To be honest, I don't actually know much about Exalted itself; most of my knowledge comes from fanfic, which is actually kind of useful here because it means that I can draw inspiration from the general themes without worrying about copying too much. There is a definite theme of powerful beings granting Mortals power in the story,
Uh, that's a surprise. I do remember skimming through Exalted material, checking the wiki and the occasional hilarious review, but not that. I guess it's okay as long as our character and everyone else do not suddenly turn into ponies who complain about being persecuted.
Story:
Once you finish stacking the firewood outside the tower, you head upstairs - making sure to bring some firewood with you. Once upstairs you place the firewood in the fireplace before sitting down against a wall in the study. It's uncomfortable, but you still manage to fall asleep.
When you wake up you feel... not quite refreshed, but certainly more ready to take on the day. You also have a terrible crick in your back.
A pulse of your Soul later and the crick is gone, along with the wrinkles in your suit. You stretch for a moment, before heading over to the chest in which you stored your food. Cooking it over the fireplace is an... interesting experience (trying to fit the spit correctly is a pain), but you manage.
Cooking (Rough): ●●●○○
The food isn't burned at all, and your experiment with some spices worked out... not brilliantly, but good enough for a first try. You make a note to try and find a knife or something to use when preparing the meat in the future.
With your stomach newly filled you turn your attention to the Staff. Previously you managed to work out how to infuse your light into it. However, you suspect - no, you know - that there is more to it than that.
After about two hours of experimentation you have managed to determine that the blue crystal circuitry serves as a sort of conduit, shaping the [Light] of the user's soul such that it might achieve an effect. It is an incredibly intricate network, and there seem to be multiple 'settings' or perhaps 'pathways' for lack of a better word. It is quite complex, and you distinctly wish that you had some means of recording your thoughts. Alas, you have no idea how to acquire such a thing; you suspect that any existing samples of paper in the Outpost which you have claimed as your territory has long since decayed into naught but dust.
You turn your attention away from the Staff, massaging your headache away with several strands of your wings. After a brief break, you decide to focus on meditation; you have much to learn about this world and your situation, and meditation is one of the most effective routes you have found.
You decide to focus first on the creatures which you followed previously. They seem twisted and wrong, and you want to know why they trigger such a sense of revulsion. You sit down in the center of the study with your legs crossed and your wings outsplayed as normal. The trance comes easier this time, allowing you to slip beneath the waves of your mind with ease.
Dreams. Nightmares. [SOURCE]
Advancement. Progression. [CONSUMPTION]
You surface above the waves of your mind for a moment. You are not fully awake, but awake enough to notice that the normal emotional impact of the impressions gained from meditation is absent. You are still hovering, and for a moment you search for something to do. A thought. Alice of Wonderland. Someone who you know little about, and whom you have offered a place to stay. It would be good to learn more about her origins.
Or is it remember? You are not sure.
...the waves are calm, and you slip beneath with ease.
The Flame of an Idea wrapped in the body of a Breeze.
The fleeting spark of genius dancing upon the wind that inspires new ideas.
The all consuming flame of madness that is fueled by the flowing breeze.
The Fae:
Madness. Genius. Insanity.
You surface blearily, waves of memories still lapping at your body. The impression of madness, of wanting to watch the world burn as you dance... it is horrifying.
It is also alluring, in a strange and terrifying way. You shiver, the tips of your wings fluctuating in size. You wonder for a moment at what it must be like to exist like that. To see the potential in everything, to feel the constant desire to simply dance and dance and dance...
You shiver as the waves slip over your form once more.
A tool. A weapon. [SYMBOL]
Attunement. Synchronicity. [UNIQUE]
Enhancement. Attack. [RELEASE]
Your return to full awareness is a stuttering one. You slip under the waves for a moment before suddenly bobbing back to the surface. Eventually, once you are fully awake and leaning against one of the walls, you contemplate what you have learned. The Goblins - a name more remembered than learned - become stronger by consuming other Goblins. You also learned that Alice of Wonderland was both a Fae and completely and utterly mad.
You aren't sure what to make of that last bit. You also believe that you have new insight into how your staff works; it seems to need to... attune, or perhaps synchronize with the wielder.
You shake your head. You have learned a lot from your meditation, but you have also lost a certain clarity of thought. You are hazy from your submersion within your mind, and as before you suspect you know the perfect cure for such a thing: reading.
You ponder for a moment continuing reading the book about the Kabbalah, but after a moment you decide to instead focus on the other book you have found: 'on the manipulation of the Soul's Light' by Fluted Circle. It is a fairly hefty book, and a quick skim through it reveals that it is much easier to understand than 'On the Metaphysical role of the Kabbalah in the Formation of Reality'.
Article:
The most fundamental concept when it comes to understanding Soul manipulation is that there is only one Soul in the Da'at World: the World Soul.
The Souls that inhabit you and I, and all other Mortals, are fragments of the World Soul detached to animate us. No one is quite sure why; all we know is that the Soul Crafter (may his sleep be ever restful and his dreams ever peaceful) designed it that way when the Seven Gods and Six Dragons built the Da'at World anew. It is for this reason that sleep exists and is necessary; sleeping allows our souls to harmonize with the World Soul again, repairing the stress caused by living.
Us Mortals are only able to draw upon the [Light] through this connection, tapping into the reserve of diminished light which the World Soul draws upon. However, this is not the only way that Mortals can use the [Light]. There are three basic methods through which Mortals can make use of the [Light]: Sorcery, Necromancy, and Magic.
Magic is the use of your own [Light] to enhance your own Soul, using only your mind and will to channel it. Magic is often very personalized, and comes in thousands of different flavors; there is no one style of magic. Magic is an intuitive thing; often times people will simply develop a Magick that enhances their own pre-existing skills. The Four Orders for instance use a training regimen designed to develop specialized martial art based Magicks in their disciples.
Sorcery is the manipulation of the World Soul through the use of specialized patterns of mystical materials. Because the World Soul is so intertwined with the Da'at World, it is possible to use specific mystical materials to manipulate it and thereby cause changes in the environment. Sorcerers have to understand the complex interactions of the patterns within the World Soul and how they affect the Da'at World. Sorcery is often times a very formal art, with different schools of thought and traditions involved. Indeed, Sorcerers have been known to attack others on sight for their membership in an opposing school. Sorcery is a very preparation intensive art, and one that requires massive elaborate structures and rituals that cannot be moved - unlike Magic.
If Magic is the manipulation of your own Soul and Sorcery is the manipulation of the World Soul, then Necromancy is the manipulation of other, Mortal souls. While Necromancy can be used for great good, it has a bad reputation due the sheer number of ways there are to abuse it. Necromancy tends to fall between Magic and Sorcery in terms of preparation needed. More complex Acts of Necromancy require large amounts of preparation and can be likened to surgery, while quick and dirty uses of Necromancy can require nothing more than a few gestures and a word.
