It's a Girl's World -- And Lilly wants Adventure

[Alectai]

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.

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TBH, it might give us a veneer of explicability to it all? "Of course she's some spirit chosen, that explains much!"

I mean, basic religious stuff should be known, right?

...

Actually.

@Slyvena

What kind of spiritualism and faith stuff does Lilly know about?

 

[darknessworld]

EDIT: Does that help?

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Yes.

However, one thing you need to consider is that, no matter what, including gods and spirit in a discussion is going to make difficult to sell our story, even if it is true. And it may be religiously insulting to use the firsts, so I think we should consider what we know about the local religion.

By the way, we should ask to our mother if it may be a good idea to bring the captain to the location from which she obtained our name.

 

[Alectai]

Yes.

However, one thing you need to consider is that, no matter what, including gods and spirit in a discussion is going to make difficult to sell our story, even if it is true. And it may be religiously insulting to use the firsts, so I think we should consider what we know about the local religion.

By the way, we should ask to our mother if it may be a good idea to bring the captain to the location from which she obtained our name.

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Probably not, there's likely a rule against that.

But point taken, waiting for an answer on my question first though.

 

[actuallynotanegg]

Wow. We have a really long list of things to deal with. From the top of my head I can think of: Abby, the nobles, the traitor in the watch, Lilly's name, healing Dad, and Myah.

 

[Silverking]

[X] Plan: Unite them, Bring them Together

[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.

...Welcome to the Circle of Trust, Captain Martin. At any rate, if we're going the High Treason route (which seems likely), we need to give him hope that, yes, we can become the Unparalleled Revolutionary.

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.

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You could have avoided all this, Lord Waters! We may not have eavesdropped on you as you left if you had played nice! Now you've left the seeds of revolution! We're going to burn YOUR house down!

I considered it a {Critical Pivot} and allowed Lilly to take her guarantied Epiphany (thank Silverkings Omake) for {The Ladder}.

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Not how I anticipated it being activated, but I am not disappointed in the slightest. Turns out Ladder CAN explain itself, if you're willing to drain the battery.

...Normally I'd be trying to dive back into the text for secret challenges, but this chapter...Blegh.

 

[darknessworld]

Talking about Myah, we shouldn't ignore the possibility that she is actually related to what happened with the dungeon. (I'm not saying she is the cause; she may be a victim)

Or even a possible inverted ethos she may have.

 

[Alectai]

We're definitely going to need some Secret Challenges though. We have to protect Lilly!

 

[Slyvena]

I know we didn't have the information before, but I'm really, really glad the vote to go willingly didn't win.

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But you and Kaymie could have had a lovely girl-bonding sesh. You'd have had so much in common. Natural talent with Essence, Pretty, Traveling the world getting to see new places, Terrified of being hurt again if you did something wrong.
Woulda been great

---[X] TL;DR: Bring him in on the Lillyspiracy

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Bold move.
Can't say I expected it, but it does fit what {The Ladder} told you guys.

Ultimately, it's hard to say right now, and I could be wrong (I was very, very wrong about Senus).

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It's funny because outwardly he's been the most cordial of that lot, you've just so happened to luck out on rolls and get two separate sources of info that he's the worst.

Actually.
@Slyvena
What kind of spiritualism and faith stuff does Lilly know about?

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The upper and lower planes are strange and unknowable boundaries and not much is known of them. In ages past the Gods took far more interest in mortal affairs, but the last major divine-sponsored war that bled into the mortal plane was more than 2000 years ago and signaled the effective end of divine patronage across 99% of the plane. It is said they entered a great sleep. Lesser angels and demons can still be contracted by some, but they are side-plays to major events, not the consistent instigators except in rare cases where a Greater one is somehow contracted.
Spirits are a total unknown, viewed as overall neutral but not to be trusted. Fickle, capricious.
Of course Aurora stands out as a God who has kept nominal interest in the mortal plane, many who serve the Temple of Virtue use Ethea directly provided by her though in modern times still based off some other Source rather than her direct Divine power. She is the defacto mono-worshiped God of humanity, barring a few distant rumours from further off.
tl.dr Be wary of spirits, but they are not necessarily hostile or evil. Most people will never see one.
That would be about it for what Lilly knows. Spirits are important but super mysterious. In fairytales they are the macguffins that set crazy events into motion usually just for fun.

We're going to burn YOUR house down!

