Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)13:53 No. 292618 ID: 7c97d9
File 130169120230.png - (30.10KB , 640x480 , 01-001.png )

The kingdom of Hadekia. Once thought to be the sacred land of the Six White-Robed Warlocks, Hadekia has been defiled by years of chaos and destruction. Ever since the fall of its king Jakrel the Fourth, most of its inhabitants have either defected to Hadekia’s neighboring countries or forcefully turned into slaves by the marching armies of expanding empires who wish to control the resource-filled land.

Those who remain in Hadekia live out the rest of their lives in solitude, knowing that they will soon be outran by the invaders.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)13:54 No. 292619 ID: 7c97d9
File 130169125315.png - (74.18KB , 640x480 , 01-002.png )

You are Gekme, a goblin farmer who recently deserted his land upon news of an incoming invasion. Packing up as many things as you hastily could, you left the place you had called home for whoever knows when. The rumors of a refugee camp somewhere around the vicinity might be your only hope of survival.

The smell of burning wood fills the air. Someone had decided to settle in the forest, and it cannot possibly be you.

north ward. or to your left if you don't know which way is up. behind the trees.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)14:31 No. 292636 ID: 7c97d9
File 130169347082.png - (54.86KB , 640x480 , 01-003.png )

> northward
You proceed north, towards the source of the smoke. It comes from a bonfire situated between two straw huts.

Near the bonfire is a Lupan, a youth-aged one. You know that Lupans are known for being aggressive towards trespassers, but are not beyond being reasoned with to avoid violence.

This one seems to be waiting for someone to return.

greet it from there. you have not trespassed yet so it shouldn't be aggressive.

Greet from a distance.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)14:57 No. 292651 ID: 7c97d9
File 130169504714.png - (65.25KB , 640x480 , 01-004.png )

> greet from a distance
Staying where you are, you let out a gentle "Hello!" to the Lupan.

The Lupan stands up and picks up his makeshift spear beside him. He growls at your general direction, but stays in his place.

His grunts sound weak. Is he hungry?

pull out some jerky or something and hold it up so it can see.

Yeah, offer some food.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)15:40 No. 292682 ID: 7c97d9
File 130169761516.png - (69.07KB , 640x480 , 01-005.png )

> offer him food

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)15:42 No. 292685 ID: 7c97d9
File 130169777472.png - (60.99KB , 640x480 , 01-006.png )

You reach out for a steak and present it to the Lupan. It calms him down as he starts sniffing it.

Upon closer look, you confirm that it is really young. Literate Lupans who can communicate with those outside their race are very rare, and this one seems to be no exception.

You wonder what to do with him once you give him the steak.

>>292685
Ride him. He is your new mount.

>>292685
Ride him. He is your new mate.

>>292693
Do not fuck mounts.

>>292696
Do not mount friends.

Play! When their parents come back you can possibly ask them where the refugee camp is.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)16:33 No. 292717 ID: 7c97d9
File 130170081010.png - (73.80KB , 640x480 , 01-007.png )

> Ride him
The Lupan does not want to be ridden as he continues munching on his newfound food.

> Play!
You try to convince the pup to play with you, but it seems he wants to satisfy his hunger first. Besides, what kind of games would you play with a Lupan, anyway?

You sit down and wait for the Lupan to finish and for his parents to return.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)16:33 No. 292720 ID: 7c97d9
File 130170082475.png - (116.29KB , 640x480 , 01-008.png )

You pay attention to the huts the surround the bonfire. It does not seem like they have been used in awhile; even the openings leading to the inside look like they have not been lifted for quite some time.

>>292717
OverRIDE his objections and ride him anyways. You must break a mount before it will obey you. Beware, he will buck mightily.

uh oh. looks like his parents died. just to be sure use a stick and draw a picture of him and two bigger ones. point to the drawing of him and then to the pictures of the big ones and make a hand motion to the surrounding area.

Look inside the huts. You might get a better clue as to if anyone else is living here.

Take a look around the encampment, as well. The little guy seemed to be waiting for someone; that someone might be coming back soon.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)17:12 No. 292745 ID: 7c97d9
File 130170315392.png - (128.35KB , 640x480 , 01-009.png )

> Ride him anyway
If the worst situation comes, he cannot stay. Otherwise, he will get killed.

Mounting him will be your last resort, if he does not follow your orders.

> Check the huts
You check the huts. One of them is empty, though it reeks of blood and meat. You reckon it's where they store their food.

The other hut seems to be where they sleep. However, everything inside has not been touched.

