Distant Stars. (a WH40K/Xianxia civ Quest).
- Thread starter uri
- Start date
CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Oop forgot to actually post the plan lmao
[X] Plan Skyfather
-[X] "Bekbeku lord of the sky, god of the storm entreat his help and let no other take flight in your presences" for a mote of Divine Qi all entities who fly (by any means) in a theater of combat you are present in, which you consider hostile/enemies will be consider to be flaying in extreme conditions.
-[X] "Kortora, alpha of her tribe, sees your power and acknowledges it, yet reminds you that you do not fly alone" for a mote of divine Qi you may take up to a hundred other willing beings with you in flight, you may overcharge this insight to carry more people.
-[X] "From father to son, this knowledge has been passed down for generations tales of divinity finding home in the minds of all, never to be forgotten ape those ancient divinities and let your words be forever etched upon their mortal mind" your lessons can never be forgotten.
-[X] "the first mortal learnt at the feet of divinity, now you too may inquire for their knowledge" increase efficiency when you are taught by a divine being.
-[X] "For centuries the priests of Bekaku claimed that their god sent them portent's of the future through flames, align your nature with his divine self and let the flames guide your sight" open flames may be used as divination aid tools, the higher the grade of the flame the higher the bonus.
-[X] "The flame of desire, honed by Korokta the temptress divine concubine of the heavenly emperor, it resides in the heart of all lesser beings touch it and exalt" for a mote of divine Qi you may touch upon the flame of desire in the heart of mortals and either inflame or douse it (IE: inflict massive morale damage or make you side extremally motivated).
-[X][X] "The wind has helped you and you have helped the wind, a constant companion in your life, you feel as if it could be more sacrifice for it again and let it be born" the wind pillar crumbles taking all of its insights away with it, you may not raise it anew and from this powerful sacrifice the goddess of the wind shall be born and given flesh.
-[X] "You have known of the cycle of creation and destruction, felt it in your flesh and in your Dao, this knowledge can be used to help your body heal for as the flame consumes so dos it single new life" gain a medium regeneration factor (which replaces the one from your previous insight).
-[X] "The flame, it is ancient wisdom that fire cannot be controlled, yet it is wrong for dos not the smith control the flame when he fashions a blade, civilization has long learned how to do what wisdom dictated cannot be, learn from them and assume control of your flames" increased control of all fire mundane or supernatural.
[X] Plan Skyfather
-[X] "Bekbeku lord of the sky, god of the storm entreat his help and let no other take flight in your presences" for a mote of Divine Qi all entities who fly (by any means) in a theater of combat you are present in, which you consider hostile/enemies will be consider to be flaying in extreme conditions.
-[X] "Kortora, alpha of her tribe, sees your power and acknowledges it, yet reminds you that you do not fly alone" for a mote of divine Qi you may take up to a hundred other willing beings with you in flight, you may overcharge this insight to carry more people.
-[X] "From father to son, this knowledge has been passed down for generations tales of divinity finding home in the minds of all, never to be forgotten ape those ancient divinities and let your words be forever etched upon their mortal mind" your lessons can never be forgotten.
-[X] "the first mortal learnt at the feet of divinity, now you too may inquire for their knowledge" increase efficiency when you are taught by a divine being.
-[X] "For centuries the priests of Bekaku claimed that their god sent them portent's of the future through flames, align your nature with his divine self and let the flames guide your sight" open flames may be used as divination aid tools, the higher the grade of the flame the higher the bonus.
-[X] "The flame of desire, honed by Korokta the temptress divine concubine of the heavenly emperor, it resides in the heart of all lesser beings touch it and exalt" for a mote of divine Qi you may touch upon the flame of desire in the heart of mortals and either inflame or douse it (IE: inflict massive morale damage or make you side extremally motivated).
-[X][X] "The wind has helped you and you have helped the wind, a constant companion in your life, you feel as if it could be more sacrifice for it again and let it be born" the wind pillar crumbles taking all of its insights away with it, you may not raise it anew and from this powerful sacrifice the goddess of the wind shall be born and given flesh.
-[X] "You have known of the cycle of creation and destruction, felt it in your flesh and in your Dao, this knowledge can be used to help your body heal for as the flame consumes so dos it single new life" gain a medium regeneration factor (which replaces the one from your previous insight).
-[X] "The flame, it is ancient wisdom that fire cannot be controlled, yet it is wrong for dos not the smith control the flame when he fashions a blade, civilization has long learned how to do what wisdom dictated cannot be, learn from them and assume control of your flames" increased control of all fire mundane or supernatural.
You have no idea.
- Location
- Italy
I think it's been mentioned that interfering usually makes tribulations much, MUCH worse.
