Prisoner IV (Post-Larian Edits)EXT. FOREST - NIGHT
YOU, your GENERAL, and a PRISONER are the only three left on a battlefield among dying trees. Blood pools at your feet lit by dimming fires. Dust fills the air, still settling from the recent conflict.
Banners line the field, most battered beyond recognition. One nearby matches an emblem on YOUR armor.
The PRISONER, a thin, antsy man, is clad in restraints on his hands and feet with one chain hanging from the center of them all. The GENERAL holds out the center chain towards YOU.
GENERAL - "It's an easy job, soldier. Just don't let the little man run. He'll fetch a high ransom. A lieutenant of mine is waiting at the other end of the forest. Just get the prisoner through before midnight and you'll receive the ransom in full."
YOU take the chain, and the PRISONER with it. The GENERAL exits the forest and the battlefield.
The PRISONER won't stop squirming, looking around the forest in front of YOU and the battlefield behind as if waiting for something to come out.
[[What are you looking for? ->Friendly]]
[[//Look where he's watching.// ->Curious]]
[[Stop squirming! There's no one else here. ->Frustrated]]
PRISONER - "I want to be found. But not by servants. Master will come. He knows where I am. He'll become me."
The PRISONER stops moving around and points his attention enthusiastically towards YOU.
PRISONER - "Yes. Yes! You'll help. I'll reward you. Dreams or nightmares, I'll reward you."
[[What can you give me that the lieutenant can't? ->Offer]]
[[Your bounty is my reward. Keep moving! ->Transition]]
[[//Slap the prisoner// You need to shut up and start moving! ->Altercation]]
The PRISONER lays on the ground, his head bleeding.
PRISONER - "Please help."
[[//Scavenge for what you can to stabilize the prisoner.// ->Heal]]
[[(Intelligence-assumed success) //Analyze his wounds// ->Analyze]]
[[Get up! You can't be hurt that badly. ->Let Bleed]]PRISONER - Have to go. Not safe. Can't stay.
The PRISONER looks to his hands in his anxiety, and then lunges towards you with a red needle in his right hand.
As YOU move to react, the world becomes blurry. Light grows in front of YOU as a man with a knife appears. YOU fight back, but he stabs YOU, and YOU fall to the ground, bleeding. As YOU die, the dark of the forest comes back into view, and the prisoner is gone.
YOU stand up to see you're unscathed.
NARRATOR - "As the nightmare clears from your eyes, it occurs to you that the debt you'll incur from losing this man may be more trouble than getting him through the forest. But you've already lost him. You may not catch him before the Lieutenant suspects something and tries to find the prisoner himself."
[[//Call out for him// I'm ready to listen to what you have to say. ->Road]]
[[(Wisdom - Assumed success)//Follow foot prints to see if you can find him.// ->Hide with him]]
[[//Cut your losses and leave the forest.// ->No prisoner]]
YOU run around the battlefield, finding flowers and greenery mostly made red and sticky by the blood. But YOU find something useful and are able to make a functional poultice.
YOU grab a knife from the battlefield and wrap the poultice and cloth around the cut. The PRISONER stabilizes and looks at YOU.
PRISONER - "Th-Thank you. I still need to go to that place in the woods. Someone is waiting for me."
As the words exit his mouth, the PRISONER falls back asleep. As he does, purple light starts to pulse from his hand as an amethyst forms from the light.
[[//Stay by his side until he recovers.// ->Hide with him]]
[[//Slap him awake// Get up. We have an appointment to keep. ->Road]]
[[//Steal the gem while he's asleep and hide until morning// ->Thief]]
YOU pull the PRISONER's chains, dragging him down the path. He mumbles constantly as you go.
PRISONER - "He'll be here. Tonight. Sundown. He'll come again. And again. And again."
The PRISONER falls in the dirt and stops moving. A purple light emanates from his palm, getting brighter as the blood continues to drip. He closes his eyes, and an amethyst so dark it almost looks black forms from the light in his right hand. As it takes shape, it begins to speak with the PRISONER's voice.
