I confess that I'm not really getting what @Slyvena is getting at by saying "Particularly you can look at the demise of your aunts to speculate what kinds of counter-traits you have ended up with." Unless he's saying that either Yolun specifically did his best to raise Lilly to not end up like them (unsurprising), or that Sarah specifically did her best to magically imbue Lilly with the desired counter-traits in question...?
The latter would seem more relevant to discussion of Flow, since Flow is heavily built around mind manipulation as I understand it, and Slyvena was calling attention to mental aspects of the aunts' character and how that contributed to their fates.
Genius level intellect to be able to wrap her head around abstract concepts easily--which for a twelve year old is something that's super fucking aberrant. Which means she can reason her way into answering questions without needing to ask someone who might be offended by the question.
A natural deference to authority and law that prevents her from running afoul of it. (To the point of causing genuine cognitive dissonance since she's internalized the 'Deference to authority and women's roles' but is a rambunctious and adventurous personality to begin with--there's a reason I suspect two of her starting picks were [Nihilist Roots] and [Deviant Wanderer], that's a pretty fierce level of self-hate in a twelve year old!)
And evidently, a really good natural capacity to lie her ass off.
In any reasonable world, these would be borderline atrocities. As it stands, I suspect the ability to brainwash your offspring to have desired traits is considered both expected--and possibly would even be envied if the ability wasn't present on 75% of the female population and thus basically ubiquitous in a way. (Certainly, it goes a long way towards explaining how in a world of superhumans, virtually nobody even considers questioning how counterproductive a lot of policies are)
And as far as Liatris knows, Lilly dying before maturity will cause the literal apocalypse--because apparently Flower will lose their shit if their favorite slice of life otome story gets cancelled.
Convienently though, these traits are also very good powers to have when you're a budding demigod. Because being able to wrap your head around complex situations, to lie your ass off in a pinch, and also to not rock the boat as your automatic reaction goes a long way to letting you survive the dangerous early years.
Huh, I wonder if Flow in general is something Lilly has trouble identifying outside of picking up a related Ethos that comes with the automatic package install, if she's been subject to Flow Effects for the entirety of her life?
Genius level intellect to be able to wrap her head around abstract concepts easily--which for a twelve year old is something that's super fucking aberrant. Which means she can reason her way into answering questions without needing to ask someone who might be offended by the question.
A natural deference to authority and law that prevents her from running afoul of it. (To the point of causing genuine cognitive dissonance since she's internalized the 'Deference to authority and women's roles' but is a rambunctious and adventurous personality to begin with--there's a reason I suspect two of her starting picks were [Nihilist Roots] and [Deviant Wanderer], that's a pretty fierce level of self-hate in a twelve year old!)
And evidently, a really good natural capacity to lie her ass off.
Maybe, but unless you've read something I haven't, I think you're making a pretty big inferential leap. It sounds like you're saying [Service to Man] enables a woman to fire up her housewife powers and systematically mold her children's mentalities into line with what her husband would want for them.
Which is actually plausible to me, but also a pretty big step up from the general state of uselessness [Service to Man] is portrayed as. That's the kind of thing that, as you admittedly discuss further down your post, has society-wide impact.
It's not 'powerful' the way we normally think of 'power,' but it's... impactful.
In any reasonable world, these would be borderline atrocities.
It's unclear to me how two thirds of that is even brainwashing. The "instinctive deference" thing, yeah, brainwashing if that's there.
As it stands, I suspect the ability to brainwash your offspring to have desired traits is considered both expected--and possibly would even be envied if the ability wasn't present on 75% of the female population and thus basically ubiquitous in a way. (Certainly, it goes a long way towards explaining how in a world of superhumans, virtually nobody even considers questioning how counterproductive a lot of policies are)
Uh... I think significantly less than 75% of the female population even has [Service to Man] Ethos at all, let alone has the specific speccing of that Ethos to shape their children's mental development. Though the percentage could still be high enough to have an impact.
Yolun had a great many insecurities about your life and future. [Service to Man] was molded in how it affected you by those insecurities (as part of its natural link from Liatris to Yolun), granting you positive traits that Yolun at least subconsciously believes could have averted his sisters' fates. He's wrong; smart people arguably get in trouble for mouthing off even more often and even people with tremendous personal resolve are still going to steal bread if they are starving. But belief is more important than being correct in this case.
As a Bloomling, Liatris' Ethos has developed incredibly fast by any ordinary metric. So the carry on effects are quite pronounced in Lilly. Depending on what Flow Ethos you ever pick up, you'll likely get a closer look at what's under the hood.
Hilariously, she actually got one the day after the day after tomorrow. Hopefully Matthew will sarcastically predict that we will live for like 2000 years.
Unless he's saying that either Yolun specifically did his best to raise Lilly to not end up like them (unsurprising), or that Sarah specifically did her best to magically imbue Lilly with the desired counter-traits in question...?
They both definitely did that the old fashioned raising their kids way. I'm saying [Service to Man] was also involved in the picture. It doesn't take away things from Lilly, but it could grant her things she was lacking.
For example, Lilly is far more aware of the potential negative consequences of her actions than Clarissa ever was, if they had traded places it's likely Lilly would not have been impaled by a noble in the street. (Kind of ironic given where we are in the story right now with Lord Waters and the prophecy).
Mechanically, your proclivity toward Keen Mind and Steel Will (as well as a bunch of other things too minor to justify sheet presence) are partly attributed to Flow effects while growing up.
The irony here is that they have arguably made Lilly even more inclined to a dangerous lifestyle rather than less so because of her personality.
Effectively mostly right. (Though Liatris didn't specifically sit down and do these things on purpose, [Service to Man] interacts with subconscious desire of the host and husband quite a lot.)
Don't feel bad about not noticing Lilly thinking much too smart for a kid, it's a pretty normal trope in fiction. Most people automatically ignore it. It's also easy to forget how undeveloped our thoughts were when we were 12.
And double yes to the self-hate. Though your choices of action and Ethos and dad D'n'Ms have really reversed course on that big time. Lilly still tends to be a bit hard of herself, but at least all that 'bring shame on my family' rhetoric went and died in a fire.
Lilly dying before maturity will cause the literal apocalypse--because apparently Flower will lose their shit if their favorite slice of life otome story gets cancelled.
Yeah, its a quite ubiquitous fallback Ethos but there are numerous Common domestic Ethea better suited to various administrative and logistical roles for which women are usually quite welcome to participate in. [Service to Man] is the straight Cs of Ethea.
And many men are willing to treat a woman as 'one of the boys' if she can prove she is not like 'most women'.
You are forewarned. As of 2.2 onwards, this quest has the 'Mature' tag.
Nothing crazy, but we are introducing some nasty elements that make it appropriate.
