Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
It still has only half a number of votes that the winning option has, so I wouldn't hold my breath.
-
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Even Further Beyond [Complete]
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
It still has only half a number of votes that the winning option has, so I wouldn't hold my breath.
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
But indulging in unreasonable hatred is a staple of xianxia genre tho
Oh yes, let's destroy a fundamental aspect of the universe over a misguided sense of Mercy.
Nothing can possibly go wrong.
Beyond the possibility that this world can be a piece of infrastructure that needs to be maintained... we don't even know if it can survive long term without Fate.
We know next to nothing about all this stuff and we are meddling with the fundamental forces of the universe in a permanent and irrevocable way. This isn't just death like the other Gods suffered.
We would be erasing Fate from the Universe. Truth still exists, Death still exists, all of the other god's Domains still exist.
This Mercy thing... isn't nearly as merciful as it may seem. And we don't really understand the consequences of such an act.
Nothing can possibly go wrong.
Beyond the possibility that this world can be a piece of infrastructure that needs to be maintained... we don't even know if it can survive long term without Fate.
We know next to nothing about all this stuff and we are meddling with the fundamental forces of the universe in a permanent and irrevocable way. This isn't just death like the other Gods suffered.
We would be erasing Fate from the Universe. Truth still exists, Death still exists, all of the other god's Domains still exist.
This Mercy thing... isn't nearly as merciful as it may seem. And we don't really understand the consequences of such an act.
One thing to note - what do we get from Mercy? Vengeance gives us obvious BPs and Reality Gems, Justice gives us power over Fates and Ages.
As such we can assume that we should get something from Fate; and yet we even lose our Artifice and Fate Sign.
So what is that we are missing here? What is gained by being merciful?
As such we can assume that we should get something from Fate; and yet we even lose our Artifice and Fate Sign.
So what is that we are missing here? What is gained by being merciful?
The domains of the other Gods still exist.
We are obviously not doing the same thing as Fate is going to stop being a thing.
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A sense that we're very morally superior to them I'd guess. It might sound small but when we're this strong the power loss isn't as major and psychological wellbeing counts for quite a bit. I don't think nameless would actually be that bothered by either megatorture option though so it's perhaps more for the players. Well I guess his elf GF doing subtle guilt tripping might have some effect on him as well.
- Location
- Pindorama
Inserted tally
Suizhen meeting her family again. Thanks to the powers of resurrection being able to bring back everybody who died to the Overgrowth.
If nothing else, I imagine that she'd feel far better about negotiating with Zang Kong if she knew that all the innocents he carelessly ended with a casual wave of his hand... were no longer gone anymore. Easier to be reasonable, easier to believe in "Well, we don't want to necessarily condemn all the people inside his inner world to death or non-existence do we?" as being sincere, if you also show that you cared about everybody else that died to the Overgrowth. And if you have also personally gotten a hug from your loved ones before you go and engage in negotiations...
Plus, well -- it's her family. She's Nameless's best friend. She deserves it, no?
[X] Vengeance
Dream Logic
An offseason swallow
- Location
- In transit
[X] Mercy
Honestly? I don't want to do the middle path and I don't care for suffering eternal torment. Just as the Schools are wiped out so shall the fates be.
The old Lich won't be too happy but it is our revenge as much as his. As the instrument carrying it out and in satisfying our own grudge we may see our vendetta through as we will. It's a world without the Fates. Forever. One where their servants will be weakened enough to not matter, one where the Heroine might be able to do some actual good rather then just play the game against us. I know it's a cliche but I can't help but think Nameless might agree on the old proverb 'Living well is the best revenge'.
Honestly? I don't want to do the middle path and I don't care for suffering eternal torment. Just as the Schools are wiped out so shall the fates be.
