[X] Dreadnought - Echo, Dreadnought's Bearing
-[X] Rune King
[X] Strong Sword-Arm
It doesn't look like Apex is going up anymore so I am going to my previous vote.
Eh. I can soupe it up some. I've got a reaction post that I've been waiting on just the right moment for(Synchronization Complete, Moment's Reprieve, A Far Bastion, and The Solitary Moon). Word count once I libreoffice(Edit: 1359 Words).
Synchronization Complete
At last the onslaught of interesting times seemed to have abated for a span. Hunger awoke the next day to a fresh dawn, birdsong against a pink-gold sky, the world open and effervescent before them. A wind blew past, carrying the scent of lilies and roses, dewdrop lightness like a feather's caress.
Lilies? Are we going to have to worry about Gisena's joke about her and Letrizia ending up with each other? Still, the sky and the environment is nicely depicted here, and I can think of several pleasant bits of background music to use, mostly Umineko.
He looked down to see the promised bouquet laid out around him. It was impressively bountiful and immaculately arranged. A smirk tugged at his lips. One ought expect nothing less from Lady Allria, though he wondered where she had gotten the flowers from. There was a card as well, made from creamy paper-stock which she must have scavenged from Letrizia's supplies.
This calls to mind Rose Lalonde's exchanges of passive aggressive gifts with her Mother in Homestuck. Rose's mom is the kind of person who would have a high quality mausoleum built for her daughter's dead cat for the sake of comedic overindulgence.
To our hero, said the card, written in perfect calligraphic hand with a spontaneity and flourish that captured well the tone of its writer. He paused in his reading to look into the distance. The Sorceress really was frighteningly talented at nearly everything she turned her mind to. Did her powers of nullification somehow arise from that? As if to say, 'should this world be reduced to the human level, I would be Empress and none could stand against me?'
Idle speculation. Gisena was too irresponsible for that. He returned to his reading.
I hope you enjoy this lovely bouquet. I spent nearly half an hour on it! Also, I've worked on your Curses, about as well as could be managed. You should find that the times are slightly less interesting, and your Decimator's hunger more easily assuaged.
Love,
Lady Gisena Allria
Your Favorite Sorceress~
Yeah, this definitely reminds me of Rose's passive aggressive exchanges with her mother. As for Gisena being too irresponsible for ruling... that may be Doom of the Tyrant talking. After all, being the Emperor is our job given the Geas of Indenture. Let's hope we're able to rule as responsibly as we can given our curses when the time comes.
Truly a terrifying woman. He set the card aside and examined his arm, which one evening ago had been little more than ash and bone. Healed now, sealed perfectly and without scar, though the long-ago amputations of his other arm and eye persisted.
Second Stage definitely delivered it looks like.
He was human again, the spirit entwined inextricably with the flesh, though the potential of his wraith-form slumbered beneath, ready to awaken when his mortal coil failed. With an effort of will he brought that ghostflame to the surface, channeling it through his cloak of stars so that their ambient glow might continue to heal Letrizia.
*Super Saiyan aura sound effects*
The girl was laid in a makeshift cot beside his own, and the passing night had done well for her condition. The ghostfire's curative light worked slowly, but its healing was profound, and the grisly mass of burns that covered her left side had improved considerably in complexion and texture.
Let's hope we don't make mistakes of this magnitude again. Of course we're about to go into the temple as of the point this part of the omnibus was written, so that may be a fool's hope.
Another passing breeze blew a flower into Letrizia's face, and she grumbled, blinking into wakefulness, pushing herself upright with an elbow. Her eyes were still bleary as she touched her face with only a minute wince of pain.
"Am I...?"
Dead? Alive? A near escapee from Hanahaki disease from not inhaling that flower so it doesn't start growing out of your lungs(given Lord Hunger's charisma it's a potential concern, especially when/if it increases)? Attractiveness is a form of attack too, as Imperia once said.
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"
"Ah!" she startled. "Um, hey! Don't tease me right now! Can't you see I'm injured!?"
If Letrezia's charismatic enough to run roughshod over a batch of college students, where does Lord Hunger fit on the scale I wonder... Kamina? Ragyo Kiryuin? We've got the Evening Sky thing as our analog to Ragyo's glowing and rainbow hairstyle. Heck, if you read a translation of the Lyrics for Blumenkranz, there's a lot of overlap with Lord Hunger's thematics.
He turned away. "Such a stoic pilot. A shining example for all who wish to join the Armament Corps."
She pouted. "As if there's such a thing! Anyway, I do feel a lot better. Guess I've got you to thank for that?"
Pilots are closer to nuclear powers then I suppose.
"Maybe it was Gisena." He buffed his fingers against his chest.
"Hm!" She raised her palms to his cloak, as if basking in heat from a fire. "Feels nice, whatever this is. The light is so soothing, too... can I borrow this?"
"It won't work if I'm not wearing it," he said amusedly.
"No fair!" She snuggled against the soft drape, brushing her uninjured cheek against its cloudlike surface. "How come you get all the cool stuff?"
Lord Hunger lost an eye, a limb, and experienced a decade of painful guerilla warfare learning how to develop a panopoly and steal peoples artifacts. Maybe we should see if she can be taught though.
"...You saying Verschlengorge isn't cool?"
"You tell me, Praehihr." She stuck her tongue out.
I chuckled.
"Rest." He patted her sternly on the head. "We've still got that blue swordsman to worry about. We'll stay at the lakeside for one day more to recuperate, then we need to decide on our next destination."
Headpats. People spam them at each other on discord servers, but this is closer to pale. Also a bit infantilizing. Poor Letrezia. Subsumed by the sky above the sky, almost like Arthur was with Imperia.
"Hm," Gisena came up from behind them, plopping herself down on his opposite side. "I've got a few ideas in mind!"
"Eavesdropping again?" He flicked a rose at her, which she dodged artfully.
Yess... cast away the withered flowers... *Blumenkranz intensifies*
"When am I not?" She asked, stretching languidly. "You, who are within Nullity's regard, should not expect to escape it so easily!"
