Persona: HEAVEN (Persona/Sword Art Online/Isekai Multicross)

SUNDAY - April 13th, 2025
Daytime

You... probably should've read this before jumping headfirst into ALO. But you've sat down and at least went through the basic.

Alfheim Online. ALO. A popular VRMMO that featured the first successful implementation of a flight system in VR space, rather the first that made it work without causing widespread nausea and vertigo in its users. Released about 4 months ago, the first major story arc of the game was about reaching the top of Yggdrasil, the «World Tree» and gaining the power of «Infinite Flight» from OBERON, king of Alfs.

Early critics pointed towards its thematic similarities with YGGDRASIL, an early post-SAO VRMMO that was fairly popular before it got ruined by an aggressive cash shop system. After an initial lukewarm release, time has given ALO a bit of a renaissance in popularity following reviews and word of mouth regarding its flight mechanics. ALO has now captured the public interest and is the first real smash hit in the VRMMO sphere.

You idly tab through descriptions of the races in mild interest. Each race was based on some mythological fairy or another, your race being known for fast flight speed and wind magic. You wonder what race Meimi would be? Imp? Each race was roughly aligned with a fantasy element or another following some obvious patterns. Imp, darkness. Pooka, light. Salamander, fire, and so on and so forth.

Although quests existed in ALO they were unlike typical game quests. Most quests were one-off, spontaneously generated by the Seed AI in real-time, with bosses and lore flash generated on the spot from an internal library curated by RECT Progress. There were human created epic quest lines but even these were tweaked and edited by the AI so that every player had a potentially unique experience.

Most quests were justified in-lore as players "re-exploring the dreams of the Alfs" and were instanced dungeons, but rarely a world-altering event or resource would spawn. These invariably only allowed a small handful, or in some cases a single race, to benefit from the reward, with the world-quest for the «World Tree» being the chief example of this.

In many ways it was the... opposite of SAO, which incentivized players to group up and presented the world itself as the main obstacle. In ALO the people in the way of your fun were other people... it was a game about PvP, for PvP.

Sounds like my kind of game.
Just don't trash my apartment.

It's MY apart—

Yes, yes, whatever. If you're just going to play around the city why don't you help find out where that «World Tree» is? Just take some pictures from a tall building or something.

Yeah, yeah. Now buzz off, Endou's gonna show up any second now.

>Your CHT has increased by 1!

---

SUNDAY - April 13th, 2025
Daytime

"Maxi Dress. Sweatpants. Uniform. Maxi Dress. More Sweatpants."

"Are you done yet?"

"We're going to be seen outside together. I can't have you dressing like a grandma."

In your opinion Grandma has an amazing fashion sense! Warm and practical and not a rolled up skirt in sight. And Endou is hardly one to judge, no amount of make up and fancy accessories can hide her frumpy face and upturned nose. You recognize her blouse and jacket combo from some stores you passed in Shinjuku the other day, signs of her expensive tastes. But you have to admit Endou could at least coordinate an outfit better than you can.

"Hey, I can work with this!" says Endou as she pulls up an extremely tight form fitting beige sweater. A tailor was paid a handsome sum to expand the chest region and the fabric was practically as thin as a swimsuit. Endou tugs on it for dramatic effect then turns around. "See? Some black leggings to complete the ensemble and it's just right!"

"Oh no, not a in a million years. I'm not wearing a body sock! And that's a hand me down from Mom." You shudder at the memory. Mom gifted it to you in apology that one time you caught her trying to squeeze into your junior high uniform. At the time you thought it was cute but in hindsight, dad was returning from a business trip later that day and any further thoughts into this matter will require you to perform an emergency lobotomy.

Endou gestures towards the remainder of your closet in abject horror. "There isn't anything else! It's all boring!"

"Please, you're just jealous that I can look good in anything."

"I'm not the one allergic to skin firstie!"

You roll your eyes in annoyance, pulling out a loose white jacket and a simple navy dress. You had a fancy ruffled shirt and dual layered gown sitting in the back of the closet but then you had to fiddle with corsets and you just don't have the time or patience for this. "What's the point in dressing up? You gonna take me on compensated dating or something?"

"Oh don't even joke about that. Money's all fine and good but I don't want to end up floating in a lagoon. Sides' that sounds like work and this is the one day off from school we actually get."

You smile as you start counting with your fingers, "Weeeeellll, by my count I ditched half a day and didn't even show up Friday. My weekend's been a bit longer than yours, hasn't it?"

Endou glares at you and crosses her arms. "Tch, you're really pushing your luck firstie. I'm telling you, high school's a different beast, gotta be careful with the ditching."

"Hahaha, nah, stop worrying. I took your advice, I got a guy who I can probably guilt into calling me in sick every once in a while. I know how to cover my tracks."

"Well, maybe you can reward him by dressing in clothes you didn't fish out of a donation bin. For now, and I can't believe I'm saying this, you should just wear your uniform. It at least looks better than all this junk."

"No thanks! This is a day off school and I don't want to be recognized outside," you reply, pointing to the black skirt, button-up shirt, tie, socks, shoes, and blazer that were laid out before you.

"There's only so much I can do," Endou replies dejectedly. "The shirt's fine and the skirt's generic enough. Just throw on a different colored jacket and be done with it so we can hit the town. I'm going stir crazy here."

"You were the one who wanted to hang out in my apartment!"

"Like, besides a mountain of plushies and a computer you have nothing here. I just a need a place to keep my stuff, not like I want to actually hang out in your 20 square meter cage."

"Is storage all you care about? Didn't you hold parties or something at Shino's?" Why Endou doesn't just pay for a storage box in town or use a freaking coin locker you don't care enough to ask.

Endou makes a disgusted expression and throws her hands up in the air. "Yeah, until she pulled the fucking cops card. My parents' will totally disown me if I get arrested again. But whatever, let's just go."

---

SUNDAY - April 13th, 2025
Afternoon


"Oh my god you're a tourist."

"Shut it! I'm technically new to Tokyo, so what's wrong with seeing the sights?"

You stand at the foot of the Tokyo SkyTree in Sumida Ward. The tallest tower in all of Japan, dwarfing Tokyo Tower, and visible from nearly anywhere inside the city. Of course, compared to the true Sky Tree this tower was no different than a blade of grass in the shade of an oak. The spiraling «World Tree» seems to pierce the sky itself and you can see its reflection against the clouds above.

"Why here?" Endou complains. "A 5 minute elevator ride and a nice view. That's what you consider a good time?"

"Have you ever been up top?"
"Phff, never saw the point."
"Then this will be new for both of us."

Of course, you had an ulterior motive. You were going to try to hunt down the World Tree tonight, one way or another. Your milquetoast self was going to try to find out exactly where the hallucination was originating from, so you figured in the interests of using your time efficiently you could at least get a lay of the land. When you asked Endou what was fun around town her answers basically devolved into shopping, more shopping and maybe bullying Shino out of money. Hardly entertaining!

I mean, now that you've got a taste of ALO, real life was so boring. You couldn't fly, you couldn't use magic, you couldn't even kill anyone without jumping through a crazy amount of hoops.

Like... take this elevator. You're crowded into a small elevator with Endou and a bunch of tourists who were inexplicably videotaping the inside of the elevator cabin. A gross man standing way too close in a black jacket keeps jumping up and down in place like a lunatic, his breath diffusing the room in a mix of cigarettes and grease. Compared to this... ALO's forests smelled wonderful, the sun shone brighter, the wind blew stronger, everything felt warmer... and here you were trying not puke from close proximity to some stranger's BO.

You sigh inwardly and stare upwards as you ascend the last few levels. As expected it was a slow climb, though after a couple minutes, you reach the observation deck on the 350th floor.

"Whoo. We're here, yay. How super. Let's spend 10 minutes starting out of a window. What an amazing way to spend our first day off."

You ignore Endou's complaints and walk past the advertisements onto a walkway overlooking the rest of the metropolis. It was a clear and sunny day and the entire city spread out before you in all its glory. Compared to the view you saw of Alfheim when you were tumbling out of the sky it was strangely vaster yet more empty. By sheer square mileage Tokyo exceeded the entire size of Alfheim but the sheer uniformity of the city made it seem like a stretch of gray desert, only broken up by the imperial palace and... there. To the south.

"Oh no. I knew it, you're a damn country girl. Put that away!" hisses Endou while you start taking pictures with your cell phone.

"But Endou-senpai! I've never been so high up before! The previous place I used to live in had nothing this high up. Well... it kinda did, but I never went up myself."

"Oh? What, you live by Fuji or something?"

"Hmmm... kinda? I lived in a big... mountain thingy? Some kind of big fancy castle at the top owned by this crazy noble who cosplayed as some kind of superhero in town. He got caught then some dumb kid murdered him and now nobody can see the top anymore. You know, typical village stuff."

"Uh-huh." Endou is unimpressed. The grit of city folk was truly well-earned! "You're in Tokyo now and people from Tokyo don't go gawking at every little thing like you are now."

You're not gawking, you're studying! You point your finger at the base of the «World Tree» extending into the infinite skies from a point at the southern edge of the observation deck. "Hey Endou, what's there?"

She leans over the railing and squints her eyes at the urban sprawl below. "Uh... Tokyo?"

"See anything interesting?"

"I see a dead bird on that balcony? And I see a dumb airhead."

"A dumb adorable airhead that requires the guidance of Endou-senpai!"

"Dial it down firstie." Endou sniffs in disgust. She turns to leave. "Let's move, this is a waste of time."

"C'mon, humor me! I'm new to town, my village got deleted, blah, blah now can you start feeling sorry for me and answer my question?" You turn on your pout face and grab Endou's hand. "Pretty pleeeeaassseee?"
"Ahk, get off me firstie!"
"PLLLLEEEAAASSSEEE?"
"Oh, fine, FINE, what's so important about that random spot in Tokyo?"
"It looks cute! See, if you squint doesn't that cluster of buildings look JUUUSST like Buchimaru?"

To her discredit, Endou genuinely starts squinting. "I don't see it."

"Oh, just tell me what's there! Like, what ward or something?"

"Looks like the business district. Minato Ward, I think. Banks, software companies, mostly just salaryman and crap."

Hmm... Minato Ward. A place of business, not a ward that people lived in, not a tourist trap like the SkyTree you were currently on, but rather a place of industry and production. Of creation. An interesting place for the origin of the «World Tree».

"Now can we go? I'm getting hungry!" complains Endou as she drags you away from the window.

"But Endou-senpai! We just got here! Let's at least see the rest of the tower."

Turns out Endou was right to be annoyed, there really wasn't much up here. A horrendously expensive cafe, some art galleries - looks like they were doing an exhibition on behalf of victims of the Madarame scandal, some of these paintings were surreal as fuck - and another elevator, this time to the 450th floor. You were already here, why not see the top?

---

TODAY - It doesn't matter.
Whenever

Things weren't going well. The time of punishment was becoming more severe... unbearable even.

You missed the last gathering. Her concert was starting now and you weren't even there to see it. A Pooka that couldn't even make it to your own lord's concert was a pathetic Pooka indeed. But it wasn't your fault.

You were evicted. You can scarcely remember why, after how hard you were working last month. You had brought in nearly 200,000 Yrd's worth of rare materials over the course of several long grind sessions, the dozens of «Flosshilde Horns» you accumulated were needed to create your lord's next costume.

Despite that, despite the blood, sweat and tears, you lost it all. One day you found yourself trapped in this gray world, the way home stifled by your lack of electricity. You made do, some cafes were sympathetic to your plight and allowed you to return to home, but only for a few hours at a time and in exchange for money. For reasons you cannot fathom Yrd wasn't accepted.

You can't keep your feet still. All you know is that you have to go higher. If you go high enough you can return home. You keep jumping in place but no matter what happens your wings won't spawn. You spy a Sylph in the elevator stuck with you, she's holding up her nose in disgust. She looked happy... healthy. Damn Sylphs hoarded all the good food materials anyways, why should you be surprised? Lord Seven will be the first to reach the summit, then you can laugh at those damn arrogant Sylphs who thought they were better than everyone else.

Whatever. The Sylph got off at the 350th floor. You don't care about that, you tried going there once already. It wasn't enough. Even in this gray world the «World Tree» was still beckoning to you.

...

You're enclosed. There's no wind on your face and no heat beating down your wings. But even so... it's majestic.

This is the angle. Just 100 meters higher than the previous observation deck but just by being closer you felt... closer. Closer than you should be. That fractional distance of 100 meters makes the «World Tree» feel thousands of kilometers closer to you.

It was still an infinity away. Even if you were kilometers, no, light years closer to infinity you would be no closer in the end. This was the intent behind «World Tree», an unreachable, unattainable object that loomed far beyond fairy comprehension. Your back itches.

The gray world was so limited. Power structures were already seized, your success was dictated by your ability to navigate the system, the one that governs the logic of this world of concrete. There was no place for dreamers. No place for you to fly.

You hear shouts fading into the distance behind you as you step over warning signs. Why are you here? Why do you spend half your life in this hell, suffering for nothing at all? Your time, your resources, your life, everything here was designed to peel it away from you. The handful of yen you paid just to access this place. The lines you were forced to stand in. The advertisements blasting your attention with every step you took. All these things were the true enemy, those tiny chains choking your wings.

More shouts. The noise behind you increases, you feel someone brush up against your clothes but you shrug them off.

