Myth: A New Age CYOA

[Grimgravy]

I dont think you need to be on a strict schedule. 24 hours is usually enough time for me to read and vote. When it isnt enough, I accept it and lament the poor choices of my fellow readers.

 

[Azira]

48 hours to preserve your own sanity.

 

[Nevill]

24h, or at your own pace. Which, of course, should be 24h.

 

[Boxer]

i want to be a soulblighter!

the writing is dressed up informational dm'ing, banal..., at times slipping into a more classical form, try for a more novel'y style
also typical fantasy tripe with chosen ones and combat one liners, meh

"when she kisses you your mental control collapses, you kiss... and the fireplace explodes..."
puke face gif

you get donkeys or mules for loot, not horses... where are we? oregon? klondike?
where a donkey cant go, you cant go
more love for donkeys!1

 

[Storyfag]

48 hrs, please.

 

[Baltika9]

48 hrs, please.

Don't burn yourself out, and I kinda like the 48hr cycle.

 

[Zero Credibility]

24 hours or more if you need the time.

 

[Esquilax]

Yeah, the only thing I would change would be to present the updates better - proofread it a little bit more so that the sentences flow better and use commas where appropriate. I know you want to get the updates out quickly, but it would read a lot better if, as Boxer mentioned, you didn't present the updates in the same way that a GM does. Write it the same way as you would a story, focus on the relevant bits without completely neglecting lore/setting/character stuff along the way (you can include certain things off-screen as well), and if you forget anything, you can simply either include it in a post later or have one of us ask about it for clarification.

A minor nitpick: why two spaces after every paragraph? Maybe it's just me, but it looks a little bit weird.

As for update times, I guess it depends. If there's an overwhelmingly lopsided vote and you have the time to bang out an update, 24 hours can work. I guess we can work it out on a case-by-case basis.

 

[Fangshi]

Thank you for the feedback, I readily admit that I am no writer so some of the issues with my updates will probably be around for a while. In particular issues pertaining to the actual quality of writing. It is one thing to verbally describe an area or action, a piece of background that disappears when I finish speaking; writing it out is something different entirely and I have little confidence in my ability to dive fully into dialogue.

Yeah, the only thing I would change would be to present the updates better - proofread it a little bit more so that the sentences flow better and use commas where appropriate.

I really should spend more time organizing the updates, I agree. It will slow them down but if everyone is fine with that then it is not a problem to me.

but it would read a lot better if, as Boxer mentioned, you didn't present the updates in the same way that a GM does. Write it the same way as you would a story, focus on the relevant bits without completely neglecting lore/setting/character stuff along the way (you can include certain things off-screen as well), and if you forget anything, you can simply either include it in a post later or have one of us ask about it for clarification.

the writing is dressed up informational dm'ing, banal..., at times slipping into a more classical form, try for a more novel'y style

This is something that I was and am worried about, since I am at heart a DM not a storyteller, in a PnP setting more or less everything is collaborative in my experience. A quick bit of description is followed by half an hour of the players arguing and it works. But here I am not certain that I am not simply boring everyone. As I lack a proper background in the writing of fiction what exactly are you suggesting by a more "novel'y" style? Do you mean a change in perspective/point of view to something more centred within the character or a greater emphasis on dialogue in general, or something a bit different than either?

also typical fantasy tripe with chosen ones and combat one liners, meh

Well the Myth games do tell a fairly standard heroic story, just from a different perspective. This is still very much a high fantasy world and that simply will not be for everyone. Now if the characters are coming across as actual chosen ones instead of slightly deranged refugees and sell-swords than I have definitely done something wrong. I have attempted to portray them as fairly selfish and not terribly caring when it comes to others but if that characterization failed then I would like to know.

puke face gif

You mean all of those bodice rippers I have been reading lied to me... I am afraid you will just have to forgive me the occasional horribly "cheesy" piece of dialogue or writing. The games do not take themselves completely seriously and I have no intention of writing a completely serious CYOA either.

you get donkeys or mules for loot, not horses... where are we? oregon? klondike?
where a donkey cant go, you cant go
more love for donkeys!1

Well then you will have to find a donkey and breed some mules, pack animals in general are not terribly common in the lore of Myth. The sources specifically mention a few horses but not enough for mass cavalry or even consistent use as scouts, the horse is a definite luxury item. And there are trade offs as well, the mules are stronger for their size, arguably smarter, and better at pacing themselves but you need something big enough to pull the wagon when full and dumb enough to actually follow you into this dungeon so I figured a horse would do. DM fiat and all that...

