Inactive [LP CYOA] Overlord

[treave]

Chapter List:

Prologue: The Man Who Slew the Demon Lord
1. The Last Campfire
2. Demon Lord's Castle
3. The Final Battle
4. An Offering to the King of Demons
5. The Hero's Destiny

Chapter One: A New World
1. Rebirth
2. Awakening in the Ruins
3. An Unexpected Reunion
4. Lightning Storm
5. Oath of Partnership
6. Scouting Party
7. Approach the Camp
8. Skirmish at Base Camp
9. Kitchen Interrogations
10. Slaughter at Erise
11. Prince of the Kingdom
12. Commencement of Battle
12A. Interlude: Rinnefiela's Dream
13. Battle of Erise Village
14. Magic Canceller
15. Gratitude
16. An Unexpected Interruption
17. Altered Lightning

Intermission: Return to the Seven Kingdoms

Chapter Two: Foundation
1. After the Battle
2. The Gauntlet of Barbatos
3. The Great Bandit King
4. Mining Town Ontoglia
5. Rumours of Zayan
6. The Next Move
7. The Governor's Dilemma
8. Talal and Zayan
8A. Interlude: The Methussian Factbook
9. Royal Invitation
10. The Banquet's Guests
11. A Suggestion for Entertainment
12. In the Spotlight
13. Arlin's First Duel
14. Stepping Up
15. A Day in Yuiria
16. A Quick Tour
17. Riverine Sights
18. Meeting with a Priest
19. The State of Grahferde
20. Betrayal
21. The Second Trip
22. To Catch A Fish
23. Slime Assault
24. New Intruders
25. Turbulence
26. The Black Slime Attacks
27. A Goo Deal
28. The Dryad's Sapling
29. Downtime
29A. Interlude: Stories from the Past I
29B. Interlude: Amesdan the Bold
30. The Governor, Again
31. Eyes of the Blind
32. The Bandit's Daughter
33. In the Windmill
34. Hastwell's Request
35. Fleeing Snakes
36. Serpent's Capture
37. Last Weeks
38. Adventurers' Advent

Intermission: A Council of Nobles

Chapter Three: Adventurers and Grahferde
1. Preparations
2. Aria's Adventures I
3. Aria's Adventures II
4. Aria's Adventures III
5. Intervention
6. The Dark Lord Arrives

Intermission: The Way Home

Chapter Four: The Reformatory
1. The Gray Tower
2. Reformation, Rehabilitation
3. Prisoner 24601
4. Voting Game
5. The First Day
6. The Second Day
7. A Tame Ending
8. The Deal
9. Wall

Chapter Five: Kindlings and Ashes of Empires
1. Monument to Glory
2. Defense of the Dark Tower
3. Clearing the Walls
4. Marquis of the Kingdom
5. Energy Crisis
6. Return to Yuiria
7. The Death of Yuiria
8. Beatdown

 

[treave]

Character Sheet

---
Erdrick Mercant
Lv. 50 Hero
Vitality: B
Mana: B
Physical Attack: B (B+)
Physical Defence: B (B++)
Magical Attack: B
Magical Defence: B (B++)
Agility: B (B+)
Charisma: B


---

Abilities

Heart of Rock
Your long slumber within stone has induced certain changes in your body. Whether it is a by-effect of the ability used to entrap you, you do not know, but you now possess greater resilience to all forms of damage. (Moderate increase: Physical Defense, Magical Defense)

Techniques

Battle Aura of the Demon God Fist I
You are able to focus your mana into a combat-specialized aura that increases your physical attack and speed. (Minor increase: Physical Attack, Agility)

Shadow-Slaughtering Demon Steps
A footwork technique that increases your evasive ability in close-combat, allowing you to skillfully dodge even an assassin’s hidden blade. Created in the heat of the moment by Barbatos when he was caught off guard in the latrine by a shadow monster sent from a rival Demon Lord aiming for his life.

Quaking Demon Impact
A technique that slams the ground and shakes it with a single punch, disturbing the enemy’s stance. Used tactically by Barbatos to create a fissure in the earth that swallowed up a thousand human soldiers.

Demon Aura Finger
A technique that transmits battle aura directly through a finger. Depending on the nature of the user’s aura, it may stun, harm, or even heal its target. Created by Barbatos to make his enemies explode messily with a single jab but rarely used because of the difficulties in cleaning up afterwards.

Spells

Utility:
Rank F
Orb of Light - Creates an orb of light for illumination
Circle of Darkness - Creates an circular field of darkness
Dark-Sight - Grants low-light vision
Minor Healing - Mends minor cuts and wounds.
Another Face - Grants you different facial features. Its ability to disguise body shape is limited.

