Salty
Shadow Cabal Assumptor Supreme
- Location
- Sun, Moon, Talia
- Pronouns
- I/Me
Better yet. Ellogean choose-your-own-adventure book that's also a dungeon.
General Exalted Thread
Queshire
Wants a pink flamingo for their lawn.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
A third circle demon could be a dungeon easily. Second circle...? Eh, there's that one second circle that turns into a spear, but I don't think we see any second circle on the scale of being a dungeon. With first circles I reckon you're more likely to see a bunch of demons bounding together to form a dungeon than a single dungeon demon. Maybe each room is an individual demon?
Of course, if it's just a demon with a compulsion to make dungeons instead of physically being one, you can get that at any circle.
Of course, if it's just a demon with a compulsion to make dungeons instead of physically being one, you can get that at any circle.
I didn't, no. Partly because Szoreny is much more intuitive to use than Oramus and the feedback/reward mechanisms are much more up-front; partly because lol I haven't put the time into it.
And No Sleep Nootropics says "you don't have to sleep for X period, and then you crash"; Nightmare Fugue Vigilance says "you don't need to sleep but can if you want to", hence NSN overrides NFV when in use and you crash after using it and have NFV nightmares.
(Not a great plan.)
- Location
- Gladstone, OR
Now to reply to this reply!
Goals are in my opinion critical to a good game and especially one of Exalted, where goals and stakes are of equal importance to conveying them. I know I've been guilty of having either an insufficiently meaningful goal, or a perfunctory one when running games or playing. Goals give structure that Exalted quite often needs.
Cahzor, and by extension the Coxati regions I think are part of Aleph's big 'Her Creation May Vary' push in context of Sunlit Sands and her Creation in general. As ST, she's developed the surrounding area in the way the game wants, but sadly does not support as well as it could have. So Aleph's system/setting mastery is high enough to offset the actual game rules and publication's shortcomings, and she has assets in other creative people to bounce ideas off of.
If I have any critique of Cahzor, it's that it's a highly developed slice of the setting that is adjacent to the part that I/Inks are more fully placed in- Gem. Now obviously Cahzor and Gem are neighbors and that's good detail, but there's always the risk of a 'pet region' being given more spotlight than necessary. Coxati was a wonderful adventure in that it let me explore what freedom Aleph was offering as ST- and identifying that as a player is very important. Early on in Coxati, I was dumbstruck by Aleph encouraging me to visit all the nation-states if I wanted- I did try to, but I ended up changing my mind as the arc went on without saying so. We both learned a lot from that arc in terms of formatting and pacing as well.
So @Aleph 's goal was both to impose a combat encounter on me, and to introduce Cahzor the region and overview it's politics. I think it's an important thing to call out here, to expand upon the ST tool of 'arbitrary fight'.
Exalted as a game is guilty of over-emphasizing combat, at a mechanical and thematic and fandom level. Combat is where the vast majority of Cool Physical Descriptions happens, and the meat of the game's systems and exceptions are there. Further, the game presents Creation as an unforgiving, lethal world where the Solar Exalted are the underdogs, set upon all sides by powerful enemies without taking a lot of time to explain how to balance the game around those expectations. Again, system mastery helps a lot, but we've known about these issues for quite a while.
'Arbitrary fight' is essentially what happens when people feel like a fight hasn't Happened in a while, and they want to give the player a chance to cut loose and use the ten or more charms they might've picked up but haven't had a chance to use. Exacerbating this is the conflation of Combat with Action. The Wyld Storm was definitely action, but it had very little to do with combat- and it's action was more in tension and manipulation of resources than high-flying, physical feats of Exalted prowess.
Now despite Inks being presently a character without much combat potential, I never wanted to shy away from combat at a system level or character one- with the understanding that Aleph would run the game accounting for what Inks and company can do, as opposed to any strict rationalist optimization style. In so many words, Inks won't run into things that can pulp her unless she goes looking for them. Until then she can get mugged by hyena bikers or mortal assassins. And as Aleph later points out, even Inks's lack of combat potential does not mean she lacks combat options.
Anyway- so we had a fight brewed up, and Aleph actually really does an excellent job here because she doesn't just have a fight in mind, she has potential end states in mind. Now handled indelicately this can lead to rail-roading, but part of the grace of game design is both in teaching players, and coaxing players to do something that later justifies or enables some kind of advancement- in plot or circumstance. If Inks and co had escalated, we would have won the fight but gotten in a different kind of trouble.
But at the same time, Aleph allowed me as a player to solve the problem in a manner of my choosing. She's already recognized the issues with conveyance, so I don't need to belabor those points.
