The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)

will we even be allowe to leave, surely the kukuni knows that if we get away someone more powerful will come nosing around

[X] [APPROACH] In the past, Kong Zhi wandered freely through the village. Perhaps that was a mistake. We will continue the examination as normal, only Zhi will take a different role.
-[X] The record-keeper for the examination.

[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Kun that they absolutely shouldn't stick out or interrupt the villagers routines, just observe them and look for discrepancies.
[X][SMALL] If people don't break their routine to get tested, convince Clerk Ni to pretend everything is fine. For our collective safety.

[X] [APPROACH] Shoubiao's Wake is dangerous, and the wise thing to do would be to retreat. Zhi will attempt to redirect the examination towards Twelve Fields, where a more learned expert may be contacted.

I feel like we need to at least try this. This is way above our pay grade. Yeah we'll probably get shot down, or this will turn out to be targeted and we can't escape, but I feel like we should make sure that's true before committing to fight a very risky battle. (and investigating is a battle in the making)

[X] [APPROACH] Shoubiao's Wake is dangerous, and the wise thing to do would be to retreat. Zhi will attempt to redirect the examination towards Twelve Fields, where a more learned expert may be contacted.

[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Kim everything we remember see if they have any advice.

[X][SMALL] Ask Siani for help, you don't quite have the training to handle this, but don't want to just leave.


I feel people are a little blinded by the fact thst this is a quest. We should at least try to book it. Sure the rewards are sweet, and it's unlikely we would just get murdered out of hand. I still feel we should take a reasonable course of action and at least try to leave.

[X] [APPROACH] Shoubiao's Wake is dangerous, and the wise thing to do would be to retreat. Zhi will attempt to redirect the examination towards Twelve Fields, where a more learned expert may be contacted.

Alioth said:

[X] [APPROACH] Shoubiao's Wake is dangerous, and the wise thing to do would be to retreat. Zhi will attempt to redirect the examination towards Twelve Fields, where a more learned expert may be contacted.

[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Kim everything we remember see if they have any advice.

[X][SMALL] Ask Siani for help, you don't quite have the training to handle this, but don't want to just leave.


I feel people are a little blinded by the fact thst this is a quest. We should at least try to book it. Sure the rewards are sweet, and it's unlikely we would just get murdered out of hand. I still feel we should take a reasonable course of action and at least try to leave.

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A lot of us don't think we can leave without solving this. The crab has attempted to leave the area every single loop since we've been here, but it keeps getting sucked back in as well. We've been woven into the loop, so we need to deal with this.

We also don't likely have endless loops to work with. At some point, something is going to come to a head.

Didn't the hammer speak at the beginning of the loop this time. He never hs done that before, should we try talking with him. Or is he trying to hide from the big scary kukini and we shouldn't because it doesn't know about him.

I agree on how the current situation seems above our pay grade and maybe it would be better to leave, however at the same time I don't want to avoid doing the hard thing because doing the easy thing might impact our drive, we just raised it back above 1, let's keep challenging ourselves until we realise it's a lost cause

[X] [APPROACH] In the past, Kong Zhi wandered freely through the village. Perhaps that was a mistake. We will continue the examination as normal, only Zhi will take a different role.
-[x] The record-keeper for the examination.
[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Kun that they absolutely shouldn't stick out or interrupt the villagers
[X][SMALL] If people don't break their routine to get tested, convince Clerk Ni to pretend everything is fine. For our collective safety.
[X][SMALL] Check on Chui Dao's wellbeing, memories and any kukuni senses that might be helpful.
[X][SMALL] Keep a look out for any clues about where the disturbance to the local anam is coming from, or any sources of Time anam.
[X][SMALL] The group should keep an eye and ear out for anything that might be used to date when this loop started.
[X][SMALL] Ask Siani for help, you don't quite have the training to handle this, but don't want to just leave.

Quick question, now that we are aware that we are doing the same thing again, should we end up rolling some check against the hostile kukuni will we benefit from Formed From Pressure and have the associated bonus?

[><] [SMALL] Shout "Junior, you dare?!" The kukuni will hear us loud and clear.

(I think this is solvable and we should give it a shot, simply because there's just not a lot of time aspected Caretakers that could give it a shot otherwise - but.)

[X][APPROACH] Shoubiao's Wake is dangerous, and the wise thing to do would be to retreat. Zhi will attempt to redirect the examination towards Twelve Fields, where a more learned expert may be contacted.
[X][SMALL] Run down the team on the what happened on the last loops to have all three rub braincells together.

[X] [APPROACH] In the past, Kong Zhi wandered freely through the village. Perhaps that was a mistake. We will continue the examination as normal, only Zhi will take a different role.
-[x] The record-keeper for the examination.
[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu to use Twilight Horizon
[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Kun that they absolutely shouldn't stick out or interrupt the villagers
[X][SMALL] If people don't break their routine to get tested, convince Clerk Ni to pretend everything is fine. For our collective safety.
[X][SMALL] Check on Chui Dao's wellbeing, memories and any kukuni senses that might be helpful.
[X][SMALL] Does Zhuan Kun have a scroll about dealing with hostile kukuni?
[X][SMALL] Keep a look out for any clues about where the disturbance to the local anam is coming from, or any sources of Time anam.
[X][SMALL] The group should keep an eye and ear out for anything that might be used to date when this loop started.
[X][SMALL] If an opportunity arises, ask what message the headman sent to Twelve Fields. Conversationally.
[X][SMALL] Is there anything significant about the incoming storm?
[X][SMALL] Ask Siani for help, you don't quite have the training to handle this, but don't want to just leave.

