[ You're on a mission. You know that there has been a breach in the walls that protect the area. As new soldiers, you have been tasked with riding out on horses to warn the people who live away from the city about the dangers, to urge them to escape and seek shelter and to examine the wall, looking for where the breech might be. You ride out as quickly as you can, urging the horses to gallop faster. Ahead of you ride some of the senior members of your company, dressed in uniform. If you're worried about standing out, don't be as there are four others there with you not wearing the military uniform. Time is of the essence if you don't warn the civilians fast, then maybe--
You see something in the distance: smoke billowing into the air. You head in that direction and see a village. The houses are destroyed, with stone walls caved in and straw thatched roofs with massive holes There are large trees with trunks snapped in half. Rubble litters the ground, spilling out into the roads between the houses. The smoke does come from the houses, but not from the destruction. No, the smoke comes from the remaining chimneys that are still standing. At the far edge of the village, you can see an odd shape that seems to stand out from the other signs of destruction.
[The change in surroundings is almost welcome. When you have been living in a junkyard for a few weeks already, this sort of thing is a nice change of pace.
Or it'd be, if it wasn't for the destroyed village over there. Revali looks at it, a tad conflicted. It's not a village from Hyrule, but looking at it sure brings to mind how many, many villages got destroyed. That there's no fire roaring everywhere is a nice consolation, though, and at least this one has zero monsters, he thinks. Not that he'd feel afraid of them, it just is nice nothing has leaped to kill them.
Yet.
Revali looks around]
Looks like whatever happened here didn't kill everybody. Good.
[If there's smoke coming from the chimneys it means people are alive! Probably.
So! Should we go check the odd shape over there at the far edge of the village, guys?]
[ Rex has to struggle to maintain his vision as they trot along, considering the wounds that seep into his eyes. But eventually he manages to clear his vision long enough to get a good look at the village before them. ] Looks like we're a little late to do any "warning."
[ y'know. considering whatever they would've warned the villagers about seems to have already come to pass. ]
I'm checking it out.
[ Without hesitation, Rex urges the horse onwards and gallops straight for the whatever-it-is in the distance. ]
[ Luckily, the seniors with you seem to be aware of what to do. They start fanning out across the village. They get off their horses, not wanting to risk injuring them by maneuvering through the rubble that litters the ground. One of them is taking charge, directing the others on where to go and what to look for.
One of the ones who isn't wearing the uniform seems to be in the same mind as Rex and seems to be charging straight ahead for the shape in the distance. He seems more focused than Rex, wanting to get there as fast as possible.
Does Rex listen to our current braincell friend and sit tight? Do the others follow the Good Boy? ]
[Definitely following Rex and the Good Boy, certainly! Rex has the right attitude here, as far as Revali is concerned! He calls to Yukio -- and Roxis, probably:]
Come along!
[What kind of fighter doesn't rush into danger? Not these ones, apparently]
[ Rex does not listen, no, but he's not stupid. And he's not as intensely focused on going for the shape as the Good Boy. Rather, he intends to get in closer to a point where he can get a good view, and then dart for shelter to take his time examining the thing and figure out a next course of action.
Getting closer to the distant object, is there any cover? Buildings or rubble, or some vegetation to hide behind? ]
[ As they get closer, they can see the Good Boy has not stopped and has kept going. He has a goal and he won't stop until he sees it through.
There is definitely lots of cover for Rex and the others to hide behind: buildings, rubble, bushes or trees.
The shape you see in the distance is the ruins of a house. What makes these ruins stand out from the others is the large humanoid figure that is lying across the house. The Good Boy has stopped and is staring in horror at the figure and the house. ]
[Definitely stopping on his tracks when he sees what's lying there]
What the--?!
[Absolutely shocked, honestly! This is...something! Definitely not getting close at all, he's hiding behind anything. That...human? Is that what these are called? If it's not dead, that gigantic human could easily reach over if anyone was in plain sight.
Still, that this guy stopped really bothers him. Once Revali is hiding near one of the other four people he knows, he says to them:]
[ guess who forgot to track this thread, it's me. anyway why do people always go rushing off... but that's fine, roxis will have to settle for believing they can take care of themselves for now or at least not get in too much trouble in the span of five minutes or so.
what are the seniors directing them towards? is this search and rescue, at this point, since it clearly seems danger has already caught up with whoever it is that lives here? are they looking for survivors? people caught under the rubble? supplies to stop the fire?
For those who want to gather information: The seniors are directing towards the edges of the village at first, working their way inwards. They are treating it as a search and no rescue. They seem pretty sure that what came through the village would have left no survivors. The seniors are poking their heads through the holes in the houses, but then pulling them out with a confused expression.
