It is a dark age. The monsterfolk that have dreamt for over a millennium awaken, flooding the lands, leaving behind embers, mere regions that hold out in what were once great kingdoms and empires. The roads are long and dangerous, but at least the sky still remains bright longer in the summer.Some welcome the change. Some oppose it. Some pursue their own goals in this age. A Stranger travels the lands, seeking his own path...>...the Stranger is human. The great Confederation of human kingdoms has dissolved 150 years ago, fallen to bickering between the once-strong Council of Seven. The turmoil worsened as they faced the rise of the monsterfolk over the past hundred years, the nations dissolving further into provinces that hold only formal loyalty to the kings by now. The Stranger appears in one of these vestiges and seizes the power by rousing the tired people into rebellion, playing into their desire for change and the need to safeguard their future against the monsters.>...the Stranger is a vampire. The fortune of monsters has risen in the past hundred years, and they have taken many lands from the forests of the elves to the orc mountains. This rapid rise, however, made all the more difficult the division of power. The monsters are divided, and they need a strong hand lest they get pushed back to the North... The Stranger kills the previous vampiric overlord of a monster tribe with the holy Silver and Salt, and takes the reins himself.>...the Stranger is an elf. Embers. This is what the elven kingdoms are. They are a proud and noble race, but the days of Candle Kings are long past, not to speak of the Shining ones. Those who once confidently lived to 300 years are now lucky to live to 120. And the dark elves... the split has caused a series of isolationist decisions by the kings, and now they lead quiet, dull lives in their wooden homes and palaces, unknown to the outside world and silently detesting it. Though one kingdom's citizens seem to have tired of this life... It is here that the Stranger seized power, playing into these moods.>...the Stranger is an orc. The greenskins have experienced the effects of monster invasions as well. The pillaging of the humans has come to an end as a result, and with no influx of wealth and new goods the system that was in place is now under threat. Legends of the Golden Horde are still told around bonfires, and the laws it instituted are honoured to this day. In a tribe dissatisfied with its chieftain, the Stranger seizes power by besting him in single combat.(cont.)
>>6022289>...the Stranger is a dark man. Not the negr of the southern kingdoms, the dark men's flesh is charcoal black, unreflective and their blood is milky white. They are said to have come from the Chasm long, long ago, and only they know what lay at the bottom of it. Their tribes dwell in their dark forests, worshipping strange gods with heathen hymns, although what really is heathen and what is true in times such as these?.. Invading the East through the beastman steppe, the dark men have laid destruction to the kingdoms three times over the last millennium and a half, but each time they were pushed back. The Stranger kills the leader of one tribe and its members accept him as their leader.>...the Stranger is a dwarf. Sons of the Forge, the dwarves have lived in their mountain homes for millennia, with little to no change striking them. They have warred with the elves, and their long memories still hold legends of the human Empire of the Sea. Master craftsmen, they are the source of many of the world's artifacts. However, their heyday is long past. The days of the Stone Confederation have ended 500 years ago and now the dwarves are divided, and, much like the elves, lead uneventful lives in their mountain holds. The craft has largely been forgotten, the master smiths dying out while the new ones are inept and inexperienced. In one of the holds whose denizens desire greater things, the Stranger has led a coup of the ruling clan through much bloodshed, and now the skeleton crew of the best dwarves is under his command.(end of choices, info about quest incoming)
Info:This quest is a civ, but not the crunchy kind. It is a narrative one, no dice will be rolled, but to create a properly dramatic narrative, I will insert unavoidable deaths, failures and other such things. Consider this a warning that the tone of the story is halfway dark, and many of the characters you meet will die in battle or to betrayal. You will be able to choose what exactly you'll lose though. I expect this to not be everyone's cup of tea, and there has been an argument in the qtg over the railroading part actually (I was not the one who started it, but I did read through). I think a good way to think about this quest is less like a game that you need to win through making optimal decisions and more like a story where I periodically invite you to choose where it goes.Either way, this is fairly experimental for me and we'll see how it goes. I hope you enjoy the ride.This is likely a oneshot, or at least a short quest.
