Powerofmind
In Madness Fallen
- Location
- United States
Wash that dirty mouth of yours out with soap! You of all people, a perfectly upstanding debater, should know better than to use that word in this thread.
Age of Strife
SuperSonicSound
Shadowmancer of the Shadow Cabal
@Academia Nut
If we spend two advisor actions on using invigoration on the council with the extra on Alec Gardener could we choose where the extra research slot goes?
[] Invigorate Council x2-x6 (effects as Invigorate Council x1, and gives 1 additional State Action for each additional amount of commitment, kind given dependent upon adviser boosted. Not applicable to Psychic Adviser)
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I was thinking if we can do this one of these three would be worthwhile.
Basic Psi-Detectors 99/1500 - Right now your psi-detectors are basically high resolution brain scanners. If you could figure out ways to detect the Warp-real space reactions more finely you could probably get them down to the size of a briefcase
Dandriss Flora-Warp Interactions 552/1000 - The plants on Dandriss have peculiar reactions to the energies of the Warp of the kind that you are very interested in studying, but to get proper data you will need some way to control their exposure to said energies Local Adaptation
Improved Teaching Methods V 17/2000
If we spend two advisor actions on using invigoration on the council with the extra on Alec Gardener could we choose where the extra research slot goes?
[] Invigorate Council x2-x6 (effects as Invigorate Council x1, and gives 1 additional State Action for each additional amount of commitment, kind given dependent upon adviser boosted. Not applicable to Psychic Adviser)
---
I was thinking if we can do this one of these three would be worthwhile.
Basic Psi-Detectors 99/1500 - Right now your psi-detectors are basically high resolution brain scanners. If you could figure out ways to detect the Warp-real space reactions more finely you could probably get them down to the size of a briefcase
Dandriss Flora-Warp Interactions 552/1000 - The plants on Dandriss have peculiar reactions to the energies of the Warp of the kind that you are very interested in studying, but to get proper data you will need some way to control their exposure to said energies Local Adaptation
Improved Teaching Methods V 17/2000
I'm willing to bet those levels of Warp deadened'll make fighting off daemon possession easier. That'll come in handy when it's time to get Illuminated.
Speaking of, when should we start training some normal humans in the virtue path and willpower training so we can get started on making Exorcists?
FunkyEntropy
Occasionally insightful, possibly grumpy
- Location
- Los Angeles
I thought the major challenge with having a stable psyker tradition was eliminating that whole "risk of blowing up themselves and the planet" thing. Like, you can have a safe psyker tradition or you can have a powerful one. You can't have both.
Traditional Warding seems like it wouldn't be enough for us.
That is why I want to suggest to bring some engineering into their design and makes failsafes that disable in case it works outside of parameters.
For example a system where the protective santic ward being used for summoning deamons or pulling warp energy instead of banishing it activates the dandris warp power draining system that sucks up the contamination and breaks the ward itself as it grows.
This is a solution to the problem where Sanctic Sorcery Wards can be used to summon instead of banish daemons just as easily by creating a failsafe that lets it work only to banish or the failsafe breaks everything.
Powerofmind
In Madness Fallen
- Location
- United States
Problem with that is that warp energy actively attempts to cause murphy's nightmares, either through memetic alteration of people involved or through manipulation of physical laws themselves.
You can't look at it like a volatile substance, you have to look at it like a living gray goo scenario you're trying to exploit for energy purposes.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Inwards focused warding seems to be enough to protect warp energy from dandriss, as shown by the dragons themselves. Dragon cores appear to basically be mass produced pseudo-daemon weapons, after all. For all we joke about dandriss and it's power, it pretty clearly has limits to it's draining ability.
And the issue with sorcerous wards isn't that banishing wards can also be used to make summoning easier. It's that you can learn enough daemonology from them to create summoning wards with relative ease (and also that imperfect wards get to roll on the phenomena-perils tables).
- Location
- somewhere
Being able to fetter invigoration automatically will allow us to use it on research rolls. That makes raising the relevant manifestation bonus a very high priority. The DC is 130.
Right now we are at 126 + (70+20)/2 +10 - 10 - 40 - 35 = 96, i. e. we'd need a roll of 34 or greater.
Getting rid of all of the channeling damage would be sufficient, but take longer than desirable, seven years including this one. Increasing biomancy to IV, willpower by 2 and reducing channeling damage to 25 would be sufficient, but hard to achieve in the next two years (something like 10 actions just for discipline training even if we don't set up powers to be boosted to greater first).
What we can realistically aim for is in 4 years (possibly 3 years including willpower increase). Biomancy III and channeling damage down to 15 (or 20 and 2 points of willpower). Assuming the willpower can be gained by getting discerning lust from Anna, tempering it and gaining unbridled passion this can be expected to take 3 actions total at least unless we get some nice crits. The discipline rank can be trained with the cube which hopefully cuts the time down to 2-3 actions. If we also want to increase future telling to standard this turn and alter genetics to advanced before getting the discipline rank we need 11xp worth of power training, too. Assuming two training actions in the same year give on average 3xp (we don't know how aggregation works exactly but doing just a single action looks like it might result in significant loss) that means we need a total of 4x2 power training actions before starting the discipline training, so altogether about 14 actions, at least 3 of them personal.
If we can take time off from university after the minor degree without hurting our chances of gaining the scholar trait that should be doable without too much of an issue (possibly even the 3 year version). Even if not it could be doable, particularly if we drop the grave tender action for a while (4x2 advisor actions, 1+1+4 personal actions = 14). Otherwise we might need to hope we get lucky with raising alter genetics just before biomancy.
