On the shoulders of giants: a new multiple choices LP!

[Kipeci]

B and C are clearly the only decent options, but I'm thinking C is better because, in the event the catastrophe does take place, it's better to be much farther away, not to mention that staying away for only a week or so could still get us killed depending on the timing (provided this isn't a hoax.). While we're out on the plains, we can wait and see whether or not our mountain blows its top while simultaneously learning from their people. If it doesn't after a good amount of time, well, we can still come back. It won't even really be lost time, since we'd have learned from their people. If it does go off, that's great, because we've picked the option that launches us furthest away.

Now, what happens if we go with B? Worst case scenario is that we mistime it or aren't far enough off, and so we all die from the volcano. Maybe we time it so that we're some distance downriver, but then what? I don't imagine the river would be much other than toxic sludge with all the junk that the volcano's ejecting, so that's all bad for some time. We don't really have anywhere to go unless the river people we've mostly assimilated bring us back to their ancestral lands or something, at which point we get raped by all of what kicked them out.

Best case scenario, we come back a week and there's nothing much in the way of volcanic catastrophe, we may resume our lives with barely a blip... but we've lost the chance to get the knowledge that these people have, because they've fled to the hills. Granted, we could come up with those things on our own (our people may already be curious about the possibility of riding zebras after seeing these guys, and there may be a chance of native development) but that's slower and also doesn't net us whatever they're smoking.

C just appears to me to be the best option.

 

[Esquilax]

Good post, Kipeci, but I'd still rather not go with them - we're simply not adapted for life on the plains. I don't want to run off with a random group of strangers (even if they have some nifty skills) because I feel we've made great progress here and have taken the initial steps to a sedentary lifestyle. Secondly, and I know that this is insanely metagamey, but volcanic soil is really rich for farming. Given that we've taken the first steps to understanding the plant life that's out there, I would really hate to leave the fertile area around us to become nomads.

What I'm most concerned about with B is the risk of running into the barbarians downriver. With our expedition sent off in the caves, there is a good chance that we'll be undermanned.

 

[Multiple Sarcasm]

B. Seems like the better option between B and C, since the latter might as well be an ambush, not to mention the loss of river-faring and fishing. This all might just be trickery (all the info they have could be gained just by spying = no proof magic exists here), but I'd rather not bet our existence on the off-chance it isn't. We can always take them up on their offer later, should this warning turn out to be genuine and we have no better option.

 

[oscar]

Going off and joining some plains nomads would invalidate a lot of the discoveries we've made. We've been living by this mountain and river for a good amount of time now, and many of us would likely die and struggle readjusting to the nomadic plains lifestyle. This is assuming they don't simply kill us and steal our stock of obsidian weaponry. I do wonder what happens in-game if we end up being assimilated or enslaved? Do we play as the host people? Play as the new hybrid culture? Get the eventual chance for a slave revolt while picking up the culture of our masters?

While this diplomat's knowledge of our people's society and actions would seem to suggest that these people really do have some supernatural powers, perhaps their scouts have simply observed us. It does raise an interesting question of the possibility of the development of magic and supernatural power if we became more religious and mystical, as we've played things quite rationally and secularly so far.

Interesting considerations to take.

 

[Esquilax]

B. Seems like the better option between B and C, since the latter might as well be an ambush, not to mention the loss of river-faring and fishing. This all might just be trickery (all the info they have could be gained just by spying = no proof magic exists here), but I'd rather not bet our existence on the off-chance it isn't. We can always take them up on their offer later, should this warning turn out to be genuine and we have no better option.

