A Simple Transaction I

[Jaguar2234]

[X] Vengeance

 

[Theo belmonk]

Is there an index with a list of all cyoas made here?

 

[Aabcehmu]

Is there an index with a list of all cyoas made here?

Click to shrink...

Took me a while to remember that it was threadmarked, but there's an MYC index in the Media threadmarks tab.

 

[Echki]

[X] Freedom

 

[Birdsie]

Out of the Infinite Morning time!

I was bored, so I invented yet another path to ultimate power besides the ones I already made (such as First and Final King or that one Seraphic god-seduction build.)

The Ultimate, Final Essentialist
Location: The Blasted Heath +3
Magic: Self-Fortification -1, Essential Gift -3
Benefits: Heroic Destiny -1, Chosen One: Essential Gift -2, Seraphic Countenance -3
Artifacts: n/a
Drawbacks: Three Wishes +1, Hamartia: Pride +1, Blatant Beckoning +1, Third Impact +2, Ark's Golden Gloom +2

Because there'll never be a stronger Essentialist than this.

Once you Impact, enter Final Form immediately. With Essential Gift, you have the same potential as the King of Arranor; with Chosen One, you'll already have attained his own tier, and then you'll be able to swiftly advance to about tenfold the level. Countenance's Final Form, naturally, boosts you at least tenfold, so...

You're now charged with about a hundred times the essence and raw talent of the King of Arranor, who's reckoned as the strongest essentialist alive. This can actually vary depending on the particular mechanics of Chosen One, and how much the "at least" clause in Final Form works in your favor, but 'about a hundred times' is accurate enough.

Now you've got several options on what to do: either channel all essences to simply cast Wish and undo the worst effects of the Third Impact with a massive Time working, or channel all essences into yourself for Self-Fortification - which, with its namesake pick and syncretic meta-methodology, should make you at least Nameless-tier in power when you're not shedding your Countenance. Frankly, you can probably attempt to do both: start with the working, and spend the leftover essence on self-enhancement. Barely any moral costs, and you're now easily one of the mightiest beings on Pleroma; even mightier when you enter Final Form.

Before long, contesting the Ogdoad's Grand Hierophant on equal terms should be possible whenever you're in Final Form, if you are that way inclined. If I were to do this myself, I'd probably experiment with essences immediately and abuse some of my metaknowledge to reach attainments that probably not even Bath Kol knows are possible, and then brute-force my way through the Hand's Cordon and start exploring the Hierarchy. I'd also likely aim to reach the Estates and acquire the Authority of Untrammeled Power, which frankly makes these quantities of essence seem rather trivial, and likely doubly so in Final Form. (It's called Untrammeled for a reason.)

Some Beckoned cheat / are built different. Sorry, Zoran.

 

[HoratioVonBecker]

If I were to do this myself, I'd probably experiment with essences immediately and abuse some of my metaknowledge to reach attainments that probably not even Bath Kol knows are possible

Click to shrink...

Anything you can share?

(It's called Untrammeled for a reason.)

Click to shrink...

You keep saying that word, so I looked it up. I was introduced to it as part of an orbital fortress name in Schlock Mercenary, and presumed it meant 'not trod upon'. Instead the etymology is closer to 'untrawled', in that it has not been caught by a fishing net.

 

[Birdsie]

Anything you can share?

Click to shrink...

I don't know how much I'm allowed to tell you, but according to what I've learned, to give the short version, the essential aspects are deprecated divisions of a far more ancient ontologically fundamental 'substance' (not called essence) which can have incredibly vast and powerful effects beyond what even mastered essentialism can achieve. I've theorized (but never had it confirmed) that an essentialist of truly inhuman talent and reserves could combine all the aspects to craft small quantities of it.

You keep saying that word, so I looked it up. I was introduced to it as part of an orbital fortress name in Schlock Mercenary, and presumed it meant 'not trod upon'. Instead the etymology is closer to 'untrawled', in that it has not been caught by a fishing net.

Click to shrink...

Ah, I'm afraid Untrammeled in this context means unconstrained and limitless. The Authority grants you incredible power... without any guarantees of control. It requires training to access the reservoir without accidentally destroying the world. The Estates haven't ended yet because there are inbuilt safeties on them to mitigate the foolishness of Untrammeled Power's mantle-bearers. It's not simply explosive power; Untrammeled Power can generate virtually any domain from narrative significance to essence to even information. A Litanist with it could signal-boost their Litanies to remove ontological dependence on the Dominion.

 

[Rihaku]

Songs of the Dusk Age / The Sheer Nerve

A Gunstar Autocthonia build

Take the Plunge
Drawbacks: Hierarch II, Artifice Bound, Wrack and Ruin, Diplomatic Gambit (HI Gunstar Autocthonia), Maker's Bane, Epochal Nemesis

Total Budget: 24T, 16I

Egotist V (9T, 9I)
*Strive, Yin Path, Uttermost: +33 Willpower, +14 Agility
*System: Full Psionics (Life, Mind, Essence, Limited: Space, Time, Forces, Fate; casts at -5, chief Attribute: Willpower or Nerve)
Surgeon IV (7T, 4I)
*Brains and Brawn: Willpower
Emissary IV (8T, 3I)
*Gift: Engineer -> Hero's Bearing (Heroic Talent: Fuse Willpower and Wits into Nerve, take higher)

Notable Attributes: Nerve 59 +s, Agi 29 +s, Physicals ~15 +s, Most Others ~8 +s

With Elites at 49 / 49 / 19 +s and myself with archmastery of an extremely broad Uttermost system casting at 54 +s, the War of Glory would be all but over if my Epochal Nemesis hadn't appeared to give the Titans a shot in the arm. Dealing with the Hierarch is actually a rather serious issue given our Diplomatic Gambit-limited budget; we have a surfeit of raw power over them so Psionics is made especially broad in order to close off easy hard counters. Hopefully the hypercompetence of Nerve 59 +s married to the serendipity of Attributes-appropriate Rank will, when married to my other powers, suffice to slay them utterly. Then it's mostly a matter of helping the Exalted and my society to outscale my Epochal Nemesis. Not a sure thing given the latter will have the Primordials' aid, but given how self-destructive and incompatible the Primordials are, the odds are likely in our favor.

Our long-term potential is somewhat crippled by Wrack and Ruin, though at 59 +s our power already meets or eclipses that of an HI Incarna without concerns of mote scarcity or limited purview, and our Rank (~21) is such that samsara itself would ordain our victory once the Epochal Nemesis is handled.

The calculation ultimately comes down to this:
-Me vs the Epochal Nemesis: An equal bout, favoring me due to Wrack and Ruin
-The Exalted + Crowned Halo Society vs the Primordials: Strongly favors the Exalted; even a single 49/49/19 Elite would be a terror with proper support, let alone the 54/54/24 Arch-Psioness

Once the winners of either bout are free, they can assist their faction in the deadlocked first bout to bring about a conclusion. Most likely this will be the victors of the second bout assisting the first. The Arch-Psioness - not afflicted by Wrack and Ruin - will probably be a better scaling platform than me.

 

[ApotheosisJuice]

So, vali made a CYOA, and then so did my eternal rival, Bard, so did Rihaku, and finally, even Orm. It seems imperative now, that I do the same, being this thread's premier Arete Miner…

So here's a CYOA from a universe I've been writing since I was ten years old.

It would actually be more accurate to say that I had incepted it when I was ten years old, and then it underwent constant refinement as I aged, with the hopes of one day releasing a novel. It's basically the magnum opus that will never see the light of day, except in some limited release forms, such as this CYOA. It may strike you as odd to have this notion disabused, but if you think it's too bloated as a result, I'll say to the contrary, I believe it actually holds nicely: the aforementioned "refinement" included cutting out unnecessary parts.

So, here we are. The Games In Silver CYOA.

Wordcount is 10,301.

Spoiler

The Games In Silver CYOA​

"It ascends from earth to heaven, and descends again to the earth, and receives the power of the higher and lower things. By this means you shall have the glory of the whole world and thereby all obscurity shall fly from you. Its force is above all force, for it vanquishes every subtle thing and penetrates every solid thing." - Hermes Trismegistus, Tabula Smaragdina

Once, there was a Game in Silver.
There were the ancestors of man.

Once, there was a Song in Gold.
There were the beginnings of time.

Once, there was an Idol in Platinum.
There was an ancient rhyme.

Once, there was a Mind in Void.
And it was awareness sublime.

In abiding the fall, it rose high.
And for creation, it did cry.​

---

Oh, dear- is, is that, is that what I think it is? It can't- it has to be! Right, it is!

Hahahahahaha, hahahahahahaha! AHA HA HA HA, HOO HOO, HAA, HAA, HAA, HAA, HAH! You- Ha, you, actually- Oh, no, I can't- uh- hu-hu-ACK!

Bleckhg. Ekhe-he-hem.

Ahe-hem. Almost choked on my spit there, he-he-he~! I keep wondering if perhaps you humans keep coming back just to torture me… Ahem, anyway...

Hello! Hello! Hello!

Oh sweetest dreams, most exalted golden hues of the source! A human wanders into the domain of Silver, what frabjous day, come here my beamish boy or girl and let me kiss you upon both cheeks! Mwah, mwah, ha-ha!

Now. Have you ever dreamt of wonder or adventure? Or perhaps of peace and quiet? The universe can provide anything to he who tries, but if you want peace and quiet, perhaps it'd be best to turn back? Why else immerse yourself in such impassable vistas if not to dive straight into the sublime pool of infinity? Oh, but you can go for coziness too, if you want!

Oh, but I'm rambling, aren't I? Fine, fine, I'll get to the point: welcome to the Games in Silver!

I am the gracious hostess and showrunner of the Games since before the universe began, and though I have been known by many names such as Sirr al-Asrar, the Qyeez, and Goddess Pride, for our purposes, please, call me… hm… call me...

Arcadia!

Underwhelmed yet? You should be! I'm nowhere near as impressive as I seem to be! I am in the end but the humble interlocutor of our noble little corner of existence, and but a mere servant to the laws that govern us all.

So, before we go on, I feel I should explain a couple of things. The Games in Silver have several rules, else, they would not be silvery at all!