A minor nitpick: why two spaces after every paragraph? Maybe it's just me, but it looks a little bit weird.

Slowly but surely I am going completely blind, I find the larger gaps easier to manage but from now on I will get rid of them before I post if it is bothering people.

As for update times, I guess it depends. If there's an overwhelmingly lopsided vote and you have the time to bang out an update, 24 hours can work. I guess we can work it out on a case-by-case basis.

Yeah, that seems the best way to go with it. The update schedule will probably slow as a result but most people seem fine with that.

 

[Nevill]

Eh, writing is not something you can just 'fix'. Especially if you are neither a writer by trade nor striving to be one.

I accept this CYOA for what it is, a PnP session dressed in a format suitable for a forum, and it is pretty good at what it does.

 

[Anabanana]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about the prose quality either if I were you. Just relax and have fun!

 

[Fangshi]

I accept this CYOA for what it is, a PnP session dressed in a format suitable for a forum, and it is pretty good at what it does.

Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about the prose quality either if I were you. Just relax and have fun!

Well good, as I am not sure I even have the skill set to make a jump from "PnP DM" writing to proper fiction writing.

My primary concern is that I am not boring everyone. As long as you are all enjoying the updates then I will continue largely in the mode that I have established since it is the closest thing to writing fiction that I have any real experience with.

Edit:
The first update of the next act should be along in 24 hrs tops, I have a few things to take care of first so we will see I guess.

 

[Baltika9]

Yeah, now that I've caught up after a busy two weeks, my only 'gripe' right now is grammar and capitalization, ruins my immershun and all. Other than that, I foresee a very entertaining PnP freeform game and I'm sure your writing quality will improv over time. Just don't kill your motivation and burn yourself out, happened to about four LPs already and I would absolutely hate for it to happen to this one.

Onwards.

 

[Fangshi]

Okay, beginning of chapter 1 is out. A fair number of choices at the end since I want an idea of the sort of strategy Derryth will pursue going forward, so enjoy and read all the options.

Chapter 1: The Guardhouse

Three days in...

The expedition winds its way down through the ruins of the current city and into the old bones of ancient Muirthemne. As you descend, the history of the place is written upon every stone and passage. You move past the cellars and sewers of the current city and past the rough hewn caves of the ghôls, now mostly empty save for a few stragglers that are easily dispatched.

After days of travel in near silence, weaving from one tunnel to another and always heading downward, the tunnel you are following opens to reveal a great cavern. In the darkness you can not make out just how large it is but even from the mouth of the tunnel you can see the walls of the old city of Muirthemne.

You turn to Thaïs, "Well at least we are in the right place."

"So, any idea of where exactly we can find the stone?" she replies casually.

Gareth cuts in before you can answer her question.

"If I may make a suggestion we should find a place to camp first before we start planning anything. I am sure Miosguinn and his apprentice could use a rest and most of us have been walking for hours."

A fair assessment and you think you know of the perfect place, if it is still standing. Each district should have a guardhouse which should be fairly defensible and could serve to hide your presence. The expedition passes through the old gates without any difficulty and follows your instructions to reach the local guard post.

"Yes, this should do nicely," Gareth turns to Tyrvard and Brigit and gives them their orders, the three of them get to work searching the compound for any hostile inhabitants. Seems you just have to stay with the wagons and wait for them to finish. Not exactly exciting but that is what they are here for.

The warriors finish searching the building, they open the gate to the inner courtyard and you drive your wagon in. It seems the guardhouse has not seen actual use for decades if not centuries. With everyone safely inside you lay out the next phase of the plan.

You begin, "We have to reach the secondary vaults located across the city, it is the most likely location of the stone. They are sufficiently well protected to discourage monsters and adventurers while unimportant enough to spare them from Alric's immediate attention."

"And if it is not there?" asks Gareth.

You nod and respond, "Well it is still the best place from which to expand our search, it is easy to defend and located close enough to the rest of the old palace complex that we will have easy access to the other potential locations of the stone. At any rate we will deal with that situation if the stone is in fact missing."

