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.
Breathe through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. Breathe in one more. Exhale once more. Take another breath in and hold it. Do not gasp in extra air. Do not puff your cheeks out like a gluttonous gopher. Just breathe and then allow the wind to still in your lungs.
Hold it.
Now exhale again. Breathe. Exhale. Still. Hold the air within your lungs for four beats of your heart. Breathe out, and then still for another four beats. Inhale for four beats. Still for four beats. Exhale for four beats. Still for four beats. Your breathing is a square. It is even in every way.
Do you hear your heart? Do you hear the drum beat in plays inside your body? Feel the beat of your heart as it tells you when to breathe. Let that sound wash over you and-
You feel it?
Do you feel the anam?
Take it. Draw it into your lungs. Your sleeping mind already knows how.
…
Congratulations, young master. You've done it.
You can be an Artist.
Welcome to the Delving Heart.
Welcome to The Path Unending, a Cultivation Quest! This quest is inspired by a whole bunch of various xianxia, wuxia, and other cultivation stories and quests with a bunch of other influences mixed in. In this quest you'll be taking the role of a young disciple and working your way along the Path to see what heights you can reach.
Your protagonist is currently a blank slate. There are only two things set in stone. First, he is male. Second, he has seen sixteen winters. The rest will be determined by this next vote and the next several updates. His personality is also not set in stone currently, but as he develops more into an actual character, it will become more solid with all the good and bad that that entails.
Please select one of the following backgrounds:
[] The Artisan's Son Your parents might not be nobility, but they are the next best thing. You come from a well known crafter clan skilled in making charms. Your family name is known throughout the land as a stamp of quality and well made products.
Benefits: You begin with higher economic resources and charms tailored to your strengths.
Drawbacks: You are untrained in physical combat. Your family has expectations that you will follow in their footsteps.
[] The Minstrel's Disciple There is more to life than mere survival. There is also song, and joy, and the glory of seeing the world pass by beneath your footsteps. You are the disciple of a famous showman, skilled in the arts of song and theater.
Benefits: You begin with more general knowledge of the world. You begin with knowledge of the first Step, a small advantage over untrained newcomers. You are more personable than your average disciple.
Drawbacks: Minstrels have a certain stigma you will have to overcome. Your connections are very limited. You begin with a debt that will claim more of your economic resources.
[] The Noble You are a child of privilege. Your family is high in the regard of the Imperial Court and you have been raised to one day join them at that lofty rank.
Benefits: Advancement through the first two steps is far easier thanks to familial training, with the only reason you have not already taken a Step being sect rules. You also begin with higher economic resources and more connections with others of your ilk.
Drawbacks: People will resent you for your advanced position. More is expected of you because of your early blooming. You will not have the motivation other, lesser, Artists begin with.
[] The Scholar Do you know how long the Winter Emperor reigned before being replaced by the Spring? Do you know how many drams of aura can be harvested by consuming a Late-Blooming Melon? Of course you do. You know all of that and far more besides, for you are a scholar from a great archive.
Benefits: You are far more book smart than your compatriots. You begin already knowing how to craft charms.
Drawback: Your people skills are more limited. You begin with few economic resources. You are untrained in physical combat.
[] The Slave Every man under the sun is entitled to their own body. They are allowed their own dreams, their own hopes, their own lives. Not you. For you are owned by the rich and powerful.
Benefits: You are taken care of physically. You begin trained in combat, if not cultivation. If you impress your master there are nearly endless rewards for you to gain.
Drawbacks: Your body is not your own. You answer to another disciple and are expected to heed their every order. You will begin with a negative reputation with most important people, and everyone above a certain status will expect you to kowtow to them.
[] The Urchin You know what it's like to be cold. You know what it's like to hunger. You know what it's like to grow up wondering which is more important, taking care of a gaping wound or buying a blanket to keep you warm at night. You are a child of the streets and for you, the world is a very dangerous place.
Benefits: You begin with a higher tolerance for negative situations, be they injuries, ailments, or hunger. You begin very a very high drive to improve.
Drawbacks: You begin malnourished and weaker than any other background. Others will almost to a one look down on you- even slaves. You begin with no social graces. You have no economic resources save what the sect provides.
Traits
The Blue Skies Card: Kong Zhi has earned the Blue Skies Card, a reward granted only to those the Sen hold in high esteem. He may present the Blue Skies Card to any Sen establishment along with a list of requests. The requests will be granted at the start of the next week. Obscure or expensive resources may not be available to the Sen, or they may only provide them in limited quantities or with a cost. Chui Dao, the Hammer:Your travels have netted you a very curious prize: a hammer that speaks in nonsense and contains a Kukuni within it's gemstone eye. It does not seem hostile, but who can tell what resides in the mind of such an alien creature. One thing is for sure: it appears quite useful. When using Chui Dao in charmcrafting, Kong Zhi gains +5 successes to any Craft check that involves working metal. Any charm created using Chui Dao gains 1d6 Steel Anam instead of whatever anam would normally comprise it. Use of Chui Dao in this manner seems to release the Kukuni from within. When Chui Dao is used in combat, he increases the number of dice Kong Zhi rolls for any martial technique by 25%. Furthermore, Kong Zhi can spend 1 anam to drain 1 point of hardness from anything struck by Chui Dao in addition to his normal attack. More effects may be revealed with further experimentation. Core of the Forge Eternal:Kong Zhi has taken the Soldier's Step by forging a core of Steel, Smoke, and primarily Time in the very heart of his spirit. He now generates his own unaspected anam at a rate of 2 points per day (Empathy(Primary Attribute)/3). Time Techniques are 30% less expensive to learn and use. Steel Techniques are 10% less expensive to learn and use. Smoke Techniques are 10% less expensive to learn and use. Mist Techniques are 10% more expensive to learn and use. Lightning Techniques are 10% more expensive to learn and use. Fate Techniques cost 50% more to learn and cause Kong Zhi mental stress if used. ??? Techniques cannot be learned at all. Dancers in Starlight: It has been a long and winding road, but a unique bond has formed between Kong Zhi and Mei Daiyu. At the beginning of every week, roll 1d20. On 19 or 20, Mei Daiyu's social action does not have a cost that week. Furthermore, Zhi may invite Daiyu to 1d3 other additional actions per week, and the invitation will be accepted as long as Daiyu is capable of doing so and she does not fundamentally disagree with the action. Additionally, Daiyu negates the action cost of re-entering the Legacy of the Astral Paragon. Formed From Pressure: Kong Zhi cannot, will not, allow himself to cower and hide after failure. He will always rise and attack the problem once again, twice as hard. When Kong Zhi is attempting something that he has previously failed at (fighting an opponent for the second time after losing the first, reattempting a failed charm concept, etc.), he gains +0.3 Drive. The Gifts of Tiaoyue: Kong Zhi has engaged in combat with a fearsome Blood Kukuni, and though that battle did not leave him lifeless, it left him changed in a way he will not soon forget. Physical Techniques besides 'Talon of Remembrance' and 'Raptor's Foot' are rolled with 75% of their usual dice. Dexterity Based skills are rolled with 90% of their usual dice. In well lit areas, Perception is rolled at 75% of it's usual dice. In low light areas, Perception is rolled at 125% of its usual dice. As 'Talon of Remembrance' and 'Raptor's Foot' progress, this trait will be altered. Form of the Ivory Ferryman: Through the power of the Fractal View and Kong Zhi's own ingenuity, the monstrous gifts of the blood Kukukni Tiaoyue have been washed away by the form of the Ivory Ferryman. While the form of the Ivory Ferryman is active, Kong Zhi may render himself intangible for a fraction of an instant at a moment's thought. Out of combat, each second spent intangible costs one point of anam. In combat, becoming intangible is more taxing, and instead inflicts escalating points of mental stress towards Kong Zhi's damage threshold, with the first use costing one point which then doubles each subsequent use during the same combat encounter. While intangible, Kong Zhi is immune to Warrior, Archer, Defender, Monk, and Sage techniques. A Knack for Combat: Surprisingly, you have a knack for combat. All melee techniques used in combat by Kong Zhi are treated as if they are one grade higher. The Hummingbird's Dance:Through blood, sweat, tears, and just a dash of anam, you've managed to master the basic form of the Hummingbird's Dance, a style of martial combat dedicated to elusiveness and deflection. Doing so has taught you extensive body control, allowing you to take one less point of damage whenever you lose a round of combat (minimum 1). Kong Zhi's Cycling Technique: You have taken the lessons of your family to heart and tailored them to suit your unique needs. Kong Zhi requires 10% less anam when infusing charms. Natural 1s no longer subtract successes when cycling using this breathing technique. Furthermore, his core state (EMP) is doubled when calculating his anam regeneration rate. However, his spirit is not equipped for sudden combat. Using combat techniques cost 10% more anam than they ordinarily would. Son of Kong Shuren: You are the son of Kong Shuren, artisan to the court itself. You have been raised to be a pillar of this family and it is not a task you shall fail at. When experimenting with new charm designs or crafting charms, Kong Zhi gains +0.4 drive. Pack Mentality:The last thing you expected to happen when you joined the Delving Heart was to befriend a Waste Barbarian. Despite that, a definite bond has formed between you and Nokai of the Sunholders. At the start of every week, 1d20 will be rolled. On a 19 or 20, Nokai's action (assuming she is not otherwise occupied) will not have a cost that week. An Uncomfortable Authenticity: Kong Zhi approaches wordplay much like a dog approaches advanced mathematics: with enthusiasm and energy, but not so much skill. But when he speaks the unvarnished truth, he succeeds nonetheless. As long as he speaks with blunt, open honesty, Kong Zhi gains a +1 to his Social Talent for all social roles. However, he is horribly uncomfortable with anything else. For any social rolls in which Kong Zhi attempts to obfuscate or alter the truth in any way, and for all Bluff rolls, he suffers a -1 to his Social Talent instead. Tools of a Kong: Kong Zhi is a skilled craftsman with his hands, but not every piece of art can be shaped with one's limbs alone. As such, Kong Zhi has been acquiring tools that will allow him to bring his crafts to another level.
