- Location
- Omniverse #1345
Look at post count and note I showed up at the pirate update
Catching up is very possible.But I never said I had any clue who it should be, just that we need to do something.
A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Catching up is very possible.But I never said I had any clue who it should be, just that we need to do something.
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
Point. If the chances of diplomatic victory are lower than about 50% each, Knight-Commander isn't a great idea.
By the way, do we have a ruling on whether we got to keep our Veterancy bonus?
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- Location
- Omniverse #1345
He said no awhile ago.
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Imagine answering Tyranshal's challenge not by working to improve yourself such that you'd become a philosopher-king worthy of the name but instead by just being too lazy to oppress people. It's like a reverse bread and circuses; the tyrant spends far too much time having fun with his perfect wife in a perfected paradise to ever get around to putting the boot in. And if anything goes wrong, you can resurrect the dead so why bother worrying?
What an amazing feat of lateral thinking! He doesn't even know I exist and yet the cunning little bastard still managed to hoodwink me.
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- Location
- Pindorama
Scamming his way into moral rulership was kind of expected from Nameless, to be fair.
ImperatorV
The Laughing One
- Location
- The Voyaging Realm
I blame Yong Liefang.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
It was a tie, it literally came down to Omake power and arguments.
- Location
- Omniverse #1345
Or got to Iridescence. Rihaku does keep telling us to get it...
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
Simple, really. Have a first stage planning phase for every vote, a bit like PoptartProdigy's moratoriums. Topics we'd need to cover are Our Immediate Concerns, What Synergizes With Our Build, and Long-Term Issues.Look at post count and note I showed up at the pirate update
But I never said I had any clue who it should be, just that we need to do something.
Tag removed, then. Pity it didn't even give us a better outcome on the Mage.
I mean, mostly oppression tends to happen by neglect and/or misusing taxes. He's powerful enough to make basically anything he wants, but I don't know that he cares enough about the poor to make sure they actually get justice and immortality. Suizhen might, though, and a 10-degrees-seperated blood boost would probably be weak enough to be unconcerning while being strong enough to make everyone who accepts it immortal?
Fending Off
Rihaku
The Internet
Fending Off
With the onset of a new morning, they set out once more. Hunger set a fierce pace through the grassy plains of the Outer Temple in an effort to reach the Middle.
"You're energetic today!" Gisena commented, walking by his side. They cut through divisions of Knights and stone monsters, pushing directly forwards with implacable speed. "Why not stop to smell the roses? Maybe hunt down some of the stragglers?"
He shook his head. "They're too weak now. It would take me thousands of kills to receive any noticeable benefit."
"Aw, is it all about the power? I thought you liked killing monsters."
"I don't mind it. But every moment wasted, the Imprisoned Ring suffers further. I've resolved to do it, so I'd like to finish as soon as possible."
"And yet you told Letrizia otherwise. What happened to taking our time?"
"That was only so she wouldn't worry."
"So you admit we're doing something she would worry about?"
"...Ahem. I won't tell if you won't."
"Well, you did give me this wonderful blood enhancement. I guess we'll call it even!"
"Perform like you did against the Magus and I'll consider it."
She laughed. "Am I not always the shining apex of performance? Or the crushing void of it, if you prefer that type of Nullity."
The Middle Temple, as it turned out, was cleanly delineated by a towering range of mountains, tempest-laden spines of snow-capped stone that ringed the entire region. Knights and stranger monsters patrolled the few viable passes, but obstacles of this level were only a middling concern for Hunger now, and they made their way through with efficient speed, hampered more by the narrowly winding paths than any serious opposition.
"You got this ability just in time!" Gisena commented, cheeks flushed with warming blood, her breath frosting before her. She rubbed her hands together, maintaining circulation. "Traversing this terrain un-boosted in a dress wouldn't have been much fun."
"Some shining apex you are," he replied. "Didn't you already possess superhuman fortitude?"
"Sure, but that doesn't mean it's enjoyable to rely on." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Hey, we can go faster if you carry me, right? Let's do that. It'll be warmer too."
"If you insist."
They arrived at the Middle Temple in such a state, the howling crags giving way to a lush valley of green, fields irrigated by the crystal-clean mountain streams. Unlike the Outer Temple, this land was clearly settled; well-crafted hamlets with colorful gardens dotted the valley, yeomen plowing crops in donkey-driven carts while their children frolicked carelessly along the dirt-packed roads.
"A far cry from the murderous outer regions," Gisena said, looking over his shoulder. "These people..."
"Yes," he replied. "And yet all this is built on the torment of the Ring. We won't hurt anyone who doesn't try to stop us. But I will free it from its unending torture. That isn't negotiable."
"Hey." Gisena squeezed him gently. "You don't need to justify yourself to me. This makes you a bit uncomfortable, right? You're used to fighting on behalf of the people. But wherever you decide to lead, I'll be by your side. Always."
"I appreciate that. But..."
"Why?" She laughed. "Don't ask me to explain it. Just a feeling, I suppose. How would you ever manage without me?"
"A feeling, huh."
"Hmm? A genius isn't allowed to have an intuitive feeling? Besides, it's a pretty good deal for me! I've already gotten one free power-up out of it..."
"How self-interested of you."
