>>30265887
>Slanderer

Because you don't often play as people whose mouth gets them into trouble.

>>30265887
>>खुनी - Slayer. You killed one of your tribesmen in cold blood or over a minor offense.

>>30265887
>>30265925
Oh and yes, guilty as all hell.
But to be fair, so was the guy we 'lied' against. If you could even call it a lie.
More ... a truth that most would disagree with.

>>30265925
>>30265958
I'll second this.

>>30265925
>>30265958
Works for me.

>>30265925
Add another vote for this.

>>30266006
>>30266086
>>30266106
>>30265925
Hmmm....

>>30266152
I don't mind starting from the bottom, although we should probably have some sort of skill at something or this could be a very short quest.

>>30265887
>>बला - Scourge. You either raped one of your tribe or mixed with one of the other races.

>>30266152
>I'd go with the last one because I'm interested in playing weak characters who overcome their weakness

I'd be fine with that, but quests rarely have a MC that's that well developed.

Either of the first two would be vastly easier to navigate, since at any point, the option for "loudmouth who wishes he were a conman" is unlikely to be the most profitable, short term.

>>30266334
>>30266288
Those are good points. I agree with you.

>>30266152

Additionally, it's possible that we could be something other. We know we've been convicted of lying, we don't technically know that we really did so. It's possible we spoke the "unpopular truth" about something the tribe didn't want to acknowledge or whatever.

Which makes our quest significantly more heroic or anti-heroic depending on how we want to play it.

>>30265925
>>30265958
>Slanderer
You leveled accusations against Shahzada Kadir, calling him a thief who flagrantly wasted the tribe's water. As the first son and heir to the ruler of El-Amin, your allegations were dismissed out of hand and you were arrested, tried, and banished for slandering one such as him. Granted, you probably could have been a bit less... vicious in the wording of your accusation, but the injustice of it all is still an outrage!

One of the guards, you remember him as the one that beat you in the holding cells while you waited for trial, jerks away the pin that holds the gate that separates the cargo compartment from the desert closed. The gate swings wide and with a rough kick you're sent tumbling head over heels down a dune, hands still tied. Your spear and waterskin are tossed into the desert behind them as they sail away.

The last thing you hear as they vanish into the night is "May the vultures pick your flesh and the sun bleach your bones!"

After several minutes of struggling you manage to get your hands free and push yourself to your feet. Your bruises are still sore, and you've got sand in your cuts and the burn on your cheek, but at least you can walk. It takes only a moment to find your spear sticking out of the sand and your waterskin near-by.

(Choices in next post)

>>30266449
I'm cool with this. A guy who tells the truth, even when it's not convenient to do so.

I'll delete my other blustering then.

>>30266449
Where will you go now that your people have abandoned you?
>North, towards lands of the collapsed Rhynian Empire! A land torn by wore and genocide, littered with ruins of the ancient world! Recover their lost knowledge!

>South, into the Pa'valva, the deep desert! A land of monstrous beast, outlaws, and the ruins of your ancestors! Fortune awaits those who might crack their secrets...

>East, towards the fabled jungles of Elaudia! A place where great beast roam and Samja dare not set foot! Who knows what lost wonders might lie within its tangled grasp?

>West, across the sea! To the Kingdom of Aleamond! You've only heard vague whispers of these lands, but surely a kingdom so vast will offer safety and opportunity!

What did you do for the tribe?
>You were a Vatis, skilled in manipulating the energy that resides in all living things.
>You were a soldier, a master of the Marsala Ve.
>You were a merchant, growing wealthy off the trade of sea silk, pearls, and coral.

>>30266449
>>30266445

Hah. Called it.

>>30266506
>>North, towards lands of the collapsed Rhynian Empire! A land torn by wore and genocide, littered with ruins of the ancient world! Recover their lost knowledge!

>>You were a Vatis, skilled in manipulating the energy that resides in all living things.

