Seeing as Freedom team needs some omake power, might as well do one of those reaction
videos posts.
Huh, I wonder if you can get copyright claim from the posts.
Reaction (1465 Words)
- A Simple Transaction -
- I -
Every story spoken has been spoken before.
The boy from Earth stumbles into another realm. A world of wonder and magic, suffering beneath the Tyrant's cruel yoke. The boy becomes a man, the man becomes a hero, the hero defeats the Tyrant, and all live happily ever after. So destiny has decreed.
But the Tyrant is not so easily overcome.
This already sounds like EFB but from the perspective of the hero. Same song and dance where Fates are having fun by destroying life of others. Not that I am surprised, if I was one of them I would probably become like that after a few million years and UNLIMITED POWAHHH
He is wise to destiny's tricks, greater than destiny's stewards. He sets the world spinning to the direction of a new master. Destiny falters; only causality remains. And mere causality does not suffice a hero from coddled Earth to stand against the Tyrant.
The hero fails, time and again. The people of the world suffer for his impudence. He loses an arm, an eye, half a lung, all the natural vigor of his youth. The companions with which he journeyed become a procession of the dead. His quest, prophesied as the dalliance of a season, becomes a grim slog of years.
There is no certainty of victory; barely any chance of it. But the hero's heart is full of hate, and it is much too late to stop.
He learns from his enemy. Mirrors the monster's unmerciful cunning, turns to those forbidden arts his long-dead mentors warned him against. Finds in them, at last, an arena in which his talent exceeds his adversary's.
Years more of preparation, to realize the power that talent portends. Time bought dearly with the blood of his allies, a patchwork insurgency of the desperate and condemned. In sparse moments, the hero and his surviving companions carve out a life for themselves, stealing what joy they can. The long, bitter path of his journey trudges towards culmination.
This is even more similar than I realized at the first place. Like, if Nameless was a tyrant this is the exact thing that would have happened...
One final sally against the Tyrant. As before, their powers are unevenly matched. But for the first time, that imbalance is in the hero's favor.
Expect for this part, Nameless would just become the eternal tyrant of the realm. Good thing is tyrant isn't Nameless!
And yet even that is not enough. The gap in power does not suffice to overcome the gulf of skill still between them. There is no more time. There are no more chances.
The killing stroke descends. The hero's final companion throws herself into its path. The hero becomes a widower.
In the Tyrant's implacable guard, a momentary opening appears.
One last sacrifice to top off the mountain of sacrifices. The life of the wife and the child of our hero for one opening. Interesting that this caused an opening, was it because he expected to kill the hero and didn't prepare for the aftermath? Was it because the wife of our hero was the Tyrant's childhood friend the hero took away from him?
Burning selfhood like tallow, the widower mounts one final onslaught. In his eyes there is no more victory, no dreams more of failure or success. Only the enemy which must be destroyed, no matter the cost.
The widower prevails. The Tyrant is no more. The peoples of the world celebrate their liberation. Joy and adulation rain upon their silent champion, who stares ahead unblinking.
With all the sacrifices he done it, the great hero won against the tyrant. Was it worth it though?
After the parade the widower buries his wife and their unborn child. It is eleven years to the day since he arrived in this world.
Crippled by the effulgence of that final strike, the widower is a pale shadow of his prior self. But in the eyes of the people, he is still the hero that was; their protector, their shining knight, their salvation, howsoever delayed though it may have been. And, with the passing of seasons, a glimmer of hope arises in the hero's heart. That, though the cost was ruinous, more than he could bear, there was good in the world still waiting to be fostered.
Freedom, Justice, Truth. In time, democracy. A society with the power and wherewithal to be organized around its highest ideals, rather than brute necessity. It is what they would have wanted - and if he no longer wields a hero's strength, still he has a hero's influence.
Ah, it seams he didn't sacrifice everything. He kept his ideals all along, even in his darkest moment he didn't sacrifice them. Even after he become a pale shadow himself he kept them. And with that he could continue to live and share his ideals. It's going to take longer with no power but well, it's not like there is a time limit.