[X][CupiG] Confirm the Lie. Lilly agrees that she has already joined the Watch. The Captain gives you a reason to refuse Lord Waters. No. of Votes: 26
(I'd be willing to add the Write ins if one got something close to at least 50% support within the 26, none came close enough.
[X][WwaT] Submit No. of Votes: 24
-[X][WwaT] But demand time. You need 3 days to finish up your business. If you go too soon, you will be near powerless going too far away from these forests. Also attempt to secure the Lord's 'word as bond' that he will return you safely home at mission's end. No. of Votes: 8
-[X][WwaT] Plot to escape. No. of Votes: 11
[X][BW] 60% Normal, 20% Evie, 20% Tower No. of Votes: 10
[X][EvieLVL] A fun thing demons sometimes do… No. of Votes: 13
[X][NIV] In search of my sister. (time almost up) No. of Votes: 28
Chapter 2.2 - - - - Consent, and other lies. 8th Day, 3rd Moon, LE 2302
(Late Afternoon)
{Contention Prognosticator}'s knowledge settles into your gut like a leaden weight. Were it possible for your body to fill ill, you think you might throw up.
One day you will either kill the man in front of you, or die by his hand.
"Well?" Lord Waters prompts harshly, unimpressed with your delay answering his question.
You're going to kill a man. You're going to be a murderer. You can't push the thought out of your head.
"I… yes," you answer weakly. You're standing still, but it feels like the world is spinning.
It's hard to concentrate. The world around you becomes more distant as you find yourself drawing on {Rest State}, trying to push away unwanted images of your hands, red and slick with human blood.
Could I do it? Could I beat someone with my {Heartstaff} and then watch them die? Just… kill someone?
You feel sick.
Captain Martin and Lord Waters are talking about something as you recall a wolf missing the top half of its jaw, spurting black ichorish blood out onto the meadows under a dark night sky. The thought of a person, maimed and broken the same way; you standing over their wrecked body. You shudder at the thought.
Would I have it in me? Do I want to know?
While in the middle of such thoughts, Evie expands.
An expansion is now an entirely new experience than before. Before now you have seen or felt things related to a new power, but never fully comprehended what was happening within you. Internal awareness of your own soul through your domain makes that no longer the case.
While you could not sense her before, you now see the place Evie resides in within your soul, inextricably connected. Like an unfolding machine her majestic pattern expands, coils and lines seeping out further into your soul and brining more of its still and silent reaches to life. [Effervescent Animus] is a tether, Evie is distinct and separate from you, but also entirely reliant upon you as her anchor to life. As the pattern within your soul increases in size and complexity, your sense of Evie which had been mostly mute and still before now also comes alive. A vibrance of simple emotion and thought reaches out and connects the two of you further.
wowether? (Happy, Mutual?)
The curiosity of this change is a welcome reprieve as you quickly answer.
Hi Evie. Yes, I am happy we can communicate at least a little now.
After a short pulse of joy, Evie's emotion turns insistent.
Sweak. (Rushing. Hurry much.)
And with that push, you come back to yourself, your awareness rising out of your own soul and back into the world around you. You have zoned out for a few moments while others were talking.
It seems the pattern of your life is to regularly be distracted with new powers at potentially inopportune moments. Thankfully it has not yet led to tragedy. You'll need to make sure to address that sometime.
You hear the end of Captain Martin's sentence, "-is irregular yes, but time was of the essence and the girl consented."
Lord Waters scoffs as he replies, his words laced with cold sarcasm, "Did she turn mute then too?" Then turns more threatening, "To coerce a vow is a crime I have a duty to punish."
Unsure of what you have missed and still reeling from {Contention Prognosticator}'s unsettling prediction about your future, you struggle to properly centre yourself with {Rest State} quickly. But thankfully an alternative path is now available.
You draw upon the new power Evie has gained, {Subversion}. Having witnessed its expansion, you have at least a passing idea how it is supposed to work and can receive emotional confirmation of understanding from Evie that she is of like mind.
womost (Close Enough.)
In others, {Subversion} could slowly turn powers against their owners, corrupt minds to insanity and rage, twist bodies in horrid parodies and much more. Turned inward, the effect can take hold many times faster. Not that you'd ever use such evil forms of a power on yourself let alone another person, but a lesser form is immediately useful. Under Evie's guidance, you are injected with a facsimile of unreal confidence and sense of purpose. In anyone else, such an act would be utter madness; subversion can partially but not fully reverse its course. But with [My Resolution, Thy Bedrock] right there within your soul, constantly reasserting truth; new dynamics become feasible. {Rest State} and {Subversion} working in tandem to allow yourself to feel things you want to feel and repress things you wish to avoid for a time. A Temporary Self. It can never be far off from the real you without risking permanent damage, but a subtle tweak when you need it is not outside the realm of possibility.
You do feel rightly squeamish about such an action, it is never without its dangers. But pushing up a version of yourself that you know is true even if you can't bring yourself there on your own right now, that doesn't seem like a step too far.
So it is with sudden calmness and conviction that you cease to feel conflicted about what you may have to do to Lord Waters one day, your voice pushes out and silences those present.
"Harmuph is my home, I would die to defend its people and those I love. So I threw my lot in with the Watch. The only ones who could keep us safe during the darkest hour. I cannot leave, I am bound to this place now," you boldly declare.
Maybe a bit over the top, but good enough.
Swow (Assurance. Support.)
Lord Waters and his advisor Senus are silent. Captain Martin looks at you stunned. In fact, most of the watchmen share his look of shock. Kaymie just looks scared, poor thing seems to freeze up at any kind of confrontation. You just feel immense pride in yourself for overcoming your shyness around such powerful people, magical assistance notwithstanding.
You've done it. Boldly lied to a noble, thrown your lot in with a man you barely know but think you can respect. It's not the path you would have taken without prompting, but you'll do what you must to secure just a little more critical time in Harmuph. Your Temporary Self slips off. It would not be safe to hold such an unnatural state for long, but it doesn't matter now, you have momentum to run on.
"I see." Lord Waters responds crisply, as if giving some form of judgement. "Think carefully girl, you are sure this is not all a flight of fancy? I'm given to understanding the young can sometimes speak rashly."
Her eyes bore into you as speaks, like you might reverse course from his look alone. But taking back what you've said now would be the height of stupidity.
"My apologies Lord Waters," you do not relent, "At this time, I cannot come."
That last part was a bit blunt, but if the Captain feels confident this is a good enough reason, then you suppose you are too.
If someone could distil disappointment into its pure form, you think Lord Waters' face would be a good approximation of the result. You start to worry that perhaps he can detect lies and you just failed your last chance to be honest, but his reply proves yours worry unnecessary.
"Well then," he shakes his head lightly, "It seems I have wasted my time. Charell, give her the notice of commission."
