Death Is Not the End (Urban Fantasy CYOA)

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JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

NOTE: This CYOA is open for anyone to join at any time. Participation is always welcome!

The last thing you remember is dying, of that you are certain. It's something you could never forget. The sense of the world fading away, of your breath slowing, as your heart falls still. All is silent, and you drift in an endless void.

Then there's a flash of light. Suddenly you have sensations again, and it's overwhelming. The feeling of clothes on your body, the scent of dust and mildew, the sound of thumping music, the sensation of a cement floor beneath you. You jolt upright, gasping for air.

You realize that you are alive, but this place isn't familiar. Where are you? You look around, and see you're in a dingy basement room. The only source of light is a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. There's a pile of boxes in the corner, and a table that is bolted to the floor. There's also an overturned folding chair that you apparently knocked over when you woke up. The only entrance appears to be a steel door without any kind of window, but it's difficult to tell if it's locked. The floor rumbles with the sound of a distant bass beat.

After you manage to stop hyperventilating, you drag yourself to your feet, using the wall to support your weight. Everything feels like it's spinning, and it takes a long time for the world to stop being blurry. You shakily right the chair, and sit down on it.

You take a deep, shuddering breath. Your past is... a jumble, a mess of impressions, and thoughts. For a brief moment you have the gnawing fear that you're suffering complete amnesia, like in a movie. But no, your memories are there, they're just darting around like fish in a stream. If you can focus on a single one, you'll be able to recall who you are.

> Who are you?

Welcome! This Choose-Your-Own-Adventure is set in an urban fantasy setting that closely mirrors Earth. The Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution led to the supernatural retreating from the public eye, creating a secret community known as the Underworld. The great supernatural powers wheel and deal, attempting to manipulate their pawns while remaining unknown to humanity. You will be playing a mundane human who was completely unaware that otherworldly powers existed. Until now.

In this adventure, I will be accepting MULTIPLE prompts from players to allow collaborative storytelling. If multiple people suggest prompts that follow a general theme, I'll combine them. The only exception are prompts that are 100% contradictory. If one player wants to kill Barkeeper Bob, another player suggests asking Bob about the weather, and a third player wants to charm Bob in order to pickpocket him, then I'm going to skip the prompt that asks to murder Bob and go the more peaceful route.

If there is an avalanche of prompts, at some point I'll post saying that the suggestion box is closed. I'll also skip prompts that are completely out of character without a justification. If the protagonist is a nun, there needs to be really, really good reason if we want her to eat a baby.

One final note: If our choices result in the protagonist dying, the story will continue. There will be consequences, but death is not the end.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
CHAPTER 1: The beginning! Josei starts his new life, and becomes a terrorist.
INTERMISSION 1: Josei's first successful hit.
INTERMISSION 2: Viktor Corvinus gets his just desserts.
CHAPTER 2: Josei and his friends decide to go on a fetch quest.
INTERMISSION 3: The Illuminati send a killer robot to clean up the mess.
INTERMISSION 4: The Illuminati discover that the killer robot just made even MORE of a mess.
CHAPTER 3: In which Josei gains a party member, and (possibly) loses another.
INTERMISSION 5: Josei and the party get cut off from Mission Control.
INTERMISSION 6:Rebecca gets the honor of being the only survivor.
CHAPTER 4: Josei goes on a totally legit and not self-destuctive quest for revenge.
INTERMISSION 7: Cultists begin meddling, like the meddlers they are.
INTERMISSION 8: Cultists discover meddling is unsuccessful. They decide to meddle harder.
CHAPTER 5: Josei is offered the opportunity to own his very own peasant village, and also gets back to bounty hunting.

THE STORY SO FAR (aka TL;DR):
Chapter 1:

quote:

Josei woke up in Sami's ~~dungeon~~ secret basement holding cell after suffering a fatal 'accident' at the hands of his friends. Sami offered him a new life in exchange for becoming her bounty hunter. After asking enough questions that Sami nicknamed him "Curious One," Josei accepted. He met various henchmen who work for Sami, including Richter, Nicholas, Kiara, and Ivan. The latter two have joined the party. Also, a dog named Goodboy randomly had his own side-adventure before finally joining the party too. Josei also met a mysterious lady named Sophia who gave him a silver owl brooch.

Josei ran into a nasty vampire named Viktor Corvinus, who offered to put Josei up in a nice hotel in exchange for owing a favor. Josei unwisely agreed. This forced Josei to take a contract on behalf of Viktor to kill Viktor's sister, Dominika, who ran the wealthy Corvinus Holding Corporation and had a gigantic HQ in the middle of the city. Josei and his friends came up with a ridiculously stupid plan to kill Dominika using a bunch of Home Alone style jury rigged booby traps. The good news was that it all worked. The bad news was that it wrecked her penthouse suite, which pissed of Viktor. He ended up trying to murder Josei and Kiara by having them labeled as terrorist. This forced Josei to flee to Sami's protection. Sami got pissed when she found out Viktor broke Da Rules by involving mortal authorities, and murdered Viktor. This didn't fix the whole Josei Being A Terrorist Thing, but at least Viktor wasn't floating around doing bad stuff anymore. ~~Also, Josei got a hot half-vampire girlfriend.~~

Chapter 2:

quote:

Josei decides to take a contract to rescue the gifted prodigy Rebecca DeVir, at the behest of her wealthy billionaire father Malcolm DeVir, for one million dollars and a soulmark. They meet Malcolm who appears to have a drinking problem due to the stress of his missing daughter. Malcolm agrees to give an advance of 50,000 bucks each to Josei, Kiara, and Ivan as an advance. Josei promptly uses his funds to rent out a large, well appointed farmhouse in a more rural area to avoid the scrutiny of the feds. While settling in, Josei's ex-friend Bomber Joe calls Josei and tries to extort him. Josei flips the script and threatens to get Bomber Joe killed, and gets a useful contact out of Bomber Joe along with the satisfaction of freaking the bastard out.

Much preparation occurs, with a final game plan of infiltrating the Illuminati site known as the Leland Vault non-lethally. Josei and Ivan enter the facility, with Kiara standing ready to fill the place with flaming rodents as a distraction. But it turns out that due to the amount of time spent on preparation, Rebecca's own plan swings into motion. A truck equipped with a stasis forcefield smashes through the Illuminati defenses, giving a distraction. Between that and the flaming rodents, Josei and Ivan rescue Rebecca. Josei convinces Rebecca to just steal her mom's research notes rather than trying to teleport her mother's research lab out of the Leland Vault. They infiltrate the archives of the Vault, and Josei steals a bunch of artifacts like a thieving magpie. The trio then manage, through an unlikely series of events, to destroy a killer robot and escape. The Illuminati are left feeling unsure who conducted the operation.

