Satan Quest, Featuring Mr. Satan [DBZ]

Them rolls. Seems like we almost made a friend and then embarrassed her. Still, we got some really nice results.

[X] The Legend of the Wolf King and the Sleeping Princess
 
Them rolls. Seems like we almost made a friend and then embarrassed her.

Just to make sure it's entirely clear, gaining Enmity with someone doesn't reverse any reputation you might have previously gained with them. It's not inherently part of that sliding scale (and in fact, under my system, losing reputation is actually a pretty rare occurrence).

Enmity is basically my attempt to model frustration.

It's a graduated status condition that temporarily makes them less easy to interact with, but will in most cases heal with time (or apologies, gifts, etc-- depends on the persons and relationship in question, really) unless you do something else to tick them off in the meantime.

Worth noting that you can gain Enmity with people you already have a negative relationship with, which generally means that you upset or frustrate them on a very personal level.
 
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So, just to check, but are we being railroaded into staying here? Because it kind of seems like it, what with our escape attempt resulting in us running into that wolf, and then being returned home. I'd personally prefer to go and explore the world, instead of remaining at some haunted mansion, or whatever.
 
So, just to check, but are we being railroaded into staying here? Because it kind of seems like it, what with our escape attempt resulting in us running into that wolf, and then being returned home. I'd personally prefer to go and explore the world, instead of remaining at some haunted mansion, or whatever.


As a child you're pretty much limited to the island. There's mechanical reasons for it also, but the primary narrative purpose is to keep things contained until some characters and relationship dynamics are established, and to give Mark time to be fully defined.

With a less social oriented build and/or the Paranoid defining personality trait you would've spent more time in the town's back alleyways or forests as opposed to the manor itself, but that would still be basically tackling the same plot threads from a different angle.

It's fully intended for the world to open up more as you become older, stronger, and more famous. Themes and all that jazz.
 
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As a child you're pretty much limited to the island. There's mechanical reasons for it also, but the primary narrative purpose is to keep things contained until some characters and relationship dynamics are established, and to give Mark time to be fully defined.

With a less social oriented build and/or the Paranoid defining personality trait you would've spent more time in the town's back alleyways or forests as opposed to the manor itself, but that would still be basically tackling the same plot threads from a different angle.

It's fully intended for the world to open up more as you become older, stronger, and more famous. Themes and all that jazz.
Why would our age limit us to one location? It didn't limit Goku or Krillin. Hell, Krillin was literally the same age we are, now, when he started training with Master Roshi.
 
[X] The Legend of the Wolf King and the Sleeping Princess

This looks pretty interesting. I've always enjoyed Hercule, so playing his origins and shaping his development is something I never knew I wanted.
Other things to add:

Ash is awesome, and I'm sad that we upset her.

Whatever happened with the Red Ribbon Army guy? Do they have ties with the Goetia? His disappearance and Mark getting dumped back with the Goetia just feels odd since the man's reveal of being part of the Red Ribbon Army at the very end was set up as a shock, an 'out of the oven and into the fire' twist, but nothing comes out of it;instead, Mark is reset back at the Goetia Manor.

Also, I'm curious: why did so many people chose Hero as being Mark's goal? In the beginning, everybody wanted to mirror his stats to Cannon!Satan aka high Charisma and Bravado; and low Strength and Dexterity; a person perfectly willing to be a butt kisser but is basically a clutz whose moves are are so bad that they can confuse the enemy. Following the roleplay of cannon trend, Fame wold be the most obvious dream since Hercule is a unrepentless, cocky braggart who loves the crowds and the attention they give him, yet nobody voted for it. Yeah, I know. Given the opportunity, people might want to erase this trait since they weren't a fan of it.

Family would've been a good dream too since Hercule's interactions with Buu and Videl are arguably where he get's most of his character development from. Plus, it a modest, heartwarming goal you never see enough of either in quests or real life.

But, instead of choosing either of those, Hero, which is the blandest/most overdone goal, was chosen. Again, I understand: it's DBZ and Shounen, but does everyone really want to retread the beaten-old path towards being a hero when we already have an unique concept here?

Honestly though, I'm fine with going Hero as long as it isn'the stereotypical hero. I'm personally holding out for Mark to become an Don Quixote-esque hero with him making a fool out of himself, and Mark riding to the rescue of a drowning maid only to knock himself out doesn't dissapoint.
 
