It uses Beast anam (which we haven't cycled yet), with an unfamiliar cultivation methodology, and it's from a different tradition. As I said earlier I want a Kong Zhi that is inquisitive about the world which I feel will continue to pay dividends for a long time to come. If that curiosity causes us hardship then that will only show how much more we value it. And, if we do value it highly enough, that sure sounds like a Drive boost to me.
Sure it's a good technique for a type that we don't have yet, but that's just the cherry on top.
I feel that his mom, when she finds out, will be thinking something like this:
"This barbarian hussy is leading my darling filial son of mine astray with her wild dogs going uwu;
Doesn't he know that the civilized dogs in Harmony are many times better with their owo?!?"
Did we actually though? The only action I see that fits is the letter to our family, and that's about it. The sabotage doesn't count as that was more an opportunity then a well thought out strike.
It's been a long time since you had friendly contact with an animal of any kind, and even longer since you were trusted close to a hound. Your hands remember how to pet them though.
This barbarian hussy is leading my darling filial son of mine astray with her wild dogs going uwu;
Doesn't he know that the civilized dogs in Harmony are many times better with their owo?!?
Right. So interestingly, people don't always put all their reasoning into their post when they vote. Sometimes they add a memey one-liner or such to their vote because this is a community game and jokes tend to come into play in these sorts of situation, but that doesn't mean what they say in that post is their only reason for voting that way. Sometimes it is difficult or unappealing to add in their reasoning to a vote. It could be an issue of time; I myself am often at work when an update comes out and not in a position where I can put in an in-depth post about my position. It could be the fact that your points have already been brought up, sometimes multiple times, and that it doesn't really add anything to the discussion to bring it up again. Some people have difficulty articulating their arguments and thus don't include it. Others just don't want to because they want to participate, but don't have any interest in campaigning for more votes. There are probably many other reasons, but the point is just because someone casts a vote while also saying 'I like Doggo' doesn't mean that their only reason for voting that way is because they like doggo.
As to your point about people not grasping the consequences, some may be, but to me it seems like most people understood that this choice is going to have some. I don't think a single person mentioned with any seriousness that learning this technique wasn't going to come with some social repercussions. What we did was weigh those risks against the mechanical and social benefits and came to the conclusion that the risk was worth it. I did notice, however, that whenever someone brought up the idea that a No vote would also carry consequences of its own (albeit far less wide reaching) in the form of damage to our relationship with Nokai, the people voting for No seemed to deny that it was a possibility.
Oh I know. And I respect that people only have so much time. I acknowledge that. But I think it should also be acknowledged that no small portion of those votes were made because anything with Dogs or Nokai in them can't be bad, right? And I mean, the benefits that come with accepting are a shiny beast technique that if we are actually playing smart we will never use, and a boost to Nokai relationships. And that's a fine short term goal. Yay, we get something shove in the closet and we're closer with our barbarian pal.
But you know what that means? We're just investing more and more time into someone we know our family has a problem with (I swear, people who think Nokai not being mentioned by name somehow implies that she's not one the several people being referenced are staring at a blue sky and shouting that it's orange), and as we do so people will be less and less inclined to maintain any sort of distance from the wasteland barbarian. And that means there'll eventually come a time where people are forced into the uncomfortable position of choosing between family and Nokai. That's a situation I'd rather not be in.
I'd rather be her alright friend, and be able to keep it that way. I agree with some people that we might be able to pull a balancing act between family and Nokai- if we keep our friendship at a level that can be overlooked. Hell, I'd prefer that. Nokai's an alright gal. But by continuing to follow her around and accepting her every offer and request, people are going to drive a wedge between Kong and the polite society he was raised in and hopes to mingle with as a crafter. If Kong ends up siding with his family, it'll be a massive shitshow with chat getting real upset and feeling bad about doing another betrayal. If Kong ends up siding with Nokai, there's a very real chance that Kong gets isolated or punished, to the point where he might be forced to distance himself from the heritage he idealizes. And at that point, I think I take my leave for good. I'd really rather not do that.
At this point, all I can see is people feeding the fire that's gonna burn them later.