Chapter 3:

quote:

Josei and Co. (TM) pick bounties to hunt a unicorn, bring meat to a mysterious being known as GORELAX THE HUMAN, and playtest a simulated dungeon. With the first mission, the team needs to travel to Wales. Josei decides to hire a dullahan named Ryder for an extra pair of hands. They go overseas, and Josei decides to parachute out of an airplane because he really, really didn't want to pay a dragon named Sokolov to clear his record. The team meets a gruff hedge wizard named Alphonse and together they manage to ~~brutally murder~~ successfully hunt the unicorn. They butcher the unicorn meat and bring it back to GORELAX THE HUMAN, who is definitely a human being like you and me. The team has a friendly BBQ together, and Josei trips balls after eating eldritch hallucinogens. No, really, you had to be there to see it. At some point in this adventure Josei also runs into two old cronies of his that he owes a debt to, and literally goes to Hell to open a bank account.

The team then decides to try to debug the simulated dungeon run by the Famous Adventurers Corporation. They get to meet an overpowered AI adventurer named Dirk, who is a Jerk. While adventuring they discover a mysterious factory that has been secretly built in the simulated dungeon that manufactures enchanted arms on an industrial scale, built by a mysterious cult known as the Children of Vulcan. At the end of the adventure, it's revealed that a Westworld type situation has happened in the simulated dungeon, with most of the NPCs trying to escape the eternal loop of endless roguelike dungeon runs. Dirk is violently opposed. The team decides to help the NPCs, but Josei makes bad decisions and the entire team is wiped, except for Rebecca, who was left behind outside of the dungeon, and Ryder, who sat out this mission.

Chapter 4:

quote:

Josei develops a minor obsession with getting revenge on Dirk. This causes him to make bad decisions, and he goes on a spending spree. On the one hand, he gets a bunch of useful(ish) supplies. On the other hand, he also blew almost all his mundane cash and soulmarks. He also discovers that Kiara has been possessed by the spirit of her dead dark wizard mentor. Shenanigans ensue, until Josei finally decides to send her off to get exorcised by the Catholic church. Intense preparations continue, and the party finally enter the simulation for a second time, partnering with the Famous Adventurer himself, Nike (CEO of the Famous Adventurers Corporation).

The group finds that Dirk has gone insane, like the psychopathic jerk he is, and has almost broken the AI that runs the dungeon. Josei and company run into the reanimated body of Belisarius, the ancient Byzantine general, who is working for the Children of Vulcan and conducting an evacuation of the factory. Josei manages to trick Belisarius into letting him leave with evidence of the Children of Vulcan's meddling. More shenanigans ensue when the party runs into Dirk unexpectedly, and Dirk's tampering with the AI Director causes insane things to happen like weapons growing mouths and the gravity switching off. Eventually, Josei is able to defeat Dirk by using the Ultimate Joke to stun the evil automaton, and The Day Is Saved. Meanwhile, the Children of Vulcan plot and scheme, and decide to loop in the mysterious "Warmonger" about Josei's interference, especially since Athena is Josei's patron.

Chapter 5: This will be filled in once Chapter 5 completes...

JessAlias fucked around with this message at 02:38 on Apr 25, 2024

# ? Feb 24, 2024 03:18

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 22:36

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

COMPLETED BOUNTIES:
DOMINIKA CORVINUS - KILLED

REBECCA DEVIR - RESCUED

UNICORN - KILLED

DIRK THE JERK- KILLED

CHARACTER BIO:
JOSEI JOKO

You were born Josei Joko, a local punk and a delinquent street artist. The city was always your home and your life. You stubbornly fended for yourself on the streets and at schools for most of your life, and consider yourself pretty talented with graffiti and vandalism as an artform. Unfortunately, one day when creating a masterpiece on some rich fool's building, you got hit from behind by a security guard and almost lost your life by falling.

This proved to be a wake up call. You originally didn't mind the street life, but now you wanted to turn over a new leaf. You started out with petty theft, then burglary, and even became the occasional con artist. After each job you live the high life, but when the money runs out you're always wanting more. Lately you've assumed the identity of Tsli'po Tawe, a playboy and part-time multilingual UN diplomat with an impressive foreign accent.

Your incredible luck helped you always escape getting caught, which gave you the dangerous reputation of getting away from the law when others don't. Consistently. On your last heist your 'co-workers' decided that nobody escapes gravity and threw your rear end out of the back of the getaway plane. Of course, you thought you were going to make it, because you made sure to pack a parachute.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the jump master replaced your parachute with a blow-up Jack-In-The-Box fast food display rather than a chute. The last thing you remember is screaming. And a sudden, very sharp impact.

None of this explains how you got here with a splitting headache.

PERKS:
- SMOOTH TALKER: Josei is able to convince just about anyone of anything, even when he's caught flat-footed. The only exception is when he's under extreme pressure - he's a talker, not a fighter. He receives a +4 to all Diplomacy rolls when not in combat.
- LUCKY BASTARD: Somehow, Josei is always able to land on his feet. He receives a +1 to all rolls.
- NORTHERN WHISPER - A strange whisper carried on the north winds gives Josei greater wisdom. He receives a +2 on all insight rolls.
- UNKILLABLE: Josei cannot die for any reason except natural causes. If he does die, he will spontaneously resurrect within about 10 minutes.
- VAMPIRE HUNTER (NOVICE): Josei has a cursory understanding of how to effectively attack vampires, which is more than the average person. He receives a +1 to all combat rolls when fighting vampires.
- ILLUMINATED (NOVICE): Josei has a cursory understanding of how to work with and against the Illuminati. He receives a +1 to all lore rolls and diplomacy rolls when dealing with the Illuminati.
- SHARPSHOOTER (NOVICE): Josei sharpened his gunslinging abilities, giving him a +1 to all rolls using standard firearms. This does NOT apply to esoteric things like anti-material rifles, crossbows, or other highly specialized weapons.
- ELDRITCH GOURMET: Josei decided to partake of the cooking of GORELAX THE HUMAN. The eldritch cooking has given him a +2 to all fortitude rolls.
- FREYR'S AGILITY: After training one on one with Thor, Josei now receives a +2 to all dexterity rolls.
- ATHENA'S PRECISION: Due to a long lesson on effective combat from Athena, Josei now receives a +2 to all attack rolls with his assegai.

FLAWS:
- GHOSTS OF THE PAST: Over his long criminal career, Josei has made a lot of enemies, and few friends. This may come back to haunt him.
- HIGH ROLLER: Josei grew up in poverty. Due to this, he prefers to live a life of luxury when possible.
- THE MIDNIGHT MERMAN: Josei is now infamous as being a weirdo that wanders the streets at night, trying to get people to join his fish-themed cult. At least that is maybe better than being known as a terrorist?

INVENTORY:
Various accessories, including a Samsung folding phone.
A bag of holding.
A computerized cyberpunk rifle.
A shotgun, with regular shells, slugs, and tear gas grenades.
Additional dragon's breath shells, flechette shells, and breaching shells for the shotgun.
Four super soakers filled with ipecac and Everclear.
A ring that makes you resistant to bladed weapons.
A silver mace, shaped like a bear.
A large amount of semtex.
Four instant healing potions.
Soul-Speed Sneakers, magical shoes that let you move REALLY fast. Hard to use, though.