I admit I did not get that Muta was Old and Scarred- I would be curious as to how Nabijah would feel about Inks using Solar Medicine to fix those old wounds. Hell- if the ravages if old age is ruled as any Keyword effect Inks can manage, she can likely pull Muta back into fighting prime.
I think I actually have failed to internalize how sturdy Inks and her assets are in context of Solar Medicine- as long as her people aren't dead, she can fix anything including overtly magical injuries. The issue is more one of personality and roleplay- Inks simply does not want people who follow her to be hurt, at all. That she would have to treat them is a failure on her part, a failure of her responsibilities and of her getting them in trouble in the first place. Not that she's risk-averse, but that the people who follow her are not Exalted and not powerful or intelligent or advantaged like she is (yet).
Like, without a real picture of the loyalty Inks's caravan had for her (this is as much on me as Aleph), I had no idea how willing any of them would be to take risks for themselves or her, if they knew she was their safety net. Food for thought!
I did find the combat calculus here fascinating, trying to evaluate and equate 'Half a Deyha' or Hyena as needed. Like, I know how to eyeball my own combat encounters when running games, but it's been so long since I've been on the player side that I'm seeing these techniques once again.
Now, Sun Over Water was very fun interlude and a good 'Game' session. In that it focused on mechanical resolution that backed up a thematic and narrative beat (Inks and Nabijah's relationship). The fight meant something, which made it infinitely more fun than just an arbitrary setpiece battle between glowing fitemens.
We both agreed in hindsight that the setpiece elements could've been emphasized more- the fortress being the battleground, an abandoned market street (robes and awnings to Graceful Crane Across, etc). I know that if I hadn't gotten Clinched, one of my actions after the big hit would've been for Inks to tear off at least part of her dress during a stunt. Also note that Aleph and I both forgot this, but Inks was immaculate the entire fight. I actually was imagining her wearing a white gauzy dress specifically to set off how anti-dirt she was.
I am 200% sure Nabijah has Opinions about this and none of them polite.
Now I disagree that Exalted 2e shines in white-room fights, but I do agree that it's an easy trap to fall into. Fortunately for the sake of the scene, we didn't really need a big expansive setpiece. And I think that this is an important demonstration that action scenes don't need huge scale, they just need interesting scale.
As I was planning how to approach Nabijah OOC, there was an interesting dynamic at work where once Nabijah 'asked' for Muta to join, I basically took it as a victory- as Aleph said, both sides ticked several 'win' boxes in their counter-play, so nobody lost. At least at first.
Of all the moves in the fight, I do want to talk about the Clinch. We've all gone over their hyper-lethality, and I think some of that is due to the rules being... too simple for what they're trying to model. In practical terms Muta only occupied one of Inks's limbs- which is still a coup in a fight because Chronicle is a 2-handed weapon, Inks can't swing it with one hand outside of a stunt or Charm, and the one Charm that would let her do that is about 24xp away.
I think that's all I need to say right at this moment. The next time an action scene comes up- be it combat or not, we ought to remember to jazz it up for each other.
Wasn't there a ravine 2cd?
Pretty sure that must be Munaxas (Munaxus?), who is a 3CD.
- Location
- Singapore
SARKANY, THE EVER-GROWING HOARD
~FIRST CIRCLE DEMON, PROGENY OF THE TEMPTER OF MEN
Many are the riches of Malfeas. Trees of gold, are common here, the precious metal growing like plants. Shrubs of silver, where if you were not careful, you would cut yourself on the soft metal leaves. Demons, wonders, exotic and infernal fauna and flora, and the various substances composed from the world-bodies of the Yozis. Scholars and adventurers know of these. But those in the know, wish for the Sarkany the most.
The Sarkany are dragon-shaped demons, with a stink of sulfur and steel-hard scales. Their hide, impervious to nearly any weapon. Their breathe, full of fire and scorching acid. Their minds, brutal and cunning. Their claws, sharp and lethal. Yet, each Sarkany is sought after by fools and heroes alike, for the hoard they collect is known to be the richest of them all.
Each Sarkany starts out small. A small dragon-shaped being, the size of a man's hand, could possess a single egg-sized jewel, or a block of gold. At this stage, it is fragile, and hides in a dark and deserted place. Like a deep mountain cave, or in a forest alcove. Then it becomes bigger, and the hoard grows. More gold and silver coins appear. Then it gets bigger and bigger, and as its size increases, so does its hoard. Until it becomes gargantuan, and its hoard becomes a mountain. And as its size increases, so does the precision and exquisiteness of the jewellery. The jewels are no longer the size of eggs. Now they glow with an inner fire, or show images of exquisite art when light is shone through them. The gold is no longer arranged in blocks, but instead in necklaces and chains, all in whorls and curves and decorations, each one the equivalent of a master goldsmith's magnus opus.
