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Forge of Destiny(Xianxia Quest)

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PrimalShadow said:
You want to use non-stealth combat instants while trying to stay hidden? Because that is going to light us up like a beacon. See the Shen Hu fight, where every time he attacked someone we were able to locate him.
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Well, the key word here is every time he attacked someone.

As in, every time he jumped out and started firing magic punches at people, not when he was running his own normal arts to perceive where other people were, or when he was moving in general.

Again, I'm not utterly married to the idea of stealthing, it's just that the opposing plans are all about "Chu Song is no threat and we can just wind up where we start because she can't hurt us" And that kind of hubris is something I'm innately opposed to, as it inevitably telegraphs a fall.

Doubly so as the vote itself is utterly convinced of our supremacy. Which'll carry into Ling Qi's thoughts and opinions when the fight starts.

I don't want to be someone who goes into a fight with a peer assuming that you don't need to take them seriously. Because it's the kind of mindset that's hard to get rid of--and you only need to be wrong once.
 
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[X] Once More, Into the Shadows

I'd rather hide our tankiness if we can. Save it for Ji Rong.

Man, I sincerely hope we'll beat Sun and get to face our roomie afterwards. Much hilarity! Then again, forcing Sun to reveal all her secrets before facing our roomie/liege would be almost as good.
 
yrsillar said:
"His advances, you mean?" The younger Cai asked, looking thoughtful. "It is unlikely I think. I do not believe Mother would find such a match favorable," she explained. "While trade from Golden Fields is valuable, their power is too tied up in fighting the very land in which they live. If I must speculate, I imagine that Mother will arrange something with a man from one of the central province ducal houses in the coming decade."
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Bolded says...something about the Cai goals if they're expecting some form of support from their allies away from 'home' to be needed.

Also Golden Fields interestingly was the option of "minimal politics". Nobody will invade them, they live in the super deathworld part of a deathworld, and any attacker will take more damage from their terrain than from them. But they can't support any external allies because they can't leave their base either.

Which makes them amazing trade partners because they got all the deathworld loot to trade for civilized loots, and they're secure, because well...nobody wants their land.

yrsillar said:
"Not angling for a prince?" Ling Qi asked somewhat dryly, the other girl really didn't think anything of that kind of arrangement, did she?

"The youngest living prince is a century my senior and married besides," Cai Renxiang replied with a frown. "I suppose I should remember to educate you on the state of the imperial family soon. I suppose Mother might arrange something with one of the sons or grandsons of a prince or princess."
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This seems likely. Odd that she didn't consider it initially though. Most of the ducal clans have imperial blood to bind them to the throne after all.


yrsillar said:
"Very good," her liege replied with a nod, lacing her fingers together atop her desk. "I trust you recall what needs done in regards to your own propositions?"

Ling Qi sighed. "I will finish writing up the deferrals tonight."

"I am glad," the other girl replied. "You are wise to put off such choices, your value will only increase in the coming years. I would suggest keeping lines of dialogue open with the Bao however. It is clear that they wish to tie themselves closer to the Cai."

Well at least there was that, her talent gave her some breathing room when it came to matters of marriage and political ties, since her precise position could still change relatively quickly.
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So it sounds like the opposite of what some feared. We aren't getting pressured into marriage but we're being lightly pressured not to get married at all for the immediate future(even for a love match), because it serves our liege to keep us available to draw in potential offers she can't make herself.

yrsillar said:
"I believe I have made a good impression upon Bai Suzhen and the brothers Xuan," Cai Replied with a touch of satisfaction. "Our current troubles have been mitigated by our own performances for the moment,"
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And we did good here. Despite Gan's loss, Ling Qi took on enemies who outnumbered and prepared specifically for her...and gave them zero concern except as ammo packs, to challenge the true rival.
Cai Renxiang herself finished her fight with a one hit KO targeting the whole arena.

Overall people are suitably impressed and would be talking about the fight as if Gan was a disappointment rather than any fault of Cai.(the despair elemental he's making down in the recovery bay has got to be something incredible incidentally)

yrsillar said:
"I have learned that Bai Suzhen will be taking her fathers seat as the families head in the near future as well, allowing him to fill the position of patriarch. I… suspect the Bai's politics will be shifting somewhat as a result."
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...isn't Bai Suzhen abstaining from the clan head title to focus on her cultivation previously?
Because that sounds a lot like "She's at Peak Prism and about to breakthrough".

