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

Reader mode
Hm, the description of Mana Ethos makes me want to get one now more then ever. They're stated to be the most dangerous at high levels, and have super high versatility.

Zach is a problem. We have info from the Ladder that he has a high risk of permanent mental breakdown, and that's with all of our current abilities if I understand the how the Ladder works correctly. Maybe the Towering Edifice has some sort of ability that would help.

Micah is a little easier, in that Lilly has already thought things through pretty well. We'll need some decent rolls to prevent her blowing up, but offering her a way out of dodge is probably going to be successful at least.
 
[X] Plan: It Begins With The First Rung
I generally trust this plan.

Okay. Time to think about the secret challenges.

*puts on SCP hat*
So! That rosebush. Ugh, that rosebush. Cognitohazards! I don't like 'em.

Also, who the hell is writing that book? Do we have some distant chronicler? Are our actions logged in our Ethea? Somebody's telling this story. I wouldn't bet on it being the QM.

...Hey wait a fucking minute, the Big Kingdoms have to have Inverted-Ethea holders working for them if they can take away our free will, because that's what Inverted Oath does.

Are we still trying to figure out who the traitor is?

We have a Grasp reward in the offering, which means that there's something we can figure out about our Ethea that we haven't, possibly? I'm not sure which one, if so.

Also, "out of left field" could be Little Miss Worldbreaker coming from the direction of Lolsv or Bloody Mary coming from Parisi on the map...But I doubt it's that simple, it's right there in the text!

Rereading the conversation between Zach and Lily, and hearing the "In Character" thing...Ohh, this worries me. I'm kind of expecting a self-focused Inverted Oath. Or possibly Flow? Binding himself to roles, and taking on their attributes. Selling bits of himself to the pyre for another erg of power, of worth (or so he thinks). Trying to be the perfect son.

Also, why is the same blue that's used for Manoth's Insertion Vector hooking into Zach, the same color as the "For those who are curious" text?

[further musing under construction]
 
Last edited:
I wonder, are there any Ethae that control the same forces as Inverted Ethae, but in a weaker and more controllable form?
 
Secret Challenges 2.3
  • Informational
    • actuallynotanegg said:
    Every chapter, we get progressively more screwed.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    OP girls get OP problems.
    You are actually getting less screwed by finding out how unknowingly screwed you already were.
    Consider the result of alternate paths, Zach has been down to get an Inverted Ethos since the start of this story. There was the far more likely original result of you finding out with zero warning.
    And Lilly's right to think Myah's life isn't exactly great in the leadup to her death. I wasn't even going to give you the chance to interfere this soon except that it won an [AdCon] vote with high support.
    And that rose could have really f*cked you up if the rolls went differently.

    No one feels great when they find a bomb in their house. But they are more lucky than the people who don't find the bomb. - Wise Internet Sage

    sheep-dodger said:
    chases
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Hmm. Chasey must be a less well known word for Tag than I thought if people don't recognize it.

    sheep-dodger said:
    thirsty
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    You just corrected a typo inside a word jumble. Subtle flex. :)

    Silverking said:
    the true "infohazard" is knowledge of the artifact itself? You know, one of those "once you learn its name, it learns yours" type of deal.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    And that's a secret challenge.
    You get bonus resistance rolls if you ever encounter Senus using it in another context again.
    You're not 100% right, but close enough.

    Deuterium Dawn said:
    depending on whether "from him" is a typo
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Typo. Sorry.

    TaliesinSkye said:
    perhaps an Artifact could also solve the problem
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    You'd need an inspiration to build it off of. Most likely a Flow Power with any form of outward mental manipulation could likely be used to bud a 'stay chill under extreme duress' Artefact.
    When we get to the point where you guys are doing Write Ins on [Tower] powers, that's how I'll usually work it for Artefacts. You take some element of an existing power you have and reinterpret it into a new shape.

    Aerrow Shadow said:
    We seem to get Rank ups a lot early/faster (5th instead of 20/30th expansion)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    And that's a secret challenge.
    Lilly will do better in her power experimentation rolls next chapter.
     
  • Informational
    • Well, that's two down, one to go - Senus Marnic being the unknown reward, and the Rank Ups thing being the Tier/Grasp bonus, I presume.

    ...I suppose now is the time for more wild mass guessing?

    Wait, wait.

    Did...Was that block of text at the top of the update, was that the rosebush?
     
