A/N: See Part 1 for plan details
Learning Actions
-[X][Learning] Know Thy Enemy
--[X] The Point-Ears (DC 40+)
Roll Bonus: 9 (Taiwo's Learning) + 9 (Nkiru's Learning) = +18
DC 40
Result: 75 + 18 = 93, Notable Success!
Report #1: Biology of the Pointed-Ears
Report Authors: Nkiru & Taiwo, Ministers of Records
To his Majesty, King of the People of Uluiru,
We submit this report for your review regarding the subject of the pointed-ear peoples, who have recently come into conflict with our nation. This report is one of two on this subject, designed to be viewed by the layperson and is thus as short on loquaciousness as possible. The second of these reports will include more of the technical details common to our profession. For now, we wish to convey what we have learned using the simplest language we can get by on.
Our people's first encounter with these strange humanoids came as the result of a guard encounter with a small squadron of their kind. Further details of this incident will not be included in this report, as a matter of national security. The deceased foreign soldiers were stripped of their armaments and their cadavers turned over to us for study. After analyzing what we could of the bodies without engaging in dissection, we asked your majesty for permission to perform a deeper analysis, owing to the potential spiritual risks such an action could result in. After permission was given, we recruited one of the few surgeons in our nation to perform the necessary cuts, in order to reduce the risk of error.
What we have found after analyzing the internals is the following:
- The organs inside of the point-ear people are, for the most part, the same generally as those within human bodies. Our surgeon confirmed that everything looked the same, but in a generally better state of health than it should be considering the Wyld taint which dominates the region. In fact, they were in a better state of health than should be otherwise possible for the non-Exalted.
- In addition, they were on average taller than the average human, as far as our records tell. They were anatomically very lithe, but their muscles must have a greater degree of overall power based on the observations given of them by the soldiers who they fought.
From this, we performed an experiment with the assistance of Lady Abioye to provide insight. She transported two of the foreign cadavers, one in parts and the other still intact, outside of the stability zone constructed by your majesty. Along with it, to ensure accuracy, we also took with us a donated cadaver from among our own people to provide a point of comparison. Then, with Lady Abioye's assistance, we were able to employ the spell known as the Fugue of Truth to analyze the bodies using its limited Essence-Sight. We will likely need better solutions to this issue to make greater progress in our research.
What was found regarding the general Essence situation of the area will need to be further studied and documented in another report. What we can confirm is that it is outside of normal parameters, with flows of essence going through the air as opposed to naturally funneling through the earth. In addition, Wyld Essence is particularly prevalent as multiple elements mix together in impossible fashions. However, we could not see any damage to the bodies caused by the initial exposure to Wyld Essence. From what could be observed, the Essence did flow through the body parts, but did not leave any lingering changes upon first exposure. For the sake of thoroughness, we agreed to maintain an ongoing observation of the bodies, checking in at periodic intervals to what Wyld Exposure would do to them.
When exposed to this Wyld Essence for a week, the effects we saw on the affected body parts were as follows:
- The human cadaver after a week of exposure began to go through an accelerated cycle of decay, with the skin becoming gangrenous completely. With how cold the surrounding terrain was, such a fast cycle should not have been possible, indicating that exposure to Wyld Essence was responsible for this. Indeed, with sorcerous observation, the Wyld Taint was quick to take over the body now that all life had fled from it.
- Both the dissected and intact pointed-ear bodies were not affected by this quick cycle at this stage. Both went through the normal decay process up until this point with no deviations. No Wyld Taint was present in the bodies at this stage.
We then left the body parts outside for a month and returned to that location after the designated time had passed. Upon our return, we found the human cadaver missing, which was initially presumed to be the result of interference from carrion eaters. The pointed-ear bodies were still present, and we give our observations of them below:
- The body which had been separated into individual organs suffered only a mild degree of Wyld Taint in each individual system. This resistance is quite notable, as the Wyld presence in this location is notably high for an otherwise stable region. Further analysis of the region will need to be conducted in the future.
