The Pit of Upgrad [CYOA]

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Dog Kisser: Mar 30, 2005; But People have fears that beasts do not. Questions, too.

The sky was bright and blue, the birds were chirping, your mentor had given you the day off (for once), and your chores were done. You could scarcely believe it: free time. Time to be a kid again! Er, no, you were a tough, strong adult, with responsible goals and dreams for the future� but it couldn�t hurt to go out exploring the forest one last time, right?

You didn�t have a lot of friends - not a lot of kids your age in the village - so you spent a lot of time wandering when you were younger. You were everything in those days; ancient heroes, powerful wizards, and even a monster or too when a sour mood struck you. Today you were an explorer, making your way deep into a haunted forest. But first you needed equipment! You found:

_{~pick three~A Leaf 1. A Magic Cape - Sure, it�s a little small, but it�ll� grow magically. Yeah, perfect.

An Acorn 2. A Powerful Bomb - Okay, it looked like a nut, but when you threw it? KaBLAM!

A Dead Fox 3. A Familiar - Oof, hopefully no one saw you playing with it� but it was kinda neat, almost mummified from the dry heat. Maybe this is why you had no friends?

A Handful of Pine Needles 4. Throwing Spikes - HiYA! These suckers would soar straight and true!

Dry, Crunchy Leaves 5. Fire Reagents - Crumbled up, you could make a powder to light your enemies aflame! BURN!

Somehow A Clump Of Snow? 6. Ice Crystal - Man, it must be colder in the shad-haHA, magic! Yes, with this you could freeze your enemies solid!

A Long Strand of Creeper 7. Living Rope - Green and springy, it would come to life and wrangle whatever you needed!

A Cluster Of Fruit 8. Magic Berries - Technically these aren�t berries, but� they were special, and would give you a burst of energy!}

_{A Raggedy Feather 9. Charm Of The Raven - Actually this might be a crow feather, but either way it would let you jump much further!

A Sharp Rock 10. A Trusty Knife - Ah, a trusty sidearm. It had been with you for years and served you well. In fact, you named it! Uh, what DID you name it?

A Bunch Of Seeds 11. Seeds Of Creation - Whisper a word of power and POP, the seeds grow into something you need!

A Crumpled Piece of Paper 12. A Scroll of Power - You can�t bear to open it, for to read its words is to unleash a terrible power, so powerful the paper itself will be consumed!

A Rusty Axe 13. A Cursed Blade - ...You shouldn�t be touching this. This was probably left over from� what happened. But then again, it is s-surely an item of great power!

An Angry Frog 14. A Goblin Servant - Ooh, this little guy really wants to get away! Too bad, you hold the secret to his freedom!

An Unknown Skull 15. A Hungry Wraith - A weak little dead thing - but oh, it'll get stronger!

A Dry Gourd 16. A Canteen Of Spirit Liquor - Yeah, just like your uncle drank when he was an adventurer! Made him strong, let him talk to ghosts! At least, that�s what he says�}You swished your found gear around, marvelling at the power contained within. Sure, fine, they were a little imaginary - but what the hell else was there to do out here? You lived with your older sister Bala, and while she was kind and witty and a hell of a surrogate parent, she was also busy with her studies. And after the� event from five years back, your little town was emptier than ever. You were stuck here until you finished your apprenticeship, and that�s all there was to it. Your master, Mallon, was a fine person, if a little crusty, but that was to be expected from:
_{An Innkeeper - He�d taken you and your sister in after the� event had died down, and he hadn�t asked for much other than your help. A good, if grumpy man. You�ve been learning about finances, logistics, some small repairs - oh, and how to use a mop really well.

A Blacksmith - He�d offered you an apprenticeship after the� event had cost him his other one. He was a mean drunk, but you�d learned to duck away from the worst of it, and whenever he was lucid he�d taught you a fair bit about shaping metal.

