Character Sheet References by Update
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
- Current
-
Lord Hunger, King of Winter
500% Health
Conditions
Well Rested
- Duration: 9 hours.
- Effect: Provides a substantial bonus to physical attributes and a minor bonus to mental attributes.
- Duration: <16 days
- Effect. Halts Decimator's Affliction. Reduces Hunger progress by 10%.
Attribute Upgrades
- Strength: 857 +16 (210% value) +[Willpower]
- Constitution: 803 +16 (210% value) +[Willpower]
- Agility: 813 +16 (280% value) +[Willpower]
- Intelligence: 38 (160% value)
- Wisdom: 99 (130% value)
- Wits: 28 +9 (160% value)
- Charisma: 48 +5 (250% value)
- Manipulation: 27 (160% value)
- Willpower: 127 (460% value)
- Protection: 56 (180% value) [+Charisma]
- Luck: 45 (130% value)
- Appearance: 9
Current Stances: All-Defeating, Hero-Defeating (x2), Fault-Defeating
Cursebearer (Progression) - This character has agreed to serve as one of the Cursebearers for the Accursed. The character's nature is that of a Progression-type Cursebearer. Link to the Accursed provides comprehensive protection against mental and spiritual interference above the Allowable Threshold. Protection is rated 100% effective for intrusions of less than NaN strength and valid through NaN transfinite escalations of cardinality originating from continuums of less than NaN dimensions. decoupled from physical processing substrate. Link to the Accursed provides comprehensive protection against hostile physical or metaphysical influence upon the . Protection is rated 100% effective for known intrusion parameters.
The Apocryphal Curse
- First Mitigation: Direct Mitigation - Reduces the difficulty of encounters by roughly 10%.
- Second Mitigation: Grand Nullification - Reduces the difficulty of encounters by a further 10%, stacking linearly.
- Area affected: Unknown
- Life force consumed: 9.375%
- First Mitigation: Huntress' Moon - Impairs all conventional mitigation attempts by 40%, but dramatically increases the number and availability of targets for A Hunger, Sated. Targets will always be at least minimally challenging or in some way exceptional.
- Second Mitigation: Artemisinin - Reduces the median difficulty of Huntress' Moon targets by 20%, increases the variety of Huntress' Moon targets by 40% and increases mitigation duration of a successful Huntress' Moon by 100%.
- Baseline mitigation: acknowledges specific instructions from the Accursed
- Time remaining: 937e27 solar years.
- Tasks accomplished: 0
- First Mitigation: Companions I - Allows the Cursebearer to take one companion with them across Geas worlds.
- Second Mitigation: Companions II - Allows the Cursebearer to take two companions with them across Geas worlds.
I. Accretion - A farmer's boy. A sword of fable. A perilous quest. Death or glory.
- Base Rank: 10
- +1 General Rank
- +1 Military Rank
- +1 Defensive Rank
- +2 Blood Rank
- Mirellyian Rank: 11
- +250% Rank Gain
- x60 Refinement of Battle
The power of Accretion is rarely replicable and never easily defined. Its greatest masters turn the tides of battle simply by taking the field, their presence an inexpressible radiance, sharp light beyond sense or reason, that erodes the existential basis of those who would oppose them. You will find them at the crux of fate, the critical point of inflection; there does that power reach its apex, starshine become a blazing sun, light and fire and fury as to bring the world to its knees.
*A power that is somewhat agnostic to the strength of one's foes. Battle Magic will never deflect a supernova; a master of this art might, though they'd have near equal difficulty deflecting a tank shell.
*Operates on a level beyond physical causality. With few exceptions, does not enhance physical parameters at all.
*With time and many shared tribulations, some of a union's powers may become relatively consistent and explicable. For example, the hero wears a suit of dark grey plate, and nothing may slay him short of annihilating the armor entire.
*Forbidden Art: Abduction. The forceful seizing of another's armament, inconsistent in applicable and terribly risky, as aspects of the prior wielder may impose themselves upon you. The hero stole into the Tyrant's Catacomb and emerged bearing the sword of the Tyrant's progenitor. That blade now lies broken, and with it its wielder.
[As Planned] - Competence bonus to creating and adjusting schemes.
[Crown] - +.25 Astral Rank
[Fierce Vigor] - The terrible might of [the King Fish's] thrashing sinews, fit to part wave from shore. Gain one copy of [Echo of the Forebear], granting +Might and +Agility.
[Feat: Age and Treachery] - Gain +.25 Rank.
[Feat: Apex] - +.2 Astral Rank - Who is King? Who else but he who suffers the Tyrant's Doom?
[Feat: Knife] - Adds .15 Rank, .2 with Uttermost.
[Feat: Reckoner] - Adds .15 Rank, 0.375 after bonuses.
[Feat: Crown] - Unlocks the potential for Feat: Saber and Feat: Orb. You may find an opportunity to acquire this Feat again, but it is rare and dependent on circumstance...
If you survive, no power will be beyond you.
The Accursed had told him that. These three short weeks have felt like a lifetime, filled with harrowing challenge, foes and travails over every horizon. He has never worked so hard or so furiously in his life, even against the world-pervading crush of the Tyrant's presence. But the reward of discipline is power, and power has been attained at last. Power enough, in some ways, even to eclipse the Hero who stood against that Tyrant of yore, all those long months ago... power to triumph where he failed.
Now, child of Earth. How will you use that power?
At last attain the outcome that Hunger died for, what he set out to do before age and treachery taught him what may have been his final lesson, but for the intervention of the Accursed. Gain +.25 Base Rank; +.5 with modifiers. Rank gain may be reduced (with partial Arete refund) if reforms are not successful. This Feat would normally put you into pick debt, but Be the Change covers the difference.
[Feat: Saber] - He who is willing to die by the sword, must also have the skill to live by it. +0.5 Rank.
Feat: Orb - In a rather literal culmination of its namesake, Hunger has acquired the Feat: Orb by destroying Dien's Green Sun Incubator. This has yielded a formidable .3125 Rank after multipliers, completing his second Special Advancement in the form of Trinity!
Trinity II: Breaker of Suns - Fear will keep the other systems in line. Fear of this battle, and of the terrible force at its victor's command. For he who can extinguish the very stars, lamp-lights of the universe, who dares chance his fury and see their own light snuffed out?
*The Advancement of the Saber, which above all else prizes power. An incredibly potent advancement, by far the greatest among these in strength both abstract and temporal. But take care, for he who lives by the sword...
Gain 50 base +s in Strength, Willpower and Wisdom, and upgrade Triumphal Gleam to Conquerer's Nimbus:
II. Soul Evocation: The Imprisoner
[Inherit the World] - The Worldkeeper's power, yielded to the Imprisoner's. Shattered in mind, whole in body, their spirit given over to the grasp of their successor.
Defining Advancement. You may only have three Defining Advancements.
*Acquire the Soul Evocation of the Penitent, whose shadow is a thing of stained glass and light, and whose figure can absorb punishment unending yet burst forth with ceaseless might. Ignore wound penalties; the user's body is held together by its shadow and cannot be slain short of total annihilation.
*The Penitent may call forth his shadow in an expunging tide. Those fallen beneath are physically encased and magically suppressed, though some arts of power vastly greater than that of Soul Evocation as a whole are immune to this effect. Overuse may decrease the user's WITS, WISDOM and finally INT, but would require many years of continuous deployment; penalties imposed are reverted once the shadow is recalled.
*Outrageous destruction and sober atonement are writ into the Penitent's place within the cosmos. Halve the social penalty from, and double the effective forgiveness for, escalating to violence in otherwise inappropriate situations. This is bound into the fabric of reality and is treated as a 'natural' social phenomenon, the expected baseline.
*Combined with high Charisma, the above effect is exceptionally useful for those possessing the Doom of the Tyrant. Mechanically it's represented as halving/doubling; in-universe the difference in actual sentiment can be an order of magnitude or greater. Still, a dangerous power to possess - and not to be used lightly, lest one be tempted to abuse it.
*+50% to the value of Might +s.
*+50% the value of Protection +s.
*+400% Health.
*+20% to the value of future Rank +s; you may train Rank manually.
*+++Mental Contamination. The wielder disdains cowardice, has little patience for torturers, and easily flies into a violent rage against those he considers morally repugnant. Willpower + alternate Mental Contamination to resist.
[Gilded Cage] - Sequestration so exquisite that one never desires to leave. This, too, is imprisonment of a kind.
An Advancement of the Imprisoner Soul Evocation. The character may manifest sub-substructures within the Realm of Evening, wherein the already paradisaical opulence of his domain is magnified ten-thousandfold. This is a holistic augmentation that enhances all attributes of the Realm - from the invigorating essence of the air, to the quality of the victuals, to the direct multiplication of pleasure experienced by the inhabitants - that sums to a ten thousand-times amplification of the fortunate recipient's hedonic and qualitative experiences. Even the meaning attributed to said experiences is amplified.
Those imprisoned within the Gilded Cages will often go to any lengths to extend their stay, actively cooperating with their jailer in order to preserve the objectively happiest experience of their lives. With the already-deific splendor of the Realm elevated by several orders of magnitude... well, who would blame them?
Nor is the Cage an empty tool of mere bribery and indoctrination. The anagathic, restorative and augmentative effects of Realm-crafted cuisine are also multiplied, and their ultimate limits expanded, such that any lucky prisoner can experience a steady improvement in their Physical and Spiritual Attributes during their sentence, if their warden so desires.
The Imprisoner and up to five designees are free to enjoy Gilt amenities without the risk of addiction or alteration of their value structure. ++Mental Stability to such characters. +Might, +Agility, +Willpower, +Luck, +Wisdom for every week spent in a Cage, to maximum of ++++++++++++++++++++ to those Attributes. Those below Rank 10 receive +0.1 Rank as well, up to a maximum of +3.0 Rank. Those beyond the prime of their biological youth cease to age while within, and revert towards that prime at a rate of 25 years per week.
[Fault-Defeating Stance] - Aspect of he who surrendered, and was bound. Who more appropriate to contrive access to such power than the Imprisoner himself?
