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The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)

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[X] [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror
[X] [TECHNIQUE] The Northern Auroch's Onslaught
[X] [APPROACH] Investigate the probable Source for this anomaly, Liyu's Home.

We already have a howling time doggo here. Let us howl together! EDIT - Changing to Time punch.

[X] [SMALL] Liyu's testing should be delayed or even prevented entirely. She may have anam already and could break the treasure.
[x] [SMALL] Describe Liyu to your companions, and have them assure her that things will be alright.

Can't forget to protect the treasure! EDIT - Also reassure Liyu to make her day nicer.
 
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[X] [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror
[X] [TECHNIQUE] The Everdistant Flame

[X] [APPROACH] Investigate the probable Source for this anomaly, Liyu's Home.

All in on our techniques that actually already has Time. Auroch can easily become Steel or Smoke later on so I'd prefer not to triple dip on the most volatile Anam type we have access to.
 
Koguyra said:
Auroch can easily become Steel or Smoke later on so I'd prefer not to triple dip on the most volatile Anam type we have access to.
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There was a chance to add it Steel instead of War, but it made it focused on defense. Maybe it could change. Is just that integrating a 3 anam type techique is gonna be a pain for the action economy.
 
[X] [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror
[X] [TECHNIQUE] The Everdistant Flame

Oh how impotent are the whims of fate when faced with the sheer, unassailable ego of the humblest cultivator. Rage against our resistance all you want. We challange the heavens in our path to greatness, we shall break thy chains as assuredly as a ship's hull part the waves beneath a storm.
 
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[X] [TECHNIQUE] The Northern Auroch's Onslaught
[X] [TECHNIQUE] Warhound's Cry

These two techniques are relatively weak and not aligned to our core. Infuse them with time and it will align our cultivation significantly.
 
It's prrooobably a Perfection kukuni, I'm mostly convinced now, but it's using Time anam somehow, and that's what makes it truly dangerous. And as such, it'd probably be easier to handle if we had a fully-integrated Time tech. I want to see what sort of integration bonus StM has.

[X] [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror
[X] The Northern Auroch's Onslaught

And it's pretty clear this anomaly st least started at Liren's home.

[X] [APPROACH] Investigate the probable Source for this anomaly, Liyu's Home.

[X] [SMALL] Liyu's testing should be delayed or even prevented entirely. She may have anam already and could break the treasure.
[x] [SMALL] The Headsman's records indicate that the loop began during the reign of the Emperor in Flames when the Resolute March was encamped at Jingyi's Summit. Inquire with Zhuan if that rings any bells and if there were any other strange occurrences in the area around that time period.
[X] [SMALL] Ask Zhuan Kun what Yi Tai's notes contain on Kukuni, especially in regards to fighting a Kukuni of perfection, joy, or time.
[X] [SMALL] Describe Liyu to your companions, and have them assure her that things will be alright.
 
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Vesvius said:
Something akin to disbelief settles on its blank expression. "Are you… ignoring me?" it asks, voice hushed. "Do you not understand the fate that is about to befall you? In moments, you will no longer exist."

My mind goes blank- and as so often happens, my mouth moves on its own.

"Maybe so," I hear myself say. "...but you failed last time. I may as well consider all possible outcomes."
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I loved how Zhi indirectly called the Kukuni out on his earlier failure. Seethe, you Kukuni scrub.
 
[X] [TECHNIQUE] The Northern Auroch's Onslaught
[X] [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror
[X] [APPROACH] Investigate the probable Source for this anomaly, Liyu's Home.

Edit: forgot a bracket
 
[X] [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror
[X] [TECHNIQUE] The Northern Auroch's Onslaught

[X] [APPROACH] Having traveled to Shoubiao's Wake three four times now, or the memories of doing so, Kong Zhi should have a general idea of where the village is. He will go ahead of everyone else straight towards the village and arrive at Shoubiao's Wake much earlier than they have been. Of course Zhi will avoid Brother Crab.
-[X] Try to find where the Herbalist lived and investigate their home. Their existence might have been removed but there should still be some sign of where they lived. A Herbalist's hut should contain herbs and have a garden, right?
-[X] Liyu's home. The Headman's note shows the start of this looping phenomenom centered around her home. Also there is her father, Liren. He was stated to be 'sick' by Liyu at the start of the loop, yet wouldn't the Kukuni heal him if that was so?

[X] [SMALL] Ask Zhuan Kun what Yi Tai's notes contain on Kukuni, especially in regards to fighting a Kukuni of perfection, joy, or time.
[X] [SMALL] Kong Zhi will trigger the Ivory Ferryman's special ability to turn intangible should he feel like things are going to be reset.
[X] [SMALL] Kong Zhi will use A Moment's Respite to store the physical stress he has just acquired.
[X][SMALL] The Kukuni curtails "poor influences" and strengthens "positive experiences". There is no way that Daiyu's singing could be a poor influence, it is nothing but a positive experience. Ask Daiyu to sing to Clerk Ni and the villagers to delay the examination to a later time.
[X] [SMALL] Liyu's testing should be delayed or even prevented entirely. She may have anam already and could break the treasure.
[X] [SMALL] Describe Liyu to your companions, and have them assure her that things will be alright.
[X] [SMALL] The Headsman's records indicate that the loop began during the reign of the Emperor in Flames when the Resolute March was encamped at Jingyi's Summit. Inquire with Zhuan if that rings any bells and if there were any other strange occurrences in the area around that time period.
[X] [SMALL] Use A Moment's Respite on the physical stress.
[X] [SMALL] Leave a note for yourself in your stasis ring and see how it is affected by the loop
 
