Remove ads

The God Diversion

Reader mode
[X] Prelude to the Doom No Antichrist
-[X] March:
-[X] Interaction
--[X] Fearless Child
---[X] Help him reclaim and reorganise the Quixotists recovering from the Wolf's hold on their theme together with the Theologians. Inform the Quixotists about Ohio, and explain the current method of informing Archetype.
-[X] Bonding
--[X] Damien
---[X] Invite him to the Tower explorations, asking him to join the Surveyors. Show him Abraham and tell him he's free to try advance his Role by syphoning power from him to help keep him in check before he can be safely awakened.
-[X] April:
-[X] Improve Curriculum [-150 / 120 / 90 Will]
-[X] Remedial Classwork
--[X] Disclose to the Educator about the Diamond Eyed presence in the Architecture. Dwell on the question poised by them of the Armageddon and the second coming. Express your concerns about the entity mentioning Messiah.
-[X] May:
-[X] Remedial Classwork
-[X] Interaction
--[X] Diamond-Eyed Entity
---[X]Seek to know, after the Remedial class with Educator dwelling on the questions the entity posed.
-[X] Exploration 3x
--[X] See if the Surveyors can get special permission to visit Bible world using the Educator and Chris interactions. Employing Connections again to aid passage.
--[X] Otherwise.. Explore Fortuna for a change of pace if the trip to the Bible World falls through.
--[X] Visit the Astral Laboratory in Solomon's Tower to see if it can be utilized to help reaching out to the Diamond Eyed presence.
-[X] Sol to divide the six actions (2 Interactions, 3 Classwork, 1 Bonding) throughout the months based on how they connect with each other and urgency, and not necessarily adhering to given order.

I have a few issues with prelude to the doom as exists currently. For one, interacting with messiah on turn 3 is a massive waste of resources. We already handled the ohio situation by spending 50 will, 500-1000 xp, and an action to speed things up. There is zero reason to spend another action on the third turn, especially since this should already be solved by then. It also interacts with a character I frankly do not trust. The diamond eyed entity literally name dropped Messiah when it gave us details about the apocalypse. I adjusted the plan to keep him at arms length, and to pair contacting the diamond eyed entity again with remedial classwork on the same turn. Interaction with the fearless child about Ohio will not be with the messiah, it will be on our own and maybe with people we actually trust like Penelope.
 
Last edited:
[X] Prelude to the Doom No Antichrist

Honestly I don't have much argument power to add on, frankly I just agree with Generic Name's points and Alteration to the doom prelude plan
 
GenericName said:
----
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
No objections with the spilt, the caution is warranted. But I personally feel Chris is a red herring thinking back on Sol's original vision. The main part the plan drops is utilizing the rebuilt Quixotists into helping with Ohio crisis.

Quixotists have their own workable precog / social specs. And their members are actively scouted after by the Archeotype. All the three classes working together would be a massive thematic undertaking - like the classes in the past who also had pulled it off. Besides convincing Archeotype and presumably working against Architecture the original plan also calls for the Classes to actively do something with their combined talents to aid against the death toll.

It's a bigger waste to drop the opportunity to act in favour of a repeatable Remedial class. I'd rather we coordinated without Chris with the Quixotists than not act before the eve of the event. Or contact Olympian ourselves - something.

Is there any other alternative you'd consider changing the last Remedial Classwork with? You'll have my vote for No Antichrist as well then.
 
Last edited:
[X] Educational Diversity
-[X] March
--[X] Interaction
---[X] Fearless Child
----[X] Help him reclaim and reorganise the Quixotists recovering from the Wolf's hold on their theme together with the Theologians. Inform the Quixotists about Ohio together with Chris.
--[X] Remedial Classwork
--[X] Exploration (Club)
-[X] April
--[X] Derive Formula of Salvation
--[X] Remedial Classwork
--[X] Exploration (Club)
-[X] May
--[X] Improve Curriculum
--[X] Remedial Classwork
--[X] Exploration (Club)

This lets us get continuous progress on architecture, makes individualized lessons actually useful, and unlocks a new method of progression which is separate from Education shenanigans. Salvation Formula is probably also the first step to making Abraham an ally. This plan puts off diamond eyes for now, as I think we should look for ways to increase our chances of success or get some rerolls, and remedials may be a good way to do that.