You can feel it. It won't be long now, if you just wait you'll join the true world. You'll leave behind this gray hell. A month... two tops, just survive until then. You will be saved, everyone will be saved by the grace of OBERON!

But your current resources won't last you until the rapture. Every day you spend away you feel your connection to the tree diminishing. You're going to be left behind. You need to leave now. While you can still see the tree.

Your feet strike the glass floor as you break into a sprint.

No fear, no regret.

You leap forward towards the horizon in a spray of glass and screams. Pain spreads across your head but you feel alright for you can finally feel the wind. You close your eyes and suddenly it's all blue and green again. The forest is alive, full of animals and trees, the sun shining bright and warm across your body.

Blood drips down your face. You climb up and try again, your legs are still strong. Again. Your wings explode from your back and reach for the «World Tree».

Screams, blood, something thicker spills down your head.

It's not enough. You get up, you rise again. Your wings beat in tune with your heart. More speed. You will escape.

You remember, once you were an «Alf». A pure, perfect being. One with the sky, one with the «World Tree». But you were cast down, you were ALL cast down, cursed to wander the land in cursed facsimiles of perfection. The deformed leavings of a once great being.

As if that wasn't enough the gods punish you further. Forcing you to punish yourself in a gray world where even limited flight was impossible. A hell of a hundred years.

The «World Tree» is spiraling up into the sky but you remember your true form. You are an infinite «Alf». They're up there, your people, your king OBERON and his court await your arrival. You have your wings, you have your magic, and now... you had the will.

One last push. You hear the sound of glass shattering as your soul breaks free from your cage.

Your vision fades into blackness and the next moment you are flying. Towards the ground, but not. Downwards, but skywards. Upwards, but down. You are spinning.

You scream.

You smile.

---

SUNDAY - April 13th, 2025
Afternoon

"...What the fuck happened?" you hiss, chasing Endou towards the south end of the observation platform. A scream followed by the panicked commands of an overworked security guard resounded through the tower. You stop running and look around.

"Endo—"

"HOLY SHIT, are you seeing this!?"

The entire area is swarming with tourists. The lone guard desperately starts mumbling into his radio. It wasn't hard to see why...

You've seen plenty of corpses before, most of which died while fighting monsters within their dungeons or at the hands of a Laughing Coffin ambush. It was an old sequence, a shocked expression, some dumb last words, followed by an explosion of polygons that faded into nothingness.

There was nothing fading about this. Sprawled out on the floor observation deck was what... used to be a human. A male judging from his clothes, a ragged black jacket, and body shape. This guy... wasn't he the creep in the elevator who kept hopping around like a cracked-out lunatic? A bloody smear lies across the reinforced glass, the man evidently having charged full tilt into the glass head first. He was practically folded side ways, his neck snapped in two with geysers of arterial blood only now finally dying down. You see a small crack in the window where fragments of skull are stuck in place. This was a 600-meter tall structure graded to withstand earthquakes, how fast was this guy going to be able to crack glass that was practically bulletproof?

"He... he just kept going! I couldn't stop him!" more screams from the security guard.

"Did you see that? Hardcore!"
"He flipped in the air!"
"S... should we start CPR?"

The crowd murmurs in the background as a rapidly growing pool of blood and brain matter oozes out of the corpse in front of you. Some instinct deep in your soul tells you that until he dissolves into polygons he's not truly dead, any person whose avatar remains intact is still a potential threat.

*click*

Endou, ever the bastion of calm rationality, is snapping pictures with her cell phone. "This is insane! Look at him!" She leans forward to get a battle angle at the corpse. "I mean, seriously, how the hell did something like this happen?!"

"No pictures! NO PICTURES!" the security guard screams but by this point everyone's taking pictures. With a grunt of frustration he runs towards the elevator, likely to call the police or his superiors.

You shake your head in disbelief. The scene has gotten pretty chaotic, but with the escape of the guard, the other guests have returned to minding the body at a distance. Only you and Endou remain close to the broken body of the suicide victim.

"I wonder," you say to no one in particular as you approach the man with a question only he can answer.

You walk over to the body slowly. His skin feels cold and rigid. He must be dead, but somehow you can't believe it.

"Hey, firstie, that's disgusting! What are you doing?"

You try shaking the man. You grab his shirt collar and shout in his face.
"HEY YOU STUPID FUCK! ARE YOU ALIVE?"

The man doesn't answer. You continue shouting, hoping that the sound will penetrate his thick skull, still leaking brain matter. His blood smears your shoes while Endou tries pulling you off.

"What are you trying to pull?! Shit, people are watching."

You ignore her, continuing your efforts to wake the body up. After thirty seconds you give up. Maybe this isn't such a bad thing, you think to yourself, but you're missing something. The man was clearly dead... but you remain unsure. Something in your gut keeps telling you that the body lying on the ground might actually be alive. Where was the explosion? The polygons? The empty HP bar?

You step over the broken shell and leave a trail of bloody footprints behind you. You walk towards the crack in the window. Your hands trace the pattern etched into the glass and brush up against the fragments of skull embedded within to the growing screams of bystanders behind you. What are you missing?

You ignore everything here. The body, the window, the panicking Endou and look through.

Ah.
Of course.

This is the angle.

The «World Tree» spirals high into the sky. The body, the crack in the window, and the tip of structure, where the «World Tree» fades deep into the clouds... you can draw a line straight through them all. You focus your eyes... this close to the «World Tree» on the highest point in all of Tokyo you feel it calling to you.

The infinite spiral. A pure alabaster tree extending into the sky itself. Only now... there's a change. A new feature. One you can only see by closing your eyes.

A small figure flying on wings of light rises into the sky, growing more distant with every passing second. Even through the concrete and glass you can hear something... a melody. Wings extend from the distant figure, musical notes trailing behind him as he reaches for the «World Tree».

The Pooka is going high. Higher than anyone ever has before in ALO. How long has he been flying for? It's been at least 5 minutes since all the commotion started.

5 minutes... an important number, one you recall reading about in your study session this morning. The standard limit of the «Flight Gauge», one that could only be improved with extensive practice or rare items. Although flight time could be extended through a myriad of tricks to preserve the Gauge true full control flight even for high level players was unlikely to pass six minutes, and there was no way to gain altitude beyond using the gauge itself.

Another 5 seconds pass.

And another.

The Pooka is close. A few more seconds and he would've disappeared into the clouds. A flicker and the light in his wings dim, the Pooka hovering in place for a few seconds but then begins reversing course.

Falling. Slowly.

Then faster.

Ever faster.

He never reaches the ground. When he reaches your eye level - the same level as his corpse- you see a familiar sight. A sound of shattered glass. A spray of polygons, a mist of particles that dissolves into the ether.

And now you're sure. The man, no, the Pooka before you is dead.

---

SUNDAY - April 13th, 2025
Afternoon

Figured the next part would be boring. And annoying. So leaving it you to take care of.

"Wha... what's going on..."

Your head is pounding. Reasserting control after surrendering to your Shadow always left you dazed. The memories of your day trickle into you slowly.

You grab your head as another spike of pain accompanies more memories. You were headed to... the Tokyo Skytree? I guess you did want your shadow to scout out a tall building...

Wait. You release your grip on your head and look at your hand. Blood.

It's everywhere. On your feet, in your hands and now it's dripping down your face. Was this... your blood?

No. No it wasn't.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

You stagger back away from the body, looking around at the bloodied surroundings.

Your breath comes short, your eyes fill with tears. In your mad scramble to increase distance from the cooling corpse in front of you slip on the glass floor, slick with blood. You stumble backward, catching yourself against the railing of the observation deck. As you stare down between your legs the horror returns.

Blood. Everywhere. Your face, your limbs, now even your skirt is soaked through. You glance up again to find several tourists staring down at you. Their faces pale, mouths agape in shock. You realize that you probably aren't helping the situation.

"H..hey, firstie, w... what the fuck are you doing?"

You scarcely have a second to protest before Endou snaps a picture of you. Her eyes are wide and filled with an emotion alien to your brief acquaintance - fear.

"Wai-"

"Get away from me you creep!" screams Endou as she runs for the exit.

Wow. Not cool Endou.
What the hell happened!? The memories have fully coalesced so you can answer yourself, but the words needed to be said nonetheless.

Hey, I didn't kill this idiot, he did it himself. Sides' I got your precious clues. Speaking of clues... that picture's gonna be a problem isn't it?
Screw the picture, I'm going to get arrested!

You quickly wipe the blood from your face, making a mental note to throw away ALL your clothes today. Was there a nearby bathroom you could escape to? There was only the elevator, not like you could run, what were you going to say?

A voice calls down from the distance. "Step away from the body!"

You turn toward the cry, spotting a group of five men rushing into the tower, led by a uniformed police officer.

Shit.

>STRESS increases by 1!

---

"What you did was very stupid young lady."
"Yes Officer."
"Attention is one thing but you interfered with a crime scene."
"Yes Officer."

The beat officer gives you a long suffering sigh. In recent years, with all the accusations of corruption and incompetence in light of the SAO incident and that insane Detective Prince fiasco, the Tokyo MPD was rather desperate to regain the trust of the public. You don't think you broke any laws... right? Not like they could pin you with murder considering plenty of people saw the man in question commit suicide.

You're relieved when the officer finishes writing your statement.
"So... am I free to go?" you ask. I mean, you weren't actually under arrest... they even gave you a change of clothes.

"One more thing. I've had a look through your files."

Your files? The Tokyo MPD had a file on you? Was it «Laughing Coffin»? You thought you hid your tracks perfectly, the authorities had no way of knowing what you did in SAO...

"Says here you were a survivor of the Sword Art Online incident."

"O... oh. Yes, I try not to think about it too much..." you relax. Of course they would have a file on you, they probably have one on every SAO Survivor currently in Tokyo.

"Do you recognize the victim? Evidently, he was quite the hardcore gamer, recently evicted from what little we've gathered so far."

You pause, your heart leaping into your throat. "...Um... no. Never seen him, why?"

The officer glares at you in open skepticism. "A VRMMO player commits suicide, then seconds later an SAO Survivor is witnessed rolling around in his blood. Does that sound fishy to you Kashiwazaka-san?"

"Uh... I haven't been playing much after SAO. And I was under a lot of stress at the time... PTSD episode, that's all, I swear!" Oh god you're honestly not involved. It was your damn Shadow's fault!

A pause as his eyes bore into yours. After a second he shakes his head and slouches in his seat. "Just don't do something that stupid again, alright miss?"

"Y... yes Officer!"

"We'll keep your name under wraps as you're a minor and evidently uninvolved. But if you should happen to come across any more crime scenes, I highly suggest leaving them alone."

"Y- yes, sir."

"Good. Now I need to call your parents to pick you up."

WHAT?
The officers gaze darkens slightly at your flinch.

"Officer, I, live alone..."

"Alone? In Tokyo? Not unheard of... but considering the situation I must insist. I need to at least call your family for permission to release you, or you can get a guardian or family member to pick you up instead. Considering the situation you must understand I cannot just have you walk out unattended."

You do not want your Mom to find out you were brought to the police station for desecrating a corpse! And she lives so far away it'll take hours for her to make it here! You look at your phone... who did you have that you could call for help at this hour?

---

PERSONA COMPENDIUM

1.CHAOS - Nephren-Ka

ⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎ
GOLDEN LORD. PHAROH OF PHAROHS.
LORD OF THE LIGHTLESS TEMPLE.
I LOOK WITHIN THE SHINING TRAPEZOHEDRON
TO BEHOLD THE THREE LOBED BURNING EYE.
ⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎⓎ

STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank C (3 Dice)
AGI: Rank C (3 Dice)
VIT: Rank C (3 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)

Weakness: Bless, Curse
Resist: All Physical

Archetype [ETTEILLA]: This Persona is guided by your patron, and is not under your control, nor may it be directed. It seeks to destroy all worlds except for the true one.
Prolonged contact with your patron is deleterious to your mental health and this Persona accumulates 1 Stress per scene.

Skills:
Ziodyne: Generate a FULMINANT element and increase its «Main Visualizer» render priority. Calls forth a thunderstorm, bolt of lightning, or other disastrous manifestation of lightning. [MAG/ELEC]
Tentarafoo: Connects all enemy Fluctlight IDs to the Taboo Index, causing afflicted opponents to act unpredictably. [CHT/MADNESS]
Deathbound: An extremely powerful Sword Skill that summons forth a wave of malignant force that travels along the ground to engulf your opponents. Strikes all enemies in a short range, and erupts from the earth itself, bypassing barriers. [STR/SLASH]
Ragnarok: Call forth the primordial fires that burned down Alfheim. Bypasses «Immortal Object» protection and strikes directly at the world. [MAG/FIRE]

ENHANCE ARMAMENT
I am it and it is I—I want to get out... must get out and unify the forces... it knows where I am...
I see it—coming here—hell-wind— titan blur—black wing—Yog Sothoth save me—the three-lobed burning eye...

Three-Lobed Burning Eye: For the remainder of the encounter, you and your target learn each other's weaknesses, persists even if you change PERSONA. [3 SP]

RELEASE RECOLLECTION
And then Blake made his greatest mistake. He closed the box.

