As I thought. Deis is desperate to get home, but between the casual power we showed, her own weakness, and a cool head she wasn't rash about it.
I do wonder though... how separate is a clone from us? Can we completely cut it off from us and it just dies when the magic sustaining it runs out? If the answer if "yes" and we make it mentally empty enough, we might be able to get a flesh-and-blood (or close enough) body for Deis.
But Ershin. Hmmm...
I can get why she wanted to never go back to Ershin, I mean she was in a "I have no mouth and must scream" position trapped inside her/it without even being in a Flesh-and-blood body? Woman's got guts going back into Ershin willingly in canon.
I do wonder though... how separate is a clone from us? Can we completely cut it off from us and it just dies when the magic sustaining it runs out? If the answer if "yes" and we make it mentally empty enough, we might be able to get a flesh-and-blood (or close enough) body for Deis.
Four-of-a-Kind Clones operate in one of two modes:
1) Normally, they're tethered to Flan, continuously drawing energy from her to do things. She can share their senses if she wants to, but she can't body-jack. Range is somewhat limited, but there's no arbitrary duration.
2) She can give the clones a set amount of magic to sustain them and then set them 'loose.' They aren't bound to her, although she can absorb their memories (and remaining energy) if they merge again.
Her clones are pure magical constructs, however, unlike Flan herself - remember how Alduin was able to distinguish her from her clones? - and dissolve when they 'die' or if the energy is cut off. Flan has tried to use the clones to let Headless have her own body, but it's never worked.
Her clones are pure magical constructs, however, unlike Flan herself - remember how Alduin was able to distinguish her from her clones? - and dissolve when they 'die' or if the energy is cut off. Flan has tried to use the clones to let Headless have her own body, but it's never worked.
She is, and unlike Headless, she's a magician. Maybe it could be made to work, with effort ... although the drawbacks of having a body made of magic, that doesn't generate its own, are something else to consider. Under normal circumstances, though, Flan would neither consider it nor consider it possible.
However Deis can research Flandre's clones and probably make her own version to use as she sees fit. They will still be clones and Deis's main mind will be trapped in Ershin but better than nothing ...
[X] Let Deis come with you.
- [X] Head south to Sarai.
As long as she doesn't flip out on us, things should be fun.
We should learn things from her to help us do '(Fighting/Abilities/Misc)'.
Not much help if we can't acquire knowledge.
However Deis can research Flandre's clones and probably make her own version to use as she sees fit. They will still be clones and Deis's main mind will be trapped in Ershin but better than nothing ...
Actually Deis making a single clone to see through from outside of Ershin would be a good ways towards what she wants. She can still go out and have some fun, speak with people as herself, she just probably can't do it indefinitely.
Although, considering how easily she tired she might not have the strength for it right now.
On the other hand, if improving magic is like improving a muscle, or if repeated use improves her efficiency of the spell, well Deis has some excellent motivation to use and get better at the clone spell. So it might be a good way for her to push herself towards regaining her strength.
Headless is referring to Patchouli and whether or not she'll give any information on the other worlds. (Spoiler: She will.)
Speaking of Magicians, I think Flan has a problem. Y'see, Patchouli has purple hair. And the first 'magician' Flan tried to recruit was Homura (who has black hair but purple magic). Her first successful recruit was Lutecia, who has purple hair. And now she has Deis, who has blueish hair. Do you think this is indicative of a problem forming, or does purple just associate very strongly with powerful mages?
... But Remilia, Flandre, and Reimu are all red, which would put them at the weak end of the scale. And isn't Alice's thing being that combining colors is stronger than a single color (Reimu, being two colors, is only 28.5714 as powerful as Alice's rainbow of colors)?
Headless is referring to Patchouli and whether or not she'll give any information on the other worlds. (Spoiler: She will.)
Speaking of Magicians, I think Flan has a problem. Y'see, Patchouli has purple hair. And the first 'magician' Flan tried to recruit was Homura (who has black hair but purple magic). Her first successful recruit was Lutecia, who has purple hair. And now she has Deis, who has blueish hair. Do you think this is indicative of a problem forming, or does purple just associate very strongly with powerful mages?
