[X] Use the Hypercompetence to Ask Her
[Exalted, ?] Most High
- Thread starter Rihaku
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- exalted (white wolf)
Hm, so with Regalia + Decompress + War Roll Ulyssian will be in top form at the start of the matches. Changing vote.
[X] Use the Hypercompetence on a War Roll
[X] Encounter
It should be noted that the War Roll involves reviewing the info he had gathered. As Nilul is refusing to be remotely forthcoming about her plans, that means the profile on Cathak Polemgaos. Which would lose value if we're avoiding the very fight we can actually prepare for. So War Roll will synergize better with Encounter. Better to prepare for a known variable than hope the draw is good.
And since the optimal way to win against Cathak is instant overwhelming assault, the fight promises to be short. That will actually leave Uly with more energy (and E4!) for the next opponent; very helpful against someone we have no info about.
[X] Use the Hypercompetence on a War Roll
[X] Encounter
It should be noted that the War Roll involves reviewing the info he had gathered. As Nilul is refusing to be remotely forthcoming about her plans, that means the profile on Cathak Polemgaos. Which would lose value if we're avoiding the very fight we can actually prepare for. So War Roll will synergize better with Encounter. Better to prepare for a known variable than hope the draw is good.
And since the optimal way to win against Cathak is instant overwhelming assault, the fight promises to be short. That will actually leave Uly with more energy (and E4!) for the next opponent; very helpful against someone we have no info about.
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[X] Use the Hypercompetence on a War Roll
[X] Avoid
Assuming Nilul has some plan to weaken him, we might need to give her time. Since we decided to trust her, might as well Place Our Faith in the Dragon's Daughter.
[X] Avoid
Assuming Nilul has some plan to weaken him, we might need to give her time. Since we decided to trust her, might as well Place Our Faith in the Dragon's Daughter.
But we don't actually know if she needs time. Since trusting Nilul means acting independently from her, better not hurt his chances on the off chance it negatively impacts her planning. She knows when Ulyssian chose to fight, let's also trust her to optimally prepare based on that knowledge. That's her thing.
LordOfMurder
Bhaal
- Location
- Australia
[X] Use the Hypercompetence to Ask Her
Windlass
A Windy Lass
- Location
- Wherever the wind is blowing
'cept... we don't actually trust her? That was what won, right, we're just not bothering to sift through her lies and bullshit because it's tiresome?
[X] Encounter
[X] Use the Hypercompetence to Case Her Profile
'cause it lets us stop playing the can we/can't we trust Nilul game. That game is hell on the nerves and no fun besides.
Interesting way to phrase it. But note the post I was quoting. I mentioned trust in refernce of that, as it was based on that premise.
This, on the other hand, is going to the other extreme of the trust issue. Right now the important thing is to win the first fight, whether by preparing himself or by coordinating with Nilul. Profiling her is less time sensitive.
Mutually Assured Destruction
Rihaku
The Internet
Mutually Assured Destruction
Ulyssian had settled in, had mentally reviewed the day's events, had briefly entered his battle-trance, had finished his exercise set. The latter was almost unnecessary; his Exalted body didn't seem to require near the level of maintenance that his mortal form had. His form was stronger, his mind sharper, his instincts whisper-keen: and all that before he began to expend effort and push himself to superhuman levels. It was both disturbingly familiar and shockingly wonderful - an artifact of his past life's memories being overlaid into his mind, he supposed.
He could have retired early, but his head was clear, and he was no longer weary from the day's many social interactions. He looked around his room, took in the quality of the furnishings, the understated opulence. He might as well enjoy it while he still could; come tomorrow night, he didn't intend to sleep here anyway. Fifteen opponents of unknown skill and provenance were simply too many to effectively sabotage, given their defenses. That was likely true for the other players as well. But once the bracket was defined tomorrow, everyone would know their targets. He fully intended to be gone from the apartments everyone knew they'd been given, once that occurred.
He walked briefly around the suite, examining the accoutrements there. They reminded him of his childhood, the luxury (though he hadn't understood it then) that he'd been accorded as a likely Prince of the Earth.
