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Sorry, not a question or even statement to the crowd. It is pertinent information that Malakiel needs to know though! The Bnaimokt fear this thing!
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Jul 9, 2017 01:48
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SerSpook posted:Sorry, not a question or even statement to the crowd. It is pertinent information that Malakiel needs to know though! The Bnaimokt fear this thing! Ah, it was unclear to me who you were addressing, sorry!
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Jul 9, 2017 02:07
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Finding images is insanely time consuming and not very rewarding. Sorry for the lack thereof  FaustianQ posted:You comply with Malakiel's request and gather up the remaining jars, placing them gingerly into a bag. While you do this he visits each pillar in the chamber in turn, mumbling something to himself as he makes motions with his hands that have no greater meaning to you. Once he is done, you both exit the chamber and head back from whence you came. Malakiel cups his hands and brings them to his face, muttering a few more unintelligible words. He blows gently and brilliant blue embers swirl from his palms and dance in the air. You watch amazed as the embers begin to tumble and roll further down the passage, giving off a soft glow. Malakiel turns to you and gesture for you to follow him. You think to yourself how in the old tales Gemariah told you, El would send his Melachim to rescue those in danger, to protect the innocent and defeat great evil. Your experiences with Malakiel and of what he has told you do not make them sound like Melachim, but the stories also said El works in strange ways. Could El have led you to the Sebitti? To Malakiel in particular? He seems to be thoughtful, focused on saving your people, and carries an almost regal air. But Anael was terrifying in countenance, and while the tales were filled with violence Anael seemed to relish it for violences sake. Then there was Malakiels description of his companions, none of them sounded at all like the Melachim of the old tales. They sounded monstrous, heretical, bordering on demonic in some circumstances. How could they have once been servants of El, whom were perfect and would never fall to such vile temptations or commit such heinous deeds. As you try to make sense of this, you stumble into the back of Malakiel and realize you've been lost deeply in thought. As you shake yourself back to awareness you notice the crowd of fearful people in front of you, all backed into a corner. Malakiel speaks in a soothing voice, attempting to calm them. "Fear not people of Ur, for you are now safe. The demons have been driven away and-" You push your way in front of Malakiel, who is taken a bit by surprise. You level your finger at the man most responsible for inciting violence and demand to know why he would so call upon others to bring bloodshed upon other people of El. The ringleader shoots back, accusing the imposing Malakiel of being a sorcerer in service to the Bnaimokt. You fire back, for if your friend Malakiel was a sorcerer employed by the Bnaimokt, would he fear your rocks, would need to call out to you in greeting? Is he blind! Has he not spent years of his life slaving away for Demons? Have they broken his mind so he'd strike at a follower of El, a man just like them? Does El look favorably on misleading his faithful into fighting amongst themselves? You turn to the crowd and demand if they would let one man condemn them. For the demons flee, the way to freedom is open and El has delivered us! Would you follow a fool who would now turn you to shedding the blood of the faithful? Because he believes slanderous tales of jealous Kings? You stop short of outright accusing the man of being a Bnaimokt "Mayman", an informant and spy. You're looking to stop bloodshed not incite a frenzy. The crowd murmurs a bit, unsure until the first of the would be assailants drops his rock, others soon following in a quick collapse of support of the instigator. You call out to them to follow you, for you head to the surface and to freedom! Malakiel takes the opportunity to follow this up by presenting all of the arms he has collected, laying them before the crowd. "Come, take up arms, let us go meet the sun, feels it's rays upon us and breath the fresh air and feel the wind in our hair. Let us go and collect our brothers in sisters of faith in El, and be free has he has commanded!". Men and boys alike come forward and grab spears and shields until all that was collected has been passed out. You take a spear for yourself, and even though you only have the vaguest idea on how to use them, and that they are a bit too large for you, you feel possessed of a burning desire to bring low the Bnaimokt. You note that you have roughly a dozen armed men and boys, more still with no weapon, and dozens more women and children. Malakiel gestures towards you, indicating for you to take the lead and keep your momentum with these people. You take to it with gusto, lifting your spear above your head and calling for them to follow you! Onward you march, guided by Malakiel's fiery blue embers through the caverns. Up and up you go, and as you do you attract more and more to your side, collecting and arming more who join, your ranks swelling. You