- Location
- Louisiana
[X] Daylian Erranthus [Committed, 7 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Blood Sorcery
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Blood Sorcery
A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Tyrant_Rayne
Probably Not Evil… Maybe
- Location
- Canada
[X] Daylian Erranthus [Committed, 7 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Blood Sorcery [12 Arete]
I can get behind this
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Blood Sorcery [12 Arete]
I can get behind this
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HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
First Light
(Previously)
I'm falling apart. Shutting down. What do I need? Presence of mind. Right here, right now. Processing ability. Awakeness.
Can Devildoor give me this? Yes. Can it do so safely? Unclear. Actually no, it almost certainly can. How?
Why is there a risk in the first place? Because it's using the concept of Devil. Were that the only devil I believed in upstream, it would look very different. Assumption: it's channeling the popculture version. Maybe it's broader - almost certainly, actually. "Anything that can properly bear the name Devil." Pity that explicitly does not include The Accursed.
It's also using the concept of Door. Belief: Powers strongly connected to both concepts will be the easiest to access. Connect both to competence. Devil variant: Prince of Light, Greatest Usurper. Door variant: Gateway to Truth. Door to Possibility.
Viability confirmed.
Ascend.
I produce and absorb as much of my Element as possible, even attempting to use it as a gate to more of itself. (All that turns out to be is another way to access my reserves, but it will be a useful function.) And all this battleship-annihilating power I take in, over and over, ever more concentrated, ever greater and more terrible, until at last my reserves are empty and I am Awake.
In the light of this, the following facts become obvious:
-I have holes in my recent memory, possibly due to my own prior augs. These are extensive, and include everything about how I got here and much of my introduction to these people. Worm also has multiple native sources of mind and memory editing. Conclusions unclear, but my current form is all-but-certainly immune to further interference.
-This transformation seems like it'll last about an hour, by which point I'll have regained a quarter of the supply I used to reach it. Given how ludicrously important it is, increasing my Devildoor reserve is even more critical than improving my skill with it.
-My present form has less mortal strength than the Ripper form, but it's much more potent conceptually. Notably, I have white-feathered wings and an associated capacity for flight, which cannot possibly rely on conventional aerodynamics. Also, I might be able to tank Siberian hits now, even if I can't actually hurt her directly.
-I look myself but radiantly healthy - curly dark hair and beard, mildly chubby frame, skin over fat and muscle beautifully rendered; the effect is a Renaissance painting of a dark lord. The dark lord. With the flick of my fingers I can flay men with fire, and the thunder of my voice can dash high cliffs to pieces. Also, my sweater-vested Sunday suit is now black-and-white plate with a ruby at the throat. Nice!
-There's some kind of pressure on Nonstop to attack now, and it predates the containment zone break. The most obvious cause is a prophecy of some sort, and I may or may not be involved.
-I don't remember discussing Bonesaw. Assuming this is at least close to canon, she's more-or-less innocent, and she's also probably savable with effort. Shatterbird is broadly similar, but both less innocent and harder to save; probably not viable. (Perhaps I could drop her in the Birdcage, terrifying as that would make me?) Short-term recruits may be similar, going by Cherish and Burnscar.
I have eighteen minutes before the train arrives in Livingston, and I'm sure I can get there faster if I fly. I have between sixty and seventy-five minutes left of this transformation, depending on how I spend the Devildoor I regain in that time. I do not remember the tactical briefing. I have twin high-ammo pistols which are sort of off-theme for my present form, and unlikely to be competitive with my newly-integrated pyrokinesis - but I should be able to turn them into metal-album-spectacle-fighter guns if I can spare the power. I have many questions.
How should I prioritize?
[ ] Tactical Update - Figure out what the plan is, who's been coordinating stuff, what my expected role is and how my new capabilities adjust it. Attempt to integrate with the local command structure, possibly by making sure there is one. Confront the holes in my memory fairly directly, for good or ill. Benefits: Obvious. Costs: Time, ???.
[ ] Range Ahead - I'm comprehensively better-protected than the rest of the team right now, and something was going to kill them. The reactor is a very limited reassurance. Give a perfunctory explanation, and go. Benefits: Fast, possibly safer on multiple fronts, guaranteed target discretion. Costs: Separation from backup.
[ ] Write-in - I feel like allowing these this time. Note that whatever happens, next update will cover reaching the town and seeing what's happening; this should be a good way to spend my time on the way to that.
(Previously)
I'm falling apart. Shutting down. What do I need? Presence of mind. Right here, right now. Processing ability. Awakeness.
Can Devildoor give me this? Yes. Can it do so safely? Unclear. Actually no, it almost certainly can. How?
