- Location
- Omniverse #1345
Unless they are using a format I'm unfamiliar with it's that the results are instantaneous. So as soon as the ritual is cast it inflicts fascination. The actual cast time is nebulous.
Earth Bet: House of the Sun (Cultist Simulator/Worm)
- Thread starter Witherbrine26
- Start date
Once cast it happens immediately and is used on enemies.
- Pronouns
- She/her
@Witherbrine26 are the DCs for searching for rituals comparable to what we saw here for research, or even higher?
Bcuz if they're higher that's kind of nuts.
Bcuz if they're higher that's kind of nuts.
Searching is lower since that's just trying to find any random ritual without narrowing it down. You're casting a very broad net.
I can imagine then that the real problem would be finding rituals that are actually useful. No one needs a ritual that would give you a runny nose or makes your nails temporarily grow faster.
Not really useful fasination fades with time, so only useful if we are going to cast the ritual a lot. Or are prepping for an attack in which case the ritual is kind of useful as a debuff.
Depends on how high we roll in the ritual. It can directly drive the target insane irrecoverably, and we need only around +50 Moth for a decent chance.
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Fascination is quite a powerful effect in my opinion. I mean, you literally plant an obsession in the victim's mind.
If we impose this on our enemies, then provided that they don't go crazy right away, they will redirect all their forces to pursue Masnsus, leaving us time to maneuver. As the example of Alicja shows, the time spent by the enemy is quite important during the confrontation.
- Pronouns
- She/her
I'd also assume we'd get SH bonus to it, since it's searching.
Might be worth doing next turn in place of researching a ritual, just to broaden our ritual list since we're technically task-complete? Maybe we could even try using the cult mooks to help with that since:
I think that in the next turn we have to recreate the ritual of summoning influence. This is a universally useful ritual that costs nothing.
After that, we can call the inner circle and teach them about it. In this way, we will not only raise the possibilities of the cult, but also gain increased relations with the entire inner circle. It might even be enough to make all its members our friends.
After that, we can call the inner circle and teach them about it. In this way, we will not only raise the possibilities of the cult, but also gain increased relations with the entire inner circle. It might even be enough to make all its members our friends.
Turn 4 - Results, Part 3
New
The Woods stretched before you, vast, ancient, and cloaked in a darkness that whispered of secrets far older than you could ever hope to know. There was a strange, terrible beauty to them, something you rarely stopped to appreciate amidst the dangers that lurked within. In your line of work, you had learned to focus on survival, on the hunt, on the ceaseless caution needed to navigate the perilous paths winding through the trees. But that didn't change the truth—the Woods were marvelous, a place where the mundane world bled into something far more primal, more enchanted.
Tonight, however, you weren't here to admire them. You weren't here to be caught in awe of their tangled grandeur or the way shadows seemed to take on a life of their own between the ancient trunks. No, you were here for something deeper, something older. You had come to explore—not in the way men had done in centuries past, with lanterns clutched in trembling hands and weapons of iron at the ready. Those explorers had sought to conquer the unknown, to claim dominion over what they could not understand. But you had no such illusions.
You were here to explore with something far more potent than iron: faith.
Faith, not in gods or men, but in the Woods themselves, in the very nature of what they were. An understanding, a communion that transcended the rational, the material. So, as the wind whispered through the leaves, carrying with it the smell of damp earth and ancient moss, you let your eyes close. The world around you faded, and with it went the last remnants of human thought—calculation, caution, and the need for control. You surrendered those things willingly, stepping into the darkness of the Woods not with fear, but with reverence.
You moved forward, not by sight but by something deeper, an instinct that pulled you like a thread through the labyrinth of trees. The Woods were alive around you, their breath stirring in the wind, their heartbeat in the rustle of leaves underfoot. There was no need for lanterns here, no need for weapons. The Woods would guide you, as long as you were willing to listen.
And so you ventured deeper, letting go of the familiar world behind you as you delved into the mysteries that lay ahead.
[Exploring the Woods]
[Roll:69+10(Piety)+10(Moth) = 89]
Your throat felt dry, a persistent thirst gnawing at you, though you couldn't remember why. It was more than just a simple need for water—something deeper, more primal. The dryness clawed at you, a discomfort that made your every swallow feel jagged. But then, the air changed. A scent hit your nose, sharp and intoxicating, cutting through the haze of your mind like a blade. It was pungent, earthy, and so powerful that it seemed to awaken something deep within you, something dormant yet familiar.