Why would our age limit us to one location? It didn't limit Goku or Krillin. Hell, Krillin was literally the same age we are, now, when he started training with Master Roshi.
Comparing Mark to people who can tank shots to the head is a bit silly, even if they are the same age. Think of this as a long winded character prologue where we decide several aspects about Mark's childhood.
Family would've been a good dream too since Hercule's interactions with Buu and Videl are arguably where he get's most of his character development from. Plus, it a modest, heartwarming goal you never see enough of either in quests or real life.
Well, I voted for family for those exact reasons. Thought it would be neat as a goal. It should be noted that Mark trying to be a hero will increase his art growth, so I think we're going to see something much different, and in my opinion more realistic, in terms of a hero, so I'm not upset it won.
 
But, instead of choosing either of those, Hero, which is the blandest/most overdone goal, was chosen. Again, I understand: it's DBZ and Shounen, but does everyone really want to retread the beaten-old path towards being a hero when we already have an unique concept here?
Personally, I found Family an unappealing goal. I considered respect (Note: Not Fame), but in the end the whole 'do something that matters' thing most appeals to me.
 
Why would our age limit us to one location? It didn't limit Goku or Krillin. Hell, Krillin was literally the same age we are, now, when he started training with Master Roshi.


Your age is only a limiting factor insofar as I use it as a loose guide for when the quest's various parts are set to begin and end. For the duration of this particular section I'm keeping the setting constrained for mechanical and narrative reasons I outlined above.

As an aside, I should probably comment that Mark's progress is unlikely to be much akin to Goku or Krillin's. He's just a different sort of hero, not to mention working on an entirely different sort of scale, and I'm trying to give the quest its own sort of unique tone to match.


Whatever happened with the Red Ribbon Army guy? Do they have ties with the Goetia? His disappearance and Mark getting dumped back with the Goetia just feels odd since the man's reveal of being part of the Red Ribbon Army at the very end was set up as a shock, an 'out of the oven and into the fire' twist, but nothing comes out of it;instead, Mark is reset back at the Goetia Manor.


Ah, my apologies. What went on there was a bit clearer in a previous draft of update 5, but I ultimately cut the relevant bits for the sake of brevity.

The punchline was intended to convey that the Red Ribbon Army is a player in what's happening on the island, and was more aimed at you guys rather than Mark (as he has no idea what the RRA is). It's come up very briefly in his asides, but the RRA is attempting to persuade Lord Goetia to some end; "rescuing" (in a loose sense of the term) one of his sons and returning him to the manor is an extension of that.

The man in green is still around and will continue to be relevant in the future.


Honestly though, I'm fine with going Hero as long as it isn'the stereotypical hero. I'm personally holding out for Mark to become an Don Quixote-esque hero with him making a fool out of himself, and Mark riding to the rescue of a drowning maid only to knock himself out doesn't dissapoint.


There's a lot of potential ways I can see Mark being developed from here on out, but 'stereotypical hero' isn't how I'd personally describe any of them.
 
Your age is only a limiting factor insofar as I use it as a loose guide for when the quest's various parts are set to begin and end. For the duration of this particular section I'm keeping the setting constrained for mechanical and narrative reasons I outlined above.

As an aside, I should probably comment that Mark's progress is unlikely to be much akin to Goku or Krillin's. He's just a different sort of hero, not to mention working on an entirely different sort of scale, and I'm trying to give the quest its own sort of unique tone to match.

There's a lot of potential ways I can see Mark being developed from here on out, but 'stereotypical hero' isn't how I'd personally describe any of them.
So, this is more of a Choose Your Own Adventure story than a quest, then?
 
So, this is more of a Choose Your Own Adventure story than a quest, then?


I imagine that would depend on your personal definition of each, wouldn't it? For example, I'm not aware of any CYOAs that work based on majority vote. Or aren't entirely written before they're played, for that matter.

If your question is if the quest has a plot structure beyond providing a prebuilt world that the character acts upon and a mechanics system (as opposed to, say, CK2-style quests) then the answer is yes, that's quite evidently true.


What if we wish for it? What are the limits of the dragonballs? Is it possible to use it to change our race?


Mark has no idea what "dragonballs" are, wouldn't be disposed to believing in them if he did, and certainly wouldn't have the foggiest idea regarding any of those questions.

As far as myself, I'll confirm that the balls are a thing in this quest, but I'll plead the fifth regarding how they work in this continuity. I will say you shouldn't expect to be able to get your hands on them trivially, though.
 
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749 - 8 - Looking Back
There was once an island of men scarcely more than animals, with only a pauper among them whom knew of ambition.