At Lord Waters' word, another thickly armoured man dismounts and removes some form of parchment from the sack affixed to his horse. The man, Charell, makes his way over to you carrying the document in his hand.
As this happens, Lord Waters addresses Captain Martin, "Most of a moon, a waste indeed. I hope she's worth the price, Captain."
Ominous threats aside, you find yourself occupied by examining Charell as he closes the last of the distance between you. Charell is the other person you think may use Essence. You're not able to be sure without forming a direct link to someone, but essence does seem denser around him than most. Nothing like Kaymie's structures, more similar to you.
He reaches you and holds out the brown paper, to which you gently take it from his hand. You can't read, but you imagine it goes along the lines of 'report to this place in at season's change'. Still, what you wanted was to not leave immediately with such important unfinished business; you've done that at least.
"Oh wait, I just remembered," Lord Waters suddenly announces with false humour, before his voice turns deadpan. "I own you. Charell."
Your arm is seized by Charell in a flash, you scarcely notice the flare of Pithe before you're in his grasp.
"No!" you yell, pulling feebly against Charell's inexorable strength dragging you off the porch as he begins to walk back to his horse with you in tow.
"Lilly!" Zach screams stepping forward, but wisely does not try to intervene.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Captain Martin bellows at the nobleman.
As panic threatens to overtake you, you focus on keeping your wits.
There are many powers you could use to try and attempt to escape Charell's vice-like grip, but you have the presence of mind to consider what the next step would be. Could you actually escape if you tried? You couldn't leave your family behind anyway. Could you overpower everyone here? Preposterous. You can do many things others cannot, that is certainly true, but these men are powerhouses of magic and experience against which your protests would be chaff in the wind.
Lord Waters simply ignores the crowd as multiple watchmen shout in protest, but none actually move from their places.
"Three days!" you beg as you see Marcus escape from Micah's hold and come racing toward you.
'No No No. Marcus! Stay Away!' you scream internally. You have to deescalate now!
"Please my Lord! I beg you," you appeal to Lord Waters, "Three days. Time to set things in order."
You know your pleas have fallen on deaf ears by the way Lord Waters raises his chin to playact considering an option. "Hmm, I think not. You've turned out to be quite the pest."
Quick thinking Zach, Aurora bless his soul, tackles Marcus to the ground before he can reach you and buries his face in the dirt to muffle Marcus' screams of protest.
"On what grounds do you do this?" Captain Martin demands with a stricken expression as Charel draws near to his steed with you still dragging behind. You have not even used your full natural strength to resist; For your mind is already beginning to spin towards plans of how to be underestimated, how you might at some point escape. Maybe you'll feel the terror later, it's certainly there, you just feel the need to be smart far more viscerally right now.
Lord Waters seems ecstatic, flinging his arms about in a wide open gesture as he replies, "On the grounds that you won't stop me, Captain."
Tension hangs in the air as men pointedly do not put their arms near their weapons. Many of the watchmen here clearly disagree with what is happening, but are unwillingly to stand against a lord, even one directly breaking some law or convention.
Can I continue to fix dad away from home? No. I need direct contact. I can still wake him up from here, he'll feel unnatural in his own body, but he'll be alive.
Charel reaches his horse and mounts it in the same motion as pulling you up to sit in front of him. You naturally link to and realise you could throw the horse into a frenzy. Were it just Charel and you alone together, you think you'd risk a confrontation, but that is not the circumstance you find yourself in.
Senus addresses those present. "Gentlemen, ladies. Despite this short period of unsavoriness, we all still strive for the same purpose. For the kingdom, we serve."
A smattering of murmured replies, "for the kingdom, we serve," leave a number of watchmen's throats. Whatever violent intent there may have been lurking there starting to dissipate. If the men of the watch were going to help you, it would have been by now. You are without support, alone. With a long heaving breath, you sigh.
Is this my fate now? An unavoidable future? Is there no way to change course?
You wrack your brain for ideas as the noble party begins to depart, some additional protest of the Captain's being shot down again.
You reach out for the Words of Wisdom, if there was anything that could help you now, that's where it could be found. The Words have never truly come at your bidding, but it has been a long time since you truly tried to push that limit.
Maybe. Just maybe.
An idea enters you mind. It is an act of recklessness, risking breaking something very precious much like you broke the {True Song}. But when you think about just leaving now and never even getting a chance to say goodbye… your resolve hardens.
You've pushed dangerous boundaries and kicked open doors inside powers before. But this time, you begin from your very soul.
[Cleaver of Fortune] sits in its place within your soul, the parts of it you can fully understand that is. Concordance is a slippery Source compared to Essence or Pithe, you don't even really see it so much as see movements and tensions within your soul you think are its aftereffects. Even with such a fumbling start, you can clearly see the parts of your soul that stir as you slam your Will forward demanding the Words speak. That just lets you hone your attention better on those parts that respond, pushing them right to the point you think the Ethos might tear and holding the pressure there.
It is a rough and dirty method that puts strain in all sorts of places on your soul. You sense [The Cleaver of Fortune] itself was only able to endure because the powers within the [Cleaver] have not grown much relative to its number of expansions.
There are so many ways what you are doing could go so wrong. But quite fittingly, luck is on your side. With a rush and pop, you toe the dangerous line, forcibly expanding and seeping the {power} deeper into your soul. As the process reaches its end, [Cleaver of Fortune] seems on the brink of collapse if you push things any further. You should never do this again.
Rising out of your soul, you feel numerous blood vessels in your brain explode with the rush of improperly organized information that appears, mulching some other nearby parts. You tilt your head nonchalantly to the left to stop some blood trickling out of your right ear as you consider the information from within your {Core Heart}.
You understand now. {The Ladder}, the {Rungs of Wisdom}, parts of an intricate system similar to {Sample Space}. Their function is an astounding process. It always begins with a build-up of Potential, then a reach attempt that exchanges that Potential for something. You don't quite know what it is, it's related to Gravitas and {The Ladder}'s other purpose is to decode it into information. Multiple parts all working together, some quick and small to search for places to reach, the larger section that expends the Potential, other smaller parts beyond your grasp.
All interesting things to be considered more later. It this most dire of circumstances, you have gained something that can save you.
Leverage.
Andrew Martin possesses a critical weakness you can use to manipulate him into a near perpetual ally. Andrew has become aware of your likely unparalleled potential but has made sure that information does not spread. He has in fact actively prevented it. Andrew tells himself he is doing this to secure your aid in breaking through his Ethos bottleneck, but in actuality he subconsciously dreams you could upend the entire kingdom.
Andrew once allowed a goodhearted boy to be tithed in years passed and heard of his later transformation into a monster in all but name. He is disillusioned. His own son is dead, his daughter married outside the kingdom. In short, Andrew Martin has very little tethering his loyalty and can be subverted.