With Meizhen's favorite aunt in charge things are going to change alright.


yrsillar said:
"The tournament will begin with an exhibition between elders," Cai said. "The stated purpose is to encourage disciples by allowing them to view the what they might aspire too, but it is also a show of strength for the Sect. Following this, the brackets will be displayed, and we will know our opponents as well as the terrain our battles will be assigned too."
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Taking into account how it actually turned out...the Sect didn't get to do this.


yrsillar said:
Ling Qi frowned a little, that prep time would probably work against her. She didn't really have any secondary arts to attune in preparation for specific opponents. "...What do I do if I am paired with you?" She asked quietly. There were other worrying match ups, but that was the one that concerned her the most.

"That will not happen tomorrow," Cai Renxiang stated flatly. "It would be a blatant insult to the Cai, if it occurs in a later round though…" she paused for a moment. "I will give you the opportunity to display your talents. I cannot afford to display certain abilities before the final rounds however," she stated bluntly, meeting Ling Qi's eyes.
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Renxiang is a little rattled by how the prelims turned out that she thought it might happen at all. The Renxiang from before would have dismissed it out of hand.

yrsillar said:
Ling Qi blinked, bewildered, as a susurrus of murmuring and noise began to wash over them from the stands. She glanced at Renxiang, but found the girl's expression pinched in the tinies of frowns, she hadn't been expecting this either.
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I see Cai Shenhua favors the mushroom farmer school of raising children: kept in the dark and fed on bullshit.

yrsillar said:
The Sect Head rapped his cane against the air beneath his feet, the resulting boom of thunder silencing the noise as he began to sink down through air, until finally he stood at the edge of one of the four stages. "I will myself undertake the duty of containing the clash to the stage, and our own venerable Elder Jiao will see to the maintenance of the arena," he continued, his voice a touch more grave.

Ling Qi saw then a flicker of shadow on the far side of the arena, and there stood Elder Jiao, his expression set in a frown of passive irritation. As she watched, he raised his hands, placing them upon one of the four corner pillars.
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This is not planned, as we can see here, Head and Elder were forced to ad-hoc up buffing the stage sufficiently for a White level demonstration match.

I suspect this might partly be Shenhua's 'punishment' for letting Sun do so much fight skewing in the prelims. Fairly light as such things go, but its mostly her letting them know she noticed and she's not very happy about it.

Basically the Sect didn't get to show their strength at all to the audience, and everyone knows it. The Elders demonstration match is supposed to be showing off their best to advertise the Sect, and it got canceled on short notice.

Also I think Jiao might be a little bit annoyed at his fellow Elders for letting things get to this level(not that they had much choice when Sun Gramps was pressuring)

yrsillar said:
Cai Shenhua's appearance had almost changed entirely from yesterday, where before she had worn a clinging, form fitting gown of scandalous cut, she now wore an elaborate dress to match anything she had seen at the party last night. The tall woman was swathed in multiple layers of white and pale rose silk with wide billowing sleeves and a meter long train of fluttering silk and lace at her feet. Her dark hair hung down to her feet in four braided streamers like black silk, fluttering behind her in a phantom wind that kept any part of her from touching the ground.
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So Cai Shenhua's battledress is actually pretty conservative. She's dressing scandalously to...PROBABLY to call attention to her pregnancy?

yrsillar said:
The other woman on the stage was much more austere in appearance. Bai Suzhen looked much like her niece in the structure of her face. Her chin perhaps a bit sharper, and her lips a bit thinner, but it would be easy if she did not know, to wonder if the woman was Meizhen's mother. Her white hair was shot through with streaks of steely color, as if her hair were truly strands of metal, and was woven through a an elaborate headdress which rose above the back of the woman's head like a fan of jade knives.
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Metal element huh? Didn't see that. Interestingly she's a lot more human-looking than Shenhua. Is that a Shenhua thing or a White thing?


yrsillar said:
"I thank the both of you for your gracious acceptance of my little impulse," Cai Shenhua said, her rich voice light. In her right hand, she casually held a silk fan, half concealing her smiling face. "It is so very rare for me to receive the opportunity for exercise."

"It is my honor, Duchess Cai," Yuan Shen said humbly, bowing his snowy head. "I regret only that I could not receive your attack myself."

