A Simple Transaction I

[ ] Soul Evocation - The Accountant - The language of the world is and always will be one of assets and liabilities.

*Acquire the Soul Evocation of the Accountant, whose remit is the distilled clarity of gears everturning. Ignore mental impairment; the mind is the tool by which one examines the truth. When using your Soul Evocation, ignore all penalties to one's WITS, INT, and WISDOM.
*The Accountant may Examine, pulling away at the impurity of physical reality to reveal the unbiased streams of rows and columns. A spreadsheet upon which reality is writ, one may use this information for ends fell or benevolent. Less powerful than the System's Assess, but more comprehensive. From datapoints as simple as needing to know your chances of winning in a fight to concepts as complex as "the likelihood of increasing self-actualization", this tool is invaluable for making decisions.
*The Accountant has the ability to Balance, mildly taxing the spirit in order to call on powerful effects. Call upon your power to skew the numbers, either transferring from one value to another, or perhaps changing initial sheet assumptions. It's up to you to figure out conversion rates between values, but the power of increasing growth rates even by a small bit is not to be underestimated.
*Charisma and force are not the tools of the Accountant. You work best in plain sight but unseen, and are seen as "mundane" or "ordinary". This effect causes the gaze to slip by your position without being noticed, glazed over with the pattern recognition that elides past the information categorized as unneeded by the brain. Has social repercussions of varying value.
*-10% to the value of Charisma +s.
*+50% value of WITS +s.
*+50% value of INT +s.
*+50% value of WISDOM +s.
*Has strong synergies with certain other magic systems... perhaps the Diagram or the Spreadsheet might be of interest to you?

I imagine different tiers of ForgeStar would have quite a lot of variance when it comes to the complexity, kind, and potency of machinery being generated

So, I checked my profile recently. It turns out that now, half of my posts in the entirety of SV have been in this thread. Also I joined this forum in November 2016.

Suffice to say, my posting rate has spiked massively over the past few months, and it's all because of Rihaku and the thread community here. It's crazy how much ya'll have increased my engagement. Maybe I should change my location from "Lurking About," it's no longer really accurate.

ImperatorV said:

So, I checked my profile recently. It turns out that now, half of my posts in the entirety of SV have been in this thread. Also I joined this forum in November 2016.

Suffice to say, my posting rate has spiked massively over the past few months, and it's all because of Rihaku and the thread community here. It's crazy how much ya'll have increased my engagement. Maybe I should change my location from "Lurking About," it's no longer really accurate.

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Location: The Voyaging Realm

-e

Also, I am exceptionally pleased with your write-up, Talace!

Current vote count?

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None is actually ahead... interesting, if extremely impractical! Even if you don't care about politics, I encourage you opine here, None is a large commitment with fairly minimal benefits. Imagine defending the Sovereignty for the tenth or fiftieth time without expectation of reward!

I must say, I'm still pretty tempted by that Sayian Surgecrafting Army, considering that yes, we do want to conquer the Human Sphere. And in truth, while I am attracted by the ideological purity displayed by None, we still basically have the old X-Men problem here; some people are just born with nukes in their brains. While becoming a Surgecrafter is a far more involved process, it is something that happens naturally and randomly given how much exposure their society has for the stuff.

Needless to say, modern legal principles and human rights have no been made with people randomly acquiring superpowers in mind. Given their previous exposure to magic, the Empire might actually have more pertinent legal and philosophical theory than our own world, but it's applications as part of a non-democratic body of law may present problems.

Still, that means in my opinion Constitution plus Elementalists provides a valuable learning opportunity! While it's true that that Capable Administrators might solve the immediate problems, it doesn't in any way prepare us structurally for the existence of Surgecrafters! Getting on the ground floor as early as possible on that front might be important, as even the most capable administrators can be forced into compromises due to lack of power! But if we provide the correct structure for them in both law and policy, we can assure peace and security while still making use of their incredible talents.

By the way, I do think the Elementalists are much better than the Traditionalists here! We do need some magical muscle if we want to conquer the Human Sphere, and it will provide us with some great utility powers besides. Meanwhile, we don't need more money at all and the Crafting boost is only relevant when Gisena's actually in the Sovereignty, which means she can't help us wherever we are; plus, I like having her around, she's a fun character. What would we even do without her banter? Random artifacts, tech and further water research are essentially mystery boxes, ones I find less interesting then getting cool new Surges.

Plus, while Traditionalists may reduce the number of future Surgecrafters it won't eliminate them, and without specific policy they might become a problem for the future anyway. If we prioritize the Surgecrafters right from the start, this likely won't be a problem at all.

So, given this reasoning: I'm changing my vote back:

[X] Constitutional Design
[X] The Elementalists

It's cool and aligns itself with our objectives more, both in terms of future objectives and stuff I want to see, plus it doesn't incentivise us to let someone rot at the homebase being a crafting monkey. Gisena deserves to see the world!

Justice is its own reward.

Ultimately, a stronger protector will be good for the Sovereignty! If they contribute to empowering us in a way that they can afford, it leads to having a more powerful protector later. In terms of value, channeling some resources to empowering a friendly progression type cursebearer is an absurdly good deal!

