Three gold a night, and absolutely no hanky-panky: CYOA at the Evertree Inn

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Three gold a night, and absolutely no hanky-panky: CYOA at the Evertree Inn

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Slaan: Mar 16, 2009; ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH

3 WHERE IS MY PONY?!

# ? Feb 16, 2021 04:24

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# ? May 28, 2024 15:24

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

"I'm Glangwen. I'm staying in room 1. I think my pony should be somewhere back here."

Evertree posted:

The human before you extends a hand to shake yours before checking himself and turning the gesture into a polite, if slightly awkward elven bow. Then he says, "I'm Lamuel. I already brought your pony to the stables earlier. Would you like to�?"

He gestures to the barn door by way of an offer to take you to see Shawn.

1. "Yes, please, if you wouldn't mind."
2. "No, it's okay. I'm sure my pony is fine."

I'm assuming we do want to see our furry best friend Shawn here, but feel free to correct me.

"Yes, please, if you wouldn't mind."

Evertree posted:

Lamuel walks over to the door of the stables with you and produces a key from his pocket to unlock the large, rusted padlock.

You enter and see six stalls, one for each room and then a seventh for the inn itself. In the stall nearest to you, number 1, Shawn is standing patiently waiting. You both walk over and Lamuel produces an apple from his pocket that causes Shawn's eyes to light up.

He turns back to you and asks, "Is it okay? I like to make sure our animal guests get a bit of quality treatment too."

The handsome, young stableboy hands the apple to your pony and you�

1. Smile. He's kind of cute.
2. Smile. He seems nice.
3. Shrug. At least he takes pride in his work.
4. Have no strong feelings. Let's keep this brief.
5. Narrow my eyes.

# ? Feb 18, 2021 00:20

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

# ? Feb 18, 2021 00:32

Slaan: Mar 16, 2009; ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH

5, what are you up to friend

# ? Feb 18, 2021 00:36

Black Robe: Sep 12, 2017; Generic Magic User

2, I bet he saw something relevant we can question him about if we're nice to him.

# ? Feb 18, 2021 08:53

OOrochi: Jan 19, 2017; On my honor as the Dawnspear.

2 We like our pony, thus we should be nice to other people who like our pony.

# ? Feb 18, 2021 20:51

MagusofStars: Mar 31, 2012

OOrochi posted:

2 We like our pony, thus we should be nice to other people who like our pony.

Seems reasonable.

# ? Feb 18, 2021 21:18

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Ponies own. It is known.

Have some photos of ponies, so you can imagine Shawn better. Can't beat a Shetland or a Shire IMO.

ANYWAY!

Smile. He seems nice.

Evertree posted:

Lamuel is definitely one of the more down to earth, kind-hearted people you've met, though living on the bottom rung of society in Flom hasn't given you much to which you could compare him.

You wouldn't mind getting to know him a little better before getting into interrogation mode, and so you consider what topics of smalltalk you could introduce.

"So, how are you liking your stay?"

It takes you a second to realise that the question is directed at you.

1. "All the better for meeting you."
2. "It's great. You have a lovely place here."
3. "Well, I was worrying about my pony, but now that you've put my fears to rest I feel much better."
4. "It's okay, I guess."

# ? Feb 19, 2021 00:32

MagusofStars: Mar 31, 2012

3, our pony is important and everybody should know that.

# ? Feb 19, 2021 00:53

OOrochi: Jan 19, 2017; On my honor as the Dawnspear.

MagusofStars posted:

3, our pony is important and everybody should know that.

Yup.

# ? Feb 19, 2021 00:59

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

3 indeed.

# ? Feb 19, 2021 01:42

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Sorry about the paucity of updates over the last week. Work has been hellish. We submit the project I�m working on Tuesday, so it�ll be back to the normal schedule on Wednesday. I�ll try and get one update out between now and then, bit I�m not promising that!

# ? Feb 21, 2021 17:18

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Project finished (thank god), so back to it!

***edit***
Last update, I somehow managed to miss the text where we tell Lamuel Shawn's name, so here it is:

Evertree posted:

While Shawn munches merrily, Lamuel leans next to you on the wooden fence.

Standing together like this you have a closer view of him than before. His hair is a golden brown and long enough to reach his shoulders, which are bronzed from a life of working outdoors. His nose is flecked with a spattering of freckles and his eyelashes are long, flicking up and down against the small flies that flit about the barn.

As Shawn enjoys the treat, you see a contented smile, resting across Lamuel's face. His brown eyes dart to the side and he catches you looking, causing a blush to spread into his cheeks.

"So, does she have a name?" he asks, referring to the satisfied pony standing between you.

"Actually, he's a boy. His name is Shawn."

"Oh sorry, Shawn," Lamuel says sincerely to your pony, reaching out to rub his nose as he munches on the apple. "It's lovely to meet you."

***edit end***

"Well, I was worrying about my pony, but now that you've put my fears to rest I feel much better."

Evertree posted:

He laughs. "Well, you can rest assured that Shawn will be safe here tonight so please enjoy the rest of your evening and then give a good review to mother. That's Laisa, by the way. I'm her son."