The old Lich won't be too happy but it is our revenge as much as his. As the instrument carrying it out and in satisfying our own grudge we may see our vendetta through as we will. It's a world without the Fates. Forever. One where their servants will be weakened enough to not matter, one where the Heroine might be able to do some actual good rather then just play the game against us. I know it's a cliche but I can't help but think Nameless might agree on the old proverb 'Living well is the best revenge'.
- Location
- Pindorama
Man, 87 people out of the woodworks. Rihaku sure does know how to bring the boys to the yard.
[X] Justice
Fine, fine, you people are no fun. But I'll be against mercy.
[X] Justice
Fine, fine, you people are no fun. But I'll be against mercy.
Ain't the heroine the mortal form of a Fate? I imagine she'll be extra dead as well in the Mercy option.
Dream Logic
An offseason swallow
- Location
- In transit
Ah, I might be mistaken. Still better then if she was to run rampant without a true purpose.
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
[X] Mercy
I started out voting Vengeance, and then slowly, slowly, the more I considered things, the further towards this I slid.
In the long lens of eternity, to torture the Fates forever is to give them undue importance.
Just remove them from the board, and make a better world without them - and a better world certainly wouldn't start with infinite suffering.
I started out voting Vengeance, and then slowly, slowly, the more I considered things, the further towards this I slid.
In the long lens of eternity, to torture the Fates forever is to give them undue importance.
Just remove them from the board, and make a better world without them - and a better world certainly wouldn't start with infinite suffering.
We have hit infinite physical power already (Stage 15, I believe), and Stages seem to keep going, and are still quite exponential. As such, I'd assume we're starting to step beyond mundane power already, and in another 15 Stages might start to go beyond conceptual power. It's possible that's not true, but even then, Titanic Extrusions seem to have Conceptual access, so Immortality seems like it should give us access to that as well. Again, it seems plausible that another few doublings of Stage would let us get another tier up, and if not, that's what the next several EFBs over the next few decades are for, though those are off-screen and therefore likely weaker.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
I'm pretty sure what we're actually doing is taking the intelligent actors out of Fate and converting it into a more cause and effect thing.
Fate Magic always required the implicit consent of the Fates, unlike literally all of the other Ascendent Signs which had a non-intelligent actor involved behind them. Blood is appeased by offering it blood in grand volumes. Time is satisfied by spending time on it, Essence satisfied with an expense of Essence. Fate alone required the intelligent actors to give a thumbs up to anything you learned in it. This is an aberration compared to literally every other Sign of the Diagram.
You would be wrong.
If this was true then killing the other gods would have made their Signs on the Diagram impossible just as killing the Fates will make the Ascendant Sign of Fate null and void. You are just assuming the other Gods were somehow less Gods of their Domains than the Fates.
We have literally no reason to think Fate is any different from any other Sign beyond it having living Gods to oppose the use of their power.
But the nullification of Fate wouldn't end there. There will be no more Ages, a phenomenon that for all we know is natural and necesary, no more Dooms no more Fates good or bad.
Fate will be gone. Forever.
I think just hoping something like that to have no further consequences is extremely optimistic, to say the least.
Fanwork##1207 Words
A boy stood before a doorway, the sun beating down uncomfortably onto his back. Though he'd seen it every day for years, today it held an uncomfortable weight. The quiet within was unlike unusual for its old, eccentric owner, and in the haze of excitement following his tenth birthday party, he now stood alone before the precipice of the future.
He gulped loudly, laughed to himself nervously, and looked around to find no one within view. When procrastination lost its appeal, he dredged up what courage a sugary birthday cake and a rare stint of early sleep had bought him, and entered the laboratory.
What he saw amazed him. He had never known why kids weren't allowed inside, until now: machines covered the masonry like wallpaper, a thin walkway cut between a glimmering rainbow of flashing screens and color-coded file cabinets. Each looked heavier than his bed and could probably have crushed or electrocuted him if stumbled into from the wrong angle.
