A Simple Transaction I

Rihaku said:

Choose 1. Decide carefully, as this will determine not only the hero's Curses and Remittance but his disposition overall. It takes a certain mindset to select Freedom given chance of Vengeance, or the opposite.

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Yeah, well in Red Town, we call the mindset of people that pick Freedom over Vengeance cowards! Actually, I'm inclined to either Freedom or Vengeance depending on the kind of narrative we want to craft but after Even Further Beyond, I'm really looking forward to something more intense where the thread is really pushed to develop tactics and have a more badass character that struggles with his enemies at lower power levels. Overall, I kind of liked Bleach Quest the most out of all Rihaku's quests, and a major reason I felt that way was because Ishida grew from a fairly weak character in terms of both spiritual power and plot relevance to an Adversary with power surpassing that of Old Man Genocide and nearly on par with Aizen himself (Maybe? Aizen's masteries did inflate his effective REI pretty heavily so I'm not sure if in pure power, the Prince of Light can rival him. Definitely would not have wanted to fight against him though).

Seguing into a discussion on Bleach Quest for a moment, it's probably the only story of Rihaku's where I actually regret we took the power option (joining Aizen and repairing our soul with the Hougyoku) instead of staying with Soul Society and our friends. To this day, I mourn the possibility of reading about Vizard Byakuya and Yoruichi! It was the first Rihaku quest I participated in, though I didn't manage to vote in time to affect the Accept / Decline choice. I read a bit of Magus Quest before that but Bleach Quest was the first story of Rihaku's that actually drew me in. Bloodstained Blossoming remains my favorite chapter in all of Rihaku's works still and it's the main reason I wished we could have stayed with Soul Society. That kind of perfect social victory against Byakuya, completely turning him onto our side and him gifting his scarf to us in recognition of our ideals... it's probably the most intense and perfect moment Rihaku has written in my opinion. The only other moment that came close in terms of 'awesome social victory' was By Other Means in Terrascape when Arthur rolled that nat 100, which made me super hopeful that Arthur would become a more independent character though his flow with Imperia wasn't that bad.

Anyway, I'm quite keen on going back to 'more basic' power-levels for a while and to have more intense fight scenes, cause while Even Further Beyond satisfied my appetite for power escalation by going straight to 'breath and wipe out entire galaxy clusters', the fight scenes were only okay, barring the exception of Suizhen storming the Lazulite Halls and Nameless fighting against Zang Kong - those were some awesome fights. Playing on a more basic setting will probably provoke more thrilling battles cause we'll be operating on a much smaller margin of error and we'll be forced to escalate ever more quickly against the forces of the Apocryphal Curse.

Well, time to comment on builds!

Rihaku said:

[ ] Dread but Dreaming - A force of nature more than a man, but perhaps that is for the best. With power such as this, the dream of a society aligned to his ideals is not so far away. But even if it's what they would have wanted, would it not be even better to have - them - back? Perhaps he recoils from even their memory. To face them would be too much. Sleep beckons, its insensate span anesthetizing the soul. Disturb not he who lies dread but dreaming, for he means you no harm. His task is done, and these long slow eons are not durance, but requiem.
-[ ] Keep the Plenary Brand, gaining 3 more Lesser Remittances.
-[ ] Drop the Plenary Brand, removing the risk of it exposing your Curse-related weaknesses.

*Safely explore the Praxis. Begin with a considerable basis in its techniques.
*When you are ready to act, do with the power what you wish
*Can advance in power naturally by studying the Praxis
*Difficult to integrate into proper society, may have to make your own
*Somewhat underwhelming long-term prospects due to Slumber. Compared to the other options, it takes a while to get things done.

Freedom
Affliction of Slumber, Tyrant's Doom, Plenary Brand
The Sword That Ends The World

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Huh, despite me kind of being against Freedom in a narrative sense, I'm actually really like the vibe of Dread but Dreaming. Gives off a Azathoth-ish feel and the Curses really synergize with the 'final boss of the universe' theme we've got going, immediately declaring us as a Combat-type Cursebearer with power sufficient to sunder armies and boil seas entire with the Plenary Brand's announcement of our presence and the Tyrant's Doom really feeding into our theme of 'a conquering force, heedless of restraint and possessed of overwhelming power'. The Affliction of Slumber is a weakness that we can work around and is also interesting thematically speaking as something that limits our actions but also allows some degree of flexibility in planning on growing our power around it.

