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Be honest with him.

16 (48.5%)

Lie to him.

5 (15.2%)

Show him the axe.

12 (36.4%)

Total Members Voted: 33

[Kinneus]

INTRO
I’ve long been a fan of both Dwarf Fortress and play-by-post roleplaying, and so I’ve decided to force-breed the two into a hideous abomination against God and Science/an enjoyable text-based experience.

The Scourge of Zonocol will follow a ‘Choose Your Adventure’ format. The readers (that’s you! All of you!) will be presented with situations with multiple choices. You will vote for your favorite choice in the poll above, and the choice with the most votes will be the action the player character takes. Feel free to discuss your choices here. Remember, you’re all working together to insure the best (or at least most interesting) ending.

COMBAT AND TRAPS
This game is inspired by Dwarf Fortress, so of course, there will be blood. Combat will be a simple dice-rolling minigame. Each attack the player character makes will have a 50% chance of landing, while each attack made against the player character will have a 50% chance of missing. Weapons can be found to improve your chances of landing a hit, and armor can be found to improve your chances of avoiding a hit. The first creature to take three hits dies, and combat continues until only one combatant is left standing. Remember, death in The Scourge of Zonzocol, like everywhere else in the Dwarf Fortress universe, is permanent.

Dice-rolls will be made using an online dice-roller and posted for your perusal, just to insure that there is no foul play. Please note that combat is not the only possible avenue for death in The Scourge of Zonzocol; if you activate a deadly trap, or awaken an entire demon army, for example, your character has only a 50% chance of escaping. If he or she fails to make this roll, they could very well die without getting a chance to fight their way out. Oops!

Also, please note that you can simply choose to ignore the dice-rattling, if you prefer. All combat scenes will be summarized in DF-inspired prose, full of eye-gouging, arm-breaking, vomit-throwing goodness.

SETTING
Zonzocol, or as it is called in the human tongue, “The Helmed Covens” was once a dwarven fortress of epic splendor. It was built deep within the bowels of a majestic, sweeping bluff, and farms and windmills above helped power the gearworks and legendary forges below. It was particularly famed for its stonecrafts and fine steel weapons, and there were even rumors of glittering adamantine hidden within Zonzocol’s depths.

Unfortunately, Zonzocol’s days of glory were all too fleeting. Somehow, the fortress attracted the ire of Oslanbecor (“Windtempted”) the Dragon. Windtempted began his assault four years ago by burning the windmills that powered the fortress. The fiend then destroyed Zonzocol’s front gate, effectively locking the dwarves of the fortress inside. Once the dwarves of Zonzocol starved to death, Windtempted blasted a hole in the side of the bluff, sealed it up with his mighty tail, and went into hibernation among the mountains of ill-gotten plunder, using the ruins of the once-mighty fortress as his new roost.

Zonzocol was all but forgotten until a trio of plucky adventurers discovered a mineshaft leading straight down into its long-lost tunnels and chambers. Dare they enter the scorched dwarven ruins? Dare they tempt fate, death, and Armok-knows-what-else deep beneath the world’s crust? Dare they battle Windtempted, “The Scourge of Zonzocol”?

GOALS
In order to achieve the ‘best’ ending, the trio of adventurers must achieve the following goals:
-Discover the lost Treasury of Zonzocol, so the three can retire in style.
-Slay Windtempted the Dragon, so that Quick can rejoin his tribe.
-Find a cure for Dirk’s dying village.
-Discover whether or not Digger truly hails from the lost clan of Zonzocol.
-A fifth and secret objective, to be revealed later!

A tall order, to be sure. But remember, this is the realm of Dwarf Fortress. Losing, especially in an unnecessarily gory fashion, can be fun as well!

CHARACTER BIOS
This trio of adventurers have discovered a secret entrance to the fabled Zonzocol. Unfortunately, the entrance is only large enough for a single adventurer to fit through, so your first choice will be who goes first into the abyss!

