COINAN: The Wrath of BitCrom - Blockchain-Powered Online Gamebook with Gambling

[Sir Lagsalot]

                       __________                             .__
                     .'  .v-._.- _____   _____ _____   _____   ) \     _____   _____
                    /  .(W--\| .'.---.`. |\./| |\./\   |\./|  / | \    |\ /\   |\ /|
          __       |  /<M.   `/ / .-. \ \| | | | |\ \  | | | / / \ \   | |\ \  | | |        _
          \ b________/$@|\-----------\ \ \ | |----\\ \-| | |----\ \ \-----\\ \-| | |--.    / \
           >@)$$$$$$($( )#H>==========) ) )| |=====\\ \| | |=====\ \ \=====\\ \  | |--->   \_/
          /_p~~~~~~~~\$@|/-----------/ / / | |------\\ \ | |------\ \ \-----\\ \ | |--'     _
                   |  \<M`   .\ \ `-' / /| | | | | | \\  | | /     \ \ | | | \\  | |       / \
                    \  `(B--/| \ `---' / |/|\| |/^\|  \`.| |/       \/`./ \|  \`.| |       \_/
                     `.  `?_.-._`-----'  '---` '---`   ) `.`.       '-------`  ) `.`.
                       `---------                     '------`                '------`

            The Wrath of BitCrom


A Blockchain-Powered Online Gamebook (with Gambling)

80’s children will have fond memories of gamebooks like the Choose Your Own Adventure, Fighting Fantasy or Lone Wolf series. These books captured the essence of role-playing by granting players agency over their character within a greater narrative. Inspired by such classic interactive fiction, I’ve adapted the format to take advantage of the internet and Bitcoin, the coin of the digital realm.

The goals are to allow real-time creative collaboration between storytellers, illustrators and readers and also to deepen the excitement of classic gamebooks by making player decisions a true gamble.

Storyline

Ever felt like lopping off a central banker's head with a broadsword? Here's your chance!

You are Coinan the libertarian, wielder of the mystic blade Nakoshi and worshipper of BitCrom, grim god of economic reality. As Coinan, you’re oathsworn to slay the evil Ben$halom, whose dark financial sorcery destroyed your village.

The path to Ben$halom’s lair is long and fraught with peril. His fanatical cultists hold sway over the Amrok Empire and all its vassals. The vile swampwitch, Janyella, works her devious glamours in league with Ben$halom, who also commands the loyalty of Lawben, the tyrant of N’ork.

To fulfil your oath of vengeance by taking the head of Ben$halom, you must choose wisely which path to tread through this blood-soaked tale of sword & sorcery (& debauchery).

Mechanics

As a modern twist on choose-your-own-adventure books, instead of turning to a particular page, players will decide Coinan’s fate by sending bitcoin to the relevant address. After a set time has elapsed, the highest value address wins and the tale continues accordingly. He who pays the piper calls the tune.

I may set minimum or maximum transaction values, maybe even restrict votes to registered forum / WoT / blog identities, depending on how this develops. I’d prefer to keep things freeform but shit happens.

Custom Choices

If you have a better idea of what Coinan should do next, then don’t be shy to shout it out! If it’s workable, I’ll create an option for it. If it wins the vote, your contribution to the story will be rewarded.

Gambling

To reward smart players, making the right choice (or sequence of choices) at critical points will be rewarded with bitcoins! Such decisions will be described in red text. Wits will be rewarded in these cases.

Example, Coinan encounters a hostile, socialist vampire. These choices are presented:

A) Slash the vampire!
(send to page 16osin...)

B) Insult the vampire’s sire.
(send to page 1Lx9Kn...)

C) Spit on the vampire’s fancy cape.
(send to page 17D1Hu...)

D) Apply garlic oil to the wooden stake then stab the vampire through the heart!
(send to page 14WQ7q...)

Fairly obviously, the optimal choice here is D) as vampires are mildly allergic to garlic and highly allergic to heart-stabs. In actual play, the clues to the right choice will be subtle and scattered throughout the story. I won’t present situations in which making the optimal choice is only a matter of luck.

Getting to the nitty-gritty, let’s say three non-red text decisions preceded this vampire encounter, each netting 0.3° BTC (after your humble author takes his 33% cut). So, the pot is worth 1 BTC plus however much is sent to the “wrong” addresses in this red text round. Players who choose D) will receive a share of the pot proportional to their vote’s bitcoin value, which will also be refunded.

The formula for calculating the profit for a winning bet on D) is:

value of player's bet * total pot (comprised of the value of losing bets plus the value of all previous non-gambling votes minus my one third cut) / total value of winning bets

Fairness

Red text installments will always include a password-protected file containing a description of the optimal choice. The password will be revealed in the next installment, ensuring a pre-determined answer unaffected by the value of bets placed or other factors. [update: to handle this more smoothly, instead of a password-protected file, the optimal choice will be hashed and the salt revealed in the following update.]

You’ll have to trust me not to play my own game or leak the right choice to my cronies before voting ends. Either that or suggest a way to make things trustless...

To be eligible for red text gambles, remember to post your vote’s transaction ID in the thread before the deadline. Include your desired receiving address, as I’ve been told “there’s no from address.”

Prizes

There’ll be occasional riddles and puzzles in this story. Hashing the correct answer will provide the password to unlock a wallet containing the pot. Answers will be all lowercase, with no special characters. [still working on the implementation of this]

Combat

Combat will feature prominently, given that violence is go-to solution in grim fantasy worlds. While wielding your sword, you have 4 basics attacks:

• Stabbing is the fastest attack but requires great precision to land a telling blow, particularly against an armoured opponent.
• Slashing your sword through a wide arc gives the highest chance of hitting a foe - or anything else.
• Smiting brings your sword down in a vicious overhead strike which deals tremendous damage but leaves you dangerously over-extended if you miss.
• Kicks are used to unbalance an enemy for a lethal follow-up strike, but can just as easily unbalance you.

   
Romance

Coinan is not the most sensitive, considerate lover so, when indulging in the delights of wenching, his available options will resemble those in the section above.

Character

Coinan has explosive physical strength and great endurance. His senses are keen, his reflexes sharp and his balance good. He is fearless and aggressive in combat. If enraged or intoxicated, he is prone to going berserk. Coinan’s mind is cunning and quick, albeit largely uneducated and often clouded by his passions. He cares not for the laws and affectations of “civilized” folk.

Skills

Skill checks on certain choices will be handled by using block times as dice. Given the average block time is 10.36 minutes, a block time below this duration will result in you passing checks in which you have average skill. This is provably fair, as they say.

Half the average block time (or less) will count as a critical failure, twice (or more) will result in great success.

As Coinan, you are average in these skills:

• Axe: a weapon well-suited to inflicting smiting damage on objects or enemies.
• Climbing: so far, you’ve proven adept at scaling trees, cliffs and structures without breaking your neck.
• Cryptomancy: to be revealed in prologue.
• Smithing: you can identify metals or ores and know the basics of working a forge.

You are versed (+60 seconds to blocktime) in these skills:
   

• Brawling: the fine art of face-punching, groin-kicking, ear-biting and wrestling.
• Spear: a weapon which excels at stabbing enemies at range.
• Tumbling: tribal games and dances have afforded you practice in leaping, rolling and falling.

You are proficient (+120 seconds to blocktime) in these skills:
   

• Hunting: you have knowledge of animals, tracking, trapping and stealthy movement.
• Survival: from an early age, you have been taught various survival skills; wound-treatment, finding water, identifying edible or medicinal plants and constructing a shelter.
• Sword: a versatile weapon equally suited to slashing, stabbing or smiting.
• Throwing: when it comes to chucking stuff, you have a sharp eye and a strong arm.

About

This original form of interactive fiction was devised by Sir Lagsalot (aka HeySteve aka Gordon Hall).
Certain art assets used under open source licence from forthcoming strategy game, Ancient Beast.
And of course, this project owes more than a nod to Robert E. Howard, author of the immortal Conan stories.

                 /|
   _______________)|..
 <'______________<(,_|)
            .((()))| ))
            (======)| \
           ((( "_"()|_ \
          '()))(_)/_/ ' )
          .--/_\ /(  /./
         /'._.--\ .-(_/  
        / / )\___:___)
       ( -.'.._  |  /
        \  \_\ ( | )
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           '-|  XX |
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         /(.'   %%\ :|
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      _|___)   %  (__|_
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       |x/         \ >
       |x)         / '.
       |x\        (____''.
       \ -\
        \__|

Get Involved

If this project appeals to you, get in touch in this thread or via PM! All significant contributions will be rewarded from game profits. Here's a list of what's most needed to bring this project to life:

Fantasy art! If you have a talent for making maps or drawing figures and monsters, original artwork would greatly benefit this project.

Creative writing! Ideas, feedback and contributions are most welcome. If you're familiar with cryptocurrency and Conan lore, all the better.

Game design! The whole decision tree gets pretty complex and potentially chaotic by allowing custom choices. If you're an experienced dungeon master or RPG designer, let me know.

Maths homework! A concrete formula for sharing the pot is needed to finalize the gambling rules. The goal is to share the pot among winners in proportion to how much they've put at risk, as compared to each other...

Puzzles and riddles! If you enjoy crafting fiendish riddles and puzzles, share them! Cryptanalytic challenges could work well here.

Expert Bitcoin advice! I'd appreciate guidance on handling the Bitcoin aspects of this game. I'll want to create a separate wallet for this project, probably deterministic as I expect the game will use up a standard wallet's keypool pretty quickly and I don't want to be making backups constantly - need wallet recommendations there. There's also the issue of using riddle or puzzle answers to "unlock wallets" - I'm sure this is doable in a way that can't be brute-forced but haven't found the exact method yet. I also need help with fine-tuning block times as dice; I'm not sure what degree of variability to plan around.

Coder! There are probably many ways to improve the game which won't even occur to me as I'm code-illiterate. Let me know if you spot an element which could be automated or handled better.

[Sir Lagsalot]

Updates

1) Thanks to mircea_popescu for the more elegant salt and hash method and dignork for the wise suggestion of a testnet version. And thanks to all who've said encouraging stuff!

2) Research has led me to GreenAddress.it as a deterministic wallet with testnet functionality. I'll probably go with Electrum when we get into real money, or Armory if they've sorted their "call-home" issue by then.

3) Thanks again to dignork for suggesting an alternate testnet block viewer that works.

4) After much DuckDuckGoing, found a good site for handling the hashed answers in red text sections. Will go with AES, thanks berndj.

5) Added cryptomancy to Coinan's skills. Details of this skill be revealed in the prologue but it's pretty much what it sounds like.

6) Finalised reward formula and reduced my share of the pot from half to a third.

7) Retroactively added the hash of correct red-text choice.

Settled up everyone's winnings for the gambling round.

[RangerK]

I can't not try this.  It's so absurd, it must be awesome.

[DreadKnight]

This sounds like a pretty cool project, I'll keep an eye on it and try the testnet version when it's ready

[Sir Lagsalot]

I’ve written up a pretty extensive prologue to set the scene for Coinan: The Wrath of BitCrom. This experimental testnet version will play out prior to those events. I’ll begin a new thread (in the Gambling or General sub-forum?) with the prologue when this tutorial / experiment chapter is concluded. The writing here will be pretty rough and ready in comparison to the final version.

If you’re unfamiliar with testnet, you’ll probably want to read up on it and figure out how to enable it in your wallet. Some wallets don’t work with it, in which case I recommend creating an online Green Address wallet. It's recommended not to use online wallets with real bitcoin.

No testnet coins? No problem. Collect a random amount of TNC from Nicolas Kuttler’s faucet. You can search for other such faucets. Never buy testnet coins as they’re worthless. For testing purposes, pretend they have the same value as Bitcoin and bid accordingly.

Coinan: The Hunt

      .|||||.                                            
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   /           \                                                      
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    \   \%/   /                                                      
     \   |   /                                                        
      \  |  /                                                        
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      /  |  \                                                        
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       ) | (                                                          
      (mm|mm)    

Work in the forge, where daydreaming led to burnt skin or crushed fingers, kept your mind focused. Minding the smouldering charcoal-pit, alone but for thoughts of her, was slow torture. The wind from the mountains became her secret whisper, the skies above her blue eyes, the springy grass beneath you her pliant form…

You cursed. The way Ovina looked at you from below those long lashes, how she swayed her hips under your stare; these were enough to drive a man mad. The crux was that until you returned from the forest with the skin of some deadly beast, you were no man - and Ovina would continue to spurn you. The youth of your tribe traditionally undertook the manhood quest upon their eighteenth name-day. For you, three long years away!

Three years more of watching her flirtations with posturing warriors. Thirty six months more of her idiot brothers chasing you from her favoured bathing pool... And over a thousand days more of aching loins. Intolerable! So thinking, you leapt up and strode to your father’s smithy.

“Hire a boy to mind the charcoal, father. I mean to become a man this day!”

He knew better than to waste his breath in argument and merely shrugged. “Kill a big one, Coinan,” he said as he passed to you his hunting spear.

Its steel point was honed to razor sharpness. A stout crossguard, meant to stop a frenzied boar from charging the spear’s length to gore its wielder, separated the wicked point from a seven foot shaft.

Although vicious boars were common in the woods, more likely you’d encounter a bear for they had of late become a plague. Great numbers of them infested the woods which separated your people, the Badger Tribe, from those three other (and lesser) tribes of BitCrom. Trade suffered, as tales of rabid bears ripping travelers apart spread through the valley. The only caravans to still reach your village were those of the bravest merchants or those wealthy enough to hire strong guards. Some said that the merchants were the cause of the bear’s ascendancy, that their formerly abundant flesh had become a highly-sought ursine delicacy. Others said they were a punishment from BitCrom. Whatever the truth, returning with a bear's pelt would secure your status as a tribal warrior and the lover of Ovina.

               __
     __/~~\-''- _ |
__- - {            \
     /             \
    /       ;o    o }
    |              ;
                   '
       \_       (..)
         ''-_ _ _ /
           /
          /

You threw aside the doors of the chieftain’s hall and proclaimed your intention. Several warriors cheered you, others mocked. You ignored them all and focused on the sullen chieftain. He frowned, then sighed. It was not the way of the libertarian tribes to decide the fate of another, even one so young. The chieftain gestured to the weapon rack.
 
You contemplate the choices offered to you. In addition to the traditional hunting spear, you may select one of the following to aid your quest:

1A) Three throwing axes. Despite the name, they can be used for melee combat in a pinch. You are skilled enough to hurl one of these heavy axes into the centre of a target at fifteen paces.
(Turn to page 2NAWZsduCqzcjLrtCn5DAyBRQziswxvWzsp)

1B) A weighted net and rope, useful for trapping. The net may be thrown or suspended from a branch by the rope, which can also be fashioned into a noose.
(Turn to page 2N2PL2n5BF5XEUK14d4ufSVWYcT81FB3pa3)

1C) Two javelins with throwing strap. These short, light spears are effective at close quarters. Throwing them with any force requires a short run-up. Attaching the throwing strap will greatly increase the effective range but degrade accuracy.
(Turn to page 2N3CPhcYaTedqvmm4s6aGQHNXeXKnWrXqXc)

[Sir Lagsalot]

So far it looks like 1 testnet coin for axes... OK, axes win!

Next story update coming soon, will probably test the gambling aspect. Win fabulous (testnet) prizes! testing skill checks.

[Sir Lagsalot]

You take the well-balanced axes and, with a leather strap, fasten them behind your shoulder within easy reach. Grimly, you set off for the woods.

The sun is reaching its zenith behind wind-raked furrows of cloud. You note the wind’s direction; sweeping down from the mountains to stir the foliage and present the rich, brown fragrance of the damp woods. Staying upwind of your quarry is vital for a bear’s nose is sensitive indeed. Their hearing is similarly acute so you’ll have to step carefully through the leaf litter. Sight is their weakest sense, unlikely to detect a still hunter in shadow or behind cover.

A stealthy approach to within throwing range will be your tactic, letting fly with a flurry of axes before charging in to deliver the killing thrust.

As you slip into the cool shade below the overhanging branches, you consider the bears’ strange behaviour. The creatures are known to shy away at the sight of man but lately they attack with savage ferocity, as if defending cubs. Also unusual is that such solitary creatures have been spotted travelling in packs. The frothing sickness might explain the former but not the latter.

You walk on, eyes restless amid the shifting chiaroscuro of shadows and sunbeams. Your senses expand until you feel one with the forest. The fine hairs on your skin vibrate with every gust of wind that stirs the leaves and sways the branches. Your every steady breath filters through your blood the life and death of the forest; green growth and dark decomposition and, somewhere between, creeping fungus.

You silently manoeuvre through the forest happens without conscious effort, hunting spear no encumbrance but rather an aid to balance. As you stalk the woods, set on your deadly task, the careless birds flutter and chirp overhead. Even their incongruously merry birdsong speaks volumes to the trained ear. As you top a steep, densely-wooded ridge, cautious not to present your silhouette against the skyline, you perceive an area of relative silence ahead.

Then you hear it - a faint splintering sound as of wood breaking. Crawling panther-like, you ease from rough-barked tree to bright-berried bush to mossy rock, moving smoothly and unhurriedly between each place of concealment. Closer, you hear crashing, growling and huffing. Peering round the side of the rock, you spy a large, dark shape through the undergrowth. It moves fitfully among the remains of a wagon. Your heart quickens as you recognise the enormous black bear by its scarred muzzle. Kahru, lord of the forest.

                  ;iIVYti=;;;;:... :;;                      
               :iRBMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMBI=.                  
             ;RMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMRt:i.   .        
           .VMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMB;IBB.        
          .BMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMB        
          RMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMR        
          RMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMR        
          BMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM=      
         iMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMBMMMMMMMMMBi      
        iBMMMMMMMMMMMMMBBVBBRMMMMMMRBBMMMMMB.:RRi+=tBMBY.    
       RMMMMMMMMMMMMMMI     iMMMMB;  .RMMMMMi        .        
     ;BMMMMMBX=BMMMMMt      RMMMB:     RMMMMB                
    BMMMBBI;   BMMMMt       BMMMt       ;BMMMV                
    BMMB       BMMMR        BMMB         :BMMM;              
    .BMMRt;    BMMMBIt=.    RMMB;;        .VMMBXYi.          
:BBRRBMMMMMRXXXBMMMMMMMMR+++iBMMMMBX=+ttIYYYRMMMMMMVti;;;;;:  
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        .:;tYVVRBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBRRRVVYYItti+;;;..
 
The ferns and bushes either side of the narrow path are much trampled around the wagon. Studying the scene, you spy blood spattered across the greenery and shattered boards of the caravans. The horse lies still, mauled and bitten. The wagon is immobile, canted over with one wheel smashed. Of the driver, there is no sign save blood. The tracks suggest at least four bears lay in ambush among the foliage, bringing down the horse before it could bolt. Of the marauding pack, only the massive Kahru remains.

As you watch, the beast rears up to his full height, dragging a wooden chest from the wagon with great hooked claws. Kahru snuffles and chews at the edges of the chest then roars angrily, falling upon it with his mighty forepaws. Again and again, he rises up and smashes his weight down upon the timbers. Perhaps the chest, proving surprisingly resilient to the onslaught, contains food… But no, as the iron bands finally part and the lid is torn away, you see it contains linens. The bear empties the fabric with his jaws, scratching through it with his long claws, shredding it. For a crazy instant, you struggle to stifle laughter as a swatch of delicate white lace flutters up to adorn the bear’s shaggy head. The bear again stands again, tipping the lidless box upside down and shaking it. It grunts, seemingly disappointed by the empty box, and drops back down to all fours. The bear's comical head-dress flaps in the wind, away from you.

Your mirth fades as the bear’s head swings up, turning slowly towards you. Even from a distance of thirty paces, you see its nostrils twitching, its eyes scanning. Something about those dark eyes, a tawny sheen, lends the creature an uncanny intelligence. As Kahru stares toward you, head weaving slightly as he scents the air, you feel a growing chill of superstitious dread. The way the beast picked over the debris as if in search of something...
 
The beast lets out a low, rumbling growl, padding towards your hiding place. Sweat breaks out across your body. Kahru has sensed you and will soon discover you. Mere seconds remain to decide your actions. Will you…

2A) Flee, leading the bear back down the steep slope. If you dash aside as Kahru nears, the huge bear’s momentum should carry him well past you. You can then attack with axe and spear from higher ground.
Skill check: acrobatics, throwing.
(Turn to page 2MtoAPXPzRtReuymzVNYmStwJeUJMNxWNJs)

2B) Climb the nearest tree and hurl axes down upon the beast from the safety of the high branches. Climbing with the spear may be prove awkward but the tree has thick branches within reach.
Skill check: climbing, throwing.
(Turn to page 2NE2NfFwiDC3HCHeag5tUczA2faK1iLdqEL)

2C) Scramble onto the large rock and attack with axes as the great bear lumbers toward you. When it gets close, stab down at it with the spear.
Skill check: throwing, spear.
(Turn to page 2N5jZBGMXZC7N2pXjhuH5DuVuMPiKo3oAFm)

2D) Roar as you emerge from hiding and fling your axes at Kahru, then brace the spear under your arm and charge for glory!
Skill check: throwing, spear.
(Turn to page 2NEpqBL9W2mN7oYCoeSAJ8ETQWpBaTAzn7N)

[Sir Lagsalot]

D) has 0.01 TBTC so far, which brings the pot to 0.505 testnet coins (1.01 total / 2 so I can buy testnet groceries).

When voting ends 24 hours from now, I'll announce the winning choice and run its skill checks against the next blocks on the main chain.

[DreadKnight]

Pretty cool so far. I need to get myself some of them Testnet coins as well pretty soon

[Sir Lagsalot]

2D) wins this round!

The last mined block as of this update was 316596. I'll skip the next block, then use 316598 for the throwing check and 316599 for the spear check. Blockchain.info reports that the average time between blocks is 8.37 minutes. So, throwing success requires a time under 10.37 minutes (+2 minutes for proficient) and success with the spear needs a block under 9.37 minutes (+1 minute for versed).

Update: used slightly later blocks. In future, I'll use precise 24 or 48 (etc.) hour deadlines from the time of announcement.

-

Pretty cool so far. I need to get myself some of them Testnet coins as well pretty soon

Thanks, DreadKnight. Testnet coins aren't widely held among those not actively experimenting with Bitcoin. Not to worry, the real game will begin soon.

[Sir Lagsalot]

316598 was mined at 8:45:17 AM (GMT), 316597 was mined at 8:23:35 AM. That's a 21"42' delay, twice the average block time plus two minutes for skill level of 10"37', which works out to 21"14'. So the throwing check is a critical failure.

The next block according to Blockchain.info is 316600 - blocks aren't always sequential so I'll search out a link showing the sequence in such cases.

316600 was mined at 9:04:40 AM, so that's a 19"23' minute delay since 316598. The average block time plus 1 minute for skill level is 9"37', doubling that yields 19"14' so that's another critical failure!

Let me know if you spot any errors in these calculations... But it seems that BitCrom frowns on Coinan. Story update to follow.

[Sir Lagsalot]

Here is the world as Coinan knows it.

[DreadKnight]

That's a neat map, good use of brushes and such 

[Sir Lagsalot]

You leap out from behind the rock, roaring the name of BitCrom!

Kahru, the great black bear, emits a husky bark, momentarily startled by your ferocious warcry.

You reach for the wooden handle of your first throwing axe. The axe snags behind the leather strap! A frantic tug frees it but causes the blade to bite deep into the meat of your shoulder. Distracted by the unexpected pain, your first throw goes wide. Kahru’s head turns briefly to follow the axe as it slashes through the vegetation.

The bear growls but instead of charging you, retreats behind the wagon. You run several steps closer, reaching for another throwing axe. The bear’s great bulk is covered by the wagon’s wooden boards! You circle, seeking a clean shot. Kahru rears up, eyeing you warily, and you let fly another axe just as the bear drops from sight. The axe whistles harmlessly over his shaggy head. The damn beast is crafty…

Final throwing axe poised, you patiently wait for Kahru to emerge. A wooden barrel rolls from behind the wagon, Kahru following it. Nudging it with his head, Kahru slowly rolls the barrel toward you. You wait for him to come within range… As you tense to throw, Kahru grips the side of the barrel in his claws and rears up, hoisting the barrel above his head, presenting his underbelly. You let fly but Kahru quickly lowers the barrel. The tumbling axe thunks harmlessly into the oaken cask. The bear emits a series of hoarse barks… and you realise the damnable beast is laughing at you!

As the red mist descends and you prepare an impaling charge with your spear, the great bear heaves the barrel aloft once more - but this time hurls it at you! The barrel, axe still embedded, sails through the air. You scramble backwards out of its trajectory, feeling your back press up against the mossy boulder from whence you observed this unnatural creature. Then the barrel lands with a splintering crash, bursting open to spray bright red apples every which way.

Kahru is laughing again. He lurches once more onto his hindlegs and… enacts obscene thrusting motions with his pelvis.

“Putrid fiend of hell!” you curse, levelling the spear at his face and charging - but your foot comes down on an apple and you go sprawling. As you fall, the point of your spear enters the earth and the shaft bends then snaps, roughly in half. Furious beyond speaking, you look up at your foe, expecting to see the bear rolling about in mirth - but instead the creature is racing at you, murder blazing in its eerie, amber-sheened eyes!

You wrench the spear from the earth as you get up, the bear’s lumbering bulk nearly upon you. You see your death in its eyes and know a moment’s calm - this will be a glorious death - before a wild surge of energy runs through your body and you leap aside. Then comes the dreadful, bone-crunching impact of galloping flesh with unyielding rock, as the bear’s momentum carries it face-first it into the boulder!

Kahru falls back onto his hindquarters, snout a bloody, mangled mess. The creature issues a plaintive groan as his head reels. You note that the animal’s eyes are wide with anguish and puzzlement, yet clear of their prior eerie, yellowish cast. The beast shakes its head, grumbling piteously as blood drips from its crumpled nose and broken-toothed maw - then suddenly the beast is staring at you balefully through sulphurous eyes, roaring its hatred as it struggles to its feet.

You must act! Will you:

3A) Plunge the spear through the bear’s roaring mouth to pierce its brain.
(turn to page 2N6Gw3EH7HYHvVhCtUnVEkmoeEcTXKLvwEj)

3B) Turn tail and run back down the slope, away from this supernatural beast.
(turn to page 2N6r2w5WwpE29eCsXsRwU6Tnfk6pJd3AoAd)

3C) Talk to the bear in soothing tones, telling Kahru you mean no harm.
(turn to page 2N5AyyYGipcYxcZUuHPTRdNrg75sBQkmBJN)

-

Hashed answer: U2FsdGVkX19YZwVkLjZMzo7iYqbznVGOZeVS5Coxow2sE3RgZkq2BEYpzNjwndlf

[Sir Lagsalot]

That's a neat map, good use of brushes and such 

Thanks! Took me quite a while.

-

Voting will run for 72 hours from the time of this post, so far all 3 choices have received votes.

[Sir Lagsalot]

A) is at 7.209

B) is at 5.5

C) is at 6.5

The gamble is between gmaxwell, nkuttler, wormdrink and several mystery players.

[Sir Lagsalot]

A) it is, story update and winnings to follow.

[Sir Lagsalot]

Hash

OK, I forgot to include the hashed answer with the original gamble. Good thing we're only using testcoins. I've updated the red text choice above to include the hash of the correct answer:

Hashed answer: U2FsdGVkX19YZwVkLjZMzo7iYqbznVGOZeVS5Coxow2sE3RgZkq2BEYpzNjwndlf

Decrypt that AES hash above with the following secret passphrase:

Fi~lnl`#zmb9mWJlCR|W[cIv<W*6^(ZaFYO

to prove that A) was the answer set when the gambling began.

Winnings

There were 4 entrants who bet a total of 7.209TBTC on A). This money is returned in full along with the profits calculated below.

The total pot was worth 13.01TBTC, derived from 12TBTC sent to the incorrect choices, B) & C), plus the 1.01TBTC accumulated through non-gambling rounds. I took a 1/3 share of the total pot, leaving 8.67767TBTC up for grabs.

gmaxwell sent 4TBTC to A) and gets those back plus a profit of 4.814909141TBTC for a total of 8.814909141TBTC.

WormDrink sent 2.482TBTC to A) and gets those back plus a profit of 2.987651122TBTC for a total of 5.469651122TBTC.

unknown sent 0.5TBTC to A) and gets those back plus a profit of 0.601863643TBTC for a total of 1.101863643TBTC.

nkuttler sent 0.227TBTC to A) and gets those back plus a profit of 0.273246094TBTC for a total of 0.500246094TBTC.

At WormDrink's request, I've sent his winnings to nkuttler to refresh his faucet. At gmaxwell's request, I sent his coins to TP's faucet.

[subSTRATA]

... and I removed Bitcoin testnet from my computer last week! What have you done, now I have to install it all over again ... will check again what is this all about in the meantime.

No testnet coins? No problem. Collect a random amount of TNC from Nicolas Kuttler’s faucet. You can search for other such faucets.

http://faucet.xeno-genesis.com/ must be loaded with 50+ tBTC to start working, I'll send some coins there as soon as I have testnet up and running.

[Sir Lagsalot]

Heh, well test phase is over! Then some life stuff happened which pulled me out of fantasy headspace but hope to launch Bitcoin version "soon."

Hopefully those testnet coins will come in handy for something else, subSTRATA. Maybe if you tell people they're the 1st ever altcoin someone will bid.