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A Green Sun Illuminates the Void (ZnT/Exalted)

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sebsmith said:
Okay, I like this whole story, but I'm curious about the second part of this. You normally think everything through and I understand this is something canon isn't explicit about, but I'm not sure what it brings to the story.
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"What did you find there?"


"Just a Graveyard"


Actual quote from one of the freelancers. Whether it's still a place in the Faraway still, or if it's been dissolved by now, it's described as a 'Graveyard' at present. This can mean any number of things, but it's clear that it no longer exists as the playpen for primordials.
 
Alectai said:
False, the only reason the Ebon Dragon counts as a being of villainy is because the setting is recognizable to modern people, and he defines himself by opposing whatever the standard order happens to be.


That this makes him turn into a mustache twirling Saturday morning cartoon villain is simply coincidence
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Entirely incorrect. The Ebon Dragon is not, despite what Black Mirror Shintai might imply in its mechanics, a force of opposition. He is a force of darkness, betrayal, murder, lies, sadism, rape, deceit, spite, poison, hatred, pettiness, rebellion, schadenfreud, conspiracy and escape.


His goal is to turn Creation into a place that echoes these traits, a land of darkness and unrelenting pain, where his evil is law. If he succeeds, he will not suddenly alter his own thematics in order to oppose the established order, he will just revel in it.


The Ebon Dragon doesn't eat babies because being infantivore is frowned upon in polite society. He eats babies because he loves eating babies. The shock and horror of those around him is just icing on the baby-cake, not the primary objective.

Valiran said:
Not that I'm contradicting your explanation, but don't the Fair Folk hate everyone?
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Oh, not at all! Just the ones outside of Creation. Those Fair Folk who have "gone native" can hate and love whoever their personal narrative dictates (though it's more like a very good mimickry of hate and love than the actual thing).
 
Revlid said:
Entirely incorrect. The Ebon Dragon is not, despite what Black Mirror Shintai might imply in its mechanics, a force of opposition. He is a force of darkness, betrayal, murder, lies, sadism, rape, deceit, spite, poison, hatred, pettiness, rebellion, schadenfreud, conspiracy and escape.


His goal is to turn Creation into a place that echoes these traits, a land of darkness and unrelenting pain, where his evil is law. If he succeeds, he will not suddenly alter his own thematics in order to oppose the established order, he will just revel in it.


The Ebon Dragon doesn't eat babies because being infantivore is frowned upon in polite society. He eats babies because he loves eating babies. The shock and horror of those around him is just icing on the baby-cake, not the primary objective.Oh, not at all! Just the ones outside of Creation. Those Fair Folk who have "gone native" can hate and love whoever their personal narrative dictates (though it's more like a very good mimickry of hate and love than the actual thing).
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And, it seems that you're completely correct, I forgot about his RotSE statblock, and his Urge.


I concede the point to you
 
Alectai said:
And, it seems that you're completely correct, I forgot about his RotSE statblock, and his Urge.


I concede the point to you
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Mind you, the "absolute rebel" interpretation has some merit when discussing the outcome of soul-pruning. God knows Eddy has the fewest possible "positive" permutations to be put through via Fetich Death.
 
Meh, I prefer the Ebon Dragon as he was in the Games of Divinity rather than the Michael Goodwin!Ebon Dragon.


The Games of Divinity version was an asshole, but he was an asshole with purpose. He was a shadow of everything, a creature of darkness fascinated with death and who loved all those who were doomed to die and change the world in doing so. He didn't trust anyone, but he also didn't hurt people just for the lulz.


In other words, I like the Ebon Dragon when he is played more like Coyote from Gunnerkrigg Court than when he is the Primordial version of /b/.


---------------

Epsilon
 
Revlid said:
Mind you, the "absolute rebel" interpretation has some merit when discussing the outcome of soul-pruning. God knows Eddy has the fewest possible "positive" permutations to be put through via Fetich Death.
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Is it wrong that I want to have a GSP develop an expansion to Selfishness is Power called For a Scooby Snack, which exploits the Ebon Dragon's complete lack of Temperence and Conviciton to make minor rewards seem far more significant and valuable than they actually are?
 
Revlid said:
Entirely incorrect. The Ebon Dragon is not, despite what Black Mirror Shintai might imply in its mechanics, a force of opposition. He is a force of darkness, betrayal, murder, lies, sadism, rape, deceit, spite, poison, hatred, pettiness, rebellion, schadenfreud, conspiracy and escape.


His goal is to turn Creation into a place that echoes these traits, a land of darkness and unrelenting pain, where his evil is law. If he succeeds, he will not suddenly alter his own thematics in order to oppose the established order, he will just revel in it.


