armor and without a fault, but well, there is a lack of those lately. Might have been killed by the Soulblighter in the last war or something. We are all these people have got, take it or leave it.

Well, probably not completely privately. In Berty's presence. Since he isn't compromised, I am sure Finn wouldn't mind.

 

[Baltika9]

Yeah, let's just say he's there to guarantee our, ehem, chastity.

 

[Nevill]

So, uh.

F - Agree to the scanning if certain conditions will be met, provided they find no traces of connections to the Watcher (asides from being his enemies, of course), no evidence of serving the interests of the Dark, and no malicious intent towards the Albrecht's Kingdom - which is the only ally of the Light in this war, all things considered. Basically, if we aren't aligned with the Dark - which we know we are not.

Those conditions are:
- Take an oath of secrecy from Finvarra. The reason is that, being mages, we have plenty of things to worry about hiding (our safety depends on it), and being in service to the ruling house of the Kingdom, we have come to know plenty of things that constitute a state secret. Whatever Finvarra learns is for him alone, others have no business knowing these things.
- Also take an oath that should our men satisfy the criteria outlined above, he will let them proceed to the rest of our army, and will not hamper our mission to protect the Kingdom in any way, directly or indirectly (detaining or delaying our people, setting them against each other, 'inviting' them to be their guests etc). The reasoning is that if they can't promise us and our people safe passage even if they don't find us guilty in collaboration with the Watcher, this whole thing is pointless.
- Should the King wish to discuss his findings in more detail, we will do it privately (with Berty and Thais as our companions. Lyssa? Don't know, but I think she can speak for herself well enough, so maybe her, too) and well away from the ears of others, as per the oath of secrecy.

And if it comes to a discussion (as I think all of this, while not falling under explicit definition of what he seeks, nevertheless requires an explanation), well. We may be not the hero people deserve, but the one they surely need right now. At least we aren't fighting to destroy the Kingdom or hand it over to some puppet of the Dark Gods, as Albrecht is not affiliated with anything shady to our knowledge.

If they can see deep enough to find out our secrets, then surely they can see our motives as well. That's the only ally they are going to get.

Also, give our backpack to Berty. Nine didn't do anything wrong, she is not a Fallen Lord, and if we didn't give her away to Mazzarin, we sure as hell will not surrender her to anyone else just like that.

If anything, the little guy would be excited about the sheer madness of the idea of turning a former Faller Lord back to the cause of the Light.

Anything I am missing?

 

[Baltika9]

He buys us dinner.
Voting for F.

 

[Azira]

I'm an F fan as well. F

 

[Kz3r0]

F.

 

[Nevill]

As for the second freeform option... Well, obviously, I want an alliance.

We have two options here - we can offer them alliance either on behalf of the Lost, or - if they have scruples about working with us - on behalf of King of all dwarves. The second one is more appropriate, and it would be seen as one ruler dealing with another.

There are five sides to this conflict:
- Mercenaries and the Royal Army under our and Albrecht's command
- Cultists, Eberhardt rebels and spies under the Spider Goddess' leadership
- Cultists, spies, undead, and horrors under the Watcher's banner
- Ghol raiders from several neighbouring clans
- Fairies under the King of the Fairies (which, to my knowledge, Finvarra is not) and ultimately under Mazzarin.

Of the five, only two have not tried to assault the forces of the Light in the last couple of years. The Goddess had plans to overrun Muirthemne and drive Alric out, and the ghols sided with the Soulblighter in the last war. While the Watcher is undeniably our common enemy, and the strongest of the bunch, the rest of them aren't friends, either. It is feasible, then, to form an alliance between the forces that share a common goal - if not in a true sence of the word, then at least of convenience - to maximize the effectiveness of our actions and improve our chances of success.

What I want is the ability to coordinate our actions with those of fairies to call upon them when the time comes to fight the Watcher (and the rest of our enemies, should they feel inclined to do so), to surround their forces, cut their reinforcements, prevent their retreat, stab them in the back, and realize all the other wonderful plancs that can be done with a highly mobile force like theirs. If the fairies have ways to let us communicate, magical or mundane, we would like to get access to them.

Ask them to let Cropper come with us, if nothing else. The guy has a horn that he uses to notify his Lord when the prey is caught. If all else fails, we can use that to summon the fairies to a decisive battle. I say 'summon' because they are obviously more mobile than we are, being magical creature who can cover huge distances in a short time span. It is much easier for them to answer our call than vice versa.

Ultimately, though, I would like Finvarra to relay our offer to the King of the Fairies himself. Regardless of what they think of us - or we of them, - cooperating will result in far lesss casualties on either of our sides.

I am also considering borrowing a pack of hounds if they can be controlled/reasoned with (i.e. if they will get along well with Lyssa) and if they can sense one's intent, as Cropper implied. They would be useful for checking on the infiltrators in the dwarven army and for guarding us, plus it would go well with the animal theme we already have going. As for what to offer them in return... we've heard that Finvarra has an eye for horses, and we have a carriage carried with the best four horses in the Kingdom. A pack of royal magical hounds for a royal carriage. A king's gift for a king's gift, an exchange of gestures of good will to seal our alliance or something like that.