I'm pretty sure that this is some kind of Xenogears-y identity completion thing. Case in point: Reimu hangs out with Yukari, completing the red-purple range. Marisa, who is monochrome, hangs out with Alice who is a combination of seven colors. Again, the range is complete from red to purple.
This is just a natural thing in Gensokyo. Don't worry about it.
(Alternately, the Scarlet Bloodline has a secret weakness to pretty, purple haired mages. It's hereditary! Remilia has it too!)
... But Remilia, Flandre, and Reimu are all red, which would put them at the weak end of the scale. And isn't Alice's thing being that combining colors is stronger than a single color (Reimu, being two colors, is only 28.5714 as powerful as Alice's rainbow of colors)?
Flandre has a rainbow of colors, just looking at her wing crystals, and one of Reimu's and Remilia's 'colors' is white, which is actually the combination of every other color!
Flandre has a rainbow of colors, just looking at her wing crystals, and one of Reimu's and Remilia's 'colors' is white, which is actually the combination of every other color!
The youkai peasants did not think their smear campaign though and the glorious vampire master race has once again emerged clean from it all!
Truly a glorious day night for us!
[X] Let Deis come with you.
- [X] Head south to Sarai.
You wake up after a restful sleep and stretch. Ershin is still sitting on the floor, looking at the door, so you hop to your feet and lightly thump the helmet. It rises to its feet and looks at you. "Alright, you two - I'm leaving. If you want to come with me, now's the time." You walk past it and open the door, and it follows you as you head toward the ritual area. It's quiet, and you wonder if you'll have to go back into the mental construct to talk with Deis. You hope not; it's not that big an inconvenience most of the time, but it's still annoying. And she should know a translation spell - she was summoned here, and people wouldn't just summon something unless they were sure they could communicate with it! You see flashes of magic and hear the sounds of combat before you reach the site, and you arrive to find the workers besieged by another horde of the strange monsters, reinforced by what seems to be a giant skeletal fish. The fish suddenly throws itself into the workers' defensive line, and while parts of it slough off as it does so, it breaks the line, hurling several workers back and letting the lesser monsters break through. Ershin's fists fly past you, followed by the armor itself, and the situation reverses itself; nearly impervious to the monsters' bone-scythes, Ershin is able to form a salient by itself and crushes an enemy with nearly ever move. You nod approvingly; having its help isn't going to be a handicap. The tall leader walks over and there's a rather animated discussion as you head toward the cleared town.
Ershin catches up to you as you reach the gates. You push it open and float through, and the two of you walk through the nearly-deserted town as the workers enter. "Chamba was hit by a hex in the last war," Ershin says suddenly, its speech pattern gratingly off. "A mass of hatred and bitterness, used as a weapon by humans. Purifiers work to cleanse it, physically and spiritually, but it takes time. They will be here for a year. Deis says that hexes come from humans." You giggle; humans always have such fun ideas! "… Was it appropriate to laugh at that juncture?"
"Probably not," you reply flippantly. "Say, can Deis do that spell on me? It'll make things easier if I can speak the local language instead of needing to have you serve as an intermediary."
"Deis says she is working on it. Is there anything you wish to know?" You float along in the cool night air for a while before answering.
"Deis said she was summoned to be a god. Is that common? And is her situation normal - being stuck without a body?"
"Many gods have been summoned to this world, but the group that summoned Deis has failed many of its attempts." Ershin tells you about gods of nature - of the ocean, of mud, of the sand and the grass and the sky - and how the fate of a god, an Endless, is to become a dragon and continue watching over the world. Forever. You wonder if those dragons are why Remilia and Patchouli found this world, or if there's something else. "The most successful failure occurred six centuries ago, and resulted in the Fou Empire. Only half of the god was summoned, but he was still able to conquer much of the land and establish peace."
"And the Empire is still around, trying to summon gods?" You almost wonder why one of those gods hasn't destroyed the Empire - but if Deis's situation is even remotely representative of how their summonings go, the 'gods' they summon would probably be less capable of threatening their empire than a fairy.
