Shards of Awakening
- Thread starter dmclain2
- Start date
CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
What ever happened to this btw? Do we still have that fire affinity or did we overwrite it with Slumber?
To be a bit blithe: only the poors wear the disciple's robes when they don't have to. To expound a bit more: a lack of variety in clothing is considered gauche at best, and indicative of a deeper failing at worst.
To clarify: gambling (at her skill level) only applies bonuses to games of chance (cards, lotteries, etc.) and the bonus to d100 rolls only applies after the first path is mastered.
I commented on it in an AN somewhere, but in short yes, as I started thinking about Quan Jia's character, fire wasn't an element or theme that fit. She'd have been a lot more young mistress with fire, and I didn't particularly want to write an MC like that.
- Location
- United States
Nitpicking question that I just noticed.
So far every dice mechanic runs higher is better. Cultivation talent is the only thing that high rolls are bad.
Is there a reason for the reversal?
So far every dice mechanic runs higher is better. Cultivation talent is the only thing that high rolls are bad.
Is there a reason for the reversal?
- Pronouns
- He/It/Argh!
Well this is unacceptable. 8th best pillow (tail bonus not counted) needs new clothes.
I expect she doesn't want to stand out, so a couple of understated but very comfortable outfits are needed.
[X] Buy things from the shops in town.
I suppose I could run it so that the higher numbers are successes rather than lower, but I'm pretty sure I'd just end up confusing myself.
- Location
- United States
Oh, I was wondering if you were planning on a later mechanic where the actual number of the roll would do something seperate from the successes.
EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
[X] Meet one of the remaining neighbors
-[X] Musician
-[X] Musician
- Location
- Earth
[X] Explore the sect.
- Location
- United States of America, Michigan
[X] Explore the sect.
Vote closed
Ending of a Week
Subject 1013E
Day 1 - Exposure to Filth resulted in behavioral anomalies within half a bell of observation. Reversion occurred within 3 bells. Lesser Dao insights appear to offer no defense against taint.
Subject 1027A
Day 1 - Subject displayed remarkable resistance to external application of Filth. Minor aggressive behavioral cues did not prevent subject from passing Test 31ɑ.
Day 7 - Intravenous application of Filth caused reversion within moments. Cultivation of Sapphire Soul provides situational defense against reversion.
Subject 1039F
Day 1 - Subject resisted both external and intravenous application of Filth.
Day 7 - Vivisection revealed several abnormal cluster meridians. Post-mortem followup revealed lack of previously observed meridian anomaly . Further spirit-blooded subjects required.
Subject 1077A
Day 1 - Subject resisted both external and intravenous application of Filth.
Day 2 - Subject developed whispered mantra. Stops only to sleep.
Day 5 - Subject vivisected ahead of schedule to silence whispering.
Subject 1078A
Day 13 - Vivisection revealed autonomous generation of Filth. subject screams so d̵e̶l̵i̷g̸h̴t̸f̵u̴l̴l̵y̵.
Day 35 - B̴̫̲̭͎̙̲͓̘̓̉̈́̍̚͜e̵̛̠̒ẘ̸̭͙̆a̸̡̧̛͉͌r̴̳̣̘̣̩̥̺͐̈͑́e̶̛͖͈͈̭̞̮̓͆̊̆͆ͅ ̶̪͉̒̔̕ẗ̷̩͙͈̖́̂h̷̢̻̯͔̭͚̭͖̾͛̔̈́̍͆͐͝ȩ̶̲̱͉̠̲͍̲͉͑́̎̊͑̀͛̃ ̶̞̋͠v̸͕̿͝o̸̦̥͓̻̗̲̦̣̯͛̏̅͂͠i̵̖̰̜͂̿͆c̷͉̜̥̚e̵͙̒̓͒̌̕ś̸͇̝͖͚̻̬̣̗͒̅̈̌̎̓͠ͅ.̷̶̧̢͎͙̺̒͒̔̉̇̉͑͘̚͠͝
Exhibit 212F, Indigo Archives, Court of Reeds. Imperial Trial of Empty Harbinger Pan Jie, 3rd Age, 72nd year of Reconstruction.
The midday sun glares down on the open field that had been set aside for combat training, whatever that was. Swallowing a momentary frisson of annoyance at both the heat and the ambiguity, Quan Jia manifests a small silken fan from her storage ring. With a mote of qi, she activates her pops' gift. Painted winds ripple over ice-capped mountains and blow fresh winds scented with evergreen and winter over her.
"How is it this hot. It's barely even spring," she mutters more or less to herself before looking over at her two companions. "Either of you want some of this?"
Xiao Lien stops staring directly at the sun, shrugs, "I like the sun," and then returns to staring at the sun.
Weird.
"Grandmother made this for me before I left," Dia Qiao pulls out a small round stone engraved with a series of what looked like interlocking circles. "Until I get used to the lowlands was what she said."
"Hmm," Quan Jia hums a noncommittal sort of noise, rather more focused on the cool breeze, "I think we're going to go exploring after this, want to come?"
"Of cour-"
A wall of sound, visible as a darkened distortion of air rolls over them and drowns out whatever her friend would have said with the crashing of waves in a winter storm. Silence falls in the wake of his entrance and Elder Chen Fan smiles, his face creased by a lifetime of laughter and good humor.
"I see that unlike Sister Yi, everyone has decided to be on time for my class, that is good." The elder's voice seems to reverberate from some place mere feet in front of her rather than from the elder himself.
"While the sect will tolerate the mediocre and unmotivated." The elder's amusement slowly fades as he studies the attentive faces looking up at him. In its place his intensity hits the disciples like a bolt of thunder, "A disciple who does not want to fight will be made to, and a disciple who cannot fight will die when that time comes."
"It will be my duty to shape such disciples as stand before me into those who can be relied upon to secure the unsettled lands of this province and repel barbarian invasion." The smile returns, this time tinged with a hint of some sly amusement. "On that note, your first test. Try not to disappoint."
Bursts of actinic light lance through grass and sand, radiating up out into the sky before coalescing into an impossibly bright spark of letters a hundred feet in the air. With a roaring flash, streamers of runic character rain down in streaks of amber and pearl radiance. Where rune meets earth, the symbols spread, forming words, forming sentences, and enclosing the field within a curtain of shimmering text. As the last bolt of runework crashes to earth, a weight presses down on Quan Jia's shoulders and sends her slamming to the ground.
Bands of weight, of solid air wrap around her, holding her motionless. From beside her, Quan Jia can hear the faint gasping sounds from one of her friends, but can't spare the attention to figure out which. Her focus is turned entirely toward merely breathing, to even the slightest twitching of muscle that would let her know she can move. She can't.
The bands tighten, vise-like, and the air catches in her lungs. She can't breathe. There's a screaming in her thoughts, as panic rises and claws burning fingers into the back of her skull. For a moment, the vise around her chest threatens to rob her of breath and send her spiraling into unconsciousness. But familiarity finally, blessedly, stills her thoughts. This is something she's done before.
Thanks Mei Mei… I guess…
Qi cycles and pressure lifts, and Quan Jia breathes in sweet, fresh air. Exhaling, and regaining a portion of her shattered calm, she pulls her face out of the dirt.
Green eyes scan a landscape dotted by the sprawled out, unconscious forms of disciples who had failed this test, along with the meditative poses of those who had made it through. Pride for herself and her friend flows through her as she glances to her side where Xiao Lien is similarly sitting up. The two girls share shaky, relieved smiles and Quan Jia exhales softly, her composure growing just that much more whole.
In contrast, a glance to her other side shows that unlike her oldest friend, Dai Qiao is slumped in unconsciousness. Fingers itch to move her friend into a more comfortable sleeping pose, to manifest a less favored pillow for her head, but the elder's regard weighs on them in a way not unlike his test and so she stays motionless instead.