"When a genius does it, it's called enlightened self-interest! Speaking of which, I wonder if they sell dresses around here? We'd need a source of findross to make it as durable as this one, but maybe you can use my blood as a dye..."
"Well. They'll need some means of making ends meet once we take out the basis of their civilization."
"Awfully confident, aren't you? Good, because we've got incoming from the middle distance. Looks like they're using a similar category of magic as the magus we killed."
That could mean anything. He sprinted forward into the town, hoping that would deter them. If not, he would move past the small hamlet-square and into the wide fields on the far side before engaging. He hoped they would hold some concern for collateral damage and do the same.
Townsfolk gawked as he passed, a barely-visible blur of motion. Arrows of gold and crystallized light feathered his wake, the incoming fire of whatever patrol they'd attracted. Some missed only by millimeters. A few struck true, but sprang easily off the Evening Sky, depleting its powers only slightly.
He wove into the tall stalks of the crop fields, but the trail of arrows followed him doggedly. Gisena, positioned safely under his cloak and swathed in its swirling embrace, fired back with vigorous bolts and scything waves of Nullity, extinguishing the arrows's magic before they struck. Rendered wholly mundane, they had no hope at all of penetrating his cloak, nor even of wearing it down through attrition.
"The archer's moving closer. Two more units circling around," she whispered in his ear, pressed nearly flat against his back as they raced through the crops and into the clearing beyond.
There was a sudden splitting, a schism in space-time around them, but Gisena whipped about and dispelled it before it could finish forming, nudging him with her left shin as she moved. He turned to the right, blindly firing blade-winds, and caught the materializing form of an enemy patrolwoman. She was heavily armored, wearing a scale coat of emerald with an open-faced helm of the same color, and riding atop what appeared to be a fledging drake. Instinctively he flared his ring, suppressing her blood and enhancing his own. She turned pale, expression confused as his first blade-winds landed.
His first cuts struck her armor and damaged it, but failed to pierce through. His follow-up swiftly decapitated her mount, and as she tumbled he rushed forward, plunging his blade into her sternum with eviscerating force. Before she had time to react, he struck again, ending her life as her compatriots finally arrived upon the scene.
"BASTARD!" A second rider roared, charging heedlessly at him, drake snapping wildly. Hunger stepped to the side with a flourish of his cloak, entangling them in the pitiless weave of the Evening Sky. As they flailed, he stabbed the man in the back. A blade-projection bisected the warrior neatly, his death-screams muffled by the thick mantle of evening, now become his funereal shroud.
"Hmph." Gisena said airily, "Guess their mounts weren't quite up to mine!" She patted his shoulder, bright with cheer.
He shook his head. Perhaps she was trying to distract him from the unpleasantness of the situation, forced to slaughter citizens who were only protecting their home. But he'd made his choice. He could not abide the torture of the Ring, which meant he had to abide the death of its jailers. He would regret the necessity nonetheless.
Only the bowman remained, but refused to show himself, arrows darting in from all directions. Hunger deflected most, and his cloak caught many others, but one embedded itself in his thigh, bringing livid pain and paralyzing force. He staggered, flicking his blade once to cut out that chunk of his flesh. The paralysis swiftly abated, but a second arrow found its way into his chest - where the lower half of his left lung would have been, had his been intact.
"He used his comrades' distraction to set up some kind of field," Gisena reported. "Control of space-time, along with other effects. I'm countering most of it but it's growing in strength."
That explained the arrows from all directions, and their preternatural fire rate. It also made the archer himself nearly impossible to pin down... Hunger's eyes traced the horizon, finding nothing. Another arrow, this time to the right knee, and a second one grazing his wrist. The artery was cut cleanly, but no blood sprayed forth; his Ring made certain of that. Impossible angles of fire, shifting constantly. He forced down the pain and thought.
The Ring. He could sense the blood of those he focused on within sight. Could it also be used to locate a foe who evaded sight? As more arrows struck him, he dropped low to the ground, shielding Gisena's body with his own. Focusing intently, he could sense twelve more sources of blood in the area besides the Sorceress. They were spatially transposed: each was the archer's original body, but it occupied multiple points in space at the same time, presumably using further spatial magic to account for differences in firing angle. One dozen blood sources became fifteen, fifteen became eighteen. This would swiftly become unmanageable.
"I'm going to go ghost," he whispered, feigning death. More arrows came nonetheless, though the Evening Sky covered them completely. Still, it could not hold forever.
"So eager to die," Gisena teased, but nodded in affirmation. "Go. Good luck. I promise I won't dispel you!"
He slew his physical form and sprang out, cloak a tattered wreath around him, charging to the closest blood signature. More arrows flew at him, targeting his limbs and sides. He dodged what few he could, deflected certain others and simply withstood the rest, the brilliant blaze of pain only sharpening his focus. Exerting himself recklessly, he went fully incorporeal, phasing through the final round of arrows to arrive with shocking speed. At last the archer came into view, a man dressed rakishly in hunting leathers holding a bow of golden weave. He pounced.
"What-" The man managed before Hunger sliced off his knee, blood fountaining upwards at a furious rate. The archer gestured hastily, all but fumbling his bow, and disappeared, canceling this spatial instance. But the damage was already done.