    Last edited:
    TheBiggerFish said:
    Well, that's two down, one to go - Senus Marnic being the unknown reward, and the Rank Ups thing being the Tier/Grasp bonus, I presume.

    ...I suppose now is the time for more wild mass guessing?

    Wait, wait.

    Did...Was that block of text at the top of the update, was that the rosebush?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    You're thinking we're missing the 'oh thank goodness we know'? Hmm.

    What we need is an expert in fridge horror. I'll bet there's some implication buried in all the information in this chapter that's really, really horrible.
     
    TheBiggerFish said:
    I'm pretty sure that "there's a Flow user on the enemy team" is...just, a known fact? They were actively talking about our Wake, after all. If this post prompts a Secret Challenge thing, I am going to be very annoyed with myself.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    It would in any case fit perfectly with the whole rapist thing and the infohazard from the rose. He's a mind controller who uses his ethos on women in the worst ways possible.
     
    [X] Plan: It Begins With The First Rung
    -[X] [FonL] You're not thinking this through, you've got too many watchers on you and there's still too much to go with--but touching base with a friend after a night of horrors? That's normal, right? When you get time, touch base with Myah--you already managed to help... Whatever it is that's going on with her, and your senses have gotten a great deal better, you should be able to get to the bottom of what's going on just by leaning on your Essence abilities and provide some treatment--maybe even figure out the source of her illness? You can figure out what to do next once you know more.
    -[X] [WiT] Go to Madam Silva and use your favour in return for an explanation on how Divination works and its common limitations.
    --[X] You've got a cover story, at least twice now you and your family have gotten into trouble because of those apparent limitations. A few questions here and there to pinpoint where they are would be key so that there would be no such trouble in the future is just, reasonable, right?
    -[X] [Bfig] Relations <- Entwining the world.
    -[X] [TaM] Riemannian Geometer
    -[X] [TaM] True Song (Investigate Repairs)
    -[X] [TaM] Rest State
    -[X] [TT] One question a day, or whenever I feel my reserve has become completely full. (Default+, how the Ladder has been working but tweaked to not waste potential when at full reserve. Operates best at pre-warning of long-term dangers.)
    --[X] Current Priorities: How to escape Waters' grasp without leaving my family to suffer, how to help Zach come out of his Ethos Selection in one piece.
    -[X] [NGC] You... Don't want to be the kind of person who takes people's futures from them proactively, just because things might go badly. {The Ladder} after all only said the chance of a violent reaction and a breakdown were high. But isn't [Cleaver of Fortune] all about tilting the odds in your favor? The tools to guide him through this intact and happy... Are probably ones you have access to, or will in the days to come if you're diligent. What's one more impossible task on top of everything else you've been dumped on today?
    -[X] [AC] You are almost certainly being monitored. While private areas are likely safe, between any remaining spies in town and in the watch--and whatever it was that was on that rose was bad enough that you scrubbed your own memory of the events, and even trying to recall why was apparently dangerous. Maintain information security unless in an area you can be reasonably certain hasn't been bugged, and take great care around Roses for the immediate future.
     
    TheBiggerFish said:
    True enough!

    @Slyvena would you be willing to confirm which secret challenge is still outstanding?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I think we're missing left field: we got the tier/grasp boost one, I'm assuming that the unknown boon is the resistance, since knowing the boon would give it away, and we actually got a boon from that one instead of GM confirmation instead of "thank goodness".
    Slyvena said:
    Also, for those who are curious.

    There are three secret challenges for 2.3
    A simple one with an unknown boon.
    An unlikely one with a Tier/Grasp boost boon.
    A left-field one with an 'oh thank goodness we know' boon.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
     
    TheBiggerFish said:
    @Slyvena would you be willing to confirm which secret challenge is still outstanding?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    The left field one. It requires you to apply knowledge gained this chapter combined with things learnt in Arc 1.



    Spreadsheet is now up.

    Minor Edit to 2.3, I did not originally add Evie's personally earnt EXP.

    TaliesinSkye said:
    I thought regular people could only have one?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    People can have a mutli-source. Usually a strong primary with a weak secondary. The first example of this you encountered was Mathew Lye, a Primary Pithe with Secondary Oath.
    His {Illusory Fighter} is an example of Freeform Oath.

    AT4467 said:
    Hybrid Flow-Oath?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    TheBiggerFish said:
    No, no, Senus is likely something-Concordance
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Correct. Kaymie told you guys he uses Concordance.
     
    Last edited:
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top