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Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
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SynchronizedWritersBlock said:
[x] Ask for something else, despite the risk
-[] Ask that Shen Hu and any mortals be spared the hunt

I think we stand far more to gain in appealing on behalf of the mortals. The elders are likely watching how disciples act in the memory. Abandoning the main duty of the cultivator for a personal blessing isn't a good look. More to the point, even the true Weilu are cultivators. The lord isn't going to give us that much heat for asking to spare the mortals, because protecting the mortals is something he'd understand and even have partook in, to some degree.
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Mmmh.

My impression is that this is Moon stuff, rather than Elder stuff. If it's Elder stuff though, that would be nice, as it means Shen Hu should be safe. If it's moon... well, the moon is mercurial.
 
Yeah, elder stuff wouldn't deny us resources actively. They're supposed to be tests that let you make good use of what you have to achieve a given goal.

The fact Six was muted tells us that this is likely a Moon Trial.
 
I'm going to laugh when the blessing turns out to have entirely literal side-effects and LQ comes out of this with cute pointy teeth.

When she gets to meetup with Su Ling again she will point and laugh at LQ.

(Also non-human biology with bring them closer together for the eventual secret half-sisters reveal. I will support this theory until death)
 
yrsillar said:
"The followers of truth have scoured them from the land and cast down their blights, regrown the sullied groves on the flesh and blood of chattel and traitor alike.
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We joined the wrong side as wanton murder of defenseless civilians is generally seen as a bad thing.

Now we can try to get our nice lamp of human skin, or maybe try to save some people from the monster on our side.
 
I'm not voting for anything yet, but on the issue of Hide vs. Fang, I will note that it is much more likely that we get FSS+ than TRF+ or SCS+ at this point. Basically, we have an offensive art coming, but the defensive side is a bit more suspect as we level into Foundation. So maybe that means the more conservative call is Hide, if we select one of his boons.

Also, we are notorious for needing offensive arts to fit us perfectly, whereas we are much more accepting of random defensive arts as long as they're high quality.
 
So that King is a stylish one. Like really really stylish. He's also talking about things pre-unification if I am not mistaken and is reduced from his true power because of his echo-ness, though he also has awareness which is freaky. And it is interesting how we have no choice but to join.

yrsillar said:
...Because this was the situation she had chosen to put herself into was it not? A small piece moving around the field between titans, expected to not only affect, but even contribute to their plans. Plans that she had no understanding of and barely any context for, even with her more recent efforts to educate herself. "Because I need to understand, if I am to survive," the words came to her lips unbidden. "Even if I am small, my actions can affect the paths of the mighty and draw their attention."

"A good answer," replied the King, stepping closer still. "Very well, a boon then, for shortening this nights dance."
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I like this thought process, because the titans she talks about are the ones like Yuan He, Jiao and Shenhua and even the Monsters in some ways.

yrsillar said:
"This King does not," he replied sounding vaguely amused, without masking the murderous fury behind his gaze. "What interesting customs the future holds."

Ling Qi could only remain silent, her lessons on etiquette contained no response to that.

"Thy boon was a paltry one, given thy service," The King mused. "New hunter, this king offers thee a blessing of fang or hide, which will carry even unto the waking world. Choose now, and let the hunt begin."

Ling Qi swallowed, considering his offer, surrounded as she was by the embodiment of a forests rage, the hand of an incalculably more powerful cultivator on her shoulder. Her thoughts raced. He had offered her a boon, but only for two things…. But could she afford to press her luck and try for a better outcome?
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How very Bloodborne :V "Let the Hunt begin"

I would say that this situation is far far far more dangerous than the one's where we have encountered a Cyan level being before, in large part because Ling Qi is stronger and this man thing is not being particularly chill.

As for the vote options there's something to note. The first two are actual boons, and they come from the King. The only reason Ling Qi is trying to negotiate with him, even thinking about it is that it is part of her character and nascent Way. Negotiating for Shen Hu or the Mortals is her caring and reaching out particularly in the case of the mortals. It means she puts some value into their lives, whatever that means in a dream.