AMETHYST - "Don't go. Master will be mad. Master will punish. But you can still return. Before midnight."
The purple light from the amethyst begins to pulse like a heartbeat.
[[//Stay with him//->Good Night]]
[[//Hide his body and leave the forest.// ->No prisoner]]
[[//Steal the gem and hide in the forest.// ->Bad Night]]
The LIEUTENANT enters the forest accompanied by an entourage of armed guards. He approaches YOUR position. YOU salute, as the LIEUTENANT looks for the PRISONER.
LIEUTENANT - "Dammit, don't tell me you lost him. Do you know how valuable he was?"
LIEUTENANT gestures to GUARDS who restrain you in the same fashion as the PRISONER.
LIEUTENANT - "Do you know how valuable he was?"
The LIEUTENANT gestures to a soldier who warms a brand in the heat of a torch.
LIEUTENANT - "It's rare to find divine power. It's particularly incompetant to lose it."
The LIEUTENANT takes your arm and the small brand of an ouroboros, pressing it into YOUR forearm as YOU cry out in pain. Then, he leads YOU to the middle of the line of soldiers.
LIEUTENANT - "Someone has to take on the debt of losing that kind of power. You've lost our chance of any hope in this life. So leave here, marked, and wander the deserted lands. Maybe his dreams will find you before someone else does."
[[Restart ->Beginning]]
[[End ->Finale]]YOU come to a clearing in the forest where the moons shines bright. YOU watch as the PRISONER crosses the threshold into moonlight and quickly falls asleep. YOU stand above the PRISONER, who is quietly snoring. A purple glow coming from his hand gets brighter as the night gets darker. It pulses with his heartbeat.
As YOU watch, an amethyst, so purple it almost looks black, starts to form like hard light from the purple beams that are coming from the PRISONER's hand.
PRISONER - *Mumbling asleep* "Come soon. I'm here. Toll's too high. You'll cross soon. I'll find you there."
From the edge of the treeline at the forest's exit, a light appears. It reveals the LIEUTENANT and his SOLDIERS, entering the forest to look for YOU and the PRISONER.
[[//Stay still and wait for the lieutenant to pass.//->Good Night]]
[[Lieutenant! The prisoner is here! ->Road]]
[[//Steal the gem before he wakes and up hide in the forest until morning.//->Bad Night]]YOU stay still until all light has dissipated except that of the moon.
As YOU watch the PRISONER, the amethyst pulls the night into it. The darkness swirls and takes shape around the PRISONER. SOMNUS walks towards you, darkness given form. He appears in tattered robes, carrying a jar of golden, glowing shards in the shape of sewing needles. Hanging from his robes are the same shards glowing red. He has one eye: a glowing amethyst like the PRISONER's. Sand trails behind him like a snail's slime.
A fox walks out of the god's form. It speak's with the PRISONER's voice as it turns to face its master.
FOX - "Master, you've come. I knew you'd come! I'm sorry for...well."
SOMNUS takes amethyst and places it where his second eye would be.
FOX - "I'm sorry master. I needed some extra coins. My love was stuck without a toll for the ferryman. The toll is too high." *He jumps onto YOUR shoulders.* "But this friend is good. They helped me. They saved me."
SOMNUS walks towards YOU, changing his face from a wendigo, to a succubus, and dissipating again into just amethyst eyes.
FOX - "Yes. A gift. They've earned it." *To YOU.* "Don't turn him down. He seldom offers thanks."
[[//Accept Somnus' offer.// ->Heaven]]
[[What is your gift? ->Question]]
[[(Warlock) I've given my soul to another god. Can I accept your offer? ->Warlock]]
[[//Reject Somnus' offer.// ->Hell]]YOU approach The LIEUTENANT's position. THE LIEUTENANT looks down at the PRISONER at your feet.
LIEUTENANT - "This will do, so long as," *He reaches down into the PRISONER's hand and finds the amethyst* "Yes. This was what we needed."
A SOLDIER with a bag of gold prepared begins handing you the ransom.
LIEUTENANT - "You did well enough. Take your gold, find a nice inn, and forget this night. Gods willing, the nightmares will evade you for a few days."