But the world did not sit idly while he mourned. The kings and dukes who fought aside the hero have filled the vacuum of power left by the Tyrant. And they are content with the system at hand. Theirs is a society of nearly faultless structure, stably and evenly arranged. Their yoke is light, the people are fed. Is that not justice? There is no place here for the instruments of modernity, much less its frivolous ideals.
The hero is not dissuaded. Too many have died for him to surrender this dream. In that resolve the nobility see the beginnings of a Tyrant by a different name. They act. Treachery achieves what all the overlord's power could not: the hero undone at last. Discarded by those who had no more use for him.
Unfortunately, the society he lives in now isn't one that respects ideals not backed by power. Even the Tyrant probably become a Tyrant because the system otherwise couldn't be changed. Old Kings and Emperors, Dukes and Nobles. All who would prefer things to stay exactly like before even if it will give rise to another Tyrant and of course, another Hero in time.
In the hero's final moments, despair and hate raging equally across his heart, comes a being with the form of a man, offering vengeance in the form of a bargain.
The being is power beyond measure, beyond the hero's wildest reckonings, the solemn steady heartbeat of all creation, the sword by which all stories would end.
"Are you the-"
The man cuts him off with an upraised hand. "No, I'm not the Devil, nor am I associated with any that claim to be him. There will be no souls, no contracts, no signing in blood. My offer is that of a simple transaction. I am bound by countless Curses, leaving me greatly diminished, a thin figment of what I once was. Take up a portion of my burdens, and in exchange receive a fraction of my power."
And here comes our boi Accursed! Can't blame the hero to mistake him for the devil though, he looks like the devil, offers bargains like the devil but isn't the devil.
Power enough to escape this world, or remake it. This he understands without speaking. Even knowing this, he can not help but dislike the being. If this Accursed one had deigned to act sooner, could his wife and son have been saved?
But it had not, and mere dislike means nothing.
What else is there to say?
"I accept."
And the hero accepts, it's not like he has anything left other than his life. I am impressed that he got over the Hatred curse quickly.
Mournfully the being closes its eyes. "So be it."
It must hurt him, spreading his curses to underserving even with the exchange of power. I do feel bad for him.
"If you wish only to survive," it continued, "I will grant you a modest portion of my burdens, and power enough to be free of this realm and its shackles. But if you seek vengeance against the powers truly responsible for your suffering here, then you must take on a far more onerous burden. In exchange, you will receive the power of unbounded progression, growth without limit or surcease."
Now into the meat of the matter, the build votes! This is the shit you live for in Rihaku Quests.
[ ] Freedom - The eyes of the Accursed open. The ghost of a smile plays across his face, almost too quickly to catch. "Perhaps the wiser choice. Be careful which burdens you undertake; they will accompany you for eons to come. Go, enjoy your freedom. You've earned it."
*Become a Combat-type Cursebearer, granted immense personal might at the cost of 2 Curses.
*Yours will be power sufficient to crack planets and shatter nations, to drown the oceans themselves in ash, blot out sun and stars, the fire and impact of a nuclear bombardment as immaterial as rain against your skin.
*Your power will include some means of travel between worlds, allowing you to depart this wretched realm.
*Unless you decide otherwise, relatively comfy quest of nation-building, adventuring & slacking off.
*Perhaps the best revenge is living well.
-Granted power will not grow naturally.
-It is unlikely you will ever discover the truth behind your suffering, much less avenge yourself upon its architects. But the strings are cut, you are a puppet no more. Forget them, and live on.
The sane path. Not exactly the path for power gamers though. Gives us enough power to not care about most people and the means to do whatever we want. The path our Hero deserves and earned. Spread our ideals? Help people by killing villains? Build a mega empire among the starts? Live a relaxed life? All is among the cards. Direct revenge may not be in cards but even Accursed approves of it. The Hidden Master can rot in hell when their plan backfires
again, it did with us. Nameless wasn't a Cursebearer after all.
[ ] Vengeance - "...If that is what you wish."
