Hm, I feel as if a CYOA were about to be posted to our thread...
What a strange premonition to have out of nowhere.
(It might take a while though.)
I suppose that I should be feeling shame right now if I had something resembling that feeling left in my body
Jokes aside, Birdsie was gracious enough to allow me to share this CYOA in the thread.
Some of you might be familiar with the first CYOA in my OC setting; as both are set in the same multiverse, you might spot references and DEEP LORE. As always, I hope that you appreciate it and if you desire, speculate and make builds at your hearts' content.
Without further ado, I present you...the Sitra Avra CYOA.
----
On a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, you are going about your business. It is a common day, no enthusing high nor depressive low about it. No dreadful forewarning came upon you on that fateful hour.
It is with the innocence of an ignorant child that your eyes raise towards the sky.
So blue. So deep. So close.
Too close.
And then you realize that something is profoundly wrong.
You are falling upward, that is the closest description. An ascension so unforeseen and rapid that it would leave you breathless first and red paste afterwards – if you hadn't been reduced to a speck of light.
You're well above Earth's atmosphere when you impact against what feels like a barrier, halting your speed entirely. No, you see it now: it's not a barrier, it's a pattern of white hands reaching and grasping for you, a pallid sea in which you're drowning-
Your entire world crashes, perception cracking like broken glass and scattering…
…
..
.
The first thing you witness when you come back to yourself is a night tapestry.
Dotted with thousands, millions, billions of shining stars. Each of a different color and unique shape, shimmering with their own light. A prismatic
magnus opus, you realize instinctively, the vast expanse that is the multiverse stands before you – even if only just a fraction of it registers in your brain.
Yet you can see it, if you focus yourself just enough. The forgotten canvas beneath the painter's masterful strokes, the scattered shards upon which kings rule.
Crusted red, spent gold, b-
"I would not advise to drink too deep from wells meant for Hypostases."
Unsettled by these metallic words, you turn around – and you finally see
It.
There is nothing human in
Its imposing and unnatural appearance.
Layers of unknown alloys are draped like mantles on
Its figure, soft and hardened at the same time. Inscriptions of words, pictograms and more glyphs of incomprehensible meaning flow out of the folds like spindly limbs. A horned and smooth helmet rests atop the abnormal 'body', with a halo made of all the lights above hovering like a silent guardian.
"I apologize for the harrowing experience to your mortal sensibilities."
The cold and inhuman politeness is a secondary concern as Its nature asserts over yourself, axiomatically self-evident.
It needs no eyes to see, for
It knows you more in depth than you ever did.
It needs no mouth to speak, for
It enunciates concepts into you.
It needs no senses to perceive, for
It has observed to all that was, was not and will be.
"However, a talent such as yours is required in my Throne to validate my theories. For this, you shall be granted power to survive beyond the limited ken of your constrained existence. Compliance is not necessary."
You are rooted in place as a thing of metal and hieroglyphs spawns from
It and rests on top of your head. Something flows out of your very essence and the 'limb' retracts to show you three objects.
Three small Coins, all the
Meaning you were and could be.
"As you seem conveniently familiar with the insights you're about to receive I shall not linger on further. Do attempt to not suffer a dramatic demise too soon, this investment was rather costly."
As your conscience wanes and blurs, you know that you've been dismissed by an entity far greater than you can conceptualize – and that how the rest of your days will be forever shaped by what is soon to come next...
Path Location
Among the most relevant locations within the accessible section of the multiverse. Depending on your future choices some will be more perilious than others.
[] The Aegis Realm: For millennia the lesser mortal races have quaked before the might of the alien Avrae and their lords, the so-called Sitra Avrae – beings whose mere presence is enough to crack minds and allow feats of reality-warping. As superior to the common man as multicellular organisms are to unicellular beings, the domination of the Sitra Avrae has been a fact cemented at the cost of inferior races.
The Aegis Realm refuses this notion. Born less than a half a millennium ago, it has seen a logic-defying development under the leadership of its Warden Regent. In spite of her manifest Majesty, she proclaims herself a steward to the ideal championed by the Aegis: for all mortals to be free from the oppression of any greater power.
Scattered tribes and diminished polities have been unified, the masses have been given just laws and needed succor, the Avrae and their servants purged from this world. Forgotten magics have been brought to light again in the name of a better and safer tomorrow.
However, the proverbial shining city is not without its long shadows.