Your body moved before your mind could catch up, drawn irresistibly toward the source of that scent. With each step, the world around you became less solid, more dreamlike, as though the very fabric of reality had begun to unravel. The air shimmered with a strange redness, like threads of blood weaving through the atmosphere, pushing against the veil of this dreamlike world. You could almost reach out and tear through it, feel the warmth and vitality on the other side.
But you resisted, your breath heavy as you tried to control the surging hunger, that gnawing need rising within you. Instead, you inhaled deeply, filling your lungs with air so rich with forgotten aromas it made your head swim. Scents you hadn't tasted in years, perhaps lifetimes, flooded back to you. You pressed onward, ducking beneath branches that snapped at your skin like claws, the sharp sting only adding to the growing tension in your chest.
As you moved deeper into the woods, strange figures loomed in the distance. They shuffled aimlessly, their forms vague and twisted, their bodies spiraling in impossible patterns—tesseracts of flesh and shadow twisting into the sky like grotesque monuments. They seemed preoccupied, lost in their own dreamscapes, and paid you no mind. Their movements were slow and disjointed, as though the weight of unseen worlds bore down on them.
You ignored them, your focus solely on the scent that pulled you forward. The figures kept their distance, and you were grateful, feeling their presence like the faintest brush of wind against your skin. The forest opened into a clearing, shards of shattered black glass scattered across the ground like the remnants of some long-forgotten ritual. And there, at the heart of the clearing, was the source of the smell—a well, ancient and unassuming, sitting alone in the moonlight.
The scent was overwhelming now, stronger than ever. It thickened the air, staining it crimson, making your teeth ache as you breathed it in. You approached the well, your hands trembling as they found purchase on the cold stone edge. You leaned over, peering into the darkness below, drawn to it with a hunger that throbbed in time with your heartbeat.
As if on cue, the moon crested the treetops, casting its pale light down into the well's depths. The first thing you noticed were the handholds—blades jutting out from the stone, their edges slick with a dark red substance, long since dried. You reached for them, your fingers brushing the stone, but they slipped away. The blades remained just out of reach, tantalizing, as though mocking your efforts to grasp them.
Frustrated, you looked deeper into the well. Far below, it shimmered, a pool of liquid red like molten fire, flecked with gold that danced and glowed beneath the surface. The sight of it sent a shiver down your spine, awakening something raw and powerful within you. You would have to descend, hold your breath, and plunge into the depths if you wanted to reach it.
And you did want to.
Something was waiting for you down there, something buried deep within the well, calling to you in a voice that resonated in the very marrow of your bones. But you knew instinctively that you weren't ready—not yet. It would take focus, control, both of which eluded you in your current state. So, with a deep breath, you pushed yourself away from the well's edge, your hands trembling with the effort.
It was difficult to tear yourself away, harder still to resist the pull of the scent that still clung to you like a shadow. As you walked away from the clearing, the hunger gnawed at you, more insistent than before, and you knew it wouldn't be long before you would have to return. You left the well behind, but the scent followed, lingering in your mind and staining you for some time to come.
You are now under the influence of An Awareness of Appetite (+10 Grail), it will decay to nothingness at the end of Turn 5.
You have seen a deep and dark well that sloshes with a vibrant red liquid and glitters of brilliant gold. You have gained 1 scrap of Grail Lore.
You have discovered the Luster-Drowned Well, a Mansus Expedition.
Tonight, however, you weren't here to admire them. You weren't here to be caught in awe of their tangled grandeur or the way shadows seemed to take on a life of their own between the ancient trunks. No, you were here for something deeper, something older. You had come to explore—not in the way men had done in centuries past, with lanterns clutched in trembling hands and weapons of iron at the ready. Those explorers had sought to conquer the unknown, to claim dominion over what they could not understand. But you had no such illusions.
You were here to explore with something far more potent than iron: faith.
Faith, not in gods or men, but in the Woods themselves, in the very nature of what they were. An understanding, a communion that transcended the rational, the material. So, as the wind whispered through the leaves, carrying with it the smell of damp earth and ancient moss, you let your eyes close. The world around you faded, and with it went the last remnants of human thought—calculation, caution, and the need for control. You surrendered those things willingly, stepping into the darkness of the Woods not with fear, but with reverence.
You moved forward, not by sight but by something deeper, an instinct that pulled you like a thread through the labyrinth of trees. The Woods were alive around you, their breath stirring in the wind, their heartbeat in the rustle of leaves underfoot. There was no need for lanterns here, no need for weapons. The Woods would guide you, as long as you were willing to listen.
