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

(+) Yeah! (+)

A nest of horrors was found beneath my estate. They were always there. Living alongside us but entirely apart -- beasts that consume the flesh of man. We could not, cannot, coexist. As our numbers dwindled I saw my village fall to ruin. My sons and daughters, my grandchildren, all were slain in the ensuing chaos. My only comfort is that something, somewhere, far away from here may still be human.

This letter is for you. Anyone who may have found this, anyone who can read this, anyone who understands this. If you consider yourself "human" then you are among my heirs. I leave my fortune to you on one condition; Clean this place of all evil. Drive the beasts from the lands. Reclaim my estate, and it is yours for the taking.

Consider this letter my last will. I doubt that you will find me among the living.

- Notes of Cain

In this CYOA I will introduce characters created by you, the readers, into the story. You will make choices to determine what happens next in the story. The goal of this adventure is to clear out Cain's estate, destroy all of the monsters which have overtaken the local village, and reclaim the treasure and the land for yourselves.

Name: If you do not name your character I will come up with a name based on your username.

Trait: You will describe your character in a single word. A word which conveys strong meaning will convey similarly strong abilities in that specific field. The word 'Quiet' does not denote any particular strengths, and so your character will have an all-rounder ability set while largely being set apart by their personality. An eloquent word can convey a lot of meaning, but there is value in simple words. 'Brute' will generate a character who is fiercely strong in physical combat. Knight, Crusader, and Chevalier will all convey very different meanings.

Item: You may choose one item to start with. If the item does not match the setting I will change it accordingly. Lightsabers do not exist in this universe, but I may give you a Holy Sword instead. Weapons will be plentiful on the caravan -- it's only valuable to start with a weapon if you wish to have a unique weapon. Bringing tools will be useful.

Notes: You may write some additional notes but please keep it short and sweet.

Active participation is not required. More characters will strengthen the party and increase the odds of success. Even if you think you might not read every chapter and vote on every update you can still submit a character!

Those who participate actively in the topic and discussion will tend to find their characters have a larger role in the story.

I will write Entry 0 after two characters have been submitted.

You should expect this to be relatively short compared to some of the games I've run in the past. Those were around 40 chapters. Here, I expect only about 10 at maximum.
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This sounds pretty cool.

What all goes into what kind of character you are? Will we all be basic humans and then you'll design us based on our item and trait or...?
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Zigzagoon posted...

What all goes into what kind of character you are? Will we all be basic humans and then you'll design us based on our item and trait or...?

Yep. You can write some additional notes if you also wish.

If you have some more strange ideas... I guess try it and see what I'm willing to let you get away with. My games have featured some very weird characters in the past. Eddv played a dog, once, and it ended up becoming a high level spellcaster.
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Man it's been awhile. I think I'm up for some fun. Gonna think a bit on my character but I ha e an idea.
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Well... I have a few characters that I would love to play as. None are human though, if there's any you'd be fine working with, then that would be awesome. If not I'm fine playing as a human as well.

Anyways... >_>

Monty: (His item would be the amulet around his neck. He's an ice magician)
https://image.ibb.co/mf08ud/monty3F.png
https://imgur.com/rNEJF4t

Zephyr: (His item would be his bow and arrows)
https://orig00.deviantart.net/4c7e/f/2016/193/b/e/be581765217a23259f36698d1fc21ca6-da9qc89.png
https://orig00.deviantart.net/5452/f/2018/091/6/1/61f7514f2ec1c51b08abe2437ef22b7c-dc7l154.png

I have other characters too, but those are the first two I'd be interested in using.
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Sure, sounds fun.

Name: Yoshiki Matsuda. Goes by Ante.

Trait: Gambler.

Item: A poker chip that serves as a magical focus

Notes: A perpetual thrill-seeker, loyal only to himself with the veneer of civility. Specializes in illusions, misdirection, and various dirty tricks.
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Zephyr looks like the one I'd have an easier time with, mostly because he has arms and legs. Flight can be a problematic racial trait because it's soooo powerful. Just submit a proper character entry form and I'd allow Zephyr, though.

Also could be cool to get him into Entry 0 since I think the existence of intelligent animals will be something that strongly defines the setting.