The Kong family is supposed to have family member that specialize in hunting yes? They go and get the materials that the crafters turn into charms. Maybe the Hunters use Hounds?
And when it was found that Zhi had a talent for crafting he wasn't allowed to play with the doggos anymore?
Time to double down on Xu Fun and play it off as an interest in foreign cultures.
Since we a represent the Kong Family. Only Nokai would be bad as that says the Kong Family has an interest in the Waste bandits. Include Xu Fun and one more foreigner if we can find one and that would say the Kong Family has an interest in neighboring cultures and people.
I think a lot of us do see the consequences coming, realize they're going to hurt, and are choosing to go ahead anyway. Not everyone has "be an ideal Kong scion" as a top priority in their voting choices.
Right now, it may be something Kong Zhi wants. But there are also other things that he wants. One of those is to be friends with Nokai. He said it himself to Mo Hanying - he doesn't have many friends. He probably hasn't throughout his life, with his Appearance 1 and relatively low social skills.
He has two conflicting personal desires. Exploring the conflict between the two desires makes for compelling story.
These two arguments rather miss the point of the Yes votes, I think. Having the technique enables us to go on hunts where it might be necessary. Namely, learning to Bray makes hunting with Nokai to be much safer & more profitable, as we can go after bigger targets. Our only combat technique came from one such hunt, after all.
As to the concern about filial piety, we've been given a task: make a social link with Mo Hanying. We've made progress to that end mostly because of our openness to her philosophy of ignoring social taboos that inhibit the acquisition and exercise of power. Pulling back from power offered by Nokai because of bigotry from lesser minds completely contradicts the chat that got us an "in" with Hanying to begin with.
If you're concerned about conflict with the Family then we can argue to Mother that the place of a craftsman is to create Art with what resources are available, rather than enter into base competition for Mo Hanying's attention like merchants baying for a sale. It won't be a simple argument to win, but it is one worth making nonetheless.
Nokai has 4 mobile batteries to use it. We dont. Are you guys suggesting we learn this technique just to go on hunts with Nokai rather than spending actions on impressing elders, finish crafting xu's order, help Mo, befriend the noble scion, etc?
Imo i think its a waste of action unless we're training it with Nokai.
[] No, you… you had best not. You've other business to attend to after all.
Nokai has 4 mobile batteries to use it. We dont. Are you guys suggesting we learn this technique just to go on hunts with Nokai rather than spending actions on impressing elders, finish crafting xu's order, help Mo, befriend the noble scion, etc?
Imo i think its a waste of action unless we're training it with Nokai.
[X] No, you… you had best not. You've other business to attend to after all.
For me, what is personally disappointing about this is that this is yet another step towards being your average facepuncher, and what drew me into this quest was the premise that the protagonist isn't a facepuncher.
That's all I'm going to say about this, let's see what the next update brings.
For me, what is personally disappointing about this is that this is yet another step towards being your average facepuncher, and what drew me into this quest was the premise that the protagonist isn't a facepuncher.
That's all I'm going to say about this, let's see what the next update brings.
there's changes on the info page and Nokai is now a good friend(3), probably should've expected damage to the social box stress threshold(better keep watch on that in future decisions), huh not sure how to heal that and unless we invest in buying pills or looking for the respective wonder, probably won't be able to level up warhound's cry so there's that
A/N: A big thanks to the 17 people who have pledged to me on Patreon! If you'd like to join them, you can do so here. If you'd like to check out the Royal Road crosspost, head on over and check it out! Leave a rating while you're there. It really does help me out.
[] Yes, you would be honored. (Gain technique Warhound's Cry).
--------------
You stop and consider Nokai's words as you study the gap between Lu and Lan. There's no way you can consider this offer as anything but a gift. Your barbarian friend isn't suggesting any conditions here; she is outright offering to share a technique inspired by her oldest hound with you for nothing. Considering what that likely means to her almost takes your breath away.
