The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)

The Path Unending
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Kong Zhi wants to make his family proud. He wants to be a charmcrafter supreme, creating wonders others only dream of while becoming a pillar of his clan. He wants to ascend and become more than mortal, he wants to wield the power of anam like it's second nature, he wants to be strong, he wants to have friends, he wants to do the right thing, he wants.... Kong Zhi wants a lot of things.

Thankfully, Kong Zhi is not alone. He has the best decision making process that anyone has ever had: you.

...Kong Zhi is screwed.
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The ALT Vote
Alright, people! With that vote, that wraps up most of this last week. The only thing left is the Time/Ichor thing and I'm saving that for a bit. Mostly I'm saving it because I don't want to just put the weekly plan vote off on it's own, but also I'm holding off because I want to see you suffer. What can I say? It makes me happy.

But in the meantime, we have some other things to handle! Namely, the vote I mentioned a few updates back: the one focusing on the use of A Love Transfixed. As I mentioned, the plot will stop for no one, and I have been getting the sense that the material is being seen as too good. Cliff notes version of my long post from before: people keep trying to save it and other things until everything is perfect, everything is never going to be perfect, so I'm kicking you in the pants now to prevent future salt and rage.

So here's what's going to happen: from now until I think you're out of ideas (24 hours minimum), I'm calling everyone who has a plan for the use of A Love Transfixed in a charm to post it up with a plan name. There are only two rules:
  1. The charm must involve A Love Transfixed and other materials that Zhi has on hand. You can't write in a plan involving Mats not in our wonderful protagonists possession; I'm trying to prevent gridlock here, not change the shape of it.
  2. The charm must be designed to heal or at least help Zhi deal with his alterations. This was sent to Zhi by his family for the very specific purpose of letting him use it to both heal himself. Zhi knows this, and Zhi would never dare insult his family by using the material for some other reason. The charm can do multiple things, but first and foremost it must let him get his leg, arm, and possibly eye back to a functional state.
Easy enough, right?

So yeah, write up your plans and post em up! If you've already done so, do it again! Discuss them. Talk about your favorites! And when discussion dies down and enough plans are posted, I'll throw up an actual vote. The winner of that will be whatever Zhi is making out of ALT.

Have fun!
 
The ALT Finals
Alright, everyone! After deliberations, we have managed to narrow down a very impressive field of charm ideas to just seven. Below are our seven favorite charms from the bunch, each different from the last, along with a few notes from Ct and myself as to how we think each one may play out mechanically. Please keep in mind that all thoughts on mechanics are very preliminary. They will change, sometimes wildly, as the charm is developed. Vote for your favorites and let's see what happens!

That's right: favorites. This vote is the rarest of rarities in Path: an approval vote! Vote for as many as you would like and we'll see what the top dog turns out to be.

Now, without further delay, here're our finalists!
Charm Concept: The Heart of Kong
Materials: A Love Transfixed, Everbloom, Ifeagrass
Anam Types: Blood/Star/Life
Construction: A Love Transfixed is carefully split in half. The inside is carved and faceted, with runes places inside. Sap boiled and mixed with the Ifeagrass and some of Kong Zhi's own blood. It is used to become amber in which the Everbloom will be preserved and then carved to fit into the inside of A Love Transfixed. Angel Tears are then used to fuse the two pieces of A Love Transfixed back together. A silver mounting is constructed to go around the seam, which is decorated with smaller gems made from the parts taken from the inside of the ALT. Runes carved on us it use dust

This charm could either be implanted inside Kong Zhi as a second heart, or be made into an amulet. I prefer the former, as it's the neat and weird kind of shit that the Kong method allows for.

Effects: This charm allows Kong Zhi to transform parts of his body between his human state and the Gifts of Tiaoyue freely. Ideally, this transformation is fairly quick (be that instantly, or a few moments) so that the swapping out can be done conveniently (can swap in battle, or at least in advance of a battle that is about to occur). In addition, the charm could provide healing, as it is righting Kong Zhi's form in one way or another.
Mechanics: Combat transformation: this would require a large amount of anam for a combat form.
Over time transformation: whenever a technique is integrated, the heart will absorb some of the perfection of anam, and spread it through body and spirit.

I'll pitch an idea, but it might need some refinement.

Name:[A Family United]

Materials Used: A Love Transfixed, Still Growing Sapling

Theme: In this world, family can often be like stars, ever distant in their cultivation, but guiding younger generations making their way through the struggles of life. And a family is united, despite differences, by a common bond. But these differences do not hurt a family, but rather strengthen it. Each shard of [A Family United] is different in form and purpose, but through the tree that binds them, they are united in their goals.

Appearance: When not deployed, appears like A Love Transfixed but with numerous roots growing around and inside of it. When deployed, the roots extend outward from a core controller gem wielding fragments of A Love Transfixed shaped in varied forms.

Use: The charm synchronizes to the users body, allowing the user to control the charm as if it was a limb. For Kong Zhi, this sychronization will allow him to deconstruct what it means to have a body, improving his learning of unorthodox limbs and forms and hastening his mastery. Perhaps even giving Kong Zhi fine control over his body's muscular structure? Outside of the teaching experience, A Family United enhances the users ability in performing certain tasks, for example, charm crafting.

