The Shattering Ice
Hunger came to himself, gasping. Tremulous shock pervaded his body, his form. His soul shivered as if on the verge of splintering. With nerveless fingers he raised the Forebear's Blade, his hand clutched so tight it seemed as if it would never let go.
He'd resolved, rather than recklessly wait for a mid-battle powerup, to gather all his might now, to push through every contingency since time was of the essence.
To absorb the entirety of the Opalescent Tower, to master fully the Tears of Winter, he'd resolved to draw upon the Forebear's power in full, to plumb the depths of the Blade for all the secrets he could at this moment attain. And there was power there, yes, not merely a river but a flood, a deluge of such scale as to drown mountain and ocean, power beyond all reason, power before which even the bare concept of reason was meaningless as dust. He'd dipped into that flood and stolen away a sliver, a dripping cup-full of power that taxed the very limits of his talent for abduction.
He'd barely survived the enfolding of such power into himself, but his vision of the Forebear still haunted him, even as with a merest exertion he drew the Tower into his Cloak of Sky, even as the Tears of Winter blazed in recognition of worthy might and unerring purpose. Around him his companions rushed in, their faces caught in worry, growing incrementally slower as the Astral storm about him raged. With a monumental effort he quelled it, but the storm within remained, shards of the Forebear's identity percolating through him like molten shrapnel, fusing to bone and essence; power and price were one and the same.
"Are you alright, Hunger?" asked Gisena, eyes wide with concern.
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[ ] "Never better." - Though the path he was set on was in many ways even more brutal than Hunger's, the Forebear conducted himself with assiduous resolve, a state of unwavering focus bordering on grace. Given the circumstances to which he was subjected, the Forebear should be seen as an example to be emulated, not a tyrant to be scorned.
*Hunger is mostly unconcerned about Mental Contamination from the Forebear. A bit is fine, and a moderate amount not something to get worked up over. A great deal would be concerning, but much less so than that of someone not so thematically connected to Hunger himself in both purpose and means.
*The Forebear was wise to forbear speaking with the Ur-Mother. Her strength was dialogue; her Divine Speech literally the fundament of worlds. In that situation the best course of action was obviously to remove her ability to communicate with him and translate the conflict to the field of his own strength, the martial arena.
*Unlocks [Once and Future] II, which presages even further Forebear lore! You'll need
25 Arete and
2 picks to acquire it.
*Hunger will improve at unlocking Praxis Advancements. Increased appearance% of rare Advancements.
[ ] "Fine." - The Forebear's path has no bearing on Hunger's. They are too different for circumstances to compare, and the lessons of the Forebear's life have little to do with Hunger's current challenges. What analogues exist are misleading; Hunger's Apocryphal Curse makes it difficult for him to truly outscale any universe, whereas the Forebear's monomaniacal focus on skill with the blade was well-suited to handling the tribulations of his Procession.
*Hunger is about as concerned about Mental Contamination from the Forebear as he would be from any random person. It's a consequence to be avoided, a price one must occasionally but regrettably pay for power.
*Hunger won't adjust his current behavior at all. The lessons of the Forebear are inapplicable here, for all that they may mirror his adventures in certain aesthetic senses. To overfit the trajectory of Hunger's journey to the Forebear's would simply be a mistake; aside from the fact that Hunger wields his sword and slew his many-times removed descendent, he has no more connection to the Forebear than to any other historically significant figure.
*This is not a straightforward compromise option, consider the implications carefully before voting!
[ ] "Just a moment." - The Forebear was an unfortunate man of impressive will, subjected to a monstrous regime. That, in turn, made of him a monster, an uncompromising tyrant unwilling to yield even an iota to the desires of any he perceived as enemy. While he can't truly be blamed for the horrific state of mind to which he was delivered, neither should it be remotely seen as something to emulate.
*Hunger will attempt to resist [Mental Contamination]. +Psyche Conflict.
*Hunger will tend to avoid Advancements of the Forebear's Blade more than he has, though he's still willing to take them if they have particular thematic resonance or out of sheer expediency
*Hunger rejects the path of the Forebear, one of absolute conviction and martial strength, and pursues his own path. The details of that path are up to his characterization decisions. He may rely less on swordplay and more on magecraft or dialogue, or be more willing to converse with his opponents to both his benefit and detriment.
*Makes it more difficult to unlock [Once and Future] II. Discounts any one non-Forebear's Blade Advancement of 25 Arete or more by
1 additional Arete, stacking with all other sources.
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You've attained the Title,
[King of Winter]. What is its function? The 7-Arete upgrades need at least half of the total votecount of their parent options to prevail.
[ ] Overwhelm - A surfeit of might overwhelming. Increases Health, Damage Resistance, Condition Resistance, Damage Dealt and Attack Speed by 25%. Modifiers from this source stack multiplicatively with those from other sources, such that this Title offers scaling benefits virtually regardless of how high your base parameters become. Combined, these effects improve the wielder's damage output and resilience to 156%; compared to his pre-Title self the wielder would be roughly 245% as potent in direct combat. Good synergy with Uttermost and Inherit the World; compounding multipliers will set up an especially powerful Refinement of Battle. Damage Dealt modifier applies to the Power of Ruin in
All circumstances. Uttermost already increased his Attribute-based damage scaling by a factor of seven, which this will improve to 8.75x, and Overwhelm will also improve his effective Power of Ruin multiplier from All-Defeating Stance to a fearsome 6.25x!
[ ] Whiteout [7 Arete] - The avalanche strength that buries resistance; the howling swiftness of a winter storm. Increases Damage Dealt modifier to +125% and Attack Speed modifier to
+30%. 11.25x PoR with ADS...
Or
[ ] Pinnacle - The crowning season, for whom the harvest is laid. The test of adversity by which the year's efforts are measured, the bitter auspice which blankets the land in white and cold. The streams harden; the sky grows pale and clear, the sun a gimlet eye that offers sharp light but little warmth. Winter is the season of icy reason, the bleak unsparing ruler equally beautiful in ascension as in withdrawal. Hers is an austere beauty, but pristine: light unspoiled by color, ceaselessly cutting through. +INT, +++APP, +++++WILL. Willpower and Intelligence are both rare Attributes, pick them up where you can!
[ ] Pristine [7 Arete] - Just as the lesser form of this Title focuses on amplifying the effects of the Tears of Winter, so does this upgrade augment their greater aspect.
+.1 Rank [unaffected by multipliers], Praxis Exertion reduced a further
5% (to 1/5th). In conjunction with the existing mental and social Attribute bonuses of the base Title, Hunger will see his out of combat efficacy superbly enhanced! However, even this is unlikely to yield greater strength in battle than a Hunger employing the Overwhelm-enhanced All-Defeating Stance.
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