But at the same time, while it may be a gift, it's a gift that you may not wish to accept. Should you learn this technique and use it around others- a near certainty- it will be clear where you got it from. You have not forgotten how Jai Shouxi distanced himself from you when your friendship with Nokai became clear, and you've not lost sight of the fact that Jin Yazhu seemed thrilled at that same revelation. If you take this, your ties, your affiliation… there will be no arguing it.
Still though…
It's a gift. A gift offered freely by a friend. You cannot say no to that.
You bow your head slightly towards Nokai. "It would be an honor," you tell her. Nokai glances down at the stone at your words. You move away from her, heading towards the space. It takes a moment to settle down- the hounds didn't give you quite enough room- but soon, you're seated between the small dog and the hairy one, directly across from Nokai.
Your friend continues to stare at the ground. After a moment, she looks back up and shakes her head. One arm reaches up and swipes at her eyes with a motion so quick that you almost think you imagine it. Once she's done, she nods. "Good! Now- show howl."
You stare blankly at Nokai for long moments. "Excuse me?"
"Howl," she repeats. "Show howl. Need howl proper."
Then she leans back and demonstrates, letting out a long, keening bray. Around her the pack joins in. Xue's call is high pitched and piercing, Lan's is challenging and bold, Zhao's is deep and earthshaking, and Lu's barely raises above a slight growl. Together with Nokai's call they meld together into an almost musical tone, rising and falling as Nokai exhales more. Power thrums around you, going hand in hand with the song. It's enough to sweep anyone away.
Eventually, the note dies. Everyone stops their howl and breathes in. Well, Nokai breathes, the dogs just pant more heavily. When she's recovered, Nokai looks at you. "See? Howl. Now Kong Zhi."
You stare at the ground once more. It's your turn. You knew you would have to do this when you accepted. It's a technique based on howling; there's no way you could learn it without howling yourself. But still. Your cheeks flush with embarrassment as you picture yourself doing as Nokai did. You can almost hear the laughter of your cousins when you demonstrate your newfound skill in howling. Your shoulders slump as the imaginary yet certain jeers begin to weigh on you.
This was a mistake. You cannot act like such a fool. You will stand and apologise, then get out of the way to let Nokai get back to her training. You look up from the stone and your eyes meet Nokai's. You open your mouth to apologise- but the words won't form.
There's no judgement in her gaze. No frustration and no hesitation, or even expectation. There is only patience and anticipation. She doesn't just want to see you howl; she cannot wait to see you howl. She seems more excited by what she thinks you're about to do than you were when you were first handed your Crystal Eye.
You can't ruin that kind of excitement. You just can't.
So you close your eyes, lean back slightly, and purse your lips. The noise that emerges can barely be called a howl. It's more of a high pitched moan than anything else. Again, your cheeks burn hot. Not only did you try and do the embarrassing thing, you failed at doing the embarrassing thing. Wonderful.
But Nokai doesn't laugh like you expected her to. She only nods. "First try, not worst," she tells you seriously. "More in throat. Like this." Then she leans back and demonstrates once more, calling up her pack's cries to join her again.
When she's done, it's your turn to try again. Your second attempt is just as pathetic as your first. Nokai lets it go by wordlessly this time. She merely takes her turn afterwards, stretching out her neck to let the sound truly carry. Then it's your turn again. You mimic her motion as best you can. The sound is anemic at best, but still a far cry from the ear-breaking howl you've heard.
The six of you fall into a pattern. Nokai lets out a mighty howl, backed by the full complement of her pack. Then you go, howling poorly into the void. Then Nokai goes again, then you, then Nokai, and so on. Over and over you howl, until your throat is hoarse and your eyes water from the strain.
To your surprise, Lan is the first dog to break the pattern. He howls with Nokai, but then on your turn, he joins in with your bray. The surprisingly deep cry joins with your own tentative efforts, layering over the howl and turning it into something more. But it's still not where Nokai's ear-shattering noises are, and you redouble your attempts.
For a few rotations it's just you and Lan. But then Lu joins in, howling for both you and Nokai. Then Xue, the tiny fluffball adding his own shrill notes to the chorus. The four of you howl against the stones, against the shadows, casting defiance against everything and nothing all at once.
