The Curtain Rises
Rihaku
The Internet
The Curtain Rises
Last time the winners were [X] Seraph's guidance, Seraph's favor and Night's Ambition.
An Armament approaches, likely Procyon, which was forged at the hands of the first Dr. Amarlt back in the days of Old Terra. The Plenary Armament wields power immeasurable within mere physicality, but you are not without recourse. Letrizia believes the only other Armament to be stationed near the Voyaging Realm would be Fervenweirr, the Lunatic Armament, runt of the litter and weakest of the lot unless direly provoked - but should that occur the hope of direct resistance would be slim, as the Doom of Lunacy empowers its totality with an unstoppable berserker rage.
Still, best to plan for the most probable case - direct invasion of the Voyaging Realm by the more reliable Armament, Procyon. The probable presence of two Armaments in the area means that a Nightmare Flight-enabled counterattack is unlikely to draw the offensive Armament back to Voyaging City.
According to your captives the attack is no more than a few hours out. Republic forces have likely already reached the Walls of Myth, or will reach them in a matter of minutes. From then on it's unknown how long it will take the Plenary Armament to breach its bastions of supernal pressure. The Republic has a team of diviners working to track Letrizia, but they are slow. Unfortunately this means there is no reasonable way to shield Nilfel from the consequences of this incursion short of repelling the Armament directly.
If Hunger & Letrizia were to leave immediately via Nightmare Flight, the Republic would still attack Nilfel for several hours looking for her. If they were to leave by more conventional means in a way visible to Republic forces, then the greater physical speed of the Armament would outpace and catch them, especially with its Rank turning all circumstances towards its favor.
Procyon - Pilot is reserved but professional, a reasonably calm and logical individual and Republic stalwart. His father is a Senator, his mother chief scientist at a biotechnology firm. The Armament possesses a formidable mental/spiritual Special Attack which Hunger should be able to resist by virtue of his Cursebearer nature. Due to its Curse, Procyon is absolutely incapable of any form of guile in combat and relies on clean execution of classical techniques. Republic military science being somewhat more advanced than their Imperial counterparts, its weapons should be considered highly dangerous and infused with enough Astral spectrum to injure mythically potent beings.
Fervenweirr - Pilot is an idiot, according to Letrizia, who is also a coward and socially awkward. He apparently only got in due to a combination of nepotism and sheer luck, and has nearly non-existent combat skills. Nonetheless, the sheer power of an enraged Fervenweirr eclipses even Attramemnar in a direct contest. If enraged, probably the strongest Republic Armament overall and certainly the strongest in a melee fight, virtually inescapable once it has your scent.
With the power of Haeliel's favor infusing his every act, direct resistance is possible even in the face of an Armament. But is it wise?
[ ] Hold the Line - Who cares for prudence? A hero knows a hero's duty. He does not cower from battle merely because it would be expedient, nor does he expect innocent lives to withstand the brunt of his own Curse. The Walls are an asset, best make use of them. Gird yourself in the Armor of Midnight and prepare for one more fight of your life, alongside the legions of Nilfel atop the Walls. A red day, a sword day, a tide of blood and Ruin, and ere the night falls will the outcome have already been decided - victory and freedom, or death and glory.
*Assuming the enemy is Procyon, victory grants 5 picks, +1 Heroic Upgrade to an Advancement of Hunger's choice, and +2 Haeliel Points. A Heroic Upgrade will grant the Advancement a unique, highly powerful, and otherwise difficult-to-replicate enhancement. This does not mean that Haeliel would encourage Hunger to pursue this course of action. Haeliel Points have no mechanical effect.
*Hunger will of course try such tactics as attempting to persuade the Republic commanders to stand down with his unnatural Charisma, but Letrizia says Armament Pilots typically have the authority to operate independently if command is compromised.
*The Legions were unable to withstand a single Combat Rank 9.4 entity (Hunger), so it's unlikely they will do much against the Armament on their own, even sheltered by the walls. But their heavy abundance of mid-Rank captains should allow them to tear through any conventional forces the Republic sends to support, which Procyon may feel obligated to defend.
*This is certainly the valiant and heroic, if almost idiotically over-optimistic, thing to do. Perhaps Daylian would have supported this path wholeheartedly, confident in your chances of victory...
*You're unlikely to get picks from anything short of the Armament itself, as even elite-tier Republic kill teams are basically paper before Hunger's might.
