The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)
- Thread starter Vesvius
- Start date
- Original
-
- Tags
- original xianxia cultivation quest
The Chui Dao information was concerning. It's not clear if he's unharmed or even alive. We shouldn't linger for longer than necessary, to prevent potential harm to Chui. Let's solve this mystery, for Chui!
I was also reminded of this scene. It wasn't quite clear to me if Chui asked to become friends with the Eldritch Horror with the tool being a slight bonus, or if the tools are the source of the friendship. If it's the first scenario, then Chui might be able to ask the Sage how he should handle being bullied by a mean senior.
I was also reminded of this scene. It wasn't quite clear to me if Chui asked to become friends with the Eldritch Horror with the tool being a slight bonus, or if the tools are the source of the friendship. If it's the first scenario, then Chui might be able to ask the Sage how he should handle being bullied by a mean senior.
- Location
- United States of America
[X] [APPROACH] Change the performance to see what seams are in the pattern.
-[X] Fabricate a missive from Jingyi's Summit using whatever seal Zhuan Kun has on him that orders the village to leave. A census, a draft, something that demands immediate attention.
-[X] Race ahead of the group and act as a courier from Jingyi's Summit delivering the message. Do not tell the headsman what the letter is about, but inform him you passed a clerk and the examination is coming.
-[X] While waiting for the Headsman to make a decision on what to do about the letter and information, inspect the village, focusing specifically on leaders or loners.
[X] [SMALL] Inform Clerk Ni that you have uncovered a ploy against the testing treasure.
[X] [SMALL] Activate the Wandering Estate and check the water clock inside.
[X] [SMALL] Bring out a piece of metal and try to get Chui Dao out of the hammer by trying to shape the metal.
-[X] Fabricate a missive from Jingyi's Summit using whatever seal Zhuan Kun has on him that orders the village to leave. A census, a draft, something that demands immediate attention.
-[X] Race ahead of the group and act as a courier from Jingyi's Summit delivering the message. Do not tell the headsman what the letter is about, but inform him you passed a clerk and the examination is coming.
-[X] While waiting for the Headsman to make a decision on what to do about the letter and information, inspect the village, focusing specifically on leaders or loners.
[X] [SMALL] Inform Clerk Ni that you have uncovered a ploy against the testing treasure.
[X] [SMALL] Activate the Wandering Estate and check the water clock inside.
[X] [SMALL] Bring out a piece of metal and try to get Chui Dao out of the hammer by trying to shape the metal.
- Pronouns
- He/It/Argh!
Okay, how did we do?
Smoothly until someone changed the script so that the village was now expecting an Imperial Tester, even if they didn't really seem sure how to do that 'we are expecting you' bit.
That the script was changed is unexpected, although we won't see Clerk Ni complaining. It appears that someone has decided that an Imperial Tester walking into the village is now a normal part of the loop. Perhaps we should change it up...
Other odd things to note:
Most people to be tested seem very unsure about what they are doing. But that is okay, they all have friendly support people who somehow aren't the slightest bit perturbed by this at all.
Except Liyu. No hesitancy. No reassuring family or friend. And the loop resets when she is tested.
Zhi is described as marking people as failed in the same way each time. There is no reason to be suspicious if five people in a row fail the test. But Zhi marked failed on the paperwork reads like it was filmed once and edited in four more times.
All candidates are lacking the general joyfulness that everyone in the village normally expresses at all times.
But the last two updates had "<mu-ghi?>" fragments at the start, when the scene shifted to and from where Zhi conversed with the kukuni.
Is there a somewhere else here that has Chui Dao's attention? Could there be some sort of hidden realm nearby? Or maybe some sort of slowness effect on our friendly kukuni?
And it also suggests that the kukuni isn't good at long-term planning and seems to be lacking the ability to think creatively or find shortcuts.
Also a possible hint that such an opponent can still be beaten, even with only one piece left on the board.
From here:
We got a lot of answers, but no obvious questions. But we still have leads to follow from last time. And we also get to act earlier. Although maybe Sir Crab isn't a lead we should follow at the moment.
