SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
Might be buttering Lirra up, Tanwen's been displaying an interest in her for a while.
Gravedigger Quest
- Thread starter Renu
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
- Location
- St. Petersburg
It seems like a solid idea to be on good terms with a person to whom you own a life debt, and who seems to have a complete disregard for lives of others.
IC, I think Lirra just wanted to see if there is maybe a soft, fluffy and misunderstood soul behind the hardened exterior. So far she didn't find one, but she is nothing but hopeful!
OOC, Tanwen is funny.
IC, I think Lirra just wanted to see if there is maybe a soft, fluffy and misunderstood soul behind the hardened exterior. So far she didn't find one, but she is nothing but hopeful!
OOC, Tanwen is funny.
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NaanContributor
Provider of delicious flatbread, and nothing else.
- Location
- Hawaii
Yeah, the better our relationship with Tanwen, the less likely she is to use our favor for something too objectionable. And by the same token, the closer Lirra is to Tanwen, then the more likely she is to help Tanwen on her own volition without needing to have the favor called in. So win-win? Maybe?
- Location
- St. Petersburg
I don't think that's how it works for Tanwen. You are describing basic friendship mechanics, and if the 'Other Changeling' knew how to do that, you'd think she try it out on someone instead of leaving them for dead in the forest. You only have so many life debts to call, so getting people to help you without one seems too good to only be attempted on a specific individual.
I think it's just the stronger Lirra gets, the more useful she will be when it is time to reap the harvest. This might be the reason she is pointing us at fresh corpses that she knows we derive our power from.
Obviously, their motivations may change as time goes by, but I don't see Tanwen doing something for us just because she is curious. She was shown to be too utilitarian for that.
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
NaanContributor
Provider of delicious flatbread, and nothing else.
- Location
- Hawaii
I meant it more as a consequence of Lirra doing more stuff with Tanwen (as a result of our votes) rather than something that Tanwen was angling for.I don't think that's how it works for Tanwen. You are describing basic friendship mechanics, and if the 'Other Changeling' knew how to do that, you'd think she try it out on someone instead of leaving them for dead in the forest. You only have so many life debts to call, so getting people to help you without one seems too good to only be attempted on a specific individual.
I think it's just the stronger Lirra gets, the more useful she will be when it is time to reap the harvest. This might be the reason she is pointing us at fresh corpses that she knows we derive our power from.
Obviously, their motivations may change as time goes by, but I don't see Tanwen doing something for us just because she is curious. She was shown to be too utilitarian for that.
Nottheunmaker
Altman be praised
- Location
- USG Ishimura
On the other hand, Tanwen doesn't know we get stronger by pyering corpses. That's a card Lyrra's playing close to her chest. I really don't think she gives a shit about random dead people either, so she has another reason to want us out in the woods, away from the Academy, with no one around but her.I don't think that's how it works for Tanwen. You are describing basic friendship mechanics, and if the 'Other Changeling' knew how to do that, you'd think she try it out on someone instead of leaving them for dead in the forest. You only have so many life debts to call, so getting people to help you without one seems too good to only be attempted on a specific individual.
I think it's just the stronger Lirra gets, the more useful she will be when it is time to reap the harvest. This might be the reason she is pointing us at fresh corpses that she knows we derive our power from.
Obviously, their motivations may change as time goes by, but I don't see Tanwen doing something for us just because she is curious. She was shown to be too utilitarian for that.
Okay so her killing Lyrra doesn't make sense given an apparent lack of motive, but I'm not sure why else she'd do this.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Isn't that a trait common to all Keepers of Grey? Didn't Tanwen know enough to recognize us on sight despite the hood? (I am still not sure how she did that)
Otherwise... it's Tanwen. Playful, unempathetic, proud, irresponsible, manipulative. Could be she forgot something and doesn't want to risk braving the undead infested forests alone. Could be she wants to try out something she isn't allowed to do on Academy grounds. Could be her setting us for a
Like I said, she is fun.
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SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
Oh, Tanwen's terrible at basic friendship. That doesn't mean she's not interested in friendship with another changeling (which is what seemed to prompt her original interest). Of course, I also wouldn't trust her farther than Lirra could throw her without a ton of character development first.I don't think that's how it works for Tanwen. You are describing basic friendship mechanics, and if the 'Other Changeling' knew how to do that, you'd think she try it out on someone instead of leaving them for dead in the forest. You only have so many life debts to call, so getting people to help you without one seems too good to only be attempted on a specific individual.
I think it's just the stronger Lirra gets, the more useful she will be when it is time to reap the harvest. This might be the reason she is pointing us at fresh corpses that she knows we derive our power from.
Obviously, their motivations may change as time goes by, but I don't see Tanwen doing something for us just because she is curious. She was shown to be too utilitarian for that.
If the character vote at the beginning can be taken as a sign of in-universe variance, it seems their pyre related powers take different forms, depending on the Keeper. Lirra's particular literal strength growth might be unique or rare.
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You might want to change how you measure the limit of your trust for her, because that might wind up being very far, very soon.
- Location
- The state of Paranoia
Based on Tanwen's observed lack of empathy, (along with pride, irresponsibleness, and manipulativeness)
here are the explanations I think make sense, and the implications they have for why she wants to hang out with us:
NOTE: these are not in any particular order. I am not saying which of these I think are more likely, nor which ones I think are better or worse for her/us.
Option 1: Tanwen is extremely racist, and doesn't see anyone other than changelings as people.
If this is true then it makes perfect sense for her to want to hang out with the "only" person here that she has met. It's even possible that all she wants out of hanging out with us is companionship. She probably sees us as either a friend or a possible friend. She probably is also capable of feeling empathy for us, just not for anyone else here.
Option 2: Tanwen is a sociopath.
