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] Epic

ScubaV

Prophet
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
1,022
treave, how many incursions have we had and how long between each one?

If we can expect the next incursion within 10 years I think closing the rift has a higher priority. It should also give us a complete Vajra (unless we have to sacrifice Vajra in order to close the rift) which will make fighting the Tree easier.
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,518
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Then it's time to go
...
tripping the rift!
:yeah:

trippingtherifttvadfro2xn.jpg
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Last major one was fifty years back, involved nearly a hundred thousand Terasphagos (at least there were that many dead), and lasted about six months. This one is much bigger. You haven't encountered enough incursions to have a proper data sample.
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,518
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
I can say with certainty choice A will have you finally find the rift, after a short timeskip. I'm no bastard. :obviously:

Well, you also previously said that had we chosen to master Vajra earlier, we would have had other options regarding the rift. Now it seems Ean has more or less mastered his piece, so I guess you're just being consistent. :salute:
 

ScubaV

Prophet
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
1,022
Going A1 for now, unless a B voter comes up with a brilliant argument.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Ah shit, this what was afraid of.
Well, the tree needs time to mature. The North puts me very much on edge, but denying solid engineering is very foolish, even if they know of a way to destroy it.

This shit with the Warp needs to stop. Aq.

And this new Master, well, he gives me a very "Inquisitorial" feeling. It's like he'll corner us when we least expect it and say "you work for me now." I doubt the North is his, it would be too obvious. Way too obvious.

:(Now I know how mad prophets felt. Now we either royally screw China up, or royally screw our Empire up.
 

Anabanana

Augur
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
1,061
A2. Let's take care of this shit so we can move on to the east!

Edit: Switching to 2. We don't need the wall, really.
 

Esquilax

Arcane
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
4,833
B isn't exactly a big timeskip either, guys. A few immortals could get to China pretty quickly, even with Bronze Age tech.

"We no longer have any eyes on that world. We still haven't repaired the damage those damned pests did to the link."

"There are other ways to observe. May I be put in charge of this project? I am sure all of you have greater things to tend to."

"... very well. You now have responsibility over this world. Don't mess up like he did."

"I won't."

There are no avatars on Earth, but the Masters have "other ways to observe". They are guiding Ean against the Terasphagos and learning more about him through the Northern Kingdom's forges that they set up, which serve as their "other ways to observe". The Northern Kingdom arose at 2,000 B.C., right around the time that we woke up from our coma and defeated Sekhenun:

The North:
Far in the cold north, there appears to be a rising power that has united the squabbling tribes. More and more Gieloth are starting to venture there, attracted to the growing civilization.

The very secretive power behind the North is not an avatar, but an immortal, albeit one who is closely attuned to the Masters. Possibly Naram, possibly someone else similar to him. As far as the tech on masonry, it was obviously something that they leaked to our spy on purpose. They're letting us have it so that (a) to help us beat the Terasphagos and (b) to observe us more easily. I get the feeling that there's also another hidden price tag here as well.

Nothing is free and the masonry upgrade is cover for something else - just like our initial trade agreement was cover for observation. They know about our spies, of course, and they're using the Watchers as yet another way of keeping tabs on us. This reminds me of the foolishness of zapping Marduk with Zeus' thunder and how it was a bad idea because it was too good to be true. Here is a hint:

It looks like you would have to emphasize that your watchers know that initiative was important, but too much initiative was dangerous - this was the risk of letting them operate independently for too long, effective though it was.

If we start using Northern masonry to build our wall, it'll encourage our Watchers to become bolder, which will make whatever we do even more obvious to the Northerners. My recommendation here is that we shouldn't take the free lunch unless we really need to (i.e. we leave for China) or we want their guard down (i.e. going North).

If we pick A, defending ourselves from the Terasphagos from Korinthos will be much easier than doing so from the miasma anyways. Luckily, we've also lost relatively few men in our army during the retreat, so our army came out mostly intact as well. Unlike in Olympus, we're able to see where they're coming from much more easily, and we have Athena with us this time, which makes organizing a defense much easier here.

