A Simple Transaction I

The Provinces, Roused

The winner was [X] Foment Rebellion by a heavy margin with [X] Vigor Incarnate by a hair. Hunger's hunt was exceptionally successful (rolled a 97!), granting 3 additional picks and 1 additional Arete, though no single enemy yielded more than 2 picks.

What was the nature of the potential allies Hunger encountered? Choose one. The options unchosen may not exist in-universe.

[ ] The Silver Horde - Those who near the end of their allotted span are placed under heavy surveillance, their ability to organize gradually curtailed and denied the light of the Ring. This greatly-suppressed band of malcontents-by-necessity has found each other in the chaos and would like nothing more than to overthrow the regime that mandates their death. Their motive is purely (enlightened... ?) self-interest, but they will fight ardently all the same, for their very lives are literally at stake.

Combat Strength: Modest. Denied the light for some years, their powers are on the wane.

Cost: 0 picks. Hunger did not have to waste any time picking up this force. They found him and volunteered.

*You get what you pay for. Literal geriatrics are only relevant due to their Soul Evocations.
*They can maybe distract one or two Immortals temporarily.
*Modest knowledge of the Inner Ring.

[ ] Who Walked Away - Even in the sheltered Inner Ring, there are those who discovered the truth of the Ring's torment, especially among they who have had extensive contact with former Outriders. While most were capable of ignoring the moral implications of the Call, some principled individuals could not help but take a stand. They were swiftly crushed and imprisoned, but Hunger diverted his hunt to open these holding cells, releasing these idealistic dissenters. While many are barely better than chaff in the face of the Marshalls, they are lead by Lady Aristeia Fairbright, whose might even contained was the stuff of legend. Though her powers have been drained by the Council's horrific experiments, she remains a force to be reckoned with, capable of matching a High Marshall in single combat.

Combat Strength: Significant. Aristeia Fairbright is only moderately weaker than Hunger himself. Blood enhancements can augment her significantly. Her followers are useful for causing general pandemonium, though they are hesitant to employ violence against the innocent. One or two might be Marshal-level.

*Another f**king Fairbright
*Very good value for what you pay
*Fairbright Bloodline can buff Hunger, temporarily increasing his own effectiveness in combat as well
*This squad of naive fools is focused on doing what's right to an almost impractical degree, but Hunger can respect that. +Mental Stability.
*Minimal knowledge of the Inner Ring, but a few strategically valuable pieces of data.

Cost: 1 pick, 1 Arete.

[ ] Larissa of House Alynne - Mighty House Alynne has been marginalized by recent maneuvers in the Council. Their leader, Lady Larissa, was enraptured by Hunger's brooding magnetism and threw in with him after some convincing. In a fit of opportunistic spite they have raised the flag of rebellion alongside Hunger's incursion. Though she is not personally formidable, Larissa Alynne commands House forces numbering dozens of Marshals, as well as High Marshal Wyvernford and two additional Soul Evokers of equivalent power used to conduct off-the-books operations.

Combat Strength: High. High Marshal Wyvernford alongside the remainder of the Alynne forces might be a match for one to two Immortals on their own, should they receive blood enhancement. Additionally, House Alynne is well-acquainted with the infrastructure of the Inner Ring and would be most suited of the allies on offer to organize an evacuation in the event of Dimensional Rift destabilization.

Cost: 2 picks. Convincing Larissa was not difficult, but it was time-consuming, and not killing Wyvernford leaves Ring-granted power on the table.

*An option unlocked by having 10+ Charisma
*Setting a bad example for Letrizia
*Larissa might get clingy before she is inevitably crushed by Gisena
*House Alynne can spearhead reorganization in the wake of the Ring's departure, making exfiltration smooth and easy, and civilian casualties minimized
*Extremely in-depth information of existing Inner Ring defenses, including (outdated) tactical data on some of the Immortals themselves.
*They also know where the Temple's cache of precious metals & other resources is located, and can save them in time for the Rift. Plenty of currency for everyone!

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You have 3 picks and ~6.1 Arete, minus any picks and Arete spent above. You may spend up to 2 extra Arete, entering Arete Debt if the amount generated does not cover that. As a reminder, you should only take Augment Dominion: Blood if you want to save the picks now and spend them later, as it does not stack with Crimson Flare's Rank bonus to Blood manipulation. Note that the high number of available Stances means you may not necessarily need picks here to get a substantial improvement in combat strength.

- 0-pick options -

All Martial Stances cost 7 Arete.