But what draws attention the most, are the arms and armour. The greed of men know no bounds, and they would always try to steal the hoard of the Sarkany. Whether by stealth, force, guile, or speed. But they often fail, for even the greatest of mortal men are wheat before the scythe when face with a demon. And so they die, and their corpses are devoured, along with any equipment they find. There, their lost hopes, their dreams, their bodies, and their souls, are alloyed with whatever they had on their bodies, and within the belly of the Ever-growing Hoard, something new is forged. Until with a burp and a cough, the Hoard spits out a new addition to its pile of treasure. Perhaps a shield made of Jade-steel. Perhaps a sword of Celestrium. Perhaps a sword of enchanted steel. No matter. More will always come.
Uses: Sorcerers will often summon the Sarkany for their hoard, to gain their riches. This is often foolish, for they consider handing over anything to be an unacceptable order. The sorcerer has to take the treasures, just like everyone else. Many are the tales of adventurers and explorers looking into abandoned demenses and sorcerous labs, only to find a Sarkany. The Sarkany find other uses as sentries and guards, their talents that let them defend their hoard also letting them fight off any number of attackers or spot any thief.
A/N: Please review.
~FIRST CIRCLE DEMON, PROGENY OF THE TEMPTER OF MEN
Many are the riches of Malfeas. Trees of gold, are common here, the precious metal growing like plants. Shrubs of silver, where if you were not careful, you would cut yourself on the soft metal leaves. Demons, wonders, exotic and infernal fauna and flora, and the various substances composed from the world-bodies of the Yozis. Scholars and adventurers know of these. But those in the know, wish for the Sarkany the most.
The Sarkany are dragon-shaped demons, with a stink of sulfur and steel-hard scales. Their hide, impervious to nearly any weapon. Their breathe, full of fire and scorching acid. Their minds, brutal and cunning. Their claws, sharp and lethal. Yet, each Sarkany is sought after by fools and heroes alike, for the hoard they collect is known to be the richest of them all.
Each Sarkany starts out small. A small dragon-shaped being, the size of a man's hand, could possess a single egg-sized jewel, or a block of gold. At this stage, it is fragile, and hides in a dark and deserted place. Like a deep mountain cave, or in a forest alcove. Then it becomes bigger, and the hoard grows. More gold and silver coins appear. Then it gets bigger and bigger, and as its size increases, so does its hoard. Until it becomes gargantuan, and its hoard becomes a mountain. And as its size increases, so does the precision and exquisiteness of the jewellery. The jewels are no longer the size of eggs. Now they glow with an inner fire, or show images of exquisite art when light is shone through them. The gold is no longer arranged in blocks, but instead in necklaces and chains, all in whorls and curves and decorations, each one the equivalent of a master goldsmith's magnus opus.
But what draws attention the most, are the arms and armour. The greed of men know no bounds, and they would always try to steal the hoard of the Sarkany. Whether by stealth, force, guile, or speed. But they often fail, for even the greatest of mortal men are wheat before the scythe when face with a demon. And so they die, and their corpses are devoured, along with any equipment they find. There, their lost hopes, their dreams, their bodies, and their souls, are alloyed with whatever they had on their bodies, and within the belly of the Ever-growing Hoard, something new is forged. Until with a burp and a cough, the Hoard spits out a new addition to its pile of treasure. Perhaps a shield made of Jade-steel. Perhaps a sword of Celestrium. Perhaps a sword of enchanted steel. No matter. More will always come.
Uses: Sorcerers will often summon the Sarkany for their hoard, to gain their riches. This is often foolish, for they consider handing over anything to be an unacceptable order. The sorcerer has to take the treasures, just like everyone else. Many are the tales of adventurers and explorers looking into abandoned demenses and sorcerous labs, only to find a Sarkany. The Sarkany find other uses as sentries and guards, their talents that let them defend their hoard also letting them fight off any number of attackers or spot any thief.
A/N: Please review.
Origami Clock
Right twice a day
- Location
- Brighton, UK
Maybe link the hoard growth more to their biology than fiating it out of thin air? Like have it possess scales of precious metals that it sheds as it grows, or blood that solidified into jewels like a sort of dragon-amber. In a similar vein, having all the treasure becoming better over time could be because they have a 1sd compulsion to increase the value of their hordes, and so become amazingly skilled jewellers and smiths as they grow older.
Perhaps like those treasure-seeking minions of Octavian, they were made to be treasure-orchards, where the middle-ranking get harvested and the eldest are saved to be popped for special occasions and for their skill at craftsdemonship and protecting valuable things. The young ones could almost be seen as demonic safety deposit boxes, garunteeing something will be kept safe and secure till you come to reclaim it (and have a nice snack with it as a bonus).