Which is precisely why I want to tail them. Yes, they have riders, but we have trackers of our own. I want to find out who these people are and whether their "Seer" isn't just a cunning ruler trying to get us to go north so that we get assfucked by barbarians. This is what tipped me off that the Seer might just be a shrewd man who is taking advantage of us:

"Again, do not be afraid, and thanks for allowing me to speak. As I anticipated, I come bearing a warning from the Seer of the Mountains. We are a tribe living in the plains faraway from here – he gestured towards the distant horizon – at the feet of a great chain of mountains. The Seer is the most talented of our shamans, with the boon of farsight. He can see future events, helping to steer the destiny of our tribe, letting us avoid some dangers and exploit some chances."

If he does have the ability to see into the future (or into many possible future) then he's probably also aware of the barbarians that are north of us. It's possible that a shrewd, cunning man who is gifted as a seer, but who's people are weaker in martial might than ours, might use his gifts to manipulate us into fighting a very aggressive and powerful enemy.Or hell, even better, we can accept his "generous" offer to uproot everything we have and join his tribe. I can definitely see how a really smart dude who serves Tzeentch can see into the future might try and take advantage of us.

Which is why I think staying put is for the best. Yes, I realize that it's a gamble, but I hope that our Keeper's sacrifice will be enough to appease the spirits. If this truly is a magical place, leaving the holy mountain might anger the spirits. Who's to say that the eruption won't occur when we come back? We might get fucked over sure, but for now, we just have to believe and make sure our faith is strong.

 

[Computer Gamer Refugee]

I vote "A". What is bad for his tribe is not necessarily bad for us. So what if we if we become the evil thralls of a malevolent fire spirit. We already have the clan name, all we need to do is pick up a skull motif and away we go.

 

[newcomer]

B. Seems like the better option between B and C, since the latter might as well be an ambush, not to mention the loss of river-faring and fishing. This all might just be trickery (all the info they have could be gained just by spying = no proof magic exists here), but I'd rather not bet our existence on the off-chance it isn't. We can always take them up on their offer later, should this warning turn out to be genuine and we have no better option.

Which is precisely why I want to tail them. Yes, they have riders, but we have trackers of our own. I want to find out who these people are and whether their "Seer" isn't just a cunning ruler trying to get us to go north so that we get assfucked by barbarians. This is what tipped me off that the Seer might just be a shrewd man who is taking advantage of us:

"Again, do not be afraid, and thanks for allowing me to speak. As I anticipated, I come bearing a warning from the Seer of the Mountains. We are a tribe living in the plains faraway from here – he gestured towards the distant horizon – at the feet of a great chain of mountains. The Seer is the most talented of our shamans, with the boon of farsight. He can see future events, helping to steer the destiny of our tribe, letting us avoid some dangers and exploit some chances."

If he does have the ability to see into the future (or into many possible future) then he's probably also aware of the barbarians that are north of us. It's possible that a shrewd, cunning man who is gifted as a seer, but who's people are weaker in martial might than ours, might use his gifts to manipulate us into fighting a very aggressive and powerful enemy.Or hell, even better, we can accept his "generous" offer to uproot everything we have and join his tribe. I can definitely see how a really smart dude who serves Tzeentch can see into the future might try and take advantage of us.

Which is why I think staying put is for the best. Yes, I realize that it's a gamble, but I hope that our Keeper's sacrifice will be enough to appease the spirits. If this truly is a magical place, leaving the holy mountain might anger the spirits. Who's to say that the eruption won't occur when we come back? We might get fucked over sure, but for now, we just have to believe and make sure our faith is strong.

Now that you mentioned it, how come a "Seer of the Mountains" reside in the plains? Maybe I'll change my vote...

 

[Kipeci]

I'm not suggesting that we run off and become nomads4life or anything, but rather that we join with them at least temporarily while we wait and see with the volcano business. If nothing happens, we could always just come back... it's basically the same as option B, except we dedicate some more time to the process and have the chance to learn something. Even for a sedentary people, zebra-riding could be extremely useful.

I just don't want us to be the chumps sitting downriver of a toxic rain of sludge if they do turn out to be right.

