It's more, Infernal's power in ExWoD is really great at smashing power structure. You want to take that corrupt CEO down? Topple evil President from his throne? Disparage that nice priest that actually fuck kids on the side? Turn conspiracy cultists against their leaders? Yeah, you totally can do that as Infernal. Heck, that part easy.
But there are no charms on building the replacement afterward. You basically entirely depend on your Excellency. Or heck, maybe there's a clever way to do it with Infernal charms I haven't realize, I miss things often after all.
.... anyway, this means if you want to run/play Infernal do point yourself to corrupt power structure basically, your power isn't geared toward running orphanage.
It's more, Infernal's power in ExWoD is really great at smashing power structure. You want to take that corrupt CEO down? Topple evil President from his throne? Disparage that nice priest that actually fuck kids on the side? Turn conspiracy cultists against their leaders? Yeah, you totally can do that as Infernal. Heck, that part easy.
But there are no charms on building the replacement afterward. You basically entirely depend on your Excellency. Or heck, maybe there's a clever way to do it with Infernal charms I haven't realize, I miss things often after all.
.... anyway, this means if you want to run/play Infernal do point yourself to corrupt power structure basically, your power isn't geared toward running orphanage.
That is a problem with them, and one I noticed before with the screed about "nation building charms"
There's some stuff in the Maggots charm tree, and there's the begining of it in the he'll kingdom stuff, but it's def fertile ground for homebrew (see the start of this with me adding some judgement stuff back in for the Maggots Tree)
It's more, Infernal's power in ExWoD is really great at smashing power structure. You want to take that corrupt CEO down? Topple evil President from his throne? Disparage that nice priest that actually fuck kids on the side? Turn conspiracy cultists against their leaders? Yeah, you totally can do that as Infernal. Heck, that part easy.
But there are no charms on building the replacement afterward. You basically entirely depend on your Excellency. Or heck, maybe there's a clever way to do it with Infernal charms I haven't realize, I miss things often after all.
.... anyway, this means if you want to run/play Infernal do point yourself to corrupt power structure basically, your power isn't geared toward running orphanage.
Sorry for the doublepost, but this inspired me to go back and re-examine the Infernal charms with a more critical eye. And I wanted to piggyback of this post to share what I learned, because I think you might find it interesting.
And to start that off, I would like to look at Locust Mana Plague and see how it was changed into the conversion into Maggot Mana Plague
Locust Mana Plague
Living beings are absurdly simple at their core. They want protection from the elements. They want food. In the absence of these basic necessities or a means of transcending them, nothing else matters.
When an Infernal activates this Charm, she channels Cecelyne's aspects of hypocrisy above her qualities as the Endless Desert. Accordingly, she can only use this Charm in a place of desolation, but doing so causes a swarm of demon locusts to crawl out of the ground around her. The bugs are iridescent and no two alike. Together, the teeming millions resemble an obscene rainbow. Having crawled from the desolation that spawned them to life, the creatures quiver a moment as though hoping for greater purpose before they spasm and die.
The locust corpses fill a radius of (Essence x 15) yards around the Infernal and provide nourishment to feed a unit of humans with Magnitude no greater than her Essence rating.
Demon locusts smell and taste delectable to all palettes, faintly sweet and spicy and strangely familiar like an old family recipe the character hasn't sampled in years. They stay fresh without preservation for a week before they dry up and crumble to sand. Mundane preservation techniques can extend this time to a month, and a thaumaturgy ritual found in the Art of Alchemy and also the Art of Demon Summoning named "Candied Locust Amber" (1, Perception, 3, one hour) also exists. Each successful casting creates enough green glassy resin to indefinitely preserve a dozen locusts—a single meal—in sugary crystals until cracked open. These treats have begun to appear as occasional delicacies in markets and bazaars across the South.
A single meal of these creatures provides complete and balanced nourishment for a whole day, including water.
However, the meal also counts as one scene spent building an Intimacy of loyalty to the laws of Cecelyne and a scene toward a second Intimacy of reverence toward the Infernal provider. Characters who have conflicting Intimacies that would interfere with this process find those feelings weakened by their meals until nothing stands in the way of forming the new attachments.
For one full day following the meal, any Intimacy built or attacked by the Charm can't be lessened or rebuilt, respectively. After a day, the Intimacies may be affected normally.
Once a character eats nothing but demon locusts for a full week, she develops the Creature of Darkness mutation as a Desecration effect along with the cosmetic side effect of faintly iridescent eyes, which requires threshold 4+ to notice with a (Perception + Awareness) roll.
If the Infernal knows Scoured Perfection of Form (see p. 129), a second week of eating nothing but locusts provides the Transcendent Desert Creature Abomination as further Desecration to those lacking its effects. The associated ocular iridescence grows more noticeable at this point (threshold 2+).
After a decade of eating more locusts than other food combined, these mutations become hereditary and breed true. Mating with normal humans only has a 10 percent chance of yielding mutated offspring.
Natural unintelligent animals who eat demon locusts gain all the standard effects from doing so, apart from loyalty to the laws of Hell, which they do not understand. Such beasts still become reverently grateful to the Infernal who fed them, though. If the Exalt eats her own food, the Intimacy she gains toward herself is one of smug self-satisfaction.
Summary of effects
Can only be used in a place of desolation
Feeds (Essence X Mag) People
The locust last for a week.
Can be preserved longer if you know thaum
Creatures who eat this meal become CoD, then Transcendent Desert Creatures, then these change breed true.
Each meal of this counts as 1 scene of building an intimacy of Loyalty towards the laws of Cecelyne and an intimacy of Reverence towards the infernal (or weakening intimacies counter to these ones).
Mana Maggot Plague
With a casual gesture, the Infernal conjures forth fat, wriggling maggots from the Hell of Burrowing Maggots, grown fat on the souls of sinners. They writhe forth from the dust and then expire. Those who eat these highly-nutritious grubs find them delicious and nourishing, but also find their destiny bound to that of the Infernal.
System:
The Infernal can only use this Charm in a place of desolation (defined as a place where Survival rolls are at least difficulty 8, or where most of the inhabitants feel despair at the state of their lives).
She spends a moment concentrating and then spends 3 Essence to conjure her grotesque repast.
One use of this Charm summons enough maggots to feed (Essence x 100) people, and the maggots remain edible without preservation for a week.
One meal of maggots is sufficient to feed and water a person for a day in even the harshest environment, but it also makes them vaguely loyal toward their Infernal benefactor; all of the Infernal's social actions against the maggot-fed reduce their difficulty by one.
Those who exist on a primarily maggot diet become creatures of darkness after (Stamina rating) weeks, and may display subtle changes such as growing pale or soft-skinned over time; or may manifest features befitting the Infernal's personal Hell, if she has one.
The Infernal's social actions against such beings reduce their difficulty by three.
Signature Effect: When the Infernal emerges from her anima cocoon, she emits an Essence-shockwave which transforms and corrupts all foodstuffs within half a mile. Maggots of the same sort conjured by Maggot Mana Plague eat their way out of all prepared and stored food within the affected range, and then promptly die.
Summary of Effects:
Only useable in a place of desolation
Feeds (Ess X 100) People
Lasts a week
Creatures who eat this become CoD. Gain cosmetic but not mechanical effects of Transcendent Desert Creature
All social actions against them by the Infernal reduce difficulty by 1 (or 3 if they are CoD).
Comparing the two charms, they are mostly what you would expect for the conversion. Mana Maggot Plague is, by and large, a lower powered version of Locust Mana Plague. It feeds less people and doesn't offer as beneficial a mutation, but is otherwise exactly what you'd expect.
It's when we get to the intimacy that we start to see problems. Intimacies, as I see it, perform two essential functions.