First, know that death is a possibility, but so is greatness!

Second, the winner of the Games in Silver takes all! Losers get nothing but dust~!

Third, there is no method for deciding the winner, because there are no rules to the game of life. This is the most important rule! Verrry important!

And lastly, because you icky little humans won the first Games in Silver - though, we called them the Games in Gold back then - that started off the universe and everything, I am dutybound to remind you of the fourth rule: humanity rules. Don't get so full of yourself as your ancestors did, though, I am sure the elves have a good shot this time around, since there's so many of them~! Or perhaps, you want to win? Tee-hee, good luck...

Anyway, I shouldn't be keeping you too long - here are three Silver Orbs to start you off. On a pure technicality, these orbs never existed within the Games until I decided they did, but that doesn't matter! I'm the hostess, damn it!

Go, wreak havoc, and most importantly... enjoy yourself.

After all, what's the point… if not to have... "jolly good fun?"

Insertion Point​

[ ] The Silvered World - Out in the depths of cosmic space, between the dimensions of space and the lines of time, there lies a mystical lunar plane called the Silvered World. It is a floating cloud of purest silver-white, glinting, reflecting, and encompassing existence within each particle of its make. As the Loom of Fate is to Creation; as the Matrix is to the Simulation, so is the Silvered World to everything that has been, is, and will be.

Those who cross its streets and walk its paths alter the very fate of the universe with their tread; entry is not granted to anyone unworthy, but through a showing of grace, the Lord of Seasons has decided to offer you to come with him on a one-time walk across the Silvered World.

The passage of time does not operate in the Silvered World in the same way as it does in ours; space is also not the same. Although the Lord of Seasons invites you for a single walk, this walk could last anywhere from a single heartbeat to the total lifespan of the universe and everything beyond it until the Silvered Isle itself ends. It is imperative to decide when this walk ends, and that decision is yours.

Where you emerge cannot be known. It could be one of the places below, or maybe someplace unknown and stranger yet? Some of the most likely places your soul will be drawn to are the Kingdom of Albion, Asgard, Jicol, the Celestial Orrery, and the Star-Made Forge.

[ ] Alheria - A world of dreams, miracles, and fantasies. Alheria is the birthplace and fighting ground of some of the largest names, like Father Wolf, the Archlich Turenval, the Great Loki, and the residence of countless heroes and hero-kings: the apex of them being the Shining God-Emperor Tyrmillion, and his three demigod children: Henrietta, Dominique, and Regis, who gleam and bask in royal power.

Alheria is a classic fantasy world, but at the same time, it is so much more. Alheria is the distilled star-essence of a young child's wonderland dream, made to breathe anew in a world that doesn't conform to the tedium of expectedness: a world made through a wish, and if that wish is literal or metaphorical matters not because Alheria turns metaphor into reality as easily as a candle turns wick into flame.

As you enter its gilded plains, forsake all notion of logic, as while logic has a pervading and true role in it, Alheria at its heart, is a world of insurmountable wonder: here is a dragon-valley where the cruel winged serpent tolls the villagers with a monthly bounty of sheep, there is a river which runs backward from the sea and into the mountains before sinking into someplace unknown, and far over yonder is a deposit of indestructible metal that can be shaped like putty when sung to. Over there are numinous celestial spires that float around violet gravitonic rings keeping them aloft and hold within them inscribed emerald tablets of angelic magic, and over here is the Crevasse of Anatole the Bannerlord in which is a thousand floating mirrors that reflect or show various things, from thought, emotion, truth, to death, future, and heart's desire.

Make no mistake. Alheria is a dangerous place - it is a spelunker's dream, a place where adventure pours forth without surcease and calls for you - but it is as dangerous as it is wondrous.

The Blessed Tyrmillion rules the Flagland Empire with a mailed fist, and the cold in his mind seeks to claim everything he's built. With countless regulations, he limits the fonts of wonder and refines them into security, safety, and order, claiming the necessity and maturity of such things; but even he cannot fully escape wonder's call. How could he, having started his journey as but a humble adventurer?

[ ] Melicau - Melicau is the dark twin of Alheria, residing within the same universe and yet so woefully separate. Where Alheria is a place of wonder and adventure, Melicau is a place of seeking and questing. Alheria is wonder and adventure; Melicau is muted wonder, adventure with a suppressor on the barrel.

Unlike the people of Alheria, the ones on Melicau aren't so tightly bound with the fate of wonder, and the cumbersome dictates of its sister world. As a result, Melicau's golden age is never a certainty, and its life is more bound to the balancing rules of the game hierarchy.

Melicau is a world stuck in the past. Although a lucky traveler may encounter magitech inventions, like a manafluid-powered spaceship, it is primarily a world of knights, dragons, heraldries, and castles. It operates on simpler, more quantifiable rules than Alheria. It's a static world that resists change, but a sufficiently mighty and powerful being may be able to change that.

One of the most interesting aspects of Melicau is that it is largely centralized and convenient: unlike on Alheria, every country speaks the same language. Even if architecture, culture, landspace, and cuisine differ, there are certain commonalities between all of Melicau's nations. For example, every city and town has its own team of adventurers, who are often looked at in the same light as professional sports teams and compete in various tournaments or challenges, whilst simultaneously doing actual adventuring work. Migratory teams exist as well, but are more uncommon.

[ ] The Nexus - The extraplanar super-dimension called the Nexus is essentially a sector of trans-universal space, with portals connecting the different planets, and was once completely ruled by a magnificent Crimson Empire. It is divided into the Inner Nexus and the Outer Nexus.

The Inner Nexus is an extremely advanced beacon and anchoring facility maintained by a species of autonomous droid servants, powered with a singularity core, and it is almost idyllic. Nobody in the Inner Nexus needs to pay for things such as food, living, or entertainment. Only the most luxurious items: arcships, luxury housing, or unique services are traded in, and these exchanges are usually made through Astral Coins. Astral Coins are exceptionally easy to spend, as they can be consumed to achieve great things: heal yourself fully over a week, summon a large portal to transport materials, enhance your weapon with magical properties. Each Astral Coin has a functional value in addition to the monetary one.

The Inner Nexus has other wonders: gene-laboratories, cyber-forges, or thaumic reactors that, when fed sufficient Astral Coins, can bring a slovenly wretch into a level of virtual godhood. Curiously, many of the Inner Nexus systems refer to sentient beings as 'aristocracy.'

The Outer Nexus is not quite so idyllic. As opposed to the black marble sigma-bonded halls of the Inner Nexus, the Outer Nexus is an urban high fantasy jungle constructed around it, like a vast metallic tumor imitating its glory. Here live the impoverished who are not allowed access to the Inner Nexus, as the cost of passage is one Astral Coin. The Outer Nexus has its own currency called shins, chits, or shiqs, which are small bits and ends of various materials and currencies from the Otherworlds. Beyond the Outer Nexus is nothing but jungles and deserted wastelands, with the occasional ruined building.

[ ] Bastion of Lost Souls - The Bastion is the fortress of the Monkhood of the Pale Serpent. The servants of Nidhogg, despite being inhuman necromancers, are surprisingly friendly, kind, and tolerant of visitors. So long as you are not rude towards them and do not insult their storied traditions, the Pale Serpents welcome you in their Bastion.

Grandmaster Shinan is particularly interested in travelers and would be interesting to hear the delightful details of your life's story over tea and crumpets.

The Bastion is an island-sized city located on a remote, habitable moon that floats between the dual orbs of Alheria and Melicau. Its durium-forged halls could resist nuclear bombardment without oscillating, and its phased-arcanium dome can protect from the onslaught of the concentrated bombardment of several magic gods. It has done so multiple times in the past.

The Pale Serpents believe in achieving the Great Work. The Great Work is to necromancers as the Philosopher's Stone is to alchemists: not mere lichdom, not even exalted arch lichdom, but something far past that: true, unending immortality in a shell. They believe in the Great Work and desire not only to create it, but to share it with all sentient beings.

Although the Monkhood researches magic and develops necromancy, they are nonetheless a Monkhood, and act with compassionate principles. They often wander down to nearby worlds in order to expel wraiths from their haunts, bottle the souls of the violently dead and fulfill their parting wishes, resurrect those who can be resurrected, and take care of those who need such help.

The Serpents are always on the lookout for new members or agents willing to aid them. Since they do not require food or water, most of their hired servants are akin to laboratory assistants. If you desire to join them, help them, or are merely passing through… welcome to the Bastion.

[ ] The Crimson Expanse - Somewhere in the universe, there is a vast plain of roiling crimson-hued fields. From its barren earth rise scarlet crystal stalagmites reaching out to pierce the red sky. This is the legendary Crimson Expanse, the homeworld of the Crimson Empire, of which there are only ruins.

The Crimson Expanse takes up a full hemisphere of a planet at least thrice the size of Earth. The other half of the planet is occupied by every color of the rainbow, which the Crimson Empire conquered in its time. Now that its hegemony is over, the other colors are starting to expand and flourish once again.

The Crimson Expanse is a desolate wasteland for the most part, but an enterprising traveler may be able to locate a number of interesting artifacts or descendant civilizations. The Akha'thurr who live in the local tribes are the descendants of the Crimson People, and they are a simple humanoid race with yellow-gray eyes, three-fingered hands, and four arms. They are no strangers to travelers, some of whom originate from a massive gate at the northern pole of the world, and others who arrive by ship.

This place has its own dangers, however: the Crimson Empire did not fall to infighting, civil wars, or an archaeo-thaumaturgical ritual. It was due to an outside context problem. Beware the Mirage Demon of the Crimson Expanse. If you encounter the Mirage Demon, your story ends.

Magic
The offers here are the most interesting, ancient, and potent magics available in the Silver Games. Commoners won't have encountered them, relying on lesser, simple thaumaturgies and sorceries, and finding them once you set out to partake in the Games will be difficult. Even if you select none of them, you'll probably have a chance to become some kind of arch-wizard sooner or later nonetheless.
Regardless, pick carefully.​

[ ] The Eight Divisions (1 orb) - Although it should be infinite, certain… agents have ensured the world is divided, both in our minds and in the metaphysics that the multiverse is comprised of, as unfortunate or fortunate as that may be.