*Hunger estimates he has a decent, but nowhere near assured, chance of prevailing with the help of Aeira, Aobaru, Letrizia, Gisena, Adorie, and all the forces of Nilfel at their disposal. His bloodcasting at the very least should be reasonably effective against the Armament so long as it hasn't deployed its Shroud, and so long as he avoids the Shroud radius he can use Refinement of Quickness to temporarily outrun it. Tactics can modestly improve your chances.
[ ] Call Up - Attempt to locate a source of suitable allies or challenges, such as the Shard of the Arcanist that was Augustine's mother. Powers absorbed could turn the odds in your favor, and the Arcanist might have some insight into the nature of Armaments in general, even if this one was not formed by Foremost hands. Uncertain chance of success; failure could end up with your time wasted and the Walls breached, the peoples of Nilfel subject to whatever horrors an irritated Armament might be inclined to inflict on them. And considering how Verschlengorge treats the matter of enemies...
*A reasonably prudent gamble, but one that fails to stoke the spirit. No Arete bonus or penalty.
*Tactics can't help that much for this one, but re-rolls can and you do have a few.
*Generate some source of picks with which to spend your huge reserve of Arete
*Hunger estimates a 50-70% chance of discovering something worthwhile, but has no idea what the true odds actually are
*Even if you find the Arcanist, you have to ensure you don't die to her, either, or that she does not become an Augustine-shaped thorn in your side. Ideally one of her Chromatic Beasts will be at least a two-pick, but who knows how large the gap is between minion and monster...
[ ] Fall Back - In less than thirty-six hours you'll have access to Augustine's power, in whatever form your Cloak has digested it. If you leave via Nightmare Flight, you can (hopefully) return in two days with the power to overcome this challenge. Gisena seems certain that it will be the solution to your problems, but are you willing to sacrifice Nilfellian lives to purchase those improved odds?
*Coldly calculating, sparing nothing. Certainly the path which preserves the highest chance of victory, but at what cost? -2 Arete, but you can easily afford that.
*Might make Hunger more prudent in the future, or at least less likely to risk his own life on improbably difficult fights.
*Letrizia believes the Republic are scum that will resort to war crimes with the slightest provocation. Hunger is not so certain, but they are abundantly ruthless enough to deploy kill-teams throughout the Voyaging Realm pursuing all sorts of nefarious goals.
*Adorie will command Nilfel to take actions that might minimize the number of casualties, such as surrendering to the incoming forces and allowing them to loot and investigate without restriction, though if the Republic begins kidnapping mages or performing crimes of similar magnitude, the Nilfellians will have no choice but to fight back with all their strength, futile though it might be. Regardless, Adorie's popularity will take a substantial hit. Nilfel is highly nationalistic and proud of their mighty empire: to go from victory unimpeded under the Lord Protector to soundly humbled under Adorie Mirellyian will invite unflattering comparisons.
*It bears repeating that this will actually maximize your chances of winning, and thus surviving and successfully protecting Letrizia. There are costs, but your opponent is a full-power Armament, an existence near-trivially capable of tearing stars asunder, of striding headlong into the tidal flows of a singularity and emerging utterly unharmed. No amount of physical force can so much as faze it when its Shroud is deployed, nor can any density of matter resist it. The final word in military might within the entire Human Sphere, so far ascendent above other options that no state without one has ever survived independent.
*Live, and grow strong.
With Hold the Line or Call Up, you can also choose to gamble on the Sixth, or possibly even Seventh, Empyreal Signs providing what you need. Acquiring the Sixth by blood-essence conversion would drop Hunger a full Rank, while acquiring the Seventh would require Hunger to blitz the mythic platinum reserves of every other Mythic nation, drop five total Ranks, and suffer a moderate equivalent of the Shattering Blow in terms of core essence loss. Who knows if the Signs provided will be relevant to your situation, or if your crippled Rank would even be able to fully exploit them? Still, desperate times...
This is only a realistic option at all due to Bastion of Myth reducing the Armament's Rank advantage against you. Even then, it may not be worth it unless the spell acquired is as directly suited for combat as Deathly Star or Armor of Midnight.
Select one or none:
[ ] Aggressive Research: Attempt to acquire the Sixth Sign of the Empyrean.
[ ] Full Measure: Attempt to acquire the Seven Sign of the Empyrean. If the spell attained is agnostic to caster's Rank and at all combat-relevant, this should all but ensure victory.
