Prince of Dragons (Exalted)

Int II. - Favoured Attribute, Skill and Virtues




Knowledge, subtlety and precision. It is the right and privilege of the Dragon's Blood to rule over their fellow men, but it is in the hallowed halls of the Spiral Academy that young scions like you are taught precisely how. One must understand the world in order to command it, after all, possess an intimate familiarity with all its strengths and foibles before they can press here or let out the slack there, and so in your pursuit of geography and anthropology and the political considerations of economic systems there was always a foundation of purpose. You were studying these things that you might one day serve your mother well as a minister or ambassador or colonial governor, and if you ever desired to be anything more then it would be those same skills that saw you succeed.

Of course, the Realm can hardly be expected to wait until your graduation before making proper use of you. You spent much of your time at the Spiral Academy working on one 'apprenticeship' or another, poring over the tax records of different houses and the accounting books of various mercantile firms, an element of your training that was as much about the basics of espionage as it was making yourself useful to your betters. More than once you carried innocuous letters or messages from one branch of the Thousand Scales to another, fending off ambushes and attempted bribes along the way, all in the name of keeping the machinery of Empire ticking over.

And then, of course, there were the secret societies. Every secondary school of note in the Realm boasts at least a few, if only as a training ground or sorority set up by students still learning the basics of the socialising that will dictate their life for years to come, but the Spiral Academy is notorious for both the number and elaborate depth of its private worlds hidden in plain sight. You joined one, of course, determined to uphold the honour of your name and show your future subjects and allies your quality, rising swiftly to a position of prominence on merit and connections both… but the choice of which is at least as important in the eyes of those who know of such things as the nature of what you did as part of one.

Article:
Which secret society did you join? This decision will also help to dictate your primary Attribute, the way in which you pursue your goals when given the choice.

[ ] [Society] The Sorority of Dutiful Beheaders. Bound together by shared convictions, you and your sisters worked relentlessly to identify and expose corrupt officials of every stripe. Your favoured attribute is Force - the charisma, intellect and conviction to overcome all obstacles that would stop a lesser woman in her tracks.

[ ] [Society] The Garden of Unheard Whispers. Open only to those who discover it exists with their own skills, this society forms a black market of favour trading and information brokerage to grease the wheel of the grand Imperial Bureaucracy. Your favoured attribute is Finesse - the use of grace, wits and subtle manipulation to achieve your aims with none being any the wiser.

[ ] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web. Friends and allies are a treasure more precious than jade, and this network of mutually-supporting contacts and investors exemplifies that truth, each strand covering for its peer and benefiting from their support in turn. Your favoured attribute is Fortitude, allowing you to approach all challenges with calm, thoughtful consideration and sheer perseverance.


You have just recently graduated, taking your leave of the Spiral Academy for the last time. Well, such is the theory, though in truth you know that the wealth of coin and connections that your old school has to offer will almost certainly lure you back sooner or later, either as a guest lecturer or a short-term professor. Certainly you'd never be so rude as to refuse an invitation to some salon or gala being held by your old peers or teachers, and the Academy's presence in the heart of the Imperial City makes avoiding such invitations almost impossible.

Regardless, your graduation was something of a formality, a fact that everyone involved was well aware of. No one would be so foolish as to put themselves in a position to explain to the Empress why her daughter had been held back from her chosen path, and if you privately suspect your mother would be rather less supportive than your teachers assumed, at least you can content yourself that such a theory never needed to be put to the test. Indeed, you made a name for yourself long before your graduation, one of the finest talents to pass through the Academy in generations - the earliest foundations of the legend you yet seek to build.

Article:
Which of the following areas are you most famed for? Abilities in this system are rated from 1 to 5, with an experienced professional having a rating of about two or three. You will begin play with a rating of five in your chosen ability, and the beginnings of a reputation based on your peerless skill.

[ ] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.

[ ] Performance. You are a masterful orator, with a prodigal gift for dance, music and artistic expression that makes you a hit at every gala and the apple in everyone's eye.

[ ] Sagacity. Your knowledge and technical aptitude is without peer, the near-equal of a seasoned professor in everything from legal history to occult geometry to applied medical theory.


The majority of Dynasts have their lives mapped out for them years in advance, their parents and matriarchs shaping the child to fit the plan rather than the inverse, but in this one area your mother's distant judgemental indifference works to your advantage. You intend to travel the world for a time of course, as is traditional for virtually every graduate who didn't disgrace themself, but when you return you can reasonably expect the doors that open before you to be legion in number.