Rolled 89

>>30266506
>North, towards lands of the collapsed Rhynian Empire! A land torn by wore and genocide, littered with ruins of the ancient world! Recover their lost knowledge!
>You were a soldier, a master of the Marsala Ve.

>>30266506
>South.
>Vatis.

>>30266534
This.

>>30266506
>>North, towards lands of the collapsed Rhynian Empire! A land torn by wore and genocide, littered with ruins of the ancient world! Recover their lost knowledge!


Merchant and soldier seem boring. Let's go with the magic option

>>30266534
>>30266535
>>30266544
>All those norths

What a shame, I was looking forward to taming the savage beasts of the deep desert.

>You leveled false accusations that got one of your tribe banished.
>>30266449
>your allegations were dismissed out of hand
Oh okay then.

>>30266568
Ruins and lost knowledge = loot.
I have learned that whenever possible /tg/ will go towards loot.

>>30266581
Kind of surprised by this too.

>>30266568

This is a god point. Instead of Wizard, we could go Shaman. Changing my vote to South. Beastmaster sounds more interesting than general magic user.

Rolled 64

>>30266568
ahh but knowledge is power and we can possible learn how to tame and breed the creature of the deep desert still

>North
>Vatis
Writing!

>>30266603
South also has the ruins of our ancestors to be fair.

>>30266623
Dropped my trip.

>>30266506
>>30266604
That actually sounds pretty interesting when you put it that way, I'll support you.

>>30266647
Sadly it seems we are too late.

No beastmaster quest this time.

>>30266644
>>30266623

OP mind doing a recount?

We might have had 2 of the three original votes for north switch to south.

>>30266668
Let's just get on with the quest. It's unfair for the people who have left because the OP said he was writing too.

>>30266668

Sure thing. I'll do final destination style.
Link to this post with the number of your choice and nothing else.
Vote
>1
For North
>2
For South

>>30266685

Fair.

North
Merchant

>>30266688
>2

>>30266688
2

>>30266688
Happy with either.

>>30266688
1

>>30266688
1

>>30266688
2

>>30266688
1

>>30266688
1

>>30266703
>>30266728
I should point out that both of these posts are mine, since I did the first one with an > by accident.

So yeah, only count the second.

>>30266688
1

There are a surprising number of people in this quest...

>>30266688

Hokay. looks like 1 wins anyway. Sorry about holding everyone up with the recount.

Calling it for 1, North it is!

Rolled 62

>>30266688
>2

Rolled 10

>>30266688
>2

Rolled 62

>>30266795
i dont know why it doubled sorry

>>30266846
You know you can turn dice off right?

>>30266795
>>30266818
>>30266846
Why are you rolling?

>>30266865
i may have been slightly to lazy

So, putting it out there. I'm still hoping we go with a Beastmaster route given the chance than random mage.

>>30266897
I agree, surely there are some interesting monsters to the north too.

>>30266897
Using Life magic not to harm, but to charm, and not to mend, but to befriend.
I'm up for it.

>>30266904
Bet there's interesting people up north too, to charm and befriend.

Are we merchant?

>>30266897
We should let the OP explain our choices and what a Vatis can do first.

>>30266938
A Vatis

>Cool new quest
>We get to chose a class
>Mage again

Dammit. Can we like summon weapons or something ? Playing spellcasters always turns out the same.

File: 1392520682139.jpg-(350 KB, 1069x1600, #Vatis Reference.jpg)

350 KB JPG

As a Vatis, you trained for thirteen years under a master to learn the art of manipulating Vys. Vys is the energy that resides in all things, from the smallest rodents to the largest Palaka worms that roam the southern deserts. You can channel the Vys within your own body to enhance your own physical attributes, or you can use it to cast spells.
>[Trait gained: Vatis Training]
>Vys: 10/10

Pick Three
>Fire
>Earth
>Water
>Paralysis
>Poison

Pick One
>Ranged: Spells can be cast at range instead of as touch attacks.
>Weapon Affinity: Spells can be channeled through weapons.
>Manipulator: You can affect the Vys in the body of other people and creatures as well.

