Board 8 > The Notes of Cain [CYOA/Forum Game]

(+) Yeah! (+)

C

There's no pressing need to activate the contract immediately, so I don't see a reason to risk something going wrong right now when we might figure out more about it if we wait and learn more.
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C. I mean we've just learned that there's devils afoot, and while they're not necessarily evil, they are potentially very dangerous, especially with contracts. I'd rather we learned what the card does before signing away something in exchange for something, a bargain that was apparently not used for some, possibly very important, reason.
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I think Joe was technically a devil?
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C

Agree with what's been said so far.

Yeah, going with C here. Definitely need to know what the price is for 'services' rendered or what even those services entail first.
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C

The thing with contracts is there's always something given in exchange, we don't know what that could be. Best to save it for later until we know more about it.
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FakeAccount3000 posted...

I wonder why Goetic is so convinced Torin dislikes him and if this might be a problem...

fantasy racism
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it's been mentioned that Goetic and Ignael are both Abnormals, which you can tell by looking at their eyes. with that in mind Goetic is probably just used to people not liking him. it might not even be that he is disliked, just that he thinks he is.

as for Ignael he just acts like a dick to people because he assumes they won't like him anyway.
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C. Lets have Marias group and Seths group meet and discuss what they know of Avel before activating the contract.
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C.

Don't need a contract with a Devil atm.
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Oh yeah, I see. :3

And I wonder if we are allowed to suggest they meet since they dont know they have knowledge the other would need, its like, metagaming.
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Smithy
Ignael Gades (1 Disarm) - jeffraze
Torin Gemmason - Mana
Maria Taylor - nfun
Goetic (1 Kill) - lefty

Old Inn
Gunslinger Kidd (1 Assist) - drak
Jamison, Investigator - maniac
Lancer Aaron (1 Kill) - FB
Fakeru, Lucky Girl - fake
Jen Lowell (1 Kill) - pk2k

Farmlands
Captain Punch (3 Kills) - xey
Tristan (4 Kills) - oracle
Owen the Coward- stan

Woodcutter
Dismas the Guilty (2 Kills) - eddv
Chained Prisoner (1 Assist) - decider
Cata Spade (1 Assist) - cata

Clinic
Matsuda, Gambler (1 Assist) - trdl
Seth, Golden Agent (1 Kill, 1 Assist) - reg
Leone the Cat (1 Assist) - cpu
Beastkin Zephyr (2 Assists) - ermine

1. Follow the Leader...
(1111111111) A. Torin

2. Who will Kidd save...
(11111111) A. Jamison and Fah
(1111111) B. Jen
(111) C. Himself

3. Psychic Bug Powers...
(111111111) A. Share it.
(111111111) B. Keep it for myself.
(1) C. Get rid of it!

4. Signing a Contract...
(1) A. Seth will sign it
(11) B. Leone will sign it
(111111111111) C. Hell no, we won't sign!

I think I counted those correctly but honestly this was the most one-sided vote we've had so far, so it doesn't matter too much if the tally is a bit off. It started close, and then C simply ran away with it with like 10 consecutive votes.

Sub-contest coming soon.
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trdl23 posted...

C. Lets have Marias group and Seths group meet and discuss what they know of Avel before activating the contract.

This

Also I don't think it's metagaming because I assume we're all going to meet up after clearing out our respective areas.
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MID CONTEST 4: KNIGHTS AND ROBBERS

For this game, players will be sending me a private message declaring their allegiance to one of two factions. Players who do not answer with a PM will simply be placed in the third, neutral category.

Censors: A group dedicated to locating and silencing any signs of criminal activity in the kingdom.

Thieves Guild: A band of robbers who all follow a common code.

Citizens: If you don't pick a side, you will automatically become a citizen.

You may post relating to this subject in the topic, but I will only accept votes that are submitted to me by PM. This means that even if you try to plot something in the topic, someone may wreck your plan secretly by sending me a message that you're unaware of. It also means that someone could tell you something in public and then lie to you about it, voting differently in private.

The conditions for winning are also secret, but if the citizens are outnumbered by the censors... a Police State is declared and the citizens automatically lose. For this reason you should only go idle if you know that a lot of people will be going idle with you.
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Is this from our personal players' perspectives, or is it from our characters' perspectives?
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I'll leave that to your discretion, but it won't change anything about your character.

So if you choose the Censor it's not going to change your character into a pro-government guy, or anything like that. It's basically just a minigame that is considered separate from the real game.
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Well, at least we know of one outcome to avoid. It seems like the way to go about it is to have majority of people go citizen while a few go to Censor/Thieves Guild, but hell this is probably way off the mark for all I know..
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I'm confused on what winning and losing does.

Like could this effect character survival in the story or is it just winners get a bonus?
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So is this like werewolf?
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Werewolf with multiple, competing wolf factions, yes.
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Reg posted...

Werewolf with multiple, competing wolf factions, yes.

