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A Simple Transaction I

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I don't know why I imagined Fairbright the 2nd to be young, pink-haired, or blue eyed. But I did, and I hope to some day pick a Fairbright option.



Also, swapping to no stance.

[X] Larissa of House Alynne
[X] Fierce Quickening
 
1150 words for the same shit show that is Nine's life.

EVERY DAY. UNTIL. YOU LIKE. IT.

PROBABLY.

Locks of black fell as a curtain, his eyes hidden from view. His chest stayed in rhythm; the soft exhalation of air. Extremities unmoved, as languid as they could be. For when one found themselves in unfamiliar territory, shackled and chained, information was key to surviving the next few minutes. Sudden movements would have merely burdened him.

A brief recollection of memories. The exchange with Viktor. Then completely blacking out.

The stupid bear had gone easy on him. Which, Nine supposed, was the sole reason why he hadn't met his Benefactor twice already. A cursory examination of his surroundings led Nine to the conclusion that he had been thrown into the holding cells. They were often used to deal with malcontents that needed to be kept alive. In some cases, the cells had also been used for disciplinary measures.

Nine hoped that it was the latter.

Wrists and ankles were bound. Nine estimated that escaping his binds offered no challenge. Quite a few things had changed after his Baptism. Still, easy as it may have been there was little need for it. He didn't have Promise with him, effectively limiting his offensive ceiling. Thankfully, there was the faint pulse in his thoughts that indicated the shard of his soul was. Unsettling however, that it wasn't stationary.

Slowly, the mercenary forced himself up. With the situation grasped, he could afford to avail some of the amenities as he moved about. Of which there were none. A lavatory and a faucet was all he had, with one out of place camera on the ceiling. Should he wave at them...? No, no. No need to aggravate the people who had chained him here. Any disarray in his thoughts could be pieced out later. Questions that roused his curiosity could wait.

A forceful escape might be necessary. Thankful as he was to Viktor for sparing him then, the consequences that could follow were far from ideal. Breaking apart his bindings would just increase security. He didn't trust his own acting skills to convince them that he was actually sick. Plan after plan dissolved against logic and reason within his mind. He might have known how to dismantle a Rotspawn with ease, but actually convincing people? Last time he tried it, he got knocked out and thrown into jail.

"Judging from your face, you seem to be suffering from a conniption. Subject NW-01."

Nine stiffened as the announcement boomed all around. Immediately after, his eyes zeroed in on the camera. Combat instincts roared back to life as energy moved along familiar trails. Knees bent. Shoulders loose. An automatic response as the glass and grates opened. Revealed across him were mercenaries, firearms all trained on him. Nine saw Viktor's figure by the middle, albeit his face covered in protective gear.

But even the threat of lead bullets paled in comparison to the man in the very middle.

It was an insidious thing. The shallow scent of iron and chloride. Cursory thoughts you ignored. A snap in the forest, where one would turn their head. Nine forced out a breath, the present back in place. He could feel himself drenched in sweat, a sensation becoming all too familiar as of late. His eyes met crimson framed by luscious black, a pair brighter than his own.

The quiet smile on the stranger's face brought forth memories of his Baptism.

"Welcome back, Subject NW-01. Viktor here has already given a report, but I would like to hear it from you."

"Director August."

Acknowledged the employee, as he stood on attention. Nine provided the details of the operation. Short, meaningful sentences. Nothing but facts. Cut and dry, as if he was writing a mission report. All the while, the Director nodded. Parsing the information even as he approached his employee. He was well within arm's reach, Nine noticed.

He only needed was a moment.

Yet all the same, Nine kept his hands where they were. His voice as steady and as detached as he could. A picture perfect soldier, for the picture perfect director.

"You have my deepest gratitude, NW-01. Due to your heroic actions, your squad has managed to return to us alive. And I must commend your strength as well. Viktor's praise held some truth after all." With a wave of the Director's hand, one of his assistants moved forward. The key in his hands unlocked the bindings that impeded Nine, giving back the mercenary his full range of motion. The young man, for all that he could do, merely fixed his posture and remained at attention.

