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

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The point of fortifications is to buy time for a real response. How much time would a panic room buy and would we be able to know that our family was in danger quickly enough to respond?

Also we need to figure out what would be the potential threats that we would be facing. Shishigui are broadly Red threats with some Green and a fair number of Cyan forces when they expect war. Reds are probably not going to do a great job against the wards as it is and a Cyan is going to be able to break them regardless. As such, I would expect Xuan Shi's work to only really be secure against Greens and I don't see those attacking random households?
 
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[X] A fully fortified 'Panic Room' fortified to the limit of Xuan Shi's skill (7 Green Stones, owed favor to Xuan Shi.)

I like this more for the favor than anything else.
 
[X] A fully fortified 'Panic Room' fortified to the limit of Xuan Shi's skill (7 Green Stones, owed favor to Xuan Shi.)

They shall not pass! also please include the shrine
 
[X] A fully fortified 'Panic Room' fortified to the limit of Xuan Shi's skill (7 Green Stones, owed favor to Xuan Shi.)
 
[X] A fully fortified 'Panic Room' fortified to the limit of Xuan Shi's skill (7 Green Stones, owed favor to Xuan Shi.)

People say it's "just" for a year and a half, but a year and a half is a really long time in a war. We don't want to have to worry about our family in case of an attack.
 
[X] A fully fortified 'Panic Room' fortified to the limit of Xuan Shi's skill (7 Green Stones, owed favor to Xuan Shi.)

Feels like not getting this is asking for trouble, now that it's offered.
 
[X] A fully fortified 'Panic Room' fortified to the limit of Xuan Shi's skill (7 Green Stones, owed favor to Xuan Shi.)

Peace of mind is priceless. Also I want a reason to interact with him more, he is interesting. Also we were told to talk to him by the Cai, so this furthers our duties. Lots of good reasons to do this in my view.
 
[X] A fully fortified 'Panic Room' fortified to the limit of Xuan Shi's skill (7 Green Stones, owed favor to Xuan Shi.)
 
Thoughts on vote: My vote for the 7 stone option is honestly more about the favor owed to Shi. Ingratiating ourselves in with (nobles like) him is literally one of the main directives our boss has given us. This societies social relationships run on favors, and they're also fun to do.

Thoughts on husbandoing Shi: Its definitely a lofty goal, but we have a few advantages that Meizhen didnt, the biggest two being Zhengui and (through CRX, who's out of Shi's league imo) access to Lumber which the Xuan need a constant supply of.
 
JohnnieBoy123 said:
The point of fortifications is to buy time for a real response.

How much time would a panic room buy and would we be able to know that our family was in danger quickly enough to respond?
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Considering that this is getting it up to Xuan Shi (ducal!) standards anything less then a high stage Green would just bounce. And even those would take concentrated effort to get through.
 
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Varder said:
[X] A general upgrade of the home's formation arrays for durability and security (2 green stones)

5GSS is a lot of drugs which is a lot of cultivation which will for surely matter during this war.
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At this point in the quest, Drugs that matter tend to be bought with Sect points.

Note this turn were we went balls to the wall with synergestic drugs, but Medium resources because even now High isn't worth it.
 
[X] A general upgrade of the home's formation arrays for durability and security (2 green stones)

There is such a thing as too much defense splurging. We are already bleeding money keeping our cultivation up, this is a huge chunk of our entire bank. I know that "but we want our family to be as safe as possible" is always a compelling argument, but that's exactly why army budgets skyrocket beyond sanity. We have a really really freaking tough house, spending a million dollars and a favor debt to add even more goes beyond the realm of Proper Caution.
 
[X] A general upgrade of the home's formation arrays for durability and security (2 green stones)
 
fictionfan said:
Just because it it beyond mortal ability doesn't mean it is supernatural. There is a difference between dodging faster then a mortal and allowing attacks to pass though you.
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I mean if you define supernatural as not including dodging or being faster/stronger/etc than a mortal, then sure, you're right.

But that seems limiting on the definition of supernatural, especially when if the definition is "beyond mortal ability" it neatly encompasses all of the weird stuff yellow soul cultivators get up to instead of needing to chop it up into multiple boxes.
 
I already wanted the panic room, but the arguments about the favor are just making me want it even harder.

In a lot of ways, owing someone a favor is how you build relationships, and I trust Xuan Shi to not pull a Fu Xiang on us.

[X] A fully fortified 'Panic Room' fortified to the limit of Xuan Shi's skill (7 Green Stones, owed favor to Xuan Shi.)
 
[X] A fully fortified 'Panic Room' fortified to the limit of Xuan Shi's skill (7 Green Stones, owed favor to Xuan Shi.)

I like 🐢
 
I cannot wait to talk to Su Ling again. Gonna be hilarious.

yrsillar said:
"I already told you," Xiao Fen grumbled, crossing her arms haughtily as she strolled up beside them. "You showed that your divinations were not obscured as the more modern practitioners were. Diviners of the old spirit blooded styles are thin on the ground in these lesser days," Xiao Fen sniffed. "Be happy that the bureaucrats are being shaken from their complacency that you might shine."

