A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Well, what did he do with magic when he first got it? That's right, learned how to sword harder. I bet he still thinks the Deathly Star is a souped-up sword-beam...
Wrack and Ruin
Rihaku
The Internet
Wrack and Ruin
The Realm of Evening was the site of magnificent opulence beyond mortal dreams of luxury. Few places were better suited to mirthful indolence, though there was little such in evidence today. Gisena had recruited all their companions into assistants for her experimentation, which proceeded at a feverish pace unmindful of bodily or spiritual demands. The ambrosia of Evening, and their own Rank and magics, would more than suffice to supply them with vigor enough for the interim. All the power around them had been turned to the purpose of bare function, and the wonders that spilled forth merely prelude to war.
It was a shame, Hunger thought, that none of them would get to enjoy the Realm as it was intended this jaunt. Theirs was a voluntary conscription, but perhaps he could still intervene...
He strode in wearily, finding the Sorceress of Nullity at the center of a mystical conflagration, prismatic elements fluxing and blazing in controlled pandemonium around her. Runes carved in Vigorflame and Shadowcord guttered about on her periphery, straining to maintain their shape as they one-by-one winked out. Gisena released a tide of Nullity, extinguishing the rest as she strode pertly over to greet him.
"How stereotypical," he scoffed. "As soon as she gets magic, it's onwards with the multi-colored explosions and incomprehensible sigils. At least try to maintain something of your dignity as an anti-magic specialist."
Gisena smiled dreamily. "Aren't they wonderful? Such beautiful lights to reflect the vast bounty of potential they carry! These reified Graces will be combined into something far more versatile someday."
"If you want support from the Realm of Evening, I can sit here and assist you while I convalesce from my own training. You'll have to let the kids go, however. Letrizia's a duchess and Adorie is even royalty; who knows what kinds of enemies you're making by forcing them them to work in such an environment? How inhumane."
She pouted. "Aww, but they volunteered! And I didn't even try very hard to convince them. There's no need to resort to human rights excuses. You can just admit that you want me all to yourself, hun!"
"Given your powers of influence, one would say you have an implicate duty not to try convincing them at all."
Gisena smiled sadly. "The implicate duty failed to defeat one warlord of this kind. Why would it be any more effective against another?"
"Then I will be explicit. Defeating Dien is our paramount priority, but a balanced approach would be better suited to combat effectiveness in both the medium and long runs. Your 'assistants' follow your example, so for their good you should set a more sustainable pace."
"Is that the example you've set for us?" Gisena raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Of course. Haven't I just told you I'd be convalescing between training sessions?"
But while they occurred, of course, he would have no choice but to do his uttermost...
---
Let us return, for a time, to that eon of elysian fire, when the petals of the firmament unfurled to rain annihilating oblivion, rapturous and irresistible, upon our languished forms...
The-That-Was spoke, and its word was a raiment and pronouncement of doom, strait-jacket laid upon the cosmos and tightened to suffocating constriction. Hunger sallied to meet it, this figment of his imagination, phantasm of the Evening Realm who even semi-corporeal eclipsed the greatest of Dien's monstrosities.
The-That-Was, was the past in all its glory, an Epochal Thing of unquiet legacies gathered like a thunderhead, time-space distorted in cauliflower bloom about it. The glance of its regard was showering cinders, its cloud-giant limbs pillar to whole realities, the curve of its profile the pearly gates! It eclipsed an Armament what an Armament was to a man, its every stride a seizure upon creation; momentary paroxysm beneath which the senses guttered like a flame, afterwards restored only unnaturally and fundamentally changed.
This was the enemy he had bid his Realm conjure, spell-dreamt into being, that he might face a foe worthy of consumption by his Ring.
Sometimes Hunger wondered if the drive to advancement, in its unremitting lunacy, was itself the most dangerous aspect of the Apocryphal Curse. In preparing for his greatest challenge, he had voluntarily subjected himself to a challenge even greater; his soul now a stained-glass mosaic, ruptured and pressed whole beneath the apocalyptic enormity of his current opponent. To that, the same refrain played as it always did, as it always must.
His soul could yield, his blade could yield, his Realm could yield, but he could not. That was what kept him coherent against the blanketing tide, the trillion-supernova force of his... training dummy's Rank continuously iterating and erupting, seeking to crash against him and crush him, smear him into his constituent elements and obliterate his remains.
There was a distinction to be made between the magnitude of a power and its reach. Even a baseline Armament held Rank sufficient to withstand the mass-energy of the entire material universe launched against it - though the gradient of that Rank, like gravity its analogue, diminished precipitously with distance, so that an ordinary Armament could not effectively control more than one star system without logistical support.
The-That-Was held no such weakness, for it embodied and mastered not merely the fabric of the Astral but of the material its mirror; space was its dominion as wholly as pressure, and the onslaught of its Rank came from all directions unrelenting.
Such was the intensity demanded of his Ring, to find further purchase among the summits he'd reached. And yet he almost despaired that his journey had only begun.
