[CYOA] Where The Dead Walk

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Lazaruise: Jan 25, 2009

Nets help my people catch things, do you want to trade for one of my nets?

# ? Dec 15, 2016 18:48

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# ? Apr 20, 2024 01:54

Aades: Nov 28, 2005; Guns Up!

~~Have you been here long?~~

She has been here long enough to know our people usually go another direction. Has she been watching us?

Edit- nevermind, she already said 2 years hunting the area

Aades fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Dec 15, 2016

# ? Dec 15, 2016 19:02

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

Lazaruise posted:

Nets help my people catch things, do you want to trade for one of my nets?

She shakes her head. "No, but thank you. I've got what I need to catch my quarry when I find her." She grins. "Besides, being netted tends to make people unwilling to answer questions truthfully."

# ? Dec 15, 2016 19:11

Patrick Spens: Jul 21, 2006; "Every quarterback says they've got guts, But how many have actually seen 'em?"; Pillbug

Do you want a ride somewhere?

# ? Dec 15, 2016 19:12

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

Patrick Spens posted:

Do you want a ride somewhere?

Her answer to this depends on your actions, and will be handled in the next update.

# ? Dec 15, 2016 19:23

Patrick Spens: Jul 21, 2006; "Every quarterback says they've got guts, But how many have actually seen 'em?"; Pillbug

I vote to say hello and pole the boat over to her.

# ? Dec 15, 2016 19:28

Aades: Nov 28, 2005; Guns Up!

Is this person you are hunting dangerous?

Why do you think she lives near my people?

Do you know of a man who can call off the dead?

# ? Dec 15, 2016 19:59

Cannon_Fodder: Jul 17, 2007; "Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc

How did you learn our language?

I'm assuming that because we've seen another person (Stranger) speak in a foreign tongue, we would be able to ask this.

Hell, can we ask for a description of who she's hunting?

# ? Dec 15, 2016 20:08

Chatrapati: Nov 6, 2012

Do you have oceans or deserts where your people live?
Do you have a Duchess?

# ? Dec 17, 2016 00:14

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

Aades posted:

Is this person you are hunting dangerous?

[/quote]
She grins. "I hope so, it won't be an exciting hunt if she isn't."

Aades posted:

Why do you think she lives near my people?

"Because I tracked her here, though she was VERY good at hiding her trail."

Aades posted:

Do you know of a man who can call off the dead?

She frowns a bit. "I know of a few of them, though I've only met one of them. Nasty man, that - and I'm glad I don't have to see him again."

Cannon_Fodder posted:

How did you learn our language?

She laughs. "I didn't, child. I speak my language, but you hear yours. Useful trick, no?"

Cannon_Fodder posted:

Hell, can we ask for a description of who she's hunting?

"She's a woman of perhaps middle adulthood, not old but definitely not young. Skin the same color as yours, sharp gray eyes, and one of those faces that makes it hard to tell if she's a man or a woman. Probably wearing the same kind of clothes as you, if she's living around here. She's about a foot or so shorter than me, and has dark black hair, but it grows in the same pattern as yours."
That sounds a lot like your father Naman - maybe he's related to the strange woman's quarry? As far as you are aware, Naman and Orra are not related to the rest of the People, but both they and the adults of the People avoid talking about how Naman and Orra joined the People. That is, you have no aunts or uncles or cousins among the People, as far as you know - which is somewhat odd, considering that all your peers do.
"She also has a companion, a man with the same skin color and hair color as you. He's a bit shorter than she is, with brown eyes and a faded scar on his left cheek."
That sounds a lot like Orra - and he definitely has a scar on his left cheek, faded and white.

Chatrapati posted:

Do you have oceans or deserts where your people live?

She shakes her head. "No, child -- we have a great forest, like this swamp but with solid ground instead of water."

Chatrapati posted:

Do you have Muran?

She tilts her head to one side. "You mean the thing that lives in the manor? No, child, that's one I haven't seen before. It's why I don't go into the village, though - I don't want it to see me until I have no other way."

Also, voting will close in about an hour, and then an update will follow after that!

FrozenGoldfishGod fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Nov 22, 2017

# ? Dec 17, 2016 17:02

Aades: Nov 28, 2005; Guns Up!

Bid her a friendly goodbye and leave.

Hopefully she isnt trying to capture us to het to our psrents.

Aades fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Dec 17, 2016

# ? Dec 17, 2016 17:37

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

And voting is closed! Update will be posted when it's done.

You tell her that you don't have a name yet, and remain at a distance from her perch. She seems amused by this response, and nods.