"There are few others I would trust to properly contain a match such as this, Sect Head Yuan," The duchess replied easily. "Another day perhaps."

"The arrangement proposed was satisfactory," the Bai heirs cool voice rang out, her expression neutral as she faced the Duchess with her hands hidden in the wide aquamarine sleeves of her simple, but luxuriously layered gown. "It will be an honor to face the strike of a cultivator of such skill."

"And I will be honored to test the defenses of the legendary Bai clan," Cai Shenhua replied evenly, a slight smile still playing across her lips. "if you and your subordinate would prepare…?

Ling Qi felt a tingling feeling of worry begin to bloom in her chest. Something far above her head was being set in motion here. She wished she could see Meizhen's face right now, perhaps she was aware of what was going on. A glance at her own liege revealed only hints of worried realization.
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Subtext:
-Rebuke, mild, at the Sect Head
-Public support for the Bai clan.
-Bai clan practically publicly announcing that they made a deal with the Cai and this is a good deal.

yrsillar said:
She had no more time to think then, as the fan in Cai Shenhua's hand snapped shut, and the world vanished.

She floated bodiless in the face of a wall of whirling dust and wind that stretched out beyond her sight in all directions, endless in its churning fury and yet utterly silent and controlled. Yet, for all it's awe inspiring size, she could barely pay it any mind. Above her head there floated an incomprehensibly vast mountain of white metal. No, a mountain wasn't quite right. It was a city.

A many tiered city of unfathomable beauty, it's every angle utterly perfect. Figures clad in white thronged in its streets, moving in an incomprehensible yet somehow perfectly ordered dance, stirring faint memories of warm water and immaculate hands working the stress from tired muscles and the filth from clogged meridians. At the very peak of the city, where the lords palace would be, was a woman's face sculpted from the same colorless metal that made up the rest of the city. The face was relaxed, her eyes closed in repose, and her lips slightly parted, and with each instant that passed ethereal threads emerged like breath, scattering outward to settle over the city like rain. It was nearly impossible to tear her eyes away from it, and Ling Qi found her heart filled with a deep longing. How heavenly it would be, to live in those streets, perfect in form and purpose.
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Shenhua's Domain materialized.
Empyreal Tyrant materialized...and looking at the white figures, the White Rooms are tied pretty closely to her cultivation.

Also that sounds kind of like a Thread/String element
yrsillar said:
Only the churning of another presence dragged her eyes away from the dreamlike city. Far below, in the mountain-city's shadow there was a lake, stretching beyond sight, it's surface mirror smooth and dark, a shade of blue that was nearly black. The only interruption in its smooth surface came from an island in its center. It was no natural thing though. Emerging from the lapping waters, a monolith composed of scattered bone and melted steel rose, sharp edged and pitiless. The edges of countless weapons bristled outward, menacing and sharp, their edges seeming to slash at her very eyes even from this distance, and amid the fused remains of blade and armor, nestled in crevices and impaled upon blades were human and beastial skulls. They formed the only spots of color upon the menacing cliffs, and from their empty eye sockets dripped tears of poisonous black tar. Yet, at the narrow top of the mountainous island was a flat plain ringed by bristling blades, and at its center was rippling pool of clear blue waters, in which sinuous white shapes swam and coiled about one another.
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And the Bais' lake fortress, decorated with the bodies of their foes.

yrsillar said:
For a moment, there was stillness as the city floated, serene above the lake, but then Ling Qi found her gaze dragged upward at the sound of well oiled machinery shifting. Her eyes widened as she once again beheld the resplendent city, and noticed for the first time what sat upon its walls. A few shapes she recognized, in basic form if nothing else, from the walls of her own home, but there were many more wholly alien to her experience.

In the next instant one hundred thousand siege engines opened fire, and it as if the very stars were falling from the heavens. Beneath, the surface of the lake boiled violently, steam rising from the heat of falling streamers of colorless light. Yet the roiling waters could not be wholly traced to the action above. From white capped waters, a single gleaming shard of metal shot upward, too fast to be seen as more than a flash, and then another followed, and another after that.

From the black lake poured blades of every shape and make, filling the sky as surely as the falling light with gleaming edges that screamed for blood. A million blades and more all howling through the sky to explode against the incoming barrage. The instant they met, Ling Qi was blinded and deafened by the blast of their explosive impact. By the time she had blinked the stars from her eyes, the sky was clear save for a handful of silver comets streaking upward toward the gleaming city, the very light it had disgorged rising back to strike at its maker, only to disintegrate into twinkling lights as they impacted the shimmering threads which surrounded the city.

