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Flume - A Channel Quest

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Channels. Individuals who can be born of any mortal species who have a naturally occurring...
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    • AmusedOracle

    AmusedOracle

    Sleepyhearted Hierophant.
    Location
    The Empty Path.
    Channels. Individuals who can be born of any mortal species who have a naturally occurring portal in their soul. A portal leading to a different plane. These planes are as numerous as the stars, but all of them have one common factor: they leak the magical essence, the Nature of themselves through the portal into the soul of the Channel. This gives the Channels strange and unique abilities, and their power will only grow with time. Channels can even (given their strong affinities for realm-walking magics, and myriad ways of getting around the multiverse) increase the number of worlds that grant them power, although they will almost always hold the most power in the Nature of their Fountain; the original world through which a Channel gains their abilities.

    Recently, however, Channels are being hunted. Many opponents of the plane-bridges have begun to rise; after all, even divinity trembles in the face of the more experienced and powerful Channels. If a Channel is discovered by beings who know what they are, they will be tortured, enslaved, killed, or worse. Channels have become far rarer, and the newborn Channels often only survive when they are born in a realm with a masquerade; after all, if the main population doesn't even know the "supernatural" exists, why would they look for and persecute any specific type of magic-wielder? These Channels could be considered extremely fortunate, for they do not immediately have to worry about purges from the moment they are born.

    You are one such Channel. You wouldn't know any of this, of course, as you are too busy being born in your mother's womb. Before you enter this world, however, it is traditional for the protagonist to dream of something significant. You, of course, are no exception, being too young to properly eschew classic tropes (or indeed, know what tropes are). What is it that you dream of?


    [] Castles (Ghazakheft - Fountain of Domination)

    [] Graves (Reizan - Fountain of Determination)

    [] Stars (Procex - Fountain of Discovery)

    [] Trees (Ebolkan - Fountain of Deray)

    [] Clouds (Xenitii - Fountain of Destiny)

    and

    [] Authority (Ghazakheft)

    [] Resolve (Reizan)

    [] Ambition (Procex)

    [] Freedom (Ebolkan)

    [] Foresight (Xenitii)

    A/N: Votes close 20 hours from now.
     
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    Fountains and Wellsprings
  • Informational
    • A plane that a Channel is born with a link to is called their Fountain. Only one Channel can have a specific Fountain at a time. Channels can bind to other planes with a weaker link. Their other planes are traditionally called Wellsprings.

    Ghazakheft is a realm of dominion and conquest. All the beings that frequent the realm are entities full of power or those who aspire to become the former. While Domination is the key tenet of the plane, this does not mean those connected to it are impatient or unsubtle. It simply means that they will acquire power and control by any means necessary, and will not hesitate when forced to do something unpleasant in the sake of its goals. Channels of Ghazakheft often become monarchs or dictators.
    Reizan is a realm of perseverance and resistance. The place itself is full of things that refuse to accept death, and while it is a desolate wasteland, the entities there are often optimistic and unbowed. The key tenet of Reizan is Determination, and it is all that needs to be said about the residents. They just don't give up. Channels of Reizan often become warriors or rebels.
    Procex is a realm of ambition and ingenuity. It encourages creativity and solving of problems. Procex-associated beings are often concerned a lot with the seeking and gaining of knowledge/wealth/proficiency/power. The key tenet of Procex is Discovery, and they are very interested in fresh new finds. Channels of Procex often become seekers – specifically, people who chase after a specific reward in order to obtain it, and are never satisfied with the amount they have of said reward.
    Ebolkan is a realm of growth and liberation. It is best described by freedom; Ebolkan-related sapients don't have a lot of respect for establishments, or rules that aren't self-imposed. The colourful, bright nature of the realm belies the fact that many of them are very willing to do very nasty things in order to preserve independence and freedom – after all, if you don't believe in ethics, you don't impose them on yourself and by Ebolkan logic that makes them moot. Key tenet of Ebolkan is Deray, as the entire plane is all about wildness and freedom. Channels of Ebolkan are likely to become outlaws and daydreamers.
    Xenitii is a realm of paradoxes and logic. It contradicts itself a lot, and only the residents and those familiar with the plane's strange way of thinking can navigate the plane properly. The residents can be quite introspective – the place is all about futures and destinies, and how you relate to the ever present logical insanity of the multiverse and of Xenitii in particular, which can lead to a lot of entities there being very interested in "enlightment" or "ascenscion" of some sort, especially when "the stars are right". The key tenet of Xenitii is Destiny – will you make your own, has yours been made for you, or will deciding one is the case lead to the other? Channels of Xenitii are likely to become psychonauts or prophets of some kind.
    Pros:

    · Scales well into late – game power scenarios

    · Synergises with most other Springs

    · As long as you are willing to partially follow its Nature, Ghazakheft will support you pretty strongly

    Cons:

    · Not suited for fine manipulation – it's all about the widespread effects.

    · Anyone who knows about Channels and has a tiny bit of Fountain lore will know of Ghazakheft and be able to recognise a Channel linked to it – people are most scared and hateful of those connected to the Fountain of Domination, and negative reputation will be tripled, at least.

    Does not lend itself to esoteric applications like divination
    Pros:

    · Reasonably decent at everything

    · Is the most powerful early game Fountain, and does not fall off super hard late

    · Among the (extremely small) Channel community, those linked to Reizan are often seen as the golden boys of the community, and you immediately engender positive reputation as a scion of the Fountain of Determination

    Cons:

    · Trying to specialise with this Fountain is, to be honest, pretty counterintuitive It doesn't work very well

    · If you work in alignment with your Nature, you will never back down from anything ever – even when you know you'll lose. Not working in alignment is always a bad idea, which can leave you stuck between a rock and a hard place

    · Reizan is not particularly friendly (think Imperial Death World from 40k), even to its Channels
    Pros:

    · Incredible creators and architects, especially of artefacts and rituals

    · Procex's Nature is almost never a downside

    · If given sufficient time to ramp up, and sufficient knowledge of the problem, is effectively unstoppable

    Cons:

    · Weak without resources – especially weak without time and knowledge

    · Not much in terms of immediate, spontaneous application without the use of artefacts – and if said artefacts are stolen/negated, then you can't do much

    · Not a user-friendly Fountain – the Fountain of Discovery does NOT suffer fools gladly, and there's no safety net in case you mess up your forging priorities.
    Pros:

    · Probably the easiest Fountain – you are very slippery, as you are hard to catch, and to hold onto.

    · Decent early game, and incredible mid game.

    · It has objectively the best Nature in the selection: "Do what you want". The Fountain of Deray doesn't want to hold you down.

    Cons:

    · Falls off pretty hard late

    · Doesn't play well with others – even more so than Ghazakheft

    · Doesn't specialise very well, but can't pull off "jack of all trades" as well as Reizan
    Pros:

    · Scales HARD late

    · It has plenty of uses, but specialises mostly in divination, combat, realmwalking, and ascension-style rituals.

    · Doesn't really play by the rules of the game

    Cons:

    · While it's not USELESS early, it's not the most impressive.

    · The Fountain of Destiny itself makes literally no sense (or is it all the sense in the world?) unless you are attuned to its Nature fairly heavily.

    · Its Nature is contradictory, and thus it is difficult to act in a way Xenitii finds pleasing unless you are already heavily attuned to it.
     