Concept: I want to see Kong Zhi lean into the opportunity to learn from this opportunity. Part of this charm is to allow Kong Zhi to realize that his new limbs offer some novel advantages and aren't necessarily a limitation, even if he prefers other limbs. Through that lesson and by having such a flexible design in this charm, Kong Zhi may consider tools and approaches in charmcrafting that he had not considered previously. Basically, I want Kong Zhi to reevaluate his approach to charm crafting and even just living day-to-day.

I suppose an alternative idea could be a plant parasite arm with a very similar functionality. If done that way, this charm could replace our current undesired arm, and might have ability to upgrade with more gems in the future if Ves permits? Would be an additional reason to be friends with Bihai, maybe.
Mechanics: Adds a prosthesis that Zhi can use to aid in a variety of tasks and combat.
Not spoilered, because kindness has made me brave.

Materials on Hand: A Love Transfixed (Blood/Star 42),
Still Growing Sapling (Wood/Life 13), Vestige's Ice (Ice 8), Everbloom (Life 6).

CHARM IDEA:

In Amber Clad

A simple wooden Torc, appearing as though carved from an ordinary tree, however, when viewed with the sixth sense, it practically sings with anam.

Hidden inside the wooden shell lies an exquisitely carved Ruby chain, each link slowly and lovingly carved whole from the Rubys crystalline mass.

This chain will be encased in the distilled sap and resin of the the Still Growing Sapling, which in turn, is encased within the bark of the Everbloom, its flowers emerging from each torc head, and its body studded with shards of ice, beneath the bark, the Amber is covered in runes, from one end to another, their filling made from what cast off powder is salvaged from the heart, nothing goes to waste.

The purpose of the charm is simple.
Take from the body its impurities.
Its mutations.
Its weaknesses.
Store them in its chain, and then, once it has been fully absorbed, burn it with the radiant purity of its shackled star, and once nothing is left but its most pure and refined essence, let it be returned to the body as raw energy, as power.

Anam Breakdown:

A Love Transfixed:
Carved into chains symbolic of shackled power, the star anam burns away impurities, and the Blood anam to connect it to your body.

A Still Living Sapling:
Wood and Life. Life to empower and harmonize the charm to our own wellspring of life-force.
Wood to provide a shell, and to offer a natural flow to the charm, like a root that steadies a windblown stem. Gifting the charm with both the ability to grow, and the ability to give structure to the construct as a whole.

Everbloom:
A second connection to life, further strengthening in turn the torc's connection to ourselves, whilst additionally allowing its attribute to hold strongly enough so as not to simply be swallowed by the tide of blood and starlight.

Vestige's Ice:
Ice, to give our work clarity, and provide a counter to the star that lies at the center of its construction. A cooling, restrictive, element.
A outer chain of ice to mach the inner chain of star and blood.

Edit: I don't want to set down any potential mechanics for this one other than rough intent and speculation, It would ideally function by permanently removing corruption and impurities, transmuting them into a source of power. Perhaps once burnt into the charm, the limbs could act an a form of anam battery? Or a cycling aid? Only god knows.

Personally, I chose this aesthetic because while its plainness speaks of simple means, and humble beginnings, beneath the surface its true brilliance is made clear. I'm my mind, it is a metaphor for Cultivation, and the Artist himself.
From a plain and unrefined mortal, to the brilliantly powerful demigod he has the potential to be.
Mechanics: Cycling action can be undertaken to feed debuffs and negative physical traits into the charm. Removing traits in this manner results in physical stress. They can then choose to convert the debuffs and physical traits into a temporary positive trait.
Charm name: A Fractal View.

Ingredients:
Blood/Star 42 (A Love Transfixed), Life 6 (Everbloom)

The Stars are but points of light but the powers of them come from the meaning we give them. What for one group of stars in the Radiant Empire is clearly a bowl endlessly emptying for other the stars form the shape of a cup being filled. They can lead us to foreign shores or we can follow them to find our home.

This charm aims to use the power of guidance and the interpretative nature of the stars and apply it to blood and flesh.

The charm takes the form of a larger than 2 fists sized cube. The LoveTransfixed was carefully carved away with many facets created in it. It is a large rotating puzzle with different channels and facets creating different refractions and paths for light to go through. Each arrangement creates different paths for runes and therefore channels the power for different effects. In the centre of this Fractal puzzle is the Everbloom. Placed in the centre with incredible canny care like one places a ship inside a bottle. It's living energy transmutes the cold power of the stars into a more vital essence.

This charm works only with a period of meditation and the slow channelling of anam. You must have the purpose and the constellation you wish to draw meaning from firmly fixated in one's mind and "tune" the charm to reflect in it that purpose. It can only be bound to a single individual at a time and the charm does not need to be on one's person after it has been "set" for the effect of it to continue on the body.

Why these anam types?

Star - The source of the blueprint/inspiration/guidance for the change.


Life - Life endures and adapts. This transforms the cold guidance of the stars into a form that works with Zhi's body and intent


Blood - A catalyst to make the change made manifest on our flesh.