"I am aware that you may be experiencing some confusion, finding yourself in such a precarious position. But do not fret, NW-01. Rather, be joyous! I have reviewed your performance and, with input from your betters, have deemed you capable." With but another wave of his hand, the line of mercenaries lowered their firearms as two of them stepped forward. One held Promise, wrapped in pristine and unmarred leather. The other, an opened box lined with velvet wherein a glove rested.

"Take both Lance and Mark for tomorrow onwards, you shall answer directly to me as a member of Assault Squad Zero."


----

[9] Feat: A Promise Kept, and [9] Cells have won. Due to Nine's admittedly heroic feats, and observed growth rate prior to his Baptism, as well as other actions that have been taken prior to this point, even the Director August's interest was piqued! Such [redacted]-rgy. Much wow.

Congratulations on reaching this point.

As part of Assault Squad Zero, Nine will be acting directly under Director August. Others are envious of the position. Others find it pretentious. Yet the Director cares little for those beneath his attention, and would rather exert energy into raising the stature of the mercenaries under his thumb.

What is your next directive:

[ ] Civil Unrest: "You will be sent to sector G alongside a contingent, and a senior member of Assault Squad Zero. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is the subjugation of an Elite Rotspawn that had been terrorizing some of our clientele in the area. Further details to follow."
- Notable Companion: Marco Hailey.
- Subjugation Target: Elite Rotspawn
- Estimated Difficulty: B

[ ] Logistical Complications: "You will be sent to sector C alongside a contingent. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is the subjugation of the sighted Greater Rotspawns in the area. Completion will increase our actionable influence in the sector."
- Notable Companion: N/A
- Subjugation Target: Greater Rotspawns
- Estimated Difficulty: C++

[ ] Mountaineering: "Viktor, have NW-01 tag along. Give him an idea what Squad Zero really is for."
- Notable Companion: Viktor
- Subjugation Target: N/A
- Estimated Difficulty: A+
- Apostle Credits: +0.7

Nine, as of this update, has 1.5 Apostle Credits and is currently Astral Rank 3.05.

because i have the memory of a fish (and is thus liable to get baited by Hunger), it'd be sweet if someone could tally up the feats and statblocks up to this point of the story, and for every update after. +.1 Apostle Credit per update, regardless of who does it.

also changing my vote in case

[X] Larissa of House Alynne
[X] Fierce Quickening
 
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[9] Logistical Complications:

Not Dying Gang version 9.0!


Genesys said:
1435 words.

NEGAVERSE: ERII QUEST PT 4​




Winning vote was [X]Savor.

The cake was a towering monolith, a dark decadence, product of the honed skill of a masterful Awakened baker and several apprentices. Placed upon the dining table, it stood taller than Erii. Its three tiers were decorated with a fantastical flair, the sculpted battle of white-chocolate angels against dark-chocolate demons and draped with icing, and even the scent was rich as sin. It was almost too much to take the first cut, destroying the unity; however, inevitably, the seduction of the nose overcame the pleasure of the eye. First, she cut from the lowest tier, a chocolate fudge cake, but taken to devilish heights; the first bite, enough to war over. The outside's frosty icing and sculpted chocolate melded with the dense and moist fudge, an unadulterated, intense chocolate, a mixture almost bypassing digestion and shooting directly to the brain. Mechanically, mouthful after mouthful entered her maw, the thought of stopping unbearable.

All too quickly, the entirety of its sweetness vanished into her gullet, and she reached for the knife again, to cut from the second tier. The fruity sweetness of raspberry wafted from this tier, and upon sinking her teeth in, the tartness of raspberry, amplified by the rich chocolate, struck her tongue. The usual sweetness of the raspberry, overwhelmed by the immense power of the chocolate, was nullified; only a razor-sharp flavor, almost slicing her taste buds, remained. Half a chilly, fluffy sweetness, half an acidic, biting juiciness, while the previous tier had been a singular menhir of chocolate alone, this tier was truly a battle between polar opposites, locked in mortal combat, warring upon her tongue, neither managing to overwhelm the other. And then, the battle ended, the slice completed, both sides living on only as an aftertaste, to be decimated by the unholy might of chocolate, concentrated and unleashed.

