[X] A hefty book titled 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light, by Fluted Circle'.
Hm. Interesting. Gonna be fun to write the excerpt from this book. (And yes, I do intend to keep doing these excerpts when I get the chance - they can be a lot of fun to do.)
interaction
[X] "Hello, Alice of Wonderland, I am Diamond of Dust. And I probably came from the same place other angels originate? Where did you come from? And how do you know Mister Top-Hat?"
Ahaha. Ahaaha. AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*clears throat*
Yeah. As you may be able to tell, I'm kind of happy with this vote. I get to toy some with your expectations about Alice, hint at her relationship with Top-Hat Grin, reveal more about the disappearance of the Ten Hosts, and hopefully get some practice with wham-lines. Pretty much as soon as I first saw this vote my muse started singing like a songbird.
upgrade
[X] Yes.
As expected, and you guys now have a somewhat decent weapon once its trained up some.
Comments:
So. Sorry for the late update and vote call, but my grandfather's cat ran away and I've spent a bunch of today dealing with it. Plus I just got back from vacation, which while fun was also pretty exhausting - that update yesterday was written in a car. (And the section of the road trip that was written during was especially bumpy, so bleh.)
But yeah. I'll get an update out tomorrow - my muse is quite excited about this vote selection. Heck, I'm actually kinda glad I'm gonna get to sleep on it, because I'm fairly sure that otherwise I would end up revealing too much too soon for the sake of the shock value - which probably wouldn't even work because you guys don't know enough about the setting to fully get everything. (One of my biggest problems with writing is that I tend to give too much information too quickly, you see.)
Story:
You remain hovering, wondering at what could have gotten you into this situation. After several seconds in which Alice makes no hostile moves, you eventually calm down and respond.
"Hello Alice of Wonderland. I am Distinction of Dust, and I suppose that I came from the same place as all the other angels," you say politely.
This facade is broken by shock when Alice speaks up again. "But you couldn't have! The Da'at Spire broke, shattered into a thousand million trillion pieces!" The girl says with a rather cute pout before flouncing down to sit upon the edge of her outcropping. "I mean, why else would we be paying attention to you? You're just so... interesting. Mister Top-hat was so disappointed when you had to leave the [Red Jungle], but he's a very understanding..." At this Alice seems to trail off slightly, falling backwards to lie spread eagled across the checkerboarded outcropping. When she picks up again, her tone is much more melancholy than before, as if remembering something frustrating or saddening.
"You know, I don't actually know what he is now. I mean, all those experiments..." At this Alice shakes her head, as if attempting to dislodge her obvious sadness.
"But yes, the point is that he is a very understanding... thing," Alice says, even as she rolls over onto her belly, kicking her feet up in the air and propping her head up upon her hands.
[Da'at Spire]... it feels important. No, it is important - that much you are certain of. However, now is not the time to be considering such things; you have a guest in front of you, and you have no idea how she would take being ignored. As such, you cast around for something to fill the growing awkward silence. (Well, awkward for you - Alice seems to take no notice of it.)
"Ah, if you don't mind me asking, where did you come from, and how do you know mister Top-Hat?" You inquire, caution evident in your tone.
"Oh, well that first one's an interesting question, now isn't it? I suppose the easiest answer is that I was born of an [Idea] and a [Flame], brought together and given form by a [Breeze]. But that doesn't explain much to you, now does it? Hm. I suppose that you could say that I was born from madness, creativity, and innovation - three great flavors that go together even better!" At this, Alice gave a rather sickly grin, her eyes sparking with intensity. In that moment, you could easily believe what she was saying about being born of madness.
"But you also asked about how I know Top-Hat Grin, didn't you... well. I'm afraid you'll have to suffer in curiosity then, because" - and at this, Alice grew far more serious than she had ever been before (at least in the limited time you had intereacted with her) - "it's super-duper complicated." Alice finished, reverting back to childishness in an instant - though this time it lacked the darker undertones of before.