Twice more did the city and the lake exchange fire, their projectiles no longer meeting head on, but spiralling and twisting through the air at impossible angles, clashing in the sky as they sought holes in their opponents defenses. Yet despite the dizzying array of projectiles screaming through the sky, the island and the city remained utterly pristine.
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Gate of Babylon vs Unlimited Blade Works? :p

yrsillar said:
Ling Qi felt the pressure on her shoulders redouble then, as the eyes of face at the peak of the city opened, by just the slightest crack. Twin crescents of liquid starlight lashed out, boiling the very air in their passage as they slammed down into the dark waters and carved an explosive rift of steam down to the very bed of the endless lake, exposing its bed of bone white earth as it ripped through the waters toward the central island. In the instant before the lashing lines of colors light could reach the central island the waters roiled, and from their depths merged a serpentine tail, mammoth in scope, it's scales forged of steel and adamant. It swung through the air with impossible swiftness for being of such titanic size, to slam against the incoming beams with thunderous force. Metal scales glowed white hot at the point of impact, weeping droplets of molten steel into the hissing, white capped waters below.

Yet it succeeded, deflecting the line of destruction back into the endless black waters…
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...that Cui's mom?
Tanking hits from a White like that is pretty damn impressive.


yrsillar said:
Ling Qi blinked then, almost losing her balance as the world once again changed, and she found herself back where she had been, standing before the arenas of the Sect. It was obvious that she was not the only one feeling the disorientation either. Those whose cultivation was only in the second realm were worst off, even Han Jian was pale, sweat gleaming on his brow, and one of the other boys who had squeaked through was nearly one his knees.
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I imagine those who don't have a Domain yet would be extremely disoriented by this clash.
yrsillar said:
In the arena though, the two combatants had not seemingly moved an inch from their starting position. Yet dozens of rivulets of liquid metal from the slowing melting shards of steel scattered around the arena, and the cracked stones at the Duchess' feet spoke of the battle which had just taken place. Cai Shenhua's expression was serene, as the last flickering vestiges of curve bladed saber of light faded from her left hand.

Bai Suzhen was a bit worse for the wear, slowing lowering her right hand, which had been extended palm outward. Ling Qi glimpsed a deep cut, bleeding silver fluid, before it vanished back into her slightly frayed sleeve. More obviously, the twin meter deep furrows of vaporized stone extending diagonally past her to the edges of the stage spoke of the deflected attack.
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Huh, so she bleeds mercury. Cool.


yrsillar said:
A glance showed Sect Head Yuan, and Elder Jiao still standing at the edge of the stage, his teeth grit in frustration and effort. It was… strange, seeing an Elder look genuinely out of breath. The Sect Head looked as serene as ever if somewhat thoughtful.
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Yeah, this is DEFINITELY not in the Sect's favor. A slap on the wrist in public. Rather than showing their strength it made them look nearly insufficient.

yrsillar said:
"Hoh, it is good to see that I have not lost my touch," the Duchess said, snapping her fan back open with a twitch of her fingers. "I hope that we might one day have another round, when you take your next step."

"I would be most satisfied with such an arrangement. You honor me with your regard," Bai Suzhen said as the last gleaming drops of metal vanished beneath the hem of her gown. It was only Ling Qi's familiarity with Meizhen that allowed her to see the tiniest hint of a satisfied smirk playing about the older woman's lips.
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Yep. Suzhen is right on the edge of breakthrough as these things go.
Sun is not gonna be happy.

yrsillar said:
Ling Qi shuddered as she felt a brief pulse of power wash over her, furious and copper scented. It was gone almost before she could perceive it.
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Sun Shao very nearly lost control of his temper there at how much he was played and he's not happy at all.

yrsillar said:
Those who had been... impaired had already scrambled back into position, by the time that he did. "As you can see children, the peak of cultivation is a long climb indeed," he said, moving his gaze along the line steadily. "Do not be discouraged, but rather, carve that knowledge into your hearts and strive for those heights," for an instant, the elderly man's eyes met hers, and in them she saw the living heart of a storm fit to consume the world.
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Wonder how many are discouraged, and how many are only more determined here.