Lightless Crypt: Blinds all around you indiscriminately, including yourself, your enemies, your allies and even the eyes of interlopers and gods. Deactivates if PERSONA is changed. [5 SP]

BACKGROUND
Nephren-Ka is a character from the works of Lovecraft. His mentions in the original short stories are sparse, usually no more than a few lines and his role is never detailed. He is described as the holder of the Shining Trapezohedron, secured in a lightless temple beneath the sands. Later authors would depict him as the Black Pharaoh, one of the many avatars of Nyarlathotep.
The Ka is one of many Egyptian hieroglyphs associated with what we would conceptualize as the soul, usually described as a pair of upturned hands. Such imagery is often found in royal tombs and is speculated to refer to the spirit of divinity within a pharaoh.
Origin: Works of HP Lovecraft

2.SUN - Urvashi

Let the great King hear! She, who was Indra's soft
weapon, when he was alarmed at the greatness of a Sage's
penance ; — the shamer of Parvati, proud of her beauty ;
and the ornament of heaven; she, our loved companion,
returning from the palace of Kuvera, has been carried off midway
-Vikramorvasiyam, play by Kalidasa

STR: Rank E (1 Dice)
MAG: Rank B (4 Dice)
AGI: Rank C (3 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (1 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)

Weakness: Fire, Mute
Resist: Ice, Charm
Null: Elec

Archetype [Apsara]: You are Indra's soft weapon, an expert at dance, performance, and the art of manipulation. You wield seduction as a weapon, but you retain the ability to empathize with heartbreaking and longing. Though confident, seemingly minor setbacks can shatter your mask of grace and cause you to act rashly. [Further effects unlocked at RANK 4]

Skills:
Zionga: Generate a FULMINANT element and apply a complex modification or syntax to it. [MAG/ELEC]
Marin Karin: Initiates Stage 1 Synthesis Ritual and attempt to brainwash an opponent. [CHT/CHARM]
The Spurning: In the event an opponent resists your CHARM attempt, you automatically attempt to castrate them— causing distress to opponents in possession of the correct parts. [PASSIVE]
Concealment: Accept the curse of Lord Kartikeya and be transformed into a vine, hiding from opponents for the scene. You are still vulnerable to injury in this form. [FREE]

RELEASE RECOLLECTION
Thy face, suffused with the trembling colours of the
jewel, which I hold on thy forehead, wears the glow of the
lotus, red with the morning sunbeam!

Jewel of Union: Generates a «Jewel of Union» which floats above the battlefield. It possesses 4HP, 3VIT, 1AGI and is weak to CURSE and BLESS. Tends to draw enemy attention. You may guard or defend it with other party members, but it must remain a valid target for enemy attacks to provide any benefits. So long as it exists, you and your party members are immune to all mind-altering status effects. Persists even when you change Personas. [5 SP]

BACKGROUND
Urvashi is one of the Apsara, heavenly nymphs commonly encountered in Hindu mythology, who are associated with beauty, dancing, and carnal pleasures. There are many stories about sages who through the practice of worship and asceticism attain godlike powers. Indra was known for sending Apsaras down to tempt these sages into breaking their vows. In one such circumstance, Indra sent down a group of Apsaras to seduce Nara-Narayana, the brother sages. In anger, Narayana struck his thigh and created Urvashi, an Apsara so beautiful it shamed Indra's servants. The brothers ultimately gift her to Indra as a gesture of peace. Urvashi features prominently in Kalisada's love story, the Vikramōrvaśīyam, a play where Urvashi is courted by King Pururavas, who must go through increasingly fraught ordeals to win Urvashi's hand. Urvashi stars in many sexually charged tales, including an apocryphal Mahabharata story where she tries to seduce Arjuna, her direct ancestor, and when spurned decides to take her revenge by turning him into an Eunuch for a year. Although intended as a punishment, this proves surprisingly useful to Arjuna who makes the best of it by disguising himself as a dance instructor during his exile.
Origin: Hindu mythology, Vikramōrvaśīyam

3.PLANTS - Helena

For this Helena came forth from him, and comprehending the will of her father, descended (from heaven) to the lower regions of space, and generated angels and powers. But after she had produced them, they detained her through motives of jealousy, because they were unwilling to be looked upon as the progeny of any other being. She suffered all kinds of scorn from them, so that she could not return upwards to her father, but was even shut up in a human body, and for ages passed in succession from one female body to another, as from vessel to vessel.
-On Heresies, by Irenaeus

STR: Rank E (1 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank B (4 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)

Weakness: Curse, Blunt
Resist: Wind, Fire
Null: Psychic, Bless

Archetype [Idol]: You do not worship the lord. You are the lord, the emanation of his divine wisdom trapped in mortal flesh— or so you would lead others to believe. You enjoy being the center of attention, whether as the object of worship or scorn, and you cannot stand to be ignored — for you are a charlatan who has begun to believe in your own lies. [Further effects unlocked at RANK 4]

Skills:
Kougaon: Generate a LUMINOUS element and increase its «Main Visualizer» render priority. Calls forth a laser beam, purifying force, or other disastrous manifestation of light. [MAG/BLESS]
Dormina: Forces target Fluctlight ID to enter sleep mode. [CHT/SLEEP]
Faux-Megidola: Attempt to attack the target's Fluctlight directly by convincing the world you are capable of doing so. So long as your opponent believes you, it will be done, dealing 4 ALMIGHTY damage. [CHT/ALMIGHTY]
Diarama: Generate a healing LUMINOUS element and apply a complex modification or syntax to it. [CHT/HEAL]

ENHANCE ARMAMENT
And almost all the Samaritans, and a few even of other nations, worship him, and acknowledge him as the first God; and a woman, Helena, who went about with him at that time, and had formerly been a prostitute, they say is the first idea generated by him.
-First Apology by Justin Martyr

Emanation of Heresiarch: Designate any target (enemy, ally or bystander but NOT yourself) to become godlike, becoming infused with power that mechanically adds CHT to all rolls. The moment they suffer a narrative setback or fails a roll the effect ends and a backlash occurs where they become stunned for the rest of the scene, unable to act. [4 SP]

BACKGROUND
In the mythology of the Simonian sect of Gnosticism, Simon Magus had a companion by the name of Helena. In many branches of Gnostic faith, the material world is an imperfect reflection of the true totality of god, the Pleroma. Simon Magus claimed he held the divine soul of God within him, as an emanation of the divine spirit, and claimed Helena as the emanation of Sophia, another aspect of God representing divine wisdom. Helena has been commonly described as a prostitute, typically by critics. The belief in the teachings of Helena, alongside Simon, is widely considered heretical by prominent Catholic theologists.
Origin: Gnosticism

4.SKY - Blodeuwedd

And Gwydion said to Math, when it was Spring:
"Come now and let us make a wife for Llew."
And so they broke broad boughs yet moist with dew,
And in a shadow made a magic ring:
They took the violet and the meadow-sweet
To form her pretty face, and for her feet
They built a mound of daisies on a wing,
And for her voice they made a linnet sing
In the wide poppy blowing for her mouth.
And over all they chanted twenty hours.
And Llew came singing from the azure south
And bore away his wife of birds and flowers.
-The Wife of Llew, by Francis Ledwidge

STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank E (1 Dice)
AGI: Rank F (0 Dice)
VIT: Rank B (4 Dice)
CHT: Rank D (2 Dice)

Weakness: Fire, Slash, Bless
Resist: Wind, Optical

Archetype [Dryad]: You came from flowers and long to return to such. You despise movement and prefer to manipulate others rather than fight directly. Your laid-back and stoic personality is especially abrasive to the hotheaded.

Skills:
Luster Gift: Globally buff an opponent's stats by +2 for the next 3 Scenes (inclusive of activation turn). They are now permanently vulnerable to Mind-altering status effects. [BUFF]
Luster Whisper: Globally buff an ally's stats by +2 for the next 3 Scenes (inclusive of activation turn). Your opponents are now paranormally aware of Kuro's combat weaknesses, even through Persona switching. [BUFF]
Witness Me: Switch your VIT and AGI die and TAUNTs enemy combatants for the next 2 Scenes (inclusive of activation turn). They must target you if they are able. [BUFF]
Javelin Rain: Call forth a rain of wooden spears upon a target area within a long range, utterly saturating an area in barbed spears. Effective in striking nimble opponents and creatures with large bodies, but is utterly invalidated against armor. [STR/PIERCE/LONG]

BACKGROUND
Blodeuwedd, "Flower-Faced", is an artificial wife constructed by the magicians Math and Gwydion to be the wife of the hero Lleu Llaw Gyffes in the Welsh epic the Mabinogi. The hero was cursed to never have a human wife, hence Blodeuwedd was fashioned out of flowers and plants. Unfortunately Blodeuwedd would fall in love with Gronw, the rival of her husband and the two would plot to murder Lleu. The hero was largely invincible except when a very specific and convoluted set of circumstances were fulfilled, one he shared with Bloudewedd who then shared it with Gronw— armed with knowledge of Lleu's weakness he attempts to ambush Lleu but even then fails to kill him. Ultimately Lleu would prevail, killing Gronw, and in the end Blodeuwedd's own creator, Grwydion, would curse her to wander in the from of an owl for eternity.
Origin: Math fab Mathonwy — The Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi

5.MANKIND - Alice Liddell

A boat beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July—
Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear—
Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die.
Autumn frosts have slain July.
-A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky, poem by Lewis Carroll

STR: Rank F (0 Dice)
MAG: Rank A (5 Dice)
AGI: Rank D (2 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)

Weakness: Pierce, Slash
Resist: Blunt
Null: Bless, Curse, Madness

Archetype [Reader]: You are just a girl, reading a story, and what a pleasant story it is, for all its fantastical whimsy. You stand apart and unassailable for there is none more omniscient than the reader. Though you may enjoy the book you are not capable of empathizing with NPCs as anything more than simple characters. [Further effects unlocked at RANK 4]

Skills:
Eiga: Generate an UMBRAL element and apply a complex modification or syntax to it. [MAG/CURSE]
Pulinpa: Connects enemy Fluctlight ID to the Taboo Index, causing afflicted opponents to act unpredictably. [CHT/MADNESS]
Marakukaja: Increases VIT (+2 Dice) of all party members for this scene and the next. [BUFF]
Megido: Locate the enemy Fluctlight and give it a single, soft poke, dealing damage equal to the result of an unopposed MAG roll. All entities will recognize the attack as something wrong and you will draw immediate attention. [2 SCENES to use / ALMIGHTY]

ENHANCE ARMAMENT
Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.
Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

Play With Me!: Roll CHT with ADVANTAGE. Heal all party members by the result, and deal ALMIGHTY damage to all enemies by the result. Lux will draw enemy attention for 2 scenes after using this ability. [5 SP]

RELEASE RECOLLECTION
In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream —
Lingering in the golden gleam —
Life, what is it but a dream?

Life is But a Dream: Will allow you to enter Wonderland while sleeping. You must be connected to a FullDive rig. You may meet some very interesting people.
Provides passive protection against the curse of VECTA when diving in this manner.

BACKGROUND
Alice Pleasance Liddell was a photography model who lived in Victorian England, mostly known for being the inspiration for the character of Alice in Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll, pen name of Charles Dodgson, was on a boat trip with the Liddell family when he recited a story that would one day become Alice in Wonderland, apocryphally at the urging of Alice herself. Alice Liddell herself was gifted Alice's Adventures Under Ground, a handwritten manuscript, as a Christmas present, which was later edited into the world-famous print version. The sequel, Through the Looking Glass, even ends with an Acrostic Poem that spells out Alice Pleasance Liddell's entire name. Alice Liddell herself went out to live a fruitful but largely unremarkable life, living through the first world war, and dying after a long life of over 80 years.
Origin: Victorian England

6.STARS

Implement of War.

7.NATURE - Urmetazoan

Animals and plants come into being in earth and in liquid because there is water in earth, and air in water, and in all air is vital heat so that in a sense all things are full of soul. Therefore living things form quickly whenever this air and vital heat are enclosed in anything. When they are so enclosed, the corporeal liquids being heated, there arises as it were a frothy bubble.
-Generation of Animals, Book by Aristotle

STR: Rank F (0 Dice)
MAG: Rank F (0 Dice)
AGI: Rank D (2 Dice)
VIT: Rank C (3 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)

Weakness: Nuclear, Psychic
Resist: All Ailments

Archetype [Primordial]: You are a bird soaring through the air, you are a worm digging through the ground, you are the great behemoth that tramples the land and you are the ant nipping at its heel. You are not, however, a human capable of speech. [Further effects unlocked at RANK 4]

Skills:
Regenerate 2: For every turn this Persona remains active in combat, heal 2 HP. [PASSIVE]
Invigorate 2: For every turn this Persona remains active in combat, heal 2 SP. [PASSIVE]
Shifting Wall: Your party becomes resistant to the element you are currently resisting for this scene and the next. [BUFF]
Shifting Body: Become resistant to the last damage type that targets you (even if it does no damage). This can override your innate weaknesses. [PASSIVE]

ENHANCE ARMAMENT
But Nature flies from the infinite, for the infinite is unending or imperfect, and Nature ever seeks an end.