As you walk around the village, you see large, humanoid footprints that seem to originate from seemingly nowhere. By large, they seem to belong to creatures that are at least several meters high. The footprints appear and then seem to move away from the village.
The others who are not wearing uniforms consider for a moment before giving chase after the Good Boy. They have their priorities, it seems.
For those who gave chase: The giant humanoid figure seems to just be lying on the house. It's not moving, except for the eyes that seem to focus in on the Good Boy. It just lays there and watches him. He seems to be in shock as he looks at the figure. He starts to stammer out something. It starts off faint, but you hear the end of it. ]
[ oh, crap. This can't be good. Rex doesn't know what to expect, but the fact that this...grotesque humanoid thing is aware and looking at the boy is setting off alarm bells in his head.
He jumps off the horse because he isn't really an accomplished horse rider and doesn't trust that he'll be able to stay discreet with it. As it is, he sprints as fast as he can towards them, as close as he can get to the boy and the monster while still having a spot to hide from its gaze.
He doesn't want to jump in without knowing what's happening, but he wants to be close enough to enter the fray if he has to. ]
[You know what? Yukio isn't going to go rushing off into danger quite yet. There's nothing obviously under attack, no fight currently happening that needs to be ended, so he'll do some investigation.
What will he find, if he looks in a house after the others pull away in confusion?]
[ Night has approached much faster than expected. The senior members have distributed torches to you and everyone. The torches don't give off much light, only illuminating your immediate surroundings. There are no more villages in the area, so the seniors have ordered for you to continue with examining the wall for any breaches. In the dead of night, you can't go any faster than a slow walk, not when the only light you have being the torches. To your right, you see the wall loom high above you. In this light, you can't see how high it goes. For all you know, the wall could go on forever. There is silence among everyone around you, the only sounds being the steps of the horses on the ground. So far you haven't seen any holes in the wall big enough for titans to get through. Tensions are running high. It's been this way for hours. Will you find the breech? When will you find the breech? What will you find there when you do? What will you do if you find more and more Titans?
As these questions flow through your mind, in the distance, you see a flickering of lights. Your horses are urged forward just the tiniest bit faster. As you get closer, you see people wearing the same uniform as your seniors. One of your seniors speaks out to them. ]
[ All the soldiers look at each other strangely. They argue about how they must have missed the breach in the wall, before noting that it's late. They need to find someplace to rest for the night. One of them notices a building in the distance.
The ruins of a small castle spread out in front of you. The outer walls, which were once the initial lines of defense, are now crumbled. Within the ruins of the outer walls, you can see another set of walls in the shape of a pentagon that surrounds the main part of the castle. These are slightly higher than the outer walls. As you walk into the grounds of the castle, you can see the top two walls are completely broken, leaving only three walls standing. Inside the walls, there is an empty courtyard with a small stable and a stair that connects the ground with the walls and the base of the towers.
At the base of the pentagon, the most prominent part of the castle are the two towers, one thicker and bigger than the other. The top of the thinner tower is broken, however the two are still connected by a small bridge.
As you settle in within the larger tower, the other senior soldiers set up a small campfire and are talking amongst themselves. You see one who finds a bottle of wine and is excited by the fact before being chided by the others. Another one speaks directly to you all. ]
"Rest well. Daylight ended a while ago, so there's shouldn't be any titans moving around right now. Just to be safe, we're gonna take turns being on lookout.
We'll head back out four hours before dawn."
[ There is a door to your side and a set of stairs going up. Joining you around the campfire is Connie, the blond boy and these two girls. ]
[This all feels almost familiar to Revali. Sure brings memories of his time with the Rito military. Lookouts, campfires, the possibility of attacks...well, at least here it seemed titans attacked during daylight? Must be nice to be able to sleep during the night without the possibility of attacks coming out of nowhere.
Revali eyes the door, wondering if it's unlocked. Would these people he's with wonder what's up with him if he goes and checks it? Hmmmm...
...
Probably. Should he care? Certainly not. He's not sure if all this is an elaborate illusion or if somehow they really are somewhere else and nobody bats an eye at the strange guys who somehow joined these forces all of a sudden, but he probably won't see them ever again once this is all over. Revali goes and softly pushes the door. Is it unlocked? Not really opening it yet]
[ roxis, despite the fact that's he's combat trained, is a civilian. a student of alchemy, studying at a school held separate from the rest of civilization by design, where no one without the gift can reach. he's used to late nights and long wilderness trips, ones that go overnight and into the next morning and then into the next day and then some.
but this sort of organization and drilling is a bit different from the more loose organization and coordination of their workshop. he doesn't trust these people half as much, for one thing.
they've searched for hours and there's no breach. according to the other groups, they've found nothing either. the conclusion is obvious, then: the titans came from within the walls. it's just that...
that sounds like something he doesn't want to say in front of present company? like connie? those girls? the blond boy who insisted there was nothing to hear? hm. yeah. ]
[ Connie looks down at the fire for a moment before he speaks up. ]
"Thing thing about that titan on my house is that... somehow it's appearance... really reminded me of... my mom. What the hell does that mean?"