"A shame," he replied. "And here I hoped we could steal away with the Armament before you noticed."
"And deprive yourself of mine august company?" She batted her eyelashes. "You can't fool me! You simply love my noble presence too much to go even a day without."
Depending on how the temple vote that's happening when this was written goes and if Immortal Regiment wins, it may be even less.
"And I thought Seralize was entitled," he observed. "I guess she can't compete with a Sorceress, and a noble lady at that."
"Naturally," Gisena preened, flicking her hair. She turned up her nose to expose her elegant neck, a haughty expression that was distractingly convincing. "Though, I imagine she was simply a solipsist. Entitlement only takes you so far, after all. To believe your enemy had given up and would simply let you kill him..."
"A testament to my acting skills, nothing more." He replied. "I did sympathize with her, to a degree. Many times we attacked the Tyrant only to be repelled with severe losses. I too would swear vengeance with blind sincerity..."
Four Charisma pluses is a powerful thing it seems. How long until we enter memetic hazard territory? Or are able to act like Gilgamesh and get away with it?
"Nonesense," Gisena shook her head. "Your Tyrant presumably lived up to his title. Whereas we haven't been bothering anyone!"
"There is Verschlengorge's Decimation," Letrizia said uncomfortably. "And his very existence is like a beacon in the Astral realm."
Let's hope we don't have to worry about doubling up Decimator's Affliction... also yay we're finally getting in the robot.
"That reminds me," he rose to his feet. It felt good, to be reasonably whole and free of wounds. Time to do that which he'd put off long enough. "Letrizia, if you're feeling able, I'd like to examine Verschlengorge today. We should investigate whether my Curse is in any way linked to his."
"Mhm!" She chirped, slowly rising to her feet as well. "Of course I can do this much. Just who do you think I am?"
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann has an analogue here too? Letrizia is a confirmed otaku I guess.
"Don't know. But you do resemble... A certain redheaded pilot from a famous animated-"
"You!" She slapped his arm angrily. "H-hmph! Just get in the robot, Hunger!"
A pity we didn't do this earlier. Then there would have been a lot more room for Shinji Ikari jokes if Letrizia still got injured.
"Not helping your case," he smugly said.
Wounded as Verschlengorge was, its internals were mostly intact, and Letrizia, sporting fresh bandages, pointed out various systems of interest as they walked. The cockpit was reasonably spacious, a comfortably reinforced pilot's chair in front of an array of futuristic panels. A good portion of the array was cracked and badly seared, though no longer smoldering, the flames having desisted overnight.
Behind was storage space for the pilot's personal effects: pictures of Letrizia's family, various books and instruction manuals, an ornate military saber and a small fold-out cot.
Maybe she can upgrade the Saber with Accretion if we teach her and the right moment happens? Unfortunately the rule of two isn't exactly in effect right now. A more benevolent version of the Sith Lord/Apprentice dynamic would have been cool.
"You've both ridden with me in the cockpit, so I don't need to explain the basics. You've mostly seen me use the manual controls, but there's another control scheme that can be employed when the Armament's Rank is sufficiently restored."
She pointed at the constellation of runes that covered the ceiling of the cockpit. "Totality. Merger of self and consciousness with the Armament. A much smoother means of control, as Verschlengorge has tactical reflexes many times faster than those of humans. It also prevents injury to the pilot, as our bodies are transposed within the Armament's Astral shadow."
Ceiling covering runes? Why do I think this is going to be like a magical version of the Mobile Trace System from G Gundam? Is there a thing to retract the chair for a full panoramic cockpit? *Shining Finger Theme starts playing*
Though we are going to need a couple of upgrades, like maybe restoring our arm, depending on how precisely Totality works.
"Hm. So the best way to learn any secrets, or unusual connections with the Armament-"
"Would be that, yes." Letrizia nodded. "I'm not sure how we'll actually pull it off, though. We need some way to heal Verschlengorge, and I don't think your ghost-light is up to the task."
In hindsight it turns out it technically was, albeit it's extremely slow.
"And in the meantime, his Curse of Decimation..."
"Well," Letrizia temporized. "It's really not so bad for short durations, and the range should be low since he's so badly weakened... but, yes. It's active, unless there's an interaction with your Curse that I don't know about. Verschlengorge can sate its hunger by hunting powerful opponents, though it weakens him somewhat. It's in no state to do that right now."
Looks like we got a lucky affinity pick given Huntress' Moon.
We're more alike than you think, he mused, placing his hand on the Armament's control array. "So this cockpit is mostly human technology, but the ceiling is directly connected to the creature's flesh."
"That's right," Letrizia nodded. "The flesh and its runes are Foremost work. We don't understand it that well, to be honest."
He raised his hand, tracing his fingers across the runes, watching as they flashed blue at his touch. Something compelled him to place his palm against the center, the sense of affinity intensifying rapidly...
He did so, and a rumble of movement rippled through Verschlengorge, every rune suddenly alive and flaring, again the icy blue that cut across sight like a knife-wound in the real, the stencil-pattern of their arrangement carved into his mind, into his soul -
"Curse synchronization complete. Onwards, to the shining tomorrow. Welcome, Cursebearer."
For some reason I feel like responding with "Cast in the Name of God, ye not guilty" or something about all the systems being nominal. Ooh... with a shade that blue I wouldn't be surprised if the Windows XP startup sound played.
The sense of affinity had solidified, become almost like a tangible thread between them, an umbilical cord of the spirit that apprised him of their relative locations. He understood instinctively that the Armament's ownership had been transferred to him, that it would obey his commands without question, and that the Curse that afflicted it was no more, merged seamlessly into his own without any increase in effect, so long as the leash between them was unbroken. There was a limited range, but it was vast, more than a planet's worth.
Seriously... poor Letrizia, we should do something to give her back her relevance. Also it's a good thing we did this to avoid double dipping the curses.
He narrowed his eyes. "The shining tomorrow...?"
Letrizia fidgeted. "You can understand it? A translation function built into your connection?"
"It's speaking in Foremost still?"