The third and final tier to sample, above all others; she sliced into it, and molten chocolate spilled out, slowly cascading down the other tiers. A gasp of shock; hurriedly, she stood and took her spoon to the task of capturing as much as she could, reaching into the lava cake and scooping out the gooey center. The potency of this viscous chocolate exceeded all previous, and its heat was magnified by the chill of the previous tiers and the exterior; an infernally debauched pleasure both corrupting and addictive, ruining all other cakes by comparison. Over and over she reached high into the center, migrating the escaping darkness to her jaws, from the imprisoning interior to her lips, almost become hellmouth in truth, a chthonic void filled with the tenebrous stuff of dreams. Nevertheless, the dream remained dismayingly ephemeral, its longevity diminished swallow by swallow, an immortal moment slain by time.

The inexorable conclusion approached, the core emptied, all the savor of the cake, experienced. All that remained was to relive the absurd thew once more, the brawn of chocolate unleashed yet again, the demolition of the beautiful structure by the cruel implements of knife, fork, and spoon, in service of an insatiable, ravenous yearning. Consumption, a forbidden pleasure, devastating a potential of forever, but cessation, unthinkable, traumatic. Men had died, would die, are dying over a single sampling of such a cake; the hedonistic excess on display, a persistent gorging, inconceivable. Eventually, hours later, this devourer could not continue, collapsing into the half-cake, consciousness overwhelmed by chocolate, postprandial somnolence exhibited in full. To this sight, the Imprisoner and his companions entered the once-mighty House of Amarlt; the inheritor half-buried in monstrous confectionery, dead to the world, gnawing even in dreams. Erii would later come to learn of the grand folly of revealing such a weakness, but for now, she slumped insensate.



Assets have been finalized; outcomes are that the House has been retained, 31 Connections have been retained, 12.5 Servants have been retained, and 16.5 currency units are available, with remaining businesses that output a fourth of that as income per month.

Erii has gained Hope: 10% effectiveness increase for all actions that do not damage the source of the hope via this absolutely excessive feast. As long as her actions aren't aiming to the demise of bakers capable of making such cakes, she'll keep the bonus for 1 month since the last time she ate any cake at this level or higher. No lesser cake will enter Erii's eye, now. The closer the food is to the idea of "chocolate cake," the worse it will suffer by comparison.

Select noble houses to retain Connections to, limited by your 31 Connections. Excess Connections will be banked as political currency.

[ ] Knightless: 5 Connections
* This "House" is not strictly speaking a noble house, but a conglomerate of all the upstarts who have power and have done service yet lack true backing and ancient history.
* Cheaper, but less powerful and less organized. However, less likely to betray you for benefits on a personal level.
* For each selection, gain a skilled connection in one of the below fields. May be picked multiple times.
-[ ] Military
-[ ] Administration
-[ ] Business

[ ] Drach: 10 Connections
* Not much history, only a couple hundred years old.
* Mostly military focused, many of their scions looked up to Vanreir. Thus, allying is easier. Social bonus with other Vanreir fans.
* Spartan and lacking in hedonism, mostly. Do not like cake.

[ ] Arendt: 20 Connections
* Rank-and-file of nobility, relatively speaking, as a millennium house.
* Heavily entrenched in politics and the Great Game.
* You will probably need to give them information or clout to gain favor.
* Cakes are valuable as a tool.

[ ] Reinhart: 30 Connections
* High ranking, broad influence, several thousand years old. Subordinate family of an Inner Temple Immortal. Fingers in many pies.
* You will need to gain their favor somehow, for example via arranged marriage. There isn't much they don't have, though.
* Current head has a famous sweet tooth... an annual cake delivery occurs for his birthday.