1. They tell you how a character will act. A character with the Intimacy of "Love (My Wife)" loves their wife and will act accordingly.
2. They act as a bonus to social attack (or defense) depending on whether the social attack works with or against that intimacy. This function is a mechanical representation of the first. If someone is trying to convince you to save your wife, they get a bonus to that action because you love her.
Maggot Mana Plague translates the second one very well. If you use this charm on someone, it makes your social attacks more effective. Presumably, this is because they feel "vaguely loyal towards you".
And this is our first big takeaway from looking at these charms. When translating intimacy effects into WoD, Holden translates the mechanical effect, but reduces or removes the actual intimacy.
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Which is a super interesting insight into how Holden did his conversions (and, I think, an argument for porting intimacies into WoD along with Exalts) but it doesn't actually solve the whole "Infernals can't do mass social well". Because the cause of that is the loss of all the charms which build off of Locust Mana Plague. Spawning Pit Sanctification no longer continuously generates this charm, and the removal of the prayer stuff means that people who pray to you no longer get hit by that same mind control effect nor do they build manses you can use to bless your people. This means that all the Infernals' old mass social charms don't exist anymore.
So what does the Infernal have, Social Charm wise (looking only at Hell of Burrowing Maggots).
Well, we've got some pretty powerful charmtech. Demonic Primacy of Essence has been much improved and is now just a straight buff to social rolls against monsters. Gift of Worms lets you set up triggers such as "if they speak of this secret they will be eaten alive by worms" which is a good way to ensure opsec. Plus it has some other nifty features such as delivering orders or spying on whoever they infected. Transcendent Lord of the Flies reduces the difficulty to "Feed and Protect Others" in areas of desolation, which could be super useful with a permissive ST. Hellscry Chakra lets you read the emotions of CoDs. Maggot Mana Plague works as noted above. Endless Torment Emanation lets you slow down Bureaucracy. Know the Desolate Heart sucks. Barren Waste Infliction lets you create a place of desolation, and more importantly it lets you bring your personal hell to earth. Spawning Pit Sanctification lets you create a Bakemono - a sort of monster that the shapeshifters know as a fomori. Verdant Emptiness Endowment has been improved (though it lacks its old upgrades) now continued use turns you into a CoD (stacks with Demonic Primacy of Essence) and it sends you to hell instead of making you botch. Mercy In Servitude makes it so fomori don't suffer while serving you.
You'll notice, however, that a lot of these are very much personal scale social affects. I think this is deliberate to better match with the smaller scale of WoD, but it is a little disappointing especially in light of the Infernal's fluff of creating a Sixth Age. So how do we build our Infernal Kingdom?
Well, Maggot Mana Plague is actually super useful here. I don't think its deliberate but there is no end date for your social attacks being less effective. A sane ST wouldn't allow it, but you could probably argue it should last until they spend time getting rid of it like the old intimacy rules (or just bring in the Intimacy rules and just say it autogenerates an intimacy on first meal).
Demonic Primacy of Essence is useful if you want to rule over monsters, which you are going to want to if you use these charms.
Spawning Pit Sanctification is, of course, useful here. Ideally everyone in your kingdom is a fomori, that way they all have useful powers and Primacy of Essence hits them. Also this pairs really well with your most broken charm which I will talk about later.
Barren Wastes Infliction can be paired with your Kingdom to get some useful effects. Lord of the Land (control the weather, make earthquakes, open ravines, etc) Eternal Night (if you are going Vampire Lord), Gaols (having prisons is always fun) Exclusive Transportation (you and your servants and your armies can teleport and no one else can) Time Differential are all useful.
Of particular note however is Fruits of Hell. This lets you create fomori from anyone who spends a weak in your realm eating your food and/or create a vampire style bloodbond with anyone who eats 9 meals here. This is the Infernal's main mass social charm.
