CurseQuest /CYOA/

Bottle Caps INV-
12 spaces-

=-=-=-=-=Miscellaneous
1 - 50ft rope + Grapple head
2 - 2 x Torches, Matches. Flint and steel.
3 - Food provisions.
4 - Canteen of water

-=-=-=-Key items

5 - A mirror.
6 - Good luck charm

=-=-= Weapons

7 - Jungle knife. (Machete)


-=-=-=-=- Laccolith's inventory-
An unknown number of books.
1 ancient torch.
Boat key.
Spell crystal amulet

1 crossbow (9 bolts)
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    Hello everyone. Welcome to Curse quest.

This is a quest about a stallion named Bottle Cap, who is trying to cure a curse he got from reckless behaviour and an unfortunate desire to lick everything.

I’ll dive right into it, with some prologue stuff.

--A presumed ten years after the coronation of Twilight Sparkle:

In a town, somewhere in Equestria, there was a young stallion named Bottle Cap. Bottle Cap was by all means a fairly ordinary pony. Got good grades in school, had an average amount of friends. He worked at a ponymart, usually staying extra hours, and doing most or all of the heavy lifting. One day, Bottle Cap was just sitting at home, enjoying his weekend off. Or at least, he normally would be, but instead he found himself dreading.
    He dreaded the whole upcoming week. It was only saturday, but it was getting late. Soon it would be Sunday, and then after that it would be Monday again. And he would have to go back to work. Bottle Cap absolutely dreaded that.
    So he sat, and he thought, and he sat. And the longer he thought about it, the more he realized how truly uncontent his life was. He hadn’t talked to his parents for months, since he had always found them overbearing and controlling. He hadn’t really talked to his school friends for years now. He looked over at his prized bottle cap collection, which he had been working on for years. He hadn’t collected a new one in weeks.
    Cap’s entire dream was to one day own a sort of travelling soda bar, where he could serve ice cream floats and pops to anyone who wanted one. He stared long and hard at his bottle cap collection, feeling more and more bitter as he decided his wish would never come true. So it was then, that Bottle Cap made a wish upon his favorite bottle cap. “I wish- That something interesting would happen to me, and that I could go and find something new, and get away from it all.”
    Bottle Cap went to bed normally that night, his life remarkably unchanged.

    Exactly 4.10958 months later, which happens to be 5x5x5 days, his wish was finally processed by an extra dimensional board of wish granters. The paperwork took some time, but they got it done.
    So it was, that just as Cap was preparing for work one morning, feeling extra numb and unfocused by the prospect of returning to work once more, that the walls of his room began to blur. A rift in space and time began to open.
    Bottle Cap took one look at it, and said- “Yeah, sure. Alright. Let’s go!”

    He dove into the rift in time and space, and his adventure began, once and for all.


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    Enter The land of Neighxico:

    The land of Neighxico is located just below Equestria, but it is far different from the soft land of the royal pony sisters and the elements of harmony. Sure they may get dragons and monsters every now and then, but they get defeated by high tier magic users and stuff.
    The people of Neighxico? Nah, they didn’t get diddly squat except their own tools and strength as a united people, under a democratically elected government. None of that princess stuff down here.
    It is not quite a lawless and wild land, with many cities and domestic life abound, but there are still vast expanses of open space filled with unknown perils and creatures, from witches to chupacabras.
    The Equestrian royal guard serves as a temporary police force, although Neighxico does have it’s own guard of a sort. They haven’t been needed for many years, so they have slowly dropped in numbers.

Neighxico serves as an amazingly progressive country due to its laws on changeling rights, and numerous activists and supporters. Of course, conspiracy theorists state that these activists and politicians are changelings themselves, but that’s probably hogwash.
    Changelings have the rights to walk about towns, own land and property, and every other right a normal pony race has. However, there are only five registered hives, and only three of them were ever approved for safe interaction with tourists and locals. It is recognized that while normal changelings and drones are friendly, and sometimes even childlike, the Queens are often cold and distant from petty pony things, and so are warned against interacting with. That is not to say that all Queens are bad of course, as one hive in the east has shown, where the hive queen herself is rapidly becoming an international pop-star, with tens of thousands of loving fans. She is known to be very friendly, even off camera. Not even the dirtiest of reporters could drag up anything mean about her, she is genuinely known as Queen Sweetheart.
    Of course, Neighxican officials, even changeling ones, would warn heavily against going near or visiting unregistered hives. They often don’t or choose not to abide by the laws of Neighxico, and are to be reported to authorities. Tourists go missing often around them, and it is usually up to the likes of registered hives to “Discourage” the new queens.

