The Last Daughter -- Dragon-Blooded Sorcery School Quest
- Thread starter Gazetteer
- Start date
- Fantasy
Brainbow
Jamais vu
I get the impression that Maia's probably gonna approach the lessons from a theoretical perspective. L'nessa on the other hand, I've no idea how she'll take to it beyond succeeding. Maybe Hands-on? Either way, here's hoping our trio can cover one another's shortcomings.
[X] Mysticism
[X] Mysticism
Let's try to guess those character traits.
[ ] Theory first
Steady, methodical, not very flashy or adaptable. I want to say very Earthy? Basically a perfect student, but not an inspired scientist.
[ ] Hands on
Also methodical but less steady and much more adaptable. No need for books to figure out a problem when you can do it yourself. If she survives messing with power beyond her understanding then she'll be good.
[ ] Mysticism
Methodology exists but not one I like. Not steady at all, however has chances for unusual insight. Very sorcery, not very scientific. Blergh.
[X] Hands on
I choose you.
[ ] Theory first
Steady, methodical, not very flashy or adaptable. I want to say very Earthy? Basically a perfect student, but not an inspired scientist.
[ ] Hands on
Also methodical but less steady and much more adaptable. No need for books to figure out a problem when you can do it yourself. If she survives messing with power beyond her understanding then she'll be good.
[ ] Mysticism
Methodology exists but not one I like. Not steady at all, however has chances for unusual insight. Very sorcery, not very scientific. Blergh.
[X] Hands on
I choose you.
[x] Hands on
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Of course.
[X] Theory first
Mysticism tends to be my favourite handling of the supernatural and Hands on seems a pretty free spirited methodology but Theory best fits the repressed and overburdened with expectations vibes I'm getting.
Ganurath
Literal Enthusiast
- Location
- A Valid Location
- Pronouns
- He/Him
My thinking is that each approach could potentially correspond to one of the sorcerous philosophies. One is purely about the scientific method, one is about the interconnected nature of Creation, and the third is focused on the programming language of sorcery. Unless something has changed in 3E, the second one has a society of thaumaturges associated with it that has presence across Creation.
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Damn, we should befriend Simendor. That sounds like a plot hook.
[] Mysticism
I feel like we're not a "theory first" sort of person, but internalization sounds good.
[X] Hands on
Changed my mind.
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[X] Hands on
Has a higher chance of explosions!
Has a higher chance of explosions!
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Note: I accidentally set the voting period for about a day longer than I intended, and I have adjusted it!
The Heptagram's self directed curriculum emphasises an academic approach to the subject. Intensive study, rehearsed application, understanding the geomantic forces that run through Creation on an intellectual level as much as on a practical/spiritual level. How you get there is up to you, though. This is in contrast to, say, Lookshy's Valkhawsen Academy, which puts an emphasis on coming to sorcerous enlightenment through intensive meditation and spiritual understanding, hewing more to the old Shogunate rituals Lookshy was founded on. Prasad's Mandir of Sixfold Insight subjects its students to like... emotional and mental extremes through extensive fasting, psychedelic drugs, and like... weird wyld-touched shit intended to break down the barriers of their mind and open it to the supernatural.
This is just like, several big, sorcery-focused institutions from Dragon-Blooded polities. You've also got shit like House Simendor's ancient, shady familial practices, and an endless number of less formalised traditions that exist out in the world. Making sorcerous initiation more bespoke and individualised has made it a lot of fun -- Ambraea studying at the Heptagram is obviously going to colour how she looks at this stuff, but there will definitely be more options for how she grows in this quest than just its stolid, tried and true methods.
Honestly, that's still quite personally involved by Dynastic standards. I don't think it's a case of Prasad having significantly different practices, so much as just a naturally caring instinct on his part, and maybe a little bit of loneliness. Being a consort to the Scarlet Empress is a good gig if you can get it, but he's very far from his homeland, and Ambraea's the only family he's got here, beyond the like... patrician house remnants of the old House Burano on the Blessed Isle.
All Aspects can focus on that sort of practice, even in system terms, Lore and Occult are traditionally most associated with Air (not exclusively anymore, though). Earth's traditional virtues include perseverance, resilience in the face of hostile outside forces, and a calm, methodical temperament. Her Aspect is also going to give her more of a connection to things like Earth Aspected geomancy, which is as common as any of the other four kinds on the Blessed Isle and its surrounding islands.
The biggest difference in third edition is that there are far more than just three sorcerous philosophies, and that there are as many ways to initiate and relate to sorcery as their are cultures that practice it.
The Heptagram's self directed curriculum emphasises an academic approach to the subject. Intensive study, rehearsed application, understanding the geomantic forces that run through Creation on an intellectual level as much as on a practical/spiritual level. How you get there is up to you, though. This is in contrast to, say, Lookshy's Valkhawsen Academy, which puts an emphasis on coming to sorcerous enlightenment through intensive meditation and spiritual understanding, hewing more to the old Shogunate rituals Lookshy was founded on. Prasad's Mandir of Sixfold Insight subjects its students to like... emotional and mental extremes through extensive fasting, psychedelic drugs, and like... weird wyld-touched shit intended to break down the barriers of their mind and open it to the supernatural.
This is just like, several big, sorcery-focused institutions from Dragon-Blooded polities. You've also got shit like House Simendor's ancient, shady familial practices, and an endless number of less formalised traditions that exist out in the world. Making sorcerous initiation more bespoke and individualised has made it a lot of fun -- Ambraea studying at the Heptagram is obviously going to colour how she looks at this stuff, but there will definitely be more options for how she grows in this quest than just its stolid, tried and true methods.