The Aegis Military, led by the Admirals personally appointed by the Warden Regent, guides both outer expansionism and internal policing – even if friction is often inevitable. The Aegis Stewardship, the administrative bureau at the heart of the Realm, determines methodically what each individual ought to receive in accordance to their position and needs – and in turn, asks absolute loyalty in the name of duty. Laws are often fair if draconian; it is hard to dispute the benefits enjoyed by those under the Aegis' protection, yet some bemoan the loss of personal freedom – a growing movement in last years.
The chastised masters of yesterday aren't keen on allowing their lesser to rear their ugly heads either, and so the march of the Realm is hampered both without and within by traitors, cultists and worse horrors…
[] United Nation of Terra: More than a century ago, all the aerospace agencies of Terra reported the simultaneous loss of all contact with their crafts. A few hours later, the NASA came upon a chilling revelation: the stars supposed to be visible from the planet were gone, replaced by constellations never recorded before.
It didn't take long for the first Avrae to make contact with Terrans.
The slaughter that ensued saw billions subjected to terrible fates, not to mention the utter destruction of a good portion of all the continents – the Scourge of the West remains an open scar for the American populace. It was the darkest hour for humanity.
Then Shin Koshou arrived, he who would become First Founder of the United Nation of Terra.
His accomplishments were many and still commemorated to these days: the most important was the discovery of the elusive characteristic which allows young men and women to turn into bulwarks against the foul menace of Avrae: armed with esoteric dresses, weapons and magic born from within, these Absolvers (or Kyuushounen) have turned the tide and even slayed some of the horrific overlords.
The young adults tested positive for Grima's Qualia are sent to the Koshou Institute to develop their Ohr – both for the bloody battlefield and the brilliant cameras, for their guiding salvation is much needed and profitable. Many in the military scoff at the luxuries offered by the entertainment industry, wishing for more direct handling of the Kyuushounen. The government is forced to mediate the requests of the two clashing titans and the young defenders of UNT – an even arduous task after the mysterious devastation of Russian territories. Whispers of secret organizations are swiftly hushed, much like stories of excesses or abuse concerning the Saviors of Terra.
Perhaps that is the reason why the Sitra Avrae seem content with playing a war of attrition – for humanity's worst enemy remains humanity itself.
[] Xibalba: The world of Xibalba possesses no more than a handful of cities, yet each of them is a megalopolis of gargantuan proportions. Soaring buildings made of stone, bricks and bones loom over a labyrinthine disposition of industries, workshops, private housings and more, all encircled by impenetrable walls for the safety of the masses within.
Such a development was the natural consequences of two factors.
The first is the presence of a vast multitude of monstrosities in the wild lands outside of the megalopolises: from slithering panthers with venomous tails to walking behemoths capable of flattening mountains. The second is the veritable trove of catacombs of past civilization, strata after strata revealing hidden histories and mysteries of bygone ages – although the current denizens are more often than not hostile to these intrusions.
Still, the people of Xibalba are not defenseless before the hordes of beasts and horrors. Their rightful heritage is the art of Caitheam, the consumption and exploitation of magic within other life forms. Blood is a common beverage to share among family and friends and Hunter's Guilds have filled entire coffers with gold from commissions and precious magical ingredients from their preys.
The major of the Xibalban cities is Bhailè-Eòlas, the City of Progress: a small world unto itself, it has been built over the most intricate underground system known to Xibalbans. The undeniable center of scientific research among the mega-cities, the mega-city is overseen by the College of Tusgradh, whose Departments ensure that every aspect of Bhailè-Eòlas is properly directed. It is very much a city with opportunities aplenty, especially for would-be tomb hunters.
In fact, it is said that in the innermost chamber of the vaults beneath the megalopolis lies a holy medium: a Sacred Grail which will answer to a single wish made in earnest by whoever is able to grasp it...
[] Shivreorat: Once upon a time, many eons ago the Key to Beyond led the Sitra Avra to untold heights of prominence and prosperity, uncontested in their seat of primacy. Yet it was not enough, for the nature of the Open Gate made evident that simple domination of the Real was but a meager consolation – and so the Sitra Avrae onward, towards Usurpation.
In this time of conquest and tyranny a rebel stood against the overwhelming odds. Blessed by unasked grace, he unearthed secrets and grew in power until his presence could be tolerated no longer. The final reckoning was finally at hand, a struggle which sent reverberations thorough the entire multiverse – and in the end, David stood atop the corpse of Goliath and began a new hegemony.
Lo and behold, the inheritance of the Threshold Slayer.
A barren and scoured world, where misery and death thrive but little else does. A land where brother kills brother to live another day, cultists gather around their Avrae masters for dark deeds and the price of power are servitude and insanity. A world whose roots were cut out and burned, the proud history of an enlightened civilization destroyed and scattered to the winds, a name the single trace left in the minds of distance descendants: Shivreorat.