The Accursed had done it, and Haeliel after him... a journey of such interminable length and ferocious hardship that it was literally inconceivable to Hunger in his present form. That was what pushed him onwards, what maintained his resolve: that the Hunger of tomorrow, would not be so weak as he was today.
The thunder of his opponent resounded in his ears as he plunged forward once more, Refinements of the Praxis like a comet-trail of runes. Onwards and forwards, the piercing thrust that had felled Procyon mastered and re-invented a thousand, ten thousand times: at last his blade found purchase in the Epochal Thing's chest, at last he struck more than starlight and air, and burrowing Ruin like enmeshed fingers dug deep its roots and tore.
Mere time could not withstand that, or its concupiscence for Rank. Like the march of ages yielding to entropy, his opponent succumbed. With a great ecstatic bellowing the monster exploded beneath him, thread of its organs arrayed spontaneously into a symbol:
Time burns. Cursebearer.
This was no suicide-burst, no defiance by mere force, physical or astral. Alongside its brief message, the symbol merely spelled out the hours remaining before Hunger would be forced to depart the Realm of Evening this month. One last parting shot from that distillation of bygone times.
Fitting. That Hunger did not appreciate the aesthetic, did not mean he failed to grasp the salience of its message.
Outside, too, mere force did not suffice to overcome his present opponent. As it had failed The-That-Was against Hunger, by means of Hunger's resolve; so too had Hunger's strategy failed against Dien, by means of Dien's cunning. The Foremost Shard had simply declined to fight a conventional war, and Hunger, so used to direct means, had failed to adapt to this new theatre of conflict. Where before he had soldiered onto victory through sheer concentration of power, this arena required its effective dispersion, and their lukewarm attempt - separating into two parties - had fallen woefully short of reality's demand.
Could they have done better, knowing what they did at the time? Or would the Apocryphal Curse merely have found another vexation to highlight, another weakpoint to sting? He had grown mightily in strength, so much so that Dien had been active for weeks and still feared to confront Hunger directly... but his strength could not be applied with the range, the finesse, the fluidity to confront the Surgeon wheresoever he might spread, and thus Hunger was doomed to play catch-up against an ever-expanding foe.
Better this, he supposed, than a foe that was simply so overwhelmingly powerful as to extinguish Hunger before any attempt at resistance could be made. Yet still it felt grossly unfair. Had he become a paragon of versatility instead, expending his resources in that direction, would the Apocryphal have simply summoned a juggernaut in the mold of the Epochal Thing, sheer brute strength which relegated such tricks to little more than pantomime before its oceanic might?
Or was that not an admonition, but a solution in itself? Yes, Dien was clever, his plans myriad and contingencies multi-layered, but if Hunger simply grew more powerful than the Foremost could ever challenge, wouldn't his problem be solved?
He scoffed. Easily contemplated, when such examples as the Accursed existed. But the lesson of his Praxis, showed it the farthest thing from easy.
Do or do not, but always try. His patron's meaning, implicit within the very structure of the Art. All Hunger could do was continue to strive, continue to push himself to live up to that meaning and that purpose. He still had to repay the Accursed; he could not falter before.
Try hard enough, and the world would break before he did. No ailment, no Curse or adversary could compare. That was the promise of the Praxis. An impossible ideal. A dream of fairness, defiant against all and everything.
He would put his faith in that dream, as the wielder of his Blade had before him.
---
Hunger has unlocked Once and Future III, which can be purchased by acquiring Once and Future II in conjunction with the Seraph's Favor.
[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.
---
You've about 65 Arete. Hunger has completed a three-pick fight without substantial lasting injuries, though he had to expend a re-roll to do so, having rolled poorly on his first attempt. The winner was [X] Strife without End and [X] Critical Mass.
[ ] Regalia of Strife - Including pre-requisites. A total of 62 Arete and 4 picks will be spent.
Inset upon that iron guard like jewels atop a crown, like stars plucked from evening's face and forge-bound into covenant; the tears of the sky adorn that murder-weapon, wed might to glory that all under heaven shall yield to its reign.
*The Tears of Winter are fused with the Evening Sky, then set upon the hilt-guard of the Forebear's Blade. Integrates, upgrades, and imbues Breaker of Suns and Core Panoply into the Blade, causing the resulting Advancement to be available to the worthy wielders of that weapon. This does mean that effects which renounce the blade, even temporarily such as Sword in the Stone, will deprive the wielder of those Advancements for the duration.
*Retroactively apply the % Rank Gain from Breaker of Suns to the Rank acquired from Core Panoply.
*Combine the wielder's Might with their Charisma. Combine all Attribute +s, sum all % Modifiers, and effects that augment or draw upon the Attributes in question now interact fully and seamlessly with the new combined Attribute, named Potency. Refinement of Battle now multiplies Potency, increasing both the character's physical and interpersonal force with undiluted effectiveness; Vigor Incarnate adds the character's full Potency to their Protection. Holy Shit doubles the character's Potency against individuals weaker than him. However, Sky Veil now reduces physical strength alongside charisma if employed.
*+++++++++++++++++++++++++Potency, Potency minimum modifier set to 500%
*The intensity of Supreme Commander is automatically maximized regardless of feats. Even unmoving does the character's power distend the Astral wheresoever his name is known.