- The body which was still intact did not suffer any Wyld Taint in its system save for in the brain, where only minute aberrations could be detected. Our hypothesis, which will require far more extensive testing to verify, is that the pointed-ear body as a system is designed to funnel Wyld Taint away from the rest of the body and into the brain for some cleansing purpose, likely for magical abilities. When it overflows with Wyld Essence, and all pieces are intact, only the mind will suffer from mutations as a result. Again, more testing is needed to verify if this is the case. It is otherwise only a tentative theory.
Luckily enough, after our testing with the pointed-ear bodies was done, we were able to locate the missing human body as it had returned as a hungry ghost. Lady Abioye was able to dispose of the green walking carcass without too much effort with our assistance.
From these experiments, as well as the general medical knowledge provided by the experts we consulted, we have come to an initial theory which will as stated a number of times above already need additional testing to make sure. We believe that these humanoids that now inhabit this land are an engineered race akin to those possible using sorcerous experiments. The health and likely effectiveness of their individual organs, combined with their great physical resistance to Wyld Taint, suggests that they were created by some other race in order to be able to survive regions like these with minimal health defects. At most, it can be expected that they would suffer aberrations of the mind after decades of exposure.
While the healthiness of their bodies cannot be disputed (several were found to have what we suspect are great amounts of stimulants in their systems, without subsequent damage to the organs), we cannot verify how long these peoples can live. It is likely to be longer on average than a typical human, but we doubt that it can reach the same lengths as those of the Exalted. As such, we estimate an average lifespan of around 120-150 years.
This is our summary of our findings thus far, certified to be our true and honest observations. With our signatures, we close this report and submit it to your majesty's review.
Below that concluding sentence were written the signatures of your two greatest students. But it wasn't the end of their report. Attached with the report you held in your hands was an addendum document, a note really, that only had one sentence written on it:
Teacher, we believe that we might have made a breakthrough on the pointed-ear's language.
Initial Report on the "Pointed-Ears" complete! Due to a greater degree of success, the initial DC for Pointed Interrogations has been reduced by 20!
Unlocked Learning Action: On the Flows of Essence
Unlocked Learning Action: Wyld Intersections
Completed 1 step to unlocking Know Your Enemy: Green Hungry Ghosts
-[X][Learning] Mobile Lodestone (DC 30/40/50)
--[X] Assigned Sorcerer: Your Students (Hero; +7; +20 DC for 10/100 Miles)
Roll Bonus: 9 (Taiwo's Learning) + 9 (Nkiru's Learning) + 7 (Student's Learning) = +25
DC 30/40/50
Result: 7 + 25 = 32, 1st Threshold Success. Well, they made it, but there's going to be some complications with it.
Despite your royal duties, you did your best to always make time for your students. They were practically your children (literally, in one case), and you enjoyed hearing how they were progressing in their own personal studies. When you had assigned them this duty, of figuring out a way to reduce the Wyld's influence in an area in a way that could be moved, you had thought that it would serve as a great "finishing project" of sorts. A way to show that their apprenticeship under your watchful eye was fully complete, ideally with some great magnum opus that others could rely on.
If you were to compare that vision with what your students had actually brought to you after 3 months of work, you would have had to say that… well, it was
passable.
It was in fact a Working they had completed. It didn't cause any demons to spontaneously appear. It did its job. It passed the minimum required, and that earned them some credit. It was just…
…You had hoped for more.
As you observed the large granite cylinder situated inside of a larger wooden cart, at the exhausted sweaty men who had pushed the vehicle to this location outside the borders of the homestead, at the priests pouring blessed water onto the stone every so often, at the small overall area its stabilizing effect covered… You couldn't deny the thought that intruded into your mind.
"I could have done it so much better." It was a traitorous impulse, even with how true it was. Ultimately, this wasn't meant to be a comparison of your abilities with your student's, it was just supposed to be a test of their abilities. Yet even taking that into consideration, there was still so many deficiencies that could have been ironed out, so many impractical details that should have been planned for ahead of time. As their teacher, you cannot ignore these obvious flaws in the project. Still, they DID do enough to complete their apprenticeship.