Right now we are at 126 + (70+20)/2 +10 - 10 - 40 - 35 = 96, i. e. we'd need a roll of 34 or greater.
Getting rid of all of the channeling damage would be sufficient, but take longer than desirable, seven years including this one. Increasing biomancy to IV, willpower by 2 and reducing channeling damage to 25 would be sufficient, but hard to achieve in the next two years (something like 10 actions just for discipline training even if we don't set up powers to be boosted to greater first).
What we can realistically aim for is in 4 years (possibly 3 years including willpower increase). Biomancy III and channeling damage down to 15 (or 20 and 2 points of willpower). Assuming the willpower can be gained by getting discerning lust from Anna, tempering it and gaining unbridled passion this can be expected to take 3 actions total at least unless we get some nice crits. The discipline rank can be trained with the cube which hopefully cuts the time down to 2-3 actions. If we also want to increase future telling to standard this turn and alter genetics to advanced before getting the discipline rank we need 11xp worth of power training, too. Assuming two training actions in the same year give on average 3xp (we don't know how aggregation works exactly but doing just a single action looks like it might result in significant loss) that means we need a total of 4x2 power training actions before starting the discipline training, so altogether about 14 actions, at least 3 of them personal.
If we can take time off from university after the minor degree without hurting our chances of gaining the scholar trait that should be doable without too much of an issue (possibly even the 3 year version). Even if not it could be doable, particularly if we drop the grave tender action for a while (4x2 advisor actions, 1+1+4 personal actions = 14). Otherwise we might need to hope we get lucky with raising alter genetics just before biomancy.
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I don't think that we should drop the grave tender action at all if we can help it. I think that's only going to be available for a couple more years at the most, and I want to have as big an impact on it as possible.
Research optimization is going to be a longer-term thing. It can afford to wait 2 or 3 years for the gravetender revolution to be complete.
I hate to say it, but research probably needs to take a back seat. We have been assured of 100 years of relative peace, so there isn't anything terribly urgent which absolutely has to get done right this moment beyond keeping up with the other polities, and giving the whole council an extra action each, possibly with a bit of fortune telling, will be far more effective at that. Between jumping the gun with the psyker program and the religious reformation Mirande just has way to much on her plate with massive, long-term outcomes heavily affected by early investments.
I do love how quickly she swung between "I should keep my head down and avoid triggering religious strife instead of jumping in and taking charge of it" to "I should start poking the religion until until it balkanizes outside of my direct control". Perhaps she can get an extra action from the "schizophrenic" trait.
I do love how quickly she swung between "I should keep my head down and avoid triggering religious strife instead of jumping in and taking charge of it" to "I should start poking the religion until until it balkanizes outside of my direct control". Perhaps she can get an extra action from the "schizophrenic" trait.
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- Location
- Cyberspace
I would put as priority melding together polities. We've got Elsa's and Andraste's, but we also want to see if we can pull the independents in.
- Location
- somewhere
I don't think the grave tender action needs to be repeated every year, I suppose we will see what it does this year though.
By appearances giving the other councilors extra personal actions is mostly useless since they use them for private things. Some of them may use it for training or the like with moderate long term benefit, but it doesn't seem to be of any immediate benefit at all. It seems far less useful than personal training at any rate.
Diploannexing very much isn't our department, it's Rowena's.
By appearances giving the other councilors extra personal actions is mostly useless since they use them for private things. Some of them may use it for training or the like with moderate long term benefit, but it doesn't seem to be of any immediate benefit at all. It seems far less useful than personal training at any rate.
Diploannexing very much isn't our department, it's Rowena's.
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That really doesn't seem like a viable option. The planet is already set up to have a couple major power centers with natural spheres of influence, so there aren't a lot of independents. Andraste and Elsa are independent specifically because they want to be independent. They may need to be dealt with just because they represent a serious risk, but that's more of another piece of damage control sucking our actions away than a useful opportunity. The other polities have some pretty fundamental differences, and long-range travel just isn't possible enough to make merger by anything but extremely difficult military conquest an option. The Eldar, Belters, and Mantis mean that we can't really get the trams sufficiently up and running again or make sufficiently casual use of air travel. We might be able to use the Grand Caravan to go through the forest and avoid them, but that depends on how dangerous the dragons are and it still isn't the sort of broad, general contact which is needed to facilitate cultural or political conquest. Short of a major effort sucking down most of the actions we don't have the best approach seems to be just gradually growing in power and trying to ensure that we are in a good position to take advantage of things when the peaceful century ends and another catastrophe shakes things up.
We might eventually spin the new decadence mechanic into getting Anna retired in favor of Victoria so that Mirande can become prime minister in preparation for eventually taking the throne, but that means that we need to ride the religious shakeup and get the psyker program self-sustaining in time to have some actions to devote to that.
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Well our return and the institution of decadence as a mechanic might give us a few more options to help out on that front, at very least making it EASIER for her to do her job.
- Location
- Cyberspace
65.3
- Pronouns
- He/Him
AN: Or I could crash while writing, that's fun too...
[X] You trust Jinah, you will take her with you (1.2x)
"Jinah, I have a mission - some kid with powers like us got into trouble elsewhere, and they need me to help clean it up. I don't want to just leave you alone - huphuphup! - no, it's not because I don't trust you, its because I do trust you. See, either I bring you with me so that we can continue our lessons and get into the more interesting aspects, or I let you sit around bored here with nothing to properly do - unless you want to keep showing off for the scientists when I'm not around," you explain to your student, carefully watching her expressions through it all.
You are fairly certain that just the promise of being able to do something new was enough to get Jinah on board with coming with you, but then once you can see that she's totally willing to do it you say, "Well, I can see that you're eager, so I suppose its a good thing that I got these bitchin' robes and a mask made for you."
