You'd seemed fairly undecided in your post asking for thoughts but your main support for diamond mind was to better deal with Tet and I didn't see diamond mind as helpful for that purpose given that it works on people that we are close to and we won't see him until he tries to kill us. The only way diamond mind would be more useful for Tet then Diamond body would be if Tet wouldn't attack us if we have diamond body because he has the initiative in choosing when to attack and diamond body is rather obvious.
Money and Power: A Xianxia Merchant Quest
- Thread starter Mr. Prokosch
- Start date
You'd seemed fairly undecided in your post asking for thoughts but your main support for diamond mind was to better deal with Tet and I didn't see diamond mind as helpful for that purpose given that it works on people that we are close to and we won't see him until he tries to kill us. The only way diamond mind would be more useful for Tet then Diamond body would be if Tet wouldn't attack us if we have diamond body because he has the initiative in choosing when to attack and diamond body is rather obvious.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
He doesn't, we have manhunter tools, he isn't escaping, although you are right about this being obvious, maybe we should forge a treasure to hide our diamond body to avoid of revealing our secrets, imagine an ambush/dual (which boss man warned us about) being foiled by being unprepared.
We were just told planning has a lot to do in fight between transformation guys.
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- Location
- Canada
While killing him has a lot of benefits, reconciliation isn't totally impossible, if we take diamond mind, we can maybe get him to swear never to return to the empire and maybe we can use him as a deniable asset in the beast lands.
...Yeah we will probably still kill him.
While the manhunter is a major advantage, Tet could still escape by going deep enough into abyssal territory that he is beyond our reach.
Some sort of ability disguising treasure would be useful, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on the rest of our equipment either, just in case.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
I was wondering about it, diamond body gives us amazing defense, do we want to make ourselves a weapon?
And I spoke less of ability hiding than appearance hiding, something that will make us look (both to eyes and techniques) like we didn't get body yet once we have body.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
Deep into Abyssal territories is literally deep underwater, while it might be possible for him to use Abyssal cultivation to get there, I doubt he actually wants to live underwater so deep the ocean is crushing him and there is only darkness.
- Location
- Canada
I wonder if there are cosmetics for that sort of thing? We could put on makeup that makes it look like we have diamond body now, after we have it, use a different set to make it look like we still using cosmetics to achieve that effect.
We don't actually know what the bottom of the ocean is like in this setting, and isn't Tet part abyssal besides? I'm not saying it's a good option for him, just that we shouldn't plan like there's absolutely no way he can escape If he learns about our tracking methods.
We don't actually know what the bottom of the ocean is like in this setting, and isn't Tet part abyssal besides? I'm not saying it's a good option for him, just that we shouldn't plan like there's absolutely no way he can escape If he learns about our tracking methods.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
Is it common knowledge we have diamond merging? We might not want to reveal it.
But if we do, you do propose a pretty good idea, this sounds easier than a perfect illusion that will block all means of figuring we have it, at least without using heavenly junk, and if we do it is better to make a weapon or means of escape than a disguise.
We know they are called abyssals not because it is the name they call themselves, but because the Abyss is the part of the ocean they come from, it is complete darkness at the very least.
He gas Abyssals methods and resources to cultivate with, basically demonic cultivator.
But he isn't part one.
You are right that we should probably worry him escaping there if he discovers we can track him, I just doubt he would go there is he doesn't have ti.
I wonder if a disguise treasure to hide diamond body would run directly against shining fate. It's a good idea especially if we need to sneak through the beast lands but Hiding your glorious perfection doesn't sound very diamond like even if it's a good idea.
[Insight] A diamonds value is clear for all to see, it would never hide it's beauty or strength for its shining fate should be clear for all to see. A person will find there are times when they very much want to be underestimated or not noticed.
I'd say that the private detective the bullfrog is good enough and knows enough about what is going on that he would notice something off if we arranged to made a deal that would spare Tet. I would rather not test if he would be willing to ignore or cover for treason given he's not loyal to us at all.
If we had a way to safely feed Tet to the clone so that the clone could regain some of what the original was without corrupting him I'd probably go for it.
Rather then make a single weapon to a high quality for combat I'd like to see if we can use the forge to create custom weapons to counter a specific opponent during or just before a fight is possible.
We already know from the diamond matiarch thread Mark that we can do it if given the time and information so if we can either improve divination to get the information earlier so that we can create it before the fight or increase our crafting speed so that we can make the weapons mid battle.
The time cost would make it unreliable for now but I'm hoping that as our mastery of the cosmic forge increases the time it takes to forge items will decrease
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
The clone can be detected as Abyssal clone with good enough look, so keeping it sounds like a bad idea, plus, I want to take it apart to study clones and self replication.
While pretty cool, I am not sure it will be viable for some time, since we are busy cultivating now and most merging go through great effort to keep their secrets hidden.
I propose to make ourselves some diamond based weapon (we can use diamond steel for the actual blade), not necessarily a refined one, but merely a place holder until making them before hand or during battle becomes more viable.
Although it might be now, heaven forged diamond is more aligned with the cosmic forge, infinity perfect and (obviously) the heavens, it might improve the speed or make fate reading easier.
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The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
I think we definitely want to develop Structure Shattering Strike, just to have a properly combat focused technique.
That seems rather ruthless for Chachi, for now I'm against destructive testing against someone that considers her family.
We will have to see what diamond steels properties are first, as right now we only know that it has some properties of diamond and lacks others with maybe some new properties that we don't know but I suppose a diamond cultivator wielding a weaponized diamond isn't the worst thing that could happen.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
True, we have no real combat technique.
