Inactive [LP CYOA] Overlord

[Nevill]

It is a matter of time until Erd cares enough to bring her to Grahferde and let the healing pod do the rest, if only to continue his crusade against the gods (and eventually become one ourselves, of course).

Well, while I would do it just to finish the job, there is always a subset of voters who care more about personal profits. Which, too, are something that drives Erdrick.

So I am trying to think how her healing could benefit us as well.

Perhaps they are looking for an excuse to start a new war against humanity, something we could take advantage of.

They were in decline for thousands of years, which led to them leaving these lands in the first place. I doubt they want a war, unless they are driven by some external force, like Dark Lord or whoever controls the Cloakies.

It is interesting, though, that Galbaldy is the kingdom that covers us from the east. If we wanted to learn more about monsters, I suppose that's where we should look first.

Whatever happens, now the point is to focus on the adventurers and do as much damage as possible to them.

Do we want to, though?

I am warming up to all sorts of different ideas, but one thing I'd especially like is to let them 'win'... at a horrible, horrible price. Which doesn't necessarily mean they would be slaughtered to a handful of survivors, though that also helps. They could lose their prince as the castle self-destructs after the 'defeat' of Rinotaur Lord (IT IS TRADITION!) - and leave him behind for dead (could be usefuil for a variety of plans; nothing quite like a surprise royalty out of nowhere appearing a few years after he is crossed out of the succession line). There are many ways to make people murmur that the expedition was too costly, and that puts even more pressure on the Duke to point out that it wasn't and that it was all worth it.

It would be much more impactful when it turns out that no, it wasn't.

 

[Kayerts]

There's something to be said about everybody, if you want to get technical. A farmer could deal a killing blow to us under the right conditions.

http://ultima.wikia.com/wiki/Hoe_of_Destruction -- Never forget.

1: A - Seems like violence through magic is what she's good at.

2: C > 2A - Utility magic will give him the most . . . utility, but the kid has strong Light Side tendencies. In the interests of him not having an annoying redemption arc and becoming the leader of the Antimercantilist Rebellion in Chapter 9, I'd like to set him on the path of Letting the Hate Flow Through Him. Toward that end, I think we all know there is no surer way to corrupt a promising youth than to teach him the secret of +1 SWORDS.

3: A > B2 - Rin Diplomacy would just result in her killing the entire expedition before it arrived, Arlin would bring home another annoying young adventuress girlfriend, Cow Diplomacy would work but would also be deploying our most powerful minion prematurely. I sorta like the idea of Trider showing up and dying heroically against various threats during our stint in Methuss, ideally multiple times, until he attains legendary status as a trickster magician who appears when the people's need is greatest.

4: C > B > A > D? This one confuses me. Delving Too Deep is a classic blunder, but since we're the overlord, isn't awakening a balrog just a good way to get a recruit? The room with reflective surfaces and plants sounds like its description should be a recognizable hint that we should pick up on, but I'm not seeing it.

 

[lightbane]

Do we want to, though?

I am warming up to all sorts of different ideas, but one thing I'd especially like is to let them 'win'... at a horrible, horrible price.

That's compatible with "doing as much damage to them as possible". In fact, that's my idea as well. It would be better if we capture the "princeling", along with the other named recruits we met in the previous chapter, if only to give the twins some more company, get more children with potential to be molded into different approaches, annoy the Duke and mess with his plans and, lastly but not least, give Zayan new lab assistants (or better said "test subjects"). We'll need some volunteers for our future "Angel-Demon hybrid space marine Eternal super-soldier program" after all.

but the kid has strong Light Side tendencies. In the interests of him not having an annoying redemption arc and becoming the leader of the Antimercantilist Rebellion in Chapter 9, I'd like to set him on the path of Letting the Hate Flow Through Him. Toward that end, I think we all know there is no surer way to corrupt a promising youth than to teach him the secret of +1 SWORDS.

