Savin's CYOA: 023

[Savin]

First stop: Sylvia. You know the amazon isn't a fan of harpies, but having her at your back would sure make taking on a giant bug-monster-woman a lot easier. It's a quick job back to where she's waiting.


"You want to what?" she gawks when you've finished your explanation. "And you want my help? Again?"

<<Charisma Check: Success (10 vs. 12)!>>
​

The amazon sighs and picks up the axe she'd left sitting beside her. "What's your plan here, Remi? Clear out the entire castle, at this rate?"


"Maybe it is," you answer. "Come on, the two of us, your sister, maybe a little more help... we could take on whatever's infesting this place. Make it a castle worth holding again."


Sylvia rolls her eyes at you. "Easy does it, blackscale. Look, I'm here to find my sister. You want to go on a crusade against whatever's living here, that's on you, but I'm on board up until we find Neva. Understand?"


"So is that a no?"


She crosses her arms. "I didn't say that. If you're intent on challenging some monster first, I suppose I'd best make sure you make it back. Otherwise you're no help to me. But this is the last distraction, understand?"


You nod. "Fine. Resolve this, and we'll hit the keep. Promise."


Sylvia mulls it over for a moment, then hefts her axe up. "Alright. What's the plan, Remi?"


Second stop: traps.

<<Intelligence Check: Success (10 vs. 15)!>>
​

You lead Sylvia over to the most intact of the three towers, where you're fairly sure the mantis-drider makes her lair. Unlike the other two, this tower still has its door, and the walls are sturdy stone, unbroken by the passing years. The creature's too big to possibly fit through the door, though, so you guess the roof must be partially collapsed to let her in and out. 


After a few minutes' conversation with Sylvia, you figure that once the creature awakens, she'll attack from the air. So you need a way to force her into close quarters, where her agility and speed won't help her overwhelm you. Sylvia suggests hooks and rope -- she has one -- to restrain the creature's wings. If you can lure her into a narrow place, say the gape between the keep and the stables, one of you could leap down with the restraints from above. 


That sounds like a job for the big, strong Sylvia. She nods and gets to work, but before she does, you posit your other idea: before you go into battle, you can enchant your weapons with flame, lending a little extra oomph to your strikes. That earns you an approving grin from the amazon: she thrusts her axe into your hands and starts working on her ropes and hooks, leaving you to your arcane devices. 


The next hour or so is spent in quiet preparation: Sylvia attends to her traps, and you run your claws across your weapons, incanting ancient formulae from your spellbook and channeling your will into the flame. When you're nearly done, you take a deep, centering breath and let it out across the blades. The metal shimmers and ignites, erupting into a soft, flickering flame that surrounds the edges, never quite burning the metal. A corona of flames.


"You're more useful than you look," Sylvia teases, taking her axe back and giving it an experimental swing. The curved edge cuts through the air, leaving acrid smoke in its wake. "How long will this last?"


"As long as I concentrate on it," you answer. "Keep me from getting knocked around too much and it'll stay until we make camp." 


The barbarian flashes you a wicked grin and turns towards the tower. "So. How do we get the bug out of her nest?"


That one, you've got covered. There's plenty of dried vines and grass lying all over the courtyard, easy to collect with a few moment's work. With Sylvia's help, you start cramming the debris around and under the tower door, stuffing it with kindling. Your companion catches onto your intentions quickly, but you have to deny her the pleasure of setting things off: you send her to the stables, to get in position with her trap.


When everything's set up, you flick your fingers and light a spark.


((I'm going to go roll out and write a combat encounter, I suppose! In the meantime, assuming Remi and Sylvia pull out ahead: what should they do with the defeated mantis-girl? And what "proof" do they offer the harpies?))

 

[BubbleLord]

They ride that Mantis bae over there and she's a total Tsundere bae. The Harpies get a good idea of just how Remi slings the D when she conquers a rape-happy mantis.


(If they lose, she'd ride them just the same, amiright?)

 

[Zavos]

file down the mantis' pointy bits, restrain her, and offer her to the harpies as a slave.  After she gets loaded up with corrupted eggs, of course.  

 

[Ormael]

Trying to make manits party pet could be fun outcome. Since she's drider mantis she oculd be used as mount to carry both of our brave party members towar the setting sun ^^


And if needed Remi could use this mount 'other way' too


But I got no idea what proof to harpies give...ummm show mantis with sadle put on showing it was reduced to simple mount and make this much movie like move of ridding away with Sylvia toward that setting sun...