I'll have to see if there's something I can do...
Eventually, the pressure fades, and the elder speaks, "Well done children,"
Ripples of thunder surround fallen disciples and in a burst of sound the field is emptied of fifty unconscious bodies. "For those that have passed the first test, a little reward."
"Within is an elixir of my own devising… imbibe and pay no mind to the taste." A crystalline bottle filled with a dark brown liquid appears in her hands, and with a mildly curious shrug, Quan Jia pops the wax cap and takes a sip. The elixir evaporates into pure qi as it touches her tongue, unfortunately lingering just long enough to impart its atrocious taste.
It's like someone bottled the stench of a bear at the end of hibernation...
Sparks of vibrant energy tingle as they jump from vertebra to vertebra, sending uncontrollable shivers through Quan Jia's entire body. Down her spine they travel, before landing in her tailbone, where they explode in sparks of iridescent energy. Throughout her body, motes of qi spread like fireworks, settling in her arms, her legs, her torso. Where those motes land, strength, pure and vital floods through her, and with it a breathless exhilaration.
As the glow of vitality and the brief reprieve of cultivation fade, the elder speaks again. "Prepare yourselves children, the next round is twice as hard."
his voice is somehow encouraging while also being completely neutral. As the echo of his words fade away, the runework pulses again.
The weight of mountains crash down on Quan Jia, and if she had voice, she would have screamed. Breath had vanished though, crushed out of her as she collided with the ground. This time though, she's able to stave off the instinct to panic and, with a focus that would be unexpected from most who knew her, her mind falls into the emptiness of meditation.
Calmly, she threads qi through meridians that were writhing and contracting under the pressure surrounding her. Distantly, she directs the flows of qi to the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet as her bones creak under impossible weight. Serenely, she coaxes qi, struggling against an immense pressure, to crest within the crown of her head, and then fall like a waterfall back to her core.
It was only a bare trickle of qi that made it through a whole cycle, but it was enough. With gasping, heaving breaths, blessed air flows into her lungs and meditative distance shatters against reality. Exhausted, sweat trickling from her forehead and muscles burning with strain, Quan Jia pushes herself upright.
Once again, green eyes scan a field dotted with the upright forms of disciples who had passed the second test and an about equal number sprawled out in unconsciousness. As she turns to one side, Quan Jia is unsurprised to see that Xiao Lien is there to meet her. Though the smile they share this time is less relieved than it is exhausted.
For a long moment she sits there, breathing deeply and attempting to settle the thumping in her chest and the wobbliness in her limbs. Eventually, the lazy cycling of qi through her meridians does the trick, and Quan Jia relaxes.
"Once again, well done children," warm approval rings the elder's words and his gaze as he studies the thirty disciples that had overcome the second trial. "This time your reward is something perhaps a bit more potent… and lest you worry, produced by a friend eminently capable of combining potent reagents with proper flavor."
A drop of silver sunlight falls into her hands, and Quan Jia looks down at a thin wafer decorated by alternating diamonds of white and black. Hands still somewhat shaky from the last trial, she raises the wafer to her lips and bites down.
Spring in all its verdant glory suffuses her tongue, mouth, body, and flows down to her core, where a seed blossoms in a shower of silvery light. Countless thousands of tiny hair-like roots snake out from that seed and into her meridians. Brushing feather light through the edges of her channels, those roots weave out and into tired and torn muscles.
Rejuvenation comes first, and with it a luxuriation unmatched by even her pops' finest baths. Strength comes next, as those roots of the finest silvery hairs grow, supplanting flesh with an alchemists craft.
"A third time then children, and again twice as hard as the last," Elder Chen Fan sounds proud, and looks equally so, as he prepares his class for the next trial. As it had the previous time, runework pulses as the echo of his words fade. .
There was no preparation that could help Quan Jia this time though. Beneath the weight of falling stars, her body and bones grind into dust, her qi shatters into slivers of jagged stone, and her thoughts are crushed into nothingness...
"Though none could surmount the fourth trial, ten disciples have been duly rewarded for attempting it."
Elder Chen Fan's voice calls her back from unconsciousness, and with a start Quan Jia looks around to see that she's standing amidst a corridor marked by long, horizontal banners of yellow silk. Opposite her, wrapped in loose ribbons of black lacework, the long tails of which flutter in a faint breeze, is a female disciple looking similarly confused.
"Across from you is your sparring partner for the afternoon. Before you start, though, there are a few conditions." The elder floats into view, his features perfectly clear despite being hundreds of feet above the field.
"First, any attempts at permanent injury will be returned seven-fold." That this warning was made while smiling warmly made it somehow even more terrifying. "Second, the banners you see to your sides mark the extent of your battlefield. Any destruction of them will count as a forfeit. Finally, to ensure competition, a suitable reward awaits the winners."
"Now, as we are all cultivators of the Eternal Empire and you are all fellow outer sect disciples at the Sect of Riven Stone, introduce yourselves to your opponent, and..." he holds out a foot long streamer of crimson cloth, "once this ribbon reaches the ground you may begin."
Quan Jia shrugs, tracking the fluttering bit of crimson out of the corner of her eye as it dances on the wind, "I'm Quan Jia, who are you?"
"Lady Quan," the girl bows politely. "This humble one is Ma Liqiu, please instruct me."
So boring…
Perhaps it was her training in martial arts, learning to sink oneself into a state where even the slightest of changes becomes obvious, or perhaps it was her burgeoning understanding of the twists of chance and fate, a fluttering to the left, instead of a drifting to the right. Whatever the case, Quan Jia feels that ribbon touches ground seconds before the other girl realizes it.
Don't need any more than that...
Legs blur into motion and her opponent has just enough time for her eyes to open wide, for her mouth to drop, before Quan Jia is inside the girl's guard. A disc of sand contemptuously deflects a malformed spray of shadow. Her core tightens, her hips open, and her whole focus narrows down to a single anticipatory moment.
Right… there.
First, thought crystallizes into motion and her fist buries itself in the girl's stomach. Second, as her opponent doubles over, a leg sweeps out, knocking the other girl off her feet. Finally, In that moment where her opponent is laid out parallel to the ground and falling, Quan Jia's fist drives downward and slams her opponent into the ground.
While the figure below her is retching noisily, sand twists like a spring under her feet, and with a graceful, floating leap, Quan Jia returns to the exact spot she'd started. Landing, she drops out of an attacking posture, resting her weight more on heels, and waits for her opponent to recover. As she waits, a gaze like a physical weight falls on her and her focus slowly starts to expands back from that pinpoint of violence.
Blinking as though awakening from a trance, her eyes track sporadic flares of aspected qi rise above the edges of the banners. It's a clear indication that combat was ongoing, but everything in her lane was silent, save for the low sound of vomiting.
That noise sparks curiosity, and as she follows it to its source, Quan Jia frowns with a distant sort of confusion at her downed opponent, "ahh, how... did I, I didn't mean... umm."
So easily?
At her words, her opponent manages to begin the slow process of rising to her feet. First, the girl rises to one knee, long black hair hanging half tied back and obscuring her face. Then, she manages a sort of hunched over standing posture where she wipes at the edge of her mouth with her robe. Finally, the girl stands, head bowed and facing the ground, and in a soft voice speaks, "while this one is in no place to protest such combat, this one would request a less… violent exchange of pointers."
"Sure," Quan Jia nods almost immediately, feeling an intense discomfort prickling at the back of her neck.
That normally doesn't happen...