The Shaper of Dreams: A golden, shimmering potter's rib acquired from the Sage of Hidden Truths at great risk to Kong Zhi's self. When using the Shaper of Dreams, Kong Zhi gains +2 to any dice rolled for Craft (Pottery). Anything created using the Shaper of Dreams gains 1d4 Dream Anam added to it's final total.
Upon a Throne of Smoke: Kong Zhi has integrated a technique of his master's choosing, the Elegant Plume. Such mastery causes unconscious benefits that Kong Zhi need not think about. During combat, whenever a Physical Stress Box is filled, so long as Kong Zhi has over half of his maximum anam remaining, any remaining damage is ignored as Kong Zhi's body becomes as smoke. This effect is negated should the attacker be over a Step higher than Kong Zhi or if the attack used is born of Mist Anam. Techniques
The Soldier's Step (N/A)
Traveller Technique (Any 15)
Cost: 15
Phases 2/2
Description: The Soldier's Step is the first step you shall take along your path. To take it, you must flood one of your nine spaces with as much anam as you can hold and more besides (Anam Threshold + 50%). Once your space is full, you will be able to pack it into a core, turning you from a Servant into a Soldier.
The Northern Aurochs Onslaught (Strength 3)
Warrior Technique 2 (Wood 18, War 12) (18, 12 remaining)
Cost: 2 Anam
Current Phase: 5/8
Description: The Auroch is no longer content with simple blows. Now it charges forth, leaving naught but destruction in its wake. Kong Zhi takes the Auroch into his heart and moves ever-forward, launching ceaseless blows until they find their mark.
Blooming Spear of the Auroch (Strength 2)
Warrior Technique 2 (Wood 18, Earth 12)
Cost: 2 Anam
Current Phase: 5/5 (Fully Mastered)
Description: Taking inspiration from the horns of a mighty Earthroot Ox, the Artist empowers their arms and fists with the energy of the forest and mountain. Blows using this technique can shatter stone.
Insight One: The simple strike wins the grandest war.
Insight Two: Even the bluntest of strikes can hold hidden meaning.
The Charm In Full Flight (Dexterity 4)
Warrior Technique 3 (Physical 27)
Cost: 0
Current Phase: 8/14
Description: An advanced form of the Hummingbird's Dance built around quick, deceptive movements used to distract a foe and leave them open for single, overwhelming strikes.
Hummingbird's Dance (Dexterity 2)
Warrior Technique 2 (Physical 27)
Cost: 0
Current Phase: 8/8 (FULLY MASTERED)
Description: A form of physical combat built on quick, deceptive movements and sudden throws to keep your foe disoriented.
Warhound's Cry (Resolve 3)
Scholar Technique 3 (Beast 11, Sound 6) (5, 0 till next phase)
Cost: 3 Anam
Current Phase: 2/6
Description: The Artist howls their defiance at the world, filling their lungs with the wild power of the warhound.
Stallion's Enclosed Garden (Appearance 1)
Monk Technique 2 (Beauty 21)
Cost: 1 Anam per sense deadened per turn
Current Phase: 5/5 (Fully Mastered)
Description: The artist masks their senses, rendering them unable to perceive anything using those senses. Currently, Kong Zhi is capable of masking the following senses: taste, smell, touch, sight, hearing.
Insight One: The stars are merely a guide to new places, new experiences, and to new versions of you.
Insight Two: ???
Insight Three: ???
Talon of Remembrance (Strength 2)
Warrior Technique 3 (Physical 15) (8 til next phase)
Cost: 0
Current Phase: 5/15
Description: Where once Kong Zhi had a normal arm upon his shoulder, now he bears an altered limb capped with a vicious talon.
Raptor's Foot (Dexterity 2)
Warrior Technique 3 (Physical 17) (16 til next phase)
Cost: 0
Current Phase: 6/15
Description: Where once Kong Zhi had a normal leg, now he bears a mutated limb that ends with a reptilian claw.
Shatter the Mirror (EMP 4)
Defender Technique 3 (Time 39) (13 Remaining)
Cost: 5 Anam
Phases: 5/7
Description: There was once a Vestige which could create many copies of itself. Kong Zhi is incapable of that feat, but thanks to time anam, he does not have to recreate it as is. Instead, he can pluck himself from another moment in time, having that copy do his bidding for a short period of time.
The Shadow of the Prince (CON 2)
Defender Technique 3 (Steel 20, Royalty 6) (10, 6 Remaining)
Cost: 4 Anam
Phases: 2/8
Description: As royalty is accompanied by their protectors, so too is Kong Zhi shadowed by a guardian of his own. Kong Zhi infuses their shadow with command and steel, crafting a guardian that mimics his every move.
An Elegant Plume (DEX 3)
Sage Technique 3 (Smoke 40/Wind 16)
Cost: 4 Anam
Current Phase: 6/6 (FULLY MASTERED)
Description: There is simply nothing like appearing where one does not expect, and none know it better than Kong Zhi. He becomes as the smoke and wind, turning into a dark cloud and racing through the air for short bursts with each use of this technique.
Insight One: A plume of smoke is the last heartbeat of a soul.
Insight Two: Without the wind, smoke cannot remain itself.
Insight Three: ???
Insight Four: ???
Insight Five: ???
Insight Six: ???
Sear (WIT 2)
Archer Technique 1 (Fire 13) (13 Remaining)
Cost: 1 Anam
Current Phase: 1/6
Description: The Artist unleashes a plume of fire towards their foe.
Searing Chariot (WIT 2)
Archer Technique 2 (Fire 12/Rain 3)
Cost: 2 Anam
Current Phase: 0/6 (LOCKED)
Description: The Artist weaves a cloud of flame which soars high before showering its very body down upon their foe.
Worldstream (INT 2)
Traveler Technique 3 (Wind 24) (20 Remaining)
Cost: 1 Anam
Current Phase: 2/5
Description: The Artist bends the wind around them to their will, forcing it to do their bidding.
Twilight Horizon (EMP 4)
Monk Technique 4 (Star 40/Earth 20)
Cost: 6 Anam
Current Phase: 3/8
Description: The Artist unites the guidance of the stars with the tenacity of the earth, granting them the insight of the heavens in their actions.
Inventory
Rainbow Eyes (Bracelet)
Monk Charm 1 (Light, Beauty) The Rainbow Eyes are a potent tool in the arsenal of a novice Artist. When anam is cycled through them, they smooth it and make it easier to store. If a natural 1 is rolled when cycling through the Rainbow Eyes, it is rerolled. The Rainbow Eyes can filter out 10 such natural 1 rolls before it needs to be retooled and repaired, which takes one weekly action and 1 bronze talent's worth of materials.
0charges remain.Repairs must be made before the Rainbow Eyes are effective again.
A Moment's Respite (Rings)
Monk Charm 1 (Earth) This set of bejeweled bone rings is your first finished product as a charm crafter. They draw the power of earth anam to allow you to withstand more that you otherwise could. Once per day, you may store a full box of Mental or Physical stress within this charm, freeing it and allowing you to continue on as if you were undamaged. However, before using this charm again, it will have to be emptied. When the rings are emptied, or when twenty four hours have elapsed from first storage (whichever comes first) you receive the stored stress as fresh damage. This new stress cannot be stored in this charm again.
Dance at the Midnight Crossroads (Wooden Box)
Traveler Charm 3 (Night 21/Hunger 14/Mind 5)
Trigger Cost: 5 Anam. Before this charm is used, it must be primed by cycling 20 anam of any aspect into it. Once it is ready, it can be triggered for the above anam cost, summoning the dark Rakshasa. This creature fights to aid its summoner for 8 rounds of combat before dissipating, adding an additional 20d10s7 to every technique its summoner uses.
This charm is at 20/20 anam charged and is ready to be deployed.
The Fractal View (Puzzle/Pendant)
Sage Charm 5 (Star 58/Life 25/Blood 10)
Trigger Cost: 10% of Kong Zhi's maximum anam.
Maintenance Cost: 10% of Kong Zhi's maximum anam (If Kong Zhi's anam threshold ever falls below 10% of his maximum, the Fractal View ceases to function. It must be reactivated when he has reached that threshold again by spending an action). The culmination of Zhi's current charmcrafting skills, the Fractal View is a tool designed specifically to alter Kong Zhi's form as he wills. By moving it's pieces into different configurations, Kong Zhi can take on a multitude of different forms, as many as there are stars in the sky.