The leftover will for each month is as follows:
March: 95
April: 75
May: 45
So we'll be a bit low on will, but all of our big will expenditures will be gone and we'll make it back quickly.
 
Last edited:
_brightwing said:
No objections with the spilt, the caution is warranted. But I personally feel Chris is a red herring thinking back on Sol's original vision. The main part the plan drops is utilizing the rebuilt Quixotists into helping with Ohio crisis.

Quixotists have their own workable precog / social specs. And their members are actively scouted after by the Archeotype. All the three classes working together would be a massive thematic undertaking - like the classes in the past who also had pulled it off. Besides convincing Archeotype and presumably working against Architecture the original plan also calls for the Classes to actively do something with their combined talents to aid against the death toll.

It's a bigger waste to drop the opportunity to act in favour of a repeatable Remedial class. I'd rather we coordinated without Chris with the Quixotists than not act before the eve of the event. Or contact Olympian ourselves - something.

Is there any other alternative you'd consider changing the last Remedial Classwork with? You'll have my vote for No Antichrist as well then.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Messiah being literally namedropped is why I think we should act with prudent caution. Talk to the educator about your concerns and focus a lot of our energy on remedials/the diamond eyed entity for further clarification. Do this and check before we continue forming bonds with the person who could be the cause of the entire apocalypse.

I think you have some misconceptions about the timeline for when Ohio will get warned. Ohio should already be warned by the time May comes around. The whole point about create auspicious circumstance was that it moved the timeline up. They will already be warned in May, there is no reason to spend an entire action coordinating something that is already handled. Informing the Fearless Child about the issue and what we have already planned in March is more than sufficient to get them onboard with the plan in reasonable time. It's a grotesque waste of limited action economy for something we spent significant resources to already handle by the time May comes around.

I paired remedials with contacting the diamond eyed entity specifically because those things are connected. Our greatest hint on the source of the apocalypse is through architecture and the previously named entity. Our efforts are much better spent coordinating with the educator, furthering our mastery of the art, and attempting further contact. Not handling communication that has already been sorted and dealt with.
 
It's not just communication though, it also called for the Classes to put their respective precog and social talents together and sending further aid before the event. Even if we have already sent the first warning. And actually convincing the right people of its importance.

I greatly worry that our actions are fighting against the Structure of the Architecture and it would all fall on deaf ears. The Armageddon like the Diamond Eyed presence said is inevitable. And Sol would have to witness the deaths, living out his worst nightmare of being sidelined. We need, to do more, sway the heavy hand of fate by tiny margins for the best possible future even with the inevitability.

GenericName said:
--snip
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
Last edited:
_brightwing said:
It's not just communication though, it also called for the Classes to put their respective precog and social talents together and sending further aid before the event. And actually convincing the right people of its importance.

I greatly worry that our actions are fighting against the Structure of the Architecture and it would all fall on deaf ears. And Sol would have to witness the deaths, living out his worst nightmare of being sidelined. We need, to do more.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Your plan specifically calls for communicating and convincing archetype, not cooperative divining. If your intention is to have the class put their efforts towards divination, why not just ask that during the time we actually interact with the fearless child? It's just throwing away an action to have them start scrying on the last month before the doom actually happens.

I don't think Sols architecture weakness is really going to be an issue here, especially since Penny is explicitly very involved in getting everyone on board and you explicitly had her handle communication with archetype. The same person who is uniquely adept at pushing through the boundaries of fate.

The person with the highest likelihood of divining the truth of the matter is Sol. He is uniquely prodigious with the architecture, has seen more hints at the Armageddons origin than anyone else, and he has contact with an entity who explicitly knows what causes the apocalypse. Putting anything less than our full attention on understanding what is going on behind the scenes is both inefficient for our overall growth and inefficient for solving the problem.
 
A further change to the Prelude. Removing explicit mention of Chris all together, because really it would involve multiple people in that unique scenario before the doom. And fleshed out what I meant by the last line.

-[] Interaction
--[] Work further in concert with the Theologians and Quixotists, putting the full might of the three classes towards the goal of continuing warning and effectively convincing Archetype and other important figures like Olympian of the doom of Ohio. Lest your earlier efforts are weighted down by Architectural gravity of the Armageddon. Pool respective talents and Roles together to see how further aid could be sent - exploring avenues like narrowing down Sandra's Death sense for instance.
 
