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The Streetwalker's Guide to the Hierarchy
- Thread starter Birdsie
- Start date
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
It's only natural for a human to be afraid of a such a being.
And we already took fearlessness, so this is in fact a perfect synergy! I for one have been fully reassured
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
I decided to look up Fairy Chess Pieces on Wikipedia. Turns out there are a bunch of types of piece called Lions, but probably the most famous is the one from Shogi, which moves like a king... but twice in one turn. So, less range, but way more versatility; can capture twice in one turn. (Also, I quite appreciate that by accepting their fealty we've moved to Shogi.)
I did not come across anything called a Tomb piece. DuckDuckGo suggested a browser game called Tomb Chess, if anyone's played it? But from the name I'd expect some kind of Rook/Castle variant, or maybe something mostly immobile but impossible to take. Maybe "can't be taken, moves like a rook but only to capture"?
I did not come across anything called a Tomb piece. DuckDuckGo suggested a browser game called Tomb Chess, if anyone's played it? But from the name I'd expect some kind of Rook/Castle variant, or maybe something mostly immobile but impossible to take. Maybe "can't be taken, moves like a rook but only to capture"?
It doesn't really matter, Pieces powers are mostly related to their name rater than rl counterpart. Knights fight, Bishops cleric and Rooks build. As such Tomb either deals with death or capture/rest/protection. Or both. My gut is that Tomb focuses probably on something like "storing" stuff.
so, these elves are positively ancient in some way
So combined with the "Tomb piece" it seems likely these elves in their pure-blooded form are extinct, and the tomb literally refers to Japhris being a "living epitaph" or something similar to them. We wouldn't consider people with Neanderthal DNA in a similar way but then again neanderthals weren't eldritch demigods(or that's what the government wants you to think)
and "Memories of the time before" also seems to hint at them being "from the past"
So combined with the "Tomb piece" it seems likely these elves in their pure-blooded form are extinct, and the tomb literally refers to Japhris being a "living epitaph" or something similar to them. We wouldn't consider people with Neanderthal DNA in a similar way but then again neanderthals weren't eldritch demigods
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
A rook is just a type of corvid. Trainable, presumably - we call bird-towers 'rookeries' for a reason - and I just realized that that's probably why they look like towers and are called rooks; they're named after medieval comms towers. (Which if I understand correctly would normally house pigeons, because wagonloads of homing pigeons can be flown home one at a time with letters attached.)
Incidentally, doves are just white pigeons. (Pigeons, as one of the oldest domesticated animals, have a variety of interesting coats.) So a Dove piece could be cool.
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
More fanart! For a canonical mask this time.
The Arcanist
A three-eyed mask of tinted glass. Once nearly unadorned, it has since grown vines and crystals.
Arcanism is a magic of exploiting metaphysical pressure differentials, such as those on the boundary between forest and ruin, city and desert, sea and shore.
The woman this mask was made for could use it because she was part elf. Would a full elf have it more strongly, or not at all?
The Arcanist
A three-eyed mask of tinted glass. Once nearly unadorned, it has since grown vines and crystals.
Arcanism is a magic of exploiting metaphysical pressure differentials, such as those on the boundary between forest and ruin, city and desert, sea and shore.
The woman this mask was made for could use it because she was part elf. Would a full elf have it more strongly, or not at all?
Welp, there goes Queen!Japhris. I sincerely hope this isn't going to be another Fixation Incident. Or Am Not.
there's a line between tempting Murphy and then there's lying on a bed in silk lingerie making 'come hither' eyes at him, and you are firmly on its other side.
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
Anything short of 'introducing the new main villain who then warps the entire rest of the quest around them', because Birdsie has promised that it isn't as bad as the Horror King. So, another Lieutenant Carrasco is totally on the table.
- Location
- 1
It could even be as bad as 'introducing a new main villain who then warps the entire rest of the quest around them', as long as the degree of warping is marginally lesser(nearly guaranteed, since the new villain wouldn't be our protagonist, just a subordinate) or the villain was a bit less ominous(less evil, not already as powerful...)! Though realistically, yeah, I doubt it would be on that level; Lieutenant Carrasco 2 is probably around the plausible limits.
