Rihaku
The Internet
Does the Underworld exist yet? I don't remember.
[Exalted, ?] Most High
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Does the Underworld exist yet? I don't remember.
You mentioned hungry ghosts so...
Well, he did do the impossible, surpassing even Xelor when he rewound the clock of the universe... it just wasn't enough. It is proof of concept, though, so with enough energy it can be done. His methods were just inefficient, taking too much time to gather energy. He should've worked smarter, not harder.
Nope. The paradoxical death of the Primordials, who could not die, created it.
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I suspect its senses/self-control are too refined for that to work. It would take more to distract the thing from our delicious suffering.
Though it would certainly be nice if that was possible.
Prelude 4
Rihaku
The Internet
The First Sunset, End
All of a sudden, Larsyifex turned, an ever-so-slight wariness now in its stance.
Odyssial shot forward, apparently heedless of the monster's guard, blade heading directly towards the wound he'd previously made. Amused, Larsyifex made the obvious counter, a strike to the neck - and hesitated.
All across his neck and down to his shoulder, Odyssial had smeared the poison of his daggers, the poison of Lethos. Larsyifex could not be harmed by the toxin of its progenitor, but it was loathe to act in a way that might even imply offense to the divine nectar of a Titan. For a moment it froze, and Odyssial plunged the full length of his coal-heated blade into the wound at Larsyifex's side. Angled down, so that the cogolem stones he had tied to the edge lent their increasing weight to the already-grievous blow.
Now the daeva howled, in pain and vicious frustration, and thrashed backwards, jerking its torso with such force that Odyssial's sword shook loose of his hands, still embedded in Larsyifex. Good. Loosely tied, the stones were likely already detached from the body of the blade, working deeper into the now-ragged wound, lower to the ground. Blood spilled forth, sizzling luridly on the charcoal mire.
Odyssial himself was already sprinting away, evading the creature's wild retaliatory frenzy, thoughts churning. Everything had gone to plan, except for the end. Larsyifex seemed more irritated than hurt, and his blade - the only weapon that had managed to injure the monster - was gone. He could not outrun the daeva in a straight sprint, not if it was serious, and it had turned deathly serious.
Running away would only lead to death. If he fought without the sword, he would lose. There was nothing for it. Odyssial turned around and sprinted directly at Larsyifex again, hoping that this time the daeva would at least be wary, would be unwilling to call Odyssial's bluff. Unfortunately, Larsyifex had all six blades out, daring him to approach, and it appeared fully committed to cutting him down, divine nectar or no. Luckily it was not thinking straight, or it would have pulled out Odyssial's weapon and thrown it far away. Or perhaps it simply desired that Odyssial approach it, running to his own execution.
It didn't matter. He plotted a course in his mind, the most likely path through its six-sword stance, and gambled. Halfway through his leap, he knew he was finished. With perfect timing, Larsyifex moved to strike, to bisect him in full. But again, the daeva stopped.
It stopped because Nio was stabbing it in the heel, half-finished talisman burning across her neck. A thaumaturgical disguise of false death, strong enough to fool a daeva of the Second?
Odyssial completed his jump, bodily pulling his blade out through the creature's side, hewing through a full chunk of its half-divine flesh. He turned with utmost speed, hope and desperation stirring in his breast, striking with abandon, hoping to pull its attention away from his little sister-
It ignored him.
Even as he carved a great furrow into its back, it twisted around and cut Nio down, sliced through her as if she were dust and air. For a moment, Odyssial dared to hope that it had been another trick, that Nio, who was so clever, had pulled through again-
But she hadn't.
Twice she'd saved him. Despite himself, this time Odyssial could not stop the tears. They tracked down his face even as his expression remained frozen.
"That one hurt, hm?" The monster turned, spiteful satisfaction in its voice. "Finally! You should know your place, mortal. She should have known hers. And now, you die."
I will destroy you, Odyssial vowed silently. I will find a way.
After that, there were no words between them.