"Apparently so. Deis says the Empire is the group that created the Hex Cannon."
"Hm. How did Deis's summoning go, anyway? And how'd you get away from the Empire?"
"… They thought the summoning was a complete failure at first, because no body came through. Then they realized that some of the 'magic' was hanging around, and they sealed it into one of the defensive armors they had in case a summoning went bad. My powers were suppressed by the seals, but someone inside could still access my magic, so one of their generals wore the armor and led their army in several battles until he died. The Empire lost that battle, says Ershin." You wouldn't be surprised if he had some help dying, but you don't say that out loud. No sense being rude. You wonder if what would happen to Ershin if Deis left it; would it die, like Headless would if you died? Or would it keep on existing, like a tsukumogami? Hmm ….
"So this Empire doesn't rule the world, right? Is it still expanding, or has it been stopped by someone?" There's another wait for Ershin - or Deis - to collect its thoughts.
"The Empire is the only remaining power on its continent, and it has a foothold on this continent. This continent is jointly held by several non-expansionist nations that have banded together, forming an alliance against the Empire." It tells you a little about the cat-like, seminomadic Worent, the mercantilist and industrious Ludians, and the kindly and wise Wyndians. The Empire, by her account, is mostly human, but not discriminatory - even a non-human peasant child can rise to power through skill and ability. "… What is your world like?" You turn around and float backwards, watching the armor march placidly as you order your thoughts.
"Gensokyo? Hmm …. Well, it's small, but that's because it's a hide-away realm inside a real world. But it's full of youkai and gods and things, and it's even got some humans, too. It's pretty boring, because too much fighting will mess everything up and probably break the Barrier, and there isn't enough belief outside the Barrier to sustain most of the youkai. My sister and I don't have that problem, because we're vampires, and I don't think the magicians do, either, but I'm not sure beyond that." You talk a little about all the places you know about - the human village, the Hakurei Shrine, the lake and the forests - and about the Spell Card system that lets youkai fight without causing too much trouble. "… Thinking about trying to stay there if Patchouli can't find your home? It is kind of nice, and there are all sorts of people there." Ershin doesn't reply, and you're left wondering if you shouldn't have said that. Some hope is better than no hope, but ….
"Please stop." You turn to look at the armor, and a flame-like glow covers its form before concentrating in its hands - and then it launches the coruscating ball at you. Your brain seems to go ice-cold for a moment, and everything seems to move sluggishly. Ershin laughs, then goes still. "… It was not appropriate to laugh at that juncture, says Deis." You aren't particularly bothered by its pronunciation this time - probably because it isn't mangling German anymore. Your brain catches up with reality and you shake your head rapidly. "Are you alright?" You nod.
"Yes, I'm fine. It just felt … really weird." Still, you should be able to speak the local language now! You look up at the sky, just beginning to lighten. "How far are we from Sarai?"
"We will not reach it before dawn, says Deis." It pauses for a moment, considering something. "If you require rest, I can carry you inside me. If we travel through the day and tomorrow night, we should reach Sarai before dawn tomorrow." You ponder the idea. On the one hand, it would shelter you from the sun, but on the other, it would probably be dreadfully hot in there. You should be fine, physically, but you wouldn't be terribly comfortable. Then again, you could sleep … or ….
"Hm … I've got a better idea, I think. Which direction is Sarai?" Ershin turns a bit before pointing straight in front of it, and you quickly dart behind it and get a firm grip under its arms, then rise into the air. You don't go very high, in case anything is watching, but you zoom forward.
"If you can do this, why are we going to a miserable backwater? Says Deis." You giggle at the armor.
"Just because I can doesn't mean I always will, or will want to. And if there's anything neat to carry around, it's probably easier with some kind of baggage handler. And they still probably know a lot about interesting stuff to see!" There's no response, and the rest of the flight is silent. You land a good distance from the town, along a sand-swept road heading north, and start walking. As the sun rises, you get your first good look at the town.