Select subordinates to retain, limited by your 12.5 Servants. Excess Servants will be banked as expendable manpower; relatively unskilled muscle owing your house a favor.

[ ] Street Gangs: 2 Servants
* The men of the streets are the backbone via which the Houses exert influence upon business. While only their heads are low-level Awakened, they act as ablative armor, a protection borne of numbers for the mundane, and via their spread, offer valuable information. Nothing truly secret, however.
* For each selection, gain a single gang boss subordinate, perhaps commanding a thousand men. May be picked multiple times.
* Heads maybe Rank 2-2.5 Soul Evocations. Typically flashy, but not very powerful.

[ ] Men of the Shadows: 5 Servants
* Assassins, spies, bodyguards, thieves, info-brokers. People who never witness the light.
* For each selection gain one such organization, perhaps a hundred strong, of subordinates. A tenth of those may be relevant combatants, though none can really match up to noble scions.
* ~Rank 3 Soul Evocations, generally more stealth-focused.

[ ] Force: 10 Servants
* An old, drunken Awakened. However, his Rank is astonishingly high for one without backing; at Rank 4.5, he's only half a rank under your brother, though his Soul Evocation is nowhere near as potent as the Unerring Blade, and he is sorely out of practice. Still, he should ensure your safety until you reach sufficient Rank to trample most Middle Temple residents; not going to be present all the time, though, since he's only protecting you to get drunk.
* Soul Evocation: The Juggernaut. He amplifies his size and defense, and strikes with incredible force, though not concentrated. Out of practice, so not much for finesse.

[ ] Cake Shop: 10 Servants
* As it happens, the cake you ordered was actually from one of your subordinates.
* These cakes are highly relevant, rare luxuries; publicly, only one is made per week. You got lucky winning the bidding war for only two currency units this time, as no major celebrations are happening this week.
* There is a Lesser Game of spycraft fought, specifically for these cakes. They are incredibly valuable; promising the sale of one will garner significant political currency.
* While the master baker is not primarily a combatant, he is an Awakened, and thus at least competent. His apprentices include other Awakened studying under him to hone their fine control; you also have sway over them, and some are less primarily bakers.
* You will be able to maintain your cake fix for certain.
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[Erii] Knightless
-[Erii] Military
-[Erii] Administration
-[Erii] Business
[Erii] Drach
[Erii] Force

Agree with Runeblue, this gives us a bit of resources and enough strenght to survive in the short-term. Now we just need to leverate our strong soul eovcation into actual power...
 
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[E] Knightless
- [E] Administration
- [E] Business
[E] Drach
[E] Street Gangs
[E] Street Gangs X2
[E] Men Of The Shadows

/pianos in golden wind @Genesys

also pls. the cake. stop making me eat dessert goddamnit.
 
Oof Tally
Adhoc vote count started by DkArthas on Jul 4, 2020 at 12:26 PM, finished with 222 posts and 50 votes.
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It looks like the build vote is highly divided! Iron Maelstrom, Heartpiercer, and Fierce Quickening + Weapon-Defeating Stance all have their partisans, with Magic and World-Defeating Stance somewhat behind... Larissa vs Who Walked is a bit less contested, though definitely in range of being flipped, especially if the build vote turns on a 2-pick being taken!
 
Taka said:
EVERY DAY. UNTIL. YOU LIKE. IT.

PROBABLY.
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[9] Mountaineering

Gotta keep things interesting. Also:
Apostle: Nine White
Progression Rate: 200%
Symbiote: Promise
Astral Rank: 3.05
Brand: Apostle

Conditions
  • None
Attributes
  • Wisdom: +
  • Teamwork: +++
  • Control: + | +
  • Might: | +
  • Agility: +
Loyalty
  • Viktor: +
  • Izmerel: +
[ ] One Goal; Your Team: "You ain't no superhero, kid. Gotta jive with your team. Multiply your strength with theirs and you might even take me down!"
- Provides +WIS, +Teamwork; Requires 2 Picks.

