Crusades CYOA

Alright since everyone is expressing their creativity through troll CYOA's, I figured I might as well too. No obligation to actually participate or anything, although that would be appreciated and more fun.

Story Start!

You were once one of the greatest knights of the realm, every jousting list had your name, and every noble lady knew your face. There was not a single rival to your blade, and even princes could only look on in jealousy as you returned from each of your quests with the welcome of ten thousand blossoms.

But those days are of the past. Pushing the middle ages in the middle ages is harsh, years of battle have left scars that linger even after the flesh has healed, and an imbalanced diet has left you aged beyond your years. The boring manorial life has even more emphasized what feels like a deep void in your soul, a yearning for something greater.

But alas, something that you could look forward to has finally arrived. The Pope has personally called for your aid to retake the Holy Land in his new Crusade!

This may be the chance of a lifetime to finally relive the glory that you've always yearned for.

A. Deus Vult!
B. deus vult.
C. DEUS VULT!
D. AVE MARIA!
E. I'm getting too old for this, I should just stay home.

F. Take down the Pope from within. His wicked reign must be put to an end!

C

F. Nine men must die to bring peace to the Holy Land.

F. Wins, hope you guys have a plan.

The glory that you yearn for is the downfall of the Pope!

Alas it was only a few days before the crusade was called that your dearest friend, Sir Hansof Brocken sent you a letter with the most incriminating secret. During his pilgrimage to the Holy Land he overheard a couple of Attaluk generals discussing how this crusade was a conspiracy between the Pope and the Attaluk Caliph to eliminate the opposition in their factions and consolidate their power.

As dubious as the letter sounded when you first recieved it, having even considered Hansof fallen to the clutches of the devil, the declaration of the Crusade instantly gave the letter all the credibility it needed. This was no Holy War, no quite the opposite, this was going to be a war of Sin, of the Pope's greed.

Still, bringing upon the Pope's downfall will be no easy task. You do not know how many people know of the Pope's treachery, but you suspect that it is very few in number even if at all. The Pope is protected by a host of mighty warriors, and even if you could fight through them you would sully your honorable name as an apostate. As much as you hate to be shadowy, for the greater good it might be necessary.

You will need a firm plan if you wish to even have a chance of bringing down the Pope.

A. On the day of departure for the Crusades, charge straight at the Pope and execute him, declaring his crimes in public. Deus Vult!
B. Hire a marksman to assassinate the Pope from the balcony from which he customarily gives his speeches.
C. Poison him(?)
D. Set fire to the holy city and hope the Pope burns to death.

A. Deus Vult

E) For the next several days before you are to leave, go around to your fellow knights and see if they have any misgivings about the pope, and recruit the ones who have misgivings.

E. Additionally, consult with Hansof and consider more possible strategies before acting rashly. If time does not permit us to meet Hansof before the Pope's appearance, then attempt all of the above as best we can, in the priority of B > D > C > A.

Do not attempt lower priority strategies if they endanger the success of higher priority ones.

I think you should make that another option. Don't just arbitrarily change other people's decided actions. If you did that to one of my custom options, I'd be super insulted.

Meh, that's a better option so idk.

Ok, suit yourself. If he did that to me, I'd be pissed as fuck.

F. Go to the holy city and save citizens to recruit into your squad. The liberation of Roma has begun!

Sorry bout that kaede, you posted while I was editing, and I was too lazy to change it at the time.

There seemed to be precedent for modifying options. I'll change it to G if you wanna keep them separate.

E) For the next several days before you are to leave, go around to your fellow knights and see if they have any misgivings about the pope, and recruit the ones who have misgivings. Additionally, consult with Hansof and consider more possible strategies before acting rashly. If time does not permit us to meet Hansof before the Pope's appearance, then attempt all of the above as best we can, in the priority of B > D > C > A.

Do not attempt lower priority strategies if they endanger the success of higher priority ones.

E wins.

Hansof is unfortunately still returning from his pilgrimage, perhaps he will be back before the Crusades start in time for you to convene with him. Before that though, you decide to go around your social circles and subtly gauge your fellow knights' attitudes towards the Pope by asking them on their opinion of the Crusades.