PARTY MEMBERS:
GOODBOY

You are a dog. You are also a Good Boy. Somehow, you snuck into the story. You want to find your owner, but until then, you're traveling with the Josei Human.

PERKS:
- GOOD BOY: Goodboy is a good boy and a friendly little soul. He is able to easily charm people, any attempt to improve someone's demeanor towards Goodboy will receive a +2.
- TRAINED: Sami has trained Goodboy to take a large variety of commands in plain English, allowing Josei to give him simple instructions.
- UNKILLABLE: Goodboy cannot die for any reason except natural causes. If he does die, he will spontaneously resurrect within about 10 minutes.

FLAWS:
- DOGGO: Goodboy is a dog. Normally this isn't a flaw, but it's difficult to participate in an adventure when you don't speak English and don't have opposable thumbs.

INVENTORY:
Goodboy has a collar! Hooray! It jingles!

KIARA EVERGLADE

Another bounty hunter. Enjoys horrible puns. She was buried alive by a necromancer named Thomas. May be older than she looks. Might have a crush on Josei.

PERKS:
- SHADECALLER NECROMANCER: Kiara is trained as a shadecaller necromancer. She can use her guitar to summon and control shades of the dead, and receives a +4 to all necromancy rolls when doing so.
- UNKILLABLE: Kiara cannot die for any reason except natural causes. If she does die, she will spontaneously resurrect within about 10 minutes.
- COURAGEOUS: Kiara is the sort of person who is never afraid to charge into danger, and will receive a +2 for any morale check.

FLAWS:
- CLAUSTROPHOBIA: Due to being buried alive, Kiara has a fear of enclosed spaces. She receives a -4 to all rolls when in a tight space, like a closet or elevator.
- ME AND MY SHADOW: Kiara is haunted by the shade of Thomas, the necromancer who initially taught her necromancy. He is constantly attempting to possess her, which she can become more vulnerable to in a weakened mental state.

INVENTORY:
Nothing... all of her stuff was lost.

IVAN ALBEGOV

Stoic Russian bounter hunter who absolutely detests puns. Good friends with Kiara.

PERKS:
- VETERAN: Ivan is a former member of the Russian Federation's military and is a trained soldier. He receives a +4 for all combat rolls.
- UNKILLABLE: Ivan cannot die for any reason except natural causes. If he does die, he will spontaneously resurrect within about 10 minutes.
- MILITARY CONNECTIONS: Ivan has built strong ties with various people who specialize in selling and making SLIGHTLY illegal and unlicensed weaponry. This can be useful for some contracts.

FLAWS:
- THE OLD DRAGON - Ivan once made the mistake of crossing a dragon named Sokolov. This led to his death and hiring by Sami. Sokolov dislikes Ivan, though supposedly doesn't want to kill him.
- TIES THAT BIND - Ivan has family back in Russia that he pays Sokolov to protect, due to unspecified issues. This causes his debt to Sami to be almost impossible to pay off, since Sokolov detests Ivan and hikes his prices.

INVENTORY:
Bolt-action rifle, with bayonet and scope.
Frag grenades and incendiary grenades.

REBECCA DEVIR

A damsel in distress who needed rescuing, except it turned out she wasn't really in distress and didn't need that much rescuing. Josei managed to talk her off the metaphorical ledge, and she has joined the party for now.

PERKS:
- MASTER INVENTOR: Rebecca is skilled at working with mechanical, electronic, and technomagical devices, receiving a +4 when tinkering with almost any kind of technology.
- QUICK REFLEXES: Rebecca is VERY athletic and dextrous. Any roll involving avoiding hits, moving quickly, or even pickpocketing people gets a +2.

FLAWS:
- TRIANGLE HATER: For personal reasons, Rebecca will refuse to do anything with the Illuminati, ever. She will also voice loud protests if Josei tries to take contracts from the Illuminati... or at least, if she hears about it.
- PACIFIST: Rebecca is incredibly uncomfortable with the concept of hurting or killing people. She refuses to use weapons in combat that can cause permanent harm.

INVENTORY:
A stasis gun, that can freeze people or objects in time temporarily.
Goggles, with electronic enhancements.
Some grimoires that are on loan from Cadogan the wizard, on esoteric wizard stuff.
A variety of tools and widgets that can be used for repair, or for tinkering with things.

RYDER HEADLEY

A dullahan, the same type of being the Headless Horseman was. Has a detachable head, which he secures using a belt. Often seen as ridiculously handsome.

PERKS:
- DULLAHAN: Ryder's head can be removed from his body, and will maintain a magical connection with his body even after being removed, allowing it to walk around and perform tasks. This only works well if in eyeshot, because otherwise his body is blind.
- GIFT OF THE FAE: As a fae being, Ryder is resistant to hostile magic spells, and receives a +4 to resist them.
- APPRENTICE OF THE KITSUNE: Ryder has trained extensively in using the katana that an old friend gave him, receiving a +2 to all attack rolls using it.

FLAWS:
- CURSE OF THE FAE: As a fae being, Ryder is very weak to cold iron, and can't even abide touching it.
- HIDDEN: IMPROVE RELATIONSHIP TO REVEAL.

INVENTORY:
An enchanted katana, though he doesn't disclose what it is exactly capable of.

quote:

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:
SAMI

A mysterious supernatural being who resurrected Josei in exchange for, in polite terms, 'indentured servitude.' Seems to dislike bright lights. Has gray skin and talons, along with catlike eyes. She might be Samael, but what kind of angel looks like that?

HARRY RICHTER

Pawn shop owner who also works for Sami. Stockpiles supplies that he sells to Sami's bounty hunters, for the right price.

VIKTOR CORVINUS

~~Probably a vampire. Definitely up to no good. He graciously offered to put Josei up for a week, for a 'favor.' Currently Josei's client for a bounty to kill his sister, Dominika.~~ Currently incredibly dead after making some very poor choices.

KYLE 'BOMBER JOE' JOHNSON

While Josei thinks of himself as a Magnificent Bastard, Bomber Joe is just a Bastard. Complete sociopath with a good ol' boy facade, and probably was the guy who orchestrated Josei's 'accident.' Loves selling weapons to drug kingpins and murderous dictators.

ATHENA

The Greek goddess of wisdom Athena met Josei in a bar, and decided he was interesting enough to show her favor. Josei, meanwhile, was clueless that this was happening until she spelled it out for him.

ODIN

Odin, the Allfather, has also taken an interest in Josei. He is a quieter presence, rarely interjecting into the story... but making a visible impact when he does.

NICHOLAS CAGE

Coroner, stutters, shares a name with a famous actor. He stole some of your stuff, but at least he returned it.

CHARLOTTE REDMOND

Worked as a doctor for a vampire, until Josei murdered the vampire. Charlotte's a half-vampire, or dhampyr. Josei finds her kinda hot.