This is why I prefer doing group projects with people submitting creative ideas that I have to work around. I doubt I would've done anything with intelligent animals on my own, but if I'm forced to do it then I have to come up with more creative ideas and work with those.
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Name: Seth
Trait: Insightful
Item: Metal Ball
Notes: -
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Trait: Powerful
Starting weapon: Unique spear of your choosing.
Name: I'll let you come with a name.
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Name: Dismas
Trait: Guilty
Item: Bicycle tools
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Ooh, how to decide, how to decide... who shall I venture forth as... shall I be myself? Should I be a bratty technomancer? A sexy seafaring pirate? A sarcastic shorty? A powerful bruiser? ...ooh, I know... Rolled up something I don't think I can use about a week ago, so let's bring him out here....

I choose YOU!

Name: Torin Gemmason
Trait: Venerable
Item: Gem-Inlaid Cane

Notes: An elder stoneworker and miner in his retirement seeking adventure and to contribute all he can before his time ultimately comes.
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Name:None(Up to you)
Trait:Abomination
Weapon:Chains
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Sounds good! I figured Zephyr would be a better fit for this as well.

Name: Zephyr
Trait: Agile
Item: Bow and Arrows
Notes: A quick thinker and mostly cool headed. Will occasionally get too engrossed in intense battles and lose focus.
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Name: Fakeru
Trait: lucky
Item: magic sandals (magic hoowww)
Notes: outgoing, impulsive, friendly, smart if she puts her mind to it, not as strong.
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Name: Tristan
Trait: Determination
Weapon: Quarterstaff
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Oh awesome I was just thinking about Joe (RIP) this morning

Name: Maria Taylor
Trait: Eloquent
Item: Estate map
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ooh tag
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What kind of time period are we looking at?
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MariaTaylor posted...

Zigzagoon posted...

What all goes into what kind of character you are? Will we all be basic humans and then you'll design us based on our item and trait or...?

Yep. You can write some additional notes if you also wish.

If you have some more strange ideas... I guess try it and see what I'm willing to let you get away with. My games have featured some very weird characters in the past. Eddv played a dog, once, and it ended up becoming a high level spellcaster.

Time Killer Dog was best dog
https://imgur.com/a/nLZRzCW
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I wonder if it's going to be short because it's going to be ten times as lethal.
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Maniac64 posted...

What kind of time period are we looking at?

I'll decide that based on the characters we get. There's definitely no lightsabers, but probably not cave men either.
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Name: Kidd
Trait: Defiant
Item: Picture locket necklace
Notes: Gunslinger/brawler
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Entry 0: Horror on the Hill

Three caravans had left from the city of Hendrake in hopes of seeking Cain's estate. Contracted by a private company of treasure seekers, these mercenaries had left long before the local lord and his knights could decide what to do. Those would still be mired down by bureaucracy. The men and women gathered here planned to strip the place of treasure long before the local government could decide what to do about the situation.

The people of Hendrake were incited with fear of the 'Horrors' mentioned in Cain's letters. Defense of the city was more important to the average citizen, as opposed to reclaiming Cain's estate. And for the Lord himself, defense of his own castle was far more important than defense of the city at large. While Hendrake was preparing for their defenses it had been left to the private citizens like Yoshiki Matsuda to take the offensive.

Matsuda's father had come to Hendrake from a foreign land, almost thirty years ago, and that old man sincerely believed that loyal service to the Lord was the correct way of life. Matsuda saw things differently. If his father's way of life was correct then he wouldn't still be licking the boots of the nobility in hopes of raising his station. Matsuda planned to take his fate into his own hands.

Despite their planned headstart, the caravans had been mired by rain for several days. The skies had cleared today, but there was still mud on the roads. It made the ascent of hills treacherous and slow. To make matters worse... Matsuda himself was situated on what had come to be known as the 'Prisoners Caravan.'

Sitting in the back of his caravan was a man in chains, an Abomination who hadn't spoken but who must have committed unspeakable crimes. Matsuda did not get the sense that the abomination was here of his own will. Someone had likely bought him and sent him here, hoping to gain treasure without putting their own life at risk. That would never be Matsuda. He did not intend to end up in chains. He would serve only himself, and he would become rich -- no matter the risk required.

In addition to that, a unique pair had wound up on the same caravan and helped reinforce this image of those fated and damned... even if Matsuda didn't consider himself among that group. Dismas the Guilty had been convicted in the courts of Hendrake for multiple crimes including theft, robbery, and assault. Before being sent to a cold cell, where he surely would have rotted, his sentence was bought out by The Golden Group. Their agent, a man named Seth, was escorting Dismas to this site to make sure that the man behaved.