***
...it is important to understand that the World Soul is both a part of the Da'at World and not. The World Soul is the canvas upon which the Da'at World is painted - but it is not. The currents and patterns of [Light] within the World Soul directly influence the Da'at World, just as the structures of the Da'at World influence it. Perhaps the best way to look at it would be to view the two as being interwoven; the Da'at World needs the structure and support which the World Soul provides just as the World Soul needs the structure and support the Da'at World gives.
The World Soul is anchored at the Six Poles and provides the framework upon which reality and causality was assembled. However, in time the World Soul adapted to the Da'at World built upon it, intertwining with it until the two were inseparable - a symbiotic relationship in the fabric of existence. It is hard to describe exactly how the two interact; Sorcerers often use tastes, colors and sounds in ways that make sense only to other Sorcerers. However, such intricacies are not the subject of this book.
Rather we shall instead turn our attention to...
Article:
Article:
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. [?][/LEFT]
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [2] (3/10 complete)
-[X] Write in. [2]
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Wing Reinforcement Skill. [4]
-[X] the Flight Skill. [4]
-[X] Your {Body} Attribute. [4]
-[X] Your {Mind} Attribute. [4]
-[X] One of your knacks... (Write in). [4]
-[X] Write in. [4]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] Top-Hat Grin. He seems to know a lot about the Angels, and knew Alice of Wonderland well enough to ask her to observe you. [2]
-[X] Write in. [2]
[X] Enter the mirror to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about those creatures. [1]
-[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] (2/6 complete)
-[X] 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light', by Fluted Circle. [2] (1/4 complete)
[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] (2/4 complete)
[X] Write in. [?]
which knack do you upgrade into a skill?
[X] Meditation (Memories).
[X] Write in.
which attribute do you upgrade?
[X] {Mind}.
[X] {Body}.
+ You leveled up twice! You can upgrade two level five knacks to a skill! + You leveled up! You can upgrade one of your attributes!
Time: 10:30
Mind: 5
SP: 75/75
SPR: 15
Level: 3
Body: 7
HP: 70/70
HPR: 7
Notes:
Tada! So something to note is that you guys both went up a level (from infiltrating the goblins and assorted things you did this update) and managed to leverage that meditation on your Staff into two hours of research work - so you guys are 3/10 of the way through researching your staff. The World Soul (or Oversoul) is a pretty interesting concept that I came up with... actually pretty recently now that I think about it. It's kind of weird just how much of this quest's backstory is being written on the fly.
Hm. So this was a fun update to write, especially the bit about Alice and the Fae; it was a departure from my normal style of meditation flashbacks, which was fun to do. We also learned some stuff about the Seven Sleeping Gods and Six Dragons, which is interesting, although you guys are missing some of the context. (Because Jesus, the Six Dragons are badass.)
So what are all of your thoughts on the whole World Soul/Oversoul thing? I'm pretty sure that I'm one of the first to do something like this, so any feedback would be nice - especially the sleep thing.
Also! There were... a lot of formatting errors, so if you see something that seems wrong, please point it out.
EDIT: Holy shit. What the fuck is going on with the formatting. Okay. So! To summarize: I have been reduced to gibbering while foaming from the mouth out of sheer fucking rage caused by my fucking edits not sticking! It's... its like there's something in the formatting that makes it auto fill in sections. I don't know. Its weird. But! The point is that I have given up. This is my last edit for the night, and if there are formatting problems they can wait till the goddamn earth has made another fucking rotation.
and the Risen make me wonder if we're going to encounter any. Just how common or rare are they? And can only sleeping gods empower them, or is it that the vast majority of the gods are asleep?
They're pretty rare, but you guys are probably going to run into them more than you statistically should thanks to you're status as an Angel. And as for the sleeping gods, the only gods still alive are those that are asleep - the rest are all dead or eaten by the Six Dragons.
The Lord himself sounds surprisingly human here for a being that has apparently lived through multiple ages and whose body is clockwork. Is he just having a moment here, or did he intentionally construct himself this way?
He intentionally constructed himself that way. Part of the reason he was Risen is that his clockwork body allows his soul to keep functioning the exact same way as it did when he was alive which is incredibly hard. As in, no one realized it was possible until he did it - and most people still refuse to believe that it is.
Plus, he tends to get melancholy pretty often.
In all, he's a pretty interesting character, though I'm not sure whether we want to go anywhere near him. I don't know if we count as a Spirit or a Mortal, but his mention of binding Spirits into machines don't sound promising. Unless we luck into becoming his apprentice?
Nice to know that I succeeded at making him fun to watch. As for the Spirit thing, you guys are Mortals; a good rule of thumb is that if it has a Soul, its a Mortal. And he sort of didn't have a choice when it came to the Spirits; he wanted to rule an empire, and to do that he had to depose the Spirits. But if he did that then the areas without Spirits would crumble, so he bound the necessary Spirits to these machines in each city. It wasn't the best of solutions, but he didn't exactly have a choice.
The last line is also curious. Is that a prospective apprentice finding his abode, or someone that knows him and wants to request something?
It was an apprentice. Well, it was a poor schmuck who accidentally stumbled into the [Green Catacombs], but The Lord of Ticking Death can be very persuasive when it comes to convincing people to accept his offers of tutoring. (What would you do if a clockwork skeleton told you that he wanted you as an apprentice?)
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [2] (3/10 complete)
[X] Clear out the tower and try to make it more habitable. [2] (2/4 complete)
[X] Enter the mirror to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about the soul and those creatures. [1]
[X] Get some sleep. [8]
The World Soul (or Oversoul) is a pretty interesting concept that I came up with... actually pretty recently now that I think about it. It's kind of weird just how much of this quest's backstory is being written on the fly.
Well, to me it reminds me of the Spirit/Soul of Gaia thing, that the Earth itself is alive and yadda, yadda yadda. Good thing there aren't ecoterrorist werewolves... Right?
So what are all of your thoughts on the whole World Soul/Oversoul thing? I'm pretty sure that I'm one of the first to do something like this, so any feedback would be nice - especially the sleep thing.
Does the Lord of TD sleep then? He also doesn't seem to be a particularly evil monster, in spite of what you said. Sure, he sorta kidnaps those who enter his domain, but they should have known what they were doing once they notice the place is filled with dormant killer-robots.
EDIT: Holy shit. What the fuck is going on with the formatting. Okay. So! To summarize: I have been reduced to gibbering while foaming from the mouth out of sheer fucking rage caused by my fucking edits not sticking! It's... its like there's something in the formatting that makes it auto fill in sections. I don't know. Its weird. But! The point is that I have given up. This is my last edit for the night, and if there are formatting problems they can wait till the goddamn earth has made another fucking rotation.
Probably related to this, but your text quotes have disappeared.