She nodded, eyes wide. "This is the most I've ever heard it say."
"Letrizia is still your pilot," he said to the machine.
Seriously... that this even needed to be said...
The creature responded, its booming voice rattling the cockpit in which they stood. "Of course. She is more skilled than you, and We like her."
Hah! Glad to hear it.
"Tell me what you know," he addressed the giant. "About Cursebearers, about the Foremost, the shining tomorrow. Tell me everything."
"Disclosure is restricted. We tire."
Frak.
"Restricted to what? How do I qualify? Am I not a Cursebearer? What further is required?"
"Means of disclosure are restricted."
Maybe this means we need to unlock totality to get this? That or it's a mystery box. Not entirely sure.
And with that, the runes lost their glow once more, and Verschlengorge went inert, speaking no more, no matter what was asked or how. The machine would still respond to manual commands, fighting as ably as ever, but the beast within was silent.
Well. At least they weren't being doubly decimated any more.
Not having to worry about double decimation is the most important thing of all and I'm glad that's been established.
---
Navigating to the [X] Temple of the False Moon is no trivial task! According to the map, there are a number of routes one could take:
[ ] The Scenic Route - This route seems very safe and quite beautiful, but its cumbersome circumlocutions will take several days to navigate. Plenty of time to get to know your companions better.
*Travel time: 7-9 days
*Danger level: Low
*Bonus: +Letrizia +Gisena
*Gain Experience enough for 1 (+1) generic selection from Astral monsters defeated while guarding Verschlengorge.
70% chance of relatively uneventful journey
20% chance of minor additional bonus
10% chance of major additional bonus
[ ] The Quickest Route - This route promises passage in less than a day, though it's fraught with danger, passing through several agglomerations of monster lairs.
*Travel time: 1-2 days considering sleep, meals
*Danger level: High
*Bonus: I Am The Danger - 10% effectiveness bonus for the duration of this journey and until the Temple is completed or forces you to retreat
*Penalty: Letrizia will not be fully healed by the time you arrive at the Temple, if you arrive.
50% chance of moderately eventful journey (fighting monsters grants Experience worth 2 + 1 selections)
20% chance of highly eventful journey (As above, but suffer a moderate complication)
20% chance to be interrupted by a highly dangerous monster
10% chance to be interrupted by an exceptionally dangerous monster
[ ] The Really Scenic Route - This route of medium length passes through a horrifying expanse of murderous beasts and perilous traversals. It is the suggested route on the map. The scenery does look rather beautiful.
*Travel time: 5-7 days
*Danger level: Extreme
*Bonus: Death or Glory. +Gisena, +.25 Rank if you survive.
*Bonus: Halcyon Expanse - +1 Arete from inspirational landscapes
50% chance to be interrupted by an exceptionally dangerous monster
25% chance to be interrupted by an epically dangerous monster
20% chance to be interrupted by multiple dangerous monsters and other hazards
5% chance of death
A highly dangerous monster is worth 3 (+ 1) picks and usually offers at least one 3-pick option. An exceptionally dangerous monster may offer a 4-pick option. An epically dangerous monster will unlock multiple 3- or 4-pick options.
We will not be using the forum roller for this.
What will be your strategy upon reaching the Temple?
[ ] Conservative - Letrizia in Verschlengorge, Gisena to Protect Them, Explore Temple Yourself
[ ] Risky - You + Gisena in the Temple, Letrizia in Verschlengorge by Herself
[ ] Abandon Verschlengorge - All humans in the Temple, Verschlengorge by Himself
The latter options are quite dangerous to Verschlengorge. The former is quite dangerous to you.
Thankfully this turned out fine and we were lucky enough to get an uneventful quickest route.
A Moment's Reprieve
He'd finally had a chance to examine the treasures they'd extracted from the King Fish. Gisena had concluded that the jade pearl and scale might sell for a considerable sum, but the map in the bottle offered more precipitous value. Drawn in quicksilver ink that shifted with the light was a map of their immediate environs in the Voyaging Realm, and a route to which they could reach an ancient ruin named the Temple of the False Moon.
Let's hope my omake wasn't too predictive of the future I guess. I still think we could have gotten a lot of returns out of Civilization given just how many omakes went into upgrading our returns.
There was no particular reason for them to pursue this lead, but his instincts told him that something of great value resided within, and his Rank-assisted intuition had rarely been wrong in the Voyaging Realm. The map was slowly disintegrating in the oxygenated air outside its bottle, so it was now or never. Even re-stoppering its container had failed to halt the degradation.
Gisena was characteristically enthused about the prospect of magical treasures secreted away, and Letrizia, having dueled the blue swordsman directly, felt badly that they needed the strength: so, ill-advised as it sounded, they set out for the Temple directly. At any rate it was only a few days' travel.
Do you even have the proper dungeoneering supplies? *angry shouting*
The hours passed slowly as they wandered, a warm and sullen-sweet haze like a daydream on a summer's afternoon. Verschlengorge lumbered through pastoral fields of green, rolling hills beneath clouds like dolloped cream, past dirt roads and cottages of grey stone where farmers' children emerged, gawking crudely at the cruelly angled giant. Packs of them scurried gleefully in its dust-cloud wake, waving to the pretty Sorceress on its shoulder.
"Aren't they adorable?" Gisena gushed, hands clasped to chest. Letrizia answered with an affirmative chirp through the machine's speakers.
*Towering Cloud in Summer from Umineko starts playing*
Hunger, laid flat on the opposite shoulder, kept his eyes skyward. So much had changed these past five days. He'd nearly died, then become a Cursebearer, gifted with power and obligation beyond reason. Aside from the Apocryphal Curse, the yoke of his dooms had sat lightly on him so far. For that he could count himself lucky.
He spoke sparingly to the populace, and Gisena was well-aware of how to navigate the Tyranny. The Decimator's Affliction he'd been proactive in mitigating, and was successfully free of it for a time. And the Geas of Indenture, though it promised a thousand trillion, trillion lifetimes of servitude, stretched long into the uncertain future, a problem for tomorrow's Hunger, not the languid beast of today.