Possible constellation effects

The Constellation of the Tireless Oxen:

While under the Sign of Indefatigable Strength, Kong Zhi will find himself able to work harder than normal and for longer than normal. What would normally have been an exhausting day at the forge is instead a calm but focussed afternoon. Should Kong Zhi find himself in combat, his enemies will find that he shrugs off lesser blows with ease, and hits with far greater force than normal.

The Constellation of the Graceful Crane:

While under the Watch of the Delicate Strider, Kong Zhi will find his precision and poise enhanced. The most fiddly of crafting tasks will be completed easily, and elegant artistry will be completed with a graceful flourish. Should Kong Zhi find himself in combat, his enemies will seem to be always aiming at where he was, and their weaknesses will be plain to him.

The Constellation of the Rising Sun:

While under the Light of the Energising Flame, Kong Zhi will feel filled with anam and curiosity. Cycling could not feel more natural. Studying could not feel more exciting. And for other people, Kong Zhi could not be more engaging. Should Kong Zhi find himself in combat, he will seem to have an endless supply of anam available.




Deep thanks to Knight-Radiant, KreenWarrior and HousePet from the Path discord for their help in writing up this charm. I greatly appreciate all of you!
Mechanics: Only a single form available at the start. New forms require collection of materials and treasures.
After reading my last Ves!Quest, I started training professional wrestling. Learned to bump, sell, run the ropes, bump off the ropes, slam a dude to the ring floor.

After reading this Ves!Quest, I broke through to the first cultivation realm. Truly, nothing can be so addictive as the sensation of raw power. Work from home has truly made closed-door cultivation easier. Forging the Core of Peerless Dominance, of Royalty, Force, and Glory Anam, I impose my will on anything in my vicinity. Now, I return to the real, and find this quest in need of my will's imposition.

Charm Concept: The Forge of Idealization
Materials: A Love Transfixed, A Still Shaking Anvil, Everbloom, Snake Mother's Skin, Wool of a Verdant Ewe
Anam Types: Blood/Star/Steel/Force/Life/Beast
Construction: A still Shaking Anvil is melted down and reforged as a sarcophagus. Etchings of growth and beauty under starry skies surround the exterior. A Love Transfixed is cut up and set on the inside of the lid and sides, forming runes which channel anam into fleshcrafting and body-reinforcement effect. An interior lining shawl is made of the Snake Mother's Skin, with bedding below the skin using both the Everbloom and the Wool.

Usage: By sleeping in this sarcophagus, one may shape their appearance with the inspiration of the stars. Aesthetic changes are trifles, gaining appearance that echoes the heavenly beauty of nighttime stars without alterations to physical capability is as simple as the turning of one's hand. This sort of usage will not alter mass, height, or other such matters- but playing with symmetries, changing the cast of one's features, altering hair or skin colors, such things require little. Simply holding the visualization of desired changes while going to sleep will suffice.

However, the purpose of this Forge goes well beyond the superficial. With appropriate charging of anam, or its bearing to a Natural Wonder, one may consciously cultivate within the sarcophagus and the sleeper may undertake meaningful enhancements of their physical capabilities. Applied with the instinct of Beast nature, the sarcophagus will change the cultivator through their blood, charging them with Steel, Force, and raw Life. Star anam directly reveals hidden truths of the cultivators body and inspires the cultivator's efforts in carving new channels in their body, making the Farmer's Step easier to complete, while the blood infusions dramatically enhance the physical benefits of that work, and usage over the course of taking the Farmer's Step will see the cultivator gain flesh of steel that resists damage, Force-aided musculature which may grasp the ethereal and crush the mundane, and Life-infused blood which wants the cultivator healthy: natural healing restores more overnight, and this allows natural regrowth of limbs and digits.

Notes: This charm allows Kong Zhi to alter his appearance without capability impacts, and could solve the issue at hand immediately. Rather than going full xian-punk transhumanist and building a method for controlling and swapping in/swapping out physical abilities (don't ya'll have enough things to stay busy voting on?), this sarcophagus will make Kong look like a starry idealization of himself without changing his ability to use the lizard arm/leg/eye, and allows gradual building of raw durability, strength, and endurance alongside going Farmer. Also, this doesn't bind it to Kong- items we craft now won't be needed forever. When we're getting past Farmer, even with mats worse than ALT, we'll be making better charms. But this one will be able to help other fleshcrafting victims, and valuable to any early-stage cultivator- worth passing down in the Kong family, or sellable at an commanding price.
Mechanics: Used as a channeling focus for channel carving. As each channel is carved KZ will revert more and more to previous form and gain deeper benefits/insight into Farmer.
Spymaster's Pride

Materials used: A Love Transcended (Blood/Star 42), Vestige's Ice (Ice 8)

Shape: A Love Transcended is set on the top of a scepter/cane made of the Vestige's Ice. There it is carved with runes to bring out its effect. The gem always glows with its channeled starlight. Mundane metals decorate the icy shaft to make it look fancy schmancy.