Ripping the arrowheads free of his barely-coherent wraith form, Hunger rushed towards the next source of that blood signature, finding the man barely recovered, unsteadily nocking an arrow. This time his blade-winds failed to land, warping around the archer to graze instead of murder, their buzzsaw edges first leaving sandblasted streaks of blood against the man's flesh, then failing to connect at all. But the Forebear's Blade was not his only weapon. This close to the Ring of Blood and already bleeding heavily, his enemy would be exsanguinated within the second. Hypovolemic shock would occur much faster. The jewel of his Ring lit up hungrily, almost purring with delight.
"Wait," the man said, holding up one arm desperately. Wary of being ambushed as with the craven knights, Hunger kicked the archer over and severed the tendons in his arms and remaining leg before placing his Blade against the man's cranium. Only then did he gesture once, stemming the torrent of blood.
"Talk." He said.
"You... look! I know the Call of the Temple is strong. But there's no need for us to fight. We- we're entirely willing to pay you off, intruders as strong as you are. Maybe even hire you to defend us for a time. We can be very generous. And, and we can give you a sigil that'll immunize you to the Call. Your life won't be dominated by it any more. You'll be free! Free to leave, to come and go as you please! Isn't that better than being tricked - coerced - into obeying the Call?"
"Tell me about the defenses in the Inner Temple."
"I don't know. You should worry about us in the Middle first! When I fail to respond to a check-in, more will come searching for me. Far stronger than I. Stronger than you! But we don't need to fight!"
"Do you have a sigil on you right now?"
"Of course!"
"Give it to me."
"My left pants pocket, lower side."
He extracted the sigil, a thin metal thing with a blue rune on its face. It buzzed threateningly at him, resisting the influence of his ring. He threw it away.
"I have the power to tell when an enemy has given up. You haven't." Hunger himself wasn't in much better condition, his ghostly outline barely visible. He marshaled his energies, preparing to finish it.
"I- I can still use Soul Evocations, it's true. But I swear! I swear not to oppose you in any form or way of action! I swear it on my soul, okay?! Just let me live!"
The ring flared again, an intermittent pattern as if glowering, and finally Hunger felt the power of triumph flowing in. Gisena walked over to them, carrying his flesh body. Bereft of cloak, ring and blade, it looked only sullen.
"Maybe you want to get back inside? You're looking a bit pale!"
"Very funny. We're withdrawing. Can't fight further in this state."
They began to walk away.
"It's a shame you can't carry me in this state..." Gisena mused.
"As I said!" The archer hollered, "There's no need to fight! Join us! We pay well, far better than you'll find outside!"
He turned back to the man. "You never saw the ones that defeated you. You don't know any details of their magics or abilities."
"O-of course!"
"Okay. Let's go."
"Good work today! This time, I'm carrying your unconscious body. Fair's fair, after all!"
"You can get rid of that thing. Actually, give it here, I'll destroy it. Best not leave them anything to study."
---
Last time the winner was [X] Resident Outriders and [X] Level Gisena.
Choose the nature of the major complication Hunger received:
[ ] Exhausted - While two day's rest will restore him fully, he'll be very vulnerable in the interim, and unable to use the Form of Rage for the first of those days.
[ ] Lingering Paralysis - 15% penalty to physical actions in both forms, reduced to 5% in Form of Rage. Lasts two weeks.
[ ] Guilt - Perhaps he is not as resolved as he pretends. Doubles Chill of the Grave penalty to 10%. Hunger will discard corporeal form more easily. Lasts until the Temple is resolved.
---
Victory! You have 4 picks and slightly under 11 Arete. This time only, you may trade 1 pick for 2 Arete, allowing you to spend up to 14 Arete if you only expend 3 picks.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Echo of the Forebear
Cloud-shadow of the Forebear's might.
Legendary strength and speed, and the resilience to exert them. Can be taken multiple times. [+Might, +Agility]
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Undying Vanguard - 5 Arete (0 picks).
Where tread the Forebear, his men would not fall, for the shadow of his presence could turn even death aside. And for his most stalwart servants, the reach of his shadow spanned continents and worlds.
Choose up to 5 companions whose true Astral Ranks do not exceed your own. They receive bonus Protection, Constitution and regeneration depending on both your relative power levels and their level of loyalty to you. A highly loyal companion would be about as difficult to kill as you yourself are, including the effects of your Artifacts.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - A Thousand Cuts - 7 Arete (0 picks)
In the Forebear's grip could even a common knife blaze with fell power. All melee attacks made with the Forebear's Blade now apply cursed wounds. Septuples the power and speed of the Fell-Handed Stroke and allows it to be used with blade projections. Such horrific offensive power allows one to challenge foes vastly stronger.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Ruinous Valor (3 picks)
Where he advanced, so did the tide of entire wars, the shock of his blade like a hurled epicenter, the trail of his passage but wasteland and rubble.
[+++++Strength]
Power of Ruin now scales upwards depending on your Strength.
Choose:
Einhander - You may not regrow or replace your left arm by any means. Substantially reduces the cost and increases the range of special attacks made with the Forebear's Blade. This Advancement grants Might instead of Strength (+Might = +Str, +Con).