From then on it was as if his mind burned with a fire of genius. Larsyifex was hurt, but it was twice as fast as him and twenty times as strong. Its six blades, fae-forged steel, passed through flesh as though it were water. Somehow he stayed one step ahead, anticipating every maneuver, punishing every gambit, threatening the immense wounds at its back and side. Larsyifex was furious, but cautious. Likely it regretted its earlier recklessness, had resolved not to lose any more body parts to a mortal. Odyssial's mind emptied, and his body blurred through forms, faster than thought. He fought like a man with nothing to lose.
But still he was losing. Minutes wore on, and then hours. The sun disappeared for good, all light leeched from the world. All the while, impossibly, they fought. The poison on his neck evaporated into the chill air of this sunless world. His limbs burned with exhaustion, every breath felt like acid fog, but Odyssial continued to fight. That he fought was not enough. Larsyifex and its scything blades wore steadily at him, whittling him down, drawing them both towards the inevitable conclusion, and slowly Odyssial began to run out of tricks.
All the edges of his body now were flensed and bleeding, and there were more close-call nicks to his torso and throat than he dared to count. The world fused into a single red point, and still they fought. Odyssial felt as if they had been fighting for an eternity, that the start of their clash had been the birth of some narrow universe, a realm where only the dance of blades mattered. Something propelled him onwards, something beyond bitterness, beyond even his futile fury at the world of his birth. As if the sun had disappeared only so that it could rise as a star of hatred within his breast.
I will find a way, that had been his promise. A promise of destruction, and he did not break promises. It burned within him, but it was burning up. He felt that if he did not die to the daeva's sword, he would disperse into a mist of blood and blow away, a flame extinguished. The darkness around them even began to lighten, as if the night itself tired of their fray.
Instants or hours later, the daeva's sword sliced the tendons in his left arm, and before Odyssial could compensate, a second ripped through his left leg while a third ran him through. Ten thousand tiny cuts covered his body, his face. He was blind in one eye and all his limbs were numb. This world's twisted game had always been impossible, but they'd had no choice but to play. This was the loss that they had staved off for so long.
It was finished.
Odyssial could not bring himself to accept it. This was the end, but he felt no peace. He had failed his tribe, failed Nio, failed to find a way. He wanted nothing so much as the chance to keep fighting. Despite the protests of his body and mind, his spirit raged unflagging. He would fight ten eternities more, a hundred. He would fight until the uncaring sky shattered before his scream of hate, until all the daevas lay broken on the field, until the very Titans were ripped from their thrones.
He would, but he could not. He could barely even move, and the fourth blade was coming, this one aimed for his head.
The sun returned, a bare glimmer of light. The world saw its first dawn.
Out of nowhere, sudden and total, something collided with him. Something unutterable, faster even than the daeva's steel.
A white thunderbolt of focus struck his brain, racing along the length of his spine, seizing upon his beating heart, radiating out - out from every capillary, out to every synapse, out through every pore. And in the paroxysm of that sublime electrification, he moved, but it was not the twitching throes of a dying man. He moved, and now the skill of his single blade turned aside all of the daeva's six.
A thousand times before, he'd tested the limits of his personal skill to find himself pressed against a cage made of physical law. A human could only move so fast. A human could only perceive so much. Now he pressed, and found no limits at all. It flooded into him, like memories he'd never truly forgotten, all he would have learned if he hadn't been caged.
Now he struck, and it was avenging fury. It was light given sharpness, fire given form. In the space between heartbeats he struck, and Larsyifex died.
Grace. Beyond a man's, beyond even a daeva's. Grace enough to rival the Titans that had built the world.
Grace. Unasked for, undeserved. When he could not find a way, a Way had found him.
O Titans,
Beg not for mercy, for ye shall see none,
Beg not forgiveness, for ye shall find none,
Beg not for quarter, for we shall heed none.
Ye shapers of worlds, ye eaters of men:
Tremble.
Tremble, ye gods of gods, ye kings of kings.
For the hour of reckoning is come,
And the price of your hubris is blood.
-Battle-Hymn of the Odyssians, Records of the Primordial War
---
What is the nature of the Dawn Caste, Odyssial?
[ ] The Field Commander - Swift as sunlight, he lead always from the front. A masterful strategist, ever-inventive, his tactics and thoroughness shocked and bewildered enemies and allies alike. A consummate polymath, he commanded the unwavering and absolute loyalty of his legions despite his cold, furious disposition.