As you dust sand off your silken robes and adjust your turban, your eyes are cast to the stars. You quickly pinpoint Uttareca, the Northern Star, and support yourself on your spear. You have many options before you, but the call of ancient ruins and forgotten knowledge proves too strong for you to resist. You can always explore the wider world later, after all. As long as none of your kinsmen caught you traveling through their lands, that is. Then you'd be used as bait for one of the Hunts.

You start walking, but realize quickly there is no way you'll make it to the lands of the old Empire in a day. You'll need to find shelter come morning or else collapse under the blazing heat of the sun.

[Choices in next post]

>Look for a valley, they typically have old ruins you could take shelter in and explore.
>Look for a plateau and take shelter in the caves. You might get lucky and find some food.
>Try to soldier on as long as you can. The faster you get out of the desert the less likely you are to be found by patrols.

>>30267001
>Water
>Paralysis
>Poison

>Weapon Affinity: Spells can be channeled through weapons.

>>30267001
>As a Vatis, you trained for thirteen years under a master to learn the art of manipulating Vys. Vys is the energy that resides in all things, from the smallest rodents to the largest Palaka worms that roam the southern deserts. You can channel the Vys within your own body to enhance your own physical attributes, or you can use it to cast spells.

We Jedi now.

>Paralysis
>Poison
Could we do a write in?
Maybe a positive buff-related attribute?

>Manipulator: You can affect the Vys in the body of other people and creatures as well.

>>30267001
>>Fire
>>Paralysis
>>Poison

>>Ranged: Spells can be cast at range instead of as touch attacks.

>>30267001
>>Look for a plateau and take shelter in the caves. You might get lucky and find some food.

>>30267001
>Fire
>Earth
>Paralysis

>Manipulator

>Look for a valley, they typically have old ruins you could take shelter in and explore.

>>30267031
Water is mainly used for healing and buffing.

>>30267001
>Water
>Paralysis
>Poison

>Ranged

>>30267001
>Fire
>Earth
>Water

>Weapon Affinity: Spells can be channeled through weapons.

>>30267001
Water
Paralysis
Poison

Manipulator.

>>30267077

Add water to my vote, then.

>>30267017
>>Look for a valley, they typically have old ruins you could take shelter in and explore.

Valleys are more likely to have wildlife and running water as well.

>>30267027
I'll second this.

Rolled 1

Alright, calling votes.
Looks like we're going with:
>Water
>Paralysis
>Poison

>Look for a valley

Rolling d3 to break the tie on our trait.
>1 Ranged
>2 Affinity
>3 Manipulator

>>30267001

>>Earth
>>Water
>>Paralysis

>Manipulator: You can affect the Vys in the body of other people and creatures as well.

>Look for a plateau and take shelter in the caves. You might get lucky and find some food.

>>30267001
>Fire
>Water
>Paralysis

>Manipulator: You can affect the Vys in the body of other people and creatures as well.

>>30267158
Would have rather had weapon affinity, but at least we didn't get manipulator. /tg/ is terrible at that kinda thing.

>>30267158
Ranged was last

>>30267190
>>30267158
It'll be cool. Sword in one hand, spell in the other.

>>30267001

>Water
>Paralysis
>Poison

>>Weapon Affinity: Spells can be channeled through weapons.

>>30267001
>>Manipulator: You can affect the Vys in the body of other people and creatures as well.

>>30267158
Ranged had only one vote

>>30267219
I suppose long range paralysis attacks could be cool.

>>30267233
>>30267199
see
>>30267085
>>30267050

>>30267233
*2

>>30267158
Nice. So nobody gets what they want except for one guy.

I am so sick of generic spellcasting

>>30267233
You are unable to count.

So generic caster it is then?

Meh....

>>30267249
It gives us more tactical options. Plus I really like the elements.

Well this quest got boring in a hurry.

>>30267263
Whatever, let's just move on.

>>30267263
No use bitching.

I count three votes for Weapon Affinity before votes were called ? What tie are we talking about ?

