Adventurer Quest

[Yours Truly]

This is a Quest Thread, a collective game where a bunch of strangers separated from each other in the meat space by sheer distance/lack of knowledge about actual appearance who are tenuously connected by this wonderful thing we call the internet, hopefully spend some of their precious time voting and arguing about each other's choices about what the main character should do next. And before you ask....yes I am not that great at introductions aren't I?

Basically I will be writing a Choose Your Own Adventure Story with predetermined choices, you can either choose the already present options by quoting it in your post, preferably with a short bit about why you chose that option. Or to make your own choice by just writing a course of action you think they should take. The choice with the most votes will be used for the next bit of writing....so get ready. 

And I am not exactly sure which subforum this would belong in, which is why I chose The Wasteland, because this type of thread was developed in a rather cancerous place; that and I honestly don't know where it would go.

 

Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

As you sat on your only slightly rickety evil throne while consuming your evil and potentially heart stopping breakfast you consider all of the options available to you. With every slice of bacon you bring up to your mouth, and with every delicious crunch a small part of you starts to make a rather devious plan that will allow you to claim a piece of the world for you to personally rule. Although of course there is just one problem....you don't have an army.
You see the thing about large and loyal armies is that they take money to maintain; even a skeleton requires some expensive reagents to build and dull rusty swords and purely decorative breastplates don't just appear out of thin air you know. You're not even sitting inside of a castle right now; you just broke into some old hermit's house and started claiming squatter's rights.
All you have to your name is a rather comfortable gambeson that had been coloured a not very appealing shade of dark grey, and a single weapon that has served you quite well ever since you first learned how to wield it without injuring your own foot.

 

That weapon is a:
>>>>>>Dagger: It has a simple point and stab interface, can be easily concealed, and it's not like you can't find another set by pickpocketing a nearby brigand now can't you? But despite all of its advantages it is only barely better than a wooden club against a properly armored opponent, and you really don't want to try fighting a bear with it. Anyone who sees this weapon will think that you are some form of dishonorable cutpurse or brigand, or just really poor.

 

>>>>>>Long Sword: Who here hasn't heard of the bright and shining hero crossing blades with the sinister villain before winning the surprisingly honorable sword duel despite the fact that the other guy could have won if he kicked the "hero" in the nadgers while he was staring intently into the other guy's eyes and trying to break through the sparking block?. Well it's not exactly the cheapest thing around, and everyone is going to look at the guy with the Long Sword and think that he is trying to seem important, and to be brutally honest it is more of a sidearm than an actual weapon that you start the battle with, but you know....yay swords. Essentially this weapon will say that you fancy yourself a noble.

 

>>>>>>Long Spear: Because let's face it, it's cheap, it's reliable, and it keeps you alive by preventing the other guy from doing anything to make you not alive until you can kill him dead. Just try to ignore the many, many people who will comment on how you are compensating for something.

 

>>>>>>Axe: it's a rather heavy old thing with a wickedly sharp edge. Kind of hard to use properly in a battle, but it can be quite devastating if you are strong enough to not get all tuckered out after the first swing. Rather unfortunately people will assume that you are either a lumberjack, or somebody who goes around saying "Bar bar bar" all of the time.

 

>>>>>Other: (Describe what the weapon is, make sure that it can feasibly exist in a medieval fantasy setting in an area that is partly shamelessly based on Europe)

[Gentleman Jaggi]

>>>>>> Halberd: These things are highly flexible; they've got the long range of a spear, a lot of hooks and pointy bits to stab and pull at foes and their equipment, can throw a guy off his horse and you can swing them really hard. These things can punch through helmets and armor.

Using it will likely make you look more like a footsoldier than a valiant warrior, but who cares about that when your foe can't even get his little toothpick of a sword past your stabbing range?

[Wolfox]

this thread reminds me of the game of a similar name. iirc that game was pretty fun

[Daniel Blackworth]

8 hours ago, Cronos5010 said:

>>>>>Dagger: It has a simple point and stab interface, can be easily concealed, and it's not like you can't find another set by pickpocketing a nearby brigand now can't you? But despite all of its advantages it is only barely better than a wooden club against a properly armored opponent, and you really don't want to try fighting a bear with it. Anyone who sees this weapon will think that you are some form of dishonorable cutpurse or brigand, or just really poor.

This one will work well for my purposes.

[IntSys]

>>>>>>Axe: it's a rather heavy old thing with a wickedly sharp edge. Kind of hard to use properly in a battle, but it can be quite devastating if you are strong enough to not get all tuckered out after the first swing. Rather unfortunately people will assume that you are either a lumberjack, or somebody who goes around saying "Bar bar bar" all of the time.

 

Oh, and you get to put it at the end of your bridge-inside-a-castle so the inevitable hero comes and cuts down the bridge with it.