You have a choice, something rare and precious in this world, and that in turn means that you need to decide what it is you want… no, that's too vague, too open-ended. The real question is what you value, what priorities and beliefs drive you from one day to the other, what it is that makes you who you are on the most fundamental level.

Article:
Social influence in this system is built off of intimacies, which are specific ties you form to other people or beliefs, but it also depends on your Virtues. Social influence rolls face a difficulty modified by Virtues as their initial obstacle - a Compassionate character is weak to pleas for mercy, while a Loyal character is far harder to sway into acts of treachery or self-interest.

Every character has a Major and a Minor virtue, with the former taking precedence and the latter adding context and nuance. Virtues might support each other (Courage giving you the willingness to act on your convictions in pursuit of Justice) or come into conflict (Loyalty to the Realm being tested by your compassion for those it harms), and may end up changing as a result of plot events.

Choose one Major virtue:

[ ] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
- [ ] Define your goal. This should be a grand design, a desired end goal, not any specific step on the path. (Write in)
[ ] [Major] Compassion. You genuinely care about the plight of the less fortunate, and everything you do is with the ultimate intent of making things better for others.
[ ] [Major] Courage. You thrive in adversity and relish a challenge, seeking to climb the mountain just because it is there. Danger comes in many forms, and the courageous will face them all.
[ ] [Major] Discipline. You are principled and restrained, seeking self-mastery as the first and most fundamental of truths. To have others rely on you is the greatest honour you can imagine.
[ ] [Major] Justice. Should the heavens fall and all the world rise up to oppose you, you will do the right thing. The guilty shall be punished, the innocent protected, the righteous law upheld and the tools of tyranny brought low.
[ ] [Major] Loyalty. You are dedicated to something larger than yourself, and measure the worth of others by their loyalties in turn. You would die rather than betray this loyalty, and conduct yourself appropriately.
- [ ] Specify what you are loyal to. This must be a tangible person, nation or group, not an abstract ideal. (Write in)
[ ] [Major] Wonder. You are driven by a love of learning, adventure, exploration and novelty. The world is a fantastic place, and you will never grow bored of seeing as much of it as you can.

Choose one Minor virtue

[ ] [Minor] Ambition.
- [ ] Specify your ambition and how the pursuit of it furthers your major virtue (Write in)
[ ] [Minor] Compassion.
[ ] [Minor] Courage
[ ] [Minor] Discipline
[ ] [Minor] Justice
[ ] [Minor] Loyalty
- [ ] Specify who or what you are loyal to, and how this loyalty serves your major virtue. (Write in)
[ ] [Minor] Wonder

Note - These votes will be counted per line for the sake of simplicity.
 
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[X] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web. Friends and allies are a treasure more precious than jade, and this network of mutually-supporting contacts and investors exemplifies that truth, each strand covering for its peer and benefiting from their support in turn. Your favoured attribute is Fortitude, allowing you to approach all challenges with calm, thoughtful consideration and sheer perseverance.
[X] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.
[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
--[X] Found a Great House.
[X] [Minor] Wonder.
 
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[X] [Society] The Garden of Unheard Whispers. Open only to those who discover it exists with their own skills, this society forms a black market of favour trading and information brokerage to grease the wheel of the grand Imperial Bureaucracy. Your favoured attribute is Finesse - the use of grace, wits and subtle manipulation to achieve your aims with none being any the wiser.
[X] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.
[X] [Major] Loyalty. You are dedicated to something larger than yourself, and measure the worth of others by their loyalties in turn. You would die rather than betray this loyalty, and conduct yourself appropriately.
- [X] The Realm itself.
[X] [Minor] Wonder

Our loyalty shall be to the realm itself, and the wonder we find within it. Let us see the realm survive and prosper no matter what, even should the Empress be no more…

(sort of a GoT Varys build actually, the tv version)
 
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[X] [Society] The Garden of Unheard Whispers. Open only to those who discover it exists with their own skills, this society forms a black market of favour trading and information brokerage to grease the wheel of the grand Imperial Bureaucracy. Your favoured attribute is Finesse - the use of grace, wits and subtle manipulation to achieve your aims with none being any the wiser.

[X] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.

[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
- [X] Form your own Great House.
[X] [Minor] Wonder

Water Aspects tend to be good at this sort of scheming and politicking.
 