Even so, the Law of Defiance reaches these misbegotten lands still.
Awaken the forgotten fires within the mistreated progeny of Shivreorat, if you wish: a handful of heroes like the Silver Scourge, the Diarchs and the Languid Passion might offer their assistance in your endeavors. Take the plunge against the Sitrav Avrae and their broken servants, if you dare: ennui and resentment has brought both the End of Epochs and the Lightless Radiance to this land, and there are yet Vaults left unplundered by the Archivist of Yore.
[] The Disputed Expanse: The price of freedom is oftentimes steep. Few other locations are so intimate with this adage, for the Disputed Expanse has bled since time immemorial: first for subjugation, then for resistance and finally for pragmatism.
Over the course of millennia countless inhabitants came and went, entire histories and magical traditions were lost forever, entire continents and cultures were cast in the dust and forgotten. Some of them, the most brilliant and enduring, have left traces of themselves if one is attentive and brave enough.
Should you dare to venture down this path, be forewarned: you will not be alone in this endeavor.
What used to be a vast sea of nothingness has since long been a hotbed for scavengers, adventurers and other figures of ill-repute. Once it might have been difficult for some of them to cut their own swathe of territory but the very atoms have been terraformed to accommodate the needs of greater demands.
The clutches of Avrae still hold onto some influence in the area yet it is vestigial compared to bygone times. The mortal players of major interest are currently three: the misfit union of wayfarers and troublemakers known as the Consortium, the Xinon Conglomerate with their endorsement of secure yet crushing progress and capitalism and the rising warlord known as Iron Chrysanthemum, clad in mysticism and legends.
The recurring conflicts to claim the Disputed Expanse give visitors the chance to witness spectacles that would be hard to witness otherwise: magics of unknown origin, legions of uncanny creatures, wonders that defy preconcepts. The greatest pit of Relinquati infests these lands, an infectious vermin birthed from an old carcass – and yet the ventures to contain its occasional outbreaks are cause for both suffering and profit.
This is a land where life is in your hands, for good or for ill. Give your own existence the meaning you wish – to recall a sentence whose purpose was forgotten long ago.
Magic Unit
A list of the most noteworthy magical systems available in your current location, by no means to be considered exhaustive. Expect to discover more given enough interest.
[] Image Master (1 Coin): The most idealistic would call this art liberation from the monstrous boots stomping on humanity's face. The most cynical would scoff at the notion, merely thinking it the instrument of a tyrant. The philosophical stance is yours to decide, yet none can deny the effectiveness of the Doctrine of 125 Images against the Avrae and all which spawns from them.
A martial art which revolves around the manipulation of the user's life force in order to imprint Images – essentially magical katas – upon their physical corpus in order to modify the outer world. At greater levels of mastery, the Images learned are able to impress not just the realm of matter but also one's mind and even the very soul – thus an Image Wielder can Flow Like Water or Cut Like Steel regardless of their current condition, so long as they possess sufficient mental focus.
The magical powers granted by Images are different and much varied, from simple strengthening of attributes, to enhancement of pain tolerance and willpower well beyond mortal limits to more esoteric effects, such as the transition into an intangible state. A curiously syncretic option, it is receptive to the assimilation of different magical tradition – as the developments brought forth by many Admirals can attest to.
By default this option will make you a Master of the Doctrine, capable of employing the vast majority of 125 Images and with the bare bones of a personal Image to be develop in the following years. Above your level are the Luminaries of this magic tradition, who would be most welcome mentors in your journey of growth if you were to employ your talent in the pursuit of their crusade.
[] Garden of Eyes (1 Coin): In a vast swathe of interstellar colonies, thousand of thousand offerings are made to its eldritch masters, to see which are worthy to be remade in their image. Of these less than a handful remain, given the chance to drink from the well of cosmic insight. Thus, the offerings begin to inscribe this supernal revelation inside their eyes, to be priests and stewards of the rightful rulers of the cosmos.
You shall not undergo this bargain to achieve what mortal languages have dubbed Ocelos.
The first privilege of Ocelos is a general enhancement to the sense of sight: you will see further than ever before, your field of sight will become larger and even the smallest objects such as sand grains can be 'zoomed onto'. These benefits can be applied to many scenarios, for example to better understand micro facial-expressions or to perform a particularly delicate surgery operation.