Tribulation
First, she needed a one-of-a-kind diamond, a literal gift from Heaven to the Emperor of Light. No, scratch that, first she needed Teotl. So much Teotl. She wasn't sure how much exactly it would take, but since a few regular diamonds nearly drained the Forge, it was more than she'd ever handled before. If everyone with a Core in the clan gave all their Teotl, would that be enough? How many cycles would it take? A Lord could do it in a moment, they had the Teotl of multitudes at their command. Was it worth asking the Lady for a hand? No, there were easier ways to get Teotl, whenever the clan needed some for elixirs they… Of course! The Heavenspan River! It had so much Teotl it was dangerous even to approach those waters.
She summoned the Forge and inspected her Teotl container, the miniature ecosystem. It was still looking a bit unhealthy. She cycled the Teotl flowing through her body to the feeding aperture and observed the tiny trees flowering with vigor, the clouds swirl with greater energy, the mites carve new tunnels. Could this small world, barely larger than her own body, contain the Teotl she needed? She thought back to her basic education on Teotl theory. Teotl was change. Usually positive change, because it was responsive to Will. The sharpened, conscious will of the Exhalted, sure, that Will was the strongest, but not just to that. Mortals clumsily shaped the Teotl around them with their every belief, every wish. Beasts did the same, and even plants. Some said even the rocks and dirt had a Will of sorts. Diamond sure seemed to. But too much Teotl was Chaos, deadly instability. Physics buckles, fears manifest, selfhood erodes, dreams rule. Around the Heavenspan, the weak of will risked spiritual disintegration. Could this little planet withstand the terrible strength of the Heavenspan without shattering into a mass of pure chaos? She inspected the aperture again, a dream tickling at the back of her mind. Shouldn't the Forge be grander than this? Could she use the Forge to upgrade the Forge?
Two new functions would be necessary: An aperture that could accept natural, uncycled sources of Teotl and a reinforced Teotl Storage Ecosystem. She started with the aperture. After some back and forth with a nervous Teo, she ordered their best messenger to fly her a heavily warded box containing one of the clan's trade secrets: their Heavenspan Extractor. She inspected the plans inside a warded circle and then, as agreed, disintegrated them. Now that she knew where to start, it was easy enough to produce a miniaturized version of the Extractor with the Forge. She paused at the next step. How to install it? The Forge wasn't really a physical thing, was it? It was supposed to be impossible to create matter from nothing, and the domain of Saints to instantly summon objects from distant places. She thought of it more like an evocation: Teotl temporarily imitating the properties of an object. But it stored Teotl outside of her body when it wasn't summoned, which implied it was a real object with persistence beyond the technique. She really should get to learning more about her Forge. If it was a real object, then it was just a matter of attaching the Extractor to the Teotl aperture. Chachi shrugged and used the Will of Creation to hold the Extractor in place with spectral pliers, then willed a few perfectly welded joints. She dismissed the Forge, took a deep breath, and re-summoned it. Success! The Extractor was still there.
Next came Teotl Storage. She peered down critically at the little planet. Why not just make it bigger? She fed the Forge essence crystals roughly in proportion to their rarity. Instead of holding a picture of what she wanted to create within the Anvil and then striking it into being with the Hammer, she let the essence flow freely in the system and imagined it being incorporated into the miniature world, like being drawn to like as essence preferred. The essence just waited with a sense of anticipation, but nothing happened in Teotl Storage.
"Worth a try," Chachi sighed, "I guess we'll do this the hard way."
She Forged a tiny Mamey tree, then with magnifying glass and spectral tweezers planted it in what she felt was an auspicious location, on a little sunny hill. She watched the ambient Teotl of the ecosystem slowly incorporate the newcomer. Again she dismissed and restored the Forge, and the tree was still there.
"Bit by bit then, soil, water, plants, animals. It'll be sickly the more I add without Teotl, but as soon as the Teotl hits, it'll be a jungle. Just need to keep the balance, so it can cycle."
She spent the rest of the day, then the night, then the next day, manually adding more to the Teotl Chamber. She was interrupted by a deferential tapping on the door.
"You better have a good reason for ignoring my sign!" Chachi called, she was introducing a breeding pair of Ocelots. This was a delicate moment. The tapper began to scurry away, when Chachi changed her mind. With a single leap she cleared the cabin and slammed the door open, "tell them to change course again: to the Heavenspan River!"
"The Heavenspan Facilities, Great Matriarch?" the serving girl eeped.
"No! Oh, food!" Chachi grabbed the platter with one hand and shoved the food down her mouth with the other. She hadn't eaten in… Two days? Maybe?
"Don't change course?" freed from her burden, the mortal was now able to sink fully to the floor.
"No, go to the river, wherever is closest, not the facilities. It's almost ready…"
"Yes, Great Matriarch… But I don't have the authority…"
"Oh, right… Uh…" Chachi glanced around the room, her eyes lighted on a cloth napkin. No ink… Oh! She used Will of Creation to re-weave it into a fanciful tapestry with her orders and the Matriarch's Mark of Authority.
"Done!" She shoved it in the servant's hands and slammed the door shut. She had to check the capybara population!
By the time they arrived, the Forge's Teotl Storage was roughly twice its previous size. More significantly, it was a far more complex (though still simplified) simulacrum of the real world. It looked a lot more like the 1000 Rivers than it did before, actually.