An Advancement of the Imprisoner Soul Evocation, and Stance of the Forebear's Blade. Requires Archmage. By committing to advance only one of Archmage's numerous domains for one sidereal year, the character experiences a rapid and transcendental improvement in the purview of their chosen focus. Even without taking any actions at all, a character within the Fault-Defeating Stance advances within their focus at a rate one hundred times that of the same character training diligently for every waking moment. Additionally, the character eliminates both external penalties and self-inflicted errors relevant to their utilization of the focus domain. However, they may not advance in the Archmage's other domains for that year, and other skills or abilities beyond its remit are unaffected.
For example, if Hunger were to activate the Fault-Defeating Stance selecting the domain of Space, he would advance his spatial manipulation at one hundred times its prior rate, including the effects of Progression, Ascendancy Halo, etc - even if he did not so much as lift a finger to perform actual training for the full duration of that year. He would still suffer the training malus imposed by the Ring Hunger, and additional training performed by him would only yield its ordinary results: if he employed the Fault-Defeating Stance and further trained Space all day without respite, he would advance at 101x rather than 100x his prior speed. Advancement from non-training sources is unaffected. He cannot make errors in employing the effects of the Space domain (re-roll natural 1s), and is impervious to penalties (poisons, magical or situational debuffs, etc) that would affect his use thereof.
He would be barred from advancing in the other domains of Archmage, and the advancement rate of his remaining capabilities would be unaffected.
Stance Mastery (Req. 25 Wisdom) - If employed in conjunction with the All-Defeating Stance: double the Attribute bonus from that Advancement, and the character may select two foci to experience the full benefits of this stance, instead. He may advance both those domains at the accelerated rate, but is still barred from advancing the remaining domains.
III. Surgecraft: Edeldross
This precursor component of findross embodies redemption, perfection, restoration and the renewal of cycles. It is the liminal gloss between real and ideal, whereby the purposeless matter of the corporeal world becomes the refined substrate of supernal augmentation. Blasts, voids and shields of solidified edeldross convey the principle of 'transference without harm,' allowing the character to re-position allies and scatter enemies with minimal possibility of collateral damage. Kinetic flight is possible through continuous burst releases, but its greatest benefits are found in augmentation. Pure edeldross is semi-corporeal and swiftly fades beneath the withering indifference of the real, but contained within a person's body it holistically augments all elements of the self, supernal excellence beyond the reach of the mundane.
Though mastery is a long and arduous process, precise configurations of Edeldross can be arranged so as to replicate nearly one-tenth of all Sorcerous Graces.
Hunger's Imaginary Element is determined by his relationships. Gisena's art, shaped by Letrizia's language and technique, conferring Catherine's benevolence. +Gisena, +Letrizia, +Catherine (?)
Discounts Total Eclipse by 1 Arete
-Solidified edeldross can be used as a form of damage-preventing energy blast, which, while unable to slay enemies on its own, can be actively spammed due to its negation of harm. Can ablate away to cancel equivalent quantities of Nullity, allowing for easy combat alongside Gisena with a bit of practice. Pacify a city undergoing a zombie apocalypse with a minimum of innocent life lost, scatter both sides in a pitched battle without slaying any of their number, etc.
-Beings within the radius of a release of pure edeldross receive a 20% bonus to all Attributes. The magnitude of this bonus can be improved over time. Take care not to buff your enemies as well. Pure edeldross is considerably more draining to use.
-By working with Gisena's mage-sight, Hunger may slowly over time develop specific Patterns of edeldross that can temporary replicate the effects of various Sorcerous Graces. Perhaps developments even further than this can be achieved in time...
[Edeldross Adept] - Conjunctional [Ring of Power, Evening Sky] Through a surge of genius, Hunger vastly accelerates the growth of his proficiency with Edeldross.
*Substantially improves the effects of Hunger's Edeldross training session, increasing Magnitude to +30% and imparting significant bonuses to control. He can now consistently form barriers, blasts, and basic shapes (spear, sword, boxing glove) from Edeldross.
*Hunger can now maintain close to 100% uptime on basic self Edeldross enhancement.
*Unlocks advanced Edeldross enhancement, a time-limited technique that increases his effective Magnitude by half again.
*Doubles the rate of pseudo-Grace creation in the future. This benefit is unique to the Advancement.
IV. The Classical Form - The hand outstretched. Runes of blue like a sudden parapet, quill-strokes carved into reality's unresisting face. Multitudinous are the manifestations of the Praxis, yet the classical form is most commonly encountered. From its sigils of impossible elegance flow the culmination of all powers and things, for the scope of the Work is without limit, and so too must be its Art.
*A wall of runes is homologous to a succession of strokes, tip of the sword as fitting a tool as the will-sharpened mind.
[Refinement of Quickness] - When this rune is executed, temporarily elevate the practitioner's speed one step along the Infinite Singularity Husk. Duration depends on your skill in the Art, but is comparatively brief. Highly draining.
[Artful Thorn]- When this rune is executed, briefly afterwards the practitioner's attack is guaranteed to cause a truly meaningful wound if it lands, no matter the scale of the enemy or the inapplicability of his weapon. Even a beast the size of a multiverse will be equivalently impaired to a human's losing of an eye or hand. At this level, only works on coherent enemies (can target the Rotbeast, but not "all Rotspawn"). Increasingly draining. [Suborned by Pierce Through]
[Inheritance: Pierce Through] - Hunger may now perform the perfected version of Vanreir's Thrust technique: an unerring and inescapable lunge that pierces all forms of physical defense. Negates target inapplicability: if incorporeal, the thrust will damage their spirit; if physical harm is meaningless, it will strike their very essence. Does not commit Hunger into a continuous attack if it somehow fails. This is tiring to use, drawing from the same pool as Praxis Techniques - but see Oath of Winter above. +++AGI, ++Might.
Integrates and upgrades the Artful Thorn: in exchange for limitations on form, the cost is now linear rather than exponential.
[Twofold Refinement of Battle] - Increase the practitioner's offensive and defensive parameters to 1400% of their previous level; applies if necessary to weapons or vehicles personally operated. Degree of increase can improve without upper bound. Permanent once executed; causes slight Investiture, decreasing your ability to use other draining techniques by a small degree.
[Flight of Falling Stars] - As many stars in the sky, as there are enemies to receive them.
A technique of the Royal Praxis which modifies an existing ability, Praxis-related or no.
For one effect which has a substantial cooldown, resets that cooldown when the wielder encounters a new opponent. At current level of mastery, this technique can be used twice per day for a total of three uses, but this number can be increased with a moderate amount of training. Hunger has attached this to the Deathly Star, which with a 14x multiplier inflicts immense destructive force, though lacking granularity. Now he can use it against three enemies in the same engagement, such as if he's encircled by Armaments!
[Exalted Battle Array] Conjunctional [Forebear's Blade + Seraph's Favor].
Far reminiscence of a technique that was ancient when the dust of stars was still young, repurposed now towards an unforeseen purpose, though no less fierce.
*Panoply slots set to five, or increased by three if already five or greater.
*The Cursebearer may now link with up to five different Armaments, should he bear the requisite Curses. This subsumes the Curses of the Armaments as usual. Why take hostage their Armaments when you could take them entirely?
*Unlocks the Imperial Praxis technique, Closing the Fist (1p, 7 Praxis picks), whereby a group of individuals or artifacts may temporarily fuse to attain exponentially greater power. This technique is exhausting to use, but can be counted on in truly dire exigence to exceed even the Hour of Reckoning in might. Effects such as this are useful for handling the more dangerous Apocryphal activations...
*The endurance cost of persistent Praxis techniques is reduced by four-fifths.
*Upgrades Echo of the Forebear: Now grants ++Might, ++Agility. Applies to existing purchases, though does not stack with other sources of +Progression.
Strengthening your Echoes means future pick-farming sessions will be vastly more productive. Also synergizes heavily with the Refinement of Battle and King of Winter, which you already have. Closing the Fist offers power greater than the Hour of Reckoning and more flexible in activation - so long as you have someone, or something, to fuse with.
An Armament of the Foremost has fallen. The Might of Ages confers additional advantages onto the gained ability:
*Exalted Battle Array now upgrades Echoes of the Forebear to grant +++Might and Agi, rather than ++
*Exalted Battle Array now comes with a limited form of Closing the Fist that can be used by two individuals or artifacts for semi-permanent fusion, reducing total stamina rather than acting as a continuous drain.
*The full form of Closing the Fist is discounted by 50%, should you care to buy it.
[Blade & Favor] - I-Isn't this just tying the Favor around the Blade!? Doesn't appear to do anything except increase Haeliel's mortal-form visitation rate. Of course, that could be considered the most powerful benefit of all...
[Refinement of Purpose]
The stars could yield, the sky could yield, the Walls could yield, the world could yield, but it was not within him to yield.
++++++++++++++++++++Willpower, +300% to the value of all Willpower +s. Praxis endurance now scales directly with Willpower if that would be better for the practitioner.
In Hunger's case, this increases his current Praxis endurance by half again, though note that this techniques with exponentiating costs, such as Artful Thorn, may not yield extra invocations.
[Imperial Refinement] - Attain the Imperial Praxis in the domain of the Sword.
[Seal of Ruin] - A wall of runes descending; destruction focused, become a cage. Conjunctional (The Favored Blade)
By executing a sequence of runes, Hunger may temporarily invert and direct the power of his All-Defeating Stance upon a particular target. Thereafter, all actions the target attempts to take will be directly opposed by the All-Defeating Stance's magnified power of ruin, as if that action were an attack upon Hunger himself. An extremely potent and encompassing anti-exotic technique that can be used to fully counter any opponent incapable of overcoming Hunger's massively amplified power of Ruin. Inexpensive but moderately slow to perform, and does remove the 'Ruin Armor' aspect of the All-Defeating Stance for its duration.
Does not prevent the target from performing basic actions of sustenance, such as breathing, but does oppose the effects of such actions beyond basic sustenance. For example, if the exhaust of a target's breath would propel them away from Hunger's clutches, they would continue to breathe but unmoved.