Your embarrassment is long forgotten. The thoughts of others isn't even a consideration for you right now. All that matters is matching Nokai's sound and giving off the best howl that you can. You howl until your throat hurts, cry until you feel like you're going to cough up blood, and then you keep going.
It's only after that that Zhao joins in. The large dog does so seemingly reluctantly, joining his bray to yours as an afterthought. But once he's done so, the howl seems to complete. The earth seems to shake beneath your sound. Pride fills your heart even as air leaves your lungs. You've done it. You've convinced every dog to join your bray. But still, the sound doesn't feel right-
And then Nokai joins in. You're so surprised by her additional noise that you almost choke over your own howl, but you recover. Together the six of you scream a challenge to the world that is far more than any of you could do apart.
As you cry together, the hairs on your arms begins to prickle. The air around you feels heavier than it did before you sat down. Mid-howl, you open your sixth sense and take in the cavern around you.
The entire room is drenched in beast anam.
It takes you a moment to realize what's going on. You spend precious seconds scanning the room, searching for the source of the power. But there's no hidden Natural Wonder and no secret treasure. No, the pack is generating the anam. The howls are generating the anam. Nokai is generating the anam. You are generating the anam.
And Nokai is cycling it, funneling it down into her throat like a man dying of thirst swallowing water.
It hits you like a flash. This is how she's learning the technique. Together, she and her pack are generating her own anam, serving as a makeshift Natural Wonder, and then she uses that anam to comprehend the true nature of what she's attempting.
It's enough to give you pause. You knew that anam could be generated in small amounts by things besides Natural Wonders. The art of forging can create minute amounts of steel anam. Massive blazes can create fire anam. But you've never seen anything like what Nokai is doing here.
But if she can do it, you can do it too.
You drop into your breathing technique, howling with every exhale. And with every inhale, you draw beast anam. It funnels down your throat and nostrils, bringing with it a wild, spicy scent and an unruly fury. Beast anam is very different from other anams you've cycled. It fights your every attempt to control it, biting at you and fleeing from you like an angry hound. But you wrestle it under your control and cycle it to your throat and lungs, letting it impart it's lessons of wildness to your body and spirit.
You don't know how long you, Nokai, and the hounds sit there. It could be another second. It could be weeks. It could be years. Most likely, it was hours. All you know is that when you next open your eyes and let the last howl die, you feel a sense of satisfaction. You've done it.
Technique Gained: Warhound's Cry
Warhound's Cry (Resolve 3)
Scholar Technique 3 (Beast 8, Sound 4)
Cost: 3 Anam
Current Phase: 1/6
Description: The Artist howls their defiance at the world, filling their lungs with the wild power of the warhound.
Nokai grins when she meets your eyes. "Good!" she cheers. "Kong Zhi slow, but finish! Mighty lungs!"
This time, it takes you a moment to parse what Nokai is saying. "Slow?!" you bark back. "I finished when you did! If I am slow, then we both are!"
Nokai holds up one hand and wiggles it back and forth. "Eh," she says. "Sure."
You stop and stare at the waste barbarian. She could be joking with you, but you had thought that something had changed sometime in your endless howling. The anam became easier to draw and your progress became much faster. Did… did Nokai finish her own training and then just keep it up so you would finish as well?
Oblivious to your thoughts, Nokai shrugs. "Might slow," she admits. "Think Kong Zhi slowest. But Nokai slow too. Must be Lan's fault!" She leaps at her hound and tackles him to the ground. The shaggy dog instantly wiggles into a comfortable position, letting Nokai scratch at his belly. "You're fault, silly dog! Punishment scratches!"
All you can do is shake your head and force yourself to stand. As you rise, so does Nokai, and so do the dogs. Together, you all slowly amble back towards the main cavern. You walk in a comfortable silence, with the only noises being Nokai stopping to scratch a different dog every few moments. The dogs themselves are remarkably quiet; even Xue doesn't leap in your arms. All of that howling must have taken a great deal of energy.
As you make it to the final bend in the tunnel, you turn to Nokai. "Thank you," you tell her. "Truly."