But Arlin still cares for his sister, who's willingly helping us, so he wouldn't go that far. Even moreso considering his furry friend is also working for us. Also, why would teaching him how to fight better with swords turn him more evil? At best it may give him more confidence and ironically make him more prone to rebellion, at worst nothing except he becomes very skilled for his age. Erdrick is not someone who would torture/humiliate someone as part of a lesson. Even when he forced the twins to spar with him for two days straight, he wasn't doing that to teach them anger nor was he belittling them (as far as we know).

That reminds me. Just to know, treave: would teaching Arlin to be more skilled at sword-fighting give him the opportunity to eventually develop his own animu martial techniques?

Delving Too Deep is a classic blunder, but since we're the overlord, isn't awakening a balrog just a good way to get a recruit? The room with reflective surfaces and plants sounds like its description should be a recognizable hint that we should pick up on, but I'm not seeing it.

Just because we find another monster/s in these ruins, nothing says they're going to be willing to serve us straight away for a multitude of reasons. For example, they may be cranky after being forcibly awakened and thus need an immediate blood sacrifice to satisfy them, or they may be mindless/too crazy to engage into monster diplomacy, or their horrifying presence may be too damaging for the minds of pitiful mortals (fortunately, the latter's case is unlikely to happen, Erd's ego is too great to break upon contacting "just" a tentacled abomination, but the gobbos and others may be a different case).

PS: Also, in other news, there's a different kind of overlord which some may find entertaining: http://tenka.seiha.org/2016/01/its-good-to-be-the-overlord/


EDIT: Oh wait, I got it now. The +1 Swords thing must be a reference to the Legend CYOA, which I haven't read yet.

 

[Jester]

Yeah we should get some "Get out of my property" signs near village. We could plead self-defence. They can check ruins. We already... emm cleaned that part.

I would love to see Erdrick trying to convince people that fire Minotaur screw this and decided to go join adventure guild, or just questing. That's how legend of bullborn was started.

 

[Nevill]

We'll need some volunteers for our future "Angel-Demon hybrid space marine Eternal super-soldier program" after all.

I am totally genetically modifying the twins to demons or whatever is available at the time. It's a waste to teach them if they are going to die of old age.

But Arlin still cares for his sister, who's willingly helping us, so he wouldn't go that far. Even moreso considering his furry friend is also working for us. Also, why would teaching him how to fight better with swords turn him more evil?

No, Kayerts is right. +1 SWORDS cares not for siblings, it cares not for friends or loved ones. +1 SWORD is so sweet and seducing that the one fooled by its alluring promises loses desire for anything else. Many a youth were led astray by its call.

But what Kayerts does not realize is that +1 SWORDS corrupts absolutely. There is no middle ground in this. If Arlin is set upon this path, the Antimercantilist Rebellion would still happen, but its driving reason will be to slay his master for the sweet, precious +1 SWORDS and a shiny new technique.

Only those who follow the Way of the Fist may find it in themselves to resist the poisonous temptation, for the one who can Fist needs no Swords!

So the one way to raise Arlin properly is to put him under the tutorship of BRObatos, as only a BRO can unlock the secrets of the FIST.


(I like Arlin on the Light Side. He provides a contrast to us and his sister. It makes us more versatile taken as a whole.)

 

[Grimgravy]

A>C
C>A
C>B4
B

 

[Baltika9]

You're wrong, Nevill. +1 SWORDS is easy to deal with by feeding it. There's always that next +1 SWORDS to attain and that means we have a means to pacify him. Moralfaggotry, on the other hand, is almost incurable and is the greater of two evils for our young apprentice.

(I like Arlin on the Light Side. He provides a contrast to us and his sister. It makes us more versatile taken as a whole.)

I think that's a credit to his temperament, not his morals. Becoming an asshole won't necessarily change his cautious nature.

So the one way to raise Arlin properly is to put him under the tutorship of BRObatos, as only a BRO can unlock the secrets of the FIST.