Anyway, my votes:
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [2] (3/10 complete) [2]
-[X] How to use your [Light] to cast magic as an offensive ability somehow. The Staff will probably be needed as well. [2]
[X] Enter the mirror to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about the soul and those creatures. [1]
--[X] Should you find a room with a strange door instead of meeting Alice immediately, follow her instructions:
---[X]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.
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] Top-Hat Grin. He seems to know a lot about the Angels, and knew Alice of Wonderland well enough to ask her to observe you. [2]
[X]Upgrade your {Mind} Attribute.
-[X]Upgrade your Knack (Memories) to a Skill.
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [2] (3/10 complete)
-[X] How to use your [Light] to cast magic as an offensive ability somehow. The Staff will probably be needed as well. [2]
[X] Clear out the tower and try to make it more habitable. [2] (2/4 complete)
[X] Enter the mirror to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about the soul and those creatures. [1]
--[X] Should you find a room with a strange door instead of meeting Alice immediately, follow her instructions:
---[X]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.
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] Top-Hat Grin. He seems to know a lot about the Angels, and knew Alice of Wonderland well enough to ask her to observe you. [2]
[X] Get some sleep. [8]
The magic of the coins has compiled this composite plan! All hail the Coin! All hail the Coin!
upgrades
[X] Meditation (Memories).
[X] {Mind}.
So I managed to forget these the first time through. This is now fixed.
So. I currently have a horrible, horrible migraine. This has obvious implications when it comes to me updating. I'm going to try and get one out, but it might be a bit late. So yeah. Sorry?
Story:
You put the book down and rub your eyes. It involves some pretty heavy stuff; there are a lot of more metaphysical components to this stuff than you had ever expected (and you had expected quite a bit), as well as some pretty heavy duty calculations that are required for predicting the exact interactions between different souls and the patterns of [Light] flowing through them.
You lean back against the wall you're propped up against - you really need to find some furniture at some point - to contemplate your plans for the day.
You suppose that the first order of business should be getting some more food. You aren't that hungry, but having something to do while thinking over what you have learned would be nice.
You set about preparing the remaining food you have, making sure to try and better use the spices you have collected. When it gets to the point where you would normally use a spit, you instead decide to use your wings. It proves to be a much more versatile option that allows you a great deal of fine control.
Cooking (Rough): ●●●●○
While eating, you decide on a rough itinerary of events. You figure that you'll start off with researching your staff, before moving on to trying to develop some sort of offensive Magick. Then you'll work on cleaning out the tower a bit more, before visiting Alice and you'll finish off the day by meditating for a bit on Top-Hat Grin.
The research on the staff goes well; you don't make any major breakthroughs, but you can tell that you're making progress. The research on offensive skills goes less well. While 'On the Manipulation of the Soul's Light' gives a rough overview of the process, going deeply into the specifics of how everything works, it isn't designed to teach you how to make a Magick or Sorcery or Act; rather, it is intended to explain how such things function.
It is quite annoying, but you still feel as if you have made some process in developing your own offensive magic.
describe your magick:
[X] Write in.
Cleaning out the tower goes pretty well; you manage to remove all of the broken furniture on the upper floors and in the process you manage to discover a couple of chairs that still function. They have a white marble structure, with black marble veined with dull crimson for cushioning that somehow manages to be soft. You move those up to the study as you seem to be spending most of your time there.
Unfortunately, you run into problems when you try to enter the mirror. You spend about thirty minutes futilely trying different things to get in before finally giving up. It seems that Alice's instructions have some hidden meaning that you haven't yet managed to decode.
In lieu of talking to Alice, you instead move on to the next item on your itinerary: meditating on Top-Hat Grin.
You once more decide to do this within your study, reasoning that it has worked well before and will continue to do so. You assume your customary position and slip beneath the waves with nary a thought, the action coming to you with ease.
A soul, torn and mutilated in the pursuit of a goal. [DETERMINATION]
A figure, surrounded by adoration and love of the highest order. [LOVE] | [DEVOTION] | [PURPOSE]
A broken relationship, caused by a foolish path. [REGRET]
Hope, that the relationship can be mended. [GOAL]
A forest prison, wrapped in red and soaked in blood. [ESCAPE]
You surface from your dive with a sense of fascination and disgust. Top-Hat Grin has torn apart his own soul, mutilated his very being in the name of becoming great. Yet his actions have lost him the love of the one who set him upon that path. He is a being of broken pieces, held together by sheer raw determination. The man - no, the thing; he is no man by now - cannot even speak or understand language, having sacrificed the ability upon the altar of his goal.
He is a truly broken being, but you do not pity him. He would not want such a thing; he has made his decision, and he has made his peace with it.
You will not begrudge him such a thing.
[BEAUTIFUL]
You go to sleep with tears in your eyes at how wonderfully horrible such a thing is.
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] (2/15 complete)
-[X] Write in. [?][/LEFT]
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [2] (4/10 complete)
-[X] Your custom Magick. [2]
-[X] Write in. [2]
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Wing Reinforcement Skill. [4]
-[X] the Flight Skill. [4]
-[X] Your {Body} Attribute. [4]
-[X] Your {Mind} Attribute. [4]
-[X] One of your knacks... (Write in). [4]
-[X] Write in. [4]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] Top-Hat Grin. He seems to know a lot about the Angels, and knew Alice of Wonderland well enough to ask her to observe you. [2]
-[X] Write in. [2]
[X] Enter the mirror to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about those creatures. [1]
-[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] (2/6 complete)
-[X] 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light', by Fluted Circle. [2] (1/4 complete)
[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] (3/4 complete)
[X] Write in. [?]
+ You leveled up! You can upgrade one level five Knack to a Skill!
Time: 24:00
Mind: 6
SP: 90/90
SPR: 18
Level: 3
Body: 7
HP: 70
HPR: 7
Notes:
So! Top-Hat Grin is pretty fucked up isn't he? Like, really fucked up. So, so fucked up. I mean, Alice of Wonderland, a being of conceptual madness, is actually better off than him, he's so fucked up. And yes, you guys can expect most of my characters to be similarly fucked up; even the perfect ones are only perfect because they're fucked up.
Also, we find out that DoD likes broken things. This is actually related to the plot (such as there is one).
Now to talk about the Mirror. Sorry guys, but you're going to have to come up with some sort of interpretation of Alice's instructions in order to get in.
Next we have the Magick (the term for magic based spell, like Sorcery for Sorcery and Act for Necromancy). So this is giving you guys a chance to determine what you want your new skill to be like. It has to be pretty simple, since you don't have anything on actually making Magicks, so you guys can't do homing or anything like that. An example of a basic spell would be a sort of burst that covers your fist or wing and explodes with concussive damage when it hits an opponent.
This is one of those things that you guys are going to want to put thought into, and I will veto options that don't fit. Because this is such a complex thing, I'm going to give you guys at minimum two updates to decide; I will expand it if people ask for more time. Developing this skill is going to take thirty hours, and I will allow you to work on developing it even if you haven't decided what it is yet.