You lay out a suitcase and pop it open, showing off the contents inside as a set of robes and mask similar to your own, but the shading is more of a dark grey than a black, and you have incorporated flame iconography as trim and on the mask.
"There's no armour inserts for yours, because I knew that you would complain that they were heavy and bulky and that you didn't need them with your abilities Also, if you want, I can get your network handle assigned to you as your code name," you tell her, watching her face light up in excitement.
"Dark Flame Mistress? I can be Dark Flame Mistress in real life?" Jinah asks excitedly.
"You may, if you so choose. You are also known of as the Witch of Wildfire," you point out.
Jinah considers it for a moment before she says, "People might call me that anyway, so I probably shouldn't get greedy with the names. I'll be the Dark Flame Mistress. Actually, wait, what's your code name?"
"For now, I'm the Troubleshooter," you tell her. After a pause you add on, "Incidentally, any time you want to get some range time if you want to start learning how to get a much longer ranged option, let me know. I have a Marksman's Badge as part of my training."
"Eh," Jinah replies at that. She'll probably need an example of where she would want to be able to snipe something rather than get close enough to burn it before she decides otherwise. Hopefully the opportunity doesn't come up during this mission.
About a week later you are sitting in a hotel room at Swapmeet after having made your preparations and then flown over in a government transport with heavy escort. You had been stretching your divinatory muscles a bit more, and that at least had been interesting to Jinah she you knew that she could feel that you were working the Warp. Everything had gone more or less well to start with, but right now the two of you were to run interference and make sure that no one interfered with the negotiations, and to see if you could get a better reading on the other psykers.
Your initial examinations you keep as low key as possible, but that also means that you can only confirm that there are two other psykers in the city - there are a number of fighter bombers from both Green Owl and Black Thorn on overwatch against dragons in case this is too attractive to them - and you pick up minimal information about the one you really want to know more about. The child you are more successful with, but you are worried that he may already be a lost cause.
"Why do you keep pulling that one card?" Jinah asks of you.
"Because the telepath is a little shit. Like, he's only about eight or nine, but he's a complete self centred twat - and no, he's never been out alone in the wilderness, he just screws with other people's minds until they do what he wants them to. You're partially isolated because you're a walking bomb we don't trust yet, if we can bring this kid in he'll have to be totally isolated from all social contact but me and possibly you - there aren't any guards who can be trusted to actually watch over him without getting manipulated telepathically," you explain with a frustrated sigh.
"Come on, he can't-" Jinah begins before you hold up your learning tool.
"If you read the report, he was basically screwing with the minds of 'pretty ladies' to be his 'mom'. At eight that's simply disturbing, but once puberty hits he's going to be basically raping every woman who catches his fancy if this sort of thing isn't nipped in the bud. I'm not sure how exactly the Regulars intend to control this budding monster, and I'm worried they won't. I'm also worried that even if we recover him that we can't either," you explain, offering over the report to a skeptical Jinah.
"He... well shit. I mean, a lot of this stuff is bullshit, clearly, but come on kid. Half this stuff looks like he's throwing a fucking tantrum," Jinah exclaims in disgust, before she pauses and glares at you and says, "My interactions with others online is none of your fucking business."
"As the one dealing with the complaints levied against the Dark Flame Mistress, it sort of is, because I just wanted to let this sink in. This is what we are dealing with here. Sometimes its the monsters within that are the worst of all," you state sombrely before you shake your head and go back to trying to figure out how to do this.
As the first few days wear on and you and Jinah case the city, you eventually find yourselves drawn within a half abandoned shopping centre where people scrape out a living running a variety of restaurants. And sitting in front of one of those restaurants is a man who is unmistakably the psyker agent deployed from Black Thorn to deal with the situation. You can feel Jinah tense up in fear from the aura around the man, but you just coolly regard him as you sit down at the table he is sitting at and say, "I take it you are here for the two of us."
"Yes, although I was not quite fully informed of the full nature of the individuals who would show up before me. We were rather surprised when it was revealed to us that not only had Green Owl found psychics of their own, but a pair of powerful ones. Hmmm... I suppose introductions are in order, and you may refer to me as 'Iron Fist'," the man explains. Judging from the aura around him and the extent to which his body is in good shape, you bet he is a powerful biomancer and telekine. From his demeanour, he is also intensely in control over his own mind. Poised and balanced, he is definitely not someone you want to get within punching or grappling distance of.
"Troubleshooter and Dark Flame Mistress," you say by way of introduction before you tell Jinah to sit down next to you.
"Err... right," Jinah says in agreement.
"All three of us have other names and titles too, but I suppose we should stick to the simple ones for now. In any case, I know that you are here due to interest in Jonathon," Iron Fist states.
You nod at that and say, "We are interested in ensuring that he receives an education to make sure that he is not a danger to himself or others - and in having him as an asset for our people."
"Well, while I wish I could throw that last bit back in your face, I will admit that despite our own high minded ideals that is also a reason for our own interest in him. I suppose we could sit down and debate whose ideals are more righteous and who earnestly believes them more, but I have been informed that a degree of honesty goes a long way with you. So, we both are interested in the boy, but I got to him first, so unless you can present to me one hell of a pitch, I think the next step is for me to make a pitch to you," Iron Fist explains while he sips some tea.
"I categorically reject, you have nothing to offer me," you state. "You have probably already been informed of this though, and your pitch isn't tailored to me, but to my somewhat unwilling apprentice."