"But anyway, would you mind if I stayed here for a while? You're interesting, and Top-Hat made me promise to try and find out more about you."
what do you do next?
[X] Write in.
Level: 1
Mind: 5
SP: 73/75
SPR: 15
Body: 6
HP: 60/60
HPR: 6
Notes:
So this update didn't like me. At all. I ended up fighting it a bunch, and I rewrote several sections because they just didn't flow right at all, but I somehow enjoyed it. I don't know why. I really don't know why I enjoyed it. I'm not super duper happy with the update, but I doubt I ever will be without a ridiculous amount of time.
Part of the problem is that I'm still figuring out AoW's character, which is really something that only comes with time as you write someone more. On the plus side AoW is sort of a literal embodiment of madness and innovation, so she is kinda expected to go through really weird personality swings. Actually, those are probably my biggest hurdle when writing her; it's surprisingly hard to write someone who's attitude changes every second (well, minute I suppose).
But yeah. So this update was pretty interesting in terms of stuff revealed; we found out that something called the [Da'at Spire] is broken and that it apparently makes or is involved with making more Angels, that Alice really is completely insane (insert 'we're all mad here Alice' joke), that Top-Hat Grin has apparently been involved in or subject to experiments that changed who or what he is, and that Alice has a 'complicated' relationship with Top-Hat Grin that she doesn't like talking about. Poor Alice.
We also found out that there are things called [Idea], [Flame] and [Breeze] that were involved in the birth of AoW, but you guys have no idea what those are. Hm. I want to say that I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I actually don't.
...Which is just making me more worried, really. Bleh.
EDIT: Character page is up to date with the Wing Reinforcement Skill added. Remember, you can't use it until you've slept.
Huh. So we were made differently from other Angels? Well, aren't we a special snowflake.
[X] "Sure, more friends are nice, and it will be interesting to hear your perspective on the world and the soul. As long as you promise not to tell him and others stuff I ask you to keep secret, you're welcome to stay and learn some things about me in return."
[X] "Sure, more friends are nice, and it will be interesting to hear your perspective on the world and the soul. As long as you promise not to tell him and others stuff I ask you to keep secret, you're welcome to stay and learn some things about me in return."
So. This is interesting; Its going to be fun to see how this plays out. I'm probably going to have to paraphrase this, but that was expected.
Story:
You are confronted with a conundrum. You have before you an opportunity to secure an ally with valuable knowledge (i.e., anything). However, allowing such could prove to be dangerous down the line. However, you have no idea how likely such a scenario is, due to the aforementioned lack of knowledge.
The crux of the matter is that you quite simply don't know enough to evaluate all of your possible options. You don't have the experience or background knowledge that simply comes from living in an area. However, in front of you is a potential resource that could solve that problem.
You make your decision.
"Of course you could stay here; indeed, I would be delighted if it would be possible for me too occasionally solicit your advice on some matters. Of course, I do have the minor request that you not pass on anything I ask you not to. I will of course be reasonable with exercising of this privilege, restricting my usage of it to only the most important of things. In exchange, I shall offer my cooperation - within reason - with your investigations. What do you say to this?"
As you speak, Alice's gaze grows sharper and sharper, until by the end it feels as if she is attempting to bore a hole through your flesh. Once you finish, she throws her head back in a loud, echoing laugh more akin to the laugh of a fearsome beast than the laugh of a pre-teen girl.
When she lowers head again, her top hat has shifted, revealing bloodsoaked eyes that scream of madness and despair. Her hair has come unbound from their neat braids, falling in ragged curls about her face. Her bloodthirsty grin reveals sharp incisors that glint in the sunlight.
You begin to suspect that you have made a mistake in your choice. However, it is the choice you have made, and you will not regret it, for regrets are foolish things that only lead to heartbreak.
Alice of Wonderland laughs and laughs, a deep rumbling sound that on its own is spine chilling, but becomes far worse when coming from the body of a ten year old girl.