Zweihander - Regrow your left arm. Your barehanded strikes now carry the full destructive power of the Forebear's Blade.
If Einhander is taken, unlocks One Arm Fury.
If Zweihander is taken, unlocks Martial Stances: Forebear's Blade
[ ] Magic-Defeating Stance - 7 Arete (0 picks) - Req. Zweihander. 5x power of Ruin against magical defenses and high-level magic resistance.
[ ] Hero-Defeating Stance - 7 Arete (0 picks) - Req. Zweihander. +.2 Rank, ++Agi, ++Might, halve enemy Rank bonuses if their Rank is higher, halve penalties for being outnumbered.
---
[ ] Evening Sky - Opalescence - The soft light of evening before which all attacks falter.
Improves defensive parameters. [+Protection]
[ ] Evening Sky - Iridescence - 2 Arete
The sharp light of the stars before which all malice is lessened.
+Protection, +Charisma. Expands the range of effects subject to the Evening Sky, allowing it to passively weaken almost all forms of magic. Even Nullity itself can be once withstood before the Sky recedes.
Requires Opalescence.
[ ] Evening Sky - Pearlescence - 7 Arete
Woe unto they who would stand against the bearer of Evening, for all the stars in heaven are their enemies, and the moon above as well.
That a frog in a well should leap at the moon, means only that they will never reach it.
+++Protection, and the protection granted by the Evening Sky now automatically scales to its wearer's power; effectively, the wearer is granted an additional Experience modifier whose output is automatically applied to the Evening Sky.
Requires Iridescence.
[ ] Evening Sky - Evening Gown - 7 Arete (2 picks)
The dress of night whose pearl is the moon and whose jewels are the stars.
Provides Gisena with a dress the same material as the Evening Sky, and infuses that material with a rich density of findross and the power of Nullity, dramatically enhancing its capabilities and rendering it immune to dispellation from that source. With the assistance of the Evening Sky, Gisena initiates a Sorcerous breakthrough.
Findross interweave enhances Hunger's attributes in a manner not unlike Sorcery so long as the Evening Sky is not discorporated. Choose two: +Agility, +Might, +Wits, +Charisma, and gain a Pseudo-Grace. You may have to vote on the nature of the Pseudo-Grace. By default it grants ++++Agility, +++Strength, 30% increased attack speed in melee.
Discounts [Total Eclipse] by 2 Arete.
---
[ ] The Ring of Power - Dominion - 2 Arete
A ring of power does not exert influence casually. It has its own will, its own preferences, and if that will should be inseparable from its owner's, its sway thereby shall be greater for it.
Select a domain of influence. While acting within its domain, [Ring of Power] effects are substantially less taxing and more potent; the effects of this can be abstracted as follows: treat the owner's Rank as if it somewhat* higher for related actions. You may select this advancement multiple times, choosing a different domain each time. If multiple domains apply, their bonuses do not compound.
*+0.5 if Low, +.25 if Mid, +.1 if High.
The available domains for Hunger are: War, Passion
[ ] The Ring of Power - Preeminence - 7 Arete
It is no small thing, to master a ring of power; and for those few who have braved that height, at its peak they shall only glimpse the true jewel which lies even further beyond.
Choose a domain you have already purchased. While acting within its purview, double its effective Rank modifier and gain +All Stats. You may select this advancement multiple times, choosing a different domain each time.
The available domains for Hunger's Preeminence are: War, Passion
[ ] The Ring of Power - Quickening - 7 Arete (3 picks)
The power of Progression made manifest in blood.
While in any form with corporeal blood, gain +++++++Agility, +++++++Might, ++++Wits, and triple the rate of passive healing performed by the Ring of Blood. Halve wound penalties in any such forms. Currently, this applies only to Hunger's first form.
Ensures that [Final Form] will possess corporeal blood. This may not necessarily be an advantage.
With the onset of a new morning, they set out once more. Hunger set a fierce pace through the grassy plains of the Outer Temple in an effort to reach the Middle.
"You're energetic today!" Gisena commented, walking by his side. They cut through divisions of Knights and stone monsters, pushing directly forwards with implacable speed. "Why not stop to smell the roses? Maybe hunt down some of the stragglers?"
He shook his head. "They're too weak now. It would take me thousands of kills to receive any noticeable benefit."
"Aw, is it all about the power? I thought you liked killing monsters."
"I don't mind it. But every moment wasted, the Imprisoned Ring suffers further. I've resolved to do it, so I'd like to finish as soon as possible."
"And yet you told Letrizia otherwise. What happened to taking our time?"
"That was only so she wouldn't worry."
"So you admit we're doing something she would worry about?"
"...Ahem. I won't tell if you won't."
"Well, you did give me this wonderful blood enhancement. I guess we'll call it even!"
"Perform like you did against the Magus and I'll consider it."
She laughed. "Am I not always the shining apex of performance? Or the crushing void of it, if you prefer that type of Nullity."
The Middle Temple, as it turned out, was cleanly delineated by a towering range of mountains, tempest-laden spines of snow-capped stone that ringed the entire region. Knights and stranger monsters patrolled the few viable passes, but obstacles of this level were only a middling concern for Hunger now, and they made their way through with efficient speed, hampered more by the narrowly winding paths than any serious opposition.
