Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Hopefully that is not the interpretation or we immediately trigger conflict with SCS insight, which demands that we constantly grow in Power.
- Location
- Rivendell
That is one possible intrepetation of SCS, but it's also possible to see power as a requirement for it, not a goal. The power to act, the power to change. With this alternative intrepetation, power becomes the means, not the end, which honestly fits both possible options in this vote.
This feels an awful lot like scaremongering as SCS is one of the two sources of the Power concept, and it would exceptionally bad form to allow us to advance a concept that specifically conflicts with a source insight like that.
[X] Power III: Without Power one can hold nothing and accomplish nothing, but power may spring from many sources.
Hence it is unlikely to be what we take away from it - our constant progression insight is dangerous if the definition is "actually progress isn't important".
LucidProp
Pocky Eating MafiaDoka
That's a bit much. The 2nd option isn't "Progress isn't important" but rather that we should know why we're trying to progress in the first place. It's a question that Ling Qi has tangled with indecisively in the past, And the vote is the first step towards addressing that. Trying to characterize it as something ruinous strikes me as a bit of a misconception.
Its absolutely a great question to ask, and its something she SHOULD ask herself at some point
It is however, extremely ill timed to ask that now, when she's dealing with the conflict between progressing herself and progressing her loved ones, it adds one more insoluble question that must be resolved.
Once she starts asking why she has power, she is setting a hierarchy. Under certain circumstances, she would forsake the SCS Endless Growth insight because power, and thus, growth, is less important than family.
At which point she needs the Power has many forms development(or variation thereof that allow growth in other directions to count) or she's stuck, no way forward but to violate one of her axioms.
EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
- Location
- earth
[X] Power III: Without Power one can hold nothing and accomplish nothing, but power may spring from many sources.
Not seen note of a lock yet.
Not seen note of a lock yet.
- Location
- Computer Desk
[X] Power III: Without Power one can hold nothing and accomplish nothing, but power may spring from many sources.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
[X] Power III: Without Power one can hold nothing and accomplish nothing, but power grants no meaning of its own.
No it doesn't. The SCS insight would be perfectly satisfied with Motion rather than constantly growing Power. The first version of Power is a more neat fit because it allows LQ to keep reinventing her Power and growing laterally (evoking both Motion and Power) but the second hardly conflicts with it.
The trouble is that LQ has only done a fairly limited investigation of Motion and so we haven't seen much of that side of her.
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hanyi => Hanyi
weight => waist
This would probably flow more naturally as:
but the path remained clear to any following her. The lantern light, fueled by the qi she had infused in the wood, cut through the darkness easily as she began to walk.
This feels very awkward. maybe get rid of that last comma?
It feels like there is a missing period after "flowerbeds".
Missing space after the period
- Location
- South Africa
[X] Power III: Without Power one can hold nothing and accomplish nothing, but power may spring from many sources.
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- Location
- Earth
[x] Power III: Without Power one can hold nothing and accomplish nothing, but power grants no meaning of its own.
[x] Power III: Without Power one can hold nothing and accomplish nothing, but power grants no meaning of its own.
The Turmoil of the South
My Emperor, quiet elimination is not an option in the case of the Southern Matter.
I can confirm to you that the rumors are true, the woman at the center of this turmoil has achieved the Eighth realm, it is not merely a matter of trickery or empowering artifacts. However Cai Shenhua achieved the power she holds it is hers as intrinsically as yours or mine. Her strength however is still that one one new to the eighth realm. She is not invincible, the Empire might could yet crush her.
The support for her roving court arises primarily from the upstart Diao, and the younger clans which gather around their skirts, yet this is only in the open. I have traveled far and wide, walking among the people of the Emerald Seas, and even among the oldest clans many of the younger generation whisper her name. It is important I think to stress that among the powers of the Emerald Seas only the Chu have outright denounced her. There is a reason for the increasingly troubled missives from the Hui. More disturbing if things were to break right at this moment, I think even the Count clans would find themselves split among their members. If we intervene it will not be a quiet matter, such as the Ministry can handle. There is no central figure, save the woman herself and...