To discover a new form for the Fractal View, Zhi must be inspired. He can reach a state of such inspiration by undergoing new life experiences. Moments of great emotion can trigger the inspiration, granting him new configurations for the Fractal View.
Forms currently held by the Fractal View: The Autumn Hunter.
Form of the Autumn Hunter Kong Zhi's skin takes on more of a ruddy, ruby complexion to match that of the charm while his hair takes on the tone and consistency of bronze. His feet become more human-esque while growing slightly wider to give him more stable footing. His arms and hands become slender, delicate six-fingered appendages perfect for manipulating delicate objects. Kong Zhi's eye begins to glow with a golden light that must be covered lest it blind all who look at him.
Cost: 10% of Kong Zhi's maximum threshold on activation and 10% to maintain (if Kong Zhi's anam ever drops below 10% of his maximum threshold, Fractal View ceases to function until activated again.)
Stat Bonuses: +1 App, +1 Str, +1 Res
Effect: While Fractal View is active, the effects of 'The Gifts of Tiaoyue' are suppressed. King Zhi cannot use either the Talon of Remembrance or Raptor Foot techniques while this form is active. While the form of the Autumn Hunter is active, Kong Zhi gains the following trait:
Form of the Autumn Hunter: Through the power of Fractal View and Kong Zhi's own ingenuity, the monstrous gifts of the blood Kukuni Tiaoyue have been washed away by the form of the Autumn Hunter. While the form of the Autumn Hunter is active, Kong Zhi gains one extra action per week.
Form of the Ivory Ferryman Kong Zhi's skin turns a pale ivory white and contracts, clinging to newfound musculature. His hair thins to the point where it blows back in even the lightest breeze and becomes jet black. His fingers lengthen to accommodate a fourth joint. Kong Zhi's eyes become an icy, neon blue, and the right leaves a trail of light in the air behind it if not covered.
Cost: 10% of Kong Zhi's maximum threshold on activation and 10% to maintain (if Kong Zhi's anam ever drops below 10% of his maximum threshold, Fractal View ceases to function until activated again.)
Stat Bonuses: +1 Con, +1 Wit, +1 Cha
Effect: While Fractal View is active, the effects of 'The Gifts of Tiaoyue' are suppressed. King Zhi cannot use either the Talon of Remembrance or Raptor Foot techniques while this form is active. While the form of the Ivory Ferryman is active, Kong Zhi gains the following trait:
Form of the Ivory Ferryman: Through the power of the Fractal View and Kong Zhi's own ingenuity, the monstrous gifts of the blood Kukukni Tiaoyue have been washed away by the form of the Ivory Ferryman. While the form of the Ivory Ferryman is active, Kong Zhi may render himself intangible for a fraction of an instant at a moment's thought. Out of combat, each second spent intangible costs one point of anam. In combat, becoming intangible is more taxing, and instead inflicts escalating points of mental stress towards Kong Zhi's damage threshold, with the first use costing one point which then doubles each subsequent use during the same combat encounter. While intangible, Kong Zhi is immune to Warrior, Archer, Defender, Monk, and Sage techniques.
The Sorrowborne Guardian (Totem)
Traveler Charm 4 (Raven 35/Wind 20/Rage 8)
Trigger Cost: 1 Anam Before this charm is used, it must be primed by cycling 50 anam of any aspect into it. Once it is ready, it can be triggered for the above anam cost by the individual whose anam has primed it. Once active, the Sorrowborne Guardian will mirror the user, adding its physical and spiritual weight to their actions. It adds +3d10 to any physical or mental skill check. This can be triggered as a free action, and can be activated 14 times before it must be recharged.
This charm has hidden functions. These functions require further investigation to reveal.
This charm is not primed. 0 uses remaining.
Materials on Hand: Shell Fragment (Beast 14), Still Growing Sapling (Wood/Life 13), Flowing Feathers of the Camel Turkey (Wind 4), Snake Mother's Skin (Beast 14), Desiccated Poison Sacs (Poison 15/Hunger 5), The Phantom's Hide (Steel 21), Ghastly Horns (Deception 18), Cowardly Hooves x2 (Wood 10), Free Fallen Staves (Wood 14), Nightwillow Roots (Earth/Life 7), Veilpiercer Mushrooms (Mind/Life 8), Bark of the Pearled Willow (Life/Peace 12), Pale Glowing Blossoms (Moon 13), Startouched Eggshell (Star 4), Thrice Blessed Clay (Celestial 23), Tome of the Ancient Way (Mind 35) Pills and Elixirs on Hand: An Evening's Rest (Grade 1 Healing, restores 1 PHY stress box)*, An Evening's Rest (Grade 1 Healing, restores 1 PHY stress box), The Heart of Stone (Grade 1 Earth) x2, Forged Veins (Grade 2 Steel) x4, The Ground's Plea (Grade 2 Rain Elixir) x3, Clouds Overcast (Grade 1 Rain) x4, The Ache of the Mind (Grade 2 Sound) x3, Spider's Serum (Grade 2 Beast Elixir) x6, Summit Air (Grade 4 Wind) x8 Purse: 32 Bronze Talents Record Token: 1 Sect Points, 3 Techniques (Soldier Grade: 1(Searing Chariot), Sage Grade: 2(Shadow of the Prince, An Elegant Plume)) Earthly Possessions: A Sight to See, The Wandering Manor, Mundane Travel Supplies, Mundane Crafting Supplies (28), Immortal Travel Rations (2 Months), The Emerging Colossus (Garden of Beasts Sect, Top Grade), A Mysterious Pot, Miststeel Herbalist Tools
The Kong Family
Kong Bi (4): Your aunt, and an eccentric to say the least.
-Fumio (0): One of Auntie Bi's lovers who is either her concubine or her husband. A skilled spiritual gardener.
-Hai (0): One of Auntie Bi's lovers who is either her concubine or her husband. A hunter and butcher of great renown.
-Manzao (0): One of Auntie Bi's lovers who is either her concubine or her husband. A refiner of great talent.
Kong Cui (1): Your boisterous, friendly cousin who taught you the Kong Family Cycling technique. She currently residing within the Breath Undying sect, where she has risen to the high color of Green.
Kong De (-1): Your honored, mildly arrogant cousin. He stands high in the hierarchy of the Cerulean Summer sect. The elder brother of Zan and Na.
Kong Fang (0): Your uncle, and a bit of a lush.
Kong Na (0): Your much younger cousin, still wide-eyed and innocent. That's no excuse for poor rune placement though. The younger sister of De and Zan.
Kong Qiu (0): Your first cousin, twice removed, who soldiers on as an artisan with only one hand.
Kong Ru (5): Your mother, a talented musician, composer, and the very ideal of a lady.
Kong Shuren (5): Your father, an artisan gifted beyond compare, and the Patriarch of the Kong Clan.
-He Ning (1): Your father's first concubine and primary assistant.
Kong Yi (0): Your Granduncle, and the one to teach you the unpleasant art of reading a charm diagram. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
Kong Zan (0): Your quiet cousin of an age with you. The younger brother of De and the elder of Na.
Kong Zhi (N/A): This is you!
Elders of the Delving Heart
Elder Fensui (-): An elder of the Delving Heart that you have not met. He is spoken of as being skilled in combat.
Elder Hotei (-): An elder of the Delving Heart that you have not met. He is spoken of as one who values good judgement.
Elder Lei (-): An ascended spirit frog who stands at the head of the sect's inner defense.
Elder Sela (0): An ascended tree grown from the first sapling ever planted within the Delving Heart.
Elder Siani (1): A strange elder who appeared to you as you were forging your core. He does not seem to be spoken of by most of the sect.
Elder Tantoi (-): An authoritative elder who rules over the sect's administration. She resembles an elephant and seems to have some mastery of beast anam.
Elder Tian (-): An enormous elder who is always found working a forge. He is in charge of the Creator's Garden, the hub of all crafting within the Delving Heart.
Elder Yixue (-): An older elder with the face of a young woman. She is the foremost refiner in the sect, and claims dominion over the hospital.
Disciples of the Delving Heart The Administration
Huo Shi (0): A scarred disciple who is very proud of his family's wealth. He is betrothed to Mo Hanying.
Lian Zan (-): A flighty disciple who fancies himself a poet. He seeks to impress Mo Hanying.
Moshui Shimoin (0): A kindly disciple of the Sixth Circle who works under Elder Tantoi in the archives.
Tang Hai (-): A large disciple who walks around bare chested, wearing a cape. Seems to work for Elder Tantoi.
Teng Lim (1): A nervous, diminutive disciple with heavy spectacles.
Yi Tai (1): A martial specialist who seems very frail for his chosen path.
The Caretakers
Jetei (0): A foreigner beneath Elder Siani who stands in the Fifth Circle.
Kumi (1): A smaller disciple who seems very quiet. Is a member of the Seventh Circle.
Sima Tun (0): A short, stout, and loud disciple who enjoys food. He is a member of the Sixth Circle.