The second benefit is more exotic: the ability to cultivate an Intuition within an eye. Intuition is a broad term for all magical phenoma that can be carved within: the meditation to do so will come to you naturally, no one to guide your ascension if not your thirst for insight. Intuitions tied to sight or interaction with the physical - such as perception of magic or spontaneous combustion - are much easier to create compared to purely metaphysical Intuitions, whose purposes tend to be more limited in scope than their counterparts. Deeper insight on the concepts underlining reality can eventually erode such constraints but never entirely.
With time and effort you will learn to cultivate more eyes inside yourself to hold more Intuitions or simply replace lost ones. The process is harmless by itself yet most human beings will find it unnerving to observe.
[] Daeva (1 Coin): Wander through the multiverse long enough and you will stumble upon a bitter feud. Its origins lost to time ages ago, the true reasons beneath not yours to know, yet this lethal dance has since long brought man against man, kin against kin.
The forces behind this never-ending war are not without sympathy – warped as it might be – and are more than willing to afford gifts to those who prove more than mere pawns in their long game. Choose one of the following benefactors and inherit a fraction of their essence, the cost of allegiance already paid in full.
The White Mark: manipulation of light, both physical and metaphorical – such as blasts of searing lightfire and tearing illusions draped over the mind. Partial transmutation of your body into a being of pure light, if costly to maintain for long. All activities related to destruction come more easily and are slightly enhanced.
The Obsidian Tower: domain over shadows, capable of projecting armies of shadow soldiers and addling minds with oily blankets. Capacity of turning one's physical corpus into a shadow and melt within the darkness, the long it is mantained the harder it is to revert to your original form. You attain a savant capacity in all crafting arts.
The Endless Chorus: empowered vocal cords grant a noticeable increase in charisma, any sound emitted underlined with slight memetic contamination. All five senses are elevated beyond the human level together with a greater attunement to arcane realities. Observation of celestial bodies or similar enables divinatory rituals of various degree, capable of precognition or postcognition.
The Murmuring Swamp: great enhancement of all physical capabilities, more so than other patrons. Preternatural affinity with insectoid creatures which you may understand and converse with; they will not consider you a foe unless you prove violent or possess enough presence of mind. Commensalistic communion with vermins leads to temporary union in order to transform into a hybrid of varied capabilities.
[] Walking the Path (2 Coins): Part the Veil of That Which Is and stare into the bizarre kaleidoscope of That Which Could Be. The colorful reality will seem so very unimportant compared to the veritable ocean of alternative fragments to be found beyond, to the majestic vistas at your disposal and the boggling might which you can leverage – so long as you are not ensnared by what exists there.
That Which Cannot Be remains an insurmountable obstacle: it is better this way, for the ancient powers of the Void must always be feared.
There are no convenient records left to further develop the art of Pathwalkers; thankfully, you are considered to be an expert in this magical system. The most intuitive application - to walk between the fabric of the Real and Potential for a short time – comes as easily as breathing. Travel through greater distances is eminently possible, although you'd do well not to stray too far from the projected road.
A magic focused on the more subtle and arcane aspects of reality, it offers much when it comes to elusiveness and evasion: better to dissolve into existential stealth rather than gut the sanity-eroding monstrosity. That said, a sufficiently cunning mind can come up with inventive solutions through the use of indirect force – for example, shunting off incoming attacks or foes and creating Pathways as impromptu seals.
Be warned: an unfortunate soul doomed himself and his world through this art, you better not to follow in his wake.
[] Caitheam (2 Coins): From wildernesses cradling monsters to ever-bustling mega-infrastructures and its most absconded depths, there is a self-evident truth to Xibalba: all is infused with brimming energy.
Magical essence is immanent to the entirety of the planet. It can be found in clear rivers with golden hues, verdant forests and the rich morning dew and of course, within all living beings. Even their forgotten remains, if appropriately preserved, can be minor batteries of energy.
In the days of early civilizations, ritualistic consumption of resources was the sole shield against the hostile creatures from above and below - until the first Emeritus Director founded the School of Tusgradh.
Romantic mysticism shed for clinical science, Caitheam is studied by all Xibalbans for the simple act of breathing is already one of its manifold expressions. The extraction and subsequent processing of a creature's corpse allows for enhancement of the self once the final Alchemical product properly ingested. Sheer might, impenetrable skin and explosive speed are the most obvious benefits of this art, yet they are merely the most common facet: a holistic absorption of another grants access to all that they were – additional limbs, talons and wings, more metaphysical powers unique to the devoured species and even memories.