Chachi ordered the Fortress to make camp for the night safely away from the shores of the Heavenspan. She waved off her honor guard. Accompanying her would only put them at risk, and without Oku they were only for show anyway. She proceeded through the Jungle alone, guided by the soft blue glow of the great river. The trees grew larger, elaborate, beautiful and eerie. The strip of Teotl-dense but still stable land around the river attracted powerful Spirit Beasts. She brushed through the glistening web of a Golden Tarantula, the beast itself scurried away at a warning pulse of her Transforming aura. A troop of monkeys, she didn't recognize the species, hooted at her. She ignored them. This wasn't the Beast Lands; even if they were a dire threat to mortals, or even lesser cultivators, they could never challenge her.
She broke through the foliage to the riverbank. It wasn't mere rocks, not this close to the Heavenspan. It was chaos begrudgingly doing a rock imitation for her benefit. At the corner of her eyes, she could see it shimmer and seethe. The water was polite enough to merely glow blue as it rushed by. Teotl liked water. As she stared at it, the blue deepened and then split into a kaleidoscope of color. It rose and roiled in response to her subconscious Will, becoming closer to what she thought of as dream-stuff.
She rolled her eyes and touched it with her aura. It settled back into water immediately, even the blue dampening. Her spirit was Diamond, and Diamond would have none of that nonsense. She summoned the Forge. In the Teotl-rich light of the Heavenspan, it seemed greater than before, more real. She leapt up and grabbed the Inlet Hose of the Extractor. With a huff she tossed it deep into the river. She tracked the blue glow of Heavenspan Water as it flowed up the hose. Her eyes flicked up to the New and Improved Teotl Storage Ecosystem as it met an unprecedented influx of Teotl. First the rivers began to glow like the Heavenspan. She grimaced when the newly empowered waters carved new canyons deep into the earth, but smiled with relief a moment later when the also-strengthened earth fought back with firmer foundations. The trees came next, tiny groves she'd painstakingly Forged and planted flowering and seeding in moments, crawling outward into dense jungle. The animal numbers grew as well, starting with the prey species… Wait, was that puff of flame a tiny Beast Technique? She hadn't expected that…
Chachi cut off the extraction before things got too exciting in there. If she needed more Teotl, she could just flip it back on.
She gazed at the Frozen Moment of Heaven's Gift. Seven bonds, repeated. She didn't really need to. She'd just improvised up hundreds of tiny living beings far more complex than any diamond. Diamonds had a clear, simple structure. She was just nervous.
"It's time," she told herself.
She sharpened her will and commanded the Forge to produce her design. A small lump of raw earth essence rose to the surface of the Anvil. The Hammer resonated with power as potent Teotl flowed down to it. With a blast that shook Chachi down to her bones, it slammed down on the lump.
"More!" Chachi commanded. That was just a diamond!
The Hammer drew deeper on the Teotl. It grew larger and took on a blue glow to match the Heavenspan. This time, it sent waves through the chaos-rock and threw Chachi back a step.
"MORE!"
The Hammer grew brighter, briefly, then puffed out. Chachi's jungle was receding: Teotl Storage was low. With irritation she flicked the extractor back on. Did she even need to store it first? Could she install a bypass? Something to consider at a later date. For now, the Forge was designed to only draw from storage, so she'd keep it flowing into the ecosystem first and just over-fill it.
She waited longer than before, until every little plant and critter blazed with power. She giggled at it, maybe one day a little guy down there would Ascend to the real world and join the Clan?
"Not today little man!" she shouted, "I'm stealing all your Teotl!"
Now the Hammer swirled with the multitudinous colors of the true night sky. It ascended with the sound of a spectral choir singing pure meaning deeper than words. When it crashed down, the shockwave shook her spirit. It felt like her father's smile and a job well-done.
She took a moment to recover, then screwed her mouth tight in frustration, "Is that the best you can do? Come on, you never failed me before!"
She stared down at a newly Forged six-bonded diamond.
"I can try again, but I don't think I can pack any more Teotl in that hammer," she mused, "The thing is called Heaven's Gift…"
She rummaged in her pack. A while back she'd speculated that True Spirit Refinement on a conduit might ease the Merging a bit, like using a higher quality ritual component. Maybe she could push the Six-Bonded Diamond up to Seven with some Heavenly Power?
The Diamond took to her first refinement with ease. She'd never worked with anything so receptive to heavenly power. It still didn't have seven bonds though. Well, she never expected Refinement to get good until the third ritual. Ritual two, and everything was still clear. Ok, time for three!
Chachi woke up to the pre-dawn light on the bank of the deadly Heavenspan River.
"Wah, ugggh," she groaned. She looked around, confused. She was Refining…
Her emergency training kicked in as her focus trickled back. Area check. No immediate threats. Body check. She was hurt. Her muscles ached. Bones strong. Organs seemed fine. Core intact. Spirit waterways solid. She wouldn't expect that of anyone who decided to take a nap so close to the Heavenspan. Good thing she had Crystal Rivers!
Beast attack? She remembered a flash. It didn't take a bite though. More likely she'd screwed up the Spirit Refinement, sometimes that came with a blowback. Yeah, that sounded right enough. She looked around for the ashen remains of her precious diamond. Instead, she spotted a soft white glow at her feet. Could it be?
Any thought of self-preservation flew to the back of Chachi's mind as she scooped up the glowing diamond. It was Heaven's Gift! She admired the stone for a bit, until her need to complete the final step overcame her wonder. Then she took full, soaring leaps away from the Heavenspan. She'd be vulnerable once she shattered her Transformation, best to do it away from such a dangerous stretch of jungle.