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  • Informational
    • Character Sheet(s)
  • Informational
    • Scott Shai Free, Scion of Destiny and Deray
    Human Channel, 6 years old
    ?
    ?
    None yet.
    Overall: (F +)
    None of note yet.
    Overall: (E + +)
    Literacy: (E +)*/ You are an incredibly competent reader and writer for your age.
    Mathematics: (E +)*/ You are an incredibly competent mathematician for your age.
    Philosophy: (E +)*/ Your understanding of people's worldviews is incredibly developed for your age.
    Politics: (E +)*/ You are uninterested in governance and control, but you can comprehend basic ideas without difficult.
    People: (F + +)/ You aren't rude, but you aren't interested in the kids around you. They don't have anything to offer you. You can sort of empathise with why they are confused with your behaviour, though. Your manipulation of adults is impressive, but you are still a six-year-old and there is a lot you don't know.
    Arcana: (E +)/ You can reasonably identify the differences between magical objects and you understand basic theory for artefacts and rituals. Prodigious at an age of six.
    Alchemy: (E + +)*/You have considerable skill with potions, and while you do not know recipes off by heart, you can rustle things up that would shock experienced practitioners (although the shock would be more that a six-year-old can do things like this than actual shock at the abilities you've supplied). Potion stock is currently:
    A large jug and several 500ml bottles of diluted Rejuvenator: causes things to become "right", effectively healing/fixing them. Appears to be water to the naked eye.
    Spellcraft: (E +)/ Spell list below.
    Transcomprehension: A spell that allows you to comprehend and speak any language; it makes the language sound to you like your native tongue, and your use of it sounds native in turn.
    Simreht's Catalyst: A spell that allows you to start a fire or freeze a liquid.
    Lesser Opening of Was: A spell that allows you to telepathically commune without someone/thing for 5 minutes.
    Lesser Solution of Alexander: A spell to shatter objects you are touching: it causes the subject's bonds to break apart (at a structural level).
    Stamina: (F + +)*
    Finesse: (E - -)*
    Empathy: (F +)
    Analysis: (F + +)
    Insight: (F + +)
    Chaotic Neutral(1/10)
    Parents: Attuned
    Ren: Allied
    Xenitii: Attuned (15% towards Bound)
    Ebolkan: Allied (15% towards Attuned)
    Self-Awareness (E + +): You know who you are, and you have effectively had years of introspection shoved into a single dream. You are at the peak of human understanding of yourself. Additionally, you are more resistant than an average human to negative mental effects (both self-inflicted and from others).
    A Dream (E +): You have a dream, which you are working towards. It's better than the average "not aware of the future much" thing that most six-year-olds have going on, but it's still pretty vague. Ascend? You need to set yourself a more specific target. Or maybe not. Small bonus to actions going toward your Dream, small malus to actions going away from your Dream.
    A World of Wonder (E +): You know about the existence of the magic and the supernatural, and you can rationalise it by remembering that many people wish that their lives were half as exciting as yours.
    Prophecy (C +)*: Something's going to happen in the future. You don't know what though. It sounds really important though.
    Whispers of Manifest Destiny(E + +)*: Voices in your head that whisper secrets of the present and future, and allow you to focus your attention on multiple things at once.
    Glimpse of The Impossible(E +)*: Your eyes can see much further than the spectrum of normal light, when you wish.
    Paradoxical Form(E +)*: Your body doesn't quite obey the laws of physics to the letter. You can make it even more pronounced, for correspondingly pronounced effects and energy costs.
    "Ren" Virazels
    Human, 6 years old

    Assume she's wearing clothing that makes sense for the season/place.
    ????
    None yet.
    Overall: (F +)*
    She's very physically adept from what you can tell.
    Overall: (F +)
    Literacy: (F)/She doesn't have your innate grasp of language, but she can understand stuff pretty quickly. Much faster than the other kids in your year.
    Mathematics: (F + +)/Ren's really, really good at maths. She's very meticulous, which might factor into it a bit.
    Philosophy: (F -)/She's not really a fan of all that "spiritual thingummy stuff". You think it might be just because she doesn't have an aptitude for it.
    Politics: (F + +)/She seems to quite like the idea of having control over people, especially as she's pretty good at managing things and organisation.
    People: (F + +)/Ren's a master manipulator when it comes to both kids your age and adults. You think you might have to watch out for that.
    Stamina: (F + +)
    Finesse: (F +)
    Empathy: (F + +)
    Analysis: (F +)*
    Insight: (F -)
    True Neutral (9/10)
    Ren's Parents: ???
    You: Allied
    ???
    Imperfection of the Perfect(E + +): ????
    Force of Will(E +): ????
    A Dream(E +)*: ????
     