 

[TheDarkMaster]

file down the mantis' pointy bits, restrain her, and offer her to the harpies as a slave.  After she gets loaded up with corrupted eggs, of course.  

It might be enough just to cut her ovipositor off and present that to the harpies.  Something like that will probably be necessary to keep the mantis from trying anything if we do take her out, I doubt that we'll be able to subjugate her while leaving her body fully intact.  That is assuming that Remi doesn't have a magical means of enthralling the mantis.  Besides, if we do turn her over to the harpies, they'll probably shred her ovipositor with their talons anyway.  Remember their reaction when we brought the mantis up?


So I suggest cutting off the ovipositor and presenting that to the harpies as proof, then banish the mantis from the keep.

 

[shadefalcon]

Eyyy. Second time most voted...and this time nothing failed. I feel like I´ve redeemed myself


As for what to show the harpies. I´m kind of afraid as to what they´ll do to the mantis if we were to bring her to them...I don´t want to bad end her just yet. She might become useful later on + she might change with the right amount of convincing.


But it might work if we bind the mantis and let Sylvia take care of her. We´ll just show the defeated mantis and then let Sylvia drag her off back to the camp. She already expressed her discomfort with the harpies. 


Now the con with this idea is that the harpies blinded by rage might attack the mantis...We´d also have to make sure the mantis wouldn´t be able to try anything while in the care of Sylvia. 

 

[MilitaryAaa]

Eyyy. Second time most voted...and this time nothing failed. I feel like I´ve redeemed myself


As for what to show the harpies. I´m kind of afraid as to what they´ll do to the mantis if we were to bring her to them...I don´t want to bad end her just yet. She might become useful later on + she might change with the right amount of convincing.


But it might work if we bind the mantis and let Sylvia take of her. We´ll just show the defeated mantis and then let Sylvia drag her off back to the camp. She already expressed her discomfort with the harpies. 


Now the con with this idea is that the harpies blinded by rage might attack the mantis...We´d also have to make sure the mantis wouldn´t be able to try anything while in the care of Sylvia. 

Yeah I mean wow, so far everyone else is pretty harsh with the need for proof. Cutting off a piece someone then telling them to get out? Isn't a bit early to get tyrannical? I agree with capturing her and having that as proof for the harpies, that is of course no one dies in the fight. Winning should be Remi's first priority.

 

[Dormane]

It might be enough just to cut her ovipositor off and present that to the harpies.  Something like that will probably be necessary to keep the mantis from trying anything if we do take her out, I doubt that we'll be able to subjugate her while leaving her body fully intact.  That is assuming that Remi doesn't have a magical means of enthralling the mantis.  Besides, if we do turn her over to the harpies, they'll probably shred her ovipositor with their talons anyway.  Remember their reaction when we brought the mantis up?


So I suggest cutting off the ovipositor and presenting that to the harpies as proof, then banish the mantis from the keep.

Might be just me, but mutilating sexual organs seems like a pretty good boner killer. It might be better to simply harvest a few eggs as proof. That combined with a lucky charisma check should convince a couple of bird brains. (No offense to actual harpies intended.)

 

[TheDarkMaster]

Might be just me, but mutilating sexual organs seems like a pretty good boner killer. It might be better to simply harvest a few eggs as proof. That combined with a lucky charisma check should convince a couple of bird brains. (No offense to actual harpies intended.)

I'm not exactly suggesting this as something that we do in a sexual manner.  I just don't really want much to do with the mantis and think she'd be far more of a liability than an asset if we capture her and clipping her claws (as it were) seems like a good way to make her unlikely to cause us trouble down the line.  That is, unless we just kill her.

 

[BubbleLord]

Just get that ovipositor plugged up with some sort of magic plug. Only Remi can disenchant/remove it, effectively making the mantis her bitch for life if she wants to get her egg on.

 

[Dormane]

I'm not exactly suggesting this as something that we do in a sexual manner.  I just don't really want much to do with the mantis and think she'd be far more of a liability than an asset if we capture her and clipping her claws (as it were) seems like a good way to make her unlikely to cause us trouble down the line.  That is, unless we just kill her.

