Choose your path to greatness, obscurity or death. A multiple choice LP

[Vernydar]

You still have not finalized the plan, you can make changes if you want. I'll simply count the various votes when writing the update.

 

[Stygian Lurker]

C3A

And we should ask Irene when to end the search. She is more experienced than we are, and she is also our boss.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Okay, so I support reallocating the healer into searching for spies/centipede activity. He should work as a standard healer in the camp, keeping his ears open, and also looking for centipede chestburster infection.

 

[Monty]

C3A

Wrt time, I don't think we can spend months just searching for spies and centipedes. An invasion force could arrive at any time, and we still haven't secured the castle and need to check out that central courtyard. I say we spend 3 days intensively searching for centipedes (with our secret spy hunt going on in parallel and the healer checking the men for infection). Then we switch to securing the castle and central courtyard (while leaving a covert force [possibly Irene, Spy, couple of Kalz's men] to keep the spy hunt going).

We can't just leave the central courtyard, what if there's a nest of centipedes or undead there and we spend months searching all the other areas but don't discover this until a siege? Once the castle is secure if we have a chance we can do another search for centipedes. Urgency is required, we are on a war footing.

 

[Smashing Axe]

If urgency is required then voting for a passive option will accomplish nothing. The passive option is for a long-time frame. If it's urgent then aggression is necessary.

But seriously, even if we are aggressive, we'll accomplish nothing with our spying mission with a timeframe of three days. Not unless we are exceptionally lucky and stumble upon something as soon as we start observing.

 

[Monty]

But seriously, even if we are aggressive, we'll accomplish nothing with our spying mission with a timeframe of three days.

I'm talking about 3 days for centipedes, not the spying. That should give us time to check our supplies and the other encampment. Then we start securing the rest of the castle while still keeping the spy operation going on. Sure in an ideal world I'd say let's spend months on everything and get it right but I think it's about priorities and making the best use of a limited timeframe. Once we've secured the castle we can spend more time on checking for centipedes if possible.

 

[Monty]

As for when the spy hunt would be 'finished' I don't think it ever will be. If we don't discover anything after a while we could possibly reduce the size of the investigation but given the possibilities for infiltration we'll still have to keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour, check for any attempts at communication outside the castle etc. But I don't think we'll have long here before things hit the fan anyway. Counter-espionage will just have to become a permanent part of our army as is usual during wartime.

 

[Hoodoo]

More I think about it, searching for spies is a waste of time, there is more urgent things to be done and finding spies is a mission that could potentially takes months (chasing up leads, false info, reacting to info that we think to be true). Lets find these centipedes (Montys option) and then set our spies on their spies with orders to report to us and get on with clearing out the castle.

So yeah, ++ to what Monty said.

 

[Baltika9]

Flipped to Monty's option, since no one wants to go =I=.

 

[Hoodoo]

Im not sure if executing suspects is a good idea, but im all for torture.

 

[Baltika9]

Not suspects, proven traitors. In packs. If we find any. After torturing them for information, of course.

Oh, and keep an eye out for anyone with an extreme thirst. remember what happened to the merchant in our first investigation? Yeah, let's not repeat that.

 

[TOME]

I vote 3 days to centipedes and 2 weeks for spies. Then explore the center. But counter-espionage should be permanent part of the army from this on.

 

[ScubaV]

From the general:

Also, considering the very slow buildup of their operations in these last two years, we think they will most likely attack next year, or the year after.

Unless their intel is way off, time is not an issue. I'd say if we find nothing after 2 months let's switch to the central courtyard. We can come back to searching for spies later if need be.

 

[GreyViper]

A) Very aggressive, search intensely for spies or centipedes We want to get rid of the spies fast and have them do least damage in that time, so lets go =I= on them. First priority check all the merchants just in case.

And what are your orders if someone notices a spy?

1. Try to stop the spy immediately if possible Numbers are on our side

And in case of centipedes?
a) Kill it if possible (if a soldier sees a small one for example), if not ask nearby soldiers for help

Lets get it over fast, 3-5 days then turn to exploring the courtyard.
Also we should gather rumors/legends about courtyard.

