[LP CYOA] Epic

[newcomer]

Oh that's right, the fear power. I assume our mental abilities are strong enough to suck information from those immortal heads? Or we can just do the same thing we did to Panrath and hope it won't kill us

 

[Esquilax]

I'm with the anti-interrogation bros here. The more I think about it, the more I think that Ean, in his agitated state (Deimos' and Phobos' special abilities just made Ean's rage stronger. Sucks to be them) will flip a switch and devour their souls, hearts, brains kidneys and have Iltani play fetch with their bones.

I think that this is all the more reason to let them go. Let's recap: They can't fight. They can't harm us psychically at all - in fact, their powers only make us more dangerous. They can't even control their powers properly to direct fear towards only enemy soldiers. It's becoming clear that these guys can't do much of anything. If we let them go, Ares will be distracted looking after two liabilities whom he knows we can kill any time we feel like.

If we kill them, we only provoke his bloodlust and make him single-minded - leave them be for now, and we'll have opportunities to take Ares out later.

Honestly, we wouldn't even need to interrogate them - a scanning of their minds via telepathy will be enough to tell us about the composition of Ares' forces and it can give a hint as to what Ares' powers are.

Edit: Also, I wonder what kind of counter we can have to provide our regular soldiers defense from fear. Perhaps the arrival of Runi on the Egyptian side will provide enough of a morale boost to counter some of Phobos and Deimos' abilities.

 

[Baltika9]

Edit: Also, I wonder what kind of counter we can have to provide our regular soldiers defense from fear. Perhaps the arrival of Runi on the Egyptian side will provide enough of a morale boost to counter some of Phobos and Deimos' abilities.

Ean's balls. What more do they need?
Edit: In fact, we should have a special armor designed for precisely that purpose. One look, and Ares will submit, admitting that he is the lesser man.


Edit2: About Iltani, I hope we don't end up in an Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot situation. Although, if Sekhenun will be our Lancelot, it will be a definite incline.

 

[treave]

Tjaru is in poor condition and almost indefensible right now from the Sumerian side. Not a lot of soldiers too, maybe about a hundred or so remaining. Ean doesn't fancy a repeat of sitting out another siege inside. Next update will give you information and decide on strategy in Egypt. Fear power is just an extension of psionics. They can actually target their powers instead of AoE but the effect is weaker that way.

And yes, Shulgi is still alive, as is Naram.

 

[newcomer]

Tjaru is in poor condition and almost indefensible right now from the Sumerian side. Not a lot of soldiers too, maybe about a hundred or so remaining. Ean doesn't fancy a repeat of sitting out another siege inside. Next update will give you information and decide on strategy in Egypt.

I thought there's no need to defend it from Sumeria's side thanks to our earthquake? And how does Ean able to enter the fort from Sumeria's side in the first place? Is there some sort of wooden bridge?

 

[treave]

I mean, from the Sumerian side, facing the Egyptian end. The quake didn't create an impassable fissure, all things considered it was a small quake in the right place at the right time.

The statuette is useless to you but still desirable to loyal immortals. Good thing no one knows where it is. It's hidden safely together with Vajra.

Regarding the powers, yes, essentially feeding increases your maximum capacity, and your body will gradually output increased power as it catches up. This has the effect of slowly increasing the strength of your powers over time. New powers, however, will no longer be granted to you easily and you will have to research your own capabilities to find out what new things you can do.

Basically the knowledge of every single power is there in your head, but access to it is limited by maximum capacity as well as your understanding of the concept, i.e. to learn light powers you'd need someone to give you a crash course in introductory light physics, and get a great score on that one. Ean gotta hit the books.

There are plenty of immortals that don't exactly follow their masters' directives but Ean's the only one who is actually chummy with a Gieloth.

 

[Baltika9]

Meta request: Is Ean the only rebel Immortal?
Edit: Quetzacoatl:

treave: Serious question, though: what's the Cartel los Tentaculos Mexicano up to? Any news?

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Meta request: Is Ean the only rebel Immortal?

And who will win? Zeus or Marduk? Are there more immortals pretending to be gods?