Effect: This charms allows the user of the charm to shape its own body as if it were an artist's canvas. One's body mass, hair color, and other such physical attributes may be molded by the charm. This charm does not allow for one to mold themselves into another beast or make themselves a dramatically new person. There are two general limitations. 1. The changes cannot alter the basic humanoid/bipedal structure of the user. 2. The changes cannot change the user's appearance to stray too far from the original identity. In short, the Star Anam centers itself on the identity of the user and all the changes guided by the star cannot shape oneself dramatically away from its user's internalized identity. Once the blood, using the star's guidance, shapes itself as the user desires, the Ice Anam of the scepter freezes the new body shape for the forseeable future, or until such a time where the charm is used again. The ice anam also serves to preserve the memory of the forms shifted to and from.

This charm is actually a spy's best friend. While Kong Zhi cannot transform himself into a bird or into another person, there is plenty of potential for himself. Firstly, any undesired mutations may be removed. Secondly, should infiltration be necessary, as Kong Zhi's new duties may require, Kong Zhi may choose to use this charm to transform himself into a Blonde Zhi, a bearded Zhi, a buff Zhi, an emaciated Zhi, an older Zhi, etc. While the charm cannot disguise the feel/properties of his anam, the other five senses may be fooled by the new form Zhi takes.

The charm also preserves the memory of the forms Zhi shifts to and from to allow himself to easily adopt on guises he has taken on before.
Mechanics: Spend anam to transform into different versions of Zhi.
My ALT charm idea, originally posted here and iterated upon in the meantime.

Charm concept name: Chrysalis of the Polestar

Materials used: A Love Transfixed (Blood/Star 42), Still Growing Sapling (Wood/Life 13)

Charm summary: a large wooden periapt seating a bonsai tree grown around ALT allowing the user to periodically reforge their body with the purifying, scouring, guiding energy of Star anam; each reforging also alters the user in a fashion reflecting the user's recent life experiences.

Charm construction: a cutting of the Still Growing Sapling is taken, while the majority of it is used to create a large periapt consisting of an ornate setting for A Love Transfixed in the shape of an inverted pyramid and wooden chain links carved from the wood such that they are interlinked from the moment of their shaping. A Love Transfixed is placed within the setting atop the pyramid and the cutting placed upon it, where the cutting's roots are guided to encompass the gem without entirely obscuring it and the cutting is cultivated into a bonsai tree using the gem's Star anam. The necessary runes are placed upon the gem setting and chain links.

Charm function: the user wears the charm around their neck and enters a meditative trance. The sapling grows and the gem swells until the entranced user is incapsulated in a ruby cocoon set into base of a tree. Inside, the user's body undergoes a metamorphosis according to their conception of an idealized self. Elements dissonant with the user's self-conception may be removed entirely or take on new, less dissonant forms touched by the supernatural: a grotesque arm reformed with a pearlescent ivory sheen, an amputated leg regrown with a wood grain, a blinded eye restored with a glow like soft moonlight; these supernatural touches may further change or spread over multiple reforgings should the user's self-conception come to include them as part of the idealized self. Furthermore, the user's recent experiences are crystallized and alloyed in some way into their very being. Traumatic, triumphant, life-changing, or otherwise weighty experiences manifest as mental, physical, or spiritual quirks: the death of a loved one might cause the user's flesh to toughen and densify, carving a crucial channel within a Moon anam wonder might increase mental acuity when bathed in moonlight, a near-drowning at sea might give the user an affinity for water anam - the magnitude of the alteration's effect corresponding to the weight of the experience. This crystallization is metaphysical: a spiritual event is not certain to beget a spiritual alteration. At the conclusion of the transformation, the charm devolves back to its previous form and releases the user, and will require a lengthy period before it can be used again.

Aspect utilization and thematic resonance: the tree grasps at the gem in a simulacrum of photosynthesis, a fundamental act of transformation. The charm is worn to position it over the center of our body and place the bonsai over our core. The Blood and Life anam allow the body to be reforged anew and the mind and spirit tempered. The Star anam serves as both guide and crucible to discern and shape the more perfect self as well as crystallize and fuse alterations borne of experience. The Wood anam forms a substrate of slow, continuing metamorphosis, allowing iterative, accumulative change to the user in the same manner a tree grows its rings. The inverted pyramid shape of the periapt evokes the Delving heart sigil and the challenges that led to its construction. Lastly, its powers reflect two core themes of Kong Zhi's story: being true to who he is, and being shaped himself by the connections he has made.

The periapt before the bonzai tree and ALT are seated upon it would resemble the Millennium Puzzle:

lightly edited to no longer specify the time spent within the chrysalis
Mechanics: allows important events to be channeled into benefits, using the charm as a focus. Dependent on the strength of the event and zhi's skill at crystalizing them into himself.

WHO WILL WIN?! (Vote for as many as you would like.)
[] The Heart of Kong
[] A Family United
[] In Amber Clad
[] A Fractal View
[] The Forge of Idealization
[] Spymaster's Pride
[] Chrysalis of the Polestar
 
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The ALT Result
And that should do it! Vote is closed!
Adhoc vote count started by Vesvius on Feb 8, 2021 at 12:16 AM, finished with 379 posts and 144 votes.
 