Unlocks further Sealing-type Praxis Runes, with which Hunger has sufficient affinity to perform unhindered with a Sword. Unusual among Cursebearers.
[Subordination of Quickness] - Mind, body and spirit in singular unison with the rune of Quickness. At your level of practice, only one Subordination may be active at a time. Several seconds of concentration are required to achieve Subordination, after which it persists for two full hours. Highly draining, but no cost to maintain.
Benefit indefinitely from the Refinement of Quickness at half-strength (0.5 ISH) while the Subordination of Quickness is active.
[Attainment of Quickness] - To those for whom speed is king; comes the prerogative of emperors. Req. Subordination of Quickness.
Subordination of Quickness now persists indefinitely until deactivated, and grants the Refinement of Quickness at full strength.
[Refinement of War] - 1 + 7 Praxis picks / 25 Arete, Req. Refinement of Purpose, Refinement of Quickness or Prowess, Refinement of Battle
The caster for an instant embodies the supreme war-making version of themselves, triumph distilled and made incarnate. Extremely draining, for emergency use only. Like a controlled Shattering Blow.
*Apply half the numerical benefits of the Refinement of Battle, and half the ISH elevation of the Refinement of (Quickness/Prowess), to the character's Might, Agility, Wits, Prowess, Luck, Protection, and Wisdom (Combat) for one action or brief sequence of actions. Does not stack with the benefits inherent to the pre-requisites of this Advancement.
-If possessing Attainment of Quickness: Highly Draining, apply 7/10ths the benefits and elevation instead.
-And possessing Attainment of Battle: Duration increased to "one full exchange of blows or the equivalent," apply full benefits and elevation instead.
-And possessing Attainment of Purpose: Unlocks Subordination of War
[Imprisoner's Refinement]
Req. Refinement of Purpose, Seal of Ruin, Inherit the World
Absorbs and re-purposes the Outer Shadow by way of the Praxis to more accurately express the Soul Evocation of its present wielder, the Imprisoner. No longer a stained-glass sprawl, now a tide of intricate blue runes, in movement like calligraphy graven across reality's flesh.
Practitioner may permanently inscribe other techniques of the Praxis into the Imprisoner's Shadow, thereby locking them "into place" within conceptual reality; reinforcing their strength and binding them to the practitioner, at some cost in utility and flexibility. Inscription is permanent save for the intercession of highly potent entities, well beyond any natives to this Geas world. There is no practical limit to the number of inscriptions that can be made, but each beyond the first requires a significant investment of effort and time. Mentally-focused techniques are usually less suitable. The mechanical benefits of Inherit the World are still retained.
Seal of Ruin: Flood of Runes - Cast time and endurance cost removed. Range reduced to the physical reach of the Imprisoner's Shadow, but can now affect any target it touches at 30% strength without reducing Hunger's Ruin Armor. Can still be used to wholly cocoon a target, thereby applying the full effect.
V. Empyreal Signs
First Sign: Nightmare Flight [Evening Sky] - As sudden and total as the onset of night.
Casting time: Fifteen minutes to charge
Duration: Once charged, persists up to 24 hours or until used
Cooldown: Until Next Evening
The caster and up to four additional individuals immediately teleport to any location under the same sky. The location must be familiar to the caster. Can pierce wards created by lesser magics. The Empyreal Signs sit only modestly below the Royal Praxis in potential power, though such is difficult to realize...
Can act as perfect defense against attacks of insufficient range / area or spatial penetration, should the caster react in time. Allows the traversal of far greater distances in the Voyaging Realm than the Noonday version of this sign.
Second Sign: Bastion of Myth [Evening Sky] - Ineluctable and unconquerable as a neutron star; merely to approach is to be bent into his sway. Hostile gravitation finds little purchase against such deeper might.
Casting Time: Instant Upon Acquisition
Duration: Permanent
Synergy: Hero-Defeating Stance - Doubles the effects of Hero-Defeating Stance in all parameters. Hostile Rank greater than the caster's has its respective difference halved, then halved again. Increases Rank by a total of +0.4 (does not stack with Once and Future). Discounts Once and Future by 2 instead of 1. Grants additional commensurate Might, Agility, and Wisdom.
Third Sign: Supreme Enclosure [Evening Sky] - The Luna Conquerer extends his reach, and within his grasp finds clutched a minion or servitor from beyond the arc of the physical.
Casting time: 1 hour
Duration: 1 Lunar month or until dispelled
Cooldown: 1 day after dispellation
Summons an Astral Entity of Rank no greater than the caster's own, minimum 7. The entity is incapable of directly harming the caster but is otherwise free to act, unless binding negotiations are entered into. If so, then both caster and entity will be bound to said conditions by the power of this sign; the summoned entity is by default unaware of this, but sufficiently powerful or capable entities may have means of making themselves aware. Entities can be dispelled by slaying them, or by waiting out the duration of this spell.
The summoned entity will tend to be useful for the caster's current short- and medium-term purposes, but this is not always the case. Their powers, tendencies and skills can vary wildly. Take care that you do not call forth what you cannot put down.
Fourth Sign: Deathly Star [Evening Sky] - 'Such force as to reduce entire worlds to ash, a pantheon-slaying strike of truly foremost malice.'
Casting time: Five heartbeats
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: Until Next Evening
The obverse reflection of Augustine's supreme offense, absorbed and now reflected by the Cloak of Sky. This is an onslaught of sheer destroying force that strikes across every level of the physical and conceptual gradient, targeting Health as well as the target's Attributes, both fundamental and emergent. Virtually no defense short of perfection absolute can shield against all the vectors by which this strikes. Cancel the apocalypse by marshaling power greater still.
Naturally, though imperfectly, scales with the caster's Rank. An attack that will almost never be irrelevant by virtue of its immense destructiveness, stellar precision and comprehensive scale. Theoretically useful even against Armaments in a direct contest.
Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky] - The Cloak of Sky is the heavens and all their intervening vastness unfurled, yet that which was the Shroud of Evening has not forgotten the form of its predecessor. He who dons the Armor of Midnight becomes nigh-invincible to harm or ill, for the aegis of his panoply is as vast and unconquerable as the universal void.
Returns now the Evening Sky - not merely of twilight, but of all darkness, king!
Casting time: 10 minutes
Duration: 8 hours
Cooldown: 1 week
Reagents: If below Rank 11, burn .1 Rank, otherwise burn .01 Rank.
The wielder is nigh-invincible. Treat his Protection as effectively infinite for purposes of defending against any form of harm incapable of destroying the entire universe, otherwise treat his Protection as increased by one thousand. Non-damaging hostile conditions and unwanted esoteric conditions have their impact mitigated by three orders of magnitude or by a degree appropriate to the effect if it had attempted to target all interplanetary space within the entire universe, whichever mitigation is greater. This grants effective Stage II mitigation of all Curses while active. Returns the appearance of the Cloak of Sky to that of the Evening Sky while active; the disguise function of Skyveil may not be used for the duration.
[Gird the Champion] - Armor of Midnight can be pre-cast, then summoned at will. Duration does not diminish while the Armor is un-summoned.
VI. High Evocation: The Archmage
Science constrains itself to the realm of the possible; magic, to the impossible. What can be said of he who masters the impossible, save that he defies conceptualization itself?
An aberrant path, not wholly in Hunger's nature or the Forebear's. But when one's opponent is the Foremost master of biological sciences, what better implement to his unmaking than the unconstrained manifestation of wonder itself?
A Soul Evocation of outrageous power and versatility; so disgustingly (some would say, unfairly) potent that it would require Rank sufficient to suborn an infinite multiverse to mandate its forcible awakening in one's self. Subsumes and incorporates Surgecrafting, the Empyreal Signs, and the Domains of the Ring. Their existing benefits continue as individual spells within the Archmage's array.
The character becomes an archmage, possessing a collection of spells of both terrifying might and breadth; if they already possess might in excess of a typical archmage, the sum of their wondrous powers is equal to their total prior might. Thus do they double in force while enormously expanding the esoteric and exotic horizons of their influence.
For Hunger, treat him as effectively possessing a Ring of Power with Chief Dominion in Magic, with sub-domains of Time, Space, Life, Energy, Mind, Matter, Death, Spirit, Law, Chaos, Nature, Artifice, Union, and Essence. However, he no longer benefits from the Rank bonus of Crimson Flare. Discounted for this reason.
Power *** - Grants an archmage's power to the ordinary; doubles the might of the extraordianry
Utility ******* - What the actual fuck.
Potential **** - Immense multi-disciplinary potential within the enormously versatile domain of 'Magic'
Could be said to be ultimate mage option hence offered. Nigh-unconditional versatility with the full power of Hunger's Rank behind it.
[Spark of Prowess] - While suffused with findross, Hunger will gain a broad baseline level of proficiency within all of his domains, substantially increasing the complexity and sophistication of his magical effects. Adds a flat bonus to Hunger's current level of skill regardless of how capable he is, short of true mastery.
[War Across the Stars] - Hunger will focus his initial training on a specific array of domains intended to enable the creation of a truly staggering number of wraith-constructs. Each holding his visage and a small fraction of his overall power, this phantasmal menace will spread throughout Republic space to reclaim territory and effectively proliferate the effects of Supreme Commander. Each phantasmal wraith possesses 10% of Hunger's physical and 50% of his mental and social parameters before Praxis use, and can wield Pressure at his Rank -2 levels, or at the present level of Supreme Commander in their locality. They do not benefit from the Praxis except that they receive 0.1 ISH elevation to speed from the Attainment of Quickness and one-tenth the benefits of the Refinement of Battle (currently x2.1 to their offensive and defensive final parameters).
Similarly muted versions of his other magics exist on each such clone, save for his Soul Evocation; given Might Alone, each should be near to a match for an Armament outside its shroud. Hunger estimates he can maintain roughly ~1 billion of them at a time; with Spark of Prowess, losses will be replenished in short order.