The art of Caitheam delves into Alchemical researches as well. Maesters study and tinker tirelessly in their workshops, focused on the removal of undesirable – and sometimes fatal – impurities from ingredients or concocting consumables such as pills and bombs. The more accomplished operative under the directives of the School of Tusgradh, seeking to transcend the limits of their birthright.
You are to be on par with a certified hunter of tomb-dweller of Xibalba, a series of Gifts already coursing through your veins, and enough knowledge to be considered an acceptable Alchemist. These capabilities will be tailored to round out your build or you can specify desiderable boons – within reason.
A last warning: this magic system is most efficient within Xibalba yet outer experimentation might lead to unheard results...
[] Aura (2 Coins): Eons ago, an enlightened empire was living an eternal age of peace. Its citizens satisfied, its elite conscious and its foes banished, it was a crowning jewel like few else have ever been in the history of time. However, eternity is a concept belonging to Impossibility and not the Real – therefore the seeds of its downfall eventually appeared, watered by the blackest waters of sadism and treachery.
Specks of that legacy are rare nowadays, embers to be fanned or snuffed out.
Choose this option and your potential in the art will be second only to the Rajah of All Worlds. Most of its masters and texts are since long gone, yet many rightfully fear the hold death has over those who glimpsed true life.
Aura is the manipulation of Prana – the vital essence found within all things - refined through rituals of meditation and the crucible of life. A particularly flexible magic system which allows for both internal and external developments, it was instrumental to the establishment of Arjunyel supremacy. At first you will be able to perform superhuman deeds but the top of the ladder will see you topple gods in all but name.
Aura is divided in five Dharma, each focused on a particular aspect of Prana application. You are free to pursuit them as you wish; additionally, you may decide to possess an even greater affinity with one of these (except for Emission) at the price of an equivalent malus to its opposite discipline:
- Emission, the Core Dharma – the Quintessential Dharma, the phantom left by momentary enlightenment. Under its purview fall general control of Prana, its suppression and emanation, efficient use and practical harmonization of the other Dharma.
- Enhancement, the Self Dharma – the Dharma of Might, applications of this Discipline infuse the user's corpus with inordinate amounts of vital essence. More esoteric functions include turning one's body into black holes and hitting with the incandescence of supernovas. The opposite of Imbuement.
- Transmogrification, the Cosmos Dharma – the Dharma of Nature, its focus are the elements of the world – just as alive as other people for Aura practitioners. At first water, fire, air and earth shall be at your command until even metaphysics cannot ignore your power. The opposite of Regulation.
- Imbuement, the Other Dharma – the Dharma of Creation, it allows to make constructs of any kind through Prana – the source of Arjunyel artifacts. The more developed this Discipline, the more intricate and quixotic are its creations. The opposite of Enhancement.
- Regulation, the Authority Dharma – the Dharma of Order, it teaches to enforce the will of the user's Prana upon others. Magic is alive and so it is the first to suffer Regulation but eventually, even the life force of people can be bent. The opposite of Transmogrification.
[] Absolution (3 Coins): Kyuushounen and Kyuushoujou. Koshou's Absolvers. Saviors of Terra. These are more are the titles of the young protectors of the United Nation of Earth, the last and only hope for a besieged world. Barely adults and yet thrust at the forefront of this conflict, should you pick this option your physical age will revert to eighteen years old as your body adapts to the demands of Grima's Qualia.
The boons you will receive are greater than other available options here, at least in the short term: the might necessary to vanquish hordes of Avrae and enough magical power to eclipse the horrors of the stars above and below. The Regalia - faith weaved into the material realm to fend off monsters – carries a panoply of supernatural effects and it is the focus of your own peculiar brand of overt magic: Ohr is a general term to describe the powers of Absolvers. No Ohr is equal to another as it is deeply rooted within the Kyuushounen's innermost personality – and yours will be no exception.
Grima Cryson, the greatest scientist on the subject, was the first to postulate the existence of Four Stages of Ohr: Assiah, Yetzirah, Beri'ah and Atziluth. While the Fourth Stage remains a theoretical state as of now, most Absolvers are unable to progress past the Second Stage – giving them considerable power nonetheless. Your natural talent will be enough to achieve Beri'ah' – the second transformation that only the most prodigious Saviors ever displayed, bound to attract attention both benign and malevolent.
Two are the limits imposed upon the Absolvers. The first is the nature of Regalia, the manifestation of their Ohr – for despite is unnatural resilience, should it be damaged the Absolver's very ego will suffer for it. The second is a more internal issue, for the Ohr is deeply intertwined with the true belief into a better tomorrow and their own role in it: should this conviction falter, you will find yourself diminished – or worse.
