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

[TOME]

Can't learn magic or get the girl if you are dead.

 

[Vernydar]

Ok, there were only 9 votes so I thought of waiting some more, but these are the results:
3 votes: go inside with other people (varies)
3 votes for go inside alone
3 votes for stop for the day and try to sneak back inside

Since 6 people want to go inside, you will:
- Suggest to go inside after circling the house and having the spy and loremaster check things around.
- If Irene opposes or something happens, you will suggest to stop for the day and try to sneak inside alone if feasible

But!
I'm asking for a new voter or a flip flop to break the tie between suggesting that only you go inside and suggesting to go inside with other people.

 

[Baltika9]

Just to make sure, I flopped to hoodoo's choice, plus the routine inspection by spymaster and lorekeeper.

 

[Vernydar]

I know. I have counted your vote there. Which is why we have a tie. Which is why I need a new vote or a flip flop

 

[Computer Gamer Refugee]

Very well, by vast majority C->B->E. And try to snipe a body without anyone seeing it if the occasion presents itself.

72 – An overgrown garden

You and Irene quickly convene that the grove should be next. You meet Irene's eyes, and she pointedly raises an eyebrow and nods minutely. It seems she too felt something strange, her face has a speculative expression.

She comes near you and starts talking, asking you with a low voice if you it would be prudent. But you are distracted all of a sudden. As if there was someone else here [penis], together with you.... Irene is talking but you do not... feel... alone...

Told you we should have seduced the village girls, now all he can think about is the girl.

Ok, humor aside, I would reccomend backing off for the evening. Although things have been stable for thousands of years, we might have disturbed them. If that is the case we are better off if we are on safeish grounds when they come. Also if there is any intellegence here then barging about might annoy it more than a more measured response. This will also give us more time to experiment with the shard/Irene.

 

[Baltika9]

Very well, by vast majority C->B->E. And try to snipe a body without anyone seeing it if the occasion presents itself.

72 – An overgrown garden

You and Irene quickly convene that the grove should be next. You meet Irene's eyes, and she pointedly raises an eyebrow and nods minutely. It seems she too felt something strange, her face has a speculative expression.

She comes near you and starts talking, asking you with a low voice if you it would be prudent. But you are distracted all of a sudden. As if there was someone else here [penis], together with you.... Irene is talking but you do not... feel... alone...

Told you we should have seduced the village girls, now all he can think about is the girl.

Ok, humor aside, I would reccomend backing off for the evening. Although things have been stable for thousands of years, we might have disturbed them. If that is the case we are better off if we are on safeish grounds when they come. Also if there is any intellegence here then barging about might annoy it more than a more measured response. This will also give us more time to experiment with the shard/Irene.

Votes are already for going in, now we need a tie breaker for going alone/not alone. Break the tie, bro.

 

[ScubaV]

Go in, not alone.

 

[Vernydar]

Very well, off to write the update

 

[Vernydar]

I was wondering. I do not know how long I will be able to keep up with daily updates, as life is rearing its ugly head. I might have to switch soon to a few updates a week, likely 3-4. But, would you guys actually prefer that from now, so everyone can vote?

Update should be up in an hour or so.
Oh by the way, interesting choice there. But things do not always go as planned

 

[Baltika9]

I'd like to keep the daily format so that we can get closer to getting into Irene's pants and becoming a necromancer/demonologist voting ourselves into an early grave.

And let me guess: Irene said no.

 

[Hoodoo]

This is a big chance here. Depending on if the presence is nice or not we could be there first ones to demystify this place or at least show that its not out to get us, which, seeing that this is a grove/garden in the innermost part of a fortification im going to put my trust in the commen sense of the Kingdom of Avarlos and hope they only put mostly benign type magics inside a place like this.

In front of the army, and Irene...
the props

the props

We can even use our natural charisma to milk it for all its worth.


edit: votes closed

Not leaving so soon eh? hmm

 

[Vernydar]

You will have your chances to impress, don't worry.