"I would contest that I do have things to offer you, but I get the feeling from both the reports and your body language that your loyalty is not bought easily. I am, however, intrigued by why you would let me try to steal your apprentice away from you, especially when you admit that she is not entirely your willing pupil," Iron Fist counters.
"Because I trust her. I wouldn't have brought her here, knowing you are here, if I did not trust that if given such a pitch, that she would do the right thing," you say, glancing over at Jinah and carefully weighing her up in your mind.
That seems to strike a chord with Jinah, but she does ask, "Then why am I still shoved off in a corner?"
"Because your education is incomplete and you are overly aggressive and prone to reaching for fire at the slighest provocation. That said, you're going to be up for review as to your stability soon and the restrictions placed upon you are likely to be lifted to an extent. Once you are an adult full freedom will be in the cards," you tell her.
"You would already be considered an adult in Blackthorn," Iron Fist points out. "And we wouldn't be confining you, we would be assisting your growth."
"In terms of raw material comforts, I think we both know who has it better, and thus the only question is the social issue of psykers in each society. You would be more free among the Black Thorn Regulars, but then again you may not have the same ultimate freedom. The Regulars have a very mercenary society, and I doubt the support they give you would not come with strings in the form of expectations of performing tasks for them. So perhaps you would be constrained in both places, but just in different ways," you state.
"I can assure you that despite what they might think, the Regulars are not nearly so poor that we would not be able to accommodate you," Iron Fist states, glaring daggers at you.
"And you would know that any constraints upon your material wants have only been imposed out of desire to help with the growth of your spiritual resiliency, and that all material and psychological needs have been provided for," you point out.
Jinah looks between you two before she says, "You know, she does have a point in that all the cool stuff is in Green Owl."
"At the end of the day, its not about goods or luxuries, its about your happiness, and you can't tell me that you're truly happy in Green Owl," Iron Fist counters, to which Jinah definitely seems to be considering strongly.
You are silent in consideration for a moment before you reply, "You're right, it is about her happiness. I know that you're a brilliant young woman and even if you have issues with containing your temper, you are capable of looking at the long view. What you need is not simple freedom from people telling you what to do, it is freedom from danger, and I have never placed you in danger."
"I take it you have threatened her though," Iron Fist rebuts.
"I have pointed out the consequences of actions, although yes I suppose our initial recruitment involved a degree of coercive threat. Somehow though I doubt that Jonathon was entirely willing to give up the comforts he had been accumulating here if not for the implied threat that if he didn't come with you he would be left to the people hunting him who weren't susceptible to his tricks," you admit before twisting it around on Iron Fist as best you can.
He spits back, "People like you."
"People like us," you respond, leaving the 'us' somewhat ambiguous as to who among the three of you was included.
Jinah for her part was somewhat wavering but you are getting the feeling that she is probably going to stay with you at least on inertia at this point. You just need to conclude this conversation and it should be alright.
"I know that you've been the top dog in town for sheltering psykers for decades now, but that is going to change. Green Owl has the capacity to train them now, to help them reach the pinnacle of what they can be and ensure that they are not a danger to those around them, that they will not become a grand catastrophe like the Archduke or the Ordained One," you state.
"Belter propa-" Iron Fist begins before you brusquely cut him off.
"No. No, those were grand catastrophes that were the result of what happens when psykers grow greedy, when they use their powers to place themselves above others, and both were disasters that had been waiting to happen that did happen. The Ordained One holds a great deal of responsibility for the dragons coming into existence. His reckless abuse of his powers eventually lead to what could be termed an immune response from the planet, and now everyone suffers for it," you reply with such vehemence that he shrinks back.
"What do you-" Iron Fist begins.
You interrupt with, "It's classified, but it is safe to say that Green Owl has made it a priority to clean up the fallout from all of that, but our resources have been constrained until recently. Our policies are changing with further access to resources. Brute force is the sign of a weak actor, so the fact that we are politely negotiating all of this all the show of strength we need right now." You then get up, only for Jinah to look at you.
"I will get leave to up your security clearance when we get back so I can tell you more about the Archduke and the Ordained One," you tell her, and with that you have cemented her loyalty, while Iron Fist is left to sit and stew.
For the rest of your stay at Swapmeet things are mostly quiet and civil. Your presence keeps the other psykers far from the negotiations and thus keeps everything aboveboard, although this also means that you can't try to woo Jonathon over to your side since you basically never see him. While the Black Thorn diplomat definitely seems distracted at times, he keeps his cool even as Rowena tries to talk him around. In the end Black Thorn will be taking their new student with them but they will also be taking on much of the burden of paying for the damages done, with Green Owl only paying a token amount - mostly for political theatre purposes.
And so it is that you head back to Green Owl with reports on Iron Fist and the situation in general, neither your nor Jinah's training schedule interrupted significantly and your apprentice now much more loyal to you.
You have been working with Jinah on (select 2)...
[] Diligence
[] Patience (lower chance of gain, but may eliminate Wroth along the way)
[] Focused Fury
[] Kindness
[] Gregariousness
[] Chastity
[] Charity
[] Adamantium Will (low chance of gain)
5 XP available
Least powers cost 1 XP
Lesser cost 2 XP
Standard cost 4 XP
Advanced cost 8 XP
Greater cost 12 XP
[] Purchase powers
-[] Which ones?
[] Save for later
[X] You trust Jinah, you will take her with you (1.2x)
"Jinah, I have a mission - some kid with powers like us got into trouble elsewhere, and they need me to help clean it up. I don't want to just leave you alone - huphuphup! - no, it's not because I don't trust you, its because I do trust you. See, either I bring you with me so that we can continue our lessons and get into the more interesting aspects, or I let you sit around bored here with nothing to properly do - unless you want to keep showing off for the scientists when I'm not around," you explain to your student, carefully watching her expressions through it all.