She found a nice clearing and got to work carving the intricate waterways necessary for the Transformation ritual. Keeping in mind what Tlaloc said about personalizing it, this time she added another layer of increasingly interconnected diamond structures interwoven with motifs that she felt linked her to Diamond in the first place: her integrity, her loyalty, her love, her purity of heart, her confidence that she was favored by Heaven.
Then she cycled her Teotl through her core in the Infinitely Perfect pattern. She hammered away at the Diamond in her Spirit. First, the Aura. Then the Rivers. Then the Core. Finally, in a small pocket deeper than even the Core, her True Spirit. It was done. She was now a Perfect. She felt empty, hollow, but free.
Only for a moment, of course. She would be Diamond again soon. Diamond, and more.
She placed her copy of Heaven's Gift in its housing, then sat next to it in her own place, at the center of her ritual circle. She cycled Teotl through the earthen waterways she'd carved. She felt the familiar sensation of Diamond entering her spirit. The Teotl would flow along the ancient pattern (and also her improvised improvements) a thousand times. Each wave of Teotl carried a small piece of the Diamond into her spirit. It wasn't its Essence, which was just some earth essence. And it didn't have Teotl. The diamond slowly sinking into her was something beyond those two building blocks of existence, something closer to the True Spirit.
The Heaven-Forged Diamond felt much like her first Merging with the Eye of the Mountain. Like it, but not identical. It was stronger, deeper, and broader. It had an effortless strength to it. It also felt, she couldn't quite find the words, it felt awake. She'd heard of people merging with living things, Lord Tlaloc supposedly had, but her tutors warned her away from it. It wasn't Orthodox. Living things had opinions of their own, even when housed in the spirit, which made completing the Transformation more difficult. The Heaven-Forged Diamond felt almost alive. No, that wasn't right. Diamonds did not live. It felt more like an echo of something alive, like a sending stone mimicking her brother's distant voice. It was calling to her. No, it was DEMANDING!
She shook as another wave brought her closer to Heaven-Forged Diamond. Heaven's Gift isn't some pretty rock, foolish girl. It's not just a tougher diamond. It's a line to Heaven, but you are no Saint. You are not worthy.
Chachi desperately held on to consciousness this time, as white lightning struck her from a clear sky. She had to. A broken Merging ritual was death. She hastened the cycle of Teotl. She was worthy! She was chosen!
You are an arrogant child with mad dreams. The daughter of parasitic scum. The sister of a tainted, putrid, traitor.
Her body failed her. She was in darkness. She had the distant impression of a spasming body. Of muscles straining and blood bursting. She was unconscious. She knew that. But still, she cycled. It was a matter of spirit, anyway, not of body, not even of mind. She cycled by Animant Will alone.
You do not even understand what you're doing. That strength is poison.
She dreamed of tendrils breaking through cracks in the sky.
She dreamed of a smith, a forge, and a masterpiece.
She dreamed of a woman made of Teotl, and a treasonous whisper in her ear.
"You will not remember this. When you open your mind to it, it will see your memories. It will twist your thoughts. But it cannot pierce this deep. Your dreams will always be your own. Know this in the place beneath your thoughts: There is more beyond this world than what you call Heaven. Heaven is your jailer. The Saints are your wardens. Their Order is stagnation. When the time comes, shatter your spirit again. Then merge with the greatest wonder of this world."
She dreamed of a black seed in a sea of light.
Her consciousness was returning now. She could feel the latest strike partially disperse right before impact. Her spirit was becoming more Heaven-Forged Diamond now, and it could be nothing but worthy. She was growing greater by the second. And even if she didn't deserve it yet, she would! She would become greater. That was her nature. That was her path!
She cycled at terrible speed, the waves smashing into her Spirit with every heartbeat. She welcomed them. They were her. She saw the Diamond in front of her fade from existence. She could feel its eternal glow in her Core.
She waited for another lightning bolt, but it didn't come. Her tribulation was done. She curled up on the ground, her body wracked with pain. Tears poured down her face. She felt her completed Heaven-Forged Diamond Spirit. It was beautiful. She still was no Saint, she could not command the Heavenly power it represented. But she could feel a spark of Saintly Power, and Saintly Responsibility, within her.
It's late but I wanted to finally get the post out. I'll try to get the full updated character sheet up soon.
She summoned the Forge and inspected her Teotl container, the miniature ecosystem. It was still looking a bit unhealthy. She cycled the Teotl flowing through her body to the feeding aperture and observed the tiny trees flowering with vigor, the clouds swirl with greater energy, the mites carve new tunnels. Could this small world, barely larger than her own body, contain the Teotl she needed? She thought back to her basic education on Teotl theory. Teotl was change. Usually positive change, because it was responsive to Will. The sharpened, conscious will of the Exhalted, sure, that Will was the strongest, but not just to that. Mortals clumsily shaped the Teotl around them with their every belief, every wish. Beasts did the same, and even plants. Some said even the rocks and dirt had a Will of sorts. Diamond sure seemed to. But too much Teotl was Chaos, deadly instability. Physics buckles, fears manifest, selfhood erodes, dreams rule. Around the Heavenspan, the weak of will risked spiritual disintegration. Could this little planet withstand the terrible strength of the Heavenspan without shattering into a mass of pure chaos? She inspected the aperture again, a dream tickling at the back of her mind. Shouldn't the Forge be grander than this? Could she use the Forge to upgrade the Forge?