- Location
- Singapore
Excellent idea. I think I should also make it so that their items are cursed. Any who seek to steal it, only gain misfortune and pain until they return it or give it to someone else. And I mean give. No profiting from the theft.
And also, they can use their treasure like weapons. I got no idea how much you love gold. But molten gold raining on you has gotta hurt.
And also, they can use their treasure like weapons. I got no idea how much you love gold. But molten gold raining on you has gotta hurt.
Origami Clock
Right twice a day
- Location
- Brighton, UK
Because, in a certain sense, the treasure is them?Having an angry demon possessing your new shiny sword isn't great for you, after all, even if it's only a little First circle.
- Location
- Singapore
Yes. It is connected to them.
What? It's literally infernal treasure. Ever watched pirates of the Caribbean 1, or the star of Africa?
That.
- Location
- Singapore
Question. Should I let them make artifacts?
Salty
Shadow Cabal Assumptor Supreme
- Location
- Sun, Moon, Talia
- Pronouns
- I/Me
- Location
- Singapore
I mean, think about it. Mortal hero, comes along. Begging for help. Maybe a ring so it can actually strike the ghost tormenting her home. Maybe a sword so that she can kill the nearby marauding blood ape. A rod to conjure a temporary well, so that the drought becomes survivable. A bell to smash apart the delusions and illusions that the Anathema has put them under. But, of course, such gifts come with a price....
Just that.... I'm not sure whether that's such a good idea.
SpiritualSlacker
Nurse God of Mischief
- Location
- Grandma's attic
SV, I require thy brains. No, not in that way, don't worry.
I'm currently homebrewing an Exigent of a god of navigation in a 3e game. The character is only going to be an NPC, but since he's both traveling with the party and certain PCs have become quite fond of him, he's probably going to feature heavily in this campaign and I'm probably better off overdesigning him than going the more conservative QC-route.
Now, I already have a few very vague ideas about how I'd like to build this guy up, but I welcome all ideas for stuff like flavor, Excellencies, Charms - both stuff that I could crib from somewhere else or that you guys came up with whole cloth, etc.
Now as to what I already have, or have thought of;
Here's the QC-stats I came up with for him when he got first introduced:
As you see, he's more of a scholar and learned man than a warrior. He was originally a young priest in the cult of the god who'd later bestow him his Exaltation, and he's more on the pacifist side of things(unless perhaps our Zenith ever starts using her War Charms). Power level-wise I'd like to class him at Dragon Blooded strength or perhaps a smidgen higher - his patron was, while not especially war-like, pretty influential within his domain.
For Excellencies, I figured something like every time he has to "find a path" or something he gets to add half again his dice pool. I don't know, that one isn't very thought out yet. It's why I'm asking you guys for help.
I'm currently homebrewing an Exigent of a god of navigation in a 3e game. The character is only going to be an NPC, but since he's both traveling with the party and certain PCs have become quite fond of him, he's probably going to feature heavily in this campaign and I'm probably better off overdesigning him than going the more conservative QC-route.
Now, I already have a few very vague ideas about how I'd like to build this guy up, but I welcome all ideas for stuff like flavor, Excellencies, Charms - both stuff that I could crib from somewhere else or that you guys came up with whole cloth, etc.
Now as to what I already have, or have thought of;
Here's the QC-stats I came up with for him when he got first introduced:
Essence: 1; Willpower: 3;
Health Levels:
Actions: Lore: 8 dice; Sailing: 7; Performance (Song): 7; Linguistics: 8; Occult 6
Pretty bare bones.
Health Levels:
Actions: Lore: 8 dice; Sailing: 7; Performance (Song): 7; Linguistics: 8; Occult 6
Pretty bare bones.
For Excellencies, I figured something like every time he has to "find a path" or something he gets to add half again his dice pool. I don't know, that one isn't very thought out yet. It's why I'm asking you guys for help.
SpiritualSlacker
Nurse God of Mischief
- Location
- Grandma's attic
It started out in the West, and one of the PCs (the Zenith) is a pirate captain with her own ship. And while it could be assumed that the young Exigent in question could on occasion have navigated or helped navigate the ship, that's not his primary role. That would be his job as chronicler/servant
He's also Tya, if you can find a way to make that relevant?
- Location
- my house
Some new Demons I wrote up. Would greatly appreciate feedback
Kulkolneek - The Puppeteer Spiders
Demon of the First Circle
Of Unknown Ancestry
One could be forgiven for thinking Denok the most prolific progenitor of the Green Sun Princes, for his domain is overrun with creatures great and small. Porcelain Warriors do battle with great stuffed dragons in the lands of Shou-Nan, paper tigers with bones of wood stalk the forests of the Bai, and Aluminum Birds hunt for prey in the cloud city of Baroak, gliding on magnetic winds.
