hellsitechoosesitsownadventure
Tumblr Chooses Its Own Adventure
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Tumblr willingly submits their weapon to inventory. The guard takes the basilisk to the aviary for safekeeping. Vaylii and Tumblr are admitted to the king's courtroom. They wait inside a giant atrium carved from the basalt mountain, the intricate knots carved into the floor remind Tumblr of those made by the celts, except here they meticulously plastered the cavernous walls and floors.
A herald came to fetch them.
He was a small elvish man. With his back fully extended in a formal posture, he stood well below Tumblr, his hair was braided in a fashion similar to Hendral's and Feldspar's.
"My name is Levlund, herald to the King, come to usher ye to his excellency Knuvengel of Greifellen."
"Of course."
"Follow me."
Levlund led them from the atrium through a large ballroom where servants were hastily cleaning and scrubbing the floors. Clean water was flushed in and dirty water out by magic users. From there they entered a wide hallway. Paintings of Kings prior line the walls, many had scorch marks on the frame, or were cropped extremely tightly.
At the end of the hall was a large wooden door. On it was scrawled many sigils and runes: ancient, illegible.
Levlund pushed open a secret smaller door, that opened into the throne room. On the throne sat Knuvengel, a large Orc: his demeanor was that of a strong king. He sat upright, not slouched, and his feet were firmly planted on the floor. He made his magnificent throne seem small.
Levlund introduces them, and Tumblr's nerves started to kick in.
"Ah, you bring us news of our liberation of Yythengól? Speak! We are all ears."
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“I’m sorry, but I insist we deliver this message ourselves. My companion and I are bringing news from personal experience, and do not wish our story be muddled through a game of telephone.”
The guard pondered a minute. “Alright I’ll take you to his majesty, so you may give him your tale first hand.”
Vaylii pats Tumblr on the back, as they are led away.
The guard turns to Tumblr, “I’m not familiar with telephone? How do you play?”
Tumblr briefly describes the concept of telephone and how it’s played.
“Oh yes! Game of Ear! Us Orcs call it from gromlēl furgrom: from ear to ear. Though some of the elders still use the, err, old Blood name.”
Silence quickly fell upon the group, and Tumblr could sense an quiet discomfort radiating from Vaylii, and the guard seeming picks up his pace.
The group makes their way to the guardhouse outside the large basalt castle.
“please check any weapons with Alíjudii.” The guard said gesturing to his Elven compatriot. Vaylii relaxes her shoulders, and relinquishes her bow and daggers.
Sorry this is late killer migraine last night
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Tumblr reassures Vaylii that the duo won’t act until they, Tumblr, can learn more of Knuvengel for themself. They planned on visiting the capital early in the god forsaken morning, seeking counsel with the crown.
Tumblr wanted to get to know their new king.
“What makes you think he’ll have your company?”
Tumblr pondered for a moment, “I am no hero nor noble, that’s for sure. But we have crucial news about the Yythengól front. The boar’s dead. That’s something?”
“I suppose… that may suffice.”
They make a grainy flat bread from the flour in the mill. It is tasteless yet hearty, the grain is coarse and irritating.
Tumblr doesn’t sleep well, and they wake groggily to a snake curled on their chest; it resembles a black rat snake, but with piercing red eyes. The serpent had a mouse in halfway in its jaws.
Before they can react, the basilisk jumps on Tumblr’s chest, knocking the wind out of them swallowing the snake whole. That was an unnecessarily horrifying way to start the morning.
Tumblr skips breakfast, as Vaylii simply consumed the leftover bread. One their walk into Strægaard Tumblr began to regret their decision.
They start making their way through the many gates towards the castle in the center of the city. They passed through the outer merchant rings and squalors, inwards towards the manufacturing and textiles, then residential districts areas. They were stopped on their way into the noble’s district by a guard.
“What business do you have here?”
“We seek counsel with the King, we bear news regarding developments in our war with Yythengól.”
“That’s great news indeed! I may intercept from here and carry the news on to him.”
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I’ve been toying with the idea of naming my chapters: in my opinion this may change how the writing is interpreted, but it is a choose your own adventure run through Tumblr polls so I’m not sure how seriously I should take this.