You turned to your students, who all bore nervous expressions. They knew what the problems with this project were, perhaps even better than you did. With a sigh, you began your assessment. "You have all passed. Congratula-"
"PLEASE, TEACHER!" came the shout from Mawunyo, their interruption prompting the rest of your students to try and shush them down. But the farmchild wouldn't hear it. "WE CAN DO BETTER, I'M SURE OF IT!" They had even started to
cry, and oh how that tore at your heart. Mawunyo wasn't like Lumusi, they weren't content with the bare minimum, they felt like they NEEDED to excel, like many Uluiruans did. That was the problem with emphasizing merit so much in a society, those who didn't get the absolute best scores felt inadequate with a merely satisfactory result.
Though none of your other students joined their classmate in crying, they still did not look pleased with their meager result. Even Lumusi, who barely cared about her studies, looked somewhat dissatisfied. They really tried their hardest to make this work, didn't they? On the one hand, as their teacher you could certainly respect the effort they put in. But on the other hand, as their king, what they presented just wasn't that useful. You had to think of the bigger picture. Could you depend on something as unwieldy as this contraption to keep your miners safe as they traveled back and forth from the mountain? As much as it hurt, you couldn't say yes.
It was still useful, in a pinch, so you would utilize it as best as you could. But there was much room for improvement. And you weren't sure you could afford giving your students the time needed for that improvement.
Your students have created a mobile anti-Wyld aura! It will reduce (but not NEGATE) the Wyld's influence in an area, reducing the risk of mutation. It is quite heavy, and it requires a steady supply of holy water to lather the stone in. Otherwise, corruption will set into the granite block and render it unusable.
If you wish, you can have your students try again next turn, at the cost of +10 DC. Alternatively, you can assign someone else the job to see if they will do better, at no increase of DC. Of course, doing so will make your students sad.
Mining Actions
-[X][Mining] Ground Survey (DC 60)
--[X] Assign Rising Dawn (Hero, +11, -10 DC)
Roll Bonus: 10 (Songbird's Combat) + 11 (Rising Dawn's Combat) + 20 (Elemental Assistance) = +41
DC 60 - 10 (Rising Dawn's Timeline Shenanigans) = 50
Result: 70 + 41 = 111, Notable Success!
Rising Dawn was a particularly nervous woman, Innocent Songbird observed. It seemed like anything and everything was enough to send her into a fit of jitters, and once in such a state, it was trivial to make her devolve into a tirade of apologies. Though Songbird was still vulnerable to her own fears at times, in comparison to Dawn she seemed like the calm Immaculate everyone thought she was. Overall, it was… interesting, working with her.
Being assigned a leadership role was not something Songbird had ever considered, or at least not before she had devoted at least a century of pious service to the Order. And for mining operations, of all things… what other twists of luck did Destiny still have in store for her? Because at this point, she was struggling to catch up with all of the curving arrows sent her way. At least her beloved friends were here as well to support her, she had no idea how she would have survived if she couldn't depend on a few friendly faces. The Princes of the Earth must stick together to best achieve enlightenment, after all.
Then again, she thought as a frown wormed its way onto her face, the Princes of the Earth shouldn't be working for one of the Anathema either. While as a full initiate of the Order she was privy to some of the more secret writings they kept in storage, those clarifying documents didn't change the righteousness of the order as a whole. What use was it, to know that once upon a time the Golden Anathema were known as the Solar Exalted if they still went insane anyways? Honestly, it was only her prior sins that stopped her from taking exception with what was going on here, even if she could see some concerning signs from their own ruler.
She hadn't been present for his metaphorical explosion, but rumors carried easily, and Milosen was in a particularly foul mood when she told the story to Songbird. An act of strange madness, with little warning, it made her Anathema-Spotting training flare up. Would this kind she now served fall into the same pitfalls as his predecessors? Would he prove the Immaculate Order correct, degenerate into insanity and require the Dragon-Blooded to put him down? She wasn't sure. She was hardly ever sure these days, even if she kept quiet about it.
So, she distracted herself with her work. And by extension, her current assistant. Despite Rising Dawn's constant anxiety, she did have a good sense for finding veins of ore. They had already managed to secure a vein of iron within the cleansed area, allowing for easier access compared to that long mountain hike. She wasn't sure how precisely Dawn was able to be so lucky, she obviously was neither a Dragon-Blood nor a Sovereign from appearance alone, so perhaps she was some other variety of Exigent? One from a God of Mining, or a Deity of Iron, or perhaps even Goddess of Gambling? Any of those could work.