Then it stops, suddenly and completely, and Alice is back to normal. Her hat is pulled low over her eyes, her hair is still braided, and a light cheery smirk is fixed upon her face.
You are left wondering if you had imagined the previous transformation, but you doubt it. Alice had described herself as a being of Madness and Wonder, and you are well aware that both of them have darker sides than most see.
Alice grins and twirls upon her checkerboarded ledge, space twists, and she is gone - leaving behind a large mirror mounted upon the wall, no ledge, and a fading checkerboard pattern around the mirror that fades as the distance grows. A piece of paper is tucked into the bottom edge of the mirror frame, that reads:
Slip of Paper said:
Enter - if you dare.
Two (1) half and three quarters knocks, three (9) one quarter shin twists, and four (5) eighty third degree left handed hops should do it.
You are somewhat frustrated by the fact that Alice never gave you a direct answer, but you suppose that her actions were clear enough.
You leveled up! Make sure to spend an Attribute point to upgrade either {Mind} or {Body}, as well as upgrade a level five Knack!
what do you do?
[X] Investigate the:
-[X] Ravine. [3]
-[X] Smoke Stack. [3]
-[X] Outpost some more. [2]
-[X] Tower Library some more. [2]
-[X] Write in. [?]
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [2]
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Wing Reinforcement Skill. [4]
-[X] the Flight Skill. [4]
-[X] Write in. [4]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] The [Da'at Spire]. It seems important somehow, and you want to see if you can dredge up a memory. [2]
-[X] The memory flashes from your previous meditation. They seem important, and you want to know more about whatever evoked such existential horror in you. [2]
-[X] Alice's origins. You are curious about what she said, and you feel that you may be able to gain a better perspective on her origins - and through them, her - if you meditate upon them. [2]
-[X] Write in. [2]
[X] Enter the mirror to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about... (Write in). [1]
-[X] Look around. [2]
-[X] Write in. [?]
-[X] How do you enter the mirror if you do? (Write in.)
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the Metaphysical role of the Kabbalah in the formation of Reality', by Seventh's Luck. [2]
-[X] 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light', by Fluted Circle. [2]
[X] Get some sleep. [8]
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Hunt for some more food. [2]
[X] Clear out the tower and try to make it more habitable. [2]
[X] Write in. [?]
which attribute do you upgrade?
[X] Mind.
[X] Body.
Level: 2
Mind: 5
SP: 72/75
SPR: 15
+ You leveled up! You can upgrade one level five knack to a skill! + You leveled up! You can upgrade one of your attributes by one point! This sentence is for formatting ......
Time: 13:00
Body: 6
HP: 60/60
HPR: 6
Notes:
So! This update we see Alice be a bit more insane. We also see a much larger and more elaborate selection of voting options than normal, as well as the addition of a new mechanism. So! Now to explain that mechanism.
See the red numbers? Those are the minimum amount of hours you have to spend on a task. However, you can edit those numbers in a vote so that you spend more time on something. For example, if you had a task with a two hour minimum and you changed the number to a three in your vote, you would spend three hours on it and get 1.5 times the work done.
Now, the purple question marks attached to some of the 'Write in' options basically means that I have no idea what the minimum is, so I'm going to have to come up with that at the end of the vote. However, do feel free to ask me what I might rate a Write in's minimum value as during the voting period.
One important thing to note: if you do end up changing the value, please please please please do not leave the changed value still in red; if you do, its very easy for me to end up not realizing that you changed the minimum time.
Oh! I've also added a 'Time' section to the Stats spoiler so that you know what time it is. It uses a 24 hour clock, which basically means that instead of having any of this silly AM and PM business it just keeps increasing until it hits 24 at which point it rolls over. Hm. Suggestions are welcome when it comes to the new voting-time system; it seems a bit clunky, but hopefully as time goes on I'll be able to figure out how to streamline it more. However, for that to happen, I do need feedback. In addition to that, suggestions on new voting options are heartily welcomed.