Why is there a risk in the first place? Because it's using the concept of Devil. Were that the only devil I believed in upstream, it would look very different. Assumption: it's channeling the popculture version. Maybe it's broader - almost certainly, actually. "Anything that can properly bear the name Devil." Pity that explicitly does not include The Accursed.
It's also using the concept of Door. Belief: Powers strongly connected to both concepts will be the easiest to access. Connect both to competence. Devil variant: Prince of Light, Greatest Usurper. Door variant: Gateway to Truth. Door to Possibility.
Viability confirmed.
Ascend.
I produce and absorb as much of my Element as possible, even attempting to use it as a gate to more of itself. (All that turns out to be is another way to access my reserves, but it will be a useful function.) And all this battleship-annihilating power I take in, over and over, ever more concentrated, ever greater and more terrible, until at last my reserves are empty and I am Awake.
In the light of this, the following facts become obvious:
-I have holes in my recent memory, possibly due to my own prior augs. These are extensive, and include everything about how I got here and much of my introduction to these people. Worm also has multiple native sources of mind and memory editing. Conclusions unclear, but my current form is all-but-certainly immune to further interference.
-This transformation seems like it'll last about an hour, by which point I'll have regained a quarter of the supply I used to reach it. Given how ludicrously important it is, increasing my Devildoor reserve is even more critical than improving my skill with it.
-My present form has less mortal strength than the Ripper form, but it's much more potent conceptually. Notably, I have white-feathered wings and an associated capacity for flight, which cannot possibly rely on conventional aerodynamics. Also, I might be able to tank Siberian hits now, even if I can't actually hurt her directly.
-I look myself but radiantly healthy - curly dark hair and beard, mildly chubby frame, skin over fat and muscle beautifully rendered; the effect is a Renaissance painting of a dark lord. The dark lord. With the flick of my fingers I can flay men with fire, and the thunder of my voice can dash high cliffs to pieces. Also, my sweater-vested Sunday suit is now black-and-white plate with a ruby at the throat. Nice!
-There's some kind of pressure on Nonstop to attack now, and it predates the containment zone break. The most obvious cause is a prophecy of some sort, and I may or may not be involved.
-I don't remember discussing Bonesaw. Assuming this is at least close to canon, she's more-or-less innocent, and she's also probably savable with effort. Shatterbird is broadly similar, but both less innocent and harder to save; probably not viable. (Perhaps I could drop her in the Birdcage, terrifying as that would make me?) Short-term recruits may be similar, going by Cherish and Burnscar.
I have eighteen minutes before the train arrives in Livingston, and I'm sure I can get there faster if I fly. I have between sixty and seventy-five minutes left of this transformation, depending on how I spend the Devildoor I regain in that time. I do not remember the tactical briefing. I have twin high-ammo pistols which are sort of off-theme for my present form, and unlikely to be competitive with my newly-integrated pyrokinesis - but I should be able to turn them into metal-album-spectacle-fighter guns if I can spare the power. I have many questions.
How should I prioritize?
[ ] Tactical Update - Figure out what the plan is, who's been coordinating stuff, what my expected role is and how my new capabilities adjust it. Attempt to integrate with the local command structure, possibly by making sure there is one. Confront the holes in my memory fairly directly, for good or ill. Benefits: Obvious. Costs: Time, ???.
[ ] Range Ahead - I'm comprehensively better-protected than the rest of the team right now, and something was going to kill them. The reactor is a very limited reassurance. Give a perfunctory explanation, and go. Benefits: Fast, possibly safer on multiple fronts, guaranteed target discretion. Costs: Separation from backup.
[ ] Write-in - I feel like allowing these this time. Note that whatever happens, next update will cover reaching the town and seeing what's happening; this should be a good way to spend my time on the way to that.
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- Location
- Pindorama
Man, losing the set bonus at literally the last opportunity rankles something fierce. And don't dare you cowards run away from picking Haliel! She is the best investment we can make here by far. These monetary woes are but a momentary problem, but the bond we make with a High Cursebearer transcends linear time itself! Sacrificing a surety of resolving Niefel is completely worth it if it means having Haliel in our camp. She can single handedly solve not only our next Apocryphal Proc should it overcome us, but permanently deal with Aobaru's nemesis as well! It's absolutely worth a bit of gable in the moment here. This opportunity was had by a literal Lesser Wish, so we shouldn't squander it.