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So regarding this herbalist and the situation with the miller's son, Liren's sister and the farmer's daughter.
  1. Liren was sick.
  2. The Headsman said there was a sickness in the village.
  3. The Headsman ordered herbs from Twelve Fields because their own herbs weren't effective, but the sickness passed before they arrived.
  4. Liren was so sick that Liyu said he couldn't be seen (very suspicious, zombie movie "undead trapped in the attic" vibes).
  5. The miller's son, Tang Kai, was seeing both Liyu's sister (I believe that's Liyan) and "the farmer's daughter" Lu Ai. This ended in a marriage between him and Lu Ai. As a note, there was an Ai among the villagers at the examination, she seemed disturbingly young to be married, though an age wasn't specified.
  6. There is a mention of "sister's leave without comment." Liyu or Liyan? Leave what? The village? The wedding? The mill? Liren's house?
  7. There is a mention of "aches and pains". Liren's? Liyan's? Or general, the village as a whole?
  8. There is a mention of "dramatics". I assume that's referring to some sort of confrontation involving Lu Ai, Liyan and the miller's son.
  9. The herbalist is mentioned to have "wandered day and night without disruption." Does that mean he wasn't finding any herbs?
  10. Liyan and the herbalist are gone, erased. The herbalist erased so completely that there is no record of his existence.
I think something worse happened than just an herbalist selling fake herbs. I think somewhere in the cast of characters, someone was poisoned - Liyan or Lu Ai or Liren - and the kukuni erased the perpetrators, victims or both to keep the Day going. I don't think we have enough information to determine what - we don't know who died or why or even how, but if I had to guess, well, Liyan is the one who seems to no longer be with us. Perhaps... argh. Maybe some poisoned herbs were delivered by Lu Ai to Liyan, and Liyu gave the herbs to her father? Into very speculative territory, but it's possible.
 
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KreenWarrior said:
  1. Liren was sick.
  2. The Headsman said there was a sickness in the village.
  3. The Headsman ordered herbs from Twelve Fields because their own herbs weren't effective, but the sickness passed before they arrived.
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So something extremely notable! The spirit can't affect Liren enough to heal him, although it can heal other people and things.
Vesvius said:
Everything in his home was immaculate. The broken shutter on the eastern window has been repaired. His chickens are laying once more. His wife does not even walk with a limp any longer.
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And then as a side note, a small vote from me.
[] [SMALL] Describe Liyu to your companions, and have them assure her that things will be alright.
 
[X] [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror
[X] [TECHNIQUE] The Everdistant Flame

[X] [APPROACH] Investigate the probable Source for this anomaly, Liyu's Home.

[X] [SMALL] Liyu's testing should be delayed or even prevented entirely. She may have anam already and could break the treasure.
[x] [SMALL] Describe Liyu to your companions, and have them assure her that things will be alright.

Reassuring Liyu is actually a bit risky, but it's kind of a cool emotional moment I vibe with.
 
zang269 said:
So something extremely notable! The spirit can't affect Liren enough to heal him, although it can heal other people and things.
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Perhaps the Time anomaly was there first, and when the kukuni tried to fix Liren, it made things worse, because every day its work would be reset? And maybe that made the anomaly grow or something?
 
[X] [TECHNIQUE] The Northern Auroch's Onslaught
[X] [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror
[X] [APPROACH] Investigate the probable Source for this anomaly, Liyu's Home.

[X] [SMALL] Liyu's testing should be delayed or even prevented entirely. She may have anam already and could break the treasure.
 
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[X] [TECHNIQUE] Warhound's Cry
[X] [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror

Stm cus im curious what itll do to a time tech and warhounds cry cus i rlly wanna make our nokai tech relavant again

[X] [APPROACH] Investigate the probable Source for this anomaly, Liyu's Home.
 
[X] [TECHNIQUE] Warhound's Cry
[X] [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror

[X] [APPROACH] Investigate the probable Source for this anomaly, Liyu's Home.
 
It seems in line with kukuni's stated opinions about 'impurity', and its visible thematics of perfection, that it only has the ability to subtract from the Perfect Day. It can only find what it deems problematic and then remove it, with no ability to add what might instead be missing.
 
I think turning new techniques into Time techs might not be a good idea. Integrating the Everdistant Flame will already require a decent amount of cycling actions, and we only have one wonder for it. It's also a really special anam aspect that's very uncommon, so we can't expect to find another wonder for it.

Time is also not the only core aspect we have. We already got the opportunity to turn Northern Auroch Onslaught into a Steel tech when we evolved it, it's likely we would get another chance if we do so again. Turning NOA and Warhounds Cry into partly Steel and/or Smoke would be better in terms of integrating the Techs.

There's another point as well, the possibility of the Techniques category changing. A Time version of NOA isn't guaranteed to still be a Warrior tech if it works similarly to evolving a tech through insights.
 
[X] [TECHNIQUE] The Northern Auroch's Onslaught

Someone mentioned it earlier, but the way that this technique is phrased lines up perfectly with the themes of what Zhi is doing. He is pushing relentlessly, scrapping for every single advantage to try to break this loop as he pursues it with a combination of sheer stubbornness and wit. With that said, I think that while we haven't fully integrated it, this option lines up so well thematically with the crux of the technique and what we are doing that we are gonna get some insights in it for sure if we go with it.

[X] [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror

One of our oldest and most signature techniques if its Perfection Anam, then it's gonna morph the technique hopefully for the better. If it's Time Anam again, then we might be able to integrate it by selecting it here. Regardless, I am excited to see what this option might get us :grin:

That said, Warhounds Cry becoming a time or perfection technique would be kinda hype, especially with how it might make Zhi give off Symphony in Rags / elritch entity vibes like when he was at the Auction House.
 
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