Spontaneous Generation: Narratively assumes the form of an animal (creature is determined based on the logic of the world you are inhabiting) while retaining the mental faculties of a human. Is active only when this Persona is active. If used in combat your base stats will change to reflect your new form, but will generally be inferior to that of your avatar. [0 SP]

BACKGROUND
The Urmetazoan is a theoretical last common ancestor and represents the 'first animal' that evolved or rather the first animal that did not go extinct before passing on its genome. In the view that all life descended from a single common ancestor, the Urmetazoan represents an important node on the tree of life, and the origin of the entire biological kingdom of Animalia. Although it's impossible to know what, precisely, the Urmetazoan's form was, it is likely that the organism was a single-celled eukaryote— that is to say it possessed a cell membrane and an enclosed cell nucleus.
Origin: Biology and the Origin of Life

8.REST

Spinning Fate.

9.JUSTICE - Magdalene

On this account I have said unto you aforetime: 'Where I shall be, there will be also my twelve ministers.' But Mary Magdalene and John, the virgin, will tower over all my disciples and over all men who shall receive the mysteries in the Ineffable. And they will be on my right and on my left. And I am they, and they are I.
-Excerpt from Apocryphal Gnostic Text, Pithis Sophia

STR: Rank F (0 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank D (2 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)

Weakness: Pierce, Blunt
Resist: Bless, Curse, Fire

Archetype [Saint]: You have faith. Pain, suffering, death— it matters not. Everything will be fine, for god is watching, and he is good.

Skills:
Kouga: Generate a LUMINOUS element and apply a complex modification or syntax to it. [MAG/BLESS]
Hama: Disconnects target Fluctlight from the «Main Visualizer». [CHT/LOGOUT]
Dia: Generate a healing LUMINOUS element and direct it into an ally. [CHT/HEAL]

RELEASE RECOLLECTION
They asked the soul, Whence do you come slayer of men, or where are you going, conqueror of space?
The soul answered and said, What binds me has been slain, and what turns me about has been overcome,
and my desire has been ended, and ignorance has died.

Silence the Aeon: Add your CHT to your MAG and roll a LIGHT elemental attack on all hostile opponents, regardless of distance. This attack cannot deal more than 1 DAMAGE. Any enemy that takes damage from this attack has all their passives disabled for this scene and the next. [5 SP]

BACKGROUND
Mary Magdalene is a figure in the canonical Christian scriptures and is recognized as a saint and hero of the faith by many major Christian denominations. In the Bible she is most known for being a witness to Christ's Crucifixion and the first person Christ speaks to after his resurrection, being sent to deliver the news of the miracle to the other apostles. Magdalene's role has morphed significantly over the years, with many popular theories interpreting her as a prostitute or the wife of Christ. She features prominently in many apocryphal and gnostic scriptures, such as the Gospel of Mary and the Pithis Sophia, in which she is frequently antagonized by the Apostle Peter.
Origin: Biblical Canon, Gnosticism, Biblical Apocrypha

10.TEMPERANCE - Mithras Liturgy

"Hail, O Lord, O Master of the water!
Hail, O Founder of the earth!
Hail, O Ruler of the wind!
O Bright Lightener,
PROPROPHEGGE EMETHIRI ARTENTEPI THETH MIMEO YENARO PHYRCHECHO PSERI DARIO PHRE PHRELBA!
O Lord, while being born again, I am passing away; while growing and having grown, I am dying;
while being born from a life-generating birth, I am passing on, released to death--
as you have founded, as you have decreed, and have established the mystery.
I am PHEROYRA MIOYRI."
-Mithras Liturgy, of the Greek Magical Papryi

STR: Rank F (0 Dice)
MAG: Rank C (3 Dice)
AGI: Rank D (2 Dice)
VIT: Rank C (3 Dice)
CHT: Rank D (2 Dice)

Weakness: Fire, Wind
Resist: Elec, Pierce

Archetype [Aspirant]: You are a seeker of the forbidden truths of the world. You are patient and observant, though some may call you cowardly.

Skills:
Tarukaja: Increases STR (+2 Dice) of one target for this scene and the next. [BUFF]
Masukukaja: Increases AGI (+2 Dice) of all party members for this scene and the next. [BUFF]
Garula: Generate an AERIAL element and apply a complex modification or syntax to it. [MAG/WIND]
Zio: Generates a FULMINANT element and launches it forward, or shapes it into a simple bullet form. [MAG/ELEC]

RELEASE RECOLLECTION
And at once produce a long bellowing sound, straining your belly, that you may excite the five senses: bellow long until the conclusion, and again kiss the amulets, and say: "MOKRIMO PHERIMOPHERERI, life of me, _______stay! Dwell in my soul! Do not abandon me, for one entreats you, ENTHO PHENEN THROPIOTH." And gaze upon the god while bellowing long; and greet him.

Apathanatismos: Disconnect your Fluctlight from the «Main Visualizer» for one scene. During this scene, you cannot be targeted nor can you target any entities who are connected to the «Main Visualizer». If you wish to use this to dodge an attack, you must narratively be able to chant the activation phrase in full before the attack hits you (so only against attacks you see coming with significant lead up). When disconnected from the «Main Visualizer», experience a single instance of Divine Revelation, which will provide you with information about your current situation. [4 SP]

BACKGROUND
The Mithras Liturgy is a segment of the Greek Magical Papyri, a collection of magical texts and cult invocations of unclear authorship that describes the magical practices of Hellenistic cultures. The liturgy depicts a series of magical phrases and prayers where the participant is called upon to beseech the elements of the world before summoning an escalating series of gods culminating in Helios Mithras who grants the caster immortality. Amongst its many invocations are references to Jewish, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman gods, making the Mithras Liturgy a prime example of religious syncretism in Hellenistic cultures, where gods from multiple mythologies are mixed, conflated, and fused together.
Origin: Greek Magical Papryi

11.STRENGTH - Ash Nazg

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
-Except from Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkein.

STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank C (3 Dice)
AGI: Rank A (5 Dice)
VIT: Rank F (0 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)

Weakness: Slash, Fire
Null: Curse

Archetype [Real Deal: Dark Lord]: You are all-seeing, all-powerful and all too willing to play the long game. You are in control of your emotions and able to switch from a fair oration to a violent, cursed screed at the drop of a ring. You have a tendency to favor plans that are entirely too complicated for your own good.

Skills:
Starfall Crater: Imbues a blunt melee weapon or your fist with the power of an infernal forge, striking with a molten blow that shatters and deforms metal when struck. [STR/BLUNT/FIRE/MELEE]
Eigaon [Wraith Form]: Generate an UMBRAL element and increase its «Main Visualizer» render priority. Specifically manifests as a horde of wraiths invisible to your opponent through normal means. [MAG/CURSE]
Dominate: Initiates Stage 1 Synthesis Ritual and attempts to brainwash all opponents— but with a maximum duration of only a single Scene. [CHT/CHARM]
Mudoon: Purge target Artifical Fluctlight from the «Main Visualizer», and forcibly injects knowledge of the transience of their existence if resisted. [CHT/INSTANT KILL]

ENHANCE ARMAMENT
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul

[The One Ring]: Your Persona manifests as a physical Ring. You retain the abilities and stat bonuses of your Persona even when the Ring is separated from you. Your Ring can 'teleport' within your line of sight when separated (ie, you can always consider the Ring to be in range) but must be willingly picked up in order to gain its effects. An enemy that is CHARMED, MAD or in DESPAIR will almost always prioritize equipping the Ring above all else. You may also narratively attempt to trick the Ring onto others. Generally speaking, manipulating your Ring is considered a Free Action. If you switch Personas while the Ring is on another, you cannot dispel the effects until you reclaim the Ring. [Mandatory 1 SP/scene] [PASSIVE]

When Equipped to yourself [Default state]: Grants +2 Real Deal Bonus on all actions. You are IMMUNE to Mind Altering Status Effects.
When Equipped to another: Grants +2 Real Deal Bonus on all actions. They are WEAK to Mind Altering Status Effects and Instant Death Effects. They become narratively invisible to all but yourself. They are forcefully subjected to an attempted Eigaon [Wraith Form] attack and Dominate attack, targeting themselves using Kuro's stats, each Scene until the ring is removed. They may attempt to remove the Ring once per turn via opposed CHT roll with DISADVANTAGE or by cutting off their hand.

BACKGROUND
The One Ring, referred to as Ash Nazg in the Black Speech of Mordor is a malevolent artifact created by the Dark Lord Sauron in an attempt to dominate the wills of the civilizations of Middle-Earth. Sauron's plot involved teaching the Elves the methods by which to forge Rings of Power, and then to use the One Ring he forged in secret to control the other Ring Bearers by proxy— a plan that failed and lead to Sauron's defeat. By itself the One Ring amplifies power, prolongs life and even grants its wielders invisibility, but at the cost of enslaving the wielder to the corrupting will of Sauron. The line between Sauron and the One Ring is blurry at best, and the Dark Lord can revive himself so long as the One Ring exists. The One Ring also seeks to return to its master, and only through its destruction can Sauron ever truly hope to be vanquished.
Origin: Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkein.

12.PRUDENCE - Heliose de Villefort

I would say 'Warn her, punish her, let her pass the remainder of her life in a
convent, weeping and praying.' If she had committed two crimes, I would say,
'Here, M. de Villefort, is a poison that the prisoner is not acquainted with,—
one that has no known antidote, quick as thought, rapid as lightning, mortal as
the thunderbolt; give her that poison, recommending her soul to God, and save
your honor and your life, for it is yours she aims at!'
-Excerpt from The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas

STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank C (3 Dice)
AGI: Rank D (2 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)

Weakness: Blunt, Nuclear, Madness
Resist: Psy, Curse
Null: Poison

Skills:
Psio: Generate a CRYSTALLINE element and apply a complex modification or syntax to it. [MAG/PSY]
Foul Breath: Erode Fluctlight Core Protection from a target, making them more vulnerable to status effects. Easier to hit with than most Ailment abilities. [CHT/DEBUFF]
Hysterical Slap: An unusual Sword Skill that becomes ALMIGHTY provided it is used in a monologue or while interrupting another monologue. Requires you to be in point-blank range and has no gap-clearing capabilities. [STR/BLUNT]
Aqua Tofana: Impart the Memory of [POISON] into all Sacred Arts used by this Persona. This also applies to Sacred Arts used by other Personas in a scene simultaneously with this Persona. [PASSIVE]

Archetype [Madame]: You are a socialite with a silver tongue, with complete mastery over your external emotions and the insight to sense when plots are aligning against you. The smarter your opponent, the more you understand. Yet when faced against a true simpleton, you cannot predict their thoughts while yours lies wholly exposed. [Further effects unlocked at RANK 4]

ENHANCE ARMAMENT
One drop of that elixir sufficed to recall life to a dying child, but three drops would
have impelled the blood into his lungs in such a way as to have produced most
violent palpitations; six would have suspended his respiration, and caused
syncope more serious than that in which he was; ten would have destroyed him.

Brucine: Imparts a special poison into a small body of water, potable liquid, or consumable item in your line of sight. The activation of this ability is narratively instantaneous, wordless, and generates no visual effects. Victims receive 3 POISON damage 1 turn after consuming the affected item, with effects scaling with repeat doses. Does not roll DICE and bypasses resistances. [3 SP]

BACKGROUND
Heloise, typically known as Madame de Villefort, is the second wife of Gerard de Villefort and the mother to his son, Edouard, whom she dotes on incessantly. Her husband is one of the three men who ruined the life of the Count of Monte Cristo, who sets out to achieve his vengeance against the magistrate who had him falsely imprisoned. Taking advantage of the hatred Madame de Villefort has for Valentine, Gerard's heir and daughter from a first marriage, the Count worms his way into her good graces through a series of manufactured coincidences and cold reading sessions, introducing her to the poison Brucine. Tempted by the Count, the Madame goes on to murder several people first to frame Valentine, and then attempting to poison her directly. In the end, her husband learns of her crimes and demands she take her own life. It is only after his own crimes are exposed that he realizes his hypocrisy, and runs back home to seek a new start with his family, only to find the cooling corpses of both his wife and son— the vengeance of the Count of Monte Cristo having robbed him of everything he ever loved.
Origin: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

13.HIGH PRIEST

Of Both Poles.

14.DEVIL - Cats of Ulthar

Still, no one durst complain to the sinister couple; even when little Atal, the innkeeper's son, vowed that he had at twilight seen all the cats of Ulthar in that accursed yard under the trees, pacing very slowly and solemnly in a circle around the cottage, two abreast, as if in performance of some unheard-of rite of beasts. The villagers did not know how much to believe from so small a boy; and though they feared that the evil pair had charmed the cats to their death, they preferred not to chide the old cotter till they met him outside his dark and repellent yard.
-Excerpt from The Cats of Ulthar by H.P. Lovecraft

STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank E (1 Dice)
AGI: Rank C (3 Dice)
VIT: Rank E (1 Dice)
CHT: Rank D (2 Dice)

Weakness: Fire, Ice, Pierce
Null: Slash, Mind Altering Ailments

Archetype [Cat]: You are a cat. [Further effects unlocked at RANK 4]

Devour: A standard Sword Skill where you carve out a chunk of their flesh with claws or teeth, healing a small amount when you consume their life force. [STR/BLUNT]
Feral Claw: A very simplistic Sword Skill that coats your strike in phantom claws to rake across your opponent. [STR/SLASH]
Summon Cat: Call for help! The number of cats that respond is based on the narrative and their capricious nature. The cats do their own thing, but are nominally allied with you. If you call too many cats, they may ignore you! They may ignore you anyways! The Cat's stat block is 1 HP / STR C / AGI C / VIT E / CHT X and can cast Feral Claw or Devour (damage dealt via Devour heals Kuro). [CHT/CAT]
Throw Cat: "You call throwing cats around a sword skill?" "Hey, as long as it works." [The narrative definition of a cat is negotiable] [STR/CAT]

RELEASE RECOLLECTION
It was a stupendous sight while the torches lasted, and Carter had never before seen so many cats. Black, grey, and white; yellow, tiger, and mixed; common, Persian, and Manx; Thibetan, Angora, and Egyptian; all were there in the fury of battle, and there hovered over them some trace of that profound and inviolate sanctity which made their goddess great in the temples of Bubastis.