Their apartments had a balcony, which looked out over a portion of the gardens. The evening was subdued, the night sky like soft velvet. Likely the competitors had quelled any excessive partying.
Nilul was sitting on the banister, slender legs waving idly in the wind, staring up at the stars. Absent the earthly light, those stars formed a glittering stream across the sky, the embodied forms of Creation's celestial gods.
He came up to rest his arms against the banister, exhaling quietly, looking out into the world. Of late he'd come to rely on his hearing more than his sight, but his eyes were still keen, capable of picking out the patterns on individual leaves in the garden below. Many of them, he noted, had calligraphic inscriptions on their surface, blended to resemble the leaf's natural design. Prayers to Sextes Jyles, the Immaculate Dragon of Wood. Let me be fertile. Let my children grow strong. Let me find a truly potent substance for tonight's celebrations.
That was the Realm.
"Have you ever really looked at them?" Nilul spoke up, voice gentle. "The stars."
"Seacrown is always so bright," she continued, "you can't really seem them, not even from the towers. Not like this. All the stars are my enemies, all the stars in the sky. But you'd probably already figured that out."
"I had," Ulyssian acknowledged. It was not difficult to discern that she was somehow connected with demonkind, with the Dragon's Shadow.
"Do you think," he continued, "that we might ever be enemies?"
She turned to look at him, smirking. "Uly, why would you ever think that?"
He shrugged. "I was just considering that we would be able to do quite a lot of damage to each other, in that case. You could out me as Anathema, and perform various horribly incomprehensible social things. You could betray me at a critical moment, having called down an insurmountable tide of enemies. I could decide beforehand to simply turn you in to said enemies, or overcome them and hunt you down. No disguise would save you."
"You could probably kill me right now," she mused, "even through my protections."
"There's that too," he acknowledged.
"So," she asked, "since we'd make such good enemies, should we instead just stay mediocre friends?"
"I dislike mediocrity," he said. "If we are to be friends, what would it take for me to trust you, and for you to trust me, fully? The only thing I've thought of was to ensure we could destroy each other utterly, and mutually."
Nilul laughed. "That... that's actually not such a terrible plan. You know me better than I thought, Ulyssian."
"You shouldn't underestimate me," he joked. "I am Zao's secret apprentice, after all. While undercover, I discovered that you were Anathema."
"The only thing I consistently underestimate," she retorted, "is your colossal denseness."
He wasn't particularly heavy. "What?"
"Never mind," she shook her head, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"
"I'm certain you have that ability," he demurred semantically.
"You're obnoxious," she said. Her face turned serious. "Hero."
"Hero?"
"He pledged himself to your family. He basically swore away his life to protect you, without a second thought. There was no downside for you in that arrangement. But you turned him down."
He began to respond, but she raised a hand. "I know why humans do that sort of thing. I've taken advantage of it, more than once. But you... I really didn't expect that of you. I thought you were more practical than that."
"I could swear to unconditionally protect you from all who desire to take you, no matter how outrageous their forces are," he said. "Go ahead, sanctify it."
For a split second, the tiniest sliver of a heartbeat, Nilul's composure faltered. Her breathing changed, just slightly.
The recovery was, of course, almost instant. "You know I wouldn't," she said hastily. "But... you weren't lying, either."
"You were in my position, just now. There would have been no disadvantages for you to accept. I imagine it would actually have advantaged you a great deal. And yet you didn't."
"I could have," she hissed. "You've no idea- That was stupid, Uly! You've spent too much time around Moon. Friends can't always be faithful and true, there are other pressures, other factors. The real world doesn't work like that."
"It works like that in stories," he replied easily, looking out at the gardens. "The world should work that way, don't you think?"
"Yes," she said exasperatedly, "but that doesn't matter. Stories are just stories. Do you know another word for a story? A-"
"A lie," he said. He turned to look at her. "But a story can be more beautiful than reality. A lie can be more beautiful than the truth. Just because reality is stronger, doesn't mean that it is right."
"That's just words," she said, muscles tense. "Words and lies and stories. People talk. Anyone can talk. But in the end-"
"I tried to unmake the world, once," he said.
