Inactive [LP CYOA] Overlord

[Bibbimbop]

I see one thing that could really be a fun meat-grinder to throw these clowns into right away, using them up to our own advantage instead of takng them on bluntly and directly as opponents. Details are pending an info dump on politics, but...

Tentatively, as an example, we could imply that Zayan has learned off some horrible superweapon that Barzam can construct with that much magnetite heading toward its secret laboratories and Zayan must gallantly save all of humanity with only us and Talal's merry crew. They've come this far thinking she shits roses, so why not stretch it a few more useful inches toward our own goals?

Rin and us, the gobbos, Talal and his crew, Fortunio and his bandits, Zayan's gizmos and scientifimatic gimcracks and a healthy dose of traps in a good spot for an ambuscade... that's a potent force. That shipment won't be stalled forever awaiting our return. Whatever reason Barzam needs it is probably a huge plot twist.

Needless to say, in the attack we "accidentally" mistime our own appearance in the encounter to weaken Talal and crew.

 

[Nevill]

We have probably missed our chance to assault the caravan by not researching the option when it was available and aiming to get a scientist instead.

Not that I mind.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

treave, if we go C, can we go B1C? I.e., we tell him to kill his men and then if he does, we kill him anyway. If he refuses, we kill them all quickly.

The old "I hate traitors." Approach to villainy. Yes, the villain would have killed everyone anyway, but he gives people the opportunity to show their true colors first.

 

[Elfberserker]

That's why I say it would work.

We kill those who openly refuse us. The captain concedes to preserve the lives of the rest of his men. The men surrender.

You don't suppose that they would suddenly love us for killing their comrades, do you?

Then we kind of turn our back to them and leave them to do what they want. Do you really take their word for it that they won't think of betraying you? Is it even betrayal when there are with you against their will in the first place?

I don't know, it sounds like wishful thinking to me. I'd like to keep them, but I just don't see anything positive to motivate them with.


That's not A1, which we are currently discussing.

And the renegade captain might be prone to strangling Zayan after she does not reciprocate his advances, and going out with a bang. You never go full renegade.

I am sure that Erd is patient enough to listen every guards option, if they want to serve us or join us.
Besides I am sure there is somekind of punishment, if they fail to deliver Zayan back to Dijeh like execution for losing most brilliant mind in the whole continent? OR maybe some whipping?

Yes, they won't like us when we kill those who refuses, but we also offer them opportunity.
A oppurtunity to be part of something legendary! Some of those guys must have that dark side of their soul whispering that they can win big, if they become one of very first soldiers of angel overlord!
Surely they sense that window of opportunity to fame, riches, bitches and land should they start serving a angel who at that point had nothing.
Surely we can spare some land to loyal minions when we become big time overlord?

In short version, I am gambling on their greed and boldness to join our fray....And maybe some part of loyalto towards Zayan.

 

[Nevill]

The old "I hate traitors." Approach to villainy.

Good. I despise traitors.

Ahem.

In short version, I am gambling on their greed and boldness to join our fray...

That... is an interesting take. I mean, it'd be great if we could genuinely convince them to join.

I just suspect that they would do so grudgingly, to preserve their lives.

 

[lightbane]

Don't forget the ancient "do as I say, not as I do" rule. It works every time.

 

[Bibbimbop]

We have probably missed our chance to assault the caravan by not researching the option when it was available and aiming to get a scientist instead.

Not that I mind.

That's making assumptions. We didn't gather intel on the caravan, but it is probably still there loading and preparing for the long journey. A large caravan carrying a unheard-of amount of heavy ore would hardly have managed to set out so quickly, and would move slowly.

It's pretty clear by now that Zayan needs a large amount of the ore to do anything really spectacular in her field. And all you got was a measly little lump of it. Not enough for anything ambitious. No overlording material here.

Regardless of caravan status... Anything cunning at all, however, is far better than brutishly trying to wipe out these guys head-on and without guile. At least Lambchop can make C more interesting.

