- Location
- a place
Well, when you think about, I guess our job really is to play supreme commander with the Human Sphere.../shot
A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Well, when you think about, I guess our job really is to play supreme commander with the Human Sphere.../shot
- Location
- Italy
that's what the curse wants you to think!
Well, her talent is also further elevated by her graces, so that's not really accurate. She is NOT at the human level after all.
That's what she wants you to think!
Also our only sorceress
I think I would have preferred getting Shine Bright instead for immediate healing , but this works too.
aaaaand we're back to normal!
can we even NOT wear the cloak? I mean, can we actually remove it and pass it to her, instead of just having it disappear?
Also if you really want to stay close to the cloak you can just sleep with us
eh, speak to us like that again and we'll actually take your robot too!
There's no escape!
...she's not wrong, at least as far as I'm concerned
Still they attacked us first. I expect in the beginning people at least TRIED the diplomatic route with the Tyrant, so unless there's something Letrizia is NOT telling us about her past (or Veschle's) that we should know...
well, this quote is more Gurren Lagan than Evangelion..
But here we're back to Evangelion again!
..should we ask if her mother's still fine (and alive), or if she by any chance disappeared shortly before she started piloting Veschle, just in case?
so, manual control or merge with the robot.
Cool.
pretty close to how it works for us actually. We get reduced growth in exchange for temporary negation of the curse, he gets reduced strenght. The key difference is probably in the nature of ouw powers, he's simply closer to a combat type than a progress type.
and here we go...
.. "Onwards, to the shining tomorrow"? It certainly sounds like something you'd hear in a shounen manga/anime
well, at least we've removed the double decimation. I imagine the small fraction of the decimator curse the robot would have simply pales in comparison to the curse put upon a progression type cursebearer. Or maybe it's just because our current rank is higher than his.
uh, the bot seems to have some inkling of a personality. I'm slightly surprised.
...and of course information is never just available. Would it be too much to ask that just one time they actually TELL US what we need to do to get access to it?!
and so the temple won.
Well, I expect that even at its worst it won't be even close to the Tyrant Beast.
Let's see if I'm right!
the safe, time intensive choice. It would give Letrizia time to heal, improve our relationships and give some minor exp.
quick, more risky option. Letrizia won't heal completely, but we'll save a lot of time and get more exp. Higher risk of dangerous monsters, but that also means higher chance of higher exp.
Of course there's a risk that if we meet something too dangerous we won't be at full strenght by the time we reach the temple...
All in all I think it's a good option though. We want to maximize the return on our decimator-free time after all.
...Damn, Gisena, you're really a thrill-seeker!
While I think this is a bit too extreme, I will at least acknowledge that it's a better option that Tyrant Beast. After all not only is the death chance lower (only 5% instead of 10%), but the expected returns are also greater.
I think I'd go for the quickest route this time, as I REALLY want to make the best of the time we have free of Decimator, and if we're quick enough we might be able to afford going to visit civilization to sell the spoils from the temple.
We wouldn't want Letrizia to come inside the temple anyway I think, so having her only partially healed is acceptable to me.
I admit I'm sort of tempted by the REALLY Scenic Route, but I know it's objectively too risky.
I won't be annoyed if the safe choice wins though.
Risky. Definitely risky. Gisena is too potentially useful against magical traps to leave her outside. I'm somewhat tempted to abandon Verschle, but with our (Apocryphal) luck someone will come to steal it.
...unless we can order him to refuse anyone else's commands?
701 words. I actually didn't have that much to say here.
- Location
- Europe
Hunger hasn't actually entered into a romantic relationship with Gisena. He has, in fact, brushed aside her flirting and the like with the intentional Dense-ness of a Blackhole Protagonist.
Similarly I'm 80%+ sure that Gisena will do fine if Hunger gets his wife back and puts a permanent explicit halt to any possible romantic relationship between them.
Now, I could see there being problems if Hunger aimed for a Harem route. His Wife and Gisena might not be comfortable with something like that, but I don't believe Gisena would be particularly put out if Hunger got his Wife back and kept to his, presumed, vows.
- Location
- The Middle of the Howling Wilderness
I wrote a thing! I enjoyed DSB's CYOA so much I wrote a little bit of a hypothetical Sable Shaw Quest OP, and then it turned into a whole actual thing? 2570 words, of which just under half are mine. The rest are borrowed from DSB's Cursebeaer CYOA or previous AST updates.
---
Sable Shaw could feel herself dying.
Even now, drifting in and out of consciousness, she could feel the sharp point of pain that criss-crossed her legs, a thousand tiny scrapes and pinpricks where the rats had gnawed at her. She'd spent six months dodging the rat swarms that now infested Dunwall, scuttling across rooftops and dashing through deserted streets between the dwindling points of safety for the city's poorest residents. It seemed like a bit of a waste, now. With all that effort, she'd ended up in the same place as everyone else.
She'd watch those people, the refuse of Dunwall, die, one by one, to the rats or to the plague they carried. For a while, Sable had believed that she would escape, that she was fast enough and clever enough and stubborn enough to dodge the fate that had killed nearly everyone she'd ever known. She'd been wrong. The rats got everyone, in the end.
She figured there was some kind of poetry in that, but it was hard to appreciate while choking on your own blood. She hacked and coughed, the pain in her throat and lungs briefly dragging her back towards consciousness. She spit up a mouthful of phlegm and blood.
Mostly blood, now.
Her eyes flickered open, and Sable was briefly disoriented. She'd thought she was home, in the room she had shared with her mother, at the Golden Cat But no, that didn't make any sense. Her mother was dead. Had been for years now.
She stared upwards, at the faintly humming rail line suspended fifty or so feet above her. Sometimes, when she was more lucid, Sable would watch a rail car pull to a halt above her, then empty its cargo into the deep culvert where she rested. It was always more bodies. They lay stacked in haphazard piles throughout the concrete channel; men, women, and children all mixed together, jumbled up without regard for family or friendship. No hallowed, gentle rest with loved ones here, just an eternity of fetid, grimy stillness, crushed beneath the corpses of strangers. Sable figured it was fortunate that most of the people here had been dead when they'd been dumped.
Most.
Sable herself had been unconscious when she'd been dumped from the rail car with her fellow passengers, already delirious from the plague, already dying. Already dead, if she was being honest with herself. Just still breathing for a bit longer.
The smoky air above the culvert swirled, and something dark and man-shaped moved above, leaping between two buildings; here for a moment then gone. Sable stared after the shape (the person?) long after it had disappeared. Her hands, sickly-thin and weak as they were, clenched into fists. She envied whoever it was with a passion she hadn't thought she could muster any longer. Why should they get to live, to walk away from all this, when all she can do is watch, and wait to die. Sable felt a smattering of rain strike her face, mixing with the streams of blood flowing from her eyes.
In a way, though, this had always been her life, even before the plague. When Sable's mother had been alive, she'd told Sable that she had a responsibility to be kind, that she could choose what sort of person to be. After her mother died, Sable had quickly learned that life in Dunwall offered only one choice: Beg, or die; steal, or die; kill, or die.
No choice at all, really. Maybe her mistake had been hanging on so long, dragging the pain out. Maybe the smart ones had been the ones who let the rats take them early, before the hunger and the death had really set in. Sable leaned back against the pile of corpses that supported her now-stringy body, the last of her coughing subsiding. The smattering of rain increased, now falling in a steady shower. She let her eyes close, and began to drift again towards the numbness of unconsciousness. Maybe she should just take the one choice that life had ever offered her.
Die.
"Sable Shaw," a voice above her said.
Her eyes snapped open. She was no longer alone in the culvert.
The voice belonged to a man, standing just an arms-length away and looking down at her. He was not a particularly imposing man, with dark hair, tanned skin, and dark circles under his eyes. He seemed tired, leaning on a long sword sheathed in a leather scabbard. Sable was just beginning to wonder what he was doing here when she locked eyes with the man, and-
There was something vast and ancient behind his dark eyes, she was suddenly certain. Something powerful. She opened her mouth to ask the question-
"I'm not the Outsider," the man said, "nor am I one of his pawns."
"Then-" she said, struggling to get the words out through a throat scraped raw, "what? why?"
"Because you have remained pure in mind and body for 18 years. Because you have fulfilled all the other selection criteria, and thus have a strong suitability for what I will ask of you."
"...ask?" she managed.
"As I said, I am not the Outsider. I do not take tithe in blood and bone or gold and whalesong. My offer is that of a simple transaction. I am bound by countless Curses, leaving me greatly diminished, a thin figment of what I once was. Take up a portion of my burdens, and in exchange receive a fraction of my power."
Sable felt her eyes widen, the lids pulling painfully at the scabs at the edges of her eyes.
"Let me be clear." The man continued, "To you, my power may seem immense, but I am vastly diminished from what I once was. And my burdens are extremely unpleasant. Their weight will not be greater than you can bear, nor greater than the value of the powers I impart, but you will likely suffer enormously."
Sable glanced around herself once more, at the numberless bodies of the dead and dying that lay around her. Then, she bared her blood-stained teeth in a painfully savage smile.
"I accept"
Cursebearer, choose your burden (You must select one of the following Major Curses, in addition to the Geas of Indenture):
[][Major] The Brand of the Champion: It is the champion's remit to solve problems, to answer the call of heroism wheresoever it should arise. The champion stands unconquered but alone. Everyone you interact with aside from a select few individuals will refuse to assist you, even in trivial ways, unless you perform some inane or perilous task for them first. Even if all conventions of morality, duty, or good sense would impel them otherwise, they will simply find it unthinkable to aid you without due recompense. The difficulty of tasks is usually equivalent to the degree of assistance you request, though not always.
[][Major] The Doom of the Tyrant: You absolutely refuse to submit to, or even acknowledge the legitimacy of, any rule, custom, law or authority above your own, unless that authority is at least as powerful as a specific instruction from the Accursed himself. Your ability to operate within the context of any organization you are not unequivocally in charge of is utterly crippled. Diplomacy is a laughable dream.
Enemies that are aware of this can provoke you via reverse psychology, though this can only cause you to attack them - you aren't compelled to do the opposite of whatever they order. This Curse comes pre-mitigated in that it does not affect the Accursed, but is very difficult to mitigate further.
[][Major] The Affliction of Vigor: You have always been at least dimly aware of the fleeting minutes of your life, each moment a little doled-out measurement from some great but finite reservoir of time. For the remainder of a period of time equal to the projected biological lifespan of a member of your species (or 100 years, whichever comes first), you remain at the height of youthful vigor. Once the proscribed period ends, your material body will permanently crumble to ash. If you do not have a non-physical way to sustain your existence, you immediately die. Thereafter, any material form you inhabit that contains more than ⅕ the physical stats that your complete material body would possess will quickly crumble to ash.