Also: I have done the thing. The thing has been done. The THING! Despite not being on my meds and having a migraine, I have managed to update! *Does the happy dance* This concludes this portion of the update, now onto your regularly scheduled commentary.
Nonsense! But on a more serious point, writing this actually helped a bit with the migraine. Having something to focus on helps me to push the pain out of the way; otherwise I just end up wallowing in a dark room with my headphones on blaring out Nightcore in hopes of overpowering the piercing pain with pure, raw sound.
So... has Top-Hat achieved the original goal that he had mutilated his soul for? Or was it something like 'protect his girlfriend'? And does this mean that he's actually imprisoned in that Forest? If so, freeing him might be an interesting challenge. I can't say I dislike him after hearing about his circumstances, though that might change if I learn more details.
[X] Describe your Magick: Fireball
Not sure just how much complexity we can put into a spell or if we can create Elemental Spells at all, but if it's possible, a ranged (explosive?) fire attack is my first choice. It can hurt/distract/scare/blind our enemies and start fires in their camp. Can't really go wrong with fire most of the time, after all. Might look for more utility in our future spells, but for now we have Goblins to deal with and need weapons.
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light', by Fluted Circle. [2] (1/4 complete)
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Flight Skill. [4]
[X] Enter the mirror to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about the soul and those creatures. [1]
-[X] Knock one time, perform nine shin twists, and hop to the left five times. If that doesn't work, try to investigate the Mirror with your Soul and see what you discover.
[X] Hunt for some more food. [2]
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] Your Soul. Alice said that you are not like the other Angels... so is there something unusual you can discover about yourself? [2]
[X] Research:
-[X] Your custom Magick. [2]
[X] Clear out the tower and try to make it more habitable. [2] (3/4 complete)
[X] Get some sleep. [8]
[X] Describe your Magick: "Somebody Else's Problem" Field
I'm actually thinking of pulling from our actions so far here. We haven't been very aggressive, preferring to investigate and spy and read and things like that. So I want our magic to follow similar principles. Otherwise, though, I'm with you.
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light', by Fluted Circle. [2] (1/4 complete)
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Flight Skill. [4]
[X] Enter the mirror to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about the soul and those creatures. [1]
-[X] Knock one time, perform nine shin twists, and hop to the left five times. If that doesn't work, try to investigate the Mirror with your Soul and see what you discover.
[X] Hunt for some more food. [2]
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] Your Soul. Alice said that you are not like the other Angels... so is there something unusual you can discover about yourself? [2]
[X] Research:
-[X] Your custom Magick. [2]
[X] Clear out the tower and try to make it more habitable. [2] (3/4 complete)
[X] Get some sleep. [8]
That chapter is still missing parts, specifically the bits about the books.
[X]Kustom Magick: Light of the Lord. By using the power of your own inner [Light], you briefly weave it with the light coming from the superior world. That takes the form of a spiraling halo of glowing letters, which join together to form [Words] according to what [Action] you wish to do. For now though, you can only use the word [Harm], creating a minor blast of energy that hurts the target in front of you.
Is that good enough, or maybe too complex for our own magic?
You surface from your dive with a sense of fascination and disgust. Top-Hat Grin has torn apart his own soul, mutilated his very being in the name of becoming great. Yet his actions have lost him the love of the one who set him upon that path. He is a being of broken pieces, held together by sheer raw determination. The man - no, the thing; he is no man by now - cannot even speak or understand language, having sacrificed the ability upon the altar of his goal.
I wonder if we could devour one or two parts of his broken soul in order to get his worth in xp. But that will be something for later, once we are stronger.
[X] Investigate the...
-[X] Smoke Stack. [3]
[X] Research:
-[X] Your custom Magick. [2]
-[X] the Staff. [2]
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Wing Reinforcement Skill. [4]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] Your Soul. Alice said that you are not like the other Angels... so is there something unusual you can discover about yourself? [2]
[X] Enter the mirror to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about the soul and those creatures. [1]
--[X] In order to enter, first visualize the picture of a door in your mind, then knock one time, perform nine shin twists, and hop to the left five times. If that doesn't work, try to investigate the Mirror with your Soul and see what you discover.
[X] Clear out the tower and try to make it more habitable. [2] (3/4 complete)
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Get some sleep. [8]
We should start investigating our surroundings. We cannot stay here to grind our stats forever.
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light', by Fluted Circle. [2] (1/4 complete)
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Flight Skill. [4]
[X] Enter the mirror to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about the soul and those creatures. [1]
-[X] Knock one time, perform nine shin twists, and hop to the left five times. If that doesn't work, try to investigate the Mirror with your Soul and see what you discover.
[X] Hunt for some more food. [2]
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] Your Soul. Alice said that you are not like the other Angels... so is there something unusual you can discover about yourself? [2]
[X] Research:
-[X] Your custom Magick. [2]
[X] Clear out the tower and try to make it more habitable. [2] (3/4 complete)
[X] Get some sleep. [8]
*celebrates* Yay! The coin does not have to come out and make decisions! But yeah, consensus is always nice.
So... has Top-Hat achieved the original goal that he had mutilated his soul for? Or was it something like 'protect his girlfriend'? And does this mean that he's actually imprisoned in that Forest? If so, freeing him might be an interesting challenge. I can't say I dislike him after hearing about his circumstances, though that might change if I learn more details.
Top-Hat Grin doesn't actually know why he mutilated his own soul anymore; he lost that knowledge at some point. And no, he isn't really 'imprisioned' in the [Red Jungle]; its more like he's using it to stabilize his soul, which means he can't get too far away.
Top-Hat Grin is weird, and I'm not sure how to write him. You're not actually supposed to like him; the dude kind of fucked up his life in a pretty horrible way, and while you can sympathize with him he's not a very nice person.
[X] Describe your Magick: Fireball
Not sure just how much complexity we can put into a spell or if we can create Elemental Spells at all, but if it's possible, a ranged (explosive?) fire attack is my first choice. It can hurt/distract/scare/blind our enemies and start fires in their camp. Can't really go wrong with fire most of the time, after all. Might look for more utility in our future spells, but for now we have Goblins to deal with and need weapons.
So the thing is that you guys can't do a classic fireball right now; you need to know more about the elements to do that. However, you can look for more books in the library to try and find something on that, or you can rewrite it to work better with the current constraints.
So right now you guys can't do elements, but you can use raw [Light]. This means that if you guys wanted to do a Magick that could light a fire, you might use a concentrated beam of light that burns stuff. Or if you wanted a more fireball-y thing, you could do a sort of grenade made of light that explodes like a particularly concussive flashbang. Basically what I'm saying is that you guys should play to the natural attributes of light; it communicates heat, it helps stuff grow, it bleaches things, it has some (small) measure of kinetic force, etc.
Plus, as a Skill levels up it grows more versatile; so a skill that originally just burned stuff could grow to disintegrate it and push things.