Last edited:
[X] Prelude to the Doom No Antichrist
I generally agree that the third Interaction on this are a waste. Unless we get a new insight through Remedials, our presence is redundant with Archetype warned. Really I'm not sure the Fearless Child interaction is worth it either, but eh, it's at least multipurpose and our effect on the Children's Stories class will be rather greater than on anything Various Long-Graduated Enrolled are involved in.
(Technically this plan doesn't mention communicating any new insights, but presumably Solomon will either ask us if we want to mention it, or mention it of his own initiative, if he has one. Like, he won't go "oh, the key to stopping this problem is to make sure the number of functioning Tennis Courts in this geographic region is a prime number" and then not communicate that to anyone else who can act on it.)
 
Birdsie said:
[ ] Habakkuk (2 orbs) - An emulation of the author of this setting is stitched into your soul like a parasite, with Luminant protections to ensure it doesn't fall to madness or draw the ire of those on High with its knowledge. It can offer you indirect guidance, tips and tricks, and companionship in difficult moments.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
How much would this help with progressing Ancient Luminance?

How much would a Stealth Dominion help hide low level use of it?
 
Remove ads
The Crown Jewel
  • Threadmarks
    • The Crown Jewel

    In early March, as the Academy's Enrolled went through an upheaval and a series of conferences on matters of diplomacy and stability, Solomon decided to distract himself from the constant power struggles by inviting an equally sullen Damien out to tour the Tower.

    Together, they walked its corridors and explored a section of new rooms unlocked a week prior, and spoke of recent events; slowly, Solomon instilled a basic, dawning comprehension of the Architecture within Damien, and convinced him of his soothsaying capabilities. As yet another convinced of it, Damien could become a valuable ally.

    Once reassured of the other man's stability, Solomon invited Damien to experiment with taking on some of Abraham's saving grace.

    His containment chamber was refurbished - resembling a hospital room, with comfortable bedding and soft light, and staffed by summoned spirits who took on the forms of faceless, white-robed specters, each one bearing the red mark of a medical cross on their foreheads and chest.

    A gallow-rope made of purple velvet tied itself around Abraham's wrist under Damien's conscious direction, and through it, Solomon could feel as Damien drained motes of Life out of Abraham, a process like stealing breath; strangulation capable of theft, usurping a fraction of the mantle. The energy was formless and imperceptible to the naked eye, but a bloody crimson and as sharp as a river of blades to Solomon's supernatural senses, almost hurting to stare at. It proliferated across Damien's body with unnatural rapacity, like a landowner reseizing property, and Solomon felt as new capacity for battle thrummed within Damien; like an attuned instrument, he positively vibrated with it.

    "Huh, I feel... ready to fight, basically," Damien said and looked over at Solomon, irises now stained with subtle injections of crimson like a blot of red ink spread out into a clear glass of water. "It's like I've got the skills of a soldier. I can think of all the ways to attack you instantly and measure their effectiveness based on how I anticipate you'd react. It comes as naturally as thinking. I think I could do more if I directed this. It feels broad like I could apply it to anything related to combat or battle."

    "You should practice with it," Solomon said. "Whenever you start running dry, you've got my permission to come in here and take more."

    "This man..." Damien muttered, looking at Abraham's stubbly face. "He's dangerous if released, but not evil in of himself. When I focus, I can see some of his memories, and I can sense an imprint of his emotions. He's sacrificed a lot."

    Solomon was silent.

    "Do you intend to figure out a way to help him?"

    "Once I'm out of the Academy, maybe," answered Solomon, staring down at the man as well. "I'd like not to have to spend forever on it, and I'd also like not to die if he chooses to assume I'm an enemy. His magic makes him instinctively violent."

    Damien nodded. "I'll help if you need, so give me a call. Friendship's a two-way street."

    "We're friends now?" smiled Solomon.

    "I guess," said Damien, with much less conviction, as if the word 'friend' tasted wrong to his mind. He sighed. "You've been helping me out pretty scrupulously. I'd feel like a dickhead if I ignored that."

    "Huge win for everyone involved," said Solomon. "Life's easier with friends."

    Damien didn't answer, only letting out a sound that was halfway between a hum and a grunt.