I do want that.

 

[treave]

Just to know, treave: would teaching Arlin to be more skilled at sword-fighting give him the opportunity to eventually develop his own animu martial techniques?

That's up to Arlin, isn't it?

 

[Nevill]

You're wrong, Nevill. +1 SWORDS is easy to deal with by feeding it.

Yes, but don't you see that we become but another link in the feeding chain? Worse yet, I think we qualify as +2 SWORDS!

I think that's a credit to his temperament, not his morals. Becoming an asshole won't necessarily change his cautious nature.

No, I am talking precisely about his 'morals'.

A time may come when we need someone who isn't an asshole to make a first impression or to honestly whiteknight in our stead when we consider it tasteless, but still useful.

He is not just cautious - I think the Golden Snake is as well, by virtue of being an assassin - but he is genuinely well-meaning as well as dedicated to us due to a variety of factors. That's a rare combination of qualities that I am not sure I am intent on 'fixing'. We have Mercant to solve problems in a Mercant-like way. Why do we need another?

For that matter, I do not wholly approve Aria becoming more like Rin either.

 

[Baltika9]

Yes, but don't you see that we become but another link in the feeding chain? Worse yet, I think we qualify as +2 SWORDS!

There's nothing about Erdrick that can be used as a sword, though. Even our 'sword' is limp.
We can keep giving him our feathers for +INFINITE SWORDS! In which case, he wouldn't kill his crack dealer.

For that matter, I do not wholly approve Aria becoming more like Rin either.

I don't think she can, bro. Rin is a unique type of special.

No, I am talking precisely about his 'morals'.

A time may come when we need someone who isn't an asshole to make a first impression or to honestly whiteknight in our stead when we consider it tasteless, but still useful.

He is not just cautious - I think the Golden Snake is as well, by virtue of being an assassin - but he is genuinuly well-meaning as well as dedicated to us due to a variety of factors. That's a rare combination of qualities that I am not sure I am intent on 'fixing'. We have Mercant to solve problems in a Mercant-like way. Why do we need another?

Because all of that can be affected by a sociopath and I want to get him to a point where we can trust him to do anything independently and get it done in a manner consistent with us. This is a conversation for another time, though.

 

[Nevill]

We can keep giving him our feathers for +INFINITE SWORDS! In which case, he wouldn't kill his crack dealer.

Thanks, now I have an image of Evil!Arlin putting Erdrick in the basement on a chain, for annual plucking.

I want to get him to a point where we can trust him to do anything independently and get it done in a manner consistent with us. This is a conversation for another time, though.

That is interesting. On one hand, there is indeed not enough people to do things in a manner 'consistent with us'. On the other, I view having several different approaches available for a given mission as a plus.

We'll see, I suppose. The way he handles that Tenya business will be his first testbed.

 

[Baltika9]

Thanks, now I have an image of Evil!Arlin putting Erdrick in the basement on a chain, for annual plucking.

I live to serve.

We'll see, I suppose. The way he handles that Tenya business will be his first testbed.

Uh huh.

 

[Elfberserker]

AACA

Lets teach the twins what Erd knows best, Magic.

 

[lightbane]

Some stuff I missed that I would like to comment, if only to pass the time.

Pretty much. Her one advantage over Arlin is that she may have acquaintances there.

How so? Arlin is somewhat more well-meaning and possibly social than Aria (considering his contact with the gobbos started way before the twins met us), so if one of the two would have friends here, I thought it would be Arlin. But it's probably a moot point now.

They were in decline for thousands of years, which led to them leaving these lands in the first place. I doubt they want a war, unless they are driven by some external force, like Dark Lord or whoever controls the Cloakies.

Not necessarily. Resentment is a powerful force, doubly so when the inhumans are treated as beasts and slaves and humies were the ones that pushed them away first. All it takes is a spark to ignite everything.

That's up to Arlin, isn't it?