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lol

 

[Alectai]

Hmm, looks like it's not a big theological explosion then so much as it's an "Oh, that's why" thingie. "Spirits mucking about" is as good an explaination as any for what the fuck is going on with Lilly.

And "Capricious and fickle" does describe Ev'aclial so closely that I can't help but feel she's exactly what they're talking about when those fairy tales come up.

Anyway, just to confirm, the write-in does effectively make use of what we learned from {The Ladder} then, correct? I know you said it but I want to make sure that I'm not just wishful thinking on it and reading into something you didn't outright say.

 

[Simon_Jester]

It's explained though, Waters has a man on the inside.

And the fact this guy felt he needed a man on the inside of a fucking podunk peasant town says very concerning things about this place.

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To be fair, it's a walled town with thousands of people living within the walls and thousands more a short distance outside, not so? By medieval standards that may be dull and of modest importance, but it's not nothing, and for the lower and middle tiers of the nobility it could represent a significant chunk of their overall holdings.

If Lord Waters is a noble who has authority over this place,* he might very well have a few spies within Harmuph, or at least men who periodically take money from an agent of his to act as an informer or "dirty deeds done dirt cheap" man on his behalf.
______________________________

*("I own you," he said, with the implication that yes, legally, he DOES have some kind of feudal or otherwise official power to treat Lilly as one of 'his' peasants)

 

[actuallynotanegg]

I think it would still be prudent to try and prepare for Valerie, who's probably gotten even stronger already. I can already see a scenario in which we've prepared to finally defeat Waters, but then Valerie comes and we have an instant epilogue. Perhaps we should consider a flow ethos next to try and buff up our defense, or maybe we should put more exp into Evie next time, as she seems to be able to resist against mental attacks.

I feel like we have a lot of threats to juggle right now, this ain't going to be easy.

 

[Silor]

[X] Plan: Unite them, Bring them Together

 

[Alectai]

I think it would still be prudent to try and prepare for Valerie, who's probably gotten even stronger already. I can already see a scenario in which we've prepared to finally defeat Waters, but then Valerie comes and we have an instant epilogue. Perhaps we should consider a flow ethos next to try and buff up our defense, or maybe we should put more exp into Evie next time, as she seems to be able to resist against mental attacks.

I feel like we have a lot of threats to juggle right now, this ain't going to be easy.

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Yeah, given everything we keep learning, a Flow Ethos next is pretty high priority, even if it's on the {Inverted} tier.

 

[Faraway-R]

But you and Kaymie could have had a lovely girl-bonding sesh. You'd have had so much in common. Natural talent with Essence, Pretty, Traveling the world getting to see new places, Terrified of being hurt again if you did something wrong.
Woulda been great

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This and Kaymie's own message are all that is needed for me to understand something about Waters and his retinue.

It matters not what we would have and could have chosen to do. Our family was going to suffer anyway, specifically because we caught their eye.

Don't think for a moment that Lord would not have ordered our house burned down and our parents killed if we accepted his offer. As a matter of fact I am certain he would have done that anyway, making sure to order it before leaving the area and presenting it to us as a punishment for a percieved wrongdoing. With a blatant implication that if we misstep any further he would do the same to our brothers, and/or anyone else we know.

Possibly that being the traumatic catalyst for our brother's Ethos, made by Manoth.

PS. I wonder how is Lilly's shaping with Essence now as opposed to when we first met that loremaster?

 

[W00KY]

I started reading this story and was delighted by a rich, if sometimes a bit confusing, world with its own lore and fascinating system. As I learned more abut the world I discovered along side our MC that this world has hidden depths. Depths that truly dredge down the abyss of humankinds worst nature, following the age old "power corrupts" rule to it's worst conclusions. If a human is given the ability to harm others with no chance of harm coming back, how far will they go.....

Very rarely can a narrative push me to actively hate a fictional character. This one managed it so smoothly that I found myself surprised at how strongly this stirred me up. Bravo, @Slyvena ! Thank you for writing this story and sharing it with us. I await further installments both with eagerness and a little dread.....

 

[Alectai]

More observations, Lilly was getting hit with a Flow Ethos that she couldn't detect the whole time, but she had so many defenses stacked up between {Primordial Chassis}, {Hybrid Siphon}, and {Subversion} that it didn't seem to have a meaningful effect on her and {Rest State} seemed to handle what little scratch damage got through. Notably, it still hit her and only became insignificant because {Rest State} was countering it. Lilly seems extremely weak to Flow attacks in general, which brings the neccessity of grabbing a Flow Ethos to critical levels.