"You got this ability just in time!" Gisena commented, cheeks flushed with warming blood, her breath frosting before her. She rubbed her hands together, maintaining circulation. "Traversing this terrain un-boosted in a dress wouldn't have been much fun."
"Some shining apex you are," he replied. "Didn't you already possess superhuman fortitude?"
"Sure, but that doesn't mean it's enjoyable to rely on." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Hey, we can go faster if you carry me, right? Let's do that. It'll be warmer too."
"If you insist."
They arrived at the Middle Temple in such a state, the howling crags giving way to a lush valley of green, fields irrigated by the crystal-clean mountain streams. Unlike the Outer Temple, this land was clearly settled; well-crafted hamlets with colorful gardens dotted the valley, yeomen plowing crops in donkey-driven carts while their children frolicked carelessly along the dirt-packed roads.
"A far cry from the murderous outer regions," Gisena said, looking over his shoulder. "These people..."
"Yes," he replied. "And yet all this is built on the torment of the Ring. We won't hurt anyone who doesn't try to stop us. But I will free it from its unending torture. That isn't negotiable."
"Hey." Gisena squeezed him gently. "You don't need to justify yourself to me. This makes you a bit uncomfortable, right? You're used to fighting on behalf of the people. But wherever you decide to lead, I'll be by your side. Always."
"I appreciate that. But..."
"Why?" She laughed. "Don't ask me to explain it. Just a feeling, I suppose. How would you ever manage without me?"
"A feeling, huh."
"Hmm? A genius isn't allowed to have an intuitive feeling? Besides, it's a pretty good deal for me! I've already gotten one free power-up out of it..."
"How self-interested of you."
"When a genius does it, it's called enlightened self-interest! Speaking of which, I wonder if they sell dresses around here? We'd need a source of findross to make it as durable as this one, but maybe you can use my blood as a dye..."
"Well. They'll need some means of making ends meet once we take out the basis of their civilization."
"Awfully confident, aren't you? Good, because we've got incoming from the middle distance. Looks like they're using a similar category of magic as the magus we killed."
That could mean anything. He sprinted forward into the town, hoping that would deter them. If not, he would move past the small hamlet-square and into the wide fields on the far side before engaging. He hoped they would hold some concern for collateral damage and do the same.
Townsfolk gawked as he passed, a barely-visible blur of motion. Arrows of gold and crystallized light feathered his wake, the incoming fire of whatever patrol they'd attracted. Some missed only by millimeters. A few struck true, but sprang easily off the Evening Sky, depleting its powers only slightly.
He wove into the tall stalks of the crop fields, but the trail of arrows followed him doggedly. Gisena, positioned safely under his cloak and swathed in its swirling embrace, fired back with vigorous bolts and scything waves of Nullity, extinguishing the arrows's magic before they struck. Rendered wholly mundane, they had no hope at all of penetrating his cloak, nor even of wearing it down through attrition.
"The archer's moving closer. Two more units circling around," she whispered in his ear, pressed nearly flat against his back as they raced through the crops and into the clearing beyond.
There was a sudden splitting, a schism in space-time around them, but Gisena whipped about and dispelled it before it could finish forming, nudging him with her left shin as she moved. He turned to the right, blindly firing blade-winds, and caught the materializing form of an enemy patrolwoman. She was heavily armored, wearing a scale coat of emerald with an open-faced helm of the same color, and riding atop what appeared to be a fledging drake. Instinctively he flared his ring, suppressing her blood and enhancing his own. She turned pale, expression confused as his first blade-winds landed.
His first cuts struck her armor and damaged it, but failed to pierce through. His follow-up swiftly decapitated her mount, and as she tumbled he rushed forward, plunging his blade into her sternum with eviscerating force. Before she had time to react, he struck again, ending her life as her compatriots finally arrived upon the scene.
"BASTARD!" A second rider roared, charging heedlessly at him, drake snapping wildly. Hunger stepped to the side with a flourish of his cloak, entangling them in the pitiless weave of the Evening Sky. As they flailed, he stabbed the man in the back. A blade-projection bisected the warrior neatly, his death-screams muffled by the thick mantle of evening, now become his funereal shroud.
"Hmph." Gisena said airily, "Guess their mounts weren't quite up to mine!" She patted his shoulder, bright with cheer.
He shook his head. Perhaps she was trying to distract him from the unpleasantness of the situation, forced to slaughter citizens who were only protecting their home. But he'd made his choice. He could not abide the torture of the Ring, which meant he had to abide the death of its jailers. He would regret the necessity nonetheless.
Only the bowman remained, but refused to show himself, arrows darting in from all directions. Hunger deflected most, and his cloak caught many others, but one embedded itself in his thigh, bringing livid pain and paralyzing force. He staggered, flicking his blade once to cut out that chunk of his flesh. The paralysis swiftly abated, but a second arrow found its way into his chest - where the lower half of his left lung would have been, had his been intact.
"He used his comrades' distraction to set up some kind of field," Gisena reported. "Control of space-time, along with other effects. I'm countering most of it but it's growing in strength."
