[Exalted, ?] Most High
- Thread starter Rihaku
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- exalted (white wolf)
The sad thing is since it has Odyssal's [anything] as its name it will inspire terror in every single important being in creation.
Fear the power of Odyssial's mighty underpants!
That's just the name people made up so they don't have to say it's official name every time. I mean who wants to say C**K every time.
So the name of the unfinished sword is the Imperial Manse?
There's two different swords being mixed up here, the sword of creation (Imperial Manse) that we got access to (In emergencies) from the Strategos pick, and the N/A artifact unfinished blade (that got finished) we got from following the Sidereal path, which is in our anima.
Okay. Thanks for clarifying.
Though I still have to ask @Rihaku if we are allowed to know the name of the unfinished sword that we spent so many actions on developing.
READY THE POPCORN BUCKETS.
ADJUST YOUR SEATING.
AND HOLD ONTO YOUR BUTTS.
ADJUST YOUR SEATING.
AND HOLD ONTO YOUR BUTTS.
- Location
- The savanna.
My body is ready.
In An Age of Sorrows
Rihaku
The Internet
In An Age of Sorrows
- Five Thousand Years Later -
The Realm was crumbling.
Its institutions had deteriorated. Its reach had withered. Across all Creation, its influence waned. Still it was the greatest power on in the world. Still its armies were mighty, its wealth colossal. Critically, its navies ruled the Inland Sea, the continents-spanning moat that encircled its heartland. By maintaining adamant standards of safety, the Imperial Navy provided security to countless merchant fleets. It enabled the spoils of empire to be fed back towards the center. And it kept out the innumerable ravening armies that thirsted after the blood and treasure of its people.
Its navies ruled the sea, but at a cost, a cost in men and materials that was mounting precipitously. The Dragon-Blooded, humans blessed with elemental power and preternatural skill, had shepherded Creation through cataclysms beyond number. For centuries beyond recall, they had kept decent men and women safe from the depredations of the Lunar Anathema, the bewildering Chaos of the Wyld, and the horrific schemes of the Deathlords.
But the strength of the Dragons was failing. So many of themselves they'd sacrificed, just to keep Creation alive, but it was not remotely enough. And so the greatest and wisest of the Dragons went to call upon a man that they should not, perhaps, have called upon. A man, it was said, who was the eldest of all Dragons; who had been ancient since time immemorial, and who was, if a bit eccentric, steadfastly devoted to the continued survival of the world. A man who might have the power to save them.
A man who was, if not content in his well-deserved retirement, neither was he particularly unhappy, and that was a rare enough thing for him.
That man was named Lung Feng Zao. Last of the Shoguns, though few knew that. To him they went, and they said, very politely, that though they understood completely if a man of his age decided never to take up arms again, would he please consider returning to his old post as a teacher, the Headmaster of the Imperial Naval Academy?
And Lung Feng Zao said he wouldn't mind, but he had only one condition, and it was not negotiable: that he would have absolute power over the Academy, its curriculum, its grounds and its staff. That in such matters he would not be gainsaid, even by the Empress herself (if ever she returned).
And the assembled Dragons, who had become very nervous at the mention of "only one condition," relaxed, and said yes, of course, and thought privately: was that all? For the Naval Academy was their primary source of captains and admirals, and the ranks of those Dragon-Blooded had been culled thin indeed. Absolute power in such a limited sphere was, they thought, not so great a blasphemy to pay, not in this dire age.
Come admissions season, Headmaster Zao declared that all familial connections and matters of pedigree were moot, and that admission into the Academy would be predicated upon merit alone, with the largest signifier being performance on his carefully re-written, and extremely rigorous, entrance exams.
Many Dragon-Blooded failed, more than ever had before. But they were blood of the dragon, and more than a few passed. More than a few Dragon-Blooded, and one mortal man.
That mortal's name was Sesus Ulyssian. He faced much resentment and prejudice in his days at the Academy, but somehow, despite his taciturn nature, he managed to make a few steadfast friends. With their help, and with a level of over-preparedness that some would characterize as hopelessly paranoid, he managed to survive, and even briefly thrive, in the cut-throat environment of the Naval Academy.
Time wore on, however, and as the year progressed, Ulyssian fell increasingly far behind. Though he pushed himself to the same standard of excruciating, all-consuming practice that had enabled his entry into the Academy, he had reached the limit of human potential, while his classmates and competitors had only begun to scratch the surface of Dragon-Blooded power.
Ulyssian resolved to master two fields of endeavor for every one that his classmates pursued. He resolved to train more efficiently, to try even harder, to seek advantage wherever it could be found, no matter the cost to his body or spirit. Of course, it was not enough.
So it was that Ulyssian ended up in the stands of the school Coliseum, watching his friends and classmates compete in the semi-annual Ranking Tournament, where all the rising stars of the Academy had the opportunity to demonstrate their courage and skill to the honored assemblage that had gathered to witness it. No mere mortal patricians were these, but rather branch heads and prominent scions of all the Great Houses, the great luminaries of this fading age.
Ulyssian watched the redoubtable Mountain Hero, whose loyalty was mightier even than his thews, as he floored all comers with unadorned strength.
He watched Tepet Nilul, the master manipulator who had never failed to stand by him, as she fell gracefully to the opposition, content to fail.
He watched Empty Moon, his closest and dearest friend, who had sparred with him as an equal, who had watched over him when he was sick, and bandaged his wounds when he was injured. Who had stood up for him in the face of overwhelming social and religious pressure, and who had never once betrayed him, in word or in deed. He watched as she was struck down by an agent of that social edifice, a prodigy of war whose improbable power was greater even than her own inimitable prowess.
The prodigy, Resolute Flame, did not stop at defeating her.
He did not stop at subduing her.
With a fist full of fire, burning molten-white, Resolute Flame darted forth to murder her.
To execute her for daring to befriend a mortal who had grasped so vainly, and so high.
And Sesus Ulyssian thought, "I must find a way."
---
For those who like to archive binge, here is Ulyssian's backstory in full, up to post ~39.
What is the nature of Odyssial's reincarnation?
[ ] Totality - Something went wrong, in the five thousand years intervening. Odyssial had calibrated his mechanisms of reincarnation carefully, a herculean task to arrange even for one soul. He had wanted to ease his incarnation in, to make the transition as smooth as possible so that he would not lose the lessons of either mortal life in the undertow of Exalted longevity. He had wanted to ensure that there was no possibility of an adversarial relationship between himself, and the person he would be. They were, after all, the same soul given the same Exaltation; there was no reason to fight.
Perhaps because he had no time to experiment and iterate, given the cost in time and effort of just one barely functioning prototype, or perhaps of a fault that was not his own at all, his plan went awry.
All - or most all, there are many fragmentary periods - of Odyssial's memories have returned. With their overwhelming surfeit threatening to kill their host, the Exaltation locked them away. Ulyssian is as he was, but in times of great and terrible stress, when his will threatens to flag and even his Exalted might is not enough - then emerges Odyssial, Lord Strategos of the Exalted Host, Sovereign of Iliac, Tharica, Dynessos, and Saurengerie, The Wandering King, Saint of All Blades, Peerless Beyond Sorcery, Architect of the Horse-Strategem, From Whom The Titans Fled, The Arrow and the Hunter, Subduer of the Wyld, The End of Stories, The Lathe of Heaven, The Most High, Who Always Finds a Way.
And there is more than a shadow of his power left to him, for the Exaltation is imperishable might, so why should its output be throttled just because the body is young?
The mind, after all, is more than whole enough.
*Ulyssian is Ulyssian, most of the time. If pushed to the absolute brink, and his will is exhausted, Odyssial will emerge.
*They are not different people; it is one consciousness with traits that can change, almost like Lealope. Thus, if Odyssial is not active, he just isn't there. He won't plot against Ulyssian within his own mind, except when emerged.