Bracket wise...well its been thoroughly discussed, so I'll leave it be for when I have more free time to offer a novel thought on the matter.
The poor second years though.

Fed to the Monsters.
 
[X] Turtle Fortress: Express Zhengui and work together to reinforce your position, stacking defenses and area-of-effect debuffs to make ourselves unassailable. If we can sustain an inviolable core, Chu Song will only weaken over time, letting us take her down at our leisure.
 
veekie said:
Bolded says...something about the Cai goals if they're expecting some form of support from their allies away from 'home' to be needed.

Also Golden Fields interestingly was the option of "minimal politics". Nobody will invade them, they live in the super deathworld part of a deathworld, and any attacker will take more damage from their terrain than from them. But they can't support any external allies because they can't leave their base either.

Which makes them amazing trade partners because they got all the deathworld loot to trade for civilized loots, and they're secure, because well...nobody wants their land.


This seems likely. Odd that she didn't consider it initially though. Most of the ducal clans have imperial blood to bind them to the throne after all.



So it sounds like the opposite of what some feared. We aren't getting pressured into marriage but we're being lightly pressured not to get married at all for the immediate future(even for a love match), because it serves our liege to keep us available to draw in potential offers she can't make herself.


And we did good here. Despite Gan's loss, Ling Qi took on enemies who outnumbered and prepared specifically for her...and gave them zero concern except as ammo packs, to challenge the true rival.
Cai Renxiang herself finished her fight with a one hit KO targeting the whole arena.

Overall people are suitably impressed and would be talking about the fight as if Gan was a disappointment rather than any fault of Cai.(the despair elemental he's making down in the recovery bay has got to be something incredible incidentally)


...isn't Bai Suzhen abstaining from the clan head title to focus on her cultivation previously?
Because that sounds a lot like "She's at Peak Prism and about to breakthrough".

With Meizhen's favorite aunt in charge things are going to change alright.



Taking into account how it actually turned out...the Sect didn't get to do this.



Renxiang is a little rattled by how the prelims turned out that she thought it might happen at all. The Renxiang from before would have dismissed it out of hand.


I see Cai Shenhua favors the mushroom farmer school of raising children: kept in the dark and fed on bullshit.


This is not planned, as we can see here, Head and Elder were forced to ad-hoc up buffing the stage sufficiently for a White level demonstration match.

I suspect this might partly be Shenhua's 'punishment' for letting Sun do so much fight skewing in the prelims. Fairly light as such things go, but its mostly her letting them know she noticed and she's not very happy about it.

Basically the Sect didn't get to show their strength at all to the audience, and everyone knows it. The Elders demonstration match is supposed to be showing off their best to advertise the Sect, and it got canceled on short notice.

Also I think Jiao might be a little bit annoyed at his fellow Elders for letting things get to this level(not that they had much choice when Sun Gramps was pressuring)


So Cai Shenhua's battledress is actually pretty conservative. She's dressing scandalously to...PROBABLY to call attention to her pregnancy?


Metal element huh? Didn't see that. Interestingly she's a lot more human-looking than Shenhua. Is that a Shenhua thing or a White thing?



Subtext:
-Rebuke, mild, at the Sect Head
-Public support for the Bai clan.
-Bai clan practically publicly announcing that they made a deal with the Cai and this is a good deal.


Shenhua's Domain materialized.
Empyreal Tyrant materialized...and looking at the white figures, the White Rooms are tied pretty closely to her cultivation.

Also that sounds kind of like a Thread/String element

And the Bais' lake fortress, decorated with the bodies of their foes.


Gate of Babylon vs Unlimited Blade Works? :p


...that Cui's mom?
Tanking hits from a White like that is pretty damn impressive.



I imagine those who don't have a Domain yet would be extremely disoriented by this clash.

Huh, so she bleeds mercury. Cool.



Yeah, this is DEFINITELY not in the Sect's favor. A slap on the wrist in public. Rather than showing their strength it made them look nearly insufficient.


Yep. Suzhen is right on the edge of breakthrough as these things go.
Sun is not gonna be happy.


Sun Shao very nearly lost control of his temper there at how much he was played and he's not happy at all.


Wonder how many are discouraged, and how many are only more determined here.

Bracket wise...well its been thoroughly discussed, so I'll leave it be for when I have more free time to offer a novel thought on the matter.
The poor second years though.