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Tumblr looks around, there doesn’t appear to be anyone, at least to their deductive abilities, so they look closer at the tree.
It is a sturdy oak tree, at least fifty years old. It’s a very large tree. Other than it’s size, there is nothing unusual about the tree.
Around the bend in the road, voices can be heard. They aren’t quite rancorous, but loud enough to be heard through the tree.
Vaylii dips into the woods, Tumblr follows after narrowly avoiding encounter. They quietly sneak around the highwaymen making sure to stay on the moss and grass, avoiding the leaf litter. After a half mile or so they re-emerge from the wood onto the path, which they continue on until they reach a large plains dotted with fields and large ancient basalt constructs and columns long overtaken by the the rolling fields of nature and it’s maligned daughter: agriculture.
In the distance a city of stone carved itself on the landscape, it’s darkened shadow, cast by the setting sun, etched into the golden plains like a blight.
Strægaard.
They stop at a windmill.
No sign of dissenters, rebels, or infighting: standard resistance stuff. Vaylii, though rife with energy is hesitant to continue.
“I am no rebel. I may loathe the war with Yythengól, but my rage is with those who summoned the beast that killed my brother. I wish not for Strægaard to fall. The Yythengól front may be horrible, but it is a welcomed retreat compared to the horrors of Blood Wars… So many elves perish, and I fear Knuvengel may be the only person capable of keeping the peace.”
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Tumblr and Vaylii venture south in an attempt to Rendezvous with Hendral and the others on their way to Strægaard, the capital. They venture back into the woods, Vaylii and Tumblr taking turns carrying the premature basilisk.
It isn’t long before they’re in familiar territory. They died the creek Tumblr encountered Vaylii’s more boarish appearance, turning away from from the cockatrice breeder’s berg. Venturing back into unfamiliar woods.
After a time of walking they break free of the underbrush onto a path worn into the dirt by carriage wheels. There is no signage on this part of the path, so they continue southward.
The path meanders betwixt the aging hillsides, tall trees scattered blocking out the sun. A recently felled tree blocks the path.
Vaylii stops abruptly.
Tumblr is taken aback for but a moment; they had let their natural vigilance subside on the calming trek. After a moment of readjusting they soon saw why Vaylii stopped.
The felled tree was not uprooted, nor torn or chewed away by beasts, but cut by head of ax. No woodsman is visible.
“Luck be ours. This is not intended for us, deft feet and all, not as cumbersome as a coach. Any highwaymen would not squander effort on us.”
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Tumblr rolls over to get up. Their arm flopping over Vaylii. They pin her to the polished tile under their body weight. In the dim torchlight, she glows radiantly. Her eyes no longer light with the flames of the boar, but the flames surrounding the two. She isn't taken aback by the sudden closeness of their bodies.
"um, may I?" Tumblr asks, almost sheepishly.
"Yeah."
They kiss, it is passionate and warms them in the cool cavern. Tumblr feels flustered, which felt unusual given their past relations. With Vaylii it felt different.
She gently puts her hands to Tumblr's chest; they pull away from her slightly "Enough of that. Although I enjoyed it, I'd sooner leave," pointing to the portal with a nod of her head her and a dart of her eyes.
"Yeah, of course," Tumblr replies, slightly embarrassed.
The two make their way up the stairs, as the basilisk follows. A low rumbling beneath their feet. The made their way to the main chamber, taking the main staircase out.
"This was a Dwarven stronghold during the Blood Wars, that portal is all that remains: remnants of the fractured past."
"Were they harnessing the Nether?"
"The Nether has none to harness, it is a place of death."
"Then why have the portal?"
"I know not..."
They remained silent until they emerged from the small opening from which they entered. Daylight washed over Tumblr; it hurt their eyes.
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50 page reward
I'm horrible at maintaining a schedule; I'm horrible at forming productive habits; I'm horrible at working on creative projects over multiple days.
But I've made 50 entries into this story, it may not have been as consistent as I would've liked but I've done it!