The Eight Divisions are compressed domains, with each domain owned to a corresponding color. A Magus of the Colors is not a mediocre magus, but an inspired painter of worlds. Let each color be the divine guidance you need to repaint the universe into a kinder one.

After purchasing the Eight Divisions, pick a single color to gain arch-mastery level proficiency in, alongside up to ten expressions (spells) of that color. As an arch-master Magus of the Colors, you can make additional expressions for the chosen color near-effortlessly with only a day's worth of meditation.

Learning to use additional colors won't be as easy, however: it will be the work of numerous years to learn one, and numerous decades if not centuries to gain arch-mastery over it. Arch-mastery of a color grants it the potential to slightly crossover with other colors, even ones the user doesn't know.

The average expression holds decent power and flexibility. As an example for Violet, a starting expression for arch-mastery would be the ability to stop time for ten seconds once a minute, lock oneself in a time loop that spans a three-second period and repeats four times before terminating and letting you choose your favorite outcome, shooting a chrono-energy blast that ages things fifteen years per shot, or opening a large wormhole that leads to another country.

Unfortunately, the Eight Divisions are highly limited. Even if an expression is trained to its uppermost limit, without an outside influence, these spells will never extend past a certain scale; offense will never be beyond the power of what a nuclear weapon might achieve, for example. The Lord of Seasons wants to make the world a better place, but at the same time, he hypocritically fears change.

The colors and their domains are listed below.

*Green: Life. Manifests as biokinesis, animal control, biological mutation, accelerated evolution, etc.
*Blue: Information. Manifests as clairvoyance, precognition, artifice, super-intelligence, etc.
*Violet: Spacetime. Manifests as temporal manipulation, spatial translocation, universe-hopping, plane creation, etc.
*Red: Energy. Manifests as energy manipulation, telekinesis, photokinesis, thaumakinesis, etc.
*Orange: Matter. Manifests as geokinesis, building manifestation, material sublimation, phasing, etc.
*Yellow: Abstract. Manifests as love inducement, justice manipulation, divine fire generation, creating warm ice, etc.
*White: Meta-power. Manifests as granting abilities, reducing abilities, shuffling abilities, improving them, etc.
*Black: Nullification. Manifests as kinetic negation, telepathic chaff, weakness inducement, anti-magic, etc.

[ ] The System (1 orb) - Although it used to be abundant to the point where oxygen was rare in comparison, there are not many users of the System left. As a matter of fact, granting the System requires administrative privileges over it, and there was not a single being who had them after the Big Bang went off, and as a result, there never will be any more. You will be one of the few left, should you choose to pick it up.

The System is a platform of data, order, quantification, and ascension. It acts as an internal ontological networking device that is used to simulate a higher, more complete form of essentialism; not too dissimilar to archaic soul magic, but far more eloquent and grandiose. It has many other functions beside that, however.

For starters, the System allows its user to review their own physical, mental, and spiritual parameters freely and outlines potential growth function opportunities within the user's close vicinity. The System draws on the experience (wisdom and substrate) of these events and massively streamlines, optimizes, and compartmentalizes it based on the user's need and preference. In the case of modern humans, this can be understood in an analogy of the System giving quests or tasks and then assigning attribute points, ability points, or perks based on the user's performance; this analogy isn't wholly correct, but it's close enough.

The System has several minor sub-functions that are likewise useful. It lets the user store a limited number of physical - and with enough expansion - mental, spiritual, conceptual, or metaphysical objects within a concept-space. It lets the user trade items, services, or information remotely with other users of the System in the networking range. It can also be used in order to analyze the environments, objects, and creatures the user encounters with stark reliability.

The System should never be underestimated. It is meditation, ascension, and power in a formatted body, and turns progression into expression. It's what allowed humankind to win the first Games. There exist systems more powerful, more exponential, and more synergistic, but only the System is truly reliable. At the same time, it lacks the comprehensive oomph that many other options have: theoretically limitless, but sluggish in practice.

The System can materialize under different forms to match the user. The most common expression - as it is the most efficient - is a game HUD, but it can be anything. For a being that has less human psychology, it could be fully abstract and subconscious, integrating seamlessly with their being.

[ ] Hundred Mirror Shattered (1 orb) - It's often said those who take a chance to see their own reflection in the mirrors of the Bannerlord never come out the same. Their own reflection of themselves shatters and leaves them changed. But is a shattering so tragic, if it was through one such shattering that our very universe came about?

Become Shattered. This dramatically alters your personality in some way, usually positively, such as making you more determined, more attentive, or more friendly. This also confers an impressive quickness of wit and slight propensity for whimsical and eccentric behavior, as well as a deep-seated subconscious desire to experience life to the fullest. Most people who get to know you will consider you strange if not outright insane; eldritch beings have the wisdom to know you're actually the only normal person alive.

Obtain a Splintered Reflection. Entering this form is onerous and maddening, intensifying the alterations to your psyche a hundredfold. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes, and the more those alterations carry over back to your mundane self. The Splintered Reflection is a version of you that's slightly better in every way: slightly faster, slightly smarter, slightly stronger, more charismatic, etc. In addition, the Splintered Reflection has a single unique ability called a Refraction. Pick one from those below:

Hundred Elementalist - Gain access to initiate-level elementalism of the following elements: acid, base, blood, bone, chitin, clay, earth, electricity, fire, flesh, glass, gold, ice, iron, lava, light, magnetism, mist, rust, salt, sand, shadow, smoke, steam, stone, water, and wood. You can only focus on a single element at the same time, and while manipulating them is easy, creating them from nothing is tiring and diminishes your physical self. Can eventually learn to use them outside of the bounds of the Refraction, and even improve upon them and learn additional elements.

Hundred Dangers - Gain access to an active simulation of the world in one's vicinity which tracks and assesses potential danger sources then counters them autonomously using telekinesis to interpose matter between the user and the danger. This snapshot of the universe used for this simulation is limited and unable to detect sources of danger that are too far or come from sources too far beyond the user's power level.

Hundred Seeds - Within your reflection dreams a cauldron of blue essence that constantly helps refine the fluid that makes up your being. The rate at which you learn new things or train your body spikes impressively. Instead of becoming an expert martial artist in twenty years, become one in five years of using this Refraction on a daily basis.

With sufficient time and effort, it's possible to Shatter oneself even further, refining and improving the effects of Shattering as well as gaining new Splintered Reflections.

[ ] Rufescent Magic (2 orbs) - Once upon a time, there was an Empire that expanded across the stars and covered them in blood, before transubstantiating that spilled blood into an age of glory that all could revel in. This magic was abandoned once their hegemony was achieved, but now it returns into your waiting hands.

Rufescent Magic is the quintessential spirit of a warrior. Become quick-witted and supernaturally durable and strong, capable of personally slaying armed, peak-human knights in articulated plate with your bare fists. The rate of learning martial skills is tripled for you, including tactics and stratagems.

In addition, become capable of three particular Disciplines:

The First Discipline is the Forge Encarmine. Any blood that falls on you is absorbed and then poured into an internal Spirit Forge. You must then eat an appropriate quantity of raw iron that will also enter the Spirit Forge and bond with the blood to create a mystical compound called Carmine Steel, which you may then withdraw, deposit, or shape as you please. Carmine Steel is a metal imbued with the very essence of augmentation and blood power: made into a sword it cleaves brutally through flesh and bone, made into an armor it conceptually reinforces and augments the wearer, and more.

The Second Discipline is the Blood-Breath. The Blood-Breath is an ability similar to a dragon's breath, but instead of expelling an element, the user releases a torrent of blood-red energy that embodies pure destruction and harm. The strength, cooldown, range, control, and other parameters scale with number and power of foes slain. Against the breath of someone who killed entire armies of angelic warriors, not even the god-created barriers of Heaven will prevail.

The Third Discipline is the War Recruitment. First, the Rufescent Mage sacrifices a sentient being at least on par with a human in physical and psychological qualities in a minute-long ritual and then declares war on a certain person, nation, or concept. The slain being's soul rises as a crimson wraith, armed with a spear, sword, or bow and arrow of Carmine Steel. These wraiths are supernaturally ferocious and disciplined soldiers, highly intelligent and nearly as strong in battle as a baseline, initiate Rufescent Mage. They are going to assault the person, nation, or concept the user declared war on when using this Discipline. If the user is planning to form multiple wraiths that fight the same thing, a created wraith is going to follow the user and aid them in this task: wraiths prefer to fight together when possible. The power of the wraiths scales with experience.

[ ] Sphere Magic (2 orbs) - Become a spellcaster of Sphere Magic. The first thing that happens is the opening of your final dantian, permitting you to look upon the Tellurian with a new-formed Third Eye.

Within the Tellurian are hundreds, perhaps thousands of individual Spheres, floating as colored plasmatic stars in various patterns, both geometric and random. Each Sphere represents a minor, disjointed and (usually) abstract concept such as justice, hearing, music, revelry, etc.

Sphere Magic has two applications: Connection and Emulation. Although Connection is the end goal of any Sphere Mage, Emulation is far more immediately useful.

Emulation allows the user to track a Sphere's progress across the Tellurian and then emulate an infinitesimal spark of its glory. Emulating the Sphere of Love, for example, would allow the user of Sphere Magic to make people fall in love with each other, destabilize marriages, or shoot coherent beams of pure love that are either empowered by love to destroy, or infuse beings with love to spread it. The emulation of this Sphere would, however, make the user more likely to fall in love. The Emulation of the Sphere is imperfect; sufficiently mighty beings may be outright immune to being forced to fall in love, and the supernatural part of this effect is going to wear off even for mundane people eventually, although the second-order effects might not.

Emulation's powers also wane and wax with the proximity of a given Sphere to the physical world. This can make this power somewhat unreliable without preparation time.

Connection is far more scientific and mathematical in nature, and requires a keen intellect and some measure of talent to approach correctly. Even a highly talented user would require hundreds of hours worth of observation and meditation of the Spheres' movements, and then hundreds more on research and calculation. It often necessitates the creation of blueprints prior to any given casting. Once the Sphere Mage has researched a correct approximation of when a given Sphere will be closest to the Tellurian's edges, he must wait until that moment (often weeks at least,) and then enact a complicated magical ritual with a number of occult ingredients and reagents.