    In the far north, just below the badlands mostly controlled by Equestrian bandits, rustlers, and changelings, There is a great forest, and next to it, and even greater range of mountains. The mountains are known as the red range. There are practically a land of their own, with many numerous species taking up residence in the low valleys and tall peaks. From goats to Griffons to ponies to harpies to wild cats, these mountains are rife with danger, and possibly breathtaking views. To get into Neighxico from Equestria, you must go around these mountains. It is said that going over them is generally suicide, as a lightning god is said to get angry at you if you try.
    Just below the red range is the Ruby red volcano. A shrine to a warrior titan stands in ruins here, and it has mostly become a monastery for isolated monks and priests. They are also said to keep a great evil at bay with many many seals. Most ponies would say they are lying, and are just hogging the beautiful views and hot springs all to themselves. There are regular hot springs for tourists, and even a beautiful town parked at the base of the assumedly extinct volcano.
    Further south, there is the gorgeous ruby canyons and cliffs, far outshining the shallow gorges of Equestria. Geologists have remarked that the gorge makes no sense, as the river that flows along the bottom could not have possibly carved out such a deep, many mile long chasm. Local folklore tells stories about a battle between titans that took place here, changing the landscape drastically. There are said to be many treasures near the bottom, but it can’t be seen from the top, so no one wants to go looking down there. There are said to be ghostly lights that glow at night deep within, and a few brave adventurers make claims of fantastic ruins.
    Moving to the right of that is the gulf of Neighxico, where many tropical towns and villages exist. This is one of the most peaceful places in Neighxico, where tens of thousands of folks visit every year. Again, the pop star Changeling Queen, Sweetheart, has her hive set up here. Always worth a visit!
    Moving on below that, are miles and miles of farmland, as well as the capital city of Neighxico, which is just Neighxico city, because apparently the ponies who came up with the name are unoriginal.
    Much further to the south, and a little bit to the east, is a scattering of ghost towns and ancient villages, which are all buried in thick jungle. This land is called the forgotten farms, because the joke goes that someone planted too many crops and forgot about them. It is a thick rainforesty area, with many tropical sights to see.

Deeper south, you would normally encounter the shining amethyst city, a technological marvel of a city said to be ran by an ancient council of Archmages, oracles, and other magic users. Some of the most miraculous inventions of the continent happened here, including electric trains and magnetic manipulation machines for large scale building. This used to be the science capital of Neighxico, but recently that had to become regular plain old Neighxico city again. This is not because the city fell to time or anything, or had any disasters, instead it is because they declared themselves a distinct separate entity from Neighxico, a sovereign state of sorts. They are currently very picky about who they will let in, and very few ever find reason to leave. The few travellers that leave say it is the perfect utopia. They also start speaking of a dangerous disaster looming on the horizon, that the oracles of amethyst city have predicted for many years to come. This used to be one of the most active trading ports in the world, but all shipping to and from has since stopped after they declared themselves independent.
    Moving right up northwest from there, are the vast plains, sands, rivers, and sparse towns here and there that dot the landscape. There are a few jungles too, with the ruins of ancient Pon-Incan and other indigenous races scattered throughout. A few of them still live, but they are generally hostile to everyone who is not them. The government of Neighxico has hired Royal Equestrian guards to help isolate these areas from tourists and locals alike.
    Further north beyond that, there is the massive flying city of Sapphira. The City is known for flying. Originally, a local legend states that when an ancient sea serpent died, its body formed a storm cloud of repentance for it’s victims. An entire culture of ancient weather ponies took to the sky, and began to build a giant city atop of it.
    Over time, they added more and more clouds, as well as more and more ponies, and it became a thriving city of the sky. It’s said that deep within, a remnant of the Sea serpent's soul still resides, but at this point, with so many clouds surrounding it, the initial storm cloud has long since quieted away, so the city no longer relies on it. Experts had estimated this might cause the city to fall in the year 2xxx of the Mustang calendar, but that year passed uneventfully.
    This city is famous for having a view of everything everywhere seeing as it is a mile and a half into the sky. Make sure you bring a jacket!
    Further north, there is the great emerald woods, where the dryads and fairy folk are said to reign. There is also the golden shining lake of Sol city, which is basically a tourist city built around one of the numerous times Princess Celestia came down to visit Neighxico. It is said that the entire lake turned gold as she raised the sun upon a famous hotel balcony. Further investigation revealed that the hotel was built years after Celestia’s visit, and that it was a mere trading post back then. The rumors of the lake turning gold were true though. It does that every morning.
    There is also an oddly named city, Outpost city, which despite initially being an outpost is one of the largest cities on the western side of the country. It serves as an international airport, and one of the only ways for the average pony to get to the city of the clouds. There are many skilled engineers in the garage, and the casino draws in crowds from all over. One of the nicest things about the city is a path of trails, leading up the third tallest mountain in the red range. It is said to have many gorgeous waterfalls, and picnic spots as well! Definitely a must see. Also, there may or may not have been a few airship crashes in the higher altitudes. If you find any, please be sure to inform authorities so we recover the wreckage. Many ancient wrecks are located up this high, some with custom aircraft parts that were very rare. Don’t worry about possibly defiling any graves, there aren’t any. Pegasus rescue teams are very good at their job, there is a confirmed total of only 1 death in the three hundred year long record of Outpost city.