[ ] Feat: Return Of Investment: "You're getting up there with yer kills, kid! If you keep at it, I might even take you with me on a personal Hunt!"
- Provides 0.3 Astral Rank, raising you to 1.8 Astral Rank. +Viktor, +Chances for a Personal Hunt; Requires 2 Breakthrough Points

[ ] A Straight Line II: "The shortest distance between where you are to where you want to be is a straight line. Do not tarry."
- Provides Notable Increase in familiarity with lance-category weaponry, somewhat further weakens the concept of Distance, +Control +Might when using lance-category weaponry; Requires 2 Picks and 2 Breakthrough Points

[ ] Feat: Return Of Investment II: "Quantity ain't everything! Killing an Artillery-Class like that takes balls, brat!"
- Provides 0.4 Astral Rank, raising you to 2.2 Astral Rank. +Teamwork, +Control; Requires 5 Breakthrough Points

[ ] Increased Progression: "Some people take forever to get anywhere in life. You've already got a small boost by being my Apostle, but hey. I can probably toss a bit more your way. It'll be like using the elevator instead of a staircase. Try not to waste it, alright?"
- Increase Progression Rate to 200%.
- Costs 1 Pick

[ ] Symbiote: "Ever get tired of needing new weapons? Seeing as you'll be escalating...hmmm, gonna be a hassle looking for something that can keep up so...ahah! You've gotten pretty good with lances so just lemme...that goes there...fix it here...and there we go! A New Lance that'll grow alongside you! It's made of your own soul and some esoteric jargon you don't have to worry about, so it's not like you'll ever lose it either!"
- Provides a weapon that will scale with you.
- Your Lance is a part of You. You are a part of Your Lance. Its strength is Your strength.
- "Give it a name! Personally? Longinus. It's only presumptuous if you can't back it up!"
- Costs 1 Pick

[ ] Brand Of The Apostle: "You don't get to my level of being without killing a few hundred...million things. Course, some of those things either didn't actually die or had some reallllly bad backers. All who see you will instantly know that you're my Apostle, at least if they're relevant. Normal people like your precious mercenary squad don't count unless they get a backer."
- Provides [Brand Of The Apostle]
- All Beings, and all their Apostles or equivalent thereof, who have an issue with your Benefactor will find themselves immediately aware of what you are as well as your...circumstances.
- Good fucking luck hiding from them.
- Provides 1 Additional Pick

[ ] A Lance's Finesse: "..."
- Provides: +Agi
- Costs: 1 Pick

[ ] Feat: A Promise Kept: "Stand down! Stand down! Alert the medical staff! Get his situation sorted out, or Astral-damned I will have you licking the latrines clean!"
- Provides: +0.25 Rank (Raises to 3.05)
- Costs: 2 Picks
A.N: | Represents the split between unconditional attribute improvements and those contingent on us wielding our lance. There's a non-Advancement +Teamwork from our dangerous mission.
 
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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.
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Mostly useless. They're free, though, meaning we get 3 picks with them.
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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.
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Some useful information, a decent amount of combat strength, +Mental Stability(!) and we still get two picks with it. My main objection would be this:
Rihaku said:
I'm referring to the humanitarian disaster that removing the Ring will induce! After all, star-stuff harvested from the Ring is what keeps their Dimensional Rift stable, if the civilians aren't evacuated shortly after the Ring is removed then everyone inside will die! House Alynne solves that problem for you, otherwise Hunger will have to figure it out on his own. Aristeia would certainly like to help but she doesn't have the resources of a House to organize an evacuation.

