Myth: A New Age CYOA

[asxetos]

A>D
A
A

Amazing update.

 

[Absinthe]

Voting 2D - as B, but tell them that Neel and Bari should be able to clue them in on the specifics. (Also inform them about the success of our latest trap.)

I think it would be better if Neel added his vote of confidence while filling them in on the details.

 

[Nevill]

Neel is no one important, though. He is not an officer, just an expert tracker. And I am not sure if they need to know about Jawbone's death alongside with most of the melee warriors and Rand's desertion. It might send a wrong message.

Neel and Bari will likely tell them what they need to know anyway, though being veterans, they might have enough wit not to disclose anything that we didn't tell the other team ourselves.

A tale of success would bolster their courage, though. I don't know. I would still prefer to fill them in personally, as it is our responsibility as their commander, and the chance of desertion in the presense of their owner and the other officers is less than when there is no one else watching.

 

[Fangshi]

RE: rolls

Spoiler

Now that Derryth have seen the Dream up close, does she think that The Warrior's Mask could protect one from it? A high-CON warrior like Alvis would turn into a Trow equivalent, and the spell does not kill Trow outright. That was the first thing I thought about when we were facing the Shade, but did it occur to her?

Yes, she is aware that it might work provided the target is strong enough. Argus would be your best bet but Myora might also be able to do it. It might be difficult to convince someone to try it though.

Why didn't the Shade blow himself up on his very own Dream? Was he that far away from his own forces?

He was far enough away from his men to not get caught in it. Would have been funny though if it had clipped him.

Can a single spell like the Greater Fire/Energy Bolt completely drain us? Is it that powerful?

They are quite powerful spells and you do not have them mastered yet so it costs you more to cast them and maximize them. You also have no real training in elemental magic to fall back on either, most of what you know in that field is self-taught so that also reduces your ability to use the spell successfully.

Casting it on your own at maximum strength might not completely exhaust you but your three mages had no way to know if there were any other traps or tricks waiting for them so it seemed prudent to them to conserve their resources.

What was the difference between Aii and Aiii? What was a modifier we managed to obtain by hiding a trap further (and did we even get it)?

By hiding your trap within a trap you cut the number of checks they had to find your bombs by a significant amount. You also made a few of their checks more difficult than they would have otherwise been.

If you had trapped your trap instead it might have gone the same way or it might have led to different characters dying. Hard to say really.

Was there a chance to take out Gullveig in this manner at any given moment, or it wasn't an option due to her status as a leader and her cautious nature?

Not by trapping the structure. She had no intention of going inside it (it was not her idea, she wanted to try something else) so the odds of doing enough damage to kill her were almost nonexistent.

She was however traveling with the most dense part of the enemy host. If you had turned the 'cannon' on them, and if it had worked, she would have been one of your prime targets and you might have got her that way.

2D - as B, but tell them that Neel and Bari should be able to clue them in on the specifics. (Also inform them about the success of our latest trap.)

Okay, I will add it.


And just going to move the tallies to the new page:

Current Tally:

Spoiler

Sunnmøring: C,B,B
archaen: A,B,A
Nevill: D,B,A, D: Greater Firebolt /T: Greater Energy Bolt
Azira: D,B,A
Absinthe: E,D,A, D: Heal / T: Heal
Grimgravy: D,B,A, D: Energy Bolt / T: Heal
asxetos: A>D,A,A
Kz3r0: E,D,B, D: Greater Firebolt / T: Greater Energy Bolt
Jester: E,D,A, D: Heal / T: Heal

1.
A) 2 votes
B)
C) 1 vote
D) 3 votes
E) 3 votes

2.
A) 1 vote
B) 5 votes
C)
D) 3 votes

3.
A) 7 votes
B) 2 votes

4.
Derryth:
Greater Firebolt - 2 votes
Heal - 2 votes
Energy Bolt - 1 vote

Thaïs' Ring:
Greater Energy Bolt - 2 votes
Heal - 3 votes

Interlude Vote:

Nanshe leads 6 to 2.


Edit: I had completely forgotten but your rings were returned when you reached the fort so I have added a fourth question in case any of you want particular spells stored in your rings. Better to do it now while you have a chance.

 

[Kz3r0]

1. E)
2. D)
3. B)

4.
Derryth's Ring: _Greater Fire_____________

Thaïs' Ring: __/Energy Bolt ___________

5.A)

 

[Nevill]

RE: rolls

Spoiler

Yes, she is aware that it might work provided the target is strong enough. Argus would be your best bet but Myora might also be able to do it. It might be difficult to convince someone to try it though.

Well, you don't try these things by choice, that's for sure.

It was just a way to save our friends that might come in handy in the future, if nothing else works.

Casting it on your own at maximum strength might not completely exhaust you but your three mages had no way to know if there were any other traps or tricks waiting for them so it seemed prudent to them to conserve their resources.

The reason I was asking is because of this line:

The mages burnt through as many energon cubes as needed to ensure their spells would be at maximum effectiveness with fully draining them.