A1 > B1C

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

We've covered this. Hypocrisy is innate to the best of villains. They'll lie, cheat, steal, betray and then assume the moral high-ground and critique the hero when he makes the slightest fall. Maybe it helps them live with themselves or maybe they are just assholes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[lightbane]

I see one thing that could really be a fun meat-grinder to throw these clowns into right away, using them up to our own advantage instead of takng them on bluntly and directly as opponents. Details are pending an info dump on politics, but...

Rin and us, the gobbos, Talal and his crew, Fortunio and his bandits, Zayan's gizmos and scientifimatic gimcracks and a healthy dose of traps in a good spot for an ambuscade... that's a potent force. That shipment won't be stalled forever awaiting our return.

Your idea sounds good, but we could improve it by making said soldiers wear uniforms from the Methuss/Galbaldy Kingdom to spread chaos between the two regions. At best they start a war, weakening each other in the process. The Barzam guys did it first, so it's fair we pay back with the same trick.

 

[Elfberserker]

That... is an interesting take. I mean, it'd be great if we could genuinely convince them to join.

I just suspect that they would do so grudgingly, to preserve their lives.

Results man, results.
Sure, they first bitch and whine, but once we get some results they cheer for us.

Besides we went to place of burly bearded men and we shall leave with burly bearded men.
Did you seriously think we would leave that place with only women?

 

[Nevill]

We've covered this. Hypocrisy is innate to the best of villains.

Meh. That would just be sadism. The only pointless dickery I approve of is the one that has the titties at stake. Which, incidentally, does not make it pointless at all.

Your idea sounds good, but we could improve it by making said soldiers wear uniforms from the Methuss/Galbaldy Kingdom to spread chaos between the two regions.

Yes. We must wear the Galbaldy uniform. And a hat on top of it. That will confuse everyone who lives to tell the tale.

Did you seriously think we would leave that place with only women?

I kinda hoped for it.

I'll switch to A1>C to give it a fighting chance.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

I'll switch to A1>C to give it a fighting chance.

Poster reported for delaying update.

 

[Nevill]

I suppose... if we get the captain to believe that returning to Dijeh would really be a fate worse than death for Zayan, he would stick with her as a true whiteknight would, and police his men for us. That's a possibility... and pretty much the only way I can see it working.

However, that doesn't sound too far-fetched.

 

[Bibbimbop]

Yes. We must wear the Galbaldy uniform. And a hat on top of it. That will confuse everyone who lives to tell the tale.

This is just wearing out the "funny hat meme" unnecessarily. The hat is a disguise, not a battle-helm.

You act as if we are a melee fighter, or possibly as if we are not even an overlord with proper minions to expend. And I suppose we don't have any minions, per se, because every one of our companions is a close friend that we cherish and we've no pawns to use. Here finally are pawns to use.

We don't need to show our hand in the ambush at all, because we want the very people taking the primary brunt of our damage to actually die or be badly degraded in strength. We let the merry band charge in and take the hardest hits as the traps spring, then rush our bandits and gobbos in from behind when Talal and Co. have got mauled up a bit, then summon some electric dragons or wolves from off stage for good measure, and Rin swoops in to clean up.

And if you still want to wade into combat at that point, then here's an alternative...

Take off the damned hat when it no longer serves a purpose disguising us in a town. Then no one recognizes Mr Halo Dude as Mr Hat Dude.

Tally

Azira C>A1
Nevill A1>C
Gobblecock B1
Baltika9 C
lightbane B1>A1>C
Lambchop19 C>B1
Grimgravy A1>C
asxetos B1>C
Kz3r0 C
Kipeci C
Storyfag A1
archaen A1>C
Elfberserker A1

A - 5
B1 - 3
C - 5

I also switched.

 

[Nevill]

We don't need to show our hand in the ambush at all

Absolutely.

Because anything that costs like a zillion gold-pieces could be taken with a rag-tag diplomatic escort, ten thieves, and a goblin librarian (since we don't have any more goblins with us), without us showing up. Got it.