MALCOLM DEVIR

A surprisingly decent fellow despite his immense wealth. Possible proof that power does NOT corrupt. He paid Josei and Co. (TM) to rescue his daughter, and lets them use his private jet while Rebecca is a party member.

ALISTAIR CADOGAN

Kindly wizard friend of Kiara's. Runs a shop called Cadigan's Curiosities. He does enchanting work for soulmarks, or barter.

GORELAX THE HUMAN

In the words of Gorelax himself: "GORELAX IS A HUMAN, AS OPPOSED TO SOME MANNER OF ELDRITCH DEMIGOD." Also called the "GOURMAND OF THE ABYSS," by his "BOWLING BUDDIES."

SOKOLOV

His name probably isn't Sokolov. Like many Underworld powers, he keeps his True Name close to his chest. Sokolov has an Overworld identity as a Russian mobster, and an Underworld identity of a draconic Underworld kingpin.

ALPHONSE CADWALADER

Alphonse is a hedge wizard from a long line of hedge wizards and witches. He's a grumpy fellow, but deep down a good guy. Helped break Josei's Becoming-A-Fish curse also, for free!

RAYMOND

An overworked manager who works for the Famous Adventurers Corporation. Nice guy, a bit nerdy, not a bad manager.

DIRK EVEREADY

~~An automaton who was built to be the perfect hero, by the Famous Adventurers Corporation. Also a complete jerk who murdered the entire party.~~ Killed by Josei to avenge his total party wipe.

NIKE

Despite sharing a name with the goddess of victory, he is relatively mundane. Or at least, he's human. The CEO of the Famous Adventurers corporation, and a retired Famous Adventurer. Originally came from another dimension, though he does visit Earth occasionally.

JessAlias fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Apr 27, 2024

# ? Feb 24, 2024 03:37

BraveLittleToaster: May 5, 2019

You are Josei Joko, a local punk and a delinquent street artist. The city is your home and your life. You've been stubbornly fending for yourself on the streets and at schools for most of your life, and consider yourself pretty talented with graffiti and vandalism as an artform. You've been in a few scraps as well. And you were just in the middle of creating another of your street masterpieces on some fool's building when you got hit from behind and woke up here.

BraveLittleToaster fucked around with this message at 06:11 on Feb 24, 2024

# ? Feb 24, 2024 03:50

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

BraveLittleToaster posted:

You are Josei Joko, a local punk and a delinquent street artist.

Might be a dumb question, but -

I THINK JOSEI IS A GUY'S NAME?

Or if you're just going to leave it up in the air that's fine too.

JessAlias fucked around with this message at 05:11 on Feb 24, 2024

# ? Feb 24, 2024 03:55

BraveLittleToaster: May 5, 2019

JessAlias posted:

I THINK JOSEI IS A GUY'S NAME, MAYBE?!

Or if you're just going to leave it up in the air that's fine too.

It is, yes.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 04:06

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

BraveLittleToaster posted:

It is, yes.

Got it. Going to let at least a few more prompts come in so we can put together a full character. I'll be working together as many pieces that don't contradict each other to make a backstory.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 04:11

Blasphemaster: Jul 10, 2008

We are Tsli'po Tawe: Rogue, playboy, part time multilingual UN diplomat with amazing accent, accomplished Second Story Man, occasional con man and reluctant escape artist extraordinaire because it pays the bills.

We have amazing Crime Guy luck in that we always escape being caught but that brings with it its older brother the dangerous reputation for getting away from the law when others don't. Consistently. We were never the fall guy until our 'co-workers' decided that nobody escapes gravity and yote our rear end out the back of the getaway plane with a parachute that was lovingly packed by the jump master with a Jack-in-the-Box blow-up display instead of a chute.

Probably why we're here.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 05:41

Outrail: Jan 4, 2009; www.sapphicrobotica.com

Our name? We are a good boy and we do art like pooping on the neighbor's lawn! What do we smell?

We are a possibly magic dog trapped in a basement, at least for the moment.

Outrail fucked around with this message at 05:53 on Feb 24, 2024

# ? Feb 24, 2024 05:50

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

Blasphemaster posted:

We are Tsli'po Tawe: Rogue, playboy, part time multilingual UN diplomat with amazing accent, accomplished Second Story Man, occasional con man and reluctant escape artist extraordinaire because it pays the bills.

We have amazing Crime Guy luck in that we always escape being caught but that brings with it its older brother the dangerous reputation for getting away from the law when others don't. Consistently. We were never the fall guy until our 'co-workers' decided that nobody escapes gravity and yote our rear end out the back of the getaway plane with a parachute that was lovingly packed by the jump master with a Jack-in-the-Box blow-up display instead of a chute.

Probably why we're here.

Nice. Question - is Tsli'po Tawe the sort who manages to keep ahold of his cash, or is he the sort to spend it as soon as he gets it?

# ? Feb 24, 2024 05:53

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

Outrail posted:

Our name? We are a good boy and we do art like pooping on the neighbor's lawn! What do we smell?

We are a possibly magic dog trapped in a basement, at least for the moment.

...technically, I never said animals weren't allowed. Welp. I can't promise to give equal weight to this backstory as to every other submission, but in recognition of your creativity I'm adding this to the list.

Unfortunately no anthro dog-men were planned, but uh... I'll figure out. Something.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 05:58

Outrail: Jan 4, 2009; www.sapphicrobotica.com

# ? Feb 24, 2024 06:11

Blasphemaster: Jul 10, 2008

JessAlias posted:

Nice. Question - is Tsli'po Tawe the sort who manages to keep ahold of his cash, or is he the sort to spend it as soon as he gets it?

Immediate but well-planned and efficient spending binges.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 06:18

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

Blasphemaster posted:

Immediate but well-planned and efficient spending binges.

Thanks, that is exactly what I needed to know.

Suggestions are now closed, lest I go insane from trying to sew everything together. We've got a solid start on a protagonist.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 06:26

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

Outrail posted:

Our name? We are a good boy and we do art like pooping on the neighbor's lawn! What do we smell?

We are a possibly magic dog trapped in a basement, at least for the moment.

You sniff the air. It smells wet, and stale, and it reminds you of something. Everything comes flooding back.

You are a Good Boy, and you were going to the neighbor's house to visit the Nice Smelling Thing. Your owner always waves his arms and yells at you when you do that, and you never understood why. He is very silly and gets upset whenever you go across the path that the Boxes That Zoom take. Unfortunately, yesterday you found out that the Boxes That Zoom are dangerous! One of them hit you very hard. Ow. Very mean. Sad dog noises.

You're in a stinky room that reminds you of the Tiny Room your owner hides in to make fart noises. You make more sad dog noises. It is a very boring room with nothing to eat and no toys. But then the door opens and a lady comes in. Nice lady! Yay! She smells stinky like smoke and other things. Nice stinky lady looks at you and says, "Nicholas, really now... did you think I wouldn't notice that you brought a dog corpse instead of a human's?" You're very sure that those human words mean "Good Boy" in dog, and wag your tail.