[X] [APPROACH] Shoubiao's Wake is dangerous, and the wise thing to do would be to retreat. Zhi will attempt to redirect the examination towards Twelve Fields, where a more learned expert may be contacted.

edit vote removed, updated later in thread

[X] [APPROACH] In the past, Kong Zhi wandered freely through the village. Perhaps that was a mistake. We will continue the examination as normal, only Zhi will take a different role.
-[x] The record-keeper for the examination.

[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Kun that they absolutely shouldn't stick out or interrupt the villagers routines, just observe them and look for discrepancies.
[X][SMALL] If people don't break their routine to get tested, convince Clerk Ni to pretend everything is fine. For our collective safety.
[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu to use Twilight Horizon
[X][SMALL] Check on Chui Dao's wellbeing, memories and any kukuni senses that might be helpful.
[X][SMALL] Keep a look out for any clues about where the disturbance to the local anam is coming from, or any sources of Time anam.
[X][SMALL] The group should keep an eye and ear out for anything that might be used to date when this loop started.
[X][SMALL] If an opportunity arises, ask what message the headman sent to Twelve Fields. Conversationally.
[X][SMALL] Is there anything significant about the incoming storm?
[X][SMALL] Ask Siani for help, you don't quite have the training to handle this, but don't want to just leave.

[] [APPROACH] There will be no testing this village today, Clerk Ni will simply have to test them tomorrow. Head to the village and claim a room for Clerk for the night, then investigate.

[X] ShyGuy

[X][SMALL] Describe to Zhuan Kun the Garden of Beasts game you played with the not!Zhuan Kun. Draw out the game's map, the terrain, the natural wonders. See if he can provide a read on this opponet you faced.

[X] [APPROACH] In the past, Kong Zhi wandered freely through the village. Perhaps that was a mistake. We will continue the examination as normal, only Zhi will take a different role.
-[X] The record-keeper for the examination.

[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Kun that they absolutely shouldn't stick out or interrupt the villagers routines, just observe them and look for discrepancies.
[X][SMALL] If people don't break their routine to get tested, convince Clerk Ni to pretend everything is fine. For our collective safety.
[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu to use Twilight Horizon
[X][SMALL] Check on Chui Dao's wellbeing, memories and any kukuni senses that might be helpful.
[X][SMALL] Keep a look out for any clues about where the disturbance to the local anam is coming from, or any sources of Time anam.
[X][SMALL] The group should keep an eye and ear out for anything that might be used to date when this loop started.
[X][SMALL] If an opportunity arises, ask what message the headman sent to Twelve Fields. Conversationally.
[X][SMALL] Is there anything significant about the incoming storm?

you know we could just say fuck it it's way too dangerous for us if we need to protect the treasur and send a message to the caretaker to have another one come check things out maybe the one with the fate atam

Alioth said:

I feel people are a little blinded by the fact thst this is a quest. We should at least try to book it. Sure the rewards are sweet, and it's unlikely we would just get murdered out of hand. I still feel we should take a reasonable course of action and at least try to leave.

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I feel that the situation with <Redacted> was worse tbh. Zhi managed to fight back against the anam here. So yeah, I don't think that Ves has put Zhi in an unsolvable situation.
It's only Zhi that is under spiritual attack, so there are limits to what the opponent can do.

[X] [APPROACH] Shoubiao's Wake is dangerous, and the wise thing to do would be to retreat. Zhi will attempt to redirect the examination towards Twelve Fields, where a more learned expert may be contacted.

Voting for this not out of any fear that Zhi will die, but I'm just ready to get back to the Heart and not spend anymore time on the road tbh. Already got some good loot out of this encounter, seems to me a pretty good spot to pack it up and let someone more experienced deal with it.

Alright, I think people need to calm down a bit. There is a way to win this. Hell, this was basically specifically made for us to win. The Time guy coming across a problem with Time. If there was someone uniquely suited to solving this problem, then it is Zhi.

In regards to running, I'm definitely against that for a few reasons. First being that the person probably most suited to solving this is the person that just stumbled into it.

Second being that I'm somewhat doubtful of Zhi actually being able to escape by running. I find it somewhat likely that if Zhi tries to run he will just reset to where he started again. After all, he has been reset to the exact same place no matter the distance traveled the last few loops. And if that happens then Zhi has just wasted a loop for nothing (which is a problem as it has been implied that there is a time limit here). So Zhi attempting to run only to be reset is the worst option here as he wastes a loop without discovering any new information. I think the only way out is in. Which means going into the village and finding out the source of the loops. Alternatively, it things actually get really desperate later on in the loops we can certainly try to run. But I'm not sure of the value in running without actually looking further into things. If running is actually a way to escape the loop then we can certainly do it later if the timer starts running down. But I'd actually want to try solving the thing first.