It also doesn't look like we lost anything as far as a time limit goes.
We've probably exhausted the Examination option for now. We were hoping it would allow things to continue longer, but it doesn't seem to have done so.
We could still go in pretending to be Couriers. Perhaps deliver mail to people like the Headman and Liyu, containing a message asking them to tell us what they know via pretending to write letters for us to take to Twelve Fields.
Or we can try talking to either of them directly, or indirectly. Lao may also be someone we can talk to, as they kept glancing at Zhi while in the queue.
Another possibility is to search the area around the village without interacting with the villagers. Another attempt at finding abnormal anam might find something when Zhi is in the village and more familiar with the kukuni's tricks.
We are also presumably quite close to the edge of the effect now, so it might be possible to send out a message using Clerk Ni's messaging ability. Although the message might not be able to get out and the kukuni might feel threatened. It would also take some time for help to arrive and I'm not sure what help a stronger Artist will be if they are also affected by the same memory tampering and resetting.
These went smoothly, although we may need to work out a way to get compliance from Zhuan Kun faster.
Smoothly until someone changed the script so that the village was now expecting an Imperial Tester, even if they didn't really seem sure how to do that 'we are expecting you' bit.
That the script was changed is unexpected, although we won't see Clerk Ni complaining. It appears that someone has decided that an Imperial Tester walking into the village is now a normal part of the loop. Perhaps we should change it up...
Other odd things to note:
Most people to be tested seem very unsure about what they are doing. But that is okay, they all have friendly support people who somehow aren't the slightest bit perturbed by this at all.
Except Liyu. No hesitancy. No reassuring family or friend. And the loop resets when she is tested.
Zhi is described as marking people as failed in the same way each time. There is no reason to be suspicious if five people in a row fail the test. But Zhi marked failed on the paperwork reads like it was filmed once and edited in four more times.
All candidates are lacking the general joyfulness that everyone in the village normally expresses at all times.
Something definitely seems odd here. Chui Dao appears to be in a forced sleep, or possibly beguiled and focussed on something else.
But the last two updates had "<mu-ghi?>" fragments at the start, when the scene shifted to and from where Zhi conversed with the kukuni.
Is there a somewhere else here that has Chui Dao's attention? Could there be some sort of hidden realm nearby? Or maybe some sort of slowness effect on our friendly kukuni?
Lots of interesting stuff here. While the scene was copied from Zhi's memories, the gameplay was not. And the kukuni plays like a novice that only knows one way to win. Erasing the opponents.
And it also suggests that the kukuni isn't good at long-term planning and seems to be lacking the ability to think creatively or find shortcuts.
Also a possible hint that such an opponent can still be beaten, even with only one piece left on the board.
We were unable to get any of these looked into that loop. Something to try again later.
From here:
We got a lot of answers, but no obvious questions. But we still have leads to follow from last time. And we also get to act earlier. Although maybe Sir Crab isn't a lead we should follow at the moment.
It also doesn't look like we lost anything as far as a time limit goes.
We've probably exhausted the Examination option for now. We were hoping it would allow things to continue longer, but it doesn't seem to have done so.
We could still go in pretending to be Couriers. Perhaps deliver mail to people like the Headman and Liyu, containing a message asking them to tell us what they know via pretending to write letters for us to take to Twelve Fields.
Or we can try talking to either of them directly, or indirectly. Lao may also be someone we can talk to, as they kept glancing at Zhi while in the queue.
Another possibility is to search the area around the village without interacting with the villagers. Another attempt at finding abnormal anam might find something when Zhi is in the village and more familiar with the kukuni's tricks.
We are also presumably quite close to the edge of the effect now, so it might be possible to send out a message using Clerk Ni's messaging ability. Although the message might not be able to get out and the kukuni might feel threatened. It would also take some time for help to arrive and I'm not sure what help a stronger Artist will be if they are also affected by the same memory tampering and resetting.
