[LP CYOA] Epic

[XenomorphII]

That is a good point, but wouldn't it be good to at least hear what he says ourselves, even if we later choose to ignore it?

 

[newcomer]

I pity Rimush's body for carrying such a stupid head...
But the king may want to hear something...

B1

 

[Smashing Axe]

We're in the middle of a battle, every second we delay is a second the enemy has to recuperate. We have a reasonably good idea that the information is going to be false, the only use it could have is what Esquilax proposed, but I'd prefer to keep Sargon around as a bro for now. Also I would rather the son dead, given that he has been altered by Shulgi and may be harbouring more than one surprise for us within his body. Better to act simply for the moment and not fall for the schemer's tricks.

 

[Omicron]

A3

 

[Esquilax]

That is a good point, but wouldn't it be good to at least hear what he says ourselves, even if we later choose to ignore it?

I don't think so, because you can't just choose to ignore information that might be critical to victory. Listening to what he has to say is going to make us doubt ourselves at a time when we need to be completely certain, especially given our wounds.

I'm working under the assumption that Shulgi knows that his chances against us in a straight-up fight are shit. That's why he's relying on subterfuge and cunning, and that's also why he just expects Ean to be a big, dumb brute. We know that above all else, the King wants immortality, so he'll be all too happy to believe whatever his son tells him and it's going to cloud his judgment, just like it did when he had our hand cut off. If the King charges in overconfidently against Shulgi thinking he's found his Achilles' heel, he'll die easily, but he'll at least soften him up for us while we're wounded.

That being said, it could also backfire. The King is still a sharp guy, and if we bring him a living, breathing Rimush he might be suspicious.

 

[XenomorphII]

That being said, it could also backfire. The King is still a sharp guy, and if we bring him a living, breathing Rimush he might be suspicious.

This is another thing that worries me about bringing his son to him. He was pretty clear in that he wants us to kill him. If we disobey (especially considering he knows we deceived him before, and provided of course that the king survives) we might find ourselves forced to flee into the wilderness to avoid being imprisoned/experimented on/etc.

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Changing to B3

 

[CappenVarra]

B3, and hear the lamentations of his ladyboys

 

[Kipeci]

B3

Why should we bring him to the king when we were instructed to kill him?

 

[ScubaV]

Ah, it's a damn shame we didn't get choice A, but the update's written. Let's deal with it. I'll vote A3. I want to hear the plans even if they are likely lies.

 

[Stygian Lurker]

A3

 

[Baltika9]

Don't change the update and:

If it's information we want, he may be playing it smart: tell us some bullshit first and see if we spare him, then tell us the truth. Of course, if we drop him off with pops later, we don't know if shulgi did something to him or not (e.g living bomb, mind control or whatever). Yeah, A3.

 

[eklektyk]

A3

so codex can be tormented with visions of madnes and be lured onto oblivion

 

[Curufinwe]

A3

For me as well. Let's hear what he has to say then kill him, he'll be of no further use to us. And Sargon did order him killed.

 

[Sergiu64]

A3

 

[Esquilax]

This is another thing that worries me about bringing his son to him. He was pretty clear in that he wants us to kill him. If we disobey (especially considering he knows we deceived him before, and provided of course that the king survives) we might find ourselves forced to flee into the wilderness to avoid being imprisoned/experimented on/etc.

Yeah, but who's he going to imprison us with? The men that we saved in Memphis and again at the walls of Akkad? It seems to me that at this point Ean has more love and support from the troops than King Sargon does.

 

[oscar]

A3, as the king is getting less and less reliable an an ally.

 

[XenomorphII]

This is another thing that worries me about bringing his son to him. He was pretty clear in that he wants us to kill him. If we disobey (especially considering he knows we deceived him before, and provided of course that the king survives) we might find ourselves forced to flee into the wilderness to avoid being imprisoned/experimented on/etc.

Yeah, but who's he going to imprison us with? The men that we saved in Memphis and again at the walls of Akkad? It seems to me that at this point Ean has more love and support from the troops than King Sargon does.

I think it is a bit presumptive to assume that the army would side with us because of two battles, when many of them have presumably been fighting with the king (and winning) for years. We have a start with the troops, but to directly challenge the king without him doing something seriously nasty (that would justify outright treason) would be foolish.

 

[oscar]

I think they would follow us. It's mentioned how loyal the troops are to us and how beloved we are by them. We are also obviously immortal and the king is not.

 

[treave]

A last minute surge sees A3 winning with 9 votes.

Chapter 1.12: Dam If You Do

"Fine. I'll listen. Tell me what he is planning, and I will release you."