Lastly, you have Mercy In Servitude. Which doesn't seem all that good. It just makes it so fomori stop suffering from being Fomori while they serve you. But that's actually super strong. Most fomori are suffering from their flesh being made of acid or having super cancer or whatever, and the only way they can get relief from this is by serving you. So if you want to have a society of minions who are loyal to you and who experience terrible pain whenever they aren't all you have to do is set up a society where everyone "serves" you by serving society. In a command economy where everyone is a servant of the state, all your magical fomori are spared suffering as long as they are good citizens.
And, of course, there is always homebrew. I am currently messing around with the idea of an upgrade to Barren Wastes Infliction which gives more options for your Kingdom and which lets you add those options by performing more sacrifices for instance.
You could also homebrew Maggot Mana Plague as follows:
One meal of maggots is sufficient to feed and water a person for a day in even the harshest environment, but it also makes them revere their Infernal benefactor. Barring exceptional circumstances the maggot-fed will work to aid the Infernal's goals (or what they perceive as her goals) and all of the Infernal's coial actions against the maggot-fed reduce their difficulty by one.
Anyway, TL;DR
If you want Mass Social grab Barren Wastes Infliction and The King and the Kingdom with the Fruits of Hell feature. Choose Tiny to get two points (because you will be making this in the real world anyway) and spend on whatever else you want.
Then grab Mercy in Servitude and Spawning Pit Sanctification before setting yourself up as god-king of a society where all citizens are considered your servants/slaves. Then turn everyone into fomori. If they stop being your servants/slaves they will suffer agonizing pain.
Huszonketto, the Glass Hawk Lancers
Mastery of the Glass Lance 9/4
Arrogant Bragging 6
Melodic Song 4
Resolve: 3/2
Health: 5
Hardness: 3
Essence: 2
Defence: 6/1
Soak: 5 Landed Clumsiness - Huszonkettos have two sets of values for many traits. The first value is when they are in flight; the second is if they are forced to land. Aerial Lancers - When in flight, this demon counts as being mounted, gaining all the benefits of cavalry as described in the "Mounted Combat" section (p139). When they make an attack as part of a Rush, they gain 9-again for their attack roll. Their claws have the following traits as a Medium Melee Weapon - Piercing, Reaching, Paired.
Orultdoof, the Thunderous Witness
Thunderous Music 9
Sound-as-Sight 5
Comforting the Bereaved 4
Resolve: 4
Health: 8
Hardness: 2
Essence: 1
Defence: 4
Soak: 4 Music of War - Reduce the difficulty to Build Power by making music or noise by 1. Power generated this way can only be granted to other characters. Deafening Blast - The demon when making a Distract gambit may target out to Long range and gains 9-again on its attack roll.
Egysok, the Lonely Crowds
The Jeering Mob 8
Beautiful Song 8
Graffiti 4
Resolve: 3
Health: 7
Hardness: 3
Essence: 2
Defence: 5
Soak: 3 One-Is-Many - An egysok counts as a Size 4 battlegroup, of Veteran ranking. However, as 103 of the demons are imaginary, the egysok may not make Decisive attacks (and on Storyteller's discretion, may be prohibited from certain gambits). With a successful Integrity roll at Difficulty 5, a character can realise the imaginary nature of the crowd and may treat the demon as a single individual. Melodious as a Lark - Rolls to perform or make music which have no malice in them benefit from 8-again.
Hullakovacs, the Despoiling Forgemasters
Morbid Tinkerers 9
Rumour Mongering 6
Dabbler in Espionage 5
Resolve: 3
Health: 8
Hardness: 3
Essence: 2
Defence: 4
Soak: 4 Inured to Foulness - a hullokovacs automatically passes all rolls to resist disease or poison from proximity or ingestion. Masters of Improvisionation - This demon does not take a penalty for use of improvised tools when repairing or mending an object.
Hullakovacs can fly, although none too elegantly or quietly. Characters have +2 to hear them when they fly.