- Location
- United States of America
One thing to note is that the villagers can change their behavior/performance if the headsman gives them a reason to do so. When the Headsman was waiting for the couriers from Twelve Fields, the villagers behaved one way. When the Headsman is waiting for the grand examination, the villagers behave a different way.
What happens when the Headsman is given multiple things to wait for? Does he have agency in which type of actions the villagers will be performing?
Every large scale play/performance has a director or conductor. My thinking is that the Headsman is the one filling that role for the village.
What happens when the Headsman is given multiple things to wait for? Does he have agency in which type of actions the villagers will be performing?
Every large scale play/performance has a director or conductor. My thinking is that the Headsman is the one filling that role for the village.
Hmm, so going over this again from the first loop. Both the boy with nervous eyes, Lao, and the ringleader, Liyu, should be safe to assume as real people. Their message is that we must find the truth to slay the heretic, however the truth might also slay them because it cannot distinguish friend from foe.
We have seen that already with the Weaver, and she got erased. The weaver's rhyme can also be interpreted that some in the village are false and some are real.
Sheep are sheared and thread is spun.
Some are born,
some are spun.
Some are neither,
some are none.
Under fingers, thread will glide,
Gold for joy, and black to hide.
Mind the pattern.
Mind the seam.
One stitch open, One stitch true.
One stitch hidden to pay what's due.
Find the pattern,
find the seam,
Softly, softly, weave it tight,
Hope that it lasts through the night.
Let them slumber.
Let them dream.
Dawn wind calls,
And silence drums.
Some are born,
some are spun.
Some are neither,
some are none.
Under fingers, thread will glide,
Gold for joy, and black to hide.
Mind the pattern.
Mind the seam.
One stitch open, One stitch true.
One stitch hidden to pay what's due.
Find the pattern,
find the seam,
Softly, softly, weave it tight,
Hope that it lasts through the night.
Let them slumber.
Let them dream.
Dawn wind calls,
And silence drums.
If GoB can be used as an analogy and the headsman can somehow cajole the people in the village to follow a script. Then he might be the one we need to "shine" the truth upon.
If anyone of those who took the test are gone in the next loop, then we can maybe assume that they are all possible allies and that the ones who keep them in the line are false. I'd guess that they are anyway based on this:
Liyu is the only child that didn't have a chaperone when going for testing
I think switching scripts again might make the Kukuni more aggressive. It allowed the Exanimation to happen, even if it didn't count on us being there. If we want to solve the Kukuni's problem to end the loop that way, then that might make it harder.
Could be, but if it happens the same way again wouldn't the kukuni have the advantage?
Oh, what if we change the order of the persons taking the test?
Have Mei Daiyu be the record keeper and ensure that Liyu is the first person going in? That'd give Zhi time to talk to her without anyone else noticing...
[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] Guard
[X] [SMALL] Ensure that Liyu is the first one to take the test in order to talk to her.
[X] [SMALL] Inform Daiyu and Kun about what has happened and the current status.
Last edited:
- Location
- Israel
Random crazy theory, whatever the fuck is going on turned the Weaver lady into pure time Anam to try to kill Zhi, it just did not expect him to be able to cycle time Anam
- Location
- Canada
I tend to agree; at this point, we really ought to seek help. I will note that the formatting on this vote is [APPROACH] and [SMALL] instead of a vote by plan, so here's the correct formatting for your vote:
[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 Zhuan Kun about the time loop and ask Daiyu to use the Twilight Horizon to confirm.
[X] [SMALL] Attempt to contact Chui Dao and see if they're ok
[X] [SMALL] Tell the clerk that there is a time loop and that we have lost at least 4 days already and that the danger to the testing artifact is too great to risk.
- Location
- United States of America
Alright! So, overall, I think we did well on this loop. While the loop did happen, and we didn't get clear confirmation as to why, we have a considerable amount of circumstantial evidence pointing to Liyu being tested as the reason this particular loop reset. This is great information to have!
Some points I've been ruminating over for a bit.
Some points I've been ruminating over for a bit.