[Prayer of Menes]: Designate an enemy at any range and create 3 [Cat of Ulthar] units at their location. All other active [Cat of Ulthar] units may freely teleport to the location of that enemy, furthermore, any time a [Cat of Ulthar] fails to deal damage when attacking, all [Cat of Ulthar] units gain +1 STR, stacking. [5 SP]

BACKGROUND
Lovecraft is well known for his fondness for cats, and has written multiple short stories throughout the Lovecraft mythos starring or about cats, to whom he attributes an association with the supernatural. In contrast to the near-universal hostility of supernatural forces in Lovecraft, cats often feature in supporting roles in the works of the mythos. The Cats of Ulthar refers to the feline denizens of the town of Ulthar, where it is considered a crime to kill a cat, lest one draws the ire of the feline collective and be devoured. The Cats of Ulthar, in contrast to real-life cats, typically work in a unit where harming one cat draws the retribution of the entire horde.
Origin: The Cats of Ulthar by H.P. Lovecraft

15.MAGICIAN

A Life of Delusion.

16.JUDGMENT

Iconoclastic Wisdom.

17.DEATH - Magnum Opus

True, without falsehood, certain, and most true:
What is below is like what is above,
and what is above is like what is below,
to accomplish the miracles of one thing.
And as all things were derived from one by the meditation of one,
so all things are born from this one thing by adaptation.
The Sun is its father, the Moon is its mother,
the Wind has carried it in its belly, its nurse is the Earth.
The father of all telesms of the whole world is here.
-Excerpt from The Emerald Tablet

Pharma: This Persona possesses no stats. When assigned to a Persona slot, it functions as a consumable item that may be used while another Persona is active.

DOSAGE: Rank B (4 Doses)
SIDE EFFECTS: Targets affected by this Persona make their next offensive roll with ONE less offensive dice.

Upon channeling Magnum Opus select ONE effect to apply from the list below:

Doping: Party max HP increases by 30%, rounded up. Does NOT affect current health whatsoever, only increases Max HP. [3 Doses]
Tetra-Dampener: Party nullifies the next instance of FIRE/ICE/ELEC/WIND damage. When this shield is up, no dice are rolled (Ie, the shield is not preserved if the attack would've done 0 damage). [2 Doses]
Phys-Dampener: Party nullifies the next instance of SLASH/BLUNT/PIERCE damage. When this shield is up, no dice are rolled (Ie, the shield is not preserved if the attack would've done 0 damage). [2 Doses]
Linked Life Stone: Party heals 30% Max HP, rounded up. [2 Doses]

BACKGROUND
Magnum Opus, or the 'Great Work' refers to the long, fruitless search for the Philosopher's Stone conducted by esoteric magicians from Antiquity through the Renaissance. The origin of the Philosopher's Stone is thought to be wisdom from Hermes Trismegistus, who left hints towards its creation in the form of esoteric lore, most notably the Emerald Tablet. There have been many recipes proposed, though no verified genuine Philosopher's Stone was ever known to be created. The general steps are as follows: Nigredo, the dissolution of all ingredients into a black chaos. Albedo, the purification into white matter through 'lunar' light. Citrinitas, the replacement into gold through a yellow 'solar' light. Rubedo, the final stage, represents a complete unification of spiritual and physical matter and thus the completion of the Great Work. The steps of the Magnum Opus were often used metaphorically. Examples include symbolizing spiritual attunement in Gnosticism, or the integration of the self in Jungian Psychology.
Origin: Hermetic Esotericism (AKA Medieval Chūnibyō)

18.TRAITOR - Undine

On the spot where she had knelt, a little spring, of silver brightness, was gushing out from the green turf, and it kept swelling and flowing onward with a low murmur, till it almost encircled the mound of the knight's grave; it then continued its course, and emptied itself into a calm lake, which lay by the side of the consecrated ground. Even to this day, the inhabitants of the village point out the spring; and hold fast the belief that it is the poor deserted Undine, who in this manner still fondly encircles her beloved in her arms.
- Undine, by Friedrich de la Motte Fouque

STR: Rank D (2 Dice)
MAG: Rank B (4 Dice)
AGI: Rank B (4 Dice)
VIT: Rank E (1 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)

Weakness: Elec, Pierce, Madness
Resist: Blunt, Wind
Null: Ice, Despair, Mute

Archetype [Self]: This Persona does not significantly alter your mental state, but it does help you swim. [Further effects unlocked at RANK 4]

Skills:
Garula: Generate an AERIAL element and apply a complex modification or syntax to it. [MAG/WIND]
Abyssal Surge: Sing a song of mourning and connect all enemy Fluctlight IDs to the Central Cathedral Cenotaph. [2 SCENES to use / CHT/DESPAIR]
Kuhleborn's Curse: Creates a small tidal wave of water to slam into your opponent or otherwise alter the landscape. [MAG/BLUNT/ICE]
Patradra: Suppresses ally status ailments, however, you must immediately roll to resist the status ailment of all allies. [FREE]

ENHANCE ARMAMENT
Most gladly, my loved one," said she; and throwing her veil back, her lovely face smiled forth divinely beautiful. Trembling with love and with the approach of death, she kissed him with a holy kiss; but not relaxing her hold she pressed him fervently to her, and as if she would weep away her soul. Tears rushed into the knight's eyes, and seemed to surge through his heaving breast, till at length his breathing ceased, and he fell softly back from the beautiful arms of Undine, upon the pillows of his couch—a corpse.

Undine's Kiss: Target any foe currently under the effect of a CHARM or DESPAIR debuff; the target immediately dies, as per the effect of a successful Mudo (for NPCs) or Hama (for PCs) spell. If the target possesses special resistance to instant death, they instead suffer 5 points of ALMIGHTY damage, clearing the debuff and also causing them to become narratively wracked with heartbreak. This ability does not roll dice, and may be used on allies... if you truly must. [3 SP]

BACKGROUND
A spirit of Water, first described in the alchemical works of Paracelsus, known for beautiful singing and its search for marriage— for only through matrimony can it gain an immortal soul. In Friedrich de la Motte Fouque's Undine, one such spirit falls in love with a noble knight, becoming his wife and partner. Yet the objections of the other water spirits and the fickleness of her lover lead to Undine's paramour betraying her for another woman. In grief, and following the laws of her people, Undine drowns the knight with her kiss, resolving to spend the rest of her immortal soul as a spring forever encircling her once lover.
Origin: Undine, by Friedrich de la Motte Fouque

19.TEMPLE - Don Juan

My dear lady, this is the list
Of the beauties my master has loved,
A list which I have compiled.
Observe, read along with me.
In Italy, six hundred and forty;
In Germany, two hundred and thirty-one;
A hundred in France; in Turkey, ninety-one;
But in Spain already one thousand and three.
Among these are peasant girls,
Maidservants, city girls,
Countesses, baronesses,
Marchionesses, princesses,
Women of every rank,
Every shape, every age.
-Excerpt from the Catalogue Aria, composed by Mozart

STR: Rank B (4 Dice)
MAG: Rank E (1 Dice)
AGI: Rank C (3 Dice)
VIT: Rank E (1 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)

Weakness: Blunt, Ice, Charm, Bind
Resist: Psy, Nuclear

Archetype [Libertine]: You are the life of the party, able to entertain with your sharp wit no matter how dire the situation. In fact, you can't stop needling your opponents, even when it would be in your best interest to shut up.

Deadly Sins: Perform a rapid-fire seven-hit sword skill at blinding speeds, overwhelming even the defenses of trained swordfighters in a single rush of steel. [STR/SLASH/MELEE]
Mirage Fencer: Call forth an illusionary double to strike your opponent as though in the throes of a waltz, causing them to misjudge your position and leave themselves open. [STR/PIERCE/MELEE]
Rebellion War: Summon an ephemeral stone sentinel that manifests behind your opponent, slamming its massive axe into the earth. In truth, the statue is targeting you, but you are too quick to be struck by the lumbering thing. [STR/BLUNT/MELEE]
Grand Tack: Manifest your sword or bullet into a single lance of incredible force and launch it in a straight line over a SHORT distance, penetrating all defenses and armor. [STR/PIERCE/SHORT]

BACKGROUND
Don Juan is a fictional Spanish noble and playboy, and stars in various morality plays about his life and downfall, the most well known of which is through Mozart's opera, Don Giovanni. Don Juan is frequently noted to use disguises, trickery, and outright murder in order to achieve his conquests. He lives for wine and women, having no thoughts for the future or the state of his soul. Eventually, he is confronted by the ghost of a man he slew in pursuit of his daughter in the form of a stone statue. A key theme is that Don Juan is always given an opportunity, usually many opportunities, to repent his ways, up until the very end when he is confronted by the Stone Guest. But in most versions of the story, he fails to realize the chances he has been given, and ends up dragged to hell for his crimes.
Origin: The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest, by Tirso de Molina

20.FORTUNE - Urashima Tarō

Once upon a time, Urashima Taro was taken by the turtle that he saved
to Ryugu Castle under the sea and found that its beauty could not be expressed enough with art.
Otohime, the mistress of the castle, gave Taro a feast, while sea breams and flounders showed him dances.
They were so unusual and interesting that Taro felt like he was dreaming and that time flied.
One day, Taro got tired of playing with them and came back to reality so he bade them a hasty goodbye.
What made him excited on the way back home was Tamatebako, a beautiful box given to him as a souvenir.
He came back to land and was so surprised to find that neither his house nor his villages was there,
and all the people he saw on the streets were total strangers.
Taro felt helpless and opened Tamatebako. How regrettable it was!
White smoke burst out of it, instantly turning Taro into an old man.
-Urashima Tarō, Japanese Folk Song

STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank D (2 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)

Weakness: Wind, Curse
Resist: Pierce, Elec
Null: Ice

Archetype [Fisherman]: You are a patient hunter, one who understands the value of taking one's time, sometimes to a fault. Your personality is friendly, affable, but otherwise unremarkable.

Skills:
ReBufu: Generate a CRYOGENIC element and transform it into a fishing implement or trap. [MAG/ICE]
Enervation: Debuff, forcing DISADVANTAGE on offensive rolls for this scene and the next. [CHT/DEBUFF]
Vorpal Strike: Hold your weapon out like a bow and extend a lance of energy out of the tip of your sword, striking even distant targets. [STR/SLASH/PIERCE]

ENHANCE ARMAMENT
Poor Urashima! He died because he had been foolish and disobedient. If only he had done as he was told, he might have lived another thousand years. Wouldn't you like to go and see the Dragon Palace beyond the waves, where the Sea-God lives and rules as King over the Dragons and the tortoises and the fishes, where the trees have emeralds for leaves and rubies for berries, where the fishes' tails are of silver and the dragons' tails all of solid gold?

Tamatebako: Create a brilliant jeweled box and release the curse within. Poisons and enervates enemies, narratively wracking them with the pains of old age. The curse travels in the medium of a white puff of smoke that flows downwind— any targets, including allies, who breathe in the smoke suffers the effects. The effect persists for the entire duration of the combat, but entities may resist its application. [3 SP]

BACKGROUND
Urashima Tarō is the story of a Japanese fisherman who rescues a stranded turtle, and as a reward is ferried to the mystical underwater Dragon Palace. While initially enjoying the splendor of the other world, the fisherman grows homesick and wishes to return home to visit his parents. The princess of the Dragon Palace gifts him with a jeweled box and instructs him to never open it. When Urashima returns home he discovers that it has been hundreds of years, and all he knows and loves has passed on. In shock, Urashima opens the box, which contains only his own time, causing the fisherman to waste away into a corpse. Archetypal stories of people going into other worlds with different time passage rates feature prominently in tales from many cultures.
Origin: Japanese fairy tale

21.DESPOT

God is Dead.

25.KNAVE OF WANDS - St. Attila of Antioch

And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, 'O Lord, bless this thy hand grenade, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy.' And the Lord did grin. And the people did feast upon the lambs, and sloths, and carp, and anchovies, and orangutans, and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats, and large chulapas...
-From Monty Python and the Holy Grail

STR: Rank F (0 Dice)
MAG: Rank SS (7 Dice)
AGI: Rank F (0 Dice)
VIT: Rank F (0 Dice)
CHT: Rank F (0 Dice)

Weakness: Everything Else
Null: Fire, Bless, Nuclear

PASSIVE:
This Persona's Blessing on This Wonderful World!: This Persona becomes more useless as it ranks up and cannot evolve, but may provide a passive benefit at higher ranks.
Archetype [Explosion]: Your only goal in life is to show up and explode. Any deviation from this goal in a write-in plan will be summarily ignored in favor of detonating, or setting up a detonation.