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
[X] The Seraph of Heroism, Haeliel [Basic, 50 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: As Above [Vast Empyrean]
[X] Blood Sorcery
I am going to vote for maximum greed, and will only switch away if it's actually likely to kill us. (Okay, not quite maximum. Maximum would be Midnight Armor despite the fact that I don't think trading permanent powerups for temporary gains is a good paradigm on practical or characterization grounds.)
Haeliel is my top priority, though. Bloodsorc is only a buff to some Surgecrafters; I expect only the ones for whom inverting their Element would be excessively powerful - Aobaru would get, like, Lethargyice (which isn't awful, but debuffs are much less generally applicable than buffs), whereas Aeira would have some kind of... Lightweave? That's quite believably a powerup, if not a massive one, and turning Aeira into psuedo-Control would be cool.
[X] Fifth Sign: As Above [Vast Empyrean]
[X] Blood Sorcery
I am going to vote for maximum greed, and will only switch away if it's actually likely to kill us. (Okay, not quite maximum. Maximum would be Midnight Armor despite the fact that I don't think trading permanent powerups for temporary gains is a good paradigm on practical or characterization grounds.)
Haeliel is my top priority, though. Bloodsorc is only a buff to some Surgecrafters; I expect only the ones for whom inverting their Element would be excessively powerful - Aobaru would get, like, Lethargyice (which isn't awful, but debuffs are much less generally applicable than buffs), whereas Aeira would have some kind of... Lightweave? That's quite believably a powerup, if not a massive one, and turning Aeira into psuedo-Control would be cool.
- Location
- Pindorama
Going by Third Sings and such, it would at least be as powerful as getting 0.5 Rank until sunset combat-wise. Which would be massive to be honest, if obviously not as good as Pennants of Daybreak itself. Pure Seventh sound like it upgrades all Signs like the Elder Sign option would, or at least something similar. Dunno what more to say.
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- Location
- Louisiana
Well the seventh set bonus was said to be something major, that could impact every single sign we've gotten so far. The fifth one was only said to be equivalent to half the power of the third sign, so if you're interested in the mystery box it should be because of the seventh sign. I could easily see it being a significant upgrade to all the signs we picked, though in what way I really can't be sure. I'd imagine it would have to be pretty powerful, if it limits our options so harshly. It'll only get harder to pick between signs as we get to more powerful and more impactful effects, with proportionately bigger drawbacks. I think that's why the seventh sign bonus will be much more powerful than the fifth. Also the synergy is very appealing to me.
Aabcehmu
Confusion as a Natural State of Being
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Pronouns
- Any/All
[D] Tactical Update
The S9 are a slippery eel. An hour-ish of competence is unlikely to be enough to wipe them out completely, and even an unfortunate stain on the ground could grow back into a significant problem depending on who was blown up to make it. We need to improve Nonstop and the rest of the team's ability to keep up and handle the aftermath.
The S9 are a slippery eel. An hour-ish of competence is unlikely to be enough to wipe them out completely, and even an unfortunate stain on the ground could grow back into a significant problem depending on who was blown up to make it. We need to improve Nonstop and the rest of the team's ability to keep up and handle the aftermath.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Since Haeliel's in the lead I may as well ponder Hunger build Options given our current circumstances. In the event we pay rerolls instead of Arete to resolve the Synthesis problem so we don't have to have Hunger become a Metal Ordinalist...
Hunger:
1. Shield(Every little bit helps when we're a reckless nutcase, we've got Deathly Star, Blade WInds, etc. Also 1st Ordinal seeker is unlikely to be immediately relevant at our level)
2. Conjure or Shield(We haven't taking anything from the Imprisoner Tech Tree we could use to get an inventory. Alternatively we use shield to boost our survivability, if we get gud with Edeldross we can make serious tools with it)
3. Elements(Wood)(This is for the nanoreinforcement Foxglove talked about in his POV interlude if it matters at this point. Also for potential Blood and Stranglethorn synergies)
4. Elements(Water)(Blood has water in it, mayhaps this might strengthen our dominion, dispel is redundant given the Outer Shadow)
5. Elements(Metal)(Anti Automata sensor, we get sense metal albeit that's not worth much compared to rank 9+ military instincts))