He sees your rising star and recognises that any who remain your ally are destined for historical relevance and legacy; he lusts for that glory, to rise about relative mediocrity. The final push required is to convince him you are a genuinely righteous soul. Not because Andrew is a good person himself, but because helping someone he considers righteous will allow him to unconsciously ignore the guilt of treason that would otherwise stay his hand.
To do so, you must explicitly tap into what has become the central fixture of his disillusionment. That young boy. The boy did not want to go all those years ago, but the Captain respected his duty and ensured that he did. Quite favourably, the current circumstances are already pressing most of the right pressure points on his psyche. If you want to break the Captain's final hesitation and bind him to you for the foreseeable future, start with the last words he heard that boy say. "Andrew, I forgive you."
Like a deep sucking emptiness inside, you feel the Weight you can manipulate through [Cleaver of Fortune] putter out to nothing, completely expended for quite some time. There are a couple of leftover reach attempts already in motion, but beyond seeing they are there, you can discern no more. In return for this great cost, you have gained the keys to your desired future. A set of steps to achieve a desired result.
You feel guilt creep in at the edges as you turn toward the Captain. He watches you begin to be ferried away; his previous furious face given over to an impassive stare. On the outside the situation seems hopeless, but you know the outcome of the words you are about to say. The confrontation it will cause. You know it could lead to multiple men's deaths. Four words and everything turns to chaos.
There is a chance in this last moment to not do it, to say nothing. Are you even giving people a choice if you know how to make them do something? You don't have to risk it. You could let yourself be ripped out of the life you know and hope for the best.
…You say the words.
"Andrew," the sound leaves your lips, the weight of a time long in the past presses upon and mingles in the air as you speak, "I forgive you."
The Captain seemingly doesn't move at all for a few seconds after you speak. Before whispering something so quiet no one else can hear it. You do not need to bring the whisper to you with a power though; you have already seen it, you already know what he has said. "This time, there will be nothing to forgive."
"Men of the Watch!" Captain Martin roars, "Draw!"
Altogether with their captain, seventeen members of the Watch draw weapons, raise shields and ramp up various magics into standby. The ten members of Lord Waters' retinue each also suddenly tense into a state of alert. Pithe strains and Essence eddies all around the gathering as the two parties square off.
Ethereal shields and domes manifest out of the air, coloured banners and auras emanate out from warriors, the formerly calm area becomes a veritable rainbow of lethal powers brought forth and barely held in check on a hair-trigger.
At the precise moment that this is all occurring, you conduct the final manoeuvre {The Ladder} provided, somersaulting yourself into the air up and away from Charel. You feel the first concrete effect of the {Primordial Chassis} completely stop whatever Pithe effect he tried to use to stop you, its power not meeting the minimum threshold the Chassis negates. {Subversion} is also at work from your brief time in physical contact with him, causing a blip in Charel's awareness that stalls any backup measures he might have deployed until you are too far off.
You land closer to the Watch than the noble party, with your {Heartstaff} out and ready. Unless you have missed something, Evie remains undetected and you have not revealed anything new.
By some miracle, no one has gone further than readying their powers and spells, so you land and find yourself amongst a heavily armed standoff.
The silence stretches as neither group stands down. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. You don't need to know the specifics to understand there is enough firepower within this assembly of people to level any structure in Harmuph in seconds.
Satisfied that a bloodbath is not about to ensue, Captain Martin speaks. "You overstep your privilege, my Lord," evenly looking to Lord Waters, blade in hand.
As the two leaders stare at each other. Marcus, having broken away from Zach, runs into your arms panicked beyond sense at the implicit threat of you being taken away. Without taking your eyes off everyone you lean down and push {Rest State} onto him to return at least some faculty. You hug him with one arm tight enough to make him uncomfortable.
"Hello. I love you. Go back to your brothers, Now." You bite out, injecting every ounce of 'Do what I say or else' into your tone possible. With a light shove you send him off, back away from the danger.
You practically hiss when Lord Waters eyes follow to where your brothers gather together a short way off. Before anything can come of it, Lord Waters leans over to listen to something Senus whispers into his ear.
{Senus}: "Yield chance 3%, it's to the death. Likely lose a few thirties putting them down."
Lord Waters nods to the man before looking back at the watchmen whom you've drawn beside during the delay. At a light hand signal, the retinue deescalate the magics you can sense and most sheathe their weapons. Essence calms, the Pithe field grows less taut.
The watchmen mirror the subdued tension on Captain Martin's lead.
Lord Waters begins to speak, his grim expression replaced with that same implacable good humour and tone from before everything got scary. "Commendations to you all. How disappointing it would have been if you had bent the law for a noble. The conviction I see here before me is what makes our kingdom great. I have tested your mettle and it has not been found wanting. Hear Hear I say!"
…that is quite clearly absolute bullshit.
But it does signal the end of imminent violence. The watchmen have passed their 'test' and Lord Waters 'never' intended to take you. Congratulations all around.
You note your brothers through your Essence Sight warily watching things, close enough to hear everything but waiting until it seems entirely safe before they approach.
"You honour us with your praises, my Lord," Captain Martin answers tersely. "Just as we serve the kingdom loyally."
That is quite clearly a veiled insult. You just hope the Captain can stomach the consequences of his choices as you are prepared to.
"We depart. There is nothing worth our time here." Lord Waters says simply, spinning his steed to head back away from your home. His own men and women following suit.
Charel drops your Notice of Commission on the ground as he silently mouths 'impressive' at you, before joining the others.
Despite it seeming like everything may be over, you cannot relax until the noble retinue actually leave. So you are wary as Lord Waters stops when you are directly some distance to his right, along with all those following him.
Lord Waters looks at you in a way you don't think you've ever been looked at before. A bit like hate, but somehow with worse undertones. His speaks quietly, but still loud enough for anyone who cares to hear. "This was the easy way, whore. I look forward to next time," before continuing on his way.
Zach bristles at the remark (in addition to a number of watchmen), but Micah puts a hand on his shoulder in case he was thinking of anything stupid.
The final trial comes in the form of Senus Marnic. An enigma of a man, his only quality of real note so far being who he serves. The knight dismounts and walks toward your own party without a word just a wide grin on his face.
A couple weapons are redrawn as Yola stands to your left and an unnamed watchman to your right, but Senus simply holds his hands open and unthreatening in the air as he makes his way over to you.
Captain Martin speaks, "Something you need to say, adjutant."
"Only my apologies for this most unfortunate unpleasantness." Senus responds as he stops in front of you, drawing a single perfectly healthy red rose from a leather fold between his plated armour. You take the ordinary flower out of his offered hand in shock more than anything else. This man was talking about the odds of deaths while kidnapping you not a few minutes ago and now he's making some trite chivalrous gesture. Nobles are dangerously strange. "And a flower for a flower, a keepsake until we meet again," Senus adds.