Rolled 78 (Side note: I had a good five seconds of watching the 1's die spin until it resolved itself as an 8 and I laughed) + 62 + 13 LMR = 153
Success
Success
You are fairly certain that just the promise of being able to do something new was enough to get Jinah on board with coming with you, but then once you can see that she's totally willing to do it you say, "Well, I can see that you're eager, so I suppose its a good thing that I got these bitchin' robes and a mask made for you."
You lay out a suitcase and pop it open, showing off the contents inside as a set of robes and mask similar to your own, but the shading is more of a dark grey than a black, and you have incorporated flame iconography as trim and on the mask.
"There's no armour inserts for yours, because I knew that you would complain that they were heavy and bulky and that you didn't need them with your abilities Also, if you want, I can get your network handle assigned to you as your code name," you tell her, watching her face light up in excitement.
"Dark Flame Mistress? I can be Dark Flame Mistress in real life?" Jinah asks excitedly.
"You may, if you so choose. You are also known of as the Witch of Wildfire," you point out.
Jinah considers it for a moment before she says, "People might call me that anyway, so I probably shouldn't get greedy with the names. I'll be the Dark Flame Mistress. Actually, wait, what's your code name?"
"For now, I'm the Troubleshooter," you tell her. After a pause you add on, "Incidentally, any time you want to get some range time if you want to start learning how to get a much longer ranged option, let me know. I have a Marksman's Badge as part of my training."
"Eh," Jinah replies at that. She'll probably need an example of where she would want to be able to snipe something rather than get close enough to burn it before she decides otherwise. Hopefully the opportunity doesn't come up during this mission.
Rolled 55 + 35 DVII = 90
Off to a good start anyway
Off to a good start anyway
About a week later you are sitting in a hotel room at Swapmeet after having made your preparations and then flown over in a government transport with heavy escort. You had been stretching your divinatory muscles a bit more, and that at least had been interesting to Jinah she you knew that she could feel that you were working the Warp. Everything had gone more or less well to start with, but right now the two of you were to run interference and make sure that no one interfered with the negotiations, and to see if you could get a better reading on the other psykers.
Telepath
Rolled 55 + (126+60+70+10) - 75 = 246
Black Thorn Psyker
Rolled 12 + (126+60+70+10) - 75 = 203
Rolled 55 + (126+60+70+10) - 75 = 246
Black Thorn Psyker
Rolled 12 + (126+60+70+10) - 75 = 203
Your initial examinations you keep as low key as possible, but that also means that you can only confirm that there are two other psykers in the city - there are a number of fighter bombers from both Green Owl and Black Thorn on overwatch against dragons in case this is too attractive to them - and you pick up minimal information about the one you really want to know more about. The child you are more successful with, but you are worried that he may already be a lost cause.
"Why do you keep pulling that one card?" Jinah asks of you.
"Because the telepath is a little shit. Like, he's only about eight or nine, but he's a complete self centred twat - and no, he's never been out alone in the wilderness, he just screws with other people's minds until they do what he wants them to. You're partially isolated because you're a walking bomb we don't trust yet, if we can bring this kid in he'll have to be totally isolated from all social contact but me and possibly you - there aren't any guards who can be trusted to actually watch over him without getting manipulated telepathically," you explain with a frustrated sigh.
"Come on, he can't-" Jinah begins before you hold up your learning tool.
"If you read the report, he was basically screwing with the minds of 'pretty ladies' to be his 'mom'. At eight that's simply disturbing, but once puberty hits he's going to be basically raping every woman who catches his fancy if this sort of thing isn't nipped in the bud. I'm not sure how exactly the Regulars intend to control this budding monster, and I'm worried they won't. I'm also worried that even if we recover him that we can't either," you explain, offering over the report to a skeptical Jinah.
"He... well shit. I mean, a lot of this stuff is bullshit, clearly, but come on kid. Half this stuff looks like he's throwing a fucking tantrum," Jinah exclaims in disgust, before she pauses and glares at you and says, "My interactions with others online is none of your fucking business."
"As the one dealing with the complaints levied against the Dark Flame Mistress, it sort of is, because I just wanted to let this sink in. This is what we are dealing with here. Sometimes its the monsters within that are the worst of all," you state sombrely before you shake your head and go back to trying to figure out how to do this.
Rolled 64 + 20 Advise = 84
vs.
Rolled 18 + 35 DVII = 53
At a disadvantage
vs.
Rolled 18 + 35 DVII = 53
At a disadvantage
As the first few days wear on and you and Jinah case the city, you eventually find yourselves drawn within a half abandoned shopping centre where people scrape out a living running a variety of restaurants. And sitting in front of one of those restaurants is a man who is unmistakably the psyker agent deployed from Black Thorn to deal with the situation. You can feel Jinah tense up in fear from the aura around the man, but you just coolly regard him as you sit down at the table he is sitting at and say, "I take it you are here for the two of us."
"Yes, although I was not quite fully informed of the full nature of the individuals who would show up before me. We were rather surprised when it was revealed to us that not only had Green Owl found psychics of their own, but a pair of powerful ones. Hmmm... I suppose introductions are in order, and you may refer to me as 'Iron Fist'," the man explains. Judging from the aura around him and the extent to which his body is in good shape, you bet he is a powerful biomancer and telekine. From his demeanour, he is also intensely in control over his own mind. Poised and balanced, he is definitely not someone you want to get within punching or grappling distance of.
"Troubleshooter and Dark Flame Mistress," you say by way of introduction before you tell Jinah to sit down next to you.