Did you mean 'without'?

3. B)

Whoa, really? After a definitive 'fuck the Spider Goddess' stance you are going to do live sacrifices at the demon's request? Didn't expect that one.

4.
Derryth's Ring: Greater Fire Bolt
Thaïs' Ring: Greater Energy Bolt

Yeah, these look fine. Sign me up for them as well.

Does anyone want to consider adding a Heal spell instead now that we are short on mandrake roots?

Aren't we continuing our experiments with the Retrieve Item spell modified to transport bombs without a line of sight? We might need the rings for that.

What are we planning to do with our forces in E and how are we going to communicate with them while they are in the tunnels? Because I might just flop to that if I am sure we would treat them as reinforcements and not just like a rescue party.

 

[Absinthe]

4 Heal/Heal

Lets face it, without mandrake roots we're going to need stored heal spells. We can cast more bolts out of our energon cube supply anyhow.

 

[Kz3r0]

3. B)

Whoa, really? After a definitive 'fuck the Spider Goddess' stance you are going to do live sacrifices at the demon's request? Didn't expect that one.

It's just business, we trade our enemies in exchange for some benefits, I have no intention to become hie errand tomboy.

 

[Nevill]

Hey, I have nothing against throwing necromancers in the deepest Abyss equivalent the world has, but I think you are forgetting who we are dealing with.

If you do choose to work with him though he will likely make requests every now and then. If a young noblewoman catches his eye he might ask you to send her along, that sort of thing.

What about that business? Or do you think Derryth justifying her actions with 'it's not like I am actually killing them' is her worrying about the well-being of Shades?

In for a penny, in for a pound. If we don't plan to get in bed with the demons who prey on mortals, to borrow Lyssa's words, we better not even start. They always ask for a pittance in the beginning, and are sometimes willing to pay in advance, but once you use up some of their favors, it becomes that much difficult to refuse them.

Nanshe and her ghols were trapped in the same way, but there would not be second Derryth and Thais to bail us out once the deal goes wrong.

I don't mind sending him people that we need to disappear, as it is no different from killing them, but I will not use up his favors in advance in exchange for sending him more people later (as it places us in his debt) and I would never, ever, take requests from him.

 

[Kz3r0]

I don't mind sending him people that we need to disappear, as it is no different from killing them, but I will not use up his favors in advance in exchange for sending him more people later (as it places us in his debt) and I would never, ever, take requests from him.

I agree, besides I would like ro propose him to help us to get rid of TWM, his mind should be prize enough.
We can also struck a deal with Albrecht, I am sure that he would have uee for an uncospicuous way to make the enemies of the crown disappear.

 

[Nevill]

I agree, besides I would like ro propose him to help us to get rid of TWM, his mind should be prize enough.

You see, for me there is a difference in trading an undesireable person for a reward, and getting a favor beforehand for promising him something in return later. If we don't get our catch, how are we going to pay up?

Mortgages are an evil, evil thing.

Leaving the whole matter of his complete untrustworthiness aside (he would easily lure you back in the Dreaming if he thought your partnership is no longer worth it - for example, in case you fail to comply with his requests one time too many), I want all of the transactions to happen on our terms, and our terms alone.

We can't do that while under a siege, and I will not risk our people to capture necromancers or Shades alive to repay him, that's for sure.

The option is always there for us - we only need to teleport a rat for him to contact us - but I find agreeing to his offer now, when we don't have anything to offer him, to be completely unacceptable.

No debts. No long-term partnership. Every deal - if there absolutely has to be a deal - may as well be the last.

Still, outlawyering a demon rarely works, so I expect there to be a catch even then.

We can also struck a deal with Albrecht, I am sure that he would have uee for an uncospicuous way to make the enemies of the crown disappear.

No thank you, I am fed up with being played as a pawn in political games and assisting in mass murders just so that Albrecht's crown sat a little tighter on his head. That's not to say I am going to betray him or anything - I just don't want to be used.

 

[Nevill]

Fangshi, while we still have both eagles with us (I presume the letter from Blackrock troops have just arrived), would it be possible for us to arm both of the eagles and take a crack at one of the 'strange' wagons? Arm the rings with something that would not be enough to blast it away completely, but just enough so that its contents became clear. Would the regular firebolt and energy bolts be enough?

I do not want to risk our eagles or rings, though, so if they can't make a clear shot and run, it would be best for them to just return.

Is it possible to throw the dice on that one, or are there more factors involved and it has to be put to a vote?

I imagine they have almost no anti-air capabilities now, the Shade can't be everywhere at once, and the wagons are hard to miss.

 

[Jester]

E
D
A
heal/heal

 

[Grimgravy]

Energy bolt for Derryth
heal for Thais

 

[Fangshi]

Spoiler

Did you mean 'without'?

Yes, fixed it.

