Did Byzantine get one?
A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Aabcehmu
Confusion as a Natural State of Being
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Pronouns
- Any/All
Talace
It must be raining somewhere else!
I'd like one!
Yep! Here it is, by Xalvitor.
edit: ninja'd
Aabcehmu
Confusion as a Natural State of Being
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Pronouns
- Any/All
Any preference regarding themes or mechanics?
Promenade of Glories II
Rihaku
The Internet
Promenade of Glories: II
Who was the individual assigned to handle the R-type calling himself "Lord Hunger?"
[ ] Gondar Hrsillimas
Gondar Hrsillimas is a man on a mission. Not only did this presumptuously-named "Lord Hunger" brutally dismember his apprentice and slay his best (and only) friend, he has all but disappeared from the Temple environs, presumably on some form of training trip. Given his demonstrated speed of advancement (or hidden powers), this can only bode poorly for the society in the Temple. The Inners have always favored a passive strategy, their well-regimented lives of luxury leaving their minds feeble and lax. For all that the administration is worthless, however, ten million innocent lives are at stake. Gondar can do nothing less than his utmost; to forsake his path would be unconscionable dereliction of duty. Now that Chief Coordinator Thran has passed the matter of the R-type to him, he will do what he does best: hunt.
Gondar is hostile, but socially inept. He could be convinced of your sincere desire to defect, but would not be happy about it. This will bias him against you; he will shoot first and ask questions later. Unlike the others, Gondar will not wait for Hunger to return to the Temple; he is actively hunting you within the Voyaging Realm, and depending on how much time you spend outside, may ambush you while you are traveling.
*Rank 4.5
*Defensive Rank
*Physical Parameters: Slightly superior AGI, vastly inferior STR and CON compared to Hunger.
*Soul Evocation: The Arrow. Gondar is an unparalleled master of the ranger arts. His skill with a bow is second to none among all ten million souls of the Temple's civilization. He is a terrifyingly proficient tracker, hunter, marksman and survivalist. His arrows can produce countless offensive exotic effects; rare is the foe he cannot fell in one shot, though none of these individual effects can match Vanreir's thrust in potency.
Enthusiasm: Fanatical. Gondar is determined to end your life.
[ ] High Marshall Avecarn
The world-weary High Marshall served seven decades in the outriders before finally retiring to the Inner Ring. A mighty warrior and tactician beyond compare, he is resentful at being summoned out of his now-idyllic life to steamroll some uninteresting R-type. That the Council considers itself unquestionable does not mean it can expect the enthusiasm of its hunting hounds when it would deny them even basic knowledge of the entity they face. He suspects, perhaps rightly, that the Council's divinations were defeated by this R-type's protections and they have decided to drop the hammer, employing massive overkill in lieu of more direct solutions.
Avecarn wishes only to get this over with as soon as possible. He would much rather be tending his gardens and spoiling his grandchildren than have anything to do with you. His expansive experience and formidable Rank make him difficult to deceive, however.
*Rank 6.5
*Active Astral Rank
*Physical parameters: Generally below Hunger's. A battle would not be as suicidal as your respective Ranks would indicate, though his Soul Evocation, below, does further advantage him against beings of lower Rank.
*Soul Evocation: The Administration. While he fights best alongside a group of underlings, Avecarn has a broad and deep enough well of effects to comport himself well in personal combat. Order and hierarchy in all their forms are his weapons. Authority equals asskicking, after all.
*Enthusiasm: Minimal. If he can be convinced of your sincerity, motivated reasoning would ensure he would have no problem accepting that you've turned your coat. One does not grow to be a solider of Avecarn's age by taking undue risks in battle. Who is to say you do not have some sort of trump card that could narrow or overcome the apparent harrowing gap between you?
[ ] Selune vi Tries [Cost: 4 Arete]
As you may have guessed from her name, Selune is actually a very, very distant cousin of your very own Letrizia von Artriez! She is excited to meet another member of her family, especially from Outside - and positively ecstatic to witness their family legacy, the legendary Devouring Armament, in action herself!