This also fits with how she seems very impulsive, though that could easily just be part of her personality. If this is true then she probably has multiple goals here. She wants us to get more comfortable around her, and feel like she's our friend. If we care about her, then we will hesitate less to do something we wouldn't normally do (like cover for her after she kills someone) when she calls in the life debt. She may even get multiple uses out of us for smaller things, as well as the life debt. Having us as someone with a life debt AND who thinks of her as a friend is strictly better than having us as someone who has a life debt and distrusts her.
Furthermore, Tanwen might have a chance to observe some our abilities (or just ask us about them), which will help her determine just how useful we are and what she should use us for. This also gives her a chance to talk to us and try to make us distrust our friends. She can also try to stoke our paranoia about revealing to anyone that we are a Keeper of the Grey, possibly by telling us stories (whether true or not) about Keepers that she knew who were ostracized or abused for revealing what they were.
Option 3: Tanwen is the demon king, here to get the same training as heroes so that she can understand how to defeat and kill them better.
If this is true, then it's not all that different from the sociopath option (she may even be a sociopath as well as demon king). It does give a slightly higher chance of her having empathy, just not for heroes or heroes in training. Furthermore, she may be determining if she should recruit us to be one of her lieutenants eventually. Probably not, but maybe. It would be interesting.
Option 4: Tanwen is emotionally damaged, either from losing her team or from something that happened before that.
If this is the case, she may be putting on a strong front even though she does feel sorrow for her fallen comrades. It's possible that she really does have empathy, she is simply acting like she doesn't because it's the easiest way to avoid breaking down into tears. Her dead team is probably still out there, and she may want them to be pyred as a sign of respect and a way for her to grieve. It also allows her to hang out with Lirra.
Option 5: something completely different.
Implications: that I spent a whole bunch of time armchair psychologizing a character that just plain has different motivations and personality than I think she does, and that I don't really know all that much about yet? I know I said that I wouldn't say which I think is most likely, but by default it's probably this one.
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- Location
- St. Petersburg
I would like to remark on one detail in the update:
Well, that, or she was identified as a 'deserter':
Seeing how Furuta does not have the language skills to pick up a fight with someone, I took it as a confirmation that there was something wrong with Tanwen that more experienced people could tell at a glance. My bet is still on a demonette/tiefling species.
Well, that, or she was identified as a 'deserter':
Whatever that means.
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- Location
- The state of Paranoia
Possibly a deserter is someone who was in a clan, but then left it? Possibly in disgrace from committing a crime, or possibly it's just taboo to leave one's family in general?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
The Land of the Swirling Storm is in a perpetual state of war, be it against the legions of monsters roaming at the foot of their high mountains, or other clans desperate for the few arrable lands and other ressources. As everyone is expected to fight (nobles on the frontlines, commoners on production) someone without a clan is usually either a deserter or someone who did something bad (shamefur dispray).
Given the lack of ressources, they generally end up as bandits or such, on top of being DIRTY SHAMEFUL COWARDS WHO ABANDONNED THEIR COMRADES I'LL KILL YOU ALL SINCE YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE STOMACH TO DO SO YOURSELF AAAAARGHGHASDFJKLAHDFGJLKHADSF
Given the lack of ressources, they generally end up as bandits or such, on top of being DIRTY SHAMEFUL COWARDS WHO ABANDONNED THEIR COMRADES I'LL KILL YOU ALL SINCE YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE STOMACH TO DO SO YOURSELF AAAAARGHGHASDFJKLAHDFGJLKHADSF
- Location
- The state of Paranoia
That explains why Furuta doesn't like Tanwen. There is a high chance that Tanwen either betrayed her team, or at least didn't help them much at all. Other than the lack of caring about them at all, she also was shown to be very good at fighting, and was not injured (iirc) when we found her. If she had actually been fighting alongside them they would have had a pretty good chance of survival (much like we survived), and likely would have been injured in a fight that was dangerous enough to kill the rest of her team.
Edit:
Plus she had a healing potion left, so she probably could have saved one of them and still gotten a life debt from it.
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SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
Probably not for a while, Lirra's still subpar in terms of raw strength, just not as bad as she was. And, I suspect it's not as high priority as things like 'skill'.You might want to change how you measure the limit of your trust for her, because that might wind up being very far, very soon.
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Depends on how many Strength Boosts we buy from the Shop.
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
...Yes? Yes it does. I was literally just discussing that.
The wording made me think you were referring to conventional training.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Ok, locking votes for realz now. I'd say I'll try to update this week-end, but... well, unless you just arrived you wouldn't believe me.
Inserted tally
Inserted tally
- Location
- United Kingdom
That's ok. I only just arrived and I still don't believe you.
But seriously, I'm enjoying the quest so far. Looking forward to learning more about the Gravediggers and the world in general.
EDIT: Considering we're ostensibly from Emoulin, taking this seems IC at least, even if we might prefer to save for increasing a mental stat.
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SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
I was leaning towards saving up for improving Perception or Will*, personally, though I had considered spending the five on a survival skill, like Basic Hunting.
*Because not being ambushed or mind controlled is nice.
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Nottheunmaker
Altman be praised
- Location
- USG Ishimura
Getting the (slight) Improvement level to all our base stats should go on the list. They'll never not be useful, are fairly cheap compared to the next level and gives us that little bit of an edge beyond what someone would think of our body can do. Bit stronger, bit faster, bit smarter, bit more then they can handle. Maybe throw some points at the low cost skills, personally leaning towards Barter and Battle Tactics, but seeing as we're going to be mostly working with a team it'd be better to focus on what we have and let them cover other areas.
Also, it's worth noting that the character sheet splits our skills and traits between those we get from Echos and those we learn the old fashion way. Leaves me a bit worried about picking things up with Echos and not being able to improve them with regular training.