Take off the damned hat when it no longer serves a purpose disguising us in a town.

The point of my post was to say that there should be no survivors, and therefore disguising our forces with the intention to have someone spread the wrong tale is completely irrelevant. Any survivor seeing the angel or a man in a hat in such a sensitive operation is a major liability.

But I think we are getting into pointless speculation. I bet 10 brofists that the caravan is long gone and that we will proceed to the capital instead of chasing it across the country.

 

[Elfberserker]

Hey guys, I got some crazy idea.
You know those guards asking Runde about working conditions? Well, I think there could be two reasons for this.

1) They try to fish out information from nonhuman by befriending with them

2) Dijeh is trying to recruit their own monster liberation army

Or maybe they are just friendly chaps, either way I am interested why those guys are so nice.

 

[Nevill]

2) Dijeh is trying to recruit their own monster liberation army

We have speculated that Zayan is part-monster. Maybe Dijeh has a few of them settled there?

Also, if monsters have all moved east, where would Zayan get the scent samples for all of them?

“I can’t tell from the scent. It is a really interesting one. It isn’t human, but it is unlike anything I have ever encountered, and I have had samples from every non-human race known to exist. Harpies, demons, dragons, even the rare angel.”

Yeah, I think they might be some plot with the non-humans in Dijeh.

 

[Bibbimbop]

Because anything that costs like a zillion gold-pieces could be taken with a rag-tag diplomatic escort, ten thieves, and a goblin librarian (since we don't have any more goblins with us), without us showing up. Got it.

What more can Barzam do to guard the convoy? We smashed 70 of her elite special ops on their super-secret mission of great importance and intrigue, and we did so without any help at all. And that was a mission where they actually expected an assured battle, not a mere convoy through peaceful lands of a neutral neighbour, through which they are obliged not to cross with an army-sized retinue of troops. A place where the worst known threat is Fortunio harassing small specks of villages and stealing an occasional Lucy.

I doubt the guards are overwhelmingly strong. There's a limit to the amount of guards that can usefully travel beside a convoy without becoming a long slow congested clusterfuck. Already, 70 is getting up there to the point of a small army.

And, actually, it sounds like Zayan is worth far more to her country in value than the crude material which she shapes to her craft. Yet look at her escort, which is so puny... or is it even really that puny? Maybe Talal and his company of unstated size and capabilities are actually fit to guard such a precious asset and beloved family member?

And she is being escorted by Talal and his merry men alone. Makes you wonder how many of our underlings will die, if we think we have adequately set up Talal for a quick slaughter here merely by giving him the first sucker punch.

The Incan silver trains and gold-laden fleets of Spanish galleons were also worth a kingdom and were far from untouchable in real life, because no one expected them to get hit.

 

[Nevill]

What more can Barzam do to guard the convoy? We smashed 70 of her elite special ops on their super-secret mission of great importance and intrigue, and we did so without any help at all.

And nearly got raped by Athos. Well, Rin did, but it could have been us just as easily.

Their super-secret mission was kind of a covert one where they didn't expect much in a way of resistance, too. Not sure where the 'elite special ops' come from.

a mere convoy through peaceful lands of a neutral neighbour

A mere convoy that is guarding a shipment that might cost half a city. No, I would not think them to be lightly defended.

An assault on such a thing would require careful pre-planning, which is what the option in Ontoglia was for.

Already, 70 is getting up there to the point of a small army.

The numbers really mean little. Most of the important battles and close fights are between super-powered guys. See: the heroes and the Demon Lord, Demon Lord and Erdrick, Erdrick and Rin. The mooks are rarely anything more than an afterthought, something to mop up before or after a boss fight.

So I wouldn't be too confident because of being able to kill 70 schmucks. There is always a bigger fish in the pond.

Personally, I'd expect some sort of artefact or a magical trap.

And, actually, it sounds like Zayan is worth far more to her country in value than the crude material which she shapes to her craft. Yet look at her escort, which is so puny... or is it even really that puny? Maybe Talal and his company of unstated size and capabilities are actually fit to guard such a precious asset and beloved family member?