But I think I will add a vote to this update, asking if you guys prefer updates every other day or so. You might be able to vote and discuss better that way. I don't know, it's just that quite often I see people voting over the time limit or complaining they missed a vote, guess life is getting busier once again for many of you....

 

[Vernydar]

Ok, mini vote. I noticed wildly varying amounts of votes on the various updates, and sometimes people complaining a bit over a missed vote. I might have to do it later on regardless because of other commitments, but, would you prefer updates every other day so you can have more time to discuss and vote?
A) yes, I want more time to vote and discuss
B) no, keep it daily so the story moves forward quickly
And depending on votes I might let this vote go on two days, I want to know how the majority feels about this. Besides, this is rather big decision here in this update

73 – Closed doors and skeletons

After gathering your thoughts you suggest to take advantage of the situation and enter this place. After all, the patterns are not active right now, so there should be no problem. And you certainly need the knowledge that might be inside. Irene hesitates a bit, looking at this mansion carefully. Then she agrees with you.

"Very well Kyoss, I think you may be right. However before entering, we will explore the outside accurately. We may find clues, or at least we can make sure there are no other dangers. In the meanwhile our man will check the windows, walls and door for possible traps."

You nod your assent. Two soldiers will stay here with the traps expert while you make your way around the mansion, searching for clues. You set off and soon you turn around the corner. What you find is not something you expect. There is a small garden here, still perfectly kept. Irene frowns, and slowly you explore the place. It is indeed in pristine conditions, as if someone tended to it just a few days ago. Could this place's... magic have done so? This place seems very unlikely to be still inhabited. The garden is extremely beautiful anyway, a marvel as far as your are concerned. You wonder if the gardens of palaces are like this everywhere. There are even fruits on the trees, but Irene doesn't let anyone pick them obviously. Still, you do not feel worried, you feel calm, as if this was your home....

One of the soldiers that you left behind turns the corner running, his face visibly worried and agitated. "Commander, please come and see. The door! It... it... it can't be touched!".

You exchange glances with Irene, and follow the soldier as fast as you can. You find the other man and the soldier looking at the door, an awed and afraid expression on their face. "The door! I... can't touch it." says the man. Seeing Irene's perplexes expression, he raises his hand and tries to touch the door. But his hand stops mid-air. It's as if a wall is there, preventing him to go further. Irene tries as well, her expression somewhat grim. And sure enough her hand stops just short of the door. You have no better luck either. The men looks scared, but you still feel strangely calm.

Irese speaks "Very well, we already knew this place was not ordinary. Still there is no need to be afraid for something like this. It seems we cannot enter, but we can look outside and search for clues." You wonder how much of this she truly believes. She might just be talking in order to calm down the men....

With that, you go back to your exploration of the surrounding area, starting once again from the garden. You walk along the walls of the mansion, getting closer to the other corner, passing before a window. And suddenly, the feeling of not being alone is overwhelming. It is as if someone is just beyond this closed window. You turn and look carefully, but the glass is like a mirror, showing nothing of the inside.

Could it really be? Could there really be someone inside? You do not feel worried or agitated, you feel rather calm. Why?

Irene shakes you "Are you feeling well Kyoss? Noticed something?" On impulse you tell here everything is fine. You are not sure what you could tell her truly. That you think someone might be beyond this window? And how would you explain this? She might take you for crazy. Your thoughts in disarray, you follow Irene behind the mansion. And there another strange sight lies before you.

A small... graveyard lies here. Cautiously Irene orders to explore it a bit. There are many tombs, all lavishly decorated. And many of these tombs have written text on them. The scholar is almost frothing, quickly going from tomb to tomb.

