Crypt of the NecroDancer CYOA Created by Yorokonde Consciousness floods into you like a tidal wave of pain and fragmented memories. That familiar place in between Jumps, but strangely empty. No familiar voice greets you to praise or berate your actions in the last ten years. Only this thudding beat filling your ears. No, wait, there was something else. Then it washes over you in a chilling wave. A voice. “Well now... aren't you a strange one?” You whirl to face it but no matter where you turn there is no one there. Until there is. A grinning, leering face pressed uncomfortably close to your own. His skin is a dead color of blue, like that of a frostbite victim, with pointed ears and eyes that glow an unearthly red. You can't help but notice that they pulse in time to the beat. “So far from home and so full of...” He pauses for a moment to inhale deeply. “Power.” The being exhales as he says the last word. “You will be a worthy addition to my entertainments.” You try to open your mouth to scream or protest or unleash your powers upon this creepy thing invading your personal space, but the words die in your throat. The beat presses on your body like a physical force, growing first uncomfortable, then painful, and finally too much to bear. Your mind forces you unconscious to escape the torment. That brings you up to now. The infernal beat still thuds inside your chest and ears, although now it is joined by an electronic form of music. It's not entirely unpleasant, but it just loops around and around. Even in the short time you spent sorting out your memories, it has grown annoying to listen to. You decide you had best get on with things. Only it appears that you can't. A few attempts to rise off the floor are met with an irresistible force pressing back against you and a momentary screeching interruption of the music. You struggle harder and harder, but the force only presses back with all the weight of several stars. At least whatever this force is it refuses to outright crush you. Your salvation comes in the form of a dramatic halt to the music and an all too familiar voice taking the microphone. “Hey! Hey! Can you hear me?” There's a short pause, until the Jump Coordinator realizes you have no way of responding. “Oh, right. Anyways, I've only got a minute. I can't hold off this music magic for too long. Listen, we're both in trouble. I can't exert any power in this world until the music stops.” “It gets worse. This isn't any normal Jump. You've been hijacked and from what I can tell, waiting ten years won't get you out this time. That... NecroDancer has stolen the part of your magic that allows you to continue Jumping. You're stuck here until you defeat him and halt this infernal music magic.” “At least you won't have to worry about dying. I've seen a few others wandering around in here as well and death seems to be only an inconvenience. They fall to traps or monsters only to rise again at the top of this Crypt. Place called the Lobby. Try heading there. Move to the beat. Maybe you can find so-” The last few words are clipped, abrupt, hurried as if they knew they were about to be cut off. Abruptly, the music restarts, sounding all the louder for the few moments you had without it. At least the last few words appear to be helpful. By listening to the music and matching your attempt to stand to the beat, you find the immovably force strangely lifted for that instant. Walking proves to require the same sense of timing. Tentatively you make your way down the stone corridor you find yourself in. What feels like ages later, the hallway opens up into a large room of golden bricks. Doors line the entire outside of it and when you look back the way you came you find only solid wall. Exploring the other doors proves fruitless, each of them leading into empty rooms. Outside of one you discover the signs of life. The smell of heated metal, burning coal, and the steady pounding of a hammer all leak from behind the door. Opening it reveals a strong young man working over a forge and anvil. His motions, like your own, are all timed to the music. He greets you in a loud voice tinged with a thick Greek accent. “Hey there! Welcome to the Crypt of the NecroDancer! Name's Hephaestus. Pleased to meet you!” You introduce yourself and quickly explain your situation, to which Hephaestus simply nods sadly. He tells you it is all too common. The NecroDancer quickly tires of his 'toys' and he is always searching for new ones. If you're of a mind, he offers you the contents of a purple colored chest in one corner of the room, to help you in your attempt to defeat the evil being. Inside you find a number of items, tools, training manuals and other things. You sort through and pick out which ones seem to suit you, then close the chest and turn to leave. Hephaestus stops you with a few more words at the door. “Just a word of warning. You might find treasures and gold galore down in the Crypt below, but they won't travel back up here with you when you die. Only the items you currently hold in your hands will do that. Special enchantments by yours truly.” Then, with a dismissive wave of his hammer, he returns to his work to let you do as you wish. You have 1000 CP to spend below. Background: Your current age is 1d8+20. Your gender stays the same as your last Jump. Alternately, you can spend 100 CP to choose both. Drop In (Free): You have absolutely no memories, connection, or friends in this world. A tutorial level might have been nice. Adventurer (100 CP): You wandered into the Crypt hoping to find some treasure and scoot before the NecroDancer noticed you. Unfortunately, you didn't account of the strange attack patterns of the monsters that inhabit it and fell under their teeth and claws. Now you're missing a vital piece of your essence. All the treasure in the world won't mean a thing if you can't get out of here to spend it. Bard (100 CP): A simple traveler of the world above, you found yourself drawn into the Crypt by an intoxicating beat. You were driven to discover the source and willingly trod towards the even louder music in your ears. So enraptured you did not notice the spike trap on the floor until the cold lengths of metal were sinking into your chest. When you awoke, the music was louder than ever, the beat thudding right into your chest. Only when you discover the source of the music will you have any answers. Monk (100 CP): A mystic from the far east, or west, or maybe it was to the north. Wherever you came from you were sent here to retrieve a long lost artifact for your temple. Unfortunately even every ounce of your training was no match for the deadly dragons. The last thing you felt was your skin crisping under their fiery breath. Somehow you survived, but at what cost? You can feel the insidious curse of the Crypt on your skin like a spider web. Only when you stop the evil that surrounds you will you be able to leave again. Starting Area: There are no choices here. You're in the Crypt of the NecroDancer. Dance monkey, dance!! Powers: As in other Jumps, rules for buying Powers are the same. All Backgrounds are given their 100 CP Power for free, while others are 50%. The Drop In Background gets no free powers. Drop In 100 CP – Nimble Toes – The Floor of the dungeon is littered with all kinds of spike and pit traps, but you find yourself able to stay just one step ahead of them. You are noticeably more agile and light on your feet. Drop In 200 CP – Scroll Case – Holding just one scroll at a time is for chumps. This case allows you to hold as many scrolls as you want and even comes with a small assortment already. The scrolls are all one use, but the case will gain five random scrolls per week. If you manage to leave this Jump it will instead restock itself with one of each of the scrolls every week. Drop In 400 CP – Scythrophone – You gain the ability to summon the might Scythrophone! A deadly combination of microphone and scythe, this weapon makes you look far more intimidating than you actually are. Whipping it out and screaming a few death threats into it can make even the most hardened being wet themselves with terror. On top of that, should you need to crack a few skulls, you'll find the Scythrophone more than up to the task. Its blade can shred through flesh, bone, and even steel armor like they were tissue paper. Drop In 600 CP – Tempo Shift – You have studied the Tempo Up and Tempo Down traps that are scattered around the NecroDancer's Crypt. After stepping on them more than a few times you have come to understand the magic that powers them, albeit to a lesser degree.