- Location
- Washington
And again, we're not even actually offering to teach how to bring her husband back. All that's on explicit offer is the 100% above board services of tbe mortuary cult.
It Belongs to a Museum
- Thread starter Boney
- Start date
- Fantasy
There's also the fact that if Aelsabrim does decide to bring her husband back, she knows exactly how he is going to come back. There's no "came back wrong"/full metal alchemist plot, we know what undead are, she knows what undead are, it's a known science. If she makes that decision, it's in full awareness of the consequences of that decision.
MiracleGrow
Miracles for only $19.99 [They/Them]
- Location
- DOOR STUCK DOOR STUCK PLEASE I BEG U
[X] [LEVER] Prestige
Among
- Location
- Finland
Yeah, the whole tempter idea for grief feels like a kneejerk reaction.
I can see where it is coming from, but it ignores the context of other offers, as well as makes number of assumptions that Paht would not share.
This not an empire quest, the rules for magic are very different.
Paht is not a modern (to the empire) person, his view on magic is going to be very different, and keeping soul safely contained and preserving the body for later resurrection is central to his job and to his culture.
It's not trying to tempt someone into evil or corrupt them, because Paht would not consider this evil or corruptive, he is offering a service that he was trained to do since he was a child thousands of years ago (or however old you are when starting training).
I can see where it is coming from, but it ignores the context of other offers, as well as makes number of assumptions that Paht would not share.
This not an empire quest, the rules for magic are very different.
Paht is not a modern (to the empire) person, his view on magic is going to be very different, and keeping soul safely contained and preserving the body for later resurrection is central to his job and to his culture.
It's not trying to tempt someone into evil or corrupt them, because Paht would not consider this evil or corruptive, he is offering a service that he was trained to do since he was a child thousands of years ago (or however old you are when starting training).
Last edited:
neutronium95
Mad Rocketeer
- Location
- The test site
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] [LEVER] Power
[X] [LEVER] Prestige
[X] [ACQUIRE] Awakening Armoury - Ranged
[X] [ACQUIRE] The Dread Abyssal
[X] [LEVER] Prestige
[X] [ACQUIRE] Awakening Armoury - Ranged
[X] [ACQUIRE] The Dread Abyssal
daedalus725
Kell of Kells, godking of Planet X
- Location
- Daedalus crater, The moon
See I find this a puzzling distinction to make because as it stands Grief is the one offering to spread Knowledge much more then the other two
Omegahugger
Inattentive Idiot
Eh, Prestige is literally "I am going to reveal the secrets of the world to everybody and make a huge show of it, wanna join?" and Power is "I can teach you the secrets of how Neferata wrapped courtiers around her finger".
The only difference is how esoteric the knowledge is.
EDIT: The only option that isn't about spreading some sort of knowledge somewhere is Money, and that is why it is currently losing by a factor of 100. My apologies and sympathies to both Money voters.
Last edited:
daedalus725
Kell of Kells, godking of Planet X
- Location
- Daedalus crater, The moon
Yeah, but the nyarlathotep stlye should be esoteric rather than " here is how guns evolved"
Also it's lowkey driving me up a wall.
>People want to be a necromantic teacher
> get told that Grief is the best opportunity to teach this character
> don't vote for it
Like a big ass boots not gonna convince people to learn necromancy nor is the history of Guns
The river folk aren't going to end magic students to our museum to learn necromancy because an Elf sells us monster
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x] [LEVER] Prestige
Omegahugger
Inattentive Idiot
If you look back at the voting period, a lot of people didn't want to be a necromantic teacher. Even if you discount those who voted for any of the other actions, what they voted for was being an imprudent teacher. Of forbidden arts and magic, yes, but also all other sorts of things. There's a real chance that applying make-up is among the forbidden skills that Neferata was denied.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the same voterbase that wanted to play as a teacher who taught even the things he shouldn't have is attracted to a vote option with the tagline "I am one who will make a spectacle of the secrets of the world".
Or, if she finds out, that it'll happen at a time when her grief is more stale and less raw. Maybe even after she's found her second love.
The same reasons why now is the best time to make the Grief offer also apply to why this revelation won't neccesarily strain our relationship.
See, that's just it... My understanding of Pahtsekhen, from what little we know of him, is of quite an open person - someone willing to share his knowledge when prompted, even if others would consider it ill-advised. If he doesn't make the offer to use that knowledge now, he will be compelled to hide it for at least some period of time, given that there was no better time to share it. It seems to me to run against his character to do so and... Well, being entirely honest, I'd prefer not to put him through the potential guilt of it.
People barely wanted to be a Liche priest at all, much less a necromatic teacher.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] [LEVER] Grief
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Pronouns
- He/They
[x] [LEVER] Grief
daedalus725
Kell of Kells, godking of Planet X
- Location
- Daedalus crater, The moon
Yeah I was going to pick prestige until it was cleared up if we wanted to teach her to necromancer grief is the option to pick and my frustration was primarily at the people who do want to teach necromancy what are intentionally not picking the option to
I assume they can expect that we are one and aren't going to sandbag
Conquest of Death
New
Conquest of Death
Selafyn opened her eyes with a start, awakening suddenly. The pirates! No, not just pirates, undead monstrosities. They had swarmed the ship, overwhelmed her. Killed her, she had been sure-
Selafyn tried to sit up, but realized she was tightly restrained, strapped to a table. Unable to do more than shift her head, she looked wildly about. It was some sort of stone chamber barely illuminated, unwholesome looking tools and mystical artifacts scattered about on a stained wooden table. There was no sign of sunlight, but with her limited perspective there was no way to tell if she was underground or if it was simply night. In the corner of her vision a figure moved, shifting into her field of sight.