pass the torn and rotten corpses of your oppressors, some among the host taking time to kick, stab or yell at the dead Bnaimokt. You realize though that you are still following in Anael's wake, and considering her appearance and mannerisms, how much harder it would be to convince them she is friendly. You continue to travel onward for an hour yet, and you wonder amazed at how deep the caverns must be, and how...empty they are. Before there would be frequent attacks by marauding beasts and horrific, indescribable monsters that would prey upon both your people and the Bnaimokt alike. They were only kept at bay by the constant armed patrols, but now those are gone, the mines silent save the footsteps and murmurs of the exodus you lead. Has Anael slain everything? What terrible might if so, but where are the monstrosities corpses? Is Malakiel keeping them at bay? You turn to look at him, finding him engaged with many awestruck people who have surrounded him to pester him with questions, so unfamiliar in appearance and manner he is to them. You cannot say for certain, but if Anael is of great power, so shouldn't Malakiel be? Is it not within reason to think he can ward and frighten away the terrors of the underground? An ear-splitting boom interrupts your thoughts. You flinch as particles from the cavern ceiling fall down some pebble sized pieces breaking free and causing a consuming stir amongst the crowd. You notice that Malakiel's blue embers swirl in agitation, only to suddenly accelerate further down the tunnel. Another boom, this one shaking loose bigger parts of of the caverns. You act quickly, to delay is to let panic set in. You remember Gemariah's tales, how the Melachim fighting great evil sounded like thunder. While you do not know what precisely thunder sounds like, Gemariah said it sounded most like the roar of a collapsing tunnel, except all at once. Well, the booms certainly sound like it! You raise your arms and speak loud and clear to those assembled. You tell them to take heart! For what they hear is one of the Melachim doing battle, and as servants of El we must hurry forward! Onward, onward! The host seems uncertain, and moves slowly despite your attempt to galvanize them to action. Malakiel takes over and urges them forward, and through the quaking of the caverns the host moves slowly but surely. You come to a bend in which the light seems brighter, and a bright light washes over you.  For the first time in your entire life, you feel the sun's warm embrace, and so do the youngest amongst you. You hear shouts and screams of exaltation, of the old crying in joy. Those younger, who've only heard stories of the above world are more confused, hesitant. You realize you need to give them that one last push, to make them hope and believe. You run towards the light, calling on them to follow, into the light! You run and chant El's name and a few emboldened follow, and then soon more until it becomes a tidal wave of people streaming towards the light of day, praise towards El on their lips. The bright light nearly overwhelms you as you come fully into it's embrace, but you keep running, you run until your lungs give out and you are forced to lean on your spear. A hundred souls more follow, some falling to their knees crying, others breaking out in hugs and celebration. Some dance and clap, and a few break out into song. All are overwhelmed with bliss, for you have brought them finally to the above place, the surface. A dreamland for many, talked only of in stories with great longing. It was once fantasy, now reality and it is because of you Efraim that it is so! BOOM! BOOM! A silver dart slams from above into the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust, mere feet from you. The host gasps, at bated breath, some stunned and others broken from their celebrations. Tension hangs in the air as a tall figure casts a silhouette through the dust cloud, tall imposing, and...  A BNAIMOKT! ONE OF THE CHOSEN, GREAT AND TERRIBLE! Panic starts to set in, a few scream in terror, other begin rushing back to the darkness of the mine. But you notice something is off as the dust settles, you notice it bleeding from it's mouth, that it's leaning heavily on one leg. The answer to why comes screaming in at terrible velocity from the direction of the sun. "FOUL COWARD" Anael slams feet first into the chest of the Bnaimokt, it's armor buckling as it is thrown to the ground, skidding across the open quarry and into a wall. Anael lands on her back but quickly recovers with a kip-up, breaking into a run towards the clearly wounded Bnaimokt. "YOU CANNOT RUN FROM YOUR JUDGMENT!" Anael cries as she slams her fist into it's face, a thunderous boom deafening everyone nearby. Another blow into it's skull, another thunderous crack. A yell from the cliffs announces three more Bnaimokt Chosen as they descend from above on Anael. She twirls around, and quick as lighting uppercuts one in the chest. Blood and ichor spray from every crevice of it's silvery armor as it is sent loudly into the sky. The other two bring greatswords to bear, attacking at separate angles. Anael is able to grab ahold of one, the blade bending and then shattering in her grip. The other blow is less lucky, and slices through Anael's flesh and bone, severing her right arm above the elbow. But she does not cry out in pain, and without hesitation grabs the now weaponless Bnaimokt by the arm and slams him into the other, sending both hurling to the ground. "YOU THINK TO DEPRIVE ME?! COME AT ME THEN AND KNOW MY FURY!" The Bnaimokt quickly recover and charge at Anael, the one weaponless drawing a shortsword. Anael easily sidesteps the first ones thrust with the shortsword, and dodges under the seconds greatsword swing. They redouble, again trying to coordinate their attacks, but find no purchase. Again and again, they attack only to be denied as Anael deftly moves between them unharmed. It is starting to become clear she is toying with them, and seems to be enjoying it immensely. You hear Malakiel's irritated voice ring out. "Enough Anael, end this farce already, or I will do so for you!". Distracted, Anael misses her timing and the Bnaimokt shortsword slides inter back. But instead of pained Anael instead appears irritated, and in one fluid motion reach out and grabs the incoming greatsword blow from the second Bnaimokt. Yanking it out of it's hand she begins beating it upside the head with the pommel, knocking it senselessly about and producing terrible shockwaves in doing so. As it staggers backwards the Bnaikmokt behind her continues to stab fruitlessly into her back. Blood pours out and over it's hand, and acrid red vapor blooms off it's hand like a demented flower. It screams and clutches it rapidly melting appendage, leaving Anael to finish off it's compatriot in gory detail as she slams the sword down it's neck, turning it into a gory sheathe. Now left only with one active combatant, Anael grabs him by the collar of his armor and rips it away in one motion. It tries in vain to attack her but she merely kicks it's feet out beneath it, the sick sound of bone breaking echoing in the quarry. Anael dives her hand into it's chest, bursting skin and bone. It screams in pain as she rifles through it's chest, which is quickly cut short when she yanks out it's insides. Anael wander over to her severed arm, and holds it close to her stump, her back turned to the stunned audience of your newly freed people. There is a squelching sound, and Anael's arm is reattached. She walks over to the groggy Bnaimokt which she had first started beating to death. It feebly tries to raise it's hammer in self-defense, but Anael only takes this as opportunity to begin mashing it's head with it's own weapon. Within a few seconds it's head is no more than a gore filled crater, it's hands clutching it's hammer in death grip. Silence reins in the quarry, tension and anxiety ruling the minds of your people as they stare at your terrible savior. It breaks with spontaneous cheer erupting at once. The Bnaimokt are slain! You are freed! They know not the name of Anael, and instead sing praise of El and Faradnu, a few who know calling out your name in their exultations well. It appears you will not have much of an issue endearing the once former slaves to Anael at all, and that dread flees you. But you are still one man with a handful of jars and two resurrected self-proclaimed servants of Ur and something called Enki. You are one man now seemingly in joint charge of some hundred people, later to be informed by Malakiel's count as one hundred and seven exact. That is a lot of mouths to feed, a lot of people to protect and lead safely back to...where? Now free, the world is laid bare before you, the heading of this exodus your choice. How you go about this is up to you. 1. You are finally free, but not safe, nor home. What is your heading? A. Head west! Back to Acco, back towards Ur and back towards where Enkidel the Hero of Ibleam is! B. Head east! This is towards the Shekelesh Desert, and greater unknown, but you are willing to take that risk not knowing the fate of Ur. C. Head north! Towards Baitel, and where Fare and his Bnaimokt dare never follow. This is further into the mountains and a dangerous trek, but ultimately the safest once completed, for Baitel can never fall. D. Head south! This is towards lands unknown, but it is not the foreboding Shekelesh Desert and if Ur has fallen, maybe the only safe place? It is said the south is from where Enkidel was found, maybe there are more like him further south? E. Write In! You have many mouths to feed and supplies to carry. Water and supplies are limited, and the Bnaimokt have few pack animals having used your people for most labor. After some time making forays into their barracks and into the mines, Malakiel takes count. He turns to you with a grim face "What we have can only take care of the people we've saved for 4 weeks and 3 days, and that is heavily rationing. If we factor in the few goats and donkeys, that is another 2 days. Water is a worse situation, we may only have a weeks worth." Depending on the direction you are heading, foraging may be difficult or impossible, so you feel a need to come up with a solution. 