I don't think we can actually start Odr cultivation here. Or at least not in a safe way...a safe initiation to that probably involves being inside one's fence among other things. Telling people how things work here to set up for that is possible if she's cool with it, though.
Well "safe" and "spirit quest to the Underworld" don't necessarily go together. 😅 Honestly I actually wonder if there would be some weird effects from cultivating next to the literal river of death. Achilles comes to mind.
I'd like to remind everyone that we were told that when telling the secret of odr cultivation, the strength of the enemies attack is scaled to the strength of the one speaking.
So if we have someone relatively weak, who doesn't plan to pursue the the cultivation path for fighting power, we'd have someone who can tell it to new generations while the ones going for power (like Halla) can guard and deal with the attack.
Obviously it's great for for our own situation, where we could get Aki to tell everyone whilst we're prepared for Game Time. But also, one could probably design a Cultivation/Sect tradition around this as well.
An option which comes to mind would be for a cult/temple to have like, one elderly mystic who deliberately keeps their cultivation as low as possible, and exists solely to be the sanctioned Speaker of the Mysteries. (Imagine if the Seeress was an Odr cultivator, basically. Although I suppose for all we know, she is.) There's a neat ritual, some swearing of oaths, then the Speaker tell initiates the secret, the Enemy sends a (relatively low levelled) response, and the new initiates have to fight it as part of their entry trial. Have some experienced cultivators as backup on hand, and you've got a pretty good initiation ritual!
I mean, it could easily just be the fact that the Enemy doesn't have enough resources to spare on killing every single Shapecrafter, and anyone that Shapecrafter may have taught. Especially if the notification he gets is limited to people disclosing information on odr only.
I mean, it could easily just be the fact that the Enemy doesn't have enough resources to spare on killing every single Shapecrafter, and anyone that Shapecrafter may have taught. Especially if the notification he gets is limited to people disclosing information on odr only.
It actually seems like Teaching in general draws his ire, but his resources are too limited to expend it on things that are already common knowledge. But it does explain too why basically everyone has to reinvent the wheel with every generation. But introducing something New (Or recovering something Old and largely lost) invariably draws a more aggressive response.
I do suspect he can only take a swipe like this as long as it succeeds. If he takes a swipe and loses, I think he gives up his claim to do so again in the future (Recall that we were told regaining the power to make Berserks was a Victory against the Enemy).
If his targeting mechanism works through debts and the like, as we suspected when the Troll-Men thing happened, then chances are that he has to expend that to launch an attack like this. If he fails, then I suspect he can't actually repeat the feat, and has to act through proxies going forward instead of just magicking a threat into place retroactively. He loses his claim over that chain of inheritance if you will, and if they can subsequently spread that far and wide enough, he loses his power to interfere with that topic.
The fact that the threat is scaled to the strength of Disclosure's speaker as opposed to 'Whatever your combat strength is here, I match it and then raise to the point you have no chance of victory' seems telling.
The Enemy only gets one 'free' strike, but we didn't do anything to provoke the Foemen attack on us that coincided with the Troll-Men infestation (which seems likely to have been Horra rather than the Enemy directly, I think...the Enemy just distracted us), and we've been warned to expect other and ongoing attacks for as long as we're an Odr cultivator. Hallr also specifically said he didn't tell his kids because he didn't want to 'draft them into a war'.
The Enemy is not strictly limited to attacks we provoke (or gets to count us knowing and/or having Odr as a provocation). It can attack us at other times, it just needs to spend more resources so it does so less often.
If we were more of an asshole we could:
1. build on top of a Dwarfhold
2. gather up a shit ton of thralls to farm and stuff
3. create a 'sect'
4. use the thralls as a part work force and part intentional 'weak point' as meat shields
5. use this set up to spread knowledge so fast and far that Ymir's reprisals become a moot point
Yeah, but he operates through Agents in those cases, rather than having a perpetual sword of damocles over your head. The point is getting him to discharge that sword of damocles and then effectively outrace his ability to put proxies in your way.
Yeah, but he operates through Agents in those cases, rather than having a perpetual sword of damocles over your head. The point is getting him to discharge that sword of damocles and then effectively outrace his ability to put proxies in your way.
Sure, and I'm not saying we don't tell people, just that there are some issues with telling noncombatants who are gonna stay that way for long periods. They're solvable issues for some people in some situations, but they exist.
Well if we're able to protect them from the reprisal we will have a way to access 'Alchemy', 'Arry carving' by way of runes, Heroic Weapons and Treasure creation.
Though to be fair ALL Norse can fight to some degree.
Man Ymir got killed and turned into the Myriad Realms and guy still knows whats up.