"My, oh my! Authentic Avarlos writing! This is the discovery of the century! Ohhhh I must study it all! Uhm, and it is so well kept. Ohhh I'm not moving from here until I memorized it all!". Irene has to remember him that you are on a mission multiple times, and finally gives up. Three soldiers will stay here with the scholar while he studies the tombs. There might be something useful written there. The rest of you will proceed, there is still one side of the mansion to explore. As you near the corner you feel the exclamations of the scholar, excited like a small child in a kitchen full of sweets. But as soon as the first man turns the corner you are brusquely brought back to reality by his scream. The man staggers backwards and with a horrified expression falls on his butt. You and Irene quickly dart forward to see what scared him. You feel your heart skip a beat, your breath frozen in your throat...

There is a circle of glowing patterns on the earth here, burning yellow, orange and red. They cordon off a large round area, rather close to the walls of the mansion. Inside the circle, the vegetation is sickly, stunted, rotten. In the very middle of it a few... misshapen skeletons lie.

They are NOT human skeletons. These... creatures must have been almost three meters tall. They have four arms and a long tail. Huge bone talons on every finger, they also have an elongated head and powerful looking maws. The skeletons are not wearing any clothes, and the little vegetation around them is completely rotten. The earth itself is looking dull around the skeletons, almost grey. Dead.

But it not this that makes you truly afraid, it is what you see INSIDE them.

In the hollow chest of these... creatures, in their empty maws and in their hollow eyes you see a powerful flame. A blue and purple flame, roaring violently. The very same flame you saw in your room back at Nokos, minus the patterns.

You feel horrified. You look at the creatures, at the rotten vegetation and at the dead soil, and suddenly you realize you are keeping an item that was burning of the same flame in your pocket.

What are you going to do Kyoss? Open update, feel free to be descriptive, to ask me questions and to plan more than one move. And please also answer the question at the start of the post

 

[newcomer]

First, I want to ask whether the artifact is reacting in any manner.

I think there's no real need to be afraid because of the flame cordon, but I think we should retreat immediately.
And screw the whole "sneak in during night", I don't want to get killed by this beast if our artifact's ability is to nullify the cordon.
Declare this courtyard unsafe, and consult with the scholar for further details. Don't show anyone our artifact.

And let's comfort Irene before sleeping

For the update, faster = better IMO

 

[Vernydar]

First, I want to ask whether the artifact is reacting in any manner.

You are not feeling any sharp change of temperature, nor you are seeing anything. Keep in mind it is still wrapped in cloth. But there are no extreme reactions at least, neither cold nor hot

 

[Computer Gamer Refugee]

Very well, by vast majority C->B->E. And try to snipe a body without anyone seeing it if the occasion presents itself.

72 – An overgrown garden

You and Irene quickly convene that the grove should be next. You meet Irene's eyes, and she pointedly raises an eyebrow and nods minutely. It seems she too felt something strange, her face has a speculative expression.

She comes near you and starts talking, asking you with a low voice if you it would be prudent. But you are distracted all of a sudden. As if there was someone else here [penis], together with you.... Irene is talking but you do not... feel... alone...

Told you we should have seduced the village girls, now all he can think about is the girl.

Ok, humor aside, I would reccomend backing off for the evening. Although things have been stable for thousands of years, we might have disturbed them. If that is the case we are better off if we are on safeish grounds when they come. Also if there is any intellegence here then barging about might annoy it more than a more measured response. This will also give us more time to experiment with the shard/Irene.

Votes are already for going in, now we need a tie breaker for going alone/not alone. Break the tie, bro.

It is too late, but if that is the options, the clear choice is not going alone. He's (ok, I'm) hung up on Irene, gotta take her on the date into the magical castle.

 

[Vernydar]

Already updated Computer Gamer Refugee . And, things happened

 

[Baltika9]

B, and I'll need time to think. Shit's about to get interesting. Hope necromancy doesn't restrict demonology. And whatever those things are, they are kept inside by the flame, most likely and as soon as we step in, they'll probably come alive.

Awesome update, Brornydar.

 

[ScubaV]

First of all: B - as long as you're able to keep it up (considering life, creative juices, etc.)