Then again our morale improvement might be indirect/subtle enough to not count. But there's also a chance the first lightning to strike would just remove the effect, making it simply ineffective.
I predict the answer is "we don't know". That said, egg seems unlikely. I'd expect young child to young adult range.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
We can use it on ourselves and ask for volunteers, there are probably people willing to throw the dice on that one.
- Location
- Italy
Oh, certainly.
In general our cultivators trust us near completely, so if we come up with experiments needing volunteers we'll usually find at least someone.
All it would take here would be a few of the most insecure cultivators who'd try anyway out of a sense of duty, or who are so close to death by old age that they see no reason not to risk it.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
Already written most of the next omake for Haku and mostly waiting for our actions to be confirmed before finishing and posting it, mostly planning to show her tribulation and make her success certain as the reward for it.
Wanted to know when Yuku (Haku's master) does her tribulation, if it is this turn or in the future, because it is probably important to reference it.
Also, how does the tribulations of lower steps affect the tribulation of higher steps? We know that tribulation weakens as more cultivators do it, if all the first steps do it before.the second steps, does it influence stuff, what about of if second steps go first?
Wanted to know when Yuku (Haku's master) does her tribulation, if it is this turn or in the future, because it is probably important to reference it.
Also, how does the tribulations of lower steps affect the tribulation of higher steps? We know that tribulation weakens as more cultivators do it, if all the first steps do it before.the second steps, does it influence stuff, what about of if second steps go first?
- Location
- Italy
I imagine first step tribulations first help a bit with the second, but not THAT much. THe reverse likely helps a lot more, but... well, lower steps are worth so much less, objectively speaking, that I can't imagine us ever going in that order.
In the next batch (so turn 14).
What Pittauro said.
- Location
- Italy
I imagine it has to do with the nature of the tribulations.
first to second targets the body.
second to third targets the body AND the mind.
If we assume the different types of attacks come from two different "pools" of energy (which is admittedly something we can't be sure about), then the lower tribulations would make the body-targeting lightning strikes weaker... but they're also the least of the threats there.
Arguably it's better if the energy pool used for the tribulations is shared among all types of attacks, in which case hopefully the mind-affecting lightning strikes are also a bit weakened.
so, in regard to the 9th pillar it seems we'll have to quickly rebuild before the tribulation... removing the nature of godhood action just makes sense, and to be fair we're probably set to face it better right after the tribulation, between the 4th step and our access to our daughter.
I think we need 1 AP and 1 divine charge total for the pillar? If we needed less than half divine charge we might not even need an emergency sacrifice.
after all we only picked ONE divine insight for wind, not two, so there's an argument we might have saved half the charge.
Still, even if not, our economy is currently in a good enough state as to be able to absord the emergency sacrifice. Especially as we're going to push economic development a lot right after...
...assuming we survive, which is admittedly NEVER certain with tribulation.
That said we have good odds. We only need to avoid the very worst case scenario of instant death. As long as we survive and don't lose access to our healing abilities we can probably recover from anything else, worst case repairing even our cultivation and trying again later on. Even if our healing insights were affected I imagine Okertaku might be able to offer healing services for a price.
first to second targets the body.
second to third targets the body AND the mind.
If we assume the different types of attacks come from two different "pools" of energy (which is admittedly something we can't be sure about), then the lower tribulations would make the body-targeting lightning strikes weaker... but they're also the least of the threats there.
Arguably it's better if the energy pool used for the tribulations is shared among all types of attacks, in which case hopefully the mind-affecting lightning strikes are also a bit weakened.
so, in regard to the 9th pillar it seems we'll have to quickly rebuild before the tribulation... removing the nature of godhood action just makes sense, and to be fair we're probably set to face it better right after the tribulation, between the 4th step and our access to our daughter.
I think we need 1 AP and 1 divine charge total for the pillar? If we needed less than half divine charge we might not even need an emergency sacrifice.
after all we only picked ONE divine insight for wind, not two, so there's an argument we might have saved half the charge.
Still, even if not, our economy is currently in a good enough state as to be able to absord the emergency sacrifice. Especially as we're going to push economic development a lot right after...
...assuming we survive, which is admittedly NEVER certain with tribulation.
That said we have good odds. We only need to avoid the very worst case scenario of instant death. As long as we survive and don't lose access to our healing abilities we can probably recover from anything else, worst case repairing even our cultivation and trying again later on. Even if our healing insights were affected I imagine Okertaku might be able to offer healing services for a price.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
No, the wind insight take both, there are also implications that the double insight ability is born of interaction with the warp, we use our reflection in it to make another insight at the same time, and this is why there is a risk for heart demons, we are interacting with the warp.
