Hunger had an uneasy feeling as he carved through the legions of the Outer Temple, rushing headlong towards the Middle once more. He was making visible progress every day, growing in strength and proximity to the Imprisoned, but some ill premonition dogged him still, a feeling that, despite the life-and-death battles he'd participated in, the real challenge was still to come.
... We're a progress-type cursebearer. The real challenge is ALWAYS still to come. And then there's another one after that one.
And another.
And another.
And...
Focused exclusively on blood enhancement, his strength, speed, and regeneration all had increased prodigiously after the fight with the Archer, though his ranged attacks had benefited most of all. Now his blade-winds and projections struck with singing force, curving and dancing across the battlefield with easy fluidity, far less taxing to employ than before. With a substantial exertion of self, he could compress the power of his strikes even further, folding seven cuts into a single blow that would rend flesh and spirit alike.
as nearly always, the powers we got are really appropriate to the challenge we faced. We defeated a really skilled archer, and we got improved ranged attacks from it.
Sure, we also got other improvements, but that's to be expected.
Such power had served him well, rendering the entirety of the Outer Temple a trivial exercise, and yet...
The residents of the Middle Temple treated the Outer as nothing more than ablative armor, its autonomous armies culling the chaff from those unfortunates bound to the Temple's call. Any who made it to the Middle were controlled via carefully selected incentives, the carrot of bribery and the stick of the Outriders acting in concert to neuter the outsider threat. Even the weakest Outrider patrols seemed a match for the mightiest beasts of the Outer Temple.
Yeah, there's a pretty big jump in threat level. Smart of them really, most of the beings capable of surpassing the challenges of the outer temple would still be DESTROYED by even a mid-level mid-temple threat.
And then they have something special in store for those who show unnatural progression speed... Truly, this temple is challenging even for a progression type cursebearer, and power systems capable of scaling faster than us (even in the short term) are pretty rare. Ber is the only one we've met yet, and he's a Gamer-analogue, maybe THE fastest growing type of characters in modern fiction (in context).
If the Middle represented so great an increase in sophistication over the Outer, then what did that bode for the Ring's guardian itself? For all that his rate of progression had been absurd, was he growing strong enough, fast enough, in the fields that mattered against so versatile and well-resourced a foe? This was no single monster, to be baited and easily hunted. It was an entire civilization bent to the purpose of keeping their Ring imprisoned and extracting its value thereby. Was his own power too linear, too physically focused, to overcome them?
But for all that he could doubt his chances of success, there was no doubt as to his course of action. He would cut through, until the Ring was freed.
That's a good point. We're strong, but our power is... well, simple. Gisena patches up a few of our blind spots with her abilities to counter most esoteric abilities, but "WE" lack variety and utility.
Mid-morning saw him in the Middle Temple again, deep past the bucolic pastures of its outskirts and into civilization proper, densely-populated towns of high medieval architecture separated by sweeping, carefully regimented fields of crops. In the valley between two towns he spotted an ongoing battle: A one-armed swordsman in grey Outrider leathers against a figure clad in unadorned plate. It was going poorly for the latter, puncture holes dotting their torso, the heavy steel of their armor rent and ruptured around each exit wound.
The swordsman spotted him out of the corner of his eye and swiftly attacked, jabbing with his blade in Hunger's direction. His movement was a blur even to the Cursebearer, and scarce had Hunger interposed the Evening Sky before it was pierced easily through, a wound sprouting across his lower torso. Whipping his cloak around he sprinted behind a nearby hill, blocking the swordsman's line of sight.
the unstoppable
spear thrust. It's a good starting point, Hunger got to learn that he can't block this attack at pretty much no cost to himself thanks to his regen basically. This bodes well for the rest of the fight.
A perfect shot to the liver, punching clean through to daylight. Were it not for his Ring of Blood, it would quickly become a lethal wound. As it was, the relatively small cross-section of the attack meant it would only be the inconvenience of seconds. And yet there was no time to lose. Once the outrider dispatched his current opponent, Hunger would be next, and the enemy's incredible speed meant that pursuit would not favor him. What did he know so far? High physical parameters, already wounded, ranged thrust attacks with apparently infallible aim. His best solution was to meet offense with offense.
yeah, thank the accursed for our blood powers. Especially healing, but Offense is going to show it's worth pretty much immediately as well.
