[ ] [A Thousand Cuts] - 7 Arete. 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.
Our current Evening Sky gives us good defense and endurance, allowing us to wear down our enemies. Empowering a highly draining ability like Fell-Handed Stroke is anti-synergistic, since it reduces our ability to exhaust and outlast our enemies.
Our best ability right now is Evening Sky, anything we pick must synergize with it, or at least not actively work against it.
Don't save.
[ ] [Iron Curtain] - 7 Arete. The Forebear could not be dissuaded, nor could he be stopped. To dissent was folly, to resist was death. The laws of the Forebear were as natural law, and just as inevitable. When active, ++Willpower, +++Protection, ++Constitution, Ignore Wounds, Deflect Exotic Attacks. Become Tired afterwards.
We already have some protection from exotic attacks thanks to Evening Sky. Also, this tires us out. Not bad, but not good either.
Don't save.
[ ] [Once And Future] I - 25 Arete. 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.
Astral Rank is hyper-exponential, meaning that as we become more powerful this ability becomes more powerful as well. Useful, especially since powerup's likely become much, much harder later on. ALSO it comes with a story hook, and while there may be other opportunities to get this story hook I don't think we should assume that this will be the case.
Solid candidate for saving.
[ ] [Pitiless Maw] - 7 Arete. A Conjunctional Advancement that requires the Forebear's Blade. How can hunger perish from this world? So long as there is one hungering thing, it will emerge again and again to feast upon this realm of mere phenomena. Passively restore health equal to 100% of the damage you deal in melee combat, and triples the Power of Ruin associated with melee strikes.
Great synergy wtih Evening Sky. The combo of Evening Sky defense + passive healing + inflicting unhealable wounds makes this a powerful asset, since as long as we can hurt our enemy we can slowly wear them down while healing ourserlves. That said, I think we'd be better off saving for a 25 point option.
Decent candidate for saving.
[ ] [Dead But Dreaming] - 25 Arete. That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons... Death merely induces slumber in the wearer until the heavens align for his emergence once more. Gain access to the [Outer Sorcery] skill, by which means one's dreams may twist reality towards one's purposes. Apply the effects of To Shatter Heaven to [Outer Sorcery].
Not worth it. We're on a time limit, so being able to come back from death is only useful if we can come back quickly. Outer Sorcery is interesting, but in comparison to the other options here I'm skeptical that it's worth the high price.
Don't save.
[ ] [Ruling Ring] - 25 Arete. There can only be one Ruling Ring. Enormously increases the strength, range, and control of the [Ring of Power] effect. ++All Stats, ++Progression.
++Progression is the god-stat. The stat bonus is nice. An also, it empowers our ablity to "bearer's will upon the world, bending it to his designs", meaing that we basically get something similiar to Outer Sorcery in the bargin. I think either this or Once and Future should be our first 25 point pick.
Again, ++Progression is the best. So few words, so much power.
Solid candidate for saving.
[ ] [Azure Moon] - 7 Arete. That which reigns resplendent once in a blue aeon. The wearer gains access to his true [Soul Evocation], [Imprisoner], and high-grade talent in its use. Power as this may be, recall that the use of Soul Evocations requires extensive technical study which will be difficult to perform under the constraints of Hunger. However the potential benefits are enormous enough that it may be worth pursuing even at a mortal's pace.
This is a bit of a mystery box option. The two skills it gives aren't described, are empowered but not to the extent of Shattered Heaven like outer sorcery, and it's explicitly stated to synergize poorly with hunger. I'm curious, but not 7 Arete curious.
Don't save.
[ ] Total Eclipse - 25 Arete. The numinous time of sacred transfixion. Night sweeps field and horizon in a thundering advance, soft halo of the blinkered sun the residue of day. Twilight's orphaned half-brother, cast aside on the eve of creation and trotted out only for spectacle and occasion. No longer, for the flare of your cloak is this twilight pretender, the liminal glow that precludes day and evening both. Unlocks the [True Quintessence], by which She Who Was The Maiden attained supremacy over the Manifest Realm, and for which the Maiden's successors might one day be anointed.
So it's been a while but I believe the Maiden would be the progenerator of Gisena's magic system, meaning we'd be able to empower her with Findross, make other women into sorceresses, and do other crazy things.
I think interest in picking this will depend somewhat on how much you like Gisena. Given that the Maiden used this to become a god it's clear that this is no minor power, and given the wide variety of abilities we saw in both Seram and the other women there is quite a bit of flexibility here.
Decent candidate for saving.
[ ] [Pillars of Creation] - 25 Arete. 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.
What makes this stand out is how flexible it is. It provides us enemies to fight and feed our hunger, it could provide Gisena Findross, it heals, it gives us time to plot and plan, it provides all sorts of powerups. But for 25 points we need something more, something special and game changing. A new paradigm. And this isn't it.
Don't save