>>6022291>...the Stranger is a dwarf. Sons of the Forge, the dwarves have lived in their mountain homes for millennia, with little to no change striking them. They have warred with the elves, and their long memories still hold legends of the human Empire of the Sea. Master craftsmen, they are the source of many of the world's artifacts. However, their heyday is long past. The days of the Stone Confederation have ended 500 years ago and now the dwarves are divided, and, much like the elves, lead uneventful lives in their mountain holds. The craft has largely been forgotten, the master smiths dying out while the new ones are inept and inexperienced. In one of the holds whose denizens desire greater things, the Stranger has led a coup of the ruling clan through much bloodshed, and now the skeleton crew of the best dwarves is under his command.
>>6022291>...the Stranger is a dark man. Not the negr of the southern kingdoms, the dark men's flesh is charcoal black, unreflective and their blood is milky white. They are said to have come from the Chasm long, long ago, and only they know what lay at the bottom of it. Their tribes dwell in their dark forests, worshipping strange gods with heathen hymns, although what really is heathen and what is true in times such as these?.. Invading the East through the beastman steppe, the dark men have laid destruction to the kingdoms three times over the last millennium and a half, but each time they were pushed back. The Stranger kills the leader of one tribe and its members accept him as their leader.
>>6022289>>...the Stranger is an elf. Embers. This is what the elven kingdoms are. They are a proud and noble race, but the days of Candle Kings are long past, not to speak of the Shining ones. Those who once confidently lived to 300 years are now lucky to live to 120. And the dark elves... the split has caused a series of isolationist decisions by the kings, and now they lead quiet, dull lives in their wooden homes and palaces, unknown to the outside world and silently detesting it. Though one kingdom's citizens seem to have tired of this life... It is here that the Stranger seized power, playing into these moods.Elves are great.
>>6022291>...the Stranger is a dark man. Not the negr of the southern kingdoms, the dark men's flesh is charcoal black, unreflective and their blood is milky white. They are said to have come from the Chasm long, long ago, and only they know what lay at the bottom of it. Their tribes dwell in their dark forests, worshipping strange gods with heathen hymns, although what really is heathen and what is true in times such as these?.. Invading the East through the beastman steppe, the dark men have laid destruction to the kingdoms three times over the last millennium and a half, but each time they were pushed back. The Stranger kills the leader of one tribe and its members accept him as their leader.Give me your oc donut steel content, QM, I’m interested
>>6022291>...the Stranger is an orc. The greenskins have experienced the effects of monster invasions as well. The pillaging of the humans has come to an end as a result, and with no influx of wealth and new goods the system that was in place is now under threat. Legends of the Golden Horde are still told around bonfires, and the laws it instituted are honoured to this day. In a tribe dissatisfied with its chieftain, the Stranger seizes power by besting him in single combat.
>>6022289>>...the Stranger is human. The great Confederation of human kingdoms has dissolved 150 years ago, fallen to bickering between the once-strong Council of Seven. The turmoil worsened as they faced the rise of the monsterfolk over the past hundred years, the nations dissolving further into provinces that hold only formal loyalty to the kings by now. The Stranger appears in one of these vestiges and seizes the power by rousing the tired people into rebellion, playing into their desire for change and the need to safeguard their future against the monsters.