So as a reward to myself and a treat to my readers, for ever 50 pages I'm going to catalog all the missing lore, easter eggs, and timelines.
Thank you to anyone who interacted with my posts. It has kept me in a creative mindset over these last few months.
I voted for you/you for a stereotypical choose your own adventure story but later rooted for we/us
This was the first poll I voted for the majority. Tumblr did end up getting a second pet rock anyway (but it died)
I voted for tavern to try and expedite the RPG nature of the story
I was trying to get tumblr money to spend in the market.
I put seduce the thief to eliminate the seduction option right away
Throuple was doomed to fail from its inception. I wanted to give characters some agency (and giving myself some control over the narrative).
Once again I voted for tavern.
I voted for leveraging the crime to help Freylin divorce Etmund. Seeing lawful good win was shocking, given all the options.
My 6 year old niece actually did provide these answers. She had to be prompted into other answers though because "Panic, worry and scream" were originally 3 separate answers. I did vote with the majority though.
Again trying to offer Tumblr the opportunity to action, although I did vote to work the farm for the resistance.
I intentionally limited the amount of votes so I could actually plan a little bit better here. I voted collect dues.
A chance to build lore, build social connections, and possibly missions. I voted for the mumblypeg.
Dujard and his story are analogs to Full Metal Alchemist. His brother; however, is in fact truly dead Dujard is mentally incapable of accepting this fact, and personifies an empty suit of armor. This plot line has yet to be explored.
I basically guaranteed Quality Earthworks by Ea-Nasir would win. They are not the same Ea-Nasir, though I debated it. I voted for conjuration.
I voted for mingle, because I had no clue where to go from here, and hoped that I could build around some additional character development.
Blorbo was named after the iconic ambiguous gender neutral term for a character one is obsessed with. I also left the option open for a more useful spell. I normally build rogue classes, so I voted for soilfoot.
This is where the boar storyline took formation. I had only planned for Tumblr to encounter a hunter if they chose cliff or creak.
I left no choice but to go with Vaylii, I had to force the polls into social interaction with her. based on later polls this works in her favor.
The WoW option would've been Leroy Jenkins-ing that shit, and oops too late would've found Vaylii attacking without warning, making two of the option not actually sneak attacks.
Each of the spells was programmed to do something different. The winner of the poll genuinely was the right answer.
Hellsight is obviously a reference to Hellsite. Hellsight (derogatory) would've had Tumblr gouge their eyes out and replace them with the boar's eyes.
Vaylii being possessed was genuinely an afterthought. I needed to demonstrate what hellsight was. I'm kinda glad "gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss" one.
I voted with the majority.
I voted with the majority. I love being the little spoon, too.
Touch-starved beat out horny!
Voted with the majority. Heavily debated whether or not it would be the resistance or the king's guard.
My streak was broken.
I voted to take Bristkruv shopping to try and develop the characters more, but foraging works. According to Sun Tsu foraging alone is not a sustainable way to feed military campaigns.
I voted with the majority, I was actively rooting against Vaylii.
This was the first poll I introduced skill checks. I was debating if the house would be occupied or not. I voted with the majority.
The well was going to be a reference to the goonies, the ring, or silence of the lambs depending on how it was investigated. I also debated making the wine cursed: I never revealed that it was: but its kind of negligible at this point, if it had been it aided in Vaylii's transformation.
Reimú and Shurmalg got high off mushrooms.
This is where I planned Vaylii's transformation, unless Tumblr played the simple pattern. This is why I voted for stab themselves, which caused a tie. This was the first tie of the story.
I like how this is written to be as fast paced as the characters experience it
I voted for no, despite rooting for yes, because personally I'm in too deep.
I was kind hoping Tumblr would join the resistance after meeting them, and abandon the Vaylii questline.
I did not actually plan for where she went.
This sidequest was lore I had built into a DnD campaign that was never finished.
This played out perfectly.
This too played out perfectly.
Choose your own combat is surprisingly hard to write, it's not like DnD at all.
I was hoping for give it the crown back, but I voted with the majority.
I did plan the basilisk egg but only under the exact conditions the polls chose.
The interactions with this man are loosely based off of my father's herpetocultural education career.