Also, Affliction-type Curses seem to be easier to mitigate than other Curses? So taking up Slumber is actually pretty ok in my opinion, it's a better Curse than Decimator for sure. We could chain this with Gisena's Nullity to mitigate our Slumber and Plenary Brand, investing in her so that she can continue to reduce the power of the Brand as we continue our journey. Overall, Dread but Dreaming has the best Curse set in my opinion and I like the aesthetics of Plenary Brand which is paired nicely with Affliction of the Slumber and the Doom of the Tyrant, so this kind of hits me in the 'thematics' part of my brain.

And we can't forget about The Sword That Ends the World! Easily the best part of this build, with us having the power to study the Praxis freely with the safety offered by being a Combat-type Cursebearer, we could spend entire updates devoted to increasing our understanding of the Praxis and enjoying the succulent bounty of DEEP LORE thus available! Man, that dream almost makes me light-headed just thinking about it. Realistically, I think we could get maybe 1 ~ 2 updates of training and magic lore before Rihaku tosses a quest or monsters at us, but it would have been much more information on the Praxis than we have now so that's still kind of a net-gain to me.

I actually quite like Dread but Dreaming a lot, it's easily my second-favorite option of the builds. I would vote for this pretty comfortably if there wasn't the offer of Progression on the table. The power of infinite scaling derived from the Infinite Singularity Husk is something too powerful for me to defy...

Rihaku said:

[ ] The Forsaken Mask - To enjoy the freedom you've earned, it's best not to take Curses that would be too much of a burden. The Doom of Lunacy may restrict your power, but the Plenary Brand makes your true strength apparent, and the threat of power is often as effective as its application. With the power to return those lost to you, a simple and unambitious life beckons. That said, it would be unwise to bare your true mien around child or wife. Even if they have the strength of spirit to withstand its abhorrence, they lack the strength of body to survive its rage. Woe betide he who would drive you too far, for your power unmasked is the doom of worlds.

*A comfy life with your child and wife
*Though it's obvious you have it, it's highly risky to actually unleash your power
*Difficult to train it as much of your capacity is sealed by the Doom, but easy to fit into society
*If you can find a compatible Lunacy target, such worries would be reduced
*A highly synergistic build. Three Wishes is the best Remittance for the Plenary Band, Combat-type the best Type, Doom of Lunacy the best accompanying Curse.

Freedom
Doom of Lunacy, Plenary Brand
Three Wishes

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Urgh. Doom of Lunacy? Plenary Brand? Together? Such an unappealing combination in terms of playstyle. I know the synergy of the build is pretty good but Lunacy downgrades our power tremendously, sealing away more than 70% of our power except for dramatic circumstances and the Plenary Brand just advertises that to the whole world. Yeah, I get that we still have enough power that people will be disinclined to attack us, but the Plenary Brand making people consider us a villain (rightfully so, because we have the Doom of the Tyrant) is a feature not a bug to me. I like the idea of being a force that can dominate the world and while Three Wishes is objectively superior since the Brand will clearly state that we have the backing of the Accursed in the event we need to trigger a True Wish defensively but we're probably going to expend the Lesser Wish on resurrecting Catherine (spoilers at the time of this vote, lol) and I recall Rihaku mentioning we'll probably pick a power to protect them using Least Wish.. so that's like 2 wishes wasted on others.

I'm in this to grow our character's personal power and legend so it's kind of offputting to be investing so much of our resources into companions. Plus, the Hero's wife was and still remains a true blackbox. We know she has a kind personality and that she was the adopted daughter of the Tyrant (maybe she's a true descendant of the Forebear? Would explain how the Hero knew to get past the Tyrant's vault defenses and Abduct the Forebear's Blade and her relation to his master might be the reason the Tyrant adopted her in the first place).

