Remove ads

Forge of Destiny(Xianxia Quest)

Reader mode
Aze said:
who wasn't something birthed by the corpse as far as we know ?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Which is why I quoted the worm mimic implying heavily they were born by the corpse.


Aze said:
and we have never been told that having some elements mean that you can't use another, like ever ?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Of cpurse not we are human after all.

Aze said:
Because we have never seen one in a single mountain during the single year we spent in a small part of an Asia sized Empire they do not exist ?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

If they don't exist around the mountain with

Aze said:
"Original" Xuan Wu, yet another fact that you are presenting as a fait accompli, because if we go with the "he is the oldest so obviously the first" then no monkeys existed before the Reveler decided to have comrades to drink under the table and no one had the chance to date a snek waifu before Bao the Fisher ran accross Proto-Meizhen.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It seems to be heavily implied, yes. After all all xuan are descended from the Xuan Wu, all Bai from grand mother snake and so on.

There has been very little evidence that whatever species they were existed before them, yes.

AbeoLogos said:
Volcanic Tyrant Tortoises are fire/mountain. We've also literally seen the two of them. One of them is a serpentine reptile thing of some kind, the other a giant tortoise. Kohatu was killed by having her core shattered. If you're going to do a decisive core-strike on something, regeneration is a lot less of a deterrent than armor is.

Note, I'm not advancing this as a firm theory for the downfall of the pair, because my official position is that we have no clue and that you're pulling things out of your butt. Still, your objections to the theoretical I concocted (to demonstrate that alternative explanations exist and we shouldn't assume) isn't very sound.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Fair enough, I forgot the turtle was mountain too.

veekie said:
Determination is nowhere near enough, though its useful to keep trying.
Trying the right way is still needed.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

That's true for both us and Zhengui tho.


On the Xuan, from what I gethered they are pretty unhappy Xuan Shi failed to convince us to join him. Wether that means that we could marry him depend on how much they want zhengui.
 
veekie said:
Determination is nowhere near enough, though its useful to keep trying.
Trying the right way is still needed.

Earth usually favors things like Badgers, Trapdoor Spiders and the like actually.
Prepare a field and let your opponent walk into it.

We saw Shen Hu's swamp field strategy as an example.
Exceptions as always, exist.

Actually from what I can tell spirit beasts and spirits in general with multiple elements exist, but are rare as fuck to begin with, so its no surprise we never saw opposed elemental spirits. Odds are good that such spirits are usually:
-Very rare
-Very powerful
-and/or have synthesized their opposition into a new element.

Naw, because its a high politick environment, which means the double and triple meanings needs to be observed.

The question is which layer takes precedence, not which layer exists:
-Layer 1: Its just an invitation to visit.
-Layer 2: Its a light attempt to poach Ling Qi for a vassal. But why? See 3 and 4
-Layer 3: Its looking for a mate for Zhengui -> Odd that they're disappointed when Ling Qi focused the reply on Zhengui visiting. -> Could still be a facade tho
-Layer 4: Its looking for a marriage offer with Ling Qi to make sure all the Xuanwus are still in the family. -> Would make some sense why Ling Qi's reply would disappoint them.
-Layer 5: Its looking for a deeper alliance with the Cai via Ling Qi/Zhengui visiting as an excuse
-Layer 6: For SCIENCE OF COURSE!

There is enough of an implication to say there is some interest on their part, especially with a branch family member of little importance being expended to reel a recruitment prospect in, but not enough to say that its their primary, or even secondary goal.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

If you go far enough down the multiple meanings path than everything becomes madness. Also are you sure this is a high politick environment? High politicks usually happen behind closed doors. This feels far more like mid level politcks. The reason I say this is that this is the first meeting between a high ranked person of importance and a low ranked up and comer. This whole conversation that Ling Qi had screams to me of a boundary and expection setting conversation. How do we react to certain conversation threads? How do we react to certain words? How does Cai react to different things?

However I can say for certainty that this conversation is not an attempt to poach Ling Qi. Why? Because it was so obvious and right in front of our liege. Cai shot it down immediately. The reason she did so? Because that was what was expected of her. It was not a serious attempt it was to gauge how Cai would react to such a conversation.

It also very nicely sets up a reason to check in on Ling Qi and thus Cai again especially with what Cai has already promised. "Have you given any more thought to having Zhengui visit his kin yet? Oh, Miss Cai I did not see you there, Ah that reminds me how has the talks with the Jin been going?"
 
If anything suggests the Xuan's interest in marriage it was the exchange beforehand. Where Xuan Ce queried Cai Renxiang and Ling Qi about what they think of his nephew Xuan Shi and was faintly disappointed that they replied with platitudes about him being a valuable ally.