2. What do you do to alleviate the supply problem? F. Leave half the people behind, you can come back for them later with reinforcements. You could easily stretch your supplies much farther this way, nearly double, but deep down you get the sinking feeling you'd be condemning those left behind to death. G. Say nothing, and hope for the best. H. You ask Malakiel if he can conjure more supplies. "It is possible, but it would be taxing in my weakened state." Malakiel explains he would need nourishment and time. Nourishment? "Yes, I would need things of great power to pull [unintelligible] from." I. You ask Anael what she thinks. "EAT THE BNAIMOKT." Wait, what? First, lower your voice, next, what? Anael looks at you a little perplexed, confused about your confusion. "EAT...eat the Bnaimokt, there are a good hundred by my count and all fresh. We can use their stockpiled salt and they will keep for the journey." Desperate times? J. You decide this must be a group effort and call those most experienced from the freed peoples to assist you in coming up with a plan. You will call a council first, then decide after. K. You decide that everyone must work together to come up with a solution, including Anael and Melekiel. Call a council first, then decide after. L. Maybe one of the other Sebitti has a better idea? Include who you would question or even free, then decide after. M. Write In! 3. Arming yourselves will be no problem, but there is a question of how many people you wish to devote to being combat ready at a time. You need to be alert and ready to combat the many threats on your journey. N. Devote no one, let Anael and Malakiel handle it all. This means you will carry maximum supplies. O. Only a small group, a dozen or so, to supplement Anael and Malakiel. This only slightly hinder the number of supplies you can bring. P. A medium sized group, a couple dozen or so. This has a notable but not major impact on supplies brought. Q. A large group, easily three dozen or more. This has a major impact on supply brought, but is maximum combat readiness and awareness. R. Write In! You can freely question Malakiel and Anael, there is no pressure with your oppressors gone. You may explore and ask about your surroundings as well. Please let me know of any mistakes or suggestions! EmpyreanFlux fucked around with this message at 03:10 on Jul 12, 2017 |
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Jul 10, 2017 10:40
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1. A 2. J 3. R--allow the Council to decide, if called, I have no particular opinion on this.
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Jul 10, 2017 11:00
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AJR: We acted heroically, but we have no experience whatsoever in leadership, were born into slavery, and thus, in this strange new sunlit realm, have no idea what we're doing. Some of the older ones do remember Ur, and we have always been taught wisdom comes with age. Form a council, obey the council.
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Jul 10, 2017 11:52
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1. E. Allow the council to decide. 2. J. 3. R. Allow the council to decide.
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Jul 10, 2017 11:52
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AJ_Impy posted:AJR: We acted heroically, but we have no experience whatsoever in leadership, were born into slavery, and thus, in this strange new sunlit realm, have no idea what we're doing. Some of the older ones do remember Ur, and we have always been taught wisdom comes with age. Form a council, obey the council. +1
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Jul 10, 2017 13:05
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BoyG posted:1. E. Allow the council to decide. +1
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Jul 10, 2017 15:08
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DJP
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Jul 10, 2017 21:29
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I have to ask, is there anything you guys wanting changed? I'm getting the impression I could do more, or maybe I'm taking the game in the wrong direction? Is my wording too dense, simplistic and/or indecipherable? Do I give to many options, take too long on updates, not provide enough characterization? As GM, it's my job to provide an enjoyable experience, and if not then I'd want to fix it.
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Jul 10, 2017 23:21
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While I'm fine with the way you do it, you might not have Diog's stamina: some streamlining of the voting options and fudging of random rolls would be perfectly acceptable.
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Jul 10, 2017 23:37
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FaustianQ posted:I have to ask, is there anything you guys wanting changed? I'm getting the impression I could do more, or maybe I'm taking the game in the wrong direction? Is my wording too dense, simplistic and/or indecipherable? Do I give to many options, take too long on updates, not provide enough characterization? As GM, it's my job to provide an enjoyable experience, and if not then I'd want to fix it. I'm really enjoying your writing and am looking forward to seeing how the story progresses. Obviously this is quite a new game, so I don't quite yet get a full picture of what Efraim is really like. But that's nothing to do with how you are telling the story, just that the more time spent playing as Efraim the more we'll grow into the character. As of right now he is a a man who has no knowledge of the world outside the mines and is trying to save his people while being surrounded by potentially psychotic Gods/Demons. He doesn't have many skills, except the ability to dig rocks and some knowledge of ancient stories of heroes long dead. He's in over his head really!
