You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
Your name is Quentin. You are 20 years of age. You live in the town of Jersnew in the world of Majorca. You are setting off to make your fortune, find your long lost brother Jason, and make a place for yourself in the world. To do so you decide to travel along Victory Road to get to your destination. It is said that "Thou who journest downest Victory Road should knowest that many strong men await thee"
This was said thirty years ago by a salesman trying to sound old-timey, but it has become a commonly repeated phrase nonetheless.
You are not afraid. Armed only with your wits and your backpack full of knick-knacks and necessities, you set off on your journey.
You reflect that you probably should have learned martial arts or something.
You pass above the bridge over the deep gulf that is The Valley Of The Dolls. Legends say that the great Dollmaker Andrew Twinlon lived here before being killed by the then-powerful Rotmundi empire. Legends also say that Twinlon's dolls still wander the valley, eternally seeking a new master worthy of them.
Dolls have always creeped you out, so you really don't want to go down there. You pass over the bridge without much incident.
You see a traveler heading in the opposite direction of you down the road. HE IS
1.) A tall pale man in a garish yellow outfit
2.) An androgynous person with polka dot hair
3.) A short burly man with a thick mustache and green skin.
The man(or what seems to be a man. You will refrain from making judgments on gender until you find out more) waves at you and speeds up his step to talk to you.
As he speaks with a thick baritone voice, you feel more comfortable with identifying him as male
After introducing himself( his name is Vissendak) he quickly begins quizzing you on many strange subjects about your hometown, from cattle birth rates, to local bird populations, to the structure of the local government, to what the average number of fingers on the left hands of the populace are. You try to disengage yourself from the conversation several times, but he patiently refuses to take a hint. Finally, he finishes, thanks you for your help, and leaves.
You wonder what that was all about, and continue on.
Suddenly, a group of men in armor wielding clubs leap out from behind a boulder. They order you to give away everything valuable, and everything that's not, for good measure.
This momentarily confuses the thugs, until one of them delivers a decisive blow to the back of your neck.
You faint...
You wake up a few hours later, sore all over. All your stuff is gone, but luckily, they left you your shoes.
You momentarily mourn the loss of your astronaut ice cream, plasma globe, little artificial dinosaur that expands when you put it in water, novelty t-shirt sporting a catch phrase, and lunch, but luckily you aren't that far from your destination: the so-called Mecca of the fighting man: Yambol
What do you want to do in town?
1.) Find a master to teach you how to fight
2.) Find odd jobs to do in town to get some money.
3.) Get some sleep in a comfortable park bench like the hobo you are.
4.) Alert the local constabulary of nearby bandits.
You mow lawns, trim trees, shave back hair, pluck nostrils, and chase goats, and a bunch of other humiliating but necessary tasks. All in all, you have gained a grand total of 12 Denarii, the local currency. It should be much easier to find a teacher now!
1.) Find a master to teach you how to fight
2.) Get some sleep in a comfortable park bench like the hobo you are
3.) Alert the local constabulary of nearby bandits
It turns out that the policemen are WELL aware of the bandits, but explain that, due to them being just outside of city limits, they feel that they are out of their jurisdiction. Besides, they say, some muscle-bound team of adventurers is SURE to deal with them sooner or later.
As you walk out, an aging man with a mustache and a beard grabs you and asks you a question. "Mon Ami, did I just hear you talk about le voleur outside of town? Because it just happens I might be able to take you up on that probleme!" he says, in an accent you don't recognize
The old man explains with the use of many foreign words you can guess from the context, that he is secretly the ancient master of an ancient form of Vigintitres Karate known as Quinque: Art of the Swamp Lights. He says he can teach you the use of this ancient martial artif you help him defeat the bandits, and recover "something" the bandit leader stole.
Also there was some stuff there about learning Quinque from the native fireflies and alligators, and how alligators are considered natural practitioners of meditation, but you got really bored in the middle and spaced out.
You decide to skip some options and take him up on his offer, because you don't really have a story otherwise.
Comments
You are not afraid. Armed only with your wits and your backpack full of knick-knacks and necessities, you set off on your journey.
NOW WHERE ARE YOU GOING
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Dolls have always creeped you out, so you really don't want to go down there. You pass over the bridge without much incident.
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
You wonder what that was all about, and continue on.
YOU
This momentarily confuses the thugs, until one of them delivers a decisive blow to the back of your neck.
You faint...
You wake up a few hours later, sore all over. All your stuff is gone, but luckily, they left you your shoes.
You momentarily mourn the loss of your astronaut ice cream, plasma globe, little artificial dinosaur that expands when you put it in water, novelty t-shirt sporting a catch phrase, and lunch, but luckily you aren't that far from your destination: the so-called Mecca of the fighting man: Yambol
What do you want to do in town?
1.) Find a master to teach you how to fight
2.) Find odd jobs to do in town to get some money.
3.) Get some sleep in a comfortable park bench like the hobo you are.
4.) Alert the local constabulary of nearby bandits.
1.) Find a master to teach you how to fight
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Also there was some stuff there about learning Quinque from the native fireflies and alligators, and how alligators are considered natural practitioners of meditation, but you got really bored in the middle and spaced out.
You decide to skip some options and take him up on his offer, because you don't really have a story otherwise.