Let's hope you NEVER, EVER, have to worry about intertimeline conversations with your future self. Even worse if they're text only.
He was, if not content, at least occasionally happy with his lot as it presently stood. Some might resent the cavalcade of trials that the Apocryphal presented, but that was a small enough price in his reckoning, when so recently ago he'd been reduced to nothing. His companions were able and only infrequently annoying, and his powers had expanded with explosive speed. In a year's time or less he might again be the man he once was. What might he be in ten year's time? A hundred? He could scarcely imagine it, even though his benefactor lay even further beyond; far, inestimably far beyond the span of finite years.
*Blumenkranz intensifies*
Would his companions of this first month still be beside him, when he repaid the Accursed's favor? Assuming - and it was by no means certain - he survived, would he be some juggernaut with merely the countenance of a man, so far removed from mortal concerns as to scarcely resemble the creature he once was? Given the trajectory of his projection, it did not seem an unlikely outcome. Very nearly inescapable, in fact, with an early demise his only alternative.
You'll have to start soupeing them up if you want any hope of that happening. You can all be juggernauts then.
And yet there had been humanity in the Accursed, after all. Perhaps that was the calculated facade of a being so far beyond human comprehension that mere reason and causality found no purchase against its abilities, but he liked to think otherwise. What need had such a being to offer so generous a bounty of power with his burdens? Why design the Cursebearer's systems with such care, as if to nurture and foster their growth? He was raising an army, but it was not a faceless one.
A peal of thunder broke his reverie and he looked ahead to see clouds towering like stygian anvils, gathering angrily in a mass upon the horizon. Rain fell upon their bucolic expanse, pouncing like a nimble invader, its onslaught sudden, brisk and overwhelming. Gisena cried in joy and tilted her head skywards, catching the water on her tongue, while he grunted and shifted to an upright position, the Evening Sky sheltering him utterly from so trifling a concern.
The petty benefits of artifacts of unfathomable power.
Lightning rumbled and rippled through the darkened heavens, splayed-finger aftershocks the only evidence of its passage, forked bolts of brilliant yellow like the gods playing at javelins. The hairs on his back began to rise. This was no ordinary storm.
Unsurprisingly, he was correct.
Monsters down upon them from the clouds, eyeless myrmidons with skin of thunderhead-grey, whose blades were plumed like water-drops, set upon chariots of twisting fire. They charged in their dozens and tens of dozens, and Verschlengorge roared in response, an echoing shock of sound as to drown out all thunder, blasting the children away, deafened but alive.
So we've got a small army of grey-skinned thunder affinity ant people or greek aesthetic soldiers who use something besides sight to see? Time to strike down the lights in the sky I suppose.
"Shit." Letrizia cursed. "I've seen these guys before. I hope we didn't attract them to these people..."
Hunger grimaced. "It is what it is. Kill them quickly and you've nothing to be sorry for."
They died, quickly. Almost surprisingly so. Their movements lethargic to his eyes, their strikes middling, bereft of passion, even of desperation as he scythed them down. Halfway through the moment of carnage he finally realized. He wasn't exhausted any more, nor injured, and now held Seralize's speed and all the power he had accumulated these past days in its fullness. His pressure poured forth upon them harder and heavier than the storm-rains, the well of his spirit like a spigot turned open to drown them in fury and might.
As unlucky as it was for them, we certainly got lucky.
For a time, he was king of the battlefield, and though he knew it would not last, that more and greater enemies awaited, still for a moment he exulted that his sword-arm was strong enough, his eye sharp enough, his fury swift enough, that he would lose no companions today. But all good things, as they say, come to an end, and ill things no less so. The battle concluded, the storm begrudgingly dissolved, and short hours later they came upon the Temple, having slaughtered their way through a trail of Astral monsters, none of whom was a match for his Blade.
All too quickly their journey was over, and the porcelain towers of the Temple loomed large against the silk-panel blue of the sky. A foreboding came over him, and over Gisena as they saw it; impossibly high and vast, spires like a claw made to clutch at the heavens, tear free the moon and leave only a wound weeping into the void.
I think something out of Dothack is in order for background music but I'm not sure which. Valley of Mist? In the Land of Twilight Under the Moon? Where the Sky is High?
The winner last time was [X] Quickest Route with [X] Conservative, though you may have an option to change strategies depending on which build wins. You rolled a 60; uneventful journey, no complications.
Select 3. You may spend up to 9 Arete, though you only have somewhat over 8, so it will put you into Arete Debt. This is a complicated vote, so take some time to discuss and make plans. What you decide here may well determine Hunger's fate in the Temple, as it is incredibly perilous...
---
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Echo of the Forebear
Cloud-shadow of the Forebear's might.
Legendary strength and speed, and the resilience to exert them. Can be taken multiple times. [+Might, +Agility]
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Fall of Night - 2 Arete
The stroke of his blade is the fall of night, to every foe the sun of hope extinguished
Conjunctional Advancement with the Evening Sky. ++Strength, +Agility. Blade projections of all kinds deal one-third more damage with a one-tenth chance to inflict critical damage, tripling the harm done and applying half again the power of ruin. Control and manipulation of blade winds becomes far less taxing. The surcharge in power for stronger blade-winds is substantially reduced.
The wielder becomes capable of manipulating the properties of his falls; falls whose nature is languid but whose movement is swift, gentle falls that strike with magnified weight and heft, falls from great distance that do no harm, and so on.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Form of Rage - 7 Arete
When flesh and spirit both have abraded away, what remains of a man?
His essence at last stands bare and alone, free of the armor that presumes to shelter the world from its glory. A silhouette, bare outline of a figure, through which pale light pours forth without end.
If the form of flesh and the form of spirit are both felled, and if he should still be compelled to fight on, then he may assume the form of Rage, which is pure light and thunder, heft and raw Pressure, the forces of the world arrayed as a fist to strike down his enemies.