 

[Arpad]

A) Very aggressive, search intensely for spies or centipedes We want to get rid of the spies fast and have them do least damage in that time, so lets go =I= on them. First priority check all the merchants just in case.

And what are your orders if someone notices a spy?

1. Try to stop the spy immediately if possible Numbers are on our side

And in case of centipedes?
a) Kill it if possible (if a soldier sees a small one for example), if not ask nearby soldiers for help

Lets get it over fast, 3-5 days then turn to exploring the courtyard.
Also we should gather rumors/legends about courtyard.

Also reallocate the healer to search for chestbursters.

 

[Darklife]

I'm going with your option Baltika. I think going in all out at the very outset will give very good results. Maybe we won't get much info at first, but it'll scare the spies shitless. Then later, when we back down, they'll be off guard, thinking that since they eluded the first hunt, they're safe now.

So basically: huge presence at first and then a covert, small operation afterwards.

 

[GameOver]

First, how aggressive should your group be in your investigation?
C) Somewhat passive. Try to avoid being noticed

Time is not the issue here. We are stationed here until the job is done. Furthermore, we need to try not alerting the soldiers of this mission. The last thing we want is the soldiers to hear word of this mission and to begin their own little witch hunt.

And what are your orders if someone notices a spy?
3) Do nothing, let you know as soon as possible

The best option, in my opinion has already been explained thoroughly by several people. I will hash through it again though. It is best to keep close eyes on the spy we find so that we can perhaps find more spies. Also, it would be foolish to come up with a very specific action to take every time a spy is found. It is best for us to assess the situation and determine the best course of action through additional choices. The best course of action might be to follow him, detain him, etc.

And in case of centipedes?

a) Kill it if possible (if a soldier sees a small one for example), if not ask nearby soldiers for help

I see no harm in allowing soldiers to assist in this area. No pertinent information can possibly leave over the killing of some centipedes, the known enemy here. The main thing I would like to avoid is alerting the soldiers of potential spies and watching all havoc break loose because they start a witch hunt, potentially a delusional witch hunt, at that.

And finally, the most difficult decision. How will you know when your task is over? When will you be able to say with some confidence that you have found every possible spy or centipede? Open choice, make your proposals.

I think we should establish a deadline for ourselves and work towards that. Obviously the task is never going to be complete but that does not mean we should not set a deadline for ourselves. I like the idea of setting a two week deadline for ourselves and if the work by the end of the two weeks does not seem sufficient enough, we can extend that until we feel satisfied with what we have accomplished.

By the way, this is awesome! I joined this website just to follow this LP. I really enjoy your writing style.

 

[ScubaV]

I think A will just scare the spies into hiding. We may flush out a few, but if there's a leader (a la the head of the carpenter's guild) he's going to be extra careful after we show ourselves. Right now any spies that exist don't even know there's a witch hunt on for them. We have the element of surprise, no point in blowing it with an open display. Not to mention the fact that overt witch hunts will damage the morale of the soldiers and make them resent us for casting wide nets of suspicion.

 

[Monty]

From the general:

Also, considering the very slow buildup of their operations in these last two years, we think they will most likely attack next year, or the year after.

Unless their intel is way off, time is not an issue. I'd say if we find nothing after 2 months let's switch to the central courtyard. We can come back to searching for spies later if need be.

True. Although I don't really buy this story as predicting things a year ahead is difficult at best. If an invasion force was on its way here how much warning would we really get - a few days? A week?

I think anything we choose here has drawbacks depending on what Vernydar has planned for us. If we focus on spies we could be nailed by centipedes or something from the central courtyard. If we explore the castle we could be betrayed by spies. The only solution I can see is to try to cover all angles in the first few weeks, then spend more time if possible depending on what we discover. This still has potential drawbacks ("if only you'd allocated more men to searching for spies you may have detected the enemy operation before you were killed in your sleep") but on the balance of probabilities it seems the best option to me.

 

[Vernydar]

By the way, this is awesome! I joined this website just to follow this LP. I really enjoy your writing style.