A majority will have to select these options for them to prevail.
Last time the winners were [X] Seraph's guidance, Seraph's favor and Night's Ambition.
An Armament approaches, likely Procyon, which was forged at the hands of the first Dr. Amarlt back in the days of Old Terra. The Plenary Armament wields power immeasurable within mere physicality, but you are not without recourse. Letrizia believes the only other Armament to be stationed near the Voyaging Realm would be Fervenweirr, the Lunatic Armament, runt of the litter and weakest of the lot unless direly provoked - but should that occur the hope of direct resistance would be slim, as the Doom of Lunacy empowers its totality with an unstoppable berserker rage.
Still, best to plan for the most probable case - direct invasion of the Voyaging Realm by the more reliable Armament, Procyon. The probable presence of two Armaments in the area means that a Nightmare Flight-enabled counterattack is unlikely to draw the offensive Armament back to Voyaging City.
According to your captives the attack is no more than a few hours out. Republic forces have likely already reached the Walls of Myth, or will reach them in a matter of minutes. From then on it's unknown how long it will take the Plenary Armament to breach its bastions of supernal pressure. The Republic has a team of diviners working to track Letrizia, but they are slow. Unfortunately this means there is no reasonable way to shield Nilfel from the consequences of this incursion short of repelling the Armament directly.
If Hunger & Letrizia were to leave immediately via Nightmare Flight, the Republic would still attack Nilfel for several hours looking for her. If they were to leave by more conventional means in a way visible to Republic forces, then the greater physical speed of the Armament would outpace and catch them, especially with its Rank turning all circumstances towards its favor.
Procyon - Pilot is reserved but professional, a reasonably calm and logical individual and Republic stalwart. His father is a Senator, his mother chief scientist at a biotechnology firm. The Armament possesses a formidable mental/spiritual Special Attack which Hunger should be able to resist by virtue of his Cursebearer nature. Due to its Curse, Procyon is absolutely incapable of any form of guile in combat and relies on clean execution of classical techniques. Republic military science being somewhat more advanced than their Imperial counterparts, its weapons should be considered highly dangerous and infused with enough Astral spectrum to injure mythically potent beings.
Fervenweirr - Pilot is an idiot, according to Letrizia, who is also a coward and socially awkward. He apparently only got in due to a combination of nepotism and sheer luck, and has nearly non-existent combat skills. Nonetheless, the sheer power of an enraged Fervenweirr eclipses even Attramemnar in a direct contest. If enraged, probably the strongest Republic Armament overall and certainly the strongest in a melee fight, virtually inescapable once it has your scent.
With the power of Haeliel's favor infusing his every act, direct resistance is possible even in the face of an Armament. But is it wise?
[ ] Hold the Line - Who cares for prudence? A hero knows a hero's duty. He does not cower from battle merely because it would be expedient, nor does he expect innocent lives to withstand the brunt of his own Curse. The Walls are an asset, best make use of them. Gird yourself in the Armor of Midnight and prepare for one more fight of your life, alongside the legions of Nilfel atop the Walls. A red day, a sword day, a tide of blood and Ruin, and ere the night falls will the outcome have already been decided - victory and freedom, or death and glory.
*Assuming the enemy is Procyon, victory grants 5 picks, +1 Heroic Upgrade to an Advancement of Hunger's choice, and +2 Haeliel Points. A Heroic Upgrade will grant the Advancement a unique, highly powerful, and otherwise difficult-to-replicate enhancement. This does not mean that Haeliel would encourage Hunger to pursue this course of action. Haeliel Points have no mechanical effect.
*Hunger will of course try such tactics as attempting to persuade the Republic commanders to stand down with his unnatural Charisma, but Letrizia says Armament Pilots typically have the authority to operate independently if command is compromised.
*The Legions were unable to withstand a single Combat Rank 9.4 entity (Hunger), so it's unlikely they will do much against the Armament on their own, even sheltered by the walls. But their heavy abundance of mid-Rank captains should allow them to tear through any conventional forces the Republic sends to support, which Procyon may feel obligated to defend.
*This is certainly the valiant and heroic, if almost idiotically over-optimistic, thing to do. Perhaps Daylian would have supported this path wholeheartedly, confident in your chances of victory...
*You're unlikely to get picks from anything short of the Armament itself, as even elite-tier Republic kill teams are basically paper before Hunger's might.