A keepsake. This cannot possibly be what you think.
A signal of interest? Putting aside the difference in social class and a hundred other things, how is this in any way the appropriate time?
The task done, Senus turns and leaves the same way he came. Re-joining Lord Waters party as they begin to depart and leaving you baffled by his incongruous behaviour. Perhaps your actions impressed him?
What was that?
Senus Marnic has committed your face to memory; he intends to rape you some day.
Your body tenses up as you stop yourself from flinching in shock with a quick application of {Cessation Rivet}. The mental whiplash of that statement bounces around in your head as you blink rapidly a few times, somewhat dumbstruck. You only relax slightly as the noble retinue continue to ride away from you.
…Note to self; Stay the hell away from that man. What was-? I didn't even… ughhh!
You drop and stomp the rose into the ground to vent the complete squick thinking about Senus Marnic fills you with. Evie stirs at your distress.
Mow! (Protective. Angry.)
'Don't come out Evie. I'm fine. Just give me a second,' you think to her as you steady your mind.
… … Mwokay (Begrudging acceptance.)
Someone starts trying to talk at you before you override them with a raised hand, "Can I please have a moment to think?"
You note in the back of your head that it was Captain Martin, but right now your entire focus is on the retreating noble. If there are more horrid surprises, you want to see them coming.
Your reach out into essence, the range you can pull the whispers from after your recent advances is now anywhere within your Essence Sight. Lord Waters' words don't so much come to you as you are simply aware of what they are as he says them within your range.
{Sebastian Waters}: "-matter of principle. Have our man in the Watch set the house ablaze when an opportunity presents itself. Make sure she's orphaned."
You clench your teeth as unnamed man answers.
{Unknown}: "My Lord, is it really-"
{Sebastian Waters}: "-Just see it done Samuel. I'll have that girl begging on the streets before I return."
{Samuel}: "…Yes, my Lord. I will see to it."
Lord Waters looks to another man who begins to answer some implicit question.
{Man}: "I can't explain it, my Lord. The pressure went in, but she didn't fold."
{Sebastian Waters}: "Are you telling me you cannot break a twelve year old child."
{Man}: "Her willpower is astounding. I repeatedly diverted her pathways, but she kept finding her way back. Then her Wake completely shrank when she went mute; my only guess is a prodigious talent for self-rationalisation. Subliminal cues just washed off her."
{Sebastian Waters}: "You didn't try active intrusion?"
{Man}: "Not with the Watch right there."
They were trying some sort of magic on me? Evie?
Stwoped. (Yes. Obstructed.)
Concerning.
Senus moves closer to Lord Waters as the group nears the edge of the range of your Essence Sight.
{Senus Marnic}: "It may be that she is more than just an Auron."
{Sebastian Waters}: "Flow too? That would be an unusual hybrid"
{Senus Marnic}: "No. The other sort."
{Sebastian Waters}: "Oh? Is that why you bothered to… ah, a new pet?"
Senus shrugs noncommittally.
{Senus Marnic}: "I'm the generous sort. There was concordant tension around her. She has no fractures but… let's just call it a hunch. When we return we'll need to-"
And they fall out of your range. Perhaps you could push things with {Riemannian Geometer}, but you've risked discovery enough.
You seethe with anger. You will not willingly go anywhere with them, ever. How can someone with so much responsibility fail to meet even the lowest moral bar. And what was that about a 'new pet'? A certain sinking feeling forms in your gut as you reflect on Kaymie's behaviour. You hope you're wrong.
Is there no limit to the ugliness of some men? Perhaps it is not only monsters that can be rotten to the core.
Some as yet unseen part of [Cleaver of Fortune] nearly rises to the surface of the place inside you and also nowhere, it a jagged and barbed thing. That would only do more harm than good though. When you do not immediately reach for it, it sinks back into your unfathomable soul, biding its time for another day.
You breath out a long tired breath, you don't even have a month if Lord Waters' instructions to Samuel are any indication. And now unlike before, leaving alone may not be an option. You may have just uprooted your entire family's lives.
With mild hurt, the part of you that hoped for the return of simpler happy times acknowledges they may never come again. You put that little disappointment on the shelf along with all the others, there is not much you won't sacrifice to keep what you hold truly dear.
As the rear of Lord Waters' party drifts out of your Essence Sight, Kaymie hesitates on its edge for a moment. On the cusp of some significant decision.
Making her choice, she places her hand to her mouth and you see a tiny tight formation of essence weave together within. Kaymie looks back at you with an unreadable face before following everyone out of your range.
The formation remains behind, where it was made. After a few seconds it unravels into small packets of implicit meaning you know only someone like you could decipher.
{Kaymie Chiels}: "Lilly. If you're caught, please never tell them I did this. You need to leave Narisell. No one you know is safe here anymore. Sebastian Waters will not keep his word. I was willing and they still… … Just leave soon, go and never come back."
{Kaymie Chiels}: "Senus Marnic can hurt people with their own attacks, Concordance, I do not know how, but he is powerful. Sebastian can turn his malice into weapons that target any weakness you possess. Never let him choose the place you face each other, he can warp the land to his advantage"
{Kaymie Chiels}: "If you make it… please come for me one day."
The message is accompanied by raw emotion tied to each of the men in Lord Waters retinue. It is mostly a set of general wariness and occasional fear of certain people's power. Above all of them though, even above her fear of Sebastian Waters. Is Senus Marnic. The man is colossal figure of absolute terror in Kaymie's mind. The near panic that he may find out what she has done. Regret at doing something so stupid, the barest hint of pride that she did it anyway.
A shy girl who could barely speak to you may have just given you information that will save your life, risking who knows what punishment. In return, you do nothing but watch her leave without helping her.
I'll remember you Kaymie Chiels. The day those I love are truly safe, I'm coming for you.
You have made some dangerous enemies today. You let out a sigh again, not that it seems they ever could have been allies.
What's done is done. I can't change it now.
You've heard the word Narisell used on occasion, you believe it refers to the wider region around Harmuph. Given how little you know of anywhere else, the distinction has never seemed important.
After the flurry of near-violence and danger, the calm that comes after feels almost out of place. A sort of emotional whiplash that leaves you expecting some new problem to jump out when the retinue are entirely out of your sight. But this time your fears are unwarranted, the only things that come and pile on you are three very happy brothers.
"Lilly! That was scary. I thought- it looked like they- you can't leave! You -promise me you won't," Marcus yells amidst tears.
Zach doesn't really have the room with Micah and Marcus taking up all the space, but sort of hugs you from the side with a tired smile. The past few days have taken a toll on him. "I'm glad you're okay."