- The performance shifted. This means the Kukuni is willing to let someone act differently than they have in previous loops
- Why? It seems to be reacting to what we have been doing in the loop and changing what the villagers should be doing according to the reason our group is here.
- Why now? The weaver broke her performance and was erased. My best guess is that something about having to erase the weaver and failing to do so to us caused the Kukuni to change the performance to fit with what our group is doing.
- Does the Kukuni know we know about the time loop? Previous chapters indicate yes. If so, however, changing the script now is trying to achieve a specific goal in mind. What is that goal? Given Zhuan Kun's description of how the Kukuni was playing, it is either our destruction or our permanent addition to the loop.
- An issue with adding us permanently to the loop, however, is Liyu has the spark, and the Kukuni doesn't seem to want people to realize that. But if Liyu remembers previous loops, which she likely does, she probably now knows about her having the spark.
- Does the Kukuni know we know about the time loop? Previous chapters indicate yes. If so, however, changing the script now is trying to achieve a specific goal in mind. What is that goal? Given Zhuan Kun's description of how the Kukuni was playing, it is either our destruction or our permanent addition to the loop.
- What is the Kukuni's goal with this charade?
- We know from Zhuan Kun that the Kukuni has figured out one way to do things and so only does things that way
- The goal, however, can't be replicating the same day over and over again. Otherwise, it would never change the script. The change in the script means that the goal isn't perfectly replicating a single day ad nauseam.
- Replicating a day ad nauseam must then be ancillary to the actual goal of the Kukuni.
- The only way that repeating a day exactly would be ancillary to the kukuni's goal is if it is trying to achieve an outcome that is independent of the physical actions being taken. After all, insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
- This is further supported by the fact that the Kukuni is willing to change the script on what the villagers are doing to further develop its own ends. The physical actions the villagers are taking seem largely irrelevant to the kukuni as long as those actions follow a predetermined script.
- My best guess, reading what others have posted as well, is that the Kukuni is harvesting some emotional response from the villagers. Some emotion the Kukuni doesn't know how to inspire within this village, but knows that a specific day generated the emotion. So it repeats the day without understanding hoping to illicit more of the emotion without realizing the villagers aren't going to generate that emotion consistently when in a loop.
- How do we win?
- One answer might be successfully getting to nightfall without triggering the loop.
- An issue with this is that the loop still seems to exist, but it could provide more freedom at night than during the day.
- Break the loop
- When dealing with a Kukuni, understanding their moment can give us a way to defeat them, according to Aunti Bi
- A kukuni this powerful likely has achieved some measure of a physical body. Find that body and destroy it.
- Convince the Kukuni to break the loop itself. Likely by giving the kukuni a better way to achieve what it wants to achieve.
- One answer might be successfully getting to nightfall without triggering the loop.
"Kukuni, I have come to bargain!"
Point Hammer at Kukuni, watch the slurping contest.
Last edited:
Khepri14
Thus kindly I scatter...
- Location
- Following the wind
Agreed. I noped out and started lurking the moment this quest went into time loops (never a good thing to deal with quest or narrative wise as being stuck with no way out for an uncertain amount of time kills the interest fast). Been checking in to see if it's been resolved every now and then, and I truly hope it's resolved soon.
I think you are right. It could be a joy kukuni that is harvesting those emotions to become stronger.
Kukuni grows more powerful by shaping the world around them to resemble their nature and can then continue to improve in a cycle.
The clerk is unusually happy after the group crossed the boundary of the loop and the world around them seems picture perfect
Which could be why the weaver's was omitted from the next loop. She didn't fit the scene anymore because she ruined the day with bad feelings.
Kun reminds us that there are multiple ways to win this:
1. We can do the pacification thing and just make everyone in the village miserable. One way to do this could be to have Mei and Zhi perform a play. If they're sublte it can start of as seeming like something that would increase joy, but end tragically. If everyone is gathered in the village square that would manage to hit everyone at the same time and ruin the kukuni's moment, I guess.