Basically, if running actually can get Zhi out of the loop then he can run later too after gathering more information. There is actually more of a downside in attempting to run now in that Zhi wastes a loop and gains no new information when it is likely that the loops are limited in number.

Third, narratively I'd rather Zhi be a person that doesn't run from problems he can probably solve. There are times in the quest where it is appropriate to run from dangerous situations and I don't think this is one of them. Zhi has already shown himself being able to fight against the Opposition in the previous chapter when he didn't even know much about what was going on. The Oppostion even stated that he wasn't all knowing and insurmountable. Essentially, a clueless Zhi managed to get one over on the Oppositon when they basically held all the cards. It seems a bit premature to delcare the situation hopeless. Imagine what Zhi can do after collecting some information.

Finally, this seems like a cool storyline to follow. Ves doesn't make insurmountable challenges. And the challenges that are harder than normal usually come with a better than average reward. I want to pull on this thread and see what comes of it.

[X] [APPROACH] In the past, Kong Zhi wandered freely through the village. Perhaps that was a mistake. We will continue the examination as normal, only Zhi will take a different role.
-[X] The record-keeper for the examination.

[X][SMALL] Do any information sharing with the team inside the Wandering Estate, to avoid the eyes of any strangers.
[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Kun that they absolutely shouldn't stick out or interrupt the villagers routines, just observe them and look for discrepancies.
[X][SMALL] If people don't break their routine to get tested, convince Clerk Ni to pretend everything is fine. For our collective safety.
[X][SMALL] Tell Daiyu to use Twilight Horizon
[X][SMALL] Check on Chui Dao's wellbeing, memories and any kukuni senses that might be helpful.
[X][SMALL] Keep a look out for any clues about where the disturbance to the local anam is coming from, or any sources of Time anam.
[X][SMALL] The group should keep an eye and ear out for anything that might be used to date when this loop started.
[X][SMALL] If an opportunity arises, ask what message the headman sent to Twelve Fields. Conversationally.
[X][SMALL] Is there anything significant about the incoming storm?
[X][SMALL] Read Daiyu and Kun into what is going on so far and what you have figured out. Three heads are better than one after all.
[X][SMALL] Run down the team on the what happened on the last loops to have all three rub braincells together.
[X] [SMALL] Consult with Zhuan Kun about the game of Garden of Beasts your opponent presented to you.
[X] [SMALL] Describe to Zhuan Kun the Garden of Beasts game you played with the not!Zhuan Kun. Draw out the game's map, the terrain, the natural wonders. See if he can provide a read on this opponet you faced.

I'm voting for this, which is basically a soft run of the reset. The idea is to keep our head down, gather information and more clues as to what is happening and the source of all this. This is basically Zhi getting the lay of the land and looking for the centerpoint of all this. Time anam of this scale must have a source. This vote tries to have Zhi go with the flow, learn as much as he can, so he can begin narrowing down the source of all this. Once Zhi has more info we can move on from there.

Edit: I added cluing in Daiyu and Kun as to what Zhi knows so far into the subvote. Three heads are better than one after all. They might have some insight on how to proceed.

HousePet said:

And would Zhi really give up just because something looks hard when there are people trapped here?

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I agree with someone else pointing out that Kong Zhi, the man who cultivates Time anam and is about as prepared for this kind of problem as anyone in his weight class could possibly be... is still getting battered and thrown around like a tree branch in a tornado, to the point where we're now losing bodily control and having to fight off spiritual assault.

We are, to be quite frank, impossibly fortunate that neither Zhuan Kun or Mei Daiyu have been incinerated by this anomaly thus far. I have no interest in testing whether this good fortune continues.

Moreover, I don't think the collective brain of the questgoers is up to the task of threading this needle. It feels like we're flailing around in an active minefield, except worse because now we have the direct, malevolent attention of a Kukuni that is infinitely better versed in how to weaponize this anomaly than we are.

As @Falconis pointed out - a Great Old One sat us down and explained, in small words, that it's a completely ruthless opponent and will now be seeking our utter annihilation, no matter what it has to sacrifice in order to achieve that goal.

We're out of time, we're out of room for error, and the current brewing consensus seems to be "keep walking into that buzzsaw: eventually, our bones will wear down its teeth!"

[X] [APPROACH] Shoubiao's Wake is dangerous, and the wise thing to do would be to retreat. Zhi will attempt to redirect the examination towards Twelve Fields, where a more learned expert may be contacted.

[X] [APPROACH] Shoubiao's Wake is dangerous, and the wise thing to do would be to retreat. Zhi will attempt to redirect the examination towards Twelve Fields, where a more learned expert may be contacted.

[X] [APPROACH] Shoubiao's Wake is dangerous, and the wise thing to do would be to retreat. Zhi will attempt to redirect the examination towards Twelve Fields, where a more learned expert may be contacted.