SKILLS:
Explodidyne: Generate a massive THERMAL element and increase its «Main Visualizer» render priority. It can only manifest in the form of a massive, all-consuming explosion. [MAG/FIRE]
Inferno of God: Your FIRE attacks pierce resistances and nullification. [PASSIVE]
Crimson Sublation: Spend [10 SP] to grant your attack ADVANTAGE. If you lack the SP/Determination to activate this, you cannot attack at all. [PASSIVE]
The Third Number: You must spend two scenes charging before attacking with this Persona and you are HELPLESS and unable to defend yourself the scene after using this Persona. [PASSIVE]

BACKGROUND
St Attila is a fictional holy figure in Monty Python and the Holy Grail who writes the operational manual for the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch within the Book of Armaments. The Hand Grenade is used in the story to vanquish a foul creature of unspeakable horrors by blowing it into teensy little bits. The shape of the grenade is a direct parody of the Sovereign Orb, one of the Crown Jewels of England, combined with the legend of the Holy Spear of Antioch, said to be the lost Holy Spear that pierced the side of Christ during his crucifixion. There is no known real life saint by the moniker St Attila, though the name itself may be in reference to Attila the Hun, a figure extremely unlikely to have been canonized into sainthood.
You know what you voted for. It's literally just Megumin with heavy ordinance.
Origin: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

37.QUEEN OF CUPS

Silicon Primogenesis.

50.KING OF SWORDS - Ys

A shape pale as a dead appeared, wrapped in a great brown cloth. It was Saint Guenole, who said to the princess: "Shame and misfortune on thee, thou has tried to steal the key from the city of Ys!" Dahut answered: "Save-me, bring me to the end of the world!" But the horse Morvarc'h did not move any more and the furious waters won on them. Saint Guenole repeated his order to Gradlon "Drop the princess!", enormous waves were at their feet. Dahut slided on the ground and the king Gradlon, furious pushed his daughter in the sea. The waves closed on the princess. The sea flooded the city of Ys which all inhabitants died drowned.'
-Summary of The Legend of the City of Ys

PASSIVE:
Nascent SEED: This Persona possesses no stats or skills. When assigned to a Persona slot, it can be freely channeled at the cost of SP to alter the local environment at no extra time cost within a Scene and is always considered to be equipped.
Invoking this SWORD Persona costs [2 SP] per turn, inclusive of activation turn. Once deactivated it may not be reactivated for the remainder of the combat.
Unlike other Personas, SWORD Personas generally possess multiple mutually exclusive memory release arts.

RELEASE RECOLLECTION
Since was drowned the City of Ys
Nobody found an equal in Paris

The Sinking City: Alters the local terrain in the following manner [2 SP/Scene]:
1. Impart the memory of SINKING into the terrain, causing all native water levels to rise, driving unstable structures into the ground, and restricting flight within the area.
2. Impart the memory of STORM into the sky, provided the sky is visible, creating immediate torrential rain that persists so long as you continue to channel this Persona.

BACKGROUND
The city of Ys is a mythological lost city, supposedly on the coast of Brittany, France known for its splendor and riches. The entire city lies near the edge of the sea, protected from sinking only through a series of walls and gates. Despite its location, it's a wondrous city, and its people enjoy lives of prosperity under the rule of King Gradlon which leads them to hedonism and sin. This is exemplified in Princess Dahut, his capricious daughter, who through trickery or sheer stupidity opens the floodgates of Ys, drowning the entire city within. The King, having seen his entire kingdom taken by the waves, is urged by divine providence to cast his daughter into the sea, thus ending the flood. Ys serves as an analog to Sodom and Gomorrah, other cities punished by god for sin and excess. There also exists legends of its bell, which will herald its reemergence.
Origin: Breton Mythology

66.KNIGHT OF COINS - Zatoichi

Otento-san... Otento-san...!
Please bestow forgiveness on me.
For the affection towards my yakuza self
I pray a one-handed nembutsu
for those cut down by my reverse slash.
Ah, I don't want to cut anymore...
I don't want to cut anymore!
Otento-sama... excuse me, Otento-sama!
Just a little bit, just a little bit.
Would you grant me sight of you?
If I have sight, I can escape from this.
-Otento-san by Shintaro Katsu, actor for the Zatoichi franchise

STR: Rank A (5 Dice)
MAG: Rank E (1 Dice)
AGI: Rank F (0 Dice)
VIT: Rank F (0 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)

Weakness: Bless, Psy
Resist: Pierce
Null: Wind, Slash

Archetype [Drifter]: You are visibly frail and pathetic, and find it natural to feign weakness or injury. You are otherwise soft-spoken and conciliatory, and find it nearly impossible to be the first to attack or initiate combat. You find it extremely easy to goad the sadistic and truly evil to attack, and you are prone to being underestimated.

Zan-ei: A quick-draw Sword Skill that strikes with sudden fury at blinding speeds. Does double damage if you are hidden or as a sneak attack and can both stab and slash. Can also be used to throw your weapon in an emergency (you'll have to go pick it up). [MELEE/CLOSE/SLASH/PIERCE]
Patra: Removes a status effect from a single ally. Can be used on yourself, provided you maintain control. [FREE]
True Parry: You may use your STR to calculate AGI or VIT rolls, provided you are conscious. You are narratively able to block bullets and magic. [PASSIVE]
Zato: You are now narratively blind. You are not able to close distance on far-off foes, but you now possess a robust danger sense and cannot be caught by surprise. Every time you are attacked in MELEE you can make an immediate and free counter-attack. [PASSIVE]

RELEASE RECOLLECTION

Now we are all blind.

Darkness is my Ally: With a slash of your cane sword, immediately suppress all light sources and active LUMINOUS ELEMENTS on the battlefield— covering the battlefield in darkness. While in Darkness BLESS and HAMA class abilities simply cannot be activated, and you now narratively move fast, able to jump between FAR to MELEE ranges in a single scene. Lasts until you switch Personas, after which light sources return. [3 SP]

BACKGROUND
Zatoichi is a Japanese swordsman who stars in a long-running film series bearing the same name. Zatoichi is the quintessential blind swordmaster— an unassuming, bumbling, and disabled exterior masking the wisdom and strength of a master swordmaster. Zatoichi is a wandering hero who wanders from place to place, typically becoming embroiled in the fates of oppressed townsfolk. He tries to avoid violence, but circumstances and his own code of justice frequently place him in conflict with the evil men who seek to exploit the innocent, often leading Zatoichi to slay scores of men in bloody affairs. Zatoichi is a master of iaido, the art of quickly drawing one's blade, and he has been known to perform feats such as deflecting bullets and eliminating entire clans without suffering a single blow. The flash of his sword cane as he draws it from his walking stick is frequently the last thing his opponents ever see.
Origin: Zatoichi, Japanese Film Franchise

78.FOOL - Archon

Yadabaoth united with the thoughtlessness within him.
He begot Archons, modeling them on the incorruptible realms above.
He made the first seven Archons to reign in the seven spheres of heaven.
He made the next five Archons to reign in the five depths of the abyss.
He shared a portion of his fire with them,
But shared none of the power of Light he had received from his mother.
-Excerpt from The Apocryphon of John

STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank B (4 Dice)
AGI: Rank C (3 Dice)
VIT: Rank B (4 Dice)
CHT: Rank F (0 Dice)

Weakness: Curse, Blunt, Psy
Resist: All Magic
Passive: PHILEMON (use of this Persona accumulates 1 STRESS per action)

Archetype [Control]: The freedom not to think, the freedom not to choose, that is the greatest freedom of all.
Prolonged contact with this Persona is deleterious to your mental health and this Persona accumulates 1 Stress per scene.

Skills:
Freidyne: Generate an ATOMIC element and increase its «Main Visualizer» render priority. Calls forth an explosion of plasma, a pressure wave or other disastrous manifestation. [MAG/NUC]
Divine Apex: Generates immediate +1 ADVANTAGE for all actions in this scene and the next. [FREE]
False Apotheosis: Your party recovers 3SP immediately. All party members (including yourself) must succeed vs an opposed CHT roll versus you (yes, you have to roll against yourself). Party members that lose are afflicted with -2 VIT and -2 MAG debuff for 3 turns. [FREE]

ENHANCE ARMAMENT
This ruler, by being androgynous, made himself a vast realm, an endless precinct. And he contemplated creating offspring for himself, and created seven offspring, androgynous like their parent. And he said to his offspring, 'I am the god of all.'

Invitation to the Holy Grail: Invoke the specter of Yaldabaoth. All party members regenerate 2HP/SP per turn, including the turn of this activation. All party members receive the «Supply Lines» buff that continuously regenerates 2HP/SP per turn. The «Supply Lines» can be targeted by your enemies; if severed, this effect ends. «Supply Lines» have 1 HP, 4 AGI, 0 VIT. [FREE]

BACKGROUND
Archons are supernatural beings in Gnostic mysticism that serve as creators and rulers of the material world. This is in direct contrast to the Pleroma, the transcendental totality of God in the spiritual sense. The worship of Archons can never lead to true enlightenment and ascendance, as they are false deities who concern themselves only with the material world. The term Archon itself refers to the Greek term for 'ruler', and as befits their name Archons rule over the world, and the worship of old gods is in fact merely the worship of these lesser Archons. This extends even as far as covering Christian figures, with the implication that the God depicted in the Old Testament is in fact nothing more than the Archon Yaldabaoth, the first and most powerful of the Archons that begot the remaining. Typically Archons are grouped into groups of seven, however, as Gnosticism has no established canon the details behind their respective names and domains vary widely by source.
Origin: Gnostic Mythology

You are «Akatsuki», mercenary for hire, and this is NOT what you signed up for.

It seemed like a good deal. A fat stack of Yrd for an "experiment", and you were called on by a repeat customer. You had a lot of respect for the Spriggan who hired you, and the money was quite good. You had fought together in a few dungeon raids and found his advice to be rational, speedy, and insightful. In fact, it was one of the smoothest runs you've ever had since starting ALO, and you have him to thank for your current ninja gear. Frustratingly enough ninja-themed gear was vanishingly rare in ALO though you've heard rumors of other players wearing equipment of a similar design...

The gear really did help. Players were a lot more accepting of your silent act once they realized you were roleplaying as a ninja. It wasn't like you were always mute, ALO simply didn't have a text chat system you could fall back on. At times, you did raise your voice. Like right now.

"Shiroe-dono. Why is there a Gnome and a... whatever that is here?"

"How rude little lady. I'm a loud and proud Cait Sith, a rather sterling example of one if I do say so myself," replies the suave, smooth voice of the giant bipedal talking monster cat in a dandy outfit.

You've seen Cait Siths before. Spriggans and Cait Siths, being on opposite sides of the map, rarely interacted but you've fought alongside and against Cait Siths before. They tended to have cat ears, fangs... nekomimi stuff. Cute stuff.

Not... this. "Were you cursed?"

"Naturally. Alas I am forced to wander Alfheim on two feet, could such an unnatural limitation be called anything other than a curse?"

This is bothering you, and you can't help but stare. Was there some event you missed? Was this some exclusive Cait Sith customization option you've missed? If so why is this the only person you've seen go full furry?

"It's alright. I understand, the desire can be quite overwhelming. Feel free to pet away," says the Cait Sith that your UI helpfully names as «Nyanta», which is about as stereotypical as you could get for a Cait Sith name. He's taken off his hat and lowered himself to your height, which basically meant he was crawling on the ground. Some primordial instinct forces you to act.

...he was very soft. Warm too. You've pet your fair share of cats, in fact you were considering working with animals in a professional capacity, and he did feel awfully like a real cat... gigantic size notwithstanding. Did he also have the soft spot underneath the ear...?

"Meeeooowww... yes, a bit to the left..."

Just turn off your brain Shizuka and enjoy the ride.

...

This is great. Most cats don't let you pet them for long, affection was more of a dog thing. This was the best of both worlds, the cuteness of a cat with the affection of a dog! Half cat, half dog, and definitely not half weirdo, half pervert tricking you into petting him in VR!

"I see you've gotten acquainted," says your current employer, a Spriggan enchantment specialist going by the name «Shiroe». He waves to you from the edge of a tall hill sitting underneath the branches of the «World Tree». He's dressed in a white cloak and round glasses, simple adornments that mask the treasure trove's worth of enchanted items covering him head to toe. Spriggans were a somewhat magically sensitive race and the sheer weight of all the magic being brought to bear made the air lightly shimmer to your eyes.

Besides him was a fully armored Gnome player with a sword and board style. With that much equipment weighing him down his flight timer must not be any higher than a minute or two. You instantly peg him as an idiot, and you were quickly proving that hypothesis correct if his dumb expression was anything to go by.

"Shiroe-dono, you haven't answered my original question," you say, waving to your employer.

"Good to see you made it, and please don't call me that..."

"Hmph. As you are hiring me, that makes you my master," you clarify. "It is the shinobi code."

The gnome chooses now to interrupt, his voice as loud and boisterous as his appearance. "Hey, this that ninja you told me about? She's kinda a pipsqueak ain't she?"

«Shadow Strike» is a high tier Spriggan magic which only needs a single runic power word to activate. What it lacks in damage it more than makes up for in utility, as it allows a Spriggan with an appropriately high «Hide» skill to materialize behind a valid target through line of sight provided they aren't currently engaged in direct combat with you. You consider it your best skill by far, one you demonstrate to the annoying Gnome by placing your knife against his throat.