2. Keep everyone happy through the night according to the weavers rhyme. If the villagers are happy the kukuni will have no reason to reset. Maybe the part of this rhyme hints to that:
Softly, softly, weave it tight,
Hope that it lasts through the night.
Let them slumber.
Let them dream.
Entertain the villagers perhaps; Mei can dance and Kun and Zhi can put on a performance fight with and without techniques.
It doesn't defeat the kukuni, but it might make it see how it can obtain what it wants in other ways and not just erasing everyone who arrives, that's likely what happened to the owner of the abandoned cart. It would let the group leave the area and Zhi can report it to some authority later on. We would also have managed to identify why the loop didn't reset, so a potential reward would be greater than just fleeing. We'd also likely manage to keep more people alive and avoid fighting the kukuni.
I'm leaning towards attempting nr 2.
Something like this perhaps?
We keep the Clerk happy by proceeding with the examination. He might be unhappy if we skip the village, and he is part of the kukuni's field of moment or whatever it is.
[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] Record keeper
[X] [SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Zhuan Kun about the time loop and ask Daiyu to use the Twilight Horizon to confirm.
[X] [SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Zhuan Kun about your theory that there is a kukuni behind this and that its nature might be Joy. Ask them to make their own observations and have a short brainstorming session a short while after arriving in the village.
[X] [SMALL] Convince the Clerk that if you let Zhi and Kun entertain the villagers before performing the test, the turnout will be greater. Remember that it has been a long while there has been an examination here and the villagers might be leery of testing. A reminder of what actual artis can do will excite them.
[X] [SMALL] Ask Daiyu to put on a performance that will increase the joyful mood in the village.
[X] [SMALL] Does Kun have any food and beverage in his storage ring that can be used to create a festive mood during the evening.
We keep the Clerk happy by proceeding with the examination. He might be unhappy if we skip the village, and he is part of the kukuni's field of moment or whatever it is and that could maybe be used by the kukuni to reset the loop. We also try to increase the happiness of the villagers which could maybe last through the night.
Maybe we should try to search the village, maybe the kids houses, see if there's some secret dungeon or cave around, my guess is that it's a kukuni of Peace anam, he dosn't want anything to happen in the village, always calm.
Last edited:
Dunno, two of the kids were fighting and no one tried to stop them. They stopped by themselves though...
[X] [APPROACH] Change the performance to see what seams are in the pattern.
-[X] Fabricate a missive from Jingyi's Summit using whatever seal Zhuan Kun has on him that orders the village to leave. A census, a draft, something that demands immediate attention.
-[X] Race ahead of the group and act as a courier from Jingyi's Summit delivering the message. Do not tell the headsman what the letter is about, but inform him you passed a clerk and the examination is coming.
-[X] While waiting for the Headsman to make a decision on what to do about the letter and information, inspect the village, focusing specifically on leaders or loners.
[X] [SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Zhuan Kun about the time loop and ask Daiyu to use the Twilight Horizon to confirm.
[X] [SMALL] Ask Zhuan Kun if he has any techniques which would secure his memory.
[X] [SMALL] Ask Zhuan Kun if he happens to have a technique that can help him protect his memories. If he doesn't, to better convince him on future loops, ask him to tell you something minor about himself that you'd have no reasonable way of knowing (e.g. his favorite food).
[X] [SMALL] Inform Clerk Ni that you have uncovered a ploy against the testing treasure.
[X] [SMALL] Activate the Wandering Estate and check the water clock inside.
[X] [SMALL] Check memories to determine if the loop is the same length each time. If the loop is the same length each time, about when we think the loop is coming to a close, try to get to a place with a broad view and see what's happening.
[x] [SMALL] Try to observe the storm, see if there's anything strange about it.
[x] [SMALL] Write a letter to ourselves in the Wandering Estate. See if things inside the Estate re-set or otherwise resist the loop.
[X] [SMALL] Bring out a piece of metal and try to get Chui Dao out of the hammer by trying to shape the metal.