Fed to the Monsters.
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I agree with a lot of what you said. However, I don't agree that the sect is getting screwed with this. My view of this is that Cai is showing the power of the emerald sea. This also includes the power of their newest Ally. Since the sect falls under the emerald sea it is also covering them. Plus they almost assuredly got some pretty serious concessions for it. You don't just change a tradition for like this for nothing.
 
Neshuakadal said:
I agree with a lot of what you said. However, I don't agree that the sect is getting screwed with this. My view of this is that Cai is showing the power of the emerald sea. This also includes the power of their newest Ally. Since the sect falls under the emerald sea it is also covering them. Plus they almost assuredly got some pretty serious concessions for it. You don't just change a tradition for like this for nothing.
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Sect still gets to look good for the skilled disciples they produce, and they might have gotten some things from people rigging the match, but it was definitely Cai humbling them by springing the duel on them so suddenly.

Keep in mind that Cai had plenty of legitimacy to force the change, given how blatantly the Sect let the deck get stacked against CRX in the prelims.
 
Shenhua suddenly dropping an exhibition match on the Sect's head was probably her version of a mild rebuke. Normally the Sect Elders get to show off, but this year everyone is going to be talking about the Cai-Bai match.

It serves as a pointed reminder that Shenhua won't tolerate them stepping too far out of line. Letting the Sun rig the matches so blatantly was a mistake on their part.
 
NotAlwaysFanfic said:
Sect still gets to look good for the skilled disciples they produce, and they might have gotten some things from people rigging the match, but it was definitely Cai humbling them by springing the duel on them so suddenly.

Keep in mind that Cai had plenty of legitimacy to force the change, given how blatantly the Sect let the deck get stacked against CRX in the prelims.
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I got a very different impression that the duel was in the works for a while. I don't really see any proof that this is a surprise for the sect elders.
 
Neshuakadal said:
I got a very different impression that the duel was in the works for a while. I don't really see any proof that this is a surprise for the sect elders.
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yrsillar said:
"I thank the both of you for your gracious acceptance of my little impulse,"
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Calling it an impulse in front of everyone establishes it as spur of the moment, meaning that even if it was planned out far in advance the perception is that Cai forced the Sect to bend the rules out of nowhere. Considering how the Duchess has ample legitimate reason to force them to the bending anyway, I see no reason for her to have arranged recompense for the duel.
 
yrsillar said:
"While trade from Golden Fields is valuable, their power is too tied up in fighting the very land in which they live. If I must speculate, I imagine that Mother will arrange something with a man from one of the central province ducal houses in the coming decade."
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Probably not from the Bai, then, if the Guo are out because of their relative weakness: the Bai, however resurgent, will be recovering generations still from the lack of vassals. I don't think they can afford to marry out one of their ducal scions just yet, while they can rely on centuries of warm relations mediated by the Sect sisters.

yrsillar said:
A many tiered city of unfathomable beauty, it's every angle utterly perfect. Figures clad in white thronged in its streets, moving in an incomprehensible yet somehow perfectly ordered dance, stirring faint memories of warm water and immaculate hands working the stress from tired muscles and the filth from clogged meridians. At the very peak of the city, where the lords palace would be, was a woman's face sculpted from the same colorless metal that made up the rest of the city. The face was relaxed, her eyes closed in repose, and her lips slightly parted, and with each instant that passed ethereal threads emerged like breath, scattering outward to settle over the city like rain.
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Interesting---! Cai Shenhua's city is clearly Metal and Mountain, possibly Heaven, Light, and maybe also Law. I can't see the base forms of Cai Renxiang's revealed arts, unless those are expressed in the final attack. (Perhaps Renxiang's Glorious Heavenly Legions art contributed to the servitors working the city?) Metal clearly is the most central element, the basis of her fortification. Light is the element used for her offense, however: the siege weapons as well as that last saber strike were Light. Strange, as Cai Renxiang's element suite is Heaven/Mountain/Light, if I recall correctly.

But this glimpse of Shenhua's Domain clearly expresses who she is and who she wants to be: a monument to herself, at the center and top of a construct where everything, including its people, is a perfectly homogeneous system slaved to her will. How arrogant! How self-centered! A Domain that can only have formed in the bastion of civilization, industry and society bent to the overriding will of its overlord.