[[Restart ->Beginning]]
[[End ->Finale]]While YOU hide behind a tree, the wind begins to rush. The darkness swirls and takes shape like the amethyst had. SOMNUS walks towards you, darkness given form. He appears in tattered robes, carrying a jar of golden, glowing shards in the shape of sewing needles. Hanging from his robes are the same shards glowing red. He has one eye, a glowing amethyst like the PRISONER's. Sand trails behind him like a snail's slime.
The amethyst speaks to YOU with the PRISONER's voice with new conviction as SOMNUS turns to face YOU.
SOMNUS - "You have hurt one my of creatures, and stolen my eye. But you returned it to me, so I will offer you a choice of punishment. My mercy is to offer you the laws of Man. Act in contrition to your kind and I will be satisfied. But should you dread their anger more than mine, I will give you my own punishment."
[[//Walk towards Somnus, accepting his punishment.// ->Hell]]
[[//Walk away from Somnus, towards the forest's exit, and accept his mercy. // ->No prisoner]]SOMNUS, god of dreams, pulls a glowing red needle from his tattered cloak and presses it into YOUR forehead, dashing to YOU faster than YOU can react. Then he disappears, fading back into the darkness of the night, leaving behind a puddle of sand.
YOU walk away from the forest followed by a fox. It speaks with the PRISONER's voice, rumbling deeper and more confident, embued with a godly change.
FOX - "Run and I will follow. Hide, and I will find you. Dreams are my domain, and so long as you sleep I'll be there to remind you of your shortcomings."
As YOU walk through the trees, shadows form into tall, humanoid creatures. HIGHWAYMEN are perched in trees with crossbows.
FOX - "You are cursed to remember the night The Merchant of Dreams found you and you turned away from his master. You will understand what it is to forsake My mercy."
At the entrance, light emanates from a mountain of gold. The closer YOU get to it, the faster it melts into incandescent sand.
[[Restart ->Beginning]]
[[End ->Finale]]SOMNUS walks towards YOU, a hand forming under his robes. A shadowy hand takes a gold needle from the jar and presses it into YOUR head. Fresh flowers bloom and a new path forms in front of YOU, paved with daisies. At the end of the road, a mountain of gold is piled high.
YOU look behind you to see the midnight forest is still present. But without moving, the forest gets smaller and farther away until all that is left is the new dream world ahead of YOU.
The PRISONER, speaks from the sky, rumbling through the new-formed clouds.
PRISONER - "Forget about the last world. All that's here is new. It is yours to explore. The memory of the last world will fade."
[[Restart ->Beginning]]
[[End ->Finale]]
YOU walk on the forest path, going towards the sole light in the night. As you get close, the light reveals the LIEUTENANT in front of you.
A purple light in the PRISONER's right hand glows bright, and his eyes widen in fear as he looks between YOU and the LIEUTENANT.
PRISONER - "Not you! You're not supposed to find me."
The LIEUTENANT becomes surrounded by his entourage of SOLDIERS.
LIEUTENANT - "Go ahead and get the prisoner. Stand down, soldier. You've done well tonight."
The PRISONER moves into a fighting stance, but his face is more afraid than it was with you or the general.
PRISONER - "Master sent demons. Nightmares. Please. Help me. Save me!"
[[I won't let them have you. ->Run]]
[[//Hand over the prisoner.// ->Deliverance]]
[[//Fight the soldiers with the prisoner.// ->Fight]]
Thank you for reading!The PRISONER scans YOU, then gets close to whisper.
PRISONER - *Whispering* "I made a god angry. Need to give something back. Can't say much. He'll get angrier."
The PRISONER looks back to the edge of the forest, no calmer.
PRISONER - "He'll send someone. They're coming."
[[What happens if the god finds you?->Listen]]
[[Nobody can get to you while I'm guarding you. ->Obstinate]]
[[Right now, I'm the one you need to worry about. ->Aggressive]]YOU look behind you to see an empty battlefield. The scene is gruesome; blood and shattered bones riddle the earth. Bodies missing limbs rest below heads on pikes. The edge of the battle ended right before the treeline where YOU are guarding the prisoner.