"This pipsqueak doesn't appreciate your lip, Gnome."

"Whoa, shit, how'd you do that!?"

"Practice."

Shiroe-dono holds up his hand in a gesture of peace. "Now, let's all get along. I apologize for not warning you in advance, Akatsuki, but this isn't an exclusively Spriggan enterprise. Nyanta and Naotsugu are two old friends of mine and we've actually been planning this for a while now."

"Yeah, let up pipsqueak! We're on your side!"

Fine. You release the Gnome, «Naotsugu», by drop kicking him straight into the dirt.

"Ah, careful, that actually did damage!"

Not by much you reckon. The Gnome didn't appear to suffer any hit stun, a sign of a high «Armor Master» skill. His equip load must be insane, how did this guy even fight much less fly?

"Alright. Gather around, now that everyone's here, we can start the plan." Shiroe says, corralling you all together.

"Plan to do what Shiroe-dono? Are we tackling a raid?"

Shiroe-dono adjusts his glasses and smiles. You swear you saw the sunlight glint off them. "Of course. Raiding is half the fun of this game, isn't it?"

A raid with a Gnome who probably can't even run, two Spriggans and a cat furry an adorable Cait Sith? You had, roughly speaking, a tank, a support, a DPS and whatever the hell Nyanta's build was so it wasn't an entirely unreasonable composition, though most raids required at least 7 players... "Which raid? Are we tackling Niflheim?" You sure hope you weren't, that place would slaughter you.

A low chuckle emanates from Shiroe-dono as his finger points skyward.

Skyward? There was nothing up there. You follow his finger and look beyond it to the horizon... nothing was there, besides the spiraling white pillar that was the center of the world. As you gaze at the «World Tree» wondering what he could mean it hits you. He can't mean... with just four of you!? You had to beat like a hundred high level guardians to advance, nobody had ever even fought halfway up!

"Never aim low do ya, Shiroe?"

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Just like the old Elder Tale days eh, buddy?"

Nyanta and Naotsugu nod sagely while stare upwards dumbfounded. There was no way you could tackle the «Grand Quest» of Alfheim with a half sized raid group. Hell nobody was even close! The Undines tried last month and are still reeling from the lost capital in the attempt, and the Pookas managed to organize a mixed race flash mob of players so numerous they could barely fit them all through the door and even they failed.

"A... are you serious!? But how?"

"Haha, interested now Akatsuki? Then let's sit down and go over the plan."

---

"Purrrr...."

You idly scratch Nyanta's underbelly was it a cat underbelly? Nyanta was bipedal so were you just scratching a HUMAN underbelly? Oh god this is so creepy. But it's still so soft... while trying not to get crumbs in his fur. Evidently anticipating a long discussion, Nyanta had brought some homemade sandwiches in his inventory.

«Yggberry Jam», «Muffalo Mozzerella» and some kind of cured meat with a few vegetables. You were working on your second one. It was the best thing you've ever had. Naotsugu was already polishing off his fourth.

"Simply put, we cheat," announces Shiroe as he summarizes the plan through a mouthful of crumbs.

It was obviously going to be some kind of exploit, no way you were actually going to fight your way up the «World Tree». You know Shiroe-dono used an enchantment focused skill set with essentially no offensive weapons, and you were a high mobility DPS optimized for single target damage. The builds of the other two were a mystery to you.

"You have to understand ALO is a product of the «Seed» AI design package. That means there's a few... common elements that can't be ignored."

Common elements? "Like transferring accounts between different Seed games?"

"Yup!" chimes in Naotsugu. "I only started ALO last week, all my equipment is bought from Shiroe. I transferred from New World Online just to participate in this operation."

"And my home turf is Cat Cafe, though I've been in ALO for a few months already. I must admit it took me a few days to get used to walking on two feet."

Ah, so Nyanta came from that game. VR body dysmorphia was still a problem with the Amusphere, it's why you had to switch avatars back to one more similar to your IRL size to fight off VR Nausea. Of course there were small games with... dedicated... followings that threw all that out the window and just let players pilot whatever Avatar they wanted, VR sickness be damned.

So by transferring from Cat Cafe he got to keep his cat face...? No that still doesn't make sense, it clashes with the art style!

"That's right. Transfers from Seed games are core to the data package... but that's not the only similarity. Seed based MMOs vary wildly in content, tone and level of challenge... but there's one inescapable common feature to all of them. Verisimilitude."

Shiroe gestures grandly to the sky above again.

"Just look at ALO. We can feel the sun beating down on us. Each individual blade of grass has texture, a player can set a field on fire then a completely different player can come back and find it still burnt down. The processing power it must take to... simulate a world such as this is immense. Frankly speaking there shouldn't be a computer in the world capable of running any Seed based VRMMO... and yet we're here, talking inside of one."

"Hold on Shiroe-dono. Aren't there other non-Seed based VRMMOs?"

Naotsugu scoffs. "Wha, like YGGDRASIL? The game where there's no facial animations, there's practically no content and everyone's drowning in microtransactions?"

Shiroe-dono coughs to regain the conversation. "Moving on, before Naotsugu takes up all our time complaining about other games. Seed based VRMMOs care a ton about verisimilitude. Devs can add on UI elements, inventory, maps... game elements on top of the world simulation but the actual simulation itself is designed to maximize the perception of realism. That means... unless explicitly placed by the developer there's no invisible walls, there's no out of bounds... if a player ends up somewhere they're not supposed to..."

He snaps his finger. "Then 'poof', the Seed simply creates a new zone where one previously wasn't there. Which leads to the obvious implication..."

You're beginning to get it. "The «World Tree» isn't an instanced dungeon that can only be entered through the main entrance. It's an actual physical tree..." which means... it could be climbed.

"Now the obvious solution, one I've already tried, is climbing the tree. But the spiral shape isn't just for show, the material is repulsive and there's no skill that can allow you to actually grip it. Believe me, I've looked," says Shiroe-dono.

"You can't mean to fly up there?" Even with your optimized build you could barely cross the 6 minute mark with flight. That put you... about a quarter of the way up the tree if you flew straight up. An idea hits you as you eyeball the humongous avatar of Nyotsugu. "Do you mean for us to piggyback ride one another?"

"I do! But not in the way you're thinking. As weight increases flight becomes exponentially more inefficient, and the system counts the players you're carrying as weight. There's diminishing returns with every additional player, even a high strength Gnome like Naotsugu would have a flight timer of less than 1 minute simply carrying two people. I've done the math... we could maybe get a 2/5ths, half if the stars align. That's assuming we have the cooperation of the strongest player in ALO, which we most definitely don't."

"Bah, you got me, Nyanta and Shiroe here! One of us is definitely the strongest in ALO!"

You're tempted to beat up Naotsugu again. "You're a fresh transfer with borrowed equipment, and Shiroe-dono, while talented, is a support specialist." If anyone here could be called the 'strongest' it'd probably be you.

"Actually... for the purpose of my trick I need the fastest Spriggan on the server. Hence why I came to you, Akatsuki."

You fail to clamp down on your blush, "you speak too highly of me... there are plenty of Spriggans faster than me and Sylphs are faster fliers in general..."

Shiroe-dono shakes his head. "As a Spriggan myself I know full well the limitations of the race. Most of our spells are based on illusions... but I've seen you fight Akatsuki. You have «Metamorphosis» mastered, and are adaptable. You're exactly the Spriggan I need for this plan."

"W... well if you put it that way... I'm happy to help..." you're not used to being praised. It's rather embarrassing...

"Haha, glad to have you on board. Now... there's no time like the present... so let's start the inaugural ALO raid of «Debauchery Tea Party»!"

Naotsugu raises his hand in a hearty cheer, quickly joined by Nyanta's paw. You find your fist joining them.

---

Shiroe-dono's gone through the plan a dozen times and more. It was still unbelievable, such a disgusting exploit that there's no way the devs won't patch it out the moment it works... IF it works.

"Remember Akatsuki. It only has to work once," echoes Shirou-dono's voice in your head. It was essential to the plan that not all of you were in the same party, as for one you didn't want the friendly fire protection in place.

You gulp, adjusting your position on Nyanta's shoulders. Nyanta himself is clinging to Naotsugu like a pack mule. A shinobi Spriggan riding a... human cat furry Cait Sith riding a humongous armored Gnome sounds like the start of a bad joke or a worse porno (stop thinking Shizuka!).

"Hey Shiroe... you sure you got the math right?" complains Naotsugu while he chugs another fire-resistance potion. "Once we start the GMs will likely notice, I doubt we'll get another shot at this..."

"There's no enemies to account for and we have full control over all the variables. This will work."

"We just gotta trust Shiroe, like always," says Nyanta as he shoots Shiroe a paws up.

Right. You take a deep breath, this was only phase one of the plan. Naotsugu grinded up Strength and Vitality exclusively in New World Online which gave out large bonuses for sticking with a small number of stats. Due to that Naotsugu had absurdly high carrying capacity and vitality at the cost of nearly every other part of his build being nonfunctional.

The first phase was all him... well, him and Shiroe who was sitting on a pile of over 15 casts of «Explosive Runes». From Shiroe's explanation, he picked his build solely to be able to cast this spell, a combined trap and damage ability that was largely underutilized. The spell simply had a poor damage/mana ratio, and the Runes themselves could not be concealed by any method, making it only really useful for defensive fortifications. Even then just having the Runes active provided an active drain to your MP.

Shiroe was chain chugging expensive mana potions just to get 15 casts stacked in the same location.

"S.S. Naotsugu, ready for liftoff!"

"You're a rocket, not a ship. You need a name like 'Explorer' or 'Voyager'..." you add.

"Alright pipsqueak. This is the «Horizon»! Ready for LIFTOFF CITY!"

Before you could punish the stupid gnome for his mocking nickname your vision blurs as the world is transformed into a conflagration from hell. Even with the friendly fire protection in place your HP drops by a solid third. It was as if everything was on fire—the Naotsugu, yourself, the sky—everything! Even the light had been split by that blast.

The sheer wind pressure was also immense, you could only shut your eyes in response. Avatars were not meant for these speeds, you're not sure if the damage you're taking is from the residual flames or the sheer velocity of your motion. Naotsugu's body was covered in burns and open wounds bleeding red pixels, his HP dropping from the residual fire damage second by second. The three of you must've been quite the sight, a comet rocketing from the ground with a trail of blood and damage ticks instead of ice.

"Damn... I know this doesn't hurt but the heat is rather uncomfortable..."
"Don't complain! Grit your teeth and keep going!"

Higher... higher... You drink your health potion as Nyanta does the same, Naotsugu resigning himself to his fiery fate.
The ascent slows but the HP damage doesn't, the burning hot armor of Naotsugu cooking him alive and also harming you and Nyanta. How much longer could you last?

"AKATSUKI, THE SIGNAL!" yells Shiroe's voice over your party chat.

You scream at the top of your lungs, "NYANTA NOW!"

"Ackmeowledged!"

You wouldn't have believed it if you didn't see it happen right under you. The moment you gave your command everything happened at once. Naotsugu's life burns out as suddenly the rocket ship you were rising on is replaced with the wispy «Remain Light» of a dead player. The instructions were strict, no one is to use their flight gauge, so as soon as Naotsugu dies you feel yourself falling towards the ground.

But as if by prophecy Nyanta shoves a «Yggdrasil Dew», an extremely expensive revival item, into Naotsugu's «Remain Light» not a second after he dies, reviving him on the spot.

A big meaty hand grabs you just as you're about to fall out of reach and hurls you back onto Nyanta's back. The timing was perfect, how had Shiroe predicted the exact moment of Naotsugu's death from all the way down on the ground!? Naotsugu wasn't even in the party so he couldn't be looking at his HP meter. Did he have everything planned down to the last second?

"Starting phase two!"

And here it was. The explosion launched you a quarter of the way up the tree... with not a single one of you having used even a second of your «Flight Gauge».

"«Cat's Step!»" calls out Nyanta as runic words surround his avatar. You quickly cast «Metamorphosis» in tandem.

«Cat's Step», a Cait Sith support skill that allowed one to speed up ground movement. According to Shiroe the system interpreted it as a temporary mass reduction - a less heavy target.

And your «Metamorphosis», a Spriggan spell that allowed you to assume the physical form of a random monster, akin to Polymorph spells from RPGs of old. Statistically it almost always selected a weak monster, with some players speculating that by wishing hard enough you could partly control the transformation.

Please don't be a strong monster... please don't be a strong monster...

"Squeak!" Not... your first choice as you reorient yourself into Nyanta's arms with an undignified shout. Damn it, you wanted something small, but why a monster as embarrassing as a damn «Ragout Rabbit»?

"Hahaha, good look on ya pipsqueak," taunts Naotsugu, freshly revived, as all of his armor is dramatically purged from his body. The falling armor combined with you and Nyanta's sudden weight modifications were the key to phase two - the stage where Naotsugu would use what little flight gauge he had left carrying the two of you on his back.

"Grrr...." your lack of functional vocal cords prevented you from exacting revenge on Naotsugu, but you'll remember this injustice.