Feedback on the bit with Alice going off her rocker (more than she normally is) is also heartily welcomed, because I feel that bit is really weak. However, I do want to get this out today... so yeah.
I've probably forgotten something super important, but I have no idea what it is. Oh well.
EDIT: Managed to forget that you guys leveled up from convincing AoW to join your side. You guys basically rolled a critical critical success - 1/36 odds - which means that she is way more likely to help you out than she otherwise would be if you guys need her. As a side note, that's why the vote was so different; I basically ended up rephrasing it in the manner that would most appeal to AoW.
Hmmm. I wonder if there's a limit on how many hours' worth of actions we're allowed to take. Like if I inadvertently vote to spend the next 36 hours on research/ exploration and only 1 hour on food and forget to vote for 8 hours of sleep, that's going to be really bad isn't it?
Anyway, I voted for a 15-hour block of actions, just in case. >_> Didn't change any of the allocated times either.
---
What do you do?
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [2]
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Flight Skill. [4]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] The [Da'at Spire]. It seems important somehow, and you want to see if you can dredge up a memory. [2]
-[X] The memory flashes from your previous meditation. They seem important, and you want to know more about whatever evoked such existential horror in you. [2]
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the Metaphysical role of the Kabbalah in the formation of Reality', by Seventh's Luck. [2]
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Hunt for some more food. [2]
[X] Clear out the tower and try to make it more habitable. [2]
Hmmm. I wonder if there's a limit on how many hours' worth of actions we're allowed to take. Like if I inadvertently vote to spend the next 36 hours on research/ exploration and only 1 hour on food and forget to vote for 8 hours of sleep, that's going to be really bad isn't it?
So we're about halfway through this day, and 36 hours is about a day and a half. So assuming that you ate today, you'd only end up with a Hungry debuff at level one and a tired debuff at level two - so you'd basically just have a minus one to body and mind.
Of course you would then pretty quickly incur a new bump of 10% once you moved into the third day, leaving you at -1 body, -2 mind.
And no, there is no limit on the amount of actions taken. Of course, something could come up that required a vote - like an attack - so you probably don't want a week long vote or something.
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] The [Da'at Spire]. It seems important somehow, and you want to see if you can dredge up a memory. [2]
-[X] The memory flashes from your previous meditation. They seem important, and you want to know more about whatever evoked such existential horror in you. [2]
-[X] Alice's origins. You are curious about what she said, and you feel that you may be able to gain a better perspective on her origins - and through them, her - if you meditate upon them. [2]
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the Metaphysical role of the Kabbalah in the formation of Reality', by Seventh's Luck. [2]
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Hunt for some more food. [2]
[X] Clear out the tower and try to make it more habitable. [2]
[X] Mind
Most of the vote seems fine to me, but I think we need to learn more about Alice and increase Mind if we're going to talk to her. Which we should, as she's our best source of information on secret stuff.
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] The [Da'at Spire]. It seems important somehow, and you want to see if you can dredge up a memory. [2]
-[X] The memory flashes from your previous meditation. They seem important, and you want to know more about whatever evoked such existential horror in you. [2]
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the Metaphysical role of the Kabbalah in the formation of Reality', by Seventh's Luck. [2]
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Hunt for some more food. [2]
[X] Clear out the tower and try to make it more habitable. [2]
Hm. Interesting. Flight practice makes sense, but I'm slightly surprised that you guys dedicated so little time to research.
attribute upgrade:
[X] Body.
Huh. Continuing the pattern of upgrading Body.
Comments:
So! This is gonna be a biggish update and I have some other stuff to do, so I might not be able to get this out today. Obviously this depends on a bunch of different factors, so this is just a heads up for the possibility.
Story:
After a while, you decide to work on researching the staff that you acquired from Top-Hat Grin. You take it to the top of the library tower and spend a bit of time clearing out the study room. You end up storing most of your stuff there; the two books you have found go on a shelf that seamlessly melds with the wall, your food goes in a small chest seemingly made for that exact purpose, and you place the Staff on a long table anchored to the wall.