The Double Down Vote
Alright, people. The vote is closed. Since the next update's going to take me some time to get out, this seems like the perfect opportunity to handle some long standing business. Namely, the business of your gemstone charm, known to most as the Fractal View (name not finalized). So I'm making this post and threadmark to get the ball rolling. The threadmark will be deleted after the vote closes.

You've completed the first and possibly only wave of Craft actions needed to finalize Fractal. At this point, you have two ways you can take this. First, you could start infusing it right away and get on with the business of completing your charm. Or second, you could keep hammering away at it with Craft (Jewelry) actions to double down on it to make the final product more powerful. Ordinarily I would chalk this up as a matter to leave for the weekly plan vote but considering how... vocal people in both camps have been about it, it seems like it would be better to settle it on it's own, where it won't be able to affect other priorities in the plan vote.

So to recap:

Option One: You decide that your crafting work is good enough and you want to get on with actually infusing it. The benefit of this option is self-evident. You get your charm done much faster and can actually use it before long.
Option Two: You decide to double down on your crafting, and you'll keep working until your Craft (Jewelry) successes total to be at least double the build target for Fractal. As a reminder, the build target for Fractal is 62. Right now, you have 66 successes. So you would need 58 more. The benefits of this path is that Fractal would be better made and would function better when you do infuse it.

Please do your best to keep the vote and debate clean and mod-free. I know that people can get excited talking about this, but remember that we're all here to have fun and enjoy the story. There's no need to get toxic, no matter how justified you feel in doing so.

So now, with that out of the way, let's get this show on the road!

Would you prefer to begin infusing the charm immediately or to double down on it's craftsmanship?
[] Faster is better. We want to infuse immediately.
[] The higher the build target, the better. We want to double down.
 
The Double Down Result
The Great Axe Debate
Yo guys! We've reached the end of yet another week. I still have one commission left to hammer out and it's a biggun, so it'll be a few days before I get the next update up and running. But rather than let the thread sit dormant while I work, it seems like now would be a good time to get another question answered: namely, the question of Fa's Axe. So since the ALT vote that ended with Zhi crafting Fractal did so well, I think it's time to do something similar with Fa's Axe.

As a reminder, here are Fa's only requirements for the axe:
  1. It must contain at least two aspects. The first must be Steel, the rest are dealers choice.
  2. It is not a subtle thing. Fa doesn't want a tiny, wimpy hatchet. If it would look out of place in the hands of an Orc Barbarian as they charge the gates of hell with Slayer blasting in the background, Fa doesn't want it.
Now that that's settled, here's a reminder of how this whole thing works. Right now is the brainstorming phase. You post whatever designs you have (One design per post, you can post as many as you'd like) and discuss them. All of you debate and retool your designs for however long it takes for everyone to run out of ideas. One note: you can only use materials you currently have on hand. No plans that require you to go shopping or hunting.

When you're done, me and Ct will gather them up and narrow it down to our favorites, which are usually somewhere between a top three and a top five. Once that's settled, I'll throw up an actual vote. The winner of that will be Zhi's plan for Fa's long delayed axe and will be availible for construction on the plan votes (though I assume you won't actually be starting it till you're done with Fractal, which is A-OK with me).

Sound good? Sounds good! Have fun everyone!
 
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The FInal Axe Vote
Alright, everyone! After some very careful deliberations and combing through the last bunch of pages, Ct and I have managed to narrow down the field. But before we get to our finalists, I just want to thank everyone for submitting their ideas. We greatly enjoyed seeing everyone's ideas and creativity on display. If yours wasn't picked, don't worry too much. This was a very tight competition; there were a bunch that made one shortlist or another that barely didn't make it to the final dance.

But now, let us move on to the grand climax of this whole thing: the finalists! Below are our five four favorite charms from the bunch, each with a few notes from your favorite QMs as to how we think they'd develop mechanically. Please note that as always, mechanics are very preliminary. They can change drastically as the charm is developed.

Now, without any further delay, let's see who made it to the grand finale!
The Rose of Battle:
Axe Charm (Weapon)
Components: Still Growing Sapling (Wood/Life 13), A Still Shaking Anvil (Steel/Force 7), Brass Knocker (Force 3)
Inspiration: The Twice Forged Thicket, and Jai Fa's pretty but painful nature.
Construction: The Sapling forms the axe haft. The Anvil is used for the blade. The Knocker is reshaped as a counter-weight.
Appearance: I picture the final charm to have an organic living metal appearance, more like it was grown, rather than constructed from separate pieces. So it will be a massive bladed axe, but with a slightly crooked shape. There will be a massive axe blade, but the other side will resemble a massive sharpened rose thorn. Perfect for ripping into things, or tearing armour off. The entire weapon has thorns of steel growing out of it, more on the blade and less where Fa would grip it. Emerald dust used to form a pattern of leaves from the counter-weight all the way up to the tip of the blade, which also draws out and links the Earth anam from the Steel and Wood aspects. Turquoise to inlay a single elegant rose into the blade, to match Fa's eyes.
Function: The main feature of this weapon is the numerous steel thorns that grow on it. These can break off when the axe hits an enemy, embedding the thorn in their body. The thorn then grows to hinder their movement. Through an expenditure of anam, these thrown can also be fired as a ranged attack. The number of thorns is limited, but can be replenished by cycling anam into the weapon, which also allows the weapon to regrow from any damage and resharpen itself.
Aspect usage: Wood/Steel makes the growing steel thorns. Force used to fire them as a ranged attack when needed. Life/Wood to allow the charm to be repaired/regrown through cycling (and a splash of water). Steel/Life for cutting life directly when needed.

I realise that this only has a base BT of 23 and looks a bit light on Steel. However, the use of Chui Dao to construct this will convert some of the other anam to Steel, which could end up with all aspects perfectly balanced (meme), and I expect we'll get at least a starting BT of 30 (if not more) from the design phase. Which when doubled down on, makes this at least as strong as Dance at the Midnight Crossroads.
I would also like to see what effect performing the design phase in an anam rich environment like the Twice Forged Thicket will have, as that is a mechanic we haven't tried yet.
I have decided not to add any of the new materials onto this, as while they have the right aspects, they don't really have the right material properties. I also don't want to throw big materials at something when it means we'll just take even longer to finish this.
A DD should be more than sufficient to make up for any shortfalls in the materials (which are still pretty good anyway).
QM's Notes: This one would probably cause a debuff effect if Fa keeps tempo while using the axe. The exact effects are still up for debate. This is definitely a weapon for a prolonged battle, though.
Companion of Steel

Materials on Hand
: A Still Shaking Anvil (Steel/Force 7), The Monster's Bones (Steel 16), Brass Knocker (3 Force), Vestige's Ice (8 Ice).

Function: Kinetic energy (the force) dealt by and to the wielder of the axe is stored within it, as a battery of sort, and the user can unleash it, partially or completely, in a variety of ways.

The catch?

The energy taken in by the axe always manifests as steel.

Fa wants to add extra strength to her attack?
Big steel gauntlets cover her arms as she attacks.

She wants to protect herself from incoming attacks?
Solid honking blocks of steel bar the way.

She wants to be faster?
Her feet become clad in gleaming greaves that make her go faster or the surrounding ground becomes as burnished steel, increasing her speed.

She wants to release the stored energy as a ranged attack?
It's unleashed as a barrage of giant steel balls, spikes and shrapnel.

The limits of her versatility (can Fa say make out of the energy a steel cage that traps her and the enemy, or chains that hinder her opponents?) will likely depend on the final BT.

The force materials conceptually serve as the "receiver", the ice material as the "battery", the steel materials serve as the "output" and "mainframe".

Form: A gleaming and gargantuan two-handed and twin-headed axe, its core is that of reshaped monster's bones, within which the Vestige's ice is cleverly hidden and made to fit.
The core is covered by the thick steel obtained from the shaking anvil, fully encasing it, and it's further completely covered in an additional thin layer of brass, made from the melted brass knocker.
The Axe is burnished to a shine.

PS. The usual ingredients, but hopefully an interesting effect.
...combined with...
So. We know Fa's techs (admittedly from before her current learning spree but whatever that's the info we have) are named Tyrant's Blade for the Warrior tech and Guardian's Bulwark for the Defender. I figured we could name her axe in the same style.

Name: Warlord's Delight
  • Materials: The Monster's Bones (Steel 16), Vestige's Ice (Ice 8), A Still Shaking Anvil (Steel/Force 7), Brass Knocker (Force 3)
  • Physical Description: The bones are forged into the monstrous scaffolding that outlines this savage looking double-bladed axe, filled in with the Anvil's force-imbued steel as the Vestiges's Ice runs in veins throughout and capped with a spike forged from the knocker.
  • Effect Description: "Steel is more than brute force," your Senior once told you. "It is far more than the weapons it can form. The true strength of steel is the potential it can hold and the malleability it contains." As Fa strikes, the Force created will be channeled to and feed the malleable Steel and Ice that form her weapon. With each blow given or received, Steel and Ice alloy will bleed out of the haft and over her form, forming a crystalline armor that synergizes with her own defensive techniques. As battle drags on, she grows - and her axe grows with her. Not only will this let her smash her foes harder for longer, but the potential held could be reversed as well - burning the armor into Force to propel Fa at whatever or whoever in particular she felt needed a giant axe and giant armored artist thrown at them.

Totally not ripping off the Akura bloodline armor, nearly as hard as Ves is ripping off Cradle ahem.