    -There’s lots to do and see in Neighixco, have fun!
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Cast of characters:
Bottle Cap: Lick everything! A mostly average horse who appears to be exceedingly naive on the outside. He is a little impulsive, acting on a whim as soon as he feels certain of something. He may be recklessly brave, but he isn’t truly an idiot. He has a good heart, and really wants to do what he thinks will be best for others. He is cursed with a magical entity that gives him unique powers, but if he uses them too often or for too long, he might start losing himself to the curse. For the most part, as long as he keeps the use of his power infrequent or only for short durations, he will hopefully be fine. He dreams of opening an ice cream float stand.
Laccolith: History addict. Owns a boat “Borrowed” from her father. Her mother left her when she was quite young, and she was mostly raised by her father to respect and admire history and adventure. She’s very dedicated and knowledgeable. She had a recent falling out with her father, caused by revelations of him having a secret agenda that is apparently being purposely kept from players. Because of this, she wants to stay as far away from him as possible, and try her best to stick to the morals and codes that she believes in, not his. She also has a desire to do dangerous things and break as many rules as she can. She is easily fascinated by relics and monsters. She isn’t sure what she dreams of, and hopes to find a purpose beyond simple learning and studying forever. She believes she has found that in adventuring with her friends.
Basil: Cook bug! She was removed from her mother at a young age by the swamp-dwelling witch Hazel. She has a picture of what is presumably her as a child and what is assumed to be her mother. Whilst living as Hazel’s servant, she spent a great deal of time focusing on learning how to cook like a pro. She also learned bits and pieces about magic and the rest of the world over Hazel’s shoulder. Hazel never intended to teach her magic or any alchemical methods, but Basil has an intrinsic need and desire to learn all she can. She recently visited a changeling hive, and had a great deal of knowledge planted into her brain in a rather forceful matter. This supposedly gave her all she needed to know about being a hive queen. Whether or not she uses the knowledge to that end is yet to be seen, as there are many uses for such knowledge in many other places. Dreams of having a place of her own, and maybe opening a travelling restaurant, but only upon hearing that Bottle Cap wanted to do something similar. Mostly, she wants a place to belong.
 SHE IS ALIVE AND WELL DAMN IT.
Dorchadas: Shadow beast. Was bound for thousands of years by a contract with Archibald the Archmage. Has resigned himself to taking naps and waiting until he is allowed to eat things. Dreams of one day leaving and finding a shadow beast with which to have affections and love for. Is a true bro.
Archie: Ancient cursed being, who permanently borrowed the body of an Arch-mage warrior. Regrets the loss of aliveness of his host. Vaguely unaware of the fact that it has been so long that he has become an entirely new being at this point. The powers of his curse being so meshed with the original host body that it is very much his own. He couldn’t leave it if he wanted to. Generally polite and refined, and endlessly curious about the new world he has been woken into. Dreams of possibly going out into the world to simply learn everything he can, but knows that he wants to help his new friends break the curse first. Isn’t entirely sure he wants to break his own curse, having been presented with so many interesting and new things to learn. Is very wary of the motivations of Bottle Cap’s own curse.

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The call of the Swarm:

The Call of the swarm is a low frequency sound, commonly generated by changelings, for use in long or short range communication. It often encourages particular instinctual habits, or general urges, and typically at an unconscious level. For most common drones, close contact with the call with mostly override their own will, and their instinctual desire to be part of a hive and serve it will generally overwhelm them. It becomes a rapid pulse, echoed constantly, and they must answer the call. The amount of presence and information sent by the call of a typical drone is usually sparse, but very long range. Simple messages can be sent by them. With the application of a little magic, or a little magically converted emotion, the messages can become much more complex and commanding. More powerful changelings, such as Queens, can issue much stronger commands, with much more complexity. However, their general emittance is too high pitched to travel very far, which is why they often get drones to relay messages for them. A very close range, or physical contact bestowed message with a large quantity of infused magic can make the messages exceptionally advanced and complex, detailing hundreds or thousands of thoughts at once into the minds of the receiver. Unfortunately for them, too much information will often hurt, and more often than not overwhelm entirely.
    The majority of ranges of the Call of the swarm is primarily only heard by changelings, but higher frequency calls can be heard or understood by other creatures as well. If a changeling queen were to put in enough magic, it would not be too much effort for them to even use this to control or command a regular pony, overriding even their differing minds with magic.

Extra bits of deep lore:

Nothing to see here. Curse has no lore whatsoever.

FIVE
There were Five titans, and five relics. There are destined to be five heroes, brought together by the five oracles. There are also five colours of magic, which have tendencies to settle into five different types. Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Purple.
Spear, Shovel, Leaf, Cloud, Hourglass
Break, Make, Grow, Change, Observe.

Spell list for Bottle Cap:

Absorb/steal
Farsight
Transform (Requires bug goo or contact with bug for now.)
Identify drink
Create water variant (Create soda)

Spell list for Archie:

[insert literally thousands of spells here]
Animate object
Various transformation spells
Various fire themed spells
Mastery over fire based attacks
Absorb/steal
Life drain
Redistribute life
Telekinesis
Minor illusion
Message spell
Short ranged teleport
Wild magic
Confusion
Healing magics
Frighten others.
Various destruction spells.
Limited shield magic
Summon magic weapon.