[Imprisoner True]
Sanctum: Within a 3-meter radius of Hunger (immutable to spatial alteration), he receives the following modifiers -
*Invincible - +0.3 ISH to all abilities, -0.5 ISH to enemy abilities, effects below base ISH 3.0 cannot oppose the wielder. A vigintillion point-blank supernovas would be no more troublesome than a breeze.
*Paradox Seal - Triple all Attributes after modifiers, instead septuple all Attributes against Heroes
*Domination - Save by his leave, entities within radius cannot act counter to wielder's desires. Against beings who would resist this ISH 3.5 effect, gain +200 Charisma and +100% to Holy Shit Modifier
*Titled - Enemies suffer -10%, and Hunger gains +10%, multiplicatively to All Attributes per exchange. Applies to all contests. Permanent until target leaves radius. Reduce by 10% multiplicatively the effects of any debuffs upon Hunger per exchange (or per attosecond, outside of contests). Does not appreciably mitigate Curses.
Space: Near-arbitrary warping of space. Essentially anything that an unrestricted mid-multiverse level reality warper can perform using spatial manipulation alone, Hunger can replicate with effort. Wrap the Human Sphere in powerful dimensional shields that displace all incoming attacks; allow for trivial inter-sphere Travel for all planets; cover the entire universe in Flood of Runes.
Law: Laws supernaturally enforced. Perfect construction of laws. Can adjust laws of physics and, to a degree, metaphysics. Can fiat otherwise impossible effects within one's legitimately controlled territory. Can adjust definition of legitimacy. Targets that oppose the wielder's legitimate decrees suffer massive penalties, while those who seek to impose the appropriate legal consequences receive massive bonuses.
Sealing: Can perform all feats described under Seven Seals easily, though stat modifiers are abstracted into Invincible.I. Gisena Allria, the Nullity Sorceress
- Relationship: ++++
Modestly superhuman strength, speed, constitution, appearance, and quickness of thought. Her Sorcerous Graces allow her to nullify, negate, or weaken a very broad range of supernatural effects, or, in theory, aspects of reality. Well-suited to Curse mitigation. Can continue to advance by attaining Coalescences.
[High Sorceress] - Through her examination of Letrizia's research into the nature of Pressure, Astral Rank and the Foremost, Gisena has transformed herself into a High Sorceress, findross integrated indelibly into her spirit so that her Sorcerous state is now the default. Her separate Graces have been merged and expanded into an overarching power of Nullity, though she remains conversant only with a few functions identical to her previous power-set at the current time. Still, the potential for future growth is tremendous, and she's already made a breakthrough in one area:
[Sublime Attainment] - It is said that this Sorceress' only lot is to nullify, but that is false. The powers of the Maiden are but one aspect of her Grace; her supernal perfection is the other. For is it not the province of the Maiden to excel at all things? And who better to embody that legacy than Lady Gisena Allria, genius of her age? Fitting that a genius would so adeptly play to her strengths.
Sharply increases the Attribute bonuses granted to Gisena from Sorcery, increasing Gisena's physical attributes, Wits, and Appearance to levels competitive with Hunger's higher stats.
*Very high initial utility, medium potential
*Makes her existing arsenal much more accurate and improves her powers in social combat
[The Azure Ring]- Destroyed to produce Archmage
[Decimation Lens]- A simple but powerful Artifact that halves the time needed to locate Huntress' Moon targets. Highly relevant to your immediate situation! Offers no combat utility.
[Renaissance Woman] - Not merely a genius of one generation, nor of only one era; here is a greatness of mind and spirit that arises perhaps only once in the lifetime of a species. All-conquering talent that bestrides all fields and masters them beyond compare: only this genuine polymath can be said to embody the complete essence - the true quintessence - of humanity in the Maiden's image. Only so exalted a paragon can glimpse the mortal facings of Heaven's Lathe and depart with mind unshattered.
A singularity of findross births a Sorceress. A meta-singularity of findross, births a Maiden.
*Gisena immediately acquires the Maiden-level Graces: True Perfecting Blade, True Nullity, and True Quintessence.
*Gisena, through observation of the mortal-perceptible components of Hunger's Progression, may replicate the effects of the Lesser Remittance, Retinue, for up to one cardinality of infinite escalation.
*True Perfecting Blade: Massively improves Gisena's STR, AGI, CON, WITS and APP. Her physical parameters are still below Hunger's, however her Wits and Appearance are notably superior to Hunger's own. Parameters will continue to increase over time.
*True Nullity: Gisena applies the effects of Grand Nullification upon all of Hunger's Curses; her nullity strikes with absolute force. This may improve over time.
*True Quintessence: Gisena is treated as if possessing the Total Eclipse Advancement. With time and research she can develop Graces encompassing virtually any archetypically 'magic' effect.
*Her outrageously superhuman Appearance, Charisma and Wits can be classified as a high-grade memetic hazard.
[Mythology Halo] - A Halo-type Advancement.
Gisena Allria gains +300% All Attributes and may merge three of her Graces into a Halo, a ring of patterned light at her back which manifests effects of surpassing scale and eldritch complexity. The exact suite of effects created depends on the Graces employed in the merger.
The Halo is a semi-physical object, purest information imbued with purpose and substance. It is only somewhat more durable than the Sorceress herself. If destroyed, it must be recreated in a process of immense intellectual effort. During its absence the Sorceress will be deprived of its Attribute bonus and lose access to its constituent Graces. The Halo's existence is maintained by the Artifice domain; destruction of the Ring of Artifice would cause it to slowly unravel, with eventual consequences of similar scale.
[Sophont Halo] - Consciousness, in its arising, immanetizes the relevance of its bearer, at the cost of consigning all else to consequence and casualty.
Evoker's Panoply, True Nullity, True Perfecting Blade. Draws in all available findross within the character's vicinity to dramatically increase the power of her Graces; treat the character as possessing one greater level of [Sealing Protocol] mastery than she has, even if her mastery is maximized. Increases the Attribute bonus of Mythology Halo to +375%, but the massively overloaded superstructure of the semi-corporeal Halo structure renders it somewhat less durable. Denies Grace and findross usage to any others in the character's vicinity.
II. Duchess Letrizia von Artriez, pilot of the Devouring Armament, Verschlengorge
- Relationship: +++++
[Sharpbright] - The sharp bright sword of will that brings mere physical law to heel! A focused form of Pressure itself that allows Letrizia to improve her effective Rank in situations where being "sharp" or "bright" would be relevant. Both literal and metaphorical interpretations fall within its remit. With sufficient control, Letrizia can even permanently increase her actual Rank by such means, though this is a slow and arduously difficult process...
*Doesn't work if she tries to buff other people, though she can still fight on the same side as other units with Rank
*Reaching the apex of Low Rank is trivial, reaching the apex of Middle Rank extremely difficult, and anything involving High Ranks involves legendary levels of mastery
*Allows her to advance her research into the nature of Pressure and Astral Rank!
III. Aeira, Wielder of the Imaginary Element Shadowcord
- Relationship: +++++++
This soft-spoken girl is diligent and quietly professional. Her power makes her an unparalleled assassin and duelist among Elementalists, and she cares primarily for money. With her family's blessing, she has decided to strike out into the Voyaging Realm upon her age of majority, seeking fame and (mostly) fortune. She would be a competent sparring partner (with handicaps) and valuable ally, capable of cloaking the entire party (even Verschlengorge) in attention-deflecting darkness, and performing various feats of aural magic with her synesthesial Element. [Mercenary; costs 7 currency / month to hire]
[Combat] - The assassin. This involves not only direct martial expertise but all aspects of the killing arts, including a poisoner's expertise and the logistical peculiarities of infiltration and murder. With this specialty, her control over the raw physical component of her Element improves to the point where it's safe and relevant for her to contribute in combat as an ambush / buffing asset. Also improves her rate of growth overall, making it feasible for Aeira to keep up with Hunger if properly supported and invested in. Grants effective +Progression (Combat), +++Element Control, +++Agility, ++Might.
Bonus: Antitoxin - Aeira's comprehensive understanding of Voyaging Realm-native plant life allows her to produce the cure to Hunger's damaged liver. Healing is slow, but even a first-stage treatment reduces all penalities (and amplified damage) by half.
[Greater Shadowcord] - As if responding to its caster's will, the Element re-purposes itself to better suit her desires. Slightly weakens the power and intensity of shadow cloaks placed on others, but massively increases the ductility, range, tensile strength, and overall durability of the Shadowcord Element itself, and dramatically improves the degree of Agility and Stealth enhancements granted to the caster.
[Superior Shadowcord] - Cloaks of shadow placed on self or others now grant two discrete Stealth bonuses: a flat bonus proportional to the caster's power, and a percentage bonus proportional to the target's overall power. Massively increases Shadow-cloak utility for purposes of Stealth, though still not to the degree of a dedicated Stealth specialist of equivalent power to the target, assuming the target is as powerful as Hunger.
[Advanced Technique: Shadow Puppetry] - Twined strings of shadow can now manipulate the caster's body directly, acting as nerve and muscle-fiber rolled into one. Allows Aeira to reduce the effects of wound penalties on herself by 75%. She may now apply Shadowcord's bonus to her Strength and Protection, and her burst Stealth (for purposes of assassination or quick thievery rather than, say, surveillance or prolonged skulking) is substantially improved.
[Complete Technique - Shadow Mastery]
Hunger and Gisena will actively help cultivate Aeira's developing talent, spending a considerable amount of time and effort on training in days to come. Grants all the above techniques and evolutions, including any synergies or interactions inherent to the set, then further increases all bonuses by an additional 100%. For example, Greater Shadowcord increases the magnitude of her AGI bonus by a great deal, while Shadow Puppetry applies that bonus to Strength and Protection as well, and then all three bonuses are doubled. She gains both enhanced Stealth, and further enhanced burst Stealth for exceptionally effective assassination technique!
*Aeira becomes a vastly more capable support magus and individual combatant, in both open warfare and operations-based conflict
*Unlocks True Shadowcord.
*Unlocks Threnody Sorceress.
*She can do it all!