Ah then upper hive. Perfect.
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Im not sure whats going to happen but it sounds mysterious! I wonder if we will kill each other? Probably not?
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Maniac64 posted...

I'm confused on what winning and losing does.

Like could this effect character survival in the story or is it just winners get a bonus?

as of right now it's just for fun. we'll see what happens once the factions are chosen.
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oh yeah and for the record, I plan to finalize the Knights and Robbers results after I each lunch tomorrow. I leave on the east coast and sometimes I eat lunch early... so it could be before 12 noon.

I've gotten a decent number of responses already but I don't want to say too much beyond that. I also have not YET responded to any of the comments, but some of the players will receive replies from me at some point.

anything else that I say other than this could affect the outcome of the game, so I'll leave it at that.
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chapter title previews may not be entirely accurate

entry 5: BIG STRONG ARMOR LAD
entry 6: you get a prize! you get a prize! -YOU- get a prize!
entry 7: bees. everywhere, bees!
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I love anything titled beeeeeeees
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https://goo.gl/images/v0pIkR
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I eat bees for breakfast
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...Oh dear, shame there aren't any medical professionals in the area. >_<'
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https://imgur.com/a/Rf9eQtk

finally looked over so:

4: A

I'm leaning more to somebody getting a benefit now in case things go south soon and if there isn't really much time to convene with the others. Seth may be able to get more info out of the experience.
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Knights and Robbers Results

11 Players Joined the Thieves Guild
5 Players Joined the Censors
3 Villagers Remained Neutral

A Police State was declared, and the citizens became unable to participate in the game.
The city is rampant with Thieves. The Censors are understaffed.
As such... a Capture Phase begins.

trdl23 was captured
Reg was captured
Maniac64 was captured
Eddv evaded capture, but his identity was revealed

This was based on the order in which you signed up. Anyone who joined the Censors immediately after a Thief Guild member would capture that Thief Guild member.

The remaining players are:
cata
chaos259
CPU
Drakeryn
Ermine
FakeAccount3000
FunnyBusiness
JeffRaze
lefty
OracleGunner
pk2k
Xeybozn

7 Thieves Remain, 5 Censors Remain

Each player now has 24 hours to send me a follow up PM. The deadline will be at 12:00 EST tomorrow.
As with before, if a Censor PM reaches me immediately after a Thief PM, the Thief will be captured.

Anyone who fails to submit a PM will be Captured automatically, so the thieves cannot win by simply going idle. If they do that, they will automatically lose.
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I strongly recommend all players PM Maria ASAP.
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MariaTaylor posted...

Eddv evaded capture, but his identity was revealed

dismas is guilty, who knew
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Reg posted...

I strongly recommend all players PM Maria ASAP.

It's gonna be a bloodbath!

Also I'll be playing some video games, so expect an update a little bit later than usual. But there will definitely be one tonight!
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Oops. Went on a Netflix binge last night and forgot to send a PM. This looks exciting though!

Gatarix posted...

MariaTaylor posted...

Eddv evaded capture, but his identity was revealed

dismas is guilty, who knew

But hes sorry about it!
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Darn should have stuck with what my character would be and gone censor.
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Darn shouldn't have stuck with what my character would be and gone something.
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Get rekt idlers
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Poor idlers. I have a new account with my character name now.

I didn't idle I deliberately said nothing because Maria is too busy throwing books at people or something
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NFUN posted...

I didn't idle I deliberately said nothing because Maria is too busy throwing books at people or something

yeah maria as written definitely wouldn't be with the Censors or the Thieves Guild, so that makes some sense.
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Name: Enoch
Trait: Wanderer
Item: trenchcoat
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I don't think any more characters are allowed in at the moment....
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eh I'll allow it at least until the first topic fills up. although I may not be able to add Enoch right away just because the outlines for the next three chapters are already written and I am already juggling a lot of characters.
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Enoch is already waiting at the entrance to the estate with other latecomers after taking an accidental "shortcut" that was miles and miles out of the way wondering why the hell the first three wagons aren't there yet.

Inspired by trenchcoat item and picturing Enoch waiting by the doorway looking all 90s cool
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https://imgur.com/mhnXuIC
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Entry 5: The View From Across the Room

Jennifer Lowell's heart was racing as she saw the giant fish monster charging toward her at full tilt. A moment ago, just then, she had barely avoided having her head cleaved off with a single strike. Kidd had been punched halfway across the room like it was nothing. And yet, like it always was, her body moved on its own as soon as she was in danger.

Even here, even now, she had reached the bar and taken a knee beside it. Her hand was grabbing the bottom leg of the stool beside her. Rather than turning her back, rather than trying to flee, she instinctively knew that it was best to meet this situation head on and meet the charge. Exposing her back meant surrender. It meant death.

The enemy was fast.

Lowell rose to her feet and swung the barstool upward even before she thought it could reach her. Normally that would have been an early swing. Yet, here, the enemy was so fast that he ended up barreling right into it.