You decide that you need a better idea of what routes are still open to get to the secondary vault, and so you ask for volunteers. Tyrvard, as always, is ready to go; Brigit also volunteers as it is what she is best at. Finally Doctor Miosguinn volunteers to do some scouting as well, his sudden willingness to help surprises you for a moment but with no real reason to refuse his request you quickly agree.

It seems that you, Thaïs, Gareth and the unnamed apprentice as the least stealthy members of the expedition will remain at camp to get everything ready and reinforce the scouts should they encounter anything. Your time is mostly spent fighting boredom, you offer to help the apprentice but she damn near bites you so you leave her to her master's things. With the tents set up Gareth begins preparing dinner and you and Thaïs offer to help, it is simple food with little odour to avoid attracting the locals. It actually tastes fairly good to be honest and the time you spend helping the man reveals just a little of his character.

"I fought with the Legion, you see. Spend enough time around camp and you pick up a little of everything;" he tests the broth he is working on, "half the time we were operating without a baggage train, just living off the land and running from or chasing after Soulblighter's armies. The dead don't eat and out in the field those rations only last so long."

The slightest smile appears on Gareth's face as he continues, lost in his memories and addressing no one in particular, "I remember this one guy used to claim he knew forty two different ways to cook rat... can you believe that, forty two... good guy too... he, ah... he took a Soulless' javelin in the chest one morning north of Scales, bled out in a ditch. We barely had time to stop and cut off his head. So they couldn't raise him, you understand, a damn shame really..." Gareth just sort of trails off, the smile fading from his face as the camp gives way to silence.

Thankfully your scouts return moments later, seems there are three different avenues you can pursue.

Tyrvard headed to the left of the guardhouse following the old walls and found a passage big enough for the wagon, there were a lot of bones about though and he thought he could hear howling.

Brigit headed in the opposite direction from Tyrvard and came across a wide road shrouded in darkness, she did not hear anything but it was almost like the very darkness was radiating malice.

Miosguinn headed further into the old city, using his magic to hide him, he found a direct way though the city. However it runs close to an entire colony of strange hunchbacked monsters, he thinks they are completely blind and so should not be a huge problem but they seemed to be worshipping something else, something powerful, though he could not get close enough to find out what.

None of the options are particularly appealing and you all agree to leave the final decision until morning.

As you sit at one of the tables in the guardhouse, Thaïs approaches you, seems she has been pursuing that Circle idea from earlier, Serpent seems open to it and she has even convinced Brigit to join so she can show everyone how she does that thing with the arrows. She wants to know if you still want to go through with it, as the most skilled mage in this new circle a lot of the direction would have to come from you.

It is something to consider at least, however before you can give an answer Gareth calls for help from the courtyard. Fearing an attack the two of you rush out to find Tyrvard and Serpent quarrelling, seems Tyrvard has been drinking, again.

You walk up to Gareth, "Now how the hell did he get alcohol again? I though we found the last of it two days ago?"

"Beats me, I keep searching him and he keeps producing more. Can't for the life of me think of where he is getting it from. Must have a hidden still somewhere in the camp. He gets drunk and then I have to nurse him back to health, but it is kind of entertaining," the Veteran replies with equal parts confusion and admiration.

Suppressing a slight smile, something occurs to you, "Why are you looking after him when we have a doctor on hand?"

"Well-" Garth begins before Serpent cuts in...

"I do not want to get fleas Derryth that is why I refuse to treat this barbarian."

"Ai don't ha fleas ya feeble exhus fer a Gowerman, ya all soft fro Gower I knew it in ma bones..." the drunken Berserk replies.

You think he is trying to insult Serpent but between the accent and the slurred speech who really knows. Thankfully Thaïs defuses the situation by "accidently" collapsing one of the tents, the chivalrous drunk steps in to fix it and with a lot of help from Thaïs and Gareth he even succeeds. Something will have to be done about this situation though, before it goes too far.

You head towards your tent and spot the Children staring at you. That apprentice is just plain creepy and her master is not much better. Oh well another thing to deal with in the morning, you climb into your tent and sleep comes as a gentle release.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

You wake up and greet the new day with a curse on your lips.