Yet these are not many demon breeds, but one, the Puppeteer Spiders. In appearance Puppeteer Spiders look like precious gems the size of an egg from which sprout a plethora of long, multi-jointed limbs, each tipped with a human hand, though with one thumb on each side and whose bodies glow with a faint inner light. Puppeteer spiders are vain creatures and avid builders, who create puppet-constructs which they pilot through the use of an intricate series of pulleys, levers and threads.
These construct-puppets, or Vertep, are seen as the ultimate form of self-expression in Kulkolneek culture, and the Kulkolneek spend their entire lives modifying and improving on their design. Each Vertep is wholly unique for this reason, changing as the Kulkolneek grows and representing who they are in a concrete and tangible way. Radical shifts in the thoughts or feelings of a Kulkolneek are always followed by similar shifts in the form of its Vertep, as the creature seeks to express this paradigm shift in a concrete form. Regardless of what form their Vertep takes, the Kulkolneek is always given pride of place in it's design, they're shining bodies shining and drawing the eye.
Kulkolneek are one of the most versatile demon breeds, and sorcerers have put them to a variety of purposes. The body of a Kulkolneek naturally absorbs the essence of their surroundings. Normally this is used to fuel their Vertep, but an unethical sorcerer can kill them and harvest the essence, in which case the Kulkolneek functions remarkably like a single use hearthstone. They may also be used for construction, as the same talent which allows them to build their Vertep can be put to use building other devices, and many a clockwork device has been built according to their design. If the sorcerer has need, they may also be harvested for their silk, the fibers of which are stronger than any steel. Additionally, because each Vertep is unique, an enterprising sorcerer can usually find a Kulkolneek whose abilities and match their needs.
Kulkolneek are social creatures, and prone to gather with others of similar temperaments. For this reason they seek out individuals with artistic taste similar to their own, forming communes and societies based around their shared artistic ideals and a selection of them can be found below.
The Five-Fold Troupe
Many Kulkolneek believe that the best art can only be created collaboratively. For this reason they form groups with others of their kind and design their Vertep's so that they can interface together, each individual combing to create a larger whole. Sorcerers are especially fond of using these as weapons of war, as they can combine into rather large creations.
The Brotherhood of Virtuous Warriors
The Brotherhood of Virtuous Warriors are a martial order dedicated to warrior ideals of honor and chivalry, who travel the land righting wrongs and battling evil.
Cubists
The cubists forgo the realistic proportions and designs of their brethren for a highly stylized, angular design. Opponents of this school claim it's a bunch of ugly blocks strung together in a vague shape. Cubists respond that they don't have a creative thought in their head.
Kulkolneek gain limit whenever they are forced to go an entire day without working on their Vertep.
They may be called to creation whenever two youths race vehicles which they have built from the ground up, or which they have completely retrofitted.
Vodorike - The living Smithies
The Crocodile Forges
Demon of the First Circle
Progeny of Urom
The industry of The City is always ready for war, for there is always another enemy to fight. For this reason Urom designed even his forges as weapons of war, giving them the ability to heat men as well as they do metal. Despite this they abhor violence, and gain one point of limit whenever forced to do battle.
Vodorike take the form of large crocodiles with 6 legs, who are three times as long as a man and of height with his shoulder, whose bodies are forged of iron, covered in strange protrusions. They are always warm to the touch, and when they open their mouth heat radiates from it as from a lit forge.
Vodorike feed on a diet of sediment, and they love the taste of metallic ores. They cannot digest such ores however, and so vomit them up in great streams of superheated metal. In this way they are able to produce pure metals or finely mixed alloys, as well as burn there foes.
Sorcerers summon Vodorike for their ability to melt the 5 magical materials, allowing them to easily create alloys of these materials or melt them down for casting. They are also often used for forge work, as the protrusions on their body and the heat of their mouths allow them to work as a fully realized blacksmithing station. They may also be summoned for use as muscle and siege weapons, their strength and molten breath allowing them to tear down fortification and break formations.
Those Who Walk Behind
Demon of the First Circle
Progeny of Pillago
Many a sorcerer approaches Pillago for tutelage, and he teaches them freely for he knows that knowledge only grows in the sharing. Yet sorcerers are a bookish and fragile lot, all too likely to die before they can pay him back in knowledge shared. For this reason he created the Those Who Walk Behind, to safeguard and protect his pupils
Those Who Walk Behind resemble nothing so much as a shadow, with all the malleability that this implies, able to change their shape to match the person or creature they are tailing.