Sidling carefully between tables covered in spreadsheets, devices likely more costly than everything in his room combined, and strange plants in pots not native to this region... he found a tiny passage towards the back of the building. Peeking inside, the door creaked and groaned, clearly not used often. Beyond was a staircase that spiraled downwards, encased by stonework on all sides in such a way as to conceal the distance to the bottom. He tracked down the stairs, slow and quiet, the dim lighting above providing just enough visibility to keep him from tripping over himself.
"Mom's right... I wish I'd brought her flashlight..." He mumbled to himself, only half-sure no one was listening.
The distance down dragged on his mind, but in truth couldn't have been more than two flights or so. At the base of the staircase a long carpet had been laid out, the deep crimson sigil of the Runic League at its center. The incandescent lights above were all out of service, save the one above the professor in the distance, focused on his work.
For a time the just boy stood there, watching the elder beneath the makeshift spotlight. Once more, and hopefully for the last time today, he summoned all his pre-teen decisiveness and went to step forward.
He never got that far. As if on cue, the elder turned in place and spoke, gregarious clarity evident in every syllable.
"Hello there! Welcome to the world of Runespawn!"
The break in the quiet was deafening. Despite the present surroundings, there was no echo or background noise. Just an instant of silence, as if the world itself were waiting for him to finish.
"My name is Teak! But everyone calls me the Runespawn Professor!"
Out from his coat pocket, he pulled a strip of paper. With a speed that belied age, its rune was pressed and blood oath compelled. The flash of heavenly light, bright enough to obscure but painless to look at, was unmistakable even to a child. A Runespawn, a scion of the guardian beasts, had been summoned.
"This world is inhabited by creatures called Runespawn!"
It was not the first the boy had seen, but it was the mightiest. It stood head and shoulders above him, despite being four-legged and bulky enough to tow a car. The silver fur matted across its entire body reminded him of its master, and in his mind it loomed like a snow-capped mountain from a storybook. Professor Teak reached over, gently petting the great beast-
"For some people, Runespawn are pets."
-and it responded by flexing its collarbone an inch, producing a sound like unchained thunder.
"Others use them for fights."
The professor hadn't flinched at all. Pulling back, there was a glint in his eye as he waved for the boy to come closer. His feet moved without conscious thought, hope and trepidation building within his heart as he felt the moment of destiny draw near.
"Myself... I study Runespawn as a profession."
Climbing atop a stool, the professor to one side and the mighty, grizzled beast to the other, the boy looked upon the table. Three strips of rune-paper, each with a name and an illustrated depiction to match.
He looked over each, and then again. The professor said no more, and the beast only stared back with ominous intensity.
"Can... I see them before I choose?" The boy asked, paralyzed by the weight of the decision.
The professor shook his head, and again said nothing.
The boy closed his eyes, pricked his hand, and chose.
---
[ ] Pasifuel
A furry bipedal mammal with over-sized black bull-horns that glow with kiln-fire when it grows incensed.
+ Potential errs towards the aggressive and provocative. There's not much in this region that can stop it once it gets going.
+ Surprising coverage in terms of offensive options removes concern for alignment matchups until other, more specialized 'spawn can be recruited.
+ Embrasure will make you into a hothead worthy of a shonen anime, willing to push to the breaking point for even the slimmest hope of victory.
- Overwhelming force isn't really a strategy so much as the promise of not needing one, so you won't be impressing anyone with this pick.
- Non-combat utility is below-average, with no inherent means of aiding in air, sea, or space travel.
- The protagonist is not invincible, or possessed of infinite time. An unguarded competitive drive may end up more distracting than helpful.
[ ] Kapatem
A quadrupedal amphibian with a helmeted skullcap that extends backward into a turtle shell styled after a water-well.
+ Natural potential is slow and steady, with excellent synergy between passive and active defensive options.
+ Alignment ignores most enemy advantages in this region. Poison and paralysis hold little advantage against a healer.
