[LP CYOA] 傳

[Azira]

Re-read the options Zero. In D, we will be challenging the Emei sect, trying to force them to help us.

 

[TOME]

D will also make it harder to make friends and contacts at the tournament. Who would want to socialize with Maniac's apprentice?

I really like C here. We saved one of their own and so far we haven't injured any of them in our encounters. I wonder if they would accept our word to give them the sword after we get rid of Zhang? Having a major orthodox sect as an ally/friend would be a huge bonus.

“Help will be given to those who ask for it. That is one of the principles of Emei."

 

[Zero Credibility]

Azira

Are you sure? From what I read it sounds like we will be challenging the Qingcheng, not Emei.

 

[treave]

D is Qingcheng.

 

[Baltika9]

A has us going in blind too, but it's the one that fits our skills best, in my opinion. Mad Wolf Stepping has us at 5 sneak and 9 agility. It will likely be difficult, but maybe we'll learn from it. I say we give it a shot.

I'm leaning more to B because it gives us the opportunity case the joint before we break in, that way we're not going in completely blind. They won't discover our identity unless the nun slips up, which I don't think she will (she's naive, not stupid), so the anonymity works for us here.

more challenge more skill

The more fighting we do, the stronger we will be. Eh.

Dude, if they figure us our before we figure them out, we lose before the fight even starts. Jing's style is pretty unique, no one has ever blended these techniques together. If they think up a counter by observing us too closely in the tournament, we're done.

 

[Zero Credibility]

We don't have to anonymously negotiate for Yao's release - the nun can introduce us to her friend as the former apprentice of Yao's who came looking for him worried about him - all perfectly true and innocent and the nun can confirm as much. We just have to tell her to keep the other part about us to herself, as it will only bring harm to both Yao and us.

 

[Azira]

Duh, my bad. Reading comprehension fail. I thought it'd be Emei. Go figure.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

B sounds best. Why reveal ourselves? We should gather more info first. That's always been our problem in treave's LPs - lack of info.

 

[XenomorphII]

B

 

[Baltika9]

I really like C here. We saved one of their own and so far we haven't injured any of them in our encounters. I wonder if they would accept our word to give them the sword after we get rid of Zhang? Having a major orthodox sect as an ally/friend would be a huge bonus.

I don't think we should be in such a rush to kill off Zhang, there's definitely more to him than meets the eye, the man is an absolute enigma and a genius. How did he know how to cure our qi? Why doesn't he care about us not becoming a psychotic killer like him? He alludes a lot to it, but hasn't yet demanded we kill off anyone, even the Eight Students he wants humiliated by any means necessary, but not killed.
Lastly, why does he give a shit about our potential and making us the best we can be?
There's something more at play here, but he definitely doesn't want us to be a "mini-me". Remember how panicked everyone was at him breaking us in training (alright, the qi incident notwithstanding) or turning us as nuts as him. And yet we came out fine, so give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

[TOME]

I would like to correct that I never meant that we should kill him off, just get him to release us. I don't like the way this char is turning under him. The way Jing fought off the bandits was just too bloody and cold for my taste.

Might just as well throw a vote now. B. I like C but at the moment B feels best.

 

[Esquilax]

more challenge more skill

The more fighting we do, the stronger we will be. Eh.

This is a really misguided, power-gamey way of looking at it. Zhang has given us a year to take out the eight finest prospects from each sect, by any means necessary. This is a hard task already, but apparently you see no problem with making it harder because MOAR XP, right? Well, if that's the case, why not pick a fight with each sect's grandmaster?

Things don't work this way; what if they are on to our style and we get wounded in a very tough match that sidelines us for several months? We can't be healed by the qi of others, so getting hurt in a fight is worse for us than it would be for someone else. Most of our techniques are lethal, so a very hard fight in which our opponent knows our tricks means that we simply cannot hold back and are forced to kill them. We'd start alienating orthodox sects left and right - I'm not saying we should go out of our way to make orthodox types like us, but we shouldn't piss them off by killing or maiming their youngest, best prospects either.

We have to remember that given the timeframe, Zhang's task for us is a marathon, not a sprint. So don't think of beating this person now as "Okay, one down, seven to go", we should think of it as "how can I accomplish this task in the allotted time?"

We don't have to anonymously negotiate for Yao's release - the nun can introduce us to her friend as the former apprentice of Yao's who came looking for him worried about him - all perfectly true and innocent and the nun can confirm as much. We just have to tell her to keep the other part about us to herself, as it will only bring harm to both Yao and us.

One big problem with this: Yifeng is a terrible liar. I don't think that she can keep a secret without the other party noticing something off. Yifeng will fold under questioning once someone inquires as to our identity. In some ways, I'd rather take our chances with sneaking than I would through negotiation. I've said this a lot, but information is a two-way street; don't be surprised if they learn something of us if we try to case the place.