[ ] The Obliterator - Always he fought alone, but there was no Titan or army so mighty that it would not quail before his terrible fury. Silent as a sunbeam, he forged a legend of invincible destruction that echoes still to this day. To face him is the direst folly; to defy him is to beg for death. There was no angle by which he would fail to attack, and often he struck from every angle at once, like a hurricane sprung from sudden mists. Like a sun risen from nothingness, returned to scour a lightless world.
The nature of Odyssial's build does not impact his Heartlessness directly. It will mostly affect his First Age feats and the legacy he leaves behind.
No matter how lonely his path, there was one always willing to give aid, counsel, and comfort to Odyssial. Not because the Sun and Moon had ordained it, but simply because she fit with him, and he with her. To her alone was given the privilege of calling him "Ody," without fear of termination or more terrible fates. And to him alone, she went by Lea.
What was her nature?
[ ] Best Friend - Though they were not romantically attracted to each other, nonetheless no one understood Odyssial better than she. Moderate where he was extreme, her counsel often blunted the too-sharp edge of his policies, and helped him remain in touch with the hunter he had been, so many thousands of years ago. Between them, all hurts could be forgiven, and there were no secrets, nor madness, in the space that they shared.
[ ] Masked Queen - Strong where he was weak, direct where he was circuitous, together they eclipsed even the sun and moon. The thousand-faced seductress stalked the gardens and courtyards of the Titans and the Fair, plying her wiles, pouring poison and honey into their councils of war. Masks beneath masks she hid, and in all the history of Creation her true name was spoken only when they were alone. A love made strong by weakness: the weakness of her true face, and the weakness of his kindness.
[ ] Mortal Foe - Adversity propels growth only for the insufficiently motivated; otherwise, it is an unproductive distraction. That was what he believed, before he met her. Their love was devastation, the shattering of nations, for no mortal force could stand in its wake. A love true and pure, a star of paradox, for those two spirits could in no way cooperate otherwise. His equal in power, his utter nemesis in purpose, nature, and name.
Remember, all options only describe Lealope, in a general manner, as she was during the First Age. Your Heartlessness and Greatness scores, as well as the passage of time, will all affect her development in the Second. Additionally, please remember that Lea's relationship with Odyssial, depending on context, may complicate (or severely complicate) matters with Moon, or other love interests that Ulyssian may encounter. Of course, if Lea is your preferred love interest, that is an advantageous feature.
Additionally, since the Prelude will end next update and I'd like you to have a shot at Greatness 10, for the next two days there will be a 50% bonus on fanwork XP.
All of a sudden, Larsyifex turned, an ever-so-slight wariness now in its stance.
Odyssial shot forward, apparently heedless of the monster's guard, blade heading directly towards the wound he'd previously made. Amused, Larsyifex made the obvious counter, a strike to the neck - and hesitated.
All across his neck and down to his shoulder, Odyssial had smeared the poison of his daggers, the poison of Lethos. Larsyifex could not be harmed by the toxin of its progenitor, but it was loathe to act in a way that might even imply offense to the divine nectar of a Titan. For a moment it froze, and Odyssial plunged the full length of his coal-heated blade into the wound at Larsyifex's side. Angled down, so that the cogolem stones he had tied to the edge lent their increasing weight to the already-grievous blow.
Now the daeva howled, in pain and vicious frustration, and thrashed backwards, jerking its torso with such force that Odyssial's sword shook loose of his hands, still embedded in Larsyifex. Good. Loosely tied, the stones were likely already detached from the body of the blade, working deeper into the now-ragged wound, lower to the ground. Blood spilled forth, sizzling luridly on the charcoal mire.
Odyssial himself was already sprinting away, evading the creature's wild retaliatory frenzy, thoughts churning. Everything had gone to plan, except for the end. Larsyifex seemed more irritated than hurt, and his blade - the only weapon that had managed to injure the monster - was gone. He could not outrun the daeva in a straight sprint, not if it was serious, and it had turned deathly serious.