Senus has a Conrordance Ethos that specializes in making you hit yourself. He didn't pick up that Lilly was using a Concordant effect, but he suspects she has a Natural Talent in that field, which is a problem because he's well suited to countering [Cleaver of Fortune]. Waters has an Oath based Ethos that ties in with his rulership of the Land, to the point where if he gets to choose the field of battle we are fucked.

Furthermore, it looks like Level 30+ is considered genuinely elite, to the point where Waters wasn't willing to risk losing some in a fight here. Knowing that, Liatris being level fucking 41 is horrifying for all that her Ethos is purely support. Maybe not to the point of being strategic assets, but it does seem to suggest that level 30+ people are the bleeding edge of what you can acquire without particularly special resources and unique circumstances, and aren't so common that a regional lord is willing to spend some when he can get what he wants by just spending time elsewhere. This is important, because Lilly's Multivector status will let her reach Level 30 reasonably quickly by working on the low hanging fruits. That being said, we lack the advantages that the big Milestones bring to the table there, which is not good either, but it helps.

He has a Flow based subordinate who he kept behind and wasn't identified. Samuel doesn't like the shit that's about to happen but also is in no position to push back against it. We don't know what his build is. Charel seems to be a Pithe Primary/Essence Secondary.

So yeah, we're fighting an Oath Primary Noble, possibly level 40+, a Concordance based vizier probably in the same league who specializes in turning things back to sender, and a strong Flow agent who tilts the scales his way but probably isn't as high level (Because he wouldn't be trusted if he was good enough to manipulate his master or his direct staff. That and the fact he bounced off of Lilly's passive mental damage resist despite her not even knowing she was in a psychic duel). He has a direct retinue of level 30+ Pithe focused troops, and can presumably call upon arbitrary resources within the region as required or necessary.

This is a scary ass lineup, but not an insurmountable one if we can leverage our advantages--but the ideal approach is to buy time by delaying the battle until we can win, and then taking the initiative before he knows the worm has turned. The good news at least is that while he's clearly a tyrant, he cares enough about his face that he won't openly go purging his subordinates and subjects, which suggests that he does still have to justify his actions to someone else.

EDIT: It also looks like we're about to get scryed because Senus found Lilly's super high Tension to be suspect, but it's not an immediate danger because they need to get back to their estate to get ahold of a specialist or get the right equipment to do it. Time enough to pick up another Ethos and hopefully figure out a way to scramble it a little bit. I agree with the theory that Tension seems to be 'Capacity to generate Concordant Weight' while Fracture appears to be 'Ability to direct Concordant Weight in a desired form'. Since Lilly's Concordant Weight is exclusively employed to direct her own actions, she has zero Fractures--which means that from the outside perspective she looks to just have a lot of built up potential and nothing to really do with it. Senus though seems to have a natural 'Hunch' power though focused on identifying potential assets, so he suspects there's more to it than that and wants to do a deep dive when they get a chance.

Notably, he's also a gaslighting asshole apparently based on the information and impressions we got.

 

[GlassMask]

I get it. Fractures are fractures in fate, in the concord, in reality. Tension is how much its wrapped around you. Normally Fractures are essentially what you wield to for your power. Tension is essentially the power you have to change reality. Lilly is the cleaver is the one to change fate, not her powers, which is why she has no fractures.

 

[Alectai]

Further analysis, from what was described, Lord Waters seems to have a very nasty version of [Heartsworn] based on the description we have of it.

Here's a reminder in case anyone forgot.

[Heartsworn] (Common):
"The promises we make ourselves, they bind us to our own future. Give us the push to reach higher than our own span." It is not only the fortunate intervention of an outside influence that has made your future possible, it has also been the grit and passion of your own heart committed to that end.
Draw upon the force of your ambition and dreams and render the conceptual into something manifestly physical. You word shall be your bond, and others their bindings. Weave armour from hope, and a weapon from courage.

Except his seems focused on his dominion over things, and because he's a noble that dominion in this region is very high, which means he can twist the land itself to fight us. Given how it was described too as 'Seeking Weaknesses', it seems like it's higher Rarity as well, being more specialized instead of the generalized "Turn your feelings into tools" that [Heartsworn] seems to use. More specialized in nature, optimized purely towards killing those who offend him instead of just empowering yourselves.