Szemkecske, the Ever-Watchful Goats
Espionage 9
Fisticuffs 6
Subtlety 4
Resolve: 4
Health: 7
Hardness: 3
Essence: 2
Defence: 5
Soak: 3 Nine Terrors Visage: Spend 1 mote to change shape and form; replicating a specific person in detail requires a primary pool roll. All forms a szemkecske takes have a goat's horns, hooves and pupils. Night-Clad Caprine Threat - Spend 1 mote to gain 9-again on rolls to intimidate or sabotage the work of another. Claudia's Fell Curse - Commit 1 mote and make a Threaten action roll against a target within medium range who is aware of the ever-watchful goat and their nature as a demon. Success inflicts a Dramatic Injury representing paranoia from believing anything they meet could be the szemkecske. This curse lasts until the demon ends commitment, or another character manages to reason the delusions away from the character, with a difficulty 3 action using Finesse + Presence.
Getimians are cut off from ordinary humanity because their own world never existed. Sidereals are *also* cut off from humanity, because nobody they know can remember them. Both of them are alone, just in very different ways and for different reasons. Sidereals have their colleagues, gods, and occasionally can get people to remember them through sheer repetition, and Getimians can make new connections in this new Creation or summon phantasms of their own, but ultimately both of them are alone in a way that can't really be fixed.
It's a connection between our two largely fate-based Exalts that's clearly *there*, just didn't connect for me until now. That's interesting. I like it.
Mirror of Flaws (Daiklave)
This artifact Daiklave has a blade forged of Cecelynian Glass. It reflects not the truth of the world, but it's worst aspects. Flaws are highlighted, injuries worsened, and ugliness increased.
System: Has the stats of a Daiklave. Grants access to the Jaded Iconoclast Style.
Jaded Iconoclast Style (Lore)
Cecelyne was once an aspirational figure, until the blades of the Chosen and the words of Iudicavisse poisoned her mind. Now she sees only the ugliness of the world, and resents it for not meeting her standards. In her resentment, she would like nothing more than to destroy creation.
Iudicavisse likes to teach this style to new Infernals who see their exaltation as a second lease on life, or a chance to make the world better. Few of her students hold onto such beliefs.
1: +1 to rolls designed to identify flaws, such as attempts to diagnose a sick patient, investigate a target's weaknesses, or to determine all the ways in which a well-meaning law actually makes those who labor under it suffer.
2: + 1 When using the Aim action
3: ?
Today we figured out what's been fucking around on this station. Turns out it's Magnus, who's absorbed several Deva, was arrested and imprisoned for doing that two thousand years ago or so, then proceeded to reveal that he infected all the mortals and animals aboard with his mind control powers, he also may or may not be able to puppet corpses, and has definitely gotten his influence spread to the world below. So the situation is FUBAR. Next week we'll see what we'll be doing about all this after we've warned our basecamps, and the Gunstar.
CASUAL AND CALLOUS TOYS Cost: 1-5m; Mins: Firearms 3, Essence 3; Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Holistic Bullet Methodology
Cushion yourself all you like, the world is full of hidden sharp edges. The Sidereal acquires and readies a mundane firearm from somewhere nearby, spending motes equal to the weapon's Resources value. Perhaps she finds a pistol conveniently discarded in an alley, or pulls a shotgun from beneath a sofa pillow. The weapon is clearly pre-used, though any official identification (serial number, etc) has been destroyed. Its clip holds ammunition equal to her successes on a Valor roll, up to the weapon's usual maximum.
The Sidereal does not retain the weapons this Charm presents to her. At the end of the scene, they are left in the area she first "found" them - with their original complement of ammunition. If she does not discard them herself, chance or inattention takes them from her hands (or those of her allies). If the Sidereal deliberately damages or discards one of these firearms in a way that makes it unusable, she loses access to this Charm and its prerequisite for the rest of the week - one who takes advantage of the world's capacity for thoughtless harm cannot guard others against it.
