Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

[LP CYOA] 傳

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Sometimes I do wonder just why that orthodox/unorthodox vote was so split in the first place.
We'd be more renegade than Vader in his academy days.

I'm sure I missed it, but what year is it in the gameworld?
 
Last edited:

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Try Again

The gong reverberates throughout the square, signalling the start of the match.

The roar of the crowd rises above the shout of the fighters as they rush at each other. From the corner of your eye you can spot a few others hanging around near the edge of the ring, like you are. There’s no time to worry about them, though, as a bullish man charges at you, hoping to shove you out. You lower your body and feint towards your right. As he turns his body slightly, you dart quickly in the other direction. Your right foot catches the man’s legs, knocking him off his feet. Without waiting for him to recuperate, you dive into the melee. You are not a small adolescent, but the difference in mass is too great for you to fight him head-on at the ring’s side. One slip of your feet and he would toss you out of the ring.

As you wander along the confusing battle, quickly shrugging off any stray hands that attempt to capture you find yourself face-to-face with people that you’ve made an agreement with. A brief nod before turning away is all that is mutually given. Even so, you meet far more foes than you do friends; it was hard to convince more than a handful of contestants by playing it straight. At the same time, however, you couldn’t strike too freely because as it turns out, most of the ones who did agree to team up with you were fighting each other.

Suddenly, two large arms encircle you just when you have dodged a rather scary blow from one of the participating priests. You struggle to get free, but the hairy man holding you up appears to be a grappler of no mean skill. Every time you seem to be slipping out of his grasp, he cuts you off with a well-timed strategic squeeze, shifting his grip to keep you subdued.

“Hey, hey,” you say, desperate to find a way to overcome the man, “What’s this? Are you that interested in books too, uncle?”

He certainly looks more at home using books to paper up his hut in the mountains, rather than being anywhere near Luoying Manor. His laugh booms in your ear as he shouts, “Of course I am. I am the Bookwise Mountain Man, Shan! Now, boy, off you go!” With a tremendous shout, he hurls you into the air before you can speak another word. You are sent flying clean over the heads of the other competitors, towards the edge of the ring.

With a quick flip, you land on your feet instead of your back, but your balance is off. Your feet stumble backwards until you are teetering on the edge of the ring… but you’re still in it. Safe!

Or so you think, as with a shout of “Got you!” the idiot who had charged at you at the start of the match blindsides you, carrying the both of you off the platform.

And that’s how your first tournament at Quewu Square ended.

***

You trudge back to the inn through the streets of Xuzhou with nothing to show for your participation but bruises. You had acquitted yourself respectably, being the 16th participant out of the match, but losers do not get any prizes. Only one person was going to walk away with the invitation, and today that would be the Bookwise Mountain Man.

“Hey, hey there!” shouts a bright, clear female voice. “Aren’t you Master Yao’s apprentice?”

As you turn around, you see a pretty adolescent girl waving at you. She’s dressed in the colorful clothes of the southern Miao tribe, with multiple bracelets and bangles adorning her hands and feet. Her long hair is left free, however – you’d usually see Miao girls tie them up in an ornate head decoration. The girl runs towards you excitedly.

You sigh. Perhaps this is a business opportunity in the making, with the girl looking for Master Yao, and you’d at least bring in some more money.

Lost in thought, you are caught off guard when the girl throws her arms around you. She presses up against you, rubbing her cheek against yours. Is it some sort of Miao greeting? “Now, let’s see… “ she whispers gently in your ear. You feel a sharp stinging pain in your back. As the Miao girl moves away from you with a spring in her step, humming lightly, you collapse to the ground as the pain grows. Your muscles begin to convulse and you find yourself staring up at the girl as she looks at you with a dazzling, expectant smile.

Then, you pass out.

***

You feel your cheeks being pinched. You open your eyes.

“Oh, look, Master Yao. Your no-good apprentice is awake,” says the voice of the person who’s just poisoned you.

You’re back at the inn, looking up at the Miao girl who is frowning at you. Slightly annoyed, you sit up suddenly, hoping to catch her head with yours and play it off as an accident.

“Whoa!” The girl jolts away quickly. She has good reflexes. “What are you trying to do?”

“I don’t feel like lying in bed,” you reply quickly. “Who are you? What did you do to me?”