Edit: @Imperial Fister it's possible to travel to the other realms right? Could we potentially go to Musphelhiem and grab a discarded prototype of Surtr's sword? It seems like something our pyromaniac ass would do.
[X] Yes, you do!
-[X] Ask if she'd be cool with us bringing people over to let them in on the secret.
--[X] What's a greenwood btw? Is that a rank or are you just calling me a newbie? How can you tell?
---[X] Any tips you can give on odr cultivation or is that one of those things everyone has to figure out on their own?
0~0~0
The entrance to the stairwell is tall and wide, which means that you have no difficulty fitting the faering through. So when you lean the faering down against the Gjallarbru's wall, its guardian arches a brow.
Modgudr quirks her head to the side, red hair gently drifting in the swirling, ever-present mists. "Having trouble?"
"Nah," you wave away her concerns. Lacing your fingers above your head, a smiling grunt escapes your lips as your vertebrae pop one by one, "I just thought of some more questions."
"I see." The slightest frown passes over Modgudr's face, but she voices no complaints.
"So, firstly, what do you mean by 'greenwood'?"
"Greenwood is a term often assigned to einherjar who have young trees."
"So, am I greenwood?" You do have some young trees in your soul, after all.
"No."
You blink at her bluntness, but carry on regardless. "Do you have any tips on odr cultivation that you can share or is it one of those things that everyone has to figure out on their own?"
Modgudr shrugs, her arms never leaving their fold. "I would have to kill you."
A heartbeat of awkward silence passes before you try a hesitant nod.
"Alright, then, uh, is that because it's a secret or...?"
"No."
"You're a very blunt person."
"Yes." There's a tiny, wry grin on her face. She's enjoying this a little bit, on some level at least.
"Well, uh, last question," Modgudr perks up as you say that. You turn, waving a hand at the bridge in general, "would you be okay with me bring-"
"No. I like my soli-" Modgudr cuts you off, only to be cut off in turn.
"Hey, Moddy!" Modgudr's eyes narrow as a voice utterly drenched in sleaze slithers from the mists — the long, drawn out 'hey' following it like a tail does a snake.
"I told you not to call me that, Astmundur." Modgudr's jaw clenches as Astmundur merely laughs.
"And as I said last time," the mists darken as his silhouette closes in, "all things have their price!"
A flash of light cuts through the mists, parting them for the einheri who must be Astmundur. Light flashes again as he smiles, his teeth whiter than unspoiled snow. His hair is cut short and slicked back while his face lacks a beard. A perpetual smirk stays smeared across his ever-so-punchable face.
There's a certain atmosphere to his presence, like the world reacts to him like a stage does an actor.
A spark of realization flashes in Modgudr's eye as her glare turns to cunning. "Astmundur, this is Halla," when did you give her your name? "Halla, this is Astmundur. Halla is looking to fish up a friend's soul. You can help her."
As Astmundur shrugs and swaggers towards you, you can't help but feel like this is somehow Modgudr's revenge...
"Hey there, sweet thing, the name's Astmundur," the walking ball of slime extends a hand, his mouth twisting into a sleazy grin as he winks, "feel free to scream it as loud as you want."
"I'm married."
The grin widens, turning competitive, "But I don't see him here!"
Ah, so this is revenge. But what could you have done to piss her off enough for this?
Unfortunately, Astmundur doesn't seem the type to keep his mouth shut.
Fortunately, this means that you can almost certainly get him talking about things he shouldn't.
Regardless, you don't *have* to take him with you.
But do you?
[ ] Take this 'person' with you
-[ ] Write in things to ask him (Silver-Tongue check per question)
[ ] Yeah, you're not having this right now.
0~0~0
AN: I know I said that this update would have the rolls, I thought it would too, but, clearly, it does not. They'll be here next update, though!
Modgudr does not like to talk to people for extended periods of time.
We should take the warning that further prodding is probably not a good idea. Though we did get a hint that--as we expected--the next realm is growing a tree (And Einherjar seem to start at Realm 2).
[X] Take this 'person' with you
-[X] Honestly, just make small talk, you'll accept Modgudr's little vengeance as it is. You're getting distracted here anyway, if he lets something interesting slip though... Well, bonus.
That aside, huh, is that presence we got the thing that Blackhand told us about? How we can identify an Odr user on sight?
I'm down with taking this guy with us if we have some good questions to ask him. I have no such questions, however, and I'm less enthused about putting up with him for no reason.
We could choose not to ask about odr stuff and still potentially get good info on other topics, though.
[X] Take this 'person' with you
-[X] Wow, you're so big and strong, I bet you must know a lot about cultivation! I'm sure impressed by handsome men who tell me secrets about Odr!
-[X] Spend a Calm charge so we don't end up trying to push him out of the boat due to his annoying flirting.