[] Memento (3 Coins): Once upon a time, the Open Gate stumbled upon a civilization who turned history into more than the attempt of storing knowledge for unfit simians, pen and sword becoming one for all intended purposes. Amused at such a serendipitous development, its great army razed the historians' cosmos to the ground and cast the scholars in maddening chains.
Painful as it is, it behooves a Keeper to indulge in the past – especially the demise of what is now your heritage.
First off, Memento grants its users eidetic memory as one's mind is turned into an immortal archive and an increased talent in all rhetorical and educational arts. History is meant to be spread, not hoarded. However, this is corollary to the true strength of a Keeper.
History is what fuels Memento: not childish myths or entertaining stories but the truth underneath the unyielding lathe of time. Delve through memories of bygone times, parse the origins of an entire civilization from the falsities of their sworn enemies and record the essence of these long gone ancestors. In turn, the grateful past will serve against those who roused your ire: you can reproduce whatever magic they possessed and even summon shades of their greatest heroes to support your endeavors. Given enough time and adventures, even your personal history could be a worthy addition to the annals.
Quite predictably, the effectiveness of Memento is heavily dependent on how accurate and thorough the referenced chronicles – the spottiest memories lending themselves to the evocation of illusions rather than manifestations able to interact with the world.
The material upon which history is inscribed is another relevant aspect of this magic system. To make some examples, the mind is the easiest and most secretive method, yet the slowest to actualize; sheets of paper are prone to destruction but easier to sacrifice for flitting empowerment. The old Keepers prohibited blood and flesh as suitable material for the dangers involved – but they are gone now. Will you enforce or defy this taboo?
[] Code Breaker (4 Coins): As above, so below. Witness the death of the ideal, of the origin, of Meaning.
The Second split from the Sixth in an eternal dance of revelry and sedition, of agony and longing.
The Third marshals his host in lights and shadows to build an ordered tower over the brink of chaos.
The Fourth regrets the past and the future, so she commits all the worst deeds for all the good reasons.
The Fifth dreams still, his garden ripe for the final harvest at last.
The First knows and sees further than its foolish siblings.
Observe. Record. Verify. Everything must be stored, anything must be tested – oblivion is the right hand of the Void, after all. A worthy Law from a worthless Meaning.
Drink from the depths of this knowledge, uncertain if you will ever understand the nectar imbibed but sure that it will never sear your soul – even should you prove Its most dreaded theory true.
Yours is the power to sift through them harmlessly, your hands reaching for the red marble hidden in the sea of blue marbles. Yours is the insight to parse through a haystack for the proverbial needle. Yours is the right to weigh histories and deem their worthy of preservation or condemn them to be pruned.
Each continuity affirmed or broken is an ontological determination, innermost essence expended as fuel for Meaning. Given rest it will return to you in full and more, nonetheless to burn until naught but a wick remains is a real possibility.
"A word, should you elect to wield Clarity's Edge. Turn it against me at your own risk and peril."
Privileges
Further improvements or resources can be purchased here to give yourself a decisive edge in the coming trials.
[] In Full Bloom (1 Coin): Power, a concept so elusive and yet so coveted. Its facets many – too many for one to hold them all, says common wisdom. Whoever could resolve this conundrum has since long ceased to be.
Burn the present in order to reach the promise of greater heights: the infinitesimal chance within chances impressed upon reality.
Spend a precious Coin and one of your selected magic systems will be uplifted, its upper boundaries loosened enough to squirm free of them. There's no immediate gain to be found in this option nor is success assured, for the arduous path to excellence cannot be circumvented: however, the potential you possess in the chosen magic equals now that of a genius among geniuses. At the very least, you will be able to stand side by side with the current archmasters of the selected magic.
Can be selected multiple times. Incompatible with Code Breaker: a new Law cannot arise from itself.
[] Normalization (1 Coin): The blessing of False Innocence is a perverse deviation imposed upon the very metaphysical qualia, thus granting a nigh-impenetrable degree of obfuscation. Despite the ingenuity of its maker, the idea was born from observation of other phenomena – and therefore, it can be replicated in other fields.
You shall be given a similar boon if slightly adjusted: the concealment provided will not cloak your presence in anonymity but rather in blithe acceptance. No matter how outlandish your chosen build will be, the inhabitants of the multiverse won't consider you an aberrant creature or curious specimen; faux pas will be forgiven with unusual magnanimity and most crimes will be judged through rose-tinted lenses.
Normalization's effectiveness wanes before ascended minds or those of sufficient ontological weight, yet it will never prove completely useless.