*Aeira will be happy. ++Aeira Loyalty, +Aeira Potential (Elite -> High Elite). Aobaru will be inspired by her and their rivalry will escalate in earnest, increasing his own power and skill in response! +Aobaru Power.
IV. Chen Aobaru, Wielder of the Imaginary Element Vigorflame
- Relationship: ++
[True Vigorflame] - Vigorflame is treated as a 25-Arete Element. Grants +70% to Physical Attributes and scales upward without limit. Can eventually elevate targets by fractional amounts along the Infinite Singularity Husk. Can be safely imbued into targets for extended durations (up to one day). Causes targeted substances to explode if overloaded. This can't be resisted and works on substances with conceptual or abstract parameters, though training and practice are required to utilize this effectively.
[A Blazing Sun] - It is not Rank that serves as measure of greatness; it is greatness itself which produces Rank. Born of the Voyaging Realm, invigorated of its waters, and set to his purpose by the Foremost themselves; is it any wonder that the Chosen One would be as a nexus in the Astral, a singularity by which the course of fate itself is bent?
Elevates Aobaru to Rank 6. Increases his rate of future Rank gain.
[A Burning Spirit] - The elemental surges command power beyond limit, but lack fluency of command. Not so for this Elementalist, whose gift and diligence are sufficient to attain microscopic control of both Vigor and Flame, seeing clear through to the truth beyond concept or Element, the Ideal itself made manifest at his will.
Grants surpassing control of Vigorflame, able to perform an extraordinary variety of feats beyond other Elementalists, elevating his personal buffs to levels capable of rivaling Hunger's own Attributes.
Vigorflame now grants +.1 ISH to Strength, Constitution and Dexterity, with further improvements according to future development.
++++++++++Aobaru Willpower, ++Aobaru Wisdom, ++Aobaru Intelligence, ++Aobaru Wits
[An Awesome Power] - The strength of the Elements is their raw incontestable might, and of all peoples is this talent greatest in the Chosen One. Strength enough to matter, no mere sea of flames but a universe pouring forth, primordial Fire in a tide without surcease.
Massively increases the amount and density of Vigorflame Aobaru can summon, while retaining the level of control demonstrated in this most recent episode.
Aobaru somewhat relevant against enemies capable of annoying Hunger. An enormous increase to the party's overall strength.
[A Chosen Purpose] - Power is not granted to one who was chosen. Rather, one is chosen, who is most suitable to the task. Out of all the countless trillions residing within its expanse, one was deemed capable of restoring the Realm to glory.
Grants the benefit of all options above, and massively increases their effects. For example, A Burning Spirit now grants +.3 ISH to physical Attributes.
Aobaru now capable of rivaling Hunger himself on the battlefield, and stronger in certain matchups.
A small but manageable number of Apocryphal procs will now target Aobaru instead. Barring catastrophically bad rolls, he will take care of them himself. ++Aobaru Progression.
[Legendary] - The burning star which heralds the end of eons; the supernova eruption of power which emerges at world's close. Select one strain of magic no more potent than Accretion. At the cost of emotional instability, the target's immediate ability and ultimate potential within the context of that magic are elevated by one stage along the Infinite Singularity Husk.
V. Adorie Mirellyian, Queen of Nilfel
- Relationship: +++++++
Current Advancements
Trueheart Phial. Doubles the Attribute and Rank bonuses provided by the Tears of Winter. Guarantees Adorie as a companion if desired (starts with +++++Adorie). Adorie's bloodline allows her to absorb and resist existential diminishment; empowered by the active Tears of Winter, she reduces your Praxis Exertion to 1/4th its previous level.
Oath of Winter - To Might alone, it is given, to decide who shall rule.
Sets Adorie's Rank to 10. Grants Adorie ++++++++++All Stats.
The powers of Winter are preservation and destruction, and its purpose is Might. Let the glories that once bestrode this Realm, arise again.
Preservation: Considerable in-setting effects, unlocks a multitude of options. In battle, may negate the effects of any Condition less severe than a Lesser Shattering Blow upon herself or allies. Octuples Hunger's Praxis endurance while in her presence.
Destruction: Those who oppose House Mirellyian are cast into the cold and storm. Her opponents in any endeavor suffer a 0.5 penalty to Astral Rank. This applies to any working against her interests and objectives, even if not fighting her directly.
Might: The Mirellyian may designate one champion to share the Rank and All Stats bonuses conferred by the Oath of Winter. This would not affect Hunger's Combat or Blood Ranks at all, as those already exceed 10 with Feat: Saber, but would improve his general and casting Ranks substantially.
Synergies:
*Alongside Renaissance Woman, may unlock Status: Foremost Maker for Adorie and Gisena given sufficient time and research. Among other things, this would prevent Armaments from directly attacking them.
*Alongside Feat: Saber, unlocks Inheritance: Pierce Through.
*Alongside the Empyreal Signs, further accelerates Sign development
VI. The Seraph of Heroism, Haeliel
Type: Progression
Primary Remittance: The Regalia
Curses: The Geas of Indenture [Complete Mitigation], The Affliction of Slumber [Mitigation Stage VII], The Doom of the Martyr [Mitigation Stage VII], The Doom of Ineptitude [Mitigation Stage VII], The Apocryphal Curse [Mitigation Stage VII]
"Bane of Heroes! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
The Seraph of Heroism, the Vitalizing Flame, the Ever-Bright Sword, the Aspirant Ideal, All Creation's Oriflamme.
In time before reckoning she was maiden and magus; mastering the Ordinal Spiral, she achieved the Twenty-Sixth and final Ordinal. As Cursebearer she acquired the power [To Shatter Heaven], permitting her to retain Ordinal Purity through countless epochs of successive ascension. Now her Golden Path rings endlessly with Attainments beyond number, power beyond the furthermost reaches of mortal comprehension, exceeding the Spiral itself as the Heavens exceed the Earth.
Clumsy, vivacious, free-spirited and compassionate, Haeliel typically adopts her Herald appearance of a six-winged angel with hair the color of flame. It goes without saying that the transcendent glory of even this highly-circumscribed visage would instantly shatter ordinary minds. The Doom of Ineptitude makes it difficult for her to wield her powers with finesse; even now she still accidentally kills a few of the more fragile heroes she watches over (typically via traffic accident or falling piano), reincarnating them in more glorious worlds to compensate.
As a Seraph, Haeliel more-or-less embodies the classical virtues of temperance, chastity, diligence, charity, patience, humility and kindness. She is entirely capable of tolerating and working around Hunger's Doom of Tyranny; there is no chance she will intentionally kill him for mouthing off.
[High Cursebearer]: In this reality there are horrors beyond measure; realms cold and cruel devoid of purpose or hope, gods mad and ravening whose depredations stretch eons.
But also, there is good.
Where alights Haeliel, comes hope to even the dimmest corners of creation. For to stand against her Chosen, is to meet the fate of every untimely oppressor who has faced a plucky hero with more courage than sense. Tremble, O gods of gods. For the visitation of justice is nigh, and she carries a sword of flame.
Haeliel is a High Cursebearer, very nearly omnipotent in every facet of endeavor. She is perhaps the most powerful Ordinalist alive, certainly mightiest among those that would classically be described as "good." In her remit is power beyond logic, circumstance, sanity or reason; Heroism itself, which bursts through all limits and casts down all ills, virtue so bright as to outshine the infinite dark.
No enemy you encounter short of the Hidden Ones themselves will be capable of so much as inconveniencing her. However, she does not have an enormous amount of leeway to spare in directly aiding Hunger.
[The Seraph's Guidance] - Allows Haeliel to open up her Advice Corner from time to time. You should pick this one.
[The Seraph's Favor] - How forward. Haeliel will give Hunger her handkerchief, an oriflamme to be worn wrapped around his right arm or the Forebear's Blade. Takes up a Panoply slot, but does not provide Advancements on its own.
Grants +Heroic Progression: Hunger will always benefit from the next stage of [Once and Future], currently [Once and Future] II, without fulfilling the requirements or taking the Mental Contamination from that stage.
Enhances Holy Shit: Some entities will recognize Haeliel's favor and thus refrain from meddling with the bearer. Especially likely to deter foes that might otherwise be unassailably potent. This will sometimes (~5%) foil the plans of the Apocryphal Curse.
VII. Novakhron, the Apocryphal Armament
- Relationship: +
[Dog of War] - Better to be a dog in times of peace, than a man in times of war; but if one must be a dog in times of war, then let one become the most terrible hound ever loosed upon the world. A Crowning Curse imparts peril beyond measure, and the Armament that bears it shall be forged with the strength necessary to overcome those perils. Raw unmitigated might shall be the Armament's province, the power to withstand the end of eons and emerge unscathed and harder still.
*Special: The Armament possesses no Ultimate, but is incredibly powerful at all times, even stronger than Fervenweirr in the throes of its own Ultimate. While most Armaments possess Rank 10 and Attributes in the 800-950 +s range, the Apocryphal Armament possess Rank 11 and Attributes in the 2000-2500 +s range.
*This is further multiplied by the Refinement of Battle, of course.
[Emerald] - The iconic color of the Curse itself. Vibrant green like fields untilled on the precipice of war.
Primary Attribute: Charisma
Preferred Engagement Range: Diplomatic / Long-Range
Dealthy Star mounted as a single high-powered cannon replacing the right arm
[Novakhron] - A name with a cadence like Procyon (Nova-CRON). Straightforward and vigorous. Emerald, White and Royal Gold, with themes of royalty, glory and sheer might. Modest synergy with effects like Fisher King, Sword in the Stone and the like.I. The Forebear's Blade
Tenfold strength and speed, and the resilience to withstand such exertions
Infuses all attacks made by the bearer with the power of Ruin
The power of Ruin ravages and destroys without leaving trace, penetrating - at least partially - almost all defenses
Grows steadily in power and refinement alongside its wielder (abstracted as an extra Experience multiplier)
[Thick as Thieves] II - The Forebear's cunning and force of personality. Highly likely to cause mental contamination. [+Intelligence, +Charisma, +Heartlessness]
[Echo of the Forebear] CCXXXXVII - Cloud-shadow of the Forebear's might. Legendary strength and speed, and the resilience to exert them.[+Might, +Agility][+++Might, +++Agility] due to Exalted Battle Array
[Undying Echo] - The Forebear could withstand unbelievable punishment, only to rise again. [+++Constitution]
[Fell-Handed Stroke] - A devastating blow of unutterable magnificence from which no recovery is possible. A powerful, but draining strike that inflicts cursed wounds from which spirit and will leak as freely as blood. Resists healing.