Micah has been silent but concerned the whole time, before finally askomg a question you can tell he dreads the possible answer to. "You did find a way to stay though, right? Lord Waters agreed? At the end it seemed like maybe…" he trails off.
'No,' you think with regret.
At the end of this moon, the season will change. Apparently, that is when the Watch can be reshuffled.
I'm sorry Micah.
"I'm here," you whisper in his ear, trying to sound reassuring. Micah doesn't catch your evasion, visibly relaxing.
For as long as I can be, I'm here. We probably all have to leave home because of me.
"Lilly," Captain Martin speaks, having dismounted to walk over and join you. "We must speak of important things, now."
As much as you wish there was nothing more to do, the opposite is true.
I need to finish restoring dad. But also need to deal with 'Samuel' and the apparent traitor in the watch. And so many other things after that.
"Yes sir, in my home?" you gesture at the closest place with some privacy. {The Ladder} has given you enough confidence Captain Martin is trustworthy at least so long as you remain of material benefit.
He nods grimly and sees about instructing the rest of his men on what to do while you consider the last ten minutes. They have been perhaps the most important decisions you have made in your entire life. There were two paths to follow, the future where you went willingly with Lord Waters off on his mission and everything that would have come of that is closed to you forever now.
Your family and more caught up in the debris of your actions. For the rest of your life, you can't just think about what you want anymore. Your choices matter, they will change things for other people too. You want to be able to look back and be proud of what you've done, not regret it.
If fifty problems could stop popping up every day, so you had some time to breath, that would be a nice start.
Honestly, could anything get more complicated? Just joking {Ladder}, don't-
Choice Time:
*** Make sure you copy paste exactly from the options, the only change is adding 'X's.
*** Approval/Multi-Voting Allowed. (Do it all in one post or tally won't count it properly)
*** Write ins are encouraged. In fact, creative and intelligent ideas receive bonuses on rolls.
Dereliction of Duty: You have overheard that there is a man in the watch willing to forsake his sworn oath to protect Harmuph's citizens above all else; a convenient lap dog at Lord Waters' beck and call. Even if you could be confident you'd defeat such a man in combat, you can't always be around to protect your family. Something needs to be done.
[ ] [DoD] Tell Captain Martin what you have overheard.
[ ] [DoD] Head to the Watch's camp soon, find the traitor using your Eavesdropping and Essence Sight at a distance when Samuel stops there to give the watchman Lord Waters' instruction.
[ ] [DoD] Sit on it for a while. Try to get {The Ladder} to weigh in on what you should do. (Lose chance to follow.)
[ ] [DoD] Write in.
A Mentor and his student: So much has happened, but your original agreement with Mathew to help him and a small number of watchmen train likely still stands. Though given your proven capability, you imagine Captain Martin may try to expand your involvement.
[ ] [AMahs] For all the experience I've gained, I think my melee skills have only been sufficient because I have never seriously fought an armed attacker. There is much I have to learn. In fact, Mathew probably has techniques he hasn't even started teaching me yet.
[ ] [AMahs] Actually, most of what I need to train has to be done with no one else there. Mathew will be helpful, but I don't need him every day.
[ ] [AMahs] Everything keeps spiralling into me revealing more and more of what I can do even when I try not to. It's time to make a bit of distance between myself and witnesses. No more training with Mathew.
[ ] [AMahs] Write In.
For services rendered: Captain Martin promised you much in return for aid in forest. Is there something specific you have in mind? (Money is a given, this is extra) (Captain Martin will not necessarily agree/disagree.)
[ ] [Fsr] Buy my family a plot of land inside Harmuph, move us all inside its walls. It needs to be large enough for a home and a workshop combined.
[ ] [Fsr] Help us replace all our lost assets, and more. (More Money)
[ ] [Fsr] I want an educated tutor who will teach me anything I want to know, no questions asked.
[ ] [Fsr] Whenever I am not with them, I want a personal guard assigned to my home.
[ ] [Fsr] I want access to magical equipment normally restricted from civilians. (Expensive. Less Money)
[ ] [Fsr] Whatever Captain Martin feels is appropriate.
[ ] [Fsr] Write in
A Lie made True?: It was offered and so you made it true, for the time being do you embrace your implicit enlistment into the Watch, or try to distance yourself.
[ ] [Lmt] Whatever the circumstances, I made a promise before witnesses and it would be looked down upon to renege.
[ ] [Lmt] A convenient lie is still a lie, I need to be focused on my family and how we can escape Lord Waters attentions.
[ ] [Lmt] Write in.
Quadruple or Nothing Gambit: You know from {The Ladder} that Captain Martin supports you partly because he believes you to be powerful and possessing great potential. It implied long-term loyalty was entirely feasible. Is this enough to consider telling him more?
[ ] [QoNG] No.
[ ] [QoNG] My Ethos grows faster.
[ ] [QoNG] and I have more than one Ethos.
[ ] [QoNG] Not only that, there's this. ({Core Heart} / [Towering Edifice to Heaven])
[ ] [QoNG] Write In.
An unexpected warning: Kaymie Chiels delivered a warning to you, presumably at some great risk to herself. Whatever other plans you make, it seems Harmuph is not to be your home much longer. What now?
[ ] [Auw] Tell Captain Martin. Whatever he hopes to accomplish, this will change things.
[ ] [Auw] Keep it to just your family. Once mother and father are restored you can all make a plan together.
[ ] [Auw] Tell no one. But begin to formulate ideas.
[ ] [Auw] Write in.
\/ Trialling a new type of vote \/ Additional Considerations:If there is an idea you want Lilly to keep in mind or some action not related to any voting option you think she should do, 'Additional Considerations' is the place to put it. Vote options here are not binding and may not come up in chapters, but do serve to give the author an idea of where the general crowd would like Lilly to direct her attentions. Minor tidbits don't need much to be considered, major divergent / flip-the-board action would need significant to overwhelming support.
[ ] [AC] Write in.
(Decisions on your plan for when/how you leave Harmuph/etc will be voted in chapter 2.3 so don't stress with Write Ins on that)
- - - - - - - - - -
- A comment from 2.1 "If Senus is anything to go by, the people in his retinue might not be bad." I had to cackle evilly when I read this. In some ways I wish they'd rolled to leave without issue, save the reveal for later. Or that you'd chosen to go with them and had the 'oh f*ck' moment later.
- You gave yourself the equivalent of a hundred or so haemorrhagic strokes amongst some other assorted tissue damage in the same general region with that {The Ladder} stunt. Of course your mind is housed in the {Core Heart} these days, Lilly doesn't even realise how freaky it is that she nonchalantly mulched her brain as a side effect without really caring, but {Core Heart} overrides a lot of usual body dysmorphia. Technically you should have felt pain, but this blew apart the bits that handled that and you don't exactly feel pain the same way anymore anyway.