Sun Yijun (0): A very tired disciple who is often found sleeping.
Xiong Eryu (0): A refined elder disciple of the Third Circle who works under Elder Siani.
Wugui (1): A heavily altered disciple who seems to be taking the form of a turtle who is a member of the Fifth Circle.
The Creator's Garden
Ame Jichong (0): A Sixth Circle charmcrafter who specializes in weapons and armor. She is happy to talk with anyone, as long as they address her properly.
Fan Zhao (-1): A stocky charmcrafter who seeks to earn the patronage of Mo Hanying.
Meng Cai (0): An experienced artisan of the Fifth Circle skilled in the working of wood. Has very high standards for what he will even sit on. Was once your tutor.
Shu of Noontide Star (1): A very high strung Seventh Circle Disciple, he seems to spend a lot of time being dragged places by his more Senior friends.
The Court of the Beating Heart
Deng Guoling (-): An herbalist who keeps a well-tended garden. He does not seem have a care in the world beyond his plants.
Gao Ning (-): A smaller disciple who seeks to impress Mo Hanying.
Jai Shouxi (3): One half of the Jai Twins and one of your roommates. He is a refiner and politician in training who can enter an altered mental state if need be.
Yi Delun (0): A brewer who utterly despises Ming Hui and his 'shoddy' methods of food preparation.
The Court of Preservation
Bihai of Sunless Heaven (1): An exuberant martial disciple with an abudence of both titles and admiration for Jai Fa.
Chaoyun (1): An awoken Spirit Beast who was once a lizard of some sorts, this disciple enjoys basking in the heat of the Bathhouse.
Wei Rong (-): A towering disciple who is beginning to cover himself in tattoos. He seeks to impress Mo Hanying.
Xu Yun (3): A martial specialist, and a son of sailors. Seems infatuated with Mei Daiyu.
The Grove
Boli Guozao (2): A charmcrafter of slight stature who specializes in architecture.
He Kwoo (-1): A charmcrafter with talent in the trade and a skill at gaining the assistance of others.
Peng Ah: (0): A quiet, plain disciple. She seems desperate to improve her knowledge and has tried a number of different paths.
Siau Satai (1): A small, friendly disciple of common birth. She has raw talent in charmcrafting, but has no training to realize her gifts.
Song Douyan (1): A charming, pretty charmcrafter who takes pride in her position as the second-best jewelcrafter in the Prospector's Courtyard.
Ta Riou (2): A sandy-haired disciple with an interest in body modification techniques. She is also a charmcrafter of no small talent who specializes in glass.
Teng Kang (-): A studious disciple who was happy to give you direction on your first day.
Xi Weixiao (1): An artist who is perpetually half-bandaged. Such bindings do not stop her from working at her craft every hour of every day.
The Imperial Hand
Bei Meifeng (1): A self-styled relaxation expert who spends a great deal of time within the Bathhouse.
Mei Daiyu (4): A martial specialist, and the most beautiful girl you have ever seen. Grew up following a minstrel until their unfortunate demise.
Ming Hui (1): A jovial disciple whose frame speaks of his love of food. He wishes to become an Immortal Chef.
Mo Hanying (1): The daughter of a general for the Steadfast Court, and Nokai's roommate. Every word she says seems to have three meanings. She is betrothed to Huo Shi.
Zhuan Kun (2): A noble disciple who seems dedicated to his martial skills.
The Stone Fist
Geng Tu (-3): A stocky disciple who speaks very loudly. He has some sort of connection to the Steadfast Court.
Hao Zan (-3): One of Geng Tu's assocaites, his is tall and perpetually scowling.
Jai Fa (3): One half of the Jai Twins and one of your roommates. She is a martial specialist and one of your closest friends at the sect.
Nokai (4): A waste barbarian who is very friendly. She doesn't seem like she wants to eat your bones at all!
-Lan (-): A mid sized dog with copious hair that follows Nokai.
-Lu (-): A small dog that follows Nokai.
-Xue (❤): A small, fluffy dog that follows Nokai and thinks that Kong Zhi is just the greatest.
-Zhao (-): A large, muscular dog who follows Nokai.
Yao Haishen (-3): A short, broad disciple who following in Geng Tu's wake.
Those Who Have Departed
Jin Yazhu (-2): A disciple from the Jin Family, who dare to think themselves superior to the Kong Family. He is an exemplar of his family's most notable traits: rudeness, arrogance, and an utter lack of good sense.
Townsfolk and Civilians
Cu Ghi (-): An older woman who lives in the village above the Delving Heart. Seems to be good natured and eccentric in even parts.
Zheng (-): A butcher in the village above the Delving Heart.
Spiritual Entities
Chui Dao (?): A steel kukuni that lives within your hammer and emerges whenever you use it to strike metal.
Tiaoyue (-): A blood kukuni that dwells in the wilds of the Delving Heart. Fancies itself a bit of a surgeon.
Figures of Authority
The Emperor-In-Steel (-): The ruler of the Radiant Empire, in which you reside.
-Clerk Ni Weiyan (1): A young bureaucrat in the service of His Imperial Glory. He is responsible for your leg of the Grand Examination.
The Noontide Tyrant (-): A powerful waste barbarian that once posed a grave threat to the Radiant Empire.
The Path Unending will be running on a slightly more crunchy set of mechanics than I'm used to. I typically run my quests on a strictly narrative basis but I think this setting and type of quest lends itself very nicely to something with a little more meat on it. So this quest is going to have a whole bunch of dice in it; it should be fun! However, as I am not used to this style quest, expect some growing pains. I will likely revise these mechanics as needed if something proves too weak, too broken, or just unnecessary.
This quest will run on a heavily modified version of the Storyteller system. If you don't know the storyteller system, it's pretty straight forward. You roll a d10. If you get above a certain number, you get a success. If you get a 10, you get a success and you get to reroll. If you roll a 1, you lose a success. After you're done rolling, you total up all the successes and 1s and see what the final result is.
Your Character
Attributes
Attributes are the basic parts of any character. They are their mental, physical, and social abilities quantified and dictate a vast number of things that your Artist can do. Attributes govern what techniques you can learn, what elixirs you can handle, and how much damage you can take amongst other things. They are:
Skills
Skills are things that the Artist has put effort into learning or has been tutored in. There is no set number of skills; there are as many skills are there are stars in the sky. Skills dictate how many dice you roll on any set task. Someone with a skill of 1 in pottery making will roll one die when attempting to make a flower pot for example, while someone with a skill of 8 in stealth will have a substantial advantage when they try to sneak in the hidden treasure grove of the Departed King.
If an Artist attempts something that they have no skill in, they still get to roll one die. However, only a ten succeeds.
Every skill falls under the umbrella of one of the earlier attributes, and that attribute determines its cap. A skill is capped at a level equal to a skill's governing attribute times five.
Talents
No matter how hard someone practices or how much someone trains, someone with Talent will always be at an advantage. Talent dictates what the success threshold is for any die rolled, and are divided up into four categories (Mental, Physical, Social, and Spiritual) with scores from 1-8. Someone with Social Talent 1 will only succeed in a social situation on a roll of 9 or 10 while someone with Physical Talent 4 will only have to roll 6 or higher on any task involving physical might.
Talent is determined by averaging out the relevant attributes. Averaging together Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity reveals your physical talent. The average of Intelligence, Resolve, and Wits shows your mental talent. The average of Appearance, Charisma, and Empathy reveals your social talent. As for spiritual talent, it takes the average of one attribute from each section: Strength, Resolve, and Empathy.
Traits
Your artist is more than just numbers. What isn't covered by any of the above is exemplified by traits. Traits are details about your character that can impact any situation if they are prompted, and can take any form. Someone with the traits 'Pasta's Mortal Enemy' can gain additional dice when in combat against Spaghetti themed enemies, or someone with the 'Like a Led Zepplin' will gain a bonus to talent during concerts. But they can also negatively affect your situation. Someone who has a 'Fear of the Deep' trait had best keep away from the ocean, while someone who is 'Lost without a Bow' had best always walk around prepared for archery.
Traits occur over the course of the quest and can be grown or reduced with consistent action. Experiment with your Artist and see what pops out!
Drive
The last building block of your character is their drive. Drive is your character's raw willpower and their ability to keep motivation through any circumstances. Drive is represented by a simple number, usually one digit and a decimal place. An average person with no flaws and no great motivations has a drive of 1.0. A privileged noble who never has to work for anything might have a drive of 0.8 or lower, and a young upstart desperate to succeed may have a drive of 1.5 or even 2.0. For the record, the higher your drive is, the better.
Changing one's drive is not an easy task- you can't just tell yourself you'll work harder and then do so after all- but it can be done. Great events in a character's life can either grow or reduce their drive accordingly.
Relationships
No man is an island, especially in the Delving Heart. Your connections to those around you are measured through your relationships. When a new relationship is formed, it tends to start at 0, signifying a perfectly neutral stance between you and your new acquaintance. As you interact with them more and more, your relationship changes on a sliding scale, ranging from 5 to -5. The ranks are:
5: Kin. This person's feeling for you has gone beyond like, beyond love, beyond the normal standard of friendship. They will start a war if they hear someone speak poorly of you and if it kills ten thousand people, as long as they remove the enemies head from their shoulders they will consider it a cheap price. (NOTE: This rank is very difficult to obtain.)