EDIT: He's the Seer of the Mountains because they're right at the foot of them. They're surrounded by these impressive mountains, but they don't care to live on them, just like us except for that they have more of the mountains.

 

[Cassidy]

A. The militia chief spoke first, glaring at the others: 'You are not seriously considering the words of this so called friend of ours? And this Seer? It's preposterous! Since we gave them hospitality, we should feed them, thank them and send them on their way... with a scout on their tail, to find out where they live and how much truth was in their words."

 

[Lindblum]

A, sure we may be living on a fricken VOLCANO!!! But by leaving we shame the sacrifice of our shaman.
Lets just have emergency escape boats prepared.

Whats stopping the other tribe from moving in after we leave? They request us to leave because of a drug addicts night terrors?

 

[Zero Credibility]

B

If something really bad is happening with that suicidal shaman of ours (that is, worse then him discovering that lava is hot the hard way), B will let us escape the immediate consequences. And we can always come back if nothing happens. This is a good location after all, and we have invested too much in our knowledge of the river and obsidian to just abandon it that easily.

 

[Vernydar]

B

Well, the only possibility in my opinion. A is silly, we won't be able to follow them on foot. C is a big no. I don't want to go to the plains, means abandoning everything we did up to now. No river, no boats, no stone. As for D.... what's the point? What use is it? A completely pointless choice.

So, voting B by exclusion, but all these options suck

 

[GarfunkeL]

D allows us to prevent them from returning, the tribe that sent them will never know what happened to them. In addition, we can force them to teach the secret of riding. We already have better weapons than anyone else around here, combine that with horse/zebra riding...

 

[Monty]

B

As others have said, something may still happen after we move back (although many seem to have assumed that a volcano is inevitable, whereas the priest's actions could trigger plenty of other outcomes in a non-standard world) but moving away for a short time makes sense. We've just sent a scouting party into the mountain, we've just received a warning from a 'seer'. So move away for a bit while we see the immediate consequences of our actions, then move back and take our chances if nothing happens in a week. To me this seems far better than uprooting the whole tribe away from the river, to face possible assimilation, or attacking the new tribe needlessly. We will undoubtedly learn more about this tribe in the future so scouting seems less important than possible immediate danger. Moving closer to the barbarians is a risk, but for only a week or so I think it's worth it.

 

[newcomer]

B

Well, the only possibility in my opinion. A is silly, we won't be able to follow them on foot. C is a big no. I don't want to go to the plains, means abandoning everything we did up to now. No river, no boats, no stone. As for D.... what's the point? What use is it? A completely pointless choice.

So, voting B by exclusion, but all these options suck

Choice A does not necessary mean we'll be following them blatantly right? I think no scout in their right mind would want to follow their target too closely; rather, I am thinking more of following the footprints of the horse.

Btw, I am also considering a risk of being looted by this plains tribe once we are away should we pick B... What do you guys think?

 

[Stygian Lurker]

A

 

[ScubaV]

I'm hoping that this plains tribe is the "good guys" and that our fire priest awakens Ragnaros by taking the stone. We then become servants of the embodiment of the fire spirit and rampage across the lands blessed by his evil powers.

 

[Curufinwe]

Alright. Vote tally is A:9 B:10 C:2 D:2. Voting is closed, B narrowly won. Writing the update now.

 

[Curufinwe]

The council, after a fierce debate, reached a conclusion: the warning could not go unanswered, but blindly following these kind strangers to the plains would be folly. We would load anyone who could fit in our boats, leave the tamers with the herds to follow and head downriver, towards the hills, to escape this supposed danger. We asked the riders to come with us, but they politely declined: "We thank you for your kind offer, but we must leave.Our task is completed, we'll ride back whence we came, to rejoin our tribe." And they left.

The evacuation proceeded swiftly. We didn't have much to bring with us, just some supplies of medicinal herbs and food. Obsidian weapons were distributed, the elder and the infirm was helped on the river-faring vessels, zebras and sheep gathered. During the few hours it took, we felt several more tremors in the earth, spurring us on. Then we left.