An Arcanist - She�d seen something in you after the� event, and had requested you personally. Your sister was already working with her, so it seemed like a natural fit, though it hadn�t helped your already tarnished reputation in town any. So far, she hadn�t taught you anything useful, at all. Oh, wait, you could light a small fire. If you had fuel, and no wind blowing, and you could concentrate.

A Scribe - She�d lost her other apprentices after the� event, and had basically picked up anyone she could find. You were available and mostly not an idiot, so she�d just grabbed you and stuffed you into a writing desk. It was grueling, boring work, but you�d learned to read and write better than most, and you�d made a solid friend, Percy. Percy was currently in trouble and not able to hang out, but he promised he�d catch up later.}
You plopped down on a hummock and stared at the rolling hills ahead of you. Full of adventure and mystery, but also totally, totally empty. Drumlins, she�d called them. Your sister was keen to explain that glaciers had once scoured this land and piled up all these little hills. Boring. It was a giant, planting seeds. One day they�d sprout, and�

Oh, what was that? You found a little door, no more than four feet tall, set into the side of one of the hills. It was stone, or wood, and you had to dig it out by hand to expose much of its base. It had a deep pattern of concentric diamond shapes scored or etched into its surface. It looked like it was just about the oldest thing in the entire world. You knocked on it. It sounded hollow, though the door was thick. It creaked open. Terrified, you leapt backwards, then scrambled to hide behind a bush.

When you weren�t instantly destroyed by hellfire, you peeked back out. The door stood open, but otherwise did not bite or otherwise threaten you. You crept closer, suddenly extremely aware of how late you must be for supper. You peeked inside, seeing nothing but darkness.

And then you slipped on dew-slick grass and fell inside.

The door clicked shut, leaving you in darkness.

A dust-dry voice chuckled in the darkness, seeming to come from all around you. �Ah, kid. You�ve stumbled on something great. You want to do something awesome? You want to be someone awesome? You�ve come to the right place. To the best place. To the

�...Enjoy your stay.�

Dog Kisser fucked around with this message at 17:04 on Aug 30, 2019

# ? Aug 30, 2019 16:42

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 14:15

Dog Kisser: Mar 30, 2005; But People have fears that beasts do not. Questions, too.

Spark Affinity [2]

Travel Clothes [0]

Charm of the Raven [2]

Vups, the Familiar [2]

Obei Mii, the Goblin [1]

Terrible Mittens [1*]

Cold Tooth [0]

Dog Kisser fucked around with this message at 20:25 on Nov 8, 2019

# ? Aug 30, 2019 16:42

Swedish Thaumocracy: Jul 11, 2006; Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0; Grimey Drawer

6, 12, 14

Some Ice, a Goblin and the Dreaded Note! Those are my picks, they will serve us well.

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:18

Theantero: Nov 6, 2011; ...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....

3, 14, 15

Familiar, Goblin, Wraith

Mallon: Arcanist

FULL SUMMONER BUILD BOIIIIIIIIIII

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:20

Aabcehmu: Apr 27, 2013; Confusion As a Natural State of Being

5, 10, 11, an Arcanist

Tinder because we might be able to actually use it for real, sharp rock because sharp rock is good, and seeds because we might be able to trade them for something. Arcanist because m a g i c.

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:23

Poltergrift: Feb 16, 2014; "When I grow up, I'm gonna be a proper swordsman. One with clothes."

3, 10, 16

Blacksmith

Our trusty knife's name is... Trusty.

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:24

Scribbleykins: Apr 29, 2010; Any scientist with the right background can brew his own booze.

...

What do you mean electrolytes aren't used for brewing booze? That's silly!

...

Well when all you have are chunks of TNE and an overly large water ration, all the world looks like a still!; Grimey Drawer

3 - Familiar
9 - Charm of the Raven
14 - Goblin Servant

You can get far with a spring in your step and a couple of willing (or unwilling) helpers, little Scribe!

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:26

Successful Businessmanga: Mar 28, 2010

3, 8, 9 Druid mode go!