I was absolutely lost her, I planned for none of these options.
I knew secret fourth option would win: I was debating between a secret path or what I ended up going with; I ended up with falling to punish risky behavior. I had plans for all other options as well though. I had planned the entire portal sequence starting here: so I knew how to progress the story towards it.
There is something living in the pool of water.
This was the first tie where the answers were complete antipodes. I had different plans based on each option.
I did not plan for a tie in the previous poll though, which is why this poll even exists, some of these options might have occurred in other timelines of page 47. I'm glad I was allowed to tell my ideal scenario because the unreality of the Nether was amazing to write.
I thought sacrifice boar was going to win, but I voted with the majority. I was the tie breaker for boar and blorbo. So I went ahead and killed off both of them.
The basilisk egg would've been inverted if it got to choose who to sacrifice. Since I planned it's escape, I went ahead and included it in this entry. I also include a reference to the poem “Tiger” by Noah, age 6 herein.
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The boar charges again at Tumblr, Tumblr dodges, but they warp around themselves tacking the porcine creature, the start drifting away, by this I mean they appeared to get smaller, but closer to the massive ring that was Blorbo.
There’s an explosive impact as they collide!
This sends an ethereal shockwave that knocks Vaylii into the other side of Blorbo, and flips the basilisk egg inside out.
Yes.
YES.
The basilisk is out.
Tumblr is pinned between the snarling, burning boar and their sentient rock companion. Its sharpened tusks gnash at Tumblrs throat. Is this how it ends?
“I’m sorry Blorbo it’s been fun.” A soft chiming responds, “see you space cowboy.”
Tumblr solemnly place, their hand on Blorbo. Spikes shoot out skewering the boar from the inside out. Tumblr absorbs the residual energy from Blorbo who crumbles into nothingness.
Another ethereal shockwave hits Vaylii from the boar, as it too finally folds in upon itself.
Tumblr and Vaylii begin to glow, producing light in the otherwise desolate void, almost magnetically their ethereal light seek each other out, creating a small pocket of space and time. This pocket envelops the Basilisk.
Tumblr briefly notices they have developed the need to breathe before Vaylii uses her magic to push this pocket dimension back into the realm of existence.
Everyone lay panting before the portal. The basilisk lets out its first cry.
Sorry this is late was playing Sims 4 with my niece last night.
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Chapter 4 Abridged.
Tumblr enters a new dimension, an all consuming void: to escape they need additional ethereal energy. Tumblr sacrifices Blorbo and kills the boar to save Vaylii from the void. The two kiss and then leave the bastion, heading south to rendezvous with Hendral’s men. They come across a highwayman ambush, but ignore it. They end up just outside Strægaard, the capital. Inside the city they are stopped by a guard who leads them to the castle. The duo must submit their weapons, but are then led to the king’s throne room.
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Colors whip past Tumblr as they fall into the portal, shapes, colors, and forms they had only seen once before, on their way to this fantastical plane of existence. Then nothingness. Not black, not white but the absence of everything. No air, no light, no time. The shear force of being ripped through space-time to be met with nothing is enough to strike to dismember Tumblr from their senses.
Before them stands Vaylii, or floats. It’s all uncertain.
Tumblr couldn’t even tell how far away she was if at all. Behind, or perhaps in front of her was the boar in its full glory. Blorbo was off to both side, once a sphere they’re now an unimaginable toroid of stone. Between them all or in the far distance was the basilisk egg.
“Where the fuck are we?” Tumblr says. There is no air, but their voice echos from every direction.
“This is where all comes to die.” A deep demonic voice replies from inside Tumblr’s head. This was the boar voice, “it is the plane of decay, the Nether.”
Tumblr easily suppresses the urge to make a Minecraft reference, because the fear gripped them so. “How the hell are we alive?”
“It’s our attachment to the Ether,” Vaylii her thoughts projected into Tumblr’s and for a brief second they see themselves through her eyes, “We are bound to an divine source of power; we will survive for a time… before our bodies succumb.”