"Why don't you show me your strongest attack and we'll go from there?" She finally manages an offer, hoping that it would be enough
"Thank you Lady Quan," the girl bows deeply, but keeps her face focused to the ground even as she rises and begins speaking. "My Crescent Lotus Thrashing technique relies on the creation of numerous darts of darkness aspected qi. These darts can be combined into a single pinwheeling attack like so…"
The girl's hands flow through a series of fluid, sweeping, movements. Each shift in motion punctuated by a snap of the wrist that lashes the air and creates a single dagger-like projectile of pitch blackness. First two, then four, then eight are formed, and as the last shudders into existence, the girl's dance shifts into a spinning circular motion. Swirling, as though caught within the slow spin of a vortex, the daggers of qi begin to merge together.
I don't think that's supposed to…
Dark qi flickers chaotically and Quan Jia reacts almost without thought. Tendrils of sand burst from beneath her feet, racing through space and wrapping the girl in a cocoon of golden flecks.
Made it.
The ball of darkness convulses, pulsing rapidly with a hammering intensity that sheds a cascade of serrated, blackened shadow. Dream sand sparks with kaleidoscopic light as those spears of darkness rain down on it, but the barrier remains unmarred.
As the malformed technique continues to shed darkness, and the convulsions increase in both frequency and intensity, Quan Jia wraps the girl in layer after protective layer of sand. Unlight flashes, the technique explodes, and crescent shaped blades of blackness scythe out in every direction. An idle frown crosses her face as she watches those crescents shatter futilely against Dream.
Where did you get this art pops?
A twist of qi releases her technique and dissolves the sandy cocoon protecting the girl. Said girl looks near the edge of complete humiliation, and words Mei Mei would have spoken rise in her mind, but…
Intentional meanness is reserved for people who deserve it, not ones that are just annoying.
So Quan Jia tries her best to care, "would you like to try again?"
The way the other girl flinches is a pretty clear indication that she wasn't quite successful, "no. If it pleases Lady Quan, this one would forfeit."
"That's fine." With that settled, she dismisses the other girl's presence for far more important matters.
hmm… where would be a good spot to… there, I think.
A pillow and blanket manifest on a particularly fluffy looking patch of grass and with a grateful sigh, Quan Jia collapses bonelessly onto her future napping place. "Let me know if someone comes or something important happens."
"This one will try to prove worthy of the trust Lady Quan has placed in her."
Weird and boring…
There's a nudge at her foot that draws her back from naptime. Blinking eyes open, Quan Jia looks up at a somewhat scuffed Xiao Lien.
Swallowing a yawn, she smiles up at her friend and pats the blanket beside her, "did you have fun?"
"I don't think you could call it fun," at first Xiao Lien remains standing, a peculiar sort of defiance that only results in the blanket patting becomes more insistent.
With a muted sigh her friend concedes defeat and settles down in the space offered, "that one noble, Shao something just hit me up and down the sparring lane with that crazy sword of hers."
"It's scary," she nods an easy agreement, a motion that dislodges a slight weight that had been balanced on her forehead. "Ooo what's that?"
"A pill or something, I guess," is the response her question gets as a small white oval with deep red spots is dropped down on her chest. "Here."
"A Robin's Grace pill, it helps cultivating flexibility and grace." she answers the unspoken question and then dematerialize it into her storage ring. "Not bad, better than that nasty elixir at least."
[Robin's Grace Pill: a pill crafted from the fluttering grace of a robin and mixed with base materials before being cooked in a cultivation furnace. +6d10 to cultivating dexterity]
"So, uhh, who's the girl over there," Quan Jia watches as a hand gestures over her head, but doesn't bother sitting up to look. "Looks like she's standing watch or something."
Why would someone be standing watch…
"Ohh," with a reluctant groan, Quan Jia sits up and turns to look at her sparring partner, "you didn't have to stick around. I only meant until class ended."
"This one couldn't betray the trust placed in her by leaving Lady Quan alone in a vulnerable state," her former opponent replies.
So weird...
"Well, you can go if you want," and before she quite realizes what she's saying, she offers, "or you can stay. If you stay though, you've got to come over here. It's way too much work to talk from so far away."
"This one thanks Lady Quan for her generous offer," she bows deeply, "but this one would not wish to further intrude and there are tasks that this one must be complete ere nightfall."
"Sure," Quan Jia watches, a somewhat annoyed feeling fluttering in her chest as her former opponent bows again and then turns to leave. "If you ever decide to drop the Lady Quan nonsense, come by and visit. Mei Mei's almost not bad at cooking."
The way her sparring partner freezes completely at those words is more than a little satisfying, "This one will consider the suggestion."
So weird…
[Ma Luqiu unlocked at (1d3 - 1 = 1) + 1 (unexploded) = 2]
"Did Dai Qiao not want to come with us?" Quan Jia looks over at her friend as the weird girl finally disappears behind a turn in the path.
"I think the first trial went rather poorly for her," Xiao Lien shrugs, "she said she needed to rest."
"And didn't want to sleep with me," a pout briefly crosses her face, followed by a smug grin, "well, she can't hide forever."
"The way you say that..." her friend sighs, "we did plan on exploring this afternoon, or did you intend to just nap here until sunset?"
"Well if you're offering…" Quan Jia trails off with a hopeful look.
"I really wasn't," apparently deciding, and correctly at that, that remaining seated was agreeing to the nap, her friend pushes herself to her feet and offers a hand.
Reluctantly, Quan Jia takes hold and allows herself to be pulled upright. "Forest this time?"
"A good a choice as any."
"Lets go this way then," with that decided, she sets off, dragging her oldest friend behind her.
Trees shrouded in thin silvery mist and thick iron bark rise up from a narrow crack where a river had once carved a course through stony cliffs. Not more than a few hundred paces from one end to the other, and barely any longer than that, the place Quan Jia had wandered to didn't look like much. At first.
"Ooo, look at that," Quan Jia practically leaps into a kneeling pose beside a vibrantly red mushroom with black scaling worked into the cap. "Crimson Onyx-Scaled Mushrooms, you don't see those a lot back home."
"I'll pretend I understand that," Xiao Lien shrugs idly as she leans against one of the nearby iron-bark trees. "But just to be sure, these mushrooms are important why?"
"For larger ones, the scales are a suitable base for creating a defensive talisman," Quan Jia delicately snips a pair of mushrooms and dematerializes them into her storage ring. "All these tiny are good for is to be refined into a reagent for making stamina elixirs."
"Really?" seeming somewhat more interested, her friend crouches down beside her, "you can barely feel the qi running through them…"
"Right," Quan Jia nods in agreement and materializes a tiny, extremely sharp collection knife.
This next part's a bit tricky.
"If you can detach the scales from the mushroom like this..." she trails off as the knife blade delicately separates a single black scale from the mushroom cap, "there, see it now."
The scale, not much larger than the head of a wide gage needle pulses once with a burst of verdant qi and the mushroom below it fades to a dull gray. "What happened?"
"My tutor called it the Principle of Sympathetic Resonance," she separates another two scales and two more mushrooms wilt into death. "He used a lot of big words, but it's just… the scale is now the mushroom, or something."
"That's something, I guess…" her friend looked a bit bored, and that wouldn't do at all.
"Want to try?" Quan Jia asks, and when she receives a half nod half shrug, hands the collection knife over, hilt first.
Safety first.
"See those little hairs that kinda look like spider's legs, you want to cut as many of them as you can at once. The more you get, the better the scale is as a raw material." the knife flashes as her friend cuts, and a verdant pulse of qi signifies her success.
"Wow, that's not bad at all." Quan Jia smiles happily, "it took me weeks to get that good."
"I had to learn how to use knives when I worked with…" Xiao Lien trails off, swallows, and continues, "well, back before I Awakened… it's so much easier now though."
