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

[Bloodshifter]

woot see that thread condemner "IT'S ALIVE" now get your paws off
waiting for this update unbearable

 

[TOME]

When can we expect an update, master Curufinwe?

 

[Collage]

Just finished reading through this epic. Hope to see it continued!

 

[Curufinwe]

When can we expect an update, master Curufinwe?

NEVER! MUWAHAHAHAHAHA.

Never as in right now. Decided to get off my lazy ass and write up something.


Alright. C victory, expedition it is. Time for planning then! (This will be a multiple choices update. Unusual for me, but this expedition will be of course a mini-event like the battle or the mountain exploration earlier on).

The council debated into the small hours of the night, then finally agreed that the situation towards the Fiery Mountain had probably changed enough to warrant an exploration force being sent to find out more.
The next day was dedicated to planning. Several points were raised, and all had to be discussed before the scouting force could be sent on.
The first decision was about the numbers to be sent:

A. A few elders, very cautious, wanted to risk a very small number of men. Ten, mostly scouts, would be sent, no more.
B. Many wanted to send a sizeable force but not big enough to cause problems to the tribe in case things went wrong. Twenty men would go.
C. A few others wanted to send a bigger expedition, in case materials had to be carried home or problems were to be faced. Forty men would leave.

The second big decision regarded the way to get there. The council split in even numbers:

I. The river was a natural choice and a safe escape route in case of trouble. Boats would carry our men upriver, enabling them to transport back whatever was found.
II. A ground expedition would be more flexible, using zebras as beasts of burden. It would at the same time allow the scouting force to explore the hills to the far side of the river on their way to the mountain.

The third, perhaps the most important, had to do with the objectives of the mission:

1. The keepers of fire were dying to know exactly what had happened to the mountain. The expedition would attempt to get as near to the great rock as possible, perhaps even inside the caves if at all feasible, to know as much as we could about the events that had transpired.
2. The tamers and scavengers were much more concerned by the original objective, the gathering of obsidian and coal if at all present. All other considerations would have to be secondary.
3. The warriors' chief was instead mainly preoccupied by the dangers that the mountain could present and the scouting of the local wildlife. The expedition had to make completely certain nothing dangerous could come from the area to haunt us in future years.

While the debate raged on, a great commotion was heard from outside the council's hut. A guard was raising his voice, barring entrance to someone. The eldest rose and slowly made his way to the entryway and, to his great surprise, found himself face to face with the Wielder of Fire. When the Wielder spotted him, he bowed his head and said: "I know an expedition is being prepared to go back to the Holy Mountain. Please allow me to join their numbers, as I long to learn more about what happened there, to the place that gave me my current powers."

The eldest frowned, told the Wielder to go back to his labors and went back inside. But he brought the matter in front of the council. Would the Wielder be allowed to join the team?

a. Yes
b. No

C.N. (Curufinwe's Note): I realize I have let the LP go dormant and furthermore this is a somewhat unusual update, with lots of choices. Since my time is still tied up for a few days yet before (hopefully) I can get some rest from work, you will have a few days to vote. And to give time to those who stopped checking to realize a new update has been posted.
Once again, thanks for your patience and support during this trying (laziness wise) times. Hope to get this back on track soon!

 

[m4davis]

B
I
3
b we aren't letting that psychopath go anywhere near where he could get more powers

 

[Monty]

Welcome back Curufinwe

a (this is a scouting expedition)
II (explore the hills too)
2 (obsidian and coal)
b (although it's probably not for the best to let him go back to the mountain, I think we need to change our approach to him soon. The wielder may have trained a few people without our awareness, but he fought for our tribe and helped us survive, and since then we've had him shoveling shit in disgrace and are almost forcing him to rebel. We have to allow him to earn a bit of respectability at some point)

 

[Curufinwe]

The wielder may have trained a few people without our awareness, but he fought.....

Thanks for kindly pointing out I managed to write 'Keeper' instead of 'Wielder' no less than four times.

 

[Vernydar]

B - Better safe than sorry, but no reason to send too many.
II - I want to explore the hills as well. If people go, might as well use the opportunity to acquire more information
2 - Whatever is there should, hopefully, stay there. Likewise, I do not want to know MORE of the mountain and its "problems". Let's keep this expedition strictly utilitarian and get coal and obsidian
b - I do not want to send the lunatic to the very place where he acquired his powers. I do not want to do ANYTHING he wants, in fact. So no, he's staying here

 

[Kz3r0]

B
I
2
b

 

[Kipeci]

C
2
1
A

 

[ScubaV]

B
II
2
b

 

[oscar]

B
II
2
A

For a pure 'zip in, have a look around, take the obsidian than scramble' operation, ten men in the boat would probably be better. But we might as well do some proper reconnaissance while we're at it. Its less of a reliable means of transportation but the risk seems worth it.