Familiar, Magic Berries, Charm of the Raven.

Mallon: An Innkeeper

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:28

WereGoat: Apr 28, 2017

7, 9, 14

Arcanist

WereGoat fucked around with this message at 17:38 on Aug 30, 2019

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:30

Not Alex: Oct 9, 2012; Cut loose before the god eaters show up.

1 Magic cape
4 Throwing spikes
9 Raven charm

Powerful ninja energy

Innkeeper mentor

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:33

Jvie: Aug 10, 2012

3 Familiar,
11 Seeds Of Creation,
~~14 A Goblin Servant~~
9 Charm Of The Raven

Scribe

Jvie fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Aug 30, 2019

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:36

Lux Anima: Apr 17, 2016; Dinosaur Gum

3 Familiar
9 Charm of the Raven
11 Seeds of Creation

Arcanist

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:46

Junpei: Oct 4, 2015; Can't post for 11 years!

1, 7, 9, Arcanist

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:48

Theanael: Jun 21, 2019

9, 12, 13, Arcanist

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:55

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

3, 11, 12. An Apprentice Arcanist with a trusty familiar and powerful magics of creation and destruction.

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:56

TheNabster: Apr 26, 2014; "Today I will cause problems on purpose"

7, 9, 10, Scribe

>7+9 - Yo know what I see here MOVEMENT OPTIONS, you can jump good, grapple onto geometry and then swing further, all sorts of jumping swinging and binding options like any good adventuring sprout.
>10 - You can do a lot with a knife, it's a handy multi tool at the very least. We can call it Swish
>Scribe - everyone wants to be a brutish barbarian or an amazing spellcaster, but we'll be stuffed if we run into a written riddle on the wall.

# ? Aug 30, 2019 17:58

AnAnonymousIdiot: Sep 14, 2013

2, 8, 16, Arcanist

# ? Aug 30, 2019 18:03

Podima: Nov 4, 2009; by Fluffdaddy

3. A Familiar
13. Cursed Blade
15. A Hungry Wraith

Mallon: Innkeeper

# ? Aug 30, 2019 18:07

Tricky Dick Nixon: Jul 26, 2010; by Nyc_Tattoo

1, 7, 14

Mallon: An Innkeeper

# ? Aug 30, 2019 18:35

Dog Kisser: Mar 30, 2005; But People have fears that beasts do not. Questions, too.

Welp, closing voting in an hour - already have next one ready to go anyhow...

# ? Aug 30, 2019 18:38

malbogio: Jan 19, 2015

Swedish Thaumocracy posted:

6, 12, 14

Some Ice, a Goblin and the Dreaded Note! Those are my picks, they will serve us well.

+1.
Scribe.

# ? Aug 30, 2019 18:38

Arcanuse: Mar 15, 2019

13. A Cursed Blade
16. A Canteen of Spirit Liquor
8. Magic Berries.
Seems practical enough for our explorer-to-be.

An Arcanist
Less practical, but who knows? An arcanist might know some interesting stories, a few might even be true!

That's what I'd like to vote, but the temptation of full summoner build is too strong.

3, 14, 15, Arcanist

# ? Aug 30, 2019 18:51

Dog Kisser: Mar 30, 2005; But People have fears that beasts do not. Questions, too.

You stumbled back, banging your head against the stone wall as you scrabbled for the exit. The wall behind you was smooth, the door gone. You clawed at the wall - and felt something move. You stepped backwards cautiously, hands up defensively. A crescent of light split open on one wall, illuminating you with a harsh glow like sun filtered through water. �Kid, kid, relax. You�re safe here� in a manner of speaking.� The crescent opened wider into an almond shaped lozenge of light. Then a section of it rotated to face you.