"Hmm since you're really good at this, I think we can harvest the whole area. If you want to take this side, I'll take that one, and we'll leave the middle so they can regrow." Quan Jia offers, and when she receives an agreeing nod, materializes a second collection knife, "good thing I always carry spares."
With that, the two girls set to the delicate work of separating scales from mushrooms accompanied by occasional flickers of green and the low hum of largely meaningless conversation.
[Turn 1 Vote]
Quan Jia has 4 actions she may take for this turn, of which all 4 can be cultivation. Actions are broken up into categories that use the same general rules.
While there aren't any trap options in the sense of "rocks fall, everyone dies", there are options that are sub-optimal.
Feel free to ping me and ask for clarification or whatever on the particular voting options, or if you have any setting related questions.
Since we've had server issues, I'll probably leave the vote open a bit longer than usual. Also, remember to vote by plan and we'll have a:
1 Hour Moratorium.
Day 1 - Exposure to Filth resulted in behavioral anomalies within half a bell of observation. Reversion occurred within 3 bells. Lesser Dao insights appear to offer no defense against taint.
Subject 1027A
Day 1 - Subject displayed remarkable resistance to external application of Filth. Minor aggressive behavioral cues did not prevent subject from passing Test 31ɑ.
Day 7 - Intravenous application of Filth caused reversion within moments. Cultivation of Sapphire Soul provides situational defense against reversion.
Subject 1039F
Day 1 - Subject resisted both external and intravenous application of Filth.
Day 7 - Vivisection revealed several abnormal cluster meridians. Post-mortem followup revealed lack of previously observed meridian anomaly . Further spirit-blooded subjects required.
Subject 1077A
Day 1 - Subject resisted both external and intravenous application of Filth.
Day 2 - Subject developed whispered mantra. Stops only to sleep.
Day 5 - Subject vivisected ahead of schedule to silence whispering.
Subject 1078A
Day 13 - Vivisection revealed autonomous generation of Filth. subject screams so d̵e̶l̵i̷g̸h̴t̸f̵u̴l̴l̵y̵.
Day 35 - B̴̫̲̭͎̙̲͓̘̓̉̈́̍̚͜e̵̛̠̒ẘ̸̭͙̆a̸̡̧̛͉͌r̴̳̣̘̣̩̥̺͐̈͑́e̶̛͖͈͈̭̞̮̓͆̊̆͆ͅ ̶̪͉̒̔̕ẗ̷̩͙͈̖́̂h̷̢̻̯͔̭͚̭͖̾͛̔̈́̍͆͐͝ȩ̶̲̱͉̠̲͍̲͉͑́̎̊͑̀͛̃ ̶̞̋͠v̸͕̿͝o̸̦̥͓̻̗̲̦̣̯͛̏̅͂͠i̵̖̰̜͂̿͆c̷͉̜̥̚e̵͙̒̓͒̌̕ś̸͇̝͖͚̻̬̣̗͒̅̈̌̎̓͠ͅ.̷̶̧̢͎͙̺̒͒̔̉̇̉͑͘̚͠͝
Exhibit 212F, Indigo Archives, Court of Reeds. Imperial Trial of Empty Harbinger Pan Jie, 3rd Age, 72nd year of Reconstruction.
The midday sun glares down on the open field that had been set aside for combat training, whatever that was. Swallowing a momentary frisson of annoyance at both the heat and the ambiguity, Quan Jia manifests a small silken fan from her storage ring. With a mote of qi, she activates her pops' gift. Painted winds ripple over ice-capped mountains and blow fresh winds scented with evergreen and winter over her.
"How is it this hot. It's barely even spring," she mutters more or less to herself before looking over at her two companions. "Either of you want some of this?"
Xiao Lien stops staring directly at the sun, shrugs, "I like the sun," and then returns to staring at the sun.
Weird.
"Grandmother made this for me before I left," Dia Qiao pulls out a small round stone engraved with a series of what looked like interlocking circles. "Until I get used to the lowlands was what she said."
"Hmm," Quan Jia hums a noncommittal sort of noise, rather more focused on the cool breeze, "I think we're going to go exploring after this, want to come?"
"Of cour-"
A wall of sound, visible as a darkened distortion of air rolls over them and drowns out whatever her friend would have said with the crashing of waves in a winter storm. Silence falls in the wake of his entrance and Elder Chen Fan smiles, his face creased by a lifetime of laughter and good humor.
"I see that unlike Sister Yi, everyone has decided to be on time for my class, that is good." The elder's voice seems to reverberate from some place mere feet in front of her rather than from the elder himself.
"While the sect will tolerate the mediocre and unmotivated." The elder's amusement slowly fades as he studies the attentive faces looking up at him. In its place his intensity hits the disciples like a bolt of thunder, "A disciple who does not want to fight will be made to, and a disciple who cannot fight will die when that time comes."
"It will be my duty to shape such disciples as stand before me into those who can be relied upon to secure the unsettled lands of this province and repel barbarian invasion." The smile returns, this time tinged with a hint of some sly amusement. "On that note, your first test. Try not to disappoint."
Endurance test 1: DC 1 - Stamina + Strength
Roll d10 = 10 05 = 1 success
Roll d10 = 10 05 = 1 success
Bursts of actinic light lance through grass and sand, radiating up out into the sky before coalescing into an impossibly bright spark of letters a hundred feet in the air. With a roaring flash, streamers of runic character rain down in streaks of amber and pearl radiance. Where rune meets earth, the symbols spread, forming words, forming sentences, and enclosing the field within a curtain of shimmering text. As the last bolt of runework crashes to earth, a weight presses down on Quan Jia's shoulders and sends her slamming to the ground.
Bands of weight, of solid air wrap around her, holding her motionless. From beside her, Quan Jia can hear the faint gasping sounds from one of her friends, but can't spare the attention to figure out which. Her focus is turned entirely toward merely breathing, to even the slightest twitching of muscle that would let her know she can move. She can't.
The bands tighten, vise-like, and the air catches in her lungs. She can't breathe. There's a screaming in her thoughts, as panic rises and claws burning fingers into the back of her skull. For a moment, the vise around her chest threatens to rob her of breath and send her spiraling into unconsciousness. But familiarity finally, blessedly, stills her thoughts. This is something she's done before.
Thanks Mei Mei… I guess…
Qi cycles and pressure lifts, and Quan Jia breathes in sweet, fresh air. Exhaling, and regaining a portion of her shattered calm, she pulls her face out of the dirt.
Green eyes scan a landscape dotted by the sprawled out, unconscious forms of disciples who had failed this test, along with the meditative poses of those who had made it through. Pride for herself and her friend flows through her as she glances to her side where Xiao Lien is similarly sitting up. The two girls share shaky, relieved smiles and Quan Jia exhales softly, her composure growing just that much more whole.
In contrast, a glance to her other side shows that unlike her oldest friend, Dai Qiao is slumped in unconsciousness. Fingers itch to move her friend into a more comfortable sleeping pose, to manifest a less favored pillow for her head, but the elder's regard weighs on them in a way not unlike his test and so she stays motionless instead.
I'll have to see if there's something I can do...
Eventually, the pressure fades, and the elder speaks, "Well done children,"
Ripples of thunder surround fallen disciples and in a burst of sound the field is emptied of fifty unconscious bodies. "For those that have passed the first test, a little reward."
"Within is an elixir of my own devising… imbibe and pay no mind to the taste." A crystalline bottle filled with a dark brown liquid appears in her hands, and with a mildly curious shrug, Quan Jia pops the wax cap and takes a sip. The elixir evaporates into pure qi as it touches her tongue, unfortunately lingering just long enough to impart its atrocious taste.
It's like someone bottled the stench of a bear at the end of hibernation...