The form of Rage can only be entered if one has a compelling reason to fight on, else one dies instead. While in this Form, triple all Attributes for purposes of battle and increase Astral Rank by a significant* amount. The wielder moves like living lightning: the wake of his blows is the crush of thunder, the blaze of his eyes like furious stars, his merest regard like a mountain onrushing.
Use of this Form is taxing in the extreme. Should the wielder avoid annihilation, after the battle concludes he emerges, human once more and fully healed, but diminished as well. Choose one Advancement to revoke or lose 1 point of Arete after re-emergence, and become Tired, or Exhausted if already Tired.
*+1 if Low-Ranked, +0.5 if Mid-Ranked, and +0.25 if High-Ranked
Pre-requisite for Final Form.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Undying Vanguard - 7 Arete.
Where tread the Forebear, his men would not fall, for the shadow of his presence could turn even death aside. And for his most stalwart servants, the reach of his shadow spanned continents and worlds.
Taking Echo of the Forebear (1 pick) and Undying Echo (2 Arete) unlocks Undying Vanguard (upgrade to Undying Echo, 5 Arete).
Choose up to 5 companions whose true Astral Ranks do not exceed your own. They receive bonus Protection, Constitution and regeneration depending on both your relative power levels and their level of loyalty to you. A highly loyal companion would be about as difficult to kill as you yourself are, including the effects of your Artifacts. [+Might, +Agility, +++Constitution]
You personally don't receive any healing from this, though the extra Constitution will increase your effective health.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - A Thousand Cuts - 7 Arete (0 picks)
In the Forebear's grip could even a common knife blaze with fell power. All melee attacks made with the Forebear's Blade now apply cursed wounds. Septuples the power and speed of the Fell-Handed Stroke and allows it to be used with blade projections. Such horrific offensive power allows one to challenge foes vastly stronger.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Ruinous Valor (3 picks)
Where he advanced, so did the tide of entire wars, the shock of his blade like a hurled epicenter, the trail of his passage but wasteland and rubble.
[+++++Strength]
Power of Ruin now scales upwards depending on your Strength.
Choose:
Einhander - You may not regrow or replace your left arm by any means. Substantially reduces the cost and increases the range of special attacks made with the Forebear's Blade. This Advancement grants Might instead of Strength (+Might = +Str, +Con).
Zweihander - Regrow your left arm. Your barehanded strikes now carry the full destructive power of the Forebear's Blade.
If Einhander is taken, unlocks One Arm Fury.
If Zweihander is taken, unlocks Martial Stances: Forebear's Blade
---
[ ] Evening Sky - Opalescence - The soft light of evening before which all attacks falter. Improves defensive parameters. [+Protection]
[ ] Evening Sky - Iridescence - 2 Arete
The sharp light of the stars before which all malice is lessened.
+Protection, +Charisma. Expands the range of effects subject to the Evening Sky, allowing it to passively weaken almost all forms of magic. Even Nullity itself can be once withstood before the Sky recedes.
Requires Opalescence.
[ ] Evening Sky - Philosopher's Wreath - 7 Arete (2 picks)
The twilight hours are a time of contemplation, growth of mind and spirit. Perhaps there are more things in earth and heaven than are dreamt of in one's philosophy. But that may not always be so.
They for whom the heavens themselves are aegis and raiment, these are the hours to speak - perchance to dream. And in dreaming, grow strong beyond the imagining of mortal men.
[+Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma]
Select one magic system which you have personally encountered and which is no greater than the Noble Praxis. You may use that system to the limits of your Intelligence or applicable Attributes, developing any appropriate qualities within reason, but this may no more than double your overall advancement.
Allied mages with which the wearer dialogues extensively find they may develop novel applications of existing abilities and steadily grow in knowledge & power with effort, independent of their own paradigm. This can no more than triple their overall level of advancement, but any progression done on their own will raise this cap. Should said mage no longer be allied, the wearer may strip this power at will, like a dream dissolving at break of day.
---
[ ] The Ring of Power - Dominion - 2 Arete
A ring of power does not exert influence casually. It has its own will, its own preferences, and if that will should be inseparable from its owner's, its sway thereby shall be greater for it.
Select a domain of influence. While acting within its domain, [Ring of Power] effects are substantially less taxing and more potent; the effects of this can be abstracted as follows: treat the owner's Rank as if it somewhat* higher for related actions. You may select this advancement multiple times, choosing a different domain each time. If multiple domains apply, their bonuses do not compound.
*+0.5 if Low, +.25 if Mid, +.1 if High.
The available domains for Hunger are: War, Passion, Life.
War - Applies to any conflict with real and serious stakes
Passion - Applies whenever in the throes of a powerful passion, or to inflame the passions of others
Life - Applies to the manipulation, augmentation, or restoration of biology or life-force
[ ] The Ring of Power - Preeminence - 7 Arete
It is no small thing, to master a ring of power; and for those few who have braved that height, at its peak they shall only glimpse the true jewel which lies even further beyond.
Choose a domain you have already purchased. While acting within its purview, double its effective Rank modifier and gain +All Stats. You may select this advancement multiple times, choosing a different domain each time.
The available domains for Hunger's Preeminence are: War, Passion
Finally, you may decide one advancement your companions have made in the past days:
[ ] Letrizia - Hollow Star: It appears your Pristine light actually is capable of healing Verschlengorge... just not by very much. But the giant has regained some small matter of functionality, enough to fight about as well as it fought when you first encountered the Armament, all those... days... ago.
You haven't really been the best of bodyguards, have you? [+Letrizia]
[ ] Gisena - Sorcerous Advancement I: By studying your body and spirit and its correlated astral shadow, Gisena has made a breakthrough in the nature of Sorcery and findross, though it will take additional time for this to translate into power. Nothing concrete as of yet.
In hindsight this was a clusterfark.
A Far Bastion
Nearing the Temple, there appears to be a small outpost of adventurers, summoned beasts, camp followers and attendant merchants encamped outside one of its side entrances. Potential allies, or an unneeded complication? Verschlengorge is large and like to attract attention if you should approach for this angle, especially as the main entrance is far away on the other side. And you lack any skills of supernal stealth that would allow you to infiltrate undetected. Not intending to further split the party beyond what they've already planned, Hunger decides to...
