Remove ads

Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Reader mode
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)

Another choice we don't fully understand...
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of personal emptiness, of isolation in multitude. A thousand devouring mouths that acknowledged only themselves. (+1 Isolation XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of personal emptiness, of isolation in multitude. A thousand devouring mouths that acknowledged only themselves. (+1 Isolation XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of personal emptiness, of isolation in multitude. A thousand devouring mouths that acknowledged only themselves. (+1 Isolation XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)

I believe the story of the Rat and Sun both is about how they are so selfish it's their own undoing. It also reflects Ling Qi's old scavenger mindset which I feel is appropriate. Mechanically I want to do other concepts besides Isolation to make things more widely spread, also Ending is a Concept I'd like to explore more.
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of personal emptiness, of isolation in multitude. A thousand devouring mouths that acknowledged only themselves. (+1 Isolation XP)

It seems a bit unfair to accuse the Westerners of believing in nothing, when they see themselves as fighting and dying for something personally and profoundly grand in a war no one else would ever dare to fight. To believe that they are all cornered animals and must fight or die where they stand for a future where that is no longer necessary, is still to believe in something higher than themselves.
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of personal emptiness, of isolation in multitude. A thousand devouring mouths that acknowledged only themselves. (+1 Isolation XP)

It's not really nihilism in my mind. They split the world into tight circles of Us and Not-Us, and treat those circles as set in orichalcum. What happened to Liling when she realized that that betrayal could come from within the circle, that Sun Shao only served himself under the guise of Family is Everything, Everything for Family is demonstration of this. What happens when community is just a mask?
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
Observe the ambitions of the many
yrsillar said:
"My Grandmother, who marched under King Shao in the beginning. Had six brothers and sisters. She had many Uncles, many Aunts, and even more cousins. The Jungle took all of her siblings, by the time she had reached by age and realm. This was normal enough. It was expected by our Masters that we would give our lives for the Lords of the Lakes. It was not our lot to grow old," the woman said.

"Grandmother was not satisfied with this. We live to kill her, the jungle. To kill her and claim her rather than cowering behind walls and being taken one by one. The West dies on its feet instead of its knees, and take more than we give. Grandmother passed in her meditation room. I have five brothers and one sister. Only two of them have died. We may still die, but it is better to be predator than prey. Better to go out and hunt than hide in our burrows like worms."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
To slay the Sunflower or die trying.
To fight at all costs.

yrsillar said:
When posed the question, the old man had chewed on his pipe for a time and answered shortly.

The West was carving the jungle into a home. The only home they could ever have. Not one of them could ever go back, even if they wished too.

Ling QI could acknowledge that, as much as she might not like too. Bai Meizhen was her friend, but the Bai clan's reputation was well founded. Even Meizhen would not bat an eye at the idea that the Bai clan would kill everyone who had followed Sun Shao if they could, no matter if they were not even born at the time of the split.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
To make a home for themselves, because they have no choice remaining.
The Bai would see them dead , so they are committed to this to survive.
yrsillar said:
Another, one closer to their age by her reckoning, a young man in armor that seemed to be made of sharpened razors of volcanic glass, affixed to some kind of plant fiber backing. He looked like he felt sorry for Ji Rong, As if her company were some great trial.

For him, the Sun were building the martial might of the Empire. They were proof that the Empire was no spent force content only to gnaw at its own tail, that the barbarians on the border could and would fall, that might and martial virtue were not tied up and captive to the most ancient traditions alone.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

For imperialism, because they believe in the dream of Empire and the pride of carving new territories to add to its crown.
yrsillar said:
The common thread that wound through the Western soldiers boiled down to something near to that. There was a bone deep certainty they had no true allies. That they were surrounded on all sides by enemies at worst and scavengers at best. That they would live and die with one another alone.

There was a thread of more with the younger of them. The idea that others could be made to see their virtue, that they were alone, but did not have to be.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

That they have no choice, that sink or swim they have bound themselves to the Sun.
yrsillar said:
"How have you convinced these people to accept you so completely, they do not trust outsiders much I think."

Ji Rong grunted, crossing his arms. They were heading to the edge of the compound. They had spoken to several others, and gotten little more. Myths and tales of the Red Goddess. She who hungered for the blood of dragons. Who demanded that her worshippers feed her blood, unending blood, and take the flesh and souls of demons into their own bodies, and become demons themselves. There were a few other snippets that might be useful, but she would think on them later.

He took a minute to answer, leaving them to walk in silence. "I signed up. Did what they asked. I'm staying in the jungle. I picked up that they don't get a lot willing to commit."

"And that is enough?"

He shrugged. "I'm one of them now. Call me a thug, but I spilled my blood, passed my initiation, put on their colors. It's never really that much more complicated than that when you get down to it."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
That nobody but their own is willing to give aid in dire straits, not where it matters


[ ] The Vermin God is the Power of personal emptiness, of isolation in multitude. A thousand devouring mouths that acknowledged only themselves. (+1 Isolation XP)

These are the people of the Red Garden.
Thousands struggling and striving, because they have been isolated, because nobody else would help them, because nobody else can be trusted and because nobody else trusts them.
They will fight because they have no choice. They will follow any banner, if it offers a shred of salvation.


[ ] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)

This is Yan Renshu, possibly Sun Shao, the Hui or the Ya-lith-kai leadership.
But this is not the people of the Red Garden. The King is not his people. The King pays no price, makes no sacrifice, they sacrifice of others, and claim it pains them for the tools they lose in doing so.

So, do we focus on the Big Men or the hungry masses?
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of personal emptiness, of isolation in multitude. A thousand devouring mouths that acknowledged only themselves. (+1 Isolation XP)


Something about the 'thousand devouring mouths' rings stronger to me than nihilism. The whole 'us against the world' that Sun is promoting. That only they see the truth of the world, while the whole time they are actually feeding the jungle's power.


Now I wonder if it would take a 'Golden Sands' level event to actually kill the jungle goddess. It might take burning the jungle out entirely to get her.
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of personal emptiness, of isolation in multitude. A thousand devouring mouths that acknowledged only themselves. (+1 Isolation XP)

Both ring true. So I am choosing this one for Isolation XP.
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of personal emptiness, of isolation in multitude. A thousand devouring mouths that acknowledged only themselves. (+1 Isolation XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of personal emptiness, of isolation in multitude. A thousand devouring mouths that acknowledged only themselves. (+1 Isolation XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
[X] The Vermin God is the Power of nihilism, of belief in nothing. A selfishness so complete that it would devour itself and think itself genius in the doing. (+1 Endings XP)
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top