The process of binding Those Who Walk Behind is simple, for each carries with them a pair of scissors which can be used to cut the shadow from the person wielding them. Should the sorcerer do this, the One Who Walks Behind will then take the place of his shadow and he will gain the creature of darkness template, his skin turning pale white and his hair midnight black. Sorcerers thus bonded may never regain their shadow, and should they lose their bond to the One Who Walks Behind for any reason than natural sunlight will deal lethal damage to them.
Sorcerers summon Those Who Walk Behind to serve as spies, bodyguards or assassins.
Those Who Walk Behind gain one point of limit for every minute spent in direct sunlight while not bound to another creature.
Kulkolneek - The Puppeteer Spiders
Demon of the First Circle
Of Unknown Ancestry
One could be forgiven for thinking Denok the most prolific progenitor of the Green Sun Princes, for his domain is overrun with creatures great and small. Porcelain Warriors do battle with great stuffed dragons in the lands of Shou-Nan, paper tigers with bones of wood stalk the forests of the Bai, and Aluminum Birds hunt for prey in the cloud city of Baroak, gliding on magnetic winds.
Yet these are not many demon breeds, but one, the Puppeteer Spiders. In appearance Puppeteer Spiders look like precious gems the size of an egg from which sprout a plethora of long, multi-jointed limbs, each tipped with a human hand, though with one thumb on each side and whose bodies glow with a faint inner light. Puppeteer spiders are vain creatures and avid builders, who create puppet-constructs which they pilot through the use of an intricate series of pulleys, levers and threads.
These construct-puppets, or Vertep, are seen as the ultimate form of self-expression in Kulkolneek culture, and the Kulkolneek spend their entire lives modifying and improving on their design. Each Vertep is wholly unique for this reason, changing as the Kulkolneek grows and representing who they are in a concrete and tangible way. Radical shifts in the thoughts or feelings of a Kulkolneek are always followed by similar shifts in the form of its Vertep, as the creature seeks to express this paradigm shift in a concrete form. Regardless of what form their Vertep takes, the Kulkolneek is always given pride of place in it's design, they're shining bodies shining and drawing the eye.
Kulkolneek are one of the most versatile demon breeds, and sorcerers have put them to a variety of purposes. The body of a Kulkolneek naturally absorbs the essence of their surroundings. Normally this is used to fuel their Vertep, but an unethical sorcerer can kill them and harvest the essence, in which case the Kulkolneek functions remarkably like a single use hearthstone. They may also be used for construction, as the same talent which allows them to build their Vertep can be put to use building other devices, and many a clockwork device has been built according to their design. If the sorcerer has need, they may also be harvested for their silk, the fibers of which are stronger than any steel. Additionally, because each Vertep is unique, an enterprising sorcerer can usually find a Kulkolneek whose abilities and match their needs.
Kulkolneek are social creatures, and prone to gather with others of similar temperaments. For this reason they seek out individuals with artistic taste similar to their own, forming communes and societies based around their shared artistic ideals and a selection of them can be found below.
The Five-Fold Troupe
Many Kulkolneek believe that the best art can only be created collaboratively. For this reason they form groups with others of their kind and design their Vertep's so that they can interface together, each individual combing to create a larger whole. Sorcerers are especially fond of using these as weapons of war, as they can combine into rather large creations.
The Brotherhood of Virtuous Warriors
The Brotherhood of Virtuous Warriors are a martial order dedicated to warrior ideals of honor and chivalry, who travel the land righting wrongs and battling evil.
Cubists
The cubists forgo the realistic proportions and designs of their brethren for a highly stylized, angular design. Opponents of this school claim it's a bunch of ugly blocks strung together in a vague shape. Cubists respond that they don't have a creative thought in their head.
Kulkolneek gain limit whenever they are forced to go an entire day without working on their Vertep.
They may be called to creation whenever two youths race vehicles which they have built from the ground up, or which they have completely retrofitted.
Vodorike - The living Smithies
The Crocodile Forges
Demon of the First Circle
Progeny of Urom
The industry of The City is always ready for war, for there is always another enemy to fight. For this reason Urom designed even his forges as weapons of war, giving them the ability to heat men as well as they do metal. Despite this they abhor violence, and gain one point of limit whenever forced to do battle.
Vodorike take the form of large crocodiles with 6 legs, who are three times as long as a man and of height with his shoulder, whose bodies are forged of iron, covered in strange protrusions. They are always warm to the touch, and when they open their mouth heat radiates from it as from a lit forge.
Vodorike feed on a diet of sediment, and they love the taste of metallic ores. They cannot digest such ores however, and so vomit them up in great streams of superheated metal. In this way they are able to produce pure metals or finely mixed alloys, as well as burn there foes.