You are somewhat surprised by the differences in decor; the bottom floor of the tower had wooden furniture that had long ago rotted away, while the rest of it has far more permanent structures. There are still some pieces of mundane furniture in the upper levels, but they seem to act as supplements to furniture that seems to be part of the tower.
Your investigation of the Staff is mostly unfruitful, though you discover that if you allow your [Light] to flow through it the crystalline blue circuit patterns light up. You also discover that it becomes exponentially lighter when you flow your [Light] through it, though it strikes with the same force.
After that, you head downwards to practice your flight for a bit. You revel in the freedom that comes from your wings, and after a particularly punishing dive you manage to push past your previous limits. You feel yourself move slightly faster, and you spend the next hour glorying in your new speed.
After that you decide to spend some time meditating. You have a lot of questions, and you are beginning to suspect that the answers to many of those lie within rather than without. You decide to focus on the [Da'at Spire] and your previous memory flash, hoping to discover more information.
You settle down cross legged with your wings extended, and clear your mind. The only two things you allow to remain is the impression of Shattered Glass and the [Da'at Spire]. After several minutes, you feel yourself drift off into a trance.
Ten Pillars. Ten Hosts. [GLORY]
White and Blue. Glass and Gold. [LEGACY]
The Spire. The Center. [PURPOSE]
Shattered Glass. [LOSS]
Meditation (Memories): ●●●●○
You fall to the ground, curling up on yourself. Your wings wrap around you in a cocoon, stilling your shakes. Eventually you stop shaking and manage to pull yourself together.
The [Da'at Spire] shattered. It was the core, the most important thing, and it shattered. You force down your nausea with a will of iron. You have to know. You cannot afford to hesitate.
You know that there were Ten Hosts and Ten Pillars. They wore Blue and White, and wielded weapons of Glass and Gold.
And at the center of it all was the Spire. A great edifice of Etheric Glass interwoven with threads and specks of Mythic Gold, suspended in the air between the Ten Pillars. Then the Breach happened, and the [Da'at Spire] Shattered into a million billion trillion pieces.
It takes you a while to recover from that, but once you do you decide to read some more of 'On the Metaphysical role of the Kabbalah in the formation of Reality'. It had done its job of getting your mind off of things before, and you see no reason why it would not now.
Article:
One of the most important things to understand about the Kabbalah and the role it plays in the formation and maintenance of reality is that at its heart it is a method to constrain infinite and unlimited potential.
Within the World of Emanation the Kav, the diminished light of the infinite, is not restricted but for the fact that it has the potential for further restriction. This means that within the World of Emanation there are no definitions; everything is nearly unconstrained light. Yes, it is light that can be everything, but it is also light that is everything - and therefore is only one thing. That light could become anything, and the progression of the Sephirot within the Kabbalah are designed to do that; to limit and define that light, and in doing so make it both greater and lesser.
The World of Action is made of the same thing as the World of Emanation, simply shaped differently. Near infinite possibilities are constrained to singular certainties, and in doing so things become both greater and lesser. It is only within the World of Action that such things as 'Time', 'Space', and 'Matter' can exist. Even within the World of Formation such things are only shadows waiting to be expressed.
This means that it is tremendously dangerous to go beyond the World of Action. To do so is to enter an environment in which things exist only as probabilities and the constants by which you have lived disappear. And of course there is another danger; if you go beyond the World of Action, when you return the possibilities that you have become may shape themselves differently upon re-entry.
However, there are ways to simply peer beyond the World of Action and into the World of Formation instead of moving between. One of these is...
Knowledge (Kabbalah): ●●○○○
When you put the book down it is two hours later and you have managed to progress another sixth of the way through, bringing your total progress up to one third of the way through.
After noting that it is late, you decide to fix a meal. Taking some of the broken and decayed furniture from the study, you place it in the fireplace within the living quarters. After carefully using a conveniently placed piece of flint and steel, you manage to get the fire to light and you enjoy a meal by the fireside.
