Heh, yeah, I had a feeling Isolia would work out better than Venta, for Jana. That "Isolia's an orphan like me" is a bit sad, though... and I'm not talking about Jana not counting having cool adoptive parents now, we know what she meant there. Yeah, Jana's dad is dead (and good riddance, damn Sea Ghoul worshipping scum), but her birth mother is still alive, and I was under the impression that the relationship between the two of them was actually getting better.
Anyway, once again, my vote is for:
[X] Visit Mishrak again. (+Warscore?)
-[X] Talk to Catharne about her shapeshifting powers.
--[X] Suggest that she could join you as a pupil at the Engelram Academy at the beginning of the next academic year.
-[X] Talk to Mishrak about his brother, Lavokthagua. (+Warscore)
--[X] Find out about the various magical enhancements that Mishrak has given his brother to make him fully amphibious.
-[X] Ask Mishrak to rejuvenate Yslena in much the same way that he did to Gareth.
* The power of teen romance fills Jana with Determination
Hm, I hate to just vote as everyone else has, but Number Must Go Up (also it is a smorgasbord of fun things to see and do)
[x] Visit Mishrak again. (+Warscore?)
-[x] Talk to Catharne about her shapeshifting powers.
--[x] Suggest that she could join you as a pupil at the Engelram Academy at the beginning of the next academic year.
-[x] Talk to Mishrak about his brother, Lavokthagua. (+Warscore)
--[x] Find out about the various magical enhancements that Mishrak has given his brother to make him fully amphibious.
-[x] Ask Mishrak to rejuvenate Yslena in much the same way that he did to Gareth.
I must say, Cadre 1F took all that worrying news pretty well. We also gotta try to get GF to come to the Mishrak dinner party. Ooo, maybe we can get all their families? Thoughts for later. We might also want to do a little more reconnaissance on Prentigold, if he's a war hero and he called Green Flame "school property" he might consider himself not at liberty to in any way sell her - though one wonders who would have that authority, if he does not.
[x] Visit Mishrak again. (+Warscore?)
-[x] Talk to Catharne about her shapeshifting powers.
--[x] Suggest that she could join you as a pupil at the Engelram Academy at the beginning of the next academic year.
-[x] Talk to Mishrak about his brother, Lavokthagua. (+Warscore)
--[x] Find out about the various magical enhancements that Mishrak has given his brother to make him fully amphibious.
-[x] Ask Mishrak to rejuvenate Yslena in much the same way that he did to Gareth.
Dorian has a sick father who resists healing magic, but in School of Sorcery we learned that there are differences between human magic and god magic, so having him interact with Mishrak might lead to Mishrak coming up with a breakthrough.
Basically, human magic has restrictions that divine magic doesn't.
Also, Mishrak is an expert at using life magic to tinker with DNA, so it's possible that he might find a better way to treat Theophyllus Valens' genetic condition than any doctor has been able to.
Heh, yeah, I had a feeling Isolia would work out better than Venta, for Jana. That "Isolia's an orphan like me" is a bit sad, though... and I'm not talking about Jana not counting having cool adoptive parents now, we know what she meant there. Yeah, Jana's dad is dead (and good riddance, damn Sea Ghoul worshipping scum), but her birth mother is still alive, and I was under the impression that the relationship between the two of them was actually getting better.
I've changed the wording because, even if you could tell what Jana meant, it was potentially confusing. I don't want to have to take time out to explain it, so... yeah, I've changed it.
I think the way I worded that sentence was kinda strange, so I've tinkered with it a bit more. I'm still not entirely happy with it, but... oh well, I was experimenting.
Here's the vote tally so far:
Adhoc vote count started by Chandagnac on Nov 7, 2021 at 12:58 PM, finished with 6 posts and 4 votes.
[X] Visit Mishrak again. (+Warscore?)
-[X] Talk to Catharne about her shapeshifting powers.
--[X] Suggest that she could join you as a pupil at the Engelram Academy at the beginning of the next academic year.
-[X] Talk to Mishrak about his brother, Lavokthagua. (+Warscore)
--[X] Find out about the various magical enhancements that Mishrak has given his brother to make him fully amphibious.