    The remnant of the year was a sedate, tempered affair; consolidating and solidifying the power gained through the unification of all three years, and watching from the shadows as the Children's Fiction Class reasserted its positivity, a Theme once more ebullient with simple wonder, darkness banished. Close to the end, Solomon observed as the Bible Class finished off its tasks on their world, and passed the final examination, with the worthiest of the Educator's students attaining insane heights of ability.

    In April, a more motivated Solomon moved onto the second-year curriculum ahead of the rest of his Class - most of them still chasing after his and Penelope's own peak - and started to attend remedial classes as well, with the Educator commenting that Solomon was at a beyond-intermediate level now, somewhere halfway into the course, although naturally proper study of the Architecture was a lifetime endeavor. He broached some of the bizzare topics he'd noted, such as the Messiah, the events in Columbus, and the Diamond-Eyed entity, but the Educator was uncharacteristically tight-lipped, replying that he ought to focus more on studying than concerning himself with such matters.

    And so came summer.

    ---

    Will: 65
    Credit: 7.7
    XP: 3,840

    The Educator didn't approve of your request to visit the Bible Theme's world. Instead, choose a land / location on Fortuna to explore:

    [ ] The Bridge At World's End - A mysterious bridge of rounded stone on the land's easternmost cliffsides, its causeway as wide as five highways side-by-side, and arrayed with strange sculptures and ticking clockwork marvels. Stories say the further you venture, the stranger the wonders at its side. The further you venture as well, the thicker becomes the mist that shrouds the bridge's foundation, until the waters cannot be perceived. No traveler is yet to return from beyond a certain demarcated distance, at the point of sixteen kilometers, where Fortuna's maps end, and where the world's border is said to lie.

    [ ] The Witch's Land - The geography of Fortuna mirrors that of Europe and northern Africa in a hazy fashion: certainly, if one were to squint, the maps seem to blur into each other. The Witch's Land is a county-sized domain, lying a spitting distance west of the approximate location of Istanbul - or Constantinople - on Earth, with no equivalent city here on Fortuna. It's a land spoken of in nearly all cultural legends of the local people; a valley wreathed in supernatural darkness, allegedly inhabited by evil witches who practice the Magician's craft and seek ever-higher attainment through ritual sacrifice. Go and introduce yourself, maybe they're friendly!

    [ ] Londinium - Even having avoided an introduction at court save a couple of brief appearances over the last couple of months, you can still explore the city over the river - a shining metropolis, not unlike its Earth correspondent, although absent the hand of the Once and Future King. Of Fortuna's cities, it's easily the most well-developed and modern, entering the early age of industrialization and application of the steam engine in daily endeavors. A serial killer strides on its streets, as well: some yet-nameless reflection of what you suspect is Jack the Ripper, likely channeling a fateful archetype. Whether to stop him or shop at the markets, Londinium is a great spot.

    [ ] The Court of Miracles - Or what you'd call, 'Paris, France,' from Earth, if we're being pedantic. The City of Lights virtually worships the Tarot, especially those of its elements that are associated with positive connection: The Lovers, The High Priestess, and the Emperor are held in high regard here, both as those who channel them, and the Enrolled who bear these names. Although not your cup of tea, some of the Court's miracles are transmissible, and you may study them to improve your Arcanum Aspect!

    Choose an additional three (3) benefits from Exploration:

    [ ] Towering Efforts - Increase efforts on clearing out the Tower, making more of its chambers and functions available to you. Frees 5-7% more of its space. Can be selected multiple times. (Current estimate: 20-25% cleared.)

    [ ] Might Alone - Earn an extra 2,500 XP; can be selected multiple times, yielding 1,750 XP the second time, and 1,000 XP the third time.

    [ ] Facilitator of Magic [+15 Will] - Instead, aid the Surveyors in their personal explorations, saying, "it's dangerous to go alone, take this." Improves your relationship with your clubmates, including Penelope and Harrison. Can be selected multiple times. Each selection strengthens your clubmates moderately.

    [ ] Write-in - A boon no greater than any of the above, subject to QM veto.

    Furthermore, you've successfully managed to contact the Diamond-Eyed Entity; a scenario that'll be resolved following your adventure on Fortuna.