Now I'm tempted to allow Arlin to be taught swordsmanship, if only so that he develops his own version of the Threefold Flash Strike (for example: the Sevenfold Strike). Rin, upon noticing that, would get jealous that a mere human child acquired so much battle potential, possibly to the point of herself developing yet another variation of the same technique and the one we wanted to have: the Hundredfold strike. Granted, it's a gamble but it wouldn't hurt to try. Unfortunately, it won't happen anytime soon.

He is not just cautious - I think the Golden Snake is as well, by virtue of being an assassin - but he is genuinely well-meaning as well as dedicated to us due to a variety of factors

Arlin is dedicated to us by necessity, not because he wishes to do so. And about being well-meaning, perhaps I'm being a bit cynical, but I find it hard to believe Arlin is completely "pure-hearted". And if he is, he will bring us trouble once we're forced to employ increasingly unethical but pragmatic choices (examples: allowing the monster army to enslave a village instead of killing them all, sacrificing an entire orphanage as part of a powerful ritual, engaging into brutal destruction and carnage in order to fulfill Angels' rite of passage into adulthood...). It's possible it will never get this bad, but it is something to consider. Hopefully Arlin won't try to "accidentally" let Tenia escape.

For that matter, I do not wholly approve Aria becoming more like Rin either.

Well, unless she's separated from her, Aria is spending a lot of time with her, so this is going to happen unless we change Rin's own personality a bit.

We'll see, I suppose. The way he handles that Tenya business will be his first testbed.

Spoiler

"Please tell us more, my friend"

 

[Nevill]

How so? Arlin is somewhat more well-meaning and possibly social than Aria (considering his contact with the gobbos started way before the twins met us), so if one of the two would have friends here, I thought it would be Arlin.

The squires. Arlin is known as 'that guy who was with Trider and made a fool of himself at the banquet'.
Aria is known as 'that gal who crossed paths with the squires once and may or may not be related to Arlin'. If Oliver is there, I expect him to put up a word for her... and maybe even Eileen, if she steps over their enmity to pay off a debt.

And if he is, he will bring us trouble once we're forced to employ increasingly unethical but pragmatic choices

That's a fine line to walk. It is perfectly understandable that the more unethical choices you want to consider, the more you limit who can work with you or for you. At the far end of the scale is the Carnage Pigeon that can't work with anyone and would rather kill them all for EXP. We seem to have rejected that. Now we just have to choose the shade of grey we are comfortable with.

Hopefully Arlin won't try to "accidentally" let Tenia escape.

If we won't harm her, why would he? It would expose her to more danger than she is in now. And flag her as a potential informant who may have to be eradicated if she can't be captured.

That's what I am talking about. Don't be retardedly EVUL, and your employees won't have that much of a problem with you even if they may disagree with some of your decisions.

Well, unless she's separated from her, Aria is spending a lot of time with her, so this is going to happen unless we change Rin's own personality a bit.

We are the one training her, though. That is not to say I want her to become more like us, either.

I've seen Aria demonstrate her abilities with slimes, and I am fairly sure her way of doing things is unique, even if it involves elements of beating others into submission.

 

[Esquilax]

AACA

Lets teach the twins what Erd knows best, Magic.

Seems to me that such a specialized party could be ripe for countering via anti-magic (as we experienced when we were in an anti-magic field). Part of the reason why I like Arlin as more of a warrior is that it diversifies our party make-up a bit. Now, that isn't to say that we shouldn't play to our strengths - for example, Erdrick is a smart magic user, and it would make no sense to try turning him into a warrior - but having people around that are good at different things is a bigger benefit to us, I think.

 

[Kipeci]

No sense to have Erdrick as a warrior? He's already highly skilled in combat, more promising material is to be pursued with the Way of the Fist including apparently more ranged strikes, and anti-magic fields don't take away the fists. I wouldn't focus on it to the exclusion of all else, but having high skill in both disciplines allows us to exploit many weaknesses in more specialized opponents.