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  • Informational
    • Mechanics Clarifications
  • Informational
    • A lot is narrative, but rolls and ranks are still involved.

    Attributes and Skills work on this system= (grade +/-/*)
    How this works exactly:
    F --> E --> D --> C --> B --> A --> T (stands for Transcendant)
    F(- -)* --> F(-)* --> F(- -) --> F(-) --> F --> F(+) --> F(+ +) --> F(+)* --> F(+ +)* --> D(- -)* (etc.)

    Do note an asterisk is a large jump, much larger than the others. To go from (+ +) to (+)* is larger than any other jump. The reasoning for this would be the fact that an asterisk on a (+) denotes the ability to punch above your weight class (think the Hero from Legend of Zelda, most Exaltations, etc.)

    F is abysmal, terrible beyond possibility.
    E is mundane human. The best human (without supernatural interference) is roughly an E(+ +).
    D is supernatural in some way. The average for people in general is here.
    C is respectable in some higher circles. If this was a system used in-verse, Channels would be put here on birth from pure discrimination and fear.
    B is demigod. You're pretty scary.
    A is deity - Titan - Primordial tier. Very scary.
    T is what the name implies. Just don't bother. A T(- -)* can eat a team of A(+ +)*s, and can solo armies of B(+ +)*s without breaking a sweat.
    Traits are... well... traits. Tautology +1! If you don't know what those are, why are you here.
    Attributes are stats, nothing particularly fancy except the way I arrange mine.
    Stamina is Fortitude/Constitution/Vitality (in other words, hit points and stamina) and Strength combined.
    Finesse is Dexterity + Agility + Speed. It's the ninja/thief stat.
    Empathy is your ability to relate to people and manipulate them. It's simultaneously the nice guy attribute and the evil guy attribute.
    Analysis is your Intelligence, mostly in terms of cognitive thinking (mathematics, sciences, so on and so forth).
    Insight is your Wisdom, mostly in terms of decision making, philosophy, perception, and occasionally imagination.
    Anyways, they follow the same system as the above mostly. In terms of traits, it's mostly just how powerful those traits affect you/the world around you, and in terms of attributes, it's mostly how impressive that stat is in your case.
    There are three types of alignment - Philosophical, Material, and Natural.
    Philosophical alignments are the classic DnD system of "morals", and are simply rated as a 1-10 system.
    Material alignments are your political and social agendas and groups and your reactions toward them. Note that these can be negative alignments. System below.
    Natural alignments are the alignments of your soul - i.e. magical links and bonds. The most immediate would be your Fountain and Wellspring(s). System below.

    Anathema -->Bane -->Enemies-->Opposed-->Against-->Neutral-->Allied-->Attuned-->Bound-->One
    This has different effects based on whether the alignment is Material or Natural.
    Anathema: if Material, means that you are constantly hunting them in an effort to purge them from the multiverse, and/or possibly vice versa. If Natural, the weaker one of you will cease to exist if and when you meet.
    One: If Material, they are either owned by you, or you are owned by them, or both, or vice versa. These are your family (by blood or by choice), your people. Lovers, when the relationship is *excellent/divine*, are also this. If Natural, you are either part of them, or they are part of you. Your souls/minds are indistinguishable.
    When a Manifestation occurs, there will be a few options (number decided by narrative) as to what you get. You do get to choose a certain number of Affinities, but you must select that number. Nothing more, nothing less. If you find and align with any other Channels to a sufficient degree, if and when they Manifest Affinities, you will also be able to do the same with them.
    more to follow
     
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  • Informational
    • Hrrrm...
    Castles-Red I think?
    Graves- Black?
    Stars-Bluuuue I think based on the need to be smart to make discoveries worthwhile.
    Trees-Green, not sure what Deray is supposed to be/mean though.
    Clouds- sounds like White, what with the clouds.
    sooo one colour primary one colour secondary.