-[X] Ask Mishrak to rejuvenate Yslena in much the same way that he did to Gareth.
[X] Visit Mishrak again. (+Warscore?)
-[X] Talk to Catharne about her shapeshifting powers.
--[X] Suggest that she could join you as a pupil at the Engelram Academy at the beginning of the next academic year.
-[X] Talk to Mishrak about his brother, Lavokthagua. (+Warscore)
--[X] Find out about the various magical enhancements that Mishrak has given his brother to make him fully amphibious.
-[X] Ask Mishrak to rejuvenate Yslena in much the same way that he did to Gareth.
I think the way I worded that sentence was kinda strange, so I've tinkered with it a bit more. I'm still not entirely happy with it, but... oh well, I was experimenting.
Oh, no, that wasn't a complaint, that was an Undertale reference! I liked it, actually. The new version does flow a little better, though. Determination is a good, evocative word, though now associated with that particular game, in my mind.
ok, so. isolia's sponsor needs to die. mishrak can just bankroll her schooling instead. phil's younger siblings still need saving. then theres also every victim of aspitolm. and.. just so much. like we personally know the struggles of a handful of people, but there are countless going through the same things who arent friends with a chosen.
ok, so. isolia's sponsor needs to die. mishrak can just bankroll her schooling instead. phil's younger siblings still need saving. then theres also every victim of aspitolm. and.. just so much. like we personally know the struggles of a handful of people, but there are countless going through the same things who arent friends with a chosen.
And it's all in a setting that, more than any other setting I can think of, really feels like all the strange elaborate plots and adventures and problems aren't just things that happen around some main characters we get to follow, they are things that happen to everyone around the world all the time, and have been for millenia.
And it's all in a setting that, more than any other setting I can think of, really feels like all the strange elaborate plots and adventures and problems aren't just things that happen around some main characters we get to follow, they are things that happen to everyone around the world all the time, and have been for millenia.
yh yh, exactly. thats just life here. is very clever writing which gets that across. creates difficult moral conundrums too, should your focus be on what helps the most people (stopping aspiti's) or on the people close to you? do you owe more to the people in ur life than to people more broadly? i feel like you do a bit, but how much? rn im thinking of levels pf immediate danger. because everyday aspitolm is not razed to the ground is another day paradise loft exists. cadre F have more agency to solve thier own problems than alot of others, but phils sisters r still getting beaten, goblins still dissapear and isolia has a timebomb over her head for when the powerful wizard who views her as property decides to do something terrible to her.
sambia is a shithole and it would not surprise me if there were aspiti levels things going on there too for powerful elites. kinda like irl... powerful people fucking suck and itd be pog to exist in a world without them lurking around, abusing people and upholding systems that make our lives harder than they need to be.
And it's all in a setting that, more than any other setting I can think of, really feels like all the strange elaborate plots and adventures and problems aren't just things that happen around some main characters we get to follow, they are things that happen to everyone around the world all the time, and have been for millenia.
Actually, in this continuity, Paradise Loft was destroyed in a mysterious fire seven years ago. It has yet to be rebuilt. Er... I think I may have mentioned that somewhere before, but maybe not.
Vote closed, I guess.
I'll try to update as soon as possible, but I can't guarantee that I'll get it done before the weekend.
...that thing about the entire world being like this, that was a compliment. In fact, I think it's the single strongest point of this setting, and possibly your writing style in general.
Actually, in this continuity, Paradise Loft was destroyed in a mysterious fire seven years ago. It has yet to be rebuilt. Er... I think I may have mentioned that somewhere before, but maybe not.
Actually, in this continuity, Paradise Loft was destroyed in a mysterious fire seven years ago. It has yet to be rebuilt. Er... I think I may have mentioned that somewhere before, but maybe not.
Whew. Good job, Kaerina, if indeed that was her. I got to that part in hedgiequest a while ago and Hoo Boy that place deserved to be destroyed, hopefully without any slaves inside.
Honestly, this world feels like it's going to be an uphill battle all the way to right the major injustices and tragedies, and there will most certainly be more tragedies along the way, but it feels like the fight is... winnable, if we do it right.