[X] [Society] The Sorority of Dutiful Beheaders. Bound together by shared convictions, you and your sisters worked relentlessly to identify and expose corrupt officials of every stripe. Your favoured attribute is Force - the charisma, intellect and conviction to overcome all obstacles that would stop a lesser woman in her tracks.
I usually like Finesse, but I find the flavor of this option more attractive.

[X] Sagacity. Your knowledge and technical aptitude is without peer, the near-equal of a seasoned professor in everything from legal history to occult geometry to applied medical theory.
Knowledge and technical aptitude is my jam :D

[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
- [X] Forming your own Great House
Wanted to solidify the ambition mention at the beginning of the quest as a strong motivation for our character

[X] [Minor] Wonder. You are driven by a love of learning, adventure, exploration and novelty. The world is a fantastic place, and you will never grow bored of seeing as much of it as you can.
Exploration and knowledge seeking can be a really interesting combination with sagacity imo

Couldn't decide on which of the two should be minor and which major tbh.
 
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[X] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web. Friends and allies are a treasure more precious than jade, and this network of mutually-supporting contacts and investors exemplifies that truth, each strand covering for its peer and benefiting from their support in turn. Your favoured attribute is Fortitude, allowing you to approach all challenges with calm, thoughtful consideration and sheer perseverance.

[X] Performance. You are a masterful orator, with a prodigal gift for dance, music and artistic expression that makes you a hit at every gala and the apple in everyone's eye.

[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
-[X] Forming your own Great House

[X] [Minor] Loyalty
-[X] The Realm itself

Okay, so, reasoning:

The Web is a good general choice and will give us useful connections going forward. Also, the coolest name.

Performance, because it's both a fun character beat and because it's actually very useful in the hands of a skilled Exalt -- a performance is often more than a performance.

For virtues, this is a combination that feels like it will lead to taking on big and interesting risks. It gives us a strong central motivation. It also will probably get us into trouble, which is ideal.
 
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[X] [Society] The Garden of Unheard Whispers. Open only to those who discover it exists with their own skills, this society forms a black market of favour trading and information brokerage to grease the wheel of the grand Imperial Bureaucracy. Your favoured attribute is Finesse - the use of grace, wits and subtle manipulation to achieve your aims with none being any the wiser.
[X] Sagacity. Your knowledge and technical aptitude is without peer, the near-equal of a seasoned professor in everything from legal history to occult geometry to applied medical theory.
[X] [Major] Courage. You thrive in adversity and relish a challenge, seeking to climb the mountain just because it is there. Danger comes in many forms, and the courageous will face them all.
-[X] Forming your own Great House
[X] [Minor] Loyalty
-[X] The Realm itself

Courage itself is pretty fun. Seeing danger, knowing it, recognizing it, but refusing to let it stand in your way. Moving in spite of the fear, in spite of the chance of failure, because the victory is worth and thus you must strive for it. I said great house because, well, just getting there is a monumental task, and the others would not be pleased for another player to enter the board and interfere with their own works. Danger and challenge aplenty, here.
 
[X] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web. Friends and allies are a treasure more precious than jade, and this network of mutually-supporting contacts and investors exemplifies that truth, each strand covering for its peer and benefiting from their support in turn. Your favoured attribute is Fortitude, allowing you to approach all challenges with calm, thoughtful consideration and sheer perseverance.
[X] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.
[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
-[X] Becoming Empress of Creation
[X] [Minor] Wonder

Why dream small?
 
[X] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web. Friends and allies are a treasure more precious than jade, and this network of mutually-supporting contacts and investors exemplifies that truth, each strand covering for its peer and benefiting from their support in turn. Your favoured attribute is Fortitude, allowing you to approach all challenges with calm, thoughtful consideration and sheer perseverance.
[X] Performance. You are a masterful orator, with a prodigal gift for dance, music and artistic expression that makes you a hit at every gala and the apple in everyone's eye.
[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
- [X] Become the Scarlet Empress' successor, shaping the Realm to your own beliefs and ideals.
[X] [Minor] Compassion.
 
[X] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web. Friends and allies are a treasure more precious than jade, and this network of mutually-supporting contacts and investors exemplifies that truth, each strand covering for its peer and benefiting from their support in turn. Your favoured attribute is Fortitude, allowing you to approach all challenges with calm, thoughtful consideration and sheer perseverance.
[X] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.
[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
--[X] Found a Great House.
[X] [Minor] Wonder.

