Myth: A New Age CYOA

[Kipeci]

I figured maybe it would go with the tattoo because of magic stuff, oh well.

 

[Smashing Axe]

We're spending money too quickly as it is. When we return there's going to be plenty of things we want or need to buy, only to find that we spent the majority of our funds on wedding presents and a giant big ass castle that we can't find the men for to fully occupy.

Bear in mind that we want to (Or I want to at least) buy our way into the nobility, we want to outfit a mercenary band and we want to acquire more artifacts and magical power. That and we need to keep things in reserve for a rainy day or the unexpected.

What is a big fortress going to do for us, really? The only thing I can think of it being useful for is a siege from a greater force. We already have a good place to hold out against a siege in the Tower. And if it's Alric we're screwed regardless. We just need a place to lodge our men in the city and train them, that doesn't require a giant compound.

 

[Baltika9]

Or a public base of operations, a public representation of our power and prestige. You want to be a noble (so do I, too)? Then you need a big ass castle with a competent military force staffing it.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Not in a city you don't. A nice townhouse would do. We can upgrade later once we need to. We're not at the point yet where a giant big ass castle is going to serve us well.

Though an account of our finances would help, Fangshi. Saying we have something like 1000 gold points, and a big ass compound would cost 100, would do.

 

[Baltika9]

Nah, big ass castles is where it's at. No rival lordlings trying to scope out your house, you can do all you want to do in it without scrutiny from the townsfolk or the city guard, etc... Much more private setting. We need a big ass castle.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Nah, big ass castles is where it's at. No rival lordlings trying to scope out your house, you can do all you want to do in it without scrutiny from the townsfolk or the city guard, etc... Much more private setting. We need a big ass castle.

Well, more likely we're just going to get a big ass compound that we don't have much use for. We aren't nobility yet, so I doubt we can buy a big ass castle.

My point is, nobility first, then a moderately sized castle. The compound seems to me more like a temporary measure, its value being a place to house, feed and train men. The only benefit of scaling up is that we can eventually house more. But I sincerely doubt we're going to reach that threshold any time soon.

Also, if we're going the mercenary company route, then we want to be mobile. A compound or castle in/near the city isn't going to be that useful to us when we're off gallivanting about looking for the secret to immortality. A large investment in something we aren't going to be using extensively often seems like a bad investment to me.

We have our tower, let's be content with that for now as our main residence.

 

[Fangshi]

Though an account of our finances would help, Fangshi. Saying we have something like 1000 gold points, and a big ass compound would cost 100, would do.

Sure, if you just want a general picture here is how things stand.

I will stick with 1000 abstracted wealth points

So your group recovered 1000 pts worth of stuff. For our purposes your wealth and the group funds are identical. You did not lose much paying out employees since they all chose to stay so that really has not had much effect.

You will blow through 30 pts of wealth buying the best of everything for Serpent and Christine.

Recruiting both the veterans and the unemployed will set you back 20pts (15 for the vets and 5 for the recruits)

The sums you are looking at with Gareth and Brigit are around the following:

- no compound - free
- small compound - 15
-medium size compound - 30
-largest compound/fort - 60 (and you will draw the attention of most of the city's powerbrokers, this may be a good thing or a bad thing but you will make waves)

If you join the caravan it will cost you about 2 pts

Hiring guards will cost the following:

-Berserks - 5pts
-Dwarves - 7pts
-Sellswords - 3pts

 

[Baltika9]

Fuck yeah, 60pts for a good fort and publicity for our rise to power.
Also, we are filthy rich.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Our wealth is dwindling pretty quickly. We gave Serpent and Christine a wedding present costing more than a whole damn squad of armed soldiers. And I'd prefer not to make a splash in the power circles of Muirthemne without us there to control the situation. We should wait until we're ready before we publicly reveal ourselves. Doing so now is asking for trouble.

Getting the dwarves to give us some sort of honour is the first step, since offing us in human lands could lead to a diplomatic incident with them. Which Alric wouldn't want.

 

[Fangshi]

We gave Serpent and Christine a wedding present costing more than a whole damn squad of armed soldiers.

Well... six elephants and twenty two dancing bears don't come cheap...

 

[Baltika9]

Can we recruit bear cavalry from somewhere?

 

[Fangshi]

Can we recruit bear cavalry from somewhere?

Gower or the Ermine would be your best bets. If the oppotunity ever arises I will let you know.

Though I am not sure if there is much demand for monsterous cavalry, for example you could have had spider cavalry if you let Uttu and Biliku breed them.

 

[Baltika9]

Bear cavalry>spider cavalry.

 

[Nevill]

Part 1: The Tower, Amena and Ithapi
1. Amena and Ithapi - since the two of them will be looking after the children while you are gone you will have to give them instructions on what to do with them.
A) Have the children study with Amena. Knowledge is power and it is never too early to start.
We have our mercenary muscle, these children will serve us better as mage disciples. Besides, a proper education for kids never hurts.

2. Some of the children have expressed an interest in worshipping their goddess. Do you let them?
B) No - They need to make a clear break.
No thank you. No revering the spider goddess.

Part 2: The Muscle, Gareth and Brigit
1. You think it might be a good idea to train your warriors on the surface. Gareth and Brigit will have to purchase a compound to do this though and you do not have time to go shopping around with them. You will have to decide if you want them to purchase a compound or not. Also you will need to supply them with the resources to do so They will use the funds you leave them to make the best purchase possible.

A) You have them buy a compound. You do not want too many people knowing about the tower and you would rather have them on the surface.
ii. You leave them a moderate amount of money
Our money is plentiful, and the tower is our secret. Since we are hiring everyone and their dog, I will not let them here. Gareth in not a psychic, ant there are too many men. One imperial spy is enough to become our undoing.
Also, fuck yeah, the fortress.

2. While you are gone Gareth may want to test out your new forces by taking a few mercenary contracts. It would make you some money and if they do well it will give your group a bit of a reputation. It may also make enemies... Do you let him take any contracts?
A) Yes
Sure. This is what we are preparing them for.

Part 3: Your group
1. A talking head will raise a lot of questions, while not illegal she will draw attention. Do you take Nine with you or leave her at the tower?
A) Yes - you are confident you will be able to hide her.
Eh, we are not the stealthiest group around anyway.

2. There are a number of ways you can travel to Myrgard. How do you want to go about it?
ii. A group of dwarves Bari has had some dealings with in the past. Reliable but eccentric.
What is better than dorfs? Well, more dorfs, of course.

Part 4: Your training
1. Travelling on the road, you won't really be able to practice more complex tasks but there are a few things you could try and accomplish. (Pick two)
B)Drinking - Bari says there are few things dwarves respect more than someone that can hold their liquor. You are no lightweight but to keep up with the dwarves would take practice. Thankfully you have Tyrvard's still. If you started now, with Bari and Thaïs' help you could become an expert drinker.

C)Combat Training - You think it would be useful to improve your combat skills. You spar with members of your group in the evenings. (who you spar with will be determined by your choice in part 3 question 2. If it is just the five of you it will be Biliku, if you take an escort it will vary a bit more).
Leave diplomacy to Thais.

Part 5: Your vault
If you want to put anything Derryth is carrying in her inventory into your vault (so I can't destroy it on you ) for safe keeping then let me know.
The Dream Map and Notes should be left at the vault. Unless it has writings in the Dwarven or something. It is too fragile to carry around, amd I think we are not going there just yet.

Though I am not sure if there is much demand for monsterous cavalry, for example you could have had spider cavalry if you let Uttu and Biliku breed them.

It's just that after you introduced those flying-burrowing-clawed-venom-spitting monstrosities of yours the common opinion on any related matter firmly became "FUCK SPIDERS".

 

[Anabanana]

1. Amena and Ithapi - since the two of them will be looking after the children while you are gone you will have to give them instructions on what to do with them.

D) Aim for a more balanced and structured approach. They will be given time to themselves but most of there time will be spent in study with Amena or working with Ithapi.


2. Some of the children have expressed an interest in worshipping their goddess. Do you let them?

B) No - They need to make a clear break.



Part 2: The Muscle, Gareth and Brigit


1. You think it might be a good idea to train your warriors on the surface. Gareth and Brigit will have to purchase a compound to do this though and you do not have time to go shopping around with them. You will have to decide if you want them to purchase a compound or not. Also you will need to supply them with the resources to do so They will use the funds you leave them to make the best purchase possible.