4: Ally. This person has your back. It doesn't matter the situation or the opposition. If you're in trouble they'll be there to bail you out in a flash. It doesn't matter if helping you harms them- they'll do it anyway. That's how much they value your relationship.
3: Good Friend. This person thinks you're just great. They'll keep you in mind in most situations and put a good word in for you if they think you'll benefit. After all, you'll do the same for them!
2: Friend. This person enjoys spending time with you. They will seek you out when they lack other things to do and will make space for you to sit by them if you're so inclined.
1: Acquaintance. This person is favorably inclined towards you. They will greet you in passing and wish you well if you are injured. At the very least they remember your name.
0: Neutral. You and this person are vaguely aware that the other exists. Perhaps you have exchanged a word or two. Nothing further.
-1: Annoyance. This person is not a fan of yours and the feeling is likely mutual. Perhaps they sat in your typical spot during a lecture or you forgot to give them a message from a friend.
-2: Rival. This person does not like you at all and is determined to make certain you know it. They will go out of their way to make certain you're aware when they beat you and laugh about you to their friends.
-3: Foe. This person has gone from disliking you and hoping you fail to actively harming you. They will sabotage you if given half a chance and laugh as you suffer.
-4: Enemy. This person hates you plain and simple. If you were dying of thirst, they would pretend to give you water only to pour it out over the desert sands.
-5: Nemesis. What this person feels for you is beyond hate, beyond reason, beyond any kind of good sense. There is one thing that matters to them and it is your complete and utter destruction. If any in this world still know your name by the time they're done with you, they will consider it a failure. (NOTE: This rank is very difficult to attain. Thankfully.)
Stress
The life of an Artist is not a safe one; indeed, it is one of the most dangerous in existence. As such they can receive injury in a variety of ways. These injuries and the ability to absorb them is represented by stress. Stress comes in a variety of forms.
Physical Stress is damage taken from direct confrontations, overtraining, or attempting to hold more anam than your body can take. Taking too much stress can lead to physical ailments, crippled limbs, or even death. Mental Stress is damage absorbed directly by your psyche, which can come from losing a taxing mental struggle, psychic attacks, or improper attempts at ascension. Consequences for taking too much mental stress are loss of motor functions, crippling headaches, or perhaps braindeath. Social Stress is damage absorbed by your reputation, which can come from malicious rumors, smear campaigns, or familial disapproval. Consequences for taking too much social stress can be a loss of face, relationship damage, shunning, or even exile.
An Artist begins with two stress boxes for each type of stress and adds more depending on the relevant attributes. They gain a number of physical stress boxes equal to Constitution/2, a number of mental stress boxes equal to Wits/2, and a number of social stress boxes equal to Charisma/2. If all of the stress boxes on any track are filled at the same time, then the Artist has lost their conflict. They must fall unconscious/into a stupor/flee in shame.
Filled stress boxes can be emptied once again via a variety of methods. Physical stress boxes are the easiest to remedy. They can be emptied via cycling (each point of anam spent healing restores two points to the damage threshold), through actions, or simply by waiting. Each week spent without gaining more physical stress restores points to your damage threshold equal to your CON score.
Mental and Social stress are far less simple to deal with. They can only be cleared via player actions designed to refresh your mind or rehabilitate your reputation.
The Trappings of the Path
Pills, Elixirs, and other medicines
Pills and Elixirs (as well as other medicines) are drugs and training aids created from anam rich materials and ingested by the Artist to gain extra power or some other benefit. Each medicine is given a grade and an element. When ingested, the medicine grants anam of that element to the artist equal to the grade times five.If the Artist is attuned to an aspect opposed by that of the pill, they only gain half of it's stated effect.
When taking pills or elixirs during the weekly plan, your CON dictates how many you can take and what strength they will be. You may take up to your CON score number of pills per action, and each pill you take must be equal to or lower than your CON score times 2. You cannot safely cycle more than that and still gain their full effects. If you attempt to take a pill stronger than CONx2, you may receive it's full benefits, but stress will be assigned based on how strong the pill is and other factors surrounding the pill-cycling.
Zi Chen is preparing to cycle for a new technique that requires Steel Anam, but she knows of no Natural Wonder strong in metal. Luckily, she is boon companions with Wei Fang, who is skilled in the art of refining pills. Wei Fang is able to get her a pill he calls the Scouring Jewel of the Earth. Despite it's grandiose name, it is a very simple Grade 2 Steel pill. Zi Chen takes it without question. Her body is soon flooded by 10 points of steel anam- more than enough to cycle towards her new technique.
Charms
Charms are items made from materials rich in anam and assembled with skill and care by talented craftsmen to grant a variety of effects. A Charm can be anything. It could be a weapon, it could be a bracelet, it could be part of a shirt. There are no limits to the number of forms a charm can take.
There is also no limit for the number of different effects a charm can have. Some charms give an Artist additional skill when it comes to specific elements. Others can function as storage compartments, opening up to allow their Artist to hide treasures within. Still others can make an Artist stronger, or allow them to store additional Anam. Each charm is it's own animal; no two are alike.
For more information, please check the 'Charmcrafting' section, below.
Natural Wonders
A Natural Wonder is a site that is rich in anam. It can be a roaring waterfall that oozes with water-aspected anam or perhaps a cave filled to the brim with jade stalagmites that teems with the power of earth. They are essential for cycling and finding ones that speak to an Artist's nature is one of the most important tasks they will undertake.
However, not all Natural Wonders are created equal. Each Natural Wonder is, mechanically, made up of two parts. The first is it's aspects. These are keywords that define the kinds of anam that can be cycled at this location. The second is it's rating, which is a number that ranges from 1 to… anything, honestly. There is no limit to how powerful a Natural Wonder can be. An Artist can only cultivate anam at a Natural Wonder equal to it's rating every week. If they try to draw any more, the Wonder simply won't have any more to give. Repeated attempts will prove fruitless and could even damage this blessed place.
Zi Chen has stumbled across a new Natural Wonder, a seam in a cave that glows with uncut gemstones that she has dubbed The Ruby Scar. After study, it is revealed that the Ruby Scar emanates Earth and Fire anam, as well as just a touch of Beast from the nearby colony of bats. It has a rating of 300. Zi Chen is overjoyed. Clearly with this new resource to draw from- and with no one else to compete with- Zi Chen will be able to harvest a great deal of anam.
Teachers
Natural Wonders are not the only things that can be cycled from, though. An Artist can also cycle from another Artist who is a Teacher or above, taking the generously donated anam of a senior as their own. This can only be done from a willing Artist who is assisting the process, allowing their own anam to act freely.
Cycling from Teachers is not without risk. A Teacher's anam is far more concentrated than that of a Natural Wonder, and so cycling from it can damage the lesser Artist if they are not careful. Each action spent cycling from a teacher also fills one box of stress. The type of stress taken is dependent on the aspect of anam cycled (Fire anam would give physical stress, Royalty anam would give social stress, Joy anam would give mental stress, etc.)
Techniques
Any drunk can flail around like a deranged ape, and any Artist who's broken into the realm of the Servant can throw anam around like brightly colored streamers. To truly utilize the power that courses through an Artist's body, they need techniques. Techniques are physical and spiritual skills that harness and focus an Artist's anam and use it for great effect. They can be taught by tutors, studied in archives, or discovered deep in the depths of a decrepit ruin. Below is an example technique:
The Sun's Regard (Appearance 2)
Archer Technique 1 (Fire 20, Heavens 5)
Cost: 1 Anam
Phases: 3
Description: The Artist draws some small portion of the sun's uncaring gaze into their own features, allowing its heat to to emanate from every pore. Anything they look at risks being lit aflame.
Now let's explore the anatomy of the Sun's Regard.
First, we have it's name. That's straight forward: this technique is named the Sun's Regard.
After that, we have an attribute and a number in parentheses. This is the requirement to learn this technique. In this case, to even begin mastery of the Sun's Regard, the Artist must have an Appearance of 2.
Then we have the type of technique. The Sun's Regard is an Archer technique, which means it is used to directly harm an opponent from range and is extremely effective against Defender Techniques. Other types of technique include Defender (Physical resistance, effective against Warrior Techniques), Warrior (Melee combat, effective against Archer Techniques), Monk (Mental and Spiritual fortitude, effective against Scholar Techniques), Scholar (Ephemeral psychic attacks that focus on the mind, effective against Sage Techniques), and Sage(Spiritual attacks and transformations, effective against Monk). There are also Traveller Techniques, which are not affected or especially effective against any other type of technique, and can encompass a variety of effects not embodied by the other techniques.
Next to the technique type, we have a number that ranges from 1 to 9. This is the technique's grade. This tells you what the success point is for any dice you roll involving this technique is. You subtract the grade from 10, and the result is what you must roll. The Sun's Embrace is grade 1, meaning that when you utilize it, you must roll a 9 or higher to gain a success.
Beside the grade is the technique's aspects in parentheses. To learn the Sun's Regard, an Artist must cycle 20 fire anam and 5 heavens anam into it. This does not all have to be done at once. The Artist can cycle 10 fire anam into it at one time and then come back to it later, for example.