Alternatively, you could not remove the Ring until people are evacuated, but that means you'd have to fight all the Immortals at full power instead of just going for the Ring!
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I do not want to fight all the Immortals at full power, that just gets a big nope from me.
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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 Alayn 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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Maximum combat strength from our allies and maximum information. The only problem is that it only leaves us with a single pick. Is getting 2 picks + Aristeia or 1 pick + Larissa better? Well, for combat, it depends on our build:
Rihaku said:
It depends on your build! Somtimes 2 picks + Aristeia is better for combat, and sometimes 1 + House Alynne is superior!
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Given that Larissa gets us more information and don't come with the moral dilemma of having to either sacrifice a bunch of civilians or fight all the Immortals at full power, I greatly prefer us to go with Larissa. Plus Larissa does not cost Arete.
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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 an 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.
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Rihaku already commented on the relative value of the Stances:
Rihaku said:
All the Stances are relevant here. Hero-Defeating is likely best overall unless you go for a pure stats pick like double Quickening, in which case Weapon-Defeating is likely best overall. However, it all depends on which enemies you want to have trouble with. Magic-Defeating smashes mages but is weak to high-Rank high-stats fighters, Weapon-Defeating the opposite, Hero-Defeating decent against all, World-Defeating like a worse Hero-Defeating here.
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The problem is HDS is massively unpopular because it doesn't build towards ADS and is redundant with The King Stand Alone. WeDS manage to pull ahead with double Quickening, but that would require us to go for Aristeia, so most people are pairing it with a single Quickening, which is probably not too suboptimal? I don't think this is the time to get greedy but well...
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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]
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Completely outclassed at this point.
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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
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I don't think this is worth it at all given that it doesn't stack with our +2 rank on blood effects and we can't pick it with a Stance.
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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.
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It's a blood buff, it's good. Probably the best one pick choice.
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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.
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Does literally nothing right now. Don't pick this.
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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.
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It could have it's use and it's a powerful ability but not in combat, so I don't think it make sense to go for this right now.
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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.
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I don't think we want to go for this right now, the blood buffs are way better.
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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.
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This would seem to be pretty synergistic with fighting alongside so many allies, but it locks us out of a Stance and Rihaku has warned us about it:
Rihaku said:
I'm surprised Iron Maelstrom is so popular! It's kind of weak stats-wise for what you could be getting instead. Compare to 2x Fierce Quickening + Weapon-Defeating Stance, for example!
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plus we can't pick this along Larissa.
Rihaku said:
[ ] 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 unusually 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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Really strong. If we can somehow get enough Arete to snap-buy a Stance on top of this that would probably maximize our chances of surviving the Temple:
Rihaku said:
Heartpiercer should be seriously considered here! It gives 13 points of stats given Vigor Incarnate and a major bonus on top of that. Even if the major bonus doesn't work against every enemy, you've got tons of stats from it to compensate, including +3 more Protection! Plus, it has the greatest theoretical potential power before this fight since you can snap-buy a stance on top if your Arete production goes into overdrive. It's basically giving you another possible layer of safety in this final (?) round of the Temple!
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That said, I don't think this is a realistic possibility and we can't pick this along with Larissa.

Given that HDS is a lost cause and that WeDS + Quickening is not too far behind in term of survivability and is a popular option, I'm going to support that, for the moment.

[X] Larissa of House Alynne
[X] Weapon-Defeating Stance
[X] Fierce Quickening
 
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Conjured Blade said:
@formalAI Are you aware of the World-Defeating Stance/Modify the time dilation on the Calendar Engine route for preventing the humanitarian disaster?
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I don't think that's been confirmed to work. Plus, even if it did, World-Defeating Stance has been stated to just be a worse HDS for the purpose of Not Dying, so I'd oppose getting that in any case.
 
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formalAI said:
I don't think that's been confirmed to work. Plus, even if it did, World-Defeating Stance as been stated to just be a worse HDS for the purpose of Not Dying, so I'd oppose getting that in any case.
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HDS is described as the best overall from a combat standpoint unless you're using an extreme stats build. World-Defeating Stance being described as worse than that doesn't have any information accompanying it to determine whether or not it's in 4th, 3rd, or 2nd place?
 
We could just organise the evacuation first and then steal the ring, we only have to fight the immortals at full power if we can't evacuate and don't want to cause civilian casualties.
 
Hm... Weapon-Defeating Stance is popular, but it's considerably better with two Fierce Quickenings than with one... each marginal stat + offers more value than the last!
 
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