Quite possibly your least favourite part of dungeon diving is the lack of comfortable, safe, beds. You give Thaïs a little shove so that she may join in your misery. You dress and head out to meet the... well the darkness, but this is a new day with new challenges and a variety of choices for you to make:


1) Which path to take?

a)Tyrvard's path: sure the howling is a bit off-putting but you will be fine... probably.

b)Brigit's path: it is only darkness, not like there are evil monsters out there or anything

c)Miosguinn's path: now colony of monsters does sound bad but it is also the quickest route


2) Do you want to form a Circle of mages with Thaïs, Serpent and Brigit ?

a) Yes

b) No


3)Something has to be done about Tyrvard and Serpent and you need to start with one of them:

a) Try to convince Serpent to stop antagonizing Tyrvard and give him a chance. Thaïs will try and help you with this.

b) Try and convince Tyrvard to give Serpent space and stop arguing with him. Gareth could possibly help you with this.

c) If you have a plan to reconcile the two then go ahead, freeform option.


4) Since you are surrounded by skilled individuals you can try to get one of them to help you improve your skills:

a) Learn combat skills with Gareth

b) Try and improve your drinking skills with Tyrvard (your intuition tells you this may not be the best idea in a dungeon though)

c) Learn to be more sneaky with Brigit

d) Work on your medical and herbal knowledge with Serpent

e) Become more charming and social with Thaïs

f) See if the Children will share any historical knowledge or obscure facts with you

g) Serpent and Thaïs both seem to easily grasp new knowledge, you could get them to show you how they do it.

h) Have an idea feel free to suggest it...


5) Will you respect the privacy of the Children?

a) Yes, they are allies.

b) No, they are up to something and you intend to find out.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Path:

Yeaaaaah. Messing with Myrkridia with A sounds like an incredibly bad idea.

I'm not sure whether to go with B or C, B sounds like we'd be dealing with a magic user of some sort, which may not be so bad given how many spellcasters we have on hand. Still, it could be a very powerful mage which just simply overwhelms us. Overall, it sounds promising and could be an opportunity for us to improvise our spellcasting against an otherwise superior singular foe.

As for C, it's viability would seem to depend on how well the Children can conceal our presence. Blind foes suggest an opponent reliant on sound. Do we know how well the children can suppress noise?​

Vote: B (I don't want to rely on the Children too much)
Circle:

If we manage to acquire sufficient wealth, I like the idea of buying our way into the nobility, together with the founding of a circle. I'm trying to think what the cons of forming a circle would be and am coming up with little.

It may limit our future prospects, eliminating the possibility of joining up with another more powerful circle. But otherwise...

One thing we could possibly do is form a secret circle, where we swear to be loyal and beholden to each other, then attempt to each infiltrate other rival circles whilst keeping our association secret. We'd come together occasionally, maybe once every year or so, to share everything we've learnt from our respective circles. That way we'd become more powerful comparative to the other circles, since we'd have more knowledge/power to call on.​

Vote: A

Tyvard and Serpent:

Reasoning/Convincing Tyrvard doesn't sound like it would lead anywhere. The guy lives on his emotions. The only way he'll stop pissing off Serpent is if Serpent does something to earn his respect.

Serpent may be reasoned with however, once the group has seen action, and if he contributes sufficiently, I think Tyrvard may stop making fun of him. Appeal to his sense of practicality and greed. Maybe subtly imply the barbarian is stupid but useful, and he shouldn't aggravate a stupid, strong, useful thing. Compare the barbarian to a bear going through your supplies, you just don't piss it off, no matter how much food it might be smugly gulping down. It's a force of nature, it's just not something you get mad at.​

Vote: A (Essentially, put the Barbarian down whilst speaking to Serpent, getting him to reign in the provocations)

Skills:

Can we learn, uh... Quick Learner from Thais?

G​

Children:

We're right to be paranoid. These guys are allies as well as rivals. Get someone stealthy to watch them (Brigit if we form the circle?). I wish we never brought these guys.​

Vote: B

Summation: BAAGB

 

[Fangshi]

Do we know how well the children can suppress noise?

Well the Children can mask sound to a large degree and the good doctor got quite close without them noticing. If you ask Miosguinn he is more afraid of what they seem to be worshiping since he has no idea what it is or what it is capable of.

Can we learn, uh... Quick Learner from Thais?