VIRTUOUS SOUL DEFENSE TECHNIQUE Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Firearms 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Casual and Callous Toys
Making the sign of the Shield with one hand, the Sidereal deputizes all around her to engage in the righteous defense of Creation's laws. Upon using this Charm, every character in the scene is immediately armed with a gun (or pair of guns). Each weapon (or pair) has a Resources value no greater than the bearer's Valor rating, and is loaded with lethal ammunition as described in this Charm's prerequisite.
The characters may discover these weapons unexpectedly secreted on their person or dropped by their feet, or realise that another object they were holding was actually a functioning gun all along. They must each make a Compassion roll or spend 1 Willpower to avoid reflexively and visibly readying their new weapon. If they do not attempt to resist, they can add their Valor in dice to any subsequent Join Battle roll that scene.
PEACEFUL REVISION TECHNIQUE Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Photography 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Yehzov Method
Directing fate like photographic film, the Sidereal can change a scene to more accurately represent her original vision. Activating this Charm while viewing a scene through a camera viewfinder will turn all firearms visible in the objective into handheld radios. Additionally the photographic film serves as incontrovertible proof that handheld radios and no firearms were present in the scene, unless the firearm's presence had previously been captured on film. The only evidence of the falseness of the Sidereal's recording is the presence of a falling star in any visible cloudless sky.
VIRTUOUS SOUL DEFENSE TECHNIQUE Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Firearms 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Casual and Callous Toys
Making the sign of the Shield with one hand, the Sidereal deputizes all around her to engage in the righteous defense of Creation's laws. Upon using this Charm, every character in the scene is immediately armed with a gun (or pair of guns). Each weapon (or pair) has a Resources value no greater than the bearer's Valor rating, and is loaded with lethal ammunition as described in this Charm's prerequisite.
The characters may discover these weapons unexpectedly secreted on their person or dropped by their feet, or realise that another object they were holding was actually a functioning gun all along. They must each make a Compassion roll or spend 1 Willpower to avoid reflexively and visibly readying their new weapon. If they do not attempt to resist, they can add their Valor in dice to any subsequent Join Battle roll that scene.
This is beautiful. Mind if I convert these to Ex vs WoD?
Edit: No answer so I did it, will delete if asked
Excellent Implementation of Objectives (Errata)
The Sidereal crafts no tools, yet what she needs always finds it's way into her hands.
System: The Sidereal spends 1 Ess and rolls craft as normal to make a tool. However, rather than making these items herself, the work of others completes the tool, and a series of coincidences beings it to her hand. This Charm does nothing to speed the crafting process, it's main benefit is in allowing the Sidereal go about their day while others do the work for her.
Casual and Callous Toys (Battles 1)
Cushion yourself all you like, the world is full of shape edges
System:
By taking an action and spending 1 Ess, the Sidereal finds a mundane firearm hidden nearby. Perhaps she finds a mugger's weapon, casually tossed beneath a dumpster, or maybe she raids a weapons cache she has cleverly hidden away in anticipation of just this trouble. Whatever the case, the weapon is well maintained, with enough ammunition to last the Sidereal through the fight and still have a clip remaining.
By spending 2 Was, the Sidereal can grant the effects of this charm to everyone in the scene.
The Sidereal (nor anyone else effected by this charm) does not retain the weapons this Charm presents to her. At the end of the scene, they are left in the area she first "found" them - with a full clip of ammo. If she does not discard them herself, chance or inattention takes them from her hands (or those of her allies). If the Sidereal deliberately damages or discards one of these firearms in a way that makes it unusable, she loses access to this Charm and its prerequisite for the rest of the week - one who takes advantage of the world's capacity for thoughtless harm cannot guard others against it.
In America, this charm has its cost reduced by 1 Essence.
