[X] - Refuse! - nothing in this life comes for free, and the unspoken costs tend to be the highest of all, especially when they come from pretty mouths. Begone creature and touch my mind again at your own peril.
-[X] It is curious that Delai only appeared after you parted ways with children despite it being days since the putative sacrifice. Almost like she was blocked or afraid of one of them. Now, who could it possibly be...
[X] - Refuse! - nothing in this life comes for free, and the unspoken costs tend to be the highest of all, especially when they come from pretty mouths. Begone creature and touch my mind again at your own peril.
-[X] It is curious that Delai only appeared after you parted ways with children despite it being days since the putative sacrifice. Almost like she was blocked or afraid of one of them. Now, who could it possibly be...
[X] - Refuse! - nothing in this life comes for free, and the unspoken costs tend to be the highest of all, especially when they come from pretty mouths. Begone creature and touch my mind again at your own peril.
-[X] It is curious that Delai only appeared after you parted ways with children despite it being days since the putative sacrifice. Almost like she was blocked or afraid of one of them. Now, who could it possibly be...
She has bright orange hair, a color you've rarely seen on anyone, and her smile melts your heart slowly. She leaps into the surf, and you see that her body below her waist is not human at all; it's a deep violent with a split tail, like a fish, but studded with bright clear diamonds. As she swims, leaps and twists through the air, you start to realize she's putting on a show.
- Incredibly beautiful but sporting inhuman features
"You had quite the time on the Rude Awakening, did you not? So many dying in agony? So much pride and pleasure running through your crew? All for me? You shouldn't have, oh no~"
A yes! The 6 damned failure and the lie of perfection made in desperation by the aldary that like them at the end of their empire keeps failing and will continue to be a failure for eternity to come
Or a as I call him the failure who can't see the BBC 10th possibility who's "hope" will never teaching anything who's knowledge is worthless because he has no wisdom nor does he now how to use it use madness is self inflicted and change is unneeded
"Your deeds did not go unnoticed." The mermaid snuggles closer to you. "You're going to be attacked, very soon."
You raise an eyebrow. "…Is that it? I can handle whatever gets thrown at me."
"The Cult of the Drowned have foreseen the danger you pose." She says. "They will not underestimate you. Tell me, are you familiar with the legend of the Shiraken?"
You shake your head. "The white kraken? An old wives' tale."
Your mind drifts back to old stories the Queen used to tell you. A horrid leviathan from the worst nightmares of any sailor, a creature that cracked open galleons like a normal man tears apart paper. Even if such a creature existed, none would have survived its wrath.
"Only half true." She shakes her head. "There are creatures of that size, deep beneath the ocean waves, where the light of the sun has never touched."
You almost tell her that's bullshit too, but… now that she's said it, the realization hits you. Of course that was true; the further down you went, the darker the sea would become, and eventually it would simply be too deep for light to go through. And down there, size would be of great importance for both predation and temperature regulation.
"But like all things, they die. And the Cult has bound a spirit of immense power into the great white kraken." She says, drumming her fingers. "Formidable. A legend even you would take time to defeat. And that is part of their plan."
"At around the same time this creature strikes – perhaps a little before, perhaps a little after – your ship will be swarmed by the dead," she says calmly, "Those you slew on the Rude Awakening cry out for vengeance upon you, and they will be delighted to know you came for them so soon. They will climb aboard your ship from the sea and kill your crew and fling their bodies into the sea, but your crew will not die, oh no. The Cult's master will keep them alive, drowning forever, their lungs filling with water as their bodies rot from within, until the agony is too much to bear, and they succumb."
She pushes herself up over you, one arm on either side of your chest as her hair cascades around your face.
You frown. "They will fight."
"They'll lose."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Your crew is not ready for those things, oh no. They have killed men and women before but you cannot kill what does not live." She pauses. "Well, most of them aren't, anyway; Caihong might live. And your stowaway."
"My what?"
"Once your ship is destroyed and your crew lost to the sea," she continues, ignoring your question, "even if you return home they will see your trip into the Storm as the reckless foolishness they believed it to be. A captain with no crew is no captain at all. And without a ship you will be ill prepared for what is to come."
"Why tell me this?" You ask. "What good could it possibly do me to know this is coming if there's nothing I can do to change it?"
"Oh no! There is much you can do to change it. Above all, you can prepare your crew and yourself for what's coming." She curls a bit of hair around her index finger.
You scowl. "This would've been good information to have back when we were at port and could better prepare!"
She shrugs. "Well I'm here now, when you need me."
That seems a little odd to you. Surely, if she's able to enter your dreams now, she could've done it back at the shore. So why didn't she? You almost ask her, but instead you decide to keep that close to your chest. Perhaps you can figure that out later.
"I say don't reef your sails." She says. "The winds will grow strong, and carry you to your destination quickly, oh yes."