 

[newcomer]

Regarding the powers, yes, essentially feeding increases your maximum capacity, and your body will gradually output increased power as it catches up. This has the effect of slowly increasing the strength of your powers over time. New powers, however, will no longer be granted to you easily and you will have to research your own capabilities to find out what new things you can do.

Basically the knowledge of every single power is there in your head, but access to it is limited by maximum capacity as well as your understanding of the concept, i.e. to learn light powers you'd need someone to give you a crash course in introductory light physics, and get a great score on that one. Ean gotta hit the books.

There are plenty of immortals that don't exactly follow their masters' directives but Ean's the only one who is actually chummy with a Gieloth.

A crash course with Sekhenum-sensei you mean?

 

[kazgar]

A2, better chance of saving memphis if they're distracted by tales of a immortal coming from the east (and we can rally the remains egyptian troops from tjuru if the forts useless, and provide a better diversion)

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Edit: Quetzacoatl:

treave: Serious question, though: what's the Cartel los Tentaculos Mexicano up to? Any news?

Depends on what time we are. The Olmecs didn't form until 1200 BCE. Would anyone kindly tell me what the date is? So long as the tentacles aren't interfering with Mesoamerica the area should be more or less free from the effects of the butterfly effect just like the far east. So expect us to encounter an Aztec empire just like the one Cortes encountered. If we had let Ean die before we could have had an opportunity to play the immortal Quetzalcoatl ruling over the mighty Toltec empire and getting drawn into conflict with his nemesis Tezcatlipoca.

 

[Baltika9]

Edit: Quetzacoatl:

treave: Serious question, though: what's the Cartel los Tentaculos Mexicano up to? Any news?

Depends on what time we are. The Olmecs didn't form until 1200 BCE. Would anyone kindly tell me what the date is? So long as the tentacles aren't interfering with Mesoamerica the area should be more or less free from the effects of the butterfly effect just like the far east. So expect us to encounter an Aztec empire just like the one Cortes encountered. If we had let Ean die before we could have had an opportunity to play the immortal Quetzalcoatl ruling over the mighty Toltec empire and getting drawn into conflict with his nemesis Tezcatlipoca.

Treave also confirmed that the Tentaculos Mexicanos are planning to invade Egypt to deal with their Immortals and then spank Marduk back into place.

 

[m4davis]

Can Anbar-Shi be turned into a artificial limb if need be

EDIT:also if our powers are only limited by the hunger and what we know could we just pluck the fear inducing power out of these guys

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Treave also confirmed that the Tentaculos Mexicanos are planning to invade Egypt to deal with their Immortals and then spank Marduk back into place.

Ho, ĝi estas ŝerco. Stulta mi.
Mi deziras, ke mi sciis paroli naŭatla. Estas nur unu tradukisto en interreto sed ĝi ne povas traduki plena sentencoj. La tradukisto ne povis eĉ trovi vortojn kiel ridante. Mi esperas lerni unu tagon kiel skribi kaj paroli la lingvon do mi povas insulti homojn dum dirante al ili, ke Mi vere rakontante al dek.

 

[Kattze]

A2

 

[treave]

A1 - 3
A2 - 7
B1 - 4
B2 - 3

***

Chapter 5.15: Invade the Delta

“Ares has 3000 men under his direct command here in Sais, and another contingent of 1000 men stationed in Pikuat where their fleet is in port.”

The commander of Tjaru indicated Ares’s location on the map, in the town of Sais – little more than three days away from Memphis. “They already hold most of the major cities in the Delta. It is always the same – Ares arrives and displays his strength, and the governors surrender the city to him. Damned cowards!”

“It may have been cowardly, but it is a prudent decision that leaves the cities unscathed… for now. How many soldiers do we have?”

“Most of the army is still fighting in Greece. After capturing Pikuat, the Greeks sailed along the coast and destroyed most of the ships we had, so we had to send runners by land to inform the main army of our plight. I hear it will take them at least another month before they can return to defend us. I think… I’m not sure… we should have maybe 3000 soldiers in Egypt. But since that attack on Ares two weeks ago, I’m not sure how many are left.”

“Attack? What happened?”

