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

[GameOver]

Does anonymity matter much when our "public" task is the reason why we are blocking off the supplies in broad day light? If you are counting inventory and a random dude walks over and takes something, you would be upset, that throws off your whole count. People are not that skeptical to think something else is going on when you are just making sure the supplies are in order and counting them. Perhaps we dress some soldiers up like civilians?

Let me put it this way, what looks more suspicious to you, performing our public task in public at the same time performing our private task or doing them both in the dead of night? Can you imagine what would happen if one or two people noticed us going through the supplies at night? That is more suspicious and would cause way more uproar among the soldiers.

My vote stands although it will likely not win.

 

[Monty]

Giving it more thought, the COs are the people directing and controlling the centipedes, as suggested by when we killed one. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to assume that they can kill them from a distance and see through their eyes, which would mean that the enemy is either digging through the underground, or coming through the forest as we speak.

We have to alert the General immediately. Tell him to double the night watches, and have the camp on high alert, or some such. Also, cordon off the whole central square, and set up a defensive perimeter facing inside. Shit's about to hit the fan here.

Edit: Newcomer has a point. That meat may be filled with centipede eggs.

I'm all for interesting theories but don't you think we're getting a bit carried away here? All we have evidence for so far is that there are magic users who kill centipedes with lightning/electricity and they are somehow opposed to the centipede controllers. Perhaps there is one of their operatives in this camp who dealt with the centipedes. But to go from that to them seeing through the centipede's eyes and us immediately running to the general and setting up defensive perimeters facing inwards.... well, we have to be careful we're not confined to a straitjacket in the near future. Not saying you're wrong, just seems relatively low probability.

 

[Baltika9]

snip

Better to be paranoid and wrong then right.

Besides which, is it a coincidence that the exact same centipedes show up at a top secret military installation that is being used to repel them, and instantly immolate upon discovery?

Is it a coincidence that all the centipedes up and died when we killed a CO?

I'm even going to go on a limb here and say: is it a coincidence that we, with our magic(already established) amulet keep getting into these centipede situations?

 

[Vernydar]

Uh sorry, not going to make it tonight, way too tired to type. I opened the text editor and ended up staring at the white page for five minutes. Update tomorrow, keep posting if you want of course

 

[Baltika9]

: x

 

[Monty]

it a coincidence that the exact same centipedes show up at a top secret military installation that is being used to repel them, and instantly immolate upon discovery?

Is it a coincidence that all the centipedes up and died when we killed a CO?

I'm even going to go on a limb here and say: is it a coincidence that we, with our magic(already established) amulet keep getting into these centipede situations?

When we found the centipedes here there was a weak smell of burned flesh, but we did not observe them instantly immolate, they could have been there for minutes or hours. When we killed the centipede controller they did not burn up so that was totally different.

Given that Medah and the general have been sent here to prepare for a war against these centipedes and their masters it is clear that they are not only following us around but are part of a bigger problem. We've chosen to come to a key military installation which also happens to be an important target for the enemy (although we hoped they did not know about it).

Again, I'm not saying you're wrong just pointing out that when we have no evidence and are just going on various theories we need to be careful of rushing off to the general making plans to set up inward facing defensive perimeters or things like that, which could blow our secret mission, scare the men, and make us look like a fool if we're wrong.

 

[Baltika9]

snip

I'm still considering them to be scouts, and they apparently were not burned by anyone present. That leaves selff-immolation or remote combustion. Or a meat allergy, which I seriously doubt.

The worst part is, rash decisions can make us look a foll, while indecisiveness can cost lives. Maybe even those of our BROs that we lead to victory in that ambush, or Kalz. Or even our designated waifu.

I'd be pretty damned upset if Kalz died now, at the beginning of such a beautiful friendship. 'Sides, who's gonna give us pick-up tips if he dies?