*Add the Prowess Attribute to the character's trainable qualities. Perhaps with sufficient skill the consequences of power overwhelming might be mitigated.
The path of sheer power, strategic demarcation of separate routes employed by Hunger and Gisena - his the direct, and hers the esoteric, towards the goal of eradicating Dien. Aside from the Supreme Commander upgrade, a very substantial change, the Regalia does not directly provide Hunger with the tools necessary to locate Dien, but such magnitude of raw strength can be leveraged in many ways, especially if combined with further Rank-augmenting Advancements.
Gisena will still be assisted by Hunger in developing Graces, and will create those Graces she determines to be most suited to countering Dien.
[ ] Halo Crown - Purchase Closing the Fist, Once and Future II (upgraded to III via the Seraph's Favor) and Mythology Halo for a total of 65 Arete and various picks. As Mythology Halo is the only three-pick Advancement in this combination, Hunger won't have to undergo another three-pick fight.
Mythology Halo [3 picks, 28 Arete] - Req. Ring of Artifice, Renaissance Woman, Feat: Orb
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.
Example Halos:
Halo of Singularity - Auspex Temporal, True Perfecting Blade, True Nullity. The bearer constantly exudes a world-state paradigm whereby all effects beyond the baseline capabilities of one's form can only be achieved by skill or technology, but the potential of the latter is wholly unbound.
Renaissance Halo - Evoker's Panoply, Grace of the Glaze, Maiden's Whisper. The bearer loses access to the component Graces, but may through this Halo manifest any two Graces she has encountered, and may alter the manifested Graces every twenty-one hundred hours. The strength of these manifested Graces will not massively exceed that of her mightiest native Grace.
*With both Hunger and Gisena gaining access to new paradigms of advancement, this is a highly greedy build but ought be quite effective in addressing Dien's strategy. They will have many options to choose from, thus a good chance of assembling an array of capabilities which directly compete with or nullify Dien's means.
[ ] Forbearance - It is not enough that the future sovereign should walk the same path as the once-King. Go further beyond, press onwards to new horizons and greater heights, until the procession of worlds trembles and breaks beneath the weight of such might.
Once and Future II (III) + Closing the Fist + Imprisoner's Refinement. Train Imprisoner's Refinement (Flood of Runes) and Imprisoner's Refinement (The Best Defense). A total of 25 + 12 + 25 + 7 = 69 Arete will be spent. Massively strengthens the Seal of Ruin while opening up future techniques of the Sealing Praxis. Once and Future III + Closing the Fist, alongside Gisena's developed Graces, offer the utility to attempt locating, outscaling, or out-fortifying Dien. The maximized Seal of Ruin ensures that the Hero does not make some miraculous retreat if he is found.
Imprisoner's Refinement - 1 + 7 Praxis picks / 25 Arete
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.
Examples:
Refinement of Battle: The Best Defense - Increases the offensive multiplier by 70%, but reduces the defensive by 30%. Advantageous for Hunger who possesses the Power of Ruin.
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.
Refinement of Quickness: Always Forward - Reduces ISH elevation by 30% outside of combat or when fully retreating from conflict, but steadily ramps elevation by up to 2x if necessary to match an opponent still quicker than the Refinement-boosted practitioner.
[ ] Share the Weight - Heavy lies the crown, save for he with the strength to bear it. But sometimes the burden of rule requires more than strength to overcome.
Closing the Fist 12 + Sublime Fulcrum 25 + Vitruvian Template + Legendary Template 7 + 7 (one use) + Mythology Halo 28.
The Ring of Blood: Sublime Fulcrum (3 picks, 25 Arete)
The actions of one mortal may overturn the world, but it takes the actions of a people to remake it. To he who bears the Ring of Blood, appears that lever by which the Ages of the world may be turned.
Rather than the unfocused comprehensive boost of Ennoblement or First Flaring, this Advancement permits the wielder to directly alter, re-arrange, specialize and substantially enhance the fundamental and derived essences of a creature, creating a new baseline species capable of surviving unsupported by the influence of the Ring. The wielder may select from one of the following templates or design his own. Each template beyond the first requires either 7 Arete or increasing amounts of research time to acquire.
Thereafter, a template may be applied to those in close range given a few hours of focus, or a few moments of physical contact for Simple templates. Templates may be resisted if the target is capable of resisting the wielder's Blood Domain, though at an effective 0.5 Rank penalty. Templates do not stack effectively with Ennoblement or each other.
Advanced Templates:
Vitruvian - The endpoint of genetic selection. Target receives ++++++++++All Attributes except Protection and Luck (halved for Attributes they possess more than +++++++ in) and their base lifespan is extended a hundredfold or set to ten thousand years, whichever is greater. Vitruvians benefit from powerful and comprehensive regeneration and are all capable of manifesting the baseline magics of the reality they currently inhabit. Highly adaptive in the face of necessity, capable of developing to mental and physical maturity at a furious pace without flaws or complications if necessary. Fully Armament-compatible if used on baseline humans.