Dismas, however, had a low cunning about him that could not be underestimated. Matsuda had a suspicion that Dismas would become more trouble than help later down the line, and all it would take is for Seth to stop watching him carefully for a moment or two.

Thinking of the man, and giving it some consideration, Matsuda felt that Seth was the only person here worth talking to. "Seth," he said, to the man who was sitting beside him on the outer edge of the wagon, "I've been wondering this for a short while, but what is that bag you are carrying with you?"

Matsuda's polite way of speaking was a 'gift' from his father. He had inherited even a few traits from that boot licker.

"Oh, this?" Seth lifted the bag, shaking it slightly. A clanking noise was made inside as metal struck against metal. This seemed to draw the attention of Dismas. Seth glanced at Dismas, and then looked back to Matsuda. "These are his personal effects. All he had on him when he was taken into custody."

"... and I expect I'll get them back," Dismas said in a low voice. He wasn't chained as the abomination, but his hands were still cuffed together.

"Until we leave Hendrake you are not a 'free' man, Dismas," Seth told him. "You'll have to sit tight until then."
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"We've LEFT Hendrake," Dismas insisted.

"The city, perhaps, but the Lord holds command over the surrounding hills and forests." Seth glanced off to the east, the way they were heading. "Hold fast until we arrive in Cain's lands, and then I will set you free."

"The Lord isn't here now, is he?" Dismas grumbled. "I don't think he's likely to see."

Seth had no response to that.

"May I see it?" Matsuda asked, reaching for the bag. "I'm more than a bit curious."

Seth handed over the bag without much consideration.

When Matsuda looked inside, he saw only the simplest of tools. "Are these what pass for the tools of a thief, these days?" Matsuda inquired, looking to Dismas.

"They are for my bike, which was also seized by the court." Dismas face twisted in a silent sort of rage as he glanced back at the city. Almost as if he intended to go back THERE, even though it would be foolish. "They said they would not give it back."

"Here." Matsuda reached over with the bag, setting it on Dismas lap. "By the time this adventure is over I doubt the local Lord will hold much purchase over any of us. Do as you wish."

Seth gave Matsuda a somewhat strange look, and it was a bit difficult to read into it. The most likely explanation is that he was annoyed at someone else taking control of the prisoner's belongings and handing them over. But the Golden Group had bought his freedom, and Matsuda supposed that he should be treated like a free man.

Choosing not to make a big deal about it, Seth glanced at the roof of their caravan. He tapped on it slightly. "Zephyr, is the way yet clear?" he inquired.

Mounted on top of their wagon, resting, yet still awake and somewhat alert, was a small sized beastkin who had been keeping watch over their company. His name was Zephyr. "We're not far from Cain's home," the little weasel replied. "There are probably monsters hiding under every rock."

On that note, Seth wasn't entirely sure how he felt about bringing a beastkin along on a mission such as this. Considering the sensitive nature of those letters it drew strange parallels. Cain had described those horrors as beasts which fed upon the flesh of men. What if they were more like an animal, more like Zephyr, than they had in common with the rest of his company? He felt that he could trust Zephyr but he wondered how someone might react to that kind of revelation.

Beastkin were relatively rare and no one knew where they really came from. Most of them didn't even know too much about their own origins, unless they were simply lying about that. Who was to say that he hadn't spawned in some kind of nest such as the one they were going to investigate?

"Thank you," was all that Seth said. As always -- he had many thoughts but replied with far fewer words.

Zephyr had served to steer them clear of the more dangerous animals and wild monsters that roamed the local lands, those which the Knights had failed to clean up. Even in the rain his senses were strong enough to help them avoid coming to harm. For that, Seth was thankful.

The company rode in silence for a while longer. The Abomination, by himself, on the back of the wagon, stared up at the sky. He seemed to be watching the clouds and trying to make sense of them. As if the sky itself held some hidden answers.

"... Mona..." he muttered to himself.

This seemed to draw the attention of Seth, who wouldn't let that kind of thing go unnoticed. For a man who had been completely silent until now to finally speak, well, that sort of event must signify the changing of times. "What was that?" Seth inquired.

The other man glanced at him. He had heard Seth, but then he looked away as if he was pretending not to have heard.
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Seth frowned, thinking of what he may say or do next, but his moment of thought was broken by a jarring change of tone. Just as the caravan came to rest at the top of the hill, they got a clear view of the ruined hamlet down below. And, at that fine moment, one of those monsters jumped out from beneath one of those local rocks.

