Dragon Ball: After the End
- Location
- Somewhere I shouldn't be
Challenge Accepted!
What? You mean like, "The Enemy is a chihuahua"?
Or "The Enemy is Superboy Prime"?
Personally, I believe the enemy is Teddy Ruxpin. Possibly with a Manhunter embedded in his processor and mainlining the Green Light of Will.
The Fourth Monado
S U B A R A S H I I
- Location
- Away
Oooooh, Enemy speculation~
- Location
- Scotland
Future Trunks has to choose between the universe and his bae, truly this is the darkest timeline.
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I've had to take a lot of late nights (with little sleep) lately that have been killing my motivation. I'm imposing myself an early bedtime tonight in order to get back on track.
I don't know what this "Yamcha" is, but it sounds just like Raditz.
It puts another thousand words in the narrative, or else it gets the hose again.
- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
From the depths of my slumber...I RISE...
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
The clock is (primarily) a joke, but the update is an hour or so out even if I didn't have the clock, so go ahead and sleep.
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
Oh, an hour is nothing. I can stay up until at least 12 midnight just fine, it's only if it's after that, that I need to sleep for work.
Back In the Swing of Things
- Location
- Rockford, USA
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Go see Fennella before you go.
Back In the Swing of Things
You briefly consider going and talking to Lady Vegeta before you leave, but ultimately dismiss the notion. It's not the right timing, you're not even sure you want to do it, and you have no idea what you'd say if you did.
Instead you smile at Grandma and head off towards Fennella.
She's talking to her mother when you approach, and doesn't notice you coming at first. But then her mother happens to glance up at you. Her face goes blank, and she nudges her daughter. Fennella glances at you.
"Hi!" you say, waving.
Fennella's mother nudges her, and the girl starts. "Um, h- hi!" She gives you a faintly awed look.
Her mother nudges her.
Fennella starts. "Oh! Um, this is my mother. Mom, this is Kakara...um...you knew that, right..."
Mrs. Peat gives you a nod.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Peat!" you say. Then you turn to Fennella. "So, I forgot to get your phone number for you before I went to the stage. Can I have it?"
"Oh, sure!"
The two of you trade numbers. "By the way, if we ever meet outside of the Hall, my Masque-name is Karen," you say, tail whipping around happily.
"Mine's Felicity," she says. "Although, why would we meet outside of the Hall?"
"So you can meet my human friends," you say, cocking your head. "Duh."
She flushes. "A- ah. I mean, I'd like that, but...it is okay, right?"
You nod, smiling. "Yeah! So long as you don't talk about the Masquerade, you're fine! My friends are great."
She cocks her head. "What are their names?"
You absently lift into the air, leaning back on a cushion of ki as you spread your arms wide. "Well, there's Gemma and Jennifer and Maya, and then Sophie -- especially Sophie, and she's kind of in charge, but not quite..."
Trait Gained: Compelling Presence.
Reputation Lost: Mysterious.
Reputation Gained: In All But Name.
* * *
In the aftermath of the Council, things go back to normal for you, and for saiyan society at large. You return to your daily routine, spend time with friends both old and new, and enjoy the chance to just be normal for a little while.
But before long you start itching, and it's back to the year's schedule.
* * *
There.
Screaming, howling, people dying, buildings collapsing, the crust of the planet beneath you turning to magma and dust, you don't care, you can't care, and as the second level rages through your body you reach out a hand to burn it all to ash and laugh-There.
backbackback
You feel Sensei's hand on your back. "It's okay. It's okay. It was a false vision. Nothing to worry about. You're fine."
You lean into his grasp, sobbing.
"It happens when you're first reaching for a conscious vision," he says, his hand moving in soothing circles. "Everybody gets them. They're not right, and trust me, I know the signs. Whatever you saw, it won't happen. I promise."
You nod, trying to choke back the tears. It can't happen. It won't.
You'll never be like that.
* * *
Despite the hiccups, Sensei tells you that you're actually making very good progress on the Sight. With every passing day comes more control, and with more control comes the ability to drop out of the random visions that are now beginning to surprise you.
"That's pretty normal," says Sensei, busying himself at the mantel. You keep a wary eye on the spice jar, not eager for another vision quest.
"But why now and not earlier?" you ask.
"Because the Sight was sleeping earlier," he says. "When it's awake, you'll get the visions, but otherwise no. That's why Ancestor Bardock was constantly bombarded with them -- he received the Sight and awakened in the same instant. You're doing fine, though. You can already drop down out of them. It's good progress."
You nod, uncertain.
But despite the progress, being able to stop a vision you don't want is about the extent of your abilities. You still can't go searching for one on purpose -- although if you find yourself cast adrift in between dreams, you can usually make your way to a vision.
But far more intriguing is the ability that Sensei shares with you one day.