Nokai nods. "Was nothing," she replies. For a second, you think she'll leave it at that. But the next thing you know, she's thrown her arm over your shoulder and pulled you into a side-armed hug that's strong enough to make your shoulders creak. "Was no trouble at all!"
...you're being hugged. Sort of. It's a strange hug, certainly not one you've ever experienced before, but it's a hug. How do you deal with this? What is the proper response to a sideways hug? Was it a mistake? Did Nokai mean to perhaps crush an enemy that you were ignorant of and grasp you by accident? No, if that was the case, she would have let go by now. Which means this is on purpose. So you need to handle it somehow. What is even happening right now-
Thankfully, while your mind might be a confused wreck, your body has a mind of it's own. One of your arms absently reaches up, patting Nokai on the back before stretching across her lower back to return the gesture.
Relationship Gain! Nokai +1!
It seems like that was the correct thing to do. Nokai breaks the embrace and grins again. "Talk soon, Kong Zhi! Howl well!" Then she moves on, leaving you standing in the tunnel on your own.
You stare after her until she's long gone. Only when Nokai and her pack are a distant dot in the caverns do you exhale, letting all of your confusion and panic out in one heaving sigh. What even… you shake your head and fight to regain your senses. What just happened made no sense, but you've no choice but to labor on.
When you emerge from the cavern, distracted by your own confusion as you are, it takes you a moment to realize that there are eyes on you. There aren't many, but some people are definitely looking at you more than they normally would. Or perhaps you're imagining it- no one meets your eyes when you go to look at them. But you're fairly certain you are not. Whispers spring up as you leave and die when you get closer.
Kong Zhi takes 1 Box of Social Stress!
Social Stress is unlike mental and physical stress in several ways. Unlike the other two, it does not resolve on it's own. If you wish to heal your Social Stress, you must undertake dedicated actions designed to rehabilitate your own reputation.
Failing to rehabilitate your reputation and filling out your entire Social Stress track will result in negative consequences. Most commonly, they will create a negative trait related to the actions that filled your final stress box. These traits are not easy to shed, and some never can be. Once these consequences are implemented, the stress track resets.
But whispers are not important right now. Your training with Nokai took up far more time than you expected it to. A glance at the central pillar shows that it's already nearing evening. If you want to keep your plans on track right now, you must ignore whatever's happening around you and rush to the inner market as quickly as you can.
And so you do. You jog with all the speed your enhanced body can muster and make your way to the inner markets close the central pillar. Once there, you stop and check the time again. Excellent. You made good time and so, you've several hours left. More than enough time for you to make all the purchases you need.
You've talents in your pocket, sect points on your token, and a powerful need to spend them. Best get started.
Materials
[] Bleached Golden Sea Coral. (4 Points. Water/Salt Aspected. +8 to Development)
[] Skytalon Eagle Feather (3 Points. Wind/Bird Aspected. +6 to Development)
[] The teeth of a Mauler Ape. (1 Point. Beast Aspected. +2 to development.)
[] The hide of a shellrat. (1 Point. Earth Aspected. +2 to development)
[] Heavenly Spyglass(5 Points. Light/Stars Aspected. +10 to Development)
[] Essence of Ill Health (4 Points. Blood/Poison Aspected. +7 to Development)
[] The shards of a Rack (6 Points. Force/Pain Aspected. +12 to Development)
[] A bottled scream. (4 Points. Rage Aspected. +8 to Development)
[] Soot-stained Chimney Brick (3 Points. Fire/Smoke Aspected. +5 to Development)
[] Ironwrought Anvil (4 Points. Force/Iron Aspected. +8 to Development)
[] Freshly-Hewn Obsidian. (2 Points. Light Aspected. +4 to Development)
[] A handful of sun-dried herbs. (2 Point. Blood Aspected. +3 to development)
[] Bottled ash from experiments in the Creator's Garden. (2 Points. Fire Aspected. +3 to development)
[] Scales from a Lightbridge Trout. (1 Point. Water Aspected. +2 to development)
[] A destroyed sculpture. (3 Points. Destruction Aspected. +6 to Development)
[] A curious Signet (6 Points. Royalty Aspected. +11 to Development)
[] A hailstone. (2 Points. Wind Aspected. +3 to development)
[] The bark of a lightning-struck oak. (2 Points. Force Aspected. +4 to Development)
[] Core Geode (5 Points. Earth/Diamond Aspected. +9 to Development)
[] The shreds of a once-fine garment. (6 Points. Blood/Sorrow Aspected. +12 to Development)
[] Timbers from an abandoned wagon. (6 Points. Night Aspected. +11 to Development)
Pills and Elixirs
[] The Light of Battle (7 Points. Grade 1 Steel Elixir)
[] The Essense of Shattering (11 Points. Grade 2 Force Pill)
[] Remnants of the Cleanse (14 Points. Grade 2 Smoke Pill)
[] A Word Illspoken (7 Points. Grade 1 Poison Elixir)
[] Hearthfire's Ember (5 Points. Grade 1 Fire Pill.)