[ The blond boy speaks up. ]
"Connie, you still keep saying that nonsense. Are you some kind of blithering idiot?"
[ And then the dark haired girl speaks. ]
"BWAHAHAHA! YOUR MOM WAS A TITAN, CONNIE?! Then how come you're such a midget?! Facts kinda don't add up that way, you know!"
[ She's so loud she's even pulling the attention of the seniors. She keeps talking, saying again and again how stupid the thought is. Enough to the point that Connie looks sheepish. ]
"Alright already, quiet Ymir!"
[ You feel relief at how Ymir managed to get Connie to drop the idea that his mom was the titan on the house.
With all that, once everyone settles down, everyone looks about ready to get to sleep. Do you join them or do you explore? ]
[ obviously we explore. key word there is we, because if the others aren't doing that then going off on his own sounds like a terrible idea. but if the others are coming with, we're exploring.
the relief is ... a little disorienting, though. one part of him is decidedly glad the subject was dropped; but a more distinct portion also argues why don't they want that particular topic being pursued? do they know something? they're hiding something.
local alchemist distrustful of our guiding NPCs and soldiers, more news at 11. ]
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INTRODUCTION
You see something in the distance: smoke billowing into the air. You head in that direction and see a village. The houses are destroyed, with stone walls caved in and straw thatched roofs with massive holes There are large trees with trunks snapped in half. Rubble litters the ground, spilling out into the roads between the houses. The smoke does come from the houses, but not from the destruction. No, the smoke comes from the remaining chimneys that are still standing. At the far edge of the village, you can see an odd shape that seems to stand out from the other signs of destruction.
How do you approach? ]
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Or it'd be, if it wasn't for the destroyed village over there. Revali looks at it, a tad conflicted. It's not a village from Hyrule, but looking at it sure brings to mind how many, many villages got destroyed. That there's no fire roaring everywhere is a nice consolation, though, and at least this one has zero monsters, he thinks. Not that he'd feel afraid of them, it just is nice nothing has leaped to kill them.
Yet.
Revali looks around]
Looks like whatever happened here didn't kill everybody. Good.
[If there's smoke coming from the chimneys it means people are alive! Probably.
So! Should we go check the odd shape over there at the far edge of the village, guys?]
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[ y'know. considering whatever they would've warned the villagers about seems to have already come to pass. ]
I'm checking it out.
[ Without hesitation, Rex urges the horse onwards and gallops straight for the whatever-it-is in the distance. ]
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Wait! [Yukio calls, as Rex starts to run off.]
We'll get there soon enough, don't just rush into danger!
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One of the ones who isn't wearing the uniform seems to be in the same mind as Rex and seems to be charging straight ahead for the shape in the distance. He seems more focused than Rex, wanting to get there as fast as possible.
Does Rex listen to our current braincell friend and sit tight? Do the others follow the Good Boy? ]
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Come along!
[What kind of fighter doesn't rush into danger? Not these ones, apparently]
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Getting closer to the distant object, is there any cover? Buildings or rubble, or some vegetation to hide behind? ]
cw body horror
There is definitely lots of cover for Rex and the others to hide behind: buildings, rubble, bushes or trees.
The shape you see in the distance is the ruins of a house. What makes these ruins stand out from the others is the large humanoid figure that is lying across the house. The Good Boy has stopped and is staring in horror at the figure and the house. ]
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What the--?!
[Absolutely shocked, honestly! This is...something! Definitely not getting close at all, he's hiding behind anything. That...human? Is that what these are called? If it's not dead, that gigantic human could easily reach over if anyone was in plain sight.
Still, that this guy stopped really bothers him. Once Revali is hiding near one of the other four people he knows, he says to them:]
We should get that guy out of sight.
[Just in case]
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what are the seniors directing them towards? is this search and rescue, at this point, since it clearly seems danger has already caught up with whoever it is that lives here? are they looking for survivors? people caught under the rubble? supplies to stop the fire?
they need info, not running off!! ]
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For those who want to gather information: The seniors are directing towards the edges of the village at first, working their way inwards. They are treating it as a search and no rescue. They seem pretty sure that what came through the village would have left no survivors. The seniors are poking their heads through the holes in the houses, but then pulling them out with a confused expression.
As you walk around the village, you see large, humanoid footprints that seem to originate from seemingly nowhere. By large, they seem to belong to creatures that are at least several meters high. The footprints appear and then seem to move away from the village.