Su Ling shot her a foul look. "And I told you that it was just a gut feeling, 'less you think they want me sitting around to cast bones in a fire. 'Sides, I'm not scummy enough to be happy about what's going on right now for any reason."
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"Pfft, as if that would ever happen."

yrsillar said:
"Good. Disciple Su, let us begin the initial divination for our path then," Guan Zhi said, seeming satisfied.

Ling Qi leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. It was time to start rousing her spirits.

The portable hearth was a stone cube about a meter wide on a side, inscribed with precise formations. It was open on one side, revealing the merilly burning fire held within. However, no smoke escaped, nor the scent of burning fuel, only the flickering light of the flames. She watched with some interest as Su Ling sat down in front of it and pulled a bag and a satchel full of carving tools from her storage ring.
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"What the fuck it's happening."

yrsillar said:
It was… very slow. The bag was full of smoothed chitin plates from the beasts down here, which Su Ling had to painstakingly carve questions and potential answers into along the pieces fracture points. Only then could the chitin be cast into the fire. Su Ling then observed the crackling green tinted flames intently to study the way the chitin cracked and the flame danced to divine her answers.
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"Just get this over with and I can go home and not do this again."

yrsillar said:
"Are you ready for this?" Ling Qi asked quietly, as a single silver wisp drifted out to the edge of the forest.

"As ready as I am for anything involving you," Su Ling replied dryly.

"You can't blame me for this one, I was following you," Ling Qi joked back. "Seriously though, Su Ling. Do you think you're ready?"

She grimaced, her ears lying flat against the sides of her head. "...Nah, but it's not like I have the hard part. Me and Flowers just gotta protect the beacon and make sure the rest of you can bug out."

"Not really the point, but I get it," Ling Qi murmured, glancing toward Bian Ya, who stood a short distance away, crouched in front of her spirit beast, they seemed to be having a private conversation. "...Well, I trust you to have my back."

"Hmph, I guess I trust you to have my front, crazy girl," Su Ling replied huffily.
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"Yeah, this is fine, it's all gonna turn out okay."

yrsillar said:
Ling Qi could see entire chunks of the fortress drifting lazily into the air around the clashing cyans and feel flashing of stabbing pain, bottomless despair, and shivers of nigh religious ecstasy wafting from their enemy, dripping across her thoughts like stray droplets from a storm. Then, the swirling sphere of warped light that was her commander crashed down, and Ling Qi felt space bend as the stars clashed only to be launched in opposite directions at terrible speed. The enemy priestess flew backward into the underworld darkness and Guan Zhi's star crashed home into the cavern wall far ahead.

It was only seconds after her passage that the shockwave hit, sending Ling Qi's hair and gown whipping, and nearly blowing Su Ling from her mount. The cavern filled with noise as ton upon ton of stone crashed down from the crater smashed into the wall.
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"IT'S NOT OKAY! WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME!?"

yrsillar said:
The Shishigui leader stood unbowed through, shrouded in his ribbons, only Xuan Shi's initial counter attack had wounded it, one of the creatures hands was bent and broken where it had received the attack, and black blood dripped from the corner of the shishigui's maw.

Su Ling floated above everyone on a wispy platform of cloud, clutching her saber desperately as her eyes flicked back and forth, trying and failing to fully follow the action.
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"PLEASE I JUST WANNA GO HOME!"

yrsillar said:
The battle still raged around her, everyone was still fighting. Nothing she had seen was wrong. But her perspective had been warped. The fighting was far from one sided.

Bian Ya circled the battlefield, and the flowers that bloomed below rejuvenated flagging spirits, their pollen mingled with Zhengui's ash and mended wounds. Xuan Shi was battered and wounded but unbowed, and barriers by the dozen bloomed across the battlefield, pinning ribbons, shielding allies and forming the lines of an increasingly complex pattern around their foe.

Su Ling stood with Bian Ya's spirit with a white knuckles grip on her saber, but her qi was being channeled upward into the growing cloud of foxfire hanging over the battlefield. The rippling lines of explosions that rained down from the sky harried the shishigui, keeping him from holding still, hemming in his movements.
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"Okay it's almost over! I can finish this fucking trip and never have to do this again."

yrsillar said:
800: Su Ling
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"OH FUCK OFF!"

Su Ling's Wild Ride has only just begun...
 
[X] A general upgrade of the home's formation arrays for durability and security (2 green stones)

The favor is really tempting but ultimately I just don't see Shishigui Greens attacking random households and, if it does get to that point, there will likely be Cyans involved as well. Xuan Shi is great but I don't think he can surpass his realm. As I see it the real threat model is protecting against Red foot soldiers and mitigating collateral damage.

Meanwhile that's a lot of green stones.
 
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[X] A fully fortified 'Panic Room' fortified to the limit of Xuan Shi's skill (7 Green Stones, owed favor to Xuan Shi.)
 
Vanguard_D said:
Yrs in discord said it can contain the entire household. So everyone is getting a spot if things go down.
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This settles my objection.

[X] A fully fortified 'Panic Room' fortified to the limit of Xuan Shi's skill (7 Green Stones, owed favor to Xuan Shi.)

Zhengui is the new god of our family, so obviously we need to endorse this by helping them go turtle mode if need be.
 
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