Oh. Oh no. It was Princess Fallenstar, a friendly smile on her face. She was dressed in dark robes, very unlike her usual clothing. Robes that wouldn't show a stain, Selafyn thought.
There was probably no point in pretending to ignorance, but Selafyn tried anyway. "My lady! Have I been rescued from the pirates? I-"
Still smiling, Fallenstar waved a letter in the air and shook her head solemnly. Selafyn was too far away to read the letter, but she still recognized it. Selafyn had authored it. But- not until she had boarded the ship! Selafyn hasn't dared even begun to write down what she had learned about the Princess's activities, about the deals with Luthor Harkon, and more- Not until the ship had safely left the Citadel of Dusk and they had been on their way back to Ulthuan.
"How did you know?" she asked the princess.
Fallenstar spoke for the first time. "There are many watchers in the citadel, and not all of them can be seen. But I appreciate your discretion my friend, I do. Had you begun shouting accusations, or even whispering them in secret, I would have had more cleanup to do. How fortunate you kept your silence until you were on the seas and my... friends... could safely intercept you."
Of course Selafyn hadn't said anything in the Citadel. Not with a hostage so close at hand who could easily have suffered for it. Not with her son- Her son!
"Yelgrin... where..." The rest of the question died in her throat. She wasn't sure what to wish for. At least a death by the pirates would have been quick.
"Don't worry, I know how terrible it is to be separated from those you love by death. That pain is what started me on my journey," replied the princess. She frowned, an expression of pain crossing her face that made her look like a tragic maiden rather than the monster that Selafyn knew stood before her. So beautiful. So terrible.
Fallenstar turned and walked outside of Selafyn's field of view, but only for a moment. Soon enough she returned, wheeling Yelgrin atop a small mobile cart. He looked so small, so vulnerable her boy. His eyes were closed and he didn't move, but his chest moved up and down indicating life.
"What are you going to do with us?" asked Selafyn.
"My friend, I am going to give you a gift. I'm going to make sure the two of you are together forever," said Fallenstar, a terrible light in her eyes. She pulled out rune-covered chunk of obsidian and placed it on Yelgrin's chest over his heart. Then she drew a knife.
"No, please, anything, I'll do anything! Whatever you want, I'll be yours, please just don't hurt him," screamed Selafyn.
"You will do whatever I want," agreed Fallenstar. "You will, but in a form more useful to me than some functionary. In death you will have power. I am sorry, genuinely, but extremes of emotion at the moment of death can make a wraith far stronger, and I wish you to be... strong. Strong, yet controllable. I was pondering the contradiction, and I thought of a most agreeable solution. You will be with your son forever, and my control over his soul will be my control over yours."
"Please, don't, I-:
The sound that Selafyn made when Fallenstar slit her son's throat was not one that should emerge from the throat of an Asur.
Dark, foul magic swirled in the air and a translucent outline of Yelgrin appeared briefly before it screamed and was sucked into the runestone. Fallenstar chanted over the stone, weaving yet more magic, as Selafyn watched and moaned over and over. Then the princess turned to her.
"Yes, that's it. That's the feeling. Grief, anger, loneliness, these will drive your power. Feel it. Know that the warmth of life is gone forever, for both of you, but you can still be together. That I will promise."
The point of the knife, still covered in blood, rested against Selafyn's throat.
"I promise it for now I, too, am one who has conquered death."
- Location
- Brazil
[X] [ACQUIRE] The Dread Abyssal
[X] [LEVER] Grief
[X] [LEVER] Grief
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Where's the line between sandbagging and voting to emphasize the areas of a character concept you didn't vote for that you like more?
That's a serious question. It's not really something that's discernible from the outside, and I think it does bad things to quest communities when folks start becoming worried about that kind of vote-sabotage. Occasionally you get someone who tells on themself and goes "well, I'm just going to vote against ever doing this thing if [thing I don't support] wins!" but most of the time what you have is just people shrugging and making the best of it... which often includes voting to do something other than the thing that the supporters of an option were enthusiastic about, because if they were enthusiastic about it themselves, they'd probably have voted for it!
Like, I voted for neither the Imprudent Teacher nor Princess Fallenstar (actually, now that I take stock of it, I didn't vote for a winning option after the very first vote until the name and location one. Am I out of touch?). I'm currently voting for Prestige, not because I want to deny folks excited about spooky magic tutelage things that will make them happy out of spite, but because I genuinely am more interested in the "Nyarlathotep" vibe, as @The Phoenixian put it. I am sorry if that is frustrating people who expected this character concept to be all-in on spooky magic tutelage, but the alternative is that losers of major votes just shrug and disengage thenceforth, which I think is significantly worse.
Well, I was going to write a little exploratory piece, trying to get into Aelsabrim Fallenstar's head and seeing what she might think of each of the two leading options, but I fear now it would be more than a little overshadowed! Ye gods! Bravo! That absolutely terrified me!
Last edited: