Hey, those are pretty nice. They're not exactly how I pictured them, but I recognized all of them. Personally, I pictured Teryn with blue flames and a misty white horse. Not that I'd want you to change your version.
I'm not familiar with Kaerina, but I particularly liked the colors you set up for her.
Those portraits are pretty cool I can't really think of anything else to ask; knowing that they have basically the same standards of courtesy is a relief though. Checking on the results of the treatment is good.
Uh, perhaps I misunderstand you, but Elys seems absolutely a third party to GF and her owner. My point is that GF might not be allowed to accept transport she can't control, except from her owner.
I was thinking, considering that she's a quick study and she's learning portal magic but has not yet used that to escape, that she's avoiding going in portals consciously, not because of a restriction on third-party portals, but, considering the mental nature of her restraints, because she's not allowed to consider any course of action that would take her out of school grounds, and would therefore not step in a portal.
If we're lucky, she does a cool backflip or she learned how to control hair length and styling or eye color or something pretty well, or she pulls a stretch armstrong. If we're unlucky, she does a shoggoth thing and her audience is quietly afraid and/or disgusted.
I was thinking, considering that she's a quick study and she's learning portal magic but has not yet used that to escape, that she's avoiding going in portals consciously, not because of a restriction on third-party portals, but, considering the mental nature of her restraints, because she's not allowed to consider any course of action that would take her out of school grounds, and would therefore not step in a portal.
They may have both ended mighty empires, but there's a huge difference between leading a revolution, and mind-raping an entire country's population into killing their own families. And that's, like, even before taking into account that it's supposed to be "you reap what you sow", not "you reap what someone else sowed".
Well, I wasn't being entirely serious, hah. It was a somewhat skewed reaction to the whole debate about what justice means. Anyway, I guess the point is that the gods of this setting are just as flawed as any other group of people.
Anyway, this is completely off topic to the current situation, but I made Hero Forge portraits of some of the major gods in this setting. For ones with multiple shown forms, I tried to make composite forms incorporating traits from a few at once. Which were chosen was based on a combination of how important they are to the stories, how much their appearance was described, and how well or how interestingly I think they could be conveyed in Hero Forge (which does not have options for making characters that look like floating shrubberies).
Wow. That's fantastic. Thank you very much. It just goes to show what an amazing range of different character customization options are available on Hero Forge these days. I particularly like Mishrak and his white suit jacket. Very stylish.
I'll admit, they're not quite how I imagined them, but all of the gods canonically have multiple different guises that they can use. It's entirely possible that they could choose to look exactly like the images you've created.
I hope you don't mind that I've threadmarked those portraits in this quest's Apocrypha section.
If we're lucky, she does a cool backflip or she learned how to control hair length and styling or eye color or something pretty well, or she pulls a stretch armstrong. If we're unlucky, she does a shoggoth thing and her audience is quietly afraid and/or disgusted.
It makes sense for Jana and Catharne to be there to meet Theophyllus, since they've been escorting Dorian and his mom around, but I'm not sure if it would be in-character for Catharne to show off her shapeshifting like that. She's been trying very hard to fit in.
Green Flame has been studying portal magic with Archironaeus's help and she has written down her notes in her journal, which Elys read in one of the earlier chapters. See here.
Wow. That's fantastic. Thank you very much. It just goes to show what an amazing range of different character customization options are available on Hero Forge these days. I particularly like Mishrak and his white suit jacket. Very stylish.
I'll admit, they're not quite how I imagined them, but all of the gods canonically have multiple different guises that they can use. It's entirely possible that they could choose to look exactly like the images you've created.
I hope you don't mind that I've threadmarked those portraits in this quest's Apocrypha section.
Yeah, and Hero Forge is constantly being updated, with not just new items (that are generally more detailed and higher quality than the old ones), but entire new features. They've recently added in a thing to put two characters on the same base at the same time I think, though I haven't done anything with that yet.
Mishrak's jacket is intended to be somewhere halfway between a suit and a labcoat. Something to convey his nature as an absentminded friendly mad scientist.
Anyway, most of these were always intended as... not quite any of their shown forms, but ones that take traits from a few to be an extra alternate form. This is part of the reason I only went for powerful gods; guys who could easily change their form as easily as changing clothes, so these could potentially be canonical.
I am proud to be added to the threadmarks for this quest, that has never happened before.
It makes sense for Jana and Catharne to be there to meet Theophyllus, since they've been escorting Dorian and his mom around, but I'm not sure if it would be in-character for Catharne to show off her shapeshifting like that. She's been trying very hard to fit in.
I can't really argue if the author says it's out-of-character, now can I? I bet Catharne could do a sweet backflip though. She has been desiring to fit in, but her desire to fit in seemed to me an extension of her desire for... if not attention, for participation. Unlike most beings she's got a definite, concrete purpose in life and she wasn't getting to fulfill it because she was stuck away from Elys. But now all that's different! She can shapeshift and she is right on the cusp of going around and doing cool things.
Or maybe she'll give Elys an impromptu piggyback ride.
Anyway, most of these were always intended as... not quite any of their shown forms, but ones that take traits from a few to be an extra alternate form. This is part of the reason I only went for powerful gods; guys who could easily change their form as easily as changing clothes, so these could potentially be canonical.
I can't really argue if the author says it's out-of-character, now can I? I bet Catharne could do a sweet backflip though. She has been desiring to fit in, but her desire to fit in seemed to me an extension of her desire for... if not attention, for participation. Unlike most beings she's got a definite, concrete purpose in life and she wasn't getting to fulfill it because she was stuck away from Elys. But now all that's different! She can shapeshift and she is right on the cusp of going around and doing cool things.
Or maybe she'll give Elys an impromptu piggyback ride.
At the moment, Catharne isn't self-confident enough to do any of those things, especially not in the company of strangers. Maybe later, when she's had a chance to socialize and she's feeling sure of herself.
I think I've previously mentioned that Gene Wolfe's The Fifth Head of Cerberus is one of my favourite short stories. Philander's plotline was inspired by and bears a superficial resemblance to it, but there are some important differences.
Anyway, I was busy this weekend and that's thrown my schedule out of whack. I rather doubt that I'll be able to update before Thursday at the earliest. Sorry about that!
At the moment, Catharne isn't self-confident enough to do any of those things, especially not in the company of strangers. Maybe later, when she's had a chance to socialize and she's feeling sure of herself.
For general commentary to the thread, I feel like Catharne should be kept out of the limelight as much as possible. She's quite young and has little life experience even approaching normality. She's been training most of her life to be with Elys, and I don't want her messed up from that.
I think I've previously mentioned that Gene Wolfe's The Fifth Head of Cerberus is one of my favourite short stories. Philander's plotline was inspired by and bears a superficial resemblance to it, but there are some important differences.
That makes sense. Do we know from who his father is getting the psudo-cloning from? It's weird that it makes female children at all, honestly. Unless its more like how Elve's were made? But possibly on more of a fate/true-name/genetic level?
The naming them after sins/failings is really interesting, especially as it does actually seem to influence them.
I really like the way this setting rifts on ideas from Exalted, btw. While very much not being superficially very similar.
For general commentary to the thread, I feel like Catharne should be kept out of the limelight as much as possible. She's quite young and has little life experience even approaching normality. She's been training most of her life to be with Elys, and I don't want her messed up from that.
I think we should still keep her with us, though. Maybe not have her do stuff in front of big audiences or anything, but if she never has chance to spread her wings and grow into her role, that'd be totally bogus.
I think we should still keep her with us, though. Maybe not have her do stuff in front of big audiences or anything, but if she never has chance to spread her wings and grow into her role, that'd be totally bogus.
That's better phrased for what I meant. To my mind, Catharne is like a seven year old trying to follow her older siblings into the fun of life. The contrast of what she can do physically compared to what she's mentally ready to do is my worry.
I do want her with us, just carefully protected. For how Elys was treated by the older but otherwise peer students in terms of skill makes me worry. Catharne might end up in situations with an even larger mental difference if she's unlucky.
I do want her with us, just carefully protected. For how Elys was treated by the older but otherwise peer students in terms of skill makes me worry. Catharne might end up in situations with an even larger mental difference if she's unlucky.
That is most definitely a coincidence. I know very little about Exalted and I wouldn't consider it to have been one of my inspirations for this quest or its predecessors. If there are any similarities, it's probably because I've been inspired by real-world mythology just like the writers of Exalted were.
Although Catharne has some unusual magical abilities, her understanding of the basics (of Ritual Magic and so on) is fairly limited. It's likely that she'll be placed with the first-year students and be on the same level as them in most areas.
Instead of reacting to that last bit of sarcasm, you smile serenely and say, "Thank you for speaking to me. You've given me a great deal to think about."
"You're welcome." He nods. "If you're going to be doing me a favour, it behoves me to make sure that you're well-equipped for it."
"Goodbye for now," you say, turning to leave the room.
"Let me know when you're planning to leave; I'll have your bodyguards ready," says Gelfavar.
"I will," you promise, just before you pull the door open and step out into the corridor.
Your mother troops after you. "Well done," she murmurs.
"It wasn't hard; he was going out of his way to be nice to me," you point out.
"Even so, you gave a good account of yourself, which makes me feel better about letting you go off to do this on your own."
You start heading towards where you left Mishrak trying to heal Dorian's father. Surely he must be finished by now, you think; you've seen him create a whole new species in far less time!
Her arms folded, seemingly lost in thought, your mother walks with you. "Gelfavar is a renowned warrior, but he also has a reputation for being something of a philosopher," she says, thinking aloud. "Of course, you've met him and talked with him for long enough that you don't need me to tell you what he's like. I wonder if that's why…?"
As her voice fades away, you wait a few seconds for her to continue. Then, after your curiosity has grown too much to bear, you ask her, "What are you wondering about, mom?"
She blinks. "Ahh…" After a brief hesitation, she takes a deep breath. "The Wranni have plenty of hereditary rulers, but their systems of government always tend to be somewhat elective. Many of the fireside stories they tell are about unworthy kings who were deposed and then replaced with someone better. Therefore, if one of their leaders does a bad job, it doesn't matter who his father was or how many noble ancestors he can lay claim to; he must expect that his own tribe will turn against him and choose someone else to lead them."
"But Gelfavar isn't doing a bad job."
"Indeed not. Presumably, his ragtag band of Wranni – the remnants of many tribes who barely survived the Sambian Empire's attempts to exterminate them – chose him as their leader. And yet I've heard rumours that, not so many years ago, he was a grief-stricken drunk who'd fallen so deep into misery that he could barely function. So why would they choose him as their leader? What changed? How did he pull himself back from the brink and earn their respect?"
"And why does his shadow look like the silhouette of a wolf?" you add.
"Another question I would like to know the answer to. I suppose I should just ask him."
"But where's the fun in that?" You grin at her.
She gives a faint huff of laughter. "I'd be wasting my time if I treated this like a mystery I need to solve by careful detective work. Better to just ask him."
"It's probably a god or spirit or some kind of magic," you theorize. "Perfectly normal."
Your mother gives you a sidelong glance. "Oh yes," she replies, with heavy irony. "Perfectly normal, by your standards."
By the time you arrive in Mishrak's makeshift infirmary, Theophyllus Valens is a new man. You see him staring at his own reflection; the wall nearest to his sickbed has taken on a mirror-like sheen. He wears a bewildered expression, as if he doesn't recognize himself. His body is skeletally thin, his face is gaunt, and his limbs are like sticks. And yet, he is breathing easily, with none of the wheezing and crackling you heard when you saw him earlier.
"It will take time for you to build up your strength," says Mishrak, still wearing the form of a large bald man with acid green eyes. "Only a few steps at a time, to begin with."
"Perhaps some kind of walking frame would help?"
"Uh, I suppose…" Mishrak looks baffled, for a moment, but rallies quickly. "A mobility aid. Excellent. Yes, you should have one of those – and use it for as long as you need it. I'll get one for you."
"I am a wealthy man," Theophyllus begins, in a tone of injured pride. "I–"
Mishrak waves a dismissive hand. "Yes, yes, you have plenty of money. So do I. Forget about that, for now, and let me give you the things you'll need to get home without injuring yourself again."
There is a sigh, but Theophyllus doesn't argue any further.
As you step into the room, he notices you out of the corner of his eye and embarrassedly wraps his simple robe tighter around himself. You notice that his bare feet are as smooth and pink as those of a new-born baby.
"I know you. Dorian's friend." He looks flustered. "Ahh, I'm sorry, but what was your name?"
"I'm Elys," you say, smiling at him. "I take it you've been healed? How do you feel now?"
"Much better than I was. Of course, I… I don't want to seem ungrateful, but I've been healed before." He pauses and takes a deep breath. "I can only hope that this time it'll stick."
"You need more time," says Mishrak, who evidently doesn't mind that Theophyllus seems to doubt his miraculous powers. "In time, you'll have the proof you want."
"Even if it doesn't last, you've given me a new lease of life," says Theophyllus. "Thank you for that."
"You don't trust me, do you?" says Mishrak, intoning the question as if it was a statement of fact. "Well, never mind."
'I replaced every cell in his body, one by one, which took several hours," he tells you, speaking through your mental bond. 'In a very real sense, he is not the same man as he was yesterday. He is like a house that has been rebuilt with none of its original stones, or a ship that has had all of its timbers replaced, or a rusty old axe that needed to be given a new head and handle. Essentially, I gave him an completely new body without the genetic illness that has caused him so much suffering over the course of his life.'
'But his soul is still the same,' you tell him. 'He's still the same person.'
'The bodies of living beings are constantly rejuvenating themselves. Almost every part, after several years, will have been replaced and renewed. I suppose what I did to Mr. Valens wasn't much different from that. Just quicker.'
Still smiling, you tell Theophyllus, "I'll fetch your wife and son. I'm sure they'll be delighted to see you looking so much better!"
He nods. "I'd be grateful if you would."
Mishrak gains 3xp for healing Theophyllus Valens's seemingly incurable illness. He now has a total of 5xp. He needs 24xp to reach the next Rank.
Elys gains 1xp because she facilitated all of this. She now has a total of 5xp. She needs a total of 9xp to reach Rank 4.
The relationship between gods and their Chosen can be like a positive feedback loop: as the god becomes more powerful, so does their Chosen, and vice versa.
Anyway, I'm going to end this here. It's getting pretty late and I don't have any more time to write tonight. I'll try to post another update over the weekend.
In the next chapter, Elys will…
Fetch Dorian and his mother, as well as Jana and Catharne.
Suggest to Mishrak that he should talk to Shaori about getting the Vashiiri to join the war.
Send the Valens family home through the portal, which Elys will then close after she's got back to the undersea palace.
And then I guess I'll timeskip ahead to the diplomatic mission, unless there's anything else you want Elys to say to Mishrak, Dorian, or anyone.
In the next chapter, Elys will…
Fetch Dorian and his mother, as well as Jana and Catharne.
Suggest to Mishrak that he should talk to Shaori about getting the Vashiiri to join the war.
Send the Valens family home through the portal, which Elys will then close after she's got back to the undersea palace.
And then I guess I'll timeskip ahead to the diplomatic mission, unless there's anything else you want Elys to say to Mishrak, Dorian, or anyone.
That all sounds good to me, but I would add a conversation with Catharne about expectations and safety before the next trip. I don't mind if it happens if screen I suppose
'I replaced every cell in his body, one by one, which took several hours," he tells you, speaking through your mental bond. 'In a very real sense, he is not the same man as he was yesterday.
The nature of Theophyllus's illness was worse than I thought, no wonder no one else could do anything, but this is Mishrak's area of expertise. Also, having the solution explained like that really illustrates the difference between Life Magic and Necromancy.
For the near future, either during or after this plotline, this seems like a good time to bring up Yslena getting rejuvenated too, like Gareth was. (And, as an added bonus... she's older now than Gareth was when he was healed, and she is conspicuously in the middle of important dealings that decide the fate of multiple kingdoms. This would presumably be a large and sudden enough difference in her health and appearance at a perfect time that a large number of important people will take notice... meaning, hopefully, even more prestige for Mishrak once it is done)
Although Catharne has some unusual magical abilities, her understanding of the basics (of Ritual Magic and so on) is fairly limited. It's likely that she'll be placed with the first-year students and be on the same level as them in most areas.
It shockingly is, she's never known another life, Mishrak has been hanging out with her since infancy and her life has only gotten stranger from there. If we found out down the line that there's some kind of deific stand user encounter rule, I would not be surprised.
"I am a wealthy man," Theophyllus begins, in a tone of injured pride. "I–"
Mishrak waves a dismissive hand. "Yes, yes, you have plenty of money. So do I. Forget about that, for now, and let me give you the things you'll need to get home without injuring yourself again."