"You want me to keep the sails open in the middle of a storm?!" Your eyes widen. "The boat'll capsize!"
"Not in your hands, oh no, but that's besides the point." She says. "The point is to let them catch as much wind as possible. You'll outrun the beast and the drowned crew, they won't be expecting you to do that. You'll reach shallow waters long before the beast can arrive and prove a problem, oh yes. Or at the very least separate the two to make the fight easier."
You narrow your eyes. You've heard stories of sea spirits and creatures like Delai. They're not, necessarily, evil or have malevolent desires. But they are tricky. Even if they're trying to help – as Delai at least says she is – their advice could prove disastrous.
One of the first things any crew in a storm is supposed to do – before the storm even hits – is tie up their sails. If left open, the strong winds could easily capsize the entire vessel.
If she's saying that won't happen, then she might be telling the truth. Certainly, your own skill with navigating a storm makes that less likely. And yet… something in you doesn't trust her. The fairest creatures can prove the foulest, their beauty only meant to lure one in with promises.
You scowl. "Why should I trust anything you say? How do I know this isn't some pack of lies to capsize me in the middle of the storm?"
"Had I told you nothing you would likely have died anyway. Besides, why lie when we can get what we want with the truth?" Delai asks, sliding her fingers along your bare chest. "I want nothing more than your happiness, my-"
"Stop that." You grab her wrist and pull her hand off. "True or not, everyone wants something. So why tell me this?"
"……… the one I serve would… benefit, from the Cult of the Drowned's downfall". Her smile fades, and for a moment you see her face twist with disgust. "… And I would like very much to see the Cult drowned in its own blood. They are a vile, hopeless thing."
Well that sounded sincere. Finally getting somewhere. "And what does your master want?"
Her dazzling smile returns. "Take pleasure in what you do."
You raise an eyebrow. "That's all?"
"That's all." She leans closer, her hair cascading around your face. "Indulge your desires. Enjoy the food you eat, the rum you drink, the evils you slay, the company you keep, the gold you gather. And whenever you need help-"
The wind begins to blow, the white sand blowing up around you
"Ah. Time's up." She boops your nose, giggling. "I'll see you later, hun."
-
"Shanwei!" You wake to the sound of knocking at the door. "Shanwei, we're approaching the Storm. You'll need to guide us in." Eun calls.
You stretch out of the bed and pull yourself to your feet, limbs strangely weighted, as if you'd just gotten up from the beach. It was something no normal crewmate would've noticed in your movements, but you feel it keenly: Delai's absence.
It's strange. You knew her for maybe a few minutes and yet her affections linger in your mind. She had an unearthly beauty and her touches still tingled. You're not sure where to be confused, flattered, or disgusted.
You shake yourself. No time for watery tarts espousing promises in your dreams. You had a battle to prepare for.
You exit the captain's quarters and go to the upper deck, where your crew is readying for the storm as best they can. Meanwhile, you consider anything special to order for the incoming attack.
You've rarely had to handle storms on the sea, but that doesn't mean you never learned. The most important thing in such a situation is to keep the crew calm and prepared; the ship was tougher than any individual upon it.
There's a lot of various things you can do to prepare. Some of them are obvious choices – the crew has to know, obviously – but other options have clear trade-offs. You mentally rifle through your options, making some quick judgement calls on what needs to be done most.
"Crew! Listen up!" You yell, as the first drops of rain begin to fall.
-
Voting
Delai's told you an attack is coming. There will be an undead kraken, and an attack by drowned undead sailors who your crew will have trouble fighting against. What do you do to prepare?
(Due to the trade-off nature of the options here I'm going to ask for an overall plan rather than try to itemize every detail of the vote.)
[] - Plan name
[] – Reef the Sails?
-[] – Yes. (You'll roll up your sails; what sailors are supposed to do to avoid capsizing. However, the attack will come at the time and place the enemy chose, and you'll have to fight them off.)
-[] – No. (The ship will be carried to shore faster, potentially ahead of one or both of your attackers. However, your crew will be shaken by your decision and you risk capsizing.)
[] - Close the Gunwales?
-[] – Yes. (The Drowned zombies will be unable to enter through the lower decks, but the cannons will not be able to attack the kraken.)
-[] – No. (The cannons will be able to attack the kraken, but this also leaves an opening for the drowned to attack.)
[] – Order all hands below when the attack comes?
-[] – Yes. (Going below will force the enemy's attack into narrow corridors to get at your crew. Crew casualties will be reduced but the ship will be at the whim of the storm.)
-[] – No. (The ship needs to be controlled during a storm. They'll have to deal with the enemy swarming; there will be more casualties but the ship will be better controlled.)
[] – Focus on the zombies or the kraken (If both of these things hit you at the same time you'll have to choose what to prioritize. Note that Sun-Sin will not abandon either entirely.)