The problem is that, she would have to pay something to get this because the King ain't offering it. His boon is very specific, and importantly she doesn't have it yet to actually bargain with. She can in theory convince him to spare something based around the idea of convincing him to change the boon, but that's going to cost extra and there are limits to what he will chose to accept and they have been clearly laid out for us.

Vengeance called the village a nest, and the way the King speaks, speaks of a similar opinion to me. So I think reaching for Shen Hu and the mortals or just the mortals isn't going to work and the price for that failure is going to be high. Shen Hu I think is something which could happen and kinda fits the same tone of thing Ling Qi did in Serpents Treasure.

Interestingly if we had gone with Shen Hu then it is apparent that there would come some point where we have to make a decision. Likely when the edge of the hunt sweeps by, though I'm not sure what it would be.

So yeah I would warn heavily against Shen Hu and the mortals. If you want to turn it away, understand how heavy and fast moving what you are trying to turn is and just do Shen Hu. Just the mortals in the village to the south and not Shen Hu might also work.

[] Accept the blessing of Fang
[] Accept the blessing of Hide

Wolfhound or Stag are basically these two in my mind, because from what I recall that's basically what happened to Wild Hunt participants. They get turned into beasts for the duration. I like both of them because you can do fun tricks with them like with the hide it makes me think of Skinchangers or Druids and that's just kinda neat. The Fang is fun because of the whole Fang <-> Vampire connection to me even though that is not what is being discussed here, which is just funny considering Ling Qi's tactics and overall development strategy.

Because I like being amused I'm going to go for this.

[X] Accept the blessing of Fang

As for Shen Hu, and why I wouldn't vote to try and negotiate for him which is going to be my second preferred option, is that I get the impression the village to the south is not the Hunted Prince's final redoubt based on the way things were structured and I expect the hunt to go there first. Shen Hu is also sensible enough to preserve himself, so I think he will attempt to escape around the time the hunt starts heading his way and find a way out.
 
I admit, I wasn't actually expecting to get a boon, so this is slightly better than I was thinking.

[X] Accept the blessing of Fang
 
[X] Accept the blessing of Fang

I think we've pushed our luck as far as it can go for now. Hopefully we can trust Shen Hu to feel the massive blast of power the hunt represents and get the people to evacuate.

After all, part of being on a team involves trusting other people to do their part when you aren't looking over their shoulders.

Really wishing we had a messaging talisman right now though.
 
[X] Accept the blessing of Hide

The ambiguousness of the blessings is annoying. I'm worried that Fang will be Archery all over again. A combat art that doesn't play well with our combat style that people think we need due to not having a punchy art, but this time it'll be a goddamn reward for a trial from some Shenhua level dude so it'll have even more push behind it. Hopefully that's not what Fang is, and maybe it'll even be some cool summon giving Ling Qi a pack of Moon Wolves or something which would have my backing 100%, but the vagueness means I'm going to er on the side of the much more straightforward thing.
Adhoc vote count started by BungieONI on Dec 27, 2018 at 3:48 PM, finished with 5244 posts and 42 votes.
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[X] Accept the blessing of Hide

Changing from Fang, because yeah, thinking about it we are really best off getting a music based offensive art. Preferably FVM+, and I don't think the blessing of Fang will be it. The event has not really emphasized music. Hide, on the other hand, is likely TRF+ or something similar, which will be useful for us. Maybe it's the movement art the one Moon dude we got tutoring from has?
 
Neshuakadal said:
To Paint a Storm


Mo Huo gazed over the bustling port that stretched away from his studio. As he slowly turned his eyes towards his preferred sense the emotions weaving themselves through the port revealed riotous colors to him. It was a unique blend of colors today. Rumor had reached the port that the venerable Bai and Cai had formed an alliance against the interests of the honorable Jin. Unease stretched up towards the heavens while being threaded by the hope that the dance of the great clans would not affect the lesser clans that lived in this port.