“Quick” Woodensteels, the Elven Exile
As a young elf, Quick was training to be the new Druid of his tribe, and was held to the strictest interpretation of their traditions. One day, however, the goblins attacked, and Quick did what he had to; he picked up one of the fallen goblin’s weapons and rallied his people to victory. It was only after the dust of battle had settled that Quick saw that the club he wielded was crafted from wolf bone. By using a weapon cut from a living beast, Quick had accidentally violated one of his people’s most sacred traditions. Quick was branded with the mark of exile, and cast out of his village. In honor of his service to his people, however, Quick was given one all-but-impossible chance at redemption. If he slew the forest-killing dragon Windtempted, he would be welcomed back into the bosom of his people. Once Quick heard that Dirk and Digger were heading to plunder Zonzocol, Windtempted’s last known roost, the elven outcast was quick to sign up.
Quick is a grim and aloof individual, having lost his sense of elven playfulness along with his tribe. Having once trained as an elven Druid, Quick has a slight glimmer of magick in his blood. His real talent, however, is his deadly accuracy with his bow, which he has used to survive in the harsh, unforgiving world since his exile.
Special Ability: As we all know, bows OMGWTFPWNZ0RZ all other weapons. In order to reflect this, any successful strike Quick makes has a 50% chance of killing his opponent instantly.

“Dirk” Siegedknives, the Human Rogue
Dirk has always been a treasure-hunter by trade, although he did tend to “hunt for treasure” primarily in the homes and mansions of the well-to-do. A notorious burglar, charlatan, and general all-round ne’er-do-well, Dirk has long terrorized the capital city of the humans, but recently, his thoughts have turned toward retirement.  A month ago, he tried to return to his home village to take a wife and retire from a life of “adventuring”. Unfortunately, upon returning, he found his village had been struck with a terrible plague. Everyone living there, including his childhood friends and family, are doomed to a slow, wasting death unless he discovers a cure within the next sixth months. His only hope is to find the research of the famed dwarven alchemist Unast Idorthikut, or “Unast Howlbook.” Hopefully, the old wizard invented a cure before he fell in the siege of Zonzocol. It’s a long shot, but unless Dirk succeeds, his entire village will surely die.
Dirk is quick-witted and charismatic, but unfortunately also very lazy and treacherous, long accustomed to a life of crime. Clever and agile, Dirk has a knack for getting into places he isn’t meant to get into, and is more than capable of defending himself with knives and short blades.
Special Ability: At the start of combat, Dirk has a 50% chance to automatically win. He might be able to run away, hide, or bluff himself out of combat… or he might just be able to land a knife in his adversary’s back.

“Digger” Hatchetsoldier, the Orphan Dwarf
Digger grew up in an orphanage in the human capitol city, apparently delivered there by her sick and ailing father, who died soon thereafter. The only thing she had to remember him by- her only link to her dwarven heritage- was a bronze hatchet with an inscription in dwarven. Having grown up around humans her whole life, Digger couldn’t read the inscription, something that frustrated her to no end. She spent most of her youth laboring away in a human-run mine outside of the city, slowly earning enough money to hire a tutor to teach her the dwarven tongue. As she slowly mastered the mysteries the dwarven language, the inscription on her ancestral axe became clearer and clearer. One day, she was able to understand it fully. It read, quite simply, “The First Axe of the Royal Guard of Zonzocol, Forged in 113.”
Determined to discover more of her heritage, she swallowed her distaste for the too-talls and signed up with Dirk and Quick. Digger carries with her the afore-mentioned hatchet, a fine steel pickaxe from her mining days, and an excellent understanding of the dwarven language and culture.
Special Ability: While the two other characters have only 50% chance of avoiding insta-death traps, Digger, due to her intricate knowledge of the insane dwarven mind, has a 90% chance of avoiding traps, making her the best explorer of the group.

The elven pariah, the clanless dwarf, and the human scoundrel. An unlikely party, if I do say so myself! Don’t worry, you’ll get a chance to play as all three, but for now, you must decide who will be first on the chopping block! Each has their own strengths; Quick might be able to cast a spell at an opportune moment, Dirk might be able to sweet-talk a cyclops, while Digger might be able to puzzle out a dwarven inscription on the wall. Most important of all, however, are their separate special abilities. Who will you choose? Will it be…

1.   Quick the Elf
2.   Dirk the Rogue
3.   Digger the Dwarf
Voting closes at midnight EST on Friday, August 22nd, and the first chapter of this epic saga will be posted shortly thereafter.

[Glacies]

Rouge is a color or a type of makeup.

[Kinneus]

Good catch. My bad.

[Kinneus]

I'm disappointed to announce that I have not yet received a single vote. I have extended the deadline to midnight EST on Sunday, August 24th. If you'd rather not send me an e-mail, you may go ahead and send me a private message on this boards.
This story won't happen without your votes, so please send them in!