*Odyssial wishes to emerge permanently. That this must occur is unfortunate, but he refuses to be reduced to a mere parasite or panic button. The Age of Sorrows needs him.
*Every time Odyssial emerges, it becomes easier for him to emerge in general. As he's still stuck in Ulyssian's body, and is missing about 25% of his memories, including almost all the most complex ones, he is not remotely as strong as he used to be. He has memories of many mightier techniques, but may lack the pre-requisites that bridge the gap to understanding and use.
*Of course, he's still capable of utterly overwhelming virtually any existence within Creation or out of it.
*Ulyssian may voluntarily call upon Odyssial; when he does so, Odyssial gains greatly and permanently improves his ability to emerge. However, a determined playerbase can easily ensure that Odyssial never regains control. If he does, and you are not sufficiently powerful, the quest will end.
*Odyssial's period of control is determined by how coherently he acts in sync with Ulyssian's current emotions and motivations. If he acts totally against them, he disappears almost instantly. If he acts almost totally in Ulyssian's best interests, in a manner genuinely befitting the emotions he's experiencing, he can persist for as long as a scene.
XP Cost: You gain 150,000 XP.
[ ] Identity Crisis - More or less the correct amount of Odyssial made it into the reincarnation, but integration failed. Now, the resultant entity sometimes believes he is Ulyssian, and sometimes Odyssial. Though memories are shared, they are confusing without the extensive inferential context that builds up in a person's consciousness. It is also much harder to retrieve additional memories from Odyssial.
*They are still one consciousness with traits that can change.
*The two parties may be trying to merge (the voters will be able to decide on the disposition of one party), but lack any mechanism to actually do so, at least until they understand reincarnation mechanics as well as the Odyssial of old.
*The parties do not have separate mote and Willpower tracks. They are treated as one character for almost all mechanical purposes.
*Ulyssian is typically in control. However, Odyssial-specific interactions often require him to be in control, and switching control is difficult, requiring a significant expenditure of will.
XP Cost: None
[ ] Essentially As Planned - The fusion is as perfect as Odyssial hoped. They are now one being, who may be a bit confused, with the merged traits of both Ulyssian and Odyssial. No traits are removed; when they come into conflict, he is conflicted within himself. Neither side is overwhelming. He will answer to both Odyssial and Ulyssian. As most of their attributes, such as their problem-solving abilities, overlap or are identical, internal conflict is mostly a matter of priorities.
*Ulyssian will be significantly stronger than a standard Solar who has just Exalted, maybe the equivalent of one year's worth of training for a normal Solar.
*Odyssial will retain all relevant memories to fully capitalize on such preparations as he made, if he decides to.
*They are the same person, so you can refer to them interchangeably. NPCs will typically go by whichever name is more familiar to them.
XP Cost: 350,000
- Five Thousand Years Later -
The Realm was crumbling.
Its institutions had deteriorated. Its reach had withered. Across all Creation, its influence waned. Still it was the greatest power on in the world. Still its armies were mighty, its wealth colossal. Critically, its navies ruled the Inland Sea, the continents-spanning moat that encircled its heartland. By maintaining adamant standards of safety, the Imperial Navy provided security to countless merchant fleets. It enabled the spoils of empire to be fed back towards the center. And it kept out the innumerable ravening armies that thirsted after the blood and treasure of its people.
Its navies ruled the sea, but at a cost, a cost in men and materials that was mounting precipitously. The Dragon-Blooded, humans blessed with elemental power and preternatural skill, had shepherded Creation through cataclysms beyond number. For centuries beyond recall, they had kept decent men and women safe from the depredations of the Lunar Anathema, the bewildering Chaos of the Wyld, and the horrific schemes of the Deathlords.
But the strength of the Dragons was failing. So many of themselves they'd sacrificed, just to keep Creation alive, but it was not remotely enough. And so the greatest and wisest of the Dragons went to call upon a man that they should not, perhaps, have called upon. A man, it was said, who was the eldest of all Dragons; who had been ancient since time immemorial, and who was, if a bit eccentric, steadfastly devoted to the continued survival of the world. A man who might have the power to save them.