It isn't half effort, it is the same effort for double the reward.
They can take it, we would probably need to go much easier on them after it though, I thought that next time we could make one sacrifice and do an expensive pill buying spree.
But I consider now that delaying it may be for the best.
The wind is also the one to help us soul surgery the first time, and plenty Warhammer fantasy gods can provide healing ability, a goddess may be able to help us.
You do technically pick two, its just lost with all the rest.
Also you might need a few AP on new insights after this choice you're at 17 nomral ones and 18 divine one.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
We were supposed to have nineteen regular insights and 18 divine ones.
This removes two divine and three regular ones.
Making it 16 to both, and than another insight with the new pillar, making it seventeen regular ones and sixteen divine ones, is that fine?
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Right I see what I did there, I counted the wind insight you would have gain this turn.
- Location
- Italy
I'd say we predict the date (and yes, I'll die on this hill if I have to, predicting the date is of primary importance next turn!), and then decide based on that.
THere's an argument to delay pill-making to keep flexibility in our cultivator APs if we have enough time left. Or even to make a formation institution instead... but we need to research that first.
I thought we were even, unless the divine insight to create the goddess still counts? Losing the wind ones I thought it wouldn't
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
Even if we do predict the date, we are better off doing it after we get our divination lessons, and likely after we do the more critical divinations (seeing the nature of he threat so we can guide our military growth to counter it), for practice.
Next turn we buy jumping up a tech level for 18 points, which even if there is a rise this turn, we currently produce 23, we would need a production of at least 29 to buy both divination lessons and tech advancement, probably 30 if our upkeep cost rise after our ascension.
So even if we did pick that wasteful action, doing it next turn will be a complete waste, as we come unprepared to the divination.
- Location
- Italy
IF we can afford a tech upgrade at all, AND if we can't afford the divination lesson at the same time, then sure.
I still believe the date to be more important than the nature of the enemy. Though ideally I'd just do all the appropriate divinations at the same time.
Who knows, maybe we can buy both the tech upgrade and the divination lessons. If we could do all the divinations at once we'd get a lot of intel that could better direct our efforts
Haku's tribulation
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
"Haku" she heard a voice and turned around.
What she saw was another woman, she looked young, like a Keku who just recently reached adulthood, but the rasp of her voice was that of old woman, close to the end.
"Master" she said in return, her voice unwavering, as she looked at the tribulations, the heavens striking a challenger after challenger, breaking countless aspiring cultivators.
"I won't tell you to delay" she turned her head and looked at her master in surprise, when hearing of her plans to ascend, her entire sect objected, they knew the odds.
She had heard half a dozen arguments, by her sister, by juniors, they said that her talents didn't require her to ascend, that she will benefit them more if she continued just making runes, that her odds will rise significantly if she takes the emperor's offer to go last in the next batch, that it would give her time to prepare, lessons to absorb, she dismissed them all, she would succeed.
A single decade in the third step could make the difference, she would have more than one additional decade.
But her master was always silent, never telling her to wait or not.
And so hearing the trust in her made emotions rise, if she was younger, tears might have fallen, but her face stayed cold even if as her heart skip a beat, crying will be unseemly.
Master smiled at her, probably seeing right through it "I see your resolve and speaking against you will only weaken it".
She stepped next to her and looked at the next challenger, who was stepping into the fields after the last corpse was taken away, a sad look in her eyes, she had seen this course of events taking place many times.
"I will not lie, I am afraid myself, I don't step there because I am not ready" she stepped closer and hugged, Haku didn't resist "you were always more talented than me, I know you will come back".
She released her and Haku started walking away, she froze for a moment, should she say something, before she takes off, she would pass, and saying anything now will feel like a goodbye.
She had thought long about her future pillars, finding the right concepts was critical in the third step according to the teaching of her grandmaster, the records of the lessons he has given a two decades back being read and analysed over and over by every cultivator even considering the third tribulation.
If she waited, she might have gotten personal lessons herself.
She flew into the array, the imperial workers having set the one her sect provided, and looked at the sky, they were still cloudy, it was still day, but one could easily confuse it for night, with the clouds of the tribulations from the first steps before her.
There was a calmness in the beat of her wings, a steady pace and resigned air, the world was silent, her spectators solemn, sect sisters, her master, the emperor and other third steps.
She felt no fear, was she feeling like she was going to her own execution and is resigned to her death? or was it confidence keeping away the bite of it?
She was sure it would be the later when the day came, but she felt nothing, nothing but ambition and drive, smoldering in her mind.