+ Embrasure will cause the protagonist to develop a more laid-back approach to life. Will be difficult to compel into rash or unpalatable action.
- Nearly everyone important stocks items that negate attrition. Strategies will have to incorporate harder-hitting 'spawn in support roles to stay relevant.
- Other regions feature more aggressive examples of the same alignment, limiting recruitment options or else risking overcommitment.
- Picking this will make the protagonist less willing to work hard in the future, even if he takes on 'spawn whose incentives skew towards it.
[ ] Fulcrumbs
A tall bipedal bird similar in form to a heron whose feathers resemble stalks of unharvested wheat and barley.
+ Jack of all trades potential, versatile enough to replace two or three average 'spawn on field excursions with minimal planning.
+ Finding effective options in this alignment is hard at any level of progression. Taking one up front almost guarantees a balanced team later.
+ Embrasure will not significantly effect the protagonist's personality or behavior, as the 'spawn's own nature is a near-perfect match.
- General competence falls off in usefulness over time, especially as alignment-centric countermeasures become more common.
- Has a well-known signature move, which carries a hefty stigma in more experienced circles. Expect no mercy from those in the know.
- Do you not want to be a real hero? Without a personality adjustment, keeping pace with the other kids is unlikely.
One Day in Pipette Town
A boy stood before a doorway, the sun beating down uncomfortably onto his back. Though he'd seen it every day for years, today it held an uncomfortable weight. The quiet within was unlike unusual for its old, eccentric owner, and in the haze of excitement following his tenth birthday party, he now stood alone before the precipice of the future.
He gulped loudly, laughed to himself nervously, and looked around to find no one within view. When procrastination lost its appeal, he dredged up what courage a sugary birthday cake and a rare stint of early sleep had bought him, and entered the laboratory.
What he saw amazed him. He had never known why kids weren't allowed inside, until now: machines covered the masonry like wallpaper, a thin walkway cut between a glimmering rainbow of flashing screens and color-coded file cabinets. Each looked heavier than his bed and could probably have crushed or electrocuted him if stumbled into from the wrong angle.
Sidling carefully between tables covered in spreadsheets, devices likely more costly than everything in his room combined, and strange plants in pots not native to this region... he found a tiny passage towards the back of the building. Peeking inside, the door creaked and groaned, clearly not used often. Beyond was a staircase that spiraled downwards, encased by stonework on all sides in such a way as to conceal the distance to the bottom. He tracked down the stairs, slow and quiet, the dim lighting above providing just enough visibility to keep him from tripping over himself.
"Mom's right... I wish I'd brought her flashlight..." He mumbled to himself, only half-sure no one was listening.
The distance down dragged on his mind, but in truth couldn't have been more than two flights or so. At the base of the staircase a long carpet had been laid out, the deep crimson sigil of the Runic League at its center. The incandescent lights above were all out of service, save the one above the professor in the distance, focused on his work.
For a time the just boy stood there, watching the elder beneath the makeshift spotlight. Once more, and hopefully for the last time today, he summoned all his pre-teen decisiveness and went to step forward.
He never got that far. As if on cue, the elder turned in place and spoke, gregarious clarity evident in every syllable.
"Hello there! Welcome to the world of Runespawn!"
The break in the quiet was deafening. Despite the present surroundings, there was no echo or background noise. Just an instant of silence, as if the world itself were waiting for him to finish.
"My name is Teak! But everyone calls me the Runespawn Professor!"
Out from his coat pocket, he pulled a strip of paper. With a speed that belied age, its rune was pressed and blood oath compelled. The flash of heavenly light, bright enough to obscure but painless to look at, was unmistakable even to a child. A Runespawn, a scion of the guardian beasts, had been summoned.
"This world is inhabited by creatures called Runespawn!"