A man who was, if not content in his well-deserved retirement, neither was he particularly unhappy, and that was a rare enough thing for him.
That man was named Lung Feng Zao. Last of the Shoguns, though few knew that. To him they went, and they said, very politely, that though they understood completely if a man of his age decided never to take up arms again, would he please consider returning to his old post as a teacher, the Headmaster of the Imperial Naval Academy?
And Lung Feng Zao said he wouldn't mind, but he had only one condition, and it was not negotiable: that he would have absolute power over the Academy, its curriculum, its grounds and its staff. That in such matters he would not be gainsaid, even by the Empress herself (if ever she returned).
And the assembled Dragons, who had become very nervous at the mention of "only one condition," relaxed, and said yes, of course, and thought privately: was that all? For the Naval Academy was their primary source of captains and admirals, and the ranks of those Dragon-Blooded had been culled thin indeed. Absolute power in such a limited sphere was, they thought, not so great a blasphemy to pay, not in this dire age.
Come admissions season, Headmaster Zao declared that all familial connections and matters of pedigree were moot, and that admission into the Academy would be predicated upon merit alone, with the largest signifier being performance on his carefully re-written, and extremely rigorous, entrance exams.
Many Dragon-Blooded failed, more than ever had before. But they were blood of the dragon, and more than a few passed. More than a few Dragon-Blooded, and one mortal man.
That mortal's name was Sesus Ulyssian. He faced much resentment and prejudice in his days at the Academy, but somehow, despite his taciturn nature, he managed to make a few steadfast friends. With their help, and with a level of over-preparedness that some would characterize as hopelessly paranoid, he managed to survive, and even briefly thrive, in the cut-throat environment of the Naval Academy.
Time wore on, however, and as the year progressed, Ulyssian fell increasingly far behind. Though he pushed himself to the same standard of excruciating, all-consuming practice that had enabled his entry into the Academy, he had reached the limit of human potential, while his classmates and competitors had only begun to scratch the surface of Dragon-Blooded power.
Ulyssian resolved to master two fields of endeavor for every one that his classmates pursued. He resolved to train more efficiently, to try even harder, to seek advantage wherever it could be found, no matter the cost to his body or spirit. Of course, it was not enough.
So it was that Ulyssian ended up in the stands of the school Coliseum, watching his friends and classmates compete in the semi-annual Ranking Tournament, where all the rising stars of the Academy had the opportunity to demonstrate their courage and skill to the honored assemblage that had gathered to witness it. No mere mortal patricians were these, but rather branch heads and prominent scions of all the Great Houses, the great luminaries of this fading age.
Ulyssian watched the redoubtable Mountain Hero, whose loyalty was mightier even than his thews, as he floored all comers with unadorned strength.
He watched Tepet Nilul, the master manipulator who had never failed to stand by him, as she fell gracefully to the opposition, content to fail.
He watched Empty Moon, his closest and dearest friend, who had sparred with him as an equal, who had watched over him when he was sick, and bandaged his wounds when he was injured. Who had stood up for him in the face of overwhelming social and religious pressure, and who had never once betrayed him, in word or in deed. He watched as she was struck down by an agent of that social edifice, a prodigy of war whose improbable power was greater even than her own inimitable prowess.
The prodigy, Resolute Flame, did not stop at defeating her.
He did not stop at subduing her.
With a fist full of fire, burning molten-white, Resolute Flame darted forth to murder her.
To execute her for daring to befriend a mortal who had grasped so vainly, and so high.
And Sesus Ulyssian thought, "I must find a way."
---
For those who like to archive binge, here is Ulyssian's backstory in full, up to post ~39.
What is the nature of Odyssial's reincarnation?
