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NorseQuest (A Norse Xianxia)

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Gabriel Spar 2.3
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    • [X] Plan Talking And Knockouts
    -[X] Stoke Virthing and Saemd (+374 Orthstirr)
    -[X] Burn a Calm Charge and stoke Frami again (+187 Orthstirr)
    -[X] Invest 4 Orthstirr in Silver Tongue (-4 Orthstirr)
    -[X] All attack attempts are intended to be nonlethal, and we are going to try and talk him down even as we fight.
    -[X] 60d6 Attack (60d6 tricks)
    -[X] 26d6 Defense (26d6 tricks)
    -[X] 0d6 Intercept
    -[X] Activate Slipstream (-16 Orthstirr)
    -[X] Use Goal-Tell to try and make our arguments to talk him down more persuasive (-3 Orthstirr), and add Fight of Our Life x2 to the Silver-Tongue roll (26d6 total if there's only one...we'll add one use each to two different rolls if there are several) to talk him down
    --[X] Try speaking in English, perhaps his native tongue will help?
    -[X] Make 45d6+5 (w/Hugareida) Honed x12 Lightning-Charged Flashfire Cleave w/ Puncture (-28 Orthstirr), and up to two 30d6+5 (w/Hugareida) Orthstirr Enhanced x15 Lightning-Charged Stunner Slam Firebomb-Strikes w/Puncture (-39 Orthstirr each) intended to render him unconscious without killing him (and avoiding any shaming strikes)
    -[X] Against his first attack release our Fast-held 3Fold Inertia-Arresting Throw enhanced with Orthstirr for +36 dice for a 60d6+9 defense (-45 Orthstirr) that should also trap him temporarily, hopefully giving us more time to talk him down.
    -[X] Against his high powered sword attack, if it gets through our existing defenses, use a Contested Movement adding one use of Fight Of Our Life for additional dice (-3 Orthstirr, 14d6+5) with the counterattack being a Lightning-Charged Stunner Slam Firebomb Strike with Puncture added on (-24 Orthstirr) again avoiding shaming strikes, and if that fails use Focus Guard (-14 Orthstirr) if possible
    -[X] Against his actual Finale get out of the way using a combination of Ember-Wing Cloak and Backstep enhanced with 4 Odr (-15 Orthstirr, -4 Odr) and if that doesn't work use one of the Sway defenses mentioned below (we have a 6th that we are saving for this).
    -[X] By default use Sword Guard and Atgeir Bodyguard to defend against everything else. In response to anything that gets through them try and use Halting Vortex (-4 Orthstirr), and if something gets through that use up to five 60d6+9 Reinforcedx59 Sway defenses (-61 Orthstirr).
    -[X] Tactics – So, the plan here is to continue using our very high Sword Guard and Atgeir Bodyguard to defend as much as possible, but with a lot of alternate defensive options layered on, and try and talk Gabriel down while beating him unconscious if he doesn't listen.
    0~0~0

    By stoking your frami again, you'll be burning it out for a couple months at least. However.

    Gabriel's fist closes around Sparrowflight. With his helmet on the ground, you're treated to a wrath-filled visage.

    ...Yeah, you're gonna need that orthstirr.

    Your power surges as cloak and crown grow alike. Your limbs gain the speed of the wind as you throw yourself into battle once more. Sparks shower as sword and atgeir clash over and over again. The clang of ringing iron echoes in your ears as you exchange blow after blow.

    His sword flashes out and you catch it with Sagaseeker. Your jaw clenches as the force slams Sagaseeker into your shoulder, leaving you rattled and rather annoyed.

    Your teeth grind together as you have to stop yourself from taking advantage of the brief opening left after pushing him back — an opening that would've had you taking his head clean off. When you're fighting to capture and the other side is fighting to kill, it puts you at a rather severe disadvantage. The only thing you can do is wait for an opportunity to get a word in edgewise.

    As he draws back to unleash a more powerful strike, you know that you're not gonna get a better chance than this. Flinging your hand forward, you let the fast in your arm release the three-times-folded Inertia-Arresting-Throw you had stashed away.

    The Standstill folds unfurl and fly through the air as Gabriel's eyes widen in shocked surprise. He immediately shifts to a defensive footing, but will it be enough?
    (Trick Attack: 211+5=216 vs Defense: 38+15=53, Attacker Wins!)
    Strangely, despite the apparent effort he's putting into it, his actual defensive effort is... well, it's like he's not actually trying. But why would he want to be trapped in Standstill?

    Your hugareida envelops him after facing not much more than a token resistance. He stands there, motionless, his sword held high above his head with zeal shining bright along its length. You're not given much time to contemplate the strangeness of the situation, as you know he'll be breaking free eventually.