Two new functions would be necessary: An aperture that could accept natural, uncycled sources of Teotl and a reinforced Teotl Storage Ecosystem. She started with the aperture. After some back and forth with a nervous Teo, she ordered their best messenger to fly her a heavily warded box containing one of the clan's trade secrets: their Heavenspan Extractor. She inspected the plans inside a warded circle and then, as agreed, disintegrated them. Now that she knew where to start, it was easy enough to produce a miniaturized version of the Extractor with the Forge. She paused at the next step. How to install it? The Forge wasn't really a physical thing, was it? It was supposed to be impossible to create matter from nothing, and the domain of Saints to instantly summon objects from distant places. She thought of it more like an evocation: Teotl temporarily imitating the properties of an object. But it stored Teotl outside of her body when it wasn't summoned, which implied it was a real object with persistence beyond the technique. She really should get to learning more about her Forge. If it was a real object, then it was just a matter of attaching the Extractor to the Teotl aperture. Chachi shrugged and used the Will of Creation to hold the Extractor in place with spectral pliers, then willed a few perfectly welded joints. She dismissed the Forge, took a deep breath, and re-summoned it. Success! The Extractor was still there.
Next came Teotl Storage. She peered down critically at the little planet. Why not just make it bigger? She fed the Forge essence crystals roughly in proportion to their rarity. Instead of holding a picture of what she wanted to create within the Anvil and then striking it into being with the Hammer, she let the essence flow freely in the system and imagined it being incorporated into the miniature world, like being drawn to like as essence preferred. The essence just waited with a sense of anticipation, but nothing happened in Teotl Storage.
"Worth a try," Chachi sighed, "I guess we'll do this the hard way."
She Forged a tiny Mamey tree, then with magnifying glass and spectral tweezers planted it in what she felt was an auspicious location, on a little sunny hill. She watched the ambient Teotl of the ecosystem slowly incorporate the newcomer. Again she dismissed and restored the Forge, and the tree was still there.
"Bit by bit then, soil, water, plants, animals. It'll be sickly the more I add without Teotl, but as soon as the Teotl hits, it'll be a jungle. Just need to keep the balance, so it can cycle."
She spent the rest of the day, then the night, then the next day, manually adding more to the Teotl Chamber. She was interrupted by a deferential tapping on the door.
"You better have a good reason for ignoring my sign!" Chachi called, she was introducing a breeding pair of Ocelots. This was a delicate moment. The tapper began to scurry away, when Chachi changed her mind. With a single leap she cleared the cabin and slammed the door open, "tell them to change course again: to the Heavenspan River!"
"The Heavenspan Facilities, Great Matriarch?" the serving girl eeped.
"No! Oh, food!" Chachi grabbed the platter with one hand and shoved the food down her mouth with the other. She hadn't eaten in… Two days? Maybe?
"Don't change course?" freed from her burden, the mortal was now able to sink fully to the floor.
"No, go to the river, wherever is closest, not the facilities. It's almost ready…"
"Yes, Great Matriarch… But I don't have the authority…"
"Oh, right… Uh…" Chachi glanced around the room, her eyes lighted on a cloth napkin. No ink… Oh! She used Will of Creation to re-weave it into a fanciful tapestry with her orders and the Matriarch's Mark of Authority.
"Done!" She shoved it in the servant's hands and slammed the door shut. She had to check the capybara population!
By the time they arrived, the Forge's Teotl Storage was roughly twice its previous size. More significantly, it was a far more complex (though still simplified) simulacrum of the real world. It looked a lot more like the 1000 Rivers than it did before, actually.
Chachi ordered the Fortress to make camp for the night safely away from the shores of the Heavenspan. She waved off her honor guard. Accompanying her would only put them at risk, and without Oku they were only for show anyway. She proceeded through the Jungle alone, guided by the soft blue glow of the great river. The trees grew larger, elaborate, beautiful and eerie. The strip of Teotl-dense but still stable land around the river attracted powerful Spirit Beasts. She brushed through the glistening web of a Golden Tarantula, the beast itself scurried away at a warning pulse of her Transforming aura. A troop of monkeys, she didn't recognize the species, hooted at her. She ignored them. This wasn't the Beast Lands; even if they were a dire threat to mortals, or even lesser cultivators, they could never challenge her.
She broke through the foliage to the riverbank. It wasn't mere rocks, not this close to the Heavenspan. It was chaos begrudgingly doing a rock imitation for her benefit. At the corner of her eyes, she could see it shimmer and seethe. The water was polite enough to merely glow blue as it rushed by. Teotl liked water. As she stared at it, the blue deepened and then split into a kaleidoscope of color. It rose and roiled in response to her subconscious Will, becoming closer to what she thought of as dream-stuff.
She rolled her eyes and touched it with her aura. It settled back into water immediately, even the blue dampening. Her spirit was Diamond, and Diamond would have none of that nonsense. She summoned the Forge. In the Teotl-rich light of the Heavenspan, it seemed greater than before, more real. She leapt up and grabbed the Inlet Hose of the Extractor. With a huff she tossed it deep into the river. She tracked the blue glow of Heavenspan Water as it flowed up the hose. Her eyes flicked up to the New and Improved Teotl Storage Ecosystem as it met an unprecedented influx of Teotl. First the rivers began to glow like the Heavenspan. She grimaced when the newly empowered waters carved new canyons deep into the earth, but smiled with relief a moment later when the also-strengthened earth fought back with firmer foundations. The trees came next, tiny groves she'd painstakingly Forged and planted flowering and seeding in moments, crawling outward into dense jungle. The animal numbers grew as well, starting with the prey species… Wait, was that puff of flame a tiny Beast Technique? She hadn't expected that…
Chachi cut off the extraction before things got too exciting in there. If she needed more Teotl, she could just flip it back on.