Second, this is just speculation, but I wonder if there may be fewer votes due to the frequency of open updates. This is fairly unique to your LP and I think a positive overall, but perhaps there are too many? Or not enough that have some built-in options? Just speaking from personal experience sometimes I read an open update, get ideas that come immediately and propose them. Other times I'll get to an open update, think "hmm, I'm not sure about this, I'll think about it and come back and see what others suggest". Then I get caught up in stuff and forget about it. Or, I'll come back without any good ideas and see that no one else has ideas either.

It's easier to weigh the pros and cons of a few set options than it is to make your own plans out of whole cloth. I'm not saying either is better, but the former is certainly easier for the reader and thus more likely to generate votes or discussion. More time between updates would help, as organic ideas emerge and allow for debate on them, but the opinions on that depend on the above vote.

Ideas for the current vote:
I'm thinking we should check out the rest of the grove to see what else might be in here and then proceed to the halo. My reasoning is thus: that should complete a superficial survey of the entire central courtyard (minus the interior of the central tower, depending on how the halo update goes). After that we can report to the General and consider sending a written report to Lord Medah. We can send for more scholars, reassess how we want to tackle more in-depth exploration, and consider whether we want to tell anyone about our shard (and if not, sneak off to experiment on our own).

 

[ScubaV]

Also, the image in my head of those skeletons reminds me of Shadow of the Beast:

 

[Smashing Axe]

B

I really think we should gather a whole flock of chickens and use them as test subjects. Throw them into scary shit like the wards and see if they explode or not. Best way imo, no human lives risked. Get a cow, then force it to charge near the keep by throwing rocks at it. See if old nessie mutates

I don't think there's any animal rights movements in this world, it's not like a druid peta group will firebomb us, best that we take advantage of that.

 

[Anabanana]

First of all: B - as long as you're able to keep it up (considering life, creative juices, etc.)

Second, this is just speculation, but I wonder if there may be fewer votes due to the frequency of open updates. This is fairly unique to your LP and I think a positive overall, but perhaps there are too many? Or not enough that have some built-in options? Just speaking from personal experience sometimes I read an open update, get ideas that come immediately and propose them. Other times I'll get to an open update, think "hmm, I'm not sure about this, I'll think about it and come back and see what others suggest". Then I get caught up in stuff and forget about it. Or, I'll come back without any good ideas and see that no one else has ideas either.

It's easier to weigh the pros and cons of a few set options than it is to make your own plans out of whole cloth. I'm not saying either is better, but the former is certainly easier for the reader and thus more likely to generate votes or discussion. More time between updates would help, as organic ideas emerge and allow for debate on them, but the opinions on that depend on the above vote.

Ideas for the current vote:
I'm thinking we should check out the rest of the grove to see what else might be in here and then proceed to the halo. My reasoning is thus: that should complete a superficial survey of the entire central courtyard (minus the interior of the central tower, depending on how the halo update goes). After that we can report to the General and consider sending a written report to Lord Medah. We can send for more scholars, reassess how we want to tackle more in-depth exploration, and consider whether we want to tell anyone about our shard (and if not, sneak off to experiment on our own).

This, for now. I'm especially partial to the team of scholars idea.

But before we do anything, get the scholar off his butt from the writings and tell him about this shit. Ask him if he has any ideas or if there have been any clues in the writing. Then go ahead with Scuba's suggestion, BUT also go to the outside of the keep and see if it has the same kind of protection this house has (not being able to touch the door, etc). Definitely need to experiment with the shard at some point, but I question the wisdom of going it alone, due to safety issues. We know that if we tell other people about the shard, it might lead to repercussions down the road. But if we don't tell other people about the shard and come in to experiment with the shard by ourselves, there's a high likelihood that something bad will happen to us right now, like getting mauled by skeleton beasts, for example. We can decide what to do with the shard after the survey has been completed, but I just want people to bear that in mind for now.