�I�m not going to eat you, kid. I�m here to make you better. I�m here to make everything better!� The light spread until you found yourself in a circular room with stone walls and a disconcerting number of glowing stone eyes glaring at you from the bricks themselves. One section of the floor in front of you splits open and grins with cobblestone teeth. �You�re in the Pit of Ŭpgr�d. Take a look around. Mind the Flits, they�re tricky little bleeders.� An embossed arrow on the wall pointed out a fluttering crystalline sprite that flew down to circle you. Despite your terror, you held out a trembling hand for it and it alighted on your fingertip. It buzzed warmly against your flesh - then bit you and took off.

�Ha, I warned you! Now get up. It's time to move.�

Behind you, torches blazed into life with a lime green flash, sequentially lighting to illuminate a tunnel far into the hill. Dazed, you began to walk. The eyes closed, but others opened along the path, tracking your step.

�Hey, good stuff. Alright, listen. The world out there? It�s boring. It�s gotten soft and complacent. No heroes anymore, just people trying to scratch out a crap life for themself. What are you out there, some hedge mage�s assistant? Playing by yourself in the woods, imagining a better world?�

A cold sweat began to trickle down your back, and with an effort of will you arrest your movement down the hall. Immediately, another mouth snaps open on the wall next to you and frowns a brick-tooth grimace.

�Don�t be like that, kid. Just look at what you brought with you.� I looked down, and suddenly realized I was swarming with Flits. They enveloped my belongings, and then...

�The power of the Pit has improved them, bent them to your force of will. That�s how it works here, and the longer you stay, the better they�ll get. The better you�ll get. And that�s what you�ve always wanted, isn�t it? To become better. To live in a better world, a more exciting one. To prevent the� event from happening again, ever? You can do it, if only you walk the Pit.�

Chilled, you looked back towards the exit. Where the exit had been, at least. To your surprise, slowly, reluctantly, the wall there split into a makeshift grimace, revealing the door. �...Or you can go, and take your prizes as they are. They�re not much, and they won�t last long out there with the little you�ve invested in them, but hey, maybe they�ll be enough to stop what�s coming.�_{Leave! - Get the hell out of here, before it�s too late!

Stay! - You have always wanted this. Adventure, exploration, maybe even a little bit of danger. Could you really turn this down?

Ask! - You had some questions first. Couldn�t hurt to ask...}
-O-O-

There was a new creature in the Pit of Ŭpgr�d, and the Flits were terribly excited. It had been a long, a very long time since they saw one like it. A human, a youth, fresh-faced but on the cusp of adulthood, still burning with a passionate hope for something better. The Flits could work with that. They inspected its outer shell. It appeared to be a _{Sex, Skin Tone, Hair Colour, Distinguishing Feature}but all humans essentially looked the same on the outside. They pierced the shell, looking for the Lozenge. They found it immediately and were disappointed. That was it?

Well, everything had to start somewhere. They began chipping away at it, digging into its surface with intangible bursts of energy. Once they finally broke through, the human would be able to use their Lozenergy to improve their equipment. It was the only way they�d be able to survive. The cracked their metaphorical knuckles and got to work, rolling 1d6 to break through!

[Inventory]

Dog Kisser fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Sep 3, 2019

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:06

Junpei: Oct 4, 2015; Can't post for 11 years!

(Will roll later, but vote now)

A dark skinned blonde boy with a scar across his right cheek.

Ask

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:13

Arcanuse: Mar 15, 2019

Ask!
-Uhhhh why is this place covered in dirt and abandoned

Sex: Either
Skintone: Pale
Hair Colour: Grey
Distinguishing Feature: Incredibly pointy chin

???: 1d6 1

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:13

malbogio: Jan 19, 2015

Stay.
Rolling... Boy, Pink, Light Brown, Lost an Eye.
Break Through: 1d6 5

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:14

Scribbleykins: Apr 29, 2010; Any scientist with the right background can brew his own booze.

...

What do you mean electrolytes aren't used for brewing booze? That's silly!

...

Well when all you have are chunks of TNE and an overly large water ration, all the world looks like a still!; Grimey Drawer

Ask "What's coming?!", you green-haired, bark-skinned boy!