My gods, I almost forgot we had a backbone of numbers around here. I'd be ashamed if this wasn't really cool conceptually to see Mishrak tangibly stretch his problem-solving capabilities. Oh dear, sweet Numbers Go Up, how I have missed you. I gotta start xp schemin', we are shockingly in the ballpark for a rank up.
That all sounds good to me, but I would add a conversation with Catharne about expectations and safety before the next trip. I don't mind if it happens offscreen I suppose
Hear hear, seconded. We should probably fill Jana in on what we have learned too. Have a little huddle, onscreen only if it'll be fun to listen to.
@x_lksk has a point too, Yslena is on my mind... we'll see how our time slots work out, I only wish we had two Elys's to shave down our to-do list faster.
she is conspicuously in the middle of important dealings that decide the fate of multiple kingdoms. This would presumably be a large and sudden enough difference in her health and appearance at a perfect time that a large number of important people will take notice... meaning, hopefully, even more prestige for Mishrak once it is done)
On the one hand, solid points of benefit all around.
However, enemy commentary will include stuff like doppelgangers, creation of elves, and whatever the right term in this setting is for bio horrors.
I don't think regenerating Yelena is inherently unworkable, but I think the response of enemies and even just neutral people should be considered; especially in diplomatic roles.
"The Wranni have plenty of hereditary rulers, but their systems of government always tend to be somewhat elective. Many of the fireside stories they tell are about unworthy kings who were deposed and then replaced with someone better. Therefore, if one of their leaders does a bad job, it doesn't matter who his father was or how many noble ancestors he can lay claim to; he must expect that his own tribe will turn against him and choose someone else to lead them."
So... in my handwritten first draft of the latest update, I wrote some extra dialogue in which it occurs to Yslena that what she said about Wranni leaders needing to be careful to avoid being deposed applies just as much to Erion Stormcrow as it does to Gelfavar Wolfshadow. But I forgot to include it in the final version. And I've decided not to go back and include it because the implications should be fairly obvious. Elys is a smart girl; she can figure it out for herself, without her mother needing to tell her.
All right. What would this hypothetical conversation include? Other than 'stay close to me and don't speak out of turn while I'm in the middle of a diplomat meeting,' I mean?
I'm not quite sure what you mean. 'Theophyllus' is a fantasy-world-misspelling of 'Theophilus', which means 'love of God' or 'friend of God', doesn't it?
For the near future, either during or after this plotline, this seems like a good time to bring up Yslena getting rejuvenated too, like Gareth was. (And, as an added bonus... she's older now than Gareth was when he was healed, and she is conspicuously in the middle of important dealings that decide the fate of multiple kingdoms. This would presumably be a large and sudden enough difference in her health and appearance at a perfect time that a large number of important people will take notice... meaning, hopefully, even more prestige for Mishrak once it is done)
I feel like I'm fishing for compliments here, but...
I'm sorry, why is it cool? It seems fairly standard to me: I've taken the magic that Mishrak has used before (enabling him to create new forms of aquatic life) and applied it to a new problem (curing Theophyllus's genetic illness by giving him a new body). I just don't feel like what I've written here is worthy of praise.
Also, a plot point in School of Sorcery was that the Valens family has been getting increasingly impoverished because of Theophyllus's illness, the need to pay for medical treatment, and the fact that he's been unable to work. His being proud and trying to refuse Mishrak's charity is doubly pointless here because he really isn't a wealthy man anymore.
My gods, I almost forgot we had a backbone of numbers around here. I'd be ashamed if this wasn't really cool conceptually to see Mishrak tangibly stretch his problem-solving capabilities. Oh dear, sweet Numbers Go Up, how I have missed you. I gotta start xp schemin', we are shockingly in the ballpark for a rank up.
In this quest, I don't think the numbers going up will be particularly interesting, since they only increase Mishrak's or Elys's Rank and the new system is so abstracted that you won't get to vote on any new skills or abilities.
@x_lksk has a point too, Yslena is on my mind... we'll see how our time slots work out, I only wish we had two Elys's to shave down our to-do list faster.
Despite my best efforts, we haven't quite finished the first in-story year of this quest yet. Considering that it's projected to continue until Elys is about thirty years old, that means I'll probably need at least 1200 updates to bring this gargantuan monster to a satisfactory conclusion. I absolutely refuse to give Elys any more instances or anything else that would need extra updates to resolve.