Thanks. Every new follower is appreciated

I think anything we choose here has drawbacks depending on what Vernydar has planned for us. If we focus on spies we could be nailed by centipedes or something from the central courtyard. If we explore the castle we could be betrayed by spies.

Of course. I have my plans and my ideas, and rest assured I'm not going to change them to save you

Which is why you have to carefully consider all angles

 

[ScubaV]

I think anything we choose here has drawbacks depending on what Vernydar has planned for us. If we focus on spies we could be nailed by centipedes or something from the central courtyard. If we explore the castle we could be betrayed by spies.

I agree, however Vernydar asked what we wanted to focus on first. Presumably we'll have a chance to do both things, unless something crazy happens, which is probably why he wants an end goal. I think jumping back and forth between the two secret missions (or spending very little time on one before going to the other) is trying to have our cake and eat it too. If we try to split between both secret missions, we'll succeed at neither and be worse off than if we focused on one first and then the other.

 

[Monty]

If we try to split between both secret missions, we'll succeed at neither and be worse off than if we focused on one first and then the other.

Yes, I understand what you mean and in some ways I agree. Where I differ is that spending two months looking for centipedes and spies without securing the castle seems too long to me, just as my idea of 3 days for centipedes seems too short to you. I guess we'll have to see how the votes work out, perhaps some sort of compromise of a couple of weeks will be the end result.

 

[GameOver]

That is exactly why I think we should set a deadline for 2 weeks and depending on our success, or failure, we can determine whether our primary focus can shift to securing the rest of the castle and dedicating only a few of our people to finding spies. We could also be caught up in some huge scheme that we can determine that it would be best to continue focusing on the spies. Just my thoughts on the whole time matter.

 

[Vernydar]

Well, this was rather hard.
For the first choices, winner is C3A

The open part was hard. Many different suggestions, I thought for a while I'd need a vote to choose between the various options of the last choice. But in the end, most votes were
- Defer to Irene
- 3-5 days, then go to the courtyard
- 3 days for centipedes, then 2 weeks for the spies, then courtyard
and a few votes for a public show or long, calm search for spies.

So, in my tradition of wanting to honor all your votes, I will try to combine these choices since I had a rather nice idea for it.
- Keep in mind that you will go for C3A. And add the healer to the secret task group.
- For the first 3-4 days concentrate on searching for centipedes
- Search for spies for another 10 days more or less. If you find spies, consult with Irene. Consider the possibility of a public show
- After that, I'll let you vote again about whether to keep searching or go for the courtyard. Of course all of this if nothing else happens in between

Kind of complicated, but well, this covers most of your votes. I hope you will like it.
Off to write the update.

 

[Vernydar]

I will try to combine all your votes since I had a rather nice idea for it.
- Keep in mind that you will go for C3A. And add the healer to the secret task group.
- For the first 3-4 days concentrate on searching for centipedes
- Search for spies for another 10 days more or less. If you find spies, consult with Irene. Consider the possibility of a public show
- After that, I'll let you vote again about whether to keep searching or go for the courtyard. Of course all of this if nothing else happens in between

65 – Burned to a crisp

After much discussion you decide that at least initially you will want to avoid being noticed. The investigation should be a rather cautious affair, focusing on searching without attracting attention. The men will all be briefed about this, and the healer will be added to the group working on the secret task. His help could prove beneficial in identifying possible infested men. You absolutely want to avoid what happened at Strok to the traitorous merchant. Seeing a comrade exploding in a fountain of gore and centipedes would be a serious blow to morale, not to mention a terrible danger for the entire army. The losses could be heavy after all...

For the first few days you will concentrate on trying to find centipedes, as they are the most immediate danger to the people in this fortress. If centipedes are found, they should be eliminated as soon as possible. Soldiers will immediately try to kill small ones, while civilians will instead ask for help to nearby soldiers. In case of bigger centipedes, asking for help is the way to go. Better try to overwhelm bigger centipedes using numbers in order to minimize the risk of losing people.

After the initial search for centipedes, the focus of the people working on the secret task will shift to looking for spies. As said, the priority will be searching without being noticed. If a spy or a suspicious individual is found, you or Irene should be notified as soon as possible. You might consider apprehending them publicly, or maybe observing what they do, depending on the situation.