Nice stinky lady gives you a pat. You wag your tail EVEN MORE. Then she makes a little sighing sound and takes you upstairs and gives you a whole bunch of slippery slidy meaty things. Best day ever. If only owner was here too!

Now that we've introduced the most important character of the story, let's see how our human protagonist is doing.

BraveLittleToaster posted:

You are Josei Joko, a local punk and a delinquent street artist. The city is your home and your life. You've been stubbornly fending for yourself on the streets and at schools for most of your life, and consider yourself pretty talented with graffiti and vandalism as an artform. You've been in a few scraps as well. And you were just in the middle of creating another of your street masterpieces on some fool's building when you got hit from behind and woke up here.

Blasphemaster posted:

We are Tsli'po Tawe: Rogue, playboy, part time multilingual UN diplomat with amazing accent, accomplished Second Story Man, occasional con man and reluctant escape artist extraordinaire because it pays the bills.

We have amazing Crime Guy luck in that we always escape being caught but that brings with it its older brother the dangerous reputation for getting away from the law when others don't. Consistently. We were never the fall guy until our 'co-workers' decided that nobody escapes gravity and yote our rear end out the back of the getaway plane with a parachute that was lovingly packed by the jump master with a Jack-in-the-Box blow-up display instead of a chute.

Probably why we're here.

You were born Josei Joko, a local punk and a delinquent street artist. The city was always your home and your life. You stubbornly fended for yourself on the streets and at schools for most of your life, and consider yourself pretty talented with graffiti and vandalism as an artform. Unfortunately, one day when creating a masterpiece on some rich fool's building, you got hit from behind by a security guard and almost lost your life by falling.

This proved to be a wake up call. You originally didn't mind the street life, but now you wanted to turn over a new leaf. You started out with petty theft, then burglary, and even became the occasional con artist. After each job you live the high life, but when the money runs out you're always wanting more. Lately you've assumed the identity of Tsli'po Tawe, a playboy and part-time multilingual UN diplomat with an impressive foreign accent.

Your incredible luck helped you always escape getting caught, which gave you the dangerous reputation of getting away from the law when others don't. Consistently. On your last heist your 'co-workers' decided that nobody escapes gravity and threw your rear end out of the back of the getaway plane. Of course, you thought you were going to make it, because you made sure to pack a parachute.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the jump master replaced your parachute with a blow-up Jack-In-The-Box fast food display rather than a chute. The last thing you remember is screaming. And a sudden, very sharp impact.

And none of this explains how you got here with a splitting headache.

JOSEI: How the gently caress did I end up in some demented serial killer's basement?

> Now what?

JessAlias fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Feb 24, 2024

# ? Feb 24, 2024 07:10

BraveLittleToaster: May 5, 2019

Analyze the situation, recollect yourself. You're familiar with waking up in weird basements, albeit not in this way.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 07:17

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

Also check our possessions. Are we clothed? Do we have our wallet? Any of our concealed items?

# ? Feb 24, 2024 12:52

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

AJ_Impy posted:

Also check our possessions. Are we clothed? Do we have our wallet? Any of our concealed items?

BraveLittleToaster posted:

Analyze the situation, recollect yourself. You're familiar with waking up in weird basements, albeit not in this way.

You rub your face a bit, grunt, and decide that there's no use in flipping out. Maybe you got patched up after your fall and then one of your less friendly 'business associates' decided to do the opposite of throwing you a welcome back party.

On the bright side, you have the clothes on your back. It's the same tailored suit you were wearing before you died, albeit a little dusty. Unfortunately, your parachute and emergency getaway bag aren't with you. You also don't have any other hidden weapons or gadgets, aside from your talent for quick-talking.

You glance around the room. Now that your vision has adjusted for the dim lighting, you can see there's more than just the table, chair, and stack of dusty boxes in the corner. There's also a huge, ancient rolltop desk in the corner, and a well used leather executive-style rolling chair. You snort a bit. The desk has a vintage CRT computer monitor, and one of those old 80s-style beige box type computers. There's even a dot-matrix printer. None of the equipment is on right now.

JOSEI: Guess the rear end in a top hat who put me in here's some kind of computer nerd. Or a geezer.

You turn your attention to that sound of pulsing music from upstairs. It's distant, rhythmic, and heavy on the bass. You must be in a nightclub, but there's no way you're going to go out on the dance floor looking like this. Assuming that the door isn't locked, anyway. You dust yourself off and comb your hair a bit with your fingers, and wonder what the hell you're supposed to do next.

>

JessAlias fucked around with this message at 14:48 on Feb 24, 2024

# ? Feb 24, 2024 14:25

BraveLittleToaster: May 5, 2019

Go search and loot the desk and boxes for anything good before you get out of here. You never know.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 19:20

Outrail: Jan 4, 2009; www.sapphicrobotica.com

Give Stinko the slip and go find owner. Bring some meat things.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 19:33

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

Outrail posted:

Give Stinko the slip and go find owner. Bring some meat things.

When I started this adventure I had no idea that I apparently will be running a parallel Dogventure along with the main plot thread. I guess this is the universe I'm living in now!

Moving forward if anyone has prompts/commands for the dog please use the prefix > Goodboy to prevent stuff like Josei filling his pockets with meat. I mean... unless people really, really want him to do that. In which case you'd need to overcome his natural aversion to having pockets filled with meat.

JessAlias fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Feb 24, 2024

# ? Feb 24, 2024 20:07

Outrail: Jan 4, 2009; www.sapphicrobotica.com

Okay okay, search the room, looking specifically for clues as to what's going on and Advil.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 21:50

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

Outrail posted:

Okay okay, search the room, looking specifically for clues as to what's going on and Advil.

I wasn't actually complaining, more just amused. Goodboy's going to be a secondary protagonist until there's nothing else to tell for his story.

Working on the next update.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 23:01

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

Outrail posted:

Give Stinko the slip and go find owner. Bring some meat things.

The new room you're in is nicer than the one that made you sad. It's dark but that's fine because you have an amazing nose and ears and can get around just fine. There was a big bed that was soft and you sat in it but then the nice lady said No. That was sad. After that she put you on a giant flat carpet thing that had a head!! You had to sniff and bark at it some and then you realized it wasn't alive. You are a Very Smart Dog.

You roll around and sleep for a bit while the Stinky Nice Lady did things that you didn't really understand or care about. You then realized that the meat things were so nice that you should take them with you. You do this by EATING THEM ALL, because you are a dog. It will all be much safer if you store it in your tummy.

Suddenly the Stinky Nice Lady stands up and then disappears. You had no idea humans can do that. Did humans always know how to disappear when you didn't look at them? Can dogs learn to disappear? You have many questions, but thinking about disappearing reminds you that you have an owner who is also gone. Stinky Lady is okay but it's time for your walk with your human.