Fangshi, while we still have both eagles with us (I presume the letter from Blackrock troops have just arrived), would it be possible for us to arm both of the eagles and take a crack at one of the 'strange' wagons? Arm the rings with something that would not be enough to blast it away completely, but just enough so that its contents became clear. Would the regular firebolt and energy bolts be enough?

I do not want to risk our eagles or rings, though, so if they can't make a clear shot and run, it would be best for them to just return.

Is it possible to throw the dice on that one, or are there more factors involved and it has to be put to a vote?

I imagine they have almost no anti-air capabilities now, the Shade can't be everywhere at once, and the wagons are hard to miss.

It is possible to do but not without risking the eagles/rings. The enemy still has mages, they need necromancers to maintain and control their army after all. Some are near your level, a few are below it, closer to Lyssa's and some are weaker still, closer to Christine's back in Chapter 1, there are also a lot that only know a couple spells. Derryth can not feel most of them since they rarely cast in sufficient numbers to create a strong signal and individually they are very weak (hardly a threat at all by themselves unless one gets lucky with a zap or something), however they are enough to threaten your birds if they get close. There are also the soulless to think about though they might be too slow to hit an eagle at range.

So I would need to put it to a vote.


Also Nanshe wins, I will type up the Interlude and post it as soon as I have a moment.

 

[Nevill]

Alright. Is there anything stopping us from dropping bombs on the army? The spells have maximum range, the gravity doesn't. Who or what can hit an eagle from 3 km away?

 

[Azira]

What can an eagle hit from 3kms into the air?

Really, for bombing to be efficient, you'd have to be able to deploy multiple charges spread over a large area, but without too many holes.

What you'd want is a murder of crows. Don't be giving the enemy ideas, Nevill...

 

[archaen]

How about operation Mole Hill? See if we can have our mice move peanut sized bits of explosives over night inside the wagons. They take a few days to get enough built up. We then have a rat sneak a detonator in at the end and use retrieve item to pull the pin once they are clear.

 

[Nevill]

What can an eagle hit from 3kms into the air?

There are about 800 bodies to choose from. Target rich environment, and all that.

What you'd want is a murder of crows.

What I want are the airships that Albrecht can't yet get bothered to send us.

Don't be giving the enemy ideas, Nevill...

Shutting up.

How about operation Mole Hill? See if we can have our mice move peanut sized bits of explosives over night inside the wagons.

They don't want to get near the ones that interest us most.

Still, if the Shade has a command tent and if there are actual moles around the fort... We can have a little fun. Excellent idea, and funny, too.

 

[archaen]

They don't want to get near the crates. That's why I said let's see. If they will go under the wagons or inside the wagons but not next to the crates then that would be good enough.

 

[archaen]

Fangshi Do the mice report any other vermin in the wagons? I know there is undead about but they are carting hundreds of corpses around and I would be surprised if there wasn't a ton of rats and mice feeding on the offal. If this is the case then our saboteurs would be very hard to spot.

 

[Fangshi]

Alright. Is there anything stopping us from dropping bombs on the army? The spells have maximum range, the gravity doesn't. Who or what can hit an eagle from 3 km away?

The enemy can't hit your eagles that far up but your eagles do not have much experience bombing targets like that so you might miss. If the enemy knows you can attack that way expect them to take appropriate countermeasures as well.

How about operation Mole Hill? See if we can have our mice move peanut sized bits of explosives over night inside the wagons. They take a few days to get enough built up. We then have a rat sneak a detonator in at the end and use retrieve item to pull the pin once they are clear.

That could work certainly though the mice are going to want to renegotiate their contract if you want them to go next to those crate.

Fangshi Do the mice report any other vermin in the wagons? I know there is undead about but they are carting hundreds of corpses around and I would be surprised if there wasn't a ton of rats and mice feeding on the offal. If this is the case then our saboteurs would be very hard to spot.

Yes, lots of rats, especially around the carts. They were 'odd' though, your rats tried to talk to them to get the latest gossip but they would not respond. They just sort of wandered around silently. When your rats tried to press the issue and touch them they became quite agitated so your spies backed off. Your spies note that they looked a little 'off', some of them were missing hair and the like, but they are at a loss to explain why.

 

[Grimgravy]

Zombie rats

 

[Nevill]

Watcher irradiation.

That reminds me...

You slip a suggestion into his mind. It takes a bit of doing but eventually it seems to sway him. He tells you that he knows absolutely nothing. His mind is strangely flat though, you can not get your hooks into it and you do not pick up any strong emotions... It is like a great and still lake... the surface a complete mirror...

That could work certainly though the mice are going to want to renegotiate their contract if you want them to go next to those crate.

*sigh* What do they want?

Also, does the Shade have a command tent, or does she move around? I'd much prefer to mine and blow it up instead to behead the enemy force.

She did prefer to stick close to her wagon and the guards, after all.


Do the Shades see in the dark? Do eagles?

 

[archaen]

We should also sweep our keep to make sure those watcher rats are not spying on us in return. I doubt they are being controlled but just in case.