I would be down for an offer such as this, and I doubt Albrecht would mind if his gift will be used to secure another ally.

So.

2A Offer an alliance between the two of our forces, seek out ways to communicate and coordinate our actions, take Cropper and potentially a few hounds with us.

 

[Absinthe]

Nevill, I cannot imagine the Seekers agreeing to this inspection. Your plan will still come to blows.

Fangshi, is he using the Noble's Mask to radiate an unearthly charisma?

1G. Thais goes back and apologizes to the Old Man for us and Lyssa goes back and defers to Berty while Derryth negotiates with the Fey Lord alone. Obviously, if it's a contest of charisma he will crush even Thais, so I say we use Fetch diplomacy instead:

You stop her in mid sentence as you raise your hand holding the tablet to smash it. You do not raise your voice, instead you speak calmly and with purpose, "You will cooperate, is what you will do. You are not my enemy but you will not get what you want through threats. We will not give you the incantation. We, no I, will not give you the means to open gates to any world you please. You will tell us how you plan to clear the shadows from the tunnels, you will allow us to send you home and if you do not agree then my large friend over there will kill you. Do we understand one another, Erisss?" You stress the s in her name in mockery of the priestess. You look her in the eyes and prepare to be incinerated, Thaïs takes your hand.

She would speak but this is no time for diplomacy.

Both you and the priestess know exactly where you stand.

This is a question of will.

A good old stare-down. If it worked for Berty it can work for us. And since we have One Hell of a Pair, staring down a Fey Lord should be quite doable. Here are our terms: We began the talks in good faith, and he already abused our trust. Now he is asking for far greater trust. This is asking too much. We are not his vassals, and as royal representatives of Albrecht, we cannot simply acquiesce to such demands from a king. Out of respect, we are willing to give him all of the prisoners we have presently discerned to be compromised as befits our mutual goal (this includes the ones the Seekers found guilty) and we will swear to it that these are all the compromised men we are aware of. Otherwise it will go as Berty said.

I also motion that we improvise and cast a new spell for the occasion I will call Iron Will. We take the basics of the Warrior's Mask - "the unyielding strength of the conqueror, the unbreakable resolve of the defender, it is both so much less and so much more than you have ever known" - but we don't want the actual physical enhancement, just the mood, and we combine it with a really powerful modification of Calm Casting so that our capacity to feel other emotions (and even some of our basic empathy) is deadened. If anything the priority should be that we are protected from feeling other emotions. This should shield us against his mood altering magic and help us stare him down.

To make this new spell much easier, we're going to skip the requirement that we should be capable of casting spells normally while it is active, so the only spells we could presumably cast while Iron Will is active would be the Warrior's Mask (which if anything should be easier to cast in this state), and maybe a basic war cry as magical music. We could still use our rings and plates, though. Between our mentalist specialization and high wis, our improvisation should be up to it. Fangshi, does this sound right?

 

[Nevill]

Nevill, I cannot imagine the Seekers agreeing to this inspection. Your plan will still come to blows.

The fairies already know about the Seekers - enough to call them slavers at least. Anyone who knows anything about them knows they aren't with the Watcher. I don't think they are planning to inspect them.

Finvarra told Berty he will be scanning his companions. That is, us. The commanders. I thought that was his primary focus.

Fangshi, ask Finvarra if he plans to scan the Seekers as well.

 

[Fangshi]

F - Agree to the scanning if certain conditions will be met, provided they find no traces of connections to the Watcher (asides from being his enemies, of course), no evidence of serving the interests of the Dark, and no malicious intent towards the Albrecht's Kingdom - which is the only ally of the Light in this war, all things considered. Basically, if we aren't aligned with the Dark - which we know we are not.

2) Offer an alliance between the two of our forces, seek out ways to communicate and coordinate our actions, take Cropper and potentially a few hounds with us.

Added

1G. Thais goes back and apologizes to the Old Man for us and Lyssa goes back and defers to Berty while Derryth negotiates with the Fey Lord alone. Obviously, if it's a contest of charisma he will crush even Thais, so I say we use Fetch diplomacy instead:

Added, the Old Man is still being pacified (to prevent an immediate outbreak of hostilities) though so he might not fully comprehend Taide's apology at the moment.

Fangshi, is he using the Noble's Mask to radiate an unearthly charisma?

From what Derryth can tell he is using something similar in effect to the Noble's Mask. It probably is not the exact same spell since he is not human and his magical tradition is probably different than anything Faceless knows but from a functional standpoint it seems to be the same, just much more powerful.

To make this new spell much easier, we're going to skip the requirement that we should be capable of casting spells normally while it is active, so the only spells we could presumably cast while Iron Will is active would be the Warrior's Mask (which if anything should be easier to cast in this state), and maybe a basic war cry as magical music. We could still use our rings and plates, though. Between our mentalist specialization and high wis, our improvisation should be up to it. Fangshi, does this sound right?