Running away would only lead to death. If he fought without the sword, he would lose. There was nothing for it. Odyssial turned around and sprinted directly at Larsyifex again, hoping that this time the daeva would at least be wary, would be unwilling to call Odyssial's bluff. Unfortunately, Larsyifex had all six blades out, daring him to approach, and it appeared fully committed to cutting him down, divine nectar or no. Luckily it was not thinking straight, or it would have pulled out Odyssial's weapon and thrown it far away. Or perhaps it simply desired that Odyssial approach it, running to his own execution.
It didn't matter. He plotted a course in his mind, the most likely path through its six-sword stance, and gambled. Halfway through his leap, he knew he was finished. With perfect timing, Larsyifex moved to strike, to bisect him in full. But again, the daeva stopped.
It stopped because Nio was stabbing it in the heel, half-finished talisman burning across her neck. A thaumaturgical disguise of false death, strong enough to fool a daeva of the Second?
Odyssial completed his jump, bodily pulling his blade out through the creature's side, hewing through a full chunk of its half-divine flesh. He turned with utmost speed, hope and desperation stirring in his breast, striking with abandon, hoping to pull its attention away from his little sister-
It ignored him.
Even as he carved a great furrow into its back, it twisted around and cut Nio down, sliced through her as if she were dust and air. For a moment, Odyssial dared to hope that it had been another trick, that Nio, who was so clever, had pulled through again-
But she hadn't.
Twice she'd saved him. Despite himself, this time Odyssial could not stop the tears. They tracked down his face even as his expression remained frozen.
"That one hurt, hm?" The monster turned, spiteful satisfaction in its voice. "Finally! You should know your place, mortal. She should have known hers. And now, you die."
I will destroy you, Odyssial vowed silently. I will find a way.
After that, there were no words between them.
From then on it was as if his mind burned with a fire of genius. Larsyifex was hurt, but it was twice as fast as him and twenty times as strong. Its six blades, fae-forged steel, passed through flesh as though it were water. Somehow he stayed one step ahead, anticipating every maneuver, punishing every gambit, threatening the immense wounds at its back and side. Larsyifex was furious, but cautious. Likely it regretted its earlier recklessness, had resolved not to lose any more body parts to a mortal. Odyssial's mind emptied, and his body blurred through forms, faster than thought. He fought like a man with nothing to lose.
But still he was losing. Minutes wore on, and then hours. The sun disappeared for good, all light leeched from the world. All the while, impossibly, they fought. The poison on his neck evaporated into the chill air of this sunless world. His limbs burned with exhaustion, every breath felt like acid fog, but Odyssial continued to fight. That he fought was not enough. Larsyifex and its scything blades wore steadily at him, whittling him down, drawing them both towards the inevitable conclusion, and slowly Odyssial began to run out of tricks.
All the edges of his body now were flensed and bleeding, and there were more close-call nicks to his torso and throat than he dared to count. The world fused into a single red point, and still they fought. Odyssial felt as if they had been fighting for an eternity, that the start of their clash had been the birth of some narrow universe, a realm where only the dance of blades mattered. Something propelled him onwards, something beyond bitterness, beyond even his futile fury at the world of his birth. As if the sun had disappeared only so that it could rise as a star of hatred within his breast.
I will find a way, that had been his promise. A promise of destruction, and he did not break promises. It burned within him, but it was burning up. He felt that if he did not die to the daeva's sword, he would disperse into a mist of blood and blow away, a flame extinguished. The darkness around them even began to lighten, as if the night itself tired of their fray.
Instants or hours later, the daeva's sword sliced the tendons in his left arm, and before Odyssial could compensate, a second ripped through his left leg while a third ran him through. Ten thousand tiny cuts covered his body, his face. He was blind in one eye and all his limbs were numb. This world's twisted game had always been impossible, but they'd had no choice but to play. This was the loss that they had staved off for so long.
It was finished.
Odyssial could not bring himself to accept it. This was the end, but he felt no peace. He had failed his tribe, failed Nio, failed to find a way. He wanted nothing so much as the chance to keep fighting. Despite the protests of his body and mind, his spirit raged unflagging. He would fight ten eternities more, a hundred. He would fight until the uncaring sky shattered before his scream of hate, until all the daevas lay broken on the field, until the very Titans were ripped from their thrones.
