Which one? Cerberus? The Chimera? The Hydra? Any number of Dragons?
Punching through the Masquerade (Modern Magical Cultivation Quest)
- Thread starter Useless Writer
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Which one? Cerberus? The Chimera? The Hydra? Any number of Dragons?
Exposition time!
Useless Writer
He who should not access the interwebs...
- Location
- Somewhere between Wolf 359 and Courscant
The air stilled as the last remnants of the storm faded away. The physical form of the spirit was revealed to you at last. Fascinatingly enough, it was humanoid in shape, but mostly made of ice and snow. Hints of defining features could be seen here and there, but were mostly damaged by the spiritual hammerblows of the Gnomes you had unleashed upon the spirit. Cracks and shattered pieces giving hints to a fine robe and beard like you had seen in your earlier divination.
At your call, the Daemon of Knowledge appeared and began transcribing the spirit's words. Helpfully tagged as Mycenean Greek. Interestingly enough, the spirit could understand your words despite them being in modern english, but the fact you could not understand his own... intriguing to say the least. Part of you wanted to ask "who are you?". But who he is is obvious in this moment. Instead you asked.
"Who were you?"
"This one was Alkinoos of Lost Atlantis, great Philosopher." The spirit said, his face still buried in the pavement.
"Why did you attack me?"
"This one was broken, a higher mystery was brought back from foreign shores by a trusted member of the Lyceum. All the great philosophers of the Divine Nectar sought to increase their understanding. So the Lyceum studied the mystery and sought to incorporate it into our understanding, but it was poisoned. Smothering the passion of our beings and stripping from us our desires. You bear Great Prometheus's Burning Brand, even the least Embers of such would restore some of what this one lost. This one has no excuse for attacking you, Great Philosopher, save that this one's perception of reality was lost in shadow with the absence of Fire, and that this one was tortured by those seeking to prevent this one's return."
"How would this torment you suffered prevent you from returning, as it were?" You ask, thinking you've cottoned on to the gist of the scenario. Whatever ascension the Lyceum attempted must have broken their braziers in some way and with their very passion smothered , they'd do not but drift through life as disparate snow storms.
"The Embers must be given, but the curses embeded into this one's mind prevented this one from speaking, and the pain that followed instilled a great thirst for the Embers that would have this one's broken mind desperate. This one has taken many embers and killed many philosophers in the fullness of time, only for the storm this one has become to stamp out the Embers."
"How are you speaking now then? If the Curses prevented you from speaking or doing anything besides attacking Philosophers with Embers, surely you would still be trying to kill me even now?"
"The curses laid upon this one's mind were cleverly crafted, but delicate. The presence of your servitor's curse destroyed them as it crippled this one's physical form. It would be akin to too many bars of bronze being laid atop a poorly constructed floor, the addition of extra weight caused the floor to collapse."
"Why should I let you live, given the harm you've done to me?"
"This one still remembers many mysteries that could aid the Great Philosopher in furthering their Understanding. Much has been lost in the long aeons this one has existed, but the foundations of Understanding were ingrained into this one's very being. The shaping of things is still remembered, and the form of the Divine Nectar flows through this one's mind for this one was far along in it's own Understanding. Furthermore, this one could guide the Great Philosopher past the illusions defending Lost Atlantis, great were the city's riches and many were it's secrets. All these secrets could be yours, Great Philosopher, while this one still maintains perception."
"And if I were to give you the Embers you seek?"
"Then this one could begin rebuilding itself, returning to the material world. This one would swear it's eternal service for this great gift, which this one does not deserve from the Great Philosopher. There would be much more this one could provide as it rebuilds it's long fractured mind, unfortunately at Great expense to the Great Philosopher."
What do you choose to do with Alkinoos? (Choose one)
[ ] Demand it teach you the secrets of Cultivation: Alkinoos is offering secrets in exchange for it's continued existence, take advantage of this, though given that it's almost guaranteed that Yahweh's servitors had warped and twisted it's mind, there's no way to know if they hadn't left a backdoor of sorts to keep track of it's doings. Which may bring additional heat down on your head.
(Guaranteed Water sigil, Cultivator Spells, Cultivator theories.) (Possibly Dangerous, may earn animosity from Alkinoos if this is the only option chosen dependent on how you treat Alkinoos.)
- [ ] Grant Alkinoos a number of Embers: Alkinoos is lessened by the crimes comitted against it. Granting it a number of Embers would start it along the path of regaining a measure of itself. Given how grateful it could be, it might be worth the Expenditure of Embers.
