Inactive [LP CYOA] Overlord

[Nevill]

But our plan has so far been all about destabilizing the regions do that we can exploit them.

Without explicitly announcing our presence, mind you. It works because things happen and people can't link them to us, so they have no common enemy to blame and turn on each other.

We could have stolen Zayan in the broad daylight and boasted about it, too. Would that destabilize the situation and cause chaos/make people lose their shit? Sure would.

We could have attacked Ontoglia instead of working with the Governor behind the scenes. Would that provide us with magnatite and put Methuss on edge? Sure would.

The goal is not just to instigate chaos. There is also a matter of remaining relatively unnoticed so that people pay you no mind while you reap the benefits.

As far as common enemies go, Vaalgarf takes it by a margin. So if we want to be consistent with our previous low-key approach, I think we should aim a bit lower.

 

[Kipeci]

It's true that we played it more low-key before. There was a rather legitimate fear that all of getting our pretty inventor dragged off to suffer either an ethics trial or some sort of Operation Paperclip snatching, our cute goblins gruesomely murdered and enslaved, the village and all of its contents being put to the torch, that sort of thing. After all, there's only so many places where Erdrick could be with his overwhelming firepower to stand guard, and with his orientation towards offense even a successful defense of Grahferde would probably have left much of it in cinders... such a confrontation was pretty likely to happen, considering that he can only keep going back there unless some other base is set up and there's no ideal alternate site that we've managed to come across.

I think that now we are starting to move a bit past those concerns so that we may act more recklessly. The village can at any moment be cloaked in a massive forcefield capable of tanking a direct strike from Erd's full-powered Gigadyne, and we are seeing already how quickly the golems can construct fortifications while they aren't even quite done in building more of their number. Zayan has plenty of further schemes to enact, and it takes a lot of time for forces sufficiently developed to crack that nut to be organized-- time that can be used well by Zayan to bolster our defenses.

I still don't think I want to go with the second coming of Vaalgrahf idea, there's simply too high a risk of spooking them so that they scatter prematurely instead of bringing them to the castle like we wanted them to. That said, I think it's okay to act in a more risky fashion than we have been to get that little bit of extra reward.

 

[Nevill]

There is a hole that the golems are busily repairing, the aftermath of your little card game with Rin.

By the way, how did the game end? We are faster than her, and Mystic Eyes only affect spells IIRC. If we were found, how did she do it?

Of course, we also could have won and Rin just could be a bad sports about it.

Knowing our luck, though, it is very possible that she was holding the very cards we were palming.

 

[Baltika9]

Without explicitly announcing our presence, mind you.

That's the beauty of it, though. Vaalgraf isn't us, he wouldn't even be our sockpuppet, but Rin's. Anyone who would be looking for a demon wouldn't even find us unless we cock it up bad, since Erd is an angel.
Something that huge is the perfect smokescreen if we use it right. Whenever we need to do something big, all that has to happen is for 'Vaalgraf' to make an appearance elsewhere and we pretty much have free reign. It's absolutely a high-stakes choice, but it has potential to be both hilarious and very effective.

 

[Nevill]

Vaalgraf isn't us, he wouldn't even be our sockpuppet, but Rin's.

But we plan to cache in on being his successor personally... eventually. Aren't we? We are the God Emperor of Monsterkind, not Rin.

The coming of Vaalgraf also marks the Forest of Ruin as a special location, since that's where his castle was the last time. As we are getting more and more entangled with Grahferde (for example, by discovering ancient ruins that actually belonged to Vaalgraf at one time), I am less sure that making appearance elsewhere would be very convincing. I don't think that moving elsewhere would remain a very appealing option for long, especially if we find something of value down there.

Frankly, even pretending to be the Dark Lord is a big enough gamble that draws his attention (as well as that of his three still living lieutenants) to the area. That's not counting the upcoming invasion of Cloakies (surely you didn't forget about them?), and possible Athos' plots. It's a bit concerning that we are making enemies at a faster pace than we've been dealing with them.