Two weeks from now, if nothing happens in between and you find no spies, you will stop and discuss your situation. Currently you think it might be a good idea to start exploring the most sensitive parts of the fortress, like the central courtyard. However that might change depending on the situation. Another possibility would be to keep searching for spies...

With your plan decided you finally go to bed. You are very tired and quickly fall asleep. You wake up at the first lights of morning, feeling focused, refreshed and ready to work on your task. The feeling of purpose is nice, you're feeling better than you did recently. After a quick breakfast, the soldiers and civilians are divided into the two groups and briefed about their respective tasks. The entire briefing is on a strictly need-to-know basis. The people working on the main mission do not know what the others will do, and even the ones working with you and Irene only know the details regarding their own tasks. This way you hope to minimize the risks of having information leaks should they be captured or noticed by spies in your midst.

As Irene goes to explain your plan to general Ritgard, you set about your own task...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpt 10: Knowledge (Legends and Myths) – The creatures of the forest
... and so many old stories and legends speak of the creatures of the forest. Supposedly the forests of Eskal are home to a number of different supernatural creatures. Who hasn't heard the stories of the men-horses, of the giant bees, of the flying lizards, of the thieving satyrs, of the talking bears? Of course many of these are just stories for children, or used by unscrupulous individuals to take advantage of the simple, the gullible and the superstitious.
Yet another set of those stories are the ones preached by the priests of Adsal, to whom these creatures are avatars or servants of Adsal, guarding the forest and nurturing life itself.
But some scholars believe a few of these old legends and myths to be plausible. They think that some of these creatures existed at least in the past, and probably are either hiding or were overcome by the ages. Some even say that these creatures were driven off by the Kingdom of Avarlos, or that they lived in peace with it, but these stories seem to be even more just the work of a fervid imagination....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple of uneventful days have passed. You work tirelessly on your job, seeking out centipedes under the excuse of having to inspect the various tents and supplies depots. You also try to talk as much as possible with everyone you meet, using you natural charisma and your budding skills to ingratiate yourself with soldiers and civilians. The work is rather hard and tiring. Jacob was not kidding when he said that supplies would not be a problem once you reached Nalnys. Huge heaps of food, spare weapons and armors, tools and other things of use occupy a rather large corner of the enormous courtyard. And that's not even counting all the supplies already distributed to the various tents.

It is the late afternoon of the second day when you hear a commotion. You are currently inspecting a pile of food in the storage zone when you hear loud noises coming from somewhere near. Instinctively you quickly navigate to that place, and see a small group of porters with disgusted expressions looking at something. You make your way through them and get close so you can see what the problem is.

The porters lifted a cask of preserved meat that was destined for the kitchens and found a nasty surprise below. Inside the cask below the one that was lifted you can see about ten small centipedes, about as long as a finger. And they are all dead. Burned to a crisp, in fact. There is a weak but distinct smell of burned flesh in the air. You quickly examine the cask and see that apart from the centipedes, everything else is perfectly preserved. There's no sign of the cask being on fire, just the bodies of many burned small centipedes. How weird....

You immediately realize you have a problem. The men are rather disgusted by seeing dead, burned, big bugs inside their food casket. Already they are talking amongst themselves, making suppositions and getting more and more agitated with every passing second. Even worse, they are speaking of reporting this to their chiefs, or maybe higher up to the military commanders. This would give a serious blow to your chances of keeping your operation secret. And that's not even considering the main problem, which is understanding what happened here!

What will you do about these men Kyoss?

1. Order them to keep their mouth shut, invoking your (small) authority
2. Use your natural charisma and your skills to convince them that speaking of this would lower morale in the camp
3. Use your natural charisma and your skills to persuade them that nothing really happened because bugs naturally live in the forest, and that the rest of the food is fine
4. Other, make a proposal

Should you investigate the dead centipedes and the area nearby? (With the help of others from your small group of course!)
A) No it would attract attention
B) Yes, but do it in the night along with a few trusted people
C) Yes, do it openly using your authority to keep other people out so nobody knows exactly what is going on here.

Finally, if you have other proposals or question, feel free to write them down as always.