One day as he sat in lonely squalor, the pauper said to himself, "While the others remain content with dust and silt, I remain unsatisfied. I shall rule the men and the woman, and with this shall become contented."

And so, using his fists and wits, the pauper made each man, woman and child give him nod, and constructed a crown and throne of river clay. However, the pauper-king, having gained what he sought, was not contented.


"What use is a kingdom of dust and silt?" the pauper-king said to himself, "while the others remain content under my rule, I remain unsatisfied. I shall conquer the land, and with this shall become contented."

And so, rallying the people, the pauper-king king harnessed the land and ate his fill of the animals that scurried beneath the trees. The people, having once feared the animals of the dark, turned torch and spear to those who had once hunted them, and gave thanks to their king for bringing them contentment.

However, the pauper-king alone saw he had not gained what he sought. Lurking in the shadows remained a wolf, a clever animal who traveled from across the seas, who hunted men and child alike.


"Should you sate my hunger, I shall not take from your people," the wolf said to him, and the pauper-king gave his reluctant nod.

"What use is there in a kingdom that produces food for a beast?" the pauper-king said to himself, "while the wolf may be content, I remain unsatisfied. I shall conquer the woods where shadows lurk, and with this shall become contented."

And so, the pauper-king brought sunlight to the trees and built yet greater flames to hunt the creatures that lurked in the dark. The people built villages and walls of wood, and gave thanks to their king for bringing them contentment.

However, the pauper-king alone saw he had not gained what he sought. Lurking in the stones by the ocean, far from the flame, remained the wolf, a clever animal who avoided the eyes of man and drew near the pauper-king alone.


"My appetite grows, and no longer shall the animals of the wood alone sate my hunger," the wolf said to him. "Should you sate my hunger, I will teach you to hunt prey greater than yourself." The pauper-king gave his reluctant nod.

"What realm remains to be conquered?" the pauper-king said to himself. "While lesser men may be content, I remain unsatisfied. I shall conquer the seas to feed the wolf and gain his knowledge, and with this shall become contented."

And so, the pauper-king built great ships and galleys, and nets and rods and spears for catching the creatures that lurked in the surf. The people carried glittering pearls and shells of iridescent color, fish and serpents who lurked in the abyss, and ate well upon the wealth of the ocean. They traded with people across the oceans, and grew large with pride and appetite.

The wolf feasted well upon the prosperity of men, and looked upon the pauper-king who came to him for knowledge.


"Beyond the sea of the sky lie boundless realms remaining to be taken," the wolf said to him. "My appetite grows, and no longer shall the beasts of this island sate my hunger. Should you feed me yet more, I shall teach you the secrets of the heavens below and above, and together we shall devour the moon as it sleeps." However, the pauper-king could not nod.

As the wolf devoured and grew, less and less remained. The people were no longer contented, and the pauper-king could see not how to traverse the lands beyond men. Despite what he had gained, the wolf remained greater still.

So the man called the great moon, rousing from its sleep midst the unconquerable sky:


"I have become contented, but for the wolf that demands yet more!" he cried. "Lend me your aide but once, and I and my kin shall be forever indebted."

The princess of the moon descended from the skies, and with a single stroke cleaved the cunning head from the body of the wolf great wolf. So large was the body that its corpse became a great hill– and so clever the dark mind of the great beast, that it fled from death itself, surrounding itself in the darkest crevice it could find.

Within the darkness of the pauper-king's eye, the wolf remained– drew forth only when he looked upon the perfection of the moon.

The princess of the moon drew to him and said, "Though the wolf remains, you must be satisfied. A wolf-king you were, now a wolf you must be; henceforth content with what you have."

And so, rallying the people, the wolf-king honored the princess of the moon, who could not return to the sky after having fallen so far. That same night, she took to bed, and slept, so that none would never need gaze upon her again.

And thus they were all contented– so long as the wolf never put its gaze once more towards the moon.

Sometimes what mattered was where you saw things from, Mark reflected.

In his memories, Lemegeton town was a mess of dirty streets connected by long avenues where dirty children weren't welcome, and had at least twice as many emaciated beggars as it did 'respectable' citizens.

He knew he could shake anyone on his trail through the back alleys with his eyes closed, but part of him was starting to wonder if the coach hadn't brought him to some city on the mainland instead. He was sure this thing wasn't part boat, right?

The moment he passed through Goetia's iron gates, he really had been trapped. Nothing looked the same any more.