Her claws dug into the ground, soft dirt and shattered glass, she felt for the tremors in the dirt as she disturbed it, smelt the barely noticeable smell of ash and death, different from that of a keku, and knew nothing lived beneath her, the power of tribulation having killed anything nearby.
Closer to the edge, some creatures may yet live, perhaps some have even gorged themselves on the heavenly qi, becoming slightly more than they were before, like the animals that lived in the places of power.
She expected that by the time her own tribulation was done, they will be dead too, the destruction of the second step tribulation greater than that of the first.
And she was the first and only second step to challenge the heavens today.
She was waiting and she didn't know why, she remembered her first tribulation, even prepared, it had been close.
She reaffirmed her chosen pillar, she had considered what theme to pick, would she go with a path similar to the first, contain the entire world within her pillars, would she go with something based on the sect's core teachings, she had been considering making a yin pillar, and raising the rest to be facets of it, death, spirit, cold and more, maybe she would take something completely different in the end.
But the first was simple, just like her grandmaster has chosen a teacher pillar to symbolise himself and the life cycle of the keku, she would pick a rune pillar.
Because no matter the final path she would chose, she knows that at heart, she would always be a runesmith.
Because it was an art the keku used to control the world, to cultivate and defend themselves, it was mastery of the one over nature, it was the start of the change in her path, and it will be the end.
And with this conviction, a single pillar rose in her dantian, and the heavens rose to strike her.
The first bolt screamed at her and froze solid, shattering and falling to the ground in shards of glowing ice.
The second used the distraction to batter her, breaking through a shield that swallowed movement, the technique only slowing it for a fraction of a second, giving her a moment to reinforce her body further, stiff and cold flesh, harder than steel, weathering the hit with relative ease.
The third was diverted, the array moving it aside.
The fourth shattered against her ambition.
Long ago she cultivated with no knowledge as for why, meditation and contemplation revealed and reinforced her reason, it was freedom, she was once weak, at the mercy of others, and she knew she wouldn't be so again.
Some might say it is a weak reason, people who didn't experience the fear of being weak, of cowering before cruel and sadistic masters, who will take what they wish and discard you the moment you stopped entraining them.
She cultivated so should another cruel tyrant come, it wouldn't be her who cowered.
She did not care for herself alone, she did fight for her sister, her master and her sect, for the young thirty years old girls she took under her wings, even for the race she belonged to, if not as much as for the rest.
And she knew that should she fail, it wouldn't be her alone who suffered the consequences.
And be it the heavens or the apocalypse, she would not bow her head in fear again.
And so she screeched at the heavens in challenge, a mental attack of her own, qi in her voice demanding fear and submission, an insult.
The heavens, unaffected, answered her arrogance with three bolts at the same time.
The array burned first, allowing her to wither the first barrage, and her mind shattered next.
But she continued to screech her defiance, until the sky cleared, and she fell to the ground, having taken to the sky at some point.
Inside her, a pillar stood tall, and another Keku rose to the third step.
What she saw was another woman, she looked young, like a Keku who just recently reached adulthood, but the rasp of her voice was that of old woman, close to the end.
"Master" she said in return, her voice unwavering, as she looked at the tribulations, the heavens striking a challenger after challenger, breaking countless aspiring cultivators.
"I won't tell you to delay" she turned her head and looked at her master in surprise, when hearing of her plans to ascend, her entire sect objected, they knew the odds.
She had heard half a dozen arguments, by her sister, by juniors, they said that her talents didn't require her to ascend, that she will benefit them more if she continued just making runes, that her odds will rise significantly if she takes the emperor's offer to go last in the next batch, that it would give her time to prepare, lessons to absorb, she dismissed them all, she would succeed.
A single decade in the third step could make the difference, she would have more than one additional decade.
But her master was always silent, never telling her to wait or not.
And so hearing the trust in her made emotions rise, if she was younger, tears might have fallen, but her face stayed cold even if as her heart skip a beat, crying will be unseemly.
Master smiled at her, probably seeing right through it "I see your resolve and speaking against you will only weaken it".
She stepped next to her and looked at the next challenger, who was stepping into the fields after the last corpse was taken away, a sad look in her eyes, she had seen this course of events taking place many times.
"I will not lie, I am afraid myself, I don't step there because I am not ready" she stepped closer and hugged, Haku didn't resist "you were always more talented than me, I know you will come back".
She released her and Haku started walking away, she froze for a moment, should she say something, before she takes off, she would pass, and saying anything now will feel like a goodbye.
She had thought long about her future pillars, finding the right concepts was critical in the third step according to the teaching of her grandmaster, the records of the lessons he has given a two decades back being read and analysed over and over by every cultivator even considering the third tribulation.
