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Nobility on the Golden Plains [A Clan Builder / Cultivation Quest]

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[x] Yes, brother, I was interested in the harvest from the beast tide.

Might as well accept the suffering. It'll make Big Sis happy.
 
[X] Yes, brother, I was interested in the harvest from the beast tide.

It's good for us to go out and experience life threatening peril once in a while, even better when we don't need to spend actions on it and get some neat ingredients as well.
 
[X] Yes, brother, I was interested in the harvest from the beast tide

This is the path we must walk if we ever want our sister's acknowledgement
 
[X] Yes, brother, I was interested in the harvest from the beast tide

It's going to be painful but the rewards will be nice as will the experience.
 
You know I expected the adventure vote to win, but I didn't expect it to be unanimous.

DeadmanwalkingXI said:
Well, the book is great. That should be very handy over even just a bit of time.

[X] Yes, brother, I was interested in the harvest from the beast tide.

@Arcanestomper if we do this, should we also vote for our free 3 TP for Alchemist? We obviously don't get actions, but we'd probably still get that?
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Yes, actually vote for the Alchemist TP as well. Otherwise I'll just default to cultivation.
 
Arcanestomper said:
Expertise: (.25/Turn)
Discipline: (.25/Turn)
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Is there no limit to that boost, or do we just not know what that limit is yet?

Arcanestomper said:
Your sister scoffs and grabs the Properties of Natural Treasures from your desk. She quickly scans through it with all the speed of a higher realm cultivator. "I can see what you're going for, but your story structure is too bland. Heng Chao has no spark as a character. He's just a puppet for you to spill alchemy recipes with."

"What are you here for sister," you grumble. That's your best work she's criticizing. You'd like to see her try to write a novel with a technique in it.
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She's objectively better than you bud. Of course she can casually do better.


*****

[X] Yes, brother, I was interested in the harvest from the beast tide.

Our sister will probably also keep us from suffering permanent harm in addition to keeping us from dying.
 
Jack727 said:
[X] Yes, brother, I was interested in the harvest from the beast tide.

It's good for us to go out and experience life threatening peril once in a while, even better when we don't need to spend actions on it and get some neat ingredients as well.
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We're literally spending an entire turn of actions on this.
...though, we *should* get our autocultivation, right?
 
Blonddude42 said:
Is there no limit to that boost, or do we just not know what that limit is yet?
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our current alchemy is 8, and sage is 5.
They are currently at iron (3). (which is also our leaf Cauldron skill level, so if it wasnt for our foundation or core, it would be the same). I could see It stopping at 5, because sage is about teaching others and thats how good the skill was when we made it, and it was under learning/sage in the actions. Or it could go to 8, because thats our alchemy bonus, but I doubt that because that requires them to be in core formation I believe, and I doubt a book would be able to teach them that well, unless it was a better book then we can make. (higher sage)
 
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Turn 8: The Night Tide Abyss (Year 2/Winter)
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    • Turn 8: The Night Tide Abyss (Year 2/Winter)


    Your brother gives you a searching look and then nods. "If you are certain, then you may accompany Xin. I expect to hear good things when both of you return."

    Reaching into his sleeve he pulls out a small box. "The Night Tide Abyss is a mystical location with many tricks. Since this is your first visit I'll give you this."

    He hands you the box and you open it to take a quick look.

    [ ] Five Flame Talismans
    Three talismans wrest on a silk cushion. You can sense the power radiating from their elegant calligraphy. If you are reading them right then these are Five Flame Talismans capable of dealing a single powerful blast with the force of a Core Lord.

    [ ] Ice Jade Orb
    You see a crystal orb with swirling mists inside it. You've heard your brother talk about this before. It's one of his defensive techniques. If you crush it the technique will activate and shield you from attacks.

    [ ] A Stone Tablet
    The tablet looks unassuming, but when you run some qi through it you can sense formations activating. It seems to be scanning the surrounding area briefly before going dormant again. Your brother tells you that the tablet is designed to search for hostile spirit beasts and show their location to the user.

    "What nothing for me." Your sister huffs in feigned indignation.

    Your brother waves her off. "You don't need such things sister. I would not insult you by implying that you did."

    After a few more polite words your brother walks off and your sister instructs you to pack everything you need. You'll be leaving early tomorrow. You spend the rest of the day instructing An Lia on how to manage the pavilion in your absence. You also gather everything you need Your daggers, elixirs, and various poisons all go into a small pack. A servant delivers other more mundane items.