[X] Describe your Magick: "Somebody Else's Problem" Field
I'm actually thinking of pulling from our actions so far here. We haven't been very aggressive, preferring to investigate and spy and read and things like that. So I want our magic to follow similar principles. Otherwise, though, I'm with you.
Hm. So my first reaction is to say no to this, but I can actually see this working, though I will ask that you provide an explanation of how it works (something along the lines of 'through extended practice you have learned to modulate the [Light] of your Soul so that others naturally ignore you' perhaps) and how you practiced it, since that kind of Magick sort of requires someone else. (Do you capture a goblin? Try to hide near a hunting team? Ask Alice for help?)
Not sure what you mean by that; are you referring to the excerpt from the book? Because if so, then the two empty articles are formatting artifacts.
[X]Kustom Magick: Light of the Lord. By using the power of your own inner [Light], you briefly weave it with the light coming from the superior world. That takes the form of a spiraling halo of glowing letters, which join together to form [Words] according to what [Action] you wish to do. For now though, you can only use the word [Harm], creating a minor blast of energy that hurts the target in front of you.
Is that good enough, or maybe too complex for our own magic?
Yeah, this is pretty much perfect. Its a bit complex and isn't what I was really expecting, but that's fine. You provide an explanation for how it works along with a clear progression path as you level up. Basically what I'm saying is that you went into detail, it fits with the theme, and its interesting - so yeah, I'll allow it.
We should start investigating our surroundings. We cannot stay here to grind our stats forever.
I'll probably let you guys stick around for a while while you guys get on your feet and work towards a local goal, and then once that's done I'll spring more of the plot on you. Also, it turns out that I was a lying liar who lies when it comes to the Establishment arc ending; its probably going to continue for a while.
So! On the topic of the skill, I'm sorry that I wasn't more specific when descirbing the constraints; I probably should have explained more about [Light]'s characteristics. Therefore, I shall explain them now. [Light] (in its most basic of expressions) tends to take two forms: Radiant and Solid. When Radiant, [Light] often acts like normal light, taking the form of a beam or lantern that carries an effect. Solid on the other hand tends to act like a volatile physical object which detonates with concussive force when disturbed. It is quite possible to make Solid [Light] less volatile, or to imbue the explosion with different effects; similarly, it is possible to imbue Radiant [Light] with Solid traits, allowing it to communicate concussive force and have a physical presence.
Presuming that you're talking about what the custom Magick is, the voting is still open on that; I'm giving two updates at minimum to decide, with the possibility of extensions in the case of a tie or someone requesting more time.
Story:
When you wake up, you send your customary pulse of [Light] through your body, reaffirming your {Appearance}. You spend a while just sitting against the wall, before finally sitting up. You feel distinctly lazy, and while you would normally squash such an impulse you have before you an opportunity to indulge in it while still accomplishing something. As such, you make your way over to where you keep your books and select 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light' and settle down to read it.
Article:
When one is practicing Magic, it is important to remember that all Magicks arise naturally from the Soul. As one performs an action more often, pathways form in the Soul which shape the [Light] such that it aids in that action. This aid can be either subtle or obvious; such things depend on how you train, as well as who you are. While training does naturally give rise to such abilities, it is entirely possible to train with the goal of developing a specific Magick in mind; such things merely accelerate the process of forming them and give you some measure of control over how they form.
Interestingly enough, people tend to have patterns in how their Magicks manifest. One person may have a Magick that launches a concussive wave take the form of a green tinted rush of wind, while another might have the same exact same Magick manifest as a moving wall of blue force. This is due to the differences in people's souls; while specific training regimens may be able to replicate the same effect, that effect is still tinted by the personality of the user's Soul.
These themes tend to be consistent between the user's Magicks as well; someone who has one magick manifest as a bolt of lightning will likely have other magicks manifest with a similar theme. While these patterns are closely associated with the basic nature of the Soul using them, the first Magick you learn does influence how the others manifest. This is because the pathways that form within your Soul tend to reuse existing ones, meaning that someone who has a lightning magick will likely have other magicks manifest in a way that involves lightning.
Magicks can take many different forms, from an effect that allows you to think and react faster to the ability to launch fireballs from your fingertips to the ability to throw punches that break through defenses. The Four Orders have refined predicting exactly how different kinds of training will affect a developing Magick. The most basic principle of this is...
Knowledge(Magic): ●●○○○
You put down the book after making it to somewhere around the midpoint. While the reading is fascinating in its own way, you feel a distinct need to fly. As such, you make your way to the outside of the tower where you take off. You spend around four hours flying around and enjoying yourself, but eventually you must come down. You can feel your Soul burning, stretching and expanding as your Flight skill grows stronger and more capable.
Once you finish flying, you decide to once more attempt to enter the Mirror in order to talk with Alice. Your attempt to interpret Alice's directions at first seem to have no effect, but you feel a brush of... something against your soul. Trying again allows you to 'lock on' to the sensation. You feel a connection form, and guided by your intuition you 'twist' your mind as if it were a key. There is a moment's pause and you worry that you somehow made a mistake, but a 'clicking' sensation comes across the link and the mirror ripples.
You tentatively place your hand against the surface, unsure of what to do. You can surmise that you are supposed to enter the mirror, but you are unsure of the wisdom of actually doing so. You take a moment to compose yourself, frustrated with your hesitation, before you plunge your arm through the mirror. It ripples violently for moment, during which your arm feels as if it is submerged in ice water, before it suddenly shifts. The reflection in the mirror changes to show a checkerboarded throne room, and the sensation of ice-water all across your arm changes to something more alike a tight band of molasses where your arm enters the mirror.
You sigh, before following your arm into Wonderland.
You emerge in the throne room you had seen previously through the mirror. However, unlike that throne room this one is clearly populated. Alice of Wonderland sits upon one of the two thrones at the end of a red carpet that is laid across the length of the cavernous room, her legs crossed and her parasol daintily held in hand. She raises a hand to cover her mouth as you approach, letting out a girlish giggle. Her hat is still tilted downwards to cover her eyes, and you are briefly reminded of the scene before Alice created the mirror.
You are still not entirely sure what that was, or what it means. Was it the inherent madness of the Fae overcoming Alice's mind? Was it Alice intentionally doing it to mess with you? You aren't sure. Still, you approach the throne, your hands held clasped behind your back and your wings splayed in the air.
conversation
[X] What do you say?
You return to the real world more than slightly shaken. At first you intend to eat something in the hopes of settling your stomach, but you soon remember that you have no food left. As such, you quickly set out to find some.
It takes you about two hours, but you manage to find three days worth of food.
Hunting (Forest): ●●●○○
You make your way back to the tower. At one point you think that you see something in the undergrowth, but you dismiss it as a trick of your mind. You deposit most of the food in your storage area, and cook a meal up. It's quite tasty, and you managed to get the spices just right. You just wish that you had some utensils or something else to cook with.