Yeah, Fa wants to S M A S H. So I like the idea of an effect that has her getting her Hulk on as she fights. Some people have rightly pointed out the issue she had fighting at distance and the fact that she's a bit slow, but the solution of an Archer tech baked into the axe rubs me the wrong way. Fa wants to smash with her axe. The obvious optimal solution is thus to avoid weak ass Archer nonsense and instead throw her and the axe at whatever cowardly foe is outside smashing range, so that they're now inside smashing range. She could also use it as a movement tech in general I suppose. Some sensible people lame worrywarts might point out throwing yourself at a foe is a really aggressive move, to which of course we must reply "no shit that is very much the point you pleb" and also that Fa has a good defensive suite already, so a way to leverage that by letting her get some aggressive/movement in seems a good move to make.
QM's note: These two are both great, but also very similar. So we would condense these down to one concept with influence from both concepts. The final product would use all mats specified and would end with another weapon built for a marathon, not a sprint. Only this time, it's one that would buff Fa, not debuff her opponent.
Frozen Forge.
Materials: Vestige Ice (8 Ice), Brass Knocker (3 Force), Still Shaking Anvil (7 Steel/Force)
Appearance/Crafting method:
The head and main haft of the weapon are forged of the Anvil, producing a double headed axe blade. The Vestiges ice has been repurposed into a number of blue decorations that embody the head of the axe, held in place through the ever useful angels tears, with these showing scenes of a hammer and anvil, steadily but forcefully creating an armoury that is familiar to one that is now Lost. Brass from a melted knocker is inscribed(Engraved? I don't know words) down the haft in winding patterns that perhaps look like an avalanche rushing forwards with terrifying force.

Function:
A knockers purpose is to transfer force, and such happens here. Any attack blocked with the haft of the Forge will transfer the force absorbed to he head of the Axe, ensuring that the defender is protected from attacks. But far more important is the gathering of force to act as raw material.

Ice has no inherent purpose, yet the concept of freezing, to hold something in place, is vital here. The Channelled force is frozen in place around the heads of the Axe, keeping it steady and turning it from Raw material into something that can be shaped and used.

And finally the Anvil. The Purpose of an anvil is the Act of Creation, and so it is here, where frozen force is Reshaped into the form of Axe Blades that extend from the main body, their strength reinforced through the use of Steel. These Blades can inevitably extend to a Ludicrous Size - At maximum Capacity, the overall width of the weapon would be twice that of Fa, and given they are composed of force rather than metal, the wielder will lose no speed from holding such a colossal implement of destruction.

However, much as it pains me to admit, sometimes a Giant Fuckoff Axe isn't practical, rare as those occasions can be. Therefore, an array in the handle creates a temporary barrier between the Ice Anam and the force, using the concept of steel as a wall or shield. Though instantaneous, it destabilises one of the axe head, releasing the force held within all at once, which can accelerate a blow towards an opponent or detonate it whilst still lodged within. In this way, it becomes an avalanche, slowly building a mass of Ice and Snow, to be released in one thunderous moment.

Force is the Metal. Ice is the Flame. Steel the tools that grant it new form, and the Swings of the Axewoman the mighty blows of a Master Smith. A smithy that uses no heat - A Frozen Forge.






...god I'm filled with purple prose today.

But basically, Idea is to synergise with Fa's defensiveness in a way that reduces anam Cost, gives her an Axe that can be as Fuckoff Big as she wants, and a way for her to just hit them really hard.

Edit: Oh fuck you van ropen, I totally thought of this first! :V (Not actually mad, Your idea is neat)
QM's Note: this one lends itself to a charge mechanic. It would build up charges with each use, with Fa then expending them as needed when she wants to add some extra punch to her technique.
Sing The Second Verse

* The Monster's Bones (Steel 16)
* A Still Shaking Anvil (Steel/Force 7)
* Brass Knocker (Force 3)

A marriage of brutal blades shaped from white steel bones, dark and intricate if not delicate self propelled gearwork and a polished brass spring. This appears at first as massive single bladed axe and with each blow or deflection its brass spring winds itself, storing Force for future use. The gearwork is not merely to transfer Force though, the wielder may trigger a transformation that reconfigures the weapon into a similarly sized and brutal sword, or back. As long as the brass coil has some measure of Force to spend this transformation is fast and only lends more impulse to a swing. Alternatively the wielder may choose to vent all remaining Force stored in the weapon in one blow, inefficient but deadly and tends to interact explosively with any other anam involved.

Zhi's recent experiences in making his Fractal have led him to believe flexibility is key in a charm, and that combat is best resolved with a good balance of surprise and overwhelming force applied at key moments. But ever an artist at heart there is one concession away from "merely" a weapon, the coil and gearing produce distinct notes as the weapon stores, works and releases force. Which in the hand of an expert produces simple pleasant tunes.
QM's Note: We're not nuts about the axe/sword shifting so we'd tweak it to go from axe to shield, giving it some nice symmetry with A Pond, Reflected. This one wouldn't reward Fa for winning- it would reduce damage she would take from losing, building up charges that would let her prevent damage later. Definitely the most defensive minded of these four.

Let's give it up for our five four finalists!

Just like last time, we're on approval voting here. So vote for as many or as few as you'd like. The one with the most votes by the end of the voting period will be Zhi's final plan selection for Fa's Axe!

WHO WILL WIN?! (Vote for as many as you'd like!)
[] The Rose of Battle
[] The Warlord's Companion of Steel Delight
[] The Frozen Forge
[] Sing the Second Verse
 
Housekeeping Note: And Now I Slumber
Yo, all! I'm having a bit of a quiet morning right now, so I figured this would be a good time to pop in and make a general housekeeping post. Been a hot minute since I did that... or made a post here at all that wasn't an update, a vote closing, or a clarification, come to think of it. Odd. I'll work on that. But for now, housekeeping!