As YOU look back at the PRISONER, he is wringing his hands, and purple light comes through his fingers at each interval. He pulls slightly at the chain as he moves. As he pulls he winces, but he continues despite the pain.
[[Nobody will find you here. Just calm down ->Listen]]
[[The more you struggle, the harder this will be for both of us. ->Obstinate]]
[[Stop your twitching, or I might do something we may both regret. ->Aggressive]]PRISONER - "Can't sit still. Master's coming. Sending servant. Stronger than me. Much stronger than you. We'll run. No fights!"
[[So we'll hide. Where should we go?->Listen]]
[[If anyone gets close, I'll kill them. So sit still. ->Obstinate]]
[[If you keep squirming you'll have to worry about me first. ->Aggressive]]The PRISONER looks at YOU, afraid. He begins shaking, and as he does, a red, glowing shard like a sewing needle forms between his fingers.
PRISONER - "I have to go. You'll help?"
The PRISONER pulls away from YOU as he asks for aid.
[[How could I help if I wanted to? Nobody knows you're here. ->Listen]]
[[What's in your hand? ->Wary]]
[[(Barbarian)You're hysterical. Why don't you take a little knuckle nap? ->Altercation]]The PRISONER produces a gold, needle-like shard that glows in his hand. He holds it out to YOU.
[[What is it? ->Memory]]
[[What do intend on doing with those? ->Wary]]
[[//Hit him with the hilt of your weapon before he has a chance to attack// ->Altercation]]The PRISONER holds a needle in each hand, gold in the left, red in the right.
PRISONER - *Holding up left hand* "Dreams." *Holding up right hand* "Nightmares. Anything. I give you memories. Ones of what you want. Ones of what you fear. But I have to go."
[[Where will you go if I let you go? ->Plan]]
[[I'm going to keep moving until we get through this forest. ->Escape]]
[[(Dextery-assumed success) //Attack him before he does anything with the needles.// ->Altercation]]
The PRISONER presses the needle into YOUR forehead. YOU see someone running through a field at sunset. YOU follow them and a child follows close behind. Right before you catch up to the mysterious person in front of you, the vision ends.
PRISONER - "Dreams. There, you had love. But whatever you want, I'll sell. Hope? Lust? Aspiration? //Anything//. Just get us somewhere safe."
[[Okay. Fine. Let's get off the road. No one will find us there. ->Hide with him]]
[[Get out of my head! ->Wary]]
[[Put down your weapons! //Attack to incapacitate// ->Incapacitate]]PRISONER - "Your life will be a dream. The world will be like a living sleep. Everything you wish will be yours. This world will forget you. You will disappear."
[[//Accept Somnus' offer.// ->Heaven]]
[[(Warlock) I've given my soul to another god. Can I accept your offer? ->Warlock]]
[[//Reject Somnus' offer.// ->Hell]]PRISONER - "You must choose a god. Somnus is stronger. Dreams overcome all."
[[//Accept Somnus' offer.// ->Heaven]]
[[What is your gift? ->Question]]
[[//Reject Somnus' offer.// ->Hell]]NARRATOR - "He's weak. The altercation hurt him much more than it should have. He won't survive long if you leave him to bleed."
[[//Scavenge for what you can to stabilize the prisoner.// ->Heal]]
[[If you're so weak, you weren't meant to survive. ->Let Bleed]]PRISONER - "I'll run through the night. Fight my captors. Burn off the chains. Cut off my limbs, if I must. Then master comes."
As the PRISONER speaks, you see light from a torch at the forest's exit in front of you.
PRISONER - "I'll return his treasures. Hunt other thieves. New thieves. Worse thieves."
As the PRISONER talks about treasure, an amethyst forms in his hand from purple light.