It doesnt matter if its sexual or not, mutilation and killing makes the cyoa a lot darker than it needs to be. Not that im saying killing is not an option in future combat encounters, but it would fit better with wild beast or murderous monsters, all we know about the mantis is that she likes laying eggs in harpies (the harpies arent much better in that they rape males for eggs). Giving her a bruising is one thing, but extreme violence this early in the story with this enemy doesnt seem justified, neither does something as cruel, yet less extreme, as cutting off ovipositors. Though I do recognize that something permanent needs to be done to get the mantis to vacate the premises.

 

[TheDarkMaster]

Just get that ovipositor plugged up with some sort of magic plug. Only Remi can disenchant/remove it, effectively making the mantis her bitch for life if she wants to get her egg on.

If we can do that, chastity belting her could definitely work.  We will still need some kind of proof that we defeated her, though this could be the mantis.  They probably won't mutilate her if she's been locked up, instead reveling in the mantis's frustration.

 

[BubbleLord]

If we can do that, chastity belting her could definitely work.  We will still need some kind of proof that we defeated her, though this could be the mantis.  They probably won't mutilate her if she's been locked up, instead reveling in the mantis's frustration.

They tease her into mush. Seems fair =3=

 

[argenten]

I think there's a way to get what everyone wants if it's done correctly.

1: First, Remi and Sylvia must win, else the point of what to do with the Mantis drider is moot.

2: I personally, would like to see her coopted into the group as a pet/companion/rehabilitated whathaveyou. I don't know how practical that would actually be but I'm guessing it would take at least some kind of major dominance display or magical "you're mine" spell. 


3: We don't actually have to take the drider up there to show the victory. The Harpies can easily fly if their tower doesn't have any windows, and Remi and Sylvia can have the Mantis Drider trussed up in the courtyard even if taming the drider isn't in the cards. Thus we can show them the victory without going as far as altering/mutilating it, show the victory without freaking out the Harpies with bringing in the drider, and Sylvia doesn't need to go near them. 

 

[Ideo]

Another possible way to control the mantis could involve having Remi accidentally tap into her cockring's power and by extension Risoria's (the demoness). Of course this could also potentially corrupt Remi or increase Risoria´s  influence over her in exchange of a new ability. Some form of demonic power that allows her to control or influence others? Maybe in the form of a perk?

 

[Zaku]

The problem I see with having Remi try to create a chastity belt to bind the mantis girl is that we don't know if she even knows a spell to do something like that. At least, I don't recall a mention of one.


As to "proof", yeah, mutilation and death is a turnoff. That being said, I think leaving her alive and/or capable of returning to her egging ways will backfire for Remi. If the mantis gets loose later, you could end up with the harpies getting angry and turning on you. It's not worth the risk.

 

[Vladdie P.]

Did you ever get that commission from Cheshire? Or is it just not done yet?

 

[Savin]

Did you ever get that commission from Cheshire? Or is it just not done yet?

Cheshire's queue is mighty long these days. My personal comms are so far down there, I'll be lucky if I see them this year ;_; 

 

[Vaalintine]

I'd say just tie her up take her back to the tower if alive to be dealt with by the harpies "offscreen", or if she is too troublesome to lead back (or her corpse is too heavy to carry) we just cut off her head as proof. In response we could recruit a Harpy for our party, gaining someone to watch our backs as well as a target for our amorous salamander to take her lusts out on that isn't the amazon.


It's probably too late to add this, but after reading through the entire CYOA I had to pitch in.

 

[fwyrl]

I think there's a way to get what everyone wants if it's done correctly.

1: First, Remi and Sylvia must win, else the point of what to do with the Mantis drider is moot.

2: I personally, would like to see her coopted into the group as a pet/companion/rehabilitated whathaveyou. I don't know how practical that would actually be but I'm guessing it would take at least some kind of major dominance display or magical "you're mine" spell. 


3: We don't actually have to take the drider up there to show the victory. The Harpies can easily fly if their tower doesn't have any windows, and Remi and Sylvia can have the Mantis Drider trussed up in the courtyard even if taming the drider isn't in the cards. Thus we can show them the victory without going as far as altering/mutilating it, show the victory without freaking out the Harpies with bringing in the drider, and Sylvia doesn't need to go near them. 

I like this idea

 

[TheDarkMaster]

Cheshire's queue is mighty long these days. My personal comms are so far down there, I'll be lucky if I see them this year ;_;

Seems you were right. I just got reminded by this by seeing the image in my artist feed on furaffinity.