“The Sumerians had reinforced us with 5000 men, and the generals were confident that the Greeks would fold, outnumbered two to one. They ambushed Ares outside of Sais… it was a disaster. I heard that the survivors fled back to Memphis and holed up in there.”

You glanced at the map again. You had let Ares’s sons go, after humiliating… well, gelding them, in hopes of distracting him from his march on Memphis. If the commander was right, Ares had not spared any troops to occupy the various cities of the Delta, instead choosing to terrify them into submission by his own personal force. This coincided with his orders which you had read from the terror twins – above all else, ensure that the Pharaoh dies. To keep Egypt together, you needed to keep the pharaoh alive.

“Perhaps we can convince each of the cities to rise up and raise an army? Then we would have enough people to take on Ares. It should be simple, since he’s left them unguarded.”

You look up; Iltani was by your side, poring over the map. “Don’t you think so?”

It might be simple, but you are unsure whether common folk would be of any use against Ares. Then again, the regular army had shown a singular lack of ability in giving him any trouble either…

“I agree that it is simple, but whether it is useful is another matter entirely. Commander, is the Pharaoh still in Memphis?”

“No, sir, he relocated to Herakleopolis when the Greeks invaded. One of the old pharaohs, Astarth, had made it a very formidable fortification. The walls are much stronger than that of Memphis.”

“It looks like he isn’t surrounded by total incompetents then…”

“Sir, if I may ask a question?”

“Go ahead, commander.”

The commander of Tjaru comes closer to you tentatively. His grizzled appearance belied his hesitant demeanour.

“Are you really the same Runi that is the son of Osiris, who sent the Babylonian army packing?”

“Do you believe I am?”

“I am not sure what to think… certainly you seem different from other people, but you look so… young. Young enough to be my son.”

“Old enough to marry.” whispers Iltani, softly enough that only you could hear it.

You laugh. “I age gracefully, thanks to the blood of Osiris. If you are not yet convinced, I could probably offer a demonstration.”

The commander shakes his head, bows, and steps away. You return your gaze to the map. At best, once Ares’s sons return to him, he will abandon his march and come for your head. At worst, he will ignore your provocation and focus on his duty…

***

A. You focus on persuading the unguarded cities personally and conscripting whatever men you can find from there. You will use them to further distract Ares from going after the Pharaoh by making yourself a risk that he cannot ignore.

B. You have the commander of Tjaru try to convince the cities to act, while you head for Pikuat immediately. Destroying the Greek garrison and sinking their fleet single-handedly will definitely weaken the morale of Ares’s army, not to mention serve as a show of your strength.

C. You head for Ares at once. Although the Pharaoh was not in Memphis, allowing Ares to take the ancient capital would damage his divine legitimacy, not to mention losing whatever is left of the Babylon-Egypt allied forces.

 

[Baltika9]

A. Time to do what we do best.
Actually, thanks to the twins still being alive, an army will be useless. C is the way to go.
B. Because Runi.
treave: I know I'm getting ahaed, but what would we need to call a meteor down from the sky? Godlike telekinesis?
P.S.: Gelding? Niiiice.

 

[treave]

That and space radar, to tell you where to find it.

 

[Storyfag]

C. Cut off the head, the body will die.

 

[Esquilax]

I don't think that we should pick C, we've already distracted Ares and bought time for Memphis by sending back his sons alive. We should arrive in Memphis once we've proved the fact that we're Runi.

Based on the twins' abilities, I believe that this war is going to be decided on morale - the side with the men that are braver and more confident in achieving victory is the side that's going to better withstand the twins' fear psionics and be able to fight in spite of that. Despite the fact that we returned to Tjaru once again, even this commander is still not sure that we're the same Runi that lived ~80 years ago. We need to make the Egyptian people believe, and we need to strike terror into Greek ranks to make the twins' abilities even more useless.

That's why I say we should pick B. With their fleet destroyed and no way of coming home, Greek morale will plummet, but just as importantly, it will serve as proof that Runi has returned again and give the Egyptians hope.

B

 

[Smashing Axe]

C. Roll the die again. I do think we should have eaten the sons though to bolster our powers. Oh well. Let's keep our eyes peeled for some tasty bandits.