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Jul 11, 2017 00:22
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I like your writing. Isn't the myth that starting a CYOA always results in the rest of your life blowing up? I referenced the Sebitti Shards in the other thread. They are like a lot of the Pre-Socratic writings and only little fragments remain. The conceit is that they are the fragments of a history and historical commentary from this time line looking back.
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Jul 11, 2017 00:25
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BoyG posted:I'm really enjoying your writing and am looking forward to seeing how the story progresses. Obviously this is quite a new game, so I don't quite yet get a full picture of what Efraim is really like. But that's nothing to do with how you are telling the story, just that the more time spent playing as Efraim the more we'll grow into the character. Way over his head. In balance though he has survived the worst possible concentration camp. As such he is an implacable survivor and has to have positive and negative qualities from that. He might be malnourished. He might have an unbendable will. I dunno, but the combination of newly encountering the world equipped only with stories and rumors and having survived this long is pretty interesting.
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Jul 11, 2017 00:29
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CIO You're doing fine!
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Jul 11, 2017 01:28
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Considering how much this set of votes will shape the future of the story, I'm hesitant to close voting. Of unique voters who have posted in this thread, only a third have voted in this update. Voting remains open for another 24 hours.
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Jul 11, 2017 02:29
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Ask if they can sense water, Mt har or call wild game to them like blooded men
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Jul 11, 2017 02:35
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1. C 2. I 3. P Through the mountains, eating Norcs as we go! Hopefully there is more water and less demons than in no-mans-land.
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Jul 11, 2017 03:29
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BoyG posted:1. E. Allow the council to decide. This, let's have a big old discussion introducing a bunch of other freed slave characters. Dissention and discussion will probably be more interesting than is being some sort of cult leader, though we should try to guide things if they start to go wrong. Also, I don't think it makes much sense thematically for Ephraim to decide this. Malakiel would probably try to take charge, with us having an opportunity to guide the input of the people?
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Jul 11, 2017 04:33
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Butt Discussin posted:Also, I don't think it makes much sense thematically for Ephraim to decide this. Malakiel would probably try to take charge, with us having an opportunity to guide the input of the people?
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Jul 11, 2017 07:18
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AJO Oh gosh, we're leading a group already?! We've never even seen sunlight before! How do we know what directions are? I assume someone taught us, or tried...
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Jul 11, 2017 08:08
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Toughy posted:Ask if they can sense water, Mt har or call wild game to them like blooded men You ask Malakiel if he can sense water or call wild game. "Yes of course, but to do so would make us visible." Visible? But, I can see you, you can see me, we seem quite visible! "It is, difficult, to explain without a better grounding in [unintelligible] theory. Please, take me at my word for now. Later, if you so wish, I can begin teaching you the deeper mysteries." You nod, and ask your follow up: Can he feel Mt.Har? "What is Mt Har?" You explain, and Malakiel nods in understanding. "Yes I could not help but sense it upon returning to the world, it is [unintelligible]? It is difficult to tell, it is like" Malakiel pauses for a moment to find an appropriate metaphor for you, "a blazing furnace that hurts to look at and is too painful to be near. What is it?" It is El of course! "I have heard you speak of El, who is your El?" What? You're confused, there is only El. "Yes, some are petty and refuse to acknowledge others power, but all have a name." No, his name is El, that is his only name. "These times are indeed strange then to have a great power with no name." You ask Anael if she can sense water or call wild game. She immediately points to a Bnaimokt, and you tell her that's not what you mean, like wild animals, running water. "For someone so malnourished, you seem to be picky. They taste perfectly fine." You try to explain some societal norms of your people, such as the fact that you don't eat fallen enemies or that you know, you don't walk around unclothed and covered in blood. Anael seems to take offense to this, but you're not budging, which is impressive considering Anael is an eight foot tall woman caked in gore who just plowed through your captors like they were watery porridge. You ask Anael again if she can find running water or wild animals, and she finally relents. "Yes, I can smell cold water and feel the beating heart of a wild animal, but there is no glory in taking down something so defenseless and naive." And dressing appropriately? "I will consider it for when I am not fighting, to appease your sensibilities, which seem misplaced. If ever you should feel you wish to know what is truly great in life, come to me and I will teach you." You follow up and ask about Mt Har, to which Anael provides a similar response as Malakiel. Butt Discussin posted:Also, I don't think it makes much sense thematically for Ephraim to decide this. Malakiel would probably try to take charge, with us having an opportunity to guide the input of the people? Ralith posted:That was my thought as well, though maybe Malakiel would quietly defer to us since we have more current knowledge of the area and the other people seem willing to accept us. As far as you can tell, Malakiel has backed off on taking a leading role because of the strong negative reaction to him and the positive reaction your people have had to you. It's also possible that since demon possession is something he's likely familiar with, he does not want to be seen influencing you, at least not yet? As his epithet suggests, Malakiel seems to work towards long term goals by making short term sacrifices. This...does not put you at ease for some reason.