[Second Stage] - Those who believed the Forebear felled were in for an unpleasant surprise. Upon reaching 0% health, instead of dying manifest as your Second Stage, a being of wraithflesh and shadow that pierces the curtain of the real. If your Second Stage is not slain, revert to your ordinary human form, fully healed, after a night has passed. Second Stage has [-Strength, +Agility], weakness to certain uncommon types of damage, and minor phasing abilities. Your Artifacts phase with you.
Pre-requisite for Form of Rage. Pre-requisite for Final Form. Second Stage prevents most forms of overflow damage.
[Form of Rage] - When flesh and spirit both have abraded away, what remains of a man?[Suborned by Uttermost]
His essence at last stands bare and alone, free of the armor that presumes to shelter the world from its glory. A silhouette, bare outline of a figure, through which pale light pours forth without end.
If the form of flesh and the form of spirit are both felled, and if he should still be compelled to fight on, then he may assume the form of Rage, which is pure light and thunder, heft and raw Pressure, the forces of the world arrayed as a fist to strike down his enemies.
The form of Rage can only be entered if one has a compelling reason to fight on, else one dies instead. While in this Form, triple all Attributes for purposes of battle and increase Astral Rank by a significant* amount. The wielder moves like living lightning: the wake of his blows is the crush of thunder, the blaze of his eyes like furious stars, his merest regard like a mountain onrushing.
Use of this Form is taxing in the extreme. Should the wielder avoid annihilation, after the battle concludes he emerges, human once more and fully healed, but diminished as well. Choose one Advancement to revoke or lose 1 point of Arete after re-emergence, and become Tired, or Exhausted if already Tired.
*+1 if Low-Ranked, +0.5 if Mid-Ranked, and +0.25 if High-Ranked
Pre-requisite for Final Form.
[A Thousand Cuts][Upgraded to Cut Through]- In the Forebear's grip could even a common knife blaze with fell power. All melee attacks made with the Forebear's Blade now apply cursed wounds. Septuples the power and speed of the Fell-Handed Stroke and allows it to be used with blade projections. Such horrific offensive power allows one to challenge foes vastly stronger.
[Fall of Night] - The stroke of his blade is the fall of night, to every foe the sun of hope extinguished
Conjunctional Advancement with the Evening Sky. ++Strength, +Agility. Blade projections of all kinds deal one-third more damage with a one-tenth chance to inflict critical damage, tripling the harm done and applying half again the power of ruin. Control and manipulation of blade winds becomes far less taxing. The surcharge in power for stronger blade-winds is substantially reduced.
The wielder becomes capable of manipulating the properties of his falls; falls whose nature is languid but whose movement is swift, gentle falls that strike with magnified weight and heft, falls from great distance that do no harm, and so on.
[Uttermost] - Focus beyond absolute focus. To cut what cannot be cut. To pierce what cannot be pierced. To go further and even further beyond in the unrelenting pursuit of perfection. To exert every iota of self, turn every faculty of purpose, bind every testament of will towards a single, unswerving ideal: that is what it means to do one's uttermost. There are no compromises for he who walks the path of the blade.
Do, even if it cannot be done.
Defining Advancement. You may only have three Defining Advancements.
Cannot mitigate the Doom of the Tyrant beyond its original state
Expends and sacrifices the Form of Rage
Increase by 30% the value of all Rank +s
Reduce by 30% to the value of Luck, Protection, Wisdom and Charisma +s
+++++++Willpower, ++All Other Stats
First Blade: Restores the Forebear's Blade. Apply the effects of the Fell-Handed Stroke, including modifiers, to all basic attacks with no surcharge. You may upgrade [A Thousand Cuts] to [Cut Through] for the difference in their Arete costs.
[Cut Through] - Add the character's Willpower to his effective Might and Agility. Elevate the character's sword techniques by one step along the Infinite Singularity Husk.
The character may develop a set of techniques that are equivalent to those of the Sword Praxis, that sliver of the Royal Praxis focused on techniques of the blade. If a Cursebearer, the character may eventually develop techniques equivalent to the Imperial Sword Praxis instead. Naturally, almost any conceivable effect can eventually be realized even through the medium of swordplay, if one's canvas is the Imperial Praxis itself, though the strengths and weaknesses of the Praxis continue to apply.
[Ruinous Valor] - Where he advanced, so did the tide of entire wars, the shock of his blade like a hurled epicenter, the trail of his passage but wasteland and rubble.
[+++++Strength]
Power of Ruin now scales upwards depending on your Strength.
Zweihander - Regrow your left arm. Your barehanded strikes now carry the full destructive power of the Forebear's Blade. Unlocks Martial Stances: Forebear's Blade
[Guile-Defeating Stance][Consumed by All-Defeating Stance] - A martial stance of the Forebear. Where comes the craven, who by shadowy pacts, scheming and circumstance seeks to undermine the wielder's unquestionable authority, they will find that age and treachery have already usurped that domain, and were lying in wait all the while. There can be no power behind the throne but he that sits the throne itself, if that sovereign is wise enough to adopt this stance of the Forebear. A pre-requisite for All-Defeating Stance.
++Wits, ++Wisdom, ++Charisma.
+2 Rank, ++++++++Manipulation for purposes of detecting, subverting, and overcoming hidden schemes, illusions, and deceptions. Apply the Power of Ruin against such efforts if hostile to the wielder. Be it a rapier feint or the meticulously calculated plot of eons, all forms of mistruth are laid bare before the Forebear's gaze.
[Weapon-Defeating Stance][Consumed by All-Defeating Stance] - A martial stance of the Forebear. He who would presume to wield force of arms against the Forebear dooms himself to inescapable plight, and well-deserved. No blade that crosses the Forebear's can help but shatter before its unbound might; neither fist nor bolt nor meteor strike can impel its steely aegis. A pre-requisite for All-Defeating Stance.
+++++AGI, +++++Might
5x Power of Ruin to sunder, intercept or destroy all weapons, natural or constructed
+++++Protection against all weapons, natural or constructed
[Hero-Defeating Stance] - A Martial Stance of the Forebear.
++Might, ++Agility, +Wisdom, +0.2 external Rank.
Halve the effects of enemy Rank if it is greater than your own.
Halve the effects of being outnumbered, if you are outnumbered.
This Stance is permanently active until switched for another [Enemy]-Defeating Stance. One of the pre-requisites for Foe-Defeating Stance. You may have [Rank/2, rounded down] Stances active at one time.
[All-Defeating Stance] - Woe to he who would presume to resist the Forebear, for neither spell nor song nor storm of swords would find purchase against his impervious guard. Bowed kings, bowed wizards, bowed warriors of legend and worlds themselves, for there was no chance of triumph without knowing the form of victory, and to stand against the Forebear was to know only defeat. Consumes and replaces its pre-requisite stances.
+++++All Stats
5x Power of Ruin against all targets.
Powers deriving from the Forebear's Blade are perfectly defended from nullification of any kind, even that stemming from a lack of fundamental metaphysics.
All-Defeating: All external effects natural or supernatural which would harm, impede or negatively alter the wielder must contest the amplified Power of Ruin or be destroyed before reaching the wielder. Effectively the character automatically applies an incredibly powerful conceptual-level counterattack against all hostile effects.
In practice, this mitigates all Curses as per Magic-Defeating Stance and renders the character nigh-immune to most forms of harm, as all attacks are intercepted by an imperishable well of ablative Ruin. Only the mightiest of effects can even hope to pierce through, and often with severely reduced outcomes. Even the effects of enemy Pressure are largely nullified unless that Pressure is substantially mightier than the wielder's Pressure and Power of Ruin combined.
Holy Shit: To stand against the wielder is to know only defeat. The wielder's enemies know when they are beaten. Double the wielder's Charisma and Manipulation against characters individually weaker than him. Innate awareness of the character's strength penalizes any attempts to form organizations or conspiracies opposed to him.
[Undying Vanguard] - Where tread the Forebear, his men would not fall, for the shadow of his presence could turn even death aside. And for his most stalwart servants, the reach of his shadow spanned continents and worlds.
Choose up to 5 companions whose true Astral Ranks do not exceed your own. They receive bonus Protection, Constitution and regeneration depending on both your relative power levels and their level of loyalty to you. A highly loyal companion would be about as difficult to kill as you yourself are, including the effects of your Artifacts.
You personally don't receive any healing from this, though the extra Constitution will increase your effective health. While this offers comprehensive protection to your companions, it is expensive protection that does not really help you scale.
[Companions of the King] - A hero out of myth deserves a company of legends, but what foremost company could withstand the presence the Forebear's presence itself? No mere shadow these; not his callously-refracted light, but true champions of power everlasting - for a King must have his Knights.
Requires Undying Vanguard, which can be purchased for 5 Arete and 0 picks. The character may ignore the other requirements for this Advancement during this experience spending point. You may designate up to five companions each of which is treated as possessing active Rank no lower than [Your Rank - 1]. This includes your base Rank as well as any permanent external modifiers to general Rank. Once designated, a companion cannot be replaced until they are slain beyond the possibility of recovery; take care that you do not raise up a Mordred or Lancelot.
So long as you are accompanied by a given anointed companion, your teamwork is effortless and masterful; you both receive +10% All Stats. The exploits of your companions redound on your own mythic history; receive +20% Rank gain for each companion anointed, so long as they are either directly assisting you or participating in tasks of legendary import. These effects can both stack. Finally, so long as even one companion is alive, you can always be revived from death via an incredibly difficult ritual.