He would, but he could not. He could barely even move, and the fourth blade was coming, this one aimed for his head.
The sun returned, a bare glimmer of light. The world saw its first dawn.
Out of nowhere, sudden and total, something collided with him. Something unutterable, faster even than the daeva's steel.
A white thunderbolt of focus struck his brain, racing along the length of his spine, seizing upon his beating heart, radiating out - out from every capillary, out to every synapse, out through every pore. And in the paroxysm of that sublime electrification, he moved, but it was not the twitching throes of a dying man. He moved, and now the skill of his single blade turned aside all of the daeva's six.
A thousand times before, he'd tested the limits of his personal skill to find himself pressed against a cage made of physical law. A human could only move so fast. A human could only perceive so much. Now he pressed, and found no limits at all. It flooded into him, like memories he'd never truly forgotten, all he would have learned if he hadn't been caged.
Now he struck, and it was avenging fury. It was light given sharpness, fire given form. In the space between heartbeats he struck, and Larsyifex died.
Grace. Beyond a man's, beyond even a daeva's. Grace enough to rival the Titans that had built the world.
Grace. Unasked for, undeserved. When he could not find a way, a Way had found him.
O Titans,
Beg not for mercy, for ye shall see none,
Beg not forgiveness, for ye shall find none,
Beg not for quarter, for we shall heed none.
Ye shapers of worlds, ye eaters of men:
Tremble.
Tremble, ye gods of gods, ye kings of kings.
For the hour of reckoning is come,
And the price of your hubris is blood.
-Battle-Hymn of the Odyssians, Records of the Primordial War
---
What is the nature of the Dawn Caste, Odyssial?
[ ] The Field Commander - Swift as sunlight, he lead always from the front. A masterful strategist, ever-inventive, his tactics and thoroughness shocked and bewildered enemies and allies alike. A consummate polymath, he commanded the unwavering and absolute loyalty of his legions despite his cold, furious disposition.
[ ] The Obliterator - Always he fought alone, but there was no Titan or army so mighty that it would not quail before his terrible fury. Silent as a sunbeam, he forged a legend of invincible destruction that echoes still to this day. To face him is the direst folly; to defy him is to beg for death. There was no angle by which he would fail to attack, and often he struck from every angle at once, like a hurricane sprung from sudden mists. Like a sun risen from nothingness, returned to scour a lightless world.
The nature of Odyssial's build does not impact his Heartlessness directly. It will mostly affect his First Age feats and the legacy he leaves behind.
No matter how lonely his path, there was one always willing to give aid, counsel, and comfort to Odyssial. Not because the Sun and Moon had ordained it, but simply because she fit with him, and he with her. To her alone was given the privilege of calling him "Ody," without fear of termination or more terrible fates. And to him alone, she went by Lea.
What was her nature?
[ ] Best Friend - Though they were not romantically attracted to each other, nonetheless no one understood Odyssial better than she. Moderate where he was extreme, her counsel often blunted the too-sharp edge of his policies, and helped him remain in touch with the hunter he had been, so many thousands of years ago. Between them, all hurts could be forgiven, and there were no secrets, nor madness, in the space that they shared.
[ ] Masked Queen - Strong where he was weak, direct where he was circuitous, together they eclipsed even the sun and moon. The thousand-faced seductress stalked the gardens and courtyards of the Titans and the Fair, plying her wiles, pouring poison and honey into their councils of war. Masks beneath masks she hid, and in all the history of Creation her true name was spoken only when they were alone. A love made strong by weakness: the weakness of her true face, and the weakness of his kindness.
[ ] Mortal Foe - Adversity propels growth only for the insufficiently motivated; otherwise, it is an unproductive distraction. That was what he believed, before he met her. Their love was devastation, the shattering of nations, for no mortal force could stand in its wake. A love true and pure, a star of paradox, for those two spirits could in no way cooperate otherwise. His equal in power, his utter nemesis in purpose, nature, and name.
Remember, all options only describe Lealope, in a general manner, as she was during the First Age. Your Heartlessness and Greatness scores, as well as the passage of time, will all affect her development in the Second. Additionally, please remember that Lea's relationship with Odyssial, depending on context, may complicate (or severely complicate) matters with Moon, or other love interests that Ulyssian may encounter. Of course, if Lea is your preferred love interest, that is an advantageous feature.