(Bark is Brown, and a Distinguishing Feature.)

Oh, and ask: What happened to your Items? What can each of them do now?!

Name the fox: "Vups!"
Name the frog: "Obei Mii!"

Flit The First: 1d6 5

Scribbleykins fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Aug 30, 2019

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:15

Successful Businessmanga: Mar 28, 2010

Stay Rude to leave right after you arrive!

Female, Purple, Green, One Large Ear

Rolled a 3

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:15

Poltergrift: Feb 16, 2014; "When I grow up, I'm gonna be a proper swordsman. One with clothes."

Obey Me, Lozenge!: 1d6 2

Sex: F
Skintone: Any
Hair Color: Gray
Distinguishing Feature: Limp

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:15

Aabcehmu: Apr 27, 2013; Confusion As a Natural State of Being

Ask "What's coming?"

No interest in the appearance vote.

Attack the Loz: 4

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:18

WereGoat: Apr 28, 2017

Ask! - "Why are you helping me?"

Chip down That Lozenge: 1d6 6

Sex; F,
Skin Tone; Almond,
Hair Colour; Blonde,
Distinguishing Feature; Gangly

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:23

Not Alex: Oct 9, 2012; Cut loose before the god eaters show up.

Requesting heterochromia. Whatever else.

Nit Flit: 1d6 6

Powerful flitting!

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:24

Theantero: Nov 6, 2011; ...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....

Lozenge swatting: 1d6 5

Sex: Any
Skin Tone: Any
Hair Colour: Any
Distinguishing Feature: ~~A Freakishly Large Head~~ A Pointy Chin

Theantero fucked around with this message at 17:18 on Aug 31, 2019

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:35

Swedish Thaumocracy: Jul 11, 2006; Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0; Grimey Drawer

Chip down That Lozenge: 1d6 1

Sex; F!
Skin Tone; Rainbowcolour
Hair Colour; See-through
Distinguishing Feature; Chromatic Aberrations

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:36

Not Alex: Oct 9, 2012; Cut loose before the god eaters show up.

Fox name: Murmur
Frog name: Sir Hyacinth Ebbingsworth Philogathsyganthusinium or Mr. Boots for short.

# ? Aug 30, 2019 19:49

Jvie: Aug 10, 2012

Arcanuse posted:

Sex: Either
Skintone: Pale
Hair Colour: Grey
Distinguishing Feature: Incredibly pointy chin

chin chin chin

---

Stay

Ask:
Where's the bathroom?

eat delicious lozenge: 1d6 1

# ? Aug 30, 2019 20:01

Lux Anima: Apr 17, 2016; Dinosaur Gum

Name: Child
Gender: Female
Complexion: Almond
Hair: Green
Distinguishing Feature: Heterochromia

Ask: (To Pit-Spirit, Fox Familiar, and Frogoblin) "What are your names?"

Chip off the ol' Soul Lozenge: 1d6 5

# ? Aug 30, 2019 20:59

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

Gender: any/all
Complexion: Taupe
Hair: No
Distinguishing feature: Breaks the fourth wall, aware of the thread.
Ask

Unleash Lozenergy: 1d6 1

# ? Aug 30, 2019 21:10

Dinictus: Nov 26, 2005; May our CoX spray white sticky fluid at our enemies forever!
HAIL ARACHNOS!; Soiled Meat

Name: Lex
Gender: Non-binary
Complexion: Almond
Hair: Dark brown
Distinguishing Feature: A stump for a left hand (a very bad accident, surely, but well)

Lozenergize: 1d6 1 _{(okay maybe not so much)}

Lux Animus posted:

Ask: (To Pit-Spirit, Fox Familiar, and Frogoblin) "What are your names?"

That is very thoughtful, and thus, entirely good.

# ? Aug 30, 2019 23:48

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 14:15

Podima: Nov 4, 2009; by Fluffdaddy

Stay
No appearance opinions!
Break Through: 1d6 6

# ? Aug 31, 2019 01:48

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