Sparks of vibrant energy tingle as they jump from vertebra to vertebra, sending uncontrollable shivers through Quan Jia's entire body. Down her spine they travel, before landing in her tailbone, where they explode in sparks of iridescent energy. Throughout her body, motes of qi spread like fireworks, settling in her arms, her legs, her torso. Where those motes land, strength, pure and vital floods through her, and with it a breathless exhilaration.
Strength Cultivation 6d10 + 4d10 (elixir)
Roll 10d10 = 05 04 09 06 07 01 01 10 04 09 = 4 successes
Strength
0/10 XP -> 4/10 XP
Roll 10d10 = 05 04 09 06 07 01 01 10 04 09 = 4 successes
Strength
0/10 XP -> 4/10 XP
As the glow of vitality and the brief reprieve of cultivation fade, the elder speaks again. "Prepare yourselves children, the next round is twice as hard."
his voice is somehow encouraging while also being completely neutral. As the echo of his words fade away, the runework pulses again.
Endurance test: DC 2 - Stamina + Strength
Roll 2d10 = 07 07 = 2 successes
Roll 2d10 = 07 07 = 2 successes
The weight of mountains crash down on Quan Jia, and if she had voice, she would have screamed. Breath had vanished though, crushed out of her as she collided with the ground. This time though, she's able to stave off the instinct to panic and, with a focus that would be unexpected from most who knew her, her mind falls into the emptiness of meditation.
Calmly, she threads qi through meridians that were writhing and contracting under the pressure surrounding her. Distantly, she directs the flows of qi to the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet as her bones creak under impossible weight. Serenely, she coaxes qi, struggling against an immense pressure, to crest within the crown of her head, and then fall like a waterfall back to her core.
It was only a bare trickle of qi that made it through a whole cycle, but it was enough. With gasping, heaving breaths, blessed air flows into her lungs and meditative distance shatters against reality. Exhausted, sweat trickling from her forehead and muscles burning with strain, Quan Jia pushes herself upright.
Once again, green eyes scan a field dotted with the upright forms of disciples who had passed the second test and an about equal number sprawled out in unconsciousness. As she turns to one side, Quan Jia is unsurprised to see that Xiao Lien is there to meet her. Though the smile they share this time is less relieved than it is exhausted.
For a long moment she sits there, breathing deeply and attempting to settle the thumping in her chest and the wobbliness in her limbs. Eventually, the lazy cycling of qi through her meridians does the trick, and Quan Jia relaxes.
"Once again, well done children," warm approval rings the elder's words and his gaze as he studies the thirty disciples that had overcome the second trial. "This time your reward is something perhaps a bit more potent… and lest you worry, produced by a friend eminently capable of combining potent reagents with proper flavor."
A drop of silver sunlight falls into her hands, and Quan Jia looks down at a thin wafer decorated by alternating diamonds of white and black. Hands still somewhat shaky from the last trial, she raises the wafer to her lips and bites down.
Spring in all its verdant glory suffuses her tongue, mouth, body, and flows down to her core, where a seed blossoms in a shower of silvery light. Countless thousands of tiny hair-like roots snake out from that seed and into her meridians. Brushing feather light through the edges of her channels, those roots weave out and into tired and torn muscles.
Rejuvenation comes first, and with it a luxuriation unmatched by even her pops' finest baths. Strength comes next, as those roots of the finest silvery hairs grow, supplanting flesh with an alchemists craft.
Strength Cultivation 6d10 + 8d10 (elixir)
Roll 14d10 = 09 07 08 01 10 02 03 04 01 05 07 01 01 02 = 8 successes
Strength ● ->●●
4/10 XP -> 12/10 XP -> 2/20 XP
Roll 14d10 = 09 07 08 01 10 02 03 04 01 05 07 01 01 02 = 8 successes
Strength ● ->●●
4/10 XP -> 12/10 XP -> 2/20 XP
"A third time then children, and again twice as hard as the last," Elder Chen Fan sounds proud, and looks equally so, as he prepares his class for the next trial. As it had the previous time, runework pulses as the echo of his words fade. .
There was no preparation that could help Quan Jia this time though. Beneath the weight of falling stars, her body and bones grind into dust, her qi shatters into slivers of jagged stone, and her thoughts are crushed into nothingness...
Endurance test: DC 4 - Stamina + Strength
Roll 3d10 = 02 05 02 = 0 successes
Roll 3d10 = 02 05 02 = 0 successes
"Though none could surmount the fourth trial, ten disciples have been duly rewarded for attempting it."
Elder Chen Fan's voice calls her back from unconsciousness, and with a start Quan Jia looks around to see that she's standing amidst a corridor marked by long, horizontal banners of yellow silk. Opposite her, wrapped in loose ribbons of black lacework, the long tails of which flutter in a faint breeze, is a female disciple looking similarly confused.
"Across from you is your sparring partner for the afternoon. Before you start, though, there are a few conditions." The elder floats into view, his features perfectly clear despite being hundreds of feet above the field.
"First, any attempts at permanent injury will be returned seven-fold." That this warning was made while smiling warmly made it somehow even more terrifying. "Second, the banners you see to your sides mark the extent of your battlefield. Any destruction of them will count as a forfeit. Finally, to ensure competition, a suitable reward awaits the winners."
"Now, as we are all cultivators of the Eternal Empire and you are all fellow outer sect disciples at the Sect of Riven Stone, introduce yourselves to your opponent, and..." he holds out a foot long streamer of crimson cloth, "once this ribbon reaches the ground you may begin."
Quan Jia shrugs, tracking the fluttering bit of crimson out of the corner of her eye as it dances on the wind, "I'm Quan Jia, who are you?"
"Lady Quan," the girl bows politely. "This humble one is Ma Liqiu, please instruct me."
So boring…
The first round of combat pits an offensive dice pool against an opponent's defensive pool and vice versa. The offensive type (physical or esoteric) determines the defensive pool chosen.
Round 1:
Quan Jia physical offense 4 (3 from pool (2 Strength and 1 Skill) and 1 from cultivation advantage)* vs Ma Liqiu physical defense 3
And
Quan Jia physical defense 9 vs Ma Liqiu physical offense 5
Quan Jia's attack vs Ma Liqiu's defense resolves to:
4d10 vs 3d10
03 08 08 07 = 3 successes vs 02 06 02 = 0 success
Quan Jia's attack results in 3 net successes, each success deals 1 damage to Ma Liqiu's health pool.**
Ma Liqiu's health: 5 -> 2
Ma Liqiu's attack vs Quan Jia's defense resolves to:
5d10 vs 9d10
02 07 01 10 08 = 3 successes vs 06 07 08 09 08 04 10 05 03 = 5 successes
In cases where defense exceeds offense, the net successes are added to the offensive dice pool the following round.
Round 2:
Since Quan Jia had 2 net successes last round from her defensive roll, her attack pool is now 6.
6d10 vs 3d10
04 07 02 03 07 05 = 2 successes vs 01 09 04 = 1 success
As before Ma Liqiu takes 1 damage to her health pool.
Ma Liqiu's health: 2 -> 1
5d10 vs 9d10
04 02 01 06 03 = Botch vs 04 01 05 06 08 04 07 08 08 = 4 successes
A botch doubles the magnitude of successes, thus Quan Jia receives 8 successes.
Round 3:
12d10 vs 3d10
09 02 07 04 02 01 08 02 09 06 10 03 = 5 successes vs 04 04 03 = 0 successes
Ma Liqiu's health: 1 -> 0
*While Quan Jia's esoteric pool is higher than her physical pool, she's spent a great deal of time training in unarmed combat and thus feels more comfortable using it. (she'll probably become more familiar with esoteric combat as time goes on.)