Cooking (Rough): ●●○○○
It is better than before; a bit charred, but filling and pleasant enough. Once you finish eating it however, you notice that you are out of food. Sighing, you decide to fix that immediately while you have the opportunity.
You extinguish the fire and head outside, leaving behind your things in the study. After about an hour and a half, during which you manage to collect around two days worth of food, you come across something strange.
Navigation, Grim Forest (Outpost): ●●○○○
There is a small group (about five; you're pretty sure you spotted all of them though) of small, hunched over yellow beings with large floppy ears. They are garbed in crude hide outfits and wield sharpened sticks, rusty daggers, and crude clubs for weapons. They seem to be hunting for food, with the one with a rusty dagger acting as the leader.
You are pretty sure that they have not seen you, as you managed to spot them from quite a distance.
what do you do?
[X] Approach them to...
-[X] Fight them.
-[X] Talk to them about: (Write in).
-[X] Spy on them.
-[X] Follow them.
-[X] Write in.
[X] Leave...
-[X] Quickly by air.
-[X] Stealthily by foot.
[X] Stay where you are and...
-[X] Do nothing.
-[X] Watch them.
-[X] Hide in a tree.
-[X] Hide on the ground.
[X] Write in.
+ You leveled up! You can upgrade one level five knack to a skill! - You have incurred the Tired debuff from not sleeping! -10% to Mind.
Notes:
So! This update came surprisingly easy, though I wasn't able to work on it before today. You guys ended up getting a really nice roll for the meditation bit, so you got a bunch of information there. Hm. Oh! This is actually the first situation where combat is a viable option for you guys, so that's kinda exciting. Of course, you guys can't use the Wing Reinforcement Skill right now since you guys haven't slept, which is... something of a problem.
Huh. To be honest, I'm willing to basically get rid of that rule since it wasn't meant to actually impose a limitation on you guys - just stop you from basically leveling up a bunch of Knacks and then upgrading them whenever you're in a tough spot. However, that's really up to you guys; this is an entirely new system that I'm working with, and as such things can backfire and need to be fixed. But again, it's up to you guys if you think it should be changed.
Hm. The Article is shorter than the previous one, and it is more focused on elaborating upon a minor point in the previous bit, but the next should be significantly more elaborate and talk about some other stuff.
Huh. To be honest, I'm willing to basically get rid of that rule since it wasn't meant to actually impose a limitation on you guys - just stop you from basically leveling up a bunch of Knacks and then upgrading them whenever you're in a tough spot. However, that's really up to you guys; this is an entirely new system that I'm working with, and as such things can backfire and need to be fixed. But again, it's up to you guys if you think it should be changed.
I'd be for removing it, if only because I actually think levelling up a bunch of knacks to get out of a tight spot is cool and should be a valid strategy.
I'd be for removing it, if only because I actually think levelling up a bunch of knacks to get out of a tight spot is cool and should be a valid strategy.
Story:
After a bit of thinking, you decide to investigate the creatures at a closer range. You carefully move through the forest, trying to step lightly. You make several mistakes, but the creatures don't seem to notice you.
Stealth (Forest): ●○○○○
You trail behind the creatures for about half an hour, during which you make several discoveries, among which is the fact that these things are ugly. The creatures bear a disturbing resemblance to babies in some ways, while in others they are the exact opposite. Imagine, if you will, the head and torso of a baby, with the skin stretched tight over its body so as to highlight the deposits of baby fat. Now take that and add on long spindly limbs that seem to be nothing more than bone and skin, with large flaps of flesh hanging off. Next imagine that its skin is covered in pustules and open sores, and is tinged a sickly yellow in most places. Finally, imagine that instead of ears the creature has large floppy sacks of flesh and cartilage that drape down its back to reach its waist which making squishing sounds every time the creature moves.