Sorcerers summon Vodorike for their ability to melt the 5 magical materials, allowing them to easily create alloys of these materials or melt them down for casting. They are also often used for forge work, as the protrusions on their body and the heat of their mouths allow them to work as a fully realized blacksmithing station. They may also be summoned for use as muscle and siege weapons, their strength and molten breath allowing them to tear down fortification and break formations.
Those Who Walk Behind
Demon of the First Circle
Progeny of Pillago
Many a sorcerer approaches Pillago for tutelage, and he teaches them freely for he knows that knowledge only grows in the sharing. Yet sorcerers are a bookish and fragile lot, all too likely to die before they can pay him back in knowledge shared. For this reason he created the Those Who Walk Behind, to safeguard and protect his pupils
Those Who Walk Behind resemble nothing so much as a shadow, with all the malleability that this implies, able to change their shape to match the person or creature they are tailing.
The process of binding Those Who Walk Behind is simple, for each carries with them a pair of scissors which can be used to cut the shadow from the person wielding them. Should the sorcerer do this, the One Who Walks Behind will then take the place of his shadow and he will gain the creature of darkness template, his skin turning pale white and his hair midnight black. Sorcerers thus bonded may never regain their shadow, and should they lose their bond to the One Who Walks Behind for any reason than natural sunlight will deal lethal damage to them.
Sorcerers summon Those Who Walk Behind to serve as spies, bodyguards or assassins.
Those Who Walk Behind gain one point of limit for every minute spent in direct sunlight while not bound to another creature.
Last edited:
Origami Clock
Right twice a day
- Location
- Brighton, UK
Just a quick note, it's first, not third circle. Counterintuitive, yes, but the actual third circles are the terrifying E8-10 masters of hell.
/pedantry
- Location
- Singapore
Wait. Third circle or first?
- Location
- my house
Lol, right. Brainfart
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I love the Puppeteer Spiders!
- Location
- my house
Thanks
can you tell they're the ones I put the most effort into?- Location
- Singapore
SARKANY, THE EVER-GROWING HOARD
~FIRST CIRCLE DEMON, PROGENY OF THE TEMPTER OF MEN
Many are the riches of Malfeas. Trees of gold, are common here, the precious metal growing like plants. Shrubs of silver, where if you were not careful, you would cut yourself on the soft metal leaves. Demons, wonders, exotic and infernal fauna and flora, and the various substances composed from the world-bodies of the Yozis.
But, amongst the most exotic of them are the Sarkany. Their blood when exposed to air becomes precious dragon-amber. Their scales, composed of precious jewels and metals. Their breathe stinking of brimstone and vitriol. Their hide, composed out of diamond and metal, impervious to nearly any weapon. Their minds, brutal and cunning. Their claws, dextrous and lethal. Yet, heroes constantly search for the Sarkany. For slaying one brings unimaginable riches.
Each Sarkany starts out small. When young, they can fit into a man's hand, and they possess a single egg-sized jewel or talent of gold. It is weak, compared to other demons, and hides in a safe place. Perhaps an abandoned ruin, or a lonely mountain cave. Its scales dare shed, and during that, blood flows, and become coins and amber and precious stones. The bigger the dragon, the bigger the scales, and the greater the treasure. And as it grows in size and Essence, its intelligence grows. A Sarkany that has grown enough will begin to craft its hoard. Jewels are polished to a brilliant shine using the vitriol they drool from their mouth. Gold and silver are melted down under firey breathe, and under the work of surprisingly dextrous talons, they begin to work the metals. Under the infernal prowess of the demons, precious raw metal becomes intricate jewellery, whorls, chains, bangles, and other trinkets inset with the precious jewels and amber that also descended from the dragon itself. Each a Magnus Opus of a master mortal smith. The older the dragon, the more precious the trinkets and baubles in its pile.
And most precious of all, are the artifacts. Shining arms and armour. Daiklaves and spears made of Electrum, and armour made of jade-steel.
The greed of men know no bounds, and they would always try to steal the hoard of the Sarkany. Whether by stealth, force, guile, or speed. But alas, to no avail! A man, leaving his companions behind as a distraction, stole a chain inset with rubies the size of his eye. A month later, and he had been struck down with incurable leprosy, and no matter how much he spent he could not cure it, nor pay for the company of others. A thief in the night stole a gold coin, and dropped it. This drew the attention of one of his victims, and upon being caught, was sentenced to lose his hands. He now sits forlornly in the corner, looking at the gold coin which had cost him so much. The hoard of a Sarkany is cursed, and no one may profit it while it lives. Only by killing the beast, can the hero enjoy his reward.
But it is no easy task to slay a first circle demon. The breathe of a Sarkany is terrible. Its eyes and ears and nose, sharp as razor wire. Its claws, terrible and rending. And to make it worse, the hoard it lays on can be counted on to be part of its body, and so the heroes have to contend with the fact that the very treasure they seek is now also trying to kill them.