Also unrelated, we need to become an educated renaissance man to slowly unlock more of ours powers. When we get back let's beg Sek to tutor us so we can develop powers. Perhaps medicine? It'd be nice to enhance our regeneration. It's the perfect opportunity for treave to create some big sis Sek moments. "Ean learns to count"

Also flipping to B in agreeance with Esquilax, destroying their supply lines should hinder them somewhat and give heart to the Egyptians that Runi lives again.

B

 

[Baltika9]

Thoughts so far: Ares is our, I would think, first encounter with a mythological figure. And something tells me that treave won't copy-paste the deities' personalities in this LP, as that would be much too predictable and boring. Right now we simply must hope that we are reading Ares correctly, because if we are not, we may lose Memphis. Letting capitals fall is not a good anything by any definition of everything.

Ares is pretty much just steamrolling to Memphis now: he's not bothering to occupy villages and/or subjugate the populace. This leads me to believe that his presence here is a hit-and-run: knock Egypt out of the picture by demoralizing them and get back to Greece. Marduk is making big advances there, and a military commander is what Greece needs the most. Yes, burning his fleet will leave him stranded here, but if I'm right, he will also say "Fuck it" and continue on to Memphis. And where does that leave us?

On the other hand, let him take Memphis. In fact, fuck Memphis, and fuck Tennessee too. We're Runi, Son of Osiris, and that counts for way more than any single city. If we play this the Runi way, we'll have Egypt under our command and open a second front in Greece. That will also mean that we forfeit whatever hopes we had for Babylon for the duration of this charade (because we can't split in two. Actually, treave, is this a learnable ability?), an idea of which I am not a fan.

Hence, I am sticking to C. I rather like Babylon right now, until we go LARP Jormungandr up north. Or play conquistador a couple millenia ahead of schedule.

Another question, treave: how strong is Ean's telekinesis? I just had the idea of dropping Olympus on Zeus and Marduk repeatedly and then grinding them into cocaine. Like a mortar and pestle.

 

[m4davis]

B

 

[Esquilax]

Baltika9: It's our second, actually. Aphrodite, remember? We know all too well that she was pretty similar to her mythological counterpart.

Defending Memphis is wildly inconsistent with the choice we made previously: we chose to let the twins go in hopes of drawing Ares away from Memphis, so why go towards Memphis? Since we've chosen an overall strategy of "COME AT ME BRO", it would be stupid to go there now.

Also, it's important to note that the survivors suffered a humiliating defeat to Ares just two weeks ago, and morale is low; the terror twins are going to have a fucking field day using their powers on men who are already terrified. People are still unaware that Runi has returned to save Egypt again, so if we show up in Memphis declaring that we're the Son of Osiris without any deeds/proof to back it up, we're going to be greeted with contempt.

So before we do anything, we must first establish that the legend has returned. A is bad because actions speak louder than words (and besides, the commander of the Tjaru garrison will handle recruitment if we pick B. Sinking the Greek fleet will make his job easy), and C is bad because the terror twins would wreak havoc on a group of men who just had their asses kicked by Ares a few weeks ago. As I've stated earlier, morale will be the key to winning this war.

Anyways, I am positive that B will work. I am quite certain that Ares an impatient, bloodthirsty hothead like his mythological counterpart, but even if he isn't, this is exactly the sort of provocation that he won't be able to ignore. First we geld his sons, then we sink his fleet and kill 1,000 of his men: he looks like a bitch in front of his own men who can't go back home, and we look like a daring hero to the Egyptians. He'll pretty much have to change his plans if we sink his fleet - he knows that he could kill the Pharaoh at any time, but the longer he ignores Runi, the more he becomes a problem.

Hannibal did this "let's piss off the enemy to draw them out until they do something stupid" tactic to great effect before, and I think it'll work brilliantly here.

 

[ScubaV]

Yep, going B here.

I wish I had more artistic ability than just stick-figures. I'm imagining Ean with a shit-eating grin on his face going "Huked on fonix werked for me!" while Sekhenun tentacle face-palms in the background.