    [X]Clouds
    [X] Freedom (Ebolkan)
     
    Apologies, my computer ran out of battery. I couldn't edit to shed some light on the subject.

    Just to clarify, the first is your Fountain. The second is a Wellspring. No, Channels do not normally get a Wellspring to begin with (unless you count the potential of their home plane).
     
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    [X] Stars (Procex - Fountain of Discovery)
    [X] Freedom (Ebolkan)

    These seem like a pretty good combination to me. One let's us build up power with preparation and the other let's us slip away, if we're cought without the necessary preparations. Plus, there isn't much of a restriction nature wise.
     
    You know, I'm very surprised how many people picked Ebolkan (*seven*). Wow!
    It's weird. I was expecting people to have very, very, very different opinions.
    It is, after all, possibly the worst investment long-term, so I'm just rather surprised. It is also the second-best early-mid game investment, so I suppose I'm not too surprised.

    Those who voted before I explained the Fountains/Wellsprings, I would recommend you read them (I am assuming you haven't) not because your picks are bad, but simply because I want to make sure everyone has the correct information for this. This is arguably the most important vote you guys will ever make in this quest. Do not make a decision lightly.
     
    AmusedOracle said:
    You know, I'm very surprised how many people picked Ebolkan (*seven*). Wow!
    It's weird. I was expecting people to have very, very, very different opinions.
    It is, after all, possibly the worst investment long-term, so I'm just rather surprised. It is also the second-best early-mid game investment, so I suppose I'm not too surprised.

    Those who voted before I explained the Fountains/Wellsprings, I would recommend you read them (I am assuming you haven't) not because your picks are bad, but simply because I want to make sure everyone has the correct information for this. This is arguably the most important vote you guys will ever make in this quest. Do not make a decision lightly.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Theres not exactly much info to go on other than gut feel
     
    ...Wow I'm amazed how on the ball I was about which color was what... Though as far as choices go...
    No way am I up for Discovery. I don't trust the thread to get it right and build the power properly And align our powers with our goals, no offense meant. Plus...It's the slowest roller of all the choices, in exchange for being a murder monster at full power-think a full C'thun deck or something like that.
    Domination and Determination also are not that appealing what with the hated rep of the one and the other's tendancy to all-in everything and the need to do so, on top of being Face hunter...Hrrmf. I think I'd rather the easier to splash Domination I think. Then again Domination's promise of 'worse early game ever' is also concerning.
    Elbokan...Hrrm. Inflexible in strat but very very hard to finish off and doesn't constrain our long term strategy. The Freedom seems like a good plane to have some access too, even if we don't all in on it.
    Destiny...Sounds like the infinite Shudderwock or Shadowverse Heavencraft- you can sorta do your own thing, detached from your opponent's moves.
    I'll probably stick with my initial combo of Destiny primary and Freedom secondary I think...
     
    [X] Clouds (Xenitii - Fountain of Destiny)
    [X] Ambition (Procex)

    An ambitious person who can see the future. Meaning the living contradiction of all prophets in media. Wonder how this'll play out if it wins.
     
    Zaealix said:
    ...Wow I'm amazed how on the ball I was about which color was what... Though as far as choices go...
    No way am I up for Discovery. I don't trust the thread to get it right and build the power properly And align our powers with our goals, no offense meant. Plus...It's the slowest roller of all the choices, in exchange for being a murder monster at full power-think a full C'thun deck or something like that.
    Domination and Determination also are not that appealing what with the hated rep of the one and the other's tendancy to all-in everything and the need to do so, on top of being Face hunter...Hrrmf. I think I'd rather the easier to splash Domination I think. Then again Domination's promise of 'worse early game ever' is also concerning.
    Elbokan...Hrrm. Inflexible in strat but very very hard to finish off and doesn't constrain our long term strategy. The Freedom seems like a good plane to have some access too, even if we don't all in on it.
    Destiny...Sounds like the infinite Shudderwock or Shadowverse Heavencraft- you can sorta do your own thing, detached from your opponent's moves.
    I'll probably stick with my initial combo of Destiny primary and Freedom secondary I think...
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Hang on.