The others who are not wearing uniforms consider for a moment before giving chase after the Good Boy. They have their priorities, it seems.
For those who gave chase: The giant humanoid figure seems to just be lying on the house. It's not moving, except for the eyes that seem to focus in on the Good Boy. It just lays there and watches him. He seems to be in shock as he looks at the figure. He starts to stammer out something. It starts off faint, but you hear the end of it. ]
"--t's my... home..."
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He jumps off the horse because he isn't really an accomplished horse rider and doesn't trust that he'll be able to stay discreet with it. As it is, he sprints as fast as he can towards them, as close as he can get to the boy and the monster while still having a spot to hide from its gaze.
He doesn't want to jump in without knowing what's happening, but he wants to be close enough to enter the fray if he has to. ]
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REGROUPING
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splitting the party
What will he find, if he looks in a house after the others pull away in confusion?]
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The Tower
As these questions flow through your mind, in the distance, you see a flickering of lights. Your horses are urged forward just the tiniest bit faster. As you get closer, you see people wearing the same uniform as your seniors. One of your seniors speaks out to them. ]
"You guys are running along the wall as well?"
"Yeah, so…
Where's the breach located?"
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The ruins of a small castle spread out in front of you. The outer walls, which were once the initial lines of defense, are now crumbled. Within the ruins of the outer walls, you can see another set of walls in the shape of a pentagon that surrounds the main part of the castle. These are slightly higher than the outer walls. As you walk into the grounds of the castle, you can see the top two walls are completely broken, leaving only three walls standing. Inside the walls, there is an empty courtyard with a small stable and a stair that connects the ground with the walls and the base of the towers.
At the base of the pentagon, the most prominent part of the castle are the two towers, one thicker and bigger than the other. The top of the thinner tower is broken, however the two are still connected by a small bridge.
As you settle in within the larger tower, the other senior soldiers set up a small campfire and are talking amongst themselves. You see one who finds a bottle of wine and is excited by the fact before being chided by the others. Another one speaks directly to you all. ]
"Rest well. Daylight ended a while ago, so there's shouldn't be any titans moving around right now. Just to be safe, we're gonna take turns being on lookout.
We'll head back out four hours before dawn."
[ There is a door to your side and a set of stairs going up. Joining you around the campfire is Connie, the blond boy and these two girls. ]
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Revali eyes the door, wondering if it's unlocked. Would these people he's with wonder what's up with him if he goes and checks it? Hmmmm...
...
Probably. Should he care? Certainly not. He's not sure if all this is an elaborate illusion or if somehow they really are somewhere else and nobody bats an eye at the strange guys who somehow joined these forces all of a sudden, but he probably won't see them ever again once this is all over. Revali goes and softly pushes the door. Is it unlocked? Not really opening it yet]
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...sooooo are we not gonna talk about what happened back there at all?
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but this sort of organization and drilling is a bit different from the more loose organization and coordination of their workshop. he doesn't trust these people half as much, for one thing.
they've searched for hours and there's no breach. according to the other groups, they've found nothing either. the conclusion is obvious, then: the titans came from within the walls. it's just that...
that sounds like something he doesn't want to say in front of present company? like connie? those girls? the blond boy who insisted there was nothing to hear? hm. yeah. ]
... What's there to talk about?
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"Thing thing about that titan on my house is that... somehow it's appearance... really reminded me of... my mom. What the hell does that mean?"
[ The blond boy speaks up. ]
"Connie, you still keep saying that nonsense. Are you some kind of blithering idiot?"
[ And then the dark haired girl speaks. ]
"BWAHAHAHA! YOUR MOM WAS A TITAN, CONNIE?! Then how come you're such a midget?! Facts kinda don't add up that way, you know!"
[ She's so loud she's even pulling the attention of the seniors. She keeps talking, saying again and again how stupid the thought is. Enough to the point that Connie looks sheepish. ]
"Alright already, quiet Ymir!"
[ You feel relief at how Ymir managed to get Connie to drop the idea that his mom was the titan on the house.
With all that, once everyone settles down, everyone looks about ready to get to sleep. Do you join them or do you explore? ]
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the relief is ... a little disorienting, though. one part of him is decidedly glad the subject was dropped; but a more distinct portion also argues why don't they want that particular topic being pursued? do they know something? they're hiding something.
local alchemist distrustful of our guiding NPCs and soldiers, more news at 11. ]
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What do you all think about all we have seen?
[It's really foreboding!]
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anyway it seems like it's just our cyoa gang exploring on their own right now? so it should be safe to talk about here. ]
I think someone's hiding something.
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There's something extremely odd going on here.
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Do you explore together or separately? ]
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