“Master Yao, you raised such a rude apprentice,” the girl says as she sprawls into a chair in an unlady-like posture. “Then again, he’s just a kid after all.”

“Right, and poisoning me in the street was an adult thing to do, right?” you retort at the girl who can’t be older than you are.

“Ah, but you fell for a woman’s touch, didn’t you, boy?” she smiles, with a hint of mockery in her lips. You can’t find any words to respond this time – she is right. You did let down your guard partially because she was a cute girl. She giggles, batting her eyelashes. “Nothing to be ashamed of. An adult woman’s charms are irresistable to a virgin boy.”

“Oh yeah?” you sneer. If she’s going to continue provoking you... “Like that body of yours is anywhere near a real adult’s. I’ve seen the real thing, and you just don’t have the curves.”

The girl flushes red. “Wha-“

“Stop it, now,” growls Master Yao, “or I’ll flick the both of you a dozen times in the head.”

The both of you clam up immediately. It looks like the girl too has felt the power of Master Yao’s Tanzhi Divine Skill (彈指神功, Finger-Flicking Divine Skill). She gives you a smile and sticks her tongue out.

“The two of you are going to get along so well. I wonder what bad luck I attracted to have her visit while you are around…” sighs your master. Cao’er comes over to you with a bowl of medicine. “…drink …counters poison,” she mumbles. You do so dutifully. It is bitter, but nothing you can’t handle.

“Cao’er, Cao’er,” calls out the Miao girl with a theatrical sigh, “I lose to you again. You keep finding ways to defeat my poisons in mere hours.” Cao’er nods in acknowledgement at the praise, though her fingers pull at your bedsheets nervously. “So, does anyone mind telling me what is going on here?” you say acidly. “Why is there a mad girl in our room?”

“This is Chi Qilin, a veritable pest,” grumbles Master Yao. “She appears every now and then to consult us on poisons.”

“I usually greet the master or Cao’er with a sampling of my latest poison,” she says with a sniff. “It’s not my fault that his latest, most useless apprentice ever doesn’t seem to know how to deal with poisons.”

“I was distracted,” you say, though your excuse sounds hollow.

“Oh, because of that ignominious defeat you had at the square? I was watching the match. I suppose anyone would be distracted at losing so badly,” Qilin replies cheekily.

“I’d like to see you try better,” you say.

“I could. I could beat you in ten moves. In fact, I already beat you in one move, out on the street,” declares the girl triumphantly. There’s something about her that reminds you of a certain someone that also rubs you the wrong way. You grit your teeth. You hate pushy girls.

“Let’s put that to the test, then. I’ll take you on in a fair match.”

“Sorry, I’m allergic to fair matches. That’s why I’m an experienced adult, and you’re a no-good kid,” she grins. “Master Yao, where did you pick up this bumpkin?”

Yao sighs loudly, seeing that he won’t be getting any peace as long as the girl’s in the room. “Cao’er brought him to me. He was half… no, nine-tenths dead. Of course, it wasn’t a problem for me. Why are you here bugging me, Miss Chi?”

“I just heard you were in town,” she smiles brightly. “Figured I could drop by and exchange some medical information with Cao’er. It’s just a coincidence, I was here in the first place to attend the winter conference at Luoying Manor.”

“You have an invite?” you blurt out, unbelieving.

“Of course. Who do you think I am?” grins Qilin. “I’m not you.”

“She probably obtained it from her father,” says Master Yao wearily before you can say anything. He’s probably going to kick the both of you out if another argument flares up. “He’s one of the fellows of the manor. Now, I want the two of you to stop getting on my nerves, or it’s finger flicks. Do you understand?”

You and Qilin nod quietly. As Yao turns back to his books, she sidles up to you on the bed. You edge away from her, sensing a threat of some sort.

“Are you still mad?” she says, her voice suddenly low and timid. “I didn’t mean it, you know.”

“No, not really,” you say awkwardly, though you still remain highly suspicious of her motives.

Before you know it, she presses against you from behind tightly, her arms draped over your chest. It looks like you may actually have to retract that comment about not having curves. You feel her breath tickling your ear. “I’m sorry.” And then, she bites it gently.

“Hey, what are you-“ Even the chambermaids weren’t this forward.

“Hush now,” she whispers. “It won’t be long.” Her arm moves up your chest and under your robes. Somehow you can't find the strength to pull away from her. Yao snorts loudly, muttering about kids nowadays. Cao’er is already at the corner of the room, drawing circles with her fingers while making darting glances from between her tangled mat of hair.