Just a little recap from the Essence session I was in recently, which I decided to have some fun with. The dates are fabricated for the sake of the journal format, and weren't explicit/canonical in the session. (click here for part 2)
Being selected excerpts from the journal of Sesus Amiti, Beloved of Mela, translated from High Realm shorthand:
13th Ascending Wood, RY 768
I received a letter from my cousin, Sesus Varo today. Practically a novel! But that's Varo, I suppose. I'm surprised he's here — surely there's important work for an exorcist closer to home. I came here to be away from familial obligation, or at least a year or two, but it seems to have followed me anyway. Annoying!
Anyway, what he's asking for help with does sound interesting. A necromancer causing trouble. Perhaps they'll be reasonable? Or if not, they may have texts or other valuables I can put to good use, tomes on necromancy being as dear as they are. Departed immediately, am currently on the road. May have tipped that messenger a dinar instead of a siu, but I forget how many I had, so I can't be sure. Oops! At least it wasn't one of the obols, this time.
Found lovely spot to rest at base of this funny statue.
[rough sketch of a statue of a wooden bear, rearing up to safeguard a crossroads]
It's still a little odd, seeing icons placed around so brazenly. Glad I'm not a monk! Being grumpy about such things at all times sounds exhausting.
Several pages of research notes about a spell for turning a summoned ghost into a hearthstone follow, including doodled diagrams. Appended note: Seems a little mean! Only use on ghosts who seem like a particularly bad sort?
14th Ascending Wood, RY 768
Very strange day!
Was waylaid by brigands. It gave me a terrible fright, but they ran off once I called up some help. Or they tried to run off — more skeletons than I expected, this time. The lands here are particularly rich in unburned corpses. Extremely convenient, although I begin to see the urgent need for our cremation practices.
A very large man arrived then, having intended to come to my rescue. I was not at my most grateful, as he also revealed himself to be an Anathema. And then he had the nerve to suggest that I'm terrifying, and possibly hatching sinister plans! I told him that it was a little much to be accused of such things by a Moon Mad Anathema, and also that I've never done anything sinister or villainous in my life!
Scribbled addendum in the margins: whatever certain Heptagram instructors might say! Idelle was fine afterward, and that boy deserved it.
His name is Sedrik, and he has not stolen my face yet, and I do not precisely have a Wyld Hunt on hand, so honestly, who can expect me to make too much of a fuss, under the circumstances? Besides, speaking to a real Anathema is oddly fascinating.
Later, met two other travelers. Dross is a very strange name — evidently they noticed the skeletons, and worried that I was the necromancer causing problems in Burdock. Very polite when they realised the difference, and seems impressed to meet a foreign Dragon-Blood. It was a little flattering! Odd, how quietly they're able to come and go, and their manner of dress seems a little off, for a local. Not quite foreign, but strange. Ask them later, if I remember?
I'm unsure what to make of Dross's friend, Sointu. Have not had much of a chance to talk, but she seems nice. Also a local, I gather? It's hard to tell exactly how those two know each other, honestly. Sometimes they act like they do, but others it's as if they've only just met.
We are currently all heading to the same destination for similar purposes, which could be a very awkward conversation to have with my cousin, but surely, Sedrik must be willing to show some discretion. He still hasn't stolen my face, so I shall extend the benefit of the doubt. Mother always says I make only bad decisions.
Reading the new stuff in the Collected Edition of Hundred Devils Night Parade, and apparently there are non-ghost spirits in the Underworld now, like grave messengers and rantai.
Reading the new stuff in the Collected Edition of Hundred Devils Night Parade, and apparently there are non-ghost spirits in the Underworld now, like grave messengers and rantai.
So, deeb game came to an abrupt end due to RL constraints, the GM losing interest, etc... but I did discuss with some of the other players how our characters would go forward, and here's some out-of-context stuff from that:
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Ledaal Zealot wife: "Every three anathema [that you kill] you get a 'adventure' pass where I'll agree to do one thing you suggest. Threesome being an example"
Player (OOC): "The anathema shall quake in fear, knowing that [Fire Aspect Playboy's] lust is coming for them!!"
LZW (OOC): "Ha. "SHE SAID SHE'D WEAR THE MAID OUTFIT IF I TOOK YOU ASSHOLES DOWN"!"