I don't think we should be in such a rush to kill off Zhang, there's definitely more to him than meets the eye, the man is an absolute enigma and a genius. How did he know how to cure our qi? Why doesn't he care about us not becoming a psychotic killer like him? He alludes a lot to it, but hasn't yet demanded we kill off anyone, even the Eight Students he wants humiliated by any means necessary, but not killed.
Lastly, why does he give a shit about our potential and making us the best we can be?
There's something more at play here, but he definitely doesn't want us to be a "mini-me". Remember how panicked everyone was at him breaking us in training (alright, the qi incident notwithstanding) or turning us as nuts as him. And yet we came out fine, so give him the benefit of the doubt.

Master Zhang is an awesome teacher, and I'm glad that we're with him. We are incredibly privileged to be personally trained by one of the Five Great Pugilists as their sole apprentice - nobody else has this advantage. Yes, there are obvious downsides to training under him and it's a shame that all of his techniques are lethal, but the guy is a fucking genius, no question.

However, the reason that I'm going with C has nothing to do with Zhang. I believe that the Emei have some urgent matters with the Qingcheng, which is why they called back the Castration Nuns so early. If it was just a matter of Master Song dying, why would they be required to rush back to Emei so quickly? I think that something is up, and that the Emei know more about what happened there. I can't see why the news of Master Song's passing would require them to hurry back and leave Yifeng behind.

 

[Jester]

Votes so far:
Eryfkrad B>D.
Kashmir Slippers C>B
Zero B
Kipeieci D
Azira D
Jester A
Ifeex B>A>D.
Smashing Axe B
Storyfag "I like the sound of D."
Esq C
Bloodshifter D>B
Grimgravy A
Lambchop B ?
Xwnomorph B
Tome B


So currently:
A 2
B 7
C 2
D 4
Hope this helps.

 

[Tigranes]

This isn't easy.

We opted to go for the tournament so D is out, as much as I'm personally attracted to it.
I really think B is a recipe for disaster given how useless the Yifeng girl is. Seriously, the best thing you can do in any mission that requires subtlety or deception is tie her up in a sack and throw her downriver. Why are we trusting this girl?!

As for C, I think Esquilax is right that there is something going on regarding the Emei. I'm quite sure that they have information and an opportunity for us. The only question is how happy they will be to work with us; the nuns we fight with might have developed some grudging friendship with us but that is not true of the sect as a whole, and no doubt we will be used as a convenient infiltrator to be discarded or betrayed once th ejob is done.

A is the 'safest' in the sense that we are relying on skills we have developed and are relatively good at, but it also leaves us with the least information out of all the options. I think it has to be A or C, but what?

 

[Baltika9]

For real? They were trying to kill us and rape our friend. Even then, Jing didn' think he was fighting to kill. I thought that was an honest "oh shit, not everyone is as hardcore as Zhang. My bad." Not knowing one's own strength, as it were. Other than that, he did the absolutely right thing in this situation.
Anyway, his training didn't have nearly as heavy an impact on our morals as we feared:

The nun begins to fidget. “Ah, it seems… you see… I’m not too familiar with forests.” So, she’s lost. You give her a pitying look. Leaving her stranded here would be cruel. She may be a Castration Nun out for the sword and your testicles, but you don’t really regard them as your mortal enemy. They are just doing their job after all. With a nod, you beckon at the nun to follow. Her face breaks out into a dazzling, grateful smile.

And the cold detachment is a side-effect of going for a stealthier character, not our training.

 

[Jester]

Oh btw Treave Yao is being prosecuted or does sect will act on its own? We know when execution is scheduled?

 

[Nevill]

First things first, let me express my heartfelt gratitude to those who insisted on our meeting with Yao and Cao'er. Damn, what was the probability of the old geezer getting in trouble in exactly the same time period we take our leave off the island? It is kind of dramatically appropriate, but it is still a one-in-a-million chance, like stumbling upon the only frienly face we know in a sect that is hostile to us while crossing a completely normal, unremarkable forest.

Oh, wait.

All right, let me say this straight from the beginning - I don't trust Yifang. She is young, apparently of Jing's age - what is she doing in the midst of old crones? She is obviously not a part of the team of grizzled veterans, the nuns themselves mentioned that she was the newest addition - why she is participating in a mission that Emei deem critical, not just a training exercise? What was she doing in a forest, away from the others and why was she so conveniently close to you when the bandits attacked?

You know, the young member on a team of experienced old hags I can swallow. Her being alone in a random forest when we ran into her I can probably accept, too, if I stretch the borders of what is believable a bit - fate works in mysterious ways. Her being absolutely helpless and incompetent and pure and naive to the point Jing thinks he can't abandon her and lets her tag along with him wherever he goes - and isn't it tempting to try and sway her from the ways of Emei and eternal celibacy, enough to keep her around for this very reason? - I draw the line here. Drop her in Chengdu - we already did plenty for her. All these little things and coincidences are enough to set me on alert - the last girl we accidentally bumped into turned out to be the Wudu Princess.