[[If your master will find you anyways, I might as well meet him. Hide here, we should be safe off the road. ->Hide with him]]
[[The lieutenant is just past the treeline. Keep moving. ->Road]]
[[You're plan just might work. Leave. Let's see how far you get.->Escape]]
[[(Sleight of hand-assumed success) //Steal the gem while he's distracted// ->Thief]]PRISONER - "You don't know my master. Or his soldiers. They're ferocious. We must hide. We must leave! Midnight approaches."
The PRISONER's right hand glows purple.
PRISONER - *Pointing through tree-cover to the full moon* "People sleep. Full moon gives him power. Gives //us// power. We'll be safe after."
The PRISONER holds something in his hand that you can't make out.
PRISONER - "I'll be saved."
[[I don't want anybody that powerful finding you. You're safer with me.->Listen]]
[[What do you have? ->Wary]]
[[(Dextery-assumed success) //Attack him before he does anything with the magic.// ->Altercation]]YOU run, and the PRISONER runs after YOU. But YOU are much faster.
PRISONER - "Don't run. Don't steal. It will all be for nothing." *Quieter, to himself* "All for nothing."
[[I didn't think you'd follow quickly enough without some incentive. Come hide with me! ->Hide with him]]
[[Things will get a lot worse than a lost gem if you keep delaying us. //Lead him to the lieutenant//->Road]]
[[Hide from him->Bad Night]]
YOU hit the prisoner and he's quickly discombobulated. However, the PRISONER does not back down, instead holding up his hands and preparing for a fight as red, glowing needles form in from purple light in his hands.
[[What was your plan, behaving so oddly? ->Plan]]
[[What are you going to do with those? ->Escape]]
[[//Hit him again.// ->Incapacitate]]
YOU lunge at the lieutenant, and the soldiers surround YOU and the PRISONER. YOU incapacitate two soldiers with the PRISONER's help. The LIEUTENANT and the other soldiers flee. But the PRISONER falls to the ground.
PRISONER - "It won't be long. Just have to wait. Midnight."
The PRISONER falls over, unconscious. The amethyst pulses purple with the cadence of his heartbeat.
[[I won't let anything happen to you. ->God]]
[[Now that you're tired, you shouldn't run anymore. //return to the lieutenant// ->Deliverance]]
[[//Steal the gem.//->Bad Night]]
The darkness around the PRISONER begins to move, swirling and taking shape. SOMNUS walks towards you, darkness given form. He appears in tattered robes, carrying a jar of golden, glowing shards in the shape of sewing needles. Hanging from his robes are the same shards glowing red. He has one eye, a glowing amethyst like the PRISONER's. Sand trails behind him like a snail's slime.
SOMNUS speaks through the amulet with the voice of the PRISONER, now deeper and more confident.
SOMNUS - "You brought me my servant. But he is broken."
SOMNUS' eyes shift into an angry demon's face in the robe.
SOMNUS - "Furthermore, you have forsaken the mortals closest to you. You have earned my punishment."
[[(Charisma - success) It was difficult to keep him safe at all. I deserve a reward!->Heaven]]
[[Charisma - fail) He's only unconscious. He'll be fine!->Hell]]
[[//Kneel and accept your punishment.// ->Hell]]PRISONER - "Master's reward will be better. He's much stronger."
The PRISONER pulls slightly at his chains as he talks, urging YOU to the forest's entrance behind you.
[[And what would your master offer? ->Memory]]
[[We're almost through. Just keep moving. ->Road]]
[[Stop resisting! (//Attack the prisoner//) ->Altercation]]
YOU run with the prisoner, ducking behind trees and into the darkness until the footsteps from soldiers can't be heard anymore.
The PRISONER stumbles on tree roots and falls to the ground. He quickly begins sleeping, as if compelled by magic.
PRISONER - *Sleep-talking* "Yes master. Midnight. I'm here. I'm sorry."
As the PRISONER sleeps, a purple light emanates from his hand, taking the shape of an amethyst.
[[//Protect him while he sleeps// ->Good Night]]
[[(Stealth - Assumed success) //Sneak away and hope for clemency from the lieutenant// ->No prisoner]]
[[//Steal the gem// ->Bad Night]]
''Things to do''
1) Looks up if/else loops
2) Look up bool