Test
>>6022289Human
>>6022367>>6022368You’re supposed to test your new IP OUTSIDE of the thread you’re samefagging in, anon
>>6022291>>...the Stranger is a dark man. Not the negr of the southern kingdoms, the dark men's flesh is charcoal black, unreflective and their blood is milky white. They are said to have come from the Chasm long, long ago, and only they know what lay at the bottom of it. Their tribes dwell in their dark forests, worshipping strange gods with heathen hymns, although what really is heathen and what is true in times such as these?.. Invading the East through the beastman steppe, the dark men have laid destruction to the kingdoms three times over the last millennium and a half, but each time they were pushed back. The Stranger kills the leader of one tribe and its members accept him as their leader.I want to play as the white-bloods
>Dark Man, but not a Nagger Kek
>>6022289>...the Stranger is human. The great Confederation of human kingdoms has dissolved 150 years ago, fallen to bickering between the once-strong Council of Seven. The turmoil worsened as they faced the rise of the monsterfolk over the past hundred years, the nations dissolving further into provinces that hold only formal loyalty to the kings by now. The Stranger appears in one of these vestiges and seizes the power by rousing the tired people into rebellion, playing into their desire for change and the need to safeguard their future against the monsters.VIVA
>>6022291>>...the Stranger is a dwarf
>>6022317>>6022663>dwarf>>6022346>elf>>6022353>orc>>6022355>>6022368>>6022426>human>>6022343>>6022352>>6022407>>6022422(I am not sure if this is a vote or a laugh at the 'negr' race name but I will count it as one towards the dark men)>dark manSo dark man it is. All according to keikaku. No but seriously, I thought it'd get picked due to perceived originality or something. Honestly kinda wanted to write the more common races more but it'll be fun either way. Perhaps they will see action in one of the later quests of mine...Update uuuhhhhh maybe in 3 hours or less but my brain is dying today so I reserve the option of going to sleep and finishing tomorrow even if it's not too long.>>6022367>>6022377Surely t-this testing is for rangeban and not samefagging, haha, right b-bros?
Yes, the Stranger was a dark man.Not forever have their tribes laid claim to the great forests of the West that they call home now. Legends speak of times long past, when they were only a small nation populating the lands surrounding the Chasm. They sacrificed their own to the gods that were laying dormant at the bottom of the Chasm and led quiet lives away from civilization, with no interest in it, yet protecting it all the same. For if their white blood stopped flowing, the Dreamers would awaken, and who knows what would happen then?That was the order of things for a long time, but there came a day when a change occured.The Dreamers stirred.And with this stirring, nightmares started occurring in the shaman's minds. Making them lose their sleep. Driving them mad.The dark men had to claim new lands and populate them with their own if they were to continue on with their lives. This was the beginning of their wars, the eternal wars to protect those that they now began sacrificing in their pursuit to keep their gods dreaming.But it was time for things to change once again, for the Stranger had other ideas than placating the ever-growing hunger of the Dreamers. It was time for the nightmares to stop, and for the dark men's lands to be reclaimed from the Dreamers' phantasms made manifest, and for them to stop running ever eastwards, trying to delay the inevitable.The Stranger would find a way to kill the Dreamers and end the nightmare that they inflicted on their children. This was his decision and his fate.But that was far in the future. For now, the Stranger needed to unify the Dreamlands, collecting all the vast lands of the dark men under his banner. And for this titanic task, he had a thousand men of a disjointed tribe. A tribe he could now call his own.The Stranger was awaiting now for a personal meeting with the tribe's shaman. At last, he heard the sliding door of the dimly lit chieftain's hall open, and an elderly, raspy voice called his name.What was it?>Myoue>Yamato>Torii>Write-in
>>6023693>YamatoAuspicious name selection
>>6023693Oh shit, we're black Aztec Japs?>Mishima
I should say you don't have to adhere to the set style if you want a write-in name, but please no Bob or Nick Digger PLEASE
>>6023693>Myoue
>>6023693>>Yamil
>>6023693>Yamato