"Ah, yes, a rite of passage. I'm familiar with this kind of thing."

You ask her what your name should be, and she grins.

"If I were going to name you according to the conventions of my people, I'd call you 'She Who Knows When To Run'. Feel free to keep the name, if you like." You've noticed that as she speaks, her lip movements do not match the words she is using at all. The actual sound she made for your name somehow sticks in your mind - "Milone Disal." (Pronounced mill-OWN diss-ALL, for those who want to know what it sounds like.)

With many of your questions answered - and with a name you can keep, if you want it - you are left with the choice of what to do now.

1. You...
A. Offer to take her to the village.
B. A, and tell her that her description sounds like your fathers, Naman and Orra.
C. Bid her farewell, and leave, continuing southwards.
D. Bid her farewell and leave, seeking a safe route back to the village.
E. Bid her farewell and leave, heading off in an easterly direction.
F. E, but heading westerly instead.

2. Regarding the Name she gave you...
G. Keep it.
H. Discard it, and try to get a different one.

FrozenGoldfishGod fucked around with this message at 18:53 on Dec 17, 2016

# ? Dec 17, 2016 18:43

Mr. Nemo: Feb 4, 2016; I wish I had a sister like my big strong Daddy

CH

Meh, if she finds our fathers she finds our fathers. No need to rush the plot just yet.

# ? Dec 17, 2016 21:11

dont be mean to me: May 2, 2007; I'm interplanetary, bitch
Let's go to Mars

Mr. Nemo posted:

CH

Meh, if she finds our fathers she finds our fathers. No need to rush the plot just yet.

Second. We totally don't know when to run.

# ? Dec 17, 2016 23:40

AJ_Impy: Jun 17, 2007; SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?; Yam Slacker

CH. You know when you need to run? When you need to reach something ahead of you faster.

# ? Dec 18, 2016 04:13

Boonoo: Nov 4, 2009; ASHRAKAN!
Take your Thralls and dive back into the depths! Give us the meat and GO!; Grimey Drawer

I like CH too.

# ? Dec 18, 2016 06:54

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

AJ_Impy posted:

CH. You know when you need to run? When you need to reach something ahead of you faster.

She didn't say 'She Who Knows When To Run Away', after all!

Also, voting will be open for a few more hours, just in case.

# ? Dec 19, 2016 16:22

Cannon_Fodder: Jul 17, 2007; "Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc

quote:

"She's a woman of perhaps middle adulthood, not old but definitely not young. Skin the same color as yours, sharp gray eyes, and one of those faces that makes it hard to tell if she's a man or a woman. Probably wearing the same kind of clothes as you, if she's living around here. She's about a foot or so shorter than me, and has dark black hair, but it grows in the same pattern as yours."
That sounds a lot like your father Naman - maybe he's related to the strange woman's quarry? As far as you are aware, Naman and Orra are not related to the rest of the People, but both they and the adults of the People avoid talking about how Naman and Orra joined the People. That is, you have no aunts or uncles or cousins among the People, as far as you know - which is somewhat odd, considering that all your peers do.
"She also has a companion, a man with the same skin color and hair color as you. He's a bit shorter than she is, with brown eyes and a faded scar on his left cheek."
That sounds a lot like Orra - and he definitely has a scar on his left cheek, faded and white.

"She's a woman of perhaps middle adulthood, not old but definitely not young. Skin the same color as yours, sharp gray eyes, and one of those faces that makes it hard to tell if she's a man or a woman. Probably wearing the same kind of clothes as you, if she's living around here. She's about a foot or so shorter than me, and has dark black hair, but it grows in the same pattern as yours."
That sounds a lot like your father Naman - maybe he's related to the strange woman's quarry? As far as you are aware, Naman and Orra are not related to the rest of the People, but both they and the adults of the People avoid talking about how Naman and Orra joined the People. That is, you have no aunts or uncles or cousins among the People, as far as you know - which is somewhat odd, considering that all your peers do.
"She also has a companion, a man with the same skin color and hair color as you. He's a bit shorter than she is, with brown eyes and a faded scar on his left cheek."
That sounds a lot like Orra - and he definitely has a scar on his left cheek, faded and white.

Well, this is concerning.

Let's not disclose that we're aware of this poo poo. Let's get moving. I don't trust this at all. And I'm pretty sure this lady isn't stupid.

Cannon_Fodder fucked around with this message at 20:37 on Dec 19, 2016

# ? Dec 19, 2016 20:35

Tagichatn: Jun 7, 2009

DG
I think the name is cool and we should probably warn our dads.