You had figured as much, although he looks nothing like the formidable Mrs. Dupree. Perhaps he got his looks from his father's side.

Shawn continues to eat the apple and you feel like you should probably ask something in return to keep the conversation going.

1. "So�what do you do here, aside from take care of the animals?"
2. "So�whose are the other animals in the stable?"
3. Okay, I'm bored now.

Lamuel +5

Lamuel is a chill man who likes ponies, and likes people who like ponies.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 13:54 on Feb 24, 2021

# ? Feb 24, 2021 13:45

Zathril: Nov 12, 2011

1

Just wanted to thank you for this thread, i have since bought and played through this game and plan to move on to the rest.

# ? Feb 24, 2021 13:54

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Zathril posted:

Just wanted to thank you for this thread, i have since bought and played through this game and plan to move on to the rest.

Glad you enjoyed it! I just wanted to share something I like with other people.

As I said in the intro to the LP, I really do think that this series, along with Paul Wang's Infinity series and Joel Havenstone's Choice of Rebels series represent the best products that CoG have published.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 14:10 on Feb 24, 2021

# ? Feb 24, 2021 14:08

OOrochi: Jan 19, 2017; On my honor as the Dawnspear.

# ? Feb 24, 2021 14:25

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

"So�what do you do here, aside from take care of the animals?"

Evertree posted:

Lamuel shrugs. "Lots of things, I suppose. I do most of the manual stuff, collecting firewood, chopping firewood, carrying firewood to and from the wood cellar� actually, it's mostly firewood and animals, to be honest."

After a few seconds of silence he asks, "What about you? What do you do?"

1. Tell the truth.
2. Lie to sound more impressive.
3. Avoid the question.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 19:36

Black Robe: Sep 12, 2017; Generic Magic User

1 - lying is often useful and/or necessary but I don't think it's either at this stage.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 20:18

MagusofStars: Mar 31, 2012

Black Robe posted:

1 - lying is often useful and/or necessary but I don't think it's either at this stage.

Agreed on 1. IIRC, our backstory is a pretty bland "just traveling to a new city looking for work" not like "hired mafia hitman" or something, so I don't really see a point in lying here.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 20:41

OOrochi: Jan 19, 2017; On my honor as the Dawnspear.

Yeah, 1. We don�t have much to hide

# ? Feb 26, 2021 18:00

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Tell the truth.

Evertree posted:

"A shaman?" Lamuel gasps. "That sounds�"

You quickly interrupt to inform him that such a dream will not be possible, and when he asks why, you tell him about the fire.

Lamuel listens in patient silence, his brown eyes widening as you tell your tragic tale. Once you are finished, he nods somberly and says, "My father died when I was fifteen. He fell through the door to the wood cellar out there. Broke his neck. I was the one who found him." He looks at you sincerely and says, "I know it's not the same, but I do understand what it's like to lose someone you love." <Clue 2 updated!>

Do you want to do anything?

1. Place a hand on his shoulder.
2. Give him a hug.
3. I'll do nothing.
4. Tell him coldly, "You're right. It's not the same."

Lamuel +5

Stats posted:

Clues
2 - Mr. Dupree died at the inn, 5 years ago, falling into the wood cellar.

# ? Feb 26, 2021 23:29

CountryMatters: Apr 8, 2009; IT KEEPS HAPPENING

2, give the man a hug, we're having a moment

# ? Feb 27, 2021 00:16

OOrochi: Jan 19, 2017; On my honor as the Dawnspear.

2

Agreed about the moment.

# ? Feb 27, 2021 00:27

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

A hug seems like a bit much, but a hand is a good choice.

# ? Feb 27, 2021 00:55

MagusofStars: Mar 31, 2012

CountryMatters posted:

2, give the man a hug, we're having a moment

Seems reasonable.

# ? Feb 27, 2021 06:04

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Give him a hug.

Evertree posted:

You move to put your arms around him and instinctively, he ducks back. You stand there with your arms out and he looks at you apologetically and says, "I'm sorry�um�I didn't mean to�" He doesn't appear angry at your gesture but perhaps he's not used to physical displays of affection.

He says to you, "Well, I have faith that you can be anything you want. Even a famous shaman. Life is like that. Just when you think there's no way you can change your fortune, that's when anything can happen."

You smile. You're not sure how much you believe the sentiment, but you appreciate the gesture.

An awkward silence descends again between you, filled only with the crunch, crunch of Shawn chewing the apple. You look over at Lamuel and he at you and as your eyes meet, he looks quickly back to Shawn, a nervous smile curling the corner of his mouth.

1. "So�whose are the other animals in the stable?"
2. "So�do you ever get into the city? It must be hard to meet people when you're stuck out here."
3. Okay, I'm bored now.

Lamuel is not a particularly huggy person (something I can definitely relate to), but attempting the hug doesn't lead to a decrease in relationship score.

Lamuel is the only other character in this game who switches gender based on your gender and sexual preference. If you're into girls or male and not choosy, Lamuel is instead Leah, but much with Dandy/Daisy that only rarely has an effect on the character.

# ? Feb 27, 2021 22:31

OOrochi: Jan 19, 2017; On my honor as the Dawnspear.