After intense thought, you decide that obviously, your owner has disappeared just like Stinky Lady and that you need to find him. Silly owner. You notice that the door is just barely cracked open, and push it with your nose like a Very Smart Dog so it opens all the way and you can get outside. This is a secret dog technique that you're positive no other dog knows. Then you walk out of the room, and are standing in a hallway with wooden floors. There's the stairwell you came up earlier with the Stinky Lady from the small room that made you sad. That place had other small rooms that probably would also make you sad, at least they smelled that way. You sort of don't want to go back there, and you doubt that your owner is in any of those rooms. Unless... he is in one of them and is marking fart noises like the Tiny Room with the giant white water bowl?

Alternatively you could try a door that leads to a room that smells very strongly of lots of people and has loud music and is scary. You don't like that door either.

There's also a third door that has no doorknob, which is VERY MYSTERIOUS. You can smell another room beyond it, but you don't recognize the scents you are getting. Is that REALLY a door? Doors are supposed to have doorknobs, so humans can open them with their hands.

Meanwhile...

BraveLittleToaster posted:

Go search and loot the desk and boxes for anything good before you get out of here. You never know.

Outrail posted:

Okay okay, search the room, looking specifically for clues as to what's going on and Advil.

Obviously, you should respect your captor's privacy by making sure to secure all their belongings in your own possession. You're a kind and conscientous citizen, after all, and some random rear end in a top hat could walk up and take their stuff. There might even be something you can use to help facilitate your escape. Or even just some goddamn Advil.

You walk over to the desk, and start opening drawers and poking through them. You find an unopened pack of cigarettes, but they're some fancy brand called "Vox Illuminata." Who smokes that poo poo? You figure they're probably a hipster brand and toss them in your pocket anyway. You notice one drawer that has a lock on it, and mentally wish that you had a pair of lockpicks. Then again, those sorts of locks are usually pretty weak. You grab the handle of the drawer, and begin tugging on it with increasing force.

It begins to slide open, and as it does, a flash of red light emanates from the edges. There's a sizzling sound, and the drawer snaps shut again.

JOSEI: Wh-

Suddenly, you're unable to move. You can still breathe, at least, and blink. But otherwise, you're paralyzed, frozen in place. Even the tension you were holding in your muscles is gone. It's like there's invisible strings holding you in place.

You hear a whooshing sound, and footsteps descending the steps by the door. There's the noise of someone muttering something in a language you don't know, and you find yourself floating into the air, your arms and legs dangling like a marionette. You drift towards the folding chair by the table, and hover above it while being righted. With a tingling sensation, you slowly settle back into the chair. You try to look up, but you can't.

Panic begins to rise. You've never seen anything like this before. It's like... magic or something. Suddenly, you feel vitality rush back into your muscles. You sit up and take a deep breath. The room has gotten darker, almost pitch black. You can barely make out the dimensions of the basement room now.

You pause in confusion. There's a pair of luminous yellow eyes seemingly floating in the dark, slit like a cat's. At first you wonder if it IS a cat, but then you realize they're floating at the same height as a tall human's. A low, female voice speaks.

???: Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's rude to look through someone's possessions without permission?

This is our first dialog scene. You have two choices - you can try to have Josei say something verbatim. If you want to do that, use quotation marks. Or you can give him general directions. For example:

quote:

"What time is it?"

quote:

Ask the lady what time it is.

If you are giving me exact dialog, I'll tweak it to fit Josei's style if it sounds very out of character. I'll try to keep that to a minimum.

JessAlias fucked around with this message at 04:27 on Feb 28, 2024

# ? Feb 24, 2024 23:34

BraveLittleToaster: May 5, 2019

Kindly ask the mysterious cat-eyed lady why you're here, and if you'll get any breaks.

# ? Feb 24, 2024 23:46

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

BraveLittleToaster posted:

Kindly ask the mysterious cat-eyed lady why you're here, and if you'll get any breaks.

By 'breaks,' do you mean like a break from being locked up in a basement?

# ? Feb 25, 2024 00:58

BraveLittleToaster: May 5, 2019

JessAlias posted:

By 'breaks,' do you mean like a break from being locked up in a basement?

Yes, indeed.

# ? Feb 25, 2024 01:04

Outrail: Jan 4, 2009; www.sapphicrobotica.com

"Didn't anyone teach you it's rude to kidnap people?"

Try and open the mystery door.

# ? Feb 25, 2024 01:06

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

BraveLittleToaster posted:

Kindly ask the mysterious cat-eyed lady why you're here, and if you'll get any breaks.

Outrail posted:

"Didn't anyone teach you it's rude to kidnap people?"

JOSEI: Didn't anyone teach you it's rude to kidnap people?

???: Technically, it was not so much kidnapping as rescuing.

You look around the dingy basement.

JOSEI: Thanks, I love the ambience. I'm getting real excited thinking about spending the rest of my life here. Am I going to get any bathroom breaks, or are you just going to be giving me a honey bucket?

???: It's a temporary arrangement, until you're properly educated in proper conduct.

???: Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Sami, and you are...?

There's no way in hell you're going to tell this freak your real name.

JOSEI: Tsli'po Tawe, and let me tell you, there are some severe penalties for kidnapping a U.N. diplomat.

SAMI: Hmm.

There's a long, awkward silence.

> She doesn't seem likely to break the silence before you are...

Outrail posted:

Try and open the mystery door.

Assuming the second is a command for Goodboy...

You try everything you can think of to open the mystery door, including staring intensely at the door and whining, and going up on your hind legs to scratch at the door. It refuses to succumb. You notice a weird metal plate next to the door and press your wet nose against it, sniffing furiously. The plate makes a 'BEEP' noise and flashes red. You bark at it to establish that you are a Very Brave Dog who is not scared of anything!

The plate does absolutely nothing else, and you feel satisfied that you taught it a lesson.

JessAlias fucked around with this message at 03:17 on Feb 25, 2024

# ? Feb 25, 2024 01:17

BraveLittleToaster: May 5, 2019

Question Sami about what her "proper conduct" involves. You think your conduct is passable enough already.

>Goodboy: Keep barking at the plate and making a racket. This usually gets results.

# ? Feb 25, 2024 01:30

Blasphemaster: Jul 10, 2008

Pace to measure out the exact dimensions of the room.

Plan to find an alternate way to slip out of there.

# ? Feb 25, 2024 02:45

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

BraveLittleToaster posted:

Question Sami about what her "proper conduct" involves. You think your conduct is passable enough already.

Blasphemaster posted:

Pace to measure out the exact dimensions of the room.

Plan to find an alternate way to slip out of there.

You clear your throat to break the silence, and it sounds louder than you intended in the gloomy basement.

JOSEI: Look.

JOSEI: Can I ask what exactly counts as "proper conduct?" I admit, I was rifling through your things, but I was looking for a key to get out of here. Otherwise I've been as polite as I possibly can be, considering the circumstances. Are you wanting me to pay a ransom or something?

SAMI: Well, there is a need for payment.

SAMI: You remember dying, yes?

JOSEI: Vividly.

SAMI: Excellent. I can say that I have a... business... that involves recruiting unfortunate souls like you. In exchange for your revival, I expect you to complete specific services for me.

JOSEI: And what if I refuse to agree?