It was fast enough that even Zephyr had less than a moment to react.

The little weasel jumped to his feet and grabbed an arrow. They had been sitting in a stack beside him. His bow was already in his hand. Then, before he could draw it cleanly, he locked eyes with the monster below.

It had a green and sickly skin made of dried, webbed flesh and rotting scales that flaked away in the mud. Its torso was fat but its arms and legs were long and thin. That large skull held a pair of large eyes which were fixed on the scout on the top of the wagon. And the insides of his eyes were spinning and shining with a hypnotic light.

"Kkk--Ahhhh!" Zehpyr let out a scream as the strength fled from his arms. He failed to draw his bow completely or aim it, and his arrow shot pitifully into the mud as his legs took their own control. He tripped over himself and turned away, fleeing in the opposite direction as his heart begin to race.

Seth glanced up at the sound of the scream and then a moment later saw a column of light erupt from the face of the enemy. Its eyes were broadcasting some kind of intense heat which burned a hole through the roof of the wagon. It was all Seth could do to throw his arms over his head and bury his face in the grass below as the vehicle jerked to a halt.

Matsuda jumped forward, springing off the angled corner of the outer platform with no weapon in hand and no plan in his mind. He was racing forward on pure adrenaline and was pleased to note that at least Dismas was at his back. Someone had followed. He might not die alone.

The monster snapped its attention below, looking down at Seth, and the air seemed to vibrate as its eyes lit up.

"RAGH!" Matsuda tackled the overgrown fish, throwing his arms around its waist and pushing it back.

Its claws ripped downward in response, trying to pull him off, and raking his back.

At the same time, Dismas came in from the flank and grabbed the face of the monster, putting one hand beneath its jaw and gaining leverage by grabbing the other side of its skull. He felt his hand slip and his finger push into its cheek. Then his vision went white and his ears began to ring with intense pain.

A column of light erupted from its eyes. Since his face was pushed aside, the monster missed Seth. Instead, that beam of heat cut through the front wheel of the wagon. Then, as Dismas shoved its head up and aside, the harness and front of the wagon were obliterated. The horses let out panicked cries and fled in the ensuing chaos.

Seth grabbed a crossbow which had fallen off the wagon when half of it was destroyed. Flecks of fire were raining down on him from above. He managed to roll on his back just long enough to realize that he had no idea how to wind up or fire the weapon correctly. It was something he could likely figure out, but he was not willing to gamble with that. Not in a moment like this. Not when failure meant certain death.

"Here!" Dismas shouted. He backed away from the monster as it swiped at him with its claws.

Seth rose to his feet, stepping forward and spinning as he threw the weapon with all of his might.

The monster elbowed Matsuda in the back and drove him into the ground. Then its foot crushed his shoulder blades from behind. It raised its claw for what would likely be a killing blow. Dismas caught the weapon far too late to intervene. He couldn't load the thing fast enough to make a difference.
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The abomination, the prisoner, had risen from the back of the wagon. He came at the monster, swinging his chains wildly. The heavy irons slammed into the side of the head of the enemy and sent pus erupting from one of its squalid eyes as it exploded. This stunned it, knocking it off of Matsuda long enough for him to gain a single gasp of air.

The fish monster grabbed the chained man and began to grapple with him in return, attempting to force him down. As big and strong as that man seemed, the fish seemed to be going evenly with him. Perhaps even winning in the exchange.

Dismas turned the crossbow downward and began to wind the bolt into place... but the process was slow and cumbersome with his hands shackled together. "Blast it!" He slammed the tip of the weapon into the ground, pushed it down in place with his foot, and began to wind it quickly with one hand while holding the other out of the way so his manacles wouldn't get caught.

Zephyr appeared from behind cover and fired an arrow from his bow. He was calm enough to regain his senses quickly, and for that Seth was thankful. If they all fought together they may yet bring this monster down without any casualties.

The monster turned its head, burning the air with light, and destroying the back section of the wagon as Zephyr dove out of the way and behind what little wood remained. It was burning and broken, but there was still some cover yet to be head. The fish received a headbutt in return, but it didn't back down at all. Instead it grabbed the chained man in a bear hug and then slammed him to the ground.

Dismas spun, raising the crossbow as best he could with his restricted grip.

Everyone was either down or wounded or worse, at least from his view of things. Matsuda and the chained man had both been knocked aside by the monster. "Heh. Clear shot, then," was all Dismas had to say about that. And with a pull of the trigger the tension of the bolt was released entirely. It snapped loudly as it thundered into the torso of the fish creature.