If she waited, she might have gotten personal lessons herself.
She flew into the array, the imperial workers having set the one her sect provided, and looked at the sky, they were still cloudy, it was still day, but one could easily confuse it for night, with the clouds of the tribulations from the first steps before her.
There was a calmness in the beat of her wings, a steady pace and resigned air, the world was silent, her spectators solemn, sect sisters, her master, the emperor and other third steps.
She felt no fear, was she feeling like she was going to her own execution and is resigned to her death? or was it confidence keeping away the bite of it?
She was sure it would be the later when the day came, but she felt nothing, nothing but ambition and drive, smoldering in her mind.
Her claws dug into the ground, soft dirt and shattered glass, she felt for the tremors in the dirt as she disturbed it, smelt the barely noticeable smell of ash and death, different from that of a keku, and knew nothing lived beneath her, the power of tribulation having killed anything nearby.
Closer to the edge, some creatures may yet live, perhaps some have even gorged themselves on the heavenly qi, becoming slightly more than they were before, like the animals that lived in the places of power.
She expected that by the time her own tribulation was done, they will be dead too, the destruction of the second step tribulation greater than that of the first.
And she was the first and only second step to challenge the heavens today.
She was waiting and she didn't know why, she remembered her first tribulation, even prepared, it had been close.
She reaffirmed her chosen pillar, she had considered what theme to pick, would she go with a path similar to the first, contain the entire world within her pillars, would she go with something based on the sect's core teachings, she had been considering making a yin pillar, and raising the rest to be facets of it, death, spirit, cold and more, maybe she would take something completely different in the end.
But the first was simple, just like her grandmaster has chosen a teacher pillar to symbolise himself and the life cycle of the keku, she would pick a rune pillar.
Because no matter the final path she would chose, she knows that at heart, she would always be a runesmith.
Because it was an art the keku used to control the world, to cultivate and defend themselves, it was mastery of the one over nature, it was the start of the change in her path, and it will be the end.
And with this conviction, a single pillar rose in her dantian, and the heavens rose to strike her.
The first bolt screamed at her and froze solid, shattering and falling to the ground in shards of glowing ice.
The second used the distraction to batter her, breaking through a shield that swallowed movement, the technique only slowing it for a fraction of a second, giving her a moment to reinforce her body further, stiff and cold flesh, harder than steel, weathering the hit with relative ease.
The third was diverted, the array moving it aside.
The fourth shattered against her ambition.
Long ago she cultivated with no knowledge as for why, meditation and contemplation revealed and reinforced her reason, it was freedom, she was once weak, at the mercy of others, and she knew she wouldn't be so again.
Some might say it is a weak reason, people who didn't experience the fear of being weak, of cowering before cruel and sadistic masters, who will take what they wish and discard you the moment you stopped entraining them.
She cultivated so should another cruel tyrant come, it wouldn't be her who cowered.
She did not care for herself alone, she did fight for her sister, her master and her sect, for the young thirty years old girls she took under her wings, even for the race she belonged to, if not as much as for the rest.
And she knew that should she fail, it wouldn't be her alone who suffered the consequences.
And be it the heavens or the apocalypse, she would not bow her head in fear again.
And so she screeched at the heavens in challenge, a mental attack of her own, qi in her voice demanding fear and submission, an insult.
The heavens, unaffected, answered her arrogance with three bolts at the same time.
The array burned first, allowing her to wither the first barrage, and her mind shattered next.
But she continued to screech her defiance, until the sky cleared, and she fell to the ground, having taken to the sky at some point.
Inside her, a pillar stood tall, and another Keku rose to the third step.
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- Location
- Italy
I didn't give it much thought, but yeah, tribulations would be lead to a gathering of likely all or at least most second and third step cultivators in the empire, and a good deal of the first steps too.
Basically anyone not currently busy in something that just can't be delayed.
Once we become multiplanetary there's a decent chance the tribulation might include a "pilgrimage" to the Keku homeland, where the Emperor will assist it. Maybe not up to the third steps, but beyond it? Pretty likely.
Then again, maybe we'll go for a different approach, and we'll have all cultivators sent to the Keku homeland for initial training. Centralize the teachings so that it might be possible to ensure no cultivator is disloyal.
and it's always a nice reminder that, for all of our power and self-appointed title of emperor, nearly all cultivators don't believe us to be a tyrant.
or at least not a bad one.
well, that's the hope. the fact it's been added to the sidestory threadmarks implies it.
Should we consider spending 1 AP on teaching her in the coming turns? The first step currently has nothing to learn from us, really, but maybe we could consider him too after his tribulation, if he survives.