Whatever she was, the king had already confirmed that she was neither a Golden nor a Silver Anathema. She would extend her trust to him, albeit with a cautious sense of wariness. Once burned, twice shy with the Anathema, in her experience. Rising Dawn had yet to display her Anima Banner yet, so she couldn't confirm such details for herself. Actually, now that she said that-
"Rising Dawn?" said Songbird, catching the young woman's attention. The priestess had been walking far off to the side, not wanting to remain too close to other people. Even if it meant that she hopped, skipped and jumped across the large boulders that still needed to be removed from this area of the homestead. "Is it alright if I ask you a question?"
"U-um," her companion replied, stuttering even as she tried to concentrate on remaining steady on top of the one boulder she was standing on. "S-sure? What is it?"
"Well, I was just wondering what variety of Exalt you might b- DAWN!" Songbird cut herself off with a scream as the young woman slid off of the large boulder, hitting her forehead onto the stone's surface and sliding down. In a rush, the Immaculate did her best to invoke Sextes Jylis' mercy, a slight green Anima covering the bleeding head injury. With any luck, the priestess wouldn't suffer a concussion from it.
A sharp
CRACK drew her attention, and she looked back up at the massive rock which Dawn fell from. It had a fracture near the top where she hit her head, and every second that crack grew bigger and bigger. With the roar of the earth, the rock fell into two perfectly split halves, revealing underneath… a hole? A sizable one at that, which caught her eye with how the light flowing inside caused something to
sparkle.
Several of the miners behind her gasped, with one running to the hole's entrance. Looking back at her, he shouted, "Silver! I think we found a silver vein!" Others joined him by that vertical tunnel, analyzing the metal for themselves. By the end of the day, a chorus of cheers would ring out as one of the men they sent inside confirmed the theory to be true. While Gold was the metal of kings, disregarding the magical materials, silver was the metal of currency, employed by the lesser nobles and common folk to perform trade. With a new supply of the stuff on hand, it meant that the kingdom's economy was one step closer to reawakening.
Of course, Songbird wasn't focused on that fact. Rather, she was looking down at Rising Dawn, who blinked her own way back to consciousness. More specifically, she was looking at the orange sickle symbol which shone from her forehead.
A
harvest Exigent? Now that, she wasn't expecting in the slightest.
You have found both a vein of iron as well as a vein of silver! Once mined, the Silver can be turned into coins and traded as a valuable commodity.
Unlocked Mining Action: Build a Mine (Silver)
-[X][Mining] Set Up Smitheries (DC 50+)(CONSUMES 1 LUMBER OR STONE)
Roll Bonus: 10 (Songbird's Combat) = +10
DC 50
Result: 23 + 10 = 33, Failure.
Though Songbird was quite new to this sort of job, she went about it as best as she could. It was an interesting sight, having an Immaculate Monk running around with miners and blacksmiths, but perhaps her spiritual insight could help them coordinate. After all, the Miner's Guild depended greatly on the beneficence of the earth elementals, and while Immaculates from what you understood focused on regulating the gods, elementals also were part of their purview. …You think.
Unfortunately, the Blacksmith's Guild under her direction were unable to start building their forges just yet. They cited the close proximity with your other citizens as a potential risk they didn't want to take, and so were looking at more distant locales. Kind of them, certainly, but unfortunate for your time frame. You did have an impending army on the way, so you weren't sure if their plans to build outside of your city walls were really feasible right now. You might have to insist on them staying within the protection of the walls for their own safety.
No forges are made, but no Lumber is expended. You can try again next turn.
Personal Actions
-[X][Personal] Summon a Demon! (Variable)
--[X] Second Circle (DC 60)
---[X] Sondok, She-Who-Stands-In-Doorways
Roll Bonus: 17 (Sango's Learning)
DC 60
Result: 93 + 17 = 110, Notable Success!
It was the night of the new moon, the sun in the process of fading from the horizon. "The perfect time," some would say, "to summon a demon!" And normally, you would agree, as 2nd Circle Demons could only be pulled from Malfeas during such nights. Yet, there was a sizable fact which made you concerned about this upcoming ritual. That fact being the presence of a
second moon in the night sky.