She gazed at the Frozen Moment of Heaven's Gift. Seven bonds, repeated. She didn't really need to. She'd just improvised up hundreds of tiny living beings far more complex than any diamond. Diamonds had a clear, simple structure. She was just nervous.
"It's time," she told herself.
She sharpened her will and commanded the Forge to produce her design. A small lump of raw earth essence rose to the surface of the Anvil. The Hammer resonated with power as potent Teotl flowed down to it. With a blast that shook Chachi down to her bones, it slammed down on the lump.
"More!" Chachi commanded. That was just a diamond!
The Hammer drew deeper on the Teotl. It grew larger and took on a blue glow to match the Heavenspan. This time, it sent waves through the chaos-rock and threw Chachi back a step.
"MORE!"
The Hammer grew brighter, briefly, then puffed out. Chachi's jungle was receding: Teotl Storage was low. With irritation she flicked the extractor back on. Did she even need to store it first? Could she install a bypass? Something to consider at a later date. For now, the Forge was designed to only draw from storage, so she'd keep it flowing into the ecosystem first and just over-fill it.
She waited longer than before, until every little plant and critter blazed with power. She giggled at it, maybe one day a little guy down there would Ascend to the real world and join the Clan?
"Not today little man!" she shouted, "I'm stealing all your Teotl!"
Now the Hammer swirled with the multitudinous colors of the true night sky. It ascended with the sound of a spectral choir singing pure meaning deeper than words. When it crashed down, the shockwave shook her spirit. It felt like her father's smile and a job well-done.
She took a moment to recover, then screwed her mouth tight in frustration, "Is that the best you can do? Come on, you never failed me before!"
She stared down at a newly Forged six-bonded diamond.
"I can try again, but I don't think I can pack any more Teotl in that hammer," she mused, "The thing is called Heaven's Gift…"
She rummaged in her pack. A while back she'd speculated that True Spirit Refinement on a conduit might ease the Merging a bit, like using a higher quality ritual component. Maybe she could push the Six-Bonded Diamond up to Seven with some Heavenly Power?
The Diamond took to her first refinement with ease. She'd never worked with anything so receptive to heavenly power. It still didn't have seven bonds though. Well, she never expected Refinement to get good until the third ritual. Ritual two, and everything was still clear. Ok, time for three!
Chachi woke up to the pre-dawn light on the bank of the deadly Heavenspan River.
"Wah, ugggh," she groaned. She looked around, confused. She was Refining…
Her emergency training kicked in as her focus trickled back. Area check. No immediate threats. Body check. She was hurt. Her muscles ached. Bones strong. Organs seemed fine. Core intact. Spirit waterways solid. She wouldn't expect that of anyone who decided to take a nap so close to the Heavenspan. Good thing she had Crystal Rivers!
Beast attack? She remembered a flash. It didn't take a bite though. More likely she'd screwed up the Spirit Refinement, sometimes that came with a blowback. Yeah, that sounded right enough. She looked around for the ashen remains of her precious diamond. Instead, she spotted a soft white glow at her feet. Could it be?
Any thought of self-preservation flew to the back of Chachi's mind as she scooped up the glowing diamond. It was Heaven's Gift! She admired the stone for a bit, until her need to complete the final step overcame her wonder. Then she took full, soaring leaps away from the Heavenspan. She'd be vulnerable once she shattered her Transformation, best to do it away from such a dangerous stretch of jungle.
She found a nice clearing and got to work carving the intricate waterways necessary for the Transformation ritual. Keeping in mind what Tlaloc said about personalizing it, this time she added another layer of increasingly interconnected diamond structures interwoven with motifs that she felt linked her to Diamond in the first place: her integrity, her loyalty, her love, her purity of heart, her confidence that she was favored by Heaven.
Then she cycled her Teotl through her core in the Infinitely Perfect pattern. She hammered away at the Diamond in her Spirit. First, the Aura. Then the Rivers. Then the Core. Finally, in a small pocket deeper than even the Core, her True Spirit. It was done. She was now a Perfect. She felt empty, hollow, but free.
Only for a moment, of course. She would be Diamond again soon. Diamond, and more.
She placed her copy of Heaven's Gift in its housing, then sat next to it in her own place, at the center of her ritual circle. She cycled Teotl through the earthen waterways she'd carved. She felt the familiar sensation of Diamond entering her spirit. The Teotl would flow along the ancient pattern (and also her improvised improvements) a thousand times. Each wave of Teotl carried a small piece of the Diamond into her spirit. It wasn't its Essence, which was just some earth essence. And it didn't have Teotl. The diamond slowly sinking into her was something beyond those two building blocks of existence, something closer to the True Spirit.
The Heaven-Forged Diamond felt much like her first Merging with the Eye of the Mountain. Like it, but not identical. It was stronger, deeper, and broader. It had an effortless strength to it. It also felt, she couldn't quite find the words, it felt awake. She'd heard of people merging with living things, Lord Tlaloc supposedly had, but her tutors warned her away from it. It wasn't Orthodox. Living things had opinions of their own, even when housed in the spirit, which made completing the Transformation more difficult. The Heaven-Forged Diamond felt almost alive. No, that wasn't right. Diamonds did not live. It felt more like an echo of something alive, like a sending stone mimicking her brother's distant voice. It was calling to her. No, it was DEMANDING!