Although it's a bit weird that she thinks Naman is a woman and he just happens to be part of the only gay couple in town that also arrived in mysterious circumstances.

Tagichatn fucked around with this message at 21:28 on Dec 19, 2016

# ? Dec 19, 2016 21:24

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

You thank the strange woman politely for the name, and bid her farewell, determined to seek out a different one. She waves as you paddle off, and then you look away, focusing on your rowing.

The current that carried you away seems to still be gone, so now you're working your way southwards, among the various swamp trees and lumps of random dirt that support them. You're slowly starting to get a better feel for handling your boat alone, and apart from the occasional cry from some creature in the distance, the only sounds are the water splashing as you pole your boat about, and your own breathing.

Up ahead, you spot a grove of trees growing in a semi-circle - unusual, but not unheard of. In the center, a rock rises, with a simple symbol carved into it.

The symbol on the rock looks something like this.

On the rock, you can see what appear to you to be elaborately carved ropes made of some kind of dull, gleaming stone, wrapped around the rock, and a pair of pale arms fastened by them to the stone, hanging limply. The rest of the person is behind the rock, though you can feel their presence there. It feels familiar. The air is warm and heavy - one of the earliest signs that the Mist might rise soon, though you see no other signs warning of it's approach.

1. As you look into the grove, you
A. Call out to whoever's tied to the rock.
B. Paddle over to get a closer look at the symbol.
C. Paddle over to look at the person fastened to the rock.
D. Avoid the grove, and the rock, and the person in it. There has to be a safe way to get a name, right?
E. Fill in.

# ? Dec 20, 2016 15:52

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

Tagichatn posted:

Although it's a bit weird that she thinks Naman is a woman and he just happens to be part of the only gay couple in town that also arrived in mysterious circumstances.

Just addressing this real quick: Naman and Orra aren't the -only- gay couple in town, they're just the only gay couple that you interact with regularly beyond the level you interact with the rest of the tribe. The People's view on homosexuality can best be summed up by "Are they still taking out their boats and bringing in food? Then why does it matter what they want to do with their own genitals?" It's not unheard of for two men to spend a few nights together, and the same for women. It is odd that neither Naman nor Orra seem to be much interested in people other than each other, but even that's not unheard of; all of Molak's children have been fathered by Iuma, according to Molak, and Sulmin and Midu have been what a modern human would consider a lesbian couple for your entire life, too. When Midu's brother died in the swamps with the mother of Jibul, she and Sulmin took Jibul in without any question, and he is now considered their son.

# ? Dec 20, 2016 15:59

AJ_Impy: Jun 17, 2007; SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?; Yam Slacker

# ? Dec 20, 2016 16:17

Cannon_Fodder: Jul 17, 2007; "Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc

1. B No need to be too overt. Does there seem to be decay around the island or is it more like a oasis. Anything notable besides the creepy arms+rock?

# ? Dec 20, 2016 16:31

Mr. Nemo: Feb 4, 2016; I wish I had a sister like my big strong Daddy

Does that symbol remind us of anything?

C

# ? Dec 20, 2016 17:11

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

Cannon_Fodder posted:

1. B No need to be too overt. Does there seem to be decay around the island or is it more like a oasis. Anything notable besides the creepy arms+rock?

The 'island' is a semi-circle of land with a bunch of trees growing on it. The trees themselves grow in the water as well, with most of their root systems underneath the water/soil there, so it's a bit odd that there seem to be no roots running into the center of the semi-circle - where the rock is. The trees seem to be healthy, insofar as you know anything about them - no visible decay or obvious illness in them.

There's nothing else in there that catches your eye right away.

Mr. Nemo posted:

Does that symbol remind us of anything?

You're reasonably sure you have never seen that symbol before.

# ? Dec 20, 2016 18:10

Aades: Nov 28, 2005; Guns Up!

# ? Dec 20, 2016 18:27

Cannon_Fodder: Jul 17, 2007; "Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc

FrozenGoldfishGod posted:

The 'island' is a semi-circle of land with a bunch of trees growing on it. The trees themselves grow in the water as well, with most of their root systems underneath the water/soil there, so it's a bit odd that there seem to be no roots running into the center of the semi-circle - where the rock is. The trees seem to be healthy, insofar as you know anything about them - no visible decay or obvious illness in them.

There's nothing else in there that catches your eye right away.

You're reasonably sure you have never seen that symbol before.

As we get closer, do we notice anything "off" like the feelings we got from Creepystranger McPissbitch from the last time the dead rose up?