Nilul squinted at him. "All right," she declared, "I'm wondering if my lie-detecting skills are broken."
"It was my past life, in the First Age. The later parts I don't remember well, only generalities. I was called Odyssial, and all in stars in heaven were my enemies, as much as they are yours. I felt the world was too cruel, and sought to remake it. Heaven would probably protect even you, if you told them where and how to find the reincarnation of Odyssial, who shattered the Godspear. Especially if you told them that he still had his memories. Those who would dare try to kill me, would want to make the attempt before I grew strong."
"Wait," she said. Her face was scrunched up, and there was a look in her eyes that he'd never seen from her before. "You, you- You're so hopeless! You shouldn't talk any more. Look at what you've gotten yourself into. Telling that to me? To me!"
She sniffed, then paused, and clenched her fist, trembling. "My... my mother is the Scarlet Empress. My father is the Ebon Dragon. She's been plotting something with him for at least two decades, since I was born. I think it involves me somehow. All the demons and Infernal Exalted under his sway, he's told to keep an eye out for me. If things turned out too bad, I was thinking of betraying you, maybe, or at least abandoning you so I could get away. But they probably won't care about you, as long as you give me over first. Oh, you should probably pay closer attention to Moon when you're alone together. Nothing dangerous, just something you've missed."
She shuddered, exhaling.
"There. That's not enough to make us even, but that's all I have. That's... the truth." She winced. "Mutual destruction, right?"
"I'm... sorry, that must have been hard for you. I was insensitive, like I often am. I can still swear that oath if it'll make you feel better," he offered.
"Oh, shut up!" she snapped. "When you were a mortal, how many times a day did you push through, even when it was unbearable? I'm not so spoiled that I can't, that, that I can't even do this," she swallowed. "Just sit up here and look at our enemies with me, okay? And don't talk."
He did so, and she abruptly hugged him. For a long moment they sat silently, before Nilul spoke.
"A friend I can trust," she murmured into his shoulder. "It's nothing but a lie. But, you're right. Just because it's a lie, doesn't mean that it's wrong. When you're stronger, I'll help you destroy the world. If you want."
"That's not a phrase I ever thought I'd hear anyone say," he mused.
"Hush," she said. "Don't ruin this with your talking. You're too frustrating... I never thought that I'd make a friend I could trust. Especially not you. Hero? He's unlikely to betray anyone. You? You're kind of an asshole."
"Thanks, friend," he answered sarcastically.
She looked up at him, the stars reflected in her eyes.
"I'm still going to be me," she said, "so don't expect every word from my mouth to be the Unconquered truth. But, if you ever want to know what I really think, just ask."
---
The next day, drawings for the tournament were held. It was an excellent opportunity to cheat, and they'd prepared themselves well. Ulyssian, clad in the Storm Armor, entered the Pavilion early in the morning, to birdsong and morning mist. Nilul wore a black silk qipao with her hair done up in chopsticks, darting about, a few paces ahead or behind. Above, the halcyon dawn burned violet and incarnadine, spreading livid streaks of red across the slowly lightening sky.
Nilul's plan, to wear down Cathak Polemgaos by depleting his reserves of will, had two peaks of effectiveness: one, immediately, when he'd had minimal time to recover from her mental assault at the feast, or two, as late as possible, when she'd had more opportunities to strike.
Given the calibre of competition at this tournament, even Ulyssian didn't have favorable odds of winning. Thus, they decided to attempt to fix the drawing so that he could encounter Polemgaos early. If he won, he would gain significant prestige even if he didn't take the tournament, and if he lost, well - he would have wasted minimal time that could have been spent training.
At least, that had been the plan, before Ulyssian found the Mnemon girl and her retainer with his hearing, and pointed them out to Nilul from a distance. Immediately she stepped into his shadow, keeping him entirely between her and them, and began to subvocalize, so quietly that even he had to actively strain to hear.
"Those are Infernal Exalts," she said. "Equal to Solars. Uly, we should run. We should get out of this place as soon as possible."