First and foremost, as I've mentioned on the Discord a few times (Link in the FAQ post if anyone's looking for one!), I'm going to be taking advantage of the end of the Honeydrenched Hills arc to take a short break. I don't anticipate it going on for too long; most likely, it'll go through the end of the year and we'll start fresh in January. I was likely always going to take a breather around now but it feels especially necessary after the Murder at the Twelve Winds. That one required far more complex plotting than I'm used to, and I think I've earned my rest.

Speaking of the Murder of the Twelve Winds: I wanted to take this moment while I have all y'all's attention to thank you for the reception. It blew away any expectations I had, and it makes me so unbelievably happy that you guys enjoyed my weird lil' experiment. When we were brainstorming ideas for the Imperial Testing arc, this was one of the big set piece ideas we came up with. The fact that so many of you not only enjoyed it but got super into it made the work worth it. Every time I saw a long, obsessive post, or came back to 100+ notifications on discord, it really made my day. Honestly, you guys have been pretty great all year.

This is as good a place as any to transition to another mild tangent. Since 240 is in all likeliehood the last Path Update for the year, it feels like now is a good time to look back at 2023 in Path as a whole. Going back and looking through everything, my take away is that... well, 2022 was not a good year for me in a fair number of facets in my life, but especially in Path. I got a fair number of updates out, but I wasn't nearly as active as I wanted to be. It felt like I was working really hard at it but making very little ground, like I was mostly going through the motions. 2023, on the other hand, felt more alive. My real life got better, I got some stablity, and I think Path became less something I would work at and more something I would look forward to. You guys are a big part of that. I appreciate it more than I can properly express.

But moving on, looking back, we did some fun shit in 2023. We started by interrogating a ferret and never looked back from there. There was the Sage of Hidden Truths, who came out waymore eldritch than I had planned much to his benefit. We finally finished a long term goal and integrated Plume, which led to a really fun little scene. There was the Rose and the entirety of the Hills testing arc; that one went places I didn't expect. The YuGiOh fanboy in me adored getting a chance to delve into the insanity that is the Garden of Beasts. Then, finally, we of course had the Murder at the Twelve Winds. That one speaks for itself- and I probably won't do another, at least not with Path, or at least not for a very long time.

Seriously, my brain hurts.

But in hindsight, I think my favorite updates from the last year were 216 (Dancing in Dreams) and 239 (An Eye in the Dark). The latter, because it was a culmination of literal years of planning, but both because we got into someone else's head. I really wanted to try and make them feel different than our normal days of staring through Zhi's eyes, and rereading them, I think I succeeded. I like to think I've got a fairly distinct authorial voice, so changing it even that much feels like a big achievement.

You want to know something strange? I don't really reread my own shit often. I write it, I pass it off to Ct- who is key to this whole endeavor, even if he'd try and deny it- and then I post it. But I don't normally reread the actual finished product. The closest I come is when I need a reminder of a niggling detail I know I've hashed out before, so I go back and find the relevant bit. But I've reread the Honeydrenched Hills arc in preperation for this post. This is the hardest thing for me to say as a writer, but I really, actually think I've made some improvements since I started writing. I don't know what this paragraph has to do with literally anything, but I haven't gotten where I am today by not letting my subconcious dictate what I do with my fingers on a keyboard.

So, what's next? Next, we have the Jingyi's Summit leg of the trip. That's pretty self-evident. But that's in story. What's next out of story, once I get tired of resting on my laurels?

First: I really, desperately, truly need to do an omake round up. It's been entirely too long. I have them all saved, but I need to go through them all and reward them appropriately. My apologies for my absurd lateness in this. I'm making a promise this go round: I'm going to do it as a warm-up for when I get back from hiatus. Quote me so I remember. I have a terrible memory.

Second: there're a few little things in Path's mechanics that need tweaking. I'm not going to say what, but there are just a few slight changes that should be made. They can't be too drastic; changing too much would bring the delicate tower of cards that are the Path Mechanics down in an explosion of pain. But there'll be some improvements made that I hope boosts everyone's enjoyment of the story.

Third: Getting back to work on the First Person Path project. That is, the rewrite of everything that is 2nd Person. I think I've finally gotten a fairly solid grip on 1st Person POV, so it's time to edit, revise, and get the Royal Road Repost back up and running. Plus, this'll help me build the actual worldbuilding bible I keep meaning to assemble but never have because I have the organizational skills of a particularly obstinate sloth.

Hm. Ascended Sloth Artist. Going to make a note of that one for later.

I think that about sums it up for now. If I think of anything- read: am reminded of something I promised I'd say- I'll edit in later. But for now, thanks again for your support. I do not exaggerate at all when I say that without your support, on Patreon, on KoFi, and just by reading and talking about the story, Path probably would've ended a long time ago. So to all of you who've stuck with us here at Team Grumblejack, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Now I'm going to go not write for a few minutes.

And plot out more weird shit.

I'm thinking next, Zhi has to go through a sports arc.
 
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