That monster let out a sickening gargle as it stumbled back and collapsed.

Then, there were three more sounds.

The sound of Dismas slowly loading another bolt.

The whimpering cry of of the wounded monster being put out of its misery with a final bolt.

And a last "Heh" at a job well done.

Dismas turned back to Seth, and he looked like he had probably earned it to have those manacles removed.

[Entry 0 Complete]

The wagon riders must now set about clearing out the village of monsters and establishing safe havens for rest. During this phase you must choose where to send your character. They will go together in groups to clear out each location. Any location which is not cleared out during this phase may present problems later. For that reason, you will want to spread out the group appropriately so there are people checking each viable location.

Simply make a post telling me where you'd like your character to go. If you still wish to submit a character, submissions are still open for this time. Include your destination along with your character submission.

1. Smithy
2. Old Inn
3. Farmlands
4. Woodcutter
5. Clinic
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Name: Leone
Trait: Warm
Item: Cloak (With or without hard-to explain cat ears)

And... 5.
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Name: Igneal Gades
Trait: pyromaniac
Item: eternal torch
Notes: While Igneal is able to put up a nearly flawless facade of calm, the desire to see the world wreathed in flames is nearly unbearable. Tries to spread the flame without letting his companions know whenever possible.

1. Smithy

Man, I've missed these stories. They're always a good time.
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Seth -> Clinic
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Clinic. People are hurt, especially me. Im a team player as long as I need to be, and for now I definitely need to be.
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Tag to remember to do this when i get home.
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Lancer Aaron - FB
Dismas the Guilty (1 Kill) - eddv
Torin Gemmason - Mana
Chained Prisoner (1 Assist) - decider
Beastkin Zephyr (1 Assist) - ermine
Fakeru, Lucky Girl - fake
Tristan - oracle
Maria Taylor - nfun
Gunslinger Kidd - drak

Smithy
Ignael Gades - jeffraze

Old Inn
(none)

Farmlands
(none)

Woodcutter
(none)

Clinic
Matsuda, Gambler (1 Assist) - trdl
Seth, Golden Agent (1 Assist) - reg
Leone the Cat - cpu
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Torin -> Smithy
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Kidd heads to the Old Inn.
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Zephyr -> Clinic

I'm worried about Matsuda
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MariaTaylor posted...

They are for my bike, which was also seized by the court." Dismas face twisted in a silent sort of rage as he glanced back at the city.

I also loved this line lmao
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Name: Jamison
Trait: Investigator
Item: Amulet of protection
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Gatarix posted...

ooh tag

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Head to the Old Inn
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Name: Captain Punch
Trait: Brawler
Item: no
Notes: An incredibly strong man who has set out on a journey to defeat all evil using only his fists. He lacks common sense and has no understanding of how the world works.

3. Farmlands
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Woodcutter.

Perhaps he has a bicycle.
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Damn, what are we gonna do without OP Dismas
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Lancer Aaron - FB

Chained Prisoner (1 Assist) - decider
Fakeru, Lucky Girl - fake
Tristan - oracle
Maria Taylor - nfun

Smithy
Ignael Gades - jeffraze
Torin Gemmason - Mana

Old Inn
Gunslinger Kidd - drak
Jamison, Investigator - maniac

Farmlands
Captain Punch - xey

Woodcutter
Dismas the Guilty (1 Kill) - eddv

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

quick status update just to say that I'll be writing "Entry 1: Flame, Dear Flame" tomorrow. characters submissions will end at that time. anyone who doesn't choose a position for their character will be placed in the least active location.

helpful hint; You should send at least two characters to each location.

spoiler hint; OI is the most dangerous location, F is the safest.

Also I know I didn't fixate on the items too much in Entry 0, but I figured it'd be better to establish the characters first. Don't worry, I will make sure your items are relevant!
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Jamison and Kidd in for some excitement!
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Time to stoke the forge, ehehe
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Tristan will go to the farmlands.
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I hope one day I can meet Captain Punch
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Oh goodie at the spoiler.

I feel like Gen and any other regulars should be notified so they don't miss out.
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I'm surprised I've never even seen these before. Maybe I have when they were halfway through or something
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I'm a bit surprised you've never seen one. There's been a fair few of them and they've often ran for multiple topics. I think someone runs an archive if you want to read some of the older ones, but I don't have the link myself.
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