[][Major] The Doom of the Saint: You feel the maximum possible sympathy for every living thing you encounter, up to and including feeling a direct echo of the emotional pain, physical pain, and value fulfillment utility that you perceive others to feel, and you gain the urge to act on these feelings. This will not entail a direct change to your values or instantly/completely overwhelm your personal utility frameworks, but will probably result in substantial behavioral alteration over even a moderate period of exposure.
Cursebearer, select your Primary Remittance:
[][Remittance] Twice-Great: Choose either one magic system from a previous Rihaku quest, or two of the Remittance Magics on offer here, and instantly become at least the equivalent of a talented novice. This magic is guaranteed to work regardless of metaphysical context, and will provide suitable immediate power and room to grow.
[][Remittance] Ascendence: Choose a Core Stat: gain +20 to that stat, and +10 to the other Core Stat.
Choose two Core Skills: gain knowledge and capability equivalent to a peak human master in those skills.
Your Inherent Ability is infused with potential. Gain 400% increased rate of advancement for skills pertinent to your ability, and the capability to break its conceptual limits with sufficient training.
Sable's Core Stats are Willpower and Agility, and her core Skills are Theft, Survival (Urban), and Streetwise
[][Remittance] From On High: By surrendering all but the core elements of your Remittance, you may instead gain the Favor of the Accursed. Very occasionally, when your troubles are truly dire and beyond your capabilities to solve, you may beseech the Accursed for aid. He will arrive and deal with your problems. Diminished as he is, still the Accursed is more than powerful enough to overwhelm any entity you might encounter in your travels.
The Accursed has very high expectations for his Cursebearers. If you call upon him with any kind of regularity for all but the most apocalyptic of challenges, he will retract his favor swiftly. However, there is no questioning the fact that the sheer power of this Remittance is utterly unparalleled. The elder horrors of the omniverse could level their full might against you, power enough to wipe your existence from all space and time, but under the direct shelter of the Accursed you would not feel so much as a perturbation.
-[][Remittance] Thief of Time: Eight times in total, when you would die or otherwise suffer an unacceptable loss, instead your consciousness is hurled back in time to the moment you entered your current world. You arrive unharmed and fully replenished, retaining all memories and progress. If still inhabiting your native realm, instead you are returned to the moment immediately after you finalize your agreement with the Accursed...
All Cursebearers present in your universe are affected by this power's activation, so if you were defeated by a fellow Cursebearer and found this unacceptable, they would retain their knowledge of the original history the second time around.
There are few regrets more powerful than the urge to try again, and few powers more encompassing than true precognition. With this ability you can have it all, for a limited number of tries. Your stock of lives regenerates slowly over time. You may regain additional lives by performing favors for the Accursed. Regardless of your power these will not be easy.
Finally, Select 2 Lesser Remittances:
Companion:
N/A due to [REDACTED]
Items:
[][Item] Talon: A long, raking talon of yellowed ivory, stained with blood on its lower side and warm to the touch. Upon slaying an enemy of notable strength, the body can be processed to yield an amount of wealth, resources, or relevant equipment commensurate to the power of the foe. If the bearer is in particular need of food, water, or shelter, slain foes become more likely to provide an appropriate resource. Can break, but can repair itself from a sliver by feeding on a notable foe's blood. Intimidating if worn.
[][Item] Moondrop: An indestructible vial of healing potion which contains five drops of a milky white hue at any time. One drop will instantly cure a serious wound or active malady, two will bring a living thing back to full health from the brink of death, and three will endow one with a burning vigor that allows them to exercise their capabilities at maximum effort for three hours without fear of diminishment, exhaustion, or damage afterwards. A single drop naturally replenishes over the course of a week, so long as the vial is left in the moonlight during the nighttime.
[][Item] Saltbrune: A ground-rolling cloud, half fog, half steam, that cuts through one's senses with the sound of the ocean and the tang of salt. The fog acts as a pseudo-autonomous cloak, an extension of the user which responds to their will. One can dimly perceive the fog through a sense analogous to temperature, pressure, and proprioception. Its properties scale with the user, such that it always appears to move and be physically affected by them in the same way as a baseline mortal, even if the user is breaking the sound barrier or punching mountains into rubble. It may be destroyed or blown away by superior force or abilities, but it will simply actively regenerate from nearby moisture. Saltbrume is proof to all that the owner is loved by the sea, and that is a conceptual force that is immensely difficult to abrade.
[][Item] Candle: A candle made of dark wax, with a wick of coarse animal hair. When the candle is lit and the smoke inhaled, you enter a 12-hour helpless hallucinatory fugue state in which you have a revelation about a topic. This revelation is equal to either a month's worth of exemplary study or complete removal of a troublesome bottleneck in intellectual progress. The candle has twelve uses. It is unclear if there are ways to regain spent uses, though you feel that they exist. Who knows what will happen if more than one dosage is taken at once….
Upgrades:
[][Upgrade] Intensify: Scope of the Remittance will be narrowed but overall strength will be substantially increased.
[][Upgrade] Grace: You have a special resource, an energy that you draw down from a higher stratum by behaving a specific way, and can be used to exalt your fate in a suitable manner. Perhaps you're a paragon of acting correctly, and doing so causes you to perform a little more perfectly than otherwise possible at some point in the future. Perhaps you scam people and subsequently cheat death, allowing you to slip by harsh odds unscathed even when you shouldn't. Perhaps you simply do your uttermost, and when the time comes your will is the adamant upon which all else breaks.
[][Upgrade] Relinquishment: For each decade of service as a Cursebearer, gain one week of freedom from your Curses. Your burdens will be transferred to volunteering Cursebearers for that time. You are free to travel even with the Geas but must be back before the week is over. You may improve the term and frequency of Relinquishment by mitigating your Curses more.
---
Sable Shaw could feel herself dying.
Even now, drifting in and out of consciousness, she could feel the sharp point of pain that criss-crossed her legs, a thousand tiny scrapes and pinpricks where the rats had gnawed at her. She'd spent six months dodging the rat swarms that now infested Dunwall, scuttling across rooftops and dashing through deserted streets between the dwindling points of safety for the city's poorest residents. It seemed like a bit of a waste, now. With all that effort, she'd ended up in the same place as everyone else.
She'd watch those people, the refuse of Dunwall, die, one by one, to the rats or to the plague they carried. For a while, Sable had believed that she would escape, that she was fast enough and clever enough and stubborn enough to dodge the fate that had killed nearly everyone she'd ever known. She'd been wrong. The rats got everyone, in the end.
She figured there was some kind of poetry in that, but it was hard to appreciate while choking on your own blood. She hacked and coughed, the pain in her throat and lungs briefly dragging her back towards consciousness. She spit up a mouthful of phlegm and blood.
Mostly blood, now.
Her eyes flickered open, and Sable was briefly disoriented. She'd thought she was home, in the room she had shared with her mother, at the Golden Cat But no, that didn't make any sense. Her mother was dead. Had been for years now.
She stared upwards, at the faintly humming rail line suspended fifty or so feet above her. Sometimes, when she was more lucid, Sable would watch a rail car pull to a halt above her, then empty its cargo into the deep culvert where she rested. It was always more bodies. They lay stacked in haphazard piles throughout the concrete channel; men, women, and children all mixed together, jumbled up without regard for family or friendship. No hallowed, gentle rest with loved ones here, just an eternity of fetid, grimy stillness, crushed beneath the corpses of strangers. Sable figured it was fortunate that most of the people here had been dead when they'd been dumped.
Most.
Sable herself had been unconscious when she'd been dumped from the rail car with her fellow passengers, already delirious from the plague, already dying. Already dead, if she was being honest with herself. Just still breathing for a bit longer.
The smoky air above the culvert swirled, and something dark and man-shaped moved above, leaping between two buildings; here for a moment then gone. Sable stared after the shape (the person?) long after it had disappeared. Her hands, sickly-thin and weak as they were, clenched into fists. She envied whoever it was with a passion she hadn't thought she could muster any longer. Why should they get to live, to walk away from all this, when all she can do is watch, and wait to die. Sable felt a smattering of rain strike her face, mixing with the streams of blood flowing from her eyes.
In a way, though, this had always been her life, even before the plague. When Sable's mother had been alive, she'd told Sable that she had a responsibility to be kind, that she could choose what sort of person to be. After her mother died, Sable had quickly learned that life in Dunwall offered only one choice: Beg, or die; steal, or die; kill, or die.
No choice at all, really. Maybe her mistake had been hanging on so long, dragging the pain out. Maybe the smart ones had been the ones who let the rats take them early, before the hunger and the death had really set in. Sable leaned back against the pile of corpses that supported her now-stringy body, the last of her coughing subsiding. The smattering of rain increased, now falling in a steady shower. She let her eyes close, and began to drift again towards the numbness of unconsciousness. Maybe she should just take the one choice that life had ever offered her.
Die.
"Sable Shaw," a voice above her said.
Her eyes snapped open. She was no longer alone in the culvert.
The voice belonged to a man, standing just an arms-length away and looking down at her. He was not a particularly imposing man, with dark hair, tanned skin, and dark circles under his eyes. He seemed tired, leaning on a long sword sheathed in a leather scabbard. Sable was just beginning to wonder what he was doing here when she locked eyes with the man, and-
There was something vast and ancient behind his dark eyes, she was suddenly certain. Something powerful. She opened her mouth to ask the question-
"I'm not the Outsider," the man said, "nor am I one of his pawns."
"Then-" she said, struggling to get the words out through a throat scraped raw, "what? why?"
"Because you have remained pure in mind and body for 18 years. Because you have fulfilled all the other selection criteria, and thus have a strong suitability for what I will ask of you."
"...ask?" she managed.
"As I said, I am not the Outsider. I do not take tithe in blood and bone or gold and whalesong. My offer is that of a simple transaction. I am bound by countless Curses, leaving me greatly diminished, a thin figment of what I once was. Take up a portion of my burdens, and in exchange receive a fraction of my power."
Sable felt her eyes widen, the lids pulling painfully at the scabs at the edges of her eyes.
"Let me be clear." The man continued, "To you, my power may seem immense, but I am vastly diminished from what I once was. And my burdens are extremely unpleasant. Their weight will not be greater than you can bear, nor greater than the value of the powers I impart, but you will likely suffer enormously."
Sable glanced around herself once more, at the numberless bodies of the dead and dying that lay around her. Then, she bared her blood-stained teeth in a painfully savage smile.