That explained the arrows from all directions, and their preternatural fire rate. It also made the archer himself nearly impossible to pin down... Hunger's eyes traced the horizon, finding nothing. Another arrow, this time to the right knee, and a second one grazing his wrist. The artery was cut cleanly, but no blood sprayed forth; his Ring made certain of that. Impossible angles of fire, shifting constantly. He forced down the pain and thought.
The Ring. He could sense the blood of those he focused on within sight. Could it also be used to locate a foe who evaded sight? As more arrows struck him, he dropped low to the ground, shielding Gisena's body with his own. Focusing intently, he could sense twelve more sources of blood in the area besides the Sorceress. They were spatially transposed: each was the archer's original body, but it occupied multiple points in space at the same time, presumably using further spatial magic to account for differences in firing angle. One dozen blood sources became fifteen, fifteen became eighteen. This would swiftly become unmanageable.
"I'm going to go ghost," he whispered, feigning death. More arrows came nonetheless, though the Evening Sky covered them completely. Still, it could not hold forever.
"So eager to die," Gisena teased, but nodded in affirmation. "Go. Good luck. I promise I won't dispel you!"
He slew his physical form and sprang out, cloak a tattered wreath around him, charging to the closest blood signature. More arrows flew at him, targeting his limbs and sides. He dodged what few he could, deflected certain others and simply withstood the rest, the brilliant blaze of pain only sharpening his focus. Exerting himself recklessly, he went fully incorporeal, phasing through the final round of arrows to arrive with shocking speed. At last the archer came into view, a man dressed rakishly in hunting leathers holding a bow of golden weave. He pounced.
"What-" The man managed before Hunger sliced off his knee, blood fountaining upwards at a furious rate. The archer gestured hastily, all but fumbling his bow, and disappeared, canceling this spatial instance. But the damage was already done.
Ripping the arrowheads free of his barely-coherent wraith form, Hunger rushed towards the next source of that blood signature, finding the man barely recovered, unsteadily nocking an arrow. This time his blade-winds failed to land, warping around the archer to graze instead of murder, their buzzsaw edges first leaving sandblasted streaks of blood against the man's flesh, then failing to connect at all. But the Forebear's Blade was not his only weapon. This close to the Ring of Blood and already bleeding heavily, his enemy would be exsanguinated within the second. Hypovolemic shock would occur much faster. The jewel of his Ring lit up hungrily, almost purring with delight.
"Wait," the man said, holding up one arm desperately. Wary of being ambushed as with the craven knights, Hunger kicked the archer over and severed the tendons in his arms and remaining leg before placing his Blade against the man's cranium. Only then did he gesture once, stemming the torrent of blood.
"Talk." He said.
"You... look! I know the Call of the Temple is strong. But there's no need for us to fight. We- we're entirely willing to pay you off, intruders as strong as you are. Maybe even hire you to defend us for a time. We can be very generous. And, and we can give you a sigil that'll immunize you to the Call. Your life won't be dominated by it any more. You'll be free! Free to leave, to come and go as you please! Isn't that better than being tricked - coerced - into obeying the Call?"
"Tell me about the defenses in the Inner Temple."
"I don't know. You should worry about us in the Middle first! When I fail to respond to a check-in, more will come searching for me. Far stronger than I. Stronger than you! But we don't need to fight!"
"Do you have a sigil on you right now?"
"Of course!"
"Give it to me."
"My left pants pocket, lower side."
He extracted the sigil, a thin metal thing with a blue rune on its face. It buzzed threateningly at him, resisting the influence of his ring. He threw it away.
"I have the power to tell when an enemy has given up. You haven't." Hunger himself wasn't in much better condition, his ghostly outline barely visible. He marshaled his energies, preparing to finish it.
"I- I can still use Soul Evocations, it's true. But I swear! I swear not to oppose you in any form or way of action! I swear it on my soul, okay?! Just let me live!"
The ring flared again, an intermittent pattern as if glowering, and finally Hunger felt the power of triumph flowing in. Gisena walked over to them, carrying his flesh body. Bereft of cloak, ring and blade, it looked only sullen.
"Maybe you want to get back inside? You're looking a bit pale!"
"Very funny. We're withdrawing. Can't fight further in this state."
They began to walk away.
"It's a shame you can't carry me in this state..." Gisena mused.
"As I said!" The archer hollered, "There's no need to fight! Join us! We pay well, far better than you'll find outside!"
He turned back to the man. "You never saw the ones that defeated you. You don't know any details of their magics or abilities."
"O-of course!"
"Okay. Let's go."
"Good work today! This time, I'm carrying your unconscious body. Fair's fair, after all!"
"You can get rid of that thing. Actually, give it here, I'll destroy it. Best not leave them anything to study."
---
Last time the winner was [X] Resident Outriders and [X] Level Gisena.
Choose the nature of the major complication Hunger received:
[ ] Exhausted - While two day's rest will restore him fully, he'll be very vulnerable in the interim, and unable to use the Form of Rage for the first of those days.
[ ] Lingering Paralysis - 15% penalty to physical actions in both forms, reduced to 5% in Form of Rage. Lasts two weeks.
[ ] Guilt - Perhaps he is not as resolved as he pretends. Doubles Chill of the Grave penalty to 10%. Hunger will discard corporeal form more easily. Lasts until the Temple is resolved.
