DangerKitty
shoddy writter
- Location
- lala land
I thought thanes only drain their lifespan if they dig into their version of zeal? I know both will kill them if they run out of it, but wasnt only one tied to actual lifespan?
Knight of Wessex (A Written World Quest)
- Thread starter Alectai
- Start date
- Original Fantasy Alt. History
- Location
- Many Places
Nah, if you're spending power from your External Pool you're shortening your lifespan.
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No, Maegen is their default thing they have to spend at least some of on everything. So everything they do effects their lifespan. Ealdor, the more magical version, you die instantly if you run out completely, but it actually doesn't effect lifespan otherwise...but while Ealdor can enhance Tricks, every attack or other action of any sort costs at least some Maegen (and more Maegen increases them).
So you're right there are two resources and only one effects lifespan, it's just that the one that effects lifespan is the mandatory one.
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Not strictly. Mastered and higher Rotes might count extra, though. That probably makes sense.
You can also spend extra Fervour to just power through, however. Or Zeal, if you want.
CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I can't believe it took me this long to realize Revelations are the Hugareida equivalent.
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
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- He/They
To expand upon this, Rotes aren't designed to handle more fervor than is necessary to perform the move. It's the price that's paid for efficiency. You aren't Norsemen, who spray their ordstirr around like a loose fire hose.
To use a Rote, there is a specific Zeal construct that exists in your consciousness. Only so much fervor can flow through the construct at a time. In order to use more fervor than is necessary (though you can use more fervor up to the old price for free) requires Zeal to temporarily widen the conduits. You only need to use Zeal to widen the construct once in a fight.
How does the church explain that most of its parishioners have some kind of strange semi-pagan power that they actively develop?
Carolingian Cultivation ages 10 times slower, does this mean Audrey will be a teenager for another 40 years?
If Audrey grew up in a family of Anglo-Saxon cultivators, then why did they decide not to teach her the family craft but to send her to a completely new unfamiliar Cultivation?
Does Carolingian Cultivation get any benefits from real battles besides rewards and loot?
I mean, from a mechanical point of view, an experienced veteran who has gone through many battles and a cultivator who has almost never seen battles but has trained hard will be at the same level of strength in this system.
Carolingian Cultivation ages 10 times slower, does this mean Audrey will be a teenager for another 40 years?
If Audrey grew up in a family of Anglo-Saxon cultivators, then why did they decide not to teach her the family craft but to send her to a completely new unfamiliar Cultivation?
Does Carolingian Cultivation get any benefits from real battles besides rewards and loot?
I mean, from a mechanical point of view, an experienced veteran who has gone through many battles and a cultivator who has almost never seen battles but has trained hard will be at the same level of strength in this system.
AeonIlluminate
The power of friendship and aggressive landscaping
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This is all just what I feel is correct, but
They say "do you worship God" and if you do, you're pretty much good in their book. Its a lot of how Christianity originally spread, God was introduced as a newer deity who was part of the current local system of belief, and the other things in the local system were slowly pushed down as evil violent things that were Satan pretending to be someone else to trick you. Also, back in the day, your religion wasn't as rigid, as it was generally the stories you were brought up on, and the VAST majority didn't have a way to see what other people who were what we would group together as the same religion thought so there would already be variation across distance.
My understanding is that we will age pretty much normally till we hit our early 20s, then ageing will mostly stop from then on.
For starters, the King wants Knights, and if they provide a kid who does really well as a knight then it reflects well on them. Also, there are 2 generations before us that are a mix of Anglo-Saxon and Carolingian so it isn't completely new. And finally, it means that if Audrey doesn't get killed violently she will live for much longer than they will, and parents want good for their kids.
As far as direct rewards like the Norse getting Ordstirr I don't think so, but those rewards add up over the decades, there's a chance that an Angel might decide that you did really well in that battle and gives you a Revelation, and the sheer amount of fights Knights get in over the decades mean that they end up with an incredibly polished combat style. Also, going and getting in real fights means that you fill your end of the social contract of being a Knight, as there are a MASSIVE amount of resources poured into each Knight by the King and if you are hiding in your house not doing your job of going out and killing bandits, monsters, etc, you will get in a LOT of trouble.
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If they are devout sons of the Church then clearly their powers are miracles from God. Of course, if pagans did the same it would be pagan witchcraft, but they are Good Christians so that's impossible.