>>30267027
>>30267089
>>30267149
weapon

>>30267031
>>30267074
>>30267092
manipulator

>>30267050
>>30267085
ranged

>>30267256
>>30267258
Weapon casting did get 3 votes

>>30267299
>>30267305
Ahh, that's my bad. I didn't see the vote seconding the other. I'll call a revote while I write then final destination style. Or the third Manipulator vote.

>1: Manipulator
>2: Weapon Affinity

>>30267321
2

>>30267321
2

>>30267321
>>1: Manipulator

>>30267321
Manipulator.

>>30267321
>1: Manipulator

>>30267321
1

>>30267321
1

>>30267321
2

>>30267321
2

>>30267321
1

>>30267321
1

>>30267321
1>>30267335
Sorry, meant 1.

>>30267321
2

>>30267336
>>30267337
Er... this may be a doublepost by me.

Use the number only please.

>>30267367
fuck, that didn't help.

Sorry, OP.

>>30267321
1

>>30267367
this is mine
>>30267336

>>30267356

Stop being stupid and just copy everyone else with a blank post.
Otherwise it won't be counted.

>>30267367
Stop being retarded that's not possible..

>>30267321
2

Calling the vote, and counting!

>>30267336
>>30267337
>>30267351
>>30267354
>>30267391
1

>>30267401
>>30267358
>>30267347
>>30267340
>>30267329
>>30267328
2

It's close, but Weapon Affinity takes it. Don't worry though, you'll get to research the others as you find the materials to do so.

>>30267434
>you'll get to research the others as you find the materials to do so
oh then that's fine

File: 1392522169851.gif-(123 KB, 309x455, 1383771017721.gif)

123 KB GIF

>>30267434
Sweet victory

>>30267434

ok. Let's just get this moving.

You delved deeply under the tutelage of your master into the manipulation of the Water element. It can be used to attack others with frozen blades or drain the life out of a creature with time, but it's main purpose was to heal wounds, relieve exhaustion, or locate rivers and oases in the desert. You also became skilled in blocking and corrupting Vys, and preventing the same in yourself. You're much more resistant to both paralysis and poison and can use it to weaken or incapacitate an opponent.

>Magic works like this. At the most basic level, you can channel Vys within to apply a +1 to +5 bonus to any action, at the cost of 1-5 Vys from your pool, which is replenished by meditating. To cast a spell cost 1 vys, and to apply metamagic to that spell cost 1 vys. So to cast a paralysis spell through a spear thrust would cost 2. To cast a paralysis spell by touch would cost 1. I'll remind you of your spells and metamagic each time you go into combat.

(This character limit is killing me, 1/?)

>>30267522

Do these sort of things work in the opposite direction?
Paralysis prevents movement. Does our knowledge work such that we can enhance movement and make ourselves or a target stronger/faster?

>>30267522
Do you type it up on word first?

File: 1392523103302.jpg-(172 KB, 680x428, Valley Fortress.jpg)

172 KB JPG

You keep your eyes open as you trek through the desert, looking rocky outcrops, distant plateaus, or fragments of the cobblestone roads that used to crisscross the desert in the time of your ancestors. It isn't long before you see the sand give way to stone, and you can hear the sound of rushing water somewhere near-by. A river! What luck! You pick up the pace as you draw near and the valley spreads out below you.

It strikes you how lush the land below looks, palm trees leaning lazily over the precipice carved by the river and fields of poppies spreading along the river's edge. A long abandoned watch tower sits atop a ledge with a path leading into what appears to be an old mine entrance. Might be worth exploring later.

Unfortunately you don't spot any obvious prey, though there are probably fish in the river and surely animals come to drink during the day, if not at night when it's cool.

The problem is, you don't see any obvious routes down into the valley. It extends as far as the eye can see in either direction, and there are no obvious paths carved into the cliff face. You could scale it, but that might be dangerous. It's a good twenty meter climb and a fall from that height would be unpleasant.

>Attempt to scale it anyway?
>Look for a path?
>Try to find the mouth of the valley?