Mo Huo knew it was a false hope. When the great clans of the empire began to dance in earnest lesser clans rose and fell like waves in a storm. Still, the emotions of the port were exquisite in their clarity today and would greatly enhance his new project. Carefully he moved his heirloom talismans along with his easel and canvas to the pavilion overlooking the port. Slowly, with bones protesting and aching, he sat down in a precise form and began to carefully paint his next work. While he sat perfectly still the paint slowly moved out of the prepared jars and onto the canvas.

A stunning picture of a vast storm bearing down on a small village came to life. Distant lightning and white crested waves came into clarity while paint without human touch flowed over the canvas. While the sun rose and set Mo Huo remained seated in perfect stillness as his paint swirled around him. Harried figures cloaked in shadow struggling to prepare for the coming storm emerged from the canvas. Emotions of unease before an unstoppable storm appeared to seep into the page.

The goal of his work was to create a stunningly beautiful picture that would allow the viewer to experience a clear and concise emotion. The Mo clan had long held the belief that strong emotion was the key to success in one's cultivation. Generations of artists in the Mo clan worked on perfecting the ability to imbue emotions into pieces of art. A great deal of the clan's wealth came from special orders from other clans that desired art that aided in cultivation. Mo Huo's work though was for himself.

He knew a great storm was coming as the great clans of the empire began to dance in earnest. He wanted a capture as much of this dance as possible in paintings. This was a once in a millennium chance to capture a moment of history and he would not waste it. He would travel to the great courts of the celestial peaks and paint the throngs of courtiers with their honeyed words and poisoned daggers. He would travel and paint the savage seas with the vast graveyards of ships standing as a testament to the endurance of the Empire. He had already picked the vibrant reds he would use to paint the Western provinces where blood ran freer than water. The pure white of the Cai and the brilliant green of the Emerald Sea would be a challenge to balance but the result should be stunning.

The age was turning Mo Huo could feel it in his old bones. He was glad though for a great deal of his life he had wondered what his magnum opus would be. This turning of an age and the conflict it brought offered a chance for him to be remembered far past the time when his bones turned to dust. The emotions of a new age being born will be breathtaking to witness. Mo Huo would paint those emotions onto his canvas. He would take this chance and leave a legacy for whatever clans were able to stand after this new dance ended.

A.N.
Travelling a lot by plane this holiday season so instead of just staring out into the dark waiting to fall asleep I did some writing! I hope you enjoyed this piece. Any critiques and reviews are welcome!

Thank everyone for being a part of amazing story and experience. Please enjoy the rest of your holidays and for those who are traveling like me please stay safe.
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@yrsillar Omake for the Omake throne

[X] Accept the blessing of Fang

This is going to be very dangerous I am afraid that the entire forest will attack everything blindly. Shen Hue will have his work cut out for him and I feel like the faster we can end this the better. I am confident that it will not be a archery art but an offensive moon art.
 
I think this is the vote where trying to ask for more could spell our doom, but I could be convinced otherwise if there's a good argument. As for the reward, we already have a lot of defense, so a bit more offense will be good.

[X] Accept the blessing of Fang
 
[X] Accept the blessing of Hide

If this is the Wyld Hunt, I'm going to assume there's a shapeshifting component to it. I'd rather morph our skin than our teeth.

I could be taking this too literally, but who knows.
 
To be honest, I can totally see how a Blessing of Fang might be a music art.

"Warsong of the Wild Hunt" or something, a summoner music art that generates phantasmal huntsmen and wolfhounds to unleash your own army of murder and rage with a few toots of the flute!
 
[X] Accept the blessing of Fang.
Mostly because he is the stronger here and is his will that will be done. He is already pretty pissed of already to try to do other stuff.
 
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