Slowed aging starts at physical maturity or thereabouts.
It's not completely unfamiliar. Audrey is part of the third generation of Insular Knights in Wessex. A group that receive significant money, status, and support from the King and are acknowledged, by anyone objective, a major contributing force to Wessex's military establishment.
So some combination of increased status and possibly wealth, for both her and the family, patriotism, duty to their people (the Eotenslaga fight giants, remember, and other threats, it is seen as their calling and their duty, a Knight's specific duties are very in-line with the family ethos), and all the other reasons one might imagine.
Like, take the cultivation out of it: Why would members of a noble house with a strong warrior ethos and military tradition send their child away to learn a new way of fighting from foreign armsmasters? Because the way of fighting has been shown to be good and effective, and the King supports it both socially and materially, and people who use that combat style have been at the forefront of several recent conflicts and successfully protected the land.
Not directly? Things like Revelations and Ideas for additional Shapes often only come from conflict, though, and perhaps more importantly, well, the numbers don't tell the whole story. A cultivator who has never actually seen battle will not have the repertoire of Rotes and Feats needed to counter everyone, will not have the experience of having things go wrong or the ability to plan for that eventuality and compensate.
Like...say Audrey had never fought the bandits, say she'd never picked up Web Shape, say she'd never learned how dangerous being grappled really could be. She might have similar stats, sure, but she wouldn't have the actual full toolbox needed to deal with a lot of her potential foes, and wouldn't know how to respond to a Norseman nova-ing as hard as possible nearly as well. And that's Audrey who, from a combination of well above average tutors even before Reinald, even among Knights, had more of the toolbox than many Knights likely would without any real fights under their belt. A hothouse flower of a Knight who'd never seen real battle might do a decent showing in a tournament, but probably panics when a Norseman starts stabbing them in the face like happened to Audrey (or similar real shit going wrong happens), and may well die if his panic response is wrong.
Experience with the kind of things enemies are capable of and the ability to adapt and overcome adversity that comes with real battle experience is extremely valuable and often the deciding factor even more than stats. The perspective of Questers is skewed because you get to decide a lot of things for Audrey with a clear head...which means she is, in at least some ways, unusually calm and clear headed in combat (barring her Ira kicking in, anyway). Among most people in-universe, much like in real life, that kind of thing usually comes only with actual battle experience.
Someone with good stats but no experience is probably not gonna make good contingency plans, have the tools to handle surprises, or make good decisions in a battle. There are exceptions, but for the most part being inexperienced means that, well, you're inexperienced and thus likely to make certain kinds of mistakes.
Equally importantly, as AeonIlluminate notes, Knights are expensive to maintain. If they aren't out there fighting, then they're a very expensive waste of resources. Remember that the advantage of Knights over Thanes, from the perspective of the King who is their patron, is mostly that they are able to fight again and again without it being a problem for them...if they aren't out there doing that, why the heck is Wessex bothering with them in the first place?
Any increase in lifespan is fairly unclear at this point. It's likely but unproven, and probably isn't a major contributing factor, though it might tip the scales a little and the rest is basically correct.
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I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
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- He/They
Audrey's parents are pseudo-Knights; Anglo-Saxons who trained really freaking hard to be able to wield fervor and zeal. Her grandparents were the same way. But, all that training comes with a hefty price: lifespan.
It is through their sacrifices that Audrey is able to wield fervor and zeal without needing to train to do so first, allowing her and those of her generation to break free of the limits of maegen and ealdor.
No, no they will not.
Iron sharpens iron. If all you did was cultivate and train, you will plateau and rapidly so. You have to test yourself in battle—and, to a lesser extent, in spars—if you want to progress in strength.
Experience is, as Alectai likes to put it, the 'god stat'. Someone who has never experienced anything won't know how to react or, more importantly, how to keep their act together when the going gets rough. When your opponent pulls out some crazy move from their bag, it is your experience, your intimate knowledge of what exists and how to fight them that allows you to prevail.
Reading about things is all well and good, but it is doesn't compare to having firsthand knowledge of said thing gained from having witnessed it on the field of battle. The second best is having a teacher who has been there and done that themselves, such as Reinald.
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Okay, after all that discussion, some additional rules text has been added/clarified:
Additionally, after consultation, Rotes may not be combined as a single action unless the specific Rote has been designed for that purpose. This doesn't require a rules text change, but goes against something I said earlier, so it warranted an announcement.
