The sun slowly sets, your whole body aching as you make your way up the old dirt track. Every step sends up the lightest cloud of dust - the earth's last cold ashes make up so much of this endless, broken landscape it can at times be difficult to tell where one land ends and another begins. But you have seen the spires on the horizon for some time now, and you know you are almost there.
Set into a great chasm in the earth before you lies a vast temple, far larger than any of the grandest cities of man. Its spires reach past the grey clouds into the endless heavens, and the faintest smell of incense ascents to reach your nose. You're cautiously optimistic about the state of the place, but you can't help but give a faint smile. At the very least, your mission might be drawing to completion.
You breathe in deeply, the silence intoxicating. At least here, the storms that have ravaged so much else of the world seem to be gone.
"Who goes there?"
You nearly jump out of your skin, quickly turning to see the danger, weapon raised.
An elderly creature - something resembling a human, though it's so hard to be sure now - stands before you, hunched over. It clings to a gnarled and ashen branch for support in what seems to be an ultimately doomed effort to stop itself from collapsing over forwards.
You don't immediately answer the creature, noticing that it only has a single cycloptic eye set into its bald head - and even that appears to be malformed and scarred over.
"Well, who are you? I'm blind, not deaf - travelers to this sacred place are always so noisy, you know. Tell me who you are and what you seek, and perhaps..."
The creature gives a laugh like the dying, unholy union of a horse, a goat and an elderly dog.
"...I will help you. You are a traveler in need of help on your mission, yes? They always have a mission."
You've met hardly anyone else on your journey so far, and while you're not certain you trust this strange figure, you feel it can't hurt to tell it the basics... especially since you have no idea how to actually get to the temple entrance from here and there doesn't seem to be any easy way down on foot.
----
You are (pick one):
- Male
- Female
You are a (pick one or two):
- Warrior
- Scholar
- Pilgrim
- Orphan
- Fugitive
You are here because...
...you heard that this temple holds a way to save the world from ruin
...you received a letter from the last remaining person who matters to you
...there's nowhere else left - you'd heard this temple was the last safe refuge
----
Set into a great chasm in the earth before you lies a vast temple, far larger than any of the grandest cities of man. Its spires reach past the grey clouds into the endless heavens, and the faintest smell of incense ascents to reach your nose. You're cautiously optimistic about the state of the place, but you can't help but give a faint smile. At the very least, your mission might be drawing to completion.
You breathe in deeply, the silence intoxicating. At least here, the storms that have ravaged so much else of the world seem to be gone.
"Who goes there?"
You nearly jump out of your skin, quickly turning to see the danger, weapon raised.
An elderly creature - something resembling a human, though it's so hard to be sure now - stands before you, hunched over. It clings to a gnarled and ashen branch for support in what seems to be an ultimately doomed effort to stop itself from collapsing over forwards.
You don't immediately answer the creature, noticing that it only has a single cycloptic eye set into its bald head - and even that appears to be malformed and scarred over.
"Well, who are you? I'm blind, not deaf - travelers to this sacred place are always so noisy, you know. Tell me who you are and what you seek, and perhaps..."
The creature gives a laugh like the dying, unholy union of a horse, a goat and an elderly dog.
"...I will help you. You are a traveler in need of help on your mission, yes? They always have a mission."
You've met hardly anyone else on your journey so far, and while you're not certain you trust this strange figure, you feel it can't hurt to tell it the basics... especially since you have no idea how to actually get to the temple entrance from here and there doesn't seem to be any easy way down on foot.
----
You are (pick one):
- Male
- Female
You are a (pick one or two):
- Warrior
- Scholar
- Pilgrim
- Orphan
- Fugitive
You are here because...
...you heard that this temple holds a way to save the world from ruin
...you received a letter from the last remaining person who matters to you
...there's nowhere else left - you'd heard this temple was the last safe refuge
----
Spoiler Show
So, uh, yes! For those who don't know, 'CYOA' stands for 'Choose Your Own Adventure'. A 'forum quest' is another similar concept, though this project will probably be too light on mechanics or statistics to be a true 'Quest', so I figure that CYOA is the best term for this.
Basically, each time I post here will contain the next part of the story, and players can - if they want - vote on what will happen next based on the available options. I then tally up the votes, and the most popular answers will form the basis for the next post.
I know there aren't really any CYOAs or Quests on the forum - I'm not sure if that's because they're looked down upon, or there isn't really interest for them or what. I figure this is the best location on the forums for one, but I'm open to alternative locations if players want/moderators feel it belongs somewhere else.
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