Legendary (25 additional Arete per use) - 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. Cannot be applied to oneself. One use per Geas task.
Hunger can merge with the Legendary-augmented Aobaru via the Closing the Fist, or gain a powerful secondary asset with the strengthened Aobaru within Novakhron. The Vitruvian Template further assists Gisena in making the most of her Halo Advancement, while a greater portion of the burden is taken off of Hunger's own shoulders. The Vitruvian Template is also a useful precursor for those Ring of Blood advancements best suited to reversing at least part of Dien's monstrous contagion.
However, this configuration is very expensive and places a lot of power in the hands of the potentially unreliable - or at least, less mentally unbreakable - companions rather than Hunger himself.
---
If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat, you're welcome to join the AST Discord!
A huge thanks to all my subscribers on Patreon! The amount of support has been truly incredible! Subscribers receive access to patron-exclusive content, such as the Blurb Library, early updates, Discord roles, Wishes, commissions, and bonus chapters.
The Realm of Evening was the site of magnificent opulence beyond mortal dreams of luxury. Few places were better suited to mirthful indolence, though there was little such in evidence today. Gisena had recruited all their companions into assistants for her experimentation, which proceeded at a feverish pace unmindful of bodily or spiritual demands. The ambrosia of Evening, and their own Rank and magics, would more than suffice to supply them with vigor enough for the interim. All the power around them had been turned to the purpose of bare function, and the wonders that spilled forth merely prelude to war.
It was a shame, Hunger thought, that none of them would get to enjoy the Realm as it was intended this jaunt. Theirs was a voluntary conscription, but perhaps he could still intervene...
He strode in wearily, finding the Sorceress of Nullity at the center of a mystical conflagration, prismatic elements fluxing and blazing in controlled pandemonium around her. Runes carved in Vigorflame and Shadowcord guttered about on her periphery, straining to maintain their shape as they one-by-one winked out. Gisena released a tide of Nullity, extinguishing the rest as she strode pertly over to greet him.
"How stereotypical," he scoffed. "As soon as she gets magic, it's onwards with the multi-colored explosions and incomprehensible sigils. At least try to maintain something of your dignity as an anti-magic specialist."
Gisena smiled dreamily. "Aren't they wonderful? Such beautiful lights to reflect the vast bounty of potential they carry! These reified Graces will be combined into something far more versatile someday."
"If you want support from the Realm of Evening, I can sit here and assist you while I convalesce from my own training. You'll have to let the kids go, however. Letrizia's a duchess and Adorie is even royalty; who knows what kinds of enemies you're making by forcing them them to work in such an environment? How inhumane."
She pouted. "Aww, but they volunteered! And I didn't even try very hard to convince them. There's no need to resort to human rights excuses. You can just admit that you want me all to yourself, hun!"
"Given your powers of influence, one would say you have an implicate duty not to try convincing them at all."
Gisena smiled sadly. "The implicate duty failed to defeat one warlord of this kind. Why would it be any more effective against another?"
"Then I will be explicit. Defeating Dien is our paramount priority, but a balanced approach would be better suited to combat effectiveness in both the medium and long runs. Your 'assistants' follow your example, so for their good you should set a more sustainable pace."
"Is that the example you've set for us?" Gisena raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Of course. Haven't I just told you I'd be convalescing between training sessions?"
But while they occurred, of course, he would have no choice but to do his uttermost...
---
Let us return, for a time, to that eon of elysian fire, when the petals of the firmament unfurled to rain annihilating oblivion, rapturous and irresistible, upon our languished forms...
The-That-Was spoke, and its word was a raiment and pronouncement of doom, strait-jacket laid upon the cosmos and tightened to suffocating constriction. Hunger sallied to meet it, this figment of his imagination, phantasm of the Evening Realm who even semi-corporeal eclipsed the greatest of Dien's monstrosities.
The-That-Was, was the past in all its glory, an Epochal Thing of unquiet legacies gathered like a thunderhead, time-space distorted in cauliflower bloom about it. The glance of its regard was showering cinders, its cloud-giant limbs pillar to whole realities, the curve of its profile the pearly gates! It eclipsed an Armament what an Armament was to a man, its every stride a seizure upon creation; momentary paroxysm beneath which the senses guttered like a flame, afterwards restored only unnaturally and fundamentally changed.
This was the enemy he had bid his Realm conjure, spell-dreamt into being, that he might face a foe worthy of consumption by his Ring.
Sometimes Hunger wondered if the drive to advancement, in its unremitting lunacy, was itself the most dangerous aspect of the Apocryphal Curse. In preparing for his greatest challenge, he had voluntarily subjected himself to a challenge even greater; his soul now a stained-glass mosaic, ruptured and pressed whole beneath the apocalyptic enormity of his current opponent. To that, the same refrain played as it always did, as it always must.
His soul could yield, his blade could yield, his Realm could yield, but he could not. That was what kept him coherent against the blanketing tide, the trillion-supernova force of his... training dummy's Rank continuously iterating and erupting, seeking to crash against him and crush him, smear him into his constituent elements and obliterate his remains.