The aspects are also important in another way: once it's mastered, the aspects dictate the number of dice that are rolled when the technique is used. So if an Artist masters the Sun's Regard and then uses it on someone, they can roll 20 fire dice and 5 heavens dice! This is no small feat!
After that comes the cost. The cost is the amount of anam an Artist has to pay to activate the technique. So in order to use the Sun's Regard, an Artist must have 1 Anam within their body and be able to pay it.
Below that is the phases.This is the number of times that the technique can be cycled upon, and the number of times that an Artist can send it anam to unlock new stages and effects. So in this case, the Sun's Regard has 3 phases. After learning it by meeting its aspects (20 fire anam and 5 heavens anam), an Artist can continue to cycle and meet it's aspects once again. Once it receives a further 20 fire anam and 5 heavens anam, it's aspects will improve, giving it more power when it is utilized. Other effects can include a reduction in cost, new aspects being unlocked, or even passive effects that don't require the technique to be active to effect the world. When a technique's final phase as achieved, the technique is 'mastered' for the time being, and integrated with the Artist's body and soul, providing a bonus effect and unlocking the technique's initial insight.
Finally, there is the description. This tells you what the technique actually does and includes any information or passive effects you might need to know.
Now let's walk through someone learning a new technique.
Zi Chen has recently triumphed over her most hated enemy, Teng Huan, in a competition of skill and bravery. As a reward, Elder Guo has decreed that Zi Chen has earned the right to pick one technique from the lesser archives. Zi Chen knows that this rare opportunity is nothing to turn her nose up at. She wastes no time in rushing to the archives to select her new technique.
Upon entering the archives she begins to search for a new Defender technique. After all, Teng Huan will not take his humiliation lying down, and he is feared for his Warrior techniques. Zi Chen had best be prepared. After hours of searching she uncovers one that seems promising: the Monsoon's Skin. This technique allows Zi Chen to pull water from a nearby source and surround herself with it like the strongest armor. It should be more than a match for whatever Teng Huan brings to bear.
After checking the requirements, Zi Chen is further enthused. The Monsoon's Skin requires Constiution 3, which Zi Chen has. It's aspects are even more heartening; it needs 30 Water Anam and 10 Steel Anam. Zi Chen has recently discovered Creation's Footstep, a lake that is a Natural Wonder that gives off more than enough water anam to fuel this new technique. The steel anam will be more difficult to obtain, but she can draw drips and drabs of it from the various forges and smiths that fill the sect.
Zi Chen heads to Creation's Footstep immediately and begins cycling. After several days she has drawn enough water anam. Soon after she makes her way to the forge of her friend, Xiong Jie, and cycles the anam that comes from his weapon crafting. Before long she has the steel anam she so badly needs.
Zi Chen has mastered the first phase of the Monsoon's Skin. Now, when Teng Huan next comes for his revenge- no doubt from behind without warning like the honorless cur that he is- Zi Chen will be able to summon 40d10 worth of defense for just 10 anam. But she doubts that will be enough. Monsoon's Skin has 6 phases after all. She'll strive to cultivate another 30 water and 10 steel anam before the month is out so that she can master the next phase; you can never be too careful when it comes to scum like Teng Huan.
Insights
Of course, integrating a technique is not the same thing as fully mastering it. You cannot master a technique any more than you can master yourself: there is always more to do. But once a technique is integrated, it has progressed as far as it can with your current understanding of it. To go any further, you need something additional. You need Insights.
What is an insight? An insight is a lesson taken from growing and experiencing new things. Once a technique is integrated, it is possible to gain an insight into it's nature from pretty much anything. A particularly delicious meal could inspire you as to the true nature of water, a vicious battle can impress upon you the importance of peace, swimming for a thousand leagues can teach you the ways of ice, and more besides.
Each technique requires a different number of insights to evolve. Techniques you have invented yourself are easiest to improve, as they are raw and unrefined. Techniques learned from others have already evolved before, and are thus harder to improve further. A technique you learned by contemplating a waterfall might require only a pair of insights to get better, while one handed down through the generations could take half a dozen.
Evolving a technique is an important step in every Artist's path. It allows them to push it to greater heights, and importantly, allows them to integrate it once again, providing further boons. And once it reaches full integration again? Well, then it is eligible for further insights, and the path continues on.
One further note: this is not called the Path That Sometimes Ends. This is the Path Unending. As such, no technique is ever fully perfect. There will always be another Insight that can further your understanding of a technique. To rest on one's laurels is to know defeat, and no Artist worth their elaborate kung fu stance will ever be satisfied with something being partially complete. So always keep an eye out for Insights and think about how different actions may affect your various techniques.
After losing a duel to the dastardly Teng Huan, Zi Chen finds herself in dire need of a new technique. As she lacks the sect points needed to purchase one from the Archives, she decides to hunt through the wilderness and see what inspires her. A quick battle with a family of High Horn Toads is just the thing she needs, and she is inspired by their motion to create Toad Upon The Lillipad, a Water/Life Defender technique. As Zi Chen is a genius beyond peer, she is quickly able to cycle from a natural wonder to fuel it, integrating it when it reaches phase 4.
But that is not enough for Zi Chen. A normal Artist may be satisfied with yet another tool in their arsenal, but not one such as she. She is one who will shake the heavens themselves, and as such she cannot allow any creation of hers to be average. So she begins to seek out insights to better understand the nature of the Toad Upon The Lillipad. One insight was already revealed to her upon integration (To lift a peaceful toad is to invite despair), but she needs another pair to push it to new heights.
After a month of revelry, another insight is revealed when Zi Chen drains the Scheming Stoat gambling den of every last drop of it's liquor (The true importance of water is only revealed when there is none). The next quickly follows when she strikes down a family of Warbound Shrikes when they attempt to assault a caravan of traders (The truest expression of power is height). Upon receiving these insights, her technique evolves, becoming The Toad Devours, an 8 phase Water/Life/Beast Defender Technique! Zi Chen can hardly wait to evolve it even further. Teng Huan will never know what hit him!
Actions on the Path
Cycling
Cycling is the process by which an Artist absorbs anam from the environment into their body so they can use it for their own purposes. Everything within the Path Unending begins with cycling. Without anam, you can't perform the simplest techniques, and without cycling, you can't absorb Anam.
The formula for Cycling is as follows: (Xd10sY)D+O, where X is your cycling skill, Y is your spiritual talent, D is your drive, and O is any other factors that may be involved such as charms and medicines.
An Artist can only hold so much Anam within them at any given point before it begins to damage them. This threshold is dictated by their attributes and talents. An Anam Threshold is equal to (Resolve+Constitution)*Physical Talent. If they attempt to absorb more than their threshold, they succeed, but take one box of physical and mental stress. If they continue to cycle, once they reach 1.5 times their threshold, they receive another box on both tracks. For every 50% above their threshold they attempt to cycle, they gain another point on both tracks. The penalties continue to escalate as more and more is drawn.
Zi Chen, an Artist on the Farmer's Step, has discovered the House of the Ape, a natural wonder deep in the forest of Widow's Tears. She isn't one to let a natural wonder go untapped, so she sits down to cycle.
Zi Chen is a very talented cultivator to whom most things come easily (Spiritual Talent 4), so she hasn't bothered refining her breathing technique in years (Cycling Skill 6). What's more, she has begun to coast on her natural skills and she is not working as hard as she could (Drive 0.7). She also currently lacks any aid in the form of charms, allies, or pills.
Zi Chen's cultivation formula looks like this: 6d10s6*0.7
We roll. Luck is with Zi Chen on this day! Furthermore, two of those successes are 10s! She rerolls them and gets one further success. Zi Chen has rolled seven successes, and so harvests seven points of Anam from the House of the Ape that she can do with as she pleases! Thankfully her Anam Threshold is 36, more than enough to comfortably hold all that Anam.
Combat
Even the most peaceful Artist knows that at some point, they will be called upon to show their skills in the theatre of combat. In battle an Artist unleashes their powers against an enemy Artist, a ravenous beast, or an opposing Army with all the skill they can muster.
Combat begins with the two parties comparing Dexterity Attributes. Whoever has the highest Dexterity seizes the Tempo, and chooses what technique to use first. The Tempo holder chooses their first technique, factors in any bonuses from skills, charms, passive techniques, technique effectiveness bonuses, and other factors, and rolls their die pool. The other combatant then does the same with their technique and rolls their die pool.
The two combatants then compare their success totals. Whoever has the most successes wins this round of combat. The loser's successes are subtracted from the winners, and the resulting number is added to a tally. The battle then continues with whoever won the previous round of combat seizing Tempo and rolling first.
Damage is dealt when a combatant's tallied successes equal the opponent's damage threshold (which is determined by averaging Constitution, Wits, and Charisma then multiplying it by 4). When this happens, the opponent is dealt one box of stress of a type consistent with the technique they were most recently hit with. If the threshold is exceeded by a certain amount (the default is by half again of the base threshold), then the combatant is dealt an Injury- a negative type of trait which lingers on past this combat. The type of injury is determined by the technique that deals the blow.