Not a moment too soon.

We had just moved downriver for two hours when the world went crazy. First a huge pillar of smoke rose from the top of the mountain, spreading all around until a premature night fell on the river. Then, amidst increasingly stronger tremors, multi-hued lightning started coming from the pillar. The animals went in a frenzy, some jumping into the river and swimming for the far bank, others rushing at a dead run onwards, leaving the tamers panting in their tracks.

We panicked, the warriors and hunters casting worried glances at the mountain, spurring the tamers to run faster, the boats to float swifter.

From the flanks of the mountains, red lines could be seen... fires... and something else, steadily flowing down the slopes. The keepers stopped and kneeled to pray at this never before seen display of the fire spirit, some of us stopping with them, others grabbing them and dragging them along.

Then it really happened. The earth started shaking again, this time catastrophically. People on the river's bank could be seen stumbling, being tossed to the ground by the upheaval. And suddenly....

The top of the mountain exploded. There was no other way to describe it. A sound louder than anything we'd ever heard reached us. A terrible, dense grey cloud came from the site, rolling down the flanks of the mountain at terrifying speed. It reached the river back where our camp stood, then flowed onward, thinning only with distance and finally stopping a terrifyingly short distance from us.

We were now blindly escaping downriver, the herds scattering in all directions, grown men and women crying in terror while their children clung to them wide-eyed, unable to understand what was happening.

Only flight was in our minds, and fly we did....





On top of the mountain, a shadow was watching. Far to the east a catastrophic volcanic eruption was underway. It could see the black cloud spreading around, burning everything it met. But none of it mattered here. Here was white silence, cold and unmoving. Then it could feel a second shadow joining it.
"What we were afraid of happened afterall. The Northern Fire Ward was tampered with."
"You know as well as I it was only a matter of time. With the humans growing in numbers again, someone was bound to stumble upon it and mess it up. We knew it would happen since the day we lost contact."
"Yes, we did know. But now it's here. How long until other wards collapse? How long until they see something they're not supposed to see?"
"I don't know. Our task remains the same. We watch. We observe. As we always did, as we will always do."
"NO! - the second shadow growled – This has gone far enough. Me and mine will not stand for further tampering. We must intervene. We WILL intervene."
The first shadow turned, alarmed: "You cannot mean it. It would be a direct violation of our duty, bestowed upon us so long ago."
"Duty? - the second shadow snorted – If we don't do something our own position will be endangered. You know humans. They are unconsequential, they crawl and breed far beneath our notice... until they're suddenly a danger. No, I will not repeat the mistakes that brought us to this point. Heed my words, old friend. If you don't, one day you will regret this."
The second shadow disappeared, leaving the first brooding amidst the white silence, cold and unmoving.




We fled for days under a black sky. It was getting colder. We managed to gather most of our herds, leaving the mountain and our old life back. The tribe had survived thanks to the warnings of some seer of the plains.
We had to decide where to go, what to do, when to stop.
And we would. We would stop and build back our tribe. The Obsidian Embers would endure in the following years. They would grow stronger, understand more of the world around them.

But first, they would be joined by the Wielder of Fire....


End of Act 1

Days of Innocence

 

[Urist McLurker]

FIRE FOR THE FIRE GODS!
Sort of.

We gotta go thank the seer of the plains some time. Put that on the to-do list guys.

 

[Vernydar]

Yes well, and we will be joined by the wielder of fire, whoever that is.

My only complain is that I really like our previous home

 

[Monty]

Great work.

And a meaty plot twist and cliffhanger to end Act 1.

 

[m4davis]

agreed we need to thank him and I'am very glad we beat out A voters

 

[TOME]

Oh boy. Let's go find another mountain to call home!

 

[RedScum]

Hmpff. Well, let's go and meet this seer of the mountain and show our gratitude then.