[X] [SMALL] Attempt to contact Chui Dao and see if they're ok
[X] [SMALL] Tell the clerk that there is a time loop and that we have lost at least 4 days already and that the danger to the testing artifact is too great to risk.
[X] [SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Zhuan Kun about your theory that there is a kukuni behind this and that its nature might be Joy. Ask them to make their own observations and have a short brainstorming session a short while after arriving in the village.
[X] [SMALL] Convince the Clerk that if you let Zhi and Kun entertain the villagers before performing the test, the turnout will be greater. Remember that it has been a long while there has been an examination here and the villagers might be leery of testing. A reminder of what actual artis can do will excite them.
[X] [SMALL] Ask Daiyu to put on a performance that will increase the joyful mood in the village.
[X] [SMALL] Use SEG again in the village and scan as broadly as possible, looking for signs of a Hidden Realm, kukuni or anything else.
I have a lot of thoughts. I think we've actually gotten a lot of the pieces of the puzzle right now, it's just that motive remains frustratingly obscure, and will likely bridge most of the gaps.
1. We have identified our enemy, which seems to be doing two main things: A) Rewinding time each day, and B) Controlling the villagers, either direclty or through the guise of the Headman. Note that while the village is looping, the villagers can change their behavior, presumably due to the kukuni.
2. The kukuni is using a powerful effect, but is inexperienced or otherwise unaccustomed to strategy.
3. Liyu probably has the spark, and the spark is likely key to resisting the Perfect Day effect. Ni, a Seated, was put under the kukuni's spell immediately, while Zhi, Daiyu and ZK have resisted the passive effects - Zhi has resisted the active effects.
4. Just breaking the script in minor ways isn't enough to cause erasure. This last loop showed a lot of confusion play outOnly Loop 2 so far has kicked off the true eldritch horror here. I think that the missed stitch by the Weaver was not cause of her erasure, but symptom - when we reminded her of her son, we broke the kukuni's hold on her because we ruined the Perfect Day. The kukuni viewed this as a loss, but an acceptable one. However, "if it bleeds, we can kill it". We found out a weakness, we just need to figure out how to use it to win.
Motive, motive remains frustratingly obscure. There are indications the kukuni thinks it's helping - the reference to payment, the whole "Stand Shield" subchapter. But there are also indications the kukuni is using the loop for its own ends, perhaps harvesting emotions or moments.
I don't think we're ready for a solve yet, but I do think we're making progress. Slow, frustrating progress, but progress nonetheless.
-[X] Fabricate a missive from Jingyi's Summit using whatever seal Zhuan Kun has on him that orders the village to leave. A census, a draft, something that demands immediate attention.
-[X] Race ahead of the group and act as a courier from Jingyi's Summit delivering the message. Do not tell the headsman what the letter is about, but inform him you passed a clerk and the examination is coming.
-[X] While waiting for the Headsman to make a decision on what to do about the letter and information, inspect the village, focusing specifically on leaders or loners.
[X] [SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Zhuan Kun about the time loop and ask Daiyu to use the Twilight Horizon to confirm.
[X] [SMALL] Ask Zhuan Kun if he has any techniques which would secure his memory.
[X] [SMALL] Ask Zhuan Kun if he happens to have a technique that can help him protect his memories. If he doesn't, to better convince him on future loops, ask him to tell you something minor about himself that you'd have no reasonable way of knowing (e.g. his favorite food).
[X] [SMALL] Inform Clerk Ni that you have uncovered a ploy against the testing treasure.
[X] [SMALL] Activate the Wandering Estate and check the water clock inside.
[X] [SMALL] Check memories to determine if the loop is the same length each time. If the loop is the same length each time, about when we think the loop is coming to a close, try to get to a place with a broad view and see what's happening.
[x] [SMALL] Try to observe the storm, see if there's anything strange about it.
[x] [SMALL] Write a letter to ourselves in the Wandering Estate. See if things inside the Estate re-set or otherwise resist the loop.
[X] [SMALL] Bring out a piece of metal and try to get Chui Dao out of the hammer by trying to shape the metal.