Additionally, since the Prelude will end next update and I'd like you to have a shot at Greatness 10, for the next two days there will be a 50% bonus on fanwork XP.
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inawarminister
I ♥ anime
[X] The Obliterator - Always he fought alone, but there was no Titan or army so mighty that it would not quail before his terrible fury. Silent as a sunbeam, he forged a legend of invincible destruction that echoes still to this day. To face him is the direst folly; to defy him is to beg for death. There was no angle by which he would fail to attack, and often he struck from every angle at once, like a hurricane sprung from sudden mists. Like a sun risen from nothingness, returned to scour a lightless world.
[X] Mortal Foe - Adversity propels growth only for the insufficiently motivated; otherwise, it is an unproductive distraction. That was what he believed, before he met her. Their love was devastation, the shattering of nations, for no mortal force could stand in its wake. A love true and pure, a star of paradox, for those two spirits could in no way cooperate otherwise. His equal in power, his utter nemesis in purpose, nature, and name.
edited/
[X] Mortal Foe - Adversity propels growth only for the insufficiently motivated; otherwise, it is an unproductive distraction. That was what he believed, before he met her. Their love was devastation, the shattering of nations, for no mortal force could stand in its wake. A love true and pure, a star of paradox, for those two spirits could in no way cooperate otherwise. His equal in power, his utter nemesis in purpose, nature, and name.
edited/
[X] The Obliterator -
[X] Masked Queen
[X] Masked Queen
Rihaku
The Internet
By the way, the choice of Odyssial's build is not something that will directly impact Heartlessness. It's mostly to determine his main First Age feats, as well as Ulyssian's initial Charm layout. Lea's nature can affect Greatness and Heartlessness, but by unknown amounts that can be shifted by strong argumentation. Also, and importantly, it will affect her Second Age behavior, which is possibly much more relevant.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
[X] The Field Commander - Swift as sunlight, he lead always from the front. A masterful strategist, ever-inventive, his tactics and thoroughness shocked and bewildered enemies and allies alike. A consummate polymath, he commanded the unwavering and absolute loyalty of his legions despite his cold, furious disposition.
[X] Best Friend - Though they were not romantically attracted to each other, nonetheless no one understood Odyssial better than she. Moderate where he was extreme, her counsel often blunted the too-sharp edge of his policies, and helped him remain in touch with the hunter he had been, so many thousands of years ago. Between them, all hurts could be forgiven, and there were no secrets, nor madness, in the space that they shared.
[X] Best Friend - Though they were not romantically attracted to each other, nonetheless no one understood Odyssial better than she. Moderate where he was extreme, her counsel often blunted the too-sharp edge of his policies, and helped him remain in touch with the hunter he had been, so many thousands of years ago. Between them, all hurts could be forgiven, and there were no secrets, nor madness, in the space that they shared.
[X] The Obliterator - Always he fought alone, but there was no Titan or army so mighty that it would not quail before his terrible fury. Silent as a sunbeam, he forged a legend of invincible destruction that echoes still to this day. To face him is the direst folly; to defy him is to beg for death. There was no angle by which he would fail to attack, and often he struck from every angle at once, like a hurricane sprung from sudden mists. Like a sun risen from nothingness, returned to scour a lightless world.
Best Friend and Masked Queen are both appealing. I'll have to deliberate on which will be more.
Best Friend and Masked Queen are both appealing. I'll have to deliberate on which will be more.
[X] plan Alectai
AZATHOTHoth
༼ つ ☀️_☀️ ༽つ
[X] The Obliterator
[X] Masked Queen
[X] Masked Queen
Nio is dead. Again.
Yeah, that was one of the reasons I didn't immediately go for Queen. I could totally see Friend being a bro about Moon.
Rihaku
The Internet
The Odyssians consist of the forces he commanded during the Primordial War, but Alectai, your ambition is certainly possible given the correct decisions. In the case of the Field Commander, they are the society loyal to him, and which he rules. In the case of the Obliterator, they are the anvil to his hammer.
[x] The Field Commander
[x] Best Friend
[x] Best Friend