This is her first major assignment. She politicked herself onto the post due to going stir-crazy from the circumscribed lifestyle of an Inner Temple heiress. Though she is powerful for her age, her techniques are unrefined, having never been exposed to the fires of true battle. Surely this misunderstanding between Hunger and the Temple can be quickly resolved now that she's on the case!
Selune somewhat resembles Letrizia, though her Soul Evocation grants her superhuman Appearance and Manipulation. She thinks Hunger is totally awesome and could be convinced to escort him past all manner of security checks, waving off the concerns of her fellows by virtue of her Council-granted privilege. Selune sits the Council as a junior member and her authority cannot be countermanded by any Outrider, bureaucrat, military commander, or non-Council nobleman or woman.
If unselected, the vi Tries family does not exist on the Council of the Inner Temple. They may not exist at all...
*Rank: 3.5
*Bodyguard's Rank: 5
*Defensive Rank
*Physical parameters: vastly below Hunger's, but her bodyguard is almost a match for him.
*Soul Evocation: The Lunar. Selune possesses superhuman grace and shapeshifting capabilities, and can call upon a number of moon-based evocations to blast, banish, confuse or disorient her foes.
Enthusiasm: Friendly. Selune could care less about stuffy concerns like Temple security. She will no doubt be exceedingly distraught if her easily-proffered trust is betrayed. Should her suspicions be roused, her superhuman social instincts will ferret out deception instantly, but she is far too careless to be overmuch concerned at this juncture.
---
The winner was [X] Edeldross Adept, though this vote was very much closer than it looked. A number of good arguments & omakes were made for Shadowlord.
Long-term Planning!
You may choose one of these Advancements or Advancement Plans to unlock and deposit 1 Arete in. If 0 picks are required, Snap Purchasing is permissible.
[ ] The Ring of Power: Crimson Flare - 25 Arete. (0 picks, but requires Chief Dominion)
Call'd the ring in direst hour;
Azure's brethren faces turned.
Yet came the Lord its cause to flower;
then saw its keepers, to ruin burned.
Forgotten not, the debt of Time
when all its kind had turned their backs;
Not Hunger ring, its steed to ride,
brought Temple low, rapine and sack.
And debt unpaid shall not abide.
The crimson jewel blazes with a hallowed, piercing light, its glory to outshine sun and stars, all made abject by its presence. This is attainment of a height that disdains mere power, the Jewel of Blood unveiled in truth.
Elevates the wielder's Rank by a variable amount [Currently: to 5]
+2 Rank for purposes of wielding the Chief Dominion.
If the Azure Ring is saved:
Further increases the scope, power, and control of the Chief Dominion, beyond even the limits of the Ruling Ring.*
Obsoletes and refunds: Augment Dominion: Blood, Sublime Transfusion, Ennobling
The Azure Ring will submit to the Crimson in the next contest of primacy.
*Example effects: Individuals can be Ennobled in hours, small populations in days, large populations in months. Levels above Ennoblement can be researched and acquired, potentially without Arete expenditure. Verschlengorge can be healed to Rank 6 in hours, to Rank 7 in days, to Rank 7.5 in weeks. Enemies of Rank 4 or lower can be rendered comatose with a gesture; those of merely equivalent Rank (5) would suffer crippling disadvantage.
[ ] Evening Sky: Silver of Evening - 25 Arete (1 pick)
Inset in the crown of evening is a star of purest edeldross; its wearer becomes swift as nightfall after the sun's passing, beautiful as the naked stars, and sacred as midnight itself. For all spheres of magic in Evening reside: its wearer their master, and champion besides.
Double the Magnitude of present and future Edeldross enhancements.
+100% to the value of AGI and Charisma +s
+1 Defensive Rank
Once per sidereal month, perfectly defeat any one hostile effect to which the wearer would otherwise be subject. Applied against a Curse, grants two stages of mitigation for one day and one night. May apply even to the Doom of the Tyrant.
