In this update I'm trying out a new mechanism, the
semi-open choice. If I
specifically mark a choice as semi-open, I will give you some choices, but you can make other suggestions. At the time the vote ends, the choice with the most votes wins, be it mine or yours. Rules are simple
- no metagaming, I will only consider choices that make sense.
- please only propose something if it's significantly different from what I write. Not a basically identical rewording of it.
- Please give a number or letter (whatever applies) to your proposals, so other can vote it.
5 – The village of Tulik
You decide to secure the house, but to sell any valuables you may find in there. It would not do to abandon completely your parents' house, but at the same time you need the money. So you start boarding up the windows, cleaning the roof, barricading the doors. You think the farm, so secured, should not deteriorate too much, even if you were to return after a couple of decades.
(You have gained a new asset: Your family's farm.)
You also scour the entire farm for valuables, collecting everything that can be transported to Tulik. You find a bit of good tools that should be able to gain you a few more silvers. But, almost at the end of your search you stumble upon something ... strange.
In a corner of the cellar, you find a strange thing buried inside a chest full of old clothes. It is an.. irregular piece of dark metal. The shape of this object is completely irregular, it seems a scrap from a forge. It is also covered in a dark, flaky substance. Is that.. dried blood?
What are you going to do with it?
A) Leave it here. It stayed here for a long time, it surely can stay here some more.
B) Wrap it in cloth and bring it with you.
C) Bury it in a place only you know of. You do not want it to stay in the farm.
D) Throw it in the first big river you find. Better to throw it away and be done with it...
After a day of hard march you reach the village of Tulik. Immediately you are brought before the village chief, and you relate your story about the Green Plague. There is great grief for the death of your parents. They were very loved in the village, and the knowledge of your mother saved more than one life. The villagers are very sympathetic with you, and offer you hospitality for as long as you need.
The next couple of days are a whirlwind in your head. Everyone comes to offer condolescence, and to ask you in detail what happened. Every single animal in the village is inspected to make sure there are no diseased animals. The priest of the Church of Adsal holds a religious function in memory of your parents, and you gladly attend to it. They were very religious, you're sure they would have liked it.
Then, you finally talk to the village chief about your plans. While surprised at first, after a while he starts to smile.
"You're quite like your father was, young Kyoss. You are a bit reckless maybe, but ambitious and impatient to see the world. I'll do the best I can to help you, Adsal knows I owe your parents at least this much"
You talk a bit to the chief, then you go to bed. The next day you ask everywhere, hoping to find something worth buying. But alas, this place is truly in the middle of nowhere and there is nothing that catches your eye. Plus, most villagers are not even interested in money anyway. You do sell the valuables you collected at the farm to the chief though. You actually think he's paying more than what they are worth, but you just accept gratefully
(Items gained: added 4 silver pieces to your purse)
The chief confirms what you already heard from your parents. If you want to see the world, then you have to reach Bitak. Bitak is the closest big village, and it is connected to a real road. From Bitak you can then travel to other settlements in the kingdom, even to the capital! Bitak is a big village too, it has over two thousands people. You can hardly imagine so many people in one place.
"Young Kyoss, if I were you, I would not depart now. It is twenty days of hard march to Bitak, and you'll be alone! In four months, the annual caravan will come, and you can join them on their journey back. Surely it's safer than setting out on your own, if you can wait a few months. Besides, there's nothing between here and Bitak. There are a couple of other villages like ours, in the woodlands, and some old ruins of once inhabited big villages. But I do not suggest you go there. Still, if you want to depart now, I'll help you however I can."
So, what are you going to do? (semi open choice)
1) Heed the warning of the elder and wait four months. Surely you can do something useful in the meanwhile...
2) Maybe you could persuade some other villagers to share their opinion.
3) Ask for the elder's help now. You want to depart as soon as possible, no sense in staying here and wait till midsummer.
4) Other. If you have anything else you want to do in the village, read the semi-open choice rules at the beginning of the post and suggest something.