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
Providence - The Court of Senumrah
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
[X] Agility
[X] Able Pawn
[X] Abyss Roar
[X] Memories of the Time Before x2
---
The Court of Senumrah
Living in Senumrah was thoroughly expensive, even for the standards of a Drethirian noble. On markets, even the least exquisite persimmon or fig cordial went for a princely sum, one that could've afforded ten similarly-sized bottles in a minor province town. As much as Dorian liked to lord the hardships he'd faced as a sign of superiority over the average aristocrat, even he liked to indulge and splurge from time to time, especially to celebrate a noteworthy achievement. And there was much to celebrate indeed.
On the same week's eve, a herald of almost a hundred thousand fates came from the Caliph's Palace, alongside a delegation of four guards accoutered in mystical mithril with scimitars of orichalcum. The herald came declaring the absolute will of the Son of Destiny, read aloud from a scroll whose parchment was blessed mithril, and whose letters were lightning etched. The Crimson King and the coterie he called servants were invited for a stay at the Palace - for at least a week, starting on the third of Rajab, and to be extended at the Caliph's pleasure. Yes, even those two Lions.
Their mission was complete, if only partially at that point.
The mere flickering attention of the Caliph, this one-second glance of curiosity, drew even further limelights onto the Erudite Menagerie, as finally the most important destinies of Senumrah deigned to notice their actions. There were a couple who pledged or declared immediate support and spread the news of the Menagerie, others who sought to ruin Dorian's business or discredit the Crimson King as a sham.
However, near the week's end was a far more drastic event.
A ghazi warrior challenged them to a series of duels to determine who was truly worthy of the Caliph's attention.
The nameless warrior defeated the Lions in a wrestling match, cleverly outsmarted Andrei and Japhris, and was finally about to challenge Dorian to a sword duel to the death, before Linneas instead proposed the situation could be settled over a simple game of shatranj: the winner takes all. Uncomplicated as it seemed, the game turned out invigoratingly exciting, with near-constant twists and turns, as both of its participants constantly one-upped the other with sudden and unexpected moves; a rook taking a pawn and challenging the queen across the board, a bishop moved three spaces to render the enemy pawn immoveable lest the king be threatened.
Finally, Linneas managed to fool the warrior into misplacing a rook, causing Linneas to move a pawn into position to cut off the warrior's King's escape route, making for a checkmate in one move. The crowd of onlookers cheered at the event and its spectacular finish, and soon a detachment of city guards approached. The ghazi warrior was then unmasked and revealed to be a wanted ifrit bandit, Nerffaeh the Vile. His flight comically failed when Linneas scattered the shatranj board and its pieces under the ifrit's feet, causing the warrior to somehow trip on them and - despite having shown the grace of a master dancer previously - fall into a sewer.
From there, his capture was a rather simple matter - after all, the sewer was full of water and ended up fortuitously limiting the ifrit's fiery powers. He cursed them even as the Senumrah watchmen placed him in heavy mithril manacles and dragged him away to the constabulary.
High-level Barakah, Dorian had decided, worked in strange and mysterious ways.
"Well done, Linneas," he'd made sure to congratulate his underling. "I didn't expect you to have such an applicable talent here."
To which Linneas simply replied, "It is no important matter, Your Majesty. Even without supernatural powers, it would've been awfully lax of me to falter in a contest in your name, my liege. There would've only been one solution to dealing with my unworthy life, had I shown such a lack of spine..."
Japhris had chuckled at this statement, as if it were a mere jest. "Haha, well surely there's no need to go that far, right Linneas...? Oh, no, wait... I see! You are saying that to gather more Barakah, right?"
Linneas, admirably - or terrifyingly depending on how one chose to view things - remained stone-faced at this statement.
As a sweat drop appeared on her forehead, Japhris' smile became glassy. "T-To gather Barakah, right?"
Stone. Faced.
The hilarity of that incident aside, they spent practically the entire weekend celebrating with song, drink, and feasting on the best Misrashani food that money could acquire, intent on filling their stomachs to the brimming before the impending visit to the Caliph's Palace would fully divest them of their tastebuds. With Visceral modification, Dorian ensured the taste of each meal was utterly resplendent, from stew-spooned couscous with cereals like tiny firecrackers of delicate flavor, to sinfully indulgent kebabs with fresh-cut succulent lamb meat and crisp vegetables, and various stuffed breads and chips with a confounding variety of dips, savory hummus not the least of them.
And then on Al-Ahad once more, Dorian and the court were admitted into the Senumrah Palace.
What Senumrah was to the entire Caliphate of Misrashan, the Palace was to Senumrah.