(Expends Three Embers, Alkinoos regains one point of Yellow Bile, Secures Alkinoos's eternal gratitude.) (Possibly Dangerous)
[ ] Contact Phlecket to work out a deal with Alkinoos: You want a second opinion on things, and the only being you can safely contact for advice that you remotely trust is Phlecket at this juncture, summon the Greater Earth Elemental and see if you can hash out an equitable deal.
(Phlecket will likely expect Embers for this service, Ensures a more ethical deal with Alkinoos while abandoning some of the hold you have over Alkinoos. ????) (Probably less dangerous)
[ ] Grant Alkinoos a measure of Embers while forgiving it's transgressions: You have to admit, you are sympathetic to Alkinoos's plight. To be so thoroughly crippled after such a betrayal... You have the opportunity to help, why wouldn't you?
(Expends Three Embers, Alkinoos regains one point of Yellow Bile, Secures Alkinoos's eternal gratitude while absolving it of it's sins, ????) (Probably less dangerous)
[ ] Kill Alkinoos: You are unmoved by sympathy, and the concerns about any traps or poisoned lore overwhelm any greed you may have. Kill the Spirit and be done with it.
(Kill's Alkinoos, expends one Ember, Guarantee's your safety for now.) (Looses access to any cultivation secrets Alkinoos might have.)
(Four hour voting moratorium, expect voting to open around 6:30 pm CST)
At your call, the Daemon of Knowledge appeared and began transcribing the spirit's words. Helpfully tagged as Mycenean Greek. Interestingly enough, the spirit could understand your words despite them being in modern english, but the fact you could not understand his own... intriguing to say the least. Part of you wanted to ask "who are you?". But who he is is obvious in this moment. Instead you asked.
"Who were you?"
"This one was Alkinoos of Lost Atlantis, great Philosopher." The spirit said, his face still buried in the pavement.
"Why did you attack me?"
"This one was broken, a higher mystery was brought back from foreign shores by a trusted member of the Lyceum. All the great philosophers of the Divine Nectar sought to increase their understanding. So the Lyceum studied the mystery and sought to incorporate it into our understanding, but it was poisoned. Smothering the passion of our beings and stripping from us our desires. You bear Great Prometheus's Burning Brand, even the least Embers of such would restore some of what this one lost. This one has no excuse for attacking you, Great Philosopher, save that this one's perception of reality was lost in shadow with the absence of Fire, and that this one was tortured by those seeking to prevent this one's return."
"How would this torment you suffered prevent you from returning, as it were?" You ask, thinking you've cottoned on to the gist of the scenario. Whatever ascension the Lyceum attempted must have broken their braziers in some way and with their very passion smothered , they'd do not but drift through life as disparate snow storms.
"The Embers must be given, but the curses embeded into this one's mind prevented this one from speaking, and the pain that followed instilled a great thirst for the Embers that would have this one's broken mind desperate. This one has taken many embers and killed many philosophers in the fullness of time, only for the storm this one has become to stamp out the Embers."
"How are you speaking now then? If the Curses prevented you from speaking or doing anything besides attacking Philosophers with Embers, surely you would still be trying to kill me even now?"
"The curses laid upon this one's mind were cleverly crafted, but delicate. The presence of your servitor's curse destroyed them as it crippled this one's physical form. It would be akin to too many bars of bronze being laid atop a poorly constructed floor, the addition of extra weight caused the floor to collapse."
"Why should I let you live, given the harm you've done to me?"
"This one still remembers many mysteries that could aid the Great Philosopher in furthering their Understanding. Much has been lost in the long aeons this one has existed, but the foundations of Understanding were ingrained into this one's very being. The shaping of things is still remembered, and the form of the Divine Nectar flows through this one's mind for this one was far along in it's own Understanding. Furthermore, this one could guide the Great Philosopher past the illusions defending Lost Atlantis, great were the city's riches and many were it's secrets. All these secrets could be yours, Great Philosopher, while this one still maintains perception."
"And if I were to give you the Embers you seek?"
"Then this one could begin rebuilding itself, returning to the material world. This one would swear it's eternal service for this great gift, which this one does not deserve from the Great Philosopher. There would be much more this one could provide as it rebuilds it's long fractured mind, unfortunately at Great expense to the Great Philosopher."
What do you choose to do with Alkinoos? (Choose one)
[ ] Demand it teach you the secrets of Cultivation: Alkinoos is offering secrets in exchange for it's continued existence, take advantage of this, though given that it's almost guaranteed that Yahweh's servitors had warped and twisted it's mind, there's no way to know if they hadn't left a backdoor of sorts to keep track of it's doings. Which may bring additional heat down on your head.