Once the ritual is completed, the Sphere Mage's Third Eye opens wide and uses the ritual as a catalyst to drink from the pure stratified energies of the given Sphere. A disk-shaped mark of the Sphere blazes upon her brow like a coruscant diadem, enabling those who look to recognize the user as a wielder of the Sphere in question: this effect is easy to conceal to physical senses, but difficult to conceal to mystical ones.

The user gains a far more poignant version of the emulated powers a given Sphere would confer, at least on the level of a deity. Following the earlier analogy, the user would be able to play matchmaker with superhuman archmages, fire blasts of love that end wars entirely, or make the entire world love her. Eventually, however, the fuel charge from the ritual is going to be spent and the user will need to prepare for another connection. This charge is usually spent in less than a week, although a very conservative user may be able to retain it for as long as a year.

It's theoretically possible to form several connections, or stack one atop another, but this would require extreme intellect, calculations, and talent, as well as some degree of luck.

[ ] Reine Magd (2 orbs) - The Lotus Maiden is known for training countless knights of mythological power on many worlds. You become a steadfast champion of Reine Magd.

At will, you're able to assume the mantle of one of the Lotus Maiden's Knight-Champions, and embody their living glory. The ones who came before you were mighty indeed. This imbues you with a fraction of their power, but also a fraction of their responsibilities. Assuming a mantle shouldn't be done nilly-willy: once assumed, the user must bear the mantle's full weight until they have done a sufficiently fitting deed matching the duty of the Knight-Champion said mantle belongs to. You can assume several mantles at once.

One day, perhaps, you too shall become a Knight-Champion of your own. And on that day, perhaps, you shall join them in their Star-Made Hall.

Arturion, the Prowess Champion - Double all martial skills and physical statistics, gain an inspiring aura of charismatic royalty that cows or amazes most people. Must defend the weak from the strong, and quest on the behalf of those who cannot.

Bem, the Flower Champion - Grow a pair of gossamer wings that enable relatively fast, maneuverable flight. All ranged attacks, no matter their nature, gain a homing trait and far greater stopping power. Must ensure the natural order is intact in all situations.

Heltkaiser, the Ascending Champion - Manipulation and creation of hellfire, in sufficient quantities to sunder small armies. Immunity to demonic possession, curses, and unholy powers. Must play the devil's advocate and redeem opponents whenever possible.

Eusebio, the Peasant Champion - A supernatural crafting ability, can make artifacts with modest effort. Must help those of lower stations achieve their dreams if they ask, no matter how lofty or strange; unless those dreams are immoral. You're the fairy godmother.

Pyldret, the Dragon Champion - Gain a dragon's breath of any element the user desires, a pair of draconic wings, and supernaturally resilient skin. Must battle the seven deadly sins wherever they are encountered.

Aergundias, the Magic Champion - Gain an incredible aptitude and skill in a dozen, common magical arts, primarily those of evocation, conjuration, and illusion. Must ensure that knowledge is preserved and properly safeguarded, must battle evil mages.

[ ] Fire of the Divine (3 orbs) - Unlock a Divine Spark. The Divine Spark takes some time to gestate accordingly with your own self once embedded; most often a fortnight, but possibly as long as a month. Once this process is completed, you are considered to be physically and spiritually a far descendant of the Iron Bloodline, the original workers of the Celestial Orrery, among the first exalted gods in the multiverse.

To begin with, your body changes to suit an idealized version of yourself: all blemishes, flaws, inadequacies, imperfections, crippling wounds, or scars are purged unless you consider them to be a vital part of your being. The transformation as a demigod of the Iron Bloodline leaves your physique supernal: lift boulders or castle gates, smash through brick, run faster than a speeding arrow with reactions to match, possess keen eyesight sharper than an eagle, the nose of a bloodhound, and the acute hearing of a zen master. Physicality is not the only part of you that improves: mental power grows, letting you solve math equations you once thought unconquerable with ease, or fire six arrows from a bow simultaneously while hitting all targets exactly where intended.

Your natural healing is accelerated twentyfold and can eventually recover even from amputation, and you become far tougher and more resistant to pain and injury overall; being impaled through the heart is more of a modest inconvenience than a debilitating fatality. Your flesh is as hard as iron, and your skeleton becomes slightly more flexible to avoid fractures.

In addition, during the gestation, the Divine Spark will draw on information from your spirit and mind in order to forge a single portfolio that suits your personality and nature. This portfolio can be anything from "archery" to "computers," to "acting boldly and recklessly," and it will supernaturally enhance any actions taken that are resonant with the portfolio many times over.

Being the God of Computers, you'd be able to make a basic calculator with scrap materials on an abandoned jungle world and enhance its functions with your mere presence to the level of a super-computer, while being the God of Blades would let you make yours sharp enough to cleave through love, spirit and space, and dull the opponent's to the point where it works more as a club.

This power does not grow naturally. Gods are static beings, and those of the Iron Bloodline particularly so.

One last benefit is that if you ever manage to find the Celestial Orrery, its autonomous systems will recognize you as the rightful heir to its function. The Celestial Orrery is an enormous astrological device capable of performing foundation-shattering calculations: enter a query into its star-abacus and it shall answer no matter what manner of question it is and how impossible finding an answer will be. However, the more complex the question, the longer the Celestial Orrery will have to recharge and calibrate afterwards. In some cases, it has taken tens of thousands of years to return to functionality: time dilation is only slightly effective at removing this side effect.

[ ] Suzerain of a Thousand Orisons (3 orbs) - The immortal menace known as the Archstar of a Thousand Orisons has been vanquished by the combined forces of Ellis, Drui, Cyrus, Veth, Bem, Kit, and countless other heroes. But even when the Archstar was eliminated, a naked sliver of that terrifying, universe-transforming power he used to wield stayed behind.

Becoming the Suzerain encodes a certain understanding of the universe within the wielder. He understands the nature of the Games slightly more, and begins to comprehend the original form of the universe. The Suzerain manipulates the Aspects of Reality with the same adroitness a writer makes a poem.

In order to do so, however, the Suzerain must first study and understand the Akashic Calyx: a record of universal, cosmic truth. Progression in the Akashic Calyx demands enlightenment, sacrifice, and meditation, but also a kind of life wisdom that cannot be obtained by sitting on a rock for thousands of years.

Select up to four Aspects to start with. As you progress, you can choose to either unlock new Aspects or improve ones you have. They start off as better than street level and can gain army-shattering power with four steps of Calyx Progression. Aspects are listed below.

Anima: Enforces the migration of souls to the afterworld. Allows users to sense souls, burn at them with soul fire, steal them, drain them and otherwise interact with them.
Light: Enforces the universal speed limit. Allows users to manipulate light, including bending it, stopping it, collecting it, shifting its frequency and more.
Space: Enforces the barriers between dimensions. Allows users to manipulate space. Bending, expansion, shrinking, shearing, twisting and more. Teleportation and wormholes come under this.
Time: Enforces the flow of time. Allows users to slow, speed up and even stop time. Allows them to speed up their personal timelines.
Gravity: Enforces the law of gravity. Allows users to create gravitational anomalies, from gravity wells to zones where gravity is just in a different direction.
Form: Enforces the structure of the universe. Allows the user to manipulate their own body without regard for mass or composition, and do the same to objects.
Fate: Enforces the path to the future. Allows the user to see possible futures from the current set of parameters. Dedicated users can alter the fate of current beings, essentially copy pasting a different future over the current one.
Existence: Ensures the existence of the universe. Allows the user to tie the effects of other Aspects to objects and otherwise mess with the very essence of their existence. Dedicated users can simply dismiss people from existence.
Life: Encourages life's creation. Allows the user to manipulate biology, create life, or improve upon it in some way, grant sentience or vitalism, and more.
Knowledge: Ensures that there are things to be known. Allows the user access to the knowledge of others and of archives of various types (books, computers, pictures, etc.) Dedicated users can learn entire histories from a single pebble.
Death: Ensures that all souls enter the afterworld. Allows the user to temporarily summon the souls of the dead and command them. The extinguishing of life is easily within their abilities.
Matter: Encourages matter's formation from energy. Allows the user to reshape matter at will, crafting great works from dust. Dedicated users can alter the composition of materials to anything that they can imagine.

[ ] Blue Entropy (4 orbs) - "Breathe in, then release."

There are hundreds of magic systems, and there are millions of methods for hurting trespassers. But I assure you none of them are quite as powerful as the Vaal Mithea. It is a power that defies stasis and dynamism. It is beyond the call of even the dark beings who gave birth to the world.

Vaal Mithea, also known as Blue Entropy, is the most destructive power in the universe. It is the very definition of unstoppable. Even modest quantities of Vaal Mithea can turn the tide of cosmic battles: it was among the deadliest known forces during the first Games in Silver.

A single thin ray-beam of pure blue entropy will pierce through a defending knight's shield, penetrate through his chest and heart, go out his back, penetrate and kill the six men behind him, effortlessly rip through the magical barrier erected by a wizard and kill him, then continue flying out of the planet's atmosphere and into deep space, where it will go right through celestial god-barriers and pierce the "invulnerable" flesh of the King of the Iron Bloodline, then keep going until eventually it reaches the edge of the universe and keeps going through. It will keep going and going until finally it moves outside of reality, after which it keeps going and reaches some place unknown to man nor darkling.

Worth mentioning is that by default, manifestations of Vaal Mithea have a large degree of homing capability, moving towards or avoiding targets as the user wishes - it's possible to kill a person and order the beam to slip into another dimension before moving forward so it doesn't destroy anything else, for example. The velocity at which blue entropy moves is adjustable, but usually it's not slower than the speed of light. It can be made into a solid, gaseous, or liquid substance at the user's call.

It's also possible to manifest other effects: blasts, orbs, balls, or shields of Vaal Mithea. It wouldn't be prudent to toss them without considering twice.

You are now a beginner-level user of Vaal Mithea. Even this power is enough to dominate worlds and kill gods, if you are smart enough about it: great arch-wizards and sorcerer-kings have performed life-long rituals to receive one-time access to lesser manifestations of this power. Be careful with it.