You feel something slither into your clothes, traveling down south.

“What was that?”

She’s already pushed herself away from you, a cruel, mocking smile on her face. “Just my pet snake, Xiaoqing. She has all the curves you’d want in a lady.”

***

You’re forced to get rid of Xiaoqing outside the room, as Master Yao makes good on his promise and kicks the both of you out after giving a very painful finger flick that leaves your foreheads red. The damnable Miao girl runs off giggling with her snake, leaving you half-clothed in front of the innkeeper who has come up to see what all the commotion is about.

It’s been a long day, but you can’t rest yet. You’ll need to think about what to do next; should you continue attempting to get into Luoying Manor, or should you give up for now?

A. You try to get into contact with the scholar Jiang Du, but you find out that he’s away, called off to the capital for urgent business. He appears to have left his invitation at home, however. You could sneak in, or perhaps you could persuade his wife to let you have it.

B. You attempt the prefect’s test. It looks like he hasn’t yet decided on a suitable candidate, and the opportunity is still open for you.

C. You go for one of the invitations of the top three contestants in the poetry competition. They will probably be drinking wine and exchanging poetry at Yuntang Pavilion daily until it's time to leave for the conference.

D. That stupid, no-good, poisoning girl Chi Qilin has an invitation of her own. It’d be proper payback to sneak up on her and take her invitation in recompense for all her mischief.

E. You give up on getting an invitation. You'll continue working here until spring comes and the roads are more conducive to travel. Then, after listening for information from the incoming travellers, you will move on, as a wanderer would.
 
Last edited:

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
The spice must flow, the harem must grow. Flopped to A. We'll catch 'em all yet.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 11, 2007
Messages
2,951
B > D A for me. I'm just curios about the task the prefect wants us to do. And if that fails, we can try the girl.

Make that B > A. I'm not for mugging that girl, even if she is pushy. Morality aside, that's all we need at this point - an enemy that is a good poisoner and well connected.
 
Last edited:

TOME

Cuckmaster General
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
1,820
Oh wow. Real gentlemanly match it was.

A>B
 
Last edited:

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Was there a winning choice to begin with? Maybe it was supposed to happen after our talk with a prefect?
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
BA4 would have divided the field long enough to put you in the last 8 and given you a further choice to decide victory. You'd win with proper use of laxatives.
 

Grimgravy

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
3,469
Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire
No surprise, we didn't win. We didn't try much of anything. It is a little surprising some guy wanted to take us out so badly he took himself out doing it. What's his deal?

A - Seems pretty straightforward. A little breaking and entering or persuasion things may have gotten easier with the scholar out of town.
B - Shady dealings. Benefits and drawbacks as previously discussed.
C - A douche move stealing from the poets. On the up-side we might pick up a thing or two.
D - Given the wording we let this girl get under our skin and make us react. I don't like it. She's probably expecting us to come after her now. Let her stew and come to us. Can't let the ladies pull our strings. It's supposed to be the other way around.
E - Why give up now?

A > C
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
You were never going to hit all of them with crippling diarrhea. Due to the fighters' varying constitutions, some would be more affected, some less. Most would be strong enough to still fight, but weakened enough for you to match them. This would equalize the field. The medicine was for you to remain unaffected while feigning the symptoms, allowing you to catch others off guard and avoid suspicion - after all, they don't know what your normal level of skill is. And if anyone should wonder about the sudden ailment... why surely the apprentice of the Killer Physician is qualified to make a diagnosis on the matter?

Of course there is a lingering suspicion if you win, adding to your unorthodoxy, but they have no real proof.

It is a little surprising some guy wanted to take us out so badly he took himself out doing it. What's his deal?

He overestimated his own balance in the heat of the moment, angered that you tripped him up at the start of the match. :lol:
 
Last edited:

Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Would A1+A3 have complemented each other, stopping us from getting a reputation hit? Or wasn't it as good as a combination as it seemed?
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Would A1+A3 have complemented each other, stopping us from getting a reputation hit? Or wasn't it as good as a combination as it seemed?

This would work with 1C, but gives you greater orthodoxy drop with 1B, because it increases the suspicion. A1 + A4 would work brilliant with 1B.