More importantly, (2) will start forcing the Northerners to begin revealing themselves a bit more. They're desperate to give us their tech, so I think if we refuse their offer here, they might reveal more of their operations/motivations. Thus far, we've been taking everything that the North has offered us, so I believe that if we change up the dynamic for once, it'll force them to put themselves in the open a bit more. We need to find the hidden hand guiding them, and we aren't going to do that by blindly taking every offer they put on the table.

China

"The immortals and the Gieloth have a ceasefire. The Yellow Emperor apparently came to some sort of agreement with the Gieloth."

The Gieloth here have some sort of trump card. We know that they're going to be creating the Tree soon, so they must feel confident that they're going to win. If we were to go to China right now, we'd save quite a few immortals and possibly earn some allies to take back to Greece with us.

Voting A2 for now, but I could be swayed to B1.

A1
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Little did Ean know that the Great Wall of Korinthos, built with Northern technology, served another purpose...

The Master leapt onto the wall, posing dramatically against the billowing storm clouds. In his right hand he held a mysterious device with a switch, and he raised it upwards.

The switch was flipped!

"COME! GIGAAAA PRIIIIIIIIIME MASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" yelled the Master.

The wall shook, and before Ean's amazed eyes, it rose and transformed into a gigantic statue!

"Hahahahahahahahahaha! With the power of the Giga Prime Master I will wipe out this abnormal planet. You fool, you have no hope! Despair!"

The gigantic statue, every bit the appearance of the Master with its rounded helmet, glowing chest plate and swanky gloves & boots, roared. Its eyes glowed yellow and twin fiery beams shot forth, heading straight for Ean! It was too late for him to dodge... but suddenly, four familiar silhouettes appeared in front of him. In a blaze of blue and green, they warded off the fiery beams with a shout!

"Sekhenun! Edem! Athena! Artemis!"

"Kept you waiting, huh?" Edem grinned, his teeth twinkling.

"Now that we are all here, we are invincible! Yay!" Artemis was as cheerful as ever.

"Now now, let's not get too overconfident." smiled the kind Athena.

"...." said Sekhenun.

"Fools! Dastardly fools! How dare you block my attack! You will pay for this! Giga Prime Master, use your Super Giga Dimension Buster to destroy these fools!"

"Not so fast, Evil Master! Shin'ari Five!" yelled Ean. "COMBINE!!!!!!"


~ Will the Shin'ari Five combine in time? Will they be able to beat the Evil Master and his giant statue, the Giga Prime Master? Will the Terror Twins finally understand the meaning of love? What will Shulgi say when he finds out that Naram's sheep has been in his kitchen? Find out all this and more next week, in the next episode of...

SHIN'ARI FIVE: LEGEND OF THE ANCIENT WARRIORS!
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
treave, speaking of that wall: does it have any structural weaknesses, some glaring disadvantages, or is it perfectly superior to whatever we can come up with.

Edit: :lol:
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Re: the wall. You really can't tell, and neither can Athena. If there is, it's a well hidden flaw. It appears to be a new way of layering materials so that you can build up the wall faster and taller.
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Pretty much, and some others that you would not have thought to use as wall building material before.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Huh, that does sound too good to be true. Esquilax's theory about the new Master does make sense here, or they're simply giving us tech they can later use against us, in an invasion say. In any case, accepting this if Ean's staying there will be redundant. Flipped.
 

TOME

Cuckmaster General
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
1,820
You lost me this time Esquilax. How is not building the wall going to reveal their motivations? There is a big bad rift that needs to be contained or all the life on planet Earth will be wiped out. Giving out masonry tech to us is probably more easier than sending their own 100000 men to stop Terasphagos from advancing north. They will probably help us more if we need help, but saying "no we don't want to play your game, we quit, let's all die" is not going to work. Let's take the gift given and put it into a good use.

A1.

Seeing how the northerners have far more advance technology than us and our spy network is powerless, I'm starting to think that Shulgi is behind them. Shulgi was/is after all the spy assassin with analytical mind and intelligence.
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Although it's suspicious, the motivation behind this gift of technology is probably pretty simple. The Master wants the rift contained, and we're the tool he can use to contain it. He's helping us because it's in his interests, nothing more.