[Yours Truly]

19 hours ago, Wolfox Glace said:

this thread reminds me of the game of a similar name. iirc that game was pretty fun

Heh I think I remember the game you were talking about, the name is just a coincidence though; I just generally suck at naming things and came up with something generic after realizing that I didn't actually give this thing a name; another idea was "No Reborn, you are the BBEG" but I didn't want to repeat that old meme.

All ties will be resolved by the only truly honest and fair force left in the world, a simple roll of nonexistent dice.

20 hours ago, Gentleman Jaggi said:

>>>>>> Halberd: These things are highly flexible; they've got the long range of a spear, a lot of hooks and pointy bits to stab and pull at foes and their equipment, can throw a guy off his horse and you can swing them really hard. These things can punch through helmets and armor.

Using it will likely make you look more like a footsoldier than a valiant warrior, but who cares about that when your foe can't even get his little toothpick of a sword past your stabbing range?

You scratched at your surprisingly helmetless head with an iron gauntlet wearing hand as you considered your options. You needed to get money to raise an army, but you needed to find a way to do it quickly, or at the very least to find a way to get it before your hairs start to turn grey anyway......

You then sit down and fuss over your Halberd as you consider the options available to you....

>>>>>>>>Banditry!. It is a wicked and dishonest job, but let's face it, you are a bad enough dude to find some gullible merchants and knock the living daylights out of them before robbing of them of pretty much anything and everything they have in their possession right? Who cares about such petty problems as having a bounty taken out on your head, random travelers stabbing you to death and walking away scot free yet vaguely stronger and richer, and the fact that the Blackthawne forest is a rather dangerous place filled with many rare and dangerous creatures....Well actually.....

>>>>>>>Poaching!. While some may find that this job is less inherently evil, a Druid would probably disagree with that statement, just before turning themselves into a dire bear and eating the one making the statement. My point is that since this job does not involve actively trying to kick society and the entire concept of 'good' and 'honest' work in the nadgers, people will probably not want to try and hunt you down for sport/profit. Granted signing on for this job will increase your chances of getting eaten by a Mega Death Hyper Eagle, but the money you might make if you survive will be worth it. Although if you are considering this I don't really know why you wouldn't just try to...

>>>>>>>Start Adventuring. Look...if some little goody two shoes with a vaguely sharp instrument of death to things and people not smart enough to arm themselves with a reach weapon can make a literal and figurative killing in this profession, then why in the nine hells can't you? I mean the only real problem is that you would have to work with a group of strangers that you meet in a pub, and then embark on a long and dramatic quest to seal/destroy/loot/fulfill somebody else's revenge fantasies on/marry the inevitable not very sealed evil in a can, but this is probably the most profitable option you have right now.....although it will take the most time.

>>>>>>>Just go into a damn town. Let's face it, who makes plans on how to make money when they are in some miserable hut in the middle of a creepy forest anyway? Just go into the nearby town of Frakeston and get a drink or something; you can work it out somehow....

[Daniel Blackworth]

>>>>>>Start Adventuring. Look...if some little goody two shoes with a vaguely sharp instrument of death to things and people not smart enough to arm themselves with a reach weapon can make a literal and figurative killing in this profession, then why in the nine hells can't you? I mean the only real problem is that you would have to work with a group of strangers that you meet in a pub, and then embark on a long and dramatic quest to seal/destroy/loot/fulfill somebody else's revenge fantasies on/marry the inevitable not very sealed evil in a can, but this is probably the most profitable option you have right now.....although it will take the most time.

[DemICE]

 

>>>>>>Axe: it's a rather heavy old thing with a wickedly sharp edge. Kind of hard to use properly in a battle, but it can be quite devastating if you are strong enough to not get all tuckered out after the first swing. Rather unfortunately people will assume that you are either a lumberjack, or somebody who goes around saying "Bar bar bar" all of the time.

 

What if I'm actually a lumberjack too?

 

>>>>>>>Poaching!. While some may find that this job is less inherently evil, a Druid would probably disagree with that statement, just before turning themselves into a dire bear and eating the one making the statement. My point is that since this job does not involve actively trying to kick society and the entire concept of 'good' and 'honest' work in the nadgers, people will probably not want to try and hunt you down for sport/profit. Granted signing on for this job will increase your chances of getting eaten by a Mega Death Hyper Eagle, but the money you might make if you survive will be worth it. Although if you are considering this I don't really know why you wouldn't just try to...

 

gotta poach em all

 

Punchline: "Trees? Beasts? All's the'  pretteh damn same fo' meh"

 

Edited May 10, 2017 by DemICE

[IntSys]

>>>>>>>Poaching! While some may find that this job is less inherently evil, a Druid would probably disagree with that statement, just before turning themselves into a dire bear and eating the one making the statement. My point is that since this job does not involve actively trying to kick society and the entire concept of 'good' and 'honest' work in the nadgers, people will probably not want to try and hunt you down for sport/profit. Granted signing on for this job will increase your chances of getting eaten by a Mega Death Hyper Eagle, but the money you might make if you survive will be worth it.