In addition the Keeper will be useful if trouble arises.

 

[Hirato]

B II 2 A

 

[Tigranes]

B I 2 A

 

[Internet]

It's back!

C I 2 b

I fear that as soon as the expedition leaves the village the Wielder would start to try to recruit the members to his cause...

 

[Kipeci]

More power to him, our people are really better off if he launches a coup. Unfortunately, he seems to be content to uselessly waste his skills in cleaning animal muck or whatever instead of rebelling. Hopefully this will change if we continue to be dicks to him.

 

[Omicron]

b
I
2
a

 

[newcomer]

B II 2 B

 

[TOME]

B
I
2
b

 

[Clotstein]

B _ No comments, best of both worlds.
I _ If we went riding the zebras, i would vote this one, but we need to get the fuck out of there fast in case things go to hell. This is a scouting party, the other option would be more suitable once we start to extract resources.
2 _ We need to resupply our militia.
b _ yeah... no... nice try jackass, now go out back, there's still tons of zebra shit that needs shoveling and campfires that need lighting (posible manure bonfires?).

 

[Stygian Lurker]

B
II
2.
a)

 

[treave]

A, II, 2, A.

It's just a scouting force - once we really find coal deposits, we can commit to sending boats and the like for mass transport. Focus on gathering obsidian and coal, and we do need to throw fire-boy there a bone once in a while. It's unreasonable for us to keep mistreating him if he's been keeping his head down so far, despite any metagaming knowledge we think we may have. Let him go with the scouts. Since it's only ten men, we also minimize any harm he may do to the tribe if he suddenly decides to turn against us. Don't want them coming back from the mountain with forty fire wielding fanatics now, do we?

 

[Bloodshifter]

A, II, 2, A.

It's just a scouting force - once we really find coal deposits, we can commit to sending boats and the like for mass transport. Focus on gathering obsidian and coal, and we do need to throw fire-boy there a bone once in a while. It's unreasonable for us to keep mistreating him if he's been keeping his head down so far, despite any metagaming knowledge we think we may have. Let him go with the scouts. Since it's only ten men, we also minimize any harm he may do to the tribe if he suddenly decides to turn against us. Don't want them coming back from the mountain with forty fire wielding fanatics now, do we?

Flopping to this

 

[Curufinwe]

If my tally is correct:

A 2 B 13 C 2
I 9 II 8
1 0 2 16 3 1
8 a 9 b

The Wielder's participation and the means of travel were very closely contested. Numbers and goals of the mission instead were almost unanimous votes.

After a few days defining details, the expedition was prepared. Twenty men, mainly scouts and warriors with a tamer, a scavenger, a keeper of fire and a water shaman would leave our camp on boats, heading upriver towards the mountain. Their goal: find obsidian and coal. If targets of opportunity would present themselves they would be examined and exploited, but never putting in danger the main reason to go.
Supplies were prepared and loaded on the boats. The warriors were armed with the finer obsidian weaponry left to the tribe, to allow them to face whatever was potentially waiting on the far side of the hills with the tribe's full strength.
Command of the expedition would jointly go to the keeper of fire, a known moderate, and the water shaman, one of the most accomodating of his caste.
The eldest personally decided to inform the Wielder of the council's decision to forbid his partecipation to the expedition.
He took him aside and said: "I brought your request in front of the council. You know as well as I you're still deemed untrustworthy, after your violation of our directives regarding training apprentices. Your request is denied. You are going to stay here, keeping with your current labors, until further notice."
The Wielder blinked. He remained very still. Suddenly he growled and grabbed the skins covering the eldest, saying in a low, low voice: "You old fool. You have no idea what you're sending those men into. There will be consequences. Oh, there will be consequences, mark my words."
He let go, stalking into the opposite direction.
The eldest caught his breath, observing the Wielder walking away. He went back to his hut and decided something would need to be done about the situation.
A few options presented themselves in his head:

A. Reconsider. Convene the council again and try to convince them to let the Wielder go. He seemed to know something. The danger of sending him would be outweighted by his potential contribution to the expedition.
B. Ignore the Wielder's warning and carry on with the original plan, doing nothing further.
C. The Wielder's final words sounded dangerously like a threat. He would need to be kept under close, armed watch until the expedition broke camp and left for the Fiery Mountain.

 

[Vernydar]

C

I don't care what contribution he can give, he wants to go for his OWN reasons. Not for our benefit. If we lose twenty people, so be it, better than letting this loon move towards his objectives