"Err... right," Jinah says in agreement.
"All three of us have other names and titles too, but I suppose we should stick to the simple ones for now. In any case, I know that you are here due to interest in Jonathon," Iron Fist states.
You nod at that and say, "We are interested in ensuring that he receives an education to make sure that he is not a danger to himself or others - and in having him as an asset for our people."
"Well, while I wish I could throw that last bit back in your face, I will admit that despite our own high minded ideals that is also a reason for our own interest in him. I suppose we could sit down and debate whose ideals are more righteous and who earnestly believes them more, but I have been informed that a degree of honesty goes a long way with you. So, we both are interested in the boy, but I got to him first, so unless you can present to me one hell of a pitch, I think the next step is for me to make a pitch to you," Iron Fist explains while he sips some tea.
"I categorically reject, you have nothing to offer me," you state. "You have probably already been informed of this though, and your pitch isn't tailored to me, but to my somewhat unwilling apprentice."
"I would contest that I do have things to offer you, but I get the feeling from both the reports and your body language that your loyalty is not bought easily. I am, however, intrigued by why you would let me try to steal your apprentice away from you, especially when you admit that she is not entirely your willing pupil," Iron Fist counters.
"Because I trust her. I wouldn't have brought her here, knowing you are here, if I did not trust that if given such a pitch, that she would do the right thing," you say, glancing over at Jinah and carefully weighing her up in your mind.
Rolled 26 + 16 + 30 Preparation + 20 Psyker = 92
vs.
Rolled 61 + 62 + 13 LMR = 136
Push him back
vs.
Rolled 61 + 62 + 13 LMR = 136
Push him back
That seems to strike a chord with Jinah, but she does ask, "Then why am I still shoved off in a corner?"
"Because your education is incomplete and you are overly aggressive and prone to reaching for fire at the slighest provocation. That said, you're going to be up for review as to your stability soon and the restrictions placed upon you are likely to be lifted to an extent. Once you are an adult full freedom will be in the cards," you tell her.
"You would already be considered an adult in Blackthorn," Iron Fist points out. "And we wouldn't be confining you, we would be assisting your growth."
"In terms of raw material comforts, I think we both know who has it better, and thus the only question is the social issue of psykers in each society. You would be more free among the Black Thorn Regulars, but then again you may not have the same ultimate freedom. The Regulars have a very mercenary society, and I doubt the support they give you would not come with strings in the form of expectations of performing tasks for them. So perhaps you would be constrained in both places, but just in different ways," you state.
"I can assure you that despite what they might think, the Regulars are not nearly so poor that we would not be able to accommodate you," Iron Fist states, glaring daggers at you.
"And you would know that any constraints upon your material wants have only been imposed out of desire to help with the growth of your spiritual resiliency, and that all material and psychological needs have been provided for," you point out.
Jinah looks between you two before she says, "You know, she does have a point in that all the cool stuff is in Green Owl."
Rolled 86 + 16 + 20 Prep + 20 Psyker = 142
vs.
Rolled 70 + 62 + 13 LMR = 145
Bare win
vs.
Rolled 70 + 62 + 13 LMR = 145
Bare win
"At the end of the day, its not about goods or luxuries, its about your happiness, and you can't tell me that you're truly happy in Green Owl," Iron Fist counters, to which Jinah definitely seems to be considering strongly.
You are silent in consideration for a moment before you reply, "You're right, it is about her happiness. I know that you're a brilliant young woman and even if you have issues with containing your temper, you are capable of looking at the long view. What you need is not simple freedom from people telling you what to do, it is freedom from danger, and I have never placed you in danger."
"I take it you have threatened her though," Iron Fist rebuts.
"I have pointed out the consequences of actions, although yes I suppose our initial recruitment involved a degree of coercive threat. Somehow though I doubt that Jonathon was entirely willing to give up the comforts he had been accumulating here if not for the implied threat that if he didn't come with you he would be left to the people hunting him who weren't susceptible to his tricks," you admit before twisting it around on Iron Fist as best you can.
He spits back, "People like you."
"People like us," you respond, leaving the 'us' somewhat ambiguous as to who among the three of you was included.
Jinah for her part was somewhat wavering but you are getting the feeling that she is probably going to stay with you at least on inertia at this point. You just need to conclude this conversation and it should be alright.
Rolled 95 + 16 + 10 Prep + 20 Psyker = 141
vs.
Rolled (96 + 65) + 62 + 13 LMR = 236
Crushing victory! Doubt planted!
vs.
Rolled (96 + 65) + 62 + 13 LMR = 236
Crushing victory! Doubt planted!
"I know that you've been the top dog in town for sheltering psykers for decades now, but that is going to change. Green Owl has the capacity to train them now, to help them reach the pinnacle of what they can be and ensure that they are not a danger to those around them, that they will not become a grand catastrophe like the Archduke or the Ordained One," you state.
"Belter propa-" Iron Fist begins before you brusquely cut him off.
"No. No, those were grand catastrophes that were the result of what happens when psykers grow greedy, when they use their powers to place themselves above others, and both were disasters that had been waiting to happen that did happen. The Ordained One holds a great deal of responsibility for the dragons coming into existence. His reckless abuse of his powers eventually lead to what could be termed an immune response from the planet, and now everyone suffers for it," you reply with such vehemence that he shrinks back.
"What do you-" Iron Fist begins.
You interrupt with, "It's classified, but it is safe to say that Green Owl has made it a priority to clean up the fallout from all of that, but our resources have been constrained until recently. Our policies are changing with further access to resources. Brute force is the sign of a weak actor, so the fact that we are politely negotiating all of this all the show of strength we need right now." You then get up, only for Jinah to look at you.
