... That Renaissance Woman option.
Is it basically the "Take this if you intend to take Gisena with you as a long-term companion on all your Geas of Indenture quests", option,
@Rihaku?
Is this a Power EFB for Gisena, mixed Power/Potential, or...? It looks a bit weird, because stuff like Retinue (and "treated as having the Total Eclipse Advancement") makes it look like a high-Potential-weighted EFB, buuut... it also gives huge dollops of Power too...?
Is it 'balanced' by the fact that it all goes to a person other than Hunger? So that, it is not personal and innate power; it's a party member's power.
... Uh, also -- how does Gisena work in the Astral Rank system? That is, how does she do compared to Hunger, or to Avecarn? Does she hold a 'virtual' rank or...? Or does she
actually hold an Astral Rank? And in either case, what
is her Rank?
Although:
Huh. All-Defeating Stance doesn't provide any Rank increases or Rank Bonuses, apparently? No Rank-related mechanics at all?
... But it seems to not matter. As Hunger's Rank of (... what is his Rank right now, actually? Is it 4.3 or 4.8 or something? I've been assuming it was 4.3 due to looking at the character sheet, forgetting the +Rank from Achievements, so...) 4-point-something would still let him steamroll Avecarn's 6.5 Rank anyway somehow?
Not merely a genius of one generation, nor of one era; hers is a greatness of mind and spirit that arises perhaps only once in the lifetime of a species. All-conquering talent that bestrides all fields and masters them beyond compare: only this genuine polymath can be said to embody the complete essence - the true quintessence - of humanity in the Maiden's image. Only so exalted a paragon can glimpse the mortal facings of Heaven's Lathe and depart with mind unshattered.
Huh. Really making me think back to The Fairest and Reminiscent Ivory and Pearl and Nio and so on.
*Gisena immediately acquires the Maiden-level Graces: True Perfecting Blade, True Nullity, and True Quintessence.
Oh, come on! And now even more-so. As both the Fairest and Ivory/Pearl were associated with, or allowed to bear, Odyssial's blade Ambition right? There were... 4 people in the world that could bear that thing, without Ody's explicity permission... meaning it'd be Ody, Pearl/Ivory, Lealope, and the 4th would had to have been The Fairest then, right?
*Gisena, through observation of the mortal-perceptible components of Hunger's Progression, replicates the effects of the Lesser Remittance, Retinue, for up to one cardinality of infinite escalation.
Up to one cardinality of...? Is that just a fancy way of saying "Yeah, this works as like the Lesser Remittance: Retinue, for
a long-ass time. Basically, in any reasonable timeframe, yer not gonna run out of power on this thing."
But, to further clarify... Does that mean that Gisena can apply Retinue to Hunger and Letrizia? She can take a 25% x 25% penalty to her own progression, and in exchange give "Each advances in their primary area of specialization with Progression one-fourth the potency of your own"?
Really? Does... does that mean Hunger would get a 25% (of Gisena's Progression potency) boost to, what, Accretion? To Rank-increasing only? To getting Advancements?
Is this seriously a 25% (of Gisena's etc etc) progression boost?
*True Nullity: Gisena applies the effects of Grand Nullification upon all of Hunger's Curses; her nullity strikes with absolute force. This may improve over time.
Does this apply to the Doom of the Tyrant? Or not, because of Uttermost?
Also: having 3 Graces, huh... And learning from Hunger's Progression... Sort of reminding me of an Accretion's persons 3 Artifacts.
Also also, about Retinue:
[ ] Retinue - You may designate up to five members of your Retinue. Each reduces your rate of Progression by 25% multiplicatively. Each advances in their primary area of specialization with Progression one-fourth the potency of your own. Needless to say this is an outrageous and irreplaceable boon. Retinue companions are easy to add, costly to remove.
Your Retinue companions may with a short ceremony voluntarily pledge loyalty to any member of your retinue or yourself. This axiomatically prevents that character from betraying the one to whom they have so pledged. Breaking a pledge is possible but is always time-consuming, obvious over any distance, extremely onerous and afflicts the forsworn with a particularly ironic flavor of the Apocryphal Curse centered upon themselves. Pledges can be voluntarily released by mutual agreement in a less time-consuming process.
You may pledge loyalty to Retinue companions as well. Pledges may be mutual or not, mutual pledges may be simultaneous or not. You must add a character to the Retinue before pledges (from or to) can be made.
Y'know, if
that happens, then that would actually be kind of cool?
It would mean that in an upcoming update, the gang will be... holding a ceremony of friendship oaths and such.