"I accept"
Cursebearer, choose your burden (You must select one of the following Major Curses, in addition to the Geas of Indenture):
[][Major] The Brand of the Champion: It is the champion's remit to solve problems, to answer the call of heroism wheresoever it should arise. The champion stands unconquered but alone. Everyone you interact with aside from a select few individuals will refuse to assist you, even in trivial ways, unless you perform some inane or perilous task for them first. Even if all conventions of morality, duty, or good sense would impel them otherwise, they will simply find it unthinkable to aid you without due recompense. The difficulty of tasks is usually equivalent to the degree of assistance you request, though not always.
[][Major] The Doom of the Tyrant: You absolutely refuse to submit to, or even acknowledge the legitimacy of, any rule, custom, law or authority above your own, unless that authority is at least as powerful as a specific instruction from the Accursed himself. Your ability to operate within the context of any organization you are not unequivocally in charge of is utterly crippled. Diplomacy is a laughable dream.
Enemies that are aware of this can provoke you via reverse psychology, though this can only cause you to attack them - you aren't compelled to do the opposite of whatever they order. This Curse comes pre-mitigated in that it does not affect the Accursed, but is very difficult to mitigate further.
[][Major] The Affliction of Vigor: You have always been at least dimly aware of the fleeting minutes of your life, each moment a little doled-out measurement from some great but finite reservoir of time. For the remainder of a period of time equal to the projected biological lifespan of a member of your species (or 100 years, whichever comes first), you remain at the height of youthful vigor. Once the proscribed period ends, your material body will permanently crumble to ash. If you do not have a non-physical way to sustain your existence, you immediately die. Thereafter, any material form you inhabit that contains more than ⅕ the physical stats that your complete material body would possess will quickly crumble to ash.
[][Major] The Doom of the Saint: You feel the maximum possible sympathy for every living thing you encounter, up to and including feeling a direct echo of the emotional pain, physical pain, and value fulfillment utility that you perceive others to feel, and you gain the urge to act on these feelings. This will not entail a direct change to your values or instantly/completely overwhelm your personal utility frameworks, but will probably result in substantial behavioral alteration over even a moderate period of exposure.
Cursebearer, select your Primary Remittance:
[][Remittance] Twice-Great: Choose either one magic system from a previous Rihaku quest, or two of the Remittance Magics on offer here, and instantly become at least the equivalent of a talented novice. This magic is guaranteed to work regardless of metaphysical context, and will provide suitable immediate power and room to grow.
[][Remittance] Ascendence: Choose a Core Stat: gain +20 to that stat, and +10 to the other Core Stat.
Choose two Core Skills: gain knowledge and capability equivalent to a peak human master in those skills.
Your Inherent Ability is infused with potential. Gain 400% increased rate of advancement for skills pertinent to your ability, and the capability to break its conceptual limits with sufficient training.
Sable's Core Stats are Willpower and Agility, and her core Skills are Theft, Survival (Urban), and Streetwise
[][Remittance] From On High: By surrendering all but the core elements of your Remittance, you may instead gain the Favor of the Accursed. Very occasionally, when your troubles are truly dire and beyond your capabilities to solve, you may beseech the Accursed for aid. He will arrive and deal with your problems. Diminished as he is, still the Accursed is more than powerful enough to overwhelm any entity you might encounter in your travels.
The Accursed has very high expectations for his Cursebearers. If you call upon him with any kind of regularity for all but the most apocalyptic of challenges, he will retract his favor swiftly. However, there is no questioning the fact that the sheer power of this Remittance is utterly unparalleled. The elder horrors of the omniverse could level their full might against you, power enough to wipe your existence from all space and time, but under the direct shelter of the Accursed you would not feel so much as a perturbation.
-[][Remittance] Thief of Time: Eight times in total, when you would die or otherwise suffer an unacceptable loss, instead your consciousness is hurled back in time to the moment you entered your current world. You arrive unharmed and fully replenished, retaining all memories and progress. If still inhabiting your native realm, instead you are returned to the moment immediately after you finalize your agreement with the Accursed...
All Cursebearers present in your universe are affected by this power's activation, so if you were defeated by a fellow Cursebearer and found this unacceptable, they would retain their knowledge of the original history the second time around.
There are few regrets more powerful than the urge to try again, and few powers more encompassing than true precognition. With this ability you can have it all, for a limited number of tries. Your stock of lives regenerates slowly over time. You may regain additional lives by performing favors for the Accursed. Regardless of your power these will not be easy.
Finally, Select 2 Lesser Remittances:
Companion:
N/A due to [REDACTED]
Items:
[][Item] Talon: A long, raking talon of yellowed ivory, stained with blood on its lower side and warm to the touch. Upon slaying an enemy of notable strength, the body can be processed to yield an amount of wealth, resources, or relevant equipment commensurate to the power of the foe. If the bearer is in particular need of food, water, or shelter, slain foes become more likely to provide an appropriate resource. Can break, but can repair itself from a sliver by feeding on a notable foe's blood. Intimidating if worn.
[][Item] Moondrop: An indestructible vial of healing potion which contains five drops of a milky white hue at any time. One drop will instantly cure a serious wound or active malady, two will bring a living thing back to full health from the brink of death, and three will endow one with a burning vigor that allows them to exercise their capabilities at maximum effort for three hours without fear of diminishment, exhaustion, or damage afterwards. A single drop naturally replenishes over the course of a week, so long as the vial is left in the moonlight during the nighttime.
[][Item] Saltbrune: A ground-rolling cloud, half fog, half steam, that cuts through one's senses with the sound of the ocean and the tang of salt. The fog acts as a pseudo-autonomous cloak, an extension of the user which responds to their will. One can dimly perceive the fog through a sense analogous to temperature, pressure, and proprioception. Its properties scale with the user, such that it always appears to move and be physically affected by them in the same way as a baseline mortal, even if the user is breaking the sound barrier or punching mountains into rubble. It may be destroyed or blown away by superior force or abilities, but it will simply actively regenerate from nearby moisture. Saltbrume is proof to all that the owner is loved by the sea, and that is a conceptual force that is immensely difficult to abrade.
[][Item] Candle: A candle made of dark wax, with a wick of coarse animal hair. When the candle is lit and the smoke inhaled, you enter a 12-hour helpless hallucinatory fugue state in which you have a revelation about a topic. This revelation is equal to either a month's worth of exemplary study or complete removal of a troublesome bottleneck in intellectual progress. The candle has twelve uses. It is unclear if there are ways to regain spent uses, though you feel that they exist. Who knows what will happen if more than one dosage is taken at once….
Upgrades:
[][Upgrade] Intensify: Scope of the Remittance will be narrowed but overall strength will be substantially increased.
[][Upgrade] Grace: You have a special resource, an energy that you draw down from a higher stratum by behaving a specific way, and can be used to exalt your fate in a suitable manner. Perhaps you're a paragon of acting correctly, and doing so causes you to perform a little more perfectly than otherwise possible at some point in the future. Perhaps you scam people and subsequently cheat death, allowing you to slip by harsh odds unscathed even when you shouldn't. Perhaps you simply do your uttermost, and when the time comes your will is the adamant upon which all else breaks.
[][Upgrade] Relinquishment: For each decade of service as a Cursebearer, gain one week of freedom from your Curses. Your burdens will be transferred to volunteering Cursebearers for that time. You are free to travel even with the Geas but must be back before the week is over. You may improve the term and frequency of Relinquishment by mitigating your Curses more.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
While I doubt we do this due to needing her wish for something else, we put more of Haeliels bennies towards epilogue survival by keeping the wish banked in addition to Geas Saves. If we do that it's a case of choose 1 between Mundane Advice/Ordinalism Tutoring, her enhancing Chosen ones, and her running interference while we res Catherine (Depends on how you perceive Hunger/Gisena's dynamic, character word count, and the Michael Steele problem whether or not you'd want to do that).
Probably the best use of the Wish would be to accelerate Gisena's Ordinals. Like, getting her to like 15th Ordinal right now would do wonders for her research speed going forward. Another use would be to get Armor here and then use wish to get Signs. Thus we'd get that 7 Sign boost right away on top of general power and utility offered by Signs. Hell, even wishing for platinum wouldn't be terrible as we can use bunch of it for new Signs.
Basically, we will already have two banked wishes, so I'd use this to accelerate our build. Get more Signs, boost Gisena, boost Aobaru(although Hero specific option would be better i suppose), unlock RR etc.
Basically, we will already have two banked wishes, so I'd use this to accelerate our build. Get more Signs, boost Gisena, boost Aobaru(although Hero specific option would be better i suppose), unlock RR etc.
DarkSideBard
Flying, without moving on
No offense taken at all, live your dreams.
Now, with that out of the way, let me continue adding omake power to my vote....
Goddamnit, lol.
This build actually takes advantage of some of the same synergies I was thinking about last night! I'll post my similar build down below (ARETE ARETE ARETE). I would love to see you write a couple of update on this; I think that non-Indenture Combat-types from worlds with naturally lower power ceilings are interesting because their main source of difficulty comes from themselves, especially if they've been unwise enough to take Crowning Curses or Curses that are difficult in combination with their goals and personalities. And to be honest some nice Rihaku-grade bending battles would be cool. Usually in Avatar the Avatar state comes out and then...that's it. even Avatar vs. Dark Avatar in Korra was just a weird energy kaiju battle. I want large scale bending, damnit!
-Character: Sable
-Combat-Type (-3RV, +1PR, +3LR)
-Curses:
+Major: Affliction of Slumber, Doom of the Tyrant
+Lesser: Doom of the Sailor, Affliction of the Weary (+5RV-> +5LR)
Primary Remittance: Wands: Power of Love: Binary Magic (from EFB Quest)
Lesser Remittances: The Magician, The Empress, The Emperor, The Moon, The World, The Hanged Man, Temperance, The Hierophant
Build: Actually, no. Screw Dunwall and the whole Empire. It's time to engage the time-honored tradition of fucking off into the wild swamps of Gristol to do Witchy Things(tm) with your pals (read: your potential Goth (Vampire) GF and your two roommates).
Basically, just take your companions out away from everything and start iterating on a powerleveling loop. The way it does that makes it cousins with both Zampano's above Crab/Wild God build and Rihaku's Phoenix build, actually. Cousins through different parents, though.
The build leverages the actual sleeper hit of an Artifact Remittance that is The World, but instead of using it to synergize with the character's Apex ability like Zampano does with Anara's Wild God, we use Wands to grab The Power of Love and take Binary Magic (and thus Naturalism), which does the job just as well. I'm not sure what I would call The World's mystical energy...Elderdross? It's on-brand and only makes things more confusing by rearranging the sounds in Edeldross: perfect! Anyways, Elderdross should allow both extreme gains from Naturalism and probably the eventual capability to do Artifice without worrying too much about diminishment.