Three of the creatures were wearing what seemed to be freshly removed hide and were carrying simplistic and crude clubs; these seemed to be cannon fodder of a sort. Another one was wearing a more complex outfit that seemed designed to carry meat in several crude pockets; it was wielding a flint spear, and seems to be the 'hunter' of the group. The final creature was clad in a much more refined leather outfit that had a rusty dagger stuck through the belt; he seemed to be the leader.
After about another thirty minutes, you manage to track the creatures to a cave - one of the ones that you had previously come across in the [Outskirts]. The cave is dark, and a stream runs down into it. From what little you have been able to understand of the creature's language, this seems to be a hunting party that is returning home.
what do you do?
[X] Attack them...
-[X] Write in a plan.
[X] Talk to them about...
-[X] Write in what you talk about.
[X] Continue to follow them.
[X] Leave...
-[X] Quickly by air.
-[X] Stealthily by foot.
[X] Write in.
+ You leveled up! You can upgrade one level five knack to a skill! - You have incurred the Tired debuff from not sleeping! -10% to Mind.
Notes:
So! Sorry for taking so long to get an update out. On the plus side, I managed to work out exactly how I want higher level combat to work, and I think it should be pretty interesting. (I also worked out how low level combat should work, but that's much less interesting )
Hm. These creatures (god, I really hate not being able to use their name) are pretty disgusting no? Yeah, that's intentional. I basically ended up sitting down and wondering how I could make them really horrible, and came upon the idea of an old man crossed with a baby. Feedback on how well that worked is welcome, as always.
Hm. I don't think I forgot anything, which is really just making me more worried. Bleh. Oh! Feel free to ask questions about things that aren't mentioned in the update - a good plan makes all the difference after all.
EDIT: I've gone back and changed how the {Appearance} rules work; its now much harder to change your {Appearance} on a significant level unless you have a special Skill for that.
Really hideous bastards, aren't they? Not sure if that's reason enough to attack them - unless their appearance is somehow a sign of inner evil in this world? Divine punishment for something? Defeating them shouldn't be too difficult, as ground-bound creatures are at quite a disadvantage against intelligent fliers, especially if they don't have ranged weapons. Hmm.
[X] Attack them...
-[X] From above. Gather ammunition (stones, wood, whatever) and pelt them with it. Capture and interrogate the one in a fancier getup.
EDIT: I've gone back and changed how the {Appearance} rules work; its now much harder to change your {Appearance} on a significant level unless you have a special Skill for that.
Really hideous bastards, aren't they? Not sure if that's reason enough to attack them - unless their appearance is somehow a sign of inner evil in this world?
Sorta? As the changed {Appearance} bit in the mechanics section says, {Appearance} always reflects something of a being's inner self. The only thing that power level changes is how big of a characteristic that has to be. So a mid-level warrior who wins through knowledge and cunning could use the {Appearance} of a kindly old librarian. Knowledge is still a part of him, but not a major one. (However, if he wanted to use a more animalistic form, it would probably have to be something related to his more prominent warrior nature that still expresses his cunning and knowledge.)
But these guys are really weak, so this pretty much has to be their base form - a powerful reflection of something's inner nature.
Hm. I Should probably put this out there: while Ein Sof is basically God, he can't do anything to Chalal without destroying it, because Chalal is the 'Vacated Space' that is protected from the infinity of Ohr Ein Sof by the Tzintzum.
Yeah, it really doesn't do much. I basically ended up looking at the {Appearance} rules, realized that I wasn't using them the way I had intended in the Quest, decided that on the whole that was a good thing, and then changed the rules to fit better. Plus a lot of the reasoning behind me changing them has to do with SPOILERS, so it doesn't seem to be as important of a change. (Even taking SPOILERS into account it was still pretty minor though.)
TL;DR: The way it worked didn't work quite right, so I tweaked it.
Now! I need to get back to cooking the steak. (Mmm... steak...)
Slightly wary of the Ugly Is Evil assumption, for now. We'll see if that's so soon enough, or if these beings are really young in some ways and old in others, or something.