 

[Baltika9]

We should at least make a recommendation to maintain forward warning outposts in the forests outside the castle and tighten up security. Brornydar, how's the view from the battlements and towers?

 

[Random Word]

I like 6C - we have a duty to inventory the supplies, if a problem is found we have a duty to investigate its extent and everyone ought to keep out of the way while we do. If they disagree they can take it up with the General.

 

[Darklife]

3
B

 

[Hoodoo]

We are too inexperienced and uninformed to make any serious decisions on this IMO. Lets just note that there is possible infiltrators and go work on clearing the courtyards while we set our spies onto counter-intel.

One thing we could do though is trace the meat packet back to where it came from and find out if its just coincidence that it is here or that there is definitely somekinda foul play at work. It would probably be a good idea to inform Irene/the general that the enemy probably does know something about the castle as well.

 

[TOME]

It would have required tremendous amount of information and effort to poison the castle's food supplies. More likely they just tried to saw chaos amongst us. It would be a good idea to inspect food and water asap. Make it a priority to Kalz's team.

 

[Darklife]

It could also be the case, that they're seeding all of the produce in the region and this shipment just ended up here by pure chance.

 

[Computer Gamer Refugee]

I agree with playing up the "bad Hygine" line. Also the quartermaster just jumped up several steps on the potential suspect list.

Absolutely, positivly do everything possible to avoid showing our own authority, even a the risk of this not being contained. I think we can lean on the authority of the the quartermaster "I think the QM will want to see this before anyone starts telling stories about his meat being infestested with bugs." Meanwhile, send one of our own team (or someone nearby if no one is close) to get Irene and/or Katz.

Our cover story is that we are doing a health and safety inspection, so this should hold.

P.S. there is also the issue of the fact that they are dead. That is not really an issue becuase we can play up the following options. Which is more likely (to an outside observer) that the bugs got inadverantly squished and/or died of old age or that they were targeted by a precise magic (magic does not exist, remember) that burned them to death but did not affect the nearby meat?

 

[Vernydar]

We should at least make a recommendation to maintain forward warning outposts in the forests outside the castle and tighten up security. Brornydar, how's the view from the battlements and towers?

Not very good, because the forest grew up basically under the walls. Which is why most of the civilians here are busy cutting down trees. Still the fortress is huge, so it will be a while before the woodcutters manage to clear a decent area all around the fortress.

Regarding the vote: 3B wins by a very large margin. But the discussion was really interesting, and I liked suggestions 5 and 6 and all the speculations. Thank you for the entertainment
As usual I will try to weave in as much as possible in the update, for example the whole: "let's test the meat on some cattle" suggestion.

Off to write the update I go

 

[Baltika9]

I've a strong feeling that we better start making Kalz a real bro towards us. A "die for you" kind of bro. Just a hunch, really.

 

[Kalin]

"Let's dance, loco."

 

[Vernydar]

66 – I'll have my meat well done

Faced with this potential crisis, you think fast and then put on a slightly concerned face. After getting the porters' attention, you sigh and tell them that really, these things do happen. After all you are in a place deep inside the forest, it's obvious that some bugs might be attracted by all this food. The rest of the food heaps seems fine, so it's not really a problem.

Then you pretend being deep in thought for a moment, and look at them from the side. You point out that they might be held responsible over this because they let food deteriorate, and who knows what the higher ups might do once they know....

The porters look at each other with a worried face, as your words make them consider the possibility of being blamed for this. It seems that you managed to divert their attention at least, the most important thing is that they do not focus too much on the fact that the centipedes were burned. You are not even sure they noticed in the first place, but the less they think about it the better. Soon they start talking between themselves, wondering how they could manage to hide this. Then they realize you're not just some random passerby. They did hear that some new people were coming to make an inventory of the supplies... Once they realize this they look at you, tension and worry clearly etched on their faces.