 

[TOME]

Why not the minotaur then? It's what they are expecting after all.

I could be convinced to go with B also. Gigadyne is what started the whole thing and it could take some of the heat off from Erd.

 

[Nevill]

Why not the minotaur then? It's what they are expecting after all.

I have a few reasons, but they might not work for everyone.
- I partially buy Baltika's rationalisation, I just disagree about the extent.
- The Dark Lord has no established traits. We can do whatever the hell we want, and it won't be out of place. We also get to shape his 'first impression' as he has not come in contact with Methuss openly yet. There may be opportunities there.
- I grew fond of the idea of Rin playing the part of the Minotaur Firelord (as the only thing the monster was known for is his ferocity and savagery, and also because she has her shadow armor that can take any shape she wants), with us supporting the show from behing the curtains (adding pyro effects, stealing important people in the midst of the battle, and generally directing the performance). The reverse... does not quite work. Yet I want to conduct the raid personally, because Rin is not particularly great with planning and on-the-fly decisions.

So to me Minotaur is claimed as Rin's character, and Erdrick should pick from the rest.

I thought about B, and found it a bit lacking. The adventurers are not the only ones watching. I do not want to give the sign that whatever caused the first flash is still there, because it's definitely not what Minotaur Firelord was known for. That artefact the Confessor-Princess was searching for was extremely important, perhaps important enough to warrant some action that we may find unwanted.

But yes, to me the preferred choices are either a Minotaur Lord (safe, if a bit boring) or the Dark One.

 

[Nevill]

A thought has occured to me.

I remember some of us wanting to get Aria closer to the prince at some point or the other. And the girl has expressed a (voter-affected) interest in the guy, and made her interest known to the adventurers. Why not indulge it and make her turn it into something more tangible?

Erdrick thinks Aria is just a 'normal girl' after all, but can he turn it to his advantage as well?

If we get to do a battle recon, I think we could, among other things, make a show of attacking the most sacred cow in the expedition - the princeling. It would be something that both knights and adventurers would find hard to ignore, something that would force them to seek the perpetrator out. But we can do this with a twist, which would allow Aria to save him at the last possible moment and push him out of harm's way.

I have a few ideas how to communicate our plan to her without being obvious to the third parties - that is, if she does not grasp it straight away.

Having royalty owe you one is never a bad thing (provided that you can cache in on a favor properly ), and neither is being recognized as more observant/resourseful/lucky than trained bodyguards, who would not be able to stop us. On the other hand, it does not require Aria to be anything more than a right girl in the right place, and should not appear too suspicious (we do not require her to best us in single combat, only to dodge a blow). It might boost her rep and possibly position her better to learn more, perhaps from the prince himself, who is not a 'sly adult' and might fall for it out of gratitude.

It kind of ties in with our recent attempt to make Aria better at manipulation, and Erdrick's love for con jobs.

 

[TOME]

I don't like the idea of posing as the Dark Lord simply because we have no knowledge of his/her contacts. Who is to say the adventurers or the duke haven't run into him/her before, and the moment we announce ourselves as him/her they'll know something fishy is going on?

I have a few ideas how to communicate our plan to her without being obvious to the third parties - that is, if she does not grasp it straight away.

I thought we are using the slimes as a communication device. Or did I misunderstand that part of the update?

The red, translucent figure of Aria wobbles and returns to a puddle-like form on the floor. Having finished conveying the message, it creeps around your feet like a puppy seeking attention and praise. You toss Red a piece of meat which it begins digesting happily with a burbled “Fucking thanks!”. The hivemind of the slimes is a particularly useful thing.

 

[Nevill]

Who is to say the adventurers or the duke haven't run into him/her before, and the moment we announce ourselves as him/her they'll know something fishy is going on?