Speaking of which, are we sure that sister Miaoli, whose truancy is responsible for our meeting with Yifang, is absent due to natural causes? We did encounter an artificial "illness" during our travels, and we are currently trying to investigate another mystery concerning an illness of unknown origin. Seems to happen a lot around us recently (yeah, I know, we are tracking a physician).

Yes, the Emei are an orthodox bunch and are probably above sending a young girl to spy on you or, God forbid, seduce you, what with their Lawful Stupid conduct and all. That still leaves the possibility of her being someone else's agent. The girl herself says she was an orphan and was picked by the Emei at an early age, and I am not so conceited that I think somebody would infiltrate a major sect just to spy on us ten years later. But that is the story Yifang tells you - I would be incredibly wary of her until I could verify that part with other sources. She might turn out to be the recent addition not only to her team, but to the sect as well.

Now that this bit of paranoia is out of the way, back to writing about the actual choices.

 

[Zero Credibility]

We don't have to anonymously negotiate for Yao's release - the nun can introduce us to her friend as the former apprentice of Yao's who came looking for him worried about him - all perfectly true and innocent and the nun can confirm as much. We just have to tell her to keep the other part about us to herself, as it will only bring harm to both Yao and us.

One big problem with this: Yifeng is a terrible liar. I don't think that she can keep a secret without the other party noticing something off. Yifeng will fold under questioning once someone inquires as to our identity. In some ways, I'd rather take our chances with sneaking than I would through negotiation. I've said this a lot, but information is a two-way street; don't be surprised if they learn something of us if we try to case the place.

She appears to be, yes. But as it has been pointed out, if we are going with negotiations we have to tell them something, some reason why we are negotiating for Yao - so why not go with (partial) truth? What we will tell them will already be a plausible enough motive for seeking Yao's release, so there will (I hope) be no reason for them to keep digging more. Surely even a bad liar like Yifeng can omit a part of our story that does not concern our current situation (that she know at least) and not get caught.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

I really think B is a recipe for disaster given how useless the Yifeng girl is. Seriously, the best thing you can do in any mission that requires subtlety or deception is tie her up in a sack and throw her downriver. Why are we trusting this girl?!

How much subtlety or deception does it take to say, "This man has come to negotiate the release of Master Yao and his apprentice. I beg you to hear his words as he recently saved my life."?

 

[treave]

As I mentioned in a previous post, her role is mainly gaining you an audience.

 

[Grimgravy]

I'm leaning more to B because it gives us the opportunity case the joint before we break in, that way we're not going in completely blind. They won't discover our identity unless the nun slips up, which I don't think she will (she's naive, not stupid), so the anonymity works for us here.

We don't have to anonymously negotiate for Yao's release - the nun can introduce us to her friend as the former apprentice of Yao's who came looking for him worried about him - all perfectly true and innocent and the nun can confirm as much. We just have to tell her to keep the other part about us to herself, as it will only bring harm to both Yao and us.

How many apprentices our age is Yao likely to have had? Without more information on our cover, I don't see B working. treave, what cover would we be using in B?

edit
Just some guy? No motive or explanation. I don't see that cutting it.

 

[treave]

Someone who was saved by Yao before, owes him his life, and would like to see if he can do something here so everyone is satisfied.

Which is technically not a lie, and of course what parts Yifang doesn't know to be a lie she can't unwittingly give away. You won't be telling her your life story... considering you think she can't lie to save her life, that's counterproductive if you're planning on lying.

 

[Tigranes]

I really think B is a recipe for disaster given how useless the Yifeng girl is. Seriously, the best thing you can do in any mission that requires subtlety or deception is tie her up in a sack and throw her downriver. Why are we trusting this girl?!

How much subtlety or deception does it take to say, "This man has come to negotiate the release of Master Yao and his apprentice. I beg you to hear his words as he recently saved my life."?

Because we can't trust her to say that, and only that, and keep her bloody mouth shut. She's the classic type that will go red in the face and show the world we're lying if it sounds like we're lying, if she doesn't then and there blurt out who we are and all to begin with.

“I believe you are kind at heart, Master Xu. You would never have saved me if you weren’t. If you repent and turn over a new leaf, I am sure you will do much good in the world,” says Yifang very earnestly. You sigh and ask her a question before she can begin trying to convince you of the error of your ways again.

And if we get in trouble, she can't even fight properly because she's afraid of hurting people. She's a useless sack of baggage - she'll be much more useful if we do C, where her earnesty will work in our favour, but not here.

edit: treave is downplaying her role in B which lessens my fears somewhat, though I still think B will lead us to engaging in subtle work with her around and in the know which will bite us in the end.

 

[TOME]

All these little things and coincidences are enough to set me on alert

We signed up for these little coincidences when we went for incredible bad luck.

 

[Grimgravy]

That's much less rubbish. But they'd still be well within their rights to tell us to take a hike, and what Tigranes says makes sense.