Primary Remittance: Remittance Magic: Power of Love: Binary Magic:
Side note: Rihaku, what in god's name are the characters you use which I don't have the right font to see? Those L SEP boxes haunt my dreams.
Companions: The Magician, The Emperor, and The Empress. The Emperor is essential for this build, as he turns the extreme bounty of The World and Naturalism into concrete and versatile stats/advancements by making it into delicious food, which improves the stability and quality of the primary power loop a lot. The Empress gives some significant larger chunk of combat ability to avoid Sable being ganked by Whalers or Overseers or Witches, and can scale up over time as the primary combatant and provide protection during Slumber procs. She also provides the ability to become a Vampire and manipulate Life Energy directly, which is yet another route of magic with combinatorial possibilities, and could have its downsides mitigated by The Emperor's consumables and can provide immortality if nothing else is forthcoming. The Magician is a good secondary combatant, is well suited for going and doing missions that require the espionage/assassination techniques that are so effective in Dunwall, and her Druidism stacks neatly on top of The World/Naturalism.
Plus, Sable desperately needs some stability and social interaction with these three will probably form the basis for strong, lasting relationships. The Hermit is too expensive to take, even if they would fit in naturally with Binary Magic Artifice. I think that the presence of The High Priestess's cult, while it is really good with Sign of the Crab, would also be cumbersome through most of the early stages of this strategy, and aren't necessarily worth taking.
More followers can always be obtained in a Delila-esque way by seeking out those suited and amenable to joining a small community, and as they would be under Sable (presumably with at least 1 stage of Tyrant Mitigation?) then everything should be fine, especially later on when Sable doesn't need to burn Hierophant slots on keeping her relationships with her companions stable.
Artifacts: The World, The Moon, and The Hanged Man. The World is obviously key, because it redoubles the results and abilities of Naturalism and grants immense personal improvement via Elderdross infusion, which as I said before would likely substitute for essence as far as Artifice is concerned. The Moon is useful to multiply the quality of take from Naturalism's enhancement, essentially acting as a multiplier to The Emperor's efforts. The Hanged Man improves the progression of magic abilities even more, which is helpful to almost every character in the build and only reinforces its central mechanism. Since neither Naturalism nor Artifice are combat magic, instead being more preparatory, the issue with laying still isn't so bad. Though with the Affliction of Slumber, Sable will probably be doing a lot of laying still already....
None of the other artifacts have a strong synergy with this build, even if they would be helpful, and I'm trying to keep things as lean as possible in terms of Curses.
Upgrades: Temperance, The Hierophant.
Temperance is just good in any form, but is especially valuable here if it's related to nature or to cross-system magic interactions (aka Beyond Points). The Hierophant is to get earlier Curse amelioration, as well as immunize Tyrant from interrupting Sable's relationships as they stabilize.
Of the others, The Devil and The Tower are probably the only ones which would be useful. The Devil just heaps more material value into the cycle of empowerment, while The Tower's "always recover" clause might be useful backup to avoiding the long-term consequences of Artifice if the other suggested methods aren't getting it done. You could take these + Beloved: Talon, or some other combination of 3 Lesser Remittances, if you were willing to also take Sign of the Crab on top, but this seems like overkill to me. Again, I'm trying to keep this lean.
Curses: Doom of the Sailor is obvious for a non-indenture Sable. Since this build doesn't take a Curse which forces conflict (Indenture, Doom of the Saint, Doom of the Martyr, Crowning Curses), it can take the boring but very functional pair of Affliction of Slumber and Affliction of the Weary and just abuse The Emperor's ability to make godlike fatigue tonics to make up for the mental issues. Tyrant is fine, though taking Crab would serve much the same purpose since the group is trying to avoid interacting with anyone, though Crab's built-in mitigation for Companions might mean that The Hierophant should be swapped out.
In terms of expanding the Curses, this build could take a Crowning Curse (which would probably have to be Despair, since the others will lead into fights). Strength is the only reason to take another Crowning Curse, and there are some good combinations: Wands again would let you slam on the gas pedal by taking Redolence (Read + Spirit for essence regeneration and reinforcement against Despair) and either The Flow (Focus: Naturalism/Purity or Freedom/Quality/Unbowed) or Crown and Thorns (Spirit and Garden or Corsage: Will or Wreath: Binary Magic or some nature-related Bouquet skillset) or Pestilence, which is really good in the immediate sense in Dunwall for reasons I shouldn't have to explain. Cups (Monastery/Steeple like Rihaku's Phoenix Build) could have a similar effect. Blank Card-> King's Scepter Binary Magic would give TSH, which is invaluable for this build. Swords would give Sable a huge boost in immediate stats and what is essentially a version of Artifice that pulls from Will. Pentacles would make the setting safe for sure, given that Sable would start with almost no enemies and with a bunch of great loot...maybe she could actually take Hubris and still end up in a safer position? Hubris and Artifice together is probably a bad idea.
Keeping things lean seems absolutely correct, though, since it doesn't really need to compound power beyond what it's already doing; there's no reason to. I firmly stand by the idea that Binary System/Strength is a tool for people who have to take a Crowning Curse and want to be a little less fucked, even if it means that you have to take a non-required major and lesser curse minimum to buy it, getting nothing else.
Some of the things in this build might not gel, mostly depending on whether Binary Magic comes with the elven "completeness" that prevents it the user from utilizing other magics. I mean, of course if The Fates can get around that rule then the Accursed could do it more easily and without throwing disadvantages into the mix, but you never know. If you can have other magic, you might be able to power up pretty far, especially due to the highly synergistic nature of the Magic available. Naturalism, Artifice, Blood Sorcery (not like the update, that's either a coincidence or I primed Rihaku with the CYOA text : P), Elderdross, Druidism...that's a lot of close overlap. Not to mention that if I'm remembering my EFB Quest lore correctly, Cultivation is actually a slapdash series of alchemical processes and energy manipulations that are only made possible by a flower which was created using elven Naturalism (hence having orthodox/heterodox paths in the first place)! Sable doesn't know about Cultivation and would never replicate it without some serious outside interference, but it's wholly possible that the intensity of similar magic and eternity of time would lead to her creating some other magic system of her own. Probably something that focuses Will, I'd bet.
Overall, the strategy here is absolutely tp become an immobile turtle, which is why Indenture is a no-go. But I think a Cursebearer who is simply content to sit in place and grow stronger while achieving mitigation is a good asset, insofar as they're extremely likely to survive to a whatever stratospheric plateau is ultimately possible in their power and mitigation, and then be in an great place to negotiate for additional Curses or do missions for the Accursed.
As far as story, I imagine that there's an initial burst of action as the four of them have to bug out of the diseased corpse pit they're in, both the literal one and metonymously the whole of Dunwall. The Emperor isn't super capable of that, but The Magician should be able to use her Druidism to point them towards water and find a boat. The Empress is pretty personally strong for this setting just in terms of abilities + stats and can absolutely pull off some nasty Corvo-type shenanigans. Depending on luck they'll either be able to find a way out stealthily and bug out along the river (probably Druidism to grow a boat from wood) or they'll have to fight their way through large crowds of Guards/Weepers. They can probably come out of other side of either quite well, so long as nobody drops a lucky grenade on Sable's head.
Since Sable is the only one who knows anything about Dunwall and the Empire of the Isles, she'll probably be the one to direct them places. She's got extensive knowledge about the city due to her history and two of her core skills (Streetwise/Survival (Urban)) and will likely know how to navigate out down the river inland or around the outer island, both of which can land them in a nice location by the sea to set everything up and hunker down. I imagine that the early bits of survival will be tougher, but with all of the nature-affecting magic and functional survival knowledge they have, getting to a comfortable and functional place in the long term should be easy, provided that the Outsider doesn't smell a rat and start sending agents to attack them/incite attack against them.
I figure that after enough fruitful time has passed, they'll ditch Gristol and go settle down on the one place that is most naturally potent in the setting, which is the horrific far continent Pandyssia. It's like the setting's mimetic fantasy Australia. If they accumulate enough followers for a stable colony then they can basically just swallow a bunch of the continent for themselves and not worry much about being bothered. Eventually the gains will peter out (Combat-type problems...) and Sable will have to probably start looking to other universes, though the ceiling of power that she can muster with dedicated, optimized growth is very, very high.
-Combat-Type (-3RV, +1PR, +3LR)
-Curses:
+Major: Affliction of Slumber, Doom of the Tyrant
+Lesser: Doom of the Sailor, Affliction of the Weary (+5RV-> +5LR)
Primary Remittance: Wands: Power of Love: Binary Magic (from EFB Quest)
Lesser Remittances: The Magician, The Empress, The Emperor, The Moon, The World, The Hanged Man, Temperance, The Hierophant
Build: Actually, no. Screw Dunwall and the whole Empire. It's time to engage the time-honored tradition of fucking off into the wild swamps of Gristol to do Witchy Things(tm) with your pals (read: your potential Goth (Vampire) GF and your two roommates).
Basically, just take your companions out away from everything and start iterating on a powerleveling loop. The way it does that makes it cousins with both Zampano's above Crab/Wild God build and Rihaku's Phoenix build, actually. Cousins through different parents, though.
The build leverages the actual sleeper hit of an Artifact Remittance that is The World, but instead of using it to synergize with the character's Apex ability like Zampano does with Anara's Wild God, we use Wands to grab The Power of Love and take Binary Magic (and thus Naturalism), which does the job just as well. I'm not sure what I would call The World's mystical energy...Elderdross? It's on-brand and only makes things more confusing by rearranging the sounds in Edeldross: perfect! Anyways, Elderdross should allow both extreme gains from Naturalism and probably the eventual capability to do Artifice without worrying too much about diminishment.
Primary Remittance: Remittance Magic: Power of Love: Binary Magic:
Quoted here in case anyone hasn't read EFB Quest. Binary Magic is a good pick here because Naturalism and Arifice are both really strong and exploitable, especially with the kind of bonuses that are being stacked on top of the base +Progression bonus and magical mastery you get with the Wands Primary Remittance! Naturalism is obviously the main power you're going to use until you build up to being able to use Artifice, but compared to the potency of Dishonored's native abilities even the leanest Combat-Type magic mastery is overwhelmingly threatening.
Side note: Rihaku, what in god's name are the characters you use which I don't have the right font to see? Those L SEP boxes haunt my dreams.