- There is still lots more Lilly is going to keep realising about her powers and new things she can perceive, you'll keep seeing the revelations trickle in whenever she takes bits of time to examine them. Some will be mere curiosities; some will have significant effects.
- So, Mature tag on the story now. Some of the worse things that can happen to Lilly would pretty much be a game-over so lump then along with death on the 'things to avoid' list.
- - - - - - - - - -
- So Lord Waters had a 60% chance of relenting if you went with the Captain's lie. As you can see, that did not come to pass. Captain Martin failed his roll to stand up for you, but it was close enough I considered it a {Critical Pivot} and allowed Lilly to take her guarantied Epiphany (thank Silverkings Omake) for {The Ladder}. You still could have broken it, but you would have got at least the one use out of it beforehand.
- Kaymie nearly didn't say anything. Thank {Critical Pivot} for pushing her over the edge.
- So when some things that are going to happen in the future that Lilly would care about and especially has the power to change, I tend to give the Ladder occasional rolls on just telling Lilly (especially if they are less than a week away) about it. When Myah got picked for a winning roll, it took me a bit to figure out how I was even going to fit something that left field in this chapter.
- Yes, you did nearly unlock a weaponised sub-skill of your Lvl0 [Cleaver of Fortune] Ethos power. Probably a good thing you didn't for lots of reasons, not the least of which being what you've already put the [Cleaver] through this chapter.
- Lord Waters had very little chance to escalate to actual violence during the standoff, he has every reason to just wait less than a month and claim you without having to explain so many deaths. If there was some reasonable way the Captain could keep you for years, that would have been a more precarious situation.
- - - - - - - - - -
Current XP: [Dream within the Forest] Lvl 5: 789/2100 (+14) [Brave Blood] Lvl 3: 961/1000 (+8) [Cleaver of Fortune] Lvl 3: 724/1000 (+79) [Effervescent Animus] Lvl 2: 3043/6000 (+43) [My Resolution, Thy Bedrock] Lvl 0: 14/100 (+14)
- - [Towering Edifice to Heaven] Lvl 0: 59.6/10000 (+59.6)
Character Sheet, Maps, Photos: Public - It's a Girl's World
I think that does rather effectively illustrate why there is no plausible long term future in which we leave Lord Waters alive, and survive in recognizable form ourselves.
This is basically what I was worried about and it makes my skin crawl.
My initial thought is to go all in, at least as far as Captain Martin goes. He's not a good man, but he's not a bad man, and his goals align with our own as much as I can tell. We're gonna need him for when we're leaving and its probably better if he goes with us.
Leverage, Andrew Martin can be a staunch ally, he is firmly disillusioned with the current regime, but lacks a pivot point of which to act, and in the meantime, he seeks to reduce harm above all else.
We have one month to make our preparations, to achieve that, we require allies and political cover.
Our family are in danger, Waters won't give up just because his plant fails--and cutting the plant off merely will encourage him to act in a fashion we can't anticipate. We don't dare follow because these are evil people and this is precisely the thing you check for eavedroppers before acting on.
Fortunately, Martin believes in his Oaths, and he'll help us set up a mousetrap if need be.
Some trust must be extended, and we have an explanation for the shit that just went down. More importantly, Martin needs a pivot point. He already sees Lilly as someone who's got the potential to make history, but he needs us to be righteous too--we're well down that line already with the moves we've made though. Lilly is a pivot point that can move the course of the world if prepared accordingly--and that's no small thing. He's not the best there is--but he is both highly experienced in his position and likely high level, given how rapidly and effectively he organized a response here.
We can't do this alone, Ev'aclial wasn't willing to trust in external powers--but as was established in the beginning of the game--if we just hermit it up? We're going to end up getting ourselves erased when the sky caves in.
We have one month, to prepare ourselves to murder our lord and his retinue, while parrying the attacks of his agents, and ideally save his current victims. We've gained significant insight on the abilities of his core retinue however, as well as his own big gimmick--and we can thus iterate against it--especially if we can sneak in dungeon crawling in the forest into our month to power level our Ethae and gain further Expansions.
So.
Let us begin.
[X] Plan: Unite them, Bring them Together
-[X] [DoD] Tell Captain Martin what you have overheard.
-[X] [AMahs] Actually, most of what I need to train has to be done with no one else there. Mathew will be helpful, but I don't need him every day.
-[X] [Lmt] Whatever the circumstances, I made a promise before witnesses and it would be looked down upon to renege.
-[X] [Fsr] I want an educated tutor who will teach me anything I want to know, no questions asked.
-[X] [QoNG] Write In.
--[X] You don't really understand what it is that's different about you, what kind of spirit decided to tamper with things, but from the beginning, things have been weird. [Dream Within The Forest] was nice, but when it Expanded, it just added more abilities... And then a second Ethos arrived the day after you woke from your disappearance, which occasionally chimed in with helpful information and warnings--and luck you guess? You're still figuring out how that one works. Then both of these started adding new abilities--and then you gained a Third Ethos--that's where the Pithe stuff comes from, actually. For whatever reason, it seems like whatever spirits, gods, or other beings are responsible for giving us our Ethae just keep... Missing me, and throwing me new ones all the time. It was good in that it helped me protect the valley, {The Ladder} made it pretty clear how many lives were at stake if I just stayed hidden at home with Father and the others, and it was enough to help me break the defenses of the corruption in the forest, and keep up with everything--but now he just rolls in like this, does all of this, and I get a report saying that he's going to be responsible for my death if I don't stop him somehow?--and now he's planning on killing them all? Just to maybe get me a little faster when he's going to have me killed anyway? It's... It's not right, but I also can't just put you at risk by running away first--even if he doesn't have anyone watching for me trying something like that. I need help, I need to know more, I need to be wiser, I need to be stronger, so that I can find a way out of this that doesn't lead to anyone getting killed or broken on my behalf, and Father's... Not a soldier.
---[X] TL;DR: Bring him in on the Lillyspiracy, he's stuck his neck out for us, the least we can do is reciprocate. Lilly is a gamechanger, and more importantly she's established that she's as responsible as someone can really get in her position. That being said, less demonstrations with the weirder shit--it's okay to stick to generalities, but having an unpredictable surprise up your sleeve feels like it might be important in the immediate future.
-[X] [Auw] Tell Captain Martin. Whatever he hopes to accomplish, this will change things.
[x] [AC] Take Myah under your wing, she wanted to run away with you, collect her before it's too late.
[x] [AC] You have the tree waiting for you, dedicate time to sneaking to it and communing.
TL;DR: This is beyond what we can do on our own, and frankly until Waters showed up, Lilly was still on the trajectory to do a lot of good. He stuck his neck out for us, and he's fucked now because Waters is a vengeful bastard and he got in the man's way. Our fates are already bound together, avoiding that would be... Perilous.