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Jul 11, 2017 08:54
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AKN
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Jul 11, 2017 10:35
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1. E. Allow the council to decide. 2. J. 3. R. Allow the council to decide. This is a cool game. I'm really liking the potential this has. Also I really like Malakiel as a character. Looking forward to us being paranoid he's going to betray us constantly yet the blow never arriving.
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Jul 11, 2017 10:44
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Hah. Aneal ascribes to the Conan school apparently about what is best in life.
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Jul 11, 2017 17:25
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Last call, 1 hour till vote closes! Current count is Option 1 A: 5 C: 2 D: 1 E: 4 Option 2 I: 2 J: 9 K: 1 Option 3 R: 7 N: 1 P: 2 O: 2
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Jul 12, 2017 00:31
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A J O
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Jul 12, 2017 00:34
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A I O
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Jul 12, 2017 00:35
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Okay closing the vote, as it's pretty unanimous. A, J and R win.
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Jul 12, 2017 01:36
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FaustianQ posted:You push your way in front of Malakiel, who is taken a bit by surprise. You level your finger at the man most responsible for inciting violence and demand to know why he would so call upon others to bring bloodshed upon other people of El. The ringleader shoots back, accusing the imposing Malakiel of being a sorcerer in service to the Bnaimokt. You fire back, for if your friend Malakiel was a sorcerer employed by the Bnaimokt, would he fear your rocks, would need to call out to you in greeting? Is he blind! Has he not spent years of his life slaving away for Demons? Have they broken his mind so he'd strike at a follower of El, a man just like them? Does El look favorably on misleading his faithful into fighting amongst themselves? You turn to the crowd and demand if they would let one man condemn them. For the demons flee, the way to freedom is open and El has delivered us! Would you follow a fool who would now turn you to shedding the blood of the faithful? Because he believes slanderous tales of jealous Kings? You stop short of outright accusing the man of being a Bnaimokt "Mayman", an informant and spy. You're looking to stop bloodshed not incite a frenzy. The crowd murmurs a bit, unsure until the first of the would be assailants drops his rock, others soon following in a quick collapse of support of the instigator. You call out to them to follow you, for you head to the surface and to freedom! Malakiel takes the opportunity to follow this up by presenting all of the arms he has collected, laying them before the crowd. Freedom has come to you and your people after decades of enslavement. The world is yours, you but need to grasp it! And march people to safety! And feed them! And arm and protect them! And uh, provide leadership...wow, this might be a lot harder then you thought all of a sudden. It appears that the easy part is over, or for what qualifies as easy. You've never really given thought to longterm planning and while you're a bit open minded considering you've coordinated your peoples freedom through the aid of what appear to be Demons, your life was an endless routine already planned for you. You feel as if you need to consult others on how best to precede, but there is one thing you do know and desire: to return to Acco, your fabled home. You decided to consult first with the smartest person (Demon?) you know, Malakiel. It's easy to pick him out amongst the crowd now that your eyes have adjusted to a late afternoon sun, much harder to separate him from the extremely curious crowd surrounding him. Once you've pulled him aside, you ask him a question about how best to organize the coming exodus. Malakiel seems to consider for a moment, rubbing his chin in apparent deep thought, before finally answering in an almost question. "I am not an expert of this age, it's people and cities. Do you feel you too lack the skills necessary to proceed?" You confide in him that it feels a bit overwhelming. "Hmm, well heavy burdens should be shared no?" So we convene everyone together and decide what to do collectively? "What a clever idea Efraim, I am sure an open discussion should bear fruit." Huh, yeah it is a pretty good idea. You decide that if your people are to endure the journey to their salvation, they should have a say in how it is done. You head out and begin spreading word that an assembly will be called to decide what to do next and where to go. It takes sometime for this to filter out, as some effort is put into gathering wood for for fire in the coming night. Anael, now cleaned and clothed, assists by tearing down one of the barracks for a massive bonfire. Whereas Malakiel seemed mysterious but approachable, most kept their distance from Anael. Finally as night falls, everyone is properly assembled around Anael's now roaring bonfire. It appears that of the hundred and seven people you have freed four people have been