Wasting no further instants, he quickly leapt out from the hillside, launching a sevenfold blade projection directly at the swordsman as he charged. Eyes flickering briefly, the enemy intercepted his blade projection with one of his own, the thrust every bit the equal of the cut, spearing it in twain. Collapsed blade-force carved a meters-deep divot into the ground as the attack folded in on itself.
Hunger was already lunging, sword like a flickering thresher as he fired forward consecutive blade-winds, Ring of Blood flaring to exacerbate the outrider's wounds and repair his own. Without hesitation the swordsman turned to face him, effortlessly countering the swarm of blade-winds while a strategically placed thrust put a hole through Hunger's heart.
A critical organ for most, but not for the bearer of the Blood Ring. Without so much as breaking stride Hunger continued brazenly forward, and the swordsman was forced to leap back in order to avoid a close-range grapple. At that moment the armored figure fired, its arm falling away to reveal a cannon-like apparatus before launching a thunderous salvo.
decent enough strategy, try to keep him occupied dealing with our flying slashes so that we get enough time for the blood ring to work his magic on him and progressively tire him more.
also...cannon-like hand? Is this Guts from Berserk or something?
With unerring grace the outrider shifted in midair, blur of his sword a deflecting dance to answer the storm of bullets. Hunger joined in, charging again for the grapple, exerting the full power of his Ring to denude his enemy's blood in erratic, disorienting fits. At last the swordsman appeared to falter, but sensing a feint Hunger juked to the side in the moment before contact. Wisely so, as the outrider spun and thrust twice, displaying heretofore-unseen speed even as his blood was further suppressed. Light jabs both, but Hunger felt his eye put out all the same, and a corresponding groan from the armored figure.
he's dealing well with the blood suppression, but it's still working, if more slowly than we'd liked.
Also I'm starting to wonder what's the point of trying to dodge, if we CAN'T dodge. maybe it's just his reflexes? Or we can't
completely dodge, but we can have him hit us in less important spots?
Blind, but he still had his blood sense. No time for despair. And yet what could he do? The enemy was simply too fast, his reflexes too sharp, form and instincts impeccable, every attack landing exactly where it was placed. Desperately he exuded raw Pressure, sheer murderous intent, the cruel shining sun of his spirit blazing ceaselessly over his foe. At this finally the swordsman relented, reeling under that supernal might. For all his strength, there was a seam in this outrider's spirit, a thin dividing line that was only imperfectly sealed.
that should be the connection between his soul and his father's
And yet, how to exploit this weakness? His uttermost extrusion of Pressure had given the man pause, but it was not feasible to continue for long. A spirit-rending attack could harm him for sure, but he had no way of targeting that specific fault-line, and no way to reliably land such an attack against an enemy of this speed. If he let up the pressure for even a moment, the outrider would have time enough to prepare a serious thrust targeting Hunger's brain, and that would be the death of this flesh body. His ghost form, bereft of blood to enhance, would be completely outclassed by this foe. Idly he noted that the armored figure, his erstwhile ally, had no blood at all.
mh.. A golem? A cyborg? Maybe we'll discover it if we both survive.
Also yeah, the ghost form being that much weaker would certainly make a counter-strike hard/impossible to execute... but it might make him lower his guard enough to at least be willing to talk, which could give us a bit more time to suppress his blood before the fight resumes and we end up pushed to Rage Form.
..of course I remember reading that Rage Form never actually got used in the story before being given up, but that's something i
shouldn't know right now!
He felt more than heard that figure's next movement, steamroller charge of pure crushing force, fury and clangor like an ironworks onrushing. Hunger redoubled the expulsion of his Pressure, hollowing himself out, pinning-in-place the outrider by sheer verity of spirit. Even so, at the last moment he felt the enemy throw off his influence, violent force as the outrider's very soul seemed to nearly rupture in twain, one-half of it absorbing the brunt of his assault so that the other could go free.