[ ] The Diamond Perfection (4 orbs) - The Knower of Names is a whimsical demon. He might not be the Six-Hearted Revolver, or the Despiser, or the First and Foremost, but the Knower of Names is whimsical nonetheless, because he understands one basic fact: a demon isn't perfect, but rather, a demon is defined by his flaws.

You become the opposite of a demon. The power of Diamond Perfection suffuses you and inexorably cycles your spirit to the same frequency as the Source of Creation. The most blatant and noticeable effect is that you can achieve what the Diamondfly couldn't: a glimpse of perfection. Actions undertaken by the user are within one percentile error margin of being 'perfect,' no matter how difficult they are: this is an ability that isn't, but borders, nigh-omnicompetence.

When the user of the Diamond Perfection sets his mind on a certain goal, the universe bends over backwards to deliver them to that goal: this is equal parts fate imposition and retroactive alteration.

Both of these effects are cumulative and incredibly useful when it comes to acquiring power and learning more. It should be theoretically possible for the user of Diamond Perfection to eventually gain true omnipotence.

However, although the user may be perfect, they should be careful. The Diamondfly is said to have been perfect as well, and yet, it no longer exists.

Benefits
Orbs can also be used to improve or create opportunities for yourself.​

[ ] Immaculate (1 orb) - Become someone better. Expending an orb on this option is going to reconstruct your mind and body, breaking it apart like clay only to remold it again. All physical defects and health problems are addressed, and you are holistically peak-human in every respect. Grants a low form of celestial fate, ensuring you will be slightly luckier and more talented in whatever you attempt.

[ ] Vampirism (1 orb) - Become an Originator Vampire. As a result of this status, you obtain several useful powers: the ability to shapeshift, fly at high speeds, hypnotize mortal beings, and you gain a level of superhuman resilience and speed. In exchange for this, you must feed on blood and vital essence; sufficient experience with this power lets you become a psychic vampire and feed on emotions and memories instead. Exposure to sunlight weakens you.

In addition, as the Originator Vampire, you are able to sire lesser vampires. Your second-generation offspring develop weaker versions of your abilities, as well as up to three unique abilities of their own. Their vampiric weaknesses are more potent. They have the ability to pass the curse on even further.

Vampires are inherently connected; killing the "father vampire" will kill all of his descendants. If you are ever slain, all vampires you ever produced will die as well, giving them incentive to protect you, even if the transformation was unwilling. This is a well-known phenomenon.

[ ] Drui's Blessing (1 orb) - The Goddess of Bards is free-spirited, wild, and often likes to copulate with random people. As a result of her blessing, you gain an aura of vivacious cheer that tends to demolish conflicts and build lifelong friendships in their stead. You gain appreciation and talent in various artistic pursuits, including storytelling, poetry, music, painting, and writing. This can be synergistic with many systems of magic: the Eight Divisions are notably augmented.

On top of that, the Goddess Drui herself will come down from her errands to help you once, upon being requested. She is mighty enough to perhaps distract someone on the level of Turenval for a short period of time. This doesn't prevent her from coming to help on her own if she feels like it.

[ ] Satan Shrugged (1 orb) - You become a conceptual "Adversary" to some kind of established system or group. This adversarial status compels you to seek the ending of the system or group in question and empowers you for acting in accordance with that urge. This empowerment is usually physical, but can also be in the form of new powers that suit whatever manner of 'problem of the week' issue you threw at the thing you're opposing.

This slightly lowers your ability to care about other things, unless you first completely destroy the system or group in question. One could say that you shrug at everything else.

[ ] The Crimson Riot (1 orb) - The Crimson Riot is far enough from being the most powerful magic sword in existence, but it has an incredibly loaded history of wielders and is close to the creator's heart. That alone makes it worth taking.

The Crimson Riot is a mastercrafted relic longsword, with a blade of polished ruby, meant to be wielded alongside its sister blade, Blue Rose. You might find it one day, as the swords are drawn to one another. If the user of Blue Rose is compatible, you are certain to become friends in time, and if not, then you are doomed to fight for ownership.

Even standing alone, the Crimson Riot is potent indeed. It cuts through boulders like scissors through paper. With a minor channeling of will, the user can unleash the Crimson Rebellion, in which they swing the longsword and fire out a pillar of crimson-streaked energy that annihilates whatever it hits. With a major channeling of will, the user can activate Crimson Revolution in which their strength, power, armor-piercing, and damage potential are quadrupled for a short period.

[ ] The Lucky Devil (1 orb) - Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, Seven Clever Devils walked the earth.

The First Devil carried a mouse in his pocket that squeaked many interesting things into his ear, the Second Devil always smiled and laughed at everything, the Third Devil stood at the end of an arrow's flight, the Fourth Devil had his beloved hound on a leash, the Fifth Devil wore five silver rings from his five sisters, and the Sixth Devil enjoyed crafting paintings that spoke to the heart.

And they lived happily ever after.

As a result of this blessing, you become a mythological spirit of minor power. As a half-spiritual being, you're far more resistant to common injury and weapons, but recovering from those supernatural attacks that manage to target you effectively is made far more difficult. On top of that, you become significantly luckier in all ways, and gain a mote of deceptive talent that matches that of the greatest actors and spies.

In addition, you can emulate each of the Seven Devils to some degree at will. How you do this is entirely up to you - stories are meant to be open-ended after all - but do not expect to receive earth-shattering might. This power is highly conceptual in nature but unlikely to grow on its own.

[ ] Golden Largesse (2 orbs) - You receive a silver chalice made from the heart of a star. Within it flows a proto-divine liquid: a fluid substance remarkably similar to pure unmolten gold. The surface of this gold eternally burns with a bright, azure flame that does not emit more heat than a pleasant warmth. The chalice cannot be spilled no matter how hard one tries, as its contents simply refuse to leave unless it is to enter the throat of a drinker.

After being drank, the golden liquid imbues the drinker with the very essence of life. The drinker becomes immortal: capable of resurrecting from even a mote of atomic dust with all their memories intact in only a couple of seconds. They are immune to even divine toxins and venoms. Their mind is protected by an indomitable psychic shield that dulls the valence of torture and suffering to ensure they cannot be driven mad even through bindings that keep them burning within the heart of a sun.

This immortality, however, wears off as time passes. If the user is consistently annihilated each second for around two decades, the protection will start to wear off and it will lose half of its potence. After another decade, it will lose its hold entirely and the user will be mortal once more. If the user is hurt any less than that, it does not wear off.

Once drunk, the chalice needs a hundred years to regenerate its munificent liquid.

This is not true immortality. A sufficiently almighty or intelligent being can still destroy the user permanently, and the chalice may be stolen from them if left unprotected, as it had been stolen from its original owners.

[ ] Arcadia's Heart (2 orbs) - The hostess of the Games in Silver, Arcadia, will ensure that you have a jolly good time while playing: that's our company motto. This is a comprehensive and streamlined fate alteration that cannot be surmounted by the usual meat-and-potatoes anti-fate or anti-magic means.

Make no mistake, Arcadia's Heart does not ensure you survive: that would be against the first rule of the Games. It does increase your survivability, however, by directly leading you into auspicious, interesting, and heroic tracks of events. It essentially turns your life into a fantasy story: the protagonist may die in the end, but he would have lived the life of a protagonist.

Arcadia's Heart also boosts progress in learning natural disciplines and magics of all kinds, in order to give you a slight edge in the Games. This boost is small, but cumulative with anything else you might've picked.

This grants some ontological resistance to splintering effects.

[ ] Word of God (2 orbs) - In exchange for two orbs, you are permitted to ask four questions of the creator of the Games in Silver. These questions renew every hour, allowing you to learn new facts on a universal, cosmic, and rarely sub-national relevance. Knowing Tyrmillion's weakness would be one hell of a bargaining chip.

[ ] The Intimation of the Pompadour (3 orbs) - The Games in Silver are rich in histories and heroic legends. One such legend tells of a brave man with a crimson pompadour who could send men running with a smile, for it was the smile of true heroism. This man died and sacrificed himself for his friends, but he died with a smile on his lips.

And now, his legacy continues to live on in you, because though a hero may die, heroism never does.

You are directly empowered through heroic deeds, and so long as there is even a single heroic person in the universe - yourself included - you possess effectively infinite willpower and determination. There is no force in the universe that can shatter true heroism.

You possess resistance two orders of magnitude higher when it comes to mind control, personality alteration, fate alteration, and even the creator's fiat: there is no force that sways true heroism, not even reason or logic.

You have the ability to "stunt," performing ridiculous deeds, such as cutting so fast with your sword that your arm blurs below the elbow and concludes in a fencer's stance, only for the pants of your enemies to fall off a second later to reveal heart-patterned underwear. There is nothing more impressive than true heroism at work.

Drawbacks
As tradition demands, you are permitted to bind yourself with certain malignancies in exchange for more power. A maximum of five additional orbs can be earned.​

[ ] The Unspoken Rule (+0 orbs, gameplay change) - There is an unspoken rule to the Games in Silver: "If you focus too much on the fact there's a game being played, you'll forget to play it."

Needless to say, it's considered bad sport to gather infinite power for the sake of infinite power. As a result of taking this drawback, you are unable to ever cross a certain limit of strength and potential. Progressing to a universal level is highly unlikely, and your development will probably arrest before then. You become a facet of the static universe.

However, in exchange, the abilities you have already bought are brought to their maximum. For example, in the case of the Eight Divisions, you obtain instantaneous arch-mastery of every domain. This drawback surpasses Diamond Perfection.

[ ] Immersive Mode (+1 orb) - What point is there to playing a game, if you realize there's a game being played? Games are supposed to be distracting.

The moment your decisions are finalized, all memories of everything you've read or heard about the Games in Silver are scrubbed away. There is no effect that can restore them, not even the Diamond Perfection.

[ ] Alice In Wonderland (+1 orb, alternate insertion point) - "Have you ever read Alice in Wonderland?" That was the question the masked individual asked, before spiriting you away to some ineffable adventure. It was the last time you saw Earth.

If you select this, disregard the Insertion Point section. You are instead marked with the Brand of the Masked God and then placed in the Airship Sangreal during the Seventh Incursion on Alheria, also known as the Darkest Hour.