He didn't sigh, but did set his mouth in line. Well, it wasn't like he would've recognized himself, all dolled up as he was, anyway. Growing up in the gutters taught him nothing was permanent; even if it took him by surprise, adapting to whatever life could throw his way was how he'd come out smelling like a rose.

That said, survival was starting to become a tougher and tougher goal, Mark thought to himself as he brushed the sweat from his neck. He couldn't see movement from his peripheral, so he had to assume Bael was still glaring at him.

Mark decided that there wasn't a street in Lemegeton mean enough to be half as threatening as sitting in arm's reach of his brother.

He was probably still sore over dinner.

"Master Mark," said the sickly-sweet voice from his left. Bael could only occupy the front of the carriage with his bulk, but that didn't mean that Mark wasn't surrounded. "Perhaps you don't fair well with moving vehicles? It is simply painful to watch you in such a state," said Bael's familiar handmaiden, of whom Mark was acutely aware.

"I... uhm, n-nah, it's no big deal m-ma'am," Mark managed to mutter. The response was an insincerely overdawn gasp.

"Sir, you surely embarrass this humble servant with such a title," she said with a strong note of reproach, not looking embaressed in the slightest. From across the far too small space between the seats, Bael continued to attempt to bore a hole through his head using just his eyes.

Ash seemed to hold a grudge too.

Whatever he'd messed up earlier with (which he still wasn't clear on), she clearly hadn't cooled on entirely overnight, which was itself pretty terrifying. While Bael was the type he expected bad things out of, he was getting a strong feeling that Ash's cleverness extended beyond tying him up in conversational knots– what she might do to the people she didn't like, he didn't want to think about.

Besides, he was still a little embarrassed about messing up his rescue attempt earlier.

Mark had a fair feeling none of the three were particularly happy about being sardine-canned into the same coach. Bael seemed to have a wariness of his personal servant for some reason, and she in turn had gone out of her way to avoid addressing her actual master in any way since they departed the manor.

Mark had to admit he was a little curious, even if he had absolutely zero desire to ask either one about it at the moment, but fortunately, their destination was down-hill and hardly took them any time at all. It had been scarcely a half-hour since Goetia had sent them down from the manor on an errand.

At first, Mark didn't quite understand what he meant when he brought it up.

"Mark, might I bother you to travel to town for a day?" the old man had asked in the morning, shortly after breakfast was brought in. "I myself have an errand to run elsewhere in town, and Shaz himself has duties to locate a particular martial artist returning from the mainland..." he said, referring to the finely-dressed male head servant who prepared his own meals.

Still somewhat baffled at the idea he wasn't being held hostage at the manor, Mark had consented without giving it too much additional thought, agreeing to pick up a small short list of complicated-sounding books for his foster father. Of course, it had turned out that Bael –and Bael's retainer– had also taken advantage of the occasion for their own ends. Hence, the current situation.

Eventually the carriage came to a stop, and the pressure in the room was forcibly released. Bael strode out first, and as if he owned the town (which, upon reflection, he very nearly did), strolled out into the town with nary a word further to any of them.

Mark released a deeply held breath.

He noticed Ash smirk from the corner of his eye, and he couldn't help thinking it was due to how pathetic he looked.

"My hero," she drawled as she passed, quietly enough that it might be mistaken for something else, and primly strode up to Shaz. The two servants performed a short exchange of hushed words, and shortly thereafter Ash took off on her own through the town.

–In an entirely different direction from where Bael went. Mark's brow furrowed just a little.

Shortly afterwards, Shaz made his way to Mark himself, all smiles. "Young master Mark, after completing your fathers errands, you are free to spend your day as you desire," he said with a broad, bright-looking grin. It wasn't the same insincere grin as Ash was prone to, but Mark couldn't fully trust it either.

"I myself shall be searching the town looking for a particular martial artist. Humbly, I would request that should you chance upon any information as to the location of a certain 'Master Satan', you would ferry the information to my person at your earliest convenience."

The name meant nothing to Mark and, besides, there was a lot more to think about it, so Mark merely nodded and parted from Shaz at his earliest convenience. He turned left at a familiar street corner, and briefly reflected on a memory of chipping a tooth not far from here, a few weeks back.

He really was back in the town, wasn't he? It'd only been a few days, but...

He shook his head, and moved on.

-

"The princess of the moon is the source of Lord Goetia's power, there's no two bones about it."

The woman looked around furtively before hushing her voice.