Most of them, as expected, reply "Deus Vult!" while others ask you if you will participate also. You reply with much ambiguity towards those who do so. It is expectantly difficult to get an actual answer without giving away the fact that you have misgivings about the Pope yourself.

It was not until your conversation with the ill-reputed Sir Maximan "Mudslinger" Morramer that you finally achieve some results.

"Ah, ha, I can see that in the corner of your mind you are not planning on participating yourself," Maximan quizzically proclaims while twirling his thin mustache.

You normally do not interact with such dishonorable scum, but you happened upon him on your way home from one of your friend's home so you thought you might as well try.

"Or is it in fact that... you have something more deviant in mind?"

A. Yes
B. No.
C. Deus Vult!

C. Deus Vult!

C. Deus Vult!

D. Slay the infidel where he stands. Nine men must die.

D

It seems that we cannot decide on the righteous course, so we shall let God decide!

The member 'Xenoe' has done the following action : Dice Roll\'d

---

'Coin' : 2

D wins.

You cannot bear the thought of such treacherous scum questioning YOUR honor. How dare he try to imply that what you are attempting to do is anything less than just?!

Although you are unarmored, you are not unarmed. You draw your trusty long sword as Maximan winces in suprise.

"Wha-what are you doing?!" He yelps, cowardice practically dripping through his voice.

"On guard knave! How dare you challenge my character?" You snarl, and take an empty swing just inches away from Maxman's face to show that you are serious.

With much haste Maximan draws his sword and readies it. Both his and your companions are confused whether they should help, but evidently conclude in the end that it is best not to interfere in what looks like a duel. They form a nervous circle around you and Maximan.

Although you may not be as strong or as fast as you were in your prime, you have a great wealth of experience and a vast repertoire of techniques at your disposal, while Maximan is younger than you by a few years. Although you question the skill of one so famed for dirty tricks, it is best not to approach this rashly.

A. An audacious crowning stroke!
B. Feint and riposte.
C. Mordschlag
D. Demacian Judgement!
E. Hiken: Tsubame Gaeshi!

F. Shout "Deus Vult"

E. For knights are just humanoid swallows.

My whole life was Unlimited Deus Vult Works
Mapope Tofu
Gates of Jerusalem

E

E.
>Not using the choice letter as part of the word for D

E wins.

The first technique that comes to mind in this situation is not one of your tried and true strokes, but rather an exotic blades dance you acquired from a traveling Arabian swordsman years ago. It was in your duel with him that you first witnessed this art, but sadly for him his scimitar seemed to be in poor working condition and you were able to counter it.

It proved to be a valuable experience, however, and it was harrowing to think about what would happen if his sword was in pristine condition. You were able to duplicate the technique in your spare time, and you think you've done a relatively good job at it. A technique that seals off all possible movement, three slashes, one for each of the three dimensions of space, it is to say that this technique is virtually inescapable, if performed with a sword that is not bent.

Although you are not able to get all three slashes with perfect simultaneity, it is good enough that it should be able to kill a swallow mid flight nonetheless, provided that you had a sword long enough to reach the swallow in the sky in the first place. Sadly, you do not have a sword long enough to do so, so you were never able to test out your theory, but thankfully your sword is long enough to reach Maximan.

You assume the signature stance that is required to perform this move, mutter under your breath the accompanying battlecry... "Hiken: Tsubame...!!!!",
before you are cut off by a quick thrust towards your abdomen region. You of course dodge with your superb acumen, but are lightly grazed. Your stance, however, is thrown off balance and you are only able to deliver one of the three necessary slashes, the diagonal right cut. The cut lops off half of the knave's ear and a good portion of his hair too. Maximan's screams of pain fill your eardrums.

Evidently Maximan didn't know what you were trying to do, but attempted to seize the initiative when you pulled back into your strange stance.

A. An audacious crowning stroke!
B. Feint and riposte.
C. Mordschlag
D. emacian Judgement!
E. Sonoshinzo, moraiukeru! Gae BOLGA!

Give Max the D, let justice be done!

D

F. or the holy land! Deus Vult

N. for nut shot!

Gonna give him the D.

Maximan lashes out as you step in, with slash that is more flailing than slashing. It is a meaningless struggle on his part, as you can clearly see the trajectory of the sword with such a big movement behind it.