[Once and Future] I - The power of Kings is no slumbering frivolity that dwells meekly within the personage, awaiting only destiny's call to awaken and adorn its bearer in triumph everlasting. No: it is a hard-fought, hard-won power, bitterly extracted from trials of abject cruelty. Only the coliseum of the uncaring world can confer the painful experience that makes a sovereign worthy of his crown; only its unending travails can carve away the mortal man to leave the King behind.
Channel a fraction of the Forebear's true might, and glimpse a small fraction of his true history. +1 Astral Rank, applied externally after all other factors. Does not raise the difficulty of improving Rank. +2 Astral Rank in matters military.
[Once and Future] II - A King must conquer. A King must rule. Is there more to the personage of the King? Yes, but that person is not the King. He is merely the entity who holds the title, of King. Separate the human from the role, as the Forebear separated his self from his Blade, and allow both to unfurl like a standard in the wind, unbound by limitation or custom.
Heavy lies the crown, save for he who has the strength to bear it.
The character becomes unable to manifest a Shroud. In exchange, elevate all the character's Attributes and abilities by +0.1 tier along the Infinite Singularity Husk, +0.2 tiers in matters military.
The objective amount of Attributes this Advancement is worth compounds massively as the character's native ISH tier is raised, and stacks with other sources of ISH improvement to offer transcendental improvements to the character's fighting strength.
The enhancement of physical Attributes is quite relevant, but the improvements to military-related Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma and Luck may be even more important.
However this Advancement much resembles [Once and Future] I on its merits - on its own without further ISH elevation it may underwhelm, just as [Once and Future] I relies on high base Rank to effectuate hyper-exponential scaling. The mighty grow ever mightier, is that the lesson of the Forebear?
[Fisher King] - The hand that steadies the rod, rules the world.
Or perhaps that is not always so. If not, then make it so.
Fish, even if it cannot be fished.
Costs five picks total. One of the Defining Advancements that could have been unlocked by [Feat: Crown].
*Double the proc rate and mitigation effect of Huntress' Moon against fish-based targets
*+50% to All Stats for purposes of fishing. Only works on literal fishing.
*++Wisdom, +Int, +Wits, +50% Rank growth
*Wait for it
*+10 Accursed Favor
*Holy fuck
*Grail Keeper: At any time while within a land he rules the wielder may take on the Decimator's Affliction into himself. For the duration, the Decimator's Affliction merely poisons the land, rendering it barren and and its residents infertile, rather than claiming lives. Territories not under the wielder's rule are not affected by this mitigation. This causes him to suffer the Affliction of Leprosy and the Mutilating Affliction for the duration.
[Once and Future] III - When the world and an ideal exist in disharmony, it is not the ideal that has to act. It is not upon the ideal to bring change to the world.
It is the King.
O dream of fairness, become his blade, that he may enact your impossible wish upon all that were raised against you.
The wielder gains eternal access to +1 metaphysical ontology, which may encapsulate capabilities no greater than those of the limited Royal Praxis. The Forebear used this to employ a series of techniques equivalent to those of the Sword Praxis.
II. Hunger
Imparts noticeable spiritual vigor and a thirst for life's pleasures
Cripples non-combat, non-conflict advancement, but dectuples progression from any conflict with serious stakes
[Ring of Power] - Asserts bearer's will upon the world, bending it to his designs.
[Might's Repose] - Only grow stronger, more glorious and more capable with age, so long as bearer sleeps 9+ hours per day. Life- and healthspan can be indefinitely extended in theory. Modest bonus to physical actions, minor bonus to mental actions when well-rested. Immune to hostile sleep / tiredness effects.
[Dominion] - A ring of power does not exert influence casually. It has its own will, its own preferences, and if that will should be inseparable from its owner's, its sway thereby shall be greater for it.
Select a domain of influence. While acting within its domain, [Ring of Power] effects are substantially less taxing and more potent; the effects of this can be abstracted as follows: treat the owner's Rank as if it somewhat* higher for related actions. You may select this advancement multiple times, choosing a different domain each time. If multiple domains apply, their bonuses do not compound.
*+0.5 if Low, +.25 if Mid, +.1 if High.
The available domains for Hunger are: War, Passion, Life.
War - Applies to any conflict with real and serious stakes
Passion - Applies whenever in the throes of a powerful passion, or to inflame the passions of others
Life - Applies to the manipulation, augmentation, or restoration of biology or life-force[Suborned by Chief Dominion]
[Chief Dominion]
Awaken now, O Hunger ring; from blackest myth abjure:
thy band once stained, now un-profaned, to shine forevermore.
O Ring of Blood, O Ring of War, thy tide of battle fades;
cast down Their thrones in crimson gloam: unfurling of thine Age!
The Heart-Ring, the Battle-Brand, the Ring of Fury, Ambition's Grip. The ruby face of the Ring of Blood unsealed exalts its foremost dominion: blood, the true and concerted essence of all vigorous things. Its band of grey, like twining smoke smoten into filigree, carries the furious gleam of power unconstrained.
Vastly improves the strength and finesse of the [Ring of Power] effect when exerted upon the domain of blood, allowing for direct and outright influence over reality. Applies to the manipulation, alteration, creation or destruction of blood or life-force. +Progression additionally within this purview.
Requires either [Ring of Blood] or [Dominion: Life]. Suborns and deactivates the domain of life.
He who attains pre-eminence over the lesser domains of Hunger, and awakens its Chief Dominion, shall wield the Ruling Ring and incite the contest of primacy thereby.
*You can trade all three Dominions, both Pre-eminencies, and Chief Dominion for [Ruling Ring], allowing you to buy it piecemeal at an effective 2 Arete surcharge. Primacy may be uncontested if no other Ruling Rings exist.
[Quickening] - The power of Progression made manifest in blood.
While in any form with corporeal blood, gain +++++++Agility, +++++++Might, ++++Wits, and triple the rate of passive healing performed by the Ring of Blood. Halve wound penalties in any such forms. Currently, this applies only to Hunger's first form.
Ensures that [Final Form] will possess corporeal blood. This may not necessarily be an advantage.
[Vigor Itself] III - The primordial might and glory of Blood resplendent. Let all who witness its form tremble, and be subject. Adds [++Might, +Charisma] to the bonuses from Quickening, subject to the usual conditions. Can be taken up to 3 times.
[Vigor Incarnate] - The glory of Blood triumphant. Let those who would stand against him cower, or be undone. A simple but exceptionally powerful option.
Adds [+++Might, ++Charisma] to the bonuses from Quickening, subject to the usual conditions.
Add your Charisma to your Protection.
[Fierce Quickening] III - The absurd violence of Blood unleashed. Let all that falls within its dominion be spilled, if it be in service to the Ringbearer. Adds [++Agility, +Wits] to the bonuses from Quickening, subject to the usual conditions. Can be taken up to 3 times.
[Crimson Flare]
Call'd the ring in direst hour;
Azure's brethren faces turned.
Yet came the Lord its cause to flower;
then saw its keepers, to ruin burned.
Forgotten not, the debt of Time
when all its kind had turned their backs;
Not Hunger ring, its steed to ride,
brought Temple low, rapine and sack.
And debt unpaid shall not abide.
The crimson jewel blazes with a hallowed, piercing light, its glory to outshine sun and stars, all made abject by its presence. This is attainment of a height that disdains mere power, the Jewel of Blood unveiled in truth.
Elevates the wielder's Rank by a variable amount [Currently: to 5]
+2 Rank for purposes of wielding the Chief Dominion.
If the Azure Ring is saved:
Further increases the scope, power, and control of the Chief Dominion, beyond even the limits of the Ruling Ring.*
Obsoletes and refunds: Augment Dominion: Blood, Sublime Transfusion, Ennobling
The Azure Ring will submit to the Crimson in the next contest of primacy.
[Hungry Vim] - Some fraction of the Armor's talent for battle. +++AGI, ++Wisdom (Combat).
[Honing] - The swift sharp blade that frees blood from body. Requires 3x Fierce Quickening (presently have 3x).
+++Agility, ++Wits. Add half your Wits to your Intelligence for purposes of combat.
III. Evening Sky - Star-stuff and velvet darkness in a mantle like billowing clouds. The power of this mantle withstands supernal force and deflects the merely mundane, granting comprehensive protection against many of the ills of the mortal realm and beyond. Abducted by he who hungers, cast now into his thrall. He who dons this mantle speaks with the voice of Evening and shares its haunting majesty. Progression can unlock further abilities.
[++Protection, ++Charisma, grants superior resistance to a wide array of status effects such as poison, mental interference, suffocation, bleeding out, etc. Somewhat vulnerable to dispellation, but acts as an ablative layer to protect the wearer from such.]
[Amaranth Star] - Swift fury of vengeance unshackled, and its unremitting resolve. Exhausted and Tired Conditions are 25% less severe. [+++Agility]
[Pristine Star] - The wearer and those regularly in his presence will always heal completely, without complications or scarring, even from grievous or amputating wounds. Grants resistance to illness and disease. Healing is somewhat accelerated, in that one may expect to recover from even the worst of survivable injuries in about two weeks. Enemy effects may contest this.
[Conquerer's Nimbus] - Far or near, journeyman or sage, all admire the same Evening Sky. Why should he who wears it atop his shoulders not benefit from that same world-spanning acclaim? The wearer should bestride the world, be it with his physical swiftness or the long shadow of his influence. Can only be taken immediately after the attainment of a great victory. [Upgraded from Triumphal Gleam]
+++++++++Charisma, +++++AGI and Might, +150% Rank gain
*Apply the character's full military Rank to all actions taken while on a campaign of conquest or defense, including social interaction or the use of Empyreal Signs.
*Note that Rank becomes increasingly difficult to improve naturally as it increases.
*Vastly increases the wielder's innate memetic appeal, and reframes all acts he performs into their most positive interpretations - even his minor exploits will blaze with adulation unending, while his disappointments and shames are charming foibles or relatable tragedies that inspire sympathy and aid.