(Roll 3d10, best of first three, regardless of your choice.)

Rolled 4, 1, 3 = 8

>>30267670
>Attempt to scale it anyway?
It's just a wall.

Rolled 9, 5, 8 = 22

>>30267670
>>Look for a path?

>>30267640
No, but I'm starting to realize I should've done more pre-writing.

>>30267639
You can enhance movement or strength, et cetera just by nature of being a Vatis
>At the most basic level, you can channel Vys within to apply a +1 to +5 bonus to any action
You'd need to have the Manipulator perk to use that on another, but you could use Water to make someone feel refreshed and well rested.

Rolled 1, 5, 3 = 9

>>30267670
>>Try to find the mouth of the valley?

>>30267670

Does the river look deep?

If we fell or jumped into it, could we survive the fall?

Rolled 1, 10, 9 = 20

>>30267722
That seems like an awful idea.

Rolled 8, 2, 1 = 11

>>30267670
>>Try to find the mouth of the valley?

>>30267737

I'm just trying to figure out our options. If we're attempting to climb down, we might have no choice.

>>30267722
Let's not.

Rolled 2, 7, 4 = 13

>>30267670
>>Look for a path?

>>30267522
So can you only channel through melee weapons, or do ranged weapons work as well?

>>30267771

I feel like that'd be broken.

>>30267771
Only through melee weapons and touch attacks. If you, for instance, tried to imbue an arrow with a poison spell it would only work so long as you were touching it.

>>30267755
>>30267689

>>30267721
>>30267743
We're at an impasse here. Anyone want to break the tie?

>>30267824
Valley

Look for a path

Rolled 8, 5, 7 = 20

>>30267824

I'll vote for mouth.

>>30267837
>>30267850
Mouth of the valley it is then. Writing.

>>30267689
>Best roll of the first 3 is 22, success.

>>30267824
Path

>>30267824
Path

You pick direction at random and start walking along the cliff face. It turns into a race against the sun to find the valley's mouth before the blazing heat of the day can start to wear down on you. Fortunately, just as the sun is peeking over the horizon, the valley starts to widen and the ground slope downwards. It isn't long before you find a fragment of those long abandoned roads that leads you down carved steps to the valley floor. You begin to walk back towards the abandoned watch tower you first saw, now safe within the shade of the valley.

As you leisurely stroll along the side of the river, you take a moment to catch a few fish you see swimming by. With a flick of your wrist you cause spikes of ice to shoot upwards from the river bed, spearing a large red scaled trout and lifting it out of the water. It's not much but it'll make a fine meal, and finding wood firewood certainly shouldn't be a problem.

As you draw nearer the abandoned watch tower and the mine it guarded, you begin to see the telltale signs of habitation. The detritus of civilization. A fishing pole, a knife, a cleaned plate, animal bones. Someone's living here, it seems. How will you handle this?

>Approach openly and try to be friendly. Hope they don't try to kill you because of the brand on your cheek.
>Approach cautiously, hide amongst the foliage, observe.
>Approach openly hostile to these strangers. This is your mine, damn it!

>>30268029
>Approach openly and try to be friendly. Hope they don't try to kill you because of the brand on your cheek.

>>30268029
>Approach cautiously, hide amongst the foliage, observe.

>>30268029
>>Approach cautiously, hide amongst the foliage, observe.

We can always greet them kindly once we know they're not psychopathic nutjobs..

>>30268029
>>Approach cautiously, hide amongst the foliage, observe.

>>30268029
>Approach cautiously, hide amongst the foliage, observe.

>Approaching cautiously, writing.

You duck into the foliage, the fields of poppy and ferns along the river provide you with excellent cover.

As you approach the clear that sits around the old watch tower you see more signs of habitation you hadn't noticed previously. A ring or stones surrounding the ashes of a fire, picks and other tools lined up near the mine entrance. You don't see any people, but you think you might see the flickering of torch light from inside the mine. You also hear what might be conversation from inside the watch tower.