He retreated back into the complex, nonchalantly but at speed. Only when they were safely ensconced behind several layers of wall, would Nilul speak again, and only sub-vocally.
"We have to go soon," she said, voice urgent. "Please believe me. If you have any questions, write them. They might have hearing like yours."
---
You may ask Nilul questions before you decide. She will answer them to the best of her abilities.
[ ] Drop Everything and Leave
[ ] Stay Regardless
[ ] Write-In - You may wish to assemble your own plan, with your own balance of risks and rewards. Write-ins using information collected from Nilul will receive an effectiveness bonus.
Ulyssian had settled in, had mentally reviewed the day's events, had briefly entered his battle-trance, had finished his exercise set. The latter was almost unnecessary; his Exalted body didn't seem to require near the level of maintenance that his mortal form had. His form was stronger, his mind sharper, his instincts whisper-keen: and all that before he began to expend effort and push himself to superhuman levels. It was both disturbingly familiar and shockingly wonderful - an artifact of his past life's memories being overlaid into his mind, he supposed.
He could have retired early, but his head was clear, and he was no longer weary from the day's many social interactions. He looked around his room, took in the quality of the furnishings, the understated opulence. He might as well enjoy it while he still could; come tomorrow night, he didn't intend to sleep here anyway. Fifteen opponents of unknown skill and provenance were simply too many to effectively sabotage, given their defenses. That was likely true for the other players as well. But once the bracket was defined tomorrow, everyone would know their targets. He fully intended to be gone from the apartments everyone knew they'd been given, once that occurred.
He walked briefly around the suite, examining the accoutrements there. They reminded him of his childhood, the luxury (though he hadn't understood it then) that he'd been accorded as a likely Prince of the Earth.
Their apartments had a balcony, which looked out over a portion of the gardens. The evening was subdued, the night sky like soft velvet. Likely the competitors had quelled any excessive partying.
Nilul was sitting on the banister, slender legs waving idly in the wind, staring up at the stars. Absent the earthly light, those stars formed a glittering stream across the sky, the embodied forms of Creation's celestial gods.
He came up to rest his arms against the banister, exhaling quietly, looking out into the world. Of late he'd come to rely on his hearing more than his sight, but his eyes were still keen, capable of picking out the patterns on individual leaves in the garden below. Many of them, he noted, had calligraphic inscriptions on their surface, blended to resemble the leaf's natural design. Prayers to Sextes Jyles, the Immaculate Dragon of Wood. Let me be fertile. Let my children grow strong. Let me find a truly potent substance for tonight's celebrations.
That was the Realm.
"Have you ever really looked at them?" Nilul spoke up, voice gentle. "The stars."
"Seacrown is always so bright," she continued, "you can't really seem them, not even from the towers. Not like this. All the stars are my enemies, all the stars in the sky. But you'd probably already figured that out."
"I had," Ulyssian acknowledged. It was not difficult to discern that she was somehow connected with demonkind, with the Dragon's Shadow.
"Do you think," he continued, "that we might ever be enemies?"
She turned to look at him, smirking. "Uly, why would you ever think that?"
He shrugged. "I was just considering that we would be able to do quite a lot of damage to each other, in that case. You could out me as Anathema, and perform various horribly incomprehensible social things. You could betray me at a critical moment, having called down an insurmountable tide of enemies. I could decide beforehand to simply turn you in to said enemies, or overcome them and hunt you down. No disguise would save you."
"You could probably kill me right now," she mused, "even through my protections."
"There's that too," he acknowledged.
"So," she asked, "since we'd make such good enemies, should we instead just stay mediocre friends?"
"I dislike mediocrity," he said. "If we are to be friends, what would it take for me to trust you, and for you to trust me, fully? The only thing I've thought of was to ensure we could destroy each other utterly, and mutually."
Nilul laughed. "That... that's actually not such a terrible plan. You know me better than I thought, Ulyssian."
"You shouldn't underestimate me," he joked. "I am Zao's secret apprentice, after all. While undercover, I discovered that you were Anathema."
"The only thing I consistently underestimate," she retorted, "is your colossal denseness."
He wasn't particularly heavy. "What?"