A1
 

a cut of domestic sheep prime

Guest
Pretty much, and some others that you would not have thought to use as wall building material before.
Why do I get the feeling our wall is being laced with explosives and that the north will invade and blow it as a distraction, wiping out Greece with the ensuing monster invasion...

The wall is bad news guys. Really bad. A2
 

Esquilax

Arcane
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
4,833
Because you're paranoid, bro. They're advanced, but they're not making explosives here.

Huh, that does sound too good to be true. Esquilax's theory about the new Master does make sense here, or they're simply giving us tech they can later use against us, in an invasion say. In any case, accepting this if Ean's staying there will be redundant. Flipped.

That's not what I said. I'm not sure if they care about invading. Whoever is behind the North's rise to power, it's someone who (a) still is able to hear the Voices on account of the advanced tech, (b) genuinely wants the Terasphagos out of the picture and (c) is interested in Ean and wants to keep tabs on him. It's someone who is strongly influenced by the Masters.

How is not building the wall going to reveal their motivations? There is a big bad rift that needs to be contained or all the life on planet Earth will be wiped out. Giving out masonry tech to us is probably more easier than sending their own 100000 men to stop Terasphagos from advancing north. They will probably help us more if we need help, but saying "no we don't want to play your game, we quit, let's all die" is not going to work. Let's take the gift given and put it into a good use.

Seeing how the northerners have far more advance technology than us and our spy network is powerless, I'm starting to think that Shulgi is behind them. Shulgi was/is after all the spy assassin with analytical mind and intelligence.

Because they've been pretty keen on giving us more tech whenever it's been possible. If we don't take the bait, they're going to keep courting us more aggressively, because their whole plan is to leak technology to us. If we refuse their offer, they're going to step up efforts to bring technology to us, and at that point, they might inadvertently reveal something about their motivations, or who is really behind them.

Besides, I'm pretty convinced that we don't need the improved wall to win. We are fighting outside of the miasma, we have Athena, and most of our army is still intact. Why do we even need the bigger wall? To kill the Terasphagos... faster? This kind of attitude reminds me of when we zapped Marduk with a lightning bolt. Sure, we had a plan to take him by surprise and kill him with Edem, but zapping him required no effort on our part, so it must be, like, way better, right?

This is another example of how doing things the easy way carries a hidden cost.
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,518
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Seeing how the northerners have far more advance technology than us and our spy network is powerless, I'm starting to think that Shulgi is behind them. Shulgi was/is after all the spy assassin with analytical mind and intelligence.

Oh yes, spot on! :bro: It's Shulgi gone Loki. He's made the voices his bitch and gets the advanced tech from there. He also wants the masters out of the equation, and he doesn't want Earth to be blasted to hell. He doesn't trust nor like Ean one bit on account of him killing him earlier, but possibly we can put those differences past us, should we meet and have a chat..

This actually makes sense to me. Anyone else?
 

Esquilax

Arcane
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
4,833
Oh yes, spot on! :bro: It's Shulgi gone Loki. He's made the voices his bitch and gets the advanced tech from there. He also wants the masters out of the equation, and he doesn't want Earth to be blasted to hell. He doesn't trust nor like Ean one bit on account of him killing him earlier, but possibly we can put those differences past us, should we meet and have a chat..

This actually makes sense to me. Anyone else?

TOME's theory is pretty plausible. After thinking about it, it definitely isn't Naram. When Naram left Ean to fight Sekhenun by himself, he ran off into parts unknown. But he didn't go North, because at that point, the Northern Kingdom had already begun to form as a civilization.

As for the voices, I don't think they've so much as disappeared in other immortals as much as they've simply gone dormant. Their powers remain, so their voices must remain too. Since Shulgi's dominated his voices, they are going to talk whenever he feels like making them talk. Another thing, I flipped back to our last meeting with Shulgi way back and compared it to our encounter with the North early in this chapter:

“My king… my king! I have something urgent to report!” You turn and see one of your men climb up onto the roof, his clothes sopping wet. You go to help him up. As you reach for the man, he looks up at you and freezes. “You. I did not expect to see you here.” Upon seeing his face, you freeze too. You feel a flicker of panic in his mind, which soon faded from your perception and became a blank, unreadable void.
...
Edem also found that the chief adviser of King Egill, a man who is rumoured to be the real power behind the throne and a shaman that has served his clan for many generations, turned out to be just a normal human, albeit one that was intelligent and resourceful – it was his idea to send an emissary to the south, and he was knowledgeable enough about events that were happening in Greece and elsewhere.

