A Simple Transaction I

Winning vote was [X]Conjure and [X]Blade. Asset prioritization relies on the results of this vote, so it has not been closed.



The foundation of status is power. 'Pierce through, even if it cannot be pierced' is the essence of the Unerring Blade, but even the most practiced pierce will fail without a blade to pierce with; no scheme will raise a single non-Evoker to the Inner Temple. So, when faced with the reality of her brother's death, is it any surprise Erii chose to attempt to awaken power of her own?

The necessary medicines had long been ready; while she had never planned to awaken in the near future, sheltered under Vanreir's aegis as she was, awakening had long been treated as a constant of life as a member of the nobility of the Middle Temple; it was not so much a question of if, but of when. Even as degraded as the Amarlt were, the expectations remained. She knew the meditations required, had learned them when young and prepared herself for this moment. All that remained was to—

The front door opened. As her brother's routine involved doing all chores, they had never had servants; only he and she had copies of the key. A messenger would knock, even if his key was recovered from his corpse. Either he was alive, gloriously alive, or this was no messenger, but his killer. She drew the holdout pistol from its strap and crept towards the stairs; even if she would surely fall to any who could slay her brother, she wouldn't die without a fight.

Peering toward the entrance, she saw not her brother, but a one-armed, one-eyed swordsman. Had her brother had left those wounds? She took aim, only to be interrupted by her enemy's shout.

"I bear a message from Vanreir, Erii!"

She would not be fooled; any such message would be a dying message, a last wish from the damned. As she shot at him, she cried "Like I'd trust his killer!"

In one swift motion, the crippled swordsman drew his blade and cut the projectile from the air.

"He's not exactly dead. Or his soul isn't, at any rate."

Erii froze; while she did not lower the gun, her grip slackened somewhat. "What proof do you have?"

"He told me about that one time, when you were eight, and you ..."

Flushing intensely, Erii shot at him again, to predictable lack of effect. "Okay, I believe you now, shut up!"

"But don't you need to be sure? How about we discuss some other things only the two of you should know? For example, when you were six and you ..."

Eventually, the tyrannical unearthing of her childhood traumas complete, he introduced himself as Hunger, revealed that Vanreir's remnants were imprisoned in his soul, and handed over the Blade.



Erii has decided to attempt to awaken her Soul Evocation. Also, a crippled, one-eyed swordsman has appeared with Vanreir's corpse and Blade. He is the Imprisoner, and he claims to speak for Vanreir, or whatever is left of him.

What power does she awaken, if successful? Selection will affect unlock chances. While only one may be selected now, the others may not necessarily be lost. Currently, base chance is at 55%. Sufficiently accurate guesses at the nature of Erii's Soul Evocation will increase this significantly, up to 20%.



[ ] Searing: The power of a thousand suns, emanating in waves of amaranthine light. Darkness is lawless; illumination is the imposition of law.

* The presence of the wielder amplifies significantly; in combat, can apply Pressure as if an Accretion wielder.

* Minor achievements permit the emission of amaranth light and flame from any portion of the body, though hands and eyes are easiest. Higher achievements expand the spiritual self to extrude from the physical form; detection is empowered significantly, and the wielder is always physically considered to be in the most beneficial position within the area of the spiritual self. Spiritual self's size depends on Rank. The flame is initially relatively mundane, but additional properties can be developed. With significant exertion, will be able to create Laws applicable to every entity within spiritual self; basic applications are commands like "It is forbidden to move," while more complex applications can change physics, then metaphysics.

* The simplest of the applications: +10% unlock chance

* Most obvious power, initially; preserve 4 Assets.

* Law to maximize motivation! Law to increase power! Imposing internal rules has high utility, even before you can just suppress everyone with your massive soul.



[ ] Incandescence: Mysteries are fire. Truth burns. Extinguishing mystery creates an enigma; igniting it destroys minds.

* The wielder gains effectiveness in matters involving other entities, depending on the quantity of their secrets the other party does not know. Modifier improves with skill; initially 20% for someone with no knowledge of existence.

* Minor achievements permit the burning of personal information from other entities' minds. Higher achievements permit the divulging of secrets unknown to ignite an entity with madness-inducing amaranth flames. Unmitigated, this will cause a proportional decrease in mental statistics as well as physically searing them, and it cannot be snuffed out by conventional means. Forgetting all related secrets will extinguish the flames, though entities who are freed by this method will not be immune to a repeated application of the same secrets. Baring 90% or greater of related secrets in one burst will destroy sentience.

* Being much more intelligent pays dividends; Stress reduced to 20%.

* Relatively complicated: no change in unlock chance.

* Not exactly flashy and impressive initially, but effectiveness pays off; preserve 3 Assets.

* Can now tell people "knowing my secrets is dangerous"

* What a godly schemer power



[ ] Liberator: The blade cuts through all chains, all cages, all prisons. The tyranny of the mortal coil cannot match the unsurpassed sword; the prison of the body shall no longer harbor the soul, and death shall hold no dominion.

* Unlocked by [ ]Blade.

* Minor achievements permit Soul-Slicing attacks, which wound the tether of the soul to the body, and Soul-Severing attacks, which destroy the harmony of the soul and body and cause the spirit to escape, an almost always lethal occurrence for those without applicable abilities. The latter are highly strenuous. Higher achievements permit more delicate spiritual surgery, which allows modification of Soul Evocations; higher still is the cleaving of mortality, permitting resurrection from but a vestige of spirit and eliminating the shackle of lifespan.

* Erii's hope of one day reviving her brother will reduce Stress to 0%, if successful.

* Very tough to develop: -10% unlock chance

* Pretty hard to use nonlethally; preserve 1 Asset unless you kill someone in public, in which case their immense suffering will strike fear into more obvious interlopers and preserve 2 Assets.

* Have to convince Hunger to let Erii cut Vanreir out of his soul

* She could always just try to kill him, I suppose

* This application is antithetical to the Imprisoner, so he won't be able to help you much even if he wants to



Also, select another participation bonus.

[ ] +1 reroll for Soul Evocation unlock

[ ] Gain +Imprisoner

[ ] -20% Stress