[] Woodsman's Respite (7 Points. Grade 1 Wood Pill)
[] Spider's Serum (11 Points. Grade 2 Beast Elixir)
[] The Seventh Nursemaid (6 Points. Grade 1 Blood Pill)
[] An Eye-Opening Experience (6 Points. Grade 1 Light Pill)
[] Seabreeze (5 Points. Grade 1 Water Pill)
[] A Kiss from Lightning (5 Points. Grade 1 Wind Pill)
[] Wisdom Distilled (14 Points. Grade 2 Knowledge Pill)
[] Soldier's Requiem (9 Points. Grade 2 Earth Pill)
[] The East Wind (9 Points. Grade 2 Wind Elixir)
[] The Heart of Stone (5 Points. Grade 1 Earth Pill)
[] Heartbeat (6 Points. Grade 1 Beast Pill)
[] Salvation's Map (14 Points. Grade 2 Discovery Pill)
[] The Curious Reflection (14 Points. Grade 2 Crow Pill)
[] Lasting Remedy (6 Points. Grade 1 Force Pill)
Other
[] A High Quality Weapon (5 Points)
-[] (Write-In Weapon)
[] Mundane Travel Supplies (5 Points)
You have 10 Sect Points and 10 Bronze Talents. Bronze Talents may be exchanged for 5 Sect Points each at the moneychanger, and may not be changed back. Pills and Elixirs may be purchased multiple times, materials only once.
Please, in Plan Format, choose what Kong Zhi buys.
[] Write-In
THIS VOTE HAS A 4 HOUR MORATORIUM! PLEASE DO NOT CAST YOUR VOTE UNTIL 4 HOURS HAVE PASSED!
So, we lowrolled on pure blood materials, and we're committed to crafting, so we can't stop and refine one of the mixed materials. This is profoundly unfortunate. For future reference, crafting actions require two turns absolute minimum; one to buy materials, and however many it takes to actually make it, since we can't pivot midweek, apparently.
Blood is a bit scarce in the choices. Probably just ahead to get the Blood/Sorrow one and refine it. At 12 it is pretty strong. Maybe the dried herbs too to offset the loss we will have to refining it. Might as well take essence of ollie health and refine it too.
Also the technique was pretty nice and the social effect not as bad as I feared. Well depends on what it will take to relieve the stress I guess.
Also a coue interesting Anams in that list. Stars, Night, Diamond Aspects. Plus a pill of Knowledge Anam of all things. Kinda want to get them too just for the shiny. Are we going to the upper market after this?
That signet with Royalty looks like a shiny to me. Could send our Dad that one. At 11 Royalty Aspect it's really good for our range.
So, just so you know, we can't delay the crafting action for Xu Yun's commission this turn to refine the mats. Keep that in mind while we're buying Blood mats. Impure works fine too, since we'll have to begin crafting this turn itself.
EDIT: Nvm, turns out we can redirect the Craft Action to a different Charm, so we have time to refine the ingredients for Xu Yun's commission.
So, just so you know, we can't delay the crafting action for Xu Yun's commission this turn to refine the mats. Keep that in mind while we're buying Blood mats. Impure works fine too, since we'll have to begin crafting this turn itself.