...that thing about the entire world being like this, that was a compliment. In fact, I think it's the single strongest point of this setting, and possibly your writing style in general.
Whew. Good job, Kaerina, if indeed that was her. I got to that part in hedgiequest a while ago and Hoo Boy that place deserved to be destroyed, hopefully without any slaves inside.
Actually, Kaerina didn't do anything (other than make sure that Kari/Samaya was able to find out the address of the people who bought her from Fyralio Belusk).
*
Walking in the Air with Uncle Mishrak (Part One)
When you next have the chance to visit his undersea palace, Mishrak says to you, excitedly, "I haven't introduced you to my brother yet, have I?"
"Which brother would that be?" you ask, with some trepidation: you remember hearing legends of how the elder god Vlakoroth, father of monsters, wanted dragons to be terrifying hyper-predators that would rule over every other living thing.
"Lavokthagua. He's a wingless earth dragon," says Mishrak. "Or at least he was. A number of years ago, after he was rescued from imprisonment, I gave him shapeshifting powers similar to Catharne's. Nowadays, he prefers to take the form of a mighty dragon turtle. Would you like to see him?"
"Is he here?" you ask, glancing around. Even as you do so, you feel rather foolish: the halls of the undersea palace are large and spacious, but not enough to contain a 'mighty dragon turtle'. Around the outside of the structure, there are magic windows through which the outside world can be glimpsed, but you can rarely see anything through them other than inky darkness and a few of the strange creatures at the bottom of the ocean.
Mishrak shakes his head. "I can take you to see him, if you wish."
You glance over to where Jana is playing a ball game with Catharne, who is in human form. They seem to be having fun. If you left them for a few minutes, they probably wouldn't notice that you were gone, so engrossed are they in their game of throwing and passing and catching a little leather ball.
Catharne is still a little clumsy, but she's doing well: much better than when you last saw her. Also, she seems able to hold on to human form for an impressively long time now. Soon, she'll be ready to join you at the Engelram Academy – or wherever you decide to go after that – and no one will be able to tell at a glance that she isn't an ordinary human being.
Turning back to Mishrak, you ask, "Now?"
"Why not?" he replies. Flying over to you, he perches on your shoulder. "With your permission…?"
"Do it," you say, giving him a nod.
A moment later, you are in the sky, high above the ocean; you have become like mist, drifting on the breeze, gazing down at the wreckage and remnants of a recent battle.
Floating on the surface, lightly bobbing on the waves, there are some broken spars of wood, a few empty crates and barrels, and more drowned corpses than you can easily count. Flames have reduced an Aspiti war galley to a ruined hulk; although there is not much left of it above the waterline, it continues to burn. In the distance, several more Aspiti warships are retreating across the horizon.
Closer to you, but far away enough that you didn't notice them immediately, there are various representatives of the coalition that has united against Aspitolm's expansionist ambitions: sleek, knifelike vessels flying the colours of various Wranni tribes; all of them look bedraggled, battered, and very much in need of some repair. A few ships are flying the Rivayni flag; they appear to be relatively new and have suffered little damage in the recent battle. Around them, in the water, you see some of Mishrak's Deep Ones and their fastitocalons. And, looming out of the sea, some distance away, there is the huge, rounded shape of an enormous turtle shell.
"Did they win?" you ask, although your voice is barely a whisper of wind and salt spray.
"Yes," says Mishrak, who is an indistinct winged silhouette, like a shadow in the clouds. "But it was hard-fought. The Aspitis have bolstered their fleet by having their necromancers raise ghost ships from the depths of the sea."
If you weren't ethereal and almost invisible, you would be frowning. "Isn't that your domain?"
"Yes, but I don't have control over every inch of it," he says. "There are vast areas that are ostensibly mine, of which I know little. For instance, one of the ghosts the Aspitis have raised is that of the famous Queli admiral, Egan Korentyne. I had no idea where his watery grave was – and it didn't occur to me to look – until they found it and brought his maddened spectre back to the surface."
"That sounds like the kind of thing that Belle would be interested in," you mutter.
"I'm sure she was, before she was badly injured by the Sea Ghouls and Teryn made her his Chosen. After that, it was probably too late: by then, the Aspitis had already found him and bound him as if he were one of their slaves. Along with a great many others: the restless dead of the sea…"
Next to the great turtle shell, you see an almost triangular reptilian head rise up out the water on the end of a long, serpentine neck. That must be Mishrak's brother, Lavokthagua. He glances curiously around with bulbous yellow eyes.
"If he's your brother, does that mean he's my uncle as well?" you ask.
"Possibly, but I would advise you to be careful if you tell him that," says Mishrak. "He has little reason to like humans. A wizard who calls himself Agon Hurondus kept him imprisoned in the grounds of his tower for many years."
"I've heard of Agon Hurondus," you say, with an imperceptible nod. "He's a member of the Mystic Path."
There is silence, for a moment, while Mishrak considers this. "Yes, Samaya told me about them," he says, at last. "And Professor Elthonar wrote about them in his book, didn't he?"
"They are responsible for a great many evil things that have been happening," you tell him, solemnly. "They attacked Teryn's Necropolis. They killed or enslaved Samaya's entire family. One of them created the monster that killed Professor Elthonar. Every time I hear about them, it seems like they've been spreading their influence around the world, making deals with the worse kind of people, laying the groundwork for some kind of horrible scheme… and where does it all end? What are they planning? I don't even know the full extent of their crimes!"
"You and I, my Chosen. And all of the friends and allies we've made along the way."
"Almost like one of those games we played when I was a very young child," you say, in a shaky voice. "With the wolfskin rug and Irina the wizard-princess."
Mishrak smiles at you. Or, at least, you imagine he does. You can hear it in his voice: "May our story have a happy ending, just as all of hers did."
The Coalition (of forces leagued against the Aspiti Empire) gains 5 Warscore because of their recent victories and because they have been joined by Lavokthagua the dragon turtle. They now have a total of 24 Warscore.
The Aspiti Empire gains 3 Warscore because their evil necromancers have raised a fleet of ghost ships to serve them. They now have a total of 15 Warscore.
What should Elys do next? (Choose one)
[] Go back to the undersea palace and talk to Catharne.
-[] Encourage her to join you as a pupil at the Engelram Academy.
[] Tell Mishrak that the Mystic Path seem adept at using promises of arcane knowledge and power to get wizards such as Professor Elthonar to do their dirty work.
-[] Suggest that he could make things more difficult for them by making it so that young mages don't need to ask for help from such untrustworthy patrons: the Mystic Path will find it harder to find competent help if young mages can get what they want through simpler and less dangerous channels.
--[] Recommend that he start by setting up a scholarship fund for young mages who want to get a proper magical education.
---[] "My friend, Isolia, for example."
[] Attempt to talk to Lavokthagua.
-[] What do you want to say to him? (Write in)
When you say "do next", is this just an order thing? Like, if we vote for one, can we still do the other stuff after?
If so, then as long as we're right her in front of him, we should
[X] Attempt to talk to Lavokthagua.
-[X] Bring up that the wizard who imprisoned him is our enemy as well, and that of most of humanity, and that we are planning to find and kill him and his associates.
If it is a choice though, then do one of the other two options instead; those are just objectively higher priority.
[X] Tell Mishrak that the Mystic Path seem adept at using promises of arcane knowledge and power to get wizards such as Professor Elthonar to do their dirty work.
-[X] Suggest that he could make things more difficult for them by making it so that young mages don't need to ask for help from such untrustworthy patrons: the Mystic Path will find it harder to find competent help if young mages can get what they want through simpler and less dangerous channels.
--[X] Recommend that he start by setting up a scholarship fund for young mages who want to get a proper magical education.
---[X] "My friend, Isolia, for example."
[X] Tell Mishrak that the Mystic Path seem adept at using promises of arcane knowledge and power to get wizards such as Professor Elthonar to do their dirty work.
-[X] Suggest that he could make things more difficult for them by making it so that young mages don't need to ask for help from such untrustworthy patrons: the Mystic Path will find it harder to find competent help if young mages can get what they want through simpler and less dangerous channels.
--[X] Recommend that he start by setting up a scholarship fund for young mages who want to get a proper magical education.
---[X] "My friend, Isolia, for example."
This is a great idea. It makes Mishrak a more enticing figure of worship, it helps Isolia, it messes with the Mystic Path's recruit in a way that isn't obviously targetted at them, it gives us an in with Prentigold as a source of funding for his academy, and it probably does a lot in terms of reducing poverty.
Remember Green Flame's other student who got his fingers cut off? I bet he could have used this.
This is a way for Elys to have a big impact on the setting without eating more actions.
Actually, Kaerina didn't do anything (other than make sure that Kari/Samaya was able to find out the address of the people who bought her from Fyralio Belusk).
"Lavokthagua. He's a wingless earth dragon," says Mishrak. "Or at least he was. A number of years ago, after he was rescued from imprisonment, I gave him shapeshifting powers similar to Catharne's.
Now, see, there's an idea. Dumar aside, the other members of the Mystic Path, though powerful, are not invulnerable. They get away with a lot because their faces are not known and their disposition not public knowledge. While I doubt it'll do anything to stop them, leaking information about the Mystic Path and the trail of destruction they leave behind could make their lives harder. Something to think about, at least.
[x] Attempt to talk to Lavokthagua.
-[x] Introduce ourselves sweetly
--[x] Try to get him to talk about himself so we can learn a little more anout him
Assuming we are just choosing the order in which we do these things.
[X] Tell Mishrak that the Mystic Path seem adept at using promises of arcane knowledge and power to get wizards such as Professor Elthonar to do their dirty work.
-[X] Suggest that he could make things more difficult for them by making it so that young mages don't need to ask for help from such untrustworthy patrons: the Mystic Path will find it harder to find competent help if young mages can get what they want through simpler and less dangerous channels.
--[X] Recommend that he start by setting up a scholarship fund for young mages who want to get a proper magical education.
---[X] "My friend, Isolia, for example."
I don't recall where I heard the following, but I agree with it.
There's two types of conspiracies. The first, a group of people give themselves a name. This type can be assumed to be interested in what others think of them. The second types doesn't give themselves a name, because they already know who they are and their goals. This second type isn't interested in what others think of them, and is the more dangerous.
[x] Attempt to talk to Lavokthagua.
-[x] Introduce ourselves sweetly
--[x] Try to get him to talk about himself so we can learn a little more anout him
I don't think setting up a scholarship fund is a good idea at this time. That's ripe for abuse without infrastructure to support it, will look like ham-fisted recruitment, and the long term payoff is too long term to be a good use of attention during a war. If Isolia needs support, then I'm all for supporting her, but creating an entirely new system of operation on the basis of one woobie is not good policy.
I don't think setting up a scholarship fund is a good idea at this time. That's ripe for abuse without infrastructure to support it, will look like ham-fisted recruitment, and the long term payoff is too long term to be a good use of attention during a war. If Isolia needs support, then I'm all for supporting her, but creating an entirely new system of operation on the basis of one woobie is not good policy.
"You and I, my Chosen. And all of the friends and allies we've made along the way."
"Almost like one of those games we played when I was a very young child," you say, in a shaky voice. "With the wolfskin rug and Irina the wizard-princess."
Mishrak smiles at you. Or, at least, you imagine he does. You can hear it in his voice: "May our story have a happy ending, just as all of hers did."
An intriguing possibility occurs to you. "The Mystic Path seem adept at using promises of arcane knowledge and power to get wizards such as Professor Elthonar to do their dirty work," you say. "I've seen for myself how young mages who don't have much money are basically at the mercy of their sponsors, who may not have their best interests at heart. My friend, Isolia, for example. Her sponsor is a former professor who was sacked from the Tyrepheum Academy because he got some of his students killed. I worry about what he has planned for Isolia."
"Well, if you like, I could give her the money she needs," Mishrak offers. "She wouldn't have to worry, then."