"If you survive, no power will be beyond you. In time, there will be no blade you cannot sunder, no force you cannot rout, no foe you cannot ruin, no throne you cannot claim. Take care that you do not become that which you despise."
*Become a Progression-type Cursebearer, granted the potential to attain power beyond all reason through ingenuity and effort, at the cost of the Geas of Indenture, the Apocryphal Curse, and 2 additional Curses.
*Receive only a modest boon of power to start, but you will almost certainly grow rapidly.
*The Geas will take you away from this place, to a world more conducive to your growth, though no less dangerous.
*Should you survive the trials to come, you will almost certainly grow strong enough to plumb this realm of its secrets and overcome its true masters.
*Some say the best revenge is living well. They are lying to themselves. One can strive to live well regardless, but there is no true substitute for revenge. No substitute for doing unto them what they did unto you, for passing sentence upon their richly deserving selves. King or noble, brazen masters or hidden ones... it matters not. When the hour arrives at last, there will be no justice here. Only vengeance.
-Limited initial power
-Forced to take a large number of Curses
-Including the dreaded Apocryphal Curse
The vengeance path. "Ow the Edge" levels of edge. Where in Geas of Indenture you sacrifice your future and freedom, you sacrifice everything for vengeance. Your future, your life and your ideals for it. If we survive the start, which is 50-50, we will certainly take care of the Hidden Masters. But the aftermath? Will it be worth it? There is no justice in here, only vengeance and afterwards there will also be nothing but a vengeance. Will also face ever scaling missions, foes and catastrophes. Never enjoy our power, at least for the purposes of the quest. Quest also in danger of ending if our hero dies at the start.
The choice came upon him, knowledge of the Curses appearing unbidden in his mind. All could be mitigated with time and effort, though it would take increasingly heroic efforts to overcome more than a modest fraction.
Yes, give it to me! Here is my opinion on the curses.
Green Pick,
Orange Maybe,
Red Don't
[ ] The Geas of Indenture - Mortgage your future to pay for the present? The term of your service shall be no less than 937 octillion years. Immediately you will be transported to another world and given a task to complete. Nearly every task will fall into one of two forms: you will be required either to kill a predestined 'Chosen One' of some kind, or to conquer some amount of territory.
You will be granted full discretion in the completion of your tasks and there is no penalty whatsoever to slacking off provided you complete your mission within the generous time window allotted. Assassination tasks typically have a 100 - 500 year window, while conquest tasks usually have a 1,000 - 10,000 (or greater) year window, depending on the scope of the territory in question. Should you complete your mission early, you may choose to vacation in your current world for up to 10 more years before departing to the next task. Your assigned tasks will always be within your given capabilities to achieve. Failure to complete your task within the time window will result in death. You will not be assigned tasks that are totally abhorrent; assassination of a well-meaning hero is about as bad as it gets.
[ ] The Geas of Indenture - The least harmful and dangerous on the short term. The "Freebie" of the curses. Deceptive as it will not impact the quest.. Even for most xianxia freaks 937 octillion years of service will take a long ass time to complate. It will break our morals as we would have seen everything play out over and over again. Never settling down, never having proper freedom. Killing people after people, conquering after conquering for nothing but the next person to kill or the next place to conquer for 937 octillion years. This is potentially the most dangerous one. Narratively don't pick but mechanically and the fact that this is a quest so this will not matter makes me uncertain. But if you care about our character don't pick. Combat:
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[ ] The Decimator's Affliction - You will naturally absorb the total fundamental life force of the realm you currently inhabit at a rate of 10% per year. Area affected is exceptionally large and scales with your own power; a weak Progression-type might only affect half a continent, while a Combat-type would affect an entire solar system. In the absence of sufficient life force, you will begin to bleed essence, losing components of your powers, skills, identity, memories, and ontological veracity at a proportional rate. Though there are many paths of mitigation available, none of them are pleasant or easy.