[Deathbane]

the elf, for epic bow use

I thought id vote here so i could bump the topic, its too well thought out to be allowed to be forgotten without at least an attempt to get started!

[Mohreb el Yasim]

i prefer Digger ...

[Glacies]

Digger. Take your email off the post so the spiders don't get it.

[Kinneus]

Thanks for the votes, guys. This is just a reminder that you all have about 24 hours to submit your votes, and then we can finally get to some action!

Take your email off the post so the spiders don't get it.

I appreciate your concern, but 'dfadventure' is not my normal e-mail address (I like the game, but I don't like it that much). That account was created solely for the purposes of this thread. Frankly, I don't particularly care if the spiders get it, because I won't be checking it once this thread finishes it.
Anyway... that adventure begins Sunday, so be sure to get those votes in.

[Kinneus]

Final Tally:
Quick: 1 vote
Dirk: 0 votes
Digger: 2 votes
Digger it is.

“Not much of a hole now, is it?” Dirk muttered, eyeing the cramped shaft that presumably plunged into the ruins of fabled Zonzocol. “That’s the last time I trust a kobold for information.”

The tiny hole, no more than six feet wide but surely much, much deeper, was the only thing of note atop the windswept bluff. Windtempted had turned everything else to ash, char and glass in his siege four years ago. All that stood were the skeletal remains of two of Zonzocol’s famous windmills, their blackened and wasted forms sprouting from the ground like bony fingers from a grave. Between them was the hole, and around it, a trio of annoyed-looking adventurers.

Young Hatchetsoldiers, “Digger” as she was known to her friends, was the most annoyed among them. She had lived amongst humans her entire life, so she was quite used to Dirk’s dishonest nature, but something about that elven chap didn’t sit right with her. He was as silent as a mountain, and seemed to prefer fletching new arrows for himself over anything resembling conversation. On the rare occasions when he did deign to speak, it was usually nothing but elvish gibberish about “the voice of the wind” or “the sorrow of Brother Wolf.” Over the past week, Digger had learned to tune him out. There was something else, too, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on that made her feel ill-at-ease. Perhaps his elvish blood simply rankled her dwarven bones.

Dirk was equally grating, but in a familiar, more comfortable manner. It seems he had elected himself leader of the group, as humans are wont to do, and so Digger was not the least surprised when he leveled a finger at her.

“You, Digger. Live up to your namesake, eh? See if you can squeeze down there and widen it out a bit for us big’uns, will you?”

“And why should I?” Digger answered, though she had already begun to heft her well-worn pickaxe. “The men too frail and weak to do their own digging?”

“Nah, nah,” Dirk shook his head. “It’s not that. I’m merely asking out of propriety.”

“Propriety?”

“Yeah, you know… ladies first and all that.” Dirk smirked at his dwarven companion, and she impishly stuck out her tongue in response before setting to work. “I suppose we better get started on a base camp,” Dirk said, addressing Quick. The elf merely gave a slow nod, and then turned away, moving about the bluff to collect firewood. Dirk joined him, leaving Digger to her all-too-familiar labors.

The tunnel was cramped and poorly-dug, and after the first twenty feet or so, Digger began to suspect that it was more of an animal burrow than a proper entrance. The rough-hewn tunnel was hot and sweaty, and so small that at some points Digger had to lower herself onto her belly to progress. And yet it somehow, strangely, felt comfortable to her. Almost like home.

Digger had eased herself into a steady rhythm, the sharp bite of steel against stone adding a sharp staccato to the beat of her heavy breathing. But, all too suddenly, another melody joined in with the music of her labor; something dangerously fast and loud, a low rumble working itself into a deafening roar…

“Collapse!” she screamed, hoping desperately that her companions above could still hear her. Stone and rubble began to fill the tunnel behind her, sealing her in darkness as the collapse began to block off the light. Underfoot, she heard that mountain groan beneath her weight, and with a crash and rain of pebbles, she broke through.

Surfing on a landslide, Digger burst forth into empty space, and then plummeted, crashing against a smooth stone floor. Still dizzy and panicked from her brush with involuntary entombment, Digger took a moment to compose herself and allow her eyes time to adjust to the subterranean gloom. When she could finally make out the room, what she saw made her gasp in awe.