**I had intended for Quan Jia to be a rather indifferent sort of martial artist, but then she went and rolled as she did. So now she's got a bit of a personality switch when combat comes.
Round 1:
Quan Jia physical offense 4 (3 from pool (2 Strength and 1 Skill) and 1 from cultivation advantage)* vs Ma Liqiu physical defense 3
And
Quan Jia physical defense 9 vs Ma Liqiu physical offense 5
Quan Jia's attack vs Ma Liqiu's defense resolves to:
4d10 vs 3d10
03 08 08 07 = 3 successes vs 02 06 02 = 0 success
Quan Jia's attack results in 3 net successes, each success deals 1 damage to Ma Liqiu's health pool.**
Ma Liqiu's health: 5 -> 2
Ma Liqiu's attack vs Quan Jia's defense resolves to:
5d10 vs 9d10
02 07 01 10 08 = 3 successes vs 06 07 08 09 08 04 10 05 03 = 5 successes
In cases where defense exceeds offense, the net successes are added to the offensive dice pool the following round.
Round 2:
Since Quan Jia had 2 net successes last round from her defensive roll, her attack pool is now 6.
6d10 vs 3d10
04 07 02 03 07 05 = 2 successes vs 01 09 04 = 1 success
As before Ma Liqiu takes 1 damage to her health pool.
Ma Liqiu's health: 2 -> 1
5d10 vs 9d10
04 02 01 06 03 = Botch vs 04 01 05 06 08 04 07 08 08 = 4 successes
A botch doubles the magnitude of successes, thus Quan Jia receives 8 successes.
Round 3:
12d10 vs 3d10
09 02 07 04 02 01 08 02 09 06 10 03 = 5 successes vs 04 04 03 = 0 successes
Ma Liqiu's health: 1 -> 0
*While Quan Jia's esoteric pool is higher than her physical pool, she's spent a great deal of time training in unarmed combat and thus feels more comfortable using it. (she'll probably become more familiar with esoteric combat as time goes on.)
**I had intended for Quan Jia to be a rather indifferent sort of martial artist, but then she went and rolled as she did. So now she's got a bit of a personality switch when combat comes.
Perhaps it was her training in martial arts, learning to sink oneself into a state where even the slightest of changes becomes obvious, or perhaps it was her burgeoning understanding of the twists of chance and fate, a fluttering to the left, instead of a drifting to the right. Whatever the case, Quan Jia feels that ribbon touches ground seconds before the other girl realizes it.
Don't need any more than that...
Legs blur into motion and her opponent has just enough time for her eyes to open wide, for her mouth to drop, before Quan Jia is inside the girl's guard. A disc of sand contemptuously deflects a malformed spray of shadow. Her core tightens, her hips open, and her whole focus narrows down to a single anticipatory moment.
Right… there.
First, thought crystallizes into motion and her fist buries itself in the girl's stomach. Second, as her opponent doubles over, a leg sweeps out, knocking the other girl off her feet. Finally, In that moment where her opponent is laid out parallel to the ground and falling, Quan Jia's fist drives downward and slams her opponent into the ground.
While the figure below her is retching noisily, sand twists like a spring under her feet, and with a graceful, floating leap, Quan Jia returns to the exact spot she'd started. Landing, she drops out of an attacking posture, resting her weight more on heels, and waits for her opponent to recover. As she waits, a gaze like a physical weight falls on her and her focus slowly starts to expands back from that pinpoint of violence.
Blinking as though awakening from a trance, her eyes track sporadic flares of aspected qi rise above the edges of the banners. It's a clear indication that combat was ongoing, but everything in her lane was silent, save for the low sound of vomiting.
That noise sparks curiosity, and as she follows it to its source, Quan Jia frowns with a distant sort of confusion at her downed opponent, "ahh, how... did I, I didn't mean... umm."
So easily?
At her words, her opponent manages to begin the slow process of rising to her feet. First, the girl rises to one knee, long black hair hanging half tied back and obscuring her face. Then, she manages a sort of hunched over standing posture where she wipes at the edge of her mouth with her robe. Finally, the girl stands, head bowed and facing the ground, and in a soft voice speaks, "while this one is in no place to protest such combat, this one would request a less… violent exchange of pointers."
"Sure," Quan Jia nods almost immediately, feeling an intense discomfort prickling at the back of her neck.
That normally doesn't happen...
"Why don't you show me your strongest attack and we'll go from there?" She finally manages an offer, hoping that it would be enough
"Thank you Lady Quan," the girl bows deeply, but keeps her face focused to the ground even as she rises and begins speaking. "My Crescent Lotus Thrashing technique relies on the creation of numerous darts of darkness aspected qi. These darts can be combined into a single pinwheeling attack like so…"
The girl's hands flow through a series of fluid, sweeping, movements. Each shift in motion punctuated by a snap of the wrist that lashes the air and creates a single dagger-like projectile of pitch blackness. First two, then four, then eight are formed, and as the last shudders into existence, the girl's dance shifts into a spinning circular motion. Swirling, as though caught within the slow spin of a vortex, the daggers of qi begin to merge together.
I don't think that's supposed to…
Dark qi flickers chaotically and Quan Jia reacts almost without thought. Tendrils of sand burst from beneath her feet, racing through space and wrapping the girl in a cocoon of golden flecks.
Made it.
The ball of darkness convulses, pulsing rapidly with a hammering intensity that sheds a cascade of serrated, blackened shadow. Dream sand sparks with kaleidoscopic light as those spears of darkness rain down on it, but the barrier remains unmarred.
As the malformed technique continues to shed darkness, and the convulsions increase in both frequency and intensity, Quan Jia wraps the girl in layer after protective layer of sand. Unlight flashes, the technique explodes, and crescent shaped blades of blackness scythe out in every direction. An idle frown crosses her face as she watches those crescents shatter futilely against Dream.
Where did you get this art pops?
A twist of qi releases her technique and dissolves the sandy cocoon protecting the girl. Said girl looks near the edge of complete humiliation, and words Mei Mei would have spoken rise in her mind, but…
Intentional meanness is reserved for people who deserve it, not ones that are just annoying.
So Quan Jia tries her best to care, "would you like to try again?"
The way the other girl flinches is a pretty clear indication that she wasn't quite successful, "no. If it pleases Lady Quan, this one would forfeit."
"That's fine." With that settled, she dismisses the other girl's presence for far more important matters.
hmm… where would be a good spot to… there, I think.
A pillow and blanket manifest on a particularly fluffy looking patch of grass and with a grateful sigh, Quan Jia collapses bonelessly onto her future napping place. "Let me know if someone comes or something important happens."
"This one will try to prove worthy of the trust Lady Quan has placed in her."
Weird and boring…
There's a nudge at her foot that draws her back from naptime. Blinking eyes open, Quan Jia looks up at a somewhat scuffed Xiao Lien.
Swallowing a yawn, she smiles up at her friend and pats the blanket beside her, "did you have fun?"
"I don't think you could call it fun," at first Xiao Lien remains standing, a peculiar sort of defiance that only results in the blanket patting becomes more insistent.
With a muted sigh her friend concedes defeat and settles down in the space offered, "that one noble, Shao something just hit me up and down the sparring lane with that crazy sword of hers."
"It's scary," she nods an easy agreement, a motion that dislodges a slight weight that had been balanced on her forehead. "Ooo what's that?"
"A pill or something, I guess," is the response her question gets as a small white oval with deep red spots is dropped down on her chest. "Here."
"A Robin's Grace pill, it helps cultivating flexibility and grace." she answers the unspoken question and then dematerialize it into her storage ring. "Not bad, better than that nasty elixir at least."