*Hunger estimates he has a decent, but nowhere near assured, chance of prevailing with the help of Aeira, Aobaru, Letrizia, Gisena, Adorie, and all the forces of Nilfel at their disposal. His bloodcasting at the very least should be reasonably effective against the Armament so long as it hasn't deployed its Shroud, and so long as he avoids the Shroud radius he can use Refinement of Quickness to temporarily outrun it. Tactics can modestly improve your chances.
[ ] Call Up - Attempt to locate a source of suitable allies or challenges, such as the Shard of the Arcanist that was Augustine's mother. Powers absorbed could turn the odds in your favor, and the Arcanist might have some insight into the nature of Armaments in general, even if this one was not formed by Foremost hands. Uncertain chance of success; failure could end up with your time wasted and the Walls breached, the peoples of Nilfel subject to whatever horrors an irritated Armament might be inclined to inflict on them. And considering how Verschlengorge treats the matter of enemies...
*A reasonably prudent gamble, but one that fails to stoke the spirit. No Arete bonus or penalty.
*Tactics can't help that much for this one, but re-rolls can and you do have a few.
*Generate some source of picks with which to spend your huge reserve of Arete
*Hunger estimates a 50-70% chance of discovering something worthwhile, but has no idea what the true odds actually are
*Even if you find the Arcanist, you have to ensure you don't die to her, either, or that she does not become an Augustine-shaped thorn in your side. Ideally one of her Chromatic Beasts will be at least a two-pick, but who knows how large the gap is between minion and monster...
[ ] Fall Back - In less than thirty-six hours you'll have access to Augustine's power, in whatever form your Cloak has digested it. If you leave via Nightmare Flight, you can (hopefully) return in two days with the power to overcome this challenge. Gisena seems certain that it will be the solution to your problems, but are you willing to sacrifice Nilfellian lives to purchase those improved odds?
*Coldly calculating, sparing nothing. Certainly the path which preserves the highest chance of victory, but at what cost? -2 Arete, but you can easily afford that.
*Might make Hunger more prudent in the future, or at least less likely to risk his own life on improbably difficult fights.
*Letrizia believes the Republic are scum that will resort to war crimes with the slightest provocation. Hunger is not so certain, but they are abundantly ruthless enough to deploy kill-teams throughout the Voyaging Realm pursuing all sorts of nefarious goals.
*Adorie will command Nilfel to take actions that might minimize the number of casualties, such as surrendering to the incoming forces and allowing them to loot and investigate without restriction, though if the Republic begins kidnapping mages or performing crimes of similar magnitude, the Nilfellians will have no choice but to fight back with all their strength, futile though it might be. Regardless, Adorie's popularity will take a substantial hit. Nilfel is highly nationalistic and proud of their mighty empire: to go from victory unimpeded under the Lord Protector to soundly humbled under Adorie Mirellyian will invite unflattering comparisons.
*It bears repeating that this will actually maximize your chances of winning, and thus surviving and successfully protecting Letrizia. There are costs, but your opponent is a full-power Armament, an existence near-trivially capable of tearing stars asunder, of striding headlong into the tidal flows of a singularity and emerging utterly unharmed. No amount of physical force can so much as faze it when its Shroud is deployed, nor can any density of matter resist it. The final word in military might within the entire Human Sphere, so far ascendent above other options that no state without one has ever survived independent.
*Live, and grow strong.
With Hold the Line or Call Up, you can also choose to gamble on the Sixth, or possibly even Seventh, Empyreal Signs providing what you need. Acquiring the Sixth by blood-essence conversion would drop Hunger a full Rank, while acquiring the Seventh would require Hunger to blitz the mythic platinum reserves of every other Mythic nation, drop five total Ranks, and suffer a moderate equivalent of the Shattering Blow in terms of core essence loss. Who knows if the Signs provided will be relevant to your situation, or if your crippled Rank would even be able to fully exploit them? Still, desperate times...
This is only a realistic option at all due to Bastion of Myth reducing the Armament's Rank advantage against you. Even then, it may not be worth it unless the spell acquired is as directly suited for combat as Deathly Star or Armor of Midnight.
Select one or none:
[ ] Aggressive Research: Attempt to acquire the Sixth Sign of the Empyrean.
[ ] Full Measure: Attempt to acquire the Seven Sign of the Empyrean. If the spell attained is agnostic to caster's Rank and at all combat-relevant, this should all but ensure victory.
A majority will have to select these options for them to prevail.