It was the grand entrance to Zonzocol, the Helmed Covens, in all its ruined splendor. Digger had burst from the high north wall, tumbling a good seven feet to the floor before landing amongst a hail of debris. The floor was polished to a gemstone-like gleam, though its beauty was now marred by layers of dust, soot, and mold. Cathedral-like struts and arches supported the ceiling, which was lost in an indistinct blackness, the torches that once illuminated it having long been spent.

The walls were covered in thin sheets metal. Upon closer inspection, Digger was stunned to discover that the walls were wrapped in steel, with bands of silver and gold dancing through it. Though the metalwork had long ago lost its luster, they appeared to be covered in engravings and bas-reliefs, spelling out the glorious history of the dwarves of Zonzocol. The artwork was damaged, however, no doubt in the final chaotic days of Zonzocol, as hunger drove the dwarves to increasingly desperate acts of madness and depravity. The north wall was particularly damaged, with two large seams cut into the metal plating. The first was the crack Digger had emerged from moments earlier, while the second was much larger and closer to the ground, and appeared to lead to a rough-hewn tunnel.

The western wall of the grand hall was dominated by a spectacular pile of rubble; loose bricks and boulders seemed to stack to the very ceiling. This, Digger surmised, must’ve been the grand gates of Zonzocol, destroyed in Windtempted’s assault. She could still see the skeletons of dwarves, some pinned beneath the rubble, others atop it. Digger was puzzled by this at first, until she realized that the poor, starving souls must’ve been trying to dig their way out with their bare hands, before slumping over in exhaustion. The realization sent a chill up Digger’s stout dwarven spine, and she resolved to stay away from the western edge of the room- the grand entrance to Zonzocol was hopelessly lost, and the rubble that marked its place still reeked of death.

To the east was a wooden drawbridge, which was unfortunately up, preventing further travel in that direction. It was constructed of rotting oak logs, lashed together with great bands of iron. On its underside was stamped the official seal of Zonzocol, the Winged Helm and Gear.

To the south was a great archway, with the words “The Great Stone Gearworks” written on in it every language Digger knew, and several she didn’t. Beyond she could hear the rhythmic clicking and clacking of what sounded like a truly massive feat of clockwork. The Great Stone Gearworks was flanked by two smaller, sealed doors, marked “Thedakmonz” and “Luslemmistem”… or “Clancrypt” and “Puzzledportal,” respectively. Clancrypt looked impassable, but Puzzledportal bristled with levers.

What should Digger do? Should she…
1.   Try to find some way to bring Quick and Dirk inside.
2.   Enter the Great Stone Gearworks.
3.   Approach Puzzledportal.
4.   Enter the dark crack in the northern wall, and see where it leads.
Voting ends at midnight EST Tuesday, August 26th!

[Kinneus]

Sorry for the gratuitous bump, but once again, I haven't received a single vote. I'm more than willing to extend the deadline again, of course, but I'd hate to have to discontinue this thread due to lack of interest.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to make this more accessible, interesting, or interactive, please don't hesitate to post them here.
And, as always, send in your votes!

[magikarcher]

I don't really wish to email you my vote, but I say choice number '1'.

EDIT: I know you would prefer an email, but this is the only way I will vote. What if you use the poll system BUILT IN to the forums. You CAN edit the choices.

[Kinneus]

What if you use the poll system BUILT IN to the forums. You CAN edit the choices.

Really? You'll have to pardon my ignorance; I've never used a forum before that allowed the editing of polls. Will it allow me to delete all previous responses when I change the poll (just because some one chooses options 1 the first time does not mean they'll want to vote for option 1 each and every time, after all)? Will it allow me to add and subtract the number of choices whenever I choose? Some situations will have as many seven or so possible responses, while some will have only two.
I'll have to play around with it, I guess.
EDITED TO ADD: I tooled around with the poll feature, and it looks like it'd be too awkward to edit the poll options every two days or so that this thread requires. Good idea, though.
For future reference, I don't mind if you post votes here. Post, e-mail, PM, all are fine.
In any event, I've decided to extend the deadline another day. Get your votes in before midnight on Tuesday.

[magikarcher]

Solution. Go to 'Edit Poll', then check that box that says 'Check this box if you want to reset poll count to 0'. Then bask in the glory that is your blank poll. Wow that last sentence was cheesy.

[Kinneus]

Excellent! Thanks man.
New, easier way of voting, folks. Now you all don't have any excuse.

[magikarcher]

No, no. Thank you. I really hope to see the progression of the story.