Also says very concerning things about this society, that someone raised in a place where they should have all the power--picks up an Ethos like this.

This is going to be a bitch to fight thanks to him being a spiteful monster and also owning the land (Hence why we were told to get the fuck out of his demense). It's less bad for Lilly thanks to {Primordial Chassis} putting a hard floor on all vectors of attack, but we need to either level it up to the next tier or something. A Flow Ethos is also even more critical because as we've seen, Lilly is apparently catnip for psychic attacks and her only real defense is to just mental regen tank through it courtesy of [Bedrock]

 

[Edifier]

This is awesome!
Thus, the god-empress Lilly rises!

 

[ImperatorV]

Lots of disturbing things going on this chapter. Lilly really has her work cut out for her... At least she's not alone, and has Towering Edifice of Heaven. TEH is so very very much our superweapon here, it's literally designed for strategic-scale conflict and we have a bunch of the limiters broken off.

It's a good thing Evie installed that, because I'd like our odds significantly less if we didn't have it. Heck, we wouldn't even have been able to overcharge Cleaver of Fortune if we didn't have the foundational ethos core.

At some point during this next month, we should really try to get more artifacts online.

 

[AT4467]

That bold lie claim Lilly made, I hope she wasn't held to her word about that on oath

regarding the plant in the watch, ...is it paranoia that I consider even Mathew suspect, cause I wouldn't even be surprised after learning about Senus?

 

[Alectai]

That bold lie claim Lilly made, I hope she wasn't held to her word about that on oath

regarding the plant in the watch, ...is it paranoia that I consider even Mathew suspect, cause I wouldn't even be surprised after learning about Senus?

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It's plausible, and concerning, but... Hmm, he seems honestly too high profile for that without also being OP enough to justify it?

Rare is noteworthy but not something people sit up and immediately start subverting, and TBH if he's the plant, he already knows enough to snap us over his knee, you know?

The actual Plant was probably in the party we brought in with us, hence why Lord Waters moved so god damn fast to get over here. Most of her craziest feats happened in that battle there. A good spy also needs to be highly regarded by the Target, which means they'd be on the short list of elites brought into a sensitive situation.

TBH, it actually exhibits a weakness on this guy's part--that he's willing to risk exposing an agent for what amounts to being a petty control game. If he were anywhere remotely near competent he'd keep them continuing to gather information while he prepared to make a move that secured his genuine interests--or at least struck a telling blow instead of what amounts to being a spiteful lashing out. It means he's short tempered and makes poor use of his resources, and his advisors are either too cowed by him to find this concerning...

Or, as I'm starting to suspect, Senus is using this guy as a puppet to indulge his own tastes and habits while giving him a shield against inquiry. Concordance is a bitch to counter and evidently his own Ethos specializes in the Uno Reverse card, what kind of interaction do you figure happens when he comes into contact with a guy who's Ethos is about Domination? He's a dick but he's a legitimate dick--and if you're a rogue Concordance expert, you very much need a patron to shield you from others--given what we've heard about "If they detected you had any Concordance powers at all, you would not have walked out of that room with your freedom intact" bit.

 

[Thebigpieman]

This is awesome!
Thus, the god-empress Lilly rises!

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Personally I prefer the title "General of All Heavens". Anyways, I need to finish reading the update.

 

[AT4467]

[X] Plan: Unite them, Bring them Together
[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.

So, how did Waters find out about Lilly in the first place? his plant in the watch, though his interest in her was her essence link and regen or was it something else she showed during that time?

 

[Edifier]

[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] [DoD] Sit on it for a while. Try to get {The Ladder} to weigh in on what you should do. (Lose chance to follow.)

[x] [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.

[x] [Fsr] I want an educated tutor who will teach me anything I want to know, no questions asked.
[x] [Fsr] I want access to magical equipment normally restricted from civilians. (Expensive. Less Money)
[x] [Fsr] Whatever Captain Martin feels is appropriate.

[x] [Lmt] A convenient lie is still a lie, I need to be focused on my family and how we can escape Lord Waters attentions.

[x] [QoNG] No.
[x] [QoNG] My Ethos grows faster.

[x] [Auw] Keep it to just your family. Once mother and father are restored you can all make a plan together.

\/ 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 attention. Minor tidbits don't need much to be considered, major divergent / flip-the-board action would need significant to overwhelming support.

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[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.

Those 2 things I've got my mind on.
[X] [AC] Visit the hill our mother told us about