Rank E
Unlock - Unlock mechanical locks
Sleep - Causes the target to fall asleep
Fear - Causes the target to feel crippling fear
Summon: Familiar - Summons a familiar that is physically and mentally linked to the caster
All Clear - Heal ailments such as poison, paralysis, blindness or muteness if they are magical in origin.
Regeneration – Creates a constant regenerative effect, swiftly healing wounds taken for up to 10 seconds per rank of caster’s mana.

Rank D
Dispellation - Dispels all Rank E and lower magic effects
Invisibility - The shroud unseen; conceal my presence. Grants invisibility to a single target
Mass Sleep - Causes up to 48 targets in a specified area to fall asleep
Universal Translation - From words to words; let all be understood. All speech within ear-shot is automatically translated for the caster, and the caster's own words are translated into the language that the listener is most proficient in.
False Prophecy - A modified precognitive spell that inflicts the target with random visions plucked from the lowest roots of the probability tree, resulting in strange and wonderful sights that will disorient and possibly cause the target to doubt his own sanity.
Subversion - A counterspell that subverts a prior spell that still affects the targets' mental status to insert subtle commands or manipulations of perception.

Rank C
Spell Extend - Extends duration of a spell
Spell Maximize - Maximizes effectiveness of a spell
Mana Breach - Dispel a single defensive spell of Rank C and lower using an equivalent amount of mana from the caster.

Rank B
Teleport - Join the distant paths together; my destination lies before my eyes. Allows teleportation to previously visited places.

Rank A
Mana Destruction - From protection to destruction; let magic’s lifesblood burn in dazzling fury. Detonate a single defensive spell of Rank A and lower, draining an equivalent amount of mana from the caster to turn the mana used in the defensive spell into an explosion of magical energy.

Rank S

---

Offensive:
Rank F
Freezing Touch - Touch that does freezing damage.
Burning Touch - Touch that does burning damage.
Shocking Touch - Touch that does electrical damage.

Rank E
Magic Arrow - A bolt of magical energy.
Firebolt - A bolt of fire.
Icebolt - A bolt of ice.
Thunderbolt - A bolt of lightning.

Rank D
Fireball - A ball of fire that explodes at the caster's command, or upon hitting a target.
Iceball - A ball of ice that explodes at the caster's command, or upon hitting a target.
Thunderball - A ball of lightning that explodes at the caster's command, or upon hitting a target.
Whirlwind - A fast-moving whirlwind that blows away enemies and arrows alike.

Rank C
Firestorm - A raging conflagration.
Icestorm - A freezing hail of icicles.
Thunderstorm - A shocking storm of lightning.
Tornado - Howl, the gales of destruction; sweep away all before me. A towering tornado that sweeps up all in its path.
Summon: Electric Wolf - Beasts of lightning, answer my call. Create up to 10 Rank F wolf-shaped lightning elementals per rank of caster's mana.

Rank B
Petrification - Enter dreamless stasis; let flesh turn into stone. Causes instant petrification to any being with Rank E or less magical defense.
Lightning Spear - Come forth, divine spear that impales the skies; none shall withstand its strike. A powerful lightning spear that will pierce any physical protection of Rank C and lower when thrown.
Summon: Lightning Tiger - Create a single Rank D tiger-shaped lightning elemental per rank of caster's mana.

Rank A
Summon: Thunder Dragon - Create a single Rank B dragon-shaped lightning elemental per every three ranks of caster's mana.

Rank S
Gigadyne - The material earth will transcend and soar the skies; my will is the light of judgment that illuminates the world. The original spell that earned you the nickname of the ‘Thunder Emperor’, and the most powerful lightning magic in existence. It transmutes matter into pure electrical energy, and can be cast directly as an attack magic, used to empower your equipment, or to transform you into an intangible lightning form that is impervious to most weapons and spells. Initially conceived as a way to both bypass anti-teleportation defenses and damage security measures in the Academy’s female bathhouses. Lightning form confers a rank increase in agility.

Reality Tear - Following the caster’s fingers, it rips a tear in the fabric of reality, effectively acting as a slashing attack that bypasses physical and magical resistance. Only dimensional magic can defend against it, and once struck, its damage can only be healed by the reversal of time.

---

Defensive:
Rank F
Physwall - Conjures a barrier that gives a minor increase to physical defense
Magwall - Conjures a barrier that gives a minor increase to magical defense

Rank E
Lesser Forceshield - Blocks a single physical attack of Rank C and lower
Lesser Spellshield - Magic’s guard denies thine spell. Blocks a single magical attack of Rank C and lower
Elemental Protection - Grants a major increase to physical and magical defense against a chosen element.