Additionally, after consultation, Rotes may not be combined as a single action unless the specific Rote has been designed for that purpose. This doesn't require a rules text change, but goes against something I said earlier, so it warranted an announcement.
How do we have ways to stand out from other knights if killing bandits and monsters is already part of our responsibilities, communion does quite a bit for this, and there is no time for good deeds because of killing monsters. We can't even train hard because the resource is fixed.
So how can we get around our peers? Is it really just luck that throws us difficult enemies with great rewards?
So how can we get around our peers? Is it really just luck that throws us difficult enemies with great rewards?
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
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- He/They
While I can't speak towards future plot lines, I will say that you are only in your first year of a seven-year training camp. Give it time to mature and ferment, if you will.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Luck, going looking for trouble and coming out in one piece, doing more than just what's expected, that's how you stand out. You'll get options to start going on adventures starting in year 3 or so, but Year 2 is mostly going to be the Tournament and the consequences of such, yes.
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I mean, there's a difference between fighting a few bandits one-on-one and fighting three fully blooded Norsemen as a Squire. The first two fights Audrey had were not too unusual for a young Squire (though she did better than most) but the third was way above and beyond. In that specific instance, it was kinda accidental, but it doesn't have to be in future, you can certainly go looking for bigger trouble (once you're a Knight, anyway). There will always be some missions that are more difficult and dangerous than others just on the face of them, and volunteering for them in search of better opportunities for glory is entirely possible.
And how well you do at even basic dealing with threats is also relevant...if you're better at winning those fights than your peers, people will notice that you are doing better. Plus there's things like tournaments, of course. Winning a tournament, or even just doing well, is likely to make you stand out from your peers quite a bit.
Also, importantly, I didn't say there was no time for good deeds. A lot of good deeds do not take huge amounts of time and effort, which is the sort of thing that would take away from training, they simply require you to care and notice that someone is in need of help. Those are certainly very possible. Helping peasants till their fields is not something a Knight will do even though they're physically superhuman, but seeing an injured child and rushing them to a Priest for healing (or rushing the Priest to the child)? That's the sort of thing a Knight might easily do if they saw the situation and cared. Acts of charity are in fact very possible, it just depends on the nature of the act.
How can we make Audrey do such good deeds?
Do we have to allocate part of the actions to look closely at whether someone needs help or does it work in some other way?
I also wanted to clarify if Carolingian Cultivation has more basic characteristics than Anglo-Saxon cultivators, then do they make more competent rulers and managers?
This is not even to mention that Carolingian Cultivation does not have such a limitation in mobility as Anglo-Saxon cultivators.
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Investing an action in 'help out commoners and people in need' is entirely reasonable if you want to do that (and has you looking for opportunities). It'd probably go a lot better if you've actually finished Slowing Down For The Commons, at least in terms of its effect on your popularity.
Probably slightly? Assuming equal levels of focus, the Carolingian can more easily have things that improve their administrative abilities than an Anglo-Saxon can, at least inasmuch as they don't need to invest their very life force into learning such abilities.
If all they do is, like, have decent stats at around the same level then any differences are likely too small to really be meaningful, though.
I'm not sure what you mean here? Carolingians are not inherently more mobile than Anglo-Saxons. I mean...they are perhaps more willing to be mobile, but not more able.
According to what was mentioned here, they try to be as motionless as physically possible.
It is unlikely that people with such an economical mode will spend a lot of effort on careful management of their domain when they can hire an administrator.
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I mean...any hired administrator is also an Anglo-Saxon? Just about everyone is. Also, basic walking around is not a meaningful drain on maegen that most people are gonna work hard to avoid. The King's Thanes are an extreme example...just about everyone else is pretty willing to do basic physical stuff. Also, most domains are not big enough you actually need to travel a bunch in terms of taking care of your domain.
Turn 5 - Bird Lore
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
[X] Plan Building our foundation
-[X] [Focus Action] Bird bonding.
-[X] [Secondary Action] Attended mass/communion.
-[X] [Secondary Action] Spar with the other squires
-[X] [Chancellery] Red-Black Lightning
-[X] Training and Zeal (15 Training, 24 Zeal)
–[X] Spend 3 Training on "Through Their Eyes" Meditation
–[X] Spend 4 training to get perfect footing to refined.
--[X] Spend 8 training on Clever Deflection (putting it to 14/27 to mastery).