"Never mind," she shook her head, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"
"I'm certain you have that ability," he demurred semantically.
"You're obnoxious," she said. Her face turned serious. "Hero."
"Hero?"
"He pledged himself to your family. He basically swore away his life to protect you, without a second thought. There was no downside for you in that arrangement. But you turned him down."
He began to respond, but she raised a hand. "I know why humans do that sort of thing. I've taken advantage of it, more than once. But you... I really didn't expect that of you. I thought you were more practical than that."
"I could swear to unconditionally protect you from all who desire to take you, no matter how outrageous their forces are," he said. "Go ahead, sanctify it."
For a split second, the tiniest sliver of a heartbeat, Nilul's composure faltered. Her breathing changed, just slightly.
The recovery was, of course, almost instant. "You know I wouldn't," she said hastily. "But... you weren't lying, either."
"You were in my position, just now. There would have been no disadvantages for you to accept. I imagine it would actually have advantaged you a great deal. And yet you didn't."
"I could have," she hissed. "You've no idea- That was stupid, Uly! You've spent too much time around Moon. Friends can't always be faithful and true, there are other pressures, other factors. The real world doesn't work like that."
"It works like that in stories," he replied easily, looking out at the gardens. "The world should work that way, don't you think?"
"Yes," she said exasperatedly, "but that doesn't matter. Stories are just stories. Do you know another word for a story? A-"
"A lie," he said. He turned to look at her. "But a story can be more beautiful than reality. A lie can be more beautiful than the truth. Just because reality is stronger, doesn't mean that it is right."
"That's just words," she said, muscles tense. "Words and lies and stories. People talk. Anyone can talk. But in the end-"
"I tried to unmake the world, once," he said.
Nilul squinted at him. "All right," she declared, "I'm wondering if my lie-detecting skills are broken."
"It was my past life, in the First Age. The later parts I don't remember well, only generalities. I was called Odyssial, and all in stars in heaven were my enemies, as much as they are yours. I felt the world was too cruel, and sought to remake it. Heaven would probably protect even you, if you told them where and how to find the reincarnation of Odyssial, who shattered the Godspear. Especially if you told them that he still had his memories. Those who would dare try to kill me, would want to make the attempt before I grew strong."
"Wait," she said. Her face was scrunched up, and there was a look in her eyes that he'd never seen from her before. "You, you- You're so hopeless! You shouldn't talk any more. Look at what you've gotten yourself into. Telling that to me? To me!"
She sniffed, then paused, and clenched her fist, trembling. "My... my mother is the Scarlet Empress. My father is the Ebon Dragon. She's been plotting something with him for at least two decades, since I was born. I think it involves me somehow. All the demons and Infernal Exalted under his sway, he's told to keep an eye out for me. If things turned out too bad, I was thinking of betraying you, maybe, or at least abandoning you so I could get away. But they probably won't care about you, as long as you give me over first. Oh, you should probably pay closer attention to Moon when you're alone together. Nothing dangerous, just something you've missed."
She shuddered, exhaling.
"There. That's not enough to make us even, but that's all I have. That's... the truth." She winced. "Mutual destruction, right?"
"I'm... sorry, that must have been hard for you. I was insensitive, like I often am. I can still swear that oath if it'll make you feel better," he offered.
"Oh, shut up!" she snapped. "When you were a mortal, how many times a day did you push through, even when it was unbearable? I'm not so spoiled that I can't, that, that I can't even do this," she swallowed. "Just sit up here and look at our enemies with me, okay? And don't talk."
He did so, and she abruptly hugged him. For a long moment they sat silently, before Nilul spoke.
"A friend I can trust," she murmured into his shoulder. "It's nothing but a lie. But, you're right. Just because it's a lie, doesn't mean that it's wrong. When you're stronger, I'll help you destroy the world. If you want."
"That's not a phrase I ever thought I'd hear anyone say," he mused.
"Hush," she said. "Don't ruin this with your talking. You're too frustrating... I never thought that I'd make a friend I could trust. Especially not you. Hero? He's unlikely to betray anyone. You? You're kind of an asshole."