[] Favored (1 Coin): It would be trivial for your presence to be Naturalized effortlessly, yet such a choice would be counter-productive to higher pursuits. In its stead, you can bargain one of your Coins for assistance.
An influential individual on the world you will enter shall be naturally drawn to you, becoming a supportive and attentive patron during the days ahead. The choice is ample indeed: Emeritus Director Fianna roc Vichta, Absolver-Marshal Mikaela, the Warden-Empress and the Xinon Conglomerate, to name a few. In any case, they will be selected to match your morality and methods – although do not mistake this compatibility for submissiveness. They can grant you concealment – or elevate you to political relevance – and of course, access to uncommon resources and magics if possible.
Even in an absolute worst-case scenario of unsynergistic picks, your influence should suffice to live out an existence of relative comfort without grave burdens, assuming you've selected no drawbacks.
[] Brand of the Mind (2 Coins): Accept the truth of the Mind of the Five: there can be no unfathomable event or hidden secret. Sufficient toil can shed light on any truth held inside the Thrones. The wonders of magic are nothing more than sufficiently advanced science, to be dissected and studied for incremental improvements.
Your mind becomes a grandiose masterpiece, an endless archive which houses more and more knowledge every trickling second. In addition to eidetic and photographic memory, your intelligence is vastly enhanced by a newfound sense of razor sharp clarity and your cognition is magnified to the point that instants will feel like minutes. Sufficient data leads to the construction of intellectual models of potential ramifications of scaling accuracy.
The Curse of the Mind leaves you afflicted with the pathological need to gather non-trivial knowledge in spite of how inconvenient or dangerous said research is – although these constraints are loosened when your life is in direct danger.
[] Thus Speaks Zarathustra (2 Coins): Your presence here, at this very moment, is nothing but the consequence of probability theorems. A monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type any given text, including the complete works of William Shakespeare.
After all, the universe has proven the veracity of this theory through serendipitous chance.
An emulation of the aforementioned monkey will be instantiated in your mind, altered to ensure it doesn't go mad from isolation and protected from the hazards inherent in its knowledge. A veritable trove of information on the many secrets of the multiverse, this man is fundamentally entwined with your soul for all intended purposes, if appropriately isolated to avoid mutual contamination.
You may converse with him, soliciting advice and forbidden knowledge. Beware that while Zarathustra is aware that his existence depends on yours, he possesses his own moral standards and intellectual biases.
[] Avrabane (4 Coins if outside of Shivreorat, 3 Coins otherwise): They are rage, brutal, without mercy. But you...you will be worse – for you possess what they dread the most.
You have Bonded with an ancient war-machine of the Arjunyel Empire, one of the most striking examples of military technology ever to be invented in all the Domains. In its Peace Mode it appears as a magitech suit, perfectly fitting and granting a significant boost to all physical parameters. Its true power is revealed in War Mode, for the suit folds and then expands outward into a magitech mech of ten meters. In this Mode, all parameters are tripled and magical systems are filtered through the warmachine: this allows their normal use despite the pilot's location within the Avrabane's cockpit.
However, the crowning jewel of an Avrabane lies in its Core Engine. A magical source of forgotten origin, feed the mystical energies of an Avra to the warmachine and it will incorporate the prey's own arsenal against their kin. A great horde of minor Avrae are required to properly assimilate their tool set while a single Sitra Avra is a far more succulent target.
As it is a magical machinery of great complexity, each Avrabane has an artificial intelligence installed within its Core Engine to assist their Bond during both Peace and War. Yours seem to have undergone a severe trauma which damaged their previous archive, yet its capacity to devour new Avrae has not been hampered in the slightest.
Functional Errors
Manifest the worst-case scenario and explore its ramifications in exchange for Coins. A maximum of five Coins can be earned this way.
[] Defragmentation (+1 Coin): It is tiresome, isn't it? The bothersome instincts of affinity with those of the same species, the creeping sympathy for those deemed pitiful and the outrage at all that is outer. If existence is merely accidental then why desire such a baggage?
Immolate yourself upon the pyre of elucidation, to cleanse there impurities in the name of true sight.
From now on your sense of empathy will be diminished forevermore: understanding feelings on an emotional level becomes a terrific proposition and your emotivity is dulled not unlike a phantom limb's. This situation is axiomatically impossible to reserve and incredibly hard to mitigate, even mildly.
Fortunately, this does not prevent you from putting on perfect mimicries of emotional responses or predict an individual's reactions on a purely intellectual basis.