---
Victory! You have 4 picks and slightly under 11 Arete. This time only, you may trade 1 pick for 2 Arete, allowing you to spend up to 14 Arete if you only expend 3 picks.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Echo of the Forebear
Cloud-shadow of the Forebear's might.
Legendary strength and speed, and the resilience to exert them. Can be taken multiple times. [+Might, +Agility]
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Undying Vanguard - 5 Arete (0 picks).
Where tread the Forebear, his men would not fall, for the shadow of his presence could turn even death aside. And for his most stalwart servants, the reach of his shadow spanned continents and worlds.
Choose up to 5 companions whose true Astral Ranks do not exceed your own. They receive bonus Protection, Constitution and regeneration depending on both your relative power levels and their level of loyalty to you. A highly loyal companion would be about as difficult to kill as you yourself are, including the effects of your Artifacts.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - A Thousand Cuts - 7 Arete (0 picks)
In the Forebear's grip could even a common knife blaze with fell power. All melee attacks made with the Forebear's Blade now apply cursed wounds. Septuples the power and speed of the Fell-Handed Stroke and allows it to be used with blade projections. Such horrific offensive power allows one to challenge foes vastly stronger.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Ruinous Valor (3 picks)
Where he advanced, so did the tide of entire wars, the shock of his blade like a hurled epicenter, the trail of his passage but wasteland and rubble.
[+++++Strength]
Power of Ruin now scales upwards depending on your Strength.
Choose:
Einhander - You may not regrow or replace your left arm by any means. Substantially reduces the cost and increases the range of special attacks made with the Forebear's Blade. This Advancement grants Might instead of Strength (+Might = +Str, +Con).
Zweihander - Regrow your left arm. Your barehanded strikes now carry the full destructive power of the Forebear's Blade.
If Einhander is taken, unlocks One Arm Fury.
If Zweihander is taken, unlocks Martial Stances: Forebear's Blade
[ ] Magic-Defeating Stance - 7 Arete (0 picks) - Req. Zweihander. 5x power of Ruin against magical defenses and high-level magic resistance.
[ ] Hero-Defeating Stance - 7 Arete (0 picks) - Req. Zweihander. +.2 Rank, ++Agi, ++Might, halve enemy Rank bonuses if their Rank is higher, halve penalties for being outnumbered.
---
[ ] Evening Sky - Opalescence - The soft light of evening before which all attacks falter.
Improves defensive parameters. [+Protection]
[ ] Evening Sky - Iridescence - 2 Arete
The sharp light of the stars before which all malice is lessened.
+Protection, +Charisma. Expands the range of effects subject to the Evening Sky, allowing it to passively weaken almost all forms of magic. Even Nullity itself can be once withstood before the Sky recedes.
Requires Opalescence.
[ ] Evening Sky - Pearlescence - 7 Arete
Woe unto they who would stand against the bearer of Evening, for all the stars in heaven are their enemies, and the moon above as well.
That a frog in a well should leap at the moon, means only that they will never reach it.
+++Protection, and the protection granted by the Evening Sky now automatically scales to its wearer's power; effectively, the wearer is granted an additional Experience modifier whose output is automatically applied to the Evening Sky.
Requires Iridescence.
[ ] Evening Sky - Evening Gown - 7 Arete (2 picks)
The dress of night whose pearl is the moon and whose jewels are the stars.
Provides Gisena with a dress the same material as the Evening Sky, and infuses that material with a rich density of findross and the power of Nullity, dramatically enhancing its capabilities and rendering it immune to dispellation from that source. With the assistance of the Evening Sky, Gisena initiates a Sorcerous breakthrough.
Findross interweave enhances Hunger's attributes in a manner not unlike Sorcery so long as the Evening Sky is not discorporated. Choose two: +Agility, +Might, +Wits, +Charisma, and gain a Pseudo-Grace. You may have to vote on the nature of the Pseudo-Grace. By default it grants ++++Agility, +++Strength, 30% increased attack speed in melee.
Discounts [Total Eclipse] by 2 Arete.
---
[ ] The Ring of Power - Dominion - 2 Arete
A ring of power does not exert influence casually. It has its own will, its own preferences, and if that will should be inseparable from its owner's, its sway thereby shall be greater for it.
Select a domain of influence. While acting within its domain, [Ring of Power] effects are substantially less taxing and more potent; the effects of this can be abstracted as follows: treat the owner's Rank as if it somewhat* higher for related actions. You may select this advancement multiple times, choosing a different domain each time. If multiple domains apply, their bonuses do not compound.
*+0.5 if Low, +.25 if Mid, +.1 if High.
The available domains for Hunger are: War, Passion
[ ] The Ring of Power - Preeminence - 7 Arete
It is no small thing, to master a ring of power; and for those few who have braved that height, at its peak they shall only glimpse the true jewel which lies even further beyond.
Choose a domain you have already purchased. While acting within its purview, double its effective Rank modifier and gain +All Stats. You may select this advancement multiple times, choosing a different domain each time.
The available domains for Hunger's Preeminence are: War, Passion
[ ] The Ring of Power - Quickening - 7 Arete (3 picks)
The power of Progression made manifest in blood.