The Duke was confirmed not knowing about his existence, and Shara (who is the Duke's main informant) haven't heard of him either:

I think this is the relevant quote

Because the Dark Lord's minion was in the area, and the squires from Naguria run into his slimes. You know, Naguria, the same fort that houses Knights of Azurellion? Run by Wisteria Brescia.

The story's potency would be a lot greater if the squires had actually met Quekquek and heard his rant about the Dark Lord. They could have, but they didn't, so this will be the first time the Duke is hearing about such a figure.

No idea about the adventurers. By the sound of it, the Dark Lord is making inroads into Methuss through his lieutenants, so he is unlikely to operate by himself. Even though I can't prove it, I doubt the choice affects the adventuring party. They may act big, but they are, in the end, small fries. It's more likely to put us at odds with the Dark Lord himself, or facilitate his connections with factions that would think he opposes Methuss after our stunt. That's where I expect the consequences to lie.

Regardless, 'something fishy' is exactly the kind of thing that warrants an investigation.

I thought we are using the slimes as a communication device

It's correct, though I have no idea how she smuggled a slime in.

She can use it any time she thinks she is not observed, but we might not be able to do the same without blowing her cover away, so there might be a few difficulties on that front. I just mentioned that communication should not be a problem even if we didn't have this channel.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

A III i

Maybe we can finally play our hand at acting like an evil overlord. "Muahahaha"s should ensue.

 

[Esquilax]

Frankly, even pretending to be the Dark Lord is a big enough gamble that draws his attention (as well as that of his three still living lieutenants) to the area. That's not counting the upcoming invasion of Cloakies (surely you didn't forget about them?), and possible Athos' plots. It's a bit concerning that we are making enemies at a faster pace than we've been dealing with them.

Indeed, it is concerning, but what if these enemies of ours can be manipulated into fighting one another rather than going after us? If we manage to either entice the Adventurers towards the Dark Lord, or lure the Dark Lord here so that they wear each other down, well, that's the sort of lazy success that Erdrick can be proud of. Not saying that it would be easy, of course, but since they don't know who the Dark Lord is, controlling the narrative will be easy.

A III i

 

[lightbane]

I would say what's most likely to happen is that the Dark Lord himself will come after hearing someone was taking advantage of his reputation... Only to be followed by the Cloakies as well, the whole thing ending up in a free-for-all clusterfuck that the Codex is so fond of.

 

[Nevill]

The only one who could take his name is the one who has heard it before. Not sure if he is famous (doesn't look like it, certainly not in these parts), so he would have to presume it was learned from TopKek who went MiA in Methuss. From there it logically follows that the pretender is the one who killed TopKek.

TRADITION demands he sends his minions in to punish the upstart - in small, manageable groups. He'll probably send his second lieutenant first.

IT IS TRADITION

Tally

Nevill A3 i
Kipeci Ax i
Kz3r0 A3 ii
Azira Ax i
archaen A1 i > A2 ii > A3 ii
lightbane A3 i
TOME A1 ii
ScubaV A3 i
Baltika9 A4 ii
Grimgravy C
Lambchop19 A3 i
Esquilax A3 i
Jester A3 i
Storyfag A IV i

A1 - 2
A3 - 7
A4 - 2
Ax - 2
C - 1

i - 10
ii - 3

OR

A1i - 1
A1ii - 1
A3i - 6
A3ii - 1
A4i - 1
A4ii - 1
Axi - 2
C - 1

 

[Jester]

A III i

 

[TOME]

I flopped to Rinotaur.

 

[Storyfag]

A IV i

 

[lightbane]

TRADITION demands he sends his minions in to punish the upstart - in small, manageable groups. He'll probably send his second lieutenant first.

There's an exception to this rule and that is if he shows up in a cutscene to gloat and threaten the hero menacingly, possibly accompanied by all of his other liutenants at once. Extra fun if the cloakies and the Bandit Queen also decide to show up at the same time.

 

[Nevill]

I am a bit glad we have the guy around. It would be nice to see how we compare to a traditional moustache-twirling villain. Also might provide a bit of perspective for our more scrupulous followers if we ever bother with getting those.