Clang. A resounding syllable rings out as you deflect his sword into the ground before winding up to give him your judgement, Demacian style. You spring up like a panther, and your sword cleaves deep into the coward's skull, splitting his head in half vertically. Perhaps if you had a giant battleaxe you could've sliced through his torso too.



Somehow you feel like in the heat of the moment you used the wrong technique, but that feeling is brief. Seeing your overwhelming valor, Maximan's companions are momentarily stunned before fleeing in shreking terror. You do a little victory dance that consists of spinning around with your blade outstretched.

"You'll pay for this!" One of them screams as he rides off into the distance.

The search for companionship in your quest to kill the Pope so far hasn't been working out so well, maybe you should try something else?

A. Try heathens.
B. Try bandits.
C. Go home and have a nice meal with your fam.

E. viscerate Maximan's corpse and arrange his innards to spell out "Deus Vult" and proclaim that this is but an example of what god wishes us to do to cowardly heretics such as Maximan. "Heresy will not be tolerated! No matter who you are; be you king, or commoner, or cleric".

C

D. Ride to Masyaf to enlist the aid of the Brotherhood.

D

D Wins.

Taking down the Pope is not something you can do alone, but you suspect the Brotherhood of Assassins might be interested in aiding you. After all, if even you know the crusade is a conspiracy, they must have at least caught wind of it too.

The ride to Masyaf(in Syria) is long and dangerous, however, so you must prepare provision for the journey. You arrive at home just in time for dinner, and at the dinner table you inform your family of your desire to go on a journey to the Holy Land.

Your wife, the daughter of a warrior family, is as strong as she is beautiful. Unlike other noblewomen, her complexion is closer to that of honey than chalk, and her hands are not quite as soft, but she exudes a healthy vigor.

"But dearest, the Crusades are beginning any day now, why are you going to the Holy Land now? Shouldn't you join the armies of the Lord, and march upon the heathen?" she asks.

A. "None of your business woman."
B. "I will scout ahead and help our armies."
C. "We should take a vacation sometime."
D. "I have not yet made my pilgrimage, my faith will not be shaken by such petty matters such as an army."

E. xclaim "Deus Vult" and leave for the brotherhood of assassins.

C

D

D

D wins again, you guys really like the D hun?

Your wife starts nodding understandably, you have a bad feeling about this.

"You really make me feel inadequate about the strength of my own faith dearest, but no more! The children and I will go with you on your pilgrimage!"

Your eldest daughter, Eva, aged 16, looks up from her dinner with a pout on her face.

"But mother! That would mean that I would be separated from my dear Rodrio, I can't live without him!"

You arranged her betrothal to Rodrio at a young age, and it seems that she actually developed a deep attachment to him.

"You can live with him forever once you are wed young woman, and most likely he will be joining the crusades anyways, so either way you will be separated."

Your son, Manario, aged 14, starts whimpering like the coward he is.

"Don't we need to cross through heathen territory to get to the holy land? I don't want to go! Those barbarians will kill us and eat us alive!"

Your youngest daughter, the most wonderful Grendaline, finally chimes in.

"Brother, that doesn't make sense. Either they kill you OR eat you alive, it is mutually exclusive! Or, hmmm I guess you'll be dead after they eat you alive, so that would be eating you alive and then killing you. Anyways, isn't the holy land where the Lord was born? I bet it is quite amazing and worth the danger, you should take us with you father."

A. "Alright lets go."
B. Try to convince them to stay home.

A

A

C. ry a single tear at your daughter's moving speech. Exclaim "Deus Vult" and take them with you with a prideful smile.

Changing to C, this is our thing!

C

C, because why the hell not!

C.anterbury tales

Precisely one tear rolls down your cheek, no more no less, as you fight hard to hold back the overflowing joy in your chest. Even you are impressed by your manly crying skills.

“Deus vult! You have resolve that even some grown men lack, my child, and I am proud of you for that. Come, we will prepare today, and leave at the next dawn.”

Eva lets out a nearly inaudible grumble, while Manario starts sniffling at your verdict, but neither dare oppose your authority.

Dawn comes quickly for the faithful, and you set out from your manor with an entourage of servants, men at arms, and your family in tow.

There are two ways to Jerusalem, and each has its merits:

A. Through Hungaria, Deus vult!
B. Through Italia, Deus vult!

B