"Thanks, friend," he answered sarcastically.
She looked up at him, the stars reflected in her eyes.
"I'm still going to be me," she said, "so don't expect every word from my mouth to be the Unconquered truth. But, if you ever want to know what I really think, just ask."
---
The next day, drawings for the tournament were held. It was an excellent opportunity to cheat, and they'd prepared themselves well. Ulyssian, clad in the Storm Armor, entered the Pavilion early in the morning, to birdsong and morning mist. Nilul wore a black silk qipao with her hair done up in chopsticks, darting about, a few paces ahead or behind. Above, the halcyon dawn burned violet and incarnadine, spreading livid streaks of red across the slowly lightening sky.
Nilul's plan, to wear down Cathak Polemgaos by depleting his reserves of will, had two peaks of effectiveness: one, immediately, when he'd had minimal time to recover from her mental assault at the feast, or two, as late as possible, when she'd had more opportunities to strike.
Given the calibre of competition at this tournament, even Ulyssian didn't have favorable odds of winning. Thus, they decided to attempt to fix the drawing so that he could encounter Polemgaos early. If he won, he would gain significant prestige even if he didn't take the tournament, and if he lost, well - he would have wasted minimal time that could have been spent training.
At least, that had been the plan, before Ulyssian found the Mnemon girl and her retainer with his hearing, and pointed them out to Nilul from a distance. Immediately she stepped into his shadow, keeping him entirely between her and them, and began to subvocalize, so quietly that even he had to actively strain to hear.
"Those are Infernal Exalts," she said. "Equal to Solars. Uly, we should run. We should get out of this place as soon as possible."
He retreated back into the complex, nonchalantly but at speed. Only when they were safely ensconced behind several layers of wall, would Nilul speak again, and only sub-vocally.
"We have to go soon," she said, voice urgent. "Please believe me. If you have any questions, write them. They might have hearing like yours."
---
You may ask Nilul questions before you decide. She will answer them to the best of her abilities.
[ ] Drop Everything and Leave
[ ] Stay Regardless
[ ] Write-In - You may wish to assemble your own plan, with your own balance of risks and rewards. Write-ins using information collected from Nilul will receive an effectiveness bonus.
Rihaku
The Internet
Got any questions?
SirLagginton
Shadow Cabal Caerbannog Bun-Bun
- Location
- Arrrghhh
Uly, sometimes I really do want to slap you.
Rihaku
The Internet
Heavenly Guardian Defense!
It's bad because it suggests that Eddy and Scarlet are moving. Perhaps the servants of the dragon are tooling around in her highness' empire for unrelated reasons, or just want to win the contest, but even if they are here by coincidence, they represent a terrible threat to Nilul, maybe Ulyssian, maybe the Realm, and maybe sorta Creation.
Rihaku
The Internet
Nilul: "This Menmon girl defeated their House champion easily. You think she couldn't give you a run for your money when she's not holding back? Then there's the other one. What Solars can do, they can match it. There's two of them and one of you. Worse, if either of them survives and communicates to Hell, they'll know who and where I am. Zao won't be safe. None of us will be. It's not worth a stupid tournament!"
Can you turn the Hunt on them?
Deadly Snark
Tryhard As Fuck
1. This is a personal threat to Nilul, they will go for her and with everything they have. So she is understandably scared shitless
2. This suggest that whatever plan Her Redness and the ED are planning are being implemented, thus this is crucial information that needs to get to Zao at all haste.
Rihaku
The Internet
Nilul: We could try, but they'll wonder how they were outed. I don't think they'll suspect it was me immediately, but the Hunt isn't guaranteed to beat them, no more than it is you. It introduces too many variables, running away is just safer! What if the Hunt investigates all attendees, including you and me?
Emerald Oracle
Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force
- Location
- The Else
Has Nilul already been outed to them? Or is her disguise still secure despite the fact that theirs was not secure against her? How DID she break their disguise?
Rihaku
The Internet
They may not necessarily serve the Ebon Dragon directly, btw. She only knows that they're Infernals because she can "sort of" see through Loom-Snarling Deception.