And so you ventured deeper, letting go of the familiar world behind you as you delved into the mysteries that lay ahead.
[Exploring the Woods]
[Roll:69+10(Piety)+10(Moth) = 89]
Your throat felt dry, a persistent thirst gnawing at you, though you couldn't remember why. It was more than just a simple need for water—something deeper, more primal. The dryness clawed at you, a discomfort that made your every swallow feel jagged. But then, the air changed. A scent hit your nose, sharp and intoxicating, cutting through the haze of your mind like a blade. It was pungent, earthy, and so powerful that it seemed to awaken something deep within you, something dormant yet familiar.
Your body moved before your mind could catch up, drawn irresistibly toward the source of that scent. With each step, the world around you became less solid, more dreamlike, as though the very fabric of reality had begun to unravel. The air shimmered with a strange redness, like threads of blood weaving through the atmosphere, pushing against the veil of this dreamlike world. You could almost reach out and tear through it, feel the warmth and vitality on the other side.
But you resisted, your breath heavy as you tried to control the surging hunger, that gnawing need rising within you. Instead, you inhaled deeply, filling your lungs with air so rich with forgotten aromas it made your head swim. Scents you hadn't tasted in years, perhaps lifetimes, flooded back to you. You pressed onward, ducking beneath branches that snapped at your skin like claws, the sharp sting only adding to the growing tension in your chest.
As you moved deeper into the woods, strange figures loomed in the distance. They shuffled aimlessly, their forms vague and twisted, their bodies spiraling in impossible patterns—tesseracts of flesh and shadow twisting into the sky like grotesque monuments. They seemed preoccupied, lost in their own dreamscapes, and paid you no mind. Their movements were slow and disjointed, as though the weight of unseen worlds bore down on them.
You ignored them, your focus solely on the scent that pulled you forward. The figures kept their distance, and you were grateful, feeling their presence like the faintest brush of wind against your skin. The forest opened into a clearing, shards of shattered black glass scattered across the ground like the remnants of some long-forgotten ritual. And there, at the heart of the clearing, was the source of the smell—a well, ancient and unassuming, sitting alone in the moonlight.
The scent was overwhelming now, stronger than ever. It thickened the air, staining it crimson, making your teeth ache as you breathed it in. You approached the well, your hands trembling as they found purchase on the cold stone edge. You leaned over, peering into the darkness below, drawn to it with a hunger that throbbed in time with your heartbeat.
As if on cue, the moon crested the treetops, casting its pale light down into the well's depths. The first thing you noticed were the handholds—blades jutting out from the stone, their edges slick with a dark red substance, long since dried. You reached for them, your fingers brushing the stone, but they slipped away. The blades remained just out of reach, tantalizing, as though mocking your efforts to grasp them.
Frustrated, you looked deeper into the well. Far below, it shimmered, a pool of liquid red like molten fire, flecked with gold that danced and glowed beneath the surface. The sight of it sent a shiver down your spine, awakening something raw and powerful within you. You would have to descend, hold your breath, and plunge into the depths if you wanted to reach it.
And you did want to.
Something was waiting for you down there, something buried deep within the well, calling to you in a voice that resonated in the very marrow of your bones. But you knew instinctively that you weren't ready—not yet. It would take focus, control, both of which eluded you in your current state. So, with a deep breath, you pushed yourself away from the well's edge, your hands trembling with the effort.
It was difficult to tear yourself away, harder still to resist the pull of the scent that still clung to you like a shadow. As you walked away from the clearing, the hunger gnawed at you, more insistent than before, and you knew it wouldn't be long before you would have to return. You left the well behind, but the scent followed, lingering in your mind and staining you for some time to come.
You are now under the influence of An Awareness of Appetite (+10 Grail), it will decay to nothingness at the end of Turn 5.
You have seen a deep and dark well that sloshes with a vibrant red liquid and glitters of brilliant gold. You have gained 1 scrap of Grail Lore.
You have discovered the Luster-Drowned Well, a Mansus Expedition.
The Grail has been spilled to satisfy our desires a little more and we will reveal new facets.
From a more practical point of view, we now know that shards can interact with mansus, but it doesn't seem like that's what they're trying to do intentionally.
But in any case, due to the new circumstances, I suggest taking the Grail to the second level in the next turn and visiting Damsel. Thus, taking into account the influence bonuses, we will receive +33 to our diplomacy roll.
Also, can we come to the well not for the sake of an expedition, but in order to gain influence from it?
From a more practical point of view, we now know that shards can interact with mansus, but it doesn't seem like that's what they're trying to do intentionally.