6. Elements(Sacrifice Metal, Wood'/Water')(More Blood Power!)
7. Elements(Retake Metal, Wood'/Water'/Metal)
8. Elements(Sacrifice Metal, Wood''/Water'')
9. Elements(Retake Metal, Wood''/Water''/Metal)
10. Elements(Sacrifice Metal, Wood'''/Water''')
11. War(Because I wanna know what it does without Vitalism and we may as well get some Esoteric power from Ordinalism)
12. Radiance(Dunno, why not?)
Hunger:
1. Shield(Every little bit helps when we're a reckless nutcase, we've got Deathly Star, Blade WInds, etc. Also 1st Ordinal seeker is unlikely to be immediately relevant at our level)
2. Conjure or Shield(We haven't taking anything from the Imprisoner Tech Tree we could use to get an inventory. Alternatively we use shield to boost our survivability, if we get gud with Edeldross we can make serious tools with it)
3. Elements(Wood)(This is for the nanoreinforcement Foxglove talked about in his POV interlude if it matters at this point. Also for potential Blood and Stranglethorn synergies)
4. Elements(Water)(Blood has water in it, mayhaps this might strengthen our dominion, dispel is redundant given the Outer Shadow)
5. Elements(Metal)(Anti Automata sensor, we get sense metal albeit that's not worth much compared to rank 9+ military instincts))
6. Elements(Sacrifice Metal, Wood'/Water')(More Blood Power!)
7. Elements(Retake Metal, Wood'/Water'/Metal)
8. Elements(Sacrifice Metal, Wood''/Water'')
9. Elements(Retake Metal, Wood''/Water''/Metal)
10. Elements(Sacrifice Metal, Wood'''/Water''')
11. War(Because I wanna know what it does without Vitalism and we may as well get some Esoteric power from Ordinalism)
12. Radiance(Dunno, why not?)
Aabcehmu
Confusion as a Natural State of Being
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Pronouns
- Any/All
Fanwork#300 words (short update today, but will hopefully knock out another sooner than next month)
Welcome to Town
Confident that having a snack won't be too much of a detour, Ruby maneuvered up and back, before diving upon the confused animal. The beast was quick, but Ruby was quicker, and a bone spear through it's (impressively tough for its density and thickness, but still utterly insufficient) skull ended the wyvern's life. Ruby drew the carcass up, enfolding it within the flight scaffold and shuffling it up to their diminished body and beginning to nibble away at it as they restructured their flight scaffold back into its soaring mode. The wyvern flesh has a potent flavor, bitter and piquant and densely nutritious. Hard to digest, though.
Ruby was undisturbed in their flight, with scans indicating that they were approaching an area of urban development. Medium-range scans indicated a similar technological package as the troopers they'd encountered earlier, but different enough in social structure to imply that they were an offshoot or cultural cousin rather than their point of origin. Just as well, since they'd finished eating the wyvern and could do with some more to eat. That, and they missed being around people, real people that they could have conversation with.
They're set on visiting the town, but, how to approach?
Choose one approach.
<> Subtle. Withdraw the flight scaffold and land a short walk away, beyond the settlement's outer wall, then make their approach on foot. This will give Ruby more control over what information the settlement has on them, and might help make the introduction smoother.
<> Overt. There's room enough in the central square for Ruby to land without colliding with anything other than maybe an unfortunate passerby, which they can take care to avoid. This will give Ruby a stronger position to barter from, since the settlement will have a better idea of what they're capable of, but may make Ruby seem like a threat.
-e
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Welcome to Town
Confident that having a snack won't be too much of a detour, Ruby maneuvered up and back, before diving upon the confused animal. The beast was quick, but Ruby was quicker, and a bone spear through it's (impressively tough for its density and thickness, but still utterly insufficient) skull ended the wyvern's life. Ruby drew the carcass up, enfolding it within the flight scaffold and shuffling it up to their diminished body and beginning to nibble away at it as they restructured their flight scaffold back into its soaring mode. The wyvern flesh has a potent flavor, bitter and piquant and densely nutritious. Hard to digest, though.
Ruby was undisturbed in their flight, with scans indicating that they were approaching an area of urban development. Medium-range scans indicated a similar technological package as the troopers they'd encountered earlier, but different enough in social structure to imply that they were an offshoot or cultural cousin rather than their point of origin. Just as well, since they'd finished eating the wyvern and could do with some more to eat. That, and they missed being around people, real people that they could have conversation with.
They're set on visiting the town, but, how to approach?
Choose one approach.
<> Subtle. Withdraw the flight scaffold and land a short walk away, beyond the settlement's outer wall, then make their approach on foot. This will give Ruby more control over what information the settlement has on them, and might help make the introduction smoother.
<> Overt. There's room enough in the central square for Ruby to land without colliding with anything other than maybe an unfortunate passerby, which they can take care to avoid. This will give Ruby a stronger position to barter from, since the settlement will have a better idea of what they're capable of, but may make Ruby seem like a threat.
-e
<- Prev | Next ->
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HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
Ah yes, but this much power might be enough to speedblitz Jack and Manton - and get out safely. With both their leader and their most apparently-invincible member dead, the biggest remaining worry is Bonesaw out for vengeance. Not a small worry, but hit-and-run becomes a lot more viable.