I would estimate Talal to be a high-level fighter, yes. Somewhere on a C-level, maybe. Not of a hero caliber, but good enough. His men, though... probably nothing to write home about. We'd be lucky if they reach D rank.

The science of judging a character level by a description is not a very precise one.

 

[Kipeci]

... sure, I'll break down and go for it.

This is going to bite us in the butt, but I guess it's better for our character to not start out so jaded and rather become that way after he's betrayed. Killing them when they seem like a close band of bros seems more likely to make things go poorly than if we try to launch some scary fireworks, though.

A2 > A1.

 

[lightbane]

Don't forget magical/enchanted weaponry guys, especially those made with magnatite ore. If Tal and company carry magical gear, their threat level increases significantly. Moreso if they know magic/their squad has mages/know special fighting techniques.

PS: Also, if Dijeh is somewhat friendly to non-humans, that means there's a possibility at some point we'll encounter non-human soldiers, be these employed by Dijeh, or other armies. Most likely these will be more dangerous than normal.

 

[treave]

Come to think of it... treave ! Is it possible to imbue and item with magic so as to convert it into some sort of a teleportation beacon for us to home on?

That's possible.

treave, if we go C, can we go B1C?

That's pointless sadism.

We didn't gather intel on the caravan, but it is probably still there loading and preparing for the long journey. A large caravan carrying a unheard-of amount of heavy ore would hardly have managed to set out so quickly, and would move slowly.

That's making assumptions.

 

[Jester]

C
Unfortunately for him NO witnesses. It would be entirely different thing, if we wanted to sabotage this kingdom.

 

[Esquilax]

A. These soldiers might be useful, and they seem to have little prejudice against non-humans. You offer all of the men a choice to follow in Zayan’s footsteps and serve under you.
1. Of course, any who refuse will have to die here. They will not live to spread word of you and your abduction of Zayan.
2. You should be able to coerce those unwilling to follow you into secrecy with a show of force. Still, even if they don’t, it is not particularly important to you whether they talk or not: as long as they don’t blame the governor, your end of the bargain is still upheld.

Both A's are bad ideas. Regarding A1, it's one thing to ask these men to join us, and it is quite another for these men to be fine with us murdering their brothers-in-arms and committing treason for the honor of serving under some random fucking guy who lives in the woods. And A2 is possibly even worse - so many headaches. First, there's the problem of knowing that they're sincere in defecting to us, and not doing it because they're terrified. Then, there's making sure that they are watched and accounted for at all times - these men are skilled, professional fighting men who will probably be a lot tougher than the goblins that comprise most of our forces. Given the conditions, it's remarkably easy for these guys to escape if either Erdrick or Rin are away.

We have to also remember that we made a fucking deal with the governor, and we should honor it in the finest of Lawful Evil traditions. Zayan disappears with us, the status quo at Ontoglia remains, everybody's happy. It only takes one of these assholes getting disgruntled and disappearing for this excursion to go from a success into a disaster.

Based on that, I think that we should retain Talal. No question that this act will break his psyche and make him unstable, but he is just the sort of competent person that we need in our organization to turn it from a ragtag group into an army. Gotta break a few eggs if you wanna make an omelette.

B1 > C

 

[treave]

Interlude: The Methussian Factbook

Official Name: Kingdom of Methuss

Government Type: Absolute monarchy

Capital: Yuiria City

Background:
Founded in 1314 AD by Festhus Yuiry, Methuss claims an unbroken royal lineage that can be traced back to the Five Heroes of Light.

Religion:
Like nearly every other human power in the world, Methuss follows the Five Gods Faith. Following in the footsteps of their heroic ancestor, the Archer-Queen Yuiry, their patron deity has been Elmeth since the founding of the kingdom.

Economy:
The Methussian economy involves an extensive agricultural sector and internal trade for self-sufficiency, with a significant contribution from foreign trade, particularly in rare ores and minerals from the Asteronto region.