Rank D
Forceshield - Blocks three physical attacks of Rank C and lower
Spellshield - Blocks three magical attacks of Rank C and lower
Mage's Armor - Magical armor grants moderate increase to physical and magical defense as well as immunity to arrows
Displacement - Shifts the image of the caster by a few meters in a random direction

Rank C
Globe of Invulnerability - Grants immunity to all spells and magical effects Rank E and lower
Greater Forceshield - Blocks five physical attacks of Rank C and lower
Greater Spellshield - Blocks five magical attacks of Rank C and lower

Rank B
Battle Premonition - A short-term precognitive spell. Allows prediction 0.5 seconds into the future for each rank of caster's magical attack.
Doppleganger - See my soul's mirror; awaken, doppleganger. Creates a duplicate of the caster that is two ranks lower in all stats.

Rank A

Rank S

Items

Gauntlet of Barbatos

***

Companions:

***

Your Forces:

Grahferde

3,000 Goblins
1,000 Golems
250 Human Militia

***

Reputation:

***

Map of Methuss by wjw

Notes on Stats

Ranks go from F - E - D - C - B - A - S - EX.

F denotes your average human, while EX is for gods & goddesses.

Within each rank, there are four tiers.

Example:
B, B+, B++, B+++

A minor increase adds one (+)
A moderate increase adds two (++)
A major increase adds three (+++)
A rank increase gives four (++++), effectively raising the stat by one rank.

 

[treave]

The Last Campfire

The embers whirl and dance away, carried by the cold wind. Like the fire burning fiercely in the ring of stones, the chattering of your comrades is infused with warmth. Yet underneath their cheerful, carefree words, you can hear a tinge of uncertainty. It is not a mark against their courage: to have ventured this far into the Netherworld means that every single one of them possessed the courage of a hundred men. It is an uncertainty borne of the fact that the foe you must soon face is deadlier and stronger than anything you have ever fought. After all, they do not call him the Demon Lord for nothing.

From his throne atop the black spire, the Demon Lord commands his legions of fiends to pillage and plunder the human world. He is a creature filled with the blackest malice, the embodiment of evil itself. In their time of need, man begged the skies for aid. The three goddesses that created the world and spun its fate answered man’s call, and selected from their ranks a Hero. A champion of the light. The sword that would drive back the darkness.

At least, that was how the prophecy went. High Priest Ardunnos at the Temple of the Fates had been quite adamant that his dream – filled, unsurprisingly, with nubile maidens in sheer gossamer cloth attending to gorgeous goddesses – was a prophecy from the gods. And so the Seven Kingdoms of Man had begun searching for a hero to save them: a champion that fulfilled the requirements of the Goddesses’ Prophecy. You remember the day that the emissaries came knocking at your door, the day when they revealed that you were one of the hero candidates.

***

A. As a member of nobility, you had been accorded the best education that money could buy in both swordsmanship and magic. A life of luxury afforded you many benefits, and to your family’s pleasure, they were not wasted on you. Your innate talent meant that you soon exceeded your peers, and as the war against the demons dragged on, it did not take long for hopeful eyes to turn towards you.

B. You were one of many to leave your struggling village for the capital, hoping to find a better life. There, against all odds, you were accepted into the famous Order of the White Falcon. They were an esteemed group of knights who had a long tradition of loyal service. You soon proved yourself as one of the best squires in the fortress, even besting some older knights in practice.

C. Your village was one of the first to be destroyed by the demon army. Orphaned at a young age, you were picked up by a band of roaming mercenaries. You spent your early years knowing only war, and nothing else. Thankfully, your luck turned for the better when you were bested by the greatest swordsman of the age. Impressed by your skill, he spared you and made you his disciple.

D. You lived the comfortable life of a merchant’s son, but your interests had always been towards scholarly pursuits and less about the chase for money – although you were no less talented in that field. Your family was kind and supportive, allowing you to take your own path. You did. You became the youngest graduate of the capital’s most prestigious academy, and a skilled magical researcher in your own right.

***

You met the others soon after that, and you had been together since. A motley crew that had been full of conflicting egos and dysfunctional personalities at the start… but the fires of battle have forged a bond that you have come to appreciate. You look at each of your friends in turn, while they sit around the campfire and talk.

“To be frank, I am not sure whether I dread the coming confrontation more, or its aftermath. As the leader of the Seven Kingdoms, my father will surely have me busy with the victory celebrations for months to come!” jokes Kyle Theseon. The dashing young knight – said by many be the most talented fighter in generations – is also royalty: the third son of Emperor Gradio Theseon. He had not gotten along with you at first, but saving each other's lives had soon put that feeling to rest.