    Let me break this down.

    1. Fair enough.
    2. It's not the slowest (that'd be Destiny) and it doesn't murder as hard as Destiny either - it's just good at being tailored to the opponent with the right resources.
    3. I wonder what "face hunter" means. Clarify?
    4. Did you mean Destiny when you said Domination? None of them are really bad early, but Destiny is the worst early.
    5. Ebolkan is not inflexible. Where'd you get that from?
    6. *Wellspring of Deray* is a good plane to have access to, is what you mean. You could just shorten it to Deray, but the dream is freedom. Not the plane.
    7. Eh. Sort of.
    This is probably the last post I'll make before the next update, just to avoid swamping this thread in replies to people voting normally. I don't know whether that's considered bad manners, but I feel like it would be.
     
    3.Face hunter is referring to Hearthstone deck archtype-in this case it's basically me saying I think this style wants to win via rushing down the opponent quickly before they get to do stuff?
    4. Here I"m talking about how if Domination is caught out we'll get HARD dogpiled, like if we were one of the others we could say, barter our service in exchange for not getting mauled. Domination wouldn't be offered that option for multiple reasons. Plus, the lack of sneaking adds to that.
    5. Mostly down to how it sounded to me- stong mid-game, decent early, can't generalize but can't specialize...Sounded to me like we'd have only one style. A strong style, but if someone had an answer to what Deray does...Well, that's GG.
     
    AmusedOracle said:
    This is probably the last post I'll make before the next update, just to avoid swamping this thread in replies to people voting normally. I don't know whether that's considered bad manners, but I feel like it would be.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I don't think it is. After all, activity on here leads to your quest being on the front page, which leads more people to see it. Bad manners is double posting.
     
    DarkKing98 said:
    I don't think it is. After all, activity on here leads to your quest being on the front page, which leads more people to see it. Bad manners is double posting.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Good to know.
    Very good to know. I love discussing things with players.
    Zaealix said:
    3.Face hunter is referring to Hearthstone deck archtype-in this case it's basically me saying I think this style wants to win via rushing down the opponent quickly before they get to do stuff?
    4. Here I"m talking about how if Domination is caught out we'll get HARD dogpiled, like if we were one of the others we could say, barter our service in exchange for not getting mauled. Domination wouldn't be offered that option for multiple reasons. Plus, the lack of sneaking adds to that.
    5. Mostly down to how it sounded to me- stong mid-game, decent early, can't generalize but can't specialize...Sounded to me like we'd have only one style. A strong style, but if someone had an answer to what Deray does...Well, that's GG.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    3. Nope. It's more like a "never retreat, never surrender"/"but it refused" sort of thing.
    4. Bartering will be difficult in most cases unless you can conceal the fact you're a Channel, which is mostly a Procex thing. You can barter, it's definitely not impossible. Just fairly difficult with people who know you are a Channel, and worse if you are Ghazakheft or Ebolkan.
    5. Eh, it doesn't give you options for specialisation by itself, but it can generalise. Just not nearly as well as say, Reizan.

    If you want a CCG analogy (used to play Hearthstone, occasionally play Duelyst) :
    Ghazakheft: Tempo
    Reizan: Midrange
    Procex: Discovery? (not familiar with how discovery-based decks work in HS, but it seems like that is how it works. Think Kazakus)
    Ebolkan: Face Hunter-ish.
    Xenitii: Ramp/Control.
     
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