Companions: The Magician, The Emperor, and The Empress. The Emperor is essential for this build, as he turns the extreme bounty of The World and Naturalism into concrete and versatile stats/advancements by making it into delicious food, which improves the stability and quality of the primary power loop a lot. The Empress gives some significant larger chunk of combat ability to avoid Sable being ganked by Whalers or Overseers or Witches, and can scale up over time as the primary combatant and provide protection during Slumber procs. She also provides the ability to become a Vampire and manipulate Life Energy directly, which is yet another route of magic with combinatorial possibilities, and could have its downsides mitigated by The Emperor's consumables and can provide immortality if nothing else is forthcoming. The Magician is a good secondary combatant, is well suited for going and doing missions that require the espionage/assassination techniques that are so effective in Dunwall, and her Druidism stacks neatly on top of The World/Naturalism.
Plus, Sable desperately needs some stability and social interaction with these three will probably form the basis for strong, lasting relationships. The Hermit is too expensive to take, even if they would fit in naturally with Binary Magic Artifice. I think that the presence of The High Priestess's cult, while it is really good with Sign of the Crab, would also be cumbersome through most of the early stages of this strategy, and aren't necessarily worth taking.
More followers can always be obtained in a Delila-esque way by seeking out those suited and amenable to joining a small community, and as they would be under Sable (presumably with at least 1 stage of Tyrant Mitigation?) then everything should be fine, especially later on when Sable doesn't need to burn Hierophant slots on keeping her relationships with her companions stable.
Artifacts: The World, The Moon, and The Hanged Man. The World is obviously key, because it redoubles the results and abilities of Naturalism and grants immense personal improvement via Elderdross infusion, which as I said before would likely substitute for essence as far as Artifice is concerned. The Moon is useful to multiply the quality of take from Naturalism's enhancement, essentially acting as a multiplier to The Emperor's efforts. The Hanged Man improves the progression of magic abilities even more, which is helpful to almost every character in the build and only reinforces its central mechanism. Since neither Naturalism nor Artifice are combat magic, instead being more preparatory, the issue with laying still isn't so bad. Though with the Affliction of Slumber, Sable will probably be doing a lot of laying still already....
None of the other artifacts have a strong synergy with this build, even if they would be helpful, and I'm trying to keep things as lean as possible in terms of Curses.
Upgrades: Temperance, The Hierophant.
Temperance is just good in any form, but is especially valuable here if it's related to nature or to cross-system magic interactions (aka Beyond Points). The Hierophant is to get earlier Curse amelioration, as well as immunize Tyrant from interrupting Sable's relationships as they stabilize.
Of the others, The Devil and The Tower are probably the only ones which would be useful. The Devil just heaps more material value into the cycle of empowerment, while The Tower's "always recover" clause might be useful backup to avoiding the long-term consequences of Artifice if the other suggested methods aren't getting it done. You could take these + Beloved: Talon, or some other combination of 3 Lesser Remittances, if you were willing to also take Sign of the Crab on top, but this seems like overkill to me. Again, I'm trying to keep this lean.
Curses: Doom of the Sailor is obvious for a non-indenture Sable. Since this build doesn't take a Curse which forces conflict (Indenture, Doom of the Saint, Doom of the Martyr, Crowning Curses), it can take the boring but very functional pair of Affliction of Slumber and Affliction of the Weary and just abuse The Emperor's ability to make godlike fatigue tonics to make up for the mental issues. Tyrant is fine, though taking Crab would serve much the same purpose since the group is trying to avoid interacting with anyone, though Crab's built-in mitigation for Companions might mean that The Hierophant should be swapped out.
In terms of expanding the Curses, this build could take a Crowning Curse (which would probably have to be Despair, since the others will lead into fights). Strength is the only reason to take another Crowning Curse, and there are some good combinations: Wands again would let you slam on the gas pedal by taking Redolence (Read + Spirit for essence regeneration and reinforcement against Despair) and either The Flow (Focus: Naturalism/Purity or Freedom/Quality/Unbowed) or Crown and Thorns (Spirit and Garden or Corsage: Will or Wreath: Binary Magic or some nature-related Bouquet skillset) or Pestilence, which is really good in the immediate sense in Dunwall for reasons I shouldn't have to explain. Cups (Monastery/Steeple like Rihaku's Phoenix Build) could have a similar effect. Blank Card-> King's Scepter Binary Magic would give TSH, which is invaluable for this build. Swords would give Sable a huge boost in immediate stats and what is essentially a version of Artifice that pulls from Will. Pentacles would make the setting safe for sure, given that Sable would start with almost no enemies and with a bunch of great loot...maybe she could actually take Hubris and still end up in a safer position? Hubris and Artifice together is probably a bad idea.
Keeping things lean seems absolutely correct, though, since it doesn't really need to compound power beyond what it's already doing; there's no reason to. I firmly stand by the idea that Binary System/Strength is a tool for people who have to take a Crowning Curse and want to be a little less fucked, even if it means that you have to take a non-required major and lesser curse minimum to buy it, getting nothing else.
Some of the things in this build might not gel, mostly depending on whether Binary Magic comes with the elven "completeness" that prevents it the user from utilizing other magics. I mean, of course if The Fates can get around that rule then the Accursed could do it more easily and without throwing disadvantages into the mix, but you never know. If you can have other magic, you might be able to power up pretty far, especially due to the highly synergistic nature of the Magic available. Naturalism, Artifice, Blood Sorcery (not like the update, that's either a coincidence or I primed Rihaku with the CYOA text : P), Elderdross, Druidism...that's a lot of close overlap. Not to mention that if I'm remembering my EFB Quest lore correctly, Cultivation is actually a slapdash series of alchemical processes and energy manipulations that are only made possible by a flower which was created using elven Naturalism (hence having orthodox/heterodox paths in the first place)! Sable doesn't know about Cultivation and would never replicate it without some serious outside interference, but it's wholly possible that the intensity of similar magic and eternity of time would lead to her creating some other magic system of her own. Probably something that focuses Will, I'd bet.
Overall, the strategy here is absolutely tp become an immobile turtle, which is why Indenture is a no-go. But I think a Cursebearer who is simply content to sit in place and grow stronger while achieving mitigation is a good asset, insofar as they're extremely likely to survive to a whatever stratospheric plateau is ultimately possible in their power and mitigation, and then be in an great place to negotiate for additional Curses or do missions for the Accursed.
As far as story, I imagine that there's an initial burst of action as the four of them have to bug out of the diseased corpse pit they're in, both the literal one and metonymously the whole of Dunwall. The Emperor isn't super capable of that, but The Magician should be able to use her Druidism to point them towards water and find a boat. The Empress is pretty personally strong for this setting just in terms of abilities + stats and can absolutely pull off some nasty Corvo-type shenanigans. Depending on luck they'll either be able to find a way out stealthily and bug out along the river (probably Druidism to grow a boat from wood) or they'll have to fight their way through large crowds of Guards/Weepers. They can probably come out of other side of either quite well, so long as nobody drops a lucky grenade on Sable's head.
Since Sable is the only one who knows anything about Dunwall and the Empire of the Isles, she'll probably be the one to direct them places. She's got extensive knowledge about the city due to her history and two of her core skills (Streetwise/Survival (Urban)) and will likely know how to navigate out down the river inland or around the outer island, both of which can land them in a nice location by the sea to set everything up and hunker down. I imagine that the early bits of survival will be tougher, but with all of the nature-affecting magic and functional survival knowledge they have, getting to a comfortable and functional place in the long term should be easy, provided that the Outsider doesn't smell a rat and start sending agents to attack them/incite attack against them.
I figure that after enough fruitful time has passed, they'll ditch Gristol and go settle down on the one place that is most naturally potent in the setting, which is the horrific far continent Pandyssia. It's like the setting's mimetic fantasy Australia. If they accumulate enough followers for a stable colony then they can basically just swallow a bunch of the continent for themselves and not worry much about being bothered. Eventually the gains will peter out (Combat-type problems...) and Sable will have to probably start looking to other universes, though the ceiling of power that she can muster with dedicated, optimized growth is very, very high.
And have another!
-Character: Persona
-Profile:
+Core Stats: Strength, Wits
+Core Skills: Hunting, Navigation (Wilderness), Tactics
+Inherent Ability: Devour: So long as one continues to consume sufficient food and get sufficient rest, their size and physical abilities will continue to improve over time.
+History: A man living in a cabin in the woods, on his own, hunting and harvesting all his food on his own. A serious misanthrope who hates the idiocy of modern mageocratic life and the people who inflict themselves upon him. His dragon's blood ancestry is responsible for this: for both his attitude and the way that the world has treated him.
-Progression-Type (Requirements: Matching Hunger) (Indenture, 2-Cost, 2 Major)
-Curses:
+Crowning: The Curse of Hubris
+Major: Geas of Indenture, Doom of the Tyrant, Brand of the Wretched, The Decimator's Affliction (+3)
+Minor: Doom of the Prick, Affliction of the Carnivore, Sign of the Twins, Brand of the Chaste, Brand of the Fated, Doom of Rivalry, Brand of the Kinslayer (+7)
-Primary Remittance 1: Twice-Great
-Remittance Magic: Power of Love: Accretion
-Primary Remittance 2: Lost in Transaction
-Lesser Remittances: Rebuilt (Restructure: Dragon, Realign: Body), Binary System, Immortal Sheath, Beloved: Hunger Ring
This build is just a dude becoming a Dragon! Progression-type, though, because even if Combat-type might allows instant big boy status, Progression is where the real value is at.
Primary Remittances: Lost in Translation seems mandatory for someone who wants to become a dragon, and it's well-suited to ameliorate the Curse of Hubris. This build easily takes enough Curses for Binary System, so you get to pick another. Twice-Great is good here. At first I thought about taking Malignance with some Fire choices and taking Ferocity (Theophagist) would be good, but I feel like those might ruin the purity of the Dragon. Instead, taking Accretion and Hunger Ring allows for immediate power and faster growth, as well as being nicely thematically fitting when combined with his inherent ability. A lot of the early Hunger Ring advancements actually are really draconically appropriate, like Might's Repose, Feast of Lives, Scent of Prey...I bet that it would synergize really well, especially with how deeply antisocial this build is and how likely this person is to get into fights.
Lesser Remittances: Binary System is obvious. Turn into Dragon is almost the entire point of the build, isn't it? And he's already taken Lost In Transaction, so the best option is to then gain a really strong dragon body! Hunger Ring is taken to partner with Accretion, as the whole theme is very draconically appropriate. And lastly, Immortal Sheath is taken to hopefully help protect even a little bit against the painful consequences of The Curse of Hubris.