There was a distinction to be made between the magnitude of a power and its reach. Even a baseline Armament held Rank sufficient to withstand the mass-energy of the entire material universe launched against it - though the gradient of that Rank, like gravity its analogue, diminished precipitously with distance, so that an ordinary Armament could not effectively control more than one star system without logistical support.
The-That-Was held no such weakness, for it embodied and mastered not merely the fabric of the Astral but of the material its mirror; space was its dominion as wholly as pressure, and the onslaught of its Rank came from all directions unrelenting.
Such was the intensity demanded of his Ring, to find further purchase among the summits he'd reached. And yet he almost despaired that his journey had only begun.
The Accursed had done it, and Haeliel after him... a journey of such interminable length and ferocious hardship that it was literally inconceivable to Hunger in his present form. That was what pushed him onwards, what maintained his resolve: that the Hunger of tomorrow, would not be so weak as he was today.
The thunder of his opponent resounded in his ears as he plunged forward once more, Refinements of the Praxis like a comet-trail of runes. Onwards and forwards, the piercing thrust that had felled Procyon mastered and re-invented a thousand, ten thousand times: at last his blade found purchase in the Epochal Thing's chest, at last he struck more than starlight and air, and burrowing Ruin like enmeshed fingers dug deep its roots and tore.
Mere time could not withstand that, or its concupiscence for Rank. Like the march of ages yielding to entropy, his opponent succumbed. With a great ecstatic bellowing the monster exploded beneath him, thread of its organs arrayed spontaneously into a symbol:
Time burns. Cursebearer.
This was no suicide-burst, no defiance by mere force, physical or astral. Alongside its brief message, the symbol merely spelled out the hours remaining before Hunger would be forced to depart the Realm of Evening this month. One last parting shot from that distillation of bygone times.
Fitting. That Hunger did not appreciate the aesthetic, did not mean he failed to grasp the salience of its message.
Outside, too, mere force did not suffice to overcome his present opponent. As it had failed The-That-Was against Hunger, by means of Hunger's resolve; so too had Hunger's strategy failed against Dien, by means of Dien's cunning. The Foremost Shard had simply declined to fight a conventional war, and Hunger, so used to direct means, had failed to adapt to this new theatre of conflict. Where before he had soldiered onto victory through sheer concentration of power, this arena required its effective dispersion, and their lukewarm attempt - separating into two parties - had fallen woefully short of reality's demand.
Could they have done better, knowing what they did at the time? Or would the Apocryphal Curse merely have found another vexation to highlight, another weakpoint to sting? He had grown mightily in strength, so much so that Dien had been active for weeks and still feared to confront Hunger directly... but his strength could not be applied with the range, the finesse, the fluidity to confront the Surgeon wheresoever he might spread, and thus Hunger was doomed to play catch-up against an ever-expanding foe.
Better this, he supposed, than a foe that was simply so overwhelmingly powerful as to extinguish Hunger before any attempt at resistance could be made. Yet still it felt grossly unfair. Had he become a paragon of versatility instead, expending his resources in that direction, would the Apocryphal have simply summoned a juggernaut in the mold of the Epochal Thing, sheer brute strength which relegated such tricks to little more than pantomime before its oceanic might?
Or was that not an admonition, but a solution in itself? Yes, Dien was clever, his plans myriad and contingencies multi-layered, but if Hunger simply grew more powerful than the Foremost could ever challenge, wouldn't his problem be solved?
He scoffed. Easily contemplated, when such examples as the Accursed existed. But the lesson of his Praxis, showed it the farthest thing from easy.
Do or do not, but always try. His patron's meaning, implicit within the very structure of the Art. All Hunger could do was continue to strive, continue to push himself to live up to that meaning and that purpose. He still had to repay the Accursed; he could not falter before.
Try hard enough, and the world would break before he did. No ailment, no Curse or adversary could compare. That was the promise of the Praxis. An impossible ideal. A dream of fairness, defiant against all and everything.
He would put his faith in that dream, as the wielder of his Blade had before him.
---
Hunger has unlocked Once and Future III, which can be purchased by acquiring Once and Future II in conjunction with the Seraph's Favor.
[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.
---
You've about 65 Arete. Hunger has completed a three-pick fight without substantial lasting injuries, though he had to expend a re-roll to do so, having rolled poorly on his first attempt. The winner was [X] Strife without End and [X] Critical Mass.
[ ] Regalia of Strife - Including pre-requisites. A total of 62 Arete and 4 picks will be spent.
Inset upon that iron guard like jewels atop a crown, like stars plucked from evening's face and forge-bound into covenant; the tears of the sky adorn that murder-weapon, wed might to glory that all under heaven shall yield to its reign.
*The Tears of Winter are fused with the Evening Sky, then set upon the hilt-guard of the Forebear's Blade. Integrates, upgrades, and imbues Breaker of Suns and Core Panoply into the Blade, causing the resulting Advancement to be available to the worthy wielders of that weapon. This does mean that effects which renounce the blade, even temporarily such as Sword in the Stone, will deprive the wielder of those Advancements for the duration.
*Retroactively apply the % Rank Gain from Breaker of Suns to the Rank acquired from Core Panoply.