--[X] spend 19 zeal on getting to the 9th bead
-[X] [Focus Action] Bird bonding.
-[X] [Secondary Action] Attended mass/communion.
-[X] [Secondary Action] Spar with the other squires
-[X] [Chancellery] Red-Black Lightning
-[X] Training and Zeal (15 Training, 24 Zeal)
–[X] Spend 3 Training on "Through Their Eyes" Meditation
–[X] Spend 4 training to get perfect footing to refined.
--[X] Spend 8 training on Clever Deflection (putting it to 14/27 to mastery).
--[X] spend 19 zeal on getting to the 9th bead
"Falconry is a sport nearly as old as man itself."
Audrey stood opposite Sir Vieux with Crowley fidgeting on her outstretched arm. While mortals might be forced into a thick glove to protect themselves from a bird's talons, Audrey is made of much sterner stuff and needs no such crutch; her bare skin is more than enough to withstand the pinpricks of a near-mortal crow such as her own. With that in mind, the only thing Audrey feels as Crowley shifts side-to-side with a certain nervous twitch is pressure against her skin.
As crows are far from the largest of avians, Crowley has little hope of matching the size of legends like Redfeather or Reinald's own Couverture; who even now rests with one foot on Reinald's shoulder and the other on his outstretched wrist, too big as he is too fit on a single limb. Still, Crowley has certainly grown in both size and intelligence over these past few months.
Once small enough for Audrey to grab with a single hand, he now measures the length of her hand and forearm combined. Though his growth is likely nearing its zenith, Audrey can't help but hope he grows just a little more—if only to prove the obvious superiority of anything linked to her outstanding self.
However, the same rapid growth cannot be said for Crowley's intelligence. While it can only be expected—according to Reinald, anyways—that burgeoning intelligence takes time to develop, Audrey can't quite quiet the disappointment brewing in her stomach. Only one or two sentences at a time, barely even a paragraph; and, they're so simple, too! From sunup to sundown, her days are filled with nothing but 'What is that?' and 'Why is this?' or 'How do I?'
It is nothing less than utterly exhausting!
Still, at least Audrey never needs to repeat herself. If there is one thing proving Crowley's intelligence, it is that he seems to understand and comprehend subject matters far quicker than he has any true right. But, then again, can anything less be expected of a bird belonging to her, Audrey Eotenslaga?
"Your attention, Audrey." Reinald's firm voice snaps Audrey from her thoughts, a fierce flush quickly spreading across an embarrassed face. "As I was saying, though a long running sport, it required a man like Charlemagne to develop it from a simple pass-time into a true tool of war."
Though certainly unintentional, Audrey couldn't miss the stiffening of the spine and lifting of the chin as Reinald mentions Charlemagne. While largely lacking much in the way of interaction with the Franks, those she encountered all took great pride in calling Charlemagne their own—which they well should, given that he was/is one of the strongest cultivators of recorded history. Though Audrey herself doubts Charlemagne would ever make his return, Franks tend to react poorly if you tell them that he is dead.
"Thanks to his innovations, we are today able to bond our Psyches with the Soma of animals, turning them from mere mindless creatures and into beings with souls—your soul—without suffering serious consequences."
Something in Reinald's words gives Audrey pause as she tilts her head and speaks her thoughts, "Serious consequences? You mean, beyond disorientation and nausea?"
Audrey would be loath to admit to just how long it took for her to acclimate to the sensation of seeing through two sets of eyes at once. Still, it would take much more than a little nausea to bring down the Heiress of the Eotenslaga!
"Done in an improper manner," Reinald pauses for a moment, his oft chapped lips finding foes in grinding teeth, "the manipulation of the soul, the Psyche, could well be considered sacrilege of the highest degree. Before Charlemagne was visited by an angel of the Lord bearing the secrets of the art, there are many tales of unwary men being struck down or excommunicated for daring to delve into secrets beyond their rightful knowledge."
A bead of sweat drips down Audrey's neck as Crowley's talons tighten considerably, "T-that doesn't happen anymore, right? After all, we now understand how to do it properly, right?"
A long silence says much.
"Not as far as I am aware," Reinald says quickly, a strange wind rifling through his salt-and-pepper hair, "but rumors are always abound." Swallowing an empty mouthful, Reinald offers a brisk nod as he rapidly swaps directions, "Regardless, what do you know of animal biology?"