“Celebrations are a fine thing, Master Theseon.” Althus, the protégé of High Priest Ardunnos and renowned warrior of faith, clasps his hands together as if in prayer. “It would be a good opportunity to give thanks to the goddesses for our success.”

“Aren’t y’all talking a bit too quick about success?” drawls the mysterious rogue, Syke Nimfeet. He has never spoken about his origins, but his mastery of stealth and poisons has bailed your group out of many tricky situations over the past year. “Of course, retirement’s good and all, but we gotta live first. Retiring to the grave ain’t in my plans.”

Kyle laughs. “Do not be so pessimistic, Syke! We will be victorious on the morrow, I am sure of it!” He glances at you askew and adds, “After all, we have the Hero, Fate’s Chosen, with us in battle!”

“Indeed,” nods Althus. “Atropos herself has decreed that our threads are to last beyond the battle with the Demon Lord, for it is his thread that shall be cut in our confrontation. Put more faith in your creators, Nimfeet.”

“Alright, alright. I know not to get into another of these debates with ya, Althus,” chuckles Syke. “Right, Lobelia, m’dear?”

The wizard scowls at him when he mentions her name. “Do not drag me into this.” But even the full, icy glare of one of the Nine Archmagi of the Tower, the most powerful magic organization in the world, is insufficient to smother Syke Nimfeet’s wide, cocky grin.

You see Rurik Magnussen shaking his head gently, his beard covering a faint smile. He catches your gaze and winks, demonstrating sharp instincts undulled by age. The master bowman is the oldest one here, and has constantly been a source of stability when all hope seemed lost. That he has not said anything so far means that he knows they are engaging in nothing more than banter.

All of them had their reasons for coming this far. So did those that had fallen along the way. Layla. Rennock. Talley. You still remember their deaths clearly, and the vows that everyone made: that those who remained would fulfill the wishes of those who had departed.

“You don’t seem to be particularly chatty tonight. Worrying about the dead again?” A tap on your shoulder gets your attention. It is Mieren Zaos, the wandering martial artist from the north who could match knights with her bare hands and feet. The wild, freezing lands there were beyond the rule of the Seven Kingdoms, inhabited by fierce, independent tribes. You had to wonder – just how did the emissaries pick a girl like this as a hero candidate? Watching your expression keenly, Mieren snaps, “Hey, you were thinking something rude about me, weren’t you?” She tosses her head in that distinctive, familiar way, her auburn hair glinting in the firelight.

“No, not at all,” you reply lightly. “I was just trying to remember what I was thinking when I joined up.”

As far as you could remember, at the time, your thoughts were of…

***

A. Justice. The suffering of the people must come to an end. You will lead humanity’s fight against evil in order to bring justice to the Demon Lord and his fiendish army. His reign of terror must come to an end, and you will be the one to do it.

B. Glory. Honour and glory. It would be a good way to prove yourself and increase your standing in the world. A hero would go very, very far in the power structure of the Seven Kingdoms. A messianic hero, even more so.

C. Materialistic needs. Money, women, and more money, not necessarily in that order, and more women wouldn’t hurt, either. Surely they will reward a hero handsomely. You are sure that you will be swimming in more than one type of booty if you survive.

D. Reluctance. If it were left up to you, you couldn’t even be arsed to lift your arse up and save the world. Let the world save itself for once, you have better things to do! But unfortunately, the amount of spears aimed at your neck has given you no choice.

 

[Baltika9]

CB
The story of an nobody rising to the top, wanting to become more. Hell yes.

 

[Nevill]

C. Your village was one of the first to be destroyed by the demon army. Orphaned at a young age, you were picked up by a band of roaming mercenaries. You spent your early years knowing only war, and nothing else. Thankfully, your luck turned for the better when you were bested by the greatest swordsman of the age. Impressed by your skill, he spared you and made you his disciple.

Mercenary life is our call. We've been a noble warrior, a peasant descendant, a loyalist, even an aristocrat. But we are yet to be an outright amoral merc.

I hope we kept some of our old habits even under that swordsman's tutelage.

C. Materialistic needs. Money, women, and more money, not necessarily in that order, and more women wouldn’t hurt, either. Surely they will reward a hero handsomely. You are sure that you will be swimming in more than one type of booty if you survive.

Money, wine and women. What else could a mercenary ask for? Life is short, and a life of war is even shorter. You must make the most of it, and as far as rewards go, justice, glory and honor just don't come close.

A messiah? Pah! Leave that stuff to paladins and their ilk.