I would not be able to slay her, even with the whole of my ministry, and the artifacts of the imperial seat, behind me. I have slain those above me before, but never have I met a being whose Law so firmly and utterly counters mine. Here, I must admit a total failure on my part. My observation was noticed. I was as surprised as you no doubt are.
But that I realized is a major component of the Laws that are Cai Shenhua. Deception is rendered unto dust and ruin under her gaze. Lies are impossible, even in one's own mind. She calls the weapon at her side Truth and I have no reason to doubt its accuracy. Even with my own Law bolstering my spirit, still I was forced to answer that I was an observer for you, though she could force no more than that.
I must repeat, when that woman spoke her question, I was not even able to think of deception or falsehood. I could only hold myself to partial silence, and that with difficulty.
If you intend to crush this rebellion of hers and support the Hui, then it will be a matter of main force.
But I would advise against doing so. You recall of course our foray into the south during the rampage of that barbarian's Khan. You recall our visitations amongst the province's people. Even then the anger and resentment boiling under the surface of this land was notable. Back then the Hui's system remained functioning despite the strain. Ancient feuds kept them at each other's throats. They feared their neighbors, knowing that anyone could be in the pay of their overlords, the sheer extent of their intelligence network making even the most rebellious docile.
Ogodei came and the scions of the great clans united under Yuan He's mad plot to bring the barbarian down. This cracked the foundation of that fearful power, and one need look only to the Bai to see what happens when fear grows weak. Now, this Cai Shenhua has come, and in her presence even the most hostile clans can speak, spewing bile for old rivals but knowing that in this purpose they are at least united.
There are no plots and lies in her roving court. I have seen that. I watched a proud Hui agent, one of their best, break down into a broken weeping thing before her as the layers of deceptions and false personalities were stripped from him layer after layer, until only the empty core remained, and his Law and Way shattered under the strain. Where she walks, their web burns.
My lord, the fear is gone, and the resentment and anger of millenia remains. If you have ever trusted my word, trust in this. It is not mere cynicism and power seeking that drives her supporters. Mayhap the ancients of the clans see it as such, but more likely they see that they would have to slay many of their own descendants to stop this. They are being pulled by this, not guiding it.
If you side with the Hui in this matter, it will be tremendously bloody, and the flower of Emerald Seas youth will lie dead in the fields, sending this place spiralling further into failure. That can be leveraged of course. The Bao may be nudged to complete their plot and join the Celestial Peaks, a rich boon for the Imperial seat. The Luo may consider the secret offers of the Guo, knowing that even their relatively poor lands are paradise compared to the grave. The Meng will huddle and hide in their swamps and perhaps one day be prodded to join Sun Shao's territories and provide a haven for those who cannot tolerate the jungle, thus further encircling the Bai.
But the Hui will not last. Their mystique is broken, and it will take many centuries before they will be able to govern on their own. You know that I predicted there would be rebellion here within the next few centuries. It is a dangerous thing to allow rebellion. However it is also an opportunity for us.
But, my emperor, I will admit some bias in this, and I may require some time in meditation to ensure that my mind has not been contaminated. I have seen her speak, and it reminds me of you at your best my lord. She inspires in a way that few who walk the path of the highest realm do. She seeks not any higher throne either, one of her nature would not be able to lie on that.
No, in this Cai Shenhua I think you will find a more reliable ally than the creatures of Hui. One way or another, the throne can no longer ignore the turmoil in the south.
-A ciphered report, delivered to the Emperor An at the behest of Minister of Integrity Sima Jiao
I can confirm to you that the rumors are true, the woman at the center of this turmoil has achieved the Eighth realm, it is not merely a matter of trickery or empowering artifacts. However Cai Shenhua achieved the power she holds it is hers as intrinsically as yours or mine. Her strength however is still that one one new to the eighth realm. She is not invincible, the Empire might could yet crush her.