After all, just look at what Bloodbuffs from Hunger can already do for them at the moment. Now imagine how much more a Rank 10 Bloodbuffing Hunger could do for them! It is in their own self-interest to ensure Hunger's growth and survival.

So, last page I posted Magefire, my Imaginary Element. However, I mentioned that I had some other ideas for my personal element: here's the first one! More to follow, I still need to do Kingspore and Lorecrystal.


Dreambog: The cloying morass of reality, hiding within it the fleeting gem of fantasy. Dreambog takes the form of waves and blasts of mud and muck, like what might be found in a swamp. This muck is difficult to move through and seems to resist people trying to leave it. Those who are fully buried within the bog are pulled mentally into a Realm of Fantasy, their bodies falling into a type of stasis, time not passing for them and leaving them unable to act or be injured. This state is maintained until the Dreambog fades, and Dreambog by default lasts longer then other elemental manifestations. With effort, Dreambog can be made to linger for days, keeping those immersed within it trapped.

ImperatorV's imaginary element is determined by his tendency to get lost in fantasy, bogged down in stories and separated from the real world.

[0 Arete version]: The Realm of Fantasy is entirely illusion. Dreambog is good at slowing down opponents and can trap them in illusory worlds, but has little utility outside of that.

[2 Arete version]: The Surgecrafter has increased control of the Realm of Fantasy, he can send those trapped in the bog into terrible traumatizing nightmarescapes or peaceful utopian realms. It's even possible to send a trapped individual on an adventure that gives them the opportunity to grow as a person or learn a new skill.

[7 Arete version]: Dreambog is now much harder to move through and escape from; additionally, it pulls into it anyone it touches, making it much easier to trap people. In addition, it is now possible for the Surgecrafter to send anyone trapped in the Dreambog, including himself, on a grand quest in the Realm of Fantasy. This quest will always be challenging and force the quester to grow as a person to succeed. If they are successful, however, they will gain a boon which they will be able to bring into reality, the Dreambog imprisoning them dissolving into dust to reveal the victorious and improved quester. The boons granted are permanent, and can take a huge variety of forms - new abilities, powerful artifacts, or even companions from the dream quest, emerging from the dissolving muck as full-fledged individuals rather then the mere figments they were in the Realm of Fantasy. The Surgecrafter has no control over what boons will be granted, and a for every dream quest a person completes and receives a boon from, each subsequent quest will become harder. The various dreams from the 2 Arete version are also still available, and have increased potency.

[25 Arete version]: As the 7-Arete version, except now the Surgecrafter himself gains a form of plot armor in any grand dream quests he undertakes, events seeming to conspire to make him successful even if he doesn't deserve it. Additionally, the Surgecrafter is much more likely to gain boons that fit what he wants and needs, and the boons will be optimized to give the maximum possible benefit for their power level. The Surgecrafter will also find that his personal quests scale up in difficulty less then those of others, which combined with his plot armor will vastly raise the maximum amount of quests that can be completed. Finally, the Surgecrafter can send someone trapped in the Dreambog into a "Death Game," a highly dangerous dream quest that will, if the quester fails, kill them in real life. To add insult to injury, the only reward for completing this quest is dissolving the Dreambog imprisoning the victim.

People are saying that constitution writing is longer term than finding competent administrators but is it really? A good constitution will last until the next scheduled review and amendment cycle, a good supreme court judge or head of the civil service could last centuries given Ennoblement and access to the elixir springs.

Hunger will want to revise whatever constitution is made here. He intends to get much smarter and better at civics after all. Even if he spends the next 120 hours exclusively writing the fucker in his own blood it will be a sophomore work to him in a couple of years.

None can offer some interesting benefits aside from power. A touch of idealism is indispensable to the good governance, and if Hunger can cultivate that touch through a system or inspire it in the individual administrators, that would really help with whatever flaws and challenges the time (and Apocryphal) throws at Sovereignty.

Of course, just more power would be a much more certain benefit.

Talace said:

Anyone want me to make them a magic system/soul evocation/imaginary element? I'm kind of out of motivation for art at the moment, so I'm down to write some BLURBS for the Arete gods

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Hey, I'll take one too if you're still offering.

I'm thinking, hmm... for a Surge, maybe BioIteration?

Our choices here might also decide what sort of Defining Advancement will open up....from Be the Change.

DkArthas said:

Our choices here might also decide what sort of Defining Advancement will open up....from Be the Change.

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It may also determine how effective Be the Change is! Something that finding proficient administrators with sound judgement may greatly assist with!

[X] Finding Capable Administrators
[X] None

Not exactly a strategic vote, but it's what I genuinely think will be best for the Sovereignty.

-e

Also, R E D _ O P T I O N

[X] The Traditionalists
[X] Constitutional Design

[X] Finding Capable Administrators
[X] None

When in doubt, go full Red!

Either way, ruling is always a work in progress and part time side project ruling even more so. As long as things look good when the xp resolves we're OK.

ImperatorV, once you're done with Kingspore and Lorecrystal, do you think you could help me flesh out Forgestar?