Cooking (Rough): ●●●●●
After eating, you decide to meditate some. Something Alice said during your conversation implied that you weren't a normal Angel. You aren't sure what that means, but you doubt that it could hurt to investigate. You settle down into your customary position with ease and slip beneath the waves of your mind, seeking to find something about you, your soul, or even just information on your origins. In hindsight, you may have gotten more than you bargained for.
[LEGACY] | [PURPOSE] | [HERITAGE]
... ... ...
[GONE]
... ... ...
[HEIR] | [RECLAIM] | [DESTINY]
The words ring through your Soul, and you cannot deny them. You have been charged with re-establishing the Tenth Host of the Angels, the guardians of the Pillar of Keter. You don't know why, you don't know how, and you don't know what either. You aren't even sure what the Ten Hosts are, so you rather doubt that you have any idea of how to re-establish one.
Still...
You shake your head determinately. You have no idea what to think about this. You don't know if you even want to fulfill your apparent 'Destiny'. Such things live in the future and you live in the present. As such, you decide to try and work on your custom Magick.
Two hours later and you haven't made much progress. Oh, the rough shape of things is beginning to form, but the specifics? No. Somewhat frustrated from your seemingly fruitless work, you decide to work on finishing up clearing out the tower. You go about dusting things off with your wings and generally making sure that everything is nice and orderly. Ideally you would have some furniture to populate the place with, but alas most of it has broken down. You do however find several sheafs of paper along with a black and gold fountain pen, complete with still wet ink. Moreover, the ink in the pen never seems to run out; a strange, but useful discovery.
You go to sleep somewhat excited, but also exhausted from the day's events.
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] (2/15 complete)
-[X] Write in. [?]
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [2] (4/10 complete)
-[X] Your custom Magick. [2] (1/15 complete)
-[X] Write in. [2]
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Wing Reinforcement Skill. [4]
-[X] the Flight Skill. [4]
-[X] Your {Body} Attribute. [4]
-[X] Your {Mind} Attribute. [4]
-[X] One of your knacks... (Write in). [4]
-[X] Write in. [4]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] Your Soul and the slowly forming Magick pathways. [2]
-[X] Write in. [2]
[X] Enter the mirror again to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about... (Write in with a subject) [2]
-[X] Write in. [?]
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the Metaphysical role of the Kabbalah in the formation of Reality', by Seventh's Luck. [2] (2/6 complete)
-[X] 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light', by Fluted Circle. [2] (2/4 complete)
[X] Get some sleep. [8]
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Hunt for some more food. [2]
[X] Write in. [?]
+ You leveled up! You can upgrade one Knack to a Skill!
Time: 24:00
Mind: 6
SP: 90/90
SPR: 18
Level: 3
Body: 7
HP: 70
HPR: 7
Notes:
So! Here we find out some stuff about who our main character is and why they're important. You guys can feel free to disregard that 'Destiny' for now; it's more of a plot hook than anything else at this point. We also get a thing with Alice. So I ended up getting to that part and realized that I had no idea how you guys wanted to approach that conversation. So write in to set that tone, along with your starting bit of dialogue.
So! Thoughts on the developments? Thoughts on this whole thing with the Tenth Host? Is it silly? Is it absurd? Does it work?
Hm. I don't think I missed anything, but I could easily be wrong.
Yeah, this is pretty much perfect. Its a bit complex and isn't what I was really expecting, but that's fine. You provide an explanation for how it works along with a clear progression path as you level up. Basically what I'm saying is that you went into detail, it fits with the theme, and its interesting - so yeah, I'll allow it.
Coolio. However, since others have to vote as well, I'll wait for now before providing more details and such. No point in wasting time to describe it if it won't be used anyway.
[X] What do you say?
-[X]"That's an... Interesting place you have here. The design is certainly unique. I assume that's your abode?"
No idea how long the conversation will take, so for now I'll be content with this. I'll post the daily actions later.
[X] What do you say?
-[X] "Have you settled in nicely? I'm sorry I couldn't visit before, but I discovered a tribe of Goblins nearby shortly after our meeting and was focused on preparing myself for dealing with them. Any advice? Tips on magic and our Soul's development? Questions?"
-[X] "Are you able to fly?"
--[X] If yes, suggest you two go flying together sometime. If not, offer to carry her around for a flight - assuming the weight is not too much, in which case we'll have to improve our Flight Skill first.
[X] Investigate the...
-[X] Tower Library some more. [2] (2/15 complete)
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [4] (4/10 complete)
-[X] Your custom Magick. [2] (1/15 complete)
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] Your Soul and the slowly forming Magick pathways. [2]
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Wing Reinforcement Skill. [4]
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light', by Fluted Circle. [2] (2/4 complete)
[X] Get some sleep. [8]
[X] What do you say?
-[X]"That's an... Interesting place you have here. The design is certainly unique. I assume that's your abode?"
Interesting; not sure how the conversation is going to play out here. Had to flip a coin to determine which vote won.
...not much else to say, really.
day plan:
[X] Investigate the...
-[X] Tower Library some more. [2] (2/15 complete)
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [4] (4/10 complete)
-[X] Your custom Magick. [2] (1/15 complete)
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] Your Soul and the slowly forming Magick pathways. [2]
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Wing Reinforcement Skill. [4]
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light', by Fluted Circle. [2] (2/4 complete)
[X] Get some sleep. [8]
Hm. A mostly passive, research based plan; probably a good idea considering you guys are just starting out.
As a reminder, the vote on which magick you guys pick is still open, so make sure to vote; if there is a tie, I'm probably just going to extend things.
As a reminder, the vote on which magick you guys pick is still open, so make sure to vote; if there is a tie, I'm probably just going to extend things.
Sorry, I was busy today and I forgot about posting the rest of actions. About the magick, naturally I'll vote for my own creation, but I believe you said it still needs some work, right?
I think I'll change to something different after reading about Magicks, as it seems to me that our first one will have great influence on our development. HeavyBane's looks neat, though maybe something like Nasuverse's [Reinforcement]/Bleach's Fullbring (enhancing an object's capabilities, turning mundane things into Artifacts, etc) or minion creation (because we're up against a group, so doing this on our own sounds risky) could be interesting too.
Alice Conversation:
You stop before the stairs leading to the raised dais upon which the twin thrones are set to speak.
"Greetings Alice. Might I inquire as to the place within which I stand? It fascinates me, you see." You add in a whisper, as if confiding to Alice a great secret.
She giggles again, waving her unoccupied hand at you as if to say 'no, stop flattering me so' - though it is clear that she does enjoy it. She shifts slightly, kicking her legs back and forth as she leans forwards in her throne.
"'Tis a fever dream brought forth for me to reside within, though as you can see -" A gesture, and the checkered floor cracks, revealing. Something. You aren't sure what, but it tastes of delirium and shines like the rainbow as it bubbles and flows its way through the room. It is like liquid light stained with madness and seasoned with sickness, yet it is almost addicting in its sweetness.