The Ebon Dragon doesn't eat babies because being infantivore is frowned upon in polite society. He eats babies because he loves eating babies. The shock and horror of those around him is just icing on the baby-cake, not the primary objective.Oh, not at all! Just the ones outside of Creation. Those Fair Folk who have "gone native" can hate and love whoever their personal narrative dictates (though it's more like a very good mimickry of hate and love than the actual thing).
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Yup, this is what I was going for. One of the "BAD END"s in Return of the Scarlet Empress (to avoid spoiling any more) is simply titled "Boot on Face, Forever." Quite a lot of Exalted posts I've read on multiple forums, even ones with "I'd just like to give the Yozis a hug..." sentiments include variations of "Except the Ebon Dragon. Fuck the Ebon Dragon."


Happily, you get a chance to prevent the future that is the Ebon Dragon. :p
 
hyzmarca said:
Is it wrong that I want to have a GSP develop an expansion to Selfishness is Power called For a Scooby Snack, which exploits the Ebon Dragon's complete lack of Temperence and Conviciton to make minor rewards seem far more significant and valuable than they actually are?
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I really ought to be working on Eburnean Angles of Lacunae Style, but it's not like I haven't written something along these lines before.

GLOATING OVER BAUBLES
Cost: — (+1wp); Mins: Ebon Dragon 0, Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Reactor
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Selfishness is Power
The Ebon Dragon claims he will take any excuse to undermine the good and just, accepting pittances as payment for his misdeeds. What does payment matter to him? His spiteful hate is reason enough to damn the world; the spoils of his plots are irrelevant. The Ebon Dragon claims he will do anything for suitable compensation, committing nauseating atrocities out of cosmic avarice. It matters little to him what the consequences of his actions are. He will grin over his hoard of smuggled joys as the world slips into darkness. The Ebon Dragon claims much, and always lies.

This Charm permanently enhances its prerequisite, allowing the Infernal to pay an additional point of temporary Willpower when activating it in order to draw power from his reckless greed. If he does so, then he ignores all mote drain that stems from his actions benefiting others over himself, provided he was offered some kind of reward in exchange for his supposed selflessness. This reward must be material in nature ("friendship" is unacceptable), and the Infernal must genuinely believe they will receive it. The Infernal cannot willingly turn down this reward after taking the action; modesty ill-becomes the majesty of a Primordial. Finally, the reward must be of some actual value, no matter how small - twigs and dust are not appropriate tribute to the Ultimate Darkness.

In addition, whenever the warlock is offered a material reward for taking an action that would already benefit him enough to avoid any mote drain (before considering the effects of this Charm), he immediately respires a number of motes equal to the Resources value of the reward, minus his Temperance rating; the dragon revels in the gifts of a village all the more for knowing that he never planned on wasting his time on it in the first place. If the offered reward is an Artifact, its Resources value is treated as double its Artifact rating. These motes may be placed in any of his mote pools, including the Infernal's Overdrive pool or the pool created by Sweet Agony Savoured. He may respire no more than (Essencex4-Temperance) motes this way in a single scene.
----

It's a quick-and-dirty job, but whatcha gonna do?
 
Pharohman777 said:
Say, does anyone think that since apparently Oramus's Jouten is the only thing imprisioned by his own wings, did his fetich soul escape somehow, or perhaps never cared for the primordial it is part of? And since Oramus defines all that is within and without by his very nature, then perhaps one could say that Yukari Yakumo is his Fetich soul; both have power over boundaries. Yukari could merely have made a gap in the binding oath, then left for the far reaches of the Wyld, and later found the Earth that Gensokyo is connected to. It seems to make sense to me anyway. The thought came up after I read the Znt/Touhou crossover Border of Zero.
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Unlikely. The First Age Exalted were very, very, very good at their jobs.

Plus Fetiches are not nearly as human as Yukari. Beings like the Green Sun are far more of an example. They can look human(ish)but they are also several other things at the same time.
 
Pharohman777 said:
Say, does anyone think that since apparently Oramus's Jouten is the only thing imprisioned by his own wings, did his fetich soul escape somehow, or perhaps never cared for the primordial it is part of? And since Oramus defines all that is within and without by his very nature, then perhaps one could say that Yukari Yakumo is his Fetich soul; both have power over boundaries. Yukari could merely have made a gap in the binding oath, then left for the far reaches of the Wyld, and later found the Earth that Gensokyo is connected to. It seems to make sense to me anyway. The thought came up after I read the Znt/Touhou crossover Border of Zero.
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Oramus' fetich is Daendals, the Unfettered Heart, and is definitely not bound. In fact it is constant questing for ways to free its master.