You let them stew a couple of minutes, acting as though you are thinking about what you should do. Then you theatrically shake your head. You turn to face them, and with a wink you tell them that you are going to cover for them. Really, they're not to blame for this. After all you are in the middle of the forest, it was bound to happen sooner or later, with all this food in one place. You're certainly not so callous as to have them fired just because of this.

You look around, and then tell them to get some meat cask from another pile. You look the meat carefully before giving them the cask, stating that you're "just checking for bugs of course". But you see nothing and so you hope this meat is safe. Then, you jokingly tell them to be careful from now on, and to be sure to report you any other such finding. You're going to cover for them, but surely most would not, and they do not want to be reported for this!

The men thanks you profusely and then leave with the other meat cask. You think you made a good job of this, they seemed to be completely convinced by your acting and you hope you managed to make them forget the fact that the centipedes are actually burned. Once alone, you quickly check all the casks around, being very careful of course. But you find nothing else here. Quickly you go to report to Irene. She praises you for the quick thinking and then she comes back with you to the area where you found the cask, diverting any porter for the rest of the afternoon. Soon, evening comes and the porters stop working in the storage area. Irene posts a few of your guards around the storage area, and together with all the people working on the secret task you start inspecting the place for more centipedes or other possible clues.

The night is long and tiring, but in the end you do not find any other centipedes. One interesting thing about that cask though is that it's not the same as the other casks. It's similar yes, but it seems to have been crafted out of a different kind of wood. It also has a slightly different shape. This is quite interesting as it could be that this one cask has been shipped to the fortress by mistake, or from a different place from the rest of the casks. Of course it might also have been planted in your supplies on purpose. But this is a quite interesting detail, because it makes more likely that the other supplies are not contaminated.

However you have no idea of what happened to the centipedes inside, even though you all check them carefully, trying to surmise how they came to be burned. But in the end all you're left with is speculations. It seems they self-combusted inside the cask, or maybe someone put them inside once they were already burned. Considering all the meat inside is in perfect condition and the wood of the cask shows no sign of burns, you feel you can rule out a normal fire inside the cask. So weird...

At the end of the night, Irene has the cask taken away. Following your suggestion some of this meat will be fed to some cattle in order to observe what happens. The rest will be burned to ashes. A couple of your soldiers will be posted all the time to the storage area, in order to react to any other possible discovery of centipedes. And the general will be notified so that he can order the cooks to serve all the food well done. No raw or slightly done meat for now. These precautions should go a long way into avoiding possible contamination due to centipedes eggs...

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Excerpt 11: Knowledge (Legends and Myths) – The Sea of Broken Reefs
... and the Sea of Broken Reefs is certainly one of the most mysterious place in all the area!
All through history there have been strange stories about the sea. Some sailors report seeing huge shapes in the misty mornings, just outside their sight. Shapes, lurking in the mist, of all sizes. Strange noises coming from the waters below their ships.
A few sailors have reported all over the centuries to have met, in stormy nights out at the sea, weird mist "swirls", so to speak, which had unnatural colors. Blue, purple, green, yellow, orange, red. Tales of the swirling mists have been around since time immemorial, and sailors are terrified to be caught outside when they happen. They think these colored mists are inhabited by supernatural creatures, ranging from ghosts that steal the life of people caught inside to magical being who spirit away the careless sailors.
Also interesting are the tracks that have been found on the beaches sometimes. Long, winding tracks in the sand after a stormy night.....
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Another ten days have passed. You finished your general inspection of the storage area and of the camp tents, and found nothing at all. Of course it was not a complete inspection, the camp is too big for that, but still you searched enough to be sure that if any centipedes are around, they must be small, few, and/or well hidden. Following that you started looking for spies as planned, together with the other people from your group. But you found nothing. Sometimes you had false alarms, but they all turned out to be mundane and unrelated things. From a couple of soldiers "keeping each other company", to a few others sneaking around at night to gamble a bit, to a woodcutter trying to steal some coins from a tent. No spies have been found, and nothing even remotely suspicious has been observed. Could it really be that there are no spies at all here?