She shook as another wave brought her closer to Heaven-Forged Diamond. Heaven's Gift isn't some pretty rock, foolish girl. It's not just a tougher diamond. It's a line to Heaven, but you are no Saint. You are not worthy.
Chachi desperately held on to consciousness this time, as white lightning struck her from a clear sky. She had to. A broken Merging ritual was death. She hastened the cycle of Teotl. She was worthy! She was chosen!
You are an arrogant child with mad dreams. The daughter of parasitic scum. The sister of a tainted, putrid, traitor.
Her body failed her. She was in darkness. She had the distant impression of a spasming body. Of muscles straining and blood bursting. She was unconscious. She knew that. But still, she cycled. It was a matter of spirit, anyway, not of body, not even of mind. She cycled by Animant Will alone.
You do not even understand what you're doing. That strength is poison.
She dreamed of tendrils breaking through cracks in the sky.
She dreamed of a smith, a forge, and a masterpiece.
She dreamed of a woman made of Teotl, and a treasonous whisper in her ear.
"You will not remember this. When you open your mind to it, it will see your memories. It will twist your thoughts. But it cannot pierce this deep. Your dreams will always be your own. Know this in the place beneath your thoughts: There is more beyond this world than what you call Heaven. Heaven is your jailer. The Saints are your wardens. Their Order is stagnation. When the time comes, shatter your spirit again. Then merge with the greatest wonder of this world."
She dreamed of a black seed in a sea of light.
Her consciousness was returning now. She could feel the latest strike partially disperse right before impact. Her spirit was becoming more Heaven-Forged Diamond now, and it could be nothing but worthy. She was growing greater by the second. And even if she didn't deserve it yet, she would! She would become greater. That was her nature. That was her path!
She cycled at terrible speed, the waves smashing into her Spirit with every heartbeat. She welcomed them. They were her. She saw the Diamond in front of her fade from existence. She could feel its eternal glow in her Core.
She waited for another lightning bolt, but it didn't come. Her tribulation was done. She curled up on the ground, her body wracked with pain. Tears poured down her face. She felt her completed Heaven-Forged Diamond Spirit. It was beautiful. She still was no Saint, she could not command the Heavenly power it represented. But she could feel a spark of Saintly Power, and Saintly Responsibility, within her.
It's late but I wanted to finally get the post out. I'll try to get the full updated character sheet up soon.
Loving Domain – Spiritual effects, poisons, or diseases below transformation that will cause harm to you, or anything you love, will be disrupted. Effects below Lord level will be weakened. The Teotl effects of anyone who loves you will be slightly enhanced.
Prideful Order – You can restore things below transformation to their idealized form within the Perfect Order with a touch. With great effort you can Will very minor localized alterations to idealized forms within the Perfect Order. ALTERATIONS WHICH DEFY HEAVEN WILL BE PUNISHED.
Aura of Wrath – Anything hated by Heaven will be grievously harmed by your presence. Anything you hate will be weakened by your presence.
Loyal Refraction – You gain a blessing from those you are spiritually bound to, and grant a blessing to anyone loyal to you. YOU ARE BOUND TO LORD TLALOC, DUKE XIPETOTEC, AND THE EMPEROR OF LIGHT.
Heaven-Graced Fate – You will be shielded by fate as a reward for righteous action and loyal service to heaven, to a degree commiserate with your contributions. You will be punished by fate for unrighteous actions. YOUR SHIELD IS WEAK AND FADING.
Righteous Clarity – You are clearly marked by Heaven's Blessing. This mark cannot be obscured in any way. The righteousness (or lack) of your actions will be clear to all. You are a natural ally of those loyal to heaven and a natural enemy of those who defy Heaven.
Spiritual Severity – You can only use Orthodox Techniques.
YOU ARE BEING WATCHED. YOU WILL BE JUDGED BY THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTIONS OF ALL WHO ARE BOUND TO YOU BY BLOOD, OATH, OR GIFT. YOUR CLAN IS UNCLEAN.
Prideful Order – You can restore things below transformation to their idealized form within the Perfect Order with a touch. With great effort you can Will very minor localized alterations to idealized forms within the Perfect Order. ALTERATIONS WHICH DEFY HEAVEN WILL BE PUNISHED.
Aura of Wrath – Anything hated by Heaven will be grievously harmed by your presence. Anything you hate will be weakened by your presence.
Loyal Refraction – You gain a blessing from those you are spiritually bound to, and grant a blessing to anyone loyal to you. YOU ARE BOUND TO LORD TLALOC, DUKE XIPETOTEC, AND THE EMPEROR OF LIGHT.
Heaven-Graced Fate – You will be shielded by fate as a reward for righteous action and loyal service to heaven, to a degree commiserate with your contributions. You will be punished by fate for unrighteous actions. YOUR SHIELD IS WEAK AND FADING.
Righteous Clarity – You are clearly marked by Heaven's Blessing. This mark cannot be obscured in any way. The righteousness (or lack) of your actions will be clear to all. You are a natural ally of those loyal to heaven and a natural enemy of those who defy Heaven.
Spiritual Severity – You can only use Orthodox Techniques.
YOU ARE BEING WATCHED. YOU WILL BE JUDGED BY THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTIONS OF ALL WHO ARE BOUND TO YOU BY BLOOD, OATH, OR GIFT. YOUR CLAN IS UNCLEAN.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
Oh no, I fear that the crimes of our brother may be clear to any saint who sees us, if they aren't already out, we must kill him ourselves in hope that this would be enough to wipe said taint, because I fear that if we take too long, this will be it for us.