(Of course, there's still the risk of her unleashing an apocalyptic plague, which might do quite a bit of damage before Panacea and/or Zion counter it. Target selection would be a pretty serious vote.)
Resonant
Procrastinator Supreme
I feel like the shiny-ness of As Above is overshadowing its downsides compared to the other options. I'm quite wary of the year-long cooldown of the former despite the massive boost it allows, I'm not really attracted to a vague 10th Sign special, and the casting time of 12 hours is somewhat limiting In the urgent circumstances which require such power.
The reduced cost/casting time is applicable during summer/winter solstices which the next instance of is a long time away.
The main attraction for me is the easier unlocking of Feat: Orb but then again, is it worth the 5th Sign slot mainly for that?
[X] Fifth Sign: Procrustean Valor [Noonday Sky]
I think the general utility of Valor being applicable to all Pick-related actions is being undervalued. It would shore up Hunger's stat deficiency with the Rank-heavy build at practically no cost. Gonna abstain from voting for Sponsors or Synthesis options as I've become unsure if we can afford both Haeliel & Blood Sorcery which I've become amenable to.
The reduced cost/casting time is applicable during summer/winter solstices which the next instance of is a long time away.
The main attraction for me is the easier unlocking of Feat: Orb but then again, is it worth the 5th Sign slot mainly for that?
[X] Fifth Sign: Procrustean Valor [Noonday Sky]
I think the general utility of Valor being applicable to all Pick-related actions is being undervalued. It would shore up Hunger's stat deficiency with the Rank-heavy build at practically no cost. Gonna abstain from voting for Sponsors or Synthesis options as I've become unsure if we can afford both Haeliel & Blood Sorcery which I've become amenable to.
[X] Wolber Strobe [Committed, 12 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Procrustean Valor [Noonday Sky]
[X] Blood Sorcery
[X] Fifth Sign: Procrustean Valor [Noonday Sky]
[X] Blood Sorcery
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
I can see Procrustean Valor in the event of a Terminator Interrupt but we're already getting a sponsor to help us with that. There's also the possibility that upgraded Nightmare Flight is a solution to the Voyaging Realm extraction problem.
Aabcehmu
Confusion as a Natural State of Being
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Pronouns
- Any/All
That's fair, but at the same time, given our current relatively-short distance from the target, do we really need to leave immediately in order to benefit from speedblitzing Jack and Manton? The train is arriving in 18 minutes, so even if spend all 18 talking with them, we should still have just over 40 minutes of form-time remaining.
Resonant
Procrastinator Supreme
Again, the general utility of Valor will be useful beyond facing Aobaru's Terminator, it'll help with all future Pick-related actions which involves more than combat such as negotiations with Adorie or solving the Myth-currency crisis. Nightmare Flight is not a guaranteed solution to Mage extraction and even if it was, it'll be a one-time benefit.
Like, the biggest draw that I can see is how it can boost Supreme Enclosure into Bring to Heel since the other 2 applicable signs are basically: Teleport Gud & Laserbeam Gud.
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[X] Daylian Erranthus [Committed, 7 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Procrustean Valor [Noonday Sky]
[X] Blood Sorcery [12 Arete]
I am sorry @DarkSideBard , you fought like a Rank 9.9 Arete Miner but the thread Greed is over Rank 11+
[X] Fifth Sign: Procrustean Valor [Noonday Sky]
[X] Blood Sorcery [12 Arete]
I am sorry @DarkSideBard , you fought like a Rank 9.9 Arete Miner but the thread Greed is over Rank 11+
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
OTB Barring a timeskip. Remember we have to hold 90 percent of the Human Sphere for 50 contiguous years.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Insight! We can use Haeliel's wish to take our group out of the Voyaging Realm.
- Location
- The Middle of the Howling Wilderness
I feel like we could get more value out of Haeliel's wish than that?
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
The question is what it's going to take to get us out of the Voyaging Realm. We didn't take Artifice Gopher to help Gisena investigate the problem. Our current research hasn't borne any potential fruit with the exception of As Above. Perhaps Wolber has a Praxis teleportation spell that can help? Or we could get Refinement of Place, fight our way through the Astral Plane to somewhere to escape the Voyaging Realm? Or Daylian has some useful Lazulite effect?
- Location
- The Middle of the Howling Wilderness
IIRC we haven't really gotten any information on how Gisena's investigations/artificing has been going while we did statecraft and Signs research with Adorie. I think we should at least wait until we see what fruit her initial investigation bears.