It's likely Xuan Ce would have wanted for Xuan Shi to be more proactive in making connections and was disappointed that Shi remained in his shell and practiced formations instead of making friends, but it's possible (and more funny, which is why it was talked about more) that Xuan Ce was asking about Shi's love-life and was disappointed that Shi made no moves to form romantic entanglements.

The invitation was about Zhengui, though Xuan Ce might have hoped that it will bind either Zhengui himself or the Cai clan more tightly to the Xuan.
 
archangis said:
Which is why I quoted the worm mimic implying heavily they were born by the corpse.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yes he just said "That is the scent, you will replace them soon enough" and you take it like that ? Wow.

archangis said:
Of cpurse not we are human after all.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
You know very well thay I was talking about the context of Spirt beast not being able to have an element because they have an 'opposite'.

And you still didn't give proof that, say, a fire/water couldn't exist.

archangis said:
If they don't exist around the mountain with
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Probably something missong at the end, in either case if your argument is "We never saw them on this mountain so it is impossible, ever, in the entire setting" welp 1- World is a big place and 2-There isn't exactly a single Argent Mountain.

So yeah, it isn't because your starting city don't have them that it means that they don't exist ?

archangis said:
It seems to be heavily implied, yes. After all all xuan are descended from the Xuan Wu, all Bai from grand mother snake and so on.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It is absolutely not implied ? You are legitimely the first one that I heard saying that the Living Island is the Progenitor of the race.

archangis said:
There has been very little evidence that whatever species they were existed before them, yes.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
"We have never heard of them existing before"... when all we have is one Interludes of 1000s words whose purpose was to describe the Sublim Ancestor and give us a quick rundown of their number and status, you are arguing that it proves your point ? Really ?
 
archangis said:
It seems to be heavily implied, yes. After all all xuan are descended from the Xuan Wu, all Bai from grand mother snake and so on.

There has been very little evidence that whatever species they were existed before them, yes.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Uh, the clan yes, would claim descent from a common ancestor.
The species definitely not.
archangis said:
That's true for both us and Zhengui tho.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
As a mortal we have a much greater leeway in shaping ourselves. Now, we COULD shape ourselves into a dead end, but for Spirit Beasts, UP TILL their plateau, improvement is about Being More Like The Ideal Xuanwu. To get PAST the natural plateau, its about Reinventing What This Ideal Xuanwu is.
SITB said:
If anything suggests the Xuan's interest in marriage it was the exchange beforehand. Where Xuan Ce queried Cai Renxiang and Ling Qi about what they think of his nephew Xuan Shi and was faintly disappointed that they replied with platitudes about him being a valuable ally.

It's likely Xuan Ce would have wanted for Xuan Shi to be more proactive in making connections and was disappointed that Shi remained in his shell and practiced formations instead of making friends, but it's possible (and more funny, which is why it was talked about more) that Xuan Ce was asking about Shi's love-life and was disappointed that Shi made no moves to form romantic entanglements.

The invitation was about Zhengui, though Xuan Ce might have hoped that it will bind either Zhengui himself or the Cai clan more tightly to the Xuan.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Pretty much. You can see the motivation at the root is Zhengui, but they appear to have hoped for something more than "can study your Xuanwu" and "can introduce your Xuanwu to some cute Xuanwu girls"
 
Aze said:
You know very well thay I was talking about the context of Spirt beast not being able to have an element because they have an 'opposite'.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Spirit beast are born with their elements as far as we know. Humans are pretty different.

What human can do has very little influence on what spirit beast can be.

Aze said:
Probably something missong at the end, in either case if your argument is "We never saw them on this mountain so it is impossible, ever, in the entire setting" welp 1- World is a big place and 2-There isn't exactly a single Argent Mountain.

So yeah, it isn't because your starting city don't have them that it means that they don't exist ?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

The argent vent are balanced. It should be the exact place where balanced spirit would be found, much like mountain would be where mountain spirit can be found.

veekie said:
Uh, the clan yes, would claim descent from a common ancestor.
The species definitely not.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Aze said:
It is absolutely not implied ? You are legitimely the first one that I heard saying that the Living Island is the Progenitor of the race.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

If there were other non Xuan xuanwu we would have heard about them when trying to get more information about zhengui.

Edit: Actually after re reading the paragraph on the subject, there are explicitely some Xuan Wu outside of the savage sea. So I am going to retract that.

veekie said:
As a mortal we have a much greater leeway in shaping ourselves. Now, we COULD shape ourselves into a dead end, but for Spirit Beasts, UP TILL their plateau, improvement is about Being More Like The Ideal Xuanwu. To get PAST the natural plateau, its about Reinventing What This Ideal Xuanwu is.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Cultivation is all about being yourself. An human is trying to be his ideal self, much like a xuanwu is.

Either way, hard work help them finding out what their ideal is.

Aze said:
"We have never heard of them existing before"... when all we have is one Interludes of 1000s words whose purpose was to describe the Sublim Ancestor and give us a quick rundown of their number and status, you are arguing that it proves your point ? Really ?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

If there were other ascended snake that ascended before snek grandma, snek grandma would not be at the helm of her clan.
 
Last edited:
archangis said:
Cultivation is all about being yourself. An human is trying to be his ideal self, much like a xuanwu is.

Either way, hard work help them finding out what their ideal is.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's really not? You start as a human then become steadily less who you were as you become more like your chosen Way. Trying to stay true to yourself without having chosen a Way true to yourself will see you lose your Way like Jiao and have your cultivation stall out.
 
archangis said:
Cultivation is all about being yourself. An human is trying to be his ideal self, much like a xuanwu is.

Either way, hard work help them finding out what their ideal is.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The problem with a Spirit/Spirit Beast is that Being Yourself can also mean Being A Cyan Spirit Of Lonely Winter Death. Never able to move past Cyan for that very identity.
To move past their natural plateau means they must find a way to be themselves while not being themselves. They must reinvent themselves without losing their identification to the extent of regression or crippling.

Thats why they bond cultivator partners. The mortal exposes them to new experiences and they are able to engage in lateral growth until a new path can be seen.
 
Varder said:
By herself? Sure. But where's Ling Qi there's Cai Rexiang as well. It's still a step down but not that major anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

No, it's still a step down from a ducal scion born into the leadership caste of her clan.


In comparison, LQ is a baroness of a new born clan. Being Cai's vassal actually makes it worse since, you'd be marrying into her clan rather than the other way around.
 
Asael said:
Keep in mind, the guy we're talking about was in line to marry Meizhen once upon a time. Ling Qi is, I am sorry to say, a major step down, Xuanwu or no.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Varder said:
By herself? Sure. But where's Ling Qi there's Cai Rexiang as well. It's still a step down but not that major anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
One of the reasons that Xuan Shi and Bai Meizhen's talk of marriage stalled? because neither clan could agree on whom will marry into the other's family. Meizhen was too much of a step down for it to be acceptable. Ling Qi? that's ridiculously low target.
 
Arkeus said:
One of the reasons that Xuan Shi and Bai Meizhen's talk of marriage stalled? because neither clan could agree on whom will marry into the other's family. Meizhen was too much of a step down for it to be acceptable. Ling Qi? that's ridiculously low target.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Where did you get this info?
 
Varder said:
Where did you get this info?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Broken2511/02/2017

When two people of different great clans marry, to what clan their kids go?
Yrsillar11/02/2017

Depends on what their families negotiated in the marriage


Arkeus11/02/2017

OH


Was that the issue with Xuan Shi and Meizhen marriage?
Yrsillar11/02/2017

yah


Codex11/02/2017

When you have two ancient clans marrying


they start jostling

Codex11/02/2017

Technicallt the Xuan should be of greater standing


I mean they have a White


the Bai don't


the Bai are out of favor


the Xuan are still in favor I think?
Yrsillar11/02/2017

Yeah


Yrsillar11/02/2017

Savage Seas is kinda remote so they don't get stuck in with court politics much


Falconis11/02/2017

the Bai almost certainly have bloodline preservation methods


Yrsillar11/02/2017

Yeah there is stuff to ensure bloodlines pass on right



Grigori11/02/2017

On the Bai side though, I suppose they have to be even more cautious of their scions not keeping their names since they're in a vulnerable position

Yrsillar11/02/2017

Yeah
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

@Arkeus I think it is what you were referring to right ?
 
Depending on how close the Cai might want to get to the Xuan, a Xuan Shi/CRX marriage might be possible.

Xuan Shi might have been sent here to seduce CRX, actually.
 
archangis said:
Depending on how close the Cai might want to get to the Xuan, a Xuan Shi/CRX marriage might be possible.

Xuan Shi might have been sent here to seduce CRX, actually.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I dont think it would be a bad thing if the two of them get hitched.


TBH, I'm worried CRX will get hitched to someone shitty but politically connected by her mom.


At least LQ will have some say in who she marries.
 
Asael said:
TBH, I'm worried CRX will get hitched to someone shitty but politically connected by her mom.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

While that's possible, I think it would go against Cai mom goal. She want to control everything and her daughter is just a tool for that. I believe she won't give her tool a crooked husband, if only because it would hinder her daughter and thus her.

On the other hand, Cai mom is pretty damn close to a outside context problem, so expecting her to do what I believe to be logical might be a mistake.
 
archangis said:
While that's possible, I think it would go against Cai mom goal. She want to control everything and her daughter is just a tool for that. I believe she won't give her tool a crooked husband, if only because it would hinder her daughter and thus her.