Pushing her shoulders back and taking a deep breath, the words come easily as Audrey rattles off her schooling, "Animals, as opposed to beasts and monsters—though the terms are often used interchangeably—are creatures designed by God's hand with the intention to serve as some kind of lesson for His faithful. Animals reproduce, grow, and act in harmony with their environment, whatever that environment may be. Animals develop traits and abilities based on a combination of their parentage and their environment, ultimately settling on one as they reach adulthood. A lake-raised cow might develop the ability to swim and breathe water while a sheep raised atop a mountain might develop wool like stone, to name a few examples."
"A textbook definition," Reinald nods as pride warms Audrey's chest, "however, for what purpose would I ask that question of you, now of all times?"
Audrey frowns, the question turning end over head in her mind. Why would Reinald ask that now? Is it because of…? Ah, that's the reason. "Crowley is reaching his growth-apex, isn't he? The point where he develops traits and abilities of his own, right?"
"Correct," Reinald smiles as Audrey beams. "Soon, Crowley will undergo his metamorphosis and turn from a mundane crow into a creature of magical nature. As you are his master and owner of the Psyche that you share, you will have a key role to play in the exact nature of his development." Clearing his throat, Reinald quickly rattles off information from memory, "As I recall, Crowley's sire was a greater stormcrow and his dam was an Iceni mudcrow. Now, what does that tell you of how he might develop?"
Pursing her lips, Audrey narrows her eyes as she searches her mental library for the relevant knowledge, "The title of 'greater' implies that the animal was capable of utilizing three or more elements as denoted by the prefix preceding the animal in question. In this case, a greater stormcrow is able to wield wind, lightning, and sound with equal strength."
Turning her thoughts on Crowley's mother, Audrey pauses as she finds herself struggling somewhat. No matter how much she might wrack her brains, nothing comes forth when she queries 'Iceni'—nothing beyond Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, of course. Clearly, the mud- prefix implies that the crow could wield mud as a weapon, but how does the 'Iceni' title modify that? Does it even modify it? Maybe it adds additional abilities on top of the mud?
"Iceni mudcrows," Reinald eventually takes pity on his Squire as he runs fingers through his hair, tousled as it is by the gentle grooming of his ash-hawk, "were utilized to great effect by Boudica. By rapidly wetting and drying the fighting ground, Boudica was able to completely outmaneuver her Roman foes at nearly every turn and nearly pushed the Romans out of Britannia if not for Emperor Nero taking to the field himself. As such, Iceni mudcrows are capable of turning dirt into mud and back far faster than any of their peer mudcrows."
Opening his palm face-up, Reinald continues, "Now that Crowley's parentage is clarified, we know two possible routes he could go down in his development. There is, however, still one possibility that remains up to chance; the environment. If you wish for Crowley to develop alternatively to his parents, you must bring him to somewhere different than his parents developed."
Audrey nods, "I understand."
"Good," Reinald smiles, big and wide, as, faster than a bolt of lightning, his open-palmed hand ruffles Audrey's hair. "Now, then, onto training."
0~0~0
Please vote on whether to start Crowley's metamorphosis now, and the nature of that metamorphosis if it does occur immediately. Putting a hold on it will give more opportunity for Audrey to guide it in a specific unusual direction.
[ ] Begin Metamorphosis Now
-[ ] Greater Stormcrow
-[ ] Iceni Mudcrow
-[ ] Write in (please include explanation for how Audrey is influencing this to occur)
[ ] Put a Hold on Metamorphosis
0~0~0
AN: Alectai got sucked into a game (Metaphor something or another) so I'm the one posting today.
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- Location
- Many Places
[X] Begin Metamorphosis Now
-[X] Greater Stormcrow
-[X] Greater Stormcrow
- Location
- Space between realms
- Pronouns
- He
[X] Begin Metamorphosis Now
-[X] Iceni Mudcrow
More synergy with our Shapes, Earth Bending Crow is cool.
-[X] Iceni Mudcrow
More synergy with our Shapes, Earth Bending Crow is cool.
DangerKitty
shoddy writter
- Location
- lala land
Should be "The same rapid growth cannot be said for Crowley's intelligence." or "the same cannot be said for Crowley's intelligence."
[X] Begin Metamorphosis Now
-[X] Greater Stormcrow
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
*sob*
I knew it sounded wrong, but my brain just autocorrected it. Dammit!
Fixed now, thanks