SAMI: Oh, well, you're definitely free to reject my offer. In that case I'll just undo your resurrection and toss your body into a dumpster.

JOSEI: ...well, that's a lot to consider. Mind if I get up to stretch my legs?

SAMI: Not at all.

You stand up, and begin walking around the room. The space is larger than you thought, and your footfalls echo off the cement floor and walls. As you pace, you count out your steps. One... two... three... soon enough, you measure it out. It's not a large room at all. Maybe twelve feet by twelve feet? Admittedly your feet aren't exactly one foot long, so this is an estimate at best.

You reach the corner where the rolltop desk is, and turn around to head back towards the table.

You nearly run into Sami.

You hadn't noticed her moving at all. Despite being mere inches from her, you can only see the vaguest outline of a humanoid form. She's at least a head taller than you. Squinting your eyes a bit, you think you can make out what looks like a woman's tailored suit, sized for her body. There's the hint of a white dress shirt, and a blood-red tie. You think she might be wearing heels. But there's something... off about her silhouette. You can't put a finger on it, not with how dark it is around her. It's unnatural.

JOSEI: Er, sorry. I was just lost in thought.

SAMI: That's fine. I imagine you were trying to find a way out, yes?

JOSEI: I'm not sure how I could, unless I get the ability to teleport or something.

You consider your options. You could try to attack her... bare handed... in a small, pitch black room... against someone who can apparently control your body with magic... Yeah, that doesn't sound smart at all. Maybe she's bluffing about tossing your body into a dumpster if you refuse her deal, but somehow, you suspect her good humor would evaporate if you tried to swing a punch.

You suspect you'll need to keep talking, instead, while you figure out a plan. It's a good thing that talking has always been your strength.

BraveLittleToaster posted:

>Goodboy: Keep barking at the plate and making a racket. This usually gets results.

You decide that you really, really want to see what's on the other side of the weird door, to at least, at a bare minimum, pee on it. You begin to furiously bark at the plate on the door, hoping that maybe you will intimidate it enough that something will happen. After all, your owner yells at things when he wants to do something and it's not working.

After a short while, you hear a muffled noise of a person saying "JESUS loving CHRIST" on the other side of the door. The plate beeps and turns green, and the door opens. You wag your tail furiously as a Big Muscley Man stares down at you. He's wearing a shirt and pants that are green and brown and black, all different colors. It makes you think of the park for some reason. You like the park, that's where you make friends. Maybe he's a friend?

JessAlias fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Feb 25, 2024

# ? Feb 25, 2024 03:05

BraveLittleToaster: May 5, 2019

Discuss the "specific services" she wants, keep talking.

>Goodboy: Head into the mystery room with your prospective pal and explore.

# ? Feb 25, 2024 03:20

Outrail: Jan 4, 2009; www.sapphicrobotica.com

BraveLittleToaster posted:

Discuss the "specific services" she wants, keep talking.

>Goodboy: Head into the mystery room with your prospective pal and explore.

This and look for loopholes

This and try to lick his face if the opportunity presents

# ? Feb 25, 2024 04:02

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

"If you'll pardon the question, what exactly are you?"

AJ_Impy fucked around with this message at 04:07 on Feb 25, 2024

# ? Feb 25, 2024 04:04

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

AJ_Impy posted:

"If you'll pardon the question, what exactly are you?"

Outrail posted:

This and look for loopholes

BraveLittleToaster posted:

Discuss the "specific services" she wants, keep talking.

> Discuss the "specific services" she wants, keep talking. Look for loopholes.

JOSEI: Anyway... I guess we'd better talk about whatever deal it is that you've got going.

You settle back down onto the folding chair. Sami remains standing, and in the darkness, it looks like she's looming over you like a giant. You're not used to having anyone else look down on you like this, and you're not really a fan of the sensation.

JOSEI: Though...

JOSEI: If you'll pardon the question, what exactly are you? You mentioned 'unfortunate souls,' so...

JOSEI: Don't take this the wrong way, but you look and sound like something from a nightmare.

SAMI: Thank you.

JOSEI: That wasn't a compliment.

SAMI: I know. The intimidation factor is actually important for my line of work, though.

SAMI: I don't like talking about my species, but I can say that my bloodline is rare, unique, and very much can't stand sunlight.

SAMI: Speaking of deals...

You hear hear her snap her fingers, and the aging computer on the rolltop desk flickers to life. The monochrome CRT monitor hums as it powers up, and after a few moments, you can hear the printer begin busily churning away.

SAMI: The details are in a contract, which is to be signed in blood.

You raise an eyebrow at that. Sami chuckles at your expression, but doesn't elaborate further.

SAMI: Just a standard sort of thing for the Underworld.

JOSEI: Underworld... so I'm in Hell?

SAMI: No, not hardly. The Underworld refers to the demesne of the supernatural creatures who walk among humans. And more importantly, who rule over them in secret. It isn't a physical space, but a concept.

JOSEI: So... basically demons?

SAMI: Nothing quite so trite. There's countless thousands of beings who are beyond the ken of most mortals. Including some humans who learn the more forbidden arts.

JOSEI: Are you a demon?

There's a long pause, and you notice a hint of irritation enter Sami's voice.

SAMI: I do not work for Lucifer's ilk. Also, if you keep asking me what I am, I'll begin to get angry.

JOSEI: Fine, fine... just making conversation, that's all.

SAMI: Well don't. There are far more interesting subjects for us to discuss, such as the fate of your eternal soul.

JOSEI: I thought only demons traded souls?

SAMI: In popular media, yes, but in the Underworld, the human soul is a general currency. For demons, angels, the fae, the undead, and more. It's extremely valuable to powerful creatures as a source of magic energy.

JOSEI: How did I sign over my soul, though? I didn't see any paperwork.

SAMI: And that, my impatient friend, is why we need to review our contract. Here.

The printer grinds to a halt, and she tears a sheet of paper out of it. You can't help but feel bemused at the whole exercise. The last time you saw tech like that was in a museum.

SAMI: Read this carefully. Ask questions if you need. But in the end, you have two choices. You can either sign, or you can refuse.

You begin reading the contract. As you work through it, line by line, you hear a clinking sound. You glance up and see a flickering, unreal purple flame, and then notice the scent of tobacco. Sami must be smoking a cigarette, it smells smooth and mellow.

The Contract posted:

## Covenant of the Relentless Hunter
This contract is entered into on this day, the twenty-third of February, in the year two thousand and twenty-four, by and between the undersigned Mortal, herein referred to as "The Contractor," and the Immortal Sami, herein referred to as "The Contractee."

## Article 1: Grant of Reprieve
The Contractor hereby pledges their soul, defined as the immaterial essence of their being, to The Contractee in exchange for the service of resurrection, to be rendered immediately upon execution of this contract.

## Article 2: Terms of Resurrection
The Contractee agrees to restore The Contractor to life, with all faculties intact, free from decay or injury, in a location of The Contractee's choosing.