Curses: There is no other Crowning Curse that could be as appropriate to this person as the Curse of Hubris. It's on point. Tyrant and Wretched are also on point for a vicious, voracious dragon, and Decimator makes sense if you don't particularly care about people and welcome all challengers (lmao, Hubris). All the Lesser Curses also make perfect sense if you don't care about and don't want relationships with others and don't mind competition, as well as Doom of the Carnivore just being appropriate for the Dragon Theme. Man, Curses are way less painful if the thing they take from you isn't something you care about losing! Pro tip from the Draconic Tyrant: only ever care about yourself and you'll do fine.
You could take more curses, but it'd probably be a mistake. Sign of the Crab would make the implementation of the other Curses pretty funny to watch, but would interfere with the thematics at play, and those are kind of the point.
This build is extremely cohesive in terms of ability and theme, but unless the person goes really hard they'll just get themselves killed due to their conflict-causing behavior (...conflict-causing existence) and the Curse of Hubris. It's fun to imagine, though. I like to think that their survival route is simply to rush to Dead But Dreaming and then lean on hard to save their ass from all the times they piss of somebody hardcore. Though being such an aggressive, confident, violent jackass who can't be permakilled without a lot of advantage would probably be a really effective way to gain Rank. People love Dragons! So long as the dragon isn't pointed at them.
-Profile:
+Core Stats: Strength, Wits
+Core Skills: Hunting, Navigation (Wilderness), Tactics
+Inherent Ability: Devour: So long as one continues to consume sufficient food and get sufficient rest, their size and physical abilities will continue to improve over time.
+History: A man living in a cabin in the woods, on his own, hunting and harvesting all his food on his own. A serious misanthrope who hates the idiocy of modern mageocratic life and the people who inflict themselves upon him. His dragon's blood ancestry is responsible for this: for both his attitude and the way that the world has treated him.
-Progression-Type (Requirements: Matching Hunger) (Indenture, 2-Cost, 2 Major)
-Curses:
+Crowning: The Curse of Hubris
+Major: Geas of Indenture, Doom of the Tyrant, Brand of the Wretched, The Decimator's Affliction (+3)
+Minor: Doom of the Prick, Affliction of the Carnivore, Sign of the Twins, Brand of the Chaste, Brand of the Fated, Doom of Rivalry, Brand of the Kinslayer (+7)
-Primary Remittance 1: Twice-Great
-Remittance Magic: Power of Love: Accretion
-Primary Remittance 2: Lost in Transaction
-Lesser Remittances: Rebuilt (Restructure: Dragon, Realign: Body), Binary System, Immortal Sheath, Beloved: Hunger Ring
This build is just a dude becoming a Dragon! Progression-type, though, because even if Combat-type might allows instant big boy status, Progression is where the real value is at.
Primary Remittances: Lost in Translation seems mandatory for someone who wants to become a dragon, and it's well-suited to ameliorate the Curse of Hubris. This build easily takes enough Curses for Binary System, so you get to pick another. Twice-Great is good here. At first I thought about taking Malignance with some Fire choices and taking Ferocity (Theophagist) would be good, but I feel like those might ruin the purity of the Dragon. Instead, taking Accretion and Hunger Ring allows for immediate power and faster growth, as well as being nicely thematically fitting when combined with his inherent ability. A lot of the early Hunger Ring advancements actually are really draconically appropriate, like Might's Repose, Feast of Lives, Scent of Prey...I bet that it would synergize really well, especially with how deeply antisocial this build is and how likely this person is to get into fights.
Lesser Remittances: Binary System is obvious. Turn into Dragon is almost the entire point of the build, isn't it? And he's already taken Lost In Transaction, so the best option is to then gain a really strong dragon body! Hunger Ring is taken to partner with Accretion, as the whole theme is very draconically appropriate. And lastly, Immortal Sheath is taken to hopefully help protect even a little bit against the painful consequences of The Curse of Hubris.
Curses: There is no other Crowning Curse that could be as appropriate to this person as the Curse of Hubris. It's on point. Tyrant and Wretched are also on point for a vicious, voracious dragon, and Decimator makes sense if you don't particularly care about people and welcome all challengers (lmao, Hubris). All the Lesser Curses also make perfect sense if you don't care about and don't want relationships with others and don't mind competition, as well as Doom of the Carnivore just being appropriate for the Dragon Theme. Man, Curses are way less painful if the thing they take from you isn't something you care about losing! Pro tip from the Draconic Tyrant: only ever care about yourself and you'll do fine.
You could take more curses, but it'd probably be a mistake. Sign of the Crab would make the implementation of the other Curses pretty funny to watch, but would interfere with the thematics at play, and those are kind of the point.
This build is extremely cohesive in terms of ability and theme, but unless the person goes really hard they'll just get themselves killed due to their conflict-causing behavior (...conflict-causing existence) and the Curse of Hubris. It's fun to imagine, though. I like to think that their survival route is simply to rush to Dead But Dreaming and then lean on hard to save their ass from all the times they piss of somebody hardcore. Though being such an aggressive, confident, violent jackass who can't be permakilled without a lot of advantage would probably be a really effective way to gain Rank. People love Dragons! So long as the dragon isn't pointed at them.
Re:the CYOA in general, I have noticed a couple of bugs on the site (certain sections not loading correctly, certain options with text missing, etc.) & will probably be fixing them tomorrow night. Please DM me here or on discord if you've encounter anything buggy!
Well, this is...timely. God damn.
It has to be Tyrant or Champion, right? Saint is basically a nightmare that nobody would take without really skewed preferences, and though Vigor puts the question of the Curse off for a while, it inevitably comes due in a fashion that Sable is not well primed to deal with, even if the omake quest will probably not last 100 years. And I think between Champion and Tyrant, the attitude that Sable expresses right before the Accursed shows up probably indicates that Tyrant is a better match.
From On High and Thief of Time are too passive. Sable needs to start with more power than that! Ascendence is pretty good in general, but Sable's skills are mostly suited to Dunwall and the stat boosts won't do it. It's going to have to be Twice Great. And I'd rather choose a synergy of two Magics than go for a Rihaku quest one, because range of utility offers better chances for her.
No companions makes some sense! Sorry for making them from other fiction you might not know...it was to save me grief....
I think that Candle is objectively correct here if Twice-Great is taken. Intensify would probably limit you to one magic but up your advancement quite a lot, which could be necessary for survival but makes you miss out on those juicy synergies! Saltbrume, Talon, and Moondrop are all potentially good, but I think that taking Grace for something like Excellence points or Beyond points is probably more effective.
I guess my vote is
{O} Doom of the Tyrant
{O} Twice-Great
-{O} The Flow
-{O} Malignance
{O} Candle
{O} Grace
Gisena should get a lot of value out of Ordinalism. The biggest issue with Ordinal Spiral is that you need superhuman intellect to make use of it - which, especially with RW, Gisena's got for days. So she can blaze through lower Ordinals, which would also increase his mental speed by a lot which, in turn, would allow her faster Grace research, which can be then used to get more Ordinals.
They do somewhat overlap, as Graces can generally replicate effects of Ordinals. However, Gisena can do (usually very specialized) Ordinal build and then just supplement it with Graces. Imagine Teal that could actually pack a punch or Coldbriar who could teleport, for example.
I really like the idea of her getting access to Ordinal Spiral, and I'm sure that Letrizia would use it well thanks to her Element as well.
They do somewhat overlap, as Graces can generally replicate effects of Ordinals. However, Gisena can do (usually very specialized) Ordinal build and then just supplement it with Graces. Imagine Teal that could actually pack a punch or Coldbriar who could teleport, for example.
I really like the idea of her getting access to Ordinal Spiral, and I'm sure that Letrizia would use it well thanks to her Element as well.
This was definitely worth waiting for. So much delicious content to sink my teeth into, multiple magics and worlds, endless replayability. The Dwarf Fortress difficulty here (not to be confused with the Crypt-Arc 5 Indenture task) is trying to become a Cursebearer yourself. Players start in enough debt that the most egregiously exploitative student loans look like a cakewalk in comparison, harsher than even the Hunger-tier of vali's CYOA. But so be it, limiting myself to canon Curses and the offerings here. Let's see how this goes:
The Devouring Wyrm
Player (Myself)
Break Containment (Combat-class)
Crowning Curses: Not going there
Major Curses: Sign of the Crab, Geas of Indenture, Doom of the Tyrant, Plenary Brand
Lesser Curses: Doom of the Sailor, Affliction of the Carnivore, Sign of the Twins, Doom of Rivalry
Primary Remittance: Wands (Ferocity, The Flow)
Lesser Remittances:
Companion: Camelia Venerasi
Upgrade: Temperance
Ferocity: Theophagist, Salmon, Dragon
The Flow: Focus, Quality, Purity
The Wyrm discards humanity from the outset, dedicating both Remittance-granted magics to the task of transcendence through consumption. The Flow's Focus is Ferocity itself, providing a potent force multiplier. The Quality Specialty's taken because growth as a Theophagist depends on the quality of flesh consumed, not the quantity. The Affliction of the Carnivore (the seed from which this build was grown) rules out cooking, but refinement through the Flow ought to both improve returns and make this strategy more... palatable. If this works as planned, every aspect of The Flow'll be bent toward empowering Ferocity, the magic itself gaining mythic import from the Second Step.
A Combat-type's allowed fifteen keyword advancements to start with. The combination of Salmon and Dragon not only provides a coherent, scaly aesthetic but ensures access to sea and sky, maximizing mobility and therefore the amount of available prey. Remaining advancements should center around the Legend, Greed, and Devour keywords. Some would say unending avarice is a dragon's defining trait, the beast growing ever-mightier with age, both appetite and hoard eternally expanding. Theophagy allows rapid growth at a grisly cost, but it's important that the mutations don't lead the Wyrm into an evolutionary dead-end or lock him out of other magic. Lower starting power in exchange for long-term potential is a good trade, as a Combat-type. Here are a couple possibilities:
Metabolization (Devour/Greed) - As night follows day, so does the hunt naturally end in satiety. In exchange for a period of torpor and moderately increased vulnerability, recently devoured prey are processed and their capabilities integrated in a way that results in only draconic growth. Length of lethargy and degree of incapacitation can be adjusted to improve gains, stretching kills through a lean winter.
Reconstitution (Devour/Greed, req. Metabolization) - Each piece of meat consumed contains a blueprint of the whole. Given this truth, why should the Wyrm's hoard not contain the shapes of the slain? The Wyrm may assume the form of a species he has sufficient affinity with. This suppresses non-native powers and a percentage of physical stats for the duration of the transformation. Imitiating specific people is not possible at this level, appearance is instead translated to the nearest species-equivalent.