Rimush smiles at you. You cannot believe that this man is a son of a king, let alone able to take the throne. He begins to spill what he knows.

The city of Akkad, like all other Sumerian cities, was irrigated with a complex series of levees, canals and dams controlling the flow of water from the great rivers nearby, the Tigris and the Euphrates. While you were in Egypt, Rimush had been instructed to begin construction of certain channels of water directly into the city. Shortly before the siege began, Shulgi had left the city with a few dozen of his cultists. Rimush tells you that while we were distracted by the city, Shulgi had begun plans to flood Akkad. He will do so once the king has entered the city himself, and in the ensuing confusion seal his victory by unleashing a few thousand of his loyal cultists in an ambush on the king. As far as you can understand, the crux of the plan hinges on a particular dam just north of here. That is where Shulgi is camped with his men.

How strong do you think the flooding waters will be?

Prompted by the voice, you ask Rimush that question.

"I do not know. Shulgi claims it will be strong enough to drown many of your forces."

You nod. "Thank you for the information, Rimush." You see a wide grin of relief over his face, which just as soon turns into fear as he sees you lift your axe over your head.

"Wait... you promised. You said you were going to release me?"

"Of course. I release you from this mortal coil." you quip, and bring your axe down on his neck.

***

"Traitors! Your king is dead!" you bellow, lifting Rimush's head aloft. In death his fearful expression has frozen on his face, giving him a decidedly undignified death mask. Many of the enemy break and flee the battle, while others fall to their knees and surrender, pleading for mercy. You have won the wall relatively easily, thanks to Rimush's death.

Now you need to decide what to do with the information he has given you.

***

A. You head to the dam, alone. No point taking the king's men with you if it is a wild goose chase - he already has reasons to be suspicious enough as it is. Of course, you do send Rimush's head back to the king with your compliments. Judging from the distance, if everything goes well you can make it back before the king notices you are missing.

B. You return to the king with Rimush's head, though you do not tell him about the trap. Knowing the king, he will march into the city, and you will be there with him. Rimush was probably lying anyway.

C. You return to the king and tell him about the trap. You allow the king to decide what to do with the information that has been given. You will follow his orders when he gives them.

D. You toss Rimush's head over the wall. Maybe it's not a bad idea to stop laying your life down for king and country. You walk into the wilderness.

 

[oscar]

C. I don't think we're in any condition to beat Shulgi without some backup.

 

[ScubaV]

Hmm tough call. I don't particularly like any of the choices. I'm leaning towards A, but we're already tired from the battle and we only have one hand. I don't think Rimush is lying, intentionally or not. What would Shulgi gain by Sargon and/or some soldiers heading to the dam? All it would do is buy him some time, perhaps to escape. So I don't want to walk into the trap with B. I'm also disinclined to inform the king and keep following his orders. I no longer trust him. D is the safe option, but I really want to kill Shulgi. Based on our own experiences with regeneration we know that simply cutting off his head or stabbing him in the heart won't be sufficient. Ean can reasonably be expected to take measures that will set Shulgi's development back a decent amount of time (cremating maybe?).

I guess I'll go with A, with the thought that hopefully we can see how things look and have another chance to turn back before committing ourselves. I could definitely be persuaded though.

B

 

[XenomorphII]

A

Though D may be the smartest thing to do.

EDIT: Switch to B.

 

[Esquilax]

We've got a bunch of arrows poking through our body and our hand is still a stump for the time being. I don't think we're in a position to do battle with a camp full of cultists and an immortal on our own. If we were all healed up, we'd be unstoppable, but I'm not liking our chances at the moment. Fuck the King - let Shulgi have the city if he wants it so bad. We are immortal and we have all the time in the world to get it back.

Also, I think that Rimush's story is a ruse. He wasn't lying, but I do think that Shulgi has been using him as a pawn in his schemes. Look at from his point of view: the only individual who presents a serious obstacle to his plans is Ean - the King, the army, all that stuff doesn't matter. This is all about us and getting Ean in a position where he's vulnerable. Forget Sargon, the dude is mortal and only of minor importance to Shulgi.

That being said, A is definitely the most heroic and honorable choice. Saving the city from a terrible flood and saving thousands of people would be pretty nice.

Flopped to C

 

[Baltika9]

I'm voting D. Get outta there, whore and drink it up for a bit, learn the lay of the land, keep tabs on the other two Immortals, become a true, refined, monocled KKK gentleman and turn up when Romulus and Remus found the city of Rome, or when Athens rise. Whatever works. Oh, and practice shape shifting and our mind control powers. Don't forget to keep tabs.