OK looks like we are going to try to gleam the greatest shame of He Who Walks Besides
*in this distance Harry's screaming stops, he is out of breath*
*in this distance Harry's screaming stops, he is out of breath*
Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
Yes, there is functionally no difference between being at 0 Essence an being at one since if an exalt is ever at 0 they gain 1 at the start of their next turn.
Yzarc
The Spark of Madness
- Location
- Earth
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
I don't care one bit about the meta reasons for preserving Lash. If we could press a button to safetly eject her from Harry's head, I would jump right on that.
Unfortunately, we can't tell Harry without Lash immediately learning of it, too. You say that Nemesis has as much influence over its hosts as Lash does over Harry, but that's never been proven in canon. Just because they're both supernatural parasites doesn't mean they function in the same manner. Yes, Nemesis can influence or eventually control it's hosts to some extent, at least for limited amounts of time, but that is not the same thing as sharing brain space with Harry's consciousness.
Lash is literally a piece of supernatural software sharing resources with Harry's brain, one who has demonstrated that she can do anything she wants to his perceptions at will without him being able to resist even slightly. Worse than that, however, is her ability to fuck with his brain itself, as in do stuff that directly damages it. Even if there is some rule in place that prevents her from outright killing him (if that was ever cited, I don't remember it), she can definitely effectively destroy Harry as a person through brain manipulation shenanigans.
Pretty sure learns to lock her up while consciously paying attention, so that's a possibility. He just has to keep her bound till the ritual is over.
Frankly I didn't think canon sentiment for Lash is worth a major favor though. If we can't save both ourselves I'd rather just save Harry, MiM Lash, and move on.
Lash's screaming, however, is still going on. She doesn't actually need to breath.*in this distance Harry's screaming stops, he is out of breath*
We don't need to tell Harry. We could do to him what Mab did to Maeve - ambush him, bind him, then exorcise him.
Winning Vote
Arc 7 Post 25: Soul's Blight, Sorcery's Light
Soul's Blight, Sorcery's Light
31th of October 2006 A.D.
Maeve, Lady of the Winter Court sits before you bound and helpless as few had cause to see her, yet you do not look at her, but through her, a tool turned lens, a traitor twice unknowing turned, now enemy's bane.
Lost 1 Essence -> Now at 6/12
You see colors beyond names and hear sounds beyond comprehension, meaning slips and meaning flies. In the light of harsh green flame meaning stills and you see... a magician, no the card of the Magician, old and scuffed its one you had seen and pondered a dozen times back when you were wandering occult shops looking for answers that weren't there . One hand points towards the sky the other to the earth. Before him lie a wand (a staff) a sword, a cup, a pentacle (a ring). That is not how the card is supposed to look
Sorrow lines that too-young face and the cloak of red rustles through the flowers of ambition then swift as lightning flash yet with slow, torturous inevitability he tears out his heart, a stain of red upon the paper that spreads and spreads, it stains his hands and the white of his robes, it stains the flowers black and somehow you can hear it, begging, pleading the hand in which it is held, but the magician's gaze is fized ever forward upon the path. He drops it, not even throws it, drops his heart in the dirt with the worms. As it pleads and rots, blackens and bleeds it sees the magician walk through the garden and then at least at a blind turn embrace... someone. You cannot see their face, the Heart cannot see their face, if they are old or young, man or woman, but it knows what they are. Flesh-ridden, Time-bound... mortal. The heart hates and its hatred makes it stone
For a time in the ever-evening of that realm the stone rests, until another card is drawn, a Chariot drawn by sphinxes two, its wheels thundering with ruin's purpose, a prince with vengeance crowned, the wheel strikes upon the stone that once had been a heart and looking down he sees it shriveled broken-black and with a smile of wicked delight he picks it up. His hands polish it smooth, a mirror in which all is warped you hear a sigh in dust upon the wind now falling.
From one hand to another it is passed, the heart of stone, the lying will, its new master's finest tool, yet through all ruins work and corruption's bitter fruit one truth remained, grey ash upon the surface, the stone still yearned for what had been and and would seek out even a facsimile, even a lie. So would the great liar lie to itself, so would the hatred of All hate itself still.
As the flash fades from your mind you are left blinking owlishly at the icy prison. Scores of questions are left unanswered, Who had the magician been? Why had he cut out his heart? Who was the Charioteer? What did he seek vengeance for, but for now it's enough to know the kind of mistake Nemesis can make, lingering too long, a parasite grown fond of warmth of its victim's flesh.
Gained 2 Essence -> now at 8/12
Fortunately for you Mab barely glances in your general direction, her attention outwards, not necessarily at the door, so much as at everything beyond the ice rink, making darn sure nothing can interrupt the rite. Essence burns first slow than swift,
Lost 1 Essence -> Now at 7/12
With the tides the world's blood moves
With the winds the world's breath flies
Bright in flame the world's soul dances
Deep and dark the world's slow trances
Green, bright-growing life takes chances
More and more the elements twist and agitate as you call each by name to bear witness to this place and to this hour, to the trespass you wish undone.
Stars chart the way
Moon does what may
Sun the darkness slay
Above small lights begin to gleam, first the stars to lead the way, then the moon to ward and last the sun most high , the green of your fire turning gold on its face. For some reason you almost feel like crying, but you can't, not now, not this close.
All things start
And all things part
In one swift movement you grab the bar of steel and and slam it into the ice right above Maeve's heart. Before it can strike flesh it catches on something else. It feels moist and rotted as you rip it free and yet impossibility tough. In that moment, for the first time since you met her, Mab's feelings are writ so clear upon her face a child could read them. As the Queen of Air and Darkness rises her hand to smite the thing she is radiantly happy and it is terrifying to look at.
Lost 5 Essence -> Now at 2/12
What do you do?
[] Offer to kill it yourself. Just Mab knowing about the power isn't breaking your promise to your mother right?
[] Let her do it, you are curious to see what it looks like
[] Write in
OOC: Welp you now know one of He Who Walks Beside's weaknesses from its perspective. It would be really valuable to those looking for it to know it has the flaw... but you would have to explain how you know.
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taovkool
Forever Gone
- Location
- The Library, Department of General Works
Remind me, what did we promise Charity again?
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/They
To think about it, basically. Not to eat spirits lightly or without consideration.
Yzarc
The Spark of Madness
6 sux? Nice. Not sure about the vision though. Was that what Nemesis is ashamed of and dud not know of?
[X] Offer to kill it yourself. Just Mab knowing about the power isn't breaking your promise to your mother right?
- Location
- Germany
I would guess that Nemesis, maybe all the Outsiders, are the Heart, one of the parts of themselves that the Raksha discarded to become Fey and part of Creation?
Since the modern Fey only hold Cup, Sword and Staff, no Ring or Heart?
Since the modern Fey only hold Cup, Sword and Staff, no Ring or Heart?
- Location
- Terror Australis
[X] Let her do it, you are curious to see what it looks like
It is only a piece after all, while using a permadeath charm on it would likely hurt the greater entity more than Mab destroying it, it isn't going to be a serious harm either way.
In the context of Raksha the Heart is self/identity and contains Willpower, if the Outsiders are Wyld related then Nemesis may be made from the discarded identity of an Unshaped that discarded its nature to enter Shaped Existance.
It is only a piece after all, while using a permadeath charm on it would likely hurt the greater entity more than Mab destroying it, it isn't going to be a serious harm either way.
In the context of Raksha the Heart is self/identity and contains Willpower, if the Outsiders are Wyld related then Nemesis may be made from the discarded identity of an Unshaped that discarded its nature to enter Shaped Existance.
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It might not be all the fey so much as some specific ones.
One possibility being some of the last of the powerful unshaped giving in to survive whatever calamity screwed Creation and the Wyld so hard, and others joining up with the mega-apocalypse.
It is ashamed of the fact that it was abandoned and more broadly that it wants to be what it was to the point where it lingers within its victims rather than disposing them as fast as it should for maximum damage sometimes. You did not see enough to know what the criteria are for that but it is common enough to meaningfully affect its performance.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I don't mean to be rude, but is it important that there was 4 elements rather than 5?
On another note, that scene was really cool.
[X] Let her do it, you are curious to see what it looks like
No real reason otherwise.
On another note, that scene was really cool.
[X] Let her do it, you are curious to see what it looks like
No real reason otherwise.
Does Molly think that Mab holds the power to permanently kill immortals?
Those did not appear to be the elements, they are the elements in tarot, but it is pretty clear that is not what they were in this story for which tarot was an imperfect metaphor.
It's Halloween and she looks disturbingly happy. Odds are good she can kill this bit.
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- Location
- florida
Dragons, but not wood
Sidereals, Lunars, and Solars
Indeed. More true than can be known.
- Location
- Earth
The exaltation remembers what it was.
What it might be again if Uriel's gambit succeeds.
It should have had wood, I missed a verse, now added.