Let's try 1.

Lamuel likes animals and we could see if there is an odd number of animals in the stable.

# ? Feb 27, 2021 22:45

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

"So�whose are the other animals in the stable?"

Evertree posted:

Lamuel's eyes light up at your question and he asks, "How about I introduce them?" He leaves your side and heads over to the stall marked with a number 5 where there stands a proud black stallion.

"This fine beast is Hunter. He belongs to the half-elf in room 5."

"And this," he moves over to the next stall which contains a stunning mare as white as milk, "is Ehrunariel. She belongs to the elf in room 6."

Then he moves over to the stall that is not marked with a number at the far end. "And this one here," he says proudly, gesturing to a dapple-grey mare who leans out towards him as he approaches, "is my Sierra." The horse nuzzles into Lamuel's arm causing him to stumble and laugh.

"Sierra's my best friend, aren't you, girl?" He rubs the nose of the horse and pets her lovingly until suddenly he remembers that you are watching and apologises bashfully. "Sorry�I guess it's kind of sad to have a horse as a best friend," he confesses.

1. "I feel the same way about Shawn."
2. "I think it's sweet."
3. "It is a little sad, yes."

# ? Feb 28, 2021 15:04

MagusofStars: Mar 31, 2012

1. Our pony is our best friend; might actually be our only friend tbh.

# ? Feb 28, 2021 15:23

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

# ? Feb 28, 2021 15:47

OOrochi: Jan 19, 2017; On my honor as the Dawnspear.

# ? Feb 28, 2021 15:55

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

"I feel the same way about Shawn."

Evertree posted:

Even if you had wanted to conceal your feelings on the matter, you would not have been able to do so. The truth is that Shawn has always felt more like a friend to you than a pony, and you tell Lamuel exactly that. The young stablehand gives you a smile as warm as a summer day and once again rubs the nose of his mare, fondly. You can't help but smile back.

Once Sierra has been given copious amounts of affection and attention, Lamuel makes his way back over to you. "It's nice to talk with someone who understands," he says.

Crunch! Crunch!

1. "So�do you ever get into the city? It must be hard to meet people when you're stuck out here."
2. "So�chopping wood, what's that like?"
3. Okay, I'm bored now.

Lamuel +5
Lamuel +3

You get two separate relationship bumps here. One for giving an answer he likes, and one for keeping the conversation going.

# ? Feb 28, 2021 16:06

Black Robe: Sep 12, 2017; Generic Magic User

# ? Feb 28, 2021 17:02

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

"So�do you ever get into the city? It must be hard to meet people when you're stuck out here."

Evertree posted:

Lamuel scratches the back of his head awkwardly. "Not as often as I'd like�I wouldn't say I'm stuck out here, though. I like helping mother with the inn�"

You watch him shift uncomfortably and then he says, "And besides, I can meet people here. That's one of the nice things, I guess. You never know who's about to check in."

It feels like that comment might have been in reference to you.

Crunch! Crunch!

1. "So�chopping wood, what's that like?"
2. "So�you have a wood cellar here. That's cool."
3. I have no idea what else to say�

# ? Mar 1, 2021 18:08

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

# ? Mar 1, 2021 18:19

OOrochi: Jan 19, 2017; On my honor as the Dawnspear.

Yeah, I kinda think we're done here.

3

# ? Mar 1, 2021 18:23

CountryMatters: Apr 8, 2009; IT KEEPS HAPPENING

I love that this game gives you the option to awkwardly try and force a conversation when you have nothing to say (and I assume you get relationship penalties for it)

Still, I think we're savvy enough to read the room. 3

# ? Mar 1, 2021 23:31

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

CountryMatters posted:

I love that this game gives you the option to awkwardly try and force a conversation when you have nothing to say (and I assume you get relationship penalties for it)

It can actually go either way, depending on prior choices and what you say. I'll add that to the list of scenes to show at the end, along with the "keeping knocking at door 4" scene.

I have no idea what else to say�

Evertree posted:

Your conversation trails off and suddenly you realise that you and Lamuel have just been looking at each other for almost a minute. He notices this too and you both see it on the other's face and smirk.

Unable to hold your gaze again, he looks over to the stable door and says, "I should probably lock up for the evening. Would you mind if we step back outside?"

Then a sudden whinny between you causes you instinctively to reach up and place a reassuring hand on Shawn's face and at the same time, so does Lamuel. Your hands touch and you feel butterflies in your stomach. Lamuel's big, brown eyes meet yours and you have a fraction of a second to decide how to respond.

1. Just smile back.
2. Kiss him.
3. Apologise and pull my hand away.
4. Pull my hand away sharply.

# ? Mar 2, 2021 17:56

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

2, keep our options open.

# ? Mar 2, 2021 18:01

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# ? May 28, 2024 15:24

CountryMatters: Apr 8, 2009; IT KEEPS HAPPENING

ultrafilter posted:

2, keep our options open.

Agreed, 2, we're maxing out our kissing stat

# ? Mar 2, 2021 19:56

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Three gold a night, and absolutely no hanky-panky: CYOA at the Evertree Inn

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