This is a very tumultuous period in time, roughly a century prior to Tyrmillion's Ascension and one of the catalysts for his life decisions, where users of cosmic powers comparable to the most expensive options in the Magic section are decidedly common. Many of them are active threats with the intent of destroying the universe, and some of them are perilously close to winning the Games. The fabric of the universe is decidedly unstable. If you do nothing, the situation will eventually resolve itself, but that doesn't change the fact it's a dangerous time to be alive in.

[ ] Stonesnout's Condemnation (+1 orb) - An angry dwarf is what you need to have a serious problem, but what if that dwarf is also a dragon? That complicates things, does it not? This dragon in particular has decided to levy its mightiest curse upon you.

The bearer of Stonesnout's Condemnation suffers from a particularly high-spirit version of the Thief's Curse and the Dust of Greed; the kind of curses that a pharaoh would place on his tomb. Adventurers commonly deal with both of these, but Stonesnout's Condemnation is incredibly resilient to dispellation, if not outright immune in fact.

The Thief's Curse causes the victim to puke a number of coins equal to their current net worth in valuables, such as currency, gems, or similar objects, every couple of hours. This can be incredibly deadly or unpleasant in many ways, especially if one of the coins gets lodged somewhere, pierces the trachea, or falls back into the digestive tract and doesn't get fully processed. The Dust of Greed, on the other hand, causes a one-in-ten chance that upon touching any kind of even slightly valuable object - even one not meant typically for sale - it will poof into a cloud of white dust.

This effect can be terminated by slaying Stonesnout himself. This would be a quest of epic proportions, as Stonesnout is an Elder Dragon of the Earth, and represents the deadly vice of greed. Even for someone like the God of Trickery, Stonesnout proved far too treacherous to outmaneuver.

[ ] The Drifter's Curse (+1 orb) - Once upon a time, there was a family of heroes. There was a son in the family, its black sheep. He alone was unsaved, and he sought vengeance.

The Drifter awakens in the Void Plane. His cold hand stirs to life and grasps the Blue Rose. Once he finds a path into the material universe, the Drifter will look for his father's other sword (unless you have it,) and then he will set out to kill you, believing you to be the source of his torment and suffering. It is highly unlikely that any argument of logical or emotional weight is going to sway him, but a sword to the heart might do nicely.

He is one of the many atrocities Turenval perpetrated on his enemies as a simple matter of course. It will be a form of mercy to blissfully end his consciousness. Don't feel too bad about it.

[ ] Last Breath of Adonis (+1 orb) - In the myths of Silver and Gold, the wind has often been associated with treachery and atrocity. Whether this is coincidental or true doesn't matter, because it applies to you in much the same way it applied to Adonis, the First Prince of Albion, when he attempted to negotiate for the Guild of Heroes' disbandment.

Every wind elemental in the world is hostile towards you and cannot be negotiated with. Wind-aspected creatures, such as those descended from wind elementals, feel an intense dislike towards you. The wind itself appears to oppose your movements and brings heat or cold whenever it would inconvenience you most. Any learning in wind-based elemental magic is slowed down considerably.

[ ] The Dreaming Forest (+2 orbs) - Once there was Archol, and then Salai Drathe, as there was Void Robe and then was God-King Tyrmillion. So to all forests is the Dreaming Forest.

The Dreaming Forest is a place where ages and places unfurl, spanning the infinites. Enter one of its treadways and you might emerge in a silver forest of crystals in the Elfworld, or move further west and find yourself in Earth's Amazon. The Dreaming Forest is a primordial dream of hunters and predators who slink between worlds, but its pull is irresistible: once you become a predator, the Dreaming Forest can't be left behind easily.

At the center of the Dreaming Forest lies the Fortress of Daa'Nazhd, where the Huntress-Queen Vedara rules over her domain with fire and crossbow, with grin and caprice. She is extolled by visitors for her great beauty: eyes playful and catlike, the color of water reflecting leaves.

Do not be enchanted by the pretty flowers, however, for they are most dangerous of all. The Dreaming Forest seeks you, and Vedara herself has marked you as either prey or mate: perhaps both at the same time. She will never stop hunting, and she is the most supreme predator in existence. Once you are caught, you become a decoration on her walls.

[ ] Anti-Citizen One (+2 orbs, requires Alheria) - You've either done or been accused of doing something particularly vile, and now you're wanted criminal by the Flagland Empire. The most wanted, in fact.

The Flagland Empire is going to assign increasingly more resources to catching you. This might begin with three or four trained kill-teams of martial arcanists with special dispensation to do anything it takes to arrest you dead or alive, but can eventually develop into one of Tyrmillion's own children being sent after you. If it gets to the point where Henrietta and Dominique attack you simultaneously, you might as well surrender. There's no winning it at that point unless you're able to crush stars in your fist.

[ ] A Twisted Experiment (+3 orbs, +4 if on Alheria) - Four is the number of death, so on the fourth year, fourth month, and fourth day counted from your arrival, the Archlich Turenval shall become aware of you. This includes the awareness that you originate from a locality outside of the scope of the Silvered Isle, and Turenval is endlessly curious of such things.

Although your survival may be negotiated and Turenval is willing to humor minor requests, if he catches you and brings you to his Ancient Tower, there will be no more escape. He will experiment and test to his heart's content, and that experimentation may well span eternity unless you are rescued by some outside agent.

Make no mistake about Archlich Turenval. Defeating him is not easy. His soul is bound to no specific phylactery, but a staggering four-hundred forty-four of them: some of them hidden in people's hearts, some of them only existing as particular events or songs, and a handful so well-hidden even he does not know where they are. He is as immune to soul magic as one can make themselves in this verse, cannot be affected by mentalism or petty illusion magic, and wields the destructive potential of an archmage over a thousand years old, who already possessed great talent for the Arcane Arts even as a child.

[ ] The Dark Ones (+5 orbs) - The world used to be infinite in scope. The vista of the multiverse as we understand it represented, collectively, the very idea of eternity and beauty. The War In Heaven was merely the prelude to a greater beginning, but in ages immemorial, there was no such thing as a "beginning." After all, what begins must end - and something that is infinite cannot end by definition.

Those who invented this definition are the Dark Ones. Many would rather choose to wander firmly into the depths of Hell than to cross their field of vision. And you have, through cosmic providence, drawn from them an emotion they have not felt prior: raw curiosity. Beware the Splintering their attention brings, for many would choose even the greatest curses over having the reality they live in tuned into a meaningless void and monument to hubris.

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[ ] The System
[ ] Hundred Mirror Shattered (Hundred Seeds)
[ ] Arcadia's Heart
[ ] Word of God
[ ] Immersive Mode
[ ] Alice In Wonderland
[ ] The Drifter's Curse

A very, very greedy build, but one that I generally think makes sense. Rather than gaining immediate power, you gain opportunities. The Wonderland is seething and roiling with cosmic power: with the Word to guide your ascent and the System to shape it, you're sure to rise to similar heights.

Arcadia's Heart acts to shield from the danger present in the world at large, and acts in concert with the System and HMS to supercharge your progression. For issues of survivability, they are answered by a protagonist's fate and a supernaturally quick wit.

 

[ApotheosisJuice]

:: Grand Ordination CYOA ::

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Favoured Patron: The Heroine
[ ] Hallowed: Gift
[ ] Martyr's Doom: Sense of Smell
[ ] Clarity: Lesser
[ ] Essential Gift
[ ] Sublime Fusion (Sever The Limit and Hallowed Gift)
[ ] Sever The Limit (Essential Gift)
[ ] Geasa * 4
[ ] Fruit of the Grove (Providential Fruit)
[ ] King of Arranor: Flame of Apprenticeship
[ ] A Secret Handshake (Rolled a 10)
[ ] Hand Over

To start with, I possess an absurd degree of ability in Essentialism: Sever The Limit provides unreal strength and talent, which is then used as a narrative basis (alongside Flame of Apprenticeship) for a Hallowed Gift focused on boosting the same magic.

Said boosts are then subject to a Sublime Fusion to grant even greater affinity and synergy, after which my apprenticeship with Denlah should serve to hammer this immense affinity into a wellspring of wizardly wonder.

My high roll for A Secret Handshake leads to me gaining an Unprincipled Expression- most likely some form of metamagic- which shall serve to propel me even higher, although I doubt that everyone will be happy if they figure out where I got it from.

 

[LaughsinLurking]

The quest is still ongoing right?
Has Rihaku said why there's so much time between updates?
I'm assuming its just life stuff, I'm just so curious to see how this ends

Regarding the vote, its a difficult choice
The greedy powergamer in me says vengance
But im thinking freedom, doesn't Hunger deserve to rest?
But also shouldn't he do his Uttermost to help the Accursed bring about the Victorius World?

Man im gonna have to think about this

 

[WHISPER]

At this point I think im fine with either winning... I'm not gonna change my vote but what will happen happens.

 

[LaughsinLurking]

I think that Hunger deserves rest, lest he repeats the mistakes of the past

[X] Freedom

kinda funny that my first vote in this quest is the last vote of the quest

Hopefully Rihaku will make another quest in the future so I can be part of that one from the beginning

Great stuff here Rihaku, you should be proud of what you've made!

 

[Dark Abstraction]

[X] Vengeance

Back for what seems to be the last vote, and my stance is, as ever, striving for principles over contentment.

 

[ApotheosisJuice]

The Lost Realm

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Rolled: 57 Insightful Inklings, 19 Informative Opinions, 2 Inherent Memories
This converts to 7 Insightful Inklings and 8 Inherent Memories.

Colour: Blue [-4 Insightful Inklings]
Improving efficiency is very useful for the things below. The most cost-effective option I have.

Fake^2: Nihilus [-4 Inherent Memories]
With its limits severed, the wielder of Nihilus no longer causes existence to unravel unless such is their will. As a result, permanent effects can be more easily brought about. The other boost is just raw strength.

Fake: Overwrite [-4 Inherent Memories]
The limit severed here is not a lack of might, but a lack of precision. Overwrite is incorporated into the user, such that they may directly perceive anything Overwrite could touch (if in an unintuitive manner), guide or twist the way effects play out, and target abstractions, for a few examples.