    "Gabriel! What are you doing?!" You lean into the shout as Gabriel stands there, trapped in Standstill's folds. "It's me, Halla! Don't you recognize me? What's going on? Why," you wave a frantic hand at the armored Squire as you struggle and flail for whatever words come to mind, "are you doing this? This isn't like you!"
    (Hugr (Silver-Tongue): 6x5, 5x7, 4x2, 3x6, 2x2, 1x4) 26 Successes, a Grand Success
    Snowflakes of all different colors begin to fall from the cloud-free winter sky as the wind starts to pick up. The chill of fear slowly gives way to hope's warmth as the wrath leaks from Gabriel's eyes. Except, instead of harboring hatred, they now suffer the haunt of horror.

    You didn't release Standstill, but Sparrowflight clatters against the ground as its master soon follows. Gabriel falls to his knees, his armor clanking and rattling as he does — you still not having released Standstill's hold, not that it matters, apparently.

    Tears threaten to spill from the corners of his eyes as he kneels there in open-mouthed, shocked horror. "I..." His shoulders slump as he lets his head hang. He breathes in, his chest rising and falling with every labored motion, "I don't deserve you."

    You shrug. "Maybe, maybe not. Either way, you're stuck with me for a little while longer."

    He's silent for a long moment before slumping even further, "I'm sorry, Halla. I guess I'm just not ready to be a Knight, maybe not ever."

    You arch a brow at the how surreal the situation feels. After all, one moment you're battling like a pair of lions, the next you're having a regular conversation. After a heartbeat of thought, you decide to just shrug and go along with it. "I dunno about that, you're pretty strong after a-"

    He cuts you off, indignation in his eyes and voice. "How can you say that? I lost! Not only that, but after losing I tried to kill you!" He spreads his arms wide, showing how defenseless he is. "By right, you could cut me down for such a breach of trust."

    "A dreng is magnanimous in victory and gracious in defeat," you lean on Sagaseeker as you shrug. "Besides, neither of us won or lost."

    "I guess..." He trails off as silence threatens to fall.

    You, however, refuse the quiet. "Still, no hard feelings, yeah?" You offer him a hand, which he stares at. Eventually, he sighs and takes it.

    "No hard feelings," he says as you help him to his feet. "I promise that I'll make this up to you, in whatever way I can."

    The weight of debt's chain snaps into place in your soul. Gabriel blinks in surprise as he too feels that weight. But while the weight you feel is the weight of the chain holder, his is the weight of the chained.

    "But..." Gabriel trails off as his face gains an awkward flush, "Uh, actually, nevermind."

    ...He's thinking about the saga thing, isn't he?

    ...Gods this is awkward.

    How do you want to handle this?
    [ ] Use your newly gained debt chain to get him to drop the topic (Spends the debt)
    [ ] Offer to tell him what you meant if he tells you why he freaked out like that.
    -[ ] Write in what you say
    [ ] Say nothing and go grab some lunch (He will bring this up again in a turn or two at most)

    0~0~0

    AN: Apologies if this one is bad, I've been quite stressed lately.

    No moratorium.


    [Gabriel Blackstone]
    Endurance: (7/16) | Focus: (0/7) (33 Replenish/66 With Armor)
    Capacity: (14)

    Third Bead of the Fourth Decade
    Fervor: 23/99 (Replenish: 33|66) | Zeal: 150 (105 Left)

    Grace: (12) (36 Zeal)
    Soma: (8) | Infusion: (8)
    Psyche: (7) | Infusion: (7)
    Pneuma: (5) | Infusion: (5)

    Combat Dice: (164d4)

    3 Meditation Slots

    Armor
    Armor: (33/33) | Rebuke: 6 (11)
    Boost: +15 to Rolls/+3 Speed | Charges: (1/3)
    Armor Blessings
    -Freedom of Motion
    -Defying the Onslaught
    -Long Lost Companions

    Martial Styles
    -Blackstone Blade - Mastery: (6) | Dice: (36d4)
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • The whole point of telling him about the Saga thing was exactly so he would ask this question, right? So what's the plan to tell him about it without dying horribly?
     
    ... Question @Imperial Fister

    Can we Eye-Talk in English.

    The Enemy's attention is finite, and he doesn't pay equal attention to everything. I think we can slip a message to Gabriel through Eye-Talking if we can do it in his native language, as long as he isn't specifically trying to intercept that specific line of communication at that moment in time. We also know that his eyes and ears can be barred by obstructions, and he can't see into people's hearts either unless he's invited.

    Furthermore, would we be able to verbally say one thing but Eye-Talk something else?
     
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    Okay, that went better than I was thinking it would. Yay!