The support for her roving court arises primarily from the upstart Diao, and the younger clans which gather around their skirts, yet this is only in the open. I have traveled far and wide, walking among the people of the Emerald Seas, and even among the oldest clans many of the younger generation whisper her name. It is important I think to stress that among the powers of the Emerald Seas only the Chu have outright denounced her. There is a reason for the increasingly troubled missives from the Hui. More disturbing if things were to break right at this moment, I think even the Count clans would find themselves split among their members. If we intervene it will not be a quiet matter, such as the Ministry can handle. There is no central figure, save the woman herself and...
I would not be able to slay her, even with the whole of my ministry, and the artifacts of the imperial seat, behind me. I have slain those above me before, but never have I met a being whose Law so firmly and utterly counters mine. Here, I must admit a total failure on my part. My observation was noticed. I was as surprised as you no doubt are.
But that I realized is a major component of the Laws that are Cai Shenhua. Deception is rendered unto dust and ruin under her gaze. Lies are impossible, even in one's own mind. She calls the weapon at her side Truth and I have no reason to doubt its accuracy. Even with my own Law bolstering my spirit, still I was forced to answer that I was an observer for you, though she could force no more than that.
I must repeat, when that woman spoke her question, I was not even able to think of deception or falsehood. I could only hold myself to partial silence, and that with difficulty.
If you intend to crush this rebellion of hers and support the Hui, then it will be a matter of main force.
But I would advise against doing so. You recall of course our foray into the south during the rampage of that barbarian's Khan. You recall our visitations amongst the province's people. Even then the anger and resentment boiling under the surface of this land was notable. Back then the Hui's system remained functioning despite the strain. Ancient feuds kept them at each other's throats. They feared their neighbors, knowing that anyone could be in the pay of their overlords, the sheer extent of their intelligence network making even the most rebellious docile.
Ogodei came and the scions of the great clans united under Yuan He's mad plot to bring the barbarian down. This cracked the foundation of that fearful power, and one need look only to the Bai to see what happens when fear grows weak. Now, this Cai Shenhua has come, and in her presence even the most hostile clans can speak, spewing bile for old rivals but knowing that in this purpose they are at least united.
There are no plots and lies in her roving court. I have seen that. I watched a proud Hui agent, one of their best, break down into a broken weeping thing before her as the layers of deceptions and false personalities were stripped from him layer after layer, until only the empty core remained, and his Law and Way shattered under the strain. Where she walks, their web burns.
My lord, the fear is gone, and the resentment and anger of millenia remains. If you have ever trusted my word, trust in this. It is not mere cynicism and power seeking that drives her supporters. Mayhap the ancients of the clans see it as such, but more likely they see that they would have to slay many of their own descendants to stop this. They are being pulled by this, not guiding it.
If you side with the Hui in this matter, it will be tremendously bloody, and the flower of Emerald Seas youth will lie dead in the fields, sending this place spiralling further into failure. That can be leveraged of course. The Bao may be nudged to complete their plot and join the Celestial Peaks, a rich boon for the Imperial seat. The Luo may consider the secret offers of the Guo, knowing that even their relatively poor lands are paradise compared to the grave. The Meng will huddle and hide in their swamps and perhaps one day be prodded to join Sun Shao's territories and provide a haven for those who cannot tolerate the jungle, thus further encircling the Bai.
But the Hui will not last. Their mystique is broken, and it will take many centuries before they will be able to govern on their own. You know that I predicted there would be rebellion here within the next few centuries. It is a dangerous thing to allow rebellion. However it is also an opportunity for us.
But, my emperor, I will admit some bias in this, and I may require some time in meditation to ensure that my mind has not been contaminated. I have seen her speak, and it reminds me of you at your best my lord. She inspires in a way that few who walk the path of the highest realm do. She seeks not any higher throne either, one of her nature would not be able to lie on that.
No, in this Cai Shenhua I think you will find a more reliable ally than the creatures of Hui. One way or another, the throne can no longer ignore the turmoil in the south.
-A ciphered report, delivered to the Emperor An at the behest of Minister of Integrity Sima Jiao
I love this update, the emperor must have been freaking out before he sent Jiao there, and even he couldn't stay hidden from shenhua's light.
Also this is just such a great line. Shenhua really is the anti-hui. She counters them perfectly.