 

[ApotheosisJuice]

Crossworld Arena CYOA

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Enhanced Splices: Pacific Breach, Glittering Albion (Defender of Camelot -1 Further Beyond), Wakanda Forever, The First Nations
The Breach is taken because all of the Asian/Pacific sector options are otherwise kinda dull, and because an enemy everyone unites against is better than rival superpowers. Albion offers extremely powerful magical knowledge, as well as a suit which can be upgraded later; Wakanda is taken so I can espionage them for tech. TFN is taken because the instability and variability involved interests me.

Powers: The Good Doctor (-1 Even Further Beyond)
Extreme potential power and versatility. A must-have for later.

Elements: Elemental Archmage (-3 Picks and 4 Further Beyonds)
The raw power and versatility offered by access to all elements is astonishing, and the use it offers in enticing Merlin is very welcome. Additionally, 5 times the strength of Earth means I can use and find very useful reagents for crafting.

Magics: Bright Spark (-4 Picks)
Given the opportunities present in the Arena, this is a no-brainer: Defender of Camelot provides infrastructure and resources to call on as well as a handy Suit for upgrading, TGD is more easily mastered and wielded properly given extreme scientific knowledge and smarts, and even before multiplication Earth is called "a priceless boon for any crafter".

Miscellaneous: Magical Girl and Return by Death (-5 Picks // -1 Even Further Beyond)
I'm not anywhere near dumb enough to pass up a 5x everything multiplier: applied to Elemental Archmage, the scale of what you can do goes from awe-inspiring to world-shaking. The boost to your intelligence would aid in mastering TGD, and a constant free Rubber Duck Debugger who sometimes gives actual advice is quite useful.

Return by death is an extreme advantage- master TGD immediately, get a masterful contract with Merlin, etc.

Drawbacks: Fated Rival
Keeps you on your toes.

 

[HoratioVonBecker]

Then the body bent down to smell one of the black chrysanthemums and all his thoughts faded away as he savored the-

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I was rereading your short stories, @vali, because I realized they were good enough to add individually to my recs list, and I wanted to know why you cut off the last word instead of saying 'scent' or 'smell'.

 

[Rihaku]

EotFR balance updates:
*Shogun: Honing the Form may now be bought with Tokens.
*Greatly buffed Shogun: The Blade, because SORD gud.
*Substantially buffed Egotist: Crowned Halo - the civilization now scales directly to your initial power level.
*Clarified Emissary: The Gift - the examples aren't binding; customization is entirely possible as long as the resulting attainment is thematically connected to the original

I welcome feedback with regards to EotFR and the general desireability of its attainments! Are there any attainments you feel are underpowered, overpowered or not getting a fair shake?

 

[qwolfs]

I welcome feedback with regards to EotFR and the general desireability of its attainments! Are there any attainments you feel are underpowered, overpowered or not getting a fair shake?

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Honestly, I think all the attainments are well designed and tuned. Honing the mind is actually quite good at 2 tokens. But a five fold increase seems less evocative than the others, more numerical in a way that stands out to me.

The one thing I'd want changed is splitting off taking curses from taking Gambit: Emmissary, or allowing both, but that's purely self serving.

 

[HoratioVonBecker]

Tetsu Shinichiro

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Who? DuckDuckGo isn't helping.

*The general populace is roughly human-level to begin with, but may be uplifted with time and effort. Additionally, the civilization wields magic or technology sufficient to place them roughly on par with you in most fields of endeavour, should all its components work harmoniously.

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I am deeply confused as to how you imagine this working. I am deeply confused at how high stats work in this system at all, but I'm extra confused about this. Mostly because high stats don't have any real texture to them besides 'beats lower stats', but sort of seem to claim that they're about fundamental qualitative differences like 'intelligence, whatever that means'?

I welcome feedback with regards to EotFR and the general desireability of its attainments! Are there any attainments you feel are underpowered, overpowered or not getting a fair shake?

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Hm. The Arcanist's wisdom penalty means Plungers can't take anything of hers without committing to idiocy, The Gift, or maybe doing something with the Blade. And her good stuff is all really expensive, too, so Remainers are advised to pick more cost-effective things.
The Shogun is boring outside of The Blade, and the Blade itself has a restrictive-feeling aesthetic. He's the more affordable Maker-caste, and he's just a Meathead With A Katana? Why isn't his theme "my real power is friendship, because I'm friends with an army", since that was his role in the Quest? Sect's recent update called Teacher a people-Tinker, and that seems like a pretty cool thing for the Surgeon to be.
The Surgeon is cool, powerful, and ethically questionable but in a way you don't actually have to commit to just by taking the first Advancement. Brains and Brawn seems a little at odds with its flavor text, which seems kind of opposite to the specialization theme it has mechanically? Pretty solid overall, though. Would benefit from explaining how important Rank is to fights on the scale we care about, since apparently a stat difference of 2 is 'only moderate', but is also a difference of .6 Rank, which past Rank 8 is 'overwhelming'. Could also benefit from giving Favored Strength a little more scope?
The Egotist is much weaker than he seems, but can be pretty useful. Strive has weird flavor in combination with Yang, though, and can wind up as just a surcharge. Maybe making it into free pseudo-training time, like a much weaker Mastery Rune, would work? Crowned Halo is ethically tricky, especially with the Curses you're heavily incentivized towards, but the buff makes it a lot more practical, at least. (Well, except for when your capabilities are low - Lesser Sundering, Weekend Ban, and Remain lets you make it your only Insight purchase, and Honing the Form is kinda ridiculously weak for the high-coordination power level of an entire nation. I guess Engineer isn't, though.)
Emissary has deeply concerning ideas about agency? I guess it's ontologically basic to a game system where there's not only a universal beauty standard, but that universal beauty standard works as a vector for universally effective arguments. A deeply antisocial set of social mechanics. And as the only one whose powers scale off of those social stats, there's not a lot of mix-and-match that can be done - you can spec for social solipsism, and become an embryonic Foremost, or you can nearly rival an adult in crafting ability. It's kind of a shame, because she's definitely a more interesting character than The Egotist.

 

[Orm Embar]

Who? DuckDuckGo isn't helping.

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An antagonist in Make a Contract With Me, Rihaku's PMMM quest.

I welcome feedback with regards to EotFR and the general desireability of its attainments! Are there any attainments you feel are underpowered, overpowered or not getting a fair shake?

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Not an attainment, but poor Myriad is gated behind Falter, itself an unpopular drawback. Why does it exist? Is there a single build that's taken it? What does it feel like to be so unloved?

The Blade Itself

Choice: Remain Here +5T & 1I
Shogun: Harm Cognition -1T, Honing the Mind -2T, Honing the Form -5T, The Blade (Faultless, Fearless: Wits, Con, Wis, Will, App, Fortress: Reversion & Lord Regnant, Fulcrum, Foremost) -7I
Arcanist: N/A
Surgeon: N/A
Egotist: Strive (Wits) -2T
Emissary: N/A
Drawbacks: Foresworn (League of Adventure) +2T / Worldwide +1T, Sibling Rivalry (Both) +2T, Shogun's Ban +1I, Sunder the Veil (Greater, System Apocalypse) +5I

...incites to deeds of violence. But in a world gone mad, what order is there save that which stems from the point of a sword? The victors in the race to supreme Systematic power will inherit the Earth, if anything remains to rule. Unfortunately, with 29 Grace they'll find me standing at the finish line, Blade in hand. Merging Agility and Wits is an amazing deal when the latter's improved by so many Shogun options. I'll hit 34 after Honing's training, accelerated by the very attribute I seek to improve!

Strength is superfluous when one wields a Faultless Blade. Having both Might and Grace would've been nice but the latter is superior: "In battle, speed determines victory." An amplified danger sense to locate enemies doesn't hurt either. If the XP ever dries up, I can find challenging monsters and incubating Ubers ahead of time. In battle, I walk the path to victory with peerless Grace. Tetsu lacked the Wits to keep up with his body; I have no such weakness. Reversion and Honing the Form's regeneration can catch me if I stumble in the face of a Silver Bullet.

Really, the most inconvenient part is having to slow down enough for my hapless, speed-blitzed victims to understand their defeat and make oaths of surrender; Worldwide conveniently cuts down on time spent explaining how Lord Regnant works. Those who willingly seek me out and offer fealty will receive less onerous terms. The Elves will be prioritized, lest their runic magic in conjunction with the System scale to become a threat. After them, we can dogpile the Warlord, who will rein in the Orcish hordes.

There'll be those loath to bend the knee to the one who called down these calamities in the first place. That is understandable, but Earth must be united, so all those who stand against the sword will meet its edge. As a signing bonus, the oathbound benefit somewhat from Reversion as well as Regnant's level-ups, ensuring my faction outcompetes all potential rivals. Make Whole will be used on the Blade itself, successive invocations bringing forth my Armament's true form ahead of schedule.

Faultless with Foremost makes Severing a singular skill. With Fulcrum, its growth is explosive. Together with the buffs of my loyal Stewards and the System, Severing grants the potential to cancel the Apocalypse. If +17 Wisdom deems it prudent, the dungeons can eventually be cleaved from reality like gangrenous limbs. Especially antisocial skills and classes may also need to be pruned. Never before has the nerfbat held so keen an edge!

There are more ambitious permutations, adding Away! for more Constitution and synergy with Faultless excision, Unblinking Tempest for greater safety, and so on. But honestly, I don't want the hassle of an Epochal Nemesis and Disfiguring is a waste when it's easy to pick up +17 Appearance. Dropping Foremost for Duality: Yin could push me to an absurd 53 initial Grace, which approaches One True Build status for Greater Sunder's PvP setting in conjunction with Auspice Temporal or a custom Shroud to counter Unblinking.

Instead, this build is as stark and simple as its name. It cuts through, whether the edge of the Blade Itself is turned against the System or men and monsters. It swords good. Perhaps Hunger wouldn't be proud, but only because his standards are unreasonably high!

 

[HoratioVonBecker]

An antagonist in Make a Contract With Me, Rihaku's PMMM quest.

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Oh, him. I only really remember the visuals and lich names from that one.
(We should totally have gotten a silencer instead of multiple guns, though.)

 

[Rihaku]

By Grace Alone...