"Those are Imperial soldiers," Ershin says. You nod absently as you watch the brightly-uniformed troops scurry about outside the walls, like the insects of a kicked-over hive. What's more interesting are the ships sitting on the sand outside the city - two small ones, and one that's bigger. One of the smaller ships stars moving rapidly to the east. What to do, what to do …?
What do you do?
[ ] Find the commander.
- [ ] Request that he loan you one of the small ships.
- [ ] Demand one of the small ships.
- [ ] Inform him that you will be taking one of the small ships.
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Head into town.
- What do you do?
[ ] Hijack the small ship.
- Where do you go?
[ ] Attack the town.
[ ] Other?
The Empire is the sole power on the western continent, and it also controls a small amount of territory on the eastern continent. It is culturally and magically refined, and while humans make up the majority of its population it does not discriminate against non-humans. It is an aggressive expansionist, although people do not suffer terribly under its rule. It is, however, capable of ruthlessness towards its enemies, most obviously exemplified by the Carronade, a massive Hex Cannon that was used in the recent war against the eastern continent, most notably at Chamba and Synesta.
The Woren are one of the core members of the Alliance. A species of cat-folk, they prize strength and martial skill, and are notoriously hot-tempered. The largest clan has a nearly-permanent settlement at Worent, in the southeast of the continent. They staunchly oppose the Empire and are fiercely loyal. They have very little skill with magic.
The Ludians are a human race, and their territory lies north of the Worens' but south of Wyndia. They are industrious and have a strong standing army, but are known for hiring mercenaries as well. They have little skill with magic compared to the Wyndians or the Empire. Ludians are arrogant and shrewd, and are perfectly willing to pick away at issues if they believe it can better their own standing. They have poor relations with their allies.
The Wyndians are a prosperous race of winged humans who live to the north of Ludia. While unable to fly particularly well or for long periods of time, they have a natural affinity to magic, especially that related to the air and wind. They are peaceful, and dislike warfare, but are resolute opponents. They have a strong bond with the Worens.
The western side of the continent has no more large realms, only free cities and the region occupied by the Empire. Synesta was on the front lines of the war against the Empire, and is still recovering. Kyoin is a military base occupied by the Empire. Shikk, to the far north, is a city on the oddity that is the only non-mud sea.
Other species have either spread themselves out, integrating with the local majority, made their homes in out-of-the-way areas.
[x] Find the commander.
- [x] Inform him that you will be taking one of the small ships.
Fuck it. We're here to have fun, nothing else really so far. So let's be as blatant as possible and go take a ship for ourselves. I'm sure something interesting will likely come of it. And if not then we have a ship and can get to more fun places even quicker and with less time/ effort. A real win/win.
[X] Find the commander.
- [X] Request that he loan you one of the small ships.
Flan is working on being more responsible, that mean we should try actual diplomacy first before making demands.
[X] Find the commander.
- [X] Request that he loan you one of the small ships.
Flan is working on being more responsible, that mean we should try actual diplomacy first before making demands.
But this is being diplomatic. We're telling him that we're taking the ship and giving him a chance to change our mind. The un-diplomatic choice would be to just commandeer it.
[X] Find the commander.
- [X] Request that he loan you one of the small ships.
Flan is working on being more responsible, that mean we should try actual diplomacy first before making demands.
The thing is we could try bluffing him and saying we have orders from his superior's superior to go do something, now and it would be his neck on the line if he didn't comply.
Him being an officer/whatever might mean he would be a jerk unwilling to lend a ship.
We would also likely have to give it back.
Either way, I want to look around the town and see if there is anything interesting first, even parasols or something would be worth looking at.
The thing is we could try bluffing him and saying we have orders from his superior's superior to go do something, now and it would be his neck on the line if he didn't comply.
Him being an officer/whatever might mean he would be a jerk unwilling to lend a ship.
We would also likely have to give it back.
Either way, I want to look around the town and see if there is anything interesting first, even parasols or something would be worth looking at.
Uhh we're a little girl in foreign clothes with Jewel wings being followed around by a sentient suit of armour. Why would he believe us or take us at all seriously? We have no uniform, no credentials, no officer names above him to name if he asks who gave us permission... No papers, aquisition orders or identification of any kind...