[ ] None: Do not invest Arete into long-term planning right now. You simply need every Arete you can spare.
---
Thanks to all my subscribers on Patreon! It always brings a smile to my face when we get a new subscriber. Blurb Libraries I and II, featuring upcoming blurbs, are now available to patrons. There will be even more content coming tomorrow!
Who was the individual assigned to handle the R-type calling himself "Lord Hunger?"
[ ] Gondar Hrsillimas
Gondar Hrsillimas is a man on a mission. Not only did this presumptuously-named "Lord Hunger" brutally dismember his apprentice and slay his best (and only) friend, he has all but disappeared from the Temple environs, presumably on some form of training trip. Given his demonstrated speed of advancement (or hidden powers), this can only bode poorly for the society in the Temple. The Inners have always favored a passive strategy, their well-regimented lives of luxury leaving their minds feeble and lax. For all that the administration is worthless, however, ten million innocent lives are at stake. Gondar can do nothing less than his utmost; to forsake his path would be unconscionable dereliction of duty. Now that Chief Coordinator Thran has passed the matter of the R-type to him, he will do what he does best: hunt.
Gondar is hostile, but socially inept. He could be convinced of your sincere desire to defect, but would not be happy about it. This will bias him against you; he will shoot first and ask questions later. Unlike the others, Gondar will not wait for Hunger to return to the Temple; he is actively hunting you within the Voyaging Realm, and depending on how much time you spend outside, may ambush you while you are traveling.
*Rank 4.5
*Defensive Rank
*Physical Parameters: Slightly superior AGI, vastly inferior STR and CON compared to Hunger.
*Soul Evocation: The Arrow. Gondar is an unparalleled master of the ranger arts. His skill with a bow is second to none among all ten million souls of the Temple's civilization. He is a terrifyingly proficient tracker, hunter, marksman and survivalist. His arrows can produce countless offensive exotic effects; rare is the foe he cannot fell in one shot, though none of these individual effects can match Vanreir's thrust in potency.
Enthusiasm: Fanatical. Gondar is determined to end your life.
[ ] High Marshall Avecarn
The world-weary High Marshall served seven decades in the outriders before finally retiring to the Inner Ring. A mighty warrior and tactician beyond compare, he is resentful at being summoned out of his now-idyllic life to steamroll some uninteresting R-type. That the Council considers itself unquestionable does not mean it can expect the enthusiasm of its hunting hounds when it would deny them even basic knowledge of the entity they face. He suspects, perhaps rightly, that the Council's divinations were defeated by this R-type's protections and they have decided to drop the hammer, employing massive overkill in lieu of more direct solutions.
Avecarn wishes only to get this over with as soon as possible. He would much rather be tending his gardens and spoiling his grandchildren than have anything to do with you. His expansive experience and formidable Rank make him difficult to deceive, however.
*Rank 6.5
*Active Astral Rank
*Physical parameters: Generally below Hunger's. A battle would not be as suicidal as your respective Ranks would indicate, though his Soul Evocation, below, does further advantage him against beings of lower Rank.
*Soul Evocation: The Administration. While he fights best alongside a group of underlings, Avecarn has a broad and deep enough well of effects to comport himself well in personal combat. Order and hierarchy in all their forms are his weapons. Authority equals asskicking, after all.
*Enthusiasm: Minimal. If he can be convinced of your sincerity, motivated reasoning would ensure he would have no problem accepting that you've turned your coat. One does not grow to be a solider of Avecarn's age by taking undue risks in battle. Who is to say you do not have some sort of trump card that could narrow or overcome the apparent harrowing gap between you?
[ ] Selune vi Tries [Cost: 4 Arete]
As you may have guessed from her name, Selune is actually a very, very distant cousin of your very own Letrizia von Artriez! She is excited to meet another member of her family, especially from Outside - and positively ecstatic to witness their family legacy, the legendary Devouring Armament, in action herself!