Ganurath
Literal Enthusiast
- Location
- A Valid Location
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I missed this when I posted earlier but I dislike the idea of the art we were inspired to pursue as an expression of personal power being approached through a symptom of our lack thereof.
While you are likely to be using your own slightly modified/homebrewed version of Creation given the time frame this is taking place in, are you drawing on 3e for inspiration or should I review my 2e books (well, the PDFs) to get some sense of the people/orgs surrounding Ambraea. Her being Earth Aspect is interesting because last I checked that is the SE's aspect and Mnemon and V'neef re competing to emulate the SE (though this matters less pre-disappearance) so a third Imperial Daughter entering that competition (even if she has no idea it is happening) should be interesting.
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
They all have plot hooks!
In terms of like, how Dragon-Blooded work, the Realm/the Blessed Isle/the Heptagram, and things like how sorcery works, my primary source is going to be 3e. This is one of the areas where this edition has a lot of really good, high-quality coverage, and it was the material in Heirs to the Shogunate (that picture I posted with this latest update included) that really made me want to run this quest. I'll still be selectively drawing on both older editions for odds and ends, like random spells that haven't made the jump, or especially demons and stuff, which haven't gotten nearly as broad an overview as they did in the older material. And obviously, yeah, I'm going to be filling in the gaps with my own material.
The Aspect of the Scarlet Empress is something that has been kept deliberately ambiguous in almost all Exalted material that mentions her, but apparently the long running intent in the line's development was that she was a Fire Aspect. Then when Return of the Scarlet Empress came out and they gave her a stat block, she was made an Earth Aspect because Fire was too obvious or something. I am... unlikely to look to that particular book for inspiration. 3e returned to being ambiguous about it, but they also very pointedly named their Dragon-Blooded book What Fire Has Wrought.
Her children that we know of have been a variety of different Aspects, probably due to so few of them having the same father. By my count, of the ones who we know of, whose Aspects we know with a reasonable amount of surety, we're looking at... One Air Aspect (Jurul), One Fire Aspect (Sesus), Two Earth Aspects (Ragara and Mnemon, who explicitly had the same father), two Water Aspects (Peleps and Berit), and two Wood Aspects (Cynis and V'neef). She's had an unspecified but very large number of mortal and Exalted children, many of whom never founded a Great House of their own.
Canonically, there are at least five children of the Empress who are both Exalted and still alive: Ragara, Mnemon, Berit, Oban, and V'neef. Ragara is retired (and a man, and old as fuck), Oban is married to the matriarch of House Sesus and invests a lot of his energy into being the savvy social/political operator to her grizzled general, so he's not really a rival for the throne himself so much as his wife is. Berit is sulking in self-imposed exile after having an explosive argument with the Empress decades ago about mom not giving her her own House. So adding Ambraea to this mix like... both makes her relevant to the overblown family drama that exists between the siblings, while still not putting her anywhere near being a meaningful rival to either of her sisters who are matriarchs, at this early stage of her life at least, unless something really changes with her. It should definitely be interesting to see how she interacts with that mess when it eventually unfolds, though.
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- Pronouns
- Reader
In that case I'm pulling on Sola's first.
Sounds good. I only mentioned that particular rivalry because it is the one where I can see Ambraea not being a viable contender to the throne for some time (if ever) not being particularly relevant given how petty that one is. This is especially true because the formation of V'neef was relatively recent so I wouldn't imagine there are that many free Dragonblood to fold into a nascent house.
As for the surviving Exalted children, I hope to see her meet Berit because she is explicitly loyal to the Realm rather than her mother and thus is likely to provide a unique viewpoint. As for Memnon and Ragara, I would want to stay as far away from their deathmatch as possible because when that goes hot it will be explosive.
As for the 3e DB book name, I figured that was because dragons are associated with fire more than anything else and this way the book name revealed little as to her aspect/history. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she found some way to fuck with her own aspect given both the number of years and her ability to fiddle with activation/usage requirements (Imperial Manse is a good example). Even setting aside RotSE, she seems determined to break every rule of what a Dragonblood exalt is.
As for the surviving Exalted children, I hope to see her meet Berit because she is explicitly loyal to the Realm rather than her mother and thus is likely to provide a unique viewpoint. As for Memnon and Ragara, I would want to stay as far away from their deathmatch as possible because when that goes hot it will be explosive.
As for the 3e DB book name, I figured that was because dragons are associated with fire more than anything else and this way the book name revealed little as to her aspect/history. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she found some way to fuck with her own aspect given both the number of years and her ability to fiddle with activation/usage requirements (Imperial Manse is a good example). Even setting aside RotSE, she seems determined to break every rule of what a Dragonblood exalt is.
MiracleGrow
Miracles for only $19.99 [They/Them]
- Location
- DOOR STUCK DOOR STUCK PLEASE I BEG U
[x] Mysticism
Oh cool a Heptagram quest. Here is my main giga brain plot since we are a earth caste.
1. Summon like thirty earth elemental snakes.
2. Basically become a cooler medusa.
3. ??????
4. Profit
I'm cribbing this from one of my players who attempted to do this very very suddenly.
Oh cool a Heptagram quest. Here is my main giga brain plot since we are a earth caste.
1. Summon like thirty earth elemental snakes.
2. Basically become a cooler medusa.
3. ??????
4. Profit
I'm cribbing this from one of my players who attempted to do this very very suddenly.
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1337Procrast
Fire Emblem Enjoyer
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Mysticism
- Location
- Virginia
[X] Mysticism