[X] [DoD] Tell Captain Martin what you have overheard.
[X] [DoD] Head to the Watch's camp soon, find the traitor using your Eavesdropping and Essence Sight at a distance when Samuel stops there to give the watchman Lord Waters' instruction.
[X] [AMahs] For all the experience I've gained, I think my melee skills have only been sufficient because I have never seriously fought an armed attacker. There is much I have to learn. In fact, Mathew probably has techniques he hasn't even started teaching me yet.
[X] [AMahs] Actually, most of what I need to train has to be done with no one else there. Mathew will be helpful, but I don't need him every day.
[X] [Fsr] Whatever Captain Martin feels is appropriate.
[X] [Lmt] Whatever the circumstances, I made a promise before witnesses and it would be looked down upon to renege.
[X] [QoNG] My Ethos grows faster.
[X] [QoNG] and I have more than one Ethos.
[X] [Auw] Tell Captain Martin. Whatever he hopes to accomplish, this will change things.
[X] [AC] Take Myah under your wing, she wanted to run away with you, collect her before it's too late.
[X] [AC] You have the tree waiting for you, dedicate time to sneaking to it and communing.
[X] [AC] Visit the hill our mother told us about
We now have to be able to defeat a noble and his entire group. And we must defeat them, otherwise it's a likely game over. I think destroying this entire kingdom is also now a sub-goal.
The only way we can ever do this is with our own powerbase. Captain Martin can also serve to give us valuable information. We need Harmuph if we're going to survive the following tribulations.
[X] Plan: Almost Everything
-[X] [DoD] Tell Captain Martin what you have overheard.
-[X] [AMahs] For all the experience I've gained, I think my melee skills have only been sufficient because I have never seriously fought an armed attacker. There is much I have to learn. In fact, Mathew probably has techniques he hasn't even started teaching me yet.
-[X] [Lmt] Whatever the circumstances, I made a promise before witnesses and it would be looked down upon to renege.
-[X] [Fsr] I want an educated tutor who will teach me anything I want to know, no questions asked.
[X] [QoNG] My Ethos grows faster.
[X] [QoNG] and I have more than one Ethos.
-[X] [Auw] Tell Captain Martin. Whatever he hopes to accomplish, this will change things.
[X] [AC] If the tutor could spare time for my brothers, that would be greatly appreciated. Speaking of, my brother Zach's Ethos is coming. When I received mine, the process seemed...unusual, and dangerous. Do you know anything about preparing for potentially self-destructive or otherwise harmful Ethos?
I know going all-in on the Captain is probably the best move. The only thing I'm leery of is telling him about Evie. Since 1.10, she's been most effective as Lilly's last resort, and now she has saboteur potential (spy/horror movie style, grab people and disable them with {Subversion} when no one's looking). Lord Waters showing up is an indicator that even the Captain's authority only goes so far to stop information from getting out, especially seeing as it's now confirmed that he has at least one Concordance user on hand.
[X] Plan: Almost Everything
-[X] [DoD] Tell Captain Martin what you have overheard.
-[X] [AMahs] For all the experience I've gained, I think my melee skills have only been sufficient because I have never seriously fought an armed attacker. There is much I have to learn. In fact, Mathew probably has techniques he hasn't even started teaching me yet.
-[X] [Lmt] Whatever the circumstances, I made a promise before witnesses and it would be looked down upon to renege.
-[X] [Fsr] I want an educated tutor who will teach me anything I want to know, no questions asked.
[X] [QoNG] My Ethos grows faster.
[X] [QoNG] and I have more than one Ethos.
-[X] [Auw] Tell Captain Martin. Whatever he hopes to accomplish, this will change things.
[X] [AC] If the tutor could spare time for my brothers, that would be greatly appreciated. Speaking of, my brother Zach's Ethos is coming. When I received mine, the process seemed...unusual, and dangerous. Do you know anything about preparing for potentially self-destructive or otherwise harmful Ethos?
I know going all-in on the Captain is probably the best move. The only thing I'm leery of is telling him about Evie. Since 1.10, she's been most effective as Lilly's last resort, and now she has saboteur potential (spy/horror movie style, grab people and disable them with {Subversion} when no one's looking). Lord Waters showing up is an indicator that even the Captain's authority only goes so far to stop information from getting out, especially seeing as it's now confirmed that he has at least one Concordance user on hand.
My concern is that if one watchman can be led astray by Lord Waters, others might be willing to sell their loyalty to him, or even rival nobility.
I also believe Lilly's smart enough to tell Captain Martin "Hey, I still have something I'm keeping secret for my safety, I'll tell you later, just you and your elites" and then tell him later. Lilly can't be the only one with enhanced hearing, after all.
Alright y'all. It's a Girl's World — And Lilly wants Revolution.
I'm starting to think this is the best path. Or at least to position ourselves against the government (nobility?). When the ruling class is made of people like Waters and we have our powers, this is the only road I see. Noosemen, Tithe, Waters, we can't survive with them.
My concern is that if one watchman can be led astray by Lord Waters, others might be willing to sell their loyalty to him, or even rival nobility.
I also believe Lilly's smart enough to tell Captain Martin "Hey, I still have something I'm keeping secret for my safety, I'll tell you later, just you and your elites" and then tell him later. Lilly can't be the only one with enhanced hearing, after all.
So. Good thing we can turn Harrumph into a dungeon! At this point I'm thinking whatever subtlety we use is only for the purpose of delaying Waters because otherwise it's go time on stomping down a second Dungeon right next to the first...
I wonder if we can push that second one to an overflow state again...? Eh.
Alternatively, there's the tree, the thing in the lilies, Myah who's dad is apparently a bad dad...FUNTIMES!
@Alectai you're implying our second ethos always knew the lord was going to come for us, and thus we manipulated things from the beginning so that this entire situation happened. Normally, this would not be a problem, but you choose to vote for a discourse more than a course of actions, so...
@Alectai you're implying our second ethos always knew the lord was going to come for us, and thus we manipulated things from the beginning so that this entire situation happened. Normally, this would not be a problem, but you choose to vote for a discourse more than of a course of actions, so...
Also, if anyone else has any suggestions or things I missed, please let me know--I do have a habit of going into more detail than I should sometimes when I get in the zone, but that's what the TL;DR is about.
You're referring to the unnamed traitorous watchman? My point was that others might not be loyal to Martin, not that they'd cooperate with this guy. Ultimately, it's hard to say right now, and I could be wrong (I was very, very wrong about Senus).
My reasoning is that every chapter shows having another card to play is always helpful. Also, until we know more about the religious background of the area, I'm not in favor of letting people know Lilly has an actual spirit for an Ethos.