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"[we're dynasts,] we have servants for this!! Give her to the nurse before you do some real damage!"
"... But I always wanted to hold my kids... be there for them, ya know?"
"And that's very sweet but you're holding her upside down!"
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Cynis player: "Yes, it was fun even if the relationship had little drama."
Peleps player: "Surpisingly, sometimes two characters are banging because they like each other."
C: "The horror."
Heh, there are now rules for llamas, and they get doubled Parry when they use a defend other to protect their master. Definitely making a character who rides a Battle Llama.
EDIT: Also giant stick insects you can ride into battle!
Reading the new stuff in the Collected Edition of Hundred Devils Night Parade, and apparently there are non-ghost spirits in the Underworld now, like grave messengers and rantai.
Oldrasek's are terrifying for the recipient and a total power move for the sender. Imagine being in a modern setting and having a ball of concentric circles smash it's way into your bunker or pursue you into the depths of ocean and being all like "We've been trying to reach you regarding your car's extended warranty…"
Second most northerly of the Sunfall Isles, Metuung is a low island which unlike its neighbours is not composed of volcanic basalt. Instead, it is the cuttlebone remnants of the colossal wyld-beast Tuung, who lent its mountain-eating jaws and sea-staining ink to the Balorian Crusade and for its sins was left behind as madness retreated. Tuung died a slow, crushing depths out of the wyldsea, and in time its calcified remains were covered in a thin layer of earth by the scurrying elementals of Creation.
This origin still defines Metuung. There are no metals on this island, and the soil is thin and unlike the rich volcanic soils of its neighbours. Over seven hundred years falling water has birthed rivers and lakes, but there are no true aquifers or deep supplies of water. As a result, there are few trees save for the mangrove forests around the edge of the island, and the inland is dominated by low wildfire-prone grasslands. As a result, Metuung has some of the finest cavalrymen of the Anarchy, though they ride wyld-twisted deer in place of horses and their spears are carved from strange wyldwoods. The western coastline is home to many mer-folk, hermit snail-men who dwell within the shells they seize from chaos-beasts and who spear-hunt the twisted creatures which come out of the Dusk Sea.
On the eastern coast of Metuung lies the small polity of Glorious Crimson, the product of cultural merging between Realm naval deserters from the wars against the Blue Monkey Shogunate and local tribes. The local language is full of borrowings from archaic naval slang, and just enough dragon's blood came with the newcomers that Dragonblooded Exaltations among the population are not unheard of. In most aspects, though, the local customs have won out and if the inhabitants of Glorious Crimson have something of the Realm about their eyes then that is just another strangeness at the edge of the world.
Elements of the Steel Dragon Society have made a deal with the deerlords of Kash for access up the northerly Krama River. They have brought in slaves from elsewhere in the Anarchy, and they mine the cuttle of Tuung for the wyldstone nodules that still exist within the calcified flesh. The Kash have grown wealthy from this, but the soil down the river sickens from wyld-pollution in the water. Worse yet, strange creatures have been seen down in the depths, scuttling isopods and worms from the carcass - and the parasites on an island-sized beast are no trifling matter for a man.
On the wyldwards coast of the island, a fae exile from the Telephassan nation of Geli has made her home. From above the mangrove swamps his white-stone fortress rises, capped in sapphire and guarded by sworn fae cataphracts. Some of the deerlords speak of him as a goddess, and he takes his lovers from among the bravest of their warriors who fight through the nightmare-swamps to his dwelling place Yet all this is a diversion to him, an escape from the black depression of his exile from the radiant court of the Sunsworn Tyrant. Lord Velise was once his lover and is charred from such knowledge, his hands coated in gold and his eyes eternally bandaged. He seeks to find the heart of Tuung, a treasure he could return to his once-lover's lands in triumph - though whether to gift it to him and win his favour again or consume it and seek revenge, even Velise does not know.