"One particularly powerful art of the Craft is the ability to walk outside of your own body," he says, doing chores while lecturing you, as always. "We are given the ability to See -- and eyes are not always sufficient for the purity of Sight we can receive. If you know what you're doing, you can learn to throw your consciousness out of your body and into the world, to roam around and See for itself what your body can't. It lets you interact with things to a limited extent, which visions can't do -- but it's only possible with presentsight."
"What happens to your body?" you ask.
"Coma," he replies. "So don't spend to long on walkabout. But it can be handy. You've actually done it before. When I first took you as a student, you went somewhere. You didn't get into any trouble, and you came back fine, so it's none of my business. But that's sort of what you can do, once you learn how. Just promise that you'll be careful. When you walk abroad, you're a shade. You'd be formidable even then, but still you'd be significantly weaker. Be cautious."
You nod. "I understand."
"Good."
Ability improved: Seer [Untrained-->Novice]
* * *
As autumn turns to winter, you sit with your Dad inside as snow falls outside, bent over a massive book about the size of your torso.
"Wait, we can revoke Headships?" you ask, looking at him.
"In theory," he says. "In practice I can really only get away with it if there's nobody who would object. And somebody always would, out of principle if nothing else. No, I can't force succession, or else the Peats would be scattered throughout the rest of the Clan even now. Now the Lords Vegeta, they have that authority. But we have to be more subtle."
"Because we're not in a position of authority over the Clan," you say.
"Not any real one," he replies. "After Lord Oni's Rebellion, no Lord or Lady has dared try and impose central control. There would be riots. I doubt it's what the Staubers had in mind when they stepped in against Oni, but that's how it played out. So yes, we have to be careful." He points to a symbol in the book. "Name and description."
"House Pestor," you say, from memory. "Royalist, anti-Masquerade, and anti-Cult. They want a saiyan monarch again. That's why mostly nobody listens to them in the Clan."
He nods. "They find more friends in Clan Vegeta. Now, that could be a problem from my perspective. I already have little enough control over the Houses, and that muddles the jurisdiction on top of that." He points to another House and raises his eyebrows at you.
"House...Metis!" you say, thinking hard. "They're a Vegetan House. Very involved in the Cult and they're isolationists." You look at him. "You...use them? Somehow?"
He nods. "I regularly have meals with Head Metis, trying to convince him -- previously, her, but the Heir was born two years ago and caused a succession -- to block moves by Head Pestor to find friends in Clan Vegeta. The two Houses are natural enemies save for the point of royalism. Since royalism is the only thing making House Pestor look attractive from across the Clan divide, having a somewhat prominent royalist House in staunch opposition to them goes a long way towards preventing overtures from succeeding. Pestor has tried to petition previous Vegetan Lords for a Clan switch before, but with Metis always objecting, they don't have the case. And I come out looking clean."
You nod, thinking. It's only one of the various ways Dad has shared with you to keep the Clans under control. That, coupled with the detailed overview he's given you of your Clan and the first lessons you're starting on Clan Vegeta, have brought the details of his job into a lot more focus than they were before.
A lot of what you'll have to do will be continuing preexisting arrangements that you'll inherit from your Dad once you become Lady, but it's clear that the system as it stands has a lot of scheming going on under the surface.
Skill revealed: Intrigue [Competent].
Skill improved: Communication [no rank-up given your recent rank-up, but progress toward the next level]
Comprehensive knowledge of Gokun Houses gained; you will reliably know the names, agendas, Heads, and Heirs of all Gokun Houses.
Basic knowledge of Vegetan Houses gained; you will reliably know the names and stances of all Vegetan Houses, as well as the agendas, Heads, and Heirs of their own four Great Houses (Lore post to be updated later).
* * *
As the year spins towards its end, you find yourself flying through the clouds, panning out across the land with your senses. You're looking for House Senzu.
You've been looking all year, but they've hid really well. Despite a year's searching, you haven't found a trace of them. Their Sorcerer must be really talented.
You're just about to give up when you...do you feel something?
You're combing through the continent that Senzu Hall is know to be located in, even if their wards have erased their exact location from everybody's minds. You've been doing this, usually staying above the clouds to stay out of sight, about once a month at irregular intervals. And as always, your ki is suppressed.
And for the first time since you started, you think you feel something. Right...
...no, it's gone. You grumble in annoyance. That leaves you in a pickle. You could just keep listening, but if you really wanted to, you could send out a pulse of ki and listen to the "echoes." Like sonar, that's one way of gaining a lot of detail very quickly. If they are suppressing imperfectly -- if they're expressing any power at all -- you'll find them. But like sonar, active pings for ki sense are a lot more conspicuous. They'll know you've found them, if they're out there.
You hover in place for a moment, torn by indecision.
You sensed something. Months of searching later, and you sensed something. What do you do?
[ ] Send out an active ping. You can chase them down if you need to. Opposed check of your Ki Sense vs. their Ki Control with a massive bonus for you, strict pass/fail results. They know that you're looking either way.