*Combine the wielder's Might with their Charisma. Combine all Attribute +s, sum all % Modifiers, and effects that augment or draw upon the Attributes in question now interact fully and seamlessly with the new combined Attribute, named Potency. Refinement of Battle now multiplies Potency, increasing both the character's physical and interpersonal force with undiluted effectiveness; Vigor Incarnate adds the character's full Potency to their Protection. Holy Shit doubles the character's Potency against individuals weaker than him. However, Sky Veil now reduces physical strength alongside charisma if employed.
*+++++++++++++++++++++++++Potency, Potency minimum modifier set to 500%
*The intensity of Supreme Commander is automatically maximized regardless of feats. Even unmoving does the character's power distend the Astral wheresoever his name is known.
*Add the Prowess Attribute to the character's trainable qualities. Perhaps with sufficient skill the consequences of power overwhelming might be mitigated.
The path of sheer power, strategic demarcation of separate routes employed by Hunger and Gisena - his the direct, and hers the esoteric, towards the goal of eradicating Dien. Aside from the Supreme Commander upgrade, a very substantial change, the Regalia does not directly provide Hunger with the tools necessary to locate Dien, but such magnitude of raw strength can be leveraged in many ways, especially if combined with further Rank-augmenting Advancements.
Gisena will still be assisted by Hunger in developing Graces, and will create those Graces she determines to be most suited to countering Dien.
[ ] Halo Crown - Purchase Closing the Fist, Once and Future II (upgraded to III via the Seraph's Favor) and Mythology Halo for a total of 65 Arete and various picks. As Mythology Halo is the only three-pick Advancement in this combination, Hunger won't have to undergo another three-pick fight.
Mythology Halo [3 picks, 28 Arete] - Req. Ring of Artifice, Renaissance Woman, Feat: Orb
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.
Example Halos:
Halo of Singularity - Auspex Temporal, True Perfecting Blade, True Nullity. The bearer constantly exudes a world-state paradigm whereby all effects beyond the baseline capabilities of one's form can only be achieved by skill or technology, but the potential of the latter is wholly unbound.
Renaissance Halo - Evoker's Panoply, Grace of the Glaze, Maiden's Whisper. The bearer loses access to the component Graces, but may through this Halo manifest any two Graces she has encountered, and may alter the manifested Graces every twenty-one hundred hours. The strength of these manifested Graces will not massively exceed that of her mightiest native Grace.
*With both Hunger and Gisena gaining access to new paradigms of advancement, this is a highly greedy build but ought be quite effective in addressing Dien's strategy. They will have many options to choose from, thus a good chance of assembling an array of capabilities which directly compete with or nullify Dien's means.
[ ] Forbearance - It is not enough that the future sovereign should walk the same path as the once-King. Go further beyond, press onwards to new horizons and greater heights, until the procession of worlds trembles and breaks beneath the weight of such might.
Once and Future II (III) + Closing the Fist + Imprisoner's Refinement. Train Imprisoner's Refinement (Flood of Runes) and Imprisoner's Refinement (The Best Defense). A total of 25 + 12 + 25 + 7 = 69 Arete will be spent. Massively strengthens the Seal of Ruin while opening up future techniques of the Sealing Praxis. Once and Future III + Closing the Fist, alongside Gisena's developed Graces, offer the utility to attempt locating, outscaling, or out-fortifying Dien. The maximized Seal of Ruin ensures that the Hero does not make some miraculous retreat if he is found.
Imprisoner's Refinement - 1 + 7 Praxis picks / 25 Arete
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.
Examples:
Refinement of Battle: The Best Defense - Increases the offensive multiplier by 70%, but reduces the defensive by 30%. Advantageous for Hunger who possesses the Power of Ruin.
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.
Refinement of Quickness: Always Forward - Reduces ISH elevation by 30% outside of combat or when fully retreating from conflict, but steadily ramps elevation by up to 2x if necessary to match an opponent still quicker than the Refinement-boosted practitioner.
[ ] Share the Weight - Heavy lies the crown, save for he with the strength to bear it. But sometimes the burden of rule requires more than strength to overcome.
Closing the Fist 12 + Sublime Fulcrum 25 + Vitruvian Template + Legendary Template 7 + 7 (one use) + Mythology Halo 28.
The Ring of Blood: Sublime Fulcrum (3 picks, 25 Arete)
The actions of one mortal may overturn the world, but it takes the actions of a people to remake it. To he who bears the Ring of Blood, appears that lever by which the Ages of the world may be turned.
Rather than the unfocused comprehensive boost of Ennoblement or First Flaring, this Advancement permits the wielder to directly alter, re-arrange, specialize and substantially enhance the fundamental and derived essences of a creature, creating a new baseline species capable of surviving unsupported by the influence of the Ring. The wielder may select from one of the following templates or design his own. Each template beyond the first requires either 7 Arete or increasing amounts of research time to acquire.
Thereafter, a template may be applied to those in close range given a few hours of focus, or a few moments of physical contact for Simple templates. Templates may be resisted if the target is capable of resisting the wielder's Blood Domain, though at an effective 0.5 Rank penalty. Templates do not stack effectively with Ennoblement or each other.