There is a plank of wood in the middle of the hut. It seems to be out of place, as it covers one of the straw beddings.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)17:13 No. 292748 ID: 7c97d9
File 130170319713.png - (29.44KB , 640x480 , 01-010.png )

The plank has words etched on its sides. The words seem outdated in terms of vocabulary, but they are still understandable. You begin to read the message left on it:
“If you are reading this message and a Lupan is in the vicinity, you are one of the handfuls who would take pity upon the sight of a lone Lupan. Unfortunately, this signifies that I have passed away, possibly while searching for a safer place for my blood relative. If a dead being may ask a favor of you, please bring the Lupan somewhere safe and succeed where I have failed.
Everything in my possession is located in the container nearby. Literate as I might be, I cannot utilize most of them to my advantage. Perhaps you will find them of better use than I did.”

>>292748
Open the container.

Locate container, discover contents, utilize most of them to your advantage.

utilize the FUCK out of the stuff.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)17:42 No. 292773 ID: 7c97d9
File 130170494449.png - (99.65KB , 640x480 , 01-011.png )

> open the container and get the contents
The container reveals a ceramic oil lamp, some oil in a small container, and a map. It highlights the forest that you are in right now, and also a spot by the mountains, just beyond the border.

It does not say anything whatever is in the spot. Looks like these did not originally come from whoever wrote the message, but he kept it anyway probably to barter them off.

seems useful. and since we have no real heading. that X makes a good place to go. you and your wolf friend should head out to it.

Indeed. Take the lamp, oil, and map. Let's talk to our Lupan friend, to see if we can communicate or at least get him to follow us.

Other than that, onward to X! We didn't really have anywhere else to go, anyways...

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)18:05 No. 292787 ID: 7c97d9
File 130170635010.png - (45.55KB , 640x480 , 01-012.png )

> head to X, bring Lupan with you
You think it better to head there. At least you might be able to hide from the invaders, especially since it is only a few hours away from your spot. You estimate that you will be there before noon.

You head out the hut when the Lupan stares at you. He seems to be more responsive as he waits for you.

You pat his head, finally getting his trust.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)18:06 No. 292788 ID: 7c97d9
File 130170639191.png - (38.81KB , 640x480 , 01-013.png )

A few hours later, you both arrive at your destination. You were lucky to encounter no invaders across the border, and you reach the mountains without any distractions.

It looks like there is a cave near the spot, and it seems small enough for one person at a time to get through. The oil lamp you got from the hut will really come in handy, but you will have to decide who holds it, and who gets through first.

First, try communicating with the Lupan. Ask him how he is, to see if he understands. If that doesn't work, try at least pointing to yourself and saying "Gekme". Then point at him to see if he gives a name.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)18:23 No. 292807 ID: 7c97d9
File 130170741506.png - (34.78KB , 640x480 , 01-014.png )

> communicate with Lupan
You try your best to know if the Lupan has an identity, to no avail. It's just been grown in the wild for too long to be able to understand anything about names. Perhaps you can give it a name of your own?

Nonetheless, he understands the situation in front of him, as he waits for your decision. He seems to be okay with leading both of you through the cave with the oil lamp.

He should probably lead with the lamp, since the map was owned by a Lupan. This means they will probably be expecting a Lupan.

Let's worry about the name later.

While sending in the Lupan first would defuse any potential Lupan-based hostilities, I question how well it would handle any other situation. As long as it sticks close, any Lupans at the other end of the opening should notice it before anything bad happens.

Besides, I'm willing to bet that Lupans grow a bit larger than our friend here. If it is small relative to us, I'd guess it would probably be quite a fit for a full-grown Lupan.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)19:01 No. 292844 ID: 7c97d9
File 130170967166.png - (60.87KB , 640x480 , 01-intermission.png )

> No obvious decision yet

The Lupan you are with is definitely smaller than an average Lupan, though it may be attributed to its age. While it can definitely have an easier time through the cave, it might not be able to handle any scenario where immediate communication is required.

You, on the other hand, can deal with any situation that begs for some diplomatic talk, though you will have a harder time navigating through the cave.

The decision will affect the path chosen, so do ponder on it for some time.

Shall we take a moment to decide on a name as well? I'm pretty bad with names, though.

I'd say that we should go first. The biggest problem we would face is if the situation required turning back, which the Lupan could handle easily. We could handle any talk or unusual situations, or at least have direct control while the Lupan follows through.

Probably the biggest problem is that, even if the Lupan identifies a danger, he has no way to communicate back to us and say if it is unavoidable or passable with difficulty. This means that, if we wanted to know what it was, we'd need leave and then go back in first anyways.

Gekme lead first with lamp and map.

Name him Lupin the Third.

yeah you first. his name is jacob

You should totally name him Vyt.

Suggestion 2011/04/01(Fri)20:05 No. 292901 ID: 7c97d9
File 130171352034.png - (49.79KB , 640x480 , 01-015.png )

> Lead first with lamp
You decide to go in with the lamp, while the Lupan watches you from the rear. Making sure he checks behind you for any trespassers, you begin your way through the cave.

There seems to be a gap in front of you, leading straight down. It would take a bit of common sense to figure out if it leads to somewhere in particular.

>>292901
Toss a stone in there to see how far it goes down.

yeah, drop a rock and listen.