## Article 3: Duration of Contract
The term of this contract shall commence upon The Contractor's resurrection and shall continue indefinitely, unless The Contractor fulfills the conditions set forth in Article 5.

## Article 4: Obligations of The Contractor
Upon the conclusion of The Contractor's natural life, The Contractor's soul shall be forfeited to The Contractee, to be collected at a time of The Contractee's choosing, unless the condition in Article 5 is met.

## Article 5: Condition of Reprieve
The Contractor may prevent the collection of their soul by successfully completing fifty (50) bounty hunting contracts in the service of The Contractee. These contracts must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of The Contractee, as per the terms and conditions specified therein.

## Article 6: Rights of The Contractee
The Contractee reserves the right to assign bounty hunting contracts to The Contractor and to judge the completion of said contracts. The Contractee also retains the right to utilize The Contractor's soul in any manner deemed fit within the confines of Underworld, should The Contractor fail to complete the stipulated contracts.

## Article 7: Prohibitions
The Contractor is prohibited from seeking nullification, voidance, or reversal of this contract through any mortal, arcane, or divine means.

## Article 8: Breach of Contract
Should The Contractor attempt to renege on this contract or fail to complete the fifty (50) bounty hunting contracts by the end of The Contractor's natural life, The Contractee is entitled to immediate collection of The Contractor's soul, along with the imposition of any penalties deemed appropriate, up to and including the cessation of The Contractor�s life.

## Article 9: Additional Resurrection Clause
In the event of The Contractor's demise following the initial resurrection, outside of the end of The Contractor's natural life, The Contractee agrees to perform an additional resurrection. However, this service will incur a debt of an additional twenty-five (25) bounty hunting contracts, totaling seventy-five (75) contracts to be completed to the satisfaction of The Contractee. Each subsequent resurrection will similarly incur an additional twenty-five (25) bounty hunting contracts to the existing debt.

## Article 10: Governing Law
This contract shall be governed by the laws of the supernatural realms, and any disputes arising hereunder shall be adjudicated in the courts of the Underworld.

By signing below, The Contractor and The Contractee acknowledge that they have read and understood the terms of this contract, including the Additional Resurrection Clause, and enter into it voluntarily, of their own free will.

> This is one of the only times when death may possibly be the end... you can still ask questions, but getting out of signing will be incredibly difficult.

BraveLittleToaster posted:

>Goodboy: Head into the mystery room with your prospective pal and explore.

Outrail posted:

This and try to lick his face if the opportunity presents

Your doggy heart is so filled with INTENSE, UNBRIDLED FEELINGS that you can't help but go on your hind legs and vigorously lick Muscle Man's face. He snorts a bit and initially tries to pull you off, but then he succumbs. No human can resist the face licks of the Goodboy. After several protests, you relent. Muscle Man gives you a pat on the head and makes human sounds at you, and you stare up at him and give a tail wag before squeezing past his legs and going into the Mystery Room.

The Mystery Room is not as exciting as you hoped. There are lots of metal things that smell of oil and burning, and your doggy brain remembers how your owner had something similar when he took you "Hunting." Those are Bang Sticks! You sniff them carefully while Muscle Man makes more human noises in the background and keeps waving at the door. You stare at him and give a tailwag but continue your explorations of the Boom Sticks. Maybe if you took a Boom Stick, it would help summon your owner to go "Hunting?"

JessAlias fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Feb 25, 2024

# ? Feb 25, 2024 04:46

BraveLittleToaster: May 5, 2019

Ask her if she can explain what these "bounty hunts" entail exactly.
>Goodboy: Grab a Bang Stick and leave the room to continue your adventure.

# ? Feb 25, 2024 05:13

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

Note: To help move the conversation along, I'll have Sami respond to all questions regarding the contract in a flow rather than waiting for a bunch all at once. I'll pause the Goodboy adventure for now, and will move the Goodboy adventure along when we wrap up the contract and advance the main plot.

BraveLittleToaster posted:

Ask her if she can explain what these "bounty hunts" entail exactly.

JOSEI: Can you explain what exactly is involved with this bounty hunting?

SAMI: For those who are Contracted to me, I offer a slate of bounty hunting contracts that you are free to select from. Upon the completion of each contract, a tally mark is removed from your debt.

SAMI: Most of the contracts involve hit jobs. Sometimes you may need to bring someone back alive rather than dead. The contracts generally originate from people who have hired my business to take care of loose ends for them. Sometimes, though I may have personal jobs that I will offer.

SAMI: The targets are a mix of mundane people, along with the more supernaturally inclined. More difficult contracts are worth several of the mundane ones.

# ? Feb 25, 2024 05:40

Outrail: Jan 4, 2009; www.sapphicrobotica.com

How long do you expect me to take collecting 50 contracts?

Also how long is the term of my natural life?

Can I collect contract credits for bringing or doing things for you that are not bound in contract? For example, if I bring you the heart of a fairy or something and you want it, can we negotiate contract points?

I'm thinking we can loophole our way out of this by finding some kind of leverage over her, and forcing her to accept it as worth 50 contracts.

Outrail fucked around with this message at 06:06 on Feb 25, 2024

# ? Feb 25, 2024 05:50

BraveLittleToaster: May 5, 2019

From conman to hitman, you're moving up in the world. Ask her about the laws and courts of the Underworld, see what you'd be getting into with those.

# ? Feb 25, 2024 05:52

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 22:36

JessAlias: Aug 21, 2017

Outrail posted:

How long do you expect me to take collecting 50 contracts?

Also how long is the term of my natural life?

BraveLittleToaster posted:

From conman to hitman, you're moving up in the world. Ask her about the laws and courts of the Underworld, see what you'd be getting into with those.

JOSEI: How long do you expect me to take collecting 50 contracts?

SAMI: Generally, I like to see at least one contract completed a month. But some will take more time, some will take less.

JOSEI: Also how long is the term of my natural life?

SAMI: Natural life, in the Underworld, is defined as when you die at the end of your allotted time. Essentially, physical failure of your body due to chronic disease or defect. If you get shot, poisoned, or fall out of a skyscraper, that is a case where I would be resurrecting you.

You rub your chin a bit. This doesn't sound too bad, you suppose. You've always been more of a talker than a fighter, but then again... with a month to plan each hit, well, that should make it easy. Right?

JOSEI: Let's assume I do sign this, is there a chance that I'll get busted by the supernatural police? What's the court system like for you all?

SAMI: Ah. Yes. Our legal system is different than yours.

SAMI: The Underworld's code of law is much more focused on the individual and their accomplishments than in the mundane world.

SAMI: Rather than putting an individual on trial for their crimes, the individual's status is more important than any actual guilt or innocence. Might makes right.

SAMI: Some of us try to dress things up in fancy language and morality, but in the end, power is all that matters.

SAMI: The one exception is with agreements or oaths. Reputation is critical to be successful. If someone breaks contracts left and right, they will quickly find themselves isolated.

# ? Feb 25, 2024 06:02

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > Death Is Not the End (Urban Fantasy CYOA)

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