This is her first major assignment. She politicked herself onto the post due to going stir-crazy from the circumscribed lifestyle of an Inner Temple heiress. Though she is powerful for her age, her techniques are unrefined, having never been exposed to the fires of true battle. Surely this misunderstanding between Hunger and the Temple can be quickly resolved now that she's on the case!
Selune somewhat resembles Letrizia, though her Soul Evocation grants her superhuman Appearance and Manipulation. She thinks Hunger is totally awesome and could be convinced to escort him past all manner of security checks, waving off the concerns of her fellows by virtue of her Council-granted privilege. Selune sits the Council as a junior member and her authority cannot be countermanded by any Outrider, bureaucrat, military commander, or non-Council nobleman or woman.
If unselected, the vi Tries family does not exist on the Council of the Inner Temple. They may not exist at all...
*Rank: 3.5
*Bodyguard's Rank: 5
*Defensive Rank
*Physical parameters: vastly below Hunger's, but her bodyguard is almost a match for him.
*Soul Evocation: The Lunar. Selune possesses superhuman grace and shapeshifting capabilities, and can call upon a number of moon-based evocations to blast, banish, confuse or disorient her foes.
Enthusiasm: Friendly. Selune could care less about stuffy concerns like Temple security. She will no doubt be exceedingly distraught if her easily-proffered trust is betrayed. Should her suspicions be roused, her superhuman social instincts will ferret out deception instantly, but she is far too careless to be overmuch concerned at this juncture.
---
The winner was [X] Edeldross Adept, though this vote was very much closer than it looked. A number of good arguments & omakes were made for Shadowlord.
Long-term Planning!
You may choose one of these Advancements or Advancement Plans to unlock and deposit 1 Arete in. If 0 picks are required, Snap Purchasing is permissible.
[ ] The Ring of Power: Crimson Flare - 25 Arete. (0 picks, but requires Chief Dominion)
Call'd the ring in direst hour;
Azure's brethren faces turned.
Yet came the Lord its cause to flower;
then saw its keepers, to ruin burned.
Forgotten not, the debt of Time
when all its kind had turned their backs;
Not Hunger ring, its steed to ride,
brought Temple low, rapine and sack.
And debt unpaid shall not abide.
The crimson jewel blazes with a hallowed, piercing light, its glory to outshine sun and stars, all made abject by its presence. This is attainment of a height that disdains mere power, the Jewel of Blood unveiled in truth.
Elevates the wielder's Rank by a variable amount [Currently: to 5]
+2 Rank for purposes of wielding the Chief Dominion.
If the Azure Ring is saved:
Further increases the scope, power, and control of the Chief Dominion, beyond even the limits of the Ruling Ring.*
Obsoletes and refunds: Augment Dominion: Blood, Sublime Transfusion, Ennobling
The Azure Ring will submit to the Crimson in the next contest of primacy.
*Example effects: Individuals can be Ennobled in hours, small populations in days, large populations in months. Levels above Ennoblement can be researched and acquired, potentially without Arete expenditure. Verschlengorge can be healed to Rank 6 in hours, to Rank 7 in days, to Rank 7.5 in weeks. Enemies of Rank 4 or lower can be rendered comatose with a gesture; those of merely equivalent Rank (5) would suffer crippling disadvantage.
[ ] Evening Sky: Silver of Evening - 25 Arete (1 pick)
Inset in the crown of evening is a star of purest edeldross; its wearer becomes swift as nightfall after the sun's passing, beautiful as the naked stars, and sacred as midnight itself. For all spheres of magic in Evening reside: its wearer their master, and champion besides.
Double the Magnitude of present and future Edeldross enhancements.
+100% to the value of AGI and Charisma +s
+1 Defensive Rank
Once per sidereal month, perfectly defeat any one hostile effect to which the wearer would otherwise be subject. Applied against a Curse, grants two stages of mitigation for one day and one night. May apply even to the Doom of the Tyrant.
[ ] None: Do not invest Arete into long-term planning right now. You simply need every Arete you can spare.