    We could also tell him some things that would explain that statement but not be Disclosure. Something like:

    "Norse cultivation is all about building a story. My specific wording was a little more meaningful than that, but one of the fundamental principles of our cultivation is also that Power Requires Sacrifice and neither you nor I can afford the price it would cost if I gave you details right now. I'm working on a way to tell a lot of people, and I'll work hard to make sure you're there when I do."

    That doesn't seem like it'd trigger anything, and tells him...enough, I think, that he won't pry further.
     
    ...There is no way it is something so simple as 'use Eye-Talking' and 'use a different language' could bypass it. "Talk to someone who isn't a Norseman" might bypass it though.

    Although, Gabriel's a Christian. That means that he knows the bible, and I have extreme doubt that the Enemy cares to know and remember the stories of the bible. And we did just spend 9 actions on reading the Bible, so here's an idea:

    ---

    "So you know, before we start. You know the story about the Tower of Babel?"

    Gabriel nods, confusedly.

    "Now, just imagine, if, say, someone else wanted to achieve something similar, but only had, say, a few armies instead."

    Gabriel frowns.
     
    Hahaha.

    Okay then!

    [X] Offer to tell him what you meant if he tells you why he freaked out like that.
    -[X] You had questions, and things to compare, at least about the names of what they train, that's a good way to break the ice, he can tell you when he feels ready.
    --[X] But while you're saying that, you're holding another conversation. In English, using Eye-Talking. "There's a certain something extremely committed in keeping us precisely as we are, and it's always watching and listening. I discovered what it's trying to hide from us, the true thing we should be Cultivating, and took that first step where most haven't even gotten on their feet. At least nobody in this valley that I've seen has taken that step. I'm hoping to tell the others once I've figured out how a way to do it properly, but I've reason to believe it will retaliate immediately once I do so. I'm hoping I can count on your assistance when that time comes."

    The Enemy is not Omniscient, if he actually was, he'd be unstoppable. By ensuring that the only recipient of a small level of Disclosure (In this context. "That there's something trying to keep us in our current state, and it's aggressively hiding the path we should be taking" rather than any specific details or trigger words is someone who it shouldn't have any influence in, in a language it shouldn't understand, we should be able to slip this by.
     
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    Using Eye-Talk and speaking in another language feels way too simple? I mean, it's stated that the Enemy can't read minds, so presumably it wouldn't actually hear the Eye-Talk. But I imagine it can detect the disclosure through other means - probably if you haven't earned the right to learn of odr. So maybe Gabriel being an Englishman will work in our favour? I dunno, but this feels needlessly risky.
     
    I would have to agree that using Eyetalking and another language feels way, way too simple to work. Eyetalking is known to the Enemy, and if another language worked, especially in the Norselands, everyone would know about it.
     
    Constenanto said:
    Using Eye-Talk and speaking in another language feels way too simple? I mean, it's stated that the Enemy can't read minds, so presumably it wouldn't actually hear the Eye-Talk. But I imagine it can detect the disclosure through other means - probably if you haven't earned the right to learn of odr. So maybe Gabriel being an Englishman will work in our favour? I dunno, but this feels needlessly risky.
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    My plan isn't to literally use any trigger words. It's "There's something that's trying to keep my mouth shut and us exactly in the state we are, I figured out one of the things it's trying to hide from us and took the first proper step forward."

    Additionally, the one who's hearing it is neither in the Norse Paradigm, or has any way of pivoting into it either.

    There has to be a point where we take a risk, because if we treat the Enemy like it's completely omniscient, then we might as well throw in the towel right now. We already know that he literally Hears and Sees things (Which is why we could speak freely at that bridge).

    Directly beaming a thought from one mind to another, to someone who that information isn't helpful for and isn't even part of the Norse System, should not trigger his response.
     
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    Alectai said:
    My plan isn't to literally use any trigger words. It's "There's something that's trying to keep my mouth shut and us exactly in the state we are, I figured out one of the things it's trying to hide from us and took the first proper step forward."
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    I don't think we've ever actually tried to disclose the existence of the Enemy? I would be surprised if that didn't trigger something, too, to be honest. But there's no proof of that beyond my suspicion, so I guess it's not so bad as long as we don't allude to how we actually did/what we are.

    Actually, @Imperial Fister, if Halla were to try and say the Enemy's name or reveal the existence of it, does she feel anything like when she tries to reveal the secret of odr?
     
    Yeah, that still seems risky to me, lemme see what I can whip up:

    [X] Offer to tell him what you meant if he tells you why he freaked out like that.
    -[X] You had questions, and things to compare, at least about the names of what they train, that's a good way to break the ice, he can tell you when he feels ready.
    --[X] But while you're saying that, you're holding another conversation. In English, using Eye-Talking. "Norse cultivation is all about building a story. I meant something more meaningful than that, but one of the fundamental principles of our cultivation is also that Power Requires Sacrifice and neither you nor I can afford the price that would be demanded if I gave you details right now. I'm working on a way to tell others, and I'll work hard to make sure you're there when I do. I suspect I'll need your aid then."