Cai Renxiang's comment about her mother "playing with her dolls" gains some new meaning with this revelation that the attendants of the White Rooms are extensions of an Art of Shenhua's -- in addition to the previous understood meaning that Shenhua was molding her court in dolls via her nigh-omniscience, Cai Renxiang also meant Shenhua's advances with regards to whatever these servitors are! The White Rooms are apparently instrumental to the power of the Cai, and it's no surprise she has concerned herself with tinkering with it. I can imagine why Renxiang would be so concerned with her mother abandoning these pursuits -- these are the economic basis for her family's power.

yrsillar said:
Far below, in the mountain-city's shadow there was a lake, stretching beyond sight, it's surface mirror smooth and dark, a shade of blue that was nearly black. The only interruption in its smooth surface came from an island in its center. It was no natural thing though. Emerging from the lapping waters, a monolith composed of scattered bone and melted steel rose, sharp edged and pitiless. The edges of countless weapons bristled outward, menacing and sharp, their edges seeming to slash at her very eyes even from this distance, and amid the fused remains of blade and armor, nestled in crevices and impaled upon blades were human and beastial skulls. They formed the only spots of color upon the menacing cliffs, and from their empty eye sockets dripped tears of poisonous black tar. Yet, at the narrow top of the mountainous island was a flat plain ringed by bristling blades, and at its center was rippling pool of clear blue waters, in which sinuous white shapes swam and coiled about one another.
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Oooooh~! I see that Abyssal Mantle, there, I see it! From what I remember, Bai Suzhen is defensively focused, and Meizhen's Mantle is the foundation for her defense, so it's no surprise her aunt has slotted it in to her Domain. However, while the Elements of Bai Suzhen's Domain are more explicable than Cai Shenhua's, I am very befuddled by the presence of Death alongside the expected Dark/Water/Wood/Metal! However, Metal was the foundation of her offense, and Water/Dark her defense; in opposition to Meizhen's Wood/Dark offense and Water/Dark defense.

Very delightful, seeing combat between such high-level cultivators! Bai Suzhen had the expected counterattack of the Bai with the added garnish of redirecting her opponent's attacks back (which I will expect Meizhan to acquire sooner or later); Cai Shenhua's Arts seem to be focused on the manipulation of the products of the Empire's industry, fueled by Heaven and Light.

Ling Qi's future Domain would be more like Bai Suzhen's, I think, a layered ecology; a murderous storm for attack and defense, guarding a bolstering core of Wood and Darkness. A most delicious taste of the future! Hopefully!

As for votes...

Into the Shadows is the absolute worst plan I can imagine for this vote. It completely misses the sparsely wooded arena is in the middle of fucking day -- darkness of the forest, really -- as if Ling Qi's stealth is at all relevant without massive help at the level of Third Realm combat, acts like Ling Qi's sole stealth technique is sufficient to evade Chu Song's unknown perception -- while the plan's main proponent holds that it's totally irresponsible to think Ling Qi can set her defenses fast enough to withstand Chu Song's offense like a hypocrite -- and worst of all, treats Zhengui as a fucking afterthought!!! Take out that one minuscule not-even-a-sentence reference to Zhengui and the entire plan is the exact fucking same! Not a single idea for his role, not an iota of thought given to how to leverage his unique abilities!

I am shocked and appalled at the very disrespect for our son! I am overwhelmed with disgust that people are voting for that disgrace! I am Outraged at the people who wrote this travesty of a vote!

I really needed to take a break from participating in this quest, but yrsillar put out some great stuff these last few updates and also that fucking disaster of a vote because Goddamn!

[X] Turtle Fortress
This vote at least gives considerations to Zhengui's unique contributions to the build strategy! It relies on capabilities we previously built up on with multiple arts and talismans. Also, it's short and describes a strategy instead of name dropping techs, which makes it vastly superior to the rest of the plans.