Tumblr tried not to imagine what succumbing would mean. But they couldn’t help watch as the boar begins disintegrating, or folding in upon itself. The hulking beast shudders, trying to charge at Tumblr. It bellows, “I shall sever your bonds for you!”
Tumblr feels the impact inside their stomach as if the boar was trying to tear itself out from within.
Vaylii flashes images into Tumblrs brain. The only way to escape is with supersaturating oneself with the ethereal energy of another. The boar, with no physical form was decaying faster than the others.
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What if Vaylii hadn’t brought Tumblr here, what if it was the spirit of Boar of Yythengól?
Tumblr picks up the pig, as if to carry it through portal.
—If that was the case, then taking Vaylii into the portal would be a bad thing.
Tumblr clumsily walks towards the portal, heaving the weight of the small pig onto their stomach. They’re gasping for air. The fiery pork singes their tunic.
They should just do it, throw her in, abandon her, destroy the portal for good. It wouldn’t be the first time they killed: humanoid or porcine.
They lift Vaylii as high as they can. She squeals, delight or fear Tumblr can’t tell, they see red, dangerous thoughts squirming in their head. They throw the squealing pig into the portal. For a second there’s calm. Tumblr can think again.
Then a sharp tug on their waist, and they are thrust into the portal.
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Tumblr sits up with a start, opening their satchel. The egg remains unbroken. Blorbo is vibrating in apparent fear. Tumblr sighs in relief.
They stand to their feet, a small woozy rush hits their head. They stumble to the edge of the pond, bending down to sip the water. It tastes surprisingly clean and refreshing.
Tumblr steps into the water slowly making their way around the pool avoiding the deep drop offs under them. Vaylii swam through the water, tumblr could hear the hissing as the water turned to steam around her chortling nose.
Eventually the pair reached the other side of the pool no more scathed than before. Before them was a large archway with stairs descending into the darkness. Vaylii happily scurries down the stairs. Tumblr carefully follows after; vertigo is slowly setting in.
The reach a grandiose room, several tunnel paths branching out, but in the middle of the room was a large portal. It’s framed in wrought iron.
Vaylii prances around the portal. Clearly this is what she was looking for, but it made Tumblr feel uneasy. It gives off the same energy the boar had given before infecting Vaylii: a dark corruption of Aether. Unlike the boar though, it leeches no inky black aura. In fact, it glows an unnatural shade of orange: like a mythical molten metal used by Hephaestus.
A harrowing thought passes through Tumblr’s mind.
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Tumblr leans over the edge to look deeper into the chamber. The ledge gives way under them, and they fall into the cavernous space.
Tumblr wakes to the nuzzling of coarse hair. They’re rub their head. No blood, but it stings.
The torchlight doesn’t reach this far down but Vaylii’s breath of fire is adequate enough. There doesn’t appear to be a way up from where tumblr lays.
Sorry this one’s late: phones acting up.
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“Vaylii, hey there. It’s been a few days.”
The boar snorts.
“Yeah, that’s understandable,” Tumblr says, “can’t imagine it’s been easy.”
They sit in the moss at the edge of the creek; Vaylii starts pacing on the other side of the creek.
“Must suck being consumed by the creature you’ve worked so long tracking.”
Vaylii snorts louder this time, flame shooting from her nostrils.
“Sorry, sorry. We can figure this out together. You just have to trust me.”
Vaylii stares at Tumblr, her eyes bursting with rage but tame. She turns, heading up the creek. She seems calmed now, strutting at a comfortable pace.
Tumblr follows behind her.
She leads Tumblr to a spring, exiting from a narrow cave in a cliffside deep in the rolling hills. Vaylii squeezes her way into the cave entrance.
Tumblr follows her in. The natural light quickly fades, but in the distance is another light source as they work they way farther back into the hillside, it was a torch burning with ethereal warmth. They pass the torch, and as it fades behind them another torch further down.
As they reach the second torch the cave opens up and tumblr realizes that the cave has been carved to have sprawling pathways. Torches are dotted about the pathways.
Vaylii snorts, a plume of fire spans the chamber briefly illuminating all the finer details of the carvings. Tumblr looks down at Vaylii and she is circling around them, looking frantically down each path.
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