He may be something else entirely (wouldn't be the first time we were mistaken about the nature of someone we have never met personally), but with the name like Dark Lord and henchmen like TopKek I almost wish he would turn out exactly what he sounds like.


Anyway, does anyone have any ideas on what they want to do with the prince? Killing him is wasteful - he is more valuable as a pawn or a hostage... but it's not easy to think of a use for him. Do we want to kidnap him and ransom the royal family? Turn him into our disciple (the guy is implied to be a quick learner) and use him as a tool in succession games? Do we want him to escape the deathtrap, aided by Aria, and thus have him owe an even bigger debt to the girl which we will find how to exploit later? Maybe even 'save' him as Trider and put a different spin on it?

 

[Kipeci]

He's more valuable to me as a draw for vast quantities of XP that would otherwise not be bothered to march on the remote forest. Given the unpopularity of my views, I guess I'd also accept the ransoming and such as reasonable since we get something out of it.

I don't want any disciple business from the likes of him, too many ties to the old order that must be swept away. I doubt he would ever be trustworthy, and we're already devoting too much attention to our other underwhelming lackeys without getting mixed up in making sure that this kid has the support of all the right factions back in the capital where Erd is despised.

 

[Nevill]

I don't want any disciple business from the likes of him, too many ties to the old order that must be swept away.

Ah, I think here is where you might be mistaken. Children are supposed to riot against the order set up by their parents. With but a little help they might even succeed...

 

[Baltika9]

Oh yes, he's actually a very good candidate to get Arthas'd.

Prince Feyton, son of the Crown Prince Feist, who looked a bit too hungry and ambitious even to you when you saw him at the banquet. Though there is still little you know about him at the moment, he has apparently managed to live quite luxuriously while on camp, maintaining standards of comfort befitting that of royalty. Besides that, you have also learnt that he is more popular than his father, at least amongst the knights. Earnest and willing to learn. Humble, too.

Ambition, competency, honesty and vanity, perhaps? All very exploitable.
Stop stealing my ideas, bro, I brought up Arthas first.

 

[lightbane]

Pff, do you really think the Codex Erdrick has the patience for such pointless games? It would be better to use him as an hostage, or a lab rat. Also, screw Warcraft 3, it started the of Blizzard and it only went worse from here.

PS: Also, traitorous, power-hungry royals are rarely known for being obedient to their dark masters, so he wouldn't be really trustworthy.

 

[Baltika9]

Pff, do you really think the Codex Erdrick has the patience for such pointless games?

The question isn't wether or not the Dex is patient enough. The question is, are you?

PS: Also, traitorous, power-hungry royals are rarely known for being obedient to their dark masters, so he wouldn't be really trustworthy.

That's a good point, I kinda regret not picking the skeleton and going for a Lich King merger. But, I'm pretty sure we can mindfuck him into submission.

Also, screw Warcraft 3, it started the

Start or not, it was still a good game with good cinematics.

 

[Nevill]

Pff, do you really think the Codex Erdrick has the patience for such pointless games?

I believe he does. He has kept the bandits for something, after all, instead of exchanging them for money right away.

We want to have a say over what happens in Methuss, and the Bandit Empire is one such method, but having a grip on the throne is more efficient, if more noticeable. There are various ways of achieving this, up to and including marrying a princess, or getting one of our kids married to a royalty, or brainwashing an impressionable youth/corrupting an ambitious adult, or making ourselves indispensable to the survival of the kingdom or its ruler.

Erdrick does have at least some capability for long-term planning, despite there existing a significant faction of Codexers who want him to act in the spur of a moment. That's how we still managed to keep our disguise.

PS: Also, traitorous, power-hungry royals are rarely known for being obedient to their dark masters, so he wouldn't be really trustworthy.

Pfft. Make him dependent. The obedience will follow.

Also, Blizzard cinematics were and still are one of the best in the industry, whatever you might think of their plots.