# ? Dec 20, 2016 21:44

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

Cannon_Fodder posted:

As we get closer, do we notice anything "off" like the feelings we got from Creepystranger McPissbitch from the last time the dead rose up?

That's an action, not a question. Ask again later! Also, that wasn't the last time the Dead came, just the last one before the timeskip.

Non-facetious answer: From where you are floating right now in the boat, no there are no feelings of nausea and dizziness like there were when you saw The Stranger.

# ? Dec 20, 2016 22:56

Tagichatn: Jun 7, 2009

Check out the dude on the rock. Maybe they can give us a name or we can help them somehow.

# ? Dec 21, 2016 01:53

Cannon_Fodder: Jul 17, 2007; "Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc

I'm pending other voters so I may ENGAGE NEEDLESS PARANOIA more successfully. :supaburn:

# ? Dec 21, 2016 14:59

Aades: Nov 28, 2005; Guns Up!

We are "She who knows when to run". If we needed to run from the weird man bound to the ominous stone in the spooky swamp then we would know it. Everything is fiiiine.

# ? Dec 21, 2016 15:11

Boonoo: Nov 4, 2009; ASHRAKAN!
Take your Thralls and dive back into the depths! Give us the meat and GO!; Grimey Drawer

# ? Dec 21, 2016 20:18

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

You paddle into the grove, keeping your eyes open. The symbol appears to be somewhat recent, judging by the fact that it's not home to any of the funguses that grow in the swamp. The rock itself is mold-grown, however, and the strange shiny-rock ropes clink against it as whoever is chained strains to see who is boating towards them.

As you round the rock, you get the same strange feeling of vertigo and nausea that you had years ago, as you behold once again the Stranger. This time, however, he's wearing nothing more than a loincloth, and he appears far thinner than the last time you saw him. There's no evidence of his strange club, either - whoever chained him here stripped him of his gear, then left him submerged to the waist in this water, fastened to the rock by the shiny-rock ropes. The sensations are far weaker, as well. He looks like he hasn't been eating at all for some time.

He looks at you, and his dark eyes are clouded - but they clear as they see you. He says something in his strange languge, then pauses for a moment. When next he speaks, it's in your language.

"Oh, it's you. Thank the Sleepers, it's you." He sounds weary, and oddly relieved to see you. "The only one who can free me. I know they gave you a knife, little girl - use it. Free me from this place, and I will give you what you came for." His face splits in a tired smile, and you can see that he seems to be missing several teeth. The ones that remain are jagged and worn. "And more than that, I'll guarantee that you return to your village and our people safe and sound with your new name."

He looks down at the water. "When she bound me here, she said I would only leave when it was time to become a true part of this world. I didn't understand then - but now I do." He lifts his head again, and leans it back against the rock. "Right across the throat, little girl. Free me from fate."

1. The Stranger is asking you to free him. You...
A. Finish the job you started four years ago.
B. Strike, but not at his throat. Detail where.
C. Strike, but at his chains instead.
D. You refuse to 'free' him.
E. Fill in.

2. How do you feel about this?
F. Elated - you get to strike down an enemy of the People!
F. E, but because he tried to hurt your father!
G. Queasy, the thought of killing another person, even an evil one, makes you feel ill. There's no tradition of capital punishment among the People!
H. Fearful, this might be some sort of trick - he might even become one of the Dead on the spot!
I. Fill in.

Also, you can try to ask The Stranger questions. He may or may not answer, but hey, you can always try.

FrozenGoldfishGod fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Dec 22, 2016

# ? Dec 22, 2016 19:00

Mr. Nemo: Feb 4, 2016; I wish I had a sister like my big strong Daddy

Who are the sleepers?
Who is "she"?
OUR people? You were the one leading the dead!
Why did you argue with my father?
What language do you speak?
Who are the dead? Where do they come from?
Do you know who the Duchess is?
Why did i get such a strange feeling when I saw you long ago?
Who gave you your powers?
Why did you attack my village?

# ? Dec 22, 2016 19:17

AJ_Impy: Jun 17, 2007; SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?; Yam Slacker

Why are you chained here?
When were you chained here?
Why were you so angry that time at the village?
Why will killing you free you?
Will you become one of Them when freed?
What would happen if I gave you literal freedom?
What does that symbol mean?
What can you tell me of your origins and people?
What can you tell me of my origins and people?
What can you tell me of Her?

# ? Dec 22, 2016 19:22

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

Sorry about the delay, holidays have been kicking my rear end up one side and down the other!

Mr. Nemo posted:

Who are the sleepers?

"The true gods of this world, they who sleep, dead and dreaming."