    Before you venture out, do you want to Spend XP?
    [ ] Yes - Build vote time.
    [ ] No - Not worth it yet.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Wizard doing Wizard shit votes here really, I'm not bothered about build vote yet either way so I'm not voting Yes or No.

    [X] The Witch's Land
    [x] Might Alone
    -[x] Might Alone
    [x] Towering Efforts
     
    [X] Plan: Life's Easier With Friends
    -[X] The Witch's Land     - The geography of Fortuna mirrors that of Europe and northern Africa in a hazy fashion: certainly, if one were to squint, the maps seem to blur into each other. The Witch's Land is a county-sized domain, lying a spitting distance west of the approximate location of Istanbul - or Constantinople - on Earth, with no equivalent city here on Fortuna. It's a land spoken of in nearly all cultural legends of the local people; a valley wreathed in supernatural darkness, allegedly inhabited by evil witches who practice the Magician's craft and seek ever-higher attainment through ritual sacrifice. Go and introduce yourself, maybe they're friendly!
    -[X] Towering Efforts - Increase efforts on clearing out the Tower, making more of its chambers and functions available to you. Frees 5-7% more of its space. Can be selected multiple times. (Current estimate: 20-25% cleared.)
    -[X] Facilitator of Magic [+15 Will]
    --[X] Facilitator of Magic [+15 Will]
    -[X] No
     
    [X] Plan Will Management
    -[X] The Witch's Land
    --[X] Invite Penelope, Harrison, and Damien along with you.
    -[X] Might Alone
    -[X] Facilitator of Magic
    --[X] Facilitator of Magic
    -[X] Yes

    Alright thoughts, the witches seem to synergize best with our role, since they explicitly call upon the Magician. Whether or not they're friendly remains to be seen, but we'll surely find something relevant to our power set. If they're hostile, we're best equipped to handle this type of enemy. If they're friendly, well a cabal on our side is exactly what a magician needs.

    Might alone is most efficient if you only take it once. It's a hefty chunk of xp, and seeing as we might get into combat we just might need it.

    Facilitator of magic is good because it improves our will, and at 65 we're looking a little low. I'm concerned because with contacting the entity and handling what could be a major conflict, I'm not certain we won't get giving a will spending opportunity. Empowering our allies is a roundabout way of empowering ourself, since with connections we can draw on their power and share it.

    Spend xp now, since this could be dangerous.

    Edit: I've added a clause to invite the main character trio. I'd like this to be the core of our tarot allies (as main character options they're all assuredly competent, and we've already developed socials with each of them.)
     
    Last edited:
    Alrighty, I've made two plans for your satisfaction. The first because I would like to see the witches but want more tower progress, and the second because we haven't had a plan that doesn't go to witches yet, and there are a lot of interesting options here.

    [X] Plan: The Witches Tower
    -[X] The Witch's Land
    -[X] Might Alone
    -[X] Towering Efforts
    -[X] Towering Efforts
    -[X] Yes

    [X] Plan: Bridging the Gap
    -[X] The Bridge At World's End
    --[X] See if Caleb (the Hermit) would like to come with us, his thematics seem useful in this situation
    -[X] Might Alone
    -[X] Facilitator of Magic
    -[X] Towering Efforts
    -[X] Yes

    [X] Plan Will Management
     
    Last edited:
    I have to say really enjoyed the Damien section. Looks like Abraham has great synergy with the Hanged man with the themes of sacrifice - this is a really great direction for his Role to develop towards. I have been worried we were dropping the ball on Damien and he'd morph into questionable directions. Weakness exploitation was one of the things we missed out on passing over Vision and this will come in handy upcoming group fights.

    Now decisions, decisions on where to go in Fortuna.. I like Witches and Bridge - that's a mystery box location.

    [X] Plan: Bridging the Gap

    Can we invite over the High Priestess or Devil for the Witches's Land? Like Hermit for Bridge?

    [X] Plan Will Management +
    -[X] The Witch's Land
    --[X] Invite over the High Priestess or the Devil to visit the Witch's Land to leverage their thematics.
    -[X] Might Alone
    -[X] Facilitator of Magic
    --[X] Facilitator of Magic
    -[X] Yes

    Wait wait guys, Generic in discord had a great idea.. we could go on the trip with all of the protagonists together! I'm so hyped for it

    [X] GenericName
     
    Last edited:
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top