(Guaranteed Water sigil, Cultivator Spells, Cultivator theories.) (Possibly Dangerous, may earn animosity from Alkinoos if this is the only option chosen dependent on how you treat Alkinoos.)
- [ ] Grant Alkinoos a number of Embers: Alkinoos is lessened by the crimes comitted against it. Granting it a number of Embers would start it along the path of regaining a measure of itself. Given how grateful it could be, it might be worth the Expenditure of Embers.
(Expends Three Embers, Alkinoos regains one point of Yellow Bile, Secures Alkinoos's eternal gratitude.) (Possibly Dangerous)
[ ] Contact Phlecket to work out a deal with Alkinoos: You want a second opinion on things, and the only being you can safely contact for advice that you remotely trust is Phlecket at this juncture, summon the Greater Earth Elemental and see if you can hash out an equitable deal.
(Phlecket will likely expect Embers for this service, Ensures a more ethical deal with Alkinoos while abandoning some of the hold you have over Alkinoos. ????) (Probably less dangerous)
[ ] Grant Alkinoos a measure of Embers while forgiving it's transgressions: You have to admit, you are sympathetic to Alkinoos's plight. To be so thoroughly crippled after such a betrayal... You have the opportunity to help, why wouldn't you?
(Expends Three Embers, Alkinoos regains one point of Yellow Bile, Secures Alkinoos's eternal gratitude while absolving it of it's sins, ????) (Probably less dangerous)
[ ] Kill Alkinoos: You are unmoved by sympathy, and the concerns about any traps or poisoned lore overwhelm any greed you may have. Kill the Spirit and be done with it.
(Kill's Alkinoos, expends one Ember, Guarantee's your safety for now.) (Looses access to any cultivation secrets Alkinoos might have.)
(Four hour voting moratorium, expect voting to open around 6:30 pm CST)
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'm pretty sure the first pair is correct. Bringing in Phlecket isn't crazy talk, but I'd like to just get cultivation tutelage and give him 3 Embers. That seems like a pretty fair bargain all things considered.
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- They/He
Also down for the first two options. But @Useless Writer there any chance we could get a narrative write up of the fight? Or at least a threadmarked recap?
Okay so the spirit wasn't in it's proper mental state and was looking at something that would restore it. I'm thinking we should try and get knowledge for this.
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Must get.
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The knowledge offered is also, as MrRageQuit notes, ridiculously good. I'm entirely down with granting him 3 Embers out of compassion and taking the offered knowledge as recompense for the attack.
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Honestly, I wouldn't even call this hubris if we give him the Embers. Like...it's not risk free, but as long as we do that he's grateful, which should make his lessons not intentionally trapped or anything.
I think handling this in a friendly way is more likely to secure Akinoos's gratitude. And honest gratitude is, I think, worth more than a deal.
Right, so we should call Phlecket.
The first thing that Phlecket made us promise was that we would treat with spirits fairly and ethically. Making good ethical deals is his primary concern.
I'm certainly not suggesting that we call Phlecket in order to reduce the amount of Embers we give Akinoos or something. Frankly I expect the final dealt to be more expensive in the end.
Really just want the sigil and knowledge.
Yes this is a concern. @Useless Writer would the original deal be considered breaking our agreement with Phlecket? I'd assume not, seeing as it tried to eat us.
Yes this is a concern. @Useless Writer would the original deal be considered breaking our agreement with Phlecket? I'd assume not, seeing as it tried to eat us.
Useless Writer
He who should not access the interwebs...
- Location
- Somewhere between Wolf 359 and Courscant
I'll put it up at some point here, when the muse isn't being a flighty bitch. I'll edit the Disasterous Finish threadmark with it here when it's done.
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- He/Him
So. I'm not saying calling in Phlecket will result in a more unfair deal, I'm saying that whatever deal happens, Phlecket will get the credit in Akinoos's mind more than we will. I'd rather just keep it between us, make this a personal rather than strictly business relationship.
Like...calling in Phlecket makes the deal more secure and enforceable, but it also sets a specific tone that I'm not at all sure we want to set.
Useless Writer
He who should not access the interwebs...
- Location
- Somewhere between Wolf 359 and Courscant
Not in the slightest, as the attacked party, you have a right to demand recompense
- Location
- USA
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- He/Him
Yeah also thinking Phlecket is the way to go.
1. We don't know enough to realistically compare relative values here, and it's entirely possible we could accidentally break our agreement with him.
2. We don't know enough about this spirit that was a cultivator metaphysically to be sure we know the right way to bind it ourselves, so we could very well empower it without restrictions. There may also be other subtle traps in giving it embers we'd need to account for (perhaps that's even part of how those cultivators were originally cursed?)