-[] – Zombies (The kraken can be outrun. But if the undead get on board the ship, they cannot be, and need to be thrown off.)
-[] – Kraken (If the kraken gets to the ship and cracks it open, it won't matter what was on it. They'll all die.)
[] - Write in;
---
Plans submitted (you do not have to copy the full plan, the name will be enough)
Submitted by @<o>U<o>
[] Stormslayer
[] – Reef the Sails?
-[] – Yes. (You'll roll up your sails; what sailors are supposed to do to avoid capsizing. However, the attack will come at the time and place the enemy chose, and you'll have to fight them off.)
[] - Close the Gunwales?
-[] – No. (The cannons will be able to attack the kraken, but this also leaves an opening for the drowned to attack.)
[] – Order all hands below when the attack comes?
-[] – Yes. (Going below will force the enemy's attack into narrow corridors to get at your crew. Crew casualties will be reduced but the ship will be at the whim of the storm.)
[] – Focus on the zombies or the kraken (If both of these things hit you at the same time you'll have to choose what to prioritize. Note that Sun-Sin will not abandon either entirely.)
-[] – Kraken (If the kraken gets to the ship and cracks it open, it won't matter what was on it. They'll all die.)
[] – Reef the Sails?
-[] – No. (The ship will be carried to shore faster, potentially ahead of one or both of your attackers. However, your crew will be shaken by your decision and you risk capsizing.)
[] - Close the Gunwales?
-[] – Yes. (The Drowned zombies will be unable to enter through the lower decks, but the cannons will not be able to attack the kraken.)
[] – Order all hands below when the attack comes?
-[] – No. (The ship needs to be controlled during a storm. They'll have to deal with the enemy swarming; there will be more casualties but the ship will be better controlled.)
[] – Focus on the zombies or the kraken (If both of these things hit you at the same time you'll have to choose what to prioritize. Note that Sun-Sin will not abandon either entirely.)
-[] – Kraken (If the kraken gets to the ship and cracks it open, it won't matter what was on it. They'll all die.)
Eh maybe. I'm not sure if it was the right decision to cut it off entirely there. Metagaming is a valid way to play a CYOA/Quest.
Like if the vote had been "I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SLAANESHI WHORE, FUCK YOU" then there'd be a problem but the 'begone thot' option wasn't that big of a stretch.
[X] - Stormslayer
[X] – Reef the Sails?
-[X] – Yes. (You'll roll up your sails; what sailors are supposed to do to avoid capsizing. However, the attack will come at the time and place the enemy chose, and you'll have to fight them off.)
[X] - Close the Gunwales?
-[X] – No. (The cannons will be able to attack the kraken, but this also leaves an opening for the drowned to attack.)
[X] – Order all hands below when the attack comes?
-[X] – Yes. (Going below will force the enemy's attack into narrow corridors to get at your crew. Crew casualties will be reduced but the ship will be at the whim of the storm.)
[X] – Focus on the zombies or the kraken (If both of these things hit you at the same time you'll have to choose what to prioritize. Note that Sun-Sin will not abandon either entirely.)
-[X] – Kraken (If the kraken gets to the ship and cracks it open, it won't matter what was on it. They'll all die.)
Sun-Sin has enough reason to doubt Delai's advice and besides; killing a kraken in the middle of a raging storm with the boat being thrown about is a certified Primarch moment.
I hate pretty ladies with strange swords gifts, so screw her advice and all the things she wants! I'm also really hoping that because we didn't tell her to pound sand this time that we'll get a bigger better chance to do so later.
Lets kill a kraken and be really stoic about it! Fuck Slaanesh pretty ladies with swords gifts.
[X]Master of the Storm
[X] – Reef the Sails?
-[X] – No. (The ship will be carried to shore faster, potentially ahead of one or both of your attackers. However, your crew will be shaken by your decision and you risk capsizing.)
[X] - Close the Gunwales?
-[X] – Yes. (The Drowned zombies will be unable to enter through the lower decks, but the cannons will not be able to attack the kraken.)
[X] – Order all hands below when the attack comes?
-[X] – No. (The ship needs to be controlled during a storm. They'll have to deal with the enemy swarming; there will be more casualties but the ship will be better controlled.)
[X] – Focus on the zombies or the kraken (If both of these things hit you at the same time you'll have to choose what to prioritize. Note that Sun-Sin will not abandon either entirely.)
-[X] – Kraken (If the kraken gets to the ship and cracks it open, it won't matter what was on it. They'll all die.)
Gonna put this here to play devil's advocate (literally). The basis of the plan is having faith in Sun-Sin's ability as a primarch specialized in naval matters to use unconventional methods that regular humans can't. Ideally, we fight neither enemy; if we have to fight one, it'll probably be up to Sun-Sin's personal power to overcome the challenge rather than the crew; if we have to fight both at the same time, we mitigate damage as best we can.