>>6023714>>6023732>>6023849>>6024112>>6024115>>6024418>Yamato"Yamato." shaman Kuji calls."Shaman." you answer. "Good night. How have you been since the duel?""Not too well." he grumbles, shuffling towards a seat near you at the large round table. "The people fear the future you will bring...""They will come to accept it.""Maybe..." the shaman pauses. "What will you do now that power is yours?""I've got great plans.""There have been many with ambitions, yet few succeeded.""Our tribe will unite the dark men and march east.""Hmm, and for what? The Burden will always be upon us - I hope you won't neglect it in your pursuit of power.""Not anymore. The sacrifices will continue for now, but we will cast down the yoke of the Dreamers... whatever the cost may be."The shaman remains silent for a space."Truly? And I thought I was the one going mad..." he whispers. "Well, I... I will not oppose you. But know that the task you have set out for yourself has not been attempted in a long time. And those that walked that path have all failed.""I know the legends.""Very well then." Kuji stares at the dancing flames of the torches illuminating the hall, as if coming to terms with your decision. "The Dreamers have been stirring again.""All the more reason to begin moving. I am not too knowledgeable about the resources of the land here. Could you enlighten me?"The shaman scratches his chin."There are many tribes out there, and our resources aren't unique, but there is a thing or two that attract the envy of many if kept to ourselves and alliances of the few if shared..."(Pick 1 or 2. If you pick 2, a later Failure will appear or be intensified.)>"...we grow medicinal herbs that are renowned across the entire Endless Forest. Our fields have a certain soil that makes it possible for them to grow. The cultivators are predominantly women of many ages, though the men help out as well. They can help us quickly mend the warriors' wounds and be a bargaining chip in negotiations.">"...in our lands dwell strange beasts, spawn of the Dreamlands, that we have tamed. They are violent in combat, but loyal to their owners and can be used in some work as well.">"...we possess in our territory an iron mine of high quality. The men work there tirelessly to supply the entirety of the Endless Forest with tools - though the weapons we make are kept for ourselves in case someone wants to take it.">"...we sit in the middle of the Endless Forest, on several major trade routes. Our people's silver tongues are known far and wide, and our merchants travel just as far in pursuit of lucrative deals and less obvious information.">"...our faith is strong. I am usually averse to praising myself too much, but the Dreamers favour me and the other shamans - we retain our sanity in times when others go mad from nightmares and the great marble idol at the centre of the village grants us luck."(small cont.)
>>6024835>"...we have a powerful ally who will stand fast on our side in any war. If only we help them in turn, we can expect to more than double the number of men we field, and of course the cooperation in labour and trade is valuable as well."(end of choices)
>>6024836oh, and also for this one you can>Write-in
>>6024835>"...we sit in the middle of the Endless Forest, on several major trade routes. Our people's silver tongues are known far and wide, and our merchants travel just as far in pursuit of lucrative deals and less obvious information."This is the one option that will let us gain the rest. How many other Dark men suffer under the yoke of the Dreamers? How many will join us in our hunt for liberation?
>>6024835>"...we have a powerful ally who will stand fast on our side in any war. If only we help them in turn, we can expect to more than double the number of men we field, and of course the cooperation in labour and trade is valuable as well."
>>6024835>"...we possess in our territory an iron mine of high quality. The men work there tirelessly to supply the entirety of the Endless Forest with tools - though the weapons we make are kept for ourselves in case someone wants to take it."
>>6024835>"...we sit in the middle of the Endless Forest, on several major trade routes. Our people's silver tongues are known far and wide, and our merchants travel just as far in pursuit of lucrative deals and less obvious information."
>>6024835"...in our lands dwell strange beasts, spawn of the Dreamlands, that we have tamed. They are violent in combat, but loyal to their owners and can be used in some work as well."
>>6024835>IRONWill let us conquer other tribes.>ALLYMeans we have 1 less enemy & twice the starting troops.Trade is well and good, but money is only the primary lever of power in a country with institutions. We are a tribe amongst tribes.
>>6024840>>6024853>>6024864>>6024871>>6024915>>6025063I am not sure whether to go with the >Trade option which seems to have a strict majority or the >Iron+Ally option which is, while split in the combinations, seems to have more anons voting for it in total. So I will extend the voting period and do a second round with the followingPick ONE:>Trade power>Iron mine + alliance
>>6025496>ALLIANCE OF IRON
>>6025496>Trade powerMoney and persuasion is still the best power as far I am concerned
>>6025496>Trade power
>>6025496>>Iron mine + allianceTrust and iron forge bonds.
>>6025496Might want to flip for it, roll for it, or just write which option you would prefer to exposit on QM.
>>6025496>Iron mine + alliance
>>6026010Would've done that had the time run out without a majority emerging.>>6025526>>6025645>>6025752>>6025761>>6026106>Iron mine + allianceWriting now.