    At first light the next day you meet your sister in one of the private courtyards. She is completely unencumbered. You wish you had a storage artifact like that, but your mother has never deemed it necessary to give you one, and you lack the power to make one yourself in your realm.

    While you are lost in thought your sister takes out a leaf. She blows on it and it flies into the air enlarging as it does. Soon it is the size of a table. You know it can become even larger if necessary, but that is more than enough for the two of you. Your sister leaps on it and you follow. With a bit of Qi your sister begins expertly flying the spirit leaf to the west where the Night Tide Abyss lies.

    It takes nearly a week for the spirit leaf to make the trip. Your sister could have flown there herself in minutes, but unfortunately you can't fly yet. You discuss the beast tide situation for a few hours, but you and your sister do not typically spend much time together. After a few questions and the twins you run out of topics and silence falls. You spend the rest of the trip alternating between meditation and watching the landscape pass.

    You don't get many chances to go flying so you appreciate the elevated view. Winter has covered the province in snow so the normally varied hills and groves are now a uniform blanket of white only broken up by the occasional mortal village and particularly large stand of trees.

    And then suddenly the Night Tide Abyss is before you. It is a massive gap in the land. A maw of darkness that disrupts the otherwise pure white landscape. Your sister lowers the spirit leaf to the eastern side where a mortal town is located. In normal times it would house the miners who descend into the abyss to harvest the valuable spirit stones. They are so abundant in the Abyss, that the harvest from this one town provides nearly a third of the Zhuge clan's income. Which is why your sister was dispatched as soon as word of a beast tide.

    The town's guard commander and magistrate quickly approach to discuss the situation with your sister. You listen long enough to get the general idea. Monsters have overrun the lower layers of the abyss forcing the miners to retreat. The mine guards have activated the defensive arrays on the third deep and are holding the line, but they don't dare try to retaliate.

    Once the local officials move from their report to buttering up your sister you decide to leave her to it and walk around town. It appears to be fairly prosperous as such things go. Perhaps ten or twenty thousand mortals live here. Both the miners themselves and all the people who must support them. It's even large enough to house several martial schools, and what looks like a minor clan complex. You don't recognize any of their names. They likely aren't very important given that a Zhuge magistrate governs the town directly.

    No beasts have made it to the surface so everything is still peaceful here. But there is an air of tension in all the mortals and peasants you see. You hear many arguments about whether or not they are safe here. Some are worried that the guards will not be enough. Others are sure that the Zhuge clan will send reinforcements immediately. Apparently word of your sister's arrival hasn't spread quite yet.

    You probably have a few hours before your sister can pull herself away from the officials so you consider how best to spend them.

    [ ] Treat the Locals
    The town itself is safe, but many miners were injured in the initial attacks. On top of that are all the normal winter ailments. You aren't prepared for extended healing, but you do have your Flowing Ivy Elixirs. Of course you wouldn't use them directly, but you can dilute them enough to be safe for mortals. Plus doing so would allow you to heal far more of them.

    Cost: 1 Flowing Ivy Elixir
    Removes: 2 Stress
    Personality: +Kind

    [ ] Stare into the Abyss
    You sit on a boulder on the edge of the abyss and stare into its black depths. You contemplate life, death, and how easily one transitions to another. How many people have died to this beast tide, but your sister treats it as mere routine. To her such things are routine. And what of yourself? You might die here as easily as one of the miners. Your sister will try to keep you safe of course, but nothing is ever guaranteed. Such things weigh on you.

    Cost: ???
    Removes: 2 Stress
    Personality: +Sad

    [ ] Talk with the Local Guards
    You can speak with the guards who are resting after a shift on the barricades. They are weak, but they have fought the cave monsters directly. They can't tell you exactly what is down there, but between their descriptions and your knowledge of the Zhuge clan Bestiary you should be able to make some plans for how to fight the beasts.

    Grants Combat Advantage

    Eventually your sister finds you and the two of you prepare for the descent. You head towards the massive wooden lift that the miners use, but your sister grabs your collar. "No, that's way too slow."

    Pulling you along she directly jumps into the abyss. Despite your cultivation you can't help but inhale in shock. You quickly circulate your Qi to settle your mind before you begin reinforcing your limbs in preparation for an abrupt landing.