***

Military :

The Knightly Orders of Methuss

Divided into three knightly orders, with each order boasting of approximately a hundred knights. Each knight may have a retainer of up to a dozen men. The orders are:
Grand Order of Yuiry, led by Knight-Commander Belbro.
Order of the Azurelion, led by Knight-Captain Wisteria.
Order of the Cobaltlion, led by Knight-Captain Ordmung.

The Royal Army

A standing army of 25,000 men commanded by the royal family and generals loyal to them.

The Noble Army

A force levied from the nobles of the kingdom. Numbers vary, but are estimated to be at about 100,000 men in total when at full strength.

***

Notable Personalities of Methuss:

The Royal Family

King Fowyl Yuiry (59), the monarch of the kingdom, who has successfully reigned over periods of both turmoil and peace, and brought his country through intact. Currently preparing the way for his successor, and plans to retire when the time is right.

Queen Natasha (52), the king’s first wife. Twin to Queen Natalia. Known for her charitable endeavours.

Queen Natalia (52), the king’s second wife. Twin to Queen Natasha. Known for her diplomatic banquets.

Crown Prince Feist Yuiry (34), the ambitious first prince. Has been designated as the successor to the throne, and is keen to drag the kingdom into a brighter future. Child of Fowyl & Natasha.

Second Prince Feyl Yuiry (32), the second born son. Deceased. Child of Fowyl & Natasha.

Third Prince Fillipe Yuiry (29). Dashing and popular with the nobles. Child of Fowyl & Natasha.

First Princess Filomena Yuiry (28), the eldest daughter. Currently in Dijeh on a diplomatic mission with her husband. Child of Fowyl and Natalia.

Fourth Prince Fennick Yuiry (25). Widely considered a lazy wastrel who does nothing but womanize and drink all day long. Child of Fowyl and Natalia.

Fifth Prince Farstalt Yuiry (23). Is interested primarily in art and cares little for matters of the court. Child of Fowyl & Natasha.

Sixth Prince Farland Yuiry (22). Youngest son. Popular with the people, but has drawn criticism for his populist pandering. Child of Fowyl & Natasha.

Second Princess Faislin Yuiry (17). Youngest daughter. Recently graduated from the University of Hazel in Gran Byarlant, and returned to serve her family and country. Child of Fowyl & Natalia.

Notable Nobles

Duke Hargreave Brescia (49). One of the most powerful men in the kingdom, and spokesperson for the nobles as a whole. His support has allowed Prince Feist to be granted the official title of Crown Prince.

Marquis Ondore Hastwell (31). A talented strategist that masterminded the repulsion of the Holy Barzam Ecclesiocracy’s invasion ten years ago. Married to Princess Filomena. Has little interest in court intrigue.

The Knight-Captains

Knight-Commander Belbro Wickman (32). Sworn brother of Ondore Hastwell. The strongest warrior in the kingdom, and is granted permission to wear two sacred artifacts of the Archer-Queen. His might is feared even in other countries.

Knight-Captain Wisteria Brescia (24). The first female Knight-Captain of her order, and the second youngest Knight-Captain in Methussian history, after Belbro Wickman.

Knight-Captain Ordmung Milhaus (44). A veteran of war that has an established record of loyalty to his kingdom and neutrality in all other matters.

***

Foreign Relations:

Gran Byarlant Empire – Good relations and close ties, particularly since the King’s wives are Byarlantian nobility.

Holy Barzam Ecclesiocracy – Bad relations ever since the Barzamite invasion a decade ago, but it is improving thanks to Prince Feist’s efforts.

Kingdom of Galbaldy – Frequent border skirmishes occurred up until five years ago, when Belbro Wickman defeated the Mercenary-King of Galbaldy in a famous duel. There has been peace since.

Royal Republic of Dijeh – Good relations. Dijeh is the largest trade partner of Methuss.

Luna – Uneasy but cordial contact with the beastman kingdom. Partners in the slave trade.