Anyway, this build combines the Curse I want the least (Doom of Lunacy, for reasons explained in my first reaction) with the power I want least (Three Wishes, cause it's so nebulous and will probably be expended on other people) so Forsaken Mask has to be my overall last pick in terms of build choice. It would be pretty comfy to explore a new world with our resurrected wife and child, but just as a personal preference, I don't participate in Rihaku quests just for comfy stuff or character banter - I'm here for high octane fight scenes, sick blurbs and DEEP LORE, with increasing importance in descending order, so Forsaken Mask just doesn't do it for me.

Rihaku said:

[ ] Vendetta - He did not volunteer for service, he was compelled. And his enslavers have betrayed and discarded him. So much for heroism. So much for ideals. So be it. Aside from his benefactor, he stands alone. Until the architects of his ruin lay broken beneath his feet, he will know neither peace nor rest. If Justice is five fingers made a fist, then Vengeance is a blade held aloft. Let it be their sword of Damocles.

Tremble, traitor gods and traitor kings. For the hour of reckoning is nigh, and the price of your hubris is blood.

-[ ] Remittance: The Sword - This option is undeniably powerful in the long-term if he can survive the first Geas world, but dramatically increases the effective danger of the first world in a way that is difficult to mitigate with Lesser Remittances. Note: if the hero dies early, which is very possible with this build, the quest will end and I do not intend to make a new quest for a while. In either case the hero's story will be over.
-[ ] Remittance: The King's - There are more ways than one to gain power quickly. Having existing power to leverage is one of the more reliable, and safer too. There is much to be said for immediate strength when one takes a combination of Curses as aggressive as this. One need not wield the sword that ends the world in order to shatter heaven.

Vengeance
Decimator's Affliction, Tyrant's Doom
The Sword That Ends the World / King's Scepter

*Unapologetic EDGE. If you like Baenlixnaire so much, why don't you be him?!
*A dangerous combination of Curses, but not overly restrictive outside of social situations
*You'll have to decide whether to aggressively mitigate the Affliction, spending time and effort, or to let it run, conserving your power to prepare for the Apocryphal Curse
*Unrestricted Progression married to purity of purpose will yield incalculable might in time.
*To be clear, while the hero will be obsessed with vengeance and consider it his foremost priority (can you blame him?), he will still be a functional human being capable of making human connections. This option will not turn him into a caricature.

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Now, this is where it's at! Red Option for the Red God! Vengeance at all costs - the words of Baenlixnaire (gods, his name is a pain to type)! Now, we can live up to his words in truth by becoming him and commit to his goal. This time, no proxies in indolent children with vague moralistic tendencies but primarily driven by pointless greed and sloth, we'll get to do the job ourselves. The Hero shall wreak his vengeance upon the Hidden Ones in full, attaining the limitless power of unbound Progression itself to grow strong enough to extract his bitter revenge from them. Maybe this time, we'll be able to go all the way and actually deal a terrible fate to our enemies instead of wiffing and going with a compromise punishment instead of true Vengeance. (Not to really dunk on anyone's opinion, but I really did find it quite curious that Nameless, a man animated by the prospect of attaining vengeance on behalf of his lich mentors would falter at the last moment. Well, maybe that just serves as an indication of the depths of his sloth - to just pass over revenge because it was kind of too much.)

Anyway, stepping out of that pool of edge I temporarily sunk in to produce more words, I really like Vendetta. Its blurb calls to me greatly and the Hero does seems more inclined towards Vengeance than Freedom from my read of his character. The Curse combination is pretty great, Doom of the Tyrant and Affliction of the Decimator are definitely the Curses of a 'bad guy' but they don't have much overall impact on us directly or immediately so they're pretty safe in my opinion and establish the Hero's personality while enhancing his danger level to opposing universes. The Decimator is concerning since I'd prefer not to just kill 10% of everyone each year without our input on doing that so it's less appealing than the Tyrant's Doom in that regard, but generally quite acceptable in the name of 'cool' and power escalation. Like, I'm not deliberately edgy enough to want to kill the universe but this Curse set doesn't have much of an impact on us personally so I'm leaning towards these two Curses since Slumber seems pretty dang dangerous when we have the Apocryphal Curse hanging over our head and lack the safety net of a Combat Type's overwhelming power.