There was a clap of thunder.
Blind and briefly spent, Hunger could barely react to the outside world as he marshaled his reserves once more. Through his bloodsense he saw the figure of the swordsman, blade outstretched, and heard the tinkling of armor plates falling to the ground.
Well, we're likely approaching Exhaustion (again!), but at least it seems we managed to force him to put too much strain on the connection between his souls. Hopefully that will be enough
Slowly his Ring's regeneration restored his sight. The swordsman was a ragged ruin, raw muscle and bone naked to the winds, blood dribbling and pooling from countless tears across his form. In the last instant he must have met the incoming armor with a counter-charge of his own, a full-bodied piercing lunge that cored out the mass of plate in a single fell stroke. Indeed, there was a swordsman-shaped exit blown out the back of the hulking machine, which now slowly toppled. Of course, such an attack left no protection for its executor against the terrible crushing momentum of the armored figure's charge.
...did he just..
thrust himself through the enemy?!
Damn that's hardcore!
Panting, Hunger gave his opponent a nod of acknowledgement. He could respect the tenacity, the sheer force of will behind his unswerving technique.
Politely, the outrider inclined his own head. Neither had the strength in this moment to summon an attack capable of bringing his opponent low. Hunger could only hope that the Ring of Blood rejuvenated him faster than the swordsman adapted to his own wounds. Trauma that would have killed a normal man seemed to only briefly faze him. Under the influence of his Ring, very little blood now remained in the man's veins, but the outrider stood stoic and nearly upright, a blade bent but unbroken. And like a blade, chipped and marred, damage to his physical form would weaken, but fail to render useless, so long as the edge was sharp.
This is a very impressive swordsman. He went THROUGH his enemy, he lost most of his blood, and he's VERY wounded... and yet he just shrugs it off, as long as his blade his still sharp.
.. the rest of the chant doesn't really apply, but I can see some of this in him:
"I am the bone of my sword
Steel is my body, and fire is my blood"
Of course he only uses the ONE weapon, but the first two verses work pretty well for him.
"Vanreir, Amarlt," said the outrider, breathing heavily still, his voice a whispery croak. "The strength, of your spirit, is commendable."
"The spirit," Hunger remarked, his breaths equally ragged, "is willing; but the flesh, is weak."
Vanreir raised his hand and waved it slightly, as if to say that he had seen worse.
He probably has I suppose..
Slowly, painfully, he turned his blade to face Hunger, its tip pointed unsteadily at his eye.
"I, regret, the necessity of this," he said, "but know, that it's for, a good cause."
It always is. At least for you.
Still, OUR cause is good as well.
I suppose we wouldn't necessarily be against granting a last wish, if you asked us to take care of your sister..?
Fighting through the exhaustion, Hunger took up his own stance, blade raised and poised to cut. The world contracted, static fuzzing in at the edges of his vision. He'd gone too far again, spent too much of his own essence pursuing an impossible feat. Still he dredged up what pitiful slivers remained, enough perhaps for one concerted attack.
He would let the man kill his flesh body, and hope that the surprise of his ghost form's emergence outweighed its now-lacking strength and speed. It was perhaps a vain hope. For the entirety of this battle Hunger had not landed a single physical blow upon this opponent.
Well, he's weakened as well, so it
might work. We don't really have a better option short of rage form.
"I understand," Hunger said, steadying his blade. "Cut through, even if it cannot be cut. It must be quite the cause."
The swordsman frowned, eyes sharp. "You..."
Sensing an opening, a moment of weakness, Hunger still did not strike. He allowed his opponent to gather his thoughts.
"Hmph," Vanreir shook his head. "What are the chances... my father once said something very similar. I'm not one to believe in fate, but I'm glad you were my final opponent. A worthy enemy can be rarer than even a true friend."
Nice sentiment, but I don't think I share it.