---
Thanks to all my subscribers on Patreon! It always brings a smile to my face when we get a new subscriber. Blurb Libraries I and II, featuring upcoming blurbs, are now available to patrons. There will be even more content coming tomorrow!
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Notably confirmes that "No cannot mitigate that" effects can be overcome with sufficient strength. It does take a rare opportunity EFB, but it can be done.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Ok. For those of you who weren't here for the last time Rihaku did this, when he offers the opportunity to unlock something at the cost of 1 Arete, it's like a form of gambling. What problems are we likely to be having by the time we reach 24 Arete? What solves more conceivable problems? The last time this happened I did my best to get people to pre-unlock Azure Moon because of its sheer versatility and applicability to a broad number of problems. I was not able to convince people, and so we had to hunt the Mire Wolf to heal Letrezia, instead of panic-researching healing by purchasing Azure Moon.
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LordOfMurder
Bhaal
- Location
- Australia
Yeah I realize that. This just shows that a rank gap isn't insurmountable if our stats are high enough.
Thanatanos
PvP Lover, Assasin Player
[X] Gondar Hrsillimas
Rihaku
The Internet
Indeed! Though the amount of stats necessary to overcome an "overwhelming" gap pales in comparison to the amount necessary for a "nigh-unwinnable" one. Going further beyond that would require an even more stupendous difference still!
- Location
- Earth
Question: If Gondar is not given the assignment to handle Hunger, is he still going to be out hunting for him? If he is out looking for us, it may be best to take him out or attempt social at him first.
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Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hmm. I could see a build that took The King Stands Alone and Pillars being able to get there in something resembling a reasonable timeframe, assuming we decide to go the political route to freeing the Ring. Just kill great numbers of enemies with much higher Rank than you but with lower physical stats.
[X] Gondar Hrsillimas
Didn't think about how hard it would be to lie to someone with 2+ Rank on you.
[X] None
S A V E
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Yeah, but it depends on the rank gap.
Talace
It must be raining somewhere else!
[X] Selune vi Tries [Cost: 4 Arete]
[X] Evening Sky: Silver of Evening - 25 Arete (1 pick)
Am currently spending Arete freely. I have been disillusioned from an immediate Ruling Ring rush, but I am liable to do a full-180 to save if someone can convince me of a better non-Forebear EFB to rush.
[X] Evening Sky: Silver of Evening - 25 Arete (1 pick)
Am currently spending Arete freely. I have been disillusioned from an immediate Ruling Ring rush, but I am liable to do a full-180 to save if someone can convince me of a better non-Forebear EFB to rush.
[X] Gondar Hrsillimas
Seem like a kite build. That will be an annoyance. Avecarn seems like a cool dude, it will be a shame to kill him. Killing a cousin of Letrizia seems rather dickish(not to mention the Arete cost, sheesh).
[X] None
SAVE GANG come out to play.
Seem like a kite build. That will be an annoyance. Avecarn seems like a cool dude, it will be a shame to kill him. Killing a cousin of Letrizia seems rather dickish(not to mention the Arete cost, sheesh).
[X] None
SAVE GANG come out to play.
Duquette7
I am Fire, and I am Rain
Honestly, both of these are disappointing, I probably wouldn't vote for Silver of Evening as a 7 point buy, let alone 25, and Crimson Flare emphasizes all the things I was meh about in the Ring, while cutting out it's most outstanding feature, the ++Progression.
I would rather save the Arete for a more appealing choice, frankly I still don't understand what we are doing with infiltration, just seems like a waste of resources and time that will put us right in the heart of their power when one of our two relevant curses proc.
The Temp Threadmark is still up, btw.
This would be... uh, I think this is the third EFB of the Ring that we've seen, right? Dead But Dreaming, Ruling Ring, and now Crimson Flare. What is this one instead of Ruling Ring? I don't quite get it -- rather, I mean... how/why does this differ from Ruling Ring? Both EFBs are a "master the Ring of Hunger" right?