I was iffy on @mothematics build, and then I pondered. Network of friends and favors? Calm perseverance and thoughtful consideration? Goal that you won't be a dancing fool for all those big shots, those Ragaras and Mnemons, that one day if not you then a child of yours will be the one holding the strings?



My father is
 
[X] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web. Friends and allies are a treasure more precious than jade, and this network of mutually-supporting contacts and investors exemplifies that truth, each strand covering for its peer and benefiting from their support in turn. Your favoured attribute is Fortitude, allowing you to approach all challenges with calm, thoughtful consideration and sheer perseverance.
[X] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.
[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
--[X] Found a Great House.
[X] [Minor] Wonder.
 
[X] [Society] The Garden of Unheard Whispers. Open only to those who discover it exists with their own skills, this society forms a black market of favour trading and information brokerage to grease the wheel of the grand Imperial Bureaucracy. Your favoured attribute is Finesse - the use of grace, wits and subtle manipulation to achieve your aims with none being any the wiser.
[X] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.

Since we've taken the Spiral Academy option, let's go all in on being the subtle politician.

[X] [Major] Compassion. You genuinely care about the plight of the less fortunate, and everything you do is with the ultimate intent of making things better for others.
[X] [Minor] Loyalty
- [X] The Realm itself

I see this as representing someone who genuinely wants to help people, but a combination of sheltered privilege and propaganda has led her to believe that the Realm is a genuine force for good in the world, so she views serving the Realm's interests as the best way to do that. Should make for an interesting dynamic, especially as she moves past her sheltered upbringing and is confronted with the realities of the Realm's imperialism and what that does to people.
 
[X] [Society] The Garden of Unheard Whispers. Open only to those who discover it exists with their own skills, this society forms a black market of favour trading and information brokerage to grease the wheel of the grand Imperial Bureaucracy. Your favoured attribute is Finesse - the use of grace, wits and subtle manipulation to achieve your aims with none being any the wiser.
[X] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.
[X] [Major] Loyalty. You are dedicated to something larger than yourself, and measure the worth of others by their loyalties in turn. You would die rather than betray this loyalty, and conduct yourself appropriately.
- [X] The Realm itself.
[X] [Minor] Wonder
 
[X] [Society] The Garden of Unheard Whispers. Open only to those who discover it exists with their own skills, this society forms a black market of favour trading and information brokerage to grease the wheel of the grand Imperial Bureaucracy. Your favoured attribute is Finesse - the use of grace, wits and subtle manipulation to achieve your aims with none being any the wiser.
[X] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.
[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
- [X] Found a Great House.
[X] [Minor] Compassion.

Might as well just name the character Iselsi :V
 
Ten thousand wonders enjoyed by all! (sadly we have no plan votes)

[X] [Society] The Sorority of Dutiful Beheaders. Bound together by shared convictions, you and your sisters worked relentlessly to identify and expose corrupt officials of every stripe. Your favoured attribute is Force - the charisma, intellect and conviction to overcome all obstacles that would stop a lesser woman in her tracks.
[X] Performance. You are a masterful orator, with a prodigal gift for dance, music and artistic expression that makes you a hit at every gala and the apple in everyone's eye.
[X] [Major] Wonder. You are driven by a love of learning, adventure, exploration and novelty. The world is a fantastic place, and you will never grow bored of seeing as much of it as you can.
[X] [Minor] Compassion.

We are someone that enjoy the good things in life, and who is a bit of a thrill junkie , always wondering what new problem we could get into and what is beyond the next hill. But we also have a caring moment, we stop those that we see as evil not because its against the law what they do, but because we want to help others enjoy the same wonders that we experienced.
I would assume that she is writing home and publishes a travelogue for others to consume and enjoy because she likes to stand in the center.
 
[X] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web. Friends and allies are a treasure more precious than jade, and this network of mutually-supporting contacts and investors exemplifies that truth, each strand covering for its peer and benefiting from their support in turn. Your favoured attribute is Fortitude, allowing you to approach all challenges with calm, thoughtful consideration and sheer perseverance.

[X] Performance. You are a masterful orator, with a prodigal gift for dance, music and artistic expression that makes you a hit at every gala and the apple in everyone's eye.