 

And you'd also get some sick monster loots while you're at it, so it's even better!

[Yours Truly]

After a moment of thinking you finally come to a decision, adventuring is simply a state of mind, and a monster hunter is at the very least honest about what they actually do for a living, and since you are working alone you won't have to share your profits with *anyone*, which is a huge plus in your books.

With that matter settled you try and remember the most exotic beast you can think off....which one was it? The one that the old hermit talked at length about before mysteriously disappearing but not before giving you the permission to live here?

 

>>>>>>>>The Deadly and mysterious "Adder": the only poisonous snake in the entire forest that isn't gigantic or able to melt through armor with its spit. Unsurprisingly hard to find these days, but Adder carcasses can fetch a pretty decent price, for some odd reason rich people really love to eat them....you're not sure why.

>>>>>>>Shifter Bugs: Extremely annoying and hard to put down, they were known for phasing in and out of existence and preying on poorly armed travelers. Fortunately enough the nearby republic of Sod Em are looking forward to reducing the amount of Shifter bugs present in the forest, and you have heard a rumor that they will pay a rather tidy sum for a mostly undamaged carcass.

>>>>>>>"The Blackthawne Beast": They say that a rather powerful and mysterious beast lives in the depths of the forest, and that the beast has been known to roam in the outskirts of the forest in the dead of night, raiding caravans and slaying travelers; leaving nothing but broken carriages and gnawed bones in it's wake. So far there has only been one witness, a terrified little boy by the name of "Randall" who speaks of a giant white furred monster with terrible teeth, that moves with an unnatural speed and has the strength of ten men. There is a bounty out on this creature, but you feel that it would be unwise to hunt it down by your lonesome.

Edited May 10, 2017 by Cronos5010

[DemICE]

Considering our weapon of choice is a halberd, i'd be wise enough to go for the big target. Would not hurt to try to join some hunting party for it too.. 

 

>>>>>>>"The Blackthawne Beast": They say that a rather powerful and mysterious beast lives in the depths of the forest, and that the beast has been known to roam in the outskirts of the forest in the dead of night, raiding caravans and slaying travelers; leaving nothing but broken carriages and gnawed bones in it's wake. So far there has only been one witness, a terrified little boy by the name of "Randall" who speaks of a giant white furred monster with terrible teeth, that moves with an unnatural speed and has the strength of ten men. There is a bounty out on this creature, but you feel that it would be unwise to hunt it down by your lonesome.

[IntSys]

You see, we shouldn't tackle the Blackthawne Beast right now. That'd mean splitting the loots with a hunting party, and that's LAME.

 

>>>>>>>>The Deadly and mysterious "Adder": the only poisonous snake in the entire forest that isn't gigantic or able to melt through armor with its spit. Unsurprisingly hard to find these days, but Adder carcasses can fetch a pretty decent price, for some odd reason rich people really love to eat them....you're not sure why.

 

[Daniel Blackworth]

The shifter bugs seem to be hard to defeat and stuff while the beast seems to be only a fake thing since only a young boy knows about it.

>>>>>>>>The Deadly and mysterious "Adder": the only poisonous snake in the entire forest that isn't gigantic or able to melt through armor with its spit. Unsurprisingly hard to find these days, but Adder carcasses can fetch a pretty decent price, for some odd reason rich people really love to eat them....you're not sure why.

[Yours Truly]

(I apologise for the lack of green text, I am currently on my phone)

You decide that the easiest way to gather more resources would be to find something that is rare yet not very threatening and kill a decent amount of it. Which is why you eventually settled for wrangling up some Adders.

 

You vaguely recall how much they love brightly lit places, which helps narrow it down somewhat.

You then pick up a small sack that the good hermit had left there for you, and you gingerly take out the various oddly colored rocks he had placed inside.

The temperature was rather cool and comfortable as you walk in the lazy daylight, and you scratch your head as you walks towards the.....

 

>>>>>>>>The Lake of disappointment: So called due to the discover expecting something more remarkable in an otherwise dangerous and interesting forest other than a clear lake filled with fish. The discoverer spent many months conversing with magi, religious folk, and merchants before finally coming to the conclusion that it is nothing but a rather pleasant lake. You vaguely remember an old legend that the nameless discoverer died near the lake after being bitten by several rather poisonous creatures....that might just be the elusive Adder

>>>>>>>Deepwood Clearing: You have been there before, a clearing smack dab in the middle of the forest. You once saw an Adder here, but that was a year ago and you had chosen to let the beast go, you don't kill women defending their children, even if they are a beast. This place also had a Terror Beast, but that was a year ago and you're pretty sure that it isn't alive anymore.