[ ] The Decimator's Affliction - Lesser version of the Geas of Indenture without any obligations. We may have to move out once in a while but can keep coming back. We can probably mitigate it down, preferably to 5%. Perfect for picking if you are a Combat Class. Average if you are progressive as in the end the entire univervses will be affected by this curse.. Combat:
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[ ] Affliction of Slumber - A curse of the body. No matter how powerful your physical form becomes, you will require at least sixteen hours of sleep every twenty-four hours. Missing even a single hour will result in severe physiological consequences. If enemies consistently interrupt your sleep, you will find yourself near-constantly disoriented and enervated. Your waking hours are the very stuff of life. With this choice, you surrender half your conscious existence, your very presence in the world, upon the altar of a Curse.
[ ] Affliction of Slumber - Ah, dreaded slumber. Giving away half of your existence to sleep. It also makes personal time manipulation impossible for us. Dangerous if we are progressive, annoying if we are combat. I am undecided, depends on the type we are I suppose. Combat:
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[ ] Brand of the Champion - It is the champion's remit to solve problems, to answer the call of heroism wheresoever it should arise. The champion stands unconquered but alone. Everyone you interact with aside from a select few individuals will refuse to assist you, even in trivial ways, unless you perform some inane or perilous task for them first. Even if all conventions of morality, duty, or good sense would impel them otherwise, they will simply find it unthinkable to aid you without due recompense. The difficulty of tasks is usually equivalent to the degree of assistance you request, though not always.
There is no escaping the Brand, even the Accursed is affected by this, but if you are calling in a Primary Remittance that hinges on his intervention, such as Three Wishes, the tasks he assigns you will be moderately difficult at most.
[ ] Brand of the Champion - The most annoying one, deadly with the Tyrant. We will be forced to do everything by ourselves or do others bidding every time we request something, even to our servants and allies. This includes the Accursed even with the Wishes "Can you give me a glass of water please" "If you give me a bag of Cheetos, sure" / "I will kill you if you don't tell me where is my son!" "Not a chance before I get 20 bear skins! Too bad your son will be dead in a day!" Don't Pick would be my choice but it's in the maybe for combat and don't pick for progressive. Can be mitigated for a few person though. Combat:
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[ ] Doom of the Tyrant - You absolutely refuse to submit to, or even acknowledge the legitimacy of, any rule, custom, law or authority above your own, unless that authority is at least as powerful as a specific instruction from the Accursed himself. Your ability to operate within the context of any organization you are not unequivocally in charge of is utterly crippled. Diplomacy is a laughable dream.
Enemies that are aware of this can provoke you via reverse psychology, though this can only cause you to attack them - you aren't compelled to do the opposite of whatever they order. This Curse comes pre-mitigated in that it does not affect the Accursed, but is very difficult to mitigate further.
It's inadvisable to take this alongside any Brand effect if you intend to ever work with others. Example:
You request a subordinate do something for you -> They refuse until you collect 20 bear pelts -> You refuse to acknowledge the Brand's legitimacy, as it is not greater than the Accursed -> You are unable to ever get your 'subordinate' to do anything
[ ] Doom of the Tyrant - FREEDOM FUCK YEAH - Easiest to manage as long as we have the power. Can never work with an organization or a government if we are not the top dog in it. May include societal morals though not personal ones. Perfect for picking if we are combat, not that great if we are progressive. Don't pick if you want to make an empire that is not dictatorship with us at the top.Combat:
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[ ] Doom of Lunacy - The large majority of your power (75%) is sealed within a monstrous battle-form that forcefully emerges under conditions of extreme duress. You may voluntarily enter this form, but doing so causes you to go absolutely berserk, attacking without regard to friend or foe until everything in your vicinity is destroyed. Affected area scales with your power, but is always very large. Anyone who perceives the form is afflicted by terror and hatred as if by a Brand-type Curse; all but the most stalwart of allies will turn upon you in the face of it.