[X] Finding Capable Administrators
[X] None

Beating my head against this. It feels like Constitutional Design is much harder for less real gain, except in the long term. By which point Hunger and Gisena will have +100 Int or something ridiculous like that and be able to come up with a much better constitution.

We got Ennoblement (well, Flare) for a reason, and we don't have the same obscene advantage in constitutional design... after sleeping on it, I think the answer is to just take the win.

I'm more sure of "None," on the other hand, for three main reasons.

1.

Rihaku said:

A society with the power and wherewithal to be organized around its highest ideals, rather than brute necessity. It is what they would have wanted - and if he no longer wields a hero's strength, still he has a hero's influence.

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We get no pragmatic benefit from doing this- it's purely idealistic. It's what they would have wanted. Do it for them.

2.

Rihaku said:

*Selflessness is commendable, and your power is vast, but is this really the time or place for such sentimentality?

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If there was ever a time or place for sentimentality, it's when you have absolute power over the lives of people and no immediate threat to compromise your values. If Hunger won't go all-in on ideals now, when would be a better time?

3. People will notice Hunger's selflessness. With Triumphal Gleam, such dedication to honest public service will become a meme, inspiring the administrators to follow the example. Especially useful if we don't focus on the explicit constitution.

Rah13 said:

Justice is its own reward.

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Aabcehmu said:

[X] Finding Capable Administrators
[X] None

Not exactly a strategic vote, but it's what I genuinely think will be best for the Sovereignty.

-e

Also, R E D _ O P T I O N

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Do you know what else is its own reward? A reward.

Hunger still has to conquer a literal Galaxy, so it seems a bit misguided to take on the role of protector when he is facing an uphill battle almost completely unopposed. The Sovereignty has crowned him by popular acclaim; the voters want to join their fortunes with Hunger's. That means that his victories will be their victories too. Rejecting the idea that the Sovereignty has anything worth offering seems to completely undermine the idea that they are going to grow beyond Hunger's shadow.

None is a vote that says the only thing that we want from their society was Edeldross. A vote for Elementalists says that we will give attention to cultivating and training mages so that they can contribute meaningfully on the Galactic stage. That makes it way more likely that the Sovereignty will be able to protect itself from the next Rotbeast scale threat.

Maybe you think that accepting soldiers puts the recruits at an unacceptable risk. A vote for the Traditionalists affirms that the unique waters of the Sovereignty are noteworthy and worth conserving. This allows the society to pay forward the help that they've received from Hunger. A more prosperous Sovereignty means that more people can awaken their elements, and it means that more pilgrims can be healed.

The idea that Hunger is somehow more noble by rejecting cooperation and teamwork with the Sovereignty is an idea that I'm finding really difficult to engage with. An act of valor like killing the Rotbeast can be heroic, sometimes. Lifting a person (or society) up to new heights of prosperity is a heroic action all the time. Endorsing the Elementalists or the Traditionalists gives the Sovereignty a hand-up and establishes Hunger as a real hero.

noliar said:

People are saying that constitution writing is longer term than finding competent administrators but is it really? A good constitution will last until the next scheduled review and amendment cycle, a good supreme court judge or head of the civil service could last centuries given Ennoblement and access to the elixir springs.

Hunger will want to revise whatever constitution is made here. He intends to get much smarter and better at civics after all. Even if he spends the next 120 hours exclusively writing the fucker in his own blood it will be a sophomore work to him in a couple of years.

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We don't want any civil servant or judge to last centuries in the position, that's insane.

Both measures are ultimately temporary, but a better body of law is more important than better administrators. Any system that only works when the right people are in charge is fundamentally unstable. Not only will we have to deal with malicious actors that might try to take advantage of the state, we also have to account for the fact the Superfunctionaries subordinates won't actually be elevated themselves while also accounting for simple circumstance, our great enemy thanks to Apocryphal.

All of this better suits us for a robust system than a few points of failure. Even the indisposition or compromise of a few of those we choose can possibly make the reforms lose a lot of their effects. Reforms of the law themselves are just much safer in the long run.

[X] Finding Capable Administrators
[X] None

There's no reason why we can't come back later I suppose. Even if we go to the human sphere there's no reason why we can't come back later. Heck if we get refinement of place or some other teleportation ability we could come back whenever we feel like it.

BrainInAJar said:

We don't want any civil servant or judge to last centuries in the position, that's insane.

Both measures are ultimately temporary, but a better body of lawos more important than better administrator. Any system that only works when the right people are in charge is fundamentally unstable. Not only will we have to deal with malicious actors that might try to take advantage of the state, we also have to account for the fact the Superfunctionaries subordinates won't actually be elevated themselves while also accounting for simple circumstance, our great enemy thanks to Apocryphal.

All of this better suits us for a robust system than a few points of failure. Even the indisposition or compromise of a few of those we choose can possibly make the reforms lose a lot of their effects. Reforms of the law themselves are just much safer in the long run.

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The points you're making are only a bit less convincing to me than my own. I suppose that means I have a choice to make. Either tear my hair out in worry, or be satisfied whichever option wins.

Ahh, that's relaxing.