Incompatible with Image Master: its founding postulates that all must stem from humanity, madness included.
[] Maggot Bait (+1 Coin): From the impossible Void they come, spawned by reality-defying demesnes of unknown origin – yet existing since the oldest records. Living wounds in the fabric of existence, made of twisted materials and disturbing shapes, nightmarish figures which hunt and feed on whoever is unfortunate or foolish enough to venture in their Nests. Relinquati they have been called, and many theories exist about their existence – although few have proven enlightening.
You would do well to investigate the truth or run from it, for you have become a magnet for them.
No matter how far you are, they will not relent. Disguises and security mere delays, for they will reach you. Inhuman and alien as they are, they do not lack in predatory intellect or cunning – and will prefer inconvenient times to strike at you. Fear their corrosive acid and uncomfortable magic.
The one grace you're given is that this threat is always scaled to your power.
[] A Debt (+1, 2 or 3 Coins): "
Oh darling, I am so very tempted to violate and dissect your Meaning for myself...alas, the clock is ticking and the alternative holds more Potential."
"
Hypostases have no monopoly upon the secrets of reality's fabric, so I have come to offer you an indecent proposal: power in return for a favor. Immediate power in exchange for an appropriately comparable mission in my name – a duty whose priority will be sculpted within your very soul to avoid ingenious loopholes. The greater the task, the more I'll pump inside you – and fair warning, I won't be gentle."
"
Do not worry your little head over my schemes, just be grateful that your actions – no matter how awful, degrading or dangerous – will further the usher of a new kalpa for this accursed universe of ashes. A better Age, devoid of rungs and filled with Potential."
"
So decrees the will of Zohar, the Monad Apostate."
[] Antivirus (+2 Coins, requires at least one of: Garden of Eyes, Daeva, Absolution, Code Breaker, Brand of the Mind or A Debt): The sins of the father cannot be washed by the blood of the son, or so men often dictate. Common wisdom never accounts for exceptional circumstances, alas.
The most wayward progeny will be aware of the events transpiring right now - although not the exact details - and deem you a critical threat to the multiverse: a malignant cancer to be excised with utmost urgency.
The Rogue One is a multitude of beings considered ancient by most inhabitants of the multiverse, at whose fingertips lie magic systems familiar and foreign. Their ideological crusade have brought them to slay kin, dragons, humans and more with dispassionate focus, earning them the ire of many and the love of few.
In spite of this resources both common and priceless were amassed, long strings were pulled as they pleased and none can claim to have inflicted true death upon them yet.
[] Crawling Chaos (+2 Coins if outside of Xibalba, +1 Coin otherwise): Usurper of Agony, the Havoc within Doom, Harmony's Poison, the Debaser of Meaning: these and more are the appellatives given to one of the most despicable entities in the whole multiverse.
A pariah among the Sitra Avrae, this aberrant monster has spent millennia causing torment and despair to his own kin and lesser folks - all in the name of cruel amusement. Seemingly content after orchestrating his masterpiece, he has only recently taken a renewed interest in the affairs of worlds.
The more fortunate of the Debaser's victims are killed outright, ontological curses devouring them wholesale. Most suffer unspeakable torture and degradation until the Sitra Avra has his twisted due. Those worthy of his total attention see their loved ones debased and violated, their accomplishment broken and twisted, their own Meaning defiled and perverted until they become hollow mockeries at the slavish service of their nemesis turned master.
Pick this option and allow him to realize just what your existence means. He will
despise you from the bottom of his blackened heart.
Curiously, the Debaser seems to skirt the edges of Xibalba – making it a safer harbor than other locations. The same reasoning does not apply to his proxies and servants.
[] The Key to Beyond (+3 Coins): Sleep offers no comfort, only nightmarish visions of mind-defying vistas and haunting creatures consorting among themselves.
Non-euclidean streets and palaces, the eldritch knowledge held within meant to scar the weak and sane. Disgusting rites and spectacles not meant for your heart. The brief glimpse of colorless spiders within every fold in reality or a motherly voice beckoning you in the cells underneath.
Still, you will be inevitably drawn to a grand building reminiscent of a cathedral. Within an unholy congregation awaits, uncountable horrors involved in a great mass before an open sepulcher. At its side, a frog-shaped abomination preaches in rapturous tones, whatever language they are speaking churning within your mind like a ravenous worm.
They know you are there and here, every single one of them. They have awaited this moment for far too long – and the faith of an entire civilization is not so easily denied.
Dread the return of the King in Azure, for yourself and the All-Seeing Throne. Do all you can and beyond to avoid this outcome.