[ ] Hail the Outpost - Though he's vulnerable to provocation via the Tyrant's Doom, the information and supplies the outpost could provide are potentially invaluable, especially if they are not rivals for the bounty of treasure within. Any information about the nature of the challenges awaiting him could prove critical. Surely an edifice of this size would have plenty to loot for everyone? One might even be able to hire mercenaries or acquire items of power. Try to have Gisena do the talking if possible. [+Progress towards next +1 pick]
?% chance of varying benefits
?% chance of battle
?% chance of death (if they are overwhelmingly stronger than you and either inherently hostile or you are forced to fight by the Doom of the Tyrant)
[ ] Investigate the Main Entrance - The greatest defense is anonymity. From Verschlengorge's perch you have spotted these potential foes before they have taken notice of you. The likely moderate benefits of their friendship are not worth the potential risks of their enmity, or any possible association with the 'Astral Lord' looking for Verschlengorge's heads. Who knows whether 'Ber' was the only bounty hunter, or merely the most logistically adroit? He who survives the march of eons does so by clear-headed calculation and gauging of risks. Circle around to the front of the Temple and note to yourself that competition may exist. [+0.5 Arete, spend half a day taking a longer route]
[ ] Something Else - You may write in a plan if desired. Perhaps you'd like to ambush the outpost and kill them for power? Seems a bit extreme, but it's probably still safer than fishing...
---
Last time the winner was [X] Hollow Star with build vote consolidation. What form did Hunger's power take in the aftermath of the slaughter he perpetrated on their journey here? Though it was a brief span of hours, still thousands of monsters fell to his blade, and the more challenging among them had certain attributes...
[ ] Immortal Regiment
Safety in numbers.
Echo of the Forebear, Fall of Night, Undying Vanguard
Adds ++++Str, +++Agi, +++++Con, 9 Arete
This build takes Gisena with you. Otherwise she will remain behind to help protect Letrizia and Verschlengorge. Relies on high overall stats and a moderately powerful offense combined with the wide-ranging magic cancellation of Nullity to resolve problems. Gisena's presence may be useful in the event of social encounters, and with Vanguard she is a viable off-tank that heals faster than you do. However, it has little recourse against opponents that truly outmatch you, especially if resistant to Nullity. Not an avenger alone, but now a protector as well, blood-handed guardian whose furious might quells the weak and defies the mighty, living bulwark of will raised against the uncaring world.
[ ] Murderer's Panoply
To might alone, is given...
Double Echo of the Forebear, Undying Echo, Fall of Night, A Thousand Cuts
Adds ++++Str, +++Agi, +++++Con, 11 Arete
Though its stat block is identical to the Immortal Regiment, this build relies on a wholly different strategy revolving around the upgraded Fell-Handed Stroke. It can wear down enemies with a rain of cursed wounds, or go for the throat with an immensely powerful finishing move that can devastate foes far greater than yourself. Its high constitution grants it substantial staying power in a prolonged conflict. However, it spends all your Arete and is not as adept at social or mental encounters. On the battlefield, however, it is nothing less than a juggernaut of fell purpose, foe-conquering unstoppable shadow whose strength tears free the thews of titans and plants them as mountains into the earth.
[ ] Bright Vanquisher
Thine final form, for now.
Double Echo of the Forebear, Undying Echo, Form of Rage
Adds ++Str, ++Agi, +++++Con, 9 Arete
A powerful, if circumstantial build that is highly effective against more fearsome single foes, and which has sufficient raw strength and endurance to carry the day against most lesser enemies. High constitution combined with three health bars (one of which has tripled constitution) grant this build unparalleled resilience against compelling opponents, but the costs of the Form of Rage are high. Still, played well it can easily snowball into an unstoppable force, and the extra layer of safety allows for a reckless playstyle while it persists, while providing a useful coordination point for retreat in the aftermath. When the hour of defeat is nigh, the vanquisher erupts forth as a cataclysm of light and fury, wraith of wrath given thundering flesh and set among the enemy to bring their end.
[ ] The Barest Cut
Cut away all that is unnecessary.
Triple Echo of the Forebear, A Thousand Cuts
Adds +++Str, +++Agi, +++Con, 7 Arete
A parsimonious build that saves Arete while preserving reasonable offensive and defensive power. Lacks the greater durability of the other builds, but makes up for it with its immense potential. By spending on the bare minimum of Arete now, you will be better equipped to acquire a second 7-Arete advancement in the immediate future. The naked blade of purified purpose whose thrust is the dusk and the daybreak, bridging tomorrow with today.
[ ] The Forbidden
That which passed from memory, unshackled once more.
Opalescence, Iridescence, Echo of the Forebear, Undying Echo, A Thousand Cuts
Adds ++Prot, +Cha, +Str, +Agi, ++++Con, 11 Arete
For those who desire something different, a defensively specialized build that adds Charisma for social encounters. Broad-spectrum esoteric protection from Iridescence offers the highest chance of survival, while the passive effect of a Thousand Cuts opens an avenue to victory against defensively focused foes. While it lacks the sheer physicality of the alternatives, it compensates with raw defensive supremacy that can outlast and wear down one's opponents, or withdraw to fight another day. Supernal in glory, resilient or impervious to nearly every conceivable form of assault, the Forbidden is arisen beyond humanity, a being of ragged steel and starlight, pale echo and fore-shadow of the elder power to come.
Not much to say here except that Immortal Regiment doesn't seem like it would have helped when it comes to a hypothetical hailing them to recruit backup route, given how the power boost scales off loyalty to us. Since we didn't take Forbidden, leaving Civilization alone was unambiguously the right move.
The Solitary Moon
"Just what is its purpose?" Hunger murmured, staring at the impossible edifice before them. From this vantage point his eye pierced shadow and cloud, perceiving a small encampment in the valley below that seemed half bazaar, half staging grounds. It was perched atop the only path that lead to or from the Temple at this angle, though the map indicated that the Temple's primary entrance was far around to the valley's other side. Though he couldn't make out details, the outpost seemed fairly teeming with adventurers and magi, tamed or summoned monsters touted openly in the streets.