Even still, the plan was proceeding smoothly. You await Shiroe's commands from the ground while Naotsugu flies in a straight line, the ground rapidly disappearing under you. The view must've been wonderful, but you were cradled snuggling in Nyanta's arms and couldn't actually see anything besides his elbow.

His clearly human shaped elbow covered in cat fur. Was he a cat? A man? A cat man or a man cat? The question haunts you for a few minutes.

"Shit, I'm gonna go dry in about 3 seconds... it's up to you now Chief. Make sure you deliver pipsqueak safely upstairs!"

"Good job Naotsugu. See you on the other side." says Nyanta. You peek out from under his arms, watching Naotsugu shoot you one final thumbs up. The Gnome falls into the distance, flight gauge now fully depleted, towards his final fate of becoming a «Remain Light».

"Thank you Naotsugu. Starting phase three. Stay sharp Akatuski, the final phase is all up to you," calls out Shiroe through the party chat room.

You can't answer in your transformed form but the intent was clear. Nyanta's wings surge forth, the two of you were well over halfway up the «World Tree», the first players to ever break into the realm of the gods.

1 minute... 2.... Nyanta was clearly using an agile avatar. His reduced weight didn't actually affect his Flight Gauge and was only meant to ease the burden on Naotsugu... similar to your «Metamorphosis».

More minutes pass as you reach the 3/4 mark.

"Alright little lady, the last stretch is all you. Make sure you take some nice pictures for us, alright?"

The only thing you can do is nod.

"NYANTA! PHASE FOUR, DO IT!"

"You got it Shiroe! The magnificent Chief Nyanta's final hurrah!"

There was one more reason a Spriggan was needed. «Metamorphosis» wasn't an illusion spell, it was actual transformation. The monster was always weaker than the player but you could use the monster's abilities - rather «Metamorphosis» created a shell of shadow while shunting your avatar into a storage mode.

That means it could tank a hit. Just one... but for that moment, no matter how powerful the attack, no matter how much raw damage... you would survive while your «Metamorphosis» form took the hit for you.

"«SACRIFICE»!"

Dark magic «Sacrifice». Typically a spell exclusive to the Dark Magic specialists of the Imp race. Like with all magic a dedicated grinder could unlock enough Dark Magic proficiency to use it. Nyanta had grinded this skill exclusively for this one attempt.

The dark fire engulfs Nyanta's body, instantaneously turning him into a «Remain Light», the force of the magic explosion smashing into you like a thunderbolt. The sky alights for a second time, only this time instead of Naotsugu taking the hit your Rabbit form does so instead.

Your «Metamorphosis» spell dissolves as your team repeats the same explosion launch feat, only this time in midair. You rise in the wake of the explosion towards the rapidly closing branches of your destination. This was the moment of truth, everyone else had played their part, now only you remained.

The momentum carries you forward, but unlike the «Explosive Runes» a single magic attack, no matter how strong, could only do so much. How close were you? Your body shoots past the clouds - from here it was guesswork. The «World Tree» was so absurdly tall nobody from the ground even had a good idea of EXACTLY how tall it was, the peaks were hidden above the clouds.
Thankfully you were close. You could see the branches now, in the distance. One last quarter to go.

You were at the apex of the explosion. Any longer and you were going to start falling... your black gossamer wings deploy. There! You eye a branch hanging low from the «World Tree». Strange... was there a cage on it?

You fly.

Higher.

HIGHER!

KEEP GOING HIGHER!

You watch your flight gauge.

5 minutes...
3 minutes...
1 minute...
30 seconds....
10....

Your wings were flickering. The flight gauge was in the red zone. 6 minutes was your maximum, no amount of willpower or wishing could change that. You weren't going to make it, the low branch you had identified with the cage on it was still too far. If only you had 10 seconds! Just 10 more seconds!

"I'm sorry Shiroe-dono. I... won't be able to make it..." you mutter into your party chat.

"Akatsuki. I know you can do this. There must be something... something only you can do."

Something...

Your wings give one last flicker and sputter out. Momentum carries you forward another meter but that's all. Your body arcs while you angle your head to get one last look at the «World Tree». From here at least you can take a picture... just have to remember to cast the «Scry» spell...

A picture. Of a cage. It's all you have to show for this endeavor.

You were close. So close! You can smell the leaves, you can see the apex! You see the cage in the branches above!

As your «Scry» spell takes a blurry picture you can't help but notice something odd...
You see a girl in that cage...
A... girl? Even from this distance she was beautiful with auburn hair, white dress and magnificent wings. The picture of a princess.

Wait... didn't that mean there was someone in that cage?
Someone you could see.
No... not just anyone.

A TARGET.

"«Shadow Strike»!"

---

Your hand clenches shut. You're holding something... but what?

"W... what's going on...." you belatedly realize your party was disbanded, Shiroe-dono couldn't hear you or give you advice now.

Worse than that, you feel dizzy, like you just woke up from a nap you didn't remember taking.
In fact you still feel dizzy. Some vertigo in fact, almost like you were upside down. Wait a minute.

"AHHHHH! LET ME DOWN!"

"Hold still!"

You WERE upside down! Dangling upside down from a slimy blue tentacle. Shit, it was a slime monster! That only meant one thing... "Stop wriggling! You know you're not supposed to be here, right!?"

Crap, the GMs were awake.

"LET ME DOWN FIRST!" You've never been grappled by a slime monster before but you immediately rank it as the worst feeling in the world. God what was with these games and slimes....

"Fine, fine!"

After you've stopped hyperventilating you realize you're still up in the clouds, on a makeshift platform made from branches of the «World Tree». Next to you was a soft blue super squishy slime, one of the GMs no doubt. «Rimuru», head GM for ALO... oh you were in deep trouble.

"Uh... hello GM-sama, I have a... uh... perfectly good explanation for all this..."

"Well, I'm sure you do. You have a lot to answer for, buster. But first thing's first, are you alright?"

"I feel fine. Should I not be?" you question.

The slime... wiggles in mild agitation.
"You tell me. I get a system alert that one of the players was knocked out but didn't actually LOG out. As you can imagine RECT Progress takes such error messages... VERY seriously."

After you used «Shadow Strike» to enter the Cage everything went black. You... don't actually remember what happened up there. A look at your internal clock tells you that about a minute has passed, 1 minute of which you don't have any memories. That... sounds bad.

"So imagine my surprise when I look at the location ID and find you HERE! You must've run afoul of the automatic defenses, though I'm still not sure how it knocked you out without logging you off..."

"Uh.... GM-sama..."

"No, just call me «Rimuru», or 'That Slime!', everyone else does!"

"Right... uh... aren't you a GM? So shouldn't you know exactly what happened? Don't you have some kind of log file?"

More shaking from the Slime GM before you. "Hey, I'm just in charge of the lorebook and general management. I'm not in the dev team, the «World Tree» is out of my jurisdiction. They don't tell grunts like me what's going on there."

"Wait, then do you know who that player in the cage is?"

"Player? You mean «Titania»? The boss says its some mega-important NPC but the whole thing is too high of a pay grade for me. Gotta say though, the design? Amazing. Top tier, even if they won't let me get a close look I can tell. Elf energy is off the charts."

So... an NPC and an incomplete one at that. "Wait a minute. Are you saying this whole area, the «World Tree»... is unfinished?" It would explain why the «Guardians of the World Tree» quest is so deliberately overturned.

"Ahh... well guess the cat's out of the bag. But don't worry, there's a BIG update planned for the end of May. Boss says it's going to change everything, the «World Tree» should be fully accessible then."

That's it? You thought there'd be something amazing on top of the «World Tree» not just... some incomplete unfinished zone. You look around at the trees, the cage far off into the distance... this was just placeholder data put in by the Seed AI while the devs actually worked on their next update? Way to take the majesty out of the whole thing....

Rimuru is now visibly bobbing up and down. "Hey, don't look so disappointed! Game dev is hard work, even with the Seed AI. Just be patient, I promise it'll be worth it! Not that I know exactly what the higher ups have planned... and you better not tell anyone!"

Your disappointment is immense. What a waste of a day. At least you got some gossip about the next update... unverified gossip from a GM who clearly doesn't even know what's going on.

"I'm still wondering how you got up here. Looking at the logs some kind of... explosion and physics exploit? Oh boy, you know you just gave me overtime work right?"

"I'm... sorry?" you reply. You weren't really sorry.

"I mean... don't get me wrong. I'm extremely impressed. But I'm gonna have to put up an invisible wall or something. Let me tell you, the Seed HATES invisible walls, anything too 'gamey' and the system will fight you back tooth and nail."

So an invisible wall, you'll be the first and last player to see this sight before it gets replaced with whatever the devs have planned next update. You look, truly look, for the first time from the top of the world tree. You couldn't even see the ground through the clouds, it was as if you had left one world and entered into another. A travel from one fantasy realm to the next, almost like transferring your avatar between VRMMOs.
It really was beautiful. This was the reward you were desperate for earlier... even if there wasn't much up here the fact that YOU made it up here against the wishes of the GMs, against the wishes of the devs themselves. Wasn't that in and of itself wonderful? And you would be... last person to see this view on account of some invisible force field?

"Rimuru, why not just leave it be?"

"What?"

"It's unfinished... but what's here already isn't bad either. A beautiful view, a princess in a cage... even meeting you. I'd like to think this trip was worth the trouble," you say, more to yourself than Rimuru. "Even if someone else makes it up here, they can't enter the actual zone right?"

A wiggle from the Slime you're beginning to recognize as its approximation of a nod. "You'd need Dev privileges to enter the area, otherwise it just ejects you like what happened earlier. I can't even go in there."

"See? So there's no danger of anyone actually wandering into an unfinished area. So this whole climb up the tree... keep it as an easter egg of sorts? If another party makes it up here, shouldn't they be rewarded the same way I am? With a preview of the next update and some teasers? Nothing drums up interest like a good mystery."

"Oohh! That's some enterprising thinking there! I like it... you know what, I'll even let you keep that picture you took of «Titania»! Don't think I don't know about that, the log reveals all."

Shit, the Slime knows about the picture? Does he also know about...
"Ah... ha, that's generous of you. Well, I doubt there'll be another party that wants to cheat their way up the «World Tree» just to see an unfinished zone..."

"Nah, now that people know it's possible you'll get hundreds making the attempt. That might not be a bad thing, would drum up some interest in the next update..."

You nod aggressively. "Right! And this view is too wonderful to not share."

Rimuru does a sideways shake in response. "I don't want this to be a tourist attraction! If I leave the path open then I gotta do SOMETHING! Maybe nothing so crass as an invisible wall, but I'm not just going to let any old bozo waltz up here. Tell you what, since you're the first player to ever reach the «World Tree» let's make a deal. You can release the picture, drum up some interest, brag about your discovery... but you can't tell people about the unfinished zone!"

You quickly nod. In truth you're probably going to tell Shiroe-Dono the first chance you get, but the Slime didn't need to know that.

"Alright... then in exchange I'll let you decide what the next defense is!"

"I'm sorry?"

"Yup! I don't mind making the «World Tree» accessible as an easter egg for dedicated glitch hunters like you, but if you're going to try again I'm not going to make it easy for you. So what do you think would make a good obstacle? If you're not happy with an invisible wall, what about a no-fly zone? An elemental storm? Or maybe just a big mob?"

Hmm...

[ ] A no-fly zone halfway up the «World Tree».

[ ] A no-magic zone halfway up the «World Tree».

[ ] A whirling elemental maelstrom now encircles the «World Tree».

[ ] A giant fairy dragon.

[ ] You know what, an invisible wall is fine. Just give it a weakness.

---

"And that's what happened in a nutshell," you finish your report to the rest of your party as you all polish off the last of Nyanta's sandwiches. You've had a stressful day, maybe you can ask him about petting again...

"Man, what a let down..." complains Naotsugu. "All that work, only to find the top is still in development. And all we got was this one blurry picture..."

"And this card," finishes Nyanta.

Shiroe is staring at the black card held in his hand. You gave it to him the moment you met up after Rimuru teleported you back down to the ground. You had it in a deathgrip the whole conversation with the Slime, despite its claims towards omnipotence the GM never realized you had this item.

"Do you know what it is Shiroe-dono?" Because you certainly don't. It was in your hand after you teleported into the cage and you don't remember anyone giving it to you or even picking it up.

The only thing that possibly makes any sense is that «Titania» planted it on you when you were unconscious. But she was just an unfinished NPC, right?

"Are you sure I can have this Akatsuki? If anyone deserves a reward it's you. Normally I'd try to split it four ways but..."

"But my boss is starting a new project. I'm not going to have any time to game anymore," complains Naotsugu.

"And I've been away too long from «Cat Cafe», my playmates miss me mightily. Item rewards won't transfer between games."

So you and Shiroe are the only members of the party still playing ALO. "What about you Shiroe-dono? Do you still plan to keep playing?"

Silence while the glasses-wearing Spriggan thinks. "I think I'll stick around for a little while longer. This card... I'm not exactly sure what it is but..."

"But?"

"I know a good info broker. She'll at least give us a fair price for it."

---

AN: A bit of a preview of one of the 4 planned "routes" for you to reach the World Tree.
Vote for the obstacle! This will only be relevant in one of the routes.
Internally the routes are called Law, Chaos, Cheat and True Demon.

Previous vote (who to call) is still active if you wish to vote on that. It'll stay open until the next formal update.
This vote will also still open until the next formal update.