*Such a power can justify even tyrannical behavior, and insulate one from the consequences of tyranny. Charisma improves your personal presence, but this Advancement helps people know of you beforehand, and ensures your reputation is one you would be proud of.
*The reputation-burnishing power can be de-activated if the character wishes to fall on their sword for some particular event.
*Take care that you do not become what you despise. An unlikely prospect for Hunger, but the allure is greater when the consequences of overreach are so easily dispersed.
[Silver of Evening] - Inset in the crown of evening is a star of purest edeldross; its wearer becomes swift as nightfall after the sun's passing, beautiful as the naked stars, and sacred as midnight itself. For all spheres of magic in Evening reside: its wearer their master, and champion besides.
Double the Magnitude of present and future Edeldross enhancements.
Edeldross-derived abilities now count as full Graces (don't require upkeep or corporeal structure to maintain)
+120% to the value of AGI and Charisma +s
+1 Defensive Rank
Once per sidereal week, perfectly defeat any one hostile effect to which the wearer would otherwise be subject. Applied against a Curse, grants two stages of mitigation for one day and one night. May apply even to the Doom of the Tyrant.
[Sky Veil] - Just as the sky emblazons one's majesty, so too can it do the inverse, serving as a curtain drawn against the solar blaze of superhuman will. In addition to allowing the wearer to voluntarily decrease his Charisma +s in increments of 25% (without affecting associated Attributes like Protection from Vigor Itself! A rare trait), it also increases Protection by +++++ and AGI by ++. Allows the Evening Sky to disguise its appearance, taking on the semblance of the morning or noonday sky, or even of an ordinary cloak - much as it may despise such diminishment. Unlocks stealth- and disguise-based Advancements, including Conjunctional effects with Aeira.
The Opalescent Tower[25 Arete] - That which is long united, must divide; that which is long divided, must unite. Fold the Opalescent Tower into the Cloak of Evening and return the Cloak of Sky to its uttermost glory, the Empyrean Mantle restored at last. Requires Sky Veil.
Grants ++++++++++++++++++++++Protection, ++++++++++Charisma, and perfect modular control of Charisma and Charisma bonuses granted from the Cloak of Sky. Grants three Signs of the Empyrean Mantle, each a spell of tremendous power with manifold applications for adventurer or sovereign. You will vote on the exact Signs taken later, but example effects include: swift transport across the entirety of the Voyaging Realm, indomitable protection against enemy Rank or esoteric effects, mastery over weather and light, or the summoning and recall of powerful Astral denizens.
Upgrades all Evening Sky Advancements of 25 Arete or higher.
[Pillars of Creation] - At the end of each lunar month, wearer and companions may steal away to the realm of Evening, during which no time passes in the mortal world. Divine opulence and every conceivable luxury await the fortunate interlopers, restoring wholeness of mind, body, and spirit.
The realm of Evening responds to the desires of the wearer and can be shaped to induce a variety of effects at nigh-deific scale - worthy enemies, fields of unique reagents, anagathic peaches, arms and armor of myth. Only one rule is absolute: that each stay lasts twenty-one days, no more and no less. Items typically cannot be carried out, though the effects of items consumed within the realm remain after departing it.
All Curses save the Geas of Indenture are only at one-third severity within the realm, though this does not stack with other forms of mitigation, nor impede their function outside.
[Supreme Commander] - [Special Advancement]
Upgrades Conquerer's Nimbus, appending the following ability:
*The character is master of every battlefield, all-seeing general whose omnipresent strategies are as conclusive as they are inescapable. Wheresoever word spreads of the character's feats within a conflict, the character's Rank is as well. With fame enough it is as if he were physically present at the site. At its greatest, this may encompass the entire theatre of said conflict regardless of scope. Now at last does the reach of his Astral gravitation come to match its force, so long as there are subjects - or enemies - to bear witness. The terror and despair of an overmatched foe are just as potent a catalyst as the admiration and trust of one's partisans.
*Note that the effectiveness of Rank normally falls off with distance. Properly utilized, this Advancement allows the character to wage war at nearly unlimited scope, as one-many army and occupying host; war across whole realms and realities, connected or disjoint, fending off infinite fronts so long as his exploits are known.
*The character's projected Rank reaches full intensity with one epic feat, three notable feats, or a steady pattern of moderate but impressive feats of martial achievement. This is relative to the context of the conflict; what may seem epic to inland barbarians is trifling to the Foremost, for example.
IV. The Tears of Winter
The Crown Jewels of Nilfel are myth crystallized and spun into sharpness and light; they are pinnacle treasures beyond mere power or worth, transcendent droplets of pure creation rained down from the empyreal. Yet what is the value of a treasure, no matter how priceless, for a House that has lost the wherewithal to wield it, and the position to display it forth? Thus they are given to you, to rest in a Princess' crown, or a Duchess' necklace of jewels.
You may give the Tears of Winter to any titled noble with the power to wield them; channeling your own Accreted Pressure through the jewels to empower yourself and their bearer. Valid targets are Princess Regent Gisena I, Duchess Letrizia Artriez or Princess Adorie IX.
The Tears grant ++INT, ++APP, +AGI and +0.3 Rank to both bearer and beneficiary. Their dominion includes: ice, cold, rulership, intellect, calculation, beauty, finesse, quickness, overwhelming power, the season of Winter, grandeur, truth, and purity. In addition, they grant unique bonuses depending on the character they are granted to:
Adorie Mirellyian - Trueheart Phial. Doubles the Attribute and Rank bonuses provided by the Tears of Winter. Guarantees Adorie as a companion if desired (starts with +++++Adorie). Adorie's bloodline allows her to absorb and resist existential diminishment; empowered by the active Tears of Winter, she reduces your Praxis Exertion to 1/4th its previous level.
[King of Winter: Overwhelm] - A surfeit of might overwhelming. Increases Health, Damage Resistance, Condition Resistance, Damage Dealt and Attack Speed by 25%. Modifiers from this source stack multiplicatively with those from other sources, such that this Title offers scaling benefits virtually regardless of how high your base parameters become. Combined, these effects improve the wielder's damage output and resilience to 156%; compared to his pre-Title self the wielder would be roughly 245% as potent in direct combat. Good synergy with Uttermost and Inherit the World; compounding multipliers will set up an especially powerful Refinement of Battle. Damage Dealt modifier applies to the Power of Ruin in All circumstances. Uttermost already increased his Attribute-based damage scaling by a factor of seven, which this will improve to 8.75x, and Overwhelm will also improve his effective Power of Ruin multiplier from All-Defeating Stance to a fearsome 6.25x!
[Whiteout] - The avalanche strength that buries resistance; the howling swiftness of a winter storm. Increases Damage Dealt modifier to +125% and Attack Speed modifier to +30%. 11.25x PoR with ADS...
The Tears of Winter: King of Winter - For she who risked everything to save him, ensure they are repaid in kind.
The Oath of Winter is dangerous indeed, for if any one of the prospective Sovereign's subjects should have both the power and inclination to overthrow her, their essences would be pit in a battle to annihilation; and neither allies nor companions would be afforded to assist her, for Might in the proving must stand alone. For the thief of all platinum and Champion of her nation she gambled everything; and though she won the day in the end, still the magnitude of that venture ought be registered.
Upgrades and extends King of Winter: Now increases Health, Damage Resistance, Condition Resistance, and Attack Speed by 75%, and Damage Dealt by 250%. The Sovereign of Nilfel shares these benefits in full, and the nation of Nilfel by two-thirds.
Re-awaken the Fonts of Myth, slowly restoring Nilfel to its glory of old and repairing the wound in the Walls. Quells the Arcanist Shard and advances Aobaru's mission. One day the Kingdom of Winter may rise anew. +++++++Adorie, +Aobaru, may unlock Bear Curse - Winter's Brand.
[November Sky] - Conjunctional (Tears of Winter + Evening Sky). Hark the first night of winter, whose harrowing cold brings crush of frost, whose clarion sky is bedecked with stars, their light chill and sharp as ice.
*The Artifacts providing this Conjunctional Advancement now emanate an aura of transcendent chill, which passes through allies without harm but which dampens, deadens and slays the enemies of their wielders. Radius of chill is determined by the wielder's Rank; at Rank 9+, multiple star systems can be affected. Effects are dependent on the respective Rank of the wielder versus their targets:
*Wielder of lesser Rank: Chill - Target's Agility and Wits are penalized substantially. This effect becomes massively more powerful and difficult to resist the greater the target's Agility and Wits exceed that of the wielder's, such that even an overwhelming Agility advantage only translates to a modest edge in speed.
*Wielder of equal or greater Rank: Dampen - Reduce the effectiveness of all the target's Attributes and abilities by 20%, +5% per time period of exposure (second, minute, hour, day). Max 40%. Useful both in and outside of combat.
*Wielder of vastly greater Rank (2x Overwhelming threshold): Kill - Reduce's the target's CON or equivalent durability Attribute by 50%, +50% per time period of exposure, max 250%.
*Wondrous Winterland: The Realm of Evening may now manifest a special 'Winter mode.' Allies within the Realm of Evening benefit from an optional aura of fruition, generosity, thanks-giving and good cheer. +++Mental Stability, ++++INT, +++++APP, +++++WILL to wielders, and to allies when within. Wielders always count as hydrated and well-fed.
[Ascendancy Halo] - A Halo-type Advancement.
Double the Attribute bonus granted by Oath of Winter and raise its granted Rank to 11. The Oath-taker gains access to the magic of Naturalism. The Champion gains +Progression, though this does not stack with Ruling Ring, Exalted Battle Array, etc.
Even in circumstances where Astral Rank is not applicable, such as in realities devoid of an Astral Realm, the character may still engage the benefits of their Rank to a degree commensurate with their Charisma and Willpower. Fate, luck, narrative, or raw quantum probability will yield somewhat to the primacy of Winter's anointed and her Champion.
Substantially increases power of the Advancement, November Sky.
Previous update character sheets here [Heart of the Matter to Titanomachy]
And also here [Forward to Ragnarok]
And here too [A Hero's Resolve onwards]
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