Diamond can purify corruption, can we purify our own family by finding it's corrupted parts, aka our brother.
Some new information that heaven may be actually evil, but it is still the strongest source of power around, so we will work for them now, we have a mission to find the greatest wonder in this world and merge with it.
As for our boosts, they seem like pretty big upgrades, if reliant on being saintly in some ways, our help with the pylons should work well on that, om the upside, we lost rigid spirit, which should give us significant boost in a fight.
What does Loyal Refraction means @Mr. Prokosch ? It says we get blessings from our bosses, but not what those are, will we know when the character sheet is dropped?
Diamond can purify corruption, can we purify our own family by finding it's corrupted parts, aka our brother.
Some new information that heaven may be actually evil, but it is still the strongest source of power around, so we will work for them now, we have a mission to find the greatest wonder in this world and merge with it.
As for our boosts, they seem like pretty big upgrades, if reliant on being saintly in some ways, our help with the pylons should work well on that, om the upside, we lost rigid spirit, which should give us significant boost in a fight.
What does Loyal Refraction means @Mr. Prokosch ? It says we get blessings from our bosses, but not what those are, will we know when the character sheet is dropped?
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welp, looks like we went Paladin. Time to clean up the world!
I wonder if the blessing from Loyal Refraction is big enough Lord Tlaloc noticed it?
I wonder if the blessing from Loyal Refraction is big enough Lord Tlaloc noticed it?
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
He could feel our diamond spirit, I suspect he would know what we did if we met him, but his lack of heavenly connection means he will not benefit from the heavens showing him stuff like that our brother is corrupted.
It's kind of strange that we have our own world as a power storage and source. One of them ascending to her world feels dangerously likely.
Well this world is probably someone else's power device. The Saints being wardens is surprising though.
It seems likely that this has made our progression to Saint far easier at least. It might be possible to progress naturally to Saint without needing to discover the secret of how to become one. We might in effect have already done that.
If we actually had people we loved this would buff them. I'm not sure that we do though.
So the more interesting part of this to me is that we grant a blessing to anyone loyal to us now. That seems massively useful. As long as the blessing is in any way measurable we can now know exactly who is loyal to us and who isn't.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
It sounds funny, imagine if after years of work (time seem to pass faster in the forge), getting to the top of the world and face slapping all his rivals, xianxia protagonist ascends to discover he lived in some rich girl's aquarium.
There are worse places to ascend to though, Chachi is pretty nice and he will get to join the clan if he is nice or murdered if he is an asshole.
Maybe it could even be a spirit beast, we can play at trying to make our own pets.
Ascending while being on good terms with the owner of our world seems like a better idea than defying them, imagine if mess murderer ambitious and assholish guy ascended from our mini world, would he have better chances to survive than someone Chachi can like, because ascending likely means going through her.
If we are on someone's storage device, than ascending while being on bad terms could be bad.
Our family for start, it doesn't say romantic love.
We should copy this, and make tiny wardens in our forge.
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The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
This reminds me of an idea from the Xianxia discussion thread. Matryoshka Dantians of worlds within worlds.
- Location
- Central Europe
This seems obvious as to who it refers to, but maybe Teo has some dark secrets?
Wild mass guessing:
If it refers to her father, then maybe heaven doesn't want Chachi to come to a similar arrangement with Lord Tlaloc?
On the other hand, if it refers to her mother Chachi might have to dissolve the secret service or so.
Not quite sure what this refers to. Maybe the thread is whispering in Chachi's ear?
The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
Let's do a quick comparison and analysis of spirit traits:
This is pretty much just a straight upgrade in both potency and versatility, with how we can now debuff our enemies even if they're not unholy.
Nice. We should have access to some more subjective purification now, not to mention that transforming people or materials into their idealized form may be an upgrade, or how feedback may assist in comprehension of Heaven.
Hot dog, ally buffs and a love litmus test? Nice.
Pretty similar, but again offers heavenly feedback which will be helpful for comprehension. Better kill Tet soon though, and the Pure Teapot and Pure Pylons will probably count as righteous action and loyal service to heaven which is nice.
I assume this is also somewhat related to Shining Fate, very useful in general, up until we decide to escape the chains of heaven.
What defines an Orthodox Technique? Does this mean that we can't invent new techniques or just that they have to follow a certain modus operandi?
Excited to see what those buffs are, and an automatic loyalty litmus test. Cleaning house is going to be much simpler with this and Loving Domain.
Well, Tet's the obvious and our litmus tests will hopefully reveal if mom is going to be a problem. I can see we're already dealing with some of the karma aspects.
The person talking about heaven and the saints being our jailer was interesting and all, and the fact that we are being actively judged by a mysterious force heaven is at least a little scary, but I can't help but wonder what the greatest wonder in the world is and how hard will unlocking diamond body and mind be given how intense that was?
Prideful Order might be a way to heal Teo after his crippling and if so that would be awesome but where are clones meant to be in Heaven's perfect order.
Prideful Order might be a way to heal Teo after his crippling and if so that would be awesome but where are clones meant to be in Heaven's perfect order.
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The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
Probably not too much worse, especially since we have Heaven-Graced Fate as a measurement of how worthy we are.
I'm worried this is going to seriously impact our ability to run the business. Seems like a lot of potential business strategies we have relied on are going to run into potential ethical conundrums that might impact our cultivation and standing with those we are under since we have a giant shining sign that says how good we've been.