And so they die, and their corpses are devoured, along with any equipment they find. There, their lost hopes, their dreams, their bodies, and their souls, are alloyed with whatever they had on their bodies, and within the belly of the Ever-growing Hoard, something new is forged. Until with a burp and a cough, the Hoard spits out a new addition to its pile of treasure. Perhaps a shield made of Jade-steel. Perhaps a sword of Celestrium. Perhaps a sword of enchanted steel. No matter. More will always come.
Summoning: Foolish sorcerers summon the Sarkany to gain their riches. Impossible, as they cannot lift the curse from their treasures nor give it away freely. More often, they are summoned as master jewellers and goldsmiths, or to analyse the worth of a treasure. The Sarkany find other uses as sentries and guards, their talents that let them defend their hoard also letting them fight off any number of attackers or spot any thief, unleashing wave after wave of molten gold and impossibly-hard diamond.
~FIRST CIRCLE DEMON, PROGENY OF THE TEMPTER OF MEN
Many are the riches of Malfeas. Trees of gold, are common here, the precious metal growing like plants. Shrubs of silver, where if you were not careful, you would cut yourself on the soft metal leaves. Demons, wonders, exotic and infernal fauna and flora, and the various substances composed from the world-bodies of the Yozis.
But, amongst the most exotic of them are the Sarkany. Their blood when exposed to air becomes precious dragon-amber. Their scales, composed of precious jewels and metals. Their breathe stinking of brimstone and vitriol. Their hide, composed out of diamond and metal, impervious to nearly any weapon. Their minds, brutal and cunning. Their claws, dextrous and lethal. Yet, heroes constantly search for the Sarkany. For slaying one brings unimaginable riches.
Each Sarkany starts out small. When young, they can fit into a man's hand, and they possess a single egg-sized jewel or talent of gold. It is weak, compared to other demons, and hides in a safe place. Perhaps an abandoned ruin, or a lonely mountain cave. Its scales dare shed, and during that, blood flows, and become coins and amber and precious stones. The bigger the dragon, the bigger the scales, and the greater the treasure. And as it grows in size and Essence, its intelligence grows. A Sarkany that has grown enough will begin to craft its hoard. Jewels are polished to a brilliant shine using the vitriol they drool from their mouth. Gold and silver are melted down under firey breathe, and under the work of surprisingly dextrous talons, they begin to work the metals. Under the infernal prowess of the demons, precious raw metal becomes intricate jewellery, whorls, chains, bangles, and other trinkets inset with the precious jewels and amber that also descended from the dragon itself. Each a Magnus Opus of a master mortal smith. The older the dragon, the more precious the trinkets and baubles in its pile.
And most precious of all, are the artifacts. Shining arms and armour. Daiklaves and spears made of Electrum, and armour made of jade-steel.
The greed of men know no bounds, and they would always try to steal the hoard of the Sarkany. Whether by stealth, force, guile, or speed. But alas, to no avail! A man, leaving his companions behind as a distraction, stole a chain inset with rubies the size of his eye. A month later, and he had been struck down with incurable leprosy, and no matter how much he spent he could not cure it, nor pay for the company of others. A thief in the night stole a gold coin, and dropped it. This drew the attention of one of his victims, and upon being caught, was sentenced to lose his hands. He now sits forlornly in the corner, looking at the gold coin which had cost him so much. The hoard of a Sarkany is cursed, and no one may profit it while it lives. Only by killing the beast, can the hero enjoy his reward.
But it is no easy task to slay a first circle demon. The breathe of a Sarkany is terrible. Its eyes and ears and nose, sharp as razor wire. Its claws, terrible and rending. And to make it worse, the hoard it lays on can be counted on to be part of its body, and so the heroes have to contend with the fact that the very treasure they seek is now also trying to kill them.
And so they die, and their corpses are devoured, along with any equipment they find. There, their lost hopes, their dreams, their bodies, and their souls, are alloyed with whatever they had on their bodies, and within the belly of the Ever-growing Hoard, something new is forged. Until with a burp and a cough, the Hoard spits out a new addition to its pile of treasure. Perhaps a shield made of Jade-steel. Perhaps a sword of Celestrium. Perhaps a sword of enchanted steel. No matter. More will always come.
Summoning: Foolish sorcerers summon the Sarkany to gain their riches. Impossible, as they cannot lift the curse from their treasures nor give it away freely. More often, they are summoned as master jewellers and goldsmiths, or to analyse the worth of a treasure. The Sarkany find other uses as sentries and guards, their talents that let them defend their hoard also letting them fight off any number of attackers or spot any thief, unleashing wave after wave of molten gold and impossibly-hard diamond.