nominated to represent them, with you selected to adjudicate, considering the extremely tall, powerful and imposing demons seem to defer to you somewhat? You open the meeting by addressing the assembled crowd. "Fellow people of Ur, for long we have labored under the oppressive, cruel minions of Fare. Some of us were dragged from their homes, some of us born into the mines, but above all we are men and women of Ur, and our right to return home to Acco, to Libnah, and cities beyond. And if the cities be reduced to rubble we shall rebuild and reclaim what is rightfully ours. So I say now, that no matter what we agree tonight, we make for Acco and the lands of Ur. To our home, to our birthright, to the land El has given us for all time." The gathering reacts strongly to your declaration, man getting up and clapping or shouting in approval. After a moment passes, you motion for the applause to cease and for proceedings to begin. The first to present his case is an old man, one of the oldest, named Arandus. You know him as one of the midnight storytellers, like Gemariah, and that he claims association with the priesthood prior to his capture. To your knowledge though, anyone associated with the priesthood was tortured and then brutally, publicly executed. "I would open with my sincerest thanks to you Efraim for leading us out of the dark and into the light of day. So long have our people sought freedom, and through the glory of El it has been provided. We give thanks for the wisdom and courage he has granted you." Arandus wets his lips before continuing. "I feel as if though, we must first address a looming problem, and that is of your Demons." Murmurs erupt through the crowd, some in shock but others in agreement. Malakiel, standing behind you and in shadow, remains silent while motioning to Anael to keep her temper in check. "The Old Tales speak of their kind, who taken human form to beguile man, to lead them astray, enslave them, or devour them. They are a blight before El and MUST be destroyed and given as sacrifice." Boos being to stir within the crowd but you are quick to silence it, and inform Arandus that while you shall take his concerns under advisement, does he have a plan for supplies, how to arm men? "Yes. We should take as many carts from the mines as possible and fill them, and we should arm as many possible men, for the journey will be perilous and only steadfast faith in El will allow us to preserve. If we our worthy in our journey, El will provide for us." "Ha! You are an old fool!" It appears your second representative has somewhat rudely introduced himself. You recognize the man as Philetus, and are surprised to see him living. The Bnaimokt do not take kindly to insubordination or disobedience, yet somehow Philetus managed this through subtle sabotage of work equipment and scheduling. He had more than his fair share of lashes, but you guess he still breathes because his death would have created an even greater "inconvenience". "You would would condemn our saviors because you are to blind see anything but demons! If you would remember the old tales as they are and not as you imagine to be, you would know El works in mysterious ways. He has sent us these messengers of hope, you would spite in Els face and return them?!" What were once murmurs have risen in volume to shouts, and it seems heated words would soon become violence. You shout them down, and demand peace for we are men of Ur and followers of El, not savage beasts or barbarous servants of dark powers. You direct Philetus that this is a discussion on supplies and soldiers, not theological debate. You ask he present his case on how to deal with the shortages. "We should leave behind the arms and armor, and take as many supplies as possible, and make use of the servants El has sent us to guide and protect our people. We should make for the nearest westward flowing river, so we may always have fresh water, and follow it out of the mountains to Acco." You nod, and motion to the third representative, a man named Zomaya. You do not recognize him, but he has a fierce look about him moderated by the ill fitting Bnaimokt armor he wears. "I say we should take what carts we can, but insure we are plentiful in weapons. These mountains belong to Fare, a vile being who seems a plight to all life, what guarantee is there that freshwater to drink or wild game to eat exist? No, I say we take utilize what we have been given in plenty, force of arms, and raid Fares outposts to steal more supplies, and deal a blow to our hated enemy. Why flee like cowards, or leave things to chance? We can still make our way to Acco, but do not beguile yourselves into thinking it will not be a harsh and hard fought journey. We cannot abandon our means to defend ourselves and we cannot be passive in our journey." Zomaya seats himself, apparently content with his ambiguously defined "force of arms"; an attempt to curry favor with either Arandus or Philetus? So far, this council isn't quite what you expected. Each person called upon has had a different approach entirely on how to proceed, with little overlap. You were more hoping for sage advice, not competing alternatives! You motion for the fourth representative to speak, a man called Kenaniah. Yet another you do not recognize, but someone fairly young. Standing, Kenaniah clears his throat. "I was but a simple slave not long ago, expecting to toil away forever in the mines. I know little of the outside world, and I know little beyond digging up rocks. What I do know is that whatever this council decides, wherever Efraim leads us, I have faith it will be the right choice. However, I put forward that we are not yet ready to leave here and journey out. That we should build our own city, here, just like in the tales we once whispered to each other. That we consolidate our strength, make food, build our walls, make a mighty army. With the guidance of the council and El, we should prevail and maybe one day venture forth, back towards home." A riot nearly breaks out at the conclusion of Kenaniah's speech. It's an extremely divisive opinion, and you are barely able to get the assembly back under control. 