"I will get leave to up your security clearance when we get back so I can tell you more about the Archduke and the Ordained One," you tell her, and with that you have cemented her loyalty, while Iron Fist is left to sit and stew.
Rolled 91 + 50 - 10 Distracted agent = 131
vs.
Rolled 41 + 64 = 105
Jonathon remains with Black Thorn Regulars, but no repayments
vs.
Rolled 41 + 64 = 105
Jonathon remains with Black Thorn Regulars, but no repayments
For the rest of your stay at Swapmeet things are mostly quiet and civil. Your presence keeps the other psykers far from the negotiations and thus keeps everything aboveboard, although this also means that you can't try to woo Jonathon over to your side since you basically never see him. While the Black Thorn diplomat definitely seems distracted at times, he keeps his cool even as Rowena tries to talk him around. In the end Black Thorn will be taking their new student with them but they will also be taking on much of the burden of paying for the damages done, with Green Owl only paying a token amount - mostly for political theatre purposes.
And so it is that you head back to Green Owl with reports on Iron Fist and the situation in general, neither your nor Jinah's training schedule interrupted significantly and your apprentice now much more loyal to you.
You have been working with Jinah on (select 2)...
[] Diligence
[] Patience (lower chance of gain, but may eliminate Wroth along the way)
[] Focused Fury
[] Kindness
[] Gregariousness
[] Chastity
[] Charity
[] Adamantium Will (low chance of gain)
186 + Rolled 28, 1 49 + 252 = 515
Rolled 1d10-> 6
Rolled 1d10-> 6
5 XP available
Least powers cost 1 XP
Lesser cost 2 XP
Standard cost 4 XP
Advanced cost 8 XP
Greater cost 12 XP
Biomancy
Alter Genetics - Can grant or remove genetic traits. Lower levels improve the odds for unborn children, high levels allow the alteration of even full grown adults.
Enervation - Channel biokinetic energy. Lower levels can stun and fatigue foes, higher levels allow for the generation of psychokinetic lightning storms
Harden Flesh - Increase the density of flesh to improve armour or even allow bare limbs to parry. Higher levels also improve damage from melee attacks.
Invigoration - Enhances the physical body, improving function. Lower levels can improve combat ability, higher levels can improve mental ability.
Rejuvenation - Repairs physical damage and removes physical and mental fatigue, can eventually lead to constant repair and even regeneration of lost limbs/organs. Can be applied to the self or others.
Only available at strength Standard and up
Sculpt Flesh (Req. Alter Genetics and Rejuvenation at Standard or higher) - The biomancer can reshape their flesh into new forms for combat or utility purposes, and can extend this power to others at higher levels. Use on self is temporary unless chosen to be permanent, use on others permanent and become heritable mutations. Permanent use can cause fatigue and damage (including death) and inflicts corruption points. Higher levels open up more complex mutations.
Healing Boost (Req. Invigoration and Rejuvantion) - Automatically used as part of manifesting rejuvenation, this provides a small invigoration boost after healing damage. Higher levels increase the boost and can make it apply when healing fatigue
Divination
Clairvoyance - Extend your senses beyond the confines of your body, with higher levels offering greater range, detail, and channels (sight, hearing, etc.)
Fortune - Alter fate to your favour, gaining bonuses to a single roll at first, but growing into scene longs and rerolls
Future Telling - Predict the future via ritual, higher levels giving more detail over longer periods
Precognition - Scene long bonuses to combat and eventually diplomacy to represent being able to predict actions before they are taken
Psychometry - Scan objects, places, and people for information about their past. Higher levels gain more detail and range of time back. Also allows for the detection and eventual quantification of corruption
Pyromancy
Agitation - Increase heat directly via molecular agitation rather than applying flame. Starts at inflicting fatigue, eventually becomes like a melta beam. Sustainable
Control Flame - Manipulate pre-existing flames and can prevent damage to self from heat. Eventually can form semi-physical objects like barriers or blades of fire. Directly synergetic with Enhance and Produce Flame
Enhance Flame - Makes already existing flames more potent. Increases damage from energy sources, and can have the mundane use of improving engine or reactor performance. Directly synergetic with Enhance and Produce Flame
Produce Flame - Allows for the production of fire from pure warp energy. Starts as a torch but eventually levels to allow for gigantic fireballs and the like
Soul Burn - Energy damage inflicted can burn the soul directly. Starts by improving energy weapon penetration but can improve to deal extra damage and over an area
Telekinesis
Barrier - Improves armour, with higher levels improving how much damage can be mitigated and creating larger barriers rather than personal ones
Blade - Creates a telekinetic blade of extraordinary sharpness. Early levels enhance pre-existing blades, while higher levels can produce multiple dancing blades of pure telekinetic force
Crush - Semi-fine manipulation of matter. Gross force is applied precisely to inflict damage. Low levels can choke a target, high levels can implode them into degenerate matter
Hurl - Gross manipulation of matter. Lower levels can knock human sized targets over. Higher levels can juggle vehicles or launch projectiles at hypersonic velocities.
Manipulate - Fine manipulation of objects telekinetically. Can start with things like lockpicking or pulling grenade pins, higher levels increase ability to multitask and the resolution of objects manipulated
Telepathy
Mind Edit - Alter the minds of others. Starts with making them forget you, ends with the ability to completely rewrite a person's personality.
Mind Reading - Read the thoughts of others, with increasing skill allowing for combat and diplomatic bonuses. Can also dig out deeper thoughts at higher levels, including repressed or suppressed memories.
Psychic Shriek - Area affecting psychic stun effect that can be focused to do psychic damage against a smaller number of targets at higher levels.