If the opponent still has a stress box remaining unfilled, combat continues. If the opponent has filled in their last stress box, they lose the combat. They are defeated, and the victor can grant them a consequence of their choice.
Zi Chen cannot take another word of Teng Huan's prideful boasting. For too long she has had to hear him talk about how good a cook his mother is- clearly better than Zi Chen's- how large his estate is- his own, he's sure to mention, unlike Zi Chen who lives with her family- and how much more adorable his dog is than Zi Chen's pampered Shadow Cat. Clearly Zi Chen has no recourse besides confronting Teng Huan in honorable combat.
Zi Chen has a Dex Attribute of 3. That is more than enough to claim Tempo from Teng Huan with his pitiful Dex of 2. She decides she wants to end this as quickly as it has begun. She pays 5 Anam from her core to unleash her Archer Technique, the Hummingbird's Spear (Grade 2, Wood 15). Teng Huan counters with his Soul Technique, Sandalwood Cloak (Grade 3, Wood 10). Neither have any passive techniques or other modifiers affecting their rolls, and Archer and Soul techniques have no special interaction, so they begin to roll. Zi Chen rolls 8 successes, while Teng Huan rolls a measly 3. Zi Chen tallies the resulting 5 successes and retains Tempo.
Zi Chen sees no reason why she should not continue with what is working. She attacks once more with the Hummingbird's Spear. But Teng Huan decides to alter his tactics. He sees no reason to remain on the defensive when it does him no good. He darts in with the Warrior Technique Viper's Thrashing Dance (Grade 2, Poison 20). This time, because Warrior techniques are effective against Archer techniques, Teng Huan's successes are multiplied by 1.5. This results in Teng Huan obtaining 11 successes to Zi Chen's paltry 7. Teng Huan tallies 4 successes and seizes Tempo.
This battle rages on for several more rounds, but Teng Huan is the first to reach Zi Chen's damage threshold (16). He deals her one box of physical stress, laying her flat on the ground with a mighty kick. Zi Chen still has a physical stress box unfilled. She could choose to continue the fight if she so desired. But in the brief moment it takes her to scramble to her feet, Elder Wu interrupts. He decrees this duel over, and Teng Huan the victor. Zi Chen is left to stew.
Teng Huan has escaped her… for now.
Combat Qualities
Not all combatants are created equal. Some have special qualities that can further effect the flow of combat. Listed below are all of the Qualities that Kong Zhi has encountered, and what effects each of them have.
Hardness: A creature with hardness is far more difficult to damage. When a creature has Hardness, it is given a Hardness rating (Example: Hardness 2). To damage a creature with Hardness, the successes differential in a round of combat must be greater than the losing creature's Hardness Rating. If it is not, no damage is dealt. If it is, damage is dealt as normal, with no further reductions.
Ascension
There is but one goal when you walk the path: taking the next step. This process is called Ascension. To ascend, to take a step, one transforms themself into something greater than what they once were. Through Ascension an Artist can gain great power, leave behind human concerns like food or sleep, become a conduit for powers greater than themselves, and one day scratch and claw to the heights of the world- if they have the talent, the skill, and the will.
Every Step on the Path of Ascension is different. Some will function very similarly to techniques, while others will require something more. That something more will be revealed as you discover it.
Kong Zhi's Guide to Tasks
Charmcrafting
Crafting a charm is imposing one's will on anam, the very heartbeat of the world. As such, it is no easy feat, and requires a complex language of runes and glyphs that can take generations to truly master. Or, alternatively, one can be a Kong, and things become much simpler. But even for Kong Zhi, Charmcrafting is not an easy process. It is an involved act that requires planning, forethought, and careful consideration.
There are three phases in crafting a charm. Each will be delved into below.
The first phase of Charmcrafting is research and design (R&D). In this phase, you decide what kind of charm you want to make. As a Kong, you only really have two decisions to make. First, you must decide what you actually want the charm to do. Second, you must decide what charm crafting materials you wish to use to bring these effects to life.
Once those things are decided, Kong Zhi must acquire these materials. Materials can be bought, they can be won, they can be found, and they can be taken off the bodies of your foes. Poor quality materials harm the design of the charm and good ones can provide a bonus. Further bonuses can be gained for different tools, an environment rich in the proper anam aspect, and many other ways that will be discovered.
Once those things are set, we must establish this charm's 'Build Target (BT). A charm's BT is a measure of it's power and utility, and it will be key in the next two phases of charmcrafting. To establish the BT, Kong Zhi rolls his Craft (Charm) skill twice, factors in all bonuses from suitable environments, tools, drive, and anything else, and then adds the scores provided by materials used.
The second phase of crafting a charm is the Construction phase. In this phase, you shape and prepare the materials to your liking and get them ready to be part of a charm. To do this, you roll the Craft skill that applies to the charm you are working on. For every success you gain, you are one step closer to completing the construction.
When your construction successes equal your Build Target, you have completed the charm. You may proceed with the next phase. However, if you would like to continue working on it, you can do so albeit with diminishing returns. Doubling your Build Target increases it by 50% in the next phase, and tripling it gives you another 25%. After that, you gain another 5% for every time you fulfil the original Build Target, which is not normally recommended. There are far better ways for you to be spending your time.
The third and final phase of crafting a charm is the Infusion phase. In this phase, you cycle anam into the unfinished charm, taking a simple item and turning it into an object of power.
To do this, the crafter must cycle anam into the object, paying a total anam cost equal to the charm's build target. If this anam comes from a Natural Wonder, it requires a cycling check, as normal. If it comes from medicinal items or other sources, no additional roll is required, though it still will take actions. The aspect of the anam does not matter, as it will be flattened and re-aspected by the materials the charm is crafted from.
Once the build target is met, the charm is completed, and can be used as desired.
After a time spent testing techniques, the brave and noble Zi Chen has been ordered to cease her crusade against the various dastards of the Delving Heart. As she begins to find a way around this unexpected and unjust decision by the Elders, she is approached by her boon companion SiSi, who is leaving the sect on a grand quest. SiSi knows that Zi Chen is a dab hand at charmcrafting, and so asks if there's anything she can make that will aid him in his upcoming mission. Further inquiries reveal that SiSi will be headed in the direction of Jade Springs and that his mission requires a great deal of swimming.
Zi Chen's genius mind instantly conjures a charm that will aid SiSi in his quest: a single ankle guard that will allow him to transform into a shark. Surely nothing will threaten him should he be a great predator of the deep! Furthermore, she already has the perfect materials prepared for such an undertaking- the teeth of a spirit shark and the skin of several tenacious eels. She assures SiSi that he will have his charm before he departs and secludes herself, ready to put her skills into action.
A quick perusal of her materials reveals them to provide bonuses of +23 and +14 respectively, giving her a material bonus of +37. After sketching a quick diagram and preparing herself, Zi Chen finalizes her design, rolling 26 successes. That gives her a build target of 63! Excellent! SiSi will surely make the most wondrous shark with this powerful charm.
From there, it is a simple matter to craft the actual charm. Zi Chen rolls with her Craft (Armor) skill and focuses on this work to the exclusion of all else. Before long, she has reached the build target, but finds it insufficient. SiSi deserves more than a mere 63 BT charm. Zi Chen decides to double down, continuing the crafting process until she reaches the BT again. Though she considers going even further, SiSi's strict timeframe limits her options, and she decides to leave it there. This additional crafting time gives the ankle guard a 50% bonus to it's BT for the next phase, meaning that the ankle guard has a final BT of 94.
Finally, Zi Chen takes the ankle guard to Silence Over All, a Natural Wonder which exudes an enormous amount of Sound anam by blanketing out all exterior noise. It's aspect does not match the ankle guards, but she does not need a complimentary aspect. She only needs a great deal of anam, which Silence Over All has in abundance. She then begins to Cycle into the ankle guard, baptizing it in raw power.
With her labors done, Zi Chen dubs the ankle guard the 'Lord's Floatation', as it will protect SiSi as surely as any floating device will protect any other lord, and goes to give her work to her boon companion! Surely he will revel in it's power!
Mundane Crafting Supplies
When Kong Zhi arrived at the Delving Heart, he brought with him several pouches of gemstones to serve as his raw materials. That stockpile has now been exhausted. For future projects, all charms will require 1-5 units of Mundane Crafting Supplies be expended in the Construction Phase, what that number being determined in the design phase. For larger, more intricate products, even more units can be required. Make sure to keep a healthy stockpile of Mundane Crafting Supplies on hand or risk an abrupt halt to your workflow!
Refining Charmcrafting Materials
Some materials that are gathered for charms are not perfectly suited for their intended purpose. Those materials must be molded and shaped before the design can truly begin. This process of molding and crafting is called 'refining'. Refining a material comes down to a simple Craft (Charm) check. It is rolled, and the number of successes gives you your result.
If a number of successes equal to or less than the material's grade is rolled, some anam is lost in the process. The excess anam is leached into the empty air and lost for all time. The material takes the aspect that the charmcrafter desires, and has a new grade equal to the number of successes rolled minus one.