Doing anymore would be overkill. A would work better with C than B (instead of running around trying to befriend everyone, you spend your limited time getting to know Ling Tong's acquaintances better, which is helpful in a fight), though you'd still lose eventually. Ranking higher would have created a better reputation for yourself though.

Still, these are rather minor consequences.
 
Last edited:

Jester

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
1,493
A > C come on lady need entertainment and we got quite silver tongue and mby we will get friends.

“Hey, hey,” you say, desperate to find a way to overcome the man, “What’s this? Are you that interested in books too, uncle?”
He certainly looks more at home using books to paper up his hut in the mountains, rather than being anywhere near Luoying Manor. His laugh booms in your ear as he shouts, “Of course I am. I am the Bookwise Mountain Man, Shan! Now, boy, off you go!”
This made my day. Bookwise Mountain Man Shan, tell about hidden depth i wish young grasshopper will learn from that guy. Remind me of rider Alexander Great from fate.
I must say i underestimated what Tiger can dig up on his opponents in that short notice, should have flopped to A4 oh well was still hilarious.
Hm we were 14th? Not bad for kid facing more experienced people.
Btw what other participants thought about young tiger? Hope we did nice first impression, that warior-poet sounded like cool guy.

Edit. Shouldn't we have some idea how "Tanzhi Divine Skill" works seems like we were few times on reviving end of masters rage. :lol:
 
Last edited:

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Btw what other participants thought about young tiger? Hope we did nice first impression, that warior-poet sounded like cool guy.

Edit. Shouldn't we have some idea how "Tanzhi Divine Skill" works seems like we were few times on reviving end of masters rage. :lol:

Re: impressions, nothing out of their expectations. A kid is a kid and the conditions of a deathmatch can't be equated to a battle royale. Nothing's really changed due to the average performance.

Finger flicking needs a high amount of inner strength and high perception to utilize accurately. Yao can flick flies out of the air with just air pressure and kill a man with pebbles. Your stats won't be suitable for learning it, but Cao'er could.
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
A>C
If this scholar's not even going to be at the event, it'd be a shame to waste the invitation. Let's seduce his wife.

andhaira.png
 
Last edited:

a cut of domestic sheep prime

Guest
That's what you get for fighting fair in the hectic melee of a battle royale.

B > C

Edit: And A voters, as interesting a read as it would be, sleeping with another man's wife would earn us a reputation hit and make us a mortal enemy of said man.
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Honestly, I've given up worrying about our reputation in regards to orthodoxy. It seems like a bit of a lost cause right now. We should have gone from Orthodox to Unorthodoxy, not the other way around. Also, I don't know why you're voting for B if you're concerned about such things, whatever the Prefect would have us do, assuming he even accepts us, sounds like it would involve much shadier activity than a private tryst with a lovely old woman, and is much more likely to give us a bad reputation (I get the feeling in regards to reputation, it's working similarly to how it works in Age of Decadence)
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
D>A. Payback time, if she wants to fight dirty then, well, we can oblige. Jing does like the competitive types, after all.

I still hold my opinion on the prefect's mission:
D. You approach the prefect of Xuzhou, Zhu Yutong, in order to lay your hands on that particular invitation. It seems that he has been looking for someone to undertake a mission to Luoying Manor itself, and is offering the invitation to those who will. You might have competition for the task, however – there will be a test, and the details of the job are unknown until you pass it.
Sounds like this job is really shady and whatever it's goals are, they won't sit well with the Manor. I won't speculate on what this is all about, but why would they maintain such strict secrecy otherwise?
In the end, I think we'll probably have to choose between following through with the plan and getting a massive rep penalty with the Manor and somewhat of a boost with the Prefect and by extent the Imperial Court, or abandoning the plan in favor of the Manor and getting an even worse rep with the Court and our name slandered in the world in general (don't underestimate a scorned politician). Why would we want to sell those guys out in the first place, though? They're the types that collect the rarest knowledge in the world and bring it back to their haven for DISCUSS! and a wanderer like Jing will find them very useful in the absence of a traditional Master and dogma. Not to mention that a lot of these guys may be very well connected in Orthodox circles.
So why would we put ourselves in that situation? Fuck the prefect I say, "persuading" the scholar's wife (our bro does want someone with more curves, no?) or removing from the girl's inventories is the proper way our growing character should go, spending time with women, not wrinkled old men.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom