Rough Outline for Part 1 of Paths of Zarahemla

[1] Paths of Zarahemla, Chapter One You walk down the streets of Zarahemla. You have a meeting set up with your friend, Joseph. He says he has something important to tell you. You stop by a fish market and hear a couple guys having a weird conversation. You continue on, but then hear a huge commotion nearby. If you choose to check out the commotion, turn to page 2. If you choose to continue on to your friend, turn to page 3.

[2] You go and check out the commotion. There's a prophet there, preaching repentance to the people. You are a member of the Christian church, so you recognize a lot of the scriptures he's using. But many in the crowd are growing angry at him. You overhear a few say that they're going to incite the people to mob and kill him. You know you need to act, but the question is whether or not you put yourself in danger, too. If you go all out in trying to help the prophet, even putting yourself in danger, turn to page 4. If you try to calm down the crowd without putting yourself in danger, turn to page 6.

[3] You ignore the commotion and head on down to the city gate to meet your friend Joseph. He's there with one of his friends, named Annihah. Annihah fills you and Joseph in on what he discovered: there's a underground movement among the people to usurp the chief judge system and institute a king. They've been meeting in secret, but Annihah now knows where one of their hidden bases are located. You and Joseph are invited to come with him to check it out. If you go, turn to page 5. If you chicken out, turn to page 7.

[4] You decide that helping out a prophet is worth it, even if your own personal safety is put in jeopardy. You boldly stand up for him, and manage to sway the crowd to not turn into a mob and kill him. As it is, you and they prophet barely escape as many begin hurling stones at you. You both run away, and once you're both out of harm's way he introduces himself as Horolum. He works with Nephi and several other prophets. He explains that something big is going to happen soon, and that they've been called to preach repentance before it does. He mentions that because you've put yourself out there, you are now in danger. He says you can go to the government for protection, but says he doesn't know who you can fully trust there. Or, you could drop off the grid for a bit and the prophets could take you under their wings and help you. If you go to the government, turn to page 10. If you leave your ordinary life behind for a bit, go to page 11.

[5] You decide to go with Joseph and Annihah to the hidden base. You sneak through dense jungle and eventually find it near a river. You see a hidden cave and spy on it from the foliage. Eventually you see a group of three people come up to it. A guard comes out, but they give him a secret sign which allows them to go through. They mention that they're new recruits and are ready to join the robbers of Kishkumen. They go into the cave and you, Joseph, and Annihah know you have proof of the conspiracies. As you head back to the main city, however, a member of the robbers finds and stops you. Joseph and Annihah have different ideas on what to do, and leave it up to you to decide. If you attack the man and make a run for the city, turn to page 8. If you pretend to be new recruits to infiltrate the robbers group deeper, turn to page 9.

[6] You want to help the prophet but don't want to be killed doing it. You try to sway the crowd without anyone knowing it was you, but the efforts fail. The group turns into a violent mob and swarm the prophet, led on by two men in particular, the ones you saw at the fish market. Later, as you sit by the side of the road mentally berating yourself and blaming yourself for the prophet's death, a man comes up to you. His name is Nephi, and is another prophet and was a good friend of the prophet that was just slain. You express your guilt and ask for forgiveness and what to do next. Nephi says that there are two main paths he sees ahead: you can either go to the government and try to get legal justice action taken against those who were responsible; or you can help Nephi and the other prophets in their work, now that they have one less member. If you choose to try and get legal justice, turn to page 12. If you join with Nephi and try to help him in his work, turn to page 13.

[7] You tell Joseph and Annihah that you don't want to put yourself into that much danger, and head home. A few days go by and you notice that Joseph has gone missing. You go and visit your uncle for advice. He's a lower judge, and his name is Gionum. You talk to him about what Joseph and Annihah discussed with you. Uncle Gionum expresses surprise at this but does mention he's heard of these rumors, too. He says he's been working with another judge on uncovering these plots. He says to come back the next day. You do, and Uncle Gionum and the other judge say that, if you're willing, they want to use you as a spy in the organization. They've found a place where new recruits are taken, and want you to infiltrate the group. Maybe then you can find out the truth of what's happened to Joseph. You like that idea, but think it might be safer and quicker if you just went to the law enforcers from the government for help. If you choose to infiltrate the secret group, turn to page 14. If you choose to go to the authorities, turn to page 15.

[8] You distract the robber while Annihah goes around the side and ambushes him. You tie him up to a tree, and then run back to the city. Once back in the city, you, Joseph, and Annihah go to your uncle, who is a judge. His name is Gionum, and you explain the whole story to him. He says that he and a handful of soldiers will go with you to the cave. He goes off to get the soldiers and you and your friends rest at his place and tend your wounds. A few hours later Uncle Gionum and the soldiers arrive, and you lead them to the cave. But when you get there, the cave has been collapsed and all evidence gone. The man you tied up is also gone. You figure that he must have escaped his bounds and knew what you were up to so he cut his losses with this location and destroyed it to not get caught. End of Part 1.

[9] You give the secret sign you say the new recruitments use, and say that you're here to join. The man smiles and welcomes you. He leads you back to the cave and you enter. With the new recruits you learn that there are secret members of the group hidden as moles in all levels of government. You're given a task to complete and told that if you complete it you can move up in the levels of the group and gain more insight. But if you betray the group, death will follow. You and Joseph look at each other. You're past the point of no return now. End of Part 1.

[10] You go to the government for assistance. While you wait in line at the judgement hall with others, you notice a few of the men from the crowd the other day coming towards you. You dodge out of there in the nick of time. Later you try to contact Joseph, but no one's seen him. You worry something terrible has happened to him. You go to your uncle, Uncle Gionum, for assistance. You tell him that people are after you and that your friend has vanished and seek his help. He tells you to lie low at his place and he'll get you body guards. End of Part 1. 

[11] You leave a note for your parents and sneak off during the night. You meet up with the prophets at Horolum's house and meet Nephi, another prophet. They agree that you're in danger and that while you're lying low there you can help with organizing some scripture records. End of Part 1.

[12] The next day you head to the judgement hall and wait in line. In line you overhear some others talking and realize that you are not the only person to witness the mob. You go to them and talk. When it's your turn before the judge, you all present your witness to what happened. You notice some shady people glaring at you and when you leave they follow you. You manage to lose them, but fear that this might be harder than originally anticipated. End of Part 1.

[13] You join with Nephi and stay at his place. Whenever you go out you have to wear a disguise. The next few days you try to get in contact with Joseph, but no one has seen him, which worries you. meanwhile you help re-write scriptures from plates to scrolls, and learn more about some prophecies of Christ's death. When you ask Nephi when you'll be able to come out of hiding, he sadly says he doesn't know. You feel a chill and wonder if that time will ever come again. End of Part 1.

[14] You choose to be a spy for Uncle Gionum, and the next day are initiated into the secret group. You hope to find out what happened to Joseph. You are told that if you reveal any of the group's secrets, it will mean death. You gulp, but continue forward. End of Part 1.

[15] You say that you'll go to the authorities, but [spoiler warning] End of Part 1.

Paths of Zarahemla Part 1 Chapter 1

I sat down today and finished writing the first chapter of my Choose your Own Adventure-style book, Paths of Zarahemla.

PART I

Chapter 1

 

          The swell of voices sounds around you as you walk down one of the paths of Zarahemla. You let the syncopated noises wash over you as you take another bite of your mango you’re eating for lunch. Man, you enjoy Zarahemla in the spring. The shouts of street vendors, calls of craftsmen, and prophesying of priests all hold sweet memories for you, and listening to the chatter of the passersby brings a smile to your face. Zarahemla, your home.

          You finish up your mango as you pass over a small bridge going over one of the waterways in the city. You toss the mango pit into the water, careful to avoid hitting of the assorted fowl that are floating and swimming in the water. You wave to a fisherman on its banks, and continue across, making way for a young couple holding hands and traveling in the other direction. An invisible cloud of fancy flower perfume and fragrance floats around them, and you inhale deeply the rich, colorful scents. 

          As you continue down the path, you place your hand on the wall of an adjacent building, and feel the texture of the stone rush under your fingers. It was hard to imagine that this city wasn’t even originally Nephite. It was a Mulekite city, founded and built by one of Zedekiah's sons long long ago. It wasn't until much later that King Mosiah and some of his followers journeyed northward and discovered them. Since that time, the two large groups of people had nearly become one.

          You pass under a low hanging ledge and enter the city proper. You notice lines of workers waiting in lines for their employers to pay them for the last three days work. "One senum," a boss says, dropping four shiblom coins into the outstretched hand of a worker. The worker happily takes it and moves off. "Next!" the boss says, and another worker steps up. 

As you pass on by, you can't help but overhear some of the workers in line mumble. "Only two senums a week," one says. "I hear that there are some judges and lawyers that get one senum a day!" You can't help but silently agree with him. One of your uncles is a lower judge for southern Zarahemla, and you're pretty sure he makes around that much.

You pass under some trees and wonder what time it was exactly. You are on your way to meet one of your closest friends, Joseph. He told you yesterday that he has something very important to tell you, something that he just discovered from one of his friends, something that could change everything. But, of course, it was top secret, and not safe to talk about there, so he invited you to meet today at the start of the fourth hour. You don’t want to be late.

A few streets down, you turn right and the main fish market comes into view. The scents of freshly caught raw fish wafts into your nose. Also, apparently, the smell of cooked fish. That was new.

"That's right, my fellow Nephites and Mulekites!" a voice booms from one of the packed stalls. "I present to you already cooked fish! Now you no longer have to cook them yourself! My sons and I do all the fishing and cooking for you!" Next to him two of what you assume to be his sons were in the process of cooking and wrapping up fish with large leaves. 

Curious, you approach the booth, and hear several others chatting around it. "Pre-cooked fish? What a strange idea." "Has to cost a lot more, I would think." "Do they use spices while cooking it?"

"How much do they cost?" a larger man yelled. You look over at him. He stood about five and a half feet, has a big brown beard, and is wearing an odd purple headband. While most headbands men wore around Zarahemla were more for practicality, this one seems more decorative, with several knots in it with cloth of different colors.

The man in the booth smiles at the larger man over the large crowd. "Very inexpensive. In fact, you can buy a whole dozen fish for only one leah!"

The crowd burst into outrage. "A leah? For twelve fish! Forget it!" "That's half my day's wages!" "I can cook my own at home!"

While the clatter became louder, you notice a tall thin man run up to the crowd. He too was wearing a purple headband, but couldn't seem to be able to find his way through the crowd. He kept trying to but was always pushed back. Eventually he raised his voice to say something. "Excuse me, oh master of the fish," he shouted over the crowd, which quieted down a bit for him, "But when are you going for your next kill of fish? In a few minutes, perhaps?" The man scratched the right side of his face as he spoke.

"Er, no, we go fishing in the mornings," the merchant said. 

The larger man from earlier looked back at the tall thin one. "And where will you be catching these fish?" he asked, scratching his beard. "Far from here or near?"

"I usually go fishing near Hermounts and Bethlehem myself," the tall one said, then turned and started walking away.

The merchant stood scratching his head. "We go fishing on the Riplah river, same as most of these merchants here," he continued. "But how many other merchants here also prepare your food before you even buy it? Think of how much time you could save! No more de-boning or gutting! They're all ready to eat!"

As the crowd continued to listen and some began to be more interested, you continue on your way past the outdoor vendors. That little detour cost some time, and you don't want to be late with meeting with Joseph.

Past the fish district was a large open area, where city law stated that no building could be built within two hundred cubits of the center. Instead, the space was dedicated to nature. You walk past large beds of soil where different beautiful flowers grow, and you inhale their delicious scents. A few men and women also walk through the area, either stopping and enjoying the sight or else hurriedly walking to whatever their next destination was. You pick up your pace slightly. Whatever Joseph wanted to talk about, it seemed important.

When he talked to you at school yesterday, he had mentioned that he and some other of his friends had stumbled across a great secret. Some sort of conspiracy. You aren't one to readily jump on board with wild theories, but he seemed genuine. If what he said was true, then there was something sinister going on behind the scenes of normal life. He couldn't tell you more, but invited you to meet with him and some others to discuss it more fully. The location you were meeting at was underneath a large tree near one of the city gates. You judge that by the pace you were walking it should only take you another five minutes or so.

A few minutes later, however, you hear a large shout. You nearly jump out of your sandals. What on earth--? you think, as you turn around. The few scattered people who were also milling and walking around on the streets also looked over toward the cry, and several start in that direction. 

The yelling becomes louder, and you notice a small little crowd begin to grow just past one of the far buildings. Some members of the crowd were yelling and waving their hands. This was new. You can't remember when something like this had happened before.

You pause. You greatly desire to check out the commotion, but at the same time you need to continue to Joseph or else the chance to be in on whatever he has going on would be lost. You stand there, caught between two choices. What should you do?

If you decide to check out the commotion, turn to page 5.

If you decide to continue on to your friend to see what he has to say, continue to page 9.