Another gesture and the wound - for that is what it is, a pulsating pustle of feverish thought in a dream of solemn halls and silent kings - in the floor is gone, the strange liquid delirium gone without a trace, and Alice picks up from where she last left off.. "- I had to do a substantial amount of remodeling." She sighs, her body language shifting as she does so. "Delerium and madness are both all well and good, but sometimes a girl just wants something more... solid, you know?"
A shift in her posture and Alice is by your side, her parasol held losely in one hand while the other lifts your chin up to look her in the eyes. You note absently that she has somehow grown several feet when she seemingly teleported to your side. "You do know what I mean, don't you? I would be ever so... sad if you didn't." You look into her eyes, and as you do so you can see a spark of madness leap into a flame.
what do you say?
[X] Write in.
Story:
You walk through the tower library, wondering slightly at how large the place seems to be. It almost feels as if it shouldn't fit within the tower, but you suspect that the sensation is caused by the tall and fluted shelves that seem to tower over everything else. When you had woken up from your sleep, you had first decided to look for some more books. You hope that in doing so you might stumble upon something useful in your quest to design your own custom Magick.
books: (pick two)
[X] A thin book with a cover made of obsidian plates called 'The disappearance of the Ten Hosts, Thirteenth Edition, by Top-Hat Grin'.
[X] A thick dusty tome called 'An introduction to the basic principles of Sorcery, Twentieth Edition, by Fluted Circle'.
[X] A series of engraved marble plates titled 'Speculation on the nature of the Angels'. The name of the author has been scratched out.
[X] A scroll filled with hastily written notes purporting to document 'The artificial domination of Goblins'. There is no name given for the author, and the end of the scroll is soaked in blood.
[X] A single obsidian plate titled 'The existence of the Da'at World, by Top-Hat Grin'.
[X] A thick but utilitarian seeming book titled 'Collected advice on the establishment, construction and maintenance of a standard Elven Homestead in varied environments'. The book seems to have been written by several different people, with even more guest authors who have contributed small sections and passages.
[X] A hefty book titled 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light, by Fluted Circle'
[X] A small, pocket sized book entitled 'A primer on the basics of the Elements', by Last Rites.
[X] A thick book made out of some kind of leather with the title 'The Sorcerer's Essentials'. There is no name given for the author.
[X] An obsidian tablet with a blue slider on the side. As you move the slider, blue runes move across the tablet. The header of the tablet is 'A short treatise on the basics of Artifice'. There is no name given for the author, only symbol of a clockwork gear entwined with vines that writhe in place as you tilt the tablet back and forth.
[X] A small pocket sized book entitled 'The Six Races, by Lonely Wanderings'.
[X] An atlas entitled 'The Geography and history of the Six Regions, by Lonely Wanderings'.
[X] A normal sized hardback book called 'The Four Orders: A History'. The book is signed with a symbol that shimmers between a flaming phoenix sitting in its nest and a newborn chick sitting in a pile of ash. In a circle around the symbol the words 'Phoenix Rebirth' are printed.
[X] A normal sized hardback book with the title 'The Seven Slumbering Gods and the Six Living Dragons, by History's Chains'. The cover of the book is crisscrossed with leather embossings of chain links.
You spend about two hours walking through the tower library, and your time is rewarded with the acquirement of two new books. You place the new books with the other two, and settle in to work on your staff and custom Magick.
+1 Tower Library Progress
Six hours flyby, and you fill pages and pages of paper with notes. You have managed to discern the trigger mechanisms within the staff, and your experience with the Looking Glass has allowed you to isolate the bonding mechanism. You haven't managed to activate it yet however; you feel as if the answer is forever just out of reach, constantly moving away from you such that your fingertips are only able to brush against it for an instant before it leaps away. Eventually it got to the point where you just stopped, switching over to focusing on your other project.
Knowledge (Artifice): ●○○○○ +2 Staff Research Progress
Your progress on your custom magick is going well thankfully - you have managed to define the initial structure of the spell within your mind, and the next step is to imprint that structure upon your Soul.
+1 Custom Magick Research Progress
Well. It's actually significantly more complex than that. You have managed to figure out how you want your Magick to define itself. This is really only the first or second step in making a Magick, and the finished Magick almost never follows the initial structure. Rather, the initial structure serves as a sort of target or guideline, which guides the conduits and pathways which form in the Soul. It can't force them to act a certain way, but it can guide them, providing a goal which they reach towards. Of course, because they aren't sentient, they sometimes get caught up in dead ends and produce artifacts or snarls that are then slowly worked out over time.
It's quite fascinating really, and there were several points during your research where you got lost in your mind, endlessly fascinated with the way the conduits formed and the best way to guide them and - well. Suffice it to say that you rather enjoyed the process, and you had to literally force yourself to stop refining the initial structure. After a certain point the improvements had become pointless things; without more information you have no idea how well it will work.
However, you have an idea of how to change that. You suspect that if you meditate upon the slowly shifting pathways that make up your nascent magick, you may be able to tease out some small amount of improvement from your initial structure. You sigh slightly as you look down at the half finished meal held in your wings. You are very eager to move onwards, but you thought that you might want to take a break in the form of a nice meal.
It has worked to a degree; your mind has calmed, and you are in a much better state of mind for meditation. You hurriedly scarf down the rest of your meal, absently noting that you haven't made much improvement today. You let a pulse of [Light] flood through your wings, removing the grease from them in an instant before settling down in the center of the room to meditate.
You slip beneath the waves with ease, searching deeper and deeper for your soul. You find it with difficulty, a towering white figure with a crown made of woven starlight and wings of silver fire and thousands of eyes and mouths scattered all about its skin.
It is beautiful.
It is horrible.
It is Right.
It is Wrong.
You float through the currents of [Light] that comfort the figure, indistinct and yet as solid as can be. You have no body here, only a presence that sees all - for this is your Soul, and this is not so much seeing as it is tasting. You taste the bound infinity that is the crown, the secrets that the mouths whisper, the knowledge that the eyes soak up. Traceries of blue light shimmers beneath its skin, and you know instinctively that these are the soul pathways.
Knowledge (Soul): ●○○○○
Dim [Light] runs through them, and you can pick out the pathways of your flight skill around the shoulder blades, the active circuit of your meditation skill wound about the top of your skull. You can feel the nodules of your Interaction skill spread throughout all of your Soul, and you can feel the way that dim blue light mingles with silvery fire without being drowned out. Most of all however, you can see the forming expression matrix within the figure's heart, along with the nascent structure forming within your left forearm.
You spend an hour and a half just studying the pathways as they slowly shift, slowly adapting your initial structure to better fit their current state. Eventually however you have to go, and so you withdraw first from your soul, and then from your mind.
+1 Custom Magick Research Progress Meditation Level Up!