An enemy, a TRUE enemy, is an enemy no matter what. Does it really matter if it's "worthy"?
I suppose it matters if you're willing to give a try to diplomacy, to make "peace" with it.. but other than that...
"Well said," Hunger replied, idly scanning the battlefield. He raised his hand, setting his opponent's heart to beating, restoring some volume of Vanreir's blood. "Shall we decide properly which of our swords is the greater?"
"If you wish," Vanreir said, with the air of a man granting a final request. Hunger circled around to a particular point on the battlefield, matching the angle of his initial entry, where the sun fell in neither swordsman's eyes. Slowly he raised his blade aloft, jewel on his finger grim and subdued. The pallor of mortality was like a shadow across the battlefield. Each man knew that this moment could be his last.
I can only imagine he gave him some blood back only to take it back at the critical moment. Hunger is too pragmatic to waste his chances of winning on pointless honour after all.
Age and Treachery, remember?
Vanreir walked to match him, taking up the stance of his signature thrust. Now within melee range, tip of his blade aimed squarely at Hunger's brain pan, the crystal-steel edge caught and splintered the sun's rays, a daytime thunderbolt.
Enough of sword-projections. An opponent such as this deserved the physical blade.
Which means he'll be that much more vulnerable to surprise ghost form.
On the same count they inhaled. An unspoken understanding passed between them. Time compressed, congealed, folded over on itself like molten amber. On came the thrust, that viperous lash of silver like lightning made steel. Hunger's blade descended, but slowly, far too slowly to land any serious blow. By the time Amarlt's thrust loomed before him, his hand had managed only to interpose itself between the enemy's sword and his own head.
There was a clang of steel against silver, a clarion note of pure deflection. The Forebear's Blade fell from nerveless fingers.
and was taken up by a ghostly hand instead?
Like an inverse kingfisher Amarlt was pointed skywards, his blade thrusting forwards and up, the all-piercing force of his strike no match for the indestructible Ring in its path, which had been bound to Hunger's finger by the Accursed himself. Hunger pressed downwards with his right foot, titanic strength collapsing the weakened ground around the divot that his very first blade-projection had created.
...wait... did we just USED OUR RING, OUR LESSER REMITTANCE, TO PARRY THE UNPARRYABLE?
DAMN. That's clever. I didn't think of it. Certainly a gift from the Accursed himself, an evolved ring even, could not be destroyed that easily... I'm half surprised this didn't vaporize our hand, but then again we're talking about conceptual strenght, not truly infinite physical strenght, so it makes sense.
Falling rapidly, the bones of his hand a shattered ruin, the Foebear's Blade was level now with his mouth. Snatching it in his teeth, he fired a single blade-projection, one last absolute exertion. Committed still to his thrust, Vanreir could not change his trajectory. Cleanly bisected, chest from sternum, still his arms and eyes and blade could only face up, up, up: turned forever heavenward, as if to pierce through the sky itself.
But there was always a sky above the sky. One could pierce for all eternity without finding its limit.
This reminds me a bit of Zabuza from Naruto's wave arc. How in his final fight he massacred the mercs and Gato with just a kunai in his mouth.
Also a bit of Zoro,but he uses three swords so it doesn't count!
Also also of course piercing won't work against the sky. We ALL know how you need to slash it with the
sky-splitting blade instead!
Age and treachery had prevailed again, though victory tasted like ashes in his mouth. Slowly he examined the Ring, its jewel flaring crimson, the pulse of its inhalation drawing a thundering sea of power.
Jewel and band and finger all were whole and untouched. Of Vanreir Amarlt's final attack, no evidence remained, not even so much as a scratch.
---
While he trusted the strenght and durability of the ring, that was certainly risky. We had no way to be completely certain the ring's invulnerability, the unmovable object, would resist the irresistible force.
We had good reasons to
suspect it, but no certainty.
At least we still had ghost form and rage form in reserve.. though I wonder, if he managed to break the ring, what would have happened? It's a part of us, so maybe we could have healed it in time, kinda like we're slowly regrowing our sword?