Advanced Templates:
Vitruvian - The endpoint of genetic selection. Target receives ++++++++++All Attributes except Protection and Luck (halved for Attributes they possess more than +++++++ in) and their base lifespan is extended a hundredfold or set to ten thousand years, whichever is greater. Vitruvians benefit from powerful and comprehensive regeneration and are all capable of manifesting the baseline magics of the reality they currently inhabit. Highly adaptive in the face of necessity, capable of developing to mental and physical maturity at a furious pace without flaws or complications if necessary. Fully Armament-compatible if used on baseline humans.
Legendary (25 additional Arete per use) - 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. Cannot be applied to oneself. One use per Geas task.
Hunger can merge with the Legendary-augmented Aobaru via the Closing the Fist, or gain a powerful secondary asset with the strengthened Aobaru within Novakhron. The Vitruvian Template further assists Gisena in making the most of her Halo Advancement, while a greater portion of the burden is taken off of Hunger's own shoulders. The Vitruvian Template is also a useful precursor for those Ring of Blood advancements best suited to reversing at least part of Dien's monstrous contagion.
However, this configuration is very expensive and places a lot of power in the hands of the potentially unreliable - or at least, less mentally unbreakable - companions rather than Hunger himself.
---
If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat, you're welcome to join the AST Discord!
A huge thanks to all my subscribers on Patreon! The amount of support has been truly incredible! Subscribers receive access to patron-exclusive content, such as the Blurb Library, early updates, Discord roles, Wishes, commissions, and bonus chapters.
Last edited:
- Location
- US
I'd say something about Page Gang, but we're already at the top of the page, so...
Sidenote, but Runes carved into Imaginary Elements as a medium? I got to say, I didn't expect that to be possible. They seemed a bit more fleeting than that, with Edeldross as an exception, but clearly I don't understand the fundaments of Imaginary Elements enough.
Though, I suppose one could argue that all of the systems of the Voyaging Realm can be traced back to a degraded version of the True Quintessence of the Foremost. In which case, it only makes sense.
EDIT: And, I posted the second the update dropped. Wow, that's some timing.
Sidenote, but Runes carved into Imaginary Elements as a medium? I got to say, I didn't expect that to be possible. They seemed a bit more fleeting than that, with Edeldross as an exception, but clearly I don't understand the fundaments of Imaginary Elements enough.
Though, I suppose one could argue that all of the systems of the Voyaging Realm can be traced back to a degraded version of the True Quintessence of the Foremost. In which case, it only makes sense.
EDIT: And, I posted the second the update dropped. Wow, that's some timing.
- Location
- US
Cool blurb, but what does this actually mean?
Is this a permanent +1 ISH to all actions? Does this unlock a new system, as evidenced by the bit that the Forebear used this to mimic the Royal Sword Praxis? (But I thought that was what Cut Through was used for? Is this like a prerequisite that the Forebear had to get before being able to get Cut Through to unlock the Sword Praxis, but for us it does something else? In which case, what is that something else?)
Last edited:
Zampano
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
- Location
- Simping for DSB
This reads to me like we will be offered additional Forebear advancements like Slice Fate, What Rains May Come, etc. I'm not sure what "metaphysical ontology" means but it sure sounds like it interfaces with the hierarchy of Physical Realm < Realm of Forms < Realm of ???, rather than being related to the Infinite Singularity Husk.
Kind of a step sideways, considering we've got Imperial Praxis options but aren't nearly as talented (in anything) as the OG FB
Tyrant_Rayne
Probably Not Evil… Maybe
- Location
- Canada
I think the Forebear developed this as a way to bring up the power of his other, non-sword, abilities so that they could match the Royal Sword Praxis. He probably faced the same problem Hunger did in that not everything can be sworded to death and used this to increase his versatility.
Edit: And speaking of versatility
[X] Halo Crown
This is probably our best shot at developing Anti-Dien capabilities.
Last edited:
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Maybe Metaphysical Ontology is like a world? A set of laws of physics, a cosmology, a worldstate one carries with them wherever they go, enabling all the techniques dependent on that cosmology/worldstate to work for them everywhere.
Rihaku
The Internet
Once and Future III gives Hunger a new paradigm of capabilities. It can be used to develop a magic system, or a system of physics with advanced technology, or stranger and more orthogonal abilities, so long as the total capabilities granted are not on balance greater than those of a limited Royal Praxis magic such as the Sword Praxis.
Tyrant_Rayne
Probably Not Evil… Maybe
- Location
- Canada
I'm pretty sure share the weight is the only one that needs another 3 pick because it needs both Sublime Fulcrum and Halo.
- Location
- US
EDIT: Share the Weight has two 3-pick advancements, nevermind.
Regalia of Strife has Regalia of Strife as the 3-pick.
Halo Crown has Mythology Halo as the 3-pick.
Forebearance has no 3-pick advancement. Kind of a waste since we just burned a reroll on a 3-pick fight tbh.
Share the Weight has Sublime Fulcrum as the 3-pick.