[X] [SMALL] Attempt to contact Chui Dao and see if they're ok
[X] [SMALL] Tell the clerk that there is a time loop and that we have lost at least 4 days already and that the danger to the testing artifact is too great to risk.
[X] [SMALL] Tell Daiyu and Zhuan Kun about your theory that there is a kukuni behind this and that its nature might be Joy. Ask them to make their own observations and have a short brainstorming session a short while after arriving in the village.
[X] [SMALL] Convince the Clerk that if you let Zhi and Kun entertain the villagers before performing the test, the turnout will be greater. Remember that it has been a long while there has been an examination here and the villagers might be leery of testing. A reminder of what actual artis can do will excite them.
[X] [SMALL] Ask Daiyu to put on a performance that will increase the joyful mood in the village.
[X] [SMALL] Use SEG again in the village and scan as broadly as possible, looking for signs of a Hidden Realm, kukuni or anything else.
I have a lot of thoughts. I think we've actually gotten a lot of the pieces of the puzzle right now, it's just that motive remains frustratingly obscure, and will likely bridge most of the gaps.
1. We have identified our enemy, which seems to be doing two main things: A) Rewinding time each day, and B) Controlling the villagers, either direclty or through the guise of the Headman. Note that while the village is looping, the villagers can change their behavior, presumably due to the kukuni.
2. The kukuni is using a powerful effect, but is inexperienced or otherwise unaccustomed to strategy.
3. Liyu probably has the spark, and the spark is likely key to resisting the Perfect Day effect. Ni, a Seated, was put under the kukuni's spell immediately, while Zhi, Daiyu and ZK have resisted the passive effects - Zhi has resisted the active effects.
4. Just breaking the script in minor ways isn't enough to cause erasure. This last loop showed a lot of confusion play outOnly Loop 2 so far has kicked off the true eldritch horror here. I think that the missed stitch by the Weaver was not cause of her erasure, but symptom - when we reminded her of her son, we broke the kukuni's hold on her because we ruined the Perfect Day. The kukuni viewed this as a loss, but an acceptable one. However, "if it bleeds, we can kill it". We found out a weakness, we just need to figure out how to use it to win.
Motive, motive remains frustratingly obscure. There are indications the kukuni thinks it's helping - the reference to payment, the whole "Stand Shield" subchapter. But there are also indications the kukuni is using the loop for its own ends, perhaps harvesting emotions or moments.
I don't think we're ready for a solve yet, but I do think we're making progress. Slow, frustrating progress, but progress nonetheless.
Last edited:
- Location
- United States of America
If we want more time to explore the village and interact with them, then continuing the examination or having Liyu go first is the wrong approach. We know that the timeloop restarted when Liyu was tested, so delaying the testing of Liyu is, I think the correct response for this. We want more time in a loop before it restarts. We've identified two things that trigger the restart, so avoiding those two things should give us more time.
We could attempt a Pig Farmer Gambit, if we want to stick close to Garden of Beasts analogies. Point overwhelming forces at one objective that the opponent can see, while working on a smaller one in the background for longterm gain.
So basically send at least two party members to do something obvious that also advances our cause, while another person (probably Mei) talks to the kid.
I'm not convinced that the loop restarting is actually caused by what we've done so far (each loop appears to be roughly the same length of time by what I've read, not that we've been timing it), but fair enough, talking to the Headsman is more or less as good as talking to Liyu because we want to do both. I'm not convinced that pretending to be couriers is necessary, but I can't see how it would hurt.
We could potentially do both and work on two questions at once. The knowledge that Mei remembers part of the loops thanks to the tech means she can operate relatively independently. Her memory isn't perfect, but it's something.
If ZK and Zhi work on the Headsman, the Kukuni would likely concentrate on them if it can only focus on one place at a time. It identified Zhi as a potential adversary before, and the Headsman seemed important to it. While this happens and information is gathered there, Mei can attempt to communicate with Liyu covertly. Sneaking around and talking in riddles seems like something she would be more adapt in anyways.