That is theoretically possible, yes. If she pours everything solely into constructing and maintaining the spell then she might be able to pull it off on the first attempt as well.

Fangshi, ask Finvarra if he plans to scan the Seekers as well.

He intends to scan everyone, including your animals and the Seekers, which is why several of his people are still compromising your lines.

Those three fairies that were pacifying the Old Man are still in place for example which is why you have not heard anything from him yet. The only ones that were released were your command group (DT&L) and several groups of your mercenaries/Royal Guard which were freed when some of the fairies broke their glamours and began to inch back to there own lines. If a fight breaks out though the remaining fairies are unlikely to be able to continue influencing your people so the Old Man would probably free himself quite quickly. It also should not be too difficult to distract even a single fairy containing him which again would probably let him break free.

 

[Absinthe]

Fangshi, what would you say the odds of success would be if she pours everything solely into constructing and maintaining the spell? What if we're prepared to burn an energon cube or two? Would that help? Actually, what could we do to increase the odds of a successful cast?

Also, is there any reason we can't just try to cast it right now before we commit to a course of action?

 

[Kz3r0]

2)

 

[Fangshi]

Fangshi, what would you say the odds of success would be if she pours everything solely into constructing and maintaining the spell? What if we're prepared to burn an energon cube or two? Would that help? Actually, what could we do to increase the odds of a successful cast?

The odds are fairly good, you think. You believe you have about equal odds to get the exact outcome you desire and a significant chance of coming up with something that at least gives you the desired effect. The odds of completely failing are fairly minimal.

The theory will definitely be more complicated than something like Greater Firebolt which is simply a larger attack spell, and quite easy for someone like Derry to build, but Derryth believes it is within her abilities to manage this. Naturally, if you take multiple attempts at it your odds will improve as you go.

Energon cubes would not increase your odds but they would allow you to try without burning through your own reserves of energy.

There is not a whole lot you can do to increase your odds when it comes to cold casting a spell like this. Normally if you wanted to increase your chances of casting a new/custom spell you would research it first and practice its components in a laboratory setting. In such a case your resources, equipment and any research team you might have would all factor in to increase your odds of casting the spell (sort of like you did with the runes back in chapter 1). As things stand though you will be working alone and with maybe five minutes to prepare so it will all come down to Derryth's natural ability. She will likely use calm casting to help her focus but that is about it.

Also, is there any reason we can't just try to cast it right now before we commit to a course of action?

If you start casting without warning you might make the King a bit nervous so there is that to consider. If he mistakes what you are doing he might attack but there are probably ways around that.

Other than that, I can not think of a reason why you could not do it now. If you choose to do so though it will either drain your reserves or it will require energon cubes to fuel and maintain.

It would require a vote though since you would either be using resources or your own energy. I can post it as a quick vote (maybe 24hrs or so) if you want?

 

[Absinthe]

Would saying "Allow me to gather myself." be sufficient forewarning that this is not a hostile spell? And if we try right now, can we take multiple attempts to ensure a proper success? Given that they feel comfortable casting glamors in the company of others I can't imagine they consider it too rude to cast spells in people's company.

 

[Fangshi]

Would saying "Allow me to gather myself." be sufficient forewarning that this is not a hostile spell? And if we try right now, can we take multiple attempts to ensure a proper success? Given that they feel comfortable casting glamors in the company of others I can't imagine they consider it too rude to cast spells in people's company.

That should work, yes. He will be able to tell the difference between a spell aimed inward at yourself and one targeting him as long as he has fair warning.

If you try now you can make multiple attempt to get it completely correct. It will drain your reserves or consume energon cubes to fuel and maintain though so like I said, it will need a vote.

Something like this:

3. You think you can develop a spell that will greatly increase your resistance to the King's aura. You will attempt to combine elements of the theory behind calm casting with the feeling of channeling the Warrior's Mask. You hope to do this in one attempt but it might require a few attempts to get everything working properly. If you inform the King that you need a few minutes to collect yourself and focus he should oblige. You choose to:

A) Practice now - use energon cubes/external power sources to fuel your attempts at developing and maintaining the spell (please list how much and of what you would like to use to practice)

B) Practice now - use your own magical reserves to fuel the development and maintainance of the spell

C) Don't Practice - you are confident you can get something similar to what you desire from your first attempt and you do not want to tip off the King that you might have a way to resist him until you have to. You will save everything for the actual negotiations.

Edit:

Alright, I have added the option. I will give it about twenty four hours or so and see what happens.

 

[Absinthe]

Sure. 1G 3A Enough energon cubes to succeed. We kinda need that edge in negotiation, badly.

 

[Nevill]

You sure that the knowledge of the will sitting in the Dreaming and/or Mazzarin owing us a favor is not edgy enough to warrant Finvarra's civility if we can't resolve it with words?

He does not know it yet, but the moment he starts influencing us to get inside our mind he might stumble on this bit of information, or we ourselves might let him know about it.

I don't plan to fight here, so I would prefer to spare the consumables. 3B. The spell might prove useful in the future.