Thought I should call attention to a particular phrase in Vendetta's blurb - If Justice is five fingers made a fist, then Vengeance is a blade held aloft. - Vengeance is a 'blade', a weapon of violence meant to cut at one's enemies. In other words, it is also a 'Sword'. Could any other power be more fitting for the Hero who seeks to avenge himself and his comrades upon an uncaring universe than a Sword of Vengeance that defies the universe and forces reality to care? Vendetta - Sword resonates with me greatly and it has to be my favorite of the builds.

The King's Scepter suffers from being kind of bland in my opinion since it appears to be a superpower like Game of the Year Edition once was. While the Hero is presumably stronger than Seram was, the powers the latter got were nowhere near as cool as the Praxis was so I'm pretty disinclined to pick the Scepter. It would still be my overall third choice, after Vendetta - Sword and Dread but Dreaming (what can I say, I love the Praxis).

Rihaku said:

[ ] Balance - The temptation of respite is strong. But his companions, his child, cannot go unavenged. Perhaps he can find it in himself to forget the hidden ones and let their depredations go unanswered. But that is the coping mechanism of the powerless, a squandering of the opportunity, so unthinkably precious, that has been presented him. What then is the path that balances humanity with satisfaction, safety with power? If impairment in certain arenas is the only cost of this strength, then he will consider it power bought cheaply, so long as long as his own decision-making is not compromised.

Vengeance
Affliction of Slumber, Champion's Brand
Regalia

*Turn every social interaction into a simple transaction. It's safer that way.
*With efficiently conserved power and Regalia granting two instances of perfect time travel, well equipped to deal with the Apocryphal Curse in the short to medium term. Time travel is not just safety, but power - optimal knowledge of all secrets and circumstances that can be exploited to one's favor. With foreknowledge, the upheaval that characterizes interesting times can bring opportunity as well. Chaos, ladders, etc.
*Curse selection does not provoke enemies, so will likely encounter fewer and less dangerous foes in the first place
*Can still rely on those select individuals immune to the Champion's Brand to do things for him, but a Progression type can eventually do most things himself
*Slumber is a crippling affliction, but all Curses are crippling. Speed of Progression is still immense and he can still interact rationally with society, potentially hiring guards.
*Perhaps he will never profitably benefit from accelerated time, but the effort that would have been paid towards that endeavor can be spent on the next best thing.
*Such is the nature of unbounded Progression in every field.

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Ah, thus began the rise of the Balancebros! Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. Social things now becomes a simple balancing game where each party has to exchange equal (?) value to each other and every conversation becomes transactional in nature. Combined with the power to try again alongside a whole medley of potential powers in the Regalia, Balance truly is the epitome of the phrase 'jack of all trades, master of none'. It allows us to continue to have the infinite scaling potential of unbound Progression while also granting moderate safety with its control of time travel and does not overly penalize us in terms of Curse choices. We could even sort of do a heroic-kind of character as a knight honorbound to accommodate the requests of others in exchange for them doing the same for his own requests and there is a sort of link to the Arthurian mythos with that kind of knightly behavior alongside Slumber's themes.

In short, a Balance of most things voters want: power, potential and protection. However, in achieving that balance, this build becomes... milquetoast in terms of flavor. We have a diverse powerset but we have little depth in any particular field and cause our build is focused on covering every area of weakness, we have no particular strengths which stand out. In that regard, our attention and themes become a little too scattered for my taste. True commitment, wholehearted devotion to one aspect, giving one's Uttermost to a goal is much more potent than mere competence in every field. Balance just doesn't arouse the same kind of interest as the other options from me, though I would still vote for it over Forsaken Mask because of the powerset - I actually prefer the latter's thematic coherence.

To sum it all up, my preferences lean towards Vendetta with Sword being my first choice, because the ideal of a focused, driven campaign towards Vengeance is very appealing to me and acquiring the Praxis satisfies my immense hunger for more Accursed lore so I've got to give my vote to those options.