It was not the first the boy had seen, but it was the mightiest. It stood head and shoulders above him, despite being four-legged and bulky enough to tow a car. The silver fur matted across its entire body reminded him of its master, and in his mind it loomed like a snow-capped mountain from a storybook. Professor Teak reached over, gently petting the great beast-
"For some people, Runespawn are pets."
-and it responded by flexing its collarbone an inch, producing a sound like unchained thunder.
"Others use them for fights."
The professor hadn't flinched at all. Pulling back, there was a glint in his eye as he waved for the boy to come closer. His feet moved without conscious thought, hope and trepidation building within his heart as he felt the moment of destiny draw near.
"Myself... I study Runespawn as a profession."
Climbing atop a stool, the professor to one side and the mighty, grizzled beast to the other, the boy looked upon the table. Three strips of rune-paper, each with a name and an illustrated depiction to match.
He looked over each, and then again. The professor said no more, and the beast only stared back with ominous intensity.
"Can... I see them before I choose?" The boy asked, paralyzed by the weight of the decision.
The professor shook his head, and again said nothing.
The boy closed his eyes, pricked his hand, and chose.
---
[ ] Pasifuel
A furry bipedal mammal with over-sized black bull-horns that glow with kiln-fire when it grows incensed.
+ Potential errs towards the aggressive and provocative. There's not much in this region that can stop it once it gets going.
+ Surprising coverage in terms of offensive options removes concern for alignment matchups until other, more specialized 'spawn can be recruited.
+ Embrasure will make you into a hothead worthy of a shonen anime, willing to push to the breaking point for even the slimmest hope of victory.
- Overwhelming force isn't really a strategy so much as the promise of not needing one, so you won't be impressing anyone with this pick.
- Non-combat utility is below-average, with no inherent means of aiding in air, sea, or space travel.
- The protagonist is not invincible, or possessed of infinite time. An unguarded competitive drive may end up more distracting than helpful.
[ ] Kapatem
A quadrupedal amphibian with a helmeted skullcap that extends backward into a turtle shell styled after a water-well.
+ Natural potential is slow and steady, with excellent synergy between passive and active defensive options.
+ Alignment ignores most enemy advantages in this region. Poison and paralysis hold little advantage against a healer.
+ Embrasure will cause the protagonist to develop a more laid-back approach to life. Will be difficult to compel into rash or unpalatable action.
- Nearly everyone important stocks items that negate attrition. Strategies will have to incorporate harder-hitting 'spawn in support roles to stay relevant.
- Other regions feature more aggressive examples of the same alignment, limiting recruitment options or else risking overcommitment.
- Picking this will make the protagonist less willing to work hard in the future, even if he takes on 'spawn whose incentives skew towards it.
[ ] Fulcrumbs
A tall bipedal bird similar in form to a heron whose feathers resemble stalks of unharvested wheat and barley.
+ Jack of all trades potential, versatile enough to replace two or three average 'spawn on field excursions with minimal planning.
+ Finding effective options in this alignment is hard at any level of progression. Taking one up front almost guarantees a balanced team later.
+ Embrasure will not significantly effect the protagonist's personality or behavior, as the 'spawn's own nature is a near-perfect match.
- General competence falls off in usefulness over time, especially as alignment-centric countermeasures become more common.
- Has a well-known signature move, which carries a hefty stigma in more experienced circles. Expect no mercy from those in the know.
- Do you not want to be a real hero? Without a personality adjustment, keeping pace with the other kids is unlikely.
I wonder if the Fates have set up some sort of deadman's switch involving their sign, and that's why Fate stops working without them? Probably not; they've always struck me as being overconfident. But who knows? They might have set it up countless ages ago, when they were a bit less overconfident, and then never bothered to change things.
- Location
- England
[X] Mercy
I tactically voted for Justice, but it was only ever a tactical vote. Mercy isn't going to win, but neither is Vengeance, so here I go.
I tactically voted for Justice, but it was only ever a tactical vote. Mercy isn't going to win, but neither is Vengeance, so here I go.