Another thing we want to consider is this: we didn't tell Lord Medah about the shard before, partly because we wanted to learn more about it. And now we have. If we're eventually forced to reveal the existence of the shard, or if the lord finds out through other means, he's going to wonder why we didn't reveal we have the shard now, when the success of the mission and the survival/safety of the team might hinge on certain other people knowing about it - our commander and the scholar, in particular. Our loyalty will come into question, we might very well lose our cushy job and means of advancing in the world, and oh, good luck getting into Irene's pants. The way I see it, either we tell at least Irene now, or we never tell anybody about the shard EVER, including Thomas (although why that old guy is somehow more trustworthy than all your colleagues is beyond me).

It IS incredibly suspicious that your parents had this in their possession. Your mother was a top healer - why would she have a shard of metal with demonic Avarlos magic markers on them? Perhaps if you enlist Lord Medas's or certain scholars' help, you might be able to find out more about your parents' pasts...

I'm just saying that I think the benefits of revealing the shard to a select few, especially DURING THIS MISSION where our shard is directly involved, far outweigh the (vague) risks. It's not like we're blabbing about it to every random person that comes our way, we're telling it to people whose execution of their job depends on KNOWING about stuff like this.

Also, if you people had wanted to lean magic, y'all should have voted for going to see the mysterious note-giver waaaaay back during the whole merchant vs carpenter crap. I strongly suspect that the person giving us the note and the wizard who was calling down all those lightning storms on the centipedes was one and the same. Given that the note said "forget about ever hearing from me again if you tell somebody else", and since magic users are so rare, especially one of that caliber... All I can say is, good job ruining our only chance of becoming an apprentice to one of the most powerful magic users alive today

(About the updates, I'd like to have them daily, but please don't worry about keeping up if stuff gets in the way.)

B

I really think we should gather a whole flock of chickens and use them as test subjects. Throw them into scary shit like the wards and see if they explode or not. Best way imo, no human lives risked. Get a cow, then force it to charge near the keep by throwing rocks at it. See if old nessie mutates

I don't think there's any animal rights movements in this world, it's not like a druid peta group will firebomb us, best that we take advantage of that.

This is a good idea, but maybe we should hold off for now while the scholar checks out the writings. Worst case scenario, explosions happens and/or the skeleton beasts go on a rampage, and we lose all those precious Avarlos writings. I wouldn't mind doing animal experiments on the keep, or the yellow/white/red flames that were in front of the entrance though.

Also, we ARE still going back to do a more in-depth investigation of the barracks before moving on to the halo, right? We're still sticking to that plan?

 

[GameOver]

B, I agree about the open updates. Sometimes people would rather have a few choices before them. I think the semi-open choices are best. For example, with this update just put down to approach the skeletons, leave this area, or investigate the tombs and then leave it open for any other suggestions.

I think we should leave that area alone, for now. I do think we should approach the windows and when we get that weird feeling to wave and start making funny faces in the window or something stupid to see if we get a fireball to the face </sarcasm>. Other than that, I suggest we do a quick survey of the area once more and move on to the rest of the courtyard and castle keep. Leave nobody at the mansion, for now, this finding needs to be reported back to Medeh and the general.

Somewhat sarcastic:
If possible, sneak out at night and go to the mansion and try to become the apprentice of the dark overlord (hopefully) dude living in this mansion. Bring on the magic!

Also, the stone we have has to protect from dark forces when you consider what it did when those shadows appeared. Lets wake those mofo's up and hold our stone up like a weapon. Something like this:

That would definitely get us in Irene's pants.

 

[Anabanana]

B, I agree about the open updates. Sometimes people would rather have a few choices before them. I think the semi-open choices are best. For example, with this update just put down to approach the skeletons, leave this area, or investigate the tombs and then leave it open for any other suggestions.

I personally like the freedom of the open updates. As long as we don't get all open updates all the time, we should be fine.

 

[Smashing Axe]

I agree that semi-open updates are optimal. A lot of the time with the fully open updates I feel paralysis by analysis, or don't have the time to contribute properly to the discussion. It varies. Of course, sometimes I don't contribute because I think the vast majority is right, and it's pointless to make a small post to simply say that I agree.