[ ] Magic-Defeating Stance - A Martial Stance of the Forebear. Grants high-grade defensive effect nullification against all hostile effects of supernatural origin, and quintuples the power of Ruin for purposes of cutting through enemy magics. Mitigate all Curses an additional half step beyond the first. This Stance is permanently active until switched for another [Type]-Defeating Stance. One of the pre-requisites for All-Defeating Stance. You may have [Rank/2, rounded down] Stances active at one time.

[ ] World-Defeating Stance - A martial stance of the Forebear. Forces natural and premeditated; forces unnatural and obscene - it matters not to the cause of the Forebear, whose march is steady and inevitable, carrying all before it. A billion realms brought to heel and countless more razed to ash, systems of the world in kaleidoscopic arrangement and all bent to his will. Meaningless as escape may be, more futile still is dissent: an enemy is just a future subject, and though they may forget the face of their fathers, the Forebear's visage is burned indelibly into their spirits.

If the user possesses all of the other [Type]-Defeating Stances, upgrades into All-Defeating Stance.

+.2 Rank, ++Luck, ++Intelligence, ++Protection

++++++Protection further against environmental harms, including from incompatible or hostile physics and metaphysics.
*Shelters wielder's powers from suppression or negation, even that resulting from a lack of magic or magical structures within the world.
*5x Power of Ruin against non-supernatural foes or phenomena beyond a human's ability to defeat.

[ ] Weapon-Defeating Stance - A martial stance of the Forebear. He who would presume to wield force of arms against the Forebear dooms himself to inescapable plight, and well-deserved. No blade that crosses the Forebear's can help but shatter before its unbound might; neither fist nor bolt nor meteor strike can impel its steely aegis. A pre-requisite for All-Defeating Stance.

+++++AGI, +++++Might
5x Power of Ruin to sunder, intercept or destroy all weapons, natural or constructed
+++++Protection against all weapons, natural or constructed

[ ] Hero-Defeating Stance - A Martial Stance of the Forebear. ++Might, ++Agility, +Wisdom, +0.2 external Rank. Halve the effects of enemy Rank if it is greater than your own. Halve the effects of being outnumbered, if you are outnumbered. This Stance is permanently active until switched for another [Enemy]-Defeating Stance. A pre-requisite for Foe-Defeating Stance. You may have [Rank/2, rounded down] Stances active at one time.

- 1-pick options -

[ ] 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]

[ ] 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.

The available domains for Hunger are: War, Passion

[ ] Fierce Quickening - The absurd violence of Blood unleashed. Let all that falls within its dominion be spilled, if it be in service to the Ringbearer. Adds [++Agility, +Wits] to the bonuses from Quickening, subject to the usual conditions. Can be taken up to 3 times.

[ ] Augment Dominion: Blood - The world-wielding will of the Ring.
Treat the wielder's Rank as if it were (.5 Low/.25 Medium/.1 High) higher for purposes of the [Ring of Power] effect applied to the Blood domain, increasing its potency and versatility. Repeatable, but costs 1 more pick each time.

[ ] Exalted Spirit - 2 Arete. Conjunctional [Hunger, Evening Sky]. Mind made vigorous as the body. Gain +Int, +Wits, +Wis, +Cha, -Heartlessness, while in a form with physical blood. Allies under blood enhancement gain +Int, +Cha. Blood enhancement requires physical blood.

[ ] Evening Sky - Opalescence - The soft light of evening before which all attacks falter.
+Protection, improving defensive parameters.

[ ] 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 - Pearlescence - 7 Arete - Woe unto they who would stand against the bearer of Evening, for all the stars in heaven are their enemies, and the moon above as well.
+++Protection, and the protection granted by the Evening Sky now automatically scales to its wearer's power; effectively, the wearer is granted an additional Experience modifier whose output is automatically applied to the Evening Sky. Requires Iridescence.

- 2-pick options -

[ ] Forebear's Blade - Iron Maelstrom - 2 Arete - In the storm of war he was as a cloud-piercing pillar.
+++Protection, ++Might to yourself and your allies so long as you stand undefeated. Extremely useful in group combat. Unlocks additional options.

[ ] Heartpiercer - 7 Arete - Blood tells. The Ringbearer listens.
+++CHA, ++AGI, +++++Strength. The wielder embodies the glory of blood, and the savage beauty of its dominion sets hearts to beating. He gains an unusual affinity for striking weak points, and his bloodsense is refined to the degree that he can predict the movements of his enemies by the shifting of their capillaries. Grants a major effectiveness boost in physical or romantic duels (1v1) against beings with corporeal blood, and a minor bonus in physical and romantic conflicts of any kind against such beings.

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