[x] Set up and Stick in
Approval voting
 
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[X] Once More, Into the Shadows

yrsillar said:
Yeah I will be writing out the other fights, though some are obviously going to be kinda short.
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Anyone meeting a Monster eh?
yrsillar said:
Hell no, I'm only rolling the ones you guys are in, maybe some simplified rolls for the others that are actually competitive.
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Mostly Xiulan as far as I can tell? Most of the G16 are foregone conclusions.
jacobk said:
I don't think we can flat out tank a Ji Rong offensive, so this is our last chance to show off.
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Could actually. Our defense is substantial even to a Monster. We've had Cai and Bai mention it.
Arkeus said:
That, and Sun Liling already knows we are much more tanky than expected. She had that realisation when she tried to gut us while chasing us, a defining moment of shock on her face. While Chu Song might not know, Ji Rong also definitely does thanks to that. She might not know exactly how tanky, but Chu Song won't show that unless they can see her damage numbers.
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They're probably much more focused on her Stealth and Mobility, because those are how she made it stupidly hard to fight her.

Both Ji Rong and Sun Liling are offense specced. They have no need to prepare a specialized counter against a high defense because they can break it.

Expect an expendable dispel and light source to show up however.
Sirrocco said:
My guess is that this is what Duchess Cai got out of the deal from the Sect (or part of it)... as well as being her little revenge for the messing around that was done in the group challenges.
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Can't let people think they can do this shit in her.
zamin said:
Shenhua suddenly dropping an exhibition match on the Sect's head was probably her version of a mild rebuke. Normally the Sect Elders get to show off, but this year everyone is going to be talking about the Cai-Bai match.

It serves as a pointed reminder that Shenhua won't tolerate them stepping too far out of line. Letting the Sun rig the matches so blatantly was a mistake on their part.
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Pretty much. EVERYONE knows the exhibition match is for the Elders to show off Sect power. She let everyone know she canceled it on no notice.

And used it to practically slap Sun Shao in public for meddling in HER domain, by visibly allying with his worst enemy.
The mistake ironically, was made by Liling. Sun Shao even said so, Cai isn't their enemy(initially). But taking out Gan(even if Shenhua didn't give a damn about him) in the prelims is not something she could let go of.

Take him out in the G16 if you have to, but the army specialist being taken out in the mass combat round is beyond the pale.
 
veekie said:
And used it to practically slap Sun Shao in public for meddling in HER domain, by visibly allying with his worst enemy.
The mistake ironically, was made by Liling. Sun Shao even said so, Cai isn't their enemy(initially). But taking out Gan(even if Shenhua didn't give a damn about him) in the prelims is not something she could let go of.

Take him out in the G16 if you have to, but the army specialist being taken out in the mass combat round is beyond the pale.
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Sun Liling started it, but it was Sun Shao's indulgence of her vendetta that elevated it from a playground squabble to a more serious clan matter. Sun Liling doesn't have the pull or ability to rig the brackets; Sun Shao could and did. And at the point where he's making moves, Cai Shenhua could herself retaliate.

Shenhua just took it a bit further than Sun Shao expected, but Shenhua plays for keeps.
 
Katreus said:
Sun Liling started it, but it was Sun Shao's indulgence of her vendetta that elevated it from a playground squabble to a more serious clan matter. Sun Liling doesn't have the pull or ability to rig the brackets; Sun Shao could and did. And at the point where he's making moves, Cai Shenhua could herself retaliate.

Shenhua just took it a bit further than Sun Shao expected, but Shenhua plays for keeps.
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Love felled him in the end I guess.
Liling went Sunk Costs in a playground fight.
 
veekie said:
Love felled him in the end I guess.
Liling went Sunk Costs in a playground fight.
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It's going to be pretty rough for her if Meizhen beats her in the finals. Turning a playground scuffle into a serious conflict means that she's elevated the playground part of enough that she has to win. If she doesn't she hasn't lost a kid fight, she's lost her whole clan a lot of face. Of course her fight with Meizhen was always going to be important, but she made it even more important than it was going to be already.
 
NotAlwaysFanfic said:
Calling it an impulse in front of everyone establishes it as spur of the moment, meaning that even if it was planned out far in advance the perception is that Cai forced the Sect to bend the rules out of nowhere. Considering how the Duchess has ample legitimate reason to force them to the bending anyway, I see no reason for her to have arranged recompense for the duel.
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yrsillar said:
"This year however, a special arrangement has been made.
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Here we see the sect saying an arrangement has been made. Saying an arrangement was made implies a give and take.

I think that we have two valid opinions and can back them up with quotes. We really wont know what is going on unless a Yrs tells us. Also that level of politics will have little personal effect on us for a while.

Let's agree to disagree about this and instead talk about how awesome our turtle is going to be! Cho get rid for that boulder to inject liquid napalm into you!
 
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