    The fall feels eternal as you and your sister plummet into the abyss. Suddenly you feel the air change as the density of Qi shoots up. Your sister shouts over the rushing wind, "This is the real abyss. The first deep."

    This is where the spirit stones start to form in quantities worth mining. A faint glimmer of green luminescence begins to fill the air, and the Qi spikes again. This must be the second Deep. From what you've heard most of the mining occurs here. The Qi condenses into spirit stones fast enough to support thousands of miners.

    Another spike signifies the third deep. The glow is getting brighter now, and you can see massive crystals looming out of the darkness. They are immense spirit stones the size of houses. It takes heavy protections for the miner's to work at this level so only a few of the best teams are allowed at this level. This is also where the defensive formations are concentrated to protect against attacks from below.

    You expect your sister to land here, but she continues to plummet through the dimly lit abyss. The green glow casts her face in a ghoulish light. The Qi spikes yet again and you suck in a sharp breath. Hurriedly you begin circulating your internal energies to expel the intruding qi. It is so dense here that you could get qi poisoning if you aren't careful. Suddenly your sister kicks off the air and the two of you veer into the nearest wall.

    You touch down with the grace of an established cultivator while your sister looks as if she is walking on a solid road instead of air. Immediately a dozen slug like lizards launch themselves at you. You deal with three while your sister dispatches the rest with a wave of needles. Both of you throw down toxic smoke pellets so you have some space to discuss.
    "Why the Fourth Deep. Shouldn't we be back on the Third?" You keep a careful eye out for more of the monsters. Already you can feel dozens of them rushing closer in your divine sense.

    "Because that would be pointless. Stuck behind a bunch of defensive arrays and grunts. What would you learn there? Better for you to fight on this level where the beasts are stronger." Your sister hops onto a boulder. It seems she intends for you to fight the approaching swarm yourself.

    You think of mentioning the toxic qi here, but you quickly realize your sister thinks of that as a bonus. "So what are you planning, sister? I can't fight here forever. Not normally, and definitely not during a beast tide." One of the monsters attempts to get the drop on you from the ceiling, but you dodge and plunge a dagger in its eye.

    "Oh don't worry. I can sense the cave mother below. I'll go kill it while you fight here. Just clean up everything that slips past me. If you can keep them from reaching the Third Deep I'll give you a special surprise."

    You frown, "You're not going to let them slip past you on purpose are you?" That's definitely something you can see your sister doing.

    She clicks her tongue, "Tch, brother would I do that? Don't worry about it. Well, good luck." She hops off the boulder and before you can say anything flings herself back into the abyss. You stare after her fully aware she did not actually say that she wouldn't.

    Still she isn't here anymore.

    [ ] Head back up to the Third Deep
    It's not what your sister wanted, but technically you're here to protect the mines not to train or hunt for treasures. On the Third Deep you can access the defensive arrays to help you fight. Not to mention the Zhuge clan guards. You're sure that you can defeat anything that comes your way from there. Even if your sister lets something nasty slip by.

    Pro: Safer, Ensures no damage to the Mines
    Con: Less Rewarding, Disappoints Sister

    [ ] Stay on the Fourth Deep
    It's what your sister told you to do. From what you've fought so far you think most of the monsters here are equivalent to the Soldier realm. In the cavern corridors they can't group up enough to overwhelm you so you should be able to fight for at least a few weeks with no issues. After that the Qi exposure will start to wear you down. On the other hand the larger area to cover means you aren't entirely certain you can keep everything from going past you.

    Pro: Sister Impressed, Possible treasures
    Con: Dangerous, Safety of Mines not assured

    [ ] Go Even Deeper
    It's a little insane, and you aren't even sure why you're thinking about it, but there's nothing stopping you from going to the Fifth Deep. You could follow your sister and help her strike at the very source of this beast tide. From the rate of Qi increases you think you would take some injury from Qi over exposure, but your wood qi should be able to keep your body in fighting condition. You probably can't help your sister against the cave mother itself, but you're strong enough that you wouldn't get in the way, and at that level the monsters wouldn't have spread out very much. Of course that would make the number you had to fight at once even higher.

    Pro: Hit the monsters at their source, High combat experience, Better Treasures
    Con: Very Dangerous
    Sister: ???

    Quest Note: I suggest you plan vote for this.
     
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