>>>>>>>Burakhazi's Hill: It is a hill that some self righteous dick named Burakhazi once died on. It is also a holy site for the followers of the Snake God Khan Ham Snekt. You are not sure why this forest has so many holy sites and exotic animals.

>>>>>>>Geerati River: Yet another oddly named location of interest, except this one technically only passes a tiny bit of the forest in the east of it. That part of the forest is also brightly lit as the trees are suspiciously bad at covering the sky, it's like someone or something are chopping off the branches...

[DemICE]

I'd rather be at a place where if i am attacked by that adder, it would not be  from every possible side around me,  so i'd choose  a lake, or  a river , where there is water on the one side.   Also in case of being cornered by land threats, it might be a good choice to temporarily retreat into the waters, where some of them might not be able to follow.  Of course there is always the risk of water creatures but everything is a risk anyway ...

Seeing as standing water is safer to enter than flowing water,   my choice is :

 

>>>>>>>>The Lake of disappointment: So called due to the discover expecting something more remarkable in an otherwise dangerous and interesting forest other than a clear lake filled with fish. The discoverer spent many months conversing with magi, religious folk, and merchants before finally coming to the conclusion that it is nothing but a rather pleasant lake. You vaguely remember an old legend that the nameless discoverer died near the lake after being bitten by several rather poisonous creatures....that might just be the elusive Adder

 

 

P.S: This shade of green is easier on the eyes

Edited May 11, 2017 by DemICE

[Daniel Blackworth]

>>>>>Deepwood Clearing: You have been there before, a clearing smack dab in the middle of the forest. You once saw an Adder here, but that was a year ago and you had chosen to let the beast go, you don't kill women defending their children, even if they are a beast. This place also had a Terror Beast, but that was a year ago and you're pretty sure that it isn't alive anymore.

[Yours Truly]

You decide that the vaguely sunny clearing is the best chance you have of finding an adder and making it back to your hovel in time for supper. On your way there your foot find a well worn chisel on the forest floor, it was thankfully rather dull by this point and your foot and boot was mostly unharmed by the ordeal. Although you had to remind yourself that stubbing your toe is not an excuse for jumping around and shouting "BOLLOCKS" multiple times in a predator filled forest.

You look up from the chisel for a moment, and find yourself staring down a relatively dark path that you have never gone down before. Now it is true that the forest was not a quiet place, as no matter where in the entire forest you went, the distant sound of bird songs would always be there to bother you, and that is not mentioning the rather loud sounds that the terror beasts makes at all times of the day.

But strangely enough this area of the forest was rather quiet....a bit too quiet actually; it might actually be a better idea to just continue towards your original destination rather than risk life and limb trying to find out what secrets if any the dark path holds.

After a few moments you decide to....

>>>>>>>>>Walk Away: Look..why should we just charge blindly into an unknown situation where for all we know the trap filled temple of a dead god might be waiting to kill you horribly and consume your soul as another piece of currency to pay for the dead god's eventual return? Or maybe there are giant spiders in there, no evil conspiracies or traps, just a shitload of giant spiders who are all not that hungry right now, but of course you would be saving them the trouble of going out and getting next week's dinner.

>>>>>>>>>Cautiously advance: You know what else is waiting for you in a trap filled temple? RICHES BEYOND YOUR MILDEST DREAMS, all waiting for some skilled and suave adventurer to sneakily take them away from such a dull and boring place. To put it simply you should play to your strengths and keep your head on a swivel, no giant spider is not going to sneak up on this adventurer...not like it would need to sneak up on you to win a fight anyway.

>>>>>>>>>Bravely advance: WHO NEEDS A PLAN OR SPOTTING ABILITIES? ALL YOU NEED TO WIN IS ENOUGH RAGE, CHARGE AT THE TRAPS I SAY, CHAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGEEEE!

>>>>>>>>>Other: (Tell everyone else what your brilliant plan is)

[IntSys]

>>>>>>>>>Cautiously advance: You know what else is waiting for you in a trap filled temple? RICHES BEYOND YOUR MILDEST DREAMS, all waiting for some skilled and suave adventurer to sneakily take them away from such a dull and boring place. To put it simply you should play to your strengths and keep your head on a swivel, no giant spider is not going to sneak up on this adventurer...not like it would need to sneak up on you to win a fight anyway.

[DemICE]

>>Other 

Your main goal is another one. Yet you can't dismiss the possibilities that emerge with the appearance of this path. You figure a good course of action was to follow the path till you get a clue of where its headed, then go back for your main mission and save this for later (provided you discovered anything remotely interesting)

[Alphagar]

Meat space?