 

[Baltika9]

Money, wine and women. What else could a mercenary ask for? Life is short, and a life of war is even shorter. You must make the most of it, and as far as rewards go, justice, glory and honor just don't come close.

Nah, between wanting to have more and wanting to be more, I'll take the latter. Wealth, women, power, all of it comes to great men. And to be great, one must be exalted.

Spoiler

Pride over greed, in essence.

 

[Esquilax]

GOAT DOCTOR, you cunts! I've waited years for this! I swear, if we go for that faggoty Tsun-Dragon-Rabbit bullshit, I will vote the exact opposite of each of you at the same time (I'll make it work somehow, believe me!) purely out of spite.

 

[Nevill]

Messianic hero I am not, and never was.

Nobles might care about pride, my merc hero cares more about staying alive to spend his pay, and being on the giving end, not the receiving one.

Wealth, women, power, all of it comes to great men. And to be great, one must be exalted.

What use an exalted one would have for wealth, women and power? Depriving yourself of the ability to revel in simple pleasures is folly. Eventually, you could have more, you could have everything - but what's the point if you become unable to enjoy in along the way?

Look at that high and mighty wench of an archmage, so full of herself. She has nothing on the rogue. What's the fun in living like that?

GOAT DOCTOR, you cunts! I've waited years for this!

Missed your chance with Spiral. Your fault.

 

[treave]

GOAT DOCTOR, you cunts! I've waited years for this!

DD would probably be the closest you can get to that here, though this choice is more about the mindset the character started his journey with. Now, at the end of the road, he might feel differently.

 

[Baltika9]

What use an exalted one would have for wealth, women and power? Depriving yourself of the ability to revel in simple pleasures is folly. Eventually, you could have more, you could have everything - but what's the point if you become unable to enjoy in along the way?

Cause the greater you are, the greater the rewards. I don't want us to be in a mentality of 'more of the same,' I want is to be in a mentality that will take us places.

 

[m4davis]

CB is the choice that appeals to me.

 

[Nevill]

I want is to be in a mentality that will take us places.

Glory seekers are usually taken to the graveyard. Then the guys like me dance on their graves while drunk.

Serves them right, the fools!

 

[treave]

Glory seekers are usually taken to the graveyard. Then the guys like me hire hookers to dance on their graves while drunk.

Serves them right, the fools!

 

[Tigranes]

DC.

By 'magics', I hope we mean counterfeit operations, manipulation of states of consciousness, and sure, why not, gossamer thread women summoning.

 

[Baltika9]

Except that those who succeed have graves that rival palaces. We are going to die eventually anyway (no, seriously, Overlord or not, no one lives forever), so why not make the most of our time here and go for gold. Why fuck cheap hookers our whole life, when we can fuck slutty princesses and drink expensive whisky? There is no reason to settle for quiet mediocrity.

 

[treave]

DC.

By 'magics', I hope we mean counterfeit operations, manipulation of states of consciousness, and sure, why not, gossamer thread women summoning.

Yes, such a character could have been secretly abusing his knowledge of magic theory to smuggle counterfeited magic items in the black market. Also counterfeited gossamer-threaded women. Low cost, high profit.

 

[Esquilax]

I like the idea of a rough merc who came up from the gutter and is all about money and bitches. A cynical, tough, smart dude who's just trying to survive out there in a harsh world. Fuck the glory, just give me some wine and a buxom wench.

AB

 

[Esquilax]

Yes, such a character could have been secretly abusing his knowledge of magic theory to smuggle counterfeited magic items in the black market. Also counterfeited gossamer-threaded women. Low cost, high profit.

What about AC? That sounds like the ultimate Jew. Fuck it, playing Gordon Gecko sounds like a lot of fun.

 

[treave]

What about AC? That sounds like the ultimate Jew. Fuck it, playing Gordon Gecko sounds like a lot of fun.

He'd be more of a hedonistic Rockefeller than a Gordon Gecko, I think, with invested interests in every part of the economy. Leverages his aristocratic connections for money and women, and leverages his money and women for more connections.

 

[Baltika9]

We're counting the votes in blocs, right?

 

[treave]

Should we?

 

[Baltika9]

I think so, yeah.

 

[Esquilax]

Should we?

No, for this LP to become a smashing success, we need to start by generating as much butthurt as possible. For starters, we need about twenty pages of character creation arguments spanning over a week. Then, you count the votes individually, to ensure that a combination that was least likely to be chosen gets picked, thereby producing the greatest amount of butthurt possible, fueling this CYOA to ever greater heights.

 

[treave]

Nothing like starting things off with a bang, but what if I said that character creation begins after the prologue ends?

 

[tindrli]

CC