Or, wait, is the Ruling Ring EFB about being able to contest for and master other rings, whereas this one is about empowering and mastering itself, focusing on the Ring of Blood?
Also: interesting. Two of the EFBs we've seen for the Evening Sky involve Curse Mitigation of some sort. The Pillars of Creation give you 7 days of "Curses at one-third severity" and now Silver of Evening lets you mitigate one Curse by 2 stages for 1 day and 1 night, once a month.
Uhhh... *squints* ... wait, this isn't the Ruling Ring EFB?
This would be... uh, I think this is the third EFB of the Ring that we've seen, right? Dead But Dreaming, Ruling Ring, and now Crimson Flare. What is this one instead of Ruling Ring? I don't quite get it -- rather, I mean... how/why does this differ from Ruling Ring? Both EFBs are a "master the Ring of Hunger" right?
Or, wait, is the Ruling Ring EFB about being able to contest for and master other rings, whereas this one is about empowering and mastering itself, focusing on the Ring of Blood?
Also: interesting. Two of the EFBs we've seen for the Evening Sky involve Curse Mitigation of some sort. The Pillars of Creation give you 7 days of "Curses at one-third severity" and now Silver of Evening lets you mitigate one Curse by 2 stages for 1 day and 1 night, once a month.
TwistedJester
Tired Lurker King
- Location
- Hell
I need more sleep.
- Location
- Brazil
If I understand correctly, crimson flare gives us the equivalent of .5 rank+ 2 effective blood rank, while Sliver of evening would give us the equivalent of 60% + all stats passively, and 90% + all stats actively, on top of 100% extra ago and charisma(So, 190% extra ago in combat, and we might be able to give the 90% all stats to Gisena)
That's...good. We were lacking in raw power EFB before now, both of those are mixed types, exactly what we need. I personally prefer Slivee, but both are really freaking good.
[X] Evening Sky: Silver of Evening
[X] High Marshall Avecarn
I wanr an EFB, so Salune is our. Acecarn feels like the best for the infiltration part, even if risky with the combat part. Against him might be wiser to take crimson flare.
Honestly, I'm fine with anything this vote.
Also, thinking on it, can we use blood in conjunction with Edeldross to enhance people? Both seem to be capable of such, might be some synergy there.
That's...good. We were lacking in raw power EFB before now, both of those are mixed types, exactly what we need. I personally prefer Slivee, but both are really freaking good.
[X] Evening Sky: Silver of Evening
[X] High Marshall Avecarn
I wanr an EFB, so Salune is our. Acecarn feels like the best for the infiltration part, even if risky with the combat part. Against him might be wiser to take crimson flare.
Honestly, I'm fine with anything this vote.
Also, thinking on it, can we use blood in conjunction with Edeldross to enhance people? Both seem to be capable of such, might be some synergy there.
LordOfMurder
Bhaal
- Location
- Australia
[X] High Marshall Avecarn
[X] The Ring of Power: Crimson Flare
Let's go with Avecarn since he's the only one that suits our current course of action. If we take Gondar we'd probably be better off just killing him rather than wasting time trying to convince him to let us in and betraying Zea's cousin would leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Silver of evening is very nice but with Crimson Flare costing zero picks we can just snap it up immediately and not have to worry about taking Ruling Ring. It'd be super dramatic to take as soon as we find the azure ring as well.
[X] The Ring of Power: Crimson Flare
Let's go with Avecarn since he's the only one that suits our current course of action. If we take Gondar we'd probably be better off just killing him rather than wasting time trying to convince him to let us in and betraying Zea's cousin would leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Silver of evening is very nice but with Crimson Flare costing zero picks we can just snap it up immediately and not have to worry about taking Ruling Ring. It'd be super dramatic to take as soon as we find the azure ring as well.
- Location
- Brazil
As far as I understand, this one is mastery over the ring Hunger, while Ruling Ring is transforming Hunger into the greatest ring, subjugating the others.