    There, that combines my attempted explanation with Alectai's idea of using another language and Eyetalking to be extra secure in not causing an Enemy reaction. I think this is as safe as we can get.
     
    Constenanto said:
    I don't think we've ever actually tried to disclose the existence of the Enemy? I would be surprised if that didn't trigger something, too, to be honest. But there's no proof of that beyond my suspicion, so I guess it's not so bad as long as we don't allude to how we actually did/what we are.

    Actually, @Imperial Fister, if Halla were to try and say the Enemy's name or reveal the existence of it, does she feel anything like when she tries to reveal the secret of odr?
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    Revealing The Enemy was even more dangerous than revealing Odr IIRC. Hallr didn't even try, he just wordplayed around it until his friends figured it out.
     
    [X] Offer to tell him what you meant if he tells you why he freaked out like that.
    -[X] You had questions, and things to compare, at least about the names of what they train, that's a good way to break the ice, he can tell you when he feels ready.
    --[X] But while you're saying that, you're holding another conversation. In English, using Eye-Talking. "Norse cultivation is all about building a story. I meant something more meaningful than that, but one of the fundamental principles of our cultivation is also that Power Requires Sacrifice and neither you nor I can afford the price that would be demanded if I gave you details right now. I'm working on a way to tell others, and I'll work hard to make sure you're there when I do. I suspect I'll need your aid then."

    That works, it gets our point across without directly saying anything.
     
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    [X] Offer to tell him what you meant if he tells you why he freaked out like that.
    -[X] You had questions, and things to compare, at least about the names of what they train, that's a good way to break the ice, he can tell you when he feels ready.
    --[X] But while you're saying that, you're holding another conversation. In English, using Eye-Talking. "Norse cultivation is all about building a story. I meant something more meaningful than that, but one of the fundamental principles of our cultivation is also that Power Requires Sacrifice and neither you nor I can afford the price that would be demanded if I gave you details right now. I'm working on a way to tell others, and I'll work hard to make sure you're there when I do. I suspect I'll need your aid then."
     
    Bass11 said:
    Also, do we suspect that the enemy played a hand here? With Gabriel's rage outburst?
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    Extremely unlikely, IMO. It 100% DGAF about Gabriel, and even if it did, there's no mechanism for it to interface with Christian Cultivation, and even if such a mechanism existed it would probably be brought into theological conflict the Abhramic Religion/Culture, and it really can't afford to make more enemies.
     
    Hmm, also why is Gabriel surprised at the debt thing? Has a christian cultivator ever been in debt to a Norse one?

    Shard said:
    Extremely unlikely, IMO. It 100% DGAF about Gabriel, and even if it did, there's no mechanism for it to interface with Christian Cultivation, and even if such a mechanism existed it would probably be brought into theological conflict the Abhramic Religion/Culture, and it really can't afford to make more enemies.
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    I mean if the Christian Cultivators have their own enemy, they might team up together once and while.
     
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    DeadmanwalkingXI said:
    They probably have, but he hasn't personally, and I bet it feels weird getting a foreign magical binding like that.
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    I suppose it's akin to one his oaths, which he didn't really expect to apply to Halla. For the most part the last time he swore one it was for the general public good, rather than to a specific person.

    Out of curiosity Imperial Fister, how is Gabriel doing compared to a regular squire of his age.
     
    [X] Offer to tell him what you meant if he tells you why he freaked out like that.
    -[X] You had questions, and things to compare, at least about the names of what they train, that's a good way to break the ice, he can tell you when he feels ready.
    --[X] But while you're saying that, you're holding another conversation. In English, using Eye-Talking. "Norse cultivation is all about building a story. I meant something more meaningful than that, but one of the fundamental principles of our cultivation is also that Power Requires Sacrifice and neither you nor I can afford the price that would be demanded if I gave you details right now. I'm working on a way to tell others, and I'll work hard to make sure you're there when I do. I suspect I'll need your aid then."
     
    TBH, I think it's more fundamental than that, but the Debt has to be felt on both sides to lock in like that.
     
    Bass11 said:
    Hmm, also why is Gabriel surprised at the debt thing? Has a christian cultivator ever been in debt to a Norse one?
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    I don't think this would even happen at all outside the Norselands/The Written World.

    [] Offer to tell him what you meant if he tells you why he freaked out like that.
    -[]"You know the story about The Tower of Babel?" Make a meaningful pause for Gabriel to grasp the implications. "So.. one of our tenets is that Power Demands Sacrifice." Make another meaningful pause. "Knowledge is Power."

    Basically let the unspoken words between the meaningful pauses and implications tell Gabriel what we're really saying while we reference other innocuous things.
     
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