>Investigate the mine.
>Try to get a peak inside the watch tower.
(Roll 3d10 regardless.)

Rolled 1, 8, 8 = 17

>>30268191
>>Try to get a peak inside the watch tower.

Rolled 7, 2, 10 = 19

>>30268191
>try to get a peak inside the watch tower.

Rolled 4, 2, 10 = 16

>>30268191
>>Try to get a peak inside the watch tower.

>Calling it for peek inside the watch tower. 19, success!
>Jesus, these typos. I need more liquor.

You cautiously approach the watchtower, careful not to let you spear give you away as you creep through the underbrush. It isn't hard to find a window on the ground floor. You break away from the foliage and press your back against the crumbling plaster facade of the tower, and ever so cautiously peek your head into the window frame to get a glimpse of what's inside.

You see two men, their bronze skin tone and pointed ears marking them as your former kin. One carries a sword at his hip and is wearing scale mail armor, the other appears to have three or four daggers strapped to their person, it's hard to tell exactly how many. They're talking casually amongst themselves at a round stone table, a few cups and a game board of some sort sitting between them.

"-why we shouldn't be getting too comfortable here. Sultans use these valleys all the time to shelter their soldiers. We'll be found out soon enough."

"Relax! Esmail hasn't steered us wrong so far, and we'd see an army long before they saw us. Besides, the merchants use these valleys for their caravans as well! The loot comes to us!" He slaps his compatriot on the back, standing up and stretching. "Now come on, it's time to trade places with the day shift. Lets get some rest, eh?"

The two men stand and collect the board and the cups, seemingly getting ready to leave.

>You've found a bandit camp in the valley, but have no idea how many of them there are.

>Find somewhere else?
>Attack?
>Write-in?

Rolled 5, 5, 5 = 15

>>30268492
>>Find somewhere else?

>>30268492

Would our poison abilities allow us to put these guards asleep at a distance?

>>30268492
>>Find somewhere else?
We can set up camp near by cook our food and refill our waterskin, then move on.

>>30268555
Sadly no, you'd need to be touching them or get a stab in with your spear to poison/paralyze them.
Ambushing them might let you paralyze or poison them quickly though.

>Calling it for find somewhere else. Writing now.

>>30268599
Then I'm just going to second everyone else and say we refill with water and leave. I don't relish a fight against these odds, and I'm not sure we'd be accepted into their fold (or if we want to)

You decide it'd be best to leave them be, you're just one man and for all you know there could be dozens of bandits hidden in that cave. Instead you creep back into the foliage and wait until you hear the wooden door of the watch tower open and start to creep your way back towards the river. The men aren't paying you any mind on their way to the mine entrance, so it isn't a difficult task.

When you reach the river you pull out your waterskin, you drank probably about half of the water they'd given you but the skin had been nowhere near full. You fill it in the water and figure it will probably last you about one day and night before you need to refill it again.

You walk north along the valley, the sun to your east serves as your guide. At the mouth of the valley you take some time to gather some palm bark and ferns for a fire. It's a simple task to leech them of water, leaving them adequate kindling. After a few minutes of coaxing you manage to get a fire going and use your spear tip to awkwardly descale your catch. After a meal of roasted trout you tie the leftovers to your belt and set off once more into the desert.

The river eventually diverts to the west and you have to leave its banks, instead setting off once more through the open sands. The sun beats down upon you. Gradually as you trek the ground starts to get rockier, dunes giving way to baked earth and scraggly ferns. It seems you've left the desert proper and entered the foothills of the northern mountains. (C)

>>30268895

Is our attire suited for the cold that mountains might bring?

>>30268895
This land used to belong to the Rhynian Empire, stolen from your people in a war of conquest, but your people reclaimed it after their collapse. It's sparsely populated except for a few coastal villages and mining towns, but certainly a more forgiving land than the desert.

You could probably find a cave or a ruin to shelter in with some work. You're tired, a bit peckish, and exhausted from traveling. You're also close to your goal. If you traveled through the rest of the day and the night you might reach the remains of the Rhynian Empire proper by tomorrow night.