You fall to the floor gently, lengthening and shortening your wings even as you stretch your body. Once you finish, you turn your attention to your wings. Your examination of your soul has brought to mind your Wing Reinforcement skill, and you suspect that it would be wise to ensure that you are better equipped to fight in the future. You ponder for a moment how best to exercise your skill, and after a moment you come upon an idea.
You head down to the forest, and locate a sturdy seeming tree. Picking out one of the thicker branches, you wrap your wings around it and pull yourself up. You struggle to stay in the air, forcing your soul to expand and shift. You fall to the ground, your wings phasing out of existence as the strain becomes too much for them. You repeat this process over and over again for the next four hours before you finally quit.
You can feel your soul aching, and you decide to head inside to read for a bit before turning in. You pick out 'On the Manipulation of the Soul's Light' again, and pick up where you left off.
Article:
Something important to note is that it is that the World Soul runs through all things, and through all areas. Areas such as the [Windy City] and the [Hall of the Thrones], while not possessing souls separate from the Oversoul, still posses something similar. The actions and thoughts of the people within these areas leave behind impressions in the Oversoul which then influence the area in one direction or another.
This means that areas can acquire unique characteristics, much like Magicks in Mortal souls. Indeed, Sorcery could be likened to the process of artificially inducing and manipulating these characteristics. However, these characteristics take centuries to naturally form, thanks to the sheer scale of an area along with the fact that an Area's soul is not separate from the World Soul (Sorcery can of course speed this process up).
As Areas gain stronger and stronger characteristics, people think of them as separate from the lands surrounding them, which causes further delineation, which causes people to think of it as further separate, and so on and so forth. These impressions build up over time until we have the areas we have today. Nowadays it is almost impossible for an Area to change much in location or characteristic thanks to the sheer weight of millennia of thought.
It is said that it was once the Spirit's job to regulate this, but when the Mortal Rebellion happened and the Spirits were cast down, the Six Dragons re-wrote the Six Poles and the Oversoul into the current system. Indeed, it has been said that Mortals were first taught the secrets of Sorcery by a Spirit who defected to the Mortal side during the Rebellions.
Artificers, a subsection of Sorcerers, work on a similar principle. However, instead of shaping the World Soul, Artificers instead imbue and shape objects with bits of their own Soul and the World Soul. This allows an object to hold within it a Magick that the user can activate, or to have a special characteristic that is powered by the World Soul. However, Artificers guard the secrets of their craft jealously, and the author of this book knows little of their craft.
Now, by studying the formation of natural characteristics it is possible to extrapolate knowledge of how Magicks form...
You rub your eyes tiredly as you set the book down and prepare to turn in for the night. You now realize that the Staff which you have been working on is clearly an Artifact made by an Artificer. You aren't quite sure what to make of that. You shrug mentally, and decide that you will think more on it the next day.
what do you do?
[X] Investigate the...
-[X] Ravine. [3]
-[X] Smoke Stack. [3]
-[X] Outpost some more. [2] (1/15 complete)
-[X] Tower Library some more. [2] (3/10) complete)
-[X] Write in. [?]
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [2] (6/10 complete)
-[X] Your custom Magick. [2] (3/15 complete)
-[X] Write in. [2]
[X] Practice:
-[X] the Wing Reinforcement Skill. [4]
-[X] the Flight Skill. [4]
-[X] Your {Body} Attribute. [4]
-[X] Your {Mind} Attribute. [4]
-[X] One of your knacks... (Write in). [4]
-[X] Write in. [4]
[X] Meditate on:
-[X] The soul of the [Red Jungle]. You want to know more about the place within which you were born, even if you left it shortly thereafter. [2]
-[X] The soul of the [Grim Forest]. You feel that it would be wise to know more about the area within which you currently reside. [2]
-[X] Write in. [2]
[X] Enter the mirror again to:
-[X] Talk to Alice about... (Write in with a subject) [2]
-[X] Write in. [?]
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the Metaphysical role of the Kabbalah in the formation of Reality', by Seventh's Luck. [2] (2/6 complete)
-[X] 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light', by Fluted Circle. [2] (3/4 complete)
[X] Get some sleep. [8]
[X] Eat some food. [1]
[X] Hunt for some more food. [2]
[X] Write in. [?]
+ You leveled up! You can upgrade one Knack to a Skill!
Time: 1:00
Mind: 6
SP: 90/90
SPR: 18
Level: 3
Body: 7
HP: 70
HPR: 7
Notes:
So this is interesting. I'm drawing the conversation out some, allowing it to play out in the past while you guys do other things. It's something inspired by A Hedge Maze is You, wherein you play as a god that has several different instances, each of which are doing different things. We also get to find out some more stuff about how the World Soul works and why the Spirits were important, along with the origins of Sorcery.
I'm actually quite enjoying coming up with all these little myths and legends to help fluff out the setting. I find that it's the little things, the off hand remarks and miniscule details that really make a setting live. It's one of the reasons Tolkien is so great; he made a world with depth. People don't enjoy his worldbuilding because he explains things, they enjoy it because he mentions things and then moves on, giving the impression of a far wider world wherein things that aren't plot-centric exist. (Of course, he did actually write out explanations for all those things... but whatever.)
You guys also find out that something is apparently going on with your soul via a weird/awesome dream quest thingy. Plus! I'm experimenting with a new way of telling you guys that you leveled up in something, so tell me if that worked out or not.
I think I'll change to something different after reading about Magicks, as it seems to me that our first one will have great influence on our development. HeavyBane's looks neat, though maybe something like Nasuverse's [Reinforcement]/Bleach's Fullbring (enhancing an object's capabilities, turning mundane things into Artifacts, etc) or minion creation (because we're up against a group, so doing this on our own sounds risky) could be interesting too.
Oooh. Thanks for bringing Fullbring up; it was actually what gave me the idea for this stuff with Areas having characteristics and how Artifacts work. As for minion creation, if you look at the book list you might notice something interesting.
What do you say?
[ ] "I... think I do. Is that why you visit the other world sometimes?"
I don't really get it. I think what she means is that she usually lives in the weird shifting void place, and this is just one of the changes she likes to have sometimes?
Books: (pick two)
[X] A scroll filled with hastily written notes purporting to document 'The artificial domination of Goblins'. There is no name given for the author, and the end of the scroll is soaked in blood.
[X] A small, pocket sized book entitled 'A primer on the basics of the Elements', by Last Rites.
I thought about the Artificer book, then decided we have plenty to do without making this another crafting quest. XD
[X] Investigate the...
-[X] Outpost some more. [6] (1/15 complete)
We don't need to check the library until we've finished the books we have, I think.
[X] Research:
-[X] the Staff. [2] (6/10 complete)
-[X] Your custom Magick. [4] (3/15 complete)
[X] Read:
-[X] 'On the manipulation of the Soul's Light', by Fluted Circle. [4] (3/4 complete)
[X] Eat some food. [1]
Thirteen hours, slightly over half a day of exploring/ research. We can do our exercises/ skill practising later after food, I think.