EDIT: Share the Weight also has Mythology Halo, nevermind.
ImperatorV
The Laughing One
- Location
- The Voyaging Realm
So basically...
Regalia of Strife focuses all on raw power, hoping to just smash Dien.
Halo Crown instead focuses on developing new capabilities, including investigating the new "metaphysical ontology". Is stated to be highly greedy, and thus probably focuses on outscaling Dien - a valid strategy, it's how we beat Ber after all.
Forbearance is similar to Halo Crown, but instead of utilizing Gisena it goes deep into Sealing Praxis, and has a strong possibility of actually cornering Dien.
Share the Weight gives us super-Aobaru, super Gisena, and fusions, although it's very expensive and spends most of the power on allies.
My opinion is a definite No to Regalia of Strife, but I haven't decided how I rank the other choices yet.
Regalia of Strife focuses all on raw power, hoping to just smash Dien.
Halo Crown instead focuses on developing new capabilities, including investigating the new "metaphysical ontology". Is stated to be highly greedy, and thus probably focuses on outscaling Dien - a valid strategy, it's how we beat Ber after all.
Forbearance is similar to Halo Crown, but instead of utilizing Gisena it goes deep into Sealing Praxis, and has a strong possibility of actually cornering Dien.
Share the Weight gives us super-Aobaru, super Gisena, and fusions, although it's very expensive and spends most of the power on allies.
My opinion is a definite No to Regalia of Strife, but I haven't decided how I rank the other choices yet.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Regalia of Strife = 4 picks, implications unclear
Halo Crown = No second fight
Forbearance = No Second fight? Closing the Fist is a 1 pick, Imprisoner's Refinement is a 1 pick, and OAF II/III is a 1 pick
Share the Weight = Sublime Fulcrum and Mythology Halo, 2 3 pick fights. second fight needed.
Halo Crown = No second fight
Forbearance = No Second fight? Closing the Fist is a 1 pick, Imprisoner's Refinement is a 1 pick, and OAF II/III is a 1 pick
Share the Weight = Sublime Fulcrum and Mythology Halo, 2 3 pick fights. second fight needed.
- Location
- US
Regalia of Strife was mentioned to be a 3-pick 50 Arete advancement in the prior threadmark.
Closing the Fist is the only prerequisite left for us to get Regalia of Strife, and that's 1 pick and 12 Arete.
3+1 = 4, 50 + 12 = 62. And that's the cost.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Ok. So I guess Regalia of Strife makes Hunger have to deal with a 1 pick fight? Halo Crown and Forbearance don't ask Hunger to fight another round, and Share the Weight asks for a 2nd 3 pick fight from Hunger.
- Location
- US
Well, we were going to deal with a bunch of 1-picks for the sake of Echo Spam anyway, so I don't really consider it an increase in danger, tbh.
ImperatorV
The Laughing One
- Location
- The Voyaging Realm
Technically, Halo Crown and Forbearance require some 2-pick and 1-pick fights, but 2-pick fights don't have a death chance in the RoE. 3-picks need those, because non-death conditions can be cleared very easily in the RoE, so a death chance is required for it to be a challenge.
Anyway, the fact that Share the Weight requires another 3-pick fight (and thus death roll) makes it a definite No in my book. Only Mythology Halo and Forbearance are still in the running for me - incidentally, both have OaF III, which I have discovered is amazing.
...Now, do we want Gisena buffs or Praxis Seals more?
Anyway, the fact that Share the Weight requires another 3-pick fight (and thus death roll) makes it a definite No in my book. Only Mythology Halo and Forbearance are still in the running for me - incidentally, both have OaF III, which I have discovered is amazing.
...Now, do we want Gisena buffs or Praxis Seals more?
No, that would be going back in time and taking Barricade.
Turns out this combination of options doesn't work together at all, who would've guessed it.
Fucking hell.
[X] Regalia of Strife
Taking Regalia here feels so fucking bad, but it beats unholy abomination that is Halo/OaF.
What part of last six updates makes you think that we "want" Praxis Seals?
Last edited:
- Location
- Europe
[X] Halo Crown
This gets us Closing the Fist, OaF 3, and Mythology halo. I love it. A new meta-ontology will be cool, as well.
If needed this means Hunger can fuse with Gisena when they face Dien, presumably adding his strength to her versatility and snapping him over their knee.
This gets us Closing the Fist, OaF 3, and Mythology halo. I love it. A new meta-ontology will be cool, as well.
If needed this means Hunger can fuse with Gisena when they face Dien, presumably adding his strength to her versatility and snapping him over their knee.
Zampano
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
- Location
- Simping for DSB
Worth mentioning that Share the Weight would also apply Vitruvian to Adorie & the Teens. It's a stat boost as big as Barricade offered to Adorie! I'm not sure what the magics of the Human Sphere are (maybe there are none?) but Aobaru and Adorie would benefit hugely when they return to the VR. Adorie would be able to use magic directly instead of being restricted to her bloodline, and Aobaru would be better prepared for his duties as theme park janitor.
Aeira will get +5 stealth, i guess.
Aeira will get +5 stealth, i guess.