1. All eyes are now on you, how do you proceed? It is clear that unless you come up with a creative solution, you will not please everyone. Subtle sorting into factions seems to be setting in, and each seems to have a strong voice willing to lend you it's vision but not it's advice necessarily. A. Move to interrogate, question and compromise between the representatives. We move to a 24 hour question time in which you can freely question anyone, and attempt to mold a compromise solution. At the end of the 24 hours, write in suggestions will be taken and voted on. B. Go along with Arandus's plan. That means disposing of Malakiel and Anael as well, and if you're an honest sort, discarding the remaining Sebitti. C. Go along with Philetus's plan. You will basically try to get out of the mountains through speed and stealth, maximizing supply but dependant on the whims of Malakiel and Anael for protection, by finding a river and following it home. D. Go along with Zomaya's plan. Maximize your combat effectiveness and use it to make raids upon Fares forces to feed and cloth your people. E. Go along with Kenaniah's plan. Accept you lack the current strength and resources to strike out, and instead fortify your position and build strength until you can. F. Write In! You think you have a different way of handling this. EmpyreanFlux fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Jul 13, 2017 |
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Jul 12, 2017 16:54
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Question for Malakiel and Ananel and to some degree also ourselves: Are any amongst us malnourished slaves actually capable of standing up in a fight against a Bnaimokt? Is anyone particularly blooded, that the Sebetti might notice it even when we don't from years of malnourishment? How would a force such as ours best make raid upon Fares Forces, should we choose that path?
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Jul 12, 2017 17:38
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F. Invite Malakiel to speak. Also, a Question/statement for Malakiel: Do you realise that the opinion shared by Arandus is likely to be representative of most of the people of Ur? They will not accept you and will call you a demon. If you travel to Acco with us, you will be killed by the powerful warriors of Ur.
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Jul 12, 2017 17:46
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F We shall become as a mobile city of Ur. Find a westward river, and raid any Fare settlements along it for supplies as we go. Should we find demons, sacrifice them to El. Everyone happy?
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Jul 12, 2017 17:53
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F - Have Anael slay the 4 divisive leaders. Seize control. This mob needs one strong leader.
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Jul 12, 2017 19:38
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C, let's run before another legion of B'naimokt catches us and puts us back into a mine!
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Jul 12, 2017 20:33
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Misvote Philetus knows what's up.
vorebane fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Jul 13, 2017 |
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Jul 13, 2017 00:59
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C
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Jul 13, 2017 01:02
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Swedish Thaumocracy posted:Question for Malakiel and Ananel and to some degree also ourselves: BoyG posted:F. Invite Malakiel to speak. Questions and statements fall under Vote A. The assembly is impatient for your decision, even if that decision is more talking. Do you want me to count these as effectively voting for A? vorebane posted:B Philetus knows what's up. B is a vote for Arandu's plan?
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Jul 13, 2017 01:18
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A, open question time, ask the Sebbetti their thoughts and the council how they think the can come to a compromise. Specifically ask how many survivors would follow their individual plans, will 20 stay? 30 take up arms? etc
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Jul 13, 2017 01:32
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FaustianQ posted:Questions and statements fall under Vote A. The assembly is impatient for your decision, even if that decision is more talking. Do you want me to count these as effectively voting for A? Point, C, then
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Jul 13, 2017 03:02
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