I suspect it's like the Hamlet from Darkest Dungeon but better not to find out given our circumstances.
"Having second thoughts?" Gisena asked teasingly, nudging him in the arm.
"Always," he replied flatly. "But if you have doubts, there's no need to fish for agreement with me. Speak plainly."
"So direct," she gasped. "How could I possibly match you in fishing? In that field I can only curtsy in appreciation of the Lord Hunger, who so expertly sates his namesake condition!"
We are never going to live the fishing incident down are we?
"Very droll," he scoffed, but smiled slightly. "If you've nothing to add, we'll circle around to the main entrance and attack the problem in the morning. I feel there's great danger in this place, but great potential too... if we can see it through without substantial losses, I'm confident we'll overmatch the blue swordsman when we meet next."
Let's hope so.
Gisena nodded. "As I'm hopelessly out-Ranked, I'll defer to your supernal judgement!"
*Cringes at the pun*
"Actually," Letrizia chimed in, eager to contribute on matters related to her hobby, "While Miss Gisena may not be able to use her Rank proactively, as a magically potent being it's likely she still has one! A sort of 'defensive Rank' that protects her to an extent from hostile actions by those with Pressure. Most magical beings have some form of astral shadow, and great magicians will have a stronger one, though not to the extent of one who actively develops their Rank."
How incredibly White Wolf.
"That matches my own theorizing!" Gisena exclaimed. "I am pretty great, after all."
"Only pretty great?" He raised an eyebrow. "That's positively self-effacing coming from you."
"I'm glad you noticed! Humility is one of my greatest traits."
Ugh.
"Anyway," he indicated the valley ahead. "There's an encampment of adventurers in the upcoming terrain. Letrizia, we'll circle around to the main entrance of the Temple. With a bounty on Verschlengorge's head and my own Curse-related limits, any sort of confrontation could go poorly, especially if they turn out to be stronger than us. Perhaps I'll meet a smaller contingent in the Temple itself and we can gather information that way."
He'd reaped a formidable bounty of strength from the monsters they'd slaughtered on the way here, and acquired a few new tricks as well. Still, he preferred to hold them in reserve for now. Physically he was the mightiest he'd been since arriving in this world, but something told him the Temple was deadlier. Anyone who could survive a prolonged venture inside would more than pose a threat to him, let alone his companions.
This temple quest in general jogged my memory of episode 7 of Dot Hack Sign, with the Carmina Gadelica dungeon.
"Okay," Letrizia said, "Going by the map that'll take half a day more, but we've made good time so far. Verschlengorge has been a bit more responsive, I think your ghostfire actually is healing him a little bit!"
"Good," he nodded, and settled in for the journey.
The Temple was situated in an enormous plain, its porcelain claws towering to mountainous heights, but around that central expanse the terrain varied mightily. There was thick, mist-suffused woodland more jungle than forest, rocky outcroppings and unadorned grasslands, even stretches of arid waste bare of vegetation or fauna. On Verschlengorge's shoulders they traveled comfortably above it all, and could enjoy the meandering scope of their far-ranging voyage in relative ease.
Would that I'd had a giant robot when running from the Tyrant. And some means of hiding it...
Yeah all kinds of pleasnt background music can fit when you're wandering around the world in a giant robot. Even more so if it's a giant robot car and you can find first gear. *Megas XLR theme starts playing*
Hours passed. He brooded productively for a time. Night fell.
Gisena came to sit beside him, luxuriantly stretching slender legs and toes in the cool air of evening. In the pale glow of the moon she seemed ethereal, languid and inescapable, and his peaceful reverie was thoroughly interrupted. He eyed her blearily, resentful of the distraction.
At least we aren't Arthur Drake this time.
"Cheer up! It's a pleasant evening. Your cloak thinks so too."
"...Are we really going to talk about the weather?"
She pointed upwards. "It's a clear, cloudless night! You can perfectly see the moon."
He followed the direction of her hand to witness the bright orb of the moon clutched precisely within the Temple's spires, mantis-thin fingertips grasping and ready to pluck.
He grunted. "Either we're viewing it at the perfect time and angle for things to align, or..."
"The temple is manipulating space and time," Gisena finished cheerfully. "The moon, poor thing, always appears to be in its clutches! It can't be that the spires are moving, or it'd look different from other angles."
Seriously, this seems like a very strong argument in favor of Immortal Regiment or the Forbidden, which were in contention at the point this part of the reaction was written.
He shook his head. "The more I look at this place, the less happy I am about entering it."
But menacing as the Temple was, he'd seen nothing disqualifying yet. This was the path they'd chosen, and they would see it through unless circumstances changed substantially.
Gisena hummed. "I agree! But there's something comforting about it as well. It reminds me of a girl I used to know. So sharp and clear and cold! A dear friend. Probably gone now, and the rest of my home as well. Or will be, soon."
I suspect she's talking about Jeanne.
"How fatalistic. Your society isn't set up to resist the 'hero' of your world?"
She shook her head, her smile wan and soft. "Nope. They're pretty much doomed. Even if I were there to warn them, it wouldn't help."
Possibly even capital D Doomed.
"I'm sorry. My... friends sacrificed themselves so we could overcome the Tyrant. It was a close thing. Far too close."
She laid her head against his shoulder, the feather-touch of her hair trailing against his bare arm. "There are some things we just have to accept, hm? Maybe it won't always be so."
"Hmph. Well said."
One day, the power of Progression would allow him to see through his ambition. Bring them all back, and keep them safe once more. But he dared not give voice to that uncertain hope. Even in his heart there was a fragility to it, thin-sketched delicate whisper of a dream, as if exposing it to the real would see it dispersed by a passing breeze.
Yeah we're going to need very high end resurrection powers to bring back Gisena's world if we're going to do that.
Gisena said nothing more, simply squeezing his arm in affirmation, and they carried through the rest of their journey in silence.