The winner was Dialogue and Resolve The Accursed, as expected. Choose your Devastating Complication.
[ ] Punctured Soul - Rank reduced by 10%, physical attributes by 20%, mental attributes by 30%, and social attributes by 40% for 1 month.
[ ] True Maiming - Liver wounded on a metaphysical level. Permanently reduce CON and CON improvements by 10% and suffer 400% increased vulnerability to poison and supernatural disease. Suffer severe damage upon strenuous exertion for the next three days.
[ ] Lingering Exhaustion - Exhausted for a week and Tired for the week after. Any interruption of rest may worsen Exhaustion.
---
Yeah, the Accursed always wins.
...well, I suppose he technically didn't when he got saddled with all these curses, or at least it wasn't a complete win, but it's not like we ever saw what state he left the other omnipotent guys in
ok, so we have
1)1 Month of pretty heavy penalties, though they should be somewhat mitigated by our growth.
2)short term (3 days) severe penalty (biting into our apocryphal free days), and moderate "permanent" penalties, which we will likely have to deal with for quite some time before we manage to gain the power to remove them.
3)exhausted + tired 1 week +1 week. We can basically say goodbye to Apocryphal respite.
None of these are good, but if we're REALLY committed to completing the temple before apocryphal comes back, we can't take Lingering Exhaustion.
That leaves either permanent penalty + short term rest (with some moderate danger in having to reach the exit of the temple while this wounded), or the 1 month long moderate penalties, which might be a good option depending on what upgrades we pick from this fight.
You have 4 picks and have special dispensation to spend up to 2 Arete, assuming that your Arete generation this update will cover it.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Echo of the Forebear - Cloud-shadow of the Forebear's might.
Legendary strength and speed, and the resilience to exert them. Can be taken multiple times. [+Might, +Agility]
[ ] The Ring of Power - Dominion - 2 Arete
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
[ ] Fierce Quickening - 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.
[ ] Vigor Itself - 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.
[ ] Augment Dominion: Blood - The world-wielding will of the Ring.
Treat the wielder's Rank as if it were (.5 Low/.25 Medium/.1 High) higher for purposes of the [Ring of Power] effect applied to the Blood domain, increasing its potency and versatility. Repeatable, but costs 1 more pick each time.
[ ] Evening Sky - Opalescence - The soft light of evening before which all attacks falter.
Improves defensive parameters. [+Protection]
[ ] Evening Sky - Iridescence - 2 Arete - The sharp light of the stars before which all malice is lessened.
+Protection, +Charisma. Expands the range of effects subject to the Evening Sky, allowing it to passively weaken almost all forms of magic. Even Nullity itself can be once withstood before the Sky recedes.
All the old picks we already know and love. Of course most of our attention is likely going to be on the 3 and 4 picks options, but they're still possible picks depending on the build, especially in a 3+1 build, and something like 3x Vigor Itself + Augment Dominion Blood/Fierce Quickening is not necessarily a bad option.
--- 3-pick Advancements ---
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Ruinous Valor (3 picks)
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.
Choose:
Einhander - You may not regrow or replace your left arm by any means. Substantially reduces the cost and increases the range of special attacks made with the Forebear's Blade. This Advancement grants Might instead of Strength (+Might = +Str, +Con).
Zweihander - Regrow your left arm. Your barehanded strikes now carry the full destructive power of the Forebear's Blade.
If Einhander is taken, unlocks One Arm Fury.
If Zweihander is taken, unlocks Martial Stances: Forebear's Blade
..yeah, we could use the extra arm, and scaling Ruin to strenght to empower our strikes even more. And this also opens up the stances, though we might not have the arete for those in the short term.
[ ] The Ring of Power - Inheritor (3 picks, 2 Arete)
He whose soul contains multitudes, may inherit the legacy of those fallen.
Defining Advancement. You may only have three Defining Advancements.
*Choose one Soul Evocation user you have slain. You may use their Soul Evocation at a substantial fraction of the original wielder's skill. Apply [To Shatter Heaven] to their Soul Evocation, but gain fragments of their selfhood.