Dreadbeast (Legend) - A dragon's advance is announced by fear and trembling; the shadow of its spread wings casts a pall of terror over mortal hearts. That is the proper way of things. Theophagy now benefits from a multiplier based on the renown of a specific act of consumption, feasting on fear as well as flesh. This indirectly harnesses the Plenary Brand, though logarithmic scaling limits the advancement's power.
Essentially, the idea is to secure growth multipliers and shapeshifting early on; thankfully, the latter features in draconic legends. The Brand makes infiltration something of a crapshoot, but regaining the ability to return to human form is required for sanity's sake if nothing else. A scaling (heh) method dependent on external resources is ideal for a Combat-type, the Wands Remittance entails +Progression for both magics even without The Flow optimized to bolster Ferocity, but this combination of Curses and macabre method of growth would be tough on anyone's mind. Willpower's not an unlimited resource. First up in terms of mental alterations is the Doom of the Sailor.
It's a very aesthetic Curse, between the Homer reference and my own fondness for sailing it was a shoo-in. Aquatic mobility through Salmon is one avenue of addressing it... but for a practitioner of The Flow, the Magnificent Sea's always but a step to the left. That sort of sophistry may stretch the definition of 'vaguely permissible', but with other oceans and additional mitigation it might be enough? Fighting against the Sea's metaphysical currents also seems similar to a salmon run, as the fish swim upstream when returning home to spawn. It could be worth dedicating Aquatic/Swimming advancements to Flow progression, investing in future Steps so the synergy's not flowing all one-way.
Speaking of synergy and sanity, the Combat companions are all quite good. A non-Tyrannical proxy to interact with civilization might be worth a Lesser Remmitance on their own, but since they're immune to the Sign of the Crab, it'd be shortsighted not to take someone. Also, the Empress is perfect for the Wyrm's purposes; not only is Camelia Venerasi poorly positioned to criticize his life choices, her vampiric abilities naturally complement his. She can rapidly orient herself in any new world with biological enemies through Psychometry and experience in asymmetrical warfare is very relevant during Indenture tasks.
Since vampires can consume Life Energy through body parts (which he's doing anyway) and are immortal, he'll probably ask Camelia to turn him early on. It's another source of augmentation, and Blood Sorcery promises too much utility to pass on it. If she can be taught Theophagy as well, that'd be ideal. This does mean that the Wyrm's only friend and sanity check will be a reincarnating amnesiac vampire revolutionary, but eh, I see this as an absolute win. He'll happily commit to helping unravel the mysteries of Camelia's past. She's intelligent and ruthless, they'll get along like a house on fire and perhaps one day will even live up to the title of Theophagist by gorging themselves on divine ichor!
Temperance is (ironically) the natural place to spend the last Lesser Remittance, since it benefits from strongly cleaving to an archetype. Unpleasant as the Devouring Wyrm build is, it's nothing if not consistent: a vampiric dragon, greedy and gluttonous, a consummate and ever-growing consumer, more force of nature than man thanks to the Crab's Sign. Temperance should grease the wheels of parasitism and grant a reserve to draw on in moments of true exigence. Perhaps it could even help with further forays into the Magnificent Sea? No self-respecting Cursebearer would settle for two Steps.
As for the remaining Curses... Sign of the Twins is sort of like a watered-down Apocryphal Curse. It's unpleasant, but when you can convert your adversaries into powerups, opposition's not the worst thing in the world. Rivalry on the other hand's really risky. The dehumanization of the Sign of the Crab, paired with the inflamed Rivalrous instincts of the Wyrm's peers, alongside the Plenary Brand and Tyrant's Doom? It's a dangerous recipe. Still, this provides a method of surviving conquest tasks that the Wyrm is poorly suited to without substantial headway against Curses. Mitigate the instincts, hunker down and ignore time served on the Geas in favor of personal growth.
The build can be tweaked by taking on Slumber and dropping Rivalry and/or the Sign of the Twins, gaining more Lesser Remittances to work with. Trying to impose Crabitalism by force would be a pain in early conquest tasks, but Camila has applicable experience as a revolutionary. Layering the vampire template atop draconic tropes also allows for hypnosis in the vein of Smaug or Glaurung, useful for subversion. The Wyrm's always seeking out targets so The Devil has natural synergies, The Hierophant could mitigate the Tyrant's Doom by a full stage and expedite interactions with Camelia.
The Fool & Tower have self-evident appeal, especially the latter. No Combat-type can afford to turn their nose up at advancement and the Wyrm's adept at manufacturing enemies who wish him harm. The Decimator's Affliction might work here, at the cost of making the build greedier. The Huntress' Moon method is well-suited to the Wyrm's lifestyle, but keeping it sated would require a lot of risk over time. Plenary's enough of an enemy-magnet when it's broadcasting this build's proclivities. Anyway, I've rambled on long enough, time to turn Actual Cannibal Orm Embar loose into the wild.
Resonant
Procrastinator Supreme
Welp, prospect doesn't look good at generating enough for Greed Gang. Save Gang seems to be more prudent so I'll be voting that way and hope others consolidate their votes to picking one side: Haeliel or Blood Sorcery.
[ ] Daylian Erranthus [Committed, 7 Arete]
[ ] Blood Sorcery [12 Arete]
[ ] Fifth Sign: As Above [Vast Empyrean]
EDIT: Changing vote after new discussion.
[X] The Seraph of Heroism, Haeliel [Basic, 50 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Amplification & Distillation
[ ] Blood Sorcery [12 Arete]
[ ] Fifth Sign: As Above [Vast Empyrean]
EDIT: Changing vote after new discussion.
[X] The Seraph of Heroism, Haeliel [Basic, 50 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Amplification & Distillation
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Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[Sa] Dunwall's Daughter
Even the terrible floods were not enough to wash away the sorrows of Dunwall.
That wretched city had taken everything from her; friends and family, health and hope. But for everything it took, it left something of itself behind. The survivors were those that changed to fit the city, who became dark as the streets and cold as the waters. She was a child of Dunwall and the seas beside it. So be it. That bitterness would become her strength and with that strength she would never be made to yield again.
[Major] Doom of the Tyrant
[Remittance] Twice-Great
- Malignance (Heart) (Sea)
- Flow (Focus: Malignance) (Quality)
[Item] Saltbrune
[Upgrade] Grace
*Though minor advancement in Malignance is possible anywhere, real progress almost necessitates the presence of the sea or something similar.
*Your cloak allows you to wield your powers in-land with even a slight amount of ambient moisture available
*Malignance provides significant scale to your powers while the combination of Saltbrune and your mastery of the Flow lend them a staggering level of conceptual potency. Fully developed, it's unlikely that any in your first Geas world will be able to directly contest your abilities, regardless of compatibility
A.N: Had the idea in my head and couldn't get it out naturally. Was considering a Body Corsage + Intensify + Moondrop build for a quicker and safer start up but that felt too practical to me. I was trying to write up more of a blorb than that but this is all I got in the end. Anyway, ya girl can use the Flow to make Saltbrune more powerful than it should be and then siphon off the excess to add to her heart. Not super effective given she's only got 15 minutes of that stuff a day at the start and its a lot slower than having access to an ocean regardless but its something.
I imagine sea techs to be kinda like water techs but with access to more of the mythological/cultural associations of the sea, though with no healing techniques available.
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Well time for the Gang vs Gang shit stirring
If somebody feels offended please read my apology in the spoiler below
If somebody feels offended please read my apology in the spoiler below
Error 404: Damn not found.
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- Location
- Europe
Excluding excerpts from @Rihaku and @DarkSideBard this should be around 700 words.
It's always tough making build votes digestible when the reader isn't involved.
I had to fight the urge to pick Empty Moon, just after Ullysian goes Pseudo-devil tiger, as my companion. But getting cucked by the Accursed for the rest of transfinite time probably isn't worth it. Truly, the Curse of Despair is already playing on my self-destructive urges.
"You...are a highly substandard candidate. Almost worthlessly unsuitable. I am not offering you anything."
Just hearing him say that makes me want to puke with hate. But more than that it grips my heart like a vice of cold steel. I've paid so much to get here, all to be denied. It locks me in place. The sheer loss rises behind me, casts my future in shadow and gives me the merest taste of how it will brush aside my future like flotsam before a tsunami.
But then he speaks again, words slipping between my thoughts like a scalpel between cells. "If you've come this far, you know I'm not the Devil, nor am I associated with any of the beings that claim to be him. But there is something to be learned from those beings; do not bargain for what you do not want."
He pauses, takes a sip from the delicate porcelain cup before him. "There will be no souls, no contracts, no signing in blood, because there is no transaction. You are not enough. In consolation, I offer you a moment of pity. I see you've managed to achieve quite a debt just to see me. What could possibly have driven you to such lengths?"
My feelings rush through my blood, roar in my ears, pound so hard in my chest I feel the pulse of my aorta as a tapping on my throat. For a moment it is all I can do to stay upright, to keep from swaying like a sapling in a storm.
"Sir," just stringing thoughts together is an effort, it is that moment when falling where all you have to do is prepare to hit the ground and even that is a clawing, scratching effort at the very edge of your means. "I just want to be content."
The words leave my lips and the voice tightens around my heart with crunch. What does that even mean? How does that make me any more worthy than anyone else? If that's the best I can-
"...well, perhaps we can reach an accord. Hopeless hope is not foreign to me. I will give you a chance. Take a seat."
My arms shake and knees almost give way as I lower myself to the wrought iron chair. I become aware of the table between us, a simple, round topped, white plastic thing, covered in a thin but clean linen cloth
"Be certain of your choice." he says, turning off to the side, cup and saucer balanced on the flat of his blade. "For you more than most, there is no leeway."
Even as he speaks, two runes trace themselves into the air before me. Each fractal ideogram resolves in my mind like a painting, colors coming together almost despite me, as if co-opting my brain to resolve not just what they mean, but what they should be.
The Runes sit in my thoughts, each a contract I could make, would make, if not for the other.
A yearning, shaking part of me knows what I want. To reach for a shining future, a life of greatness, of brightness, of undoubtable power, worth and ease. To Shine Bright, even for a time, is that not happiness?
I want it so bad my chest aches, desire it so much my fingers grip tight onto the table and my mind swims in hazy phantasms of joyous, shining debauchery. A gleaming world, a shining people, of love, lust and majesty, of a blessed life.
But, that isn't why I'm here, even if my heart won't accept the truth, even if my head refuses to understand, even if all I can do is know and watch for a chance. Because you don't stay happy, because you don't stay content, because people have unlimited wants and limited means.
"Are you sure?" Asks the man, eyes of burning blue piercing my thoughts with a glance.
I swallow, pry my fingers from the table rim, place them on knees beneath the table top. "I am sure."
The Accursed closes his eyes, veils their burning blue. For the briefest of moments, the indefatigable strength of his bearing seems to leave him, replaced with a mournfulness bordering on the surreal.