3. There may be some other eventual social impact we're not familiar with here as far as spooky society and what's effectively a were-gild. For example, we know he's killed other people with embers, but has it stopped there? If we absolve him and give him embers does he become our responsibility in some sort of life debt thing? Lot's of possible societal traps that we may just not know about.
1. We don't know enough to realistically compare relative values here, and it's entirely possible we could accidentally break our agreement with him.
2. We don't know enough about this spirit that was a cultivator metaphysically to be sure we know the right way to bind it ourselves, so we could very well empower it without restrictions. There may also be other subtle traps in giving it embers we'd need to account for (perhaps that's even part of how those cultivators were originally cursed?)
3. There may be some other eventual social impact we're not familiar with here as far as spooky society and what's effectively a were-gild. For example, we know he's killed other people with embers, but has it stopped there? If we absolve him and give him embers does he become our responsibility in some sort of life debt thing? Lot's of possible societal traps that we may just not know about.
In that case I'd be fine with either calling Phlecket or just getting the cultivator know how in exchange for embers.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Yeah, Embers, Phlecket, we've got 2 more
[ ] Contact Phlecket to work out a deal with Alkinoos: You want a second opinion on things, and the only being you can safely contact for advice that you remotely trust is Phlecket at this juncture, summon the Greater Earth Elemental and see if you can hash out an equitable deal.
We've got some wiggle room, and ethics are Very important when climbing the path. I'm okay with giving Phlecket a cut in exchange for making sure we've gotten an ethical, binding deal. He's someone we'd like to make as an Ally and this should be cheaper than having him gank the dude in the first place, since we're just calling him effectively for a lawyer consultation rather than a hit.
On that note @Useless Writer I guess we have a way of calling him up in a hurry? And using as much Favor as we did in his specific Element has already probably got him paying half an eye to what's going on?
[ ] Contact Phlecket to work out a deal with Alkinoos: You want a second opinion on things, and the only being you can safely contact for advice that you remotely trust is Phlecket at this juncture, summon the Greater Earth Elemental and see if you can hash out an equitable deal.
We've got some wiggle room, and ethics are Very important when climbing the path. I'm okay with giving Phlecket a cut in exchange for making sure we've gotten an ethical, binding deal. He's someone we'd like to make as an Ally and this should be cheaper than having him gank the dude in the first place, since we're just calling him effectively for a lawyer consultation rather than a hit.
On that note @Useless Writer I guess we have a way of calling him up in a hurry? And using as much Favor as we did in his specific Element has already probably got him paying half an eye to what's going on?
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If we are going to call Phlecket, I suggest we give Alkinoos the Embers we have for him first. That shouldn't really be part of a business deal, I don't think. He's teaching us because he owes us for attacking us, we're giving the embers because it's the right thing to do, or should be.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
I doubt that a more ethical bargain is somehow worse for us outside the obvious cost of more Embers.
The point is getting a mediator who knows the business and reimbursing them their time and effort. But it also implicitly ensures that we don't get screwed in the worst case scenario of "You didn't bargain for safety from me" level stuff.
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I'm not suggesting it'll be a worse deal. I'm suggesting that holding the Embers hostage on a deal is kind of a dick move. One of the benefits of just giving them to him is 'eternal gratitude'...I value that significantly more highly than a lot of other people seem to be.
I would like to give the Embers to him not as part of a deal, but because it is right to do so and would make him grateful. We can then negotiate a deal via Phlecket for his tutelage if people want (though I think he'd be unlikely to screw us over anyway), but I don't think we should be bargaining over something he needs to live and is in constant pain without. We are not a medical insurance company...he needs medical help and we can provide it, so we should, not contingent upon written contracts.
Useless Writer
He who should not access the interwebs...
- Location
- Somewhere between Wolf 359 and Courscant
You have done the necessary work to earn his attention. That plus the three swarms of gnomes you unleashed means he'll at least show if you call for him
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
He also told us that his will isn't completely his own, and I'd prefer to have a safety net and minimize exploitation on either side.
But I want that fucking Sigil good gravy. Water Sigil is so good for us...
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So, to be clear, what I'm advocating here if people want to call Phlecket for security in deal-making is the following:
1. Give Alkinoos the 3 Embers free and clear.
2. Call in Phlecket, negotiate a deal where he pays us back for attacking us with tutelage. Make it as ironclad as you like.
My point is pretty much solely that I very much think we should do #1 before we start working on #2, because they are, and should be, unrelated things.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
We don't have that degree of granularity, I think. We just have to trust that spending more isn't somehow going to create a worse outcome when it's explicitly labeled as the more ethical bargain.