[ ] Totality - Something went wrong, in the five thousand years intervening. Odyssial had calibrated his mechanisms of reincarnation carefully, a herculean task to arrange even for one soul. He had wanted to ease his incarnation in, to make the transition as smooth as possible so that he would not lose the lessons of either mortal life in the undertow of Exalted longevity. He had wanted to ensure that there was no possibility of an adversarial relationship between himself, and the person he would be. They were, after all, the same soul given the same Exaltation; there was no reason to fight.
Perhaps because he had no time to experiment and iterate, given the cost in time and effort of just one barely functioning prototype, or perhaps of a fault that was not his own at all, his plan went awry.
All - or most all, there are many fragmentary periods - of Odyssial's memories have returned. With their overwhelming surfeit threatening to kill their host, the Exaltation locked them away. Ulyssian is as he was, but in times of great and terrible stress, when his will threatens to flag and even his Exalted might is not enough - then emerges Odyssial, Lord Strategos of the Exalted Host, Sovereign of Iliac, Tharica, Dynessos, and Saurengerie, The Wandering King, Saint of All Blades, Peerless Beyond Sorcery, Architect of the Horse-Strategem, From Whom The Titans Fled, The Arrow and the Hunter, Subduer of the Wyld, The End of Stories, The Lathe of Heaven, The Most High, Who Always Finds a Way.
And there is more than a shadow of his power left to him, for the Exaltation is imperishable might, so why should its output be throttled just because the body is young?
The mind, after all, is more than whole enough.
*Ulyssian is Ulyssian, most of the time. If pushed to the absolute brink, and his will is exhausted, Odyssial will emerge.
*They are not different people; it is one consciousness with traits that can change, almost like Lealope. Thus, if Odyssial is not active, he just isn't there. He won't plot against Ulyssian within his own mind, except when emerged.
*Odyssial wishes to emerge permanently. That this must occur is unfortunate, but he refuses to be reduced to a mere parasite or panic button. The Age of Sorrows needs him.
*Every time Odyssial emerges, it becomes easier for him to emerge in general. As he's still stuck in Ulyssian's body, and is missing about 25% of his memories, including almost all the most complex ones, he is not remotely as strong as he used to be. He has memories of many mightier techniques, but may lack the pre-requisites that bridge the gap to understanding and use.
*Of course, he's still capable of utterly overwhelming virtually any existence within Creation or out of it.
*Ulyssian may voluntarily call upon Odyssial; when he does so, Odyssial gains greatly and permanently improves his ability to emerge. However, a determined playerbase can easily ensure that Odyssial never regains control. If he does, and you are not sufficiently powerful, the quest will end.
*Odyssial's period of control is determined by how coherently he acts in sync with Ulyssian's current emotions and motivations. If he acts totally against them, he disappears almost instantly. If he acts almost totally in Ulyssian's best interests, in a manner genuinely befitting the emotions he's experiencing, he can persist for as long as a scene.
XP Cost: You gain 150,000 XP.
[ ] Identity Crisis - More or less the correct amount of Odyssial made it into the reincarnation, but integration failed. Now, the resultant entity sometimes believes he is Ulyssian, and sometimes Odyssial. Though memories are shared, they are confusing without the extensive inferential context that builds up in a person's consciousness. It is also much harder to retrieve additional memories from Odyssial.
*They are still one consciousness with traits that can change.
*The two parties may be trying to merge (the voters will be able to decide on the disposition of one party), but lack any mechanism to actually do so, at least until they understand reincarnation mechanics as well as the Odyssial of old.
*The parties do not have separate mote and Willpower tracks. They are treated as one character for almost all mechanical purposes.
*Ulyssian is typically in control. However, Odyssial-specific interactions often require him to be in control, and switching control is difficult, requiring a significant expenditure of will.
XP Cost: None
[ ] Essentially As Planned - The fusion is as perfect as Odyssial hoped. They are now one being, who may be a bit confused, with the merged traits of both Ulyssian and Odyssial. No traits are removed; when they come into conflict, he is conflicted within himself. Neither side is overwhelming. He will answer to both Odyssial and Ulyssian. As most of their attributes, such as their problem-solving abilities, overlap or are identical, internal conflict is mostly a matter of priorities.