While in any form with corporeal blood, gain +++++++Agility, +++++++Might, ++++Wits, and triple the rate of passive healing performed by the Ring of Blood. Halve wound penalties in any such forms. Currently, this applies only to Hunger's first form.
Ensures that [Final Form] will possess corporeal blood. This may not necessarily be an advantage.
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- Location
- Pindorama
[X] Exhausted
[X] Forebear's Blade - A Thousand Cuts
[X] Forebear's Blade - Ruinous Valor
-[X] Zweihander
[X] Hero-Defeating Stance
Provisional Vote for pure power until I think about the options more. I think getting War right now isn't very efficient though.
[X] Forebear's Blade - A Thousand Cuts
[X] Forebear's Blade - Ruinous Valor
-[X] Zweihander
[X] Hero-Defeating Stance
Provisional Vote for pure power until I think about the options more. I think getting War right now isn't very efficient though.
Rihaku
The Internet
Quickening + Thousand Cuts is also worth considering if you're going for pure power! The massive +Agi and Wits makes accuracy of Fell-Handed Stroke much higher.
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
The best option!
This is new, but it looks like a sort of worse version of Philospher's Mantle.
Does it make Hunger immune to Gisena's Nullity? Or only Gisena's version?
That's a lot of power!
But only applying to our first form makes it kind of sad though.
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Oof, not at all sure which complication to take. Depends on what we buy I guess.
A bit surprised we let him live, I wonder if we can curse specifically temple denizens or if it would hit all humans, it's not really relevant now due to timescales though.
A bit surprised we let him live, I wonder if we can curse specifically temple denizens or if it would hit all humans, it's not really relevant now due to timescales though.
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Exhausted
[X] Forebear's Blade - A Thousand Cuts
[X] Forebear's Blade - Ruinous Valor
-[X] Zweihander
[X] Hero-Defeating Stance
@BrainInAJar beat me to this exact build. Power now and choices to minimise the impact of Exhaustion. We'll chill for those days, take some Letrizia socials, hand out with Gisena. We can figure out whatever comes after that when we're no longer constantly risking death.
[X] Forebear's Blade - A Thousand Cuts
[X] Forebear's Blade - Ruinous Valor
-[X] Zweihander
[X] Hero-Defeating Stance
@BrainInAJar beat me to this exact build. Power now and choices to minimise the impact of Exhaustion. We'll chill for those days, take some Letrizia socials, hand out with Gisena. We can figure out whatever comes after that when we're no longer constantly risking death.
Enohthree
Hypersane
Howdareyou
You're being a good guilt trip, but perhaps be less noble after you fired upon us first and are only trying to save your own skin after you failed to kill us. My goodness we didn't even get a chance to start diplomacy even if we had tactics for it!
Now the question, can we trade in Quickening like we do Preeminence?
ImperatorV
The Laughing One
- Location
- The Voyaging Realm
Lots of good options this time. I'm inclined towards Evening Gown, as it gets us progress towards Total Eclipse and also makes Gisena more combat-relevant. Quickening is extremely powerful but anti-synergistic with our second form. Ruinous Valor + Hero Defeating Stance is quite good as a general combat buff, we'll likely be facing foes who outnumber and outrank us fairly often as we progress through the Temple. Pearlescence gets us increased XP but requires 3 pick and 9 Arete.
And, of course, some people are going to throw everything at Preeminence to try to rush Ruling Ring. I don't think that's a great idea though. Because of this:
We were quite clearly using our Blood Domain in combat this fight. Getting War or Passion therefore does absolutely nothing to increase our power unless we are in a situation where the blood domain doesn't apply. As such Preeminence is a purely potential pick, and given how outclassed we are cannot really be justified.
And, of course, some people are going to throw everything at Preeminence to try to rush Ruling Ring. I don't think that's a great idea though. Because of this:
We were quite clearly using our Blood Domain in combat this fight. Getting War or Passion therefore does absolutely nothing to increase our power unless we are in a situation where the blood domain doesn't apply. As such Preeminence is a purely potential pick, and given how outclassed we are cannot really be justified.
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- Location
- Omniverse #1345
[X] Exhausted
[X] Evening Sky - Opalescence
[X] Evening Sky - Iridescence
[X] Evening Sky - Pearlescence
[X] Forebear's Blade - Undying Vanguard
This is a pure defensive build of pretty ridiculous power that gives a permanent boost to future Evening Sky protection.
As we are getting exhausted we are *not* to do anything until it fades.
[X] Evening Sky - Opalescence
[X] Evening Sky - Iridescence
[X] Evening Sky - Pearlescence
[X] Forebear's Blade - Undying Vanguard
This is a pure defensive build of pretty ridiculous power that gives a permanent boost to future Evening Sky protection.
As we are getting exhausted we are *not* to do anything until it fades.
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Enohthree
Hypersane
Getting Ruling Ring also starts a contest of primacy with nearby Rings, which seems like it would do... something... that we're probably not ready for at this juncture.
Chief dominion is specifically not abstracted as higher rank for the purposes of actions in its domain though. So I think they don't overlap.
- Location
- Omniverse #1345
I recommend we instead get the Pearlescence +Vanguard combo then use the extra Evening Sky xp to help grab Evening Gown in the future.