This Curse can be only be effectively mitigated by one means. Very occasionally you will encounter certain individuals that are highly compatible with you in some way. It is highly likely that any such individual(s) will be substantially weaker than you in most regards. In their presence the Doom will begin to shift to the Geas of Lunacy, if you do not suppress the change. The Geas of Lunacy does not limit your power in any way, but afflicts you with an unhealthy level of devotion to the individual in question. Their happiness and safety are certainly more important than your own and you will find it difficult to refuse even their slightest whims. It is always surprisingly difficult to augment their power beyond its natural rate of progression.
[ ] Doom of Lunacy - Hulk but worse. May become devoted servant of a asshat, may become devoted househusband/wife. May become murderhobo, especially combined with The Geas of Indenture. Stupid to pick with progressive, maybe pick with combat. Combat:
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[ ] Plenary Brand - Like a blazing sun, the radiance of your power is wholly unconstrained, and the shadow of your potential looms perilously, a pall over reality that is impossible to ignore. The truth of your essential nature is broadcast without concealment or pretext. Even if it would normally do so, this effect will not cause others to like you more.
You automatically attract the attention of everyone who perceives you, and your rough capabilities are made apparent to them, to whatever degree they can reasonably comprehend. Disguise is impossible, your nature is blindingly obvious, and enemies so informed of your abilities will act accordingly. Snip Progression-types in the bud with overwhelming strength, retreat and attempt to outscale Combat-types, etc. One of a Cursebearer's greatest strengths is the ability to grow in power undetected by the mighty; anonymity is very often the greatest defense. With this Curse, enemies will never overlook or forget the severity of the threat you pose. Even ostensible allies will likely foment contingency plans.
The Plenary Brand overpowers any forms of stealth or misdirection you might attempt. Furthermore, in any situation where it is remotely reasonable to do so, all enemies will focus their efforts on defeating you first.
Unlike most Curses, the strength of this Brand slowly increases with time. Unless efforts are paid towards mitigation, your mere existence will eventually sear ten billion impressions of yourself into the minds of your allies, rendering them comatose, while your enemies become monomaniacally determined to end you.
[ ] Plenary Brand - Everybody knows our current power and potential for the future. May give away weaknesses Annoying with combat but deadly with progressive. Combat:
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[ ] The Apocryphal Curse - "May you live in interesting times."
The challenges this presents will usually not be beyond your ability to overcome, but very occasionally you will be forced to dig deep and discover whether you are truly worthy of the Accursed's mantle. Remember: the greater the reprieve, the more terrible the chaos that follows. "Better to be a dog in times of peace, then a man in time of war."
*Counts as 2 Curses. Don't take it unless you have to.
[ ] The Apocryphal Curse - Worth two curses. Gives GM freedom to fuck with us further than usual. If this doesn't say anything about it's pickibility(?) nothing does. Combat:
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But alongside those burdens came power, the Remittances of the Accursed that he had paid so dearly for:
And here comes the goodies! And It's only the first part!
[ ] The Regalia - A crown and throne of stars.
A combination of Remittances. While it lacks in focus, it presents its recipient with an arsenal of superior versatility. A practical choice that focuses on minimizing risk and mitigating downside.
*Fortune: Once, upon your death or suffering of an unacceptable loss, you may rewind the relevant timelines up to one hundred years, though not to any point before you became a Cursebearer. All Cursebearers will retain their memories of the period rewound. Triggers unprompted if you die unexpectedly.
*Force: You will acquire a modest but useful superpower synergistic with your existing capabilities.
*Favor: Choose one additional Lesser Remittance.
*Wild: Copy any one of the above effects, making new choices for the copy.
Any powers granted by Remittances are scaled to your current power unless otherwise noted. A Combat-type Cursebearer would receive a greater boon than a starting Progression-type, though the latter might need it more...
It's simple, reference to the Diagrams and versatile. It has wide range of option for anything. Too...modest for my tastes. Better for the Vengeance paths than Freedom I say. Rewind is the most useful future.
[ ] The King's Scepter - Power, plain and simple.
The scepter represents temporal power, power over the world. Shallow though it may be, immediate power represents more than just safety in the moment. Certainly you can't train if you're dead. But power in the moment is also leverage to face stronger foes, to reap greater rewards, to provide greater space for optimization, more resources with which to accelerate your training.