B) You do not need a new compound. They will take the recruits they believe are reliable back to the tower which will also grant you further security for the children.


2. While you are gone Gareth may want to test out your new forces by taking a few mercenary contracts. It would make you some money and if they do well it will give your group a bit of a reputation. It may also make enemies... Do you let him take any contracts?

A) Yes



Part 3: Your group
1. A talking head will raise a lot of questions, while not illegal she will draw attention. Do you take Nine with you or leave her at the tower?

A) Yes - you are confident you will be able to hide her.


2. There are a number of ways you can travel to Myrgard. How do you want to go about it?

A) Just the five of you. You will travel light and try not to draw attention. You can move quickly and silently as a small group.


Part 4: Your training

1. Travelling on the road, you won't really be able to practice more complex tasks but there are a few things you could try and accomplish. (Pick two)

A)Dwarven Language - Thaïs is learning Dwarven from Bari, you could join her and see what you can pick up.

B)Drinking - Bari says there are few things dwarves respect more than someone that can hold their liquor. You are no lightweight but to keep up with the dwarves would take practice. Thankfully you have Tyrvard's still. If you started now, with Bari and Thaïs' help you could become an expert drinker.


Part 5: Your vault

Let's leave the first piece of the Halycon Stone, the Weathered Book, and the Dream Map.

 

[Smashing Axe]

If we can keep our papers in a water proof canister, I would want to take them with us. They're light and extremely valuable, I wouldn't feel secure with them away from our person.

Also the reason I chose to learn diplomacy is because it will help us understand when not to speak. A large part of our problem right now is that we impulsively say the wrong things at the wrong time. Working on that will have more applications outside of dealing with dwarves.

And while learning combat wouldn't help with diplomacy. It's pretty damn useful.

Drinking is very limited in what it's used for. It doesn't strike me as really Derryth at all.

 

[Azira]

VOTES!

Part 1: The Tower, Amena and Ithapi
1 D) Aim for a more balanced and structured approach. They will be given time to themselves but most of there time will be spent in study with Amena or working with Ithapi.

2 B) No - They need to make a clear break.

Give them their childhood, but couple it with responsibility. And they ought be taught that their goddess was what almost destroyed them via Miosguinn. She holds no love for them nor us, and should be given no worship.

Part 2: The Muscle, Gareth and Brigit
1 A ii. You leave them a moderate sum

2 A) Yes

A moderate compound to begin with means we attract less attention. I want Derryth back here before we start attracting too much attention, but then again, I'd appreciate that Gareth got our new recruits into fighting shape as quickly as possible while weeding out bad sorts. A smattering of contracts would facilitate this.

Part 3: Your group
1 A) Yes - you are confident you will be able to hide her.

2 C ii. A group of dwarves Bari has had some dealings with in the past. Reliable but eccentric.

It's not as much a question of her being trouble if she's found out, as much as I'm not exactly trusting her enough to let her stick around the orphans who might do something stupid. And Amena spent much of her formative years as a servant and slave to Eris. Nine would have a field day with her..
Oh, and travelling with d0rfs to meet the d0rf king seems fitting in so many ways.

Part 4: Your training
1 A)Dwarven Language - Thaïs is learning Dwarven from Bari, you could join her and see what you can pick up.
B)Drinking - Bari says there are few things dwarves respect more than someone that can hold their liquor. You are no lightweight but to keep up with the dwarves would take practice. Thankfully you have Tyrvard's still. If you started now, with Bari and Thaïs' help you could become an expert drinker.

Yep. Two types of diplomacy for our up-coming meet and greet. Dwarves are somewhat alien to humans, so ordinary diplomacy might gain us little. And taking up recreational/competetive drinking seems the proper way to honour our dead berserker friend.

Part 5: Your vault
Move this thing to the vault:
the Dream Map and Notes

I'd HATE it if this map was lost..

 

[Smashing Axe]

I just keep having images of Derryth turning into an uncontrollable alcoholic who sends stray firebolts everywhere at the slightest provocation.

 

[Nevill]

Part 2: The Muscle, Gareth and Brigit
1 A ii. You leave them a moderate sum
A moderate compound to begin with means we attract less attention.