>Refresh yourself with a water spell and try to keep going. (1 Vys, out of 10)
>>Take a mountain path?
>>Look for a pass carved into the mountains?
>Try to find shelter
>Try to find a village.

>>30268965
Not particularly. They're loose fitting, airy fabrics. The cold high up in the mountains would be miserable.

>>30269079
>>Try to find shelter

No reason not to take this carefully. We've got some leftovers, so we're not immediately hurting for food, and a full waterskin, so we're not hurting for water. I wouldn't want to go headlong into unknown territory when we're exhausted.

>>30269079
>Try to find shelter

>>30269079

>find shelter

Let's not wander around in the dark in a country we don't know.

Calling it and writing to find shelter.

You find an old road easily, now that there are no sands to cover them up and solid ground to build them on. Following the road in a generally northwestern direction it isn't long before you start to spot old signpost, giant stele sticking out of the ground with directions, laws, and graffiti carved into them.

Taking a moment to pause and read you find that apparently an old fort lies at the entrance to a mountain pass. That'd be great shelter, and provide you a path through the mountains, but seems like a likely spot for bandits to reside. The alternative seems to be a mine to the south east, but that would take you quite a distance off course and may still be in use. You also spied from a distance a few paths leading up into the mountains, there might be a cave you could sleep in for the night.

>The sun is starting to set, which means soon towns and villages will start dispatching patrols to guard the trade routes.

>Investigate the old fort
>Investigate the mine
>Head up into the mountains.

>>30269297
>>Investigate the old fort
Best choice right now.

>>30269297
>>Investigate the old fort

>>30269297
>>Investigate the old fort
Could be friendly.

Calling and writing.

>>30269297
>>Investigate the mine

File: 1392529157440.jpg-(148 KB, 680x446, Ruined Fortress of Eshnuk.jpg)

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You decide to investigate the old fort. At the very least you'll have a clear path through the mountains, even if it is inhabited by bandits.

You continue to follow the road to the northwest, and it isn't long before you spot the fortress in the distance. It's a massive thing, carved into a sheer cliff face. It seems to stretch for a mile in either direction, and who knows how deep into the cliffs it goes? By the time the sun dips past the horizon and night sets in properly you're close enough to tell that it isn't obviously inhabited in any way. There is no recent construction, no camp fires raging, nobody outside. If it's not active at nightfall it's probably not active at all.

Of course, that raises the question of why on earth such a perfect position isn't being used to raid caravans. Is it frequently patrolled? Perhaps haunted? Exhaustion overcomes paranoia as you make your way through the stone doorway into the dimly lit hallways of the fortress.

The walls are intricately carved with depictions of battle, of your ancestors charging against the square formations of the Rhynians and of some ancient sultan holding aloft a human head. As you progress deeper into the fortress you see rooms on either side. One's an emptied armory, the other a banquet hall. Deeper still you find a barracks, either wall lined with stone platforms covered in shredded bedding.

>Sleep?
>Explore? (Carries the risk of getting lost.)

>>30269489
>>Sleep?
Explore tomorrow

>>30269489
>>Sleep?
If we want to explore we should do it when there's light out.

Sleep

You decide it would be best to sleep, and make yourself comfortable in the ancient barracks. You finish off the remains of your trout and assess your water situation before bed, finding you have about 1/4th of your skin left after traveling throughout the day. Maybe there was a well somewhere in the fort you could refill your skin from, you'll need to explore tomorrow.

Sleep comes quickly. After the events of the last two days you're exhausted. You dream of home, of that bastard prince, and of the future.

>And now OP must get some sleep as well.
>You can follow me on twitter here: https://twitter.com/Quidam_Asino
>Sticking around for questions/comments/concerns.

>>30269697
Thanks for running. You should post your twitter in the qtg so it gets added to the directory.

>>30269697
nice, interesting start OP, thanks for running. I'll keep track of this.