Also, the cattle who was fed the meat from that cask is still around, placidly grazing in a cordoned area. Of course Irene will not let anyone eat them, but they seem to be perfectly healthy. It seems all your possible ideas are leading to dead ends...

You also kept working on your dodging skills and reading your book. But it is in the art of investigating that you feel you did the most progress. You are certainly better at it than you were before.
(Your skill has increased: Investigation 2 (Basic))

The second month of summer brings hot weather. Even the night gives you little relief, but for now it's still cooler than last year's summer, so you can manage. As you planned before, you passed a couple of weeks searching the camp for centipedes and spies, with little results. You meet in the evening with Irene and Kalz to discuss your next course of action. You could keep searching for spies, but you also have to consider your other task, exploring the fortress and especially the central courtyard. As the discussion begins you wonder what you should suggest....

What will you suggest Kyoss?
What do you think about centipedes and possible spies? What will you tell Irene?

1. There is nothing left to be found. There are no other centipedes and no spies.
2. There might be spies and centipedes , but too well hidden for such a cursory inspection. Likely you should search a lot more in order to find them
3. The spies might have noticed you and gone into hiding, they are trying to avoid you. The fact they noticed you is a problem
4. Other. Write down your proposal and number it please

What should you do now? (whatever you pick, there will be an update for planning later, but do feel free to make suggestions)
A) You should keep searching for spies and centipedes.
B) You should switch to exploring the fortress and the central courtyard.
C) Other, make another proposal

Also as always feel free to make other suggestions

 

[m4davis]

3
B

 

[ScubaV]

2B

My current theory is that the shipment of dead centipedes came by accident. Our enemy is likely seeding food shipments across the country with centipedes and one of them ended up in this expedition by chance. How the centipedes got burned I have no idea. If there are any spies, there's probably only a few and they may not even know about each other, so they're likely laying low for now. We'd have no way of knowing without catching them trying to do something. There may be more action when future contingents of soldiers arrive at the fortress.

Let's switch to the central courtyard, but I definitely think we should come back to looking for spies afterward.

 

[newcomer]

2B

Maybe instead of bursting from the stomach, this time the centipedes come out from the dungs?
It's a disgusting suggestions, but for the sake of safety...

Well, it should be doable without touching the dungs since the dungs are usually pasta-like, any centipedes would be easily noticeable...
And cremate the cattle and possibly the cordoned grazing area after this investigation is done. We can also see from the ashes whether there are actually any centipedes inside the body

 

[Bloodshifter]

3B The cask being taken away was a dead giveaway we should have asked who ordered the meat and also took stock of all the caravans who brought meat into the fortress

 

[GameOver]

What do you think about centipedes and possible spies? What will you tell Irene?
2) There might be spies and centipedes , but too well hidden for such a cursory inspection. Likely you should search a lot more in order to find them

Self-explanatory.

What should you do now? (whatever you pick, there will be an update for planning later, but do feel free to make suggestions)
C) Other, make another proposal


If you don't want to read below, we would dedicate a large task force towards securing the courtyards, a smaller task force towards our public tasks, and an even smaller task force towards rooting out spies.

Ruling out spies and moving on is not the best solution. I think it is important for us to focus more efforts on clearing the courtyards but we should still have one or two individuals involved in rooting out spies still. I think we should have the spy and two soldiers (insert soldier type here) under his supervision trying to root out the spies. We should move all of the remaining soldiers, the hunter, Irene, healer, and ourselves towards clearing the courtyards. I don't remember the other civilians involved but the hunter and healer bring a good skill set to the table for this type of mission. The remaining civilians can perform our public tasks.

 

[Kashmir Slippers]

3B

We might as well get on with the rest of our job. After we start doing something else, whatever spies there might be might start becoming lax, so we could catch them unawares on a future sweep.

 

[TOME]

2B