I figured that these money would be spent not only on the compound, but on the training as well, and since we are hiring a lot of people, it would be best not to be stingy.

It is hard not to attract attention when you are running a mercenary company and take contracts, so why not?

Part 3: Your group
1 A) Yes - you are confident you will be able to hide her.
It's not as much a question of her being trouble if she's found out, as much as I'm not exactly trusting her enough to let her stick around the orphans who might do something stupid. And Amena spent much of her formative years as a servant and slave to Eris. Nine would have a field day with her..

Yes, that too. There is no one in our group we can leave her with - no one has both the willpower and the knowledge of magic on par with Derryth's.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Part 2: The Muscle, Gareth and Brigit
1 A ii. You leave them a moderate sum
A moderate compound to begin with means we attract less attention.

I figured that these money would be spent not only on the compound, but on the training as well, and since we are hiring a lot of people, it would be best not to be stingy.

It is hard not to attract attention when you are running a mercenary company and take contracts, so why not?
.

There's plenty of mercenary companies in the city, apparently. And the way Fangshi phrased the choices, it's pretty clear that C will attract much more attention.

And nowhere in the text does it say that this money goes towards the men's training. The way things are written is that this is purely for purchasing property.

 

[Nevill]

I see absolutely nothing about attracting attention.

We do not want people knowing about the tower, and that's it. How we spend money on the surface is not a concern as far as I can see.

About money - I assume the more money we spend, the bigger and the better equipped the compound will be, and the better it would be suited for training purposes. It is common sense.

 

[Smashing Axe]

I see absolutely nothing about attracting attention.

The sums you are looking at with Gareth and Brigit are around the following:

- no compound - free
- small compound - 15
-medium size compound - 30
-largest compound/fort - 60 (and you will draw the attention of most of the city's powerbrokers, this may be a good thing or a bad thing but you will make waves)

We do not want people knowing about the tower, and that's it. How we spend money on the surface is not a concern as far as I can see.

About money - I assume the more money we spend, the bigger and the better equipped the compound will be, and the better it would be suited for training purposes. It is common sense.

However you don't really need a massive compound for training. You need a massive compound to house a massive amount of men. That's pretty much it.

Apart from the necessary basic equipment, the quality of training is determined by the quality and experience of our officers, not the quality of their quarters.

Making a huge splash without being there to manage it is simply a bad idea. We want to be able to control the information that leaks, we want to be able to make a good first impression. We need to get our shit together before we introduce ourselves to the big boys. Because they're going to be asking questions, and they're going to be looking at us very, very closely. They're going to factor us into their plans before we're ready to deal.

 

[Nevill]

Fine, fine. I somehow missed the clarification. Flopping to moderation - 2.1Aii.

 

[Zero Credibility]

Part 1

1. D > A - Yeah, no point in making them concentrate on physical labour. We can always hire someone for that.
2. B - It probably is for the best.

Part 2

1. Aii - A moderate compound is good enough. We still have to decide on our main base of operations on the surface, and when we find one we might have no further need for the training compound.
2. A - Let Gareth do his thing. And we do need to start making some cash, we made a lot of money, but it's not going to last us forever if we don't start investing in something.

Part 3

1. B - It's not actually illegal, which was my biggest worry. But even being accused of necromancy in this setting is definitely unhealthy, and a talking head might make a distinctly wrong impression. Just warn whoever we left behind about her tricks.
2. Cii > A - Dwarf escort to the dwarf kingdom? I suppose we can afford that much.

Part 4

D - Because sometimes diplomacy is the best option and we suck at it.
C - Because often diplomacy is not an option.

Part 5

Leave in storage stuff that will not be of use on the road - the dream map and notes (we don't want to lose that), a belt buckle (why are we carrying that around? we should give it to Thais as a joke gift) and Miosguinn's Cube (probably useless to us?) at the least; might add to that later.

edit: Also put the still in storage. And Miosguinn's stone as well.

 

[Nevill]

Just warn whoever we left behind about her tricks.

Oh, come on! The only ones left behind in the tower are Amena, Ithapi and a bunch of kids from 5 to 10 years old. These are not the people who you want to leave Nine with. They are all gullible as hell, just remember Amena initiation scene.