Remain
Drawbacks: Weekend Ban, Sunder the Veil Greater: System Apocalypse, Disfiguring Gambit, Sibling Rivalry, Worldwide (10T, 7I total budget)

Shogun: Harm Cognition, Honing the Mind, Honing the Form, The Blade: Fearless (+20 Wits, +5 Int), Fulcrum: Grace (8T, 4I)
Arcanist: Imago (2T)
Emissary: The Gift: Imago -> By Grace Alone (3I)

Grace: 20 Fearless + 2 Harm Cognition + 5 Honing the Mind + 7 Honing the Form + 7 By Grace Alone = 41

Relevant Attributes:
STR 7, CON 7 (+HtF regen), Grace 41
INT 7, WIS 9, WILL 7
LCK 7

By Grace Alone: +7 Agi, Wits, Con, Wis, Luck
As Imago was to the Arcanist, so is this Attainment to the Maiden. The user's talent for the creation and wielding of findross is spectacular, though they are utterly bereft at the art of Foremost Runes. Still, this suffices for them to create and distribute Graces akin to those of the Maiden, scaled proportionally to their Grace +s. They begin with a number of custom Graces appropriate to that level. The power of this attainment does not suffice to encompass every Grace the Maiden could theoretically wield, but is nearly as broad as a Fourth Attainment could be.

Wield Findross
Casts with Grace. Domains: Life, Essence, Space, Time, Fate. Absurdly versatile, -8 to casting stat. Example effects at 33 effective Grace +s:

Most effects are taxing, or mildly taxing if employed at <10% of full power; most persistent effects are greatly taxing to enact and then costless for the duration. Exceptions noted below.

*Glide (Space, Time, Fate): With Fate as a targeting mechanism, can travel to basically any universe whose major active players do not grossly exceed the 33 +s level. May not stay in universes substantially safer than one's home plane for more than 50% of the days in a given month. With Time as a targeting mechanism, can time travel; this effect may be opposed by relevant entities in some planes.
*Dominion (Space, Time): Can manipulate timespace almost freely. Can create temporally accelerated subrealms with 1,000,000x acceleration factor or greater; can fold, distort or layer space; can manipulate the positions of people, objects and places with galactic range.
*Onslaught (Space, Time, Essence): Greatly taxing. Concentrates one's findross output over an enormous span of time into a single instant, then compresses that ocean of findross into a single point. Creates a singularity of findross tuned to one's present purposes. Can do almost anything, if weakly; or inflict catastrophic destruction very effectively. With Life, can effectively heal destruction of similar scale.
*Sculpt (Life): Can alter or create life, including (with Essence) magical beings, with powers and attributes relevant to the 17 +s level. With Time and Fate: Up to the 25 +s level, but this requires sustained effort over a period of three months, and at least one greatly taxing invocation per week. Without Mind: INT, WIS, CHA and MAN may not exceed half that level.
*Endow (Essence): Turns a person into a Sorceror or Sorceress, and/or grants them Grace(s) of the user's creation. Cost scales to the number and potency of Graces granted, but can be similarly reduced by imposing eligibility restrictions via Life or Fate, or by creating a singularity of findross via the addition of Space and Time. Graces may only draw from the Domains of this attainment.
*Oathbind (Essence, Fate): Enforces the letter and/or spirit of an agreement between two parties. The parties become constitutionally inclined to uphold said agreement; furthermore, oathbreakers are brutally punished by the winds of chance. Life can be added to strike oathbreakers dead on the spot, or turn their features wretched, etc. Only mildly taxing if all parties knowingly consent without coercion.
*Salvation (Fate, Essence): By grace alone, is salvation granted. Temporarily grants Rank scaling solely to user's Grace. Taxing on the order of minutes; greatly taxing if maintained for hours, epically taxing if for days.

 

[Rihaku]

Cloud-Shadow

Remain
Drawbacks: Shogun's Ban, Sunder the Veil, Greater: Aliens, Disfiguring Gambit, Sibling Rivalry, Worldwide (10T, 7I Budget)

Shogun: Harm Cognition, Honing the Mind, Honing the Form (Tokens), The Blade: Fortress (Janitor of Worlds), Foremost
Egotist: Strive
Emissary: The Gift: Strive -> Honing the Blade (Forged: Fulcrum - Might; Forebear's)

Honing the Blade
Enhances Shogun: The Blade, granting it substantial breadth and leeway well apart from its orthodox progression path.
+7 STR, CON, AGI, WITS, and the user may choose two of the following benefits:

*Forged: Take an additional Title of Shogun: The Blade. This is treated exactly as if you had purchased that Title normally.
*Field Marshal: +7 to user's choice of INT, WITS, or WILL. The user may flawlessly clone themselves, controlling both bodies as a perfect hivemind. Their multitasking capability is greatly expanded. The clone possesses all the user's stats, powers, equipment, etc at the moment of creation, but thereafter may advance on a course divergent from the user. Progression between bodies is still shared. At increasing intervals (one year, one decade, one millenium, one eon, etc) the user may create another such clone. If a clone body is slain, any surviving body can resurrect it with moderate exertion.
*Forward: +7 to user's choice of LCK, PROT, or CHA. The user is an avatar of social, military and technological progress. "Progress" is defined however the user prefers. If he prefers, the effectiveness of the user's efforts to reform, advance, or revolutionize the above fields are tied to his overall martial capability rather than his Mental or Social Attributes. By virtue of conquest, he overturns not merely empires but entire ways of life. For sufficiently potent warriors in realms with permissive metaphysics this can be a scaling mechanism all by itself.
*False: The user may customize an improvement to the Blade comparable in power level to Forward or Field Marshal, but without the Attribute bonus.
*Forebear's: Requires access to the Might combined Attribute, which may be granted via Forged - Fulcrum. The user now wields an echo of the Forebear's Blade. +0.7 Rank, which may be applied to the user's Armament if desired. The user may now develop and accrue advancements of the Forebear's Blade similarly to Hunger himself. Echos of the Forebear are easily acquired. An effect on par with Undying Vanguard or What Rains May Come would be the effort of weeks. Effects on par with Sword in the Stone or All-Defeating Stance would require months to years. This may never produce advancements more powerful than Inheritance.

Fortress Grace: Janitor of Worlds
*The user may travel to any realm, world or universe for whom the overall power level of its major active players does not greatly exceed his own, so long as his desired destination is in some manner unpleasant: active warzones, risen dark lords, hierarchies of oppression, etc. It is permissible for this unpleasantness to be handily within his power to resolve.
*Once a destination is selected, the user may only travel between that destination and his home world until he has either conquered that destination or a century has passed. He is then permitted to select a new destination. Conquest need not be absolute; dominion equivalent to the soft rule of the United States over the West would suffice.
*The user gains access to the magic, supernatural systems, or impossible technologies of his destination realm as if he were a highly talented native of that realm, and retains those abilities across the multiverse.
*The user may not spend more than 50% of his time in destinations significantly less dangerous than his home world.
*Traveling across worlds requires several minutes of preparation, though transit is basically instantaneous.

Relevant +s and other traits:
Might 14 AGI 14 WITS 21
INT 2 WIS 2 WILL 7
Rank 9.7

While our stats aren't terrible, they're a far cry from contending with Sunder Aliens on their own. Thankfully we wield a whopping 9.7 Rank to present an outside context problem to them. Such Rank brings us on par with entities capable of one-shotting the Local Group; even their end-state hard science will be hard pressed to contend against such pulverizing weight of probability.

This build scales extremely well with Janitor of Worlds providing access to the multiverse and its magic systems, Fortress eventually granting a Novakhron-tier Armament, and Forebear's slowly and steadily making us something of a worthy cloud-shadow to the Forebear of Dynasties. Our ultimate potential cannot hope to approach his, but at least our job is a lot less stressful!

 

[qwolfs]

Aligned​

[ ] Remain Here -
II. The Arcanist
[ ] Arcanist: Imago [First, 2 Tokens] -
[ ] Arcanist: Servitor Call [Second, 3 Tokens] -
[ ] Arcanist: High Arcana [Fourth, 3 Insights] -
V. The Emissary
[ ] Emissary: Highborn [Third, 5 Tokens] -
[ ] Emissary: The Gift [Fourth, 3 Insights] -

Drawbacks​

General
[ ] Gambit [+1 Tokens] - Emissary: Diplomatic Gambit
[ ] Foresworn [+2 Tokens] -
Remain
[ ] Sibling Rivalry [+2 Tokens] - Roll 1d2.
[ ] Sunder the Veil, Lesser or Greater [+5 Insights] - System+

Credit: 10T 06I
Debit: 10T 06I

The Gift: Highborn: Bloom
The Emissary's grace is not a thing of grand might, surpassing cunning, or profound resolve but instead the elegant aligning of incentives. Be grateful then, for all your efforts work as one.

*Replaces Highborn, you may improve All Attributes through focused training. The formula is 3^(highest_baseline_attribute). For derived Attributes it is 3^(baseline_derived_attribute) Increasing All Attributes this way integrates, rather than boosts, higher derived Attributes.
*Activities which employ a derived Attribute count as training for that Attribute. The quality and effectiveness of training derives from the effective attribute rating employed in the activity, relative to the baseline of the Attribute being trained. Earnestly researching Foremost Runes with the Harmonics Rune and Imago Bonus would count as training, the formula for the next Intelligence + would be 3^(baseline_int - 10).
*Training well will always feel at least a little satisfying.
*You still don't age.

Casting Int: 14

As the name might imply this build is focused on making the various different attainments fit together in a way that is both satisfying to use and effective. The time spent training your int to cast and training your casting are no longer separate.
What this build lacks in initial stats can be compensated for quite rapidly with training. A casting int of 15 can be acquired within 2 minutes, after which a modest, but fairly solid for the challenge, servitor is on your side.

Because training time advances exponentially this is unfortunately not all that impressive in the long term, but Bloom let's you train up to 10 baseline Int on a time scale relevant to the System Apocalypse. From there it should be possible to make use of the System for your own growth, ideally supporting Bloom. Though creating the right rune or rune sequence may take some time.

This build benefits from going to places with high end but external buffs, as these allow you to lower training times. Effects like Nameless buffing Diagrams should count and at least scale with you a little bit.