[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
-[X] Forming your own Great House

[X] [Minor] Wonder
 
[X] [Society] The Garden of Unheard Whispers. Open only to those who discover it exists with their own skills, this society forms a black market of favour trading and information brokerage to grease the wheel of the grand Imperial Bureaucracy. Your favoured attribute is Finesse - the use of grace, wits and subtle manipulation to achieve your aims with none being any the wiser.
[X] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.
[X] [Major] Discipline. You are principled and restrained, seeking self-mastery as the first and most fundamental of truths. To have others rely on you is the greatest honour you can imagine.
[X] [Minor] Wonder
 
[X] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web. Friends and allies are a treasure more precious than jade, and this network of mutually-supporting contacts and investors exemplifies that truth, each strand covering for its peer and benefiting from their support in turn. Your favoured attribute is Fortitude, allowing you to approach all challenges with calm, thoughtful consideration and sheer perseverance.
[X] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.
[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
--[X] Found a Great House.
[X] [Minor] Wonder.
 
[X] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web. Friends and allies are a treasure more precious than jade, and this network of mutually-supporting contacts and investors exemplifies that truth, each strand covering for its peer and benefiting from their support in turn. Your favoured attribute is Fortitude, allowing you to approach all challenges with calm, thoughtful consideration and sheer perseverance.
[X] Performance. You are a masterful orator, with a prodigal gift for dance, music and artistic expression that makes you a hit at every gala and the apple in everyone's eye.
[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
-[X] Forming your own Great House
[X] [Minor] Loyalty
-[X] The Realm itself
 
[x] [Society] The Sorority of Dutiful Beheaders. Bound together by shared convictions, you and your sisters worked relentlessly to identify and expose corrupt officials of every stripe. Your favoured attribute is Force - the charisma, intellect and conviction to overcome all obstacles that would stop a lesser woman in her tracks.
[x] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.
[x] [Major] Justice. Should the heavens fall and all the world rise up to oppose you, you will do the right thing. The guilty shall be punished, the innocent protected, the righteous law upheld and the tools of tyranny brought low.
[x] [Minor] Compassion.

We're here to fix things! The Realm is very good about accepting would-be reformers at face value and using them to improve things... right?
 
[x] [Society] The Sorority of Dutiful Beheaders. Bound together by shared convictions, you and your sisters worked relentlessly to identify and expose corrupt officials of every stripe. Your favoured attribute is Force - the charisma, intellect and conviction to overcome all obstacles that would stop a lesser woman in her tracks.
[x] Embassy. You are a seasoned diplomat and accomplished politician, easily able to adapt to any given social group or formalised organisation and make it dance to your tune in record time.
[x] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
- [x] To Rule Unquestioned
[x] [Minor] Discipline

A Great House? There's a bunch of them. Helping people? Sure. You're people. Reform? The most important thing to reform is the criminal lack of You On Top. And hey, you've already got a secret society called 'The Dutiful Beheaders'. That sounds promising. Sure, you might go down in history as a bloody tyrant, a hubristic monster, and a curse upon Creation-

But you will go down in history.
 
[X] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web. Friends and allies are a treasure more precious than jade, and this network of mutually-supporting contacts and investors exemplifies that truth, each strand covering for its peer and benefiting from their support in turn. Your favoured attribute is Fortitude, allowing you to approach all challenges with calm, thoughtful consideration and sheer perseverance.
[X] Performance. You are a masterful orator, with a prodigal gift for dance, music and artistic expression that makes you a hit at every gala and the apple in everyone's eye.
[X] [Major] Ambition. You are driven by a single overriding goal, and all else you do is in service to this end.
-[X] Forming your own Great House
[X] [Minor] Loyalty
-[X] The Realm itself
 
[X] [Society] The Sorority of Dutiful Beheaders. Bound together by shared convictions, you and your sisters worked relentlessly to identify and expose corrupt officials of every stripe. Your favoured attribute is Force - the charisma, intellect and conviction to overcome all obstacles that would stop a lesser woman in her tracks.
[X] Performance. You are a masterful orator, with a prodigal gift for dance, music and artistic expression that makes you a hit at every gala and the apple in everyone's eye.
[X] [Major] Wonder. You are driven by a love of learning, adventure, exploration and novelty. The world is a fantastic place, and you will never grow bored of seeing as much of it as you can.
[X] [Minor] Compassion.
 
[X] [Society] The Jewel-Strung Web
[X] Sagacity
[X] [Major] Wonder
[X] [Minor] Discipline

I want to explore this world. Lots of other quests is more like reshaping the setting to our ambition, which is a fine goal but a common one.
 
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