But in any case, due to the new circumstances, I suggest taking the Grail to the second level in the next turn and visiting Damsel. Thus, taking into account the influence bonuses, we will receive +33 to our diplomacy roll.
If we give ourselves over to the power of sensations while wandering through the forest, shouldn't we get a bonus from Intuitive, which provides a subtle understanding of the world?
Also, can we come to the well not for the sake of an expedition, but in order to gain influence from it?
You did get a bonus from Intuitive, it's the +2 Piety it gives you. The +5 only applies to rituals.
You can, there is always a chance that something happens though. It still is the Woods
I'm full of anticipation for what we find!
This is the expedition I would tell the cult about.
We can keep the other one for ourselves.
If we wish to recruit from our congregation so that we have people helping with casting our rituals, now is the time.
And if we get one more scrap, doing what I said earlier would be easier.
It is interesting to note the differences in perspective between this and our previous character. How here we led ourselves be guided by the Woods, like in a dream, while Michael was always on guard, analytically scanning everything.
Wait, while we were Michael, he didn't notice them. Curious
Edit: double posting
Another difference I noticed, previously the danger was I think Grail and Winter, not Edge and Winter. I wonder why this would change.
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I had an idea of how to fundamentally strengthen Damsel. She must go on a pilgrimage through the forest and through her connection find her shard and talk to it.
Here, both of them should not be subject to the usual rules that restrict shards in communicating with hosts. Thus, by talking directly, they can conclude a pact between themselves instead of the usual game of easy prodding and manipulation.
Well, who knows what other effects such treatment may have.
But unfortunately, we don't know anything about shards yet, and we're unlikely to find out in the near future.
Here, both of them should not be subject to the usual rules that restrict shards in communicating with hosts. Thus, by talking directly, they can conclude a pact between themselves instead of the usual game of easy prodding and manipulation.
Well, who knows what other effects such treatment may have.
But unfortunately, we don't know anything about shards yet, and we're unlikely to find out in the near future.
In any case, it's still a very valuable opportunity.
Do you expect a lot from a person who makes tea in a microwave?
As far as I remember, the well has several states when different Hours begin to claim it. But this is probably not our case, since other conditions of the well are covered with moss, filled with roots, filled with moths.
- Pronouns
- She/her
Forget getting ritual help (though that would also be nice), we need expedition-finders! And expedition-goers, though that can also be covered by summons and/or mook cultists.
Ah lovely. Two of the three Lores that we're still Level 0 in
A Grail Influence? You know what that means? SOCIAL TUUUUUUUURN!!! This is wonderful, truly.
Aaand here goes my plan.
I still think that at least one action should be spent learning(Grail, most likely), but it seems otherwise it is best to focus on social.
I still think that at least one action should be spent learning(Grail, most likely), but it seems otherwise it is best to focus on social.
I would suspect this would have similar result to Cultist Simulator, where the Well gives a random bonus from the list.
- Pronouns
- She/her
My current idea is:
5 AP
1) Grail lesson from the Master
2) Congregation recruitment
3) Ava social (social, not help with her work; we need to make amends
)4) Damsel social
5) Dismas social OR Woods exploration OR ritual searching.
Otoh, we only get Turn 5 to take advantage of the Grail Influence, which doesn't really help with getting a Heart scrap or ritual searching. And maybe if we recruit from the congregation we can use them to help search for rituals.
- Location
- Omniverse #1345
True. But it's only a +10 so it's quite a weak influence. Getting aotl or the ability to call influences ourselves would be worth losing an action on it. But no way to guarantee we roll that.
Still we can probably spare one action for something not directly social.
- Pronouns
- She/her
"Only" +10 is still a pretty substantial boost when we're only Grail 1/2 and have no other way of increasing our rolls. If we also get to Grail 2 next turn, we'd be running a +38 (+13 Diplo, +10 Grail, +5 Beautiful, +10 Influence) to social actions and +48 to specifically recruiting from our congregation.
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- Location
- Omniverse #1345
I have a brilliant idea! We recruit the entire congregation! Then we get to use all our possible actions every turn and no one will say anything!
Oh, there's an idea actually, perhaps we could study the influence itself in an attempt to devise a ritual capable of reproducing it. Maybe we wouldn't get the entire AOTL ritual, but even a simple [Grace of the Grail] ritual calling variable degrees of influence depending on rolls would be good.
thewhiteraven22
(Unverified Worm Fanatic)
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I can get behind this, though I must have missed where we learned Shards can influence the woods.