How would she teach that to you? If you can provide a sound means by which she can teach you the trait then sure, she would be willing and I would allow it.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Can we learn, uh... Quick Learner from Thais?

How would she teach that to you? If you can provide a sound means by which she can teach you the trait then sure, she would be willing and I would allow it.

It's a difficult question to answer. I guess it depends if she's using a technique to learn (Which makes a bit of sense if it's a skill) or if she's just innately suited to it.

A random google search revealed...
http://bigthink.com/neurobonkers/as...g-you-never-get-taught-in-school-how-to-learn

Spoiler

 

[Fangshi]

t's a difficult question to answer. I guess it depends if she's using a technique to learn (Which makes a bit of sense if it's a skill) or if she's just innately suited to it.

A random google search revealed...

So what you are suggesting is that she give you one of those "how to learn" courses to improve how quickly you learn and retain knowledge?

Sure that could work but Serpent would have to help with the curriculum I think, he also has Quick Learner and his higher Int would be needed to pull it off but I will add it to the list as option g). (You will probably have to maintain good relations with both of them to pull it off successfully though.)

 

[Zero Credibility]

1 B. I think. Honestly, the best we can hope for here is the least bad choice. I don't like menacing darkness, but I like the bones and howling, or the monsters worshipping something powerful even less.
2. A. Why not? Of course, that would have to wait until we get out of this place.
3. A. Obliviously the drunken barbarian is not going to be reasoned with, but maybe Serpent might see the point in not pissing off one of our party members when we only have eight to begin with. But have Thais do the actual convincing.
4. A. It sounds like we will have an opportunity to test our skills soon enough.
5. A. Of course they are hiding something, they're mages. But they are doing their job so far and I don't think annoying them about this is going to help.

 

[Absinthe]

Learning quickly is a meta skill. It's about identifying what your learning methods are and how to mentally adjust what you're observing, being taught, etc. to your own learning methods. In some cases that means identifying a different approach from what's presented because this alternative approach can bring you a quicker mastery; sometimes it means looking at theoretical knowledge and instead of figuring out the theory itself you just identify which parts of the theory are most important for you to develop it into a basic skill where you can better recognize the gaps in your process as the other parts of theory you shelved earlier. This can bring faster mastery than trying to learn all of the theory until it makes sense. Then there is identifying your strengths and weaknesses so that even with a partial mastery you can squeeze more utility out of it. Sometimes it's about looking at concepts you don't understand and learning how to mentally rework it into a more understandable form. Sometimes it's about recognizing where there is something you're missing and figuring out how to find or build a solution instead of waiting for a breakthrough. Then there are tricks like improving your memorization or flexing mental muscles until you just plain get faster.

For Derryth it's also a question of learning how to synthesize intuitive and analytical learning and, at first, how to convert from one method to the other back and forth to obtain a more comprehensive understanding.

Anyway, learning is definitely a skill with its own concepts and methods that can be taught, studied, and improved. I think learning often proves to be one of the most important skills to master early so... put me down for G on this vote. Still reading update before I add other votes.

EDIT: Finished reading. For now, votes...

1) No opinion
2) A. Yes to the circle, but, for now, instead of turning it into a formal collective, we just run it as a friendly, insular gathering where we openly share spells and knowledge. It's in our collective self-interest to get better at this and share, and if there are no real strings attached beyond that basic rule, the idea shouldn't really cause problems.
3) A. But I don't agree with demeaning Tyrvard. Dude is damn useful. Instead we should appeal to Serpent's high int by discussing with him how this kind of behavior puts us all at risk, explaining that problems need solutions, not more problems, so just try to settle with neutral space, and having Thais leverage her considerable diplomacy to smooth over Serpent's emotions and have him keep calm.
4) G. Fuck yeah.
5) A. Respect their privacy for now. Violating the privacy of professional illusionists seems to be a fool's errand and it will alienate the shit out of them.
Also: Don't try to force Serpent to heal Tyrvard for now. Instead, have Derryth assist Gareth with her own herbal skill. It gets more done, reduces the chances for personality conflict between the Serpent and Tyrvard, might get us to learn a bit more herbalism, and, importantly, this is a good opportunity to ingratiate Derryth with Gareth and Tyrvald.