[ ] Keep listening with passive senses. Opposed check with no bonus and possible distance penalties depending on where they are, but they won't know you're looking.
Meanwhile, what have you been focusing on in Seer training?
[ ] Things that are.
[ ] Things that were.
[ ] Things that will be.
THESE VOTES ARE NOW CLOSED.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand done.
What to do about House Peat will be addressed once the Senzu event chain is concluded. I'll be updating the character sheet with all of your new shinies tomorrow. Speaking of:
Trait -- Compelling Presence: When you speak, people listen. Something about your words draws and fascinates those around you. You have an almost indefinable charisma about you that draws people's attention whenever you have something to say. Minor bonus to all Communication checks and moderate boosts to take charge of a situation.
Reputation -- In All But Name: At the Second Garenhuld Ancestral Council, you took command of the chaos surrounding the reforms there and forced it to bend to your will. Under your presence, those there bowed time and again as you displayed a wisdom and strength of character beyond your years. Word has been slow to spread beyond the Ancestor Cult, but it is spreading, and the word is that the Scion of Goku is the kind of saiyan who comes along not even once in a lifetime -- the kind of saiyan that any saiyan would bow the knee to as a Princess or a Queen. People will watch you intently for signs of promise or ambition, and hold some expectations that you will behave as a Princess would.
Skill -- Seer [Novice]: You have enough control to suppress a vision when you don't want it, but seeking out one on purpose is still unreliable. At best.
Skill -- Intrigue [Competent]: You have some basic grounding in the art of soft power. Your schemes at this stage, however, are fairly basic and straightforward.
I hope you all enjoy the update! Happy discussing!
NO VOTES UNTIL TWO HOURS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE UPDATE WAS POSTED. ANY VOTES BEFORE THEN WILL BE IGNORED.
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Mortifer
Embrace your inner lunatic. Fun times guaranteed.
- Location
- Under a rock.
Hm...
I'd saw we go for looking at Things That Are. If we fail this current search for House Senzu, we might be able to use Seer powers to seek them out easier or something. Plus, we might get more of a look into the Seal and what Jaffur is up to.
As for the Senzu House... I was going to say we should go for the active ping, but if we fail, then they'll tighten the defences somehow. That could theoretically be bad. So I'll wait to see the opinions of others, but at the moment, I'm leaning towards passive sense and waiting until we get more training to go for the active search. Then again, leaving Senzu for too long could be a bad thing...
Neat!
And I'm thinking active ping, and things that were.
Active ping, because the faster we find the Senzu, the better, and letting them know we're coming is, well, polite.
Things that were, because we saw what looking at the present gave, so I'm curious about what in the past might provide good information.
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Kairos123
Insomniac Extraordinaire
Definitely Things That Are and active ping.
Mind explaining why you think the secrecy is worth multiple actions?
Additionally it might give us a hint if the Lady Vegeta is plotting something/going through a mental break. Or if she were in the right state of mind to convince to help undo the Sealing. Which would be important to know.
The only negative I can see to the active ping is failing and having them shore up whatever is keeping them hidden. However, that isn't the assured outcome of a failure. If we don't pass, it still alerts them, which might encourage them to talk to us even if it fails. Considering that Kakara's Ki talent is mechanically Exceptional and described as a prodigious, we have good odds of succeeding (the option even says we get massive bonuses).
Mind explaining why you think the secrecy is worth multiple actions?
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- Location
- Australia
Then we really need to do active sense to find this rebellious Super Saiyan because nothing else comes close to producing enough power that it leaks through the seals.
They are wielding magic powerful enough to unilaterally erase the memories of an entire planet. They are in possession of the one and only space ship on the planet. At least a few of them must know Instant Transmission, which has an interstellar range if you know where you're going. They must have spent the years preparing some sort of contingency plan which it would probably be very bad to trigger. We don't even know if what we're picking up is the Senzu at all, which means we might set them off without gaining any information about them, or even awaken something worse. At the very least, it may well tell others that we are looking for them or lead them to the Senzu, and we probably don't want anybody else to know just yet.
If pinging were a good idea we would have just spend this whole time grid-searching with active kidar. I'm sure that lots of other people already have.
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- Location
- United Kingdom
[ ] Keep listening with passive senses. Opposed check with no bonus and possible distance penalties depending on where they are, but they won't know you're looking.
[ ] Things that are.
Is there any chance with active scanning that someone else finds th Senzu's through us? Normally I'd be for active, seeing as how they should be friendly to us, but I can't help but think there's a potential downside I'm missing.
Things that are because that's what told us Jaffur's still awake, and it seems more useful than were/will be.
[ ] Things that are.
Is there any chance with active scanning that someone else finds th Senzu's through us? Normally I'd be for active, seeing as how they should be friendly to us, but I can't help but think there's a potential downside I'm missing.
Things that are because that's what told us Jaffur's still awake, and it seems more useful than were/will be.