 

[Esquilax]

No sense to have Erdrick as a warrior? He's already highly skilled in combat, more promising material is to be pursued with the Way of the Fist including apparently more ranged strikes, and anti-magic fields don't take away the fists. I wouldn't focus on it to the exclusion of all else, but having high skill in both disciplines allows us to exploit many weaknesses in more specialized opponents.

Maybe I phrased it poorly - when I say "Erdrick as a warrior" I mean "warrior" in the sense of a dude like Ean. A bad motherfucker who wins with physical and martial prowess. Erdrick is a decent fighter, definitely, and the Way of the Fist is worth exploring so that we have tools to deal with specialized enemies, but my main point was that we have a guy whose main strength is in magic. We will diversify our skill set for the reasons you describe, but our emphasis will probably be leaning towards magic.

I'm getting the sense that we actually agree on the matter.

 

[lightbane]

That's a fine line to walk. It is perfectly understandable that the more unethical choices you want to consider, the more you limit who can work with you or for you. At the far end of the scale is the Carnage Pigeon that can't work with anyone and would rather kill them all for EXP. We seem to have rejected that.

I don't remember the specifics right now, but I would say accepting the Pigeonic bloodlust and embracing it fully would have been way more than going full EVIL. At that point, Erd's personality would have pretty much disappeared, replaced by a near mindless obsession to kill everything like a stalker movie monster, to the point even other Angels would freak out. More than evil, he would have become like a murderous force of nature (or the average MMORPG player). It would have been a waste of a game too. Thanfully, Mercant rejected the Genocide playthrough... For now.

However, the fact you mentioned some of our companions may disagree with our choices is a problem of itself. Given enough time (and disagreement), Arlin may consider rebelling at some point if he does not become more callous than he is now.

Perhaps telling Petze to ditch him for Robust will do the trick (assuming it doesn't happen on its own).

et for the reasons you describe, but our emphasis will probably be leaning towards magic.

Probably? Angels are literal walking magic batteries and have proficiency with all kinds of magic. Perhaps that's the reason why Erd can learn new spells so quickly.

Lastly, while an anti-magic field would be a problem for our twins if we teach them magic, it is unlikely something like this would happen now. The adventurers have no reason to summon one of these (yet ).

 

[Baltika9]

Perhaps telling Petze to ditch him for Robust will do the trick (assuming it doesn't happen on its own).

Or getting him comfortable with violence would be a good first step.

Lastly, while an anti-magic field would be a problem for our twins if we teach them magic, it is unlikely something like this would happen now. The adventurers have no reason to summon one of these (yet ).

You do realize that now that you've said it, it's pretty much guaranteed to happen, right?

 

[treave]

I'll be updating over the weekend. Have been kinda busy this week, and if I'm honest, this is gonna stretch over the next two weeks too. Updates are going to be rare for a bit.

 

[lightbane]

Baltika9
My hope is that if the adventurers were stupid enough to employ an antimagic-field in the middle of the dungeon, it would do more harm to themselves than us (or our spy). Either way, you're right, I better stay silent and stop tempting fate.

 

[Baltika9]

So, any more takers on training Arlin in swordsmanship and finally getting him comfortable with shanking motherfuckers?

 

[Nevill]

So, any more takers on training Arlin in swordsmanship and finally getting him comfortable with shanking motherfuckers?

What makes you think that it is swordsmanship skill that determines this?

Swordsmanship alone is no more likely to break this barrier than studying utility magic is to make him kill people in their mana-induced sleep.

 

[Baltika9]

Because if we teach him how to handle bladed weapons and then put him in a situation where he can use his newly acquired skills with said bladed weapons, he will eventually shank a motherfucker. It is more likely that he will shank a motherfucker if we teach him skills that directly relate to it; rather than if we teach him skills to avoid shanking a motherfucker.