As the moon began to descend, the soft blue glow of morning limned the horizon. The Temple's claws ceased their transposition, as if allowing moon and stars to slip free its grasp and slowly tumble into the dawn. The light of the sun was austere and heavy, heat without warmth, illuminating the stark wasteland sea that surrounded the Temple's frontal facing.
The Wasteland sea thing caught my eye enough to dig back around through my reaction, see what kind of terrain that was precisely, though if there was an answer I didn't find it.
A single avenue of shining tile cut through that bare expanse, the Temple's central promenade which featured heavily on the quicksilver map, broad enough to invite a marching army - or to deploy one. Surprisingly there was no activity, human or beast, upon the promenade. It was as thoroughly deserted as the earlier outpost had been bustling.
The towering gates were shut, dark blue steel upon which countless distorted moons were carefully engraved. Here was a sharp ellipsoid, gleaming with purest silver; there an orb covered in diamondoid patterns of blue slate and dusted with cobalt.
Getting a feeling of a lot of different pop cultural echoes here but can't put my finger on anything precisely at the moment.
They stared down the entrance from a distance. Gisena's emerald eyes observed it piercingly. Immense as the gates were, they were almost tiny against the titanic mass of the Temple. The curve of its central dome was like the skull of the world itself jutting free; a hundred cities could shelter under that ivory sky with abundant space for all.
So it's a megadungeon. Or the worship space was meant to accomodate a truly ludicrous number of people.
"We could try using Verschlengorge," he noted. "He wouldn't fit inside but he could break down the doors."
"Mm..." Letrizia responded unhappily.
"Or I could cut it open," he continued. The Forebear's Blade could tear through defenses that would stop a lesser artifact.
"No need!" Gisena finally said. "I think it'll let you through. Perhaps only you, but I could carve a path with my Nullity as well. There's an aura around the temple gates. The closest thing it resembles is that of your ring."
He glanced at the red-black band on his finger. Either this was spectacular coincidence or something strange was afoot. The ring of power had come from the Tyrant's finger, from a world and a universe entirely separate from this one. What did it mean for magic of its nature to be present here?
That's weird but convenient. I guess we'll find out more about this if the Ring Affinity vote turns out to have won.
Then again, the residents of this world had quantified the magic of Rank which he'd wielded in the previous realm. Perhaps it was not so large a coincidence as it seemed.
He shook his head. There was trepidation, fear of the unknown, fear that for all his preparations and newly bolstered strength he would still be inadequate to the conquest of this place. But there was no room for doubt or hesitation in his mind. The Accursed had granted him the power of Progression, growth unrivaled in this world or any other. He would trust to that power, and to his long years of experience, to see this task through.
This task and every other, until that whisper of a dream became reality.
I'm living in the 21st century doing something mean to it...
"Letrizia," he said, "Remember what we talked about. And find a good location to hide and secure Verschlengorge. If I can leave after venturing inside, I'll return every day to check on you if feasible."
"Find something worthwhile," Letrizia replied, "Good luck!"
As he walked forward the gates shuddered and began to open, groaning clench of steel like a monster's exhalation. They moved only briefly, leaving the tiniest hairline crack in that wall of colossal blue, just enough for one human to fit through without touching the steel of the doors.
If we're the evening sky, then doesn't that make us the land of twilight under the moon? Or at least give us the potential to become it?
[X] Investigate the Main Entrance has won.
The build vote from the previous update is still running. Gisena will accompany you if Immortal Regiment wins; otherwise she will stay with Letrizia to guard her. Consider that in votes below.
Thousand Cuts voters may want to consolidate into a choice (Barest Cut vs Murderous) if they desire to overcome the Regiment! You can coordinate in the thread, of course, and (within reason) pledge votes if you want. For example one faction could receive pledged votes from the other in exchange for switching to the other faction's choice. Of course this is not limited only to Thousand Cuts voters!
Actually suggesting people exchange markers outright? Looks like the concept has seriously picked up steam.
Don't forget to include your Build Vote alongside your choice for the vote below.
You have somewhat over 11 Arete. Decide on Hunger's general stance for exploring the Temple. He will adjust this depending on the difficulty of the encounters within, but will retain the same mindset and strategy until it fails him grossly. This choice may substantially affect characterization.
[ ] Aggressive - Charge forward seeking the greatest rewards. Do not abandon intelligent decision-making, but employ tactics as to prioritize the acquisition of powers and treasures. What are you here for if not the wholehearted plundering of wealth and might? It is not within you to yield or become lesser, even in the face of malice such as this. Rise higher and greater than ever before. Meet the immensity of the challenge with the blazing star of your own spirit and will!
+Increased chance to acquire valuable resources or power
+10% increased damage and Arete gain within
+Vastly improves chances of Rank gain from encounters.
+Obviously, it's quite risky, though you do have Second Stage...
+Could recklessly trigger the Tyrant's Doom and create unnecessary conflicts if there are adventurers within
+You will still make tactically sound decisions where possible, but you will also push yourself as you have been all this time.
+A good old-fashioned red option.
[ ] Conservative - Favor cautious, thorough explanation and withdraw in the face of unusual effects that he (or party members, if available) cannot intuit an understanding of. Do not provoke creatures, if any exist, into fights, and check regularly for traps and other dangers. If possible, exit the Temple frequently for breathers. This may requiring staying in the general vicinity of the doors. Reduces [I am the Danger] bonus to 5%.
+You don't need effectiveness bonuses nearly as badly if you carefully pick and choose which encounters to trigger.
+Do I even need to argue for this approach
+Maximize survival% by taking this and every other survival-relevant bonus
I'm favoring the conservative route, this was in contention at the point this reaction was written.
[ ] +.1 Rank - The will to go on.
[ ] Ring Affinity - What does this do? Perhaps it might be important.
[ ] Absolute Focus - Lose your next 2 Arete. Gain an additional 10% effectiveness bonus within the Temple, which can be increased up to 20% depending on quality and quantity of future discussion, tactics etc. Stacks with the inherent bonus that discussion and tactics can provide.
Among other things, Conservative makes things safer to pick something like Ring Affinity.