Uplink - Allows for telepathic communication, with higher levels improving range towards astrotelepathy
Warp Whisper - A contest of minds, with higher levels inflicting more grievous conditions, including brain implosion/explosion. Can backlash on user.
Alter Genetics - Can grant or remove genetic traits. Lower levels improve the odds for unborn children, high levels allow the alteration of even full grown adults.
Enervation - Channel biokinetic energy. Lower levels can stun and fatigue foes, higher levels allow for the generation of psychokinetic lightning storms
Harden Flesh - Increase the density of flesh to improve armour or even allow bare limbs to parry. Higher levels also improve damage from melee attacks.
Invigoration - Enhances the physical body, improving function. Lower levels can improve combat ability, higher levels can improve mental ability.
Rejuvenation - Repairs physical damage and removes physical and mental fatigue, can eventually lead to constant repair and even regeneration of lost limbs/organs. Can be applied to the self or others.
Only available at strength Standard and up
Sculpt Flesh (Req. Alter Genetics and Rejuvenation at Standard or higher) - The biomancer can reshape their flesh into new forms for combat or utility purposes, and can extend this power to others at higher levels. Use on self is temporary unless chosen to be permanent, use on others permanent and become heritable mutations. Permanent use can cause fatigue and damage (including death) and inflicts corruption points. Higher levels open up more complex mutations.
Healing Boost (Req. Invigoration and Rejuvantion) - Automatically used as part of manifesting rejuvenation, this provides a small invigoration boost after healing damage. Higher levels increase the boost and can make it apply when healing fatigue
Divination
Clairvoyance - Extend your senses beyond the confines of your body, with higher levels offering greater range, detail, and channels (sight, hearing, etc.)
Fortune - Alter fate to your favour, gaining bonuses to a single roll at first, but growing into scene longs and rerolls
Future Telling - Predict the future via ritual, higher levels giving more detail over longer periods
Precognition - Scene long bonuses to combat and eventually diplomacy to represent being able to predict actions before they are taken
Psychometry - Scan objects, places, and people for information about their past. Higher levels gain more detail and range of time back. Also allows for the detection and eventual quantification of corruption
Pyromancy
Agitation - Increase heat directly via molecular agitation rather than applying flame. Starts at inflicting fatigue, eventually becomes like a melta beam. Sustainable
Control Flame - Manipulate pre-existing flames and can prevent damage to self from heat. Eventually can form semi-physical objects like barriers or blades of fire. Directly synergetic with Enhance and Produce Flame
Enhance Flame - Makes already existing flames more potent. Increases damage from energy sources, and can have the mundane use of improving engine or reactor performance. Directly synergetic with Enhance and Produce Flame
Produce Flame - Allows for the production of fire from pure warp energy. Starts as a torch but eventually levels to allow for gigantic fireballs and the like
Soul Burn - Energy damage inflicted can burn the soul directly. Starts by improving energy weapon penetration but can improve to deal extra damage and over an area
Telekinesis
Barrier - Improves armour, with higher levels improving how much damage can be mitigated and creating larger barriers rather than personal ones
Blade - Creates a telekinetic blade of extraordinary sharpness. Early levels enhance pre-existing blades, while higher levels can produce multiple dancing blades of pure telekinetic force
Crush - Semi-fine manipulation of matter. Gross force is applied precisely to inflict damage. Low levels can choke a target, high levels can implode them into degenerate matter
Hurl - Gross manipulation of matter. Lower levels can knock human sized targets over. Higher levels can juggle vehicles or launch projectiles at hypersonic velocities.
Manipulate - Fine manipulation of objects telekinetically. Can start with things like lockpicking or pulling grenade pins, higher levels increase ability to multitask and the resolution of objects manipulated
Telepathy
Mind Edit - Alter the minds of others. Starts with making them forget you, ends with the ability to completely rewrite a person's personality.
Mind Reading - Read the thoughts of others, with increasing skill allowing for combat and diplomatic bonuses. Can also dig out deeper thoughts at higher levels, including repressed or suppressed memories.
Psychic Shriek - Area affecting psychic stun effect that can be focused to do psychic damage against a smaller number of targets at higher levels.
Uplink - Allows for telepathic communication, with higher levels improving range towards astrotelepathy
Warp Whisper - A contest of minds, with higher levels inflicting more grievous conditions, including brain implosion/explosion. Can backlash on user.
[] Purchase powers
-[] Which ones?
[] Save for later
Last edited:
You have been working with Jinah on (select 2)...
[x] The Railroad
[x] All the Live-long day
[x] The Railroad
[x] All the Live-long day
Aww man, we could've gotten Jonathan if it weren't for those last dice!
- Location
- somewhere
@Academia Nut how old is Jinah now?
SuperSonicSound
Shadowmancer of the Shadow Cabal
[X] Patience (lower chance of gain, but may eliminate Wroth along the way)
[X] Kindness
Focused fury is not worth it right now and Jinah isn't that far away from being able to pick up eye of the storm if we work with her on other traits. Looks like Jinah has iron will as well.
@Academia Nut
I take it we didn't unlock any new powers with Biomancy having three powers at normal tier then?
[] Save for later
[X] Kindness
Focused fury is not worth it right now and Jinah isn't that far away from being able to pick up eye of the storm if we work with her on other traits. Looks like Jinah has iron will as well.
@Academia Nut
I take it we didn't unlock any new powers with Biomancy having three powers at normal tier then?
[] Save for later
ReaperofInterest
Herald of Disaster
Well that went well. Sort of sad that we couldn't get the Telepath, but I'm also kind of glad we didn't.