Taking the Scepter all but guarantees you won't be snuffed out before you get a chance to advance, and accelerates your growth curve by giving you the leverage to take risks.
*The Accursed will grant you a mighty power, broad in remit and scope of action and well-suited to your nature. If you are a Combat type, the power granted will be of formidable scale. If you are a Progression type, the power will be optimized to grow with you.
The pure power option. The best power for the Vengeance path as the exceptional progress needs you to survive to happen. As Combat our power will be magnified once more. Overall a great opinion for any cursebearerç
[ ] Three Wishes - Your heart's desire.
The Accursed will grant certain of your requests. Do not squander his favor. Substantially mitigating your Curses or otherwise exceeding the Accursed's high expectations will recharge some fraction of either the Least, Lesser, or True Wishes depending on the scale and magnificence of your achievement.
Least Wish - You may wish for anything you could accomplish given a year's worth of effort, knowing what you know now. For example, "Improve my parameters as if I trained with my current methods for a year."
Lesser Wish - You may wish for most anything within reason, though it may not excessively surpass your current power level or that of the reality in which you currently reside. For example:
"Improve my parameters as if I had trained in a reasonably optimal manner for a human lifetime, without any of the negative side effects thereof."
"I wish for a superpower well-tailored to my current situation." Its general power level would be below that of the King's Scepter.
"I wish this enemy were dead beyond the possibility of recovery" would work on a greater variety of enemies than "I wish for this enemy to become my loyal servant."
Resurrection, time travel, social and political power etc are all within the realm of possibility, though each has limits.
True Wish - You may only employ the True Wish defensively unless the Accursed feels you have earned it. Earning it is very difficult. Used defensively, the Accursed will decisively resolve even the direst of situations in your favor. This is as good a guarantee of safety as exists in creation, for no entity you encounter in your travels will be even remotely capable of challenging the Accursed. The elder horrors of the omniverse could turn their unbridled might against you, but sheltering under his aegis you would not feel so much as a breeze.
Used proactively, you may wish for anything, and the Accursed will grant it if it is in your best interests.
Invoke this power with care, for the Accursed does not grant a favors of this scope for all but the most incredible of achievements. Most Cursebearers only get one.
Ah, the king of versatility
and power! The path to one true
Waifu! Can do everything and it even recharges compared to the Regalia. It will take a while though. The best choice in my opinion. Yes, even compared to Imperial Praxis. Why? Because even if a progressive Cursebearer with Praxis trained a billion years he couldn't reach Accursed pinky.
[ ] The Sword That Ends The World - Accursed blade.
Access the Praxis, the Accursed's personal casting style. A style of magic that emanates completely from the self, relies completely upon the self, and is developed completely by the self. Advancement in the Praxis depends little on talent, much on effort and self-sacrifice. A dream of fairness, defiant against an uncaring universe. And power enough, in time, to make the universe care.
The Praxis is renowned for its limitless potential and complete omni-dimensional reliability. Where all other magics fail, the Praxis operates with unerring consistency. It excels at inflicting and preventing harm, but struggles in matters of renewal or restoration. This Remittance only access to the Praxis, but only Combat-type Cursebearers will start with skill in its application. Unlike the other Primary Remittances, this Remittance offers no immediate power to a Progression-type Cursebearer.
The ever mysterious Praxis, Accursed Blade. Personal casting style of the Accursed. What else is there to say? Only downside is progressive Cursebearers don't even get a power boost from it at the start. It's the least optimal power for the vengeance path. Good for Freedom as...well we have the Freedom to pursue it.
Lesser Remittances will be chosen after your Primary Remittance is selected. They include choices such as companions, objects of power, slight upgrades to your Primary Remittance and so on. It would be unwise to rely on them for safety in the short or medium term.
I already can't wait for it. I missed the Rihaku brand build votes.
Oh wew, it's finally done. I am dedicating this to all Freedom seekers! (Oh and Battle Mastery if that matters)