The arm of the enemy caught her around the gut, like a clothesline that nailed her right in the torso. Jen was lifted off of her feet and flung over the bar even as the wooden instrument in her hand exploded into pieces across the face of the enemy.
The fish kept coming, scrambling forward over the bar and pushing her down over the other side. Just before being pushed to the ground, just before losing sight of the others, she took stock of the view from across the room.

It was the same as always.

Jen Lowell was alone, and everyone else was together on the other side.

They would talk and laugh together, and fall in love. They would fight for each other and stick together as humans were meant to do. From the very beginning humans had always been tribal animals. Jen had no idea why she had always been excluded from the tribe, but she knew this view well.

She was a young girl again in the orphanage, with no friends, in a place where sometimes you had to push others down in order to get ahead... or even to survive. And yet no one else was ever there to help her back up to her feet. She was always the one being pushed down into the mud.

She wore her mud-stained dress and somehow survived past that place, only to grow up into a world that was even more unfair. The people were kept under the control of the Fisher Knights because crime was rampant in Hendrake. Supposedly the Thief Guild was to blame, and the Censors were working to eliminate the Thief Guild.

Yet, somehow, it always felt like the Censors had just formed their own tribe, and the Thieves had formed their own tribe, and Jen Lowell was simply stuck by herself again... watching from across the room. While the Censors stole the liberty of the people, and the Thieves continued to steal their possessions. And despite all of the freedoms they had given up, the Thieves Guild was never really stopped. The crime and the stealing and the backstabbing and people being terrible to each other all the time... it never stopped.

What could you even do in a place like that? How could you survive?

What could she even do in a place like this?

... Just how the hell was she going to survive?

Maybe that's why Jennifer had always been forced to become strong on her own. She never would have survived this long without anyone else looking after her. The only way she had survived was by turning into the person she was right now. Someone who could stand alone... with the rules stacked against her... but still continue standing -- without falling down. Maybe a person like that could never win, but she wouldn't lose, either.

Her back slammed into the hutch on the other side. A crack formed in the glass door as her body slid down to the ground below the bar, this time on the opposite side. Gravity had done that, but it had also carried the enemy over the bar and on top of her.
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The enemy, now perched to strike, raised its other claw back to finish her off. Would it be a slash? A thrust? The end result was the same. One hit to her unprotected face or throat, that vital region, would spell disaster for her. And Jennifer's weapon had already been smashed to pieces with one hit. The enemy was so heavy she couldn't force him off. All she had in her hand was a broken shard of wood from the leg of the stool.

She swung it upward, jamming it into the neck of her opponent.

There was a flash of light and the wall behind her exploded. The hutch evaporated in an instant. Broken glass rained down on the two fighters as the broken bottles of liquor and wine splashed all over the floor. Jen's shoulder had been burning, and the alcohol got caught up in the flame... soaking them both in fire as it splashed forward.

Her left hand was on the face of the monster, trying to push it away, to stop it from getting a clear view of her. Just to break its focus as much as possible so it couldn't strike at her easily. Even as that claw came back down to kill her, that strategy paid off to some extent. She was able to tilt her head to the side and simply receive a gash along the side of her head. Better than splitting her skull open and killing her instantly.

The claw raised again and rained down on her without hesitation.

Jen did the same. One stab wouldn't be enough. Though it hurt her hand to grip the weapon so tightly, it was required to pry it free and stab the enemy again. They were both pummeling each other on the ground with furious strikes, while completely unable to do anything about the burning alcohol that had cloaked them both.

Aaron, still in the pantry, shifted and stirred. His armor was so damn heavy, and the enemy had fallen right on top of him. It was definitely a hindrance. He wouldn't lie about that or try to cover it up. Up until now he had gotten a lot of remarks about his heavy armor that he wore.

They said that it was too loud, and that it would prevent him from sneaking. They said that the armor might not even protect against every threat. It would slow down his movement, weigh him down, just like it was doing right now. It was uncomfortable and restricted his freedom of motion even while fighting. All of that was true, but...

Those people didn't understand -- armor was either on or it was off. He couldn't waste time putting it on when he needed it. The reality was that, in his mind, it was better to have it on and not need it. If he ever found himself in a situation where he needed it, but didn't already have it on, he wouldn't have time to put it on.

While he was doing this, it gave him a good time to take in the view from across the room.

The fish monster near the doorway didn't waste a moment going after Fakeru. She spun away from it, trying to put the pillar between the monster and herself, but she could only get so far with her dress stuck like that. Then, with a jerking motion, she thrust herself down and away.

The lower part of her dress tore clean off and sent her sprawling onto the floor.

At that exact moment, the claw of the enemy swiped down and slashed the support beam in half with a single stroke. There was no mistake that hiding behind the pillar would not have kept her safe from that attack. Now the enemy was standing over Jamison but it was still focusing its attention on Fakeru.
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