Mr. Nemo posted:

Who is "she"?
He laughs, hoarsely. "Muran, of course. Though she only gave directions - it was that bitch Nerida who did all the work of tying me up here."
[quote="Mr. Nemo" post="467633848"]
OUR people? You were the one leading the dead!

"I wasn't leading them, I just made them go away while I spoke to the outsider."

Mr. Nemo posted:

Why did you argue with my father?

"Oh to be that innocent again. Your father is leading the People astray."

Mr. Nemo posted:

What language do you speak?

"The language of those who live under the true Sun, the Tyrant Star."

Mr. Nemo posted:

Who are the dead? Where do they come from?

He laughs, though this one trails off into a wracking cough, but he does not answer.

Mr. Nemo posted:

Do you know who Muran is?

"Oh, I know who she is. Long ago, in the Sunlit Lands, she was a great queen - but her subjects revolted. So she fled here, and has hidden here ever since."

Mr. Nemo posted:

Why did i get such a strange feeling when I saw you long ago?

"Because you're me, girl. Or rather, because I will become you, when I am finally free."

Mr. Nemo posted:

Who gave you your powers?

"The Sleepers, ultimately, though there was an intermediary at first."

Mr. Nemo posted:

Why did you attack my village?

"I didn't attack the village. I attacked the false prophet leading the People astray, tending them for the monstrosity he serves."

AJ_Impy posted:

Why are you chained here?

"Because Nerida and Muran didn't dare kill me outright - they knew what would happen."

AJ_Impy posted:

When were you chained here?

"A while ago, after our little encounter in the village."

AJ_Impy posted:

Why were you so angry that time at the village?

He already answered this one, see above.

AJ_Impy posted:

Why will killing you free you?

"Because then I'll be done being chained here. I'll be you, and what you'll be...well, even I don't know that."

AJ_Impy posted:

Will you become one of Them when freed?

"Who, the Dead? Unlikely - there won't be enough left of me to come back as one of them."

AJ_Impy posted:

What would happen if I gave you literal freedom?

"I doubt you can break the ties that bind me here."

AJ_Impy posted:

What does that symbol mean?

"What symbol?"

AJ_Impy posted:

What can you tell me of your origins and people?

"I was born some time ago, in these swamps, to one of the People. Back then, I didn't understand what Muran was, and my coloration meant that I was sent to Her as soon as I was born. She killed my parents, and all those of the People that didn't flee the village then."

AJ_Impy posted:

What can you tell me of my origins and people?

"There's definitely something different about you - you aren't one of the People, for all that you look like them. If I had to guess, I'd say that you are descended, however distantly, from one of the people of the great - and thankfully distant - Scarlet Empire."

AJ_Impy posted:

What can you tell me of Her?

"That she is a monster, masquerading as a god. I have met true gods, child, and while they are a cruel and monstrous lot, she is worse by far than any of them."

FrozenGoldfishGod fucked around with this message at 19:05 on Nov 22, 2017

# ? Dec 23, 2016 16:05

Aades: Nov 28, 2005; Guns Up!

What is your name?

Who is Nerida?

I can only find one previous mention of a Nerida, when we asked our parents who gave birth to us:

FrozenGoldfishGod posted:

Naman and Orra exchange a glance. You have seen enough births in your eight years to have an idea of the basic mechanics of childbirth, though you were never called upon to perform any part of it. Finally, Naman admits, "That would be me, child. Peleps Nerida may be far behind me, but some things still come more easily to me than to others."

Aades fucked around with this message at 16:40 on Dec 23, 2016

# ? Dec 23, 2016 16:25

Absum: May 28, 2013

1. A
2. H

# ? Dec 23, 2016 17:14

Grognan: Jan 23, 2007; by Fluffdaddy

D Q

# ? Dec 23, 2016 17:44

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 20, 2024 01:54

FrozenGoldfishGod: Oct 29, 2009; JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT POST!

Grognan posted:

D Q

I'm not sure what you're voting for, here. I mean, the 'D' I get - regularly - but the 'Q' is throwing me off a bit. Are you asking me to take you to Dairy Queen? Trying to say that you're disqualified? Trying to perform some feat of arcane geometry in the text box?

Aades posted:

What is your name?

"I don't have one any more."

Aades posted:

Who is Nerida?

"Nerida is the person I spoke to back in your village. The shaman, the one you rushed out to try and save." He chuckles, weakly. "So many people looking for her, and I'm the one who found her. And look where THAT got me."

# ? Dec 23, 2016 22:19

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [CYOA] Where The Dead Walk

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