"If it must be so," he says and slowly his eyes open. "Go, then, and may good fortune be with you. Be cautious. Be clever. Grow strong. And remember this: You are my Cursebearer. Even should all creation rise against you, rise higher that you may strike them down. Even should the tides of the universe gather to oppose you, show them a universe that can live free of tides. Even should every path in every world be barred against you, still you will find a way through. That is your provenance. That is your legacy. Those are your words. Now go forth, and bear my Curse against this reality, and against all realities to come!"
Curse Bearer, You have acquired the Geass of Indenture. Departing Immediately.
Just hearing him say that makes me want to puke with hate. But more than that it grips my heart like a vice of cold steel. I've paid so much to get here, all to be denied. It locks me in place. The sheer loss rises behind me, casts my future in shadow and gives me the merest taste of how it will brush aside my future like flotsam before a tsunami.
But then he speaks again, words slipping between my thoughts like a scalpel between cells. "If you've come this far, you know I'm not the Devil, nor am I associated with any of the beings that claim to be him. But there is something to be learned from those beings; do not bargain for what you do not want."
He pauses, takes a sip from the delicate porcelain cup before him. "There will be no souls, no contracts, no signing in blood, because there is no transaction. You are not enough. In consolation, I offer you a moment of pity. I see you've managed to achieve quite a debt just to see me. What could possibly have driven you to such lengths?"
My feelings rush through my blood, roar in my ears, pound so hard in my chest I feel the pulse of my aorta as a tapping on my throat. For a moment it is all I can do to stay upright, to keep from swaying like a sapling in a storm.
"Sir," just stringing thoughts together is an effort, it is that moment when falling where all you have to do is prepare to hit the ground and even that is a clawing, scratching effort at the very edge of your means. "I just want to be content."
The words leave my lips and the voice tightens around my heart with crunch. What does that even mean? How does that make me any more worthy than anyone else? If that's the best I can-
"...well, perhaps we can reach an accord. Hopeless hope is not foreign to me. I will give you a chance. Take a seat."
My arms shake and knees almost give way as I lower myself to the wrought iron chair. I become aware of the table between us, a simple, round topped, white plastic thing, covered in a thin but clean linen cloth
"Be certain of your choice." he says, turning off to the side, cup and saucer balanced on the flat of his blade. "For you more than most, there is no leeway."
Even as he speaks, two runes trace themselves into the air before me. Each fractal ideogram resolves in my mind like a painting, colors coming together almost despite me, as if co-opting my brain to resolve not just what they mean, but what they should be.
The Runes sit in my thoughts, each a contract I could make, would make, if not for the other.
A yearning, shaking part of me knows what I want. To reach for a shining future, a life of greatness, of brightness, of undoubtable power, worth and ease. To Shine Bright, even for a time, is that not happiness?
I want it so bad my chest aches, desire it so much my fingers grip tight onto the table and my mind swims in hazy phantasms of joyous, shining debauchery. A gleaming world, a shining people, of love, lust and majesty, of a blessed life.
But, that isn't why I'm here, even if my heart won't accept the truth, even if my head refuses to understand, even if all I can do is know and watch for a chance. Because you don't stay happy, because you don't stay content, because people have unlimited wants and limited means.
"Are you sure?" Asks the man, eyes of burning blue piercing my thoughts with a glance.
I swallow, pry my fingers from the table rim, place them on knees beneath the table top. "I am sure."
The Accursed closes his eyes, veils their burning blue. For the briefest of moments, the indefatigable strength of his bearing seems to leave him, replaced with a mournfulness bordering on the surreal.
"If it must be so," he says and slowly his eyes open. "Go, then, and may good fortune be with you. Be cautious. Be clever. Grow strong. And remember this: You are my Cursebearer. Even should all creation rise against you, rise higher that you may strike them down. Even should the tides of the universe gather to oppose you, show them a universe that can live free of tides. Even should every path in every world be barred against you, still you will find a way through. That is your provenance. That is your legacy. Those are your words. Now go forth, and bear my Curse against this reality, and against all realities to come!"
Curse Bearer, You have acquired the Geass of Indenture. Departing Immediately.
There is a moment of silence, his pronouncement hanging in the air. Then he turns away, lifts his cup once more. "The matter is dealt with, now leave me to my breakfast."
Oh... right.
I get up and notice the small cafe we've been sitting in this entire time. "Melinoes Bakery: Best in all Ten Rings!" reads the sign, a croissant and cup of steaming black coffee painted on either side.
I try, as best I can, to ignore the three families looking our way as I flee the scene.
"Mama, you said grownups don't play games in public. So, what were they doing? It sounds fun!"
The accursed takes another sip.
Oh... right.
I get up and notice the small cafe we've been sitting in this entire time. "Melinoes Bakery: Best in all Ten Rings!" reads the sign, a croissant and cup of steaming black coffee painted on either side.
I try, as best I can, to ignore the three families looking our way as I flee the scene.
"Mama, you said grownups don't play games in public. So, what were they doing? It sounds fun!"
The accursed takes another sip.
It's always tough making build votes digestible when the reader isn't involved.
I had to fight the urge to pick Empty Moon, just after Ullysian goes Pseudo-devil tiger, as my companion. But getting cucked by the Accursed for the rest of transfinite time probably isn't worth it. Truly, the Curse of Despair is already playing on my self-destructive urges.
The index should once again be up to date, please ping me if anything's missing.
Hm, with the most recent Arete estimate it seems like it's going to be a tight race, potentially driving us into debt even if we make it. While that'd be fitting given Hunger's recent exploits, it does make me start thinking about what else he could do with approximately forty fucking Arete. That's enough to finish up Fisher King and buy another EFB; Zampano makes a good point, we could SAVE Arete by saving Daylian. There's something to be said for choosing someone who needs Hunger's help just as much as he does theirs. All three are appealing characters, though if Haeliel wins I am absolutely going to push for resurrecting Catherine, just on character grounds, passing up the opportunity is close to indefensible.
Hm, with the most recent Arete estimate it seems like it's going to be a tight race, potentially driving us into debt even if we make it. While that'd be fitting given Hunger's recent exploits, it does make me start thinking about what else he could do with approximately forty fucking Arete. That's enough to finish up Fisher King and buy another EFB; Zampano makes a good point, we could SAVE Arete by saving Daylian. There's something to be said for choosing someone who needs Hunger's help just as much as he does theirs. All three are appealing characters, though if Haeliel wins I am absolutely going to push for resurrecting Catherine, just on character grounds, passing up the opportunity is close to indefensible.
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
>ron weasley
every time i scroll on this page, it gets me. every single time.
With 50 Arete we could get Daylian to fix our issue with money, get Ruling Ring, get Fisher King, get Feat:Orb (+0.25 Rank) and still have 1 Arete left to spare. Or get RoB and OaF 2 and fix our issues with Stats
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Solving the Synthesis Problem(Expanded Yet Condensed):
Option 1: Pay Rank with As Above to get the Platinum from an Astral Banker, also tanking the prospect of using As Above/Nightmare Flight for Voyaging Realm extraction if that works. On the bright side if your afraid of our apocryphal proc interrupting and causing collateral damage, it lets us get out of Nilfel quick.
Option 2: Come up with more tactics if you've got any, pay however many rerolls we need, and hope the dice are in our favor(Some subset of my tactics are presumably helping here but if you want more that's on you). We presumably get 2 picks from this if we succeed.
Option 3: Pay 12 Arete for a Blood Power guaranteed to solve the problem by inverting the power of Adories Blood, gain 2 picks
Option 4(Subset of Complete Overkill): Take Daylian, bum Lazulite off of him to solve the problem.
Option 5(Subset of Complete Overkill): Take Haeliel, gamble Aobaru's safety by invoking Chosen One Empowerment Privileges
Option 6(Subset of Complete Overkill): Take Haeliel, burn the wish on ensuring Nilfel's prosperity
Solving the Voyaging Realm Extraction Problem options brainstorming:
Option 1: Spend more time in Nilfel, help Gisena get an artifact together since she's been too busy to look at that problem IIRC.
Option 2: Bother the Shard of the Arcanist and see what happens
Option 3: See if As Above combined with Nightmare Flight works.
Option 4: Spend more time in Nilfel, study the Blade, Take Refinement of Place, then fight our way out of the Astral Plane to wherever we want to be
Option 5(Haeliel): See if the dimensional tunneling power of the Nightmare or putting enough Ordinals in Teleport helps us with the problem.
Edit: Option 6 is badger an Astral Denizen for help with Supreme Enclosure and that's unlikely considering Verschlengorge.
Edit2: Maybe not if we're just asking for information though.
Option 1: Pay Rank with As Above to get the Platinum from an Astral Banker, also tanking the prospect of using As Above/Nightmare Flight for Voyaging Realm extraction if that works. On the bright side if your afraid of our apocryphal proc interrupting and causing collateral damage, it lets us get out of Nilfel quick.
Option 2: Come up with more tactics if you've got any, pay however many rerolls we need, and hope the dice are in our favor(Some subset of my tactics are presumably helping here but if you want more that's on you). We presumably get 2 picks from this if we succeed.
Option 3: Pay 12 Arete for a Blood Power guaranteed to solve the problem by inverting the power of Adories Blood, gain 2 picks
Option 4(Subset of Complete Overkill): Take Daylian, bum Lazulite off of him to solve the problem.
Option 5(Subset of Complete Overkill): Take Haeliel, gamble Aobaru's safety by invoking Chosen One Empowerment Privileges
Option 6(Subset of Complete Overkill): Take Haeliel, burn the wish on ensuring Nilfel's prosperity
Solving the Voyaging Realm Extraction Problem options brainstorming:
Option 1: Spend more time in Nilfel, help Gisena get an artifact together since she's been too busy to look at that problem IIRC.
Option 2: Bother the Shard of the Arcanist and see what happens
Option 3: See if As Above combined with Nightmare Flight works.
Option 4: Spend more time in Nilfel, study the Blade, Take Refinement of Place, then fight our way out of the Astral Plane to wherever we want to be
Option 5(Haeliel): See if the dimensional tunneling power of the Nightmare or putting enough Ordinals in Teleport helps us with the problem.
Edit: Option 6 is badger an Astral Denizen for help with Supreme Enclosure and that's unlikely considering Verschlengorge.
Edit2: Maybe not if we're just asking for information though.
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"He got me," runeblue360 said of Sharkey's trolling over him. "That f***ing Shark boomed me." runeblue360 added, "He's so good," repeating it four times. runeblue360 then said he wanted to add Sharkey to the list of voters he works out with next summer.