"She's not the only one. There are hundreds of pupils at the Tyrepheum Academy – and at the Engelram Academy as well, I'm sure – who have untrustworthy sponsors, or they do stupid things because they need money to pay their school fees, or they have no choice but to join the army because it's the only way they can pay off their debts. I'm sure the Mystic Path preys on people like that: tempting them with offers they can't get anywhere else, using them as disposable henchmen, and then discarding them when they have no more use for them."
"So what can we do?" asks Mishrak. "It sounds like you have a plan. Do you?"
"What if you were to set up a scholarship fund for young mages who want to get a proper magical education?" you suggest. "That would enable hundreds of people to live better lives, make it harder for the Mystic Path to recruit competent minions, and probably stimulate the economy as well, reducing poverty and making things better for everyone else."
There is a long pause. Mishrak seems to be carefully considering your suggestion.
At last, he says, "That is an interesting idea – quite possibly a very good idea – but how would it work? Where would we set it up? In Tyrepheum, or in Asquellon, or both? What about all the other mage academies around the world, almost all of which have pupils that languish in similar conditions? How would we make sure that the money went to those who need it most and not to smooth-talking confidence tricksters? And what if the plan has other consequences you may not have thought of? More scholarship pupils going to the Tyrepheum Academy could mean that the Sambian Imperial Legion would be able to recruit more battle mages; possibly, that would lead them to triumph in their ongoing war against the Rhuzadi Khaganate. And then what? Would they be willing to make peace, to go home and rebuild, and consolidate as much of their empire as they have left? Or would they embark on a new war of conquest, seeking to recapture everything they have lost? Similarly, if my sponsoring pupils at the Engelram Academy enabled the various kingdoms and free states of Greater Quellonia to recruit more battle mages… well, how would that affect the political situation?"
"It's just an idea," you reply. "Obviously, some of the details still need to be worked out."
"Yes… I will need to spend a long time thinking about this and the possible effects it may have. There is enough horror and suffering in the world already; I have no desire to be the cause of any more, even indirectly."
"If you spend all of your time thinking, you'll never end up doing anything," you point out.
He issues a sigh like a breeze stirring up the clouds. "I didn't say that I wasn't going to do anything, just that what I am going to do will require a great deal of planning and preparation."
If you weren't currently in an ethereal spirit form drifting in the air high above the ocean, you would raise an eyebrow at him. "But you'll get there in the end?"
"I will," he promises you.
Next, you turn your attention to your new uncle: Lavokthagua the giant turtle dragon. He doesn't exactly look like he's the cuddly sort. So, you consider how best to approach him.
A short update, this time, just to keep things moving.
What do you want Elys to say to him?
[] First, she should introduce herself. Be cute about it!
-[] Then, try to get him to talk about himself so she can learn more about him.
[] Mention that the wizard who imprisoned him is her enemy as well, and that of most of humanity.
-[] Tell him that she is planning to find and kill Agon Hurondus and his associates.
--[] "You want in?"
At last, he says, "That is an interesting idea – quite possibly a very good idea – but how would it work? Where would we set it up? In Tyrepheum, or in Asquellon, or both? What about all the other mage academies around the world, almost all of which have pupils that languish in similar conditions? How would we make sure that the money went to those who need it most and not to smooth-talking confidence tricksters? And what if the plan has other consequences you may not have thought of? More scholarship pupils going to the Tyrepheum Academy could mean that the Sambian Imperial Legion would be able to recruit more battle mages; possibly, that would lead them to triumph in their ongoing war against the Rhuzadi Khaganate. And then what? Would they be willing to make peace, to go home and rebuild, and consolidate as much of their empire as they have left? Or would they embark on a new war of conquest, seeking to recapture everything they have lost? Similarly, if my sponsoring pupils at the Engelram Academy enabled the various kingdoms and free states of Greater Quellonia to recruit more battle mages… well, how would that affect the political situation?"
Yup. In some ways, Mishrak is almost like a draconic version of Mansa Musa*.
*A fabulously wealthy fourteenth-century ruler of the Malian Empire who, while he was on the hajj to Mecca, passed through Egypt and was so generous (in giving gifts, making charitable donations, and paying for new mosques to be built) that he caused massive inflation and devalued gold for the next twenty years.