[Robin's Grace Pill: a pill crafted from the fluttering grace of a robin and mixed with base materials before being cooked in a cultivation furnace. +6d10 to cultivating dexterity]
"So, uhh, who's the girl over there," Quan Jia watches as a hand gestures over her head, but doesn't bother sitting up to look. "Looks like she's standing watch or something."
Why would someone be standing watch…
"Ohh," with a reluctant groan, Quan Jia sits up and turns to look at her sparring partner, "you didn't have to stick around. I only meant until class ended."
"This one couldn't betray the trust placed in her by leaving Lady Quan alone in a vulnerable state," her former opponent replies.
So weird...
"Well, you can go if you want," and before she quite realizes what she's saying, she offers, "or you can stay. If you stay though, you've got to come over here. It's way too much work to talk from so far away."
"This one thanks Lady Quan for her generous offer," she bows deeply, "but this one would not wish to further intrude and there are tasks that this one must be complete ere nightfall."
"Sure," Quan Jia watches, a somewhat annoyed feeling fluttering in her chest as her former opponent bows again and then turns to leave. "If you ever decide to drop the Lady Quan nonsense, come by and visit. Mei Mei's almost not bad at cooking."
The way her sparring partner freezes completely at those words is more than a little satisfying, "This one will consider the suggestion."
So weird…
[Ma Luqiu unlocked at (1d3 - 1 = 1) + 1 (unexploded) = 2]
"Did Dai Qiao not want to come with us?" Quan Jia looks over at her friend as the weird girl finally disappears behind a turn in the path.
"I think the first trial went rather poorly for her," Xiao Lien shrugs, "she said she needed to rest."
"And didn't want to sleep with me," a pout briefly crosses her face, followed by a smug grin, "well, she can't hide forever."
"The way you say that..." her friend sighs, "we did plan on exploring this afternoon, or did you intend to just nap here until sunset?"
"Well if you're offering…" Quan Jia trails off with a hopeful look.
"I really wasn't," apparently deciding, and correctly at that, that remaining seated was agreeing to the nap, her friend pushes herself to her feet and offers a hand.
Reluctantly, Quan Jia takes hold and allows herself to be pulled upright. "Forest this time?"
"A good a choice as any."
"Lets go this way then," with that decided, she sets off, dragging her oldest friend behind her.
Exploration roll: 53
Site Found: Harvest site with value of 1d10 - 2 = 5 - 2 = 3 Crimson Onyx-Scaled Mushrooms.
Raw materials can be used in the creation of elixirs and pills or sold to merchants.
Site Found: Harvest site with value of 1d10 - 2 = 5 - 2 = 3 Crimson Onyx-Scaled Mushrooms.
Raw materials can be used in the creation of elixirs and pills or sold to merchants.
Trees shrouded in thin silvery mist and thick iron bark rise up from a narrow crack where a river had once carved a course through stony cliffs. Not more than a few hundred paces from one end to the other, and barely any longer than that, the place Quan Jia had wandered to didn't look like much. At first.
"Ooo, look at that," Quan Jia practically leaps into a kneeling pose beside a vibrantly red mushroom with black scaling worked into the cap. "Crimson Onyx-Scaled Mushrooms, you don't see those a lot back home."
"I'll pretend I understand that," Xiao Lien shrugs idly as she leans against one of the nearby iron-bark trees. "But just to be sure, these mushrooms are important why?"
"For larger ones, the scales are a suitable base for creating a defensive talisman," Quan Jia delicately snips a pair of mushrooms and dematerializes them into her storage ring. "All these tiny are good for is to be refined into a reagent for making stamina elixirs."
"Really?" seeming somewhat more interested, her friend crouches down beside her, "you can barely feel the qi running through them…"
"Right," Quan Jia nods in agreement and materializes a tiny, extremely sharp collection knife.
This next part's a bit tricky.
"If you can detach the scales from the mushroom like this..." she trails off as the knife blade delicately separates a single black scale from the mushroom cap, "there, see it now."
The scale, not much larger than the head of a wide gage needle pulses once with a burst of verdant qi and the mushroom below it fades to a dull gray. "What happened?"
"My tutor called it the Principle of Sympathetic Resonance," she separates another two scales and two more mushrooms wilt into death. "He used a lot of big words, but it's just… the scale is now the mushroom, or something."
"That's something, I guess…" her friend looked a bit bored, and that wouldn't do at all.
"Want to try?" Quan Jia asks, and when she receives a half nod half shrug, hands the collection knife over, hilt first.
Safety first.
"See those little hairs that kinda look like spider's legs, you want to cut as many of them as you can at once. The more you get, the better the scale is as a raw material." the knife flashes as her friend cuts, and a verdant pulse of qi signifies her success.
"Wow, that's not bad at all." Quan Jia smiles happily, "it took me weeks to get that good."
"I had to learn how to use knives when I worked with…" Xiao Lien trails off, swallows, and continues, "well, back before I Awakened… it's so much easier now though."
"Hmm since you're really good at this, I think we can harvest the whole area. If you want to take this side, I'll take that one, and we'll leave the middle so they can regrow." Quan Jia offers, and when she receives an agreeing nod, materializes a second collection knife, "good thing I always carry spares."
With that, the two girls set to the delicate work of separating scales from mushrooms accompanied by occasional flickers of green and the low hum of largely meaningless conversation.
[Turn 1 Vote]
Quan Jia has 4 actions she may take for this turn, of which all 4 can be cultivation. Actions are broken up into categories that use the same general rules.
While there aren't any trap options in the sense of "rocks fall, everyone dies", there are options that are sub-optimal.
Feel free to ping me and ask for clarification or whatever on the particular voting options, or if you have any setting related questions.
Since we've had server issues, I'll probably leave the vote open a bit longer than usual. Also, remember to vote by plan and we'll have a:
1 Hour Moratorium.
Quan Jia has 2 relevant cultivation level spirit gems. She may use up to 2 (cultivation level + 1) for this week's cultivation. At least 1 is required to mitigate a 50% penalty on xp gained. Spirit gems apply their bonus to all cultivation actions taken (this rule may be revised later).
Once per month (Every 4 turns) Quan Jia may attend either or both of the training classes offered by the sect. While there, the elder will choose what will be cultivated, but they will also provide resources for said cultivation (in addition to any resources used during that turn).
[] Cultivate Attribute
-[] specify which
-[] cultivation resource(s) used
[] Cultivate Qi
-[] cultivation resource(s) used
[] Cultivate Meridians
-[] cultivation resource(s) used
[] Cultivate Base
-[] cultivation resource(s) used
[] Cultivate Art or Technique
-[] specify which
-[] cultivation resource(s) used
[] Attend cultivation class (this option is unavailable until turn 5)
[] Attend combat class (this option is unavailable until turn 5)
Once per month (Every 4 turns) Quan Jia may attend either or both of the training classes offered by the sect. While there, the elder will choose what will be cultivated, but they will also provide resources for said cultivation (in addition to any resources used during that turn).
[] Cultivate Attribute
-[] specify which
-[] cultivation resource(s) used
[] Cultivate Qi
-[] cultivation resource(s) used
[] Cultivate Meridians
-[] cultivation resource(s) used
[] Cultivate Base
-[] cultivation resource(s) used
[] Cultivate Art or Technique
-[] specify which
-[] cultivation resource(s) used
[] Attend cultivation class (this option is unavailable until turn 5)
[] Attend combat class (this option is unavailable until turn 5)
These actions all involve the roll of a d100 to determine the quality and/or utility of the results. Please note that not all of the exploration options have the same breakpoints for tiers of rewards.
[] Write Home. (this option is unavailable until turn 5)
[] Explore the sect.
[] Explore the library.
[] Explore the town.
[] Explore the market.
[] Explore outside the sect.