*+50% to the value of that user's highest Attribute +s.
*+50% the value of that user's second highest Attribute +s.
*-10% to the value of future Rank +s, but you may train Rank manually.
*++Mental Contamination from the user you target. Their soul lives on as your prisoner.
*Available Evocations: The Librarian. The Correspondent. The Unerring.
mh.. the magus, the.. who's the correspondent actually? One of the scouts we killed before? I can't remember what was his ability, though I suppose it will be mentioned in another post...
And, also, the swordsman.
I'd say that, in terms of utility,the Magus is probably the most useful and gives us the highest variety of effects, but the swordsman comes with a synergistic ability (we get an unstoppable thrust, COMBINED WITH THE POWER OF RUIN), and his mental contamination wouldn't be quite as bad, especially if we could reach an understanding, maybe by promising to save and protect his sister.
I'm not sure what it means by "you may train Rank manually" though. As we have that malus on normal training it's probably not worth it anyway.
All in all a really good pick, even if I currently have no idea what the Correspondent would give us. I'd probably go with the Unerring, but I could be convinced in favour of the Librarian instead.
--- 4-pick advancements ---
[ ] Feat: Kinslayer - A true opponent's worth. Set Rank to 5. (4 picks)
easy enough, rank bonus. Not a good choice with Exhausted and Tired, but rank is always valuable.
let me check what's our current rank... 4.3.
Yeah, that's 0.7, a LOT of rank. and we could then add the bonuses from things like domains once we get them too, for another situational +.25/+.5 (domain/preeminence)!
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Uttermost (4 picks)
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.
Giving up on mitigating a Major curse is certainly an heavy price, though I suppose that, of all the curses we have, this is really the only one we'd be willing to consider.
we gain a LOT of stats, lose a decent amount of Luck/protection/wis/cha, gain a MASSIVE amount of willpower and the bonuses to future rank gains...
but, most importantly, we finally complete the recovery of our blade. All our attacks become our ultimates, just like it was for our enemy, at no cost on our stamina. We also get an heavy discount on what's likely to be a NEW EFB equivalent, which is another way of saying we're getting a 7-arete discount for free!
Yeah, I like this one. It comes with some downsides, but then again every single defining advancement does. Are we simply not going to take one ever because of it? The plus are nearly always worth the maluses with them, as long as they're taken with a complementary build.
[ ] Hunger - Stranglethorn (4 picks)
Age and treachery made flesh.
The might of beasts is not the only province of the ring Hunger. It bears witness to a deeper and elder power as well, the strength of root and stem that bleeds life from the earth itself to thrust upwards towards heaven. The might of oaks, ancient and thousand-ringed, which crumbles stone and blunts steel, which repels the wind and absorbs the tide, which stands unscathed even in the face of heat and fury. That juggernaut stubbornness like a gnarled fist: the power to push through problems with patient, unyielding strength, to break them down and see them crushed beneath you.
Defining Advancement. You may only have three Defining Advancements.
Increase by 20% the value of all Rank +s
Double the value of Strength and Constitution +s
Double the value of Willpower +s
Reduce by 20% the value of Agility +s
Establishment: By committing meaningful resources towards a given context, and staking out a solid position, you slowly but increasingly accrue power and influence within that context, becoming ever-more inescapable and impossible to dislodge.
And old stranglethorn is back. Compared to Uttermost I'd say this is a bit weaker, but it also comes with a much lower price, so it can certainly be a valid pick for those who are against giving up on curse mitigation, or the maluses on 4 (FOUR!) stats.
I'm not sure about builds yet, but all the 4-picks options are valid choices (remembering that taking the rank with Exhausted is a BAD idea, especially as it doesn't really leave us with enough strenght to reliably reach the temple's entrance).
I think my favourite is probably
[ ] The Ring of Power - Inheritor (3 picks, 2 Arete) though, plus one of the 1-pick actions, probably either Vigor Itself or Fierce Quickening.
The various 4 pick options come pretty close though.