Even in 2,300 B.C. Shulgi had enough psychic ability to block out his mind from Ean. At this point, I have no doubt that Shulgi's psychic abilities are even better than Edem's. Probably good enough to hide his nature from Edem, which is why it's no wonder he didn't notice anything unusual about the shaman. Another thing that jumped out at me was that this shaman served his clan for generations - that's one hell of a lifespan.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
treave, how many men do we have now, exactly? What's their morale and how are the citizens fairing?

Sorry, Baltika9, the argument about seeming weak and saying that Ean has "lost his balls" is nonsense. What does that have to do with the situation at hand?
It's very simple: the foreword to the previous chapter made it abundantly clear exactly how the soldiers view Ean. He's not just an Emperor, or a God. He's their God Emperor, the guy they hope to see when shit hits the fan, the guy they put complete and utter trust into. Ean is pretty much the embodiment of what they are fighting for. Losing their confidence in him is very relevant to the situation at hand. Losing the support of the Greeks will be catastrophic, for Ean or the new Emperor(ess), so we'd better be on our top game. And right now we are anything but.

As for the Wall dilemma: It can be Shulgi, or the new Master, and that doesn't really matter in the now. Before we plan for the long-term, we better assure that we are set for the short term. What does the wall provide the troops and the citizenry? Increased survival rates, a strong sense of security and a tactical advantage. Really, we're fighting against an unmeasurable horde here, every little bit counts.

On the other hand, we already lost most of Greece and the 'nids aren't going to come out here full force, in all likelihood, but stick to scavenging biomass from every branch they find. Making the wall rather redundant and a potential risk in the future.

Then again, it may be as TOME said: Shulgi, or whoever, sent a scout, heard about what's happening here and decided that the Terrasphagos did not bode well for their kingdom/their agenda(s) and decided to indirectly help us out, without revealing themselves too soon, since killing people is not the best way to make friends. And honestly, what do we care right now who's behind the Northern kingdom, when we are being warmed up for a three-way? Am considering flopping back.
P.S: See, this is what happens when you play Civilization instead of solving problems. I feel like there's a lesson here. And the new Master really isn't behind the North. Timelines do not match up.
 

ScubaV

Prophet
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
1,022
Because they've been pretty keen on giving us more tech whenever it's been possible. If we don't take the bait, they're going to keep courting us more aggressively, because their whole plan is to leak technology to us. If we refuse their offer, they're going to step up efforts to bring technology to us, and at that point, they might inadvertently reveal something about their motivations, or who is really behind them.

Eh, I'm not really buying this. The forges were an obvious spy move, but one we accepted in order to get the super steel. I think the compass and wall techs are merely efforts to help us deal with the rift so whoever is behind the Northern kingdom doesn't have to. I doubt that rejecting them will get them to come crawling to us begging to take their technology. We're the nation right on top of this rift. The Northerners can afford to sit back and watch how we do. It seems to be in their interests to see us defeat the Terasphagos, but not at the cost of the secrecy they've so carefully maintained.
 

Bloodshifter

Educated
Joined
Jul 7, 2012
Messages
542
Location
Somewhere with dead bears
A1 Northerners so far have been willing to help despite our most Paranoia *in dealing with the Telas.* it is in our best interest to do a "heart to heart" with the North soon *after the Invasion*

treave how does our Iron Warriors far against the threat?

And can we trace the "Call" if we did decide to Leave for China?

P.S: See, this is what happens when you play Civilization instead of solving problems. I feel like there's a lesson here. And the new Master really isn't behind the North. Timelines do not match up.

I believe you do hold a point the North came to our attention After Olympus but they must have been secretly gaining power until that point so the Master may be in the North but he may very well be ANYWHERE *and another Immortal may be hiding there*
 

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