 

[Jester]

Myrkridia - one the greatest challenges that humanity has ever faced, fast, strong pack hunters full of hate (wolf like humonoids, the warriors are not so bad; the pack mages, like any mage can be very dangerous).
The Shades - evil archmages, your notes suggest there may have been one or two in the city when Alric captured it, if they are down there you hope you won't run into them

SCREW DARKNESS AND OLD GODS I PREFER PUPPIES
Course the thing in A could be werewolf or some werethingie. Still i expect we got better chances than archmages.
AAAGA

 

[Nevill]

1B. The threat appears to be magical in nature, and we have enough spellcasters to brighten up the place and take down whatever lurks there. I suspect a mahir might be down there - a creature with a paralysing touch that drains people of their life force. They are lethal to lone targets, but comparatively powerless agains a group. Just don't split the party, and you should be fine.

Should be saner than going straight into the den of Myrkridia... or whatever it is in that passage. The bones do not inspire much optimism.

Fangshi, did Tyrvard notice any skulls lying around? The Myrkridia have a nasty habit of building towers out of the skulls of their victims, so if the heads are missing, it should be a clue.

Powerful magic is rare and precious in the Myth universe - the Avatara only numbered nine in their ranks. Expecting an archmage behind every corner is stretching it. I don't think we'll be running into a Shade.

2A. Yes, please. We are not yet at a stage where we need to hide our magical assets - they are too few and too insignificant to matter. Combining our powers should benefit everyone. Though I am somewhat distrustful of Brigit and of the thieves in general. Especially the ones with magical aptitude.

3A. Convincing implies rational arguments. That limits our choice somewhat. Gareth can probably keep Tyrvard in check, but he can hardly change his opinion about anything - he can't even stop him from getting drunk on a dangerous mission.
Besides, we need to form closer ties between the members of the Circle.

4G. Wish for more wishes. What can go wrong?

5B. Nope. No privacy for the wicked. Derryth will stick her curious nose into their business and learn all of their secrets.
What does the apprentice have against us, anyway? We are not hitting on her precious master, we are not doing anything strange - yet she hates us guts. The master does not show any open hostility towards us, but we don't know if that is a good thing with secretive people like him. Maybe we can get to the bottom of this and solve the matter before it causes the expedition harm.

 

[Jester]

1B. The threat appears to be magical in nature, and we have enough spellcasters to brighten up the place and take down whatever lurks there. I suspect a mahir might be down there - a creature with a paralysing touch that drains people of their life force. They are lethal to lone targets, but comparatively powerless agains a group. Just don't split the party, and you should be fine.

Should be saner than going straight into the den of Myrkridia... or whatever it is in that passage. The bones do not inspire much optimism.

Powerful magic is rare and precious in the Myth universe - the Avatara only numbered nine in their ranks. Expecting an archmage behind every corner is stretching it. I don't think we'll be running into a Shade.

Yes but we had seen one already:

two hundred ghôls with a shade

Ghôls - ape like creatures, sadistic but fairly weak, something of "master trolls" actually, they excel at hit and runs

An archmage leading a couple stormtroopers to city is bit fishy in my opinion. If it left the rest of remnants of Soul here have someone to lead them, expecting at least one more shade is good imo, course it could be some other high level commander.
I dont know what we can find here, but i expect that A is straight fight where we can use all our forces. C sound like magic exclusive thing and B hybrid of magic and physical danger.

 

[Kz3r0]

1) Which path to take?

c)Miosguinn's path: now colony of monsters does sound bad but it is also the quickest route


2) Do you want to form a Circle of mages with Thaïs, Serpent and Brigit ?

a) Yes


3)Something has to be done about Tyrvard and Serpent and you need to start with one of them:

a) Try to convince Serpent to stop antagonizing Tyrvard and give him a chance. Thaïs will try and help you with this.


4) Since you are surrounded by skilled individuals you can try to get one of them to help you improve your skills:


g) Serpent and Thaïs both seem to easily grasp new knowledge, you could get them to show you how they do it.



5) Will you respect the privacy of the Children?

b) No, they are up to something and you intend to find out.

 

[Anabanana]

I think trying to investigate the Children is a bad idea. We have absolutely no evidence that they're trying something shady except for "they're creepy and suspicious oooooo". Let's not let paranoia get the better of us, it's just going to start a cycle of mutual distrust that's not going to end well.