"They say he keeps her locked up in the highest tower, and that's where he gets his magic power from," she whispered with twinkling eyes. "The Goetia's have always been a sorcerous folk, so it'd be none too out of character."

Mark figured it would be best to nod slowly. The light in the woman's eyes was just a little too bright for his liking.

"There've been tales for years and years, talkin' about their black magic and rituals and whatnot, tryin' to release the Wolf again," she went on, tapping nails against the counter.

Deciding to get Goetia's errand out of the way immediately, Mark decided to look a bit more into a book he'd discovered in their own library while he was at it.

His reading wasn't the best even now, but even the basic gist of the story felt like a stone falling into his gut. If there was a chance that the Goetia family was more closely related to that wacked-up wolf that hit him like a truck, he wanted to know more about it. And preferably ensure that it never happened again.

Goetia's list of complicated, possibly foreign texts didn't seem to incite any reaction, but unfortunately, it turned out bringing up the topic of 'old fables relating to the Goetia' to the librarian was a poor idea.

"They say the Moon Princess sleeps most of the year, but gives phenomenal magical power when she's awake," she said, with eyes glittering. "So us town people, we're always mighty suspicious when it feels like big things are going up on that hill up there..."

Mark thanked her for her time, and turned away. He sighed loudly; that was a waste of time, in all likelihood.

Well, he was back in town again. He considered, briefly, what his current goal should be.
-

Free Time: Lemegeton Village
(Pick 3)

+[ ] Spend some time in your old territory. (Train Street Fighting, easy Mettle check to avoid injury)
+[X] Get your injuries looked at by another professional. (Accelerate injury healing, Spirit check for healing bonus.)
+[ ] Look for more rumors and information. (Guile check. Provides information, may increase reading skill.)
-[ ] About the Goetia family history.
-[ ] About Goetia's actions.
-[ ] About the local wolf problem.
-[ ] Write in

+[ ] Seek out the Red Ribbon soldier. (Luck + Guile check, Charisma check for possible reputation bonus.)
+[X] Help seek out Goetia's fighter. (Luck + Guile check, Power check for possible reputation bonus.)

+[X] Make peace with Ash. (Removes Enmity. Charisma check for Reputation bonus. Other possible bonuses.)

+[ ] Attempt to make peace with Bael. (Moderate Charisma check to remove Enmity. Possible reputation bonus. Other possible bonuses.)

+[ ] Fool around. (Luck Check on the Random Events table. May lead to bonuses, disadvantages, or just nothing happening.)
+[ ] Write in (Subject to veto, unknown consequences.)


This is the first Free Time event you have. Free Time crops up between big events or arcs, and basically serves as your chance to do housekeeping, shore up existing skills, set the trajectory for future actions, and/or prepare for things that are upcoming.
Free Time is also generally used as the standard opportunity to improve your Martial Art Styles, though that has a lower emphasis at the moment, as you still only have a single 'style'.
 
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+[X] Look for more rumors and information. (Guile check. Provides information, may increase reading skill.)

+[X] Help seek out Goetia's fighter. (Luck + Guile check, Power check for possible reputation bonus.)

+[X] Make peace with Ash. (Removes Enmity. Charisma check for Reputation bonus. Other possible bonuses.)
 
+[X] Spend some time in your old territory. (Train Street Fighting, easy Mettle check to avoid injury)
+[X] Look for more rumors and information. (Guile check. Provides information, may increase reading skill.)
+[X] Help seek out Goetia's fighter. (Luck + Guile check, Power check for possible reputation bonus.)
 
+[X] Look for more rumors and information. (Guile check. Provides information, may increase reading skill.)

+[X] Help seek out Goetia's fighter. (Luck + Guile check, Power check for possible reputation bonus.)

+[X] Make peace with Ash. (Removes Enmity. Charisma check for Reputation bonus. Other possible bonuses.)
 
+[X] Spend some time in your old territory.(Train Street Fighting, easy Mettle check to avoid injury)
+[X] Help seek out Goetia's fighter. (Luck + Guile check, Power check for possible reputation bonus.)
+[X] Make peace with Ash. (Removes Enmity. Charisma check for Reputation bonus. Other possible bonuses.)
 
[X] Spend some time in your old territory.(Train Street Fighting, easy Mettle check to avoid injury)

[X] Help seek out Goetia's fighter. (Luck + Guile check, Power check for possible reputation bonus.)

[X] Make peace with Ash. (Removes Enmity. Charisma check for Reputation bonus. Other possible bonuses.)
 
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