"We possess in our territory an iron mine of high quality." the shaman says. "The men work there tirelessly to supply the entirety of the Endless Forest with tools - though the weapons we make are kept for ourselves in case someone wants to take it. Besides that, we have a powerful ally who will stand fast on our side in any war. If only we help them in turn, we can expect to more than double the number of men we field, and of course the cooperation in labour and trade is valuable as well."You smile and give a sign of good luck."It seems we will go on the warpath soon enough. I hope my people will be ready for sacrifices in our mission.""You will find them more than capable of that." Kuji says with a hint of pride in his voice. "But I hope you will not place a burden too heavy to bear upon us. We have one already... We all do."
>>6026648The iron mine is embedded in the side of a large hill, almost a mountain. Nearby, a smelting operation and forges are set up. It is the other village of your tribe besides the main one. You ask who the head smith is here and find him at work soon."Greetings. Are you Raijin?""That's me." he responds, not turning to you, striking the red-hot workpiece. "Forgive my manners, but I'm in the middle of work here, so cannot greet you properly. Who may you be?""I am Yamato, the new chieftain of the tribe."He stays his hand for a moment, then continues the hammering."Hmm... I heard the news. We'll see how you prove yourself; the old chief was good enough, and I'd have no reservations against turning away a stranger.""Bold words to speak of someone who holds power.""They are not so long as your grip is soft." Raijin lifts the sickle with the tongs and submerges it in a pot of water by his side. The liquid sizzles and evaporates in a large cloud of steam. "So what do you need me for?" he takes out the complete work and places it on a cloth nearby. After drying it, he finally turns to you."I wanted to know how much metal the mine is producing.""We got 50 men working here, miners, smelters, smiths, everyone. I'd say we all make... 6 pounds of clean iron each every month. So about 300 pounds iron each month.""Do you ship most of it to other tribes as tools?""Correct. The Forests' hunger for iron is as endless as its lands...""I'll need you to work harder form now on, though. I need to arm every man and every man of our ally with iron.""...Will we go to war?""Yes."It is hard to discern due to the nature of dark men's skin, but a shadow seems to cross Raijin's face."I urge you to at least try diplomacy first. I know with our allies in the Aki and the iron we possess war seems the most straightforward way to dominion, which you seem to desire... But I don't want to see the young men die.">"Fine. We will try to convince the neighbours with our power projection first. If they refuse to unite under my leadership, we will go to war.">"It is imperative that we strike hard and fast before they are aware. This way we will ensure victory."
>>6026650>"Fine. We will try to convince the neighbours with our power projection first. If they refuse to unite under my leadership, we will go to war."Which of the clans is weakest and most ill-armed? We can invite the leaders of that clan to our HQ and then explain simply that we plan to unite the tribes, and by joining up now, they can spare themselves needless deaths.
>>6026650>"Fine. We will try to convince the neighbours with our power projection first. If they refuse to unite under my leadership, we will go to war."
>>6026654+1 to Caesar's Legion stratAs for what we say,>"Our people must be united if we are to be free, through all means available to us. I do not seek conquest for my own sake."
>>6026650>"It is imperative that we strike hard and fast before they are aware. This way we will ensure victory."
Sorry anons, I'm abandoning the quest.For reasons: I started this thing on a whim like I do most of my oneshots, but after I sobered up to the idea I lost interest. Would've continued to run until the end of the thread, like I usually do, but the nature of the game features predetermined losses so to make them impactful I would need to build up characters a lot, and with the time constraints of a oneshot it means writing a lot of scenes in each update, which is too much of an investment for the level of excitement I have about the plot. Not to mention choices would have to be inserted somewhere along with voting windows, so there's really a lot of work and a lot of time needed to bring the quest to a proper conclusion. I'd rather end it while it is still fresh than slog on with uninspired updates.Maybe we'll meet again in other quests, I'm planning on running a certain multiplayer space game which I described in the /qtg/ which I'm more determined in committing to.If anyone wants to take up the mantle, go ahead with my blessing, I may be abandoning the quest but I think the idea is decent. Just not interested in realizing it fully.Thanks for playing for the short while that you were here.tldr started quest on a whim, lost interest, too much effort required to power through
>>6027407Hmm, that’s too bad. Thanks for letting us know QM
>>6027407Thanks for letting us know, that takes writer balls that the likes of Patrick Rothfuss & GRRM don't have even.