If a number of successes greater than the material's grade is rolled, some of the anam is able to be salvaged. The charmcrafter gains two materials: one that with the aspect they desired and a grade equal to it's previous grade minus one, and the second with the undesired aspect and a grade equal to any remaining successes minus one. (Example: If 9 successes were rolled on a Craft (Charm) check when attempting to refine a material that was Wood/Earth 6 and the crafter wanted to prioritize wood, the resulting materials would be Wood 5 and Earth 2.)
If a number of successes double the material's grade is rolled, then the refining went as well as could physically be possible. The charmcrafter gains two new materials, each with their own aspect, and each with a grade equal to the previous material's grade minus one.
Selling Charms with Ma Heng
Kong Zhi does not need to keep every charm he makes. Should he make charms just for the fun of it or outgrow any of his current charms, he can sell them at the inner Market through Senior Disciple Ma Heng.
When deciding to sell a charm, you will set the price yourself. However, if there are no buyers within a reasonable timeframe, Ma Heng will begin to lower the price until it eventually finds a home. For this service, they take a 20% commission of whatever the final sale price, which is non-negotiable.
Caretaker Requisitions
When Kong Zhi embarks on a mission for the Caretakers, he does not do so alone. He does so with the organizational might of the Eighth Court at his back- and as such, he is entitled to specialized weapons, tools, and charms that the Caretakers keep locked in their vaults.
Before every Caretaker Mission, Kong Zhi will be given the opportunity to spend a certain number of points on his requisitions. The number of points he is given will depend on how crucial this assignment is, how much he has contributed to the Caretakers in the past, and his reputation within the organization.
These Caretaker Requisitions that he can spend these points on can be be divided into five categories:
Infiltration: points spent on Infiltration requisitions become disguises to allow Kong Zhi to walk undetected through hostile areas, keys and talismans to open any locks, and traps to punish the unwary. Combat: points spent on Combat requisitions allow Kong Zhi to better withstand a frontal assault. They become powerful weapons, protective armor, and useful charms to assist in the fine art of facepunching. Survival: points spent on Survival requisitions allow Kong Zhi to function better outside of civilization. Travel rations, charms that create potable water, guides to local flora and fauna, and various items to assist in tracking creatures through the wilderness all fall under Survival. Cultivation: points spent on Cultivation requisitions give Kong Zhi access to all sorts of pills and elixirs to assist in his missions. Be it healing medicines, emergency anam restoratives, local Natural Wonders when you are beyond the sect's borders, or tokens that grant temporary knowledge of powerful techniques, it is all at Kong Zhi's fingertips. (NOTE: Cultivation Requisitions are highly monitored for obvious reasons. Abuse of said requisitions is subject to harsh oversight, and any caught abusing them will be appropriately punished.) Contact: points spent on Contact requisitions do not give Kong Zhi any physical items- no, they give access to something possibly more valuable. The Caretakers know many useful people the width and breadth of the Radiant Empire, some of whom assist them for favors, some of whom assist them for favors owed. Contact Requisitions give Kong ZHi access to those people, granting him their names, locations, and the authority to make debts or call them in.
It is said that once three worlds sat in the hand of the Creator. There was a world of flesh and stone, one of physical expression and earthly concerns. There was a world of mind and intellect, a world of free forming thought and brilliant ideas. And then there was a world of spirit, in which feelings gave birth to life and power. The Creator gathered these three, varied, powerful, worlds in his hand- and then he closed it.
The result was this world on which we stand. It is a humble world where the remnants of the three forerunners dance and meld in joyous harmony. It is a world of physical presence. It is a world of brilliant thought. It is a world of the purest spirit. It is a world we are lucky to behold.
We men are creatures of the first and second world, children of body and mind. If we wish to reach the true perfection desired for us by the Creator then we must strive to add spirit to our being. We do that by walking the path and cycling the anam, the spirit, within our soul. Through this, we reveal who we are truly meant to become. We master abilities beyond mortal comprehension and begin the growth of a vestige, a shadow of our power, within our soul.
But we are not alone. We are joined by the spirit beasts, the animals. They are not like us, for they are creatures of body and spirit. It is the mind they lack and the mind they seek out. Most are destined to remain mindless animals, but some rare ones can rise above and cycle to gain the mind that they lack. Then they too can strive for truth.
Finally there are the kukuni. They are insubstantial beings who lack physical form. But spirit? Mind? Those, they have in abundance. And they desire to correct this imblance. Through cycling they grow more solid, more real, and more harmonious with the world around them.
Below are several questions that I am commonly asked and their answers. Do you have a question that's not on this list? Ask it and tag me, and I'll answer it if it's not too spoilery or doesn't break another one of my arbitrary rules. Do you have a question that is on this list? Then behold! Your answer!
Q: Did you know that 'anam' is 'mana' spelled backwards? Is that on purpose?
A: Surprisingly, no, that was not intentional. I legitimately never noticed that until after Path started. It's a complete coincidence. The name 'anam' came from another cultivation story I was playing around with. When I was doing some worldbuilding, I decided I needed my own name for chi/ki/qi. Why did I decide that? Because I'm strange and like naming things myself, no matter how bad I am at it. Since the world had more of a Gaelic influence, the word 'anam', which is Gaelic for soul, seemed a natural fit.
Q: Hey, when I was looking at that roll where we got no successes, I saw that we did roll a success! Was that a mistake?
A: Probably not! Check through the rolls once again and look for any 1s! As stated in the mechanics post, natural 1s subtract successes from a roll before anything else is taken into account. So if a dice log shows 0 successes despite a clear one right in front of you, always look for our good buddy the nat 1.
Q: Are charms upgradable?
A: No. No they are not. From an in-universe perspective, charms are a closed system. Once they are completed, you can't open them up and add things to them again. It has to do with how the runes are carved and how the anam settles into them. From a meta perspective, the moment charms become upgradable is the moment players stop trying to make new charms, and I'm not about that. And don't even try to convince me otherwise. You know it's true just as much as I do.
Q: Wait, there's a discord for this quest?
A: Yes! You can find it here! Hop on and say hey. Fair warning though: the discord is the home of Discord Ves, a lying liar who lies, and is not to be taken seriously. Not like that trustworthy bastion of integrity Thread Ves! You can trust him! (Seriously though, Discord is where I go to mess around. Take half of what I say and three quarters of what I do there with a grain of salt.)
Q: Ves, do you do approval voting?
A: Only in certain votes that are specified at the time the vote opens. Otherwise, you've gotta vote for one thing. Yes, I know you may want to vote against something more than for something. Yes, I know other quests do it differently. No, I do not care. Unless the vote says otherwise, the default way we do things here is one vote per player.
Q: Hey, Ves! I can't help but notice that Kong Zhi can get tutored by senior disciples in the weekly votes. Are there any limits to that?
A: Why yes, how thoughtful and handsome of you to ask. There are several limits to tutoring. For one thing, you cannot use tutoring to go over your Skill Cap. If you have hit your skill cap, you will have to find a way to raise it before anyone can teach you more. For another, some skills are very personal and cannot be tutored. The main culprit in this case is Cycling, but other skills may be restricted as events warrant.
Q: Ves, how long do you think this quest is going to run? Surely you plan to continue it on until you're out of stories to tell!
A: Sadly, no, my friends. One day, I actually want this quest to end. It's not going to be any time soon, but I do have a definite end point in mind for Path. This quest was designed to cover the full first year of Kong Zhi's life within the Delving Heart, and that's where it's still scheduled to end. There may a sequel quest afterwards, there may be more stories using the same setting, but for this part of the Path Unending? 52 in-game weeks. That's what you get.
Natural Wonders A Second of Eternity (Time 25) The Prospector's Tears (Earth/Water/Mud 75) The Lost Armory (Steel/War 75) The Black Anvil (War 50)
The Bathhouse (Water/Fire/Steam 200)
The Twice-Forged Thicket (Steel/Wood 125)
The Firesnake's Coil (Fire/Smoke 50)
Natural Treasure Cloud's Breath (Fire, Wind, Smoke 7)- Bonded to Kong Zhi Scepter of the Moloth (Royalty 22)- In Kong Zhi's possession
Whenever Kong Zhi chooses to explore the wilds of the Delving Heart, we roll a d100 on the Random Encounter Table. On the table lies a variety of different things that Kong Zhi can run into. They include, but are not limited to, new Natural Wonders, Spirit Beasts, Kukuni, lost charms, and tablets with techniques on them. Not all of these encounters are beneficial to Zhi. There are some that are highly dangerous to him; a rare few can even lead to Quest End if not handled properly.
I would like to stress that this table is random. On the die roll, higher does not necessarily mean better, and lower does not mean worse. There is only one number that matches up with what it leads to, and that is the natural 100. Good things can happen if you roll a 4, bad things can happen on a 98.
Below lies the list of everything Kong Zhi has encountered when exploring. If the same number is rolled again on future explorations, it will be re-rolled until something new pops up.
56: The Firesnake's Coil (Natural Wonder, Fire/Smoke 50)
65: The Black Anvil (Natural Wonder, War 50)
66: The Lost Armory (Natural Wonder, Steel 25)
73: Tiaoyue, the Arbiter of Rebirth (Blood Kukuni)
85: A Second of Eternity (Natural Wonder, Time 25)