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Epsilon
 
Pharohman777 said:
Say, does anyone think that since apparently Oramus's Jouten is the only thing imprisioned by his own wings, did his fetich soul escape somehow, or perhaps never cared for the primordial it is part of? And since Oramus defines all that is within and without by his very nature, then perhaps one could say that Yukari Yakumo is his Fetich soul; both have power over boundaries. Yukari could merely have made a gap in the binding oath, then left for the far reaches of the Wyld, and later found the Earth that Gensokyo is connected to. It seems to make sense to me anyway. The thought came up after I read the Znt/Touhou crossover Border of Zero.
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That doesn't work for the reasons stated previously, though a thinly-veiled Yukari Yakumo has appeared as a 3rd Circle Soul (with Ran as a 2nd Circle and Chen as part of her panoply) of Oramus in one Infernal game I played in.


More likely, consider that Yukari's powers and appearance are entirely plausible for a Infernal who has explored Oramus' Charmset.


Then consider the Charm Spirit of the Living World.

*shitbrix*
 
Unwoven Coadjustor: 5 (Alarm Clock)

...​


"Wake up," Marisalon shouted at her, from within her head.


Groggily, Louise looked up, her cheek stuck to the page of the book she had obviously been reading before she dozed off. "Wha-?" she managed.


"You have a class," the neomah stated, promptly. "You requested that I wake you before any classes that you have, and I have followed out the orders you gave."


"I did not!"


"Fair lady, you did. Now, you should probably detach your face from the book, and splash some water to wake up, because it ill-befits you to present a dishabille face to the outside world. Unless that is your most delightfully seductive intent, of course."


"Why did you let me fall asleep! I was trying to study!" Louise shouted out loud, rubbing her eyes, and lurching over to her washbasin.


"Why, because you instructed me to," was the slightly petulant response.


"Argh! Stupid useless head familiar thing!" Wet-faced, she glared at herself in the mirror. "Argh! Familiars! How... I don't have one... they won't accept 'it's in my head and invisible and stupid and perverted' as an excuse!"


"Then, my fair lady, we must simply devise a way for you to cheat their pathetic, arbitrary tests, must we not?" Marisalon asked, rhetorically.


"How?" The word was blunt.


There was an embarrassed mental cough. "Let me get back to you on that one. And that, fair lady, is why you must attend classes; you must learn all you can, so you may exploit their weaknesses." The neomah's voice was almost oily.


Louise scrubbed at her face with her towel. "You're not doing this just because you want to be a perverted head-familiar over my classmates?" she asked, suspiciously.


"Not in the slightest."



...​
 
I thouroughly enjoyed that chapter. It was a bit short, but it moves the story along nicely, and you can see the developing relationship between Louise and her perverted brain familiar.
 
Pharohman777 said:
Say, Revlid, weren't you going to make a First Louise Exellency?
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I've been rather busy with Yukari-Fu. Fucking Sidereal Martial Arts.

Also, rewriting an entire Charmtree from MoEP: Lunars.
Also also, putting the finishing touches to a complete homebrewed Yozi.
Also also also, dealing with the new White Wolf Forums, which are eye-searing.

EDIT: I'm also rather interested to see how this Louise ends up diverting from canon, rather than just writing the First Tsundere Bitch Excellency.
I mean, sure, it'll have elements of that, but there's a whole journey ahead of us. She's not even got Ascendancy Mantle yet.
 
hyzmarca said:
I thouroughly enjoyed that chapter. It was a bit short, but it moves the story along nicely, and you can see the developing relationship between Louise and her perverted brain familiar.
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You do get that this bit was just a snip, right? If it was a proper chapter, it would be at least several thousand words, and would have the full chapter heading thing set up. :)

It's just a way of informing you that I've actually started the work on the chapter.
 
Stormgear said:
The maid is probably a spy from a detachment of Lookshyan Dragonblooded who ended up stuck in Halkegenia for some strange reason. Probably.
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So we don't know if granny "mela" is significant, or what the 5 blue flowers mean?


Darn, i thought there would be more geekery.
 
Stormgear said:
Now all of you girls bow before me and swear your loyalty. Curves for everyone! And, you know, claws. And stuff.
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Hold on, that's right, you can use By Rage Recast to grant mutations to those you've marked with Magnaminous Warning Glyph...


Louise may soon have allies in flatchested girls everywhere.
 
Revlid said:
Hold on, that's right, you can use By Rage Recast to grant mutations to those you've marked with Magnaminous Warning Glyph...


Louise may soon have allies in flatchested girls everywhere.
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I am constantly amused by the bizarre shenanigans that are made possible with access to Yozi charms.
 
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