[] Write Home. (this option is unavailable until turn 5)
[] Explore the sect.
[] Explore the library.
[] Explore the town.
[] Explore the market.
[] Explore outside the sect.
For current skills: actions may be taken to use those skills (chance of reward, lower chance of skill increase) or to train them (higher chance of skill increase). For all skills: a mentor for that skill may be searched for, when a mentor is used in conjunction with a training action, it increases the chance that the skill will increase. Mentors are required to increase a skill beyond 3.
Some example skills are (but others may be written in): Martial Arts (specify weapon or unarmed), Stealth, Knowledge (specify type: history, culture, politics, etiquette, qi, cultivation, spirits, etc.), Stealth, Commerce, Dodge, Resistance, Strategy, Prospecting, Athletics, Performance, Survival, Craft, Medicine, Larceny
[] Use skill.
-[] specify skill.
[] Train skill
-[] specify skill.
[] Search for mentor.
-[] specify skill
Some example skills are (but others may be written in): Martial Arts (specify weapon or unarmed), Stealth, Knowledge (specify type: history, culture, politics, etiquette, qi, cultivation, spirits, etc.), Stealth, Commerce, Dodge, Resistance, Strategy, Prospecting, Athletics, Performance, Survival, Craft, Medicine, Larceny
[] Use skill.
-[] specify skill.
[] Train skill
-[] specify skill.
[] Search for mentor.
-[] specify skill
Social actions provide no direct mechanical benefit, however, they do allow for an increase in relationship score and may unlock certain quest lines. Social actions will also gradually provide the following information for the related character: derived stats, skills they can mentor, other useful information.
Social actions are only available for characters that have been met previously. If you would like to meet new characters, go exploring.
[] Though Shao Cuifen never said anything, Quan Jia has the sense that she was a bit disappointed that no one took her up on her sparring offer. She could use this chance to get to know her fellow noble. If only it didn't have to be so painful.
[] Only Meng Chao can answer why he was inspecting individual grains of rice at a merchant's stall, but Quan Jia found it odd enough that she had to stop what she was doing and investigate. Has he always been this weird?
[] Was that a food stain on Xiao Lien's robe? Honestly, she'd put it off for long enough, but Quan Jia would see her friend wearing decent clothes if it killed her. It wouldn't really kill me though, would it?
[] Though it would be hard for anyone else to tell, Mei Mei was clearly being even more sarcastic than normal. It was time for Quan Jia to drag her off for a spa day. This wasn't because I keep grounding her, right?
[] That was a lot of nascent spirits trailing behind Dai Qiao. Was she taking them for a walk? Quan Jia knew she had to find out. Do boge dream of spirit-sheep.
Social actions are only available for characters that have been met previously. If you would like to meet new characters, go exploring.
[] Though Shao Cuifen never said anything, Quan Jia has the sense that she was a bit disappointed that no one took her up on her sparring offer. She could use this chance to get to know her fellow noble. If only it didn't have to be so painful.
[] Only Meng Chao can answer why he was inspecting individual grains of rice at a merchant's stall, but Quan Jia found it odd enough that she had to stop what she was doing and investigate. Has he always been this weird?
[] Was that a food stain on Xiao Lien's robe? Honestly, she'd put it off for long enough, but Quan Jia would see her friend wearing decent clothes if it killed her. It wouldn't really kill me though, would it?
[] Though it would be hard for anyone else to tell, Mei Mei was clearly being even more sarcastic than normal. It was time for Quan Jia to drag her off for a spa day. This wasn't because I keep grounding her, right?
[] That was a lot of nascent spirits trailing behind Dai Qiao. Was she taking them for a walk? Quan Jia knew she had to find out. Do boge dream of spirit-sheep.
This is something I want to try to mirror the freedom that tabletop rpgs offer. So how this will work is: I have and will continue hinting at upcoming interpersonal issues, storyline quests, or sect wide events. If voters wish to identify and address them before things explode they can do so here by writing in what the issue is, how it should be addressed, and an alternative action to take if incorrect. If it's correct (and whatever necessary criteria are met, e.g. relationship score) we'll start that event early, otherwise, we'll perform the alternative action.
[] Write in issue.
-[] general approach.
-[] alternative action.
[] Write in issue.
-[] general approach.
-[] alternative action.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Huh, we did pretty good for a waif in the Be Swole test, we at least didn't embarrass ourselves--and even got a little distinction by making it to the top 30 despite garbage strength/staimna--that's the most important thing. And we're legitimately good in battle for our tier because our Defense is excellent and we can pivot that into strong attacks.
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- Location
- Israel
So, what does the market exploration action entail? do we just roll to see what we can find or is there any stock that will be there consistently? (for that matter, do pills usually give extra cultivation attempts like the ones in this chapter, or is that only something the rarer pills do?)
Shopping aside, this seems like a good week to get some to know Cuifei or Meng Chao a bit better, because with 2 spirit diamonds the amount of efficient cultivation actions we can do is limited.
This isn't really relevant to this turn but, how many times can a specific thing be cultivated in a turn?
Shopping aside, this seems like a good week to get some to know Cuifei or Meng Chao a bit better, because with 2 spirit diamonds the amount of efficient cultivation actions we can do is limited.
This isn't really relevant to this turn but, how many times can a specific thing be cultivated in a turn?
worst case for exploring the market is you'll find stores where you can buy and sell things (talismans, raw materials, finished goods). You'll also run across other disciples there, and if you roll high enough may find something interesting.
no limits on what can be cultivated (for the moment), but it's my hope that there'll be a mix of different actions taken to keep the quest interesting from a writing and reading standpoint.
Since we're close to an hour in, I'll go ahead and open voting here.
- Location
- United States
yes. Generally speaking the gems apply their bonuses to all cultivation actions while pills/elixirs/etc. apply to one action.
- Location
- United States
Cool. Question for the future then. For the classes it seems like we didnt have any penalty. I assume from the Diamond we got and immediately used in the first class. Is that something we should be able to expect for future classes, or should we plan to use a diamond of our own to prepare for the classes?
- Location
- Israel
So if we use 2 spirit diamonds cultivating during one actions, and then later that turn do a cultivation action without using any SDs, would we still get the bonus for cultivating with more than 1 Gem in the second action?
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Anyway, four actions, we're a bit tight on cash though after buying the house so we need to either be diligent or include a means of making money into our next turn if we're going to keep things up.
Well, we need to make some money regardless TBH.
Here's an initial draft.
[X] Plan: The Search For More Money
-[X] Cultivate Art or Technique
--[X] Dreamer's Endless Journey
--[X] 1 Spirit Gem
-[X] Use a Skill
--[X] Gambling
-[X] Explore the Market
-[X] Though it would be hard for anyone else to tell, Mei Mei was clearly being even more sarcastic than normal. It was time for Quan Jia to drag her off for a spa day. This wasn't because I keep grounding her, right?
Well, we need to make some money regardless TBH.
Here's an initial draft.
[X] Plan: The Search For More Money
-[X] Cultivate Art or Technique
--[X] Dreamer's Endless Journey
--[X] 1 Spirit Gem
-[X] Use a Skill
--[X] Gambling
-[X] Explore the Market
-[X] Though it would be hard for anyone else to tell, Mei Mei was clearly being even more sarcastic than normal. It was time for Quan Jia to drag her off for a spa day. This wasn't because I keep grounding her, right?
Yes, that was a bit of gameplay mechanics running up against narrative. I would plan in the future for the resources in the classes to be more similar to the combat course in this chapter.
Yes, if you take four cultivation actions and use 2 gems the gems will apply to each of those actions.
If and when folks decide to use more than one gem to cultivate, I'll throw in a paragraph or two to give everyone a narrative sort of understanding of how specifically that works.