*Ulyssian will be significantly stronger than a standard Solar who has just Exalted, maybe the equivalent of one year's worth of training for a normal Solar.
*Odyssial will retain all relevant memories to fully capitalize on such preparations as he made, if he decides to.
*They are the same person, so you can refer to them interchangeably. NPCs will typically go by whichever name is more familiar to them.
XP Cost: 350,000
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See, none of these overwhelmed Ulyssian.
[X] Essentially As Planned
This seems ideal. We get the good parts of both, and we get to choose what priorities we want. If we want to make Ulyssian's priorities foremost among ours, we can do that. If we want to focus on Odyssial's priorities, we can do that too.
The first option is 'enemy within' and the second one is split personality. The third one is a perfect merger, with neither one overwhelming the other, and we get to choose our goals. No drawbacks, except the EXP cost, which we can afford.
[X] Essentially As Planned
This seems ideal. We get the good parts of both, and we get to choose what priorities we want. If we want to make Ulyssian's priorities foremost among ours, we can do that. If we want to focus on Odyssial's priorities, we can do that too.
The first option is 'enemy within' and the second one is split personality. The third one is a perfect merger, with neither one overwhelming the other, and we get to choose our goals. No drawbacks, except the EXP cost, which we can afford.
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[X] Essentially As Planned
AZATHOTHoth
༼ つ ☀️_☀️ ༽つ
[X] Essentially As Planned
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Da Boyz
The Cutest Apocalypse.
[X] Essentially As Planned - The fusion is as perfect as Odyssial hoped. They are now one being, who may be a bit confused, with the merged traits of both Ulyssian and Odyssial. No traits are removed; when they come into conflict, he is conflicted within himself. Neither side is overwhelming. He will answer to both Odyssial and Ulyssian. As most of their attributes, such as their problem-solving abilities, overlap or are identical, internal conflict is mostly a matter of priorities.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Oh boy.
[X] Essentially As Planned.
There is absolutely no condition in which the "Odyssial merges in totality" option doesn't eventually end in a Bad End, because Ulyssian doesn't get the superpowers, and Odyssial is so tremendous that there will Be no "Strong Enough".
[X] Essentially As Planned.
There is absolutely no condition in which the "Odyssial merges in totality" option doesn't eventually end in a Bad End, because Ulyssian doesn't get the superpowers, and Odyssial is so tremendous that there will Be no "Strong Enough".
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[X] Essentially As Planned
We will still have 450,800 xp to draw upon so that is a good sizable stockpile. Maybe some more even from discussions since the last count.
And if we start with 3rd ed experienced solar- 20 charms, 13 merits- backgrounds/minor stuff like ambidextrous, and 18 bp to further fluff ourselves.
We will still have 450,800 xp to draw upon so that is a good sizable stockpile. Maybe some more even from discussions since the last count.
And if we start with 3rd ed experienced solar- 20 charms, 13 merits- backgrounds/minor stuff like ambidextrous, and 18 bp to further fluff ourselves.
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[X] Essentially As Planned
- Location
- The savanna.
[X] Totality
We're still Ulyssian, and this gives us 150,000 experience.
We're still Ulyssian, and this gives us 150,000 experience.
Rihaku
The Internet
What, no one wants Totality? How can you call yourselves powergamers! I thought you guys were interested in seeing Odyssial unleashed upon the Second Age! Well now you can, and nearly in full! All the schemes, all the traitors - all their armies and sorceries and plots within plots will turn to ash in the wind, in the face of the End of Stories himself.
Tremble, Creation.
Tremble, traitor stars and traitor dragons, who dared usurp your Strategos.
For the hour of reckoning is come.
And the price of your hubris is blood.
Tremble, Creation.
Tremble, traitor stars and traitor dragons, who dared usurp your Strategos.
For the hour of reckoning is come.
And the price of your hubris is blood.