While Luna's light was hidden this night, the Green Moon's strange light was very much present. Ever since you had first found out about the celestial body, you were constantly on edge just looking at the glowing orb. It triggered some hidden instinct in your mind, telling you that this THING was wrong, in more ways than was obvious. Because of that, you could never trust anything done under that green piercing light.
Besides, whenever it shone brightly in the sky, you could
feel your wards struggling to process through all of the Wyld Essence tainting the land. Was this green sphere possible for the dominant Wyld presence? You would need to conduct some experiments to be sure. Well, for now you would have to put such research off. You had a demon to summon, after all.
While you were not an expert in demonology like your late nephew Grim-Faced Tanoh, you did know enough about the subject to be a reliable source of knowledge. You had conducted many late night rituals with your students to summon and bind demons of the First Circle, giving them the experience with the process needed to be on the lookout for others doing the same. While demonology was not always bad, it was looked down upon for a reason, with many would-be summoners not having the correct knowledge to control what they had pulled out of Malfeas. And unlike your nephew, you were able to advance to a great enough level to try something even more daring: Summoning a
unique demon.
These creatures, otherwise known as the Demons of the Second Circle, were a goldmine of information in regards to your Exalted status. Unlike their lesser offspring, they were all individuals in name, powers and appearance. They had the strength necessary to challenge multiple Sovereigns and potentially win. And with an incoming army headed this way, you needed as much strength as you could muster.
The ritual circle was notably more complicated than the First Circle Ritual, requiring a much larger outer ring to encircle the usual inner loop. It was deliberately empty in some sections, as the spell (if successful) would inscribe the demon's name in those areas in green fire, providing the final catalyst needed to call the Demon to this land.
In your case, you had no knowledge of any specific demon that could help you best with your problem, but thankfully the ritual covered such ignorance. When no target was designated, the spell made due with finding the demon most likely to help you with your problem. In your case, you wanted to assign a guardian, a protector to defend this homestead for as long as possible. If you just summoned a familiar to remain by your side for a year and a day, that would require you to continually resummon that soul just to maintain the greater versatility to the point of annoyance. Better to do this once and get it over with.
Once the sun had fully descended below the horizon, you got to work. An Old Realm chant worked its way from between your teeth, calling upon the authority of the Celestial Incarna and the Yozi Surrender Oaths to bring out a demon according to your desires. Essence began to be shaped and took on a visibly green tint. You suppressed a frown even as you gave a quick glance at the skies above.
…Yes, that green moon was indeed shining
very brightly onto your current location. Almost as if you were being seen…
But you couldn't focus on that right now, you still needed to finish step 1. The flows of Essence were more chaotic than before, but not enough that it slipped from your grasp. It took many hours before the clock struck midnight, due to some strange quirk of your location the sun set much sooner than before. Finally, when the time was right, you uttered the last word needed to confirm the summon, and a wheel of green fire overtook the area. Spinning faster and faster, it rose up and sent tendrils back down, filling in the blank spaces with a name.
Sondok, She-Who-Stands-In-Doorways. A great name to hear, considering your intended task.
Once every part of the name was filled in, a green fire whirled outward as a hurricane, depositing the target into the middle of the circle. She (very visibly a she) had the appearance of a pale woman coated in blood. Her thick black fog of hair was drenched in the stuff as well, and so too were her leather armor, massive grimcleaver ax and equally large daiklave sword. At her side was a shadow hound, which now barked in your direction as if to warn you off. You didn't care, starting up the binding portion of the ritual to see your newest recruit secured.
Curiously, she only somewhat resisted, her attention distracted by the large green orb in the sky.
"What, what is this?" she said in Old Realm, only occasionally glancing back at yourself to try and resist your efforts.
"This isn't my progenitor… yet, it feels… like home. Like a hollow recreation of Ligier's solar body." Very helpful to know, but you didn't have time to ponder that.
With how distracted the woman was, binding her turned out to be easier than you anticipated. The final commands were practically accepted without resistance, as the demon finally took in what you were telling her to do. "To protect this location from invaders." It was a simple order, and yet you felt, somehow, that it was the right words to say. With the binding finished, the woman calmed down before marching towards the city walls you stood outside of now.
"Sorcerer," she asked even as she moved towards the location of her task, "
What exactly is that hideous imitation up in the sky?"
You followed after her, giving your own curious glance at the green moon.
"I'm still trying to figure that out myself, my lady."
Sondok has been summoned to protect your homestead! She will remain in place here until slain. As part of this task, she will defend the city against 1 warband every turn. You MUST assign her to one of the warbands, due to the binding nature of her task.
In addition, due to both curiosity and your intent for her task, she is a bit friendlier to you than 90% of her previous summoners. Future rolls to summon her gain a -10 DC reduction!
Unlocked Personal Action: A Demon and the Moon
After Sango's disastrous interference with the Festival of Funerals, he and one another were forced to reconsider their own perspectives on what happened. Obviously, something like that could never happen again, it was unacceptable. But what would they do to change that? How could they improve as people to best ensure that the peace in the kingdom was retained?
Choose
ONE of the following below.
[] Sango decided that he needed to be more hands-off with the Ministry of Culture
- This will grant Sango the trait "Loose Leash (Culture)." This trait provides a +10 bonus to ALL Diplomacy actions, at the cost of Sango never again being able to perform a Diplomacy Action himself. This includes Workings.
[] Sango decided that he needed to work on his communication skills better
- Sango will gain the trait "Open Heart." This grants him +3 Diplomacy, as well as a +5 bonus whenever an open and honest conversation is needed.
[] Fumnanya decided that she needed to fight for her independence
- Fumnanya will gain the trait "Pillar of Culture." This grant her +3 Diplomacy, as well as a +5 bonus whenever a Hero unit (or Sango) are NOT assigned to a Diplomacy action.
[] Fumnanya decided that she needed to connect to her king through his greatest fascination
- Fumnanya will gain the Advantage "Sorcerer". She will gain a Control Spell which I feel fits her personality and Ministry best. She can only be used for Diplomacy Workings, using both her Diplomacy and Learning scores together, but can cover up to 2 Diplomacy Workings each turn.
The Vote will End on June 16th at 7:00 AM PST
Author's Note 2: Alright, here is the last of the Turn 2 results, not counting the upcoming vote on the Fount of Glories. With it comes the vote for a new trait, to compensate for the Critical Failure you guys suffered this turn. What I've decided on as a prototype basis for critical failures is as follows:
- Personal Action with 3x Overwork (roll of 9-): Trait that provides a situational bonus.
- Personal Action with 2x Overwork or Impersonal Action with 3x Overwork (roll of 7-): Trait generally provides +1 to a stat, and a situational bonus
- Personal Action with 1x Overwork or Impersonal Action with 2x Overwork (roll of 5-): Trait generally provides +2 to a stat, and a situational bonus OR an Advantage
- Personal Action with no Overwork or Impersonal Action with 1x Overwork (roll of 3-): Trait generally provides +3 to a stat, and a situational bonus OR an Advantage
- Impersonal Action with no Overwork (Natural 1): Trait generally provides some big bonus OR an Advantage
Basically, the less likely the Critical Fail was, the bigger the compensation for it. Hope this helps to alleviate some of the frustration.
The Elf Report action in Learning made me realize that I really don't know the biology for elves in Warhammer Fantasy. I
kind of know the biology for Eldar in 40k, but that's a different matter entirely. All I know is that as of the Fantasy Roleplay's 4th Edition (in 2018), Elves cannot suffer any physical mutations due to Chaos Taint, only mental ones. I decided that this immunity is able to last even after death, to a point. Once the bodily stability is fully compromised, then the Taint can finally seep in, but before that its pretty safe.
If you're wondering why the students are lowballing the elven lifespan so much (which can last for millennia), it's because it's hard to judge just by bodily organs how long an individual can theoretically live, so they're going for safe estimates here. It's not like they can analyze the elvish genome, after all, or even just ask them.
Finally, for those wondering about the "green hungry ghost," well, consider that how close this location likely is to the Chaos Gate, and what effects Chaos Taint can have on decaying bodies...