On the other hand, Cai mom is pretty damn close to a outside context problem, so expecting her to do what I believe to be logical might be a mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Honestly, What goes on in Shenhua's head is a bit of a mystery.

The only thing we know for sure, is that her 'way' seems to be 'glorious tyrant'. What that entails exactly is questionable.
 
If CRX does get a bad match we can help drive him insane! Reaches for a brush, the brush is no longer there! Tries to take a sip of water, where did his glass go?

Just little things like that.
 
Remove ads
Historical Timeline
  • Informational
    • So, As I have been working on this project, I've been thinking hard about some aspects of the WoG I have given out regarding events outside of the story, and come to the conclusion that I can improve the settings verisimilitude a good deal. Namely, the whole length of time involved in imperial history. My original justification for the 25 thousand year number is that the lifespans involved make it necessary, but giving further thought to the actual functioning of the setting, and I have to consider that the average imperial reign or individual duke's reign is more likely to be in the realm of 200-400 years, given that they will likely either rise late in life, or if young ascend well before they reach the end of their natural span. So, all that said, I am going to present a timeline of imperial history here. This timeline supersedes all previous WoG statements, though if it contradicts something in the story itself, please let me know and I'll make adjustments. Dates are largely approximate.

    My apologies to the wiki editors whose workload increases from this.

    Timeline Key: BP=Before Present



    0: Ling Qi enters the Argent Peak Inner Sect
    -15BP: Ling Qi is born
    -40BP: Sima Jiao retires from his position at the Ministry of Integrity
    -43BP: Emperor An ascends and becomes Inexorable Justice
    -150BP: Cai Shenhua takes her seat as Duchess
    -152BP: Cai Shenhua and gathered clans of Emerald Seas demand the Hui duke step down and surrender the capital
    -200BP: Cai Shenhua ascends to White
    -250BP: Cai Shenhua born
    -390BP: Sun Shao's conquest ends
    -398BP: Emperor An enthroned
    -400BP: Sun Shao's conquest/rebellion begins
    -450BP: Great Sect system put in place, granting imperial patronage to certain Sects.
    -490BP: Ministry of Integrity established
    -498BP: Yuan He corners and slays the Great Khan Ogodei
    -500BP: Great Khan Ogodei invades Emerald Seas
    -550BP: Cloud Tribe aggression mounts, clans in the foothills of the wall begin decline, and receive no centralized aid.
    -700BP: Emperor Si enthroned
    -3500BP: Mu dynasty rises to the Dragon Throne
    -3600BP: Last Ao Emperor is assassinated
    -4000BP: Guo officially recognized as dukes of Golden Fields
    -4950BP: Hui rise to ducal seat of emerald Seas
    -5000BP: Xi, dukes of Emerald Seas, are shattered by internecine conflict
    -6000BP: Lu Guanxi awakens the Purifying Sun to battle the Twilight King, Ao Longshen
    -6100BP: Emperor Xu enthroned, elder brother Ao Longshen disappears
    -6200BP: Jing clan of Alabaster Sands departs. Jin raised to fill their position.
    -6600BP: Islands sunk and cities destroyed by brief clash mostly repaired
    -6800BP: The Living Isle and the Father of Depths clash
    -7000BP: Savage Seas province and the Seafolk enter open war over contested territory
    -7900BP: Emperor Li raises daughter clan of Weilu, Xi to dukedom over the warring factions of Emerald Seas
    -8000BP: Strife Ends, Ao dynasty rises to the Dragon Throne
    -8500BP: Weilu disappearance occurs
    -9000BP: Strife of Twin Emperors/Shang usurpation begins
    -10000BP: Xuan peacefully join the Empire
    -11800BP: Sage Emperor is slain in marriage bed by the Priestess-Queen of the Red Garden
    -12000BP: Sage Emperor officially established Celestial Empire
    -12100BP: Bai, Zheng, Weilu, Lu, and Jing subordinate themselves to Sage Emperor
    -12200BP: Sage Emperor Establishes kingdom is the Celestial Peaks
    -12500BP: Savage Isles consolidated under the Hermit King of the Living Isle
    -13000BP: Ji the Mariner, He the Glorious establish Jing and Lu Kingdoms
    -15000BP: Yao the fisher, Zhi the conqueror, and Tsu the diviner found Bai, Zheng and Weilu kingdoms.
    ~16000BP: Cataclysm ends the reign of dragons and erases almost all traces of human civilization
    ~25000BP: Rise of the first Dragon God
     
    Last edited:
  • Informational
    • I rather liked the extremely long history of the empire. I can't even say why exactly. Part is novelty, part is that it underlines how alien it is, part may be something I don't even know. 12000 isn't exactly short, and it's still about half the previous figure, so it's not like those don't still apply.

    Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man that doesn't like change.
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top