The Palace was easily the most magnificent and transcendent manmade structure that Dorian had ever visited, its opulence like a crushing soul-weight. The interior of the Icarelian Tower he'd entered was a realm of conceptual chaos. This, instead, stood as the proud apex of what mere mortals could achieve on the material plane.
An interminable wellspring of glory suffused each of the sandstone walls. The Palace wielded its own torrent of Barakah, an indestructible bulwark that promoted a story of welfare and security for its inhabitants; a tale so robust it ensured the Palace could survive the end of the world. At the entrance, the statues of dogs sitting atop columns were animate, moving as if truly alive, tails wagging as they observed their approach with the calmness of indefatigable guardians. Their corporeal shells were utterly drenched in Barakah, the might of the Palace's inhabitants causing the mundane silver within each likeness of Qitmir to transmute to solid mithril.
Artists countless decades older than Dorian and unimaginably more talented at their work than he could ever dream of becoming at making masks had spent their entire lives applying secret and mastered techniques to etching on those Palace walls. A number of those artists, their beautiful guide explained, had either been the direct members, or descendants, of the Voyaging Kingdom which Roderick Iselgrad had once established and which largely collapsed with his rumored death. These so-called Practitioners were capable of taking a skill and training it to a level transcendent beyond mastery; a Practitioner of a profession was an unparalleled paragon within that field of specialty.
The beauty of the Palace's fountains and the indomitable, strife-silencing Barakah of its guards aside, Dorian studied all of its contents and apparent protocols carefully - not only because it was practical to always be deeply aware of one's surroundings, but also because he imagined the Imperial Palace on Drethir could have some similarities to this location; there were always parallels, even on different worlds. That said, its sheer pre-eminence distracted even his resolute mind, let alone those of his companions.
As it soon turned out, the Caliph was occupied with some minor issue that'd cropped up suddenly, so they'd have to wait before meeting with him. Quick on her feet, the guide directed them into the pleasure gardens, where they were lavished in 'minor' distractions and entertainments, which amounted to some of the most interesting things Dorian had ever seen. He wondered if the Caliph had arranged for this as an intimidating show of his stunning wealth, or if there truly was such a coincidence.
There were shows of obscure if not especially useful magics from around the corners of the world including an art from a land even further south than Tanumis where ritual removal of internal organs gave access to spells; displays by masterfully trained animals and their tamers from which he tried to draw some inspiration; and they even met another creature hosted by the Caliph, which called itself a dwarf and bore the name of Narsim. Narsim was made of metal shaped into a glib facsimile of a squat humanoid. It, much like the doctor, wielded the magic of Fulminance, which it claimed was a counterpart to the dwarven art of Tellurianism, which it happily displayed for them.
Finally, once the god-king of Misrashan was ready to receive them, they were brought into the Caliph's presence - but Dorian was ordered to come forward alone and present himself to the Caliph as an equal before his servants were admitted in.
Aduzahir al-Aziz ibn Qadar was a man who trivially lived up to every unimaginable story told about him, each trait attributed as true on the man's countenance as the wild and absurd claims that passed between the lips of caravanserai narrators and streetside singers. The sheer Barakah of the man rendered his presence nearly impossible to bear, even though Dorian could tell the Caliph restrained all but a mere tenth of its emanation. He was a storm that properly unleashed could sunder continents, a wind that could move in a line to sever a mountain like an axe felling a tree. Destiny bent around him; his mere displeasure was less likely than a man randomly suffering cardiac arrest.
Mundanely, he was an athletic man on the crisp precipice of losing his early youth, a haunted look concealed underneath the impassive mask of his commanding authority, a thick beard grown out over sumptuous robes, and a violet turban with a sapphire gem.
It took some amount of restraint not to fully surrender all agency on the spot, to fall to one knee at this demigod's feet and offer to him the complete crown of Kingship, to relinquish vengeance as easily as a worker changed shirts, and resign oneself to a mere Pawn on this greater being's golden board. And all the more painful was this restraint, that Dorian could understand merely by looking, that he'd secure for himself and his friends a much happier life in doing so. Execration alone shielded him from doing so.
When the Caliph noticed Dorian's reaction, he raised an eyebrow and even more fully drew in the whirling storm of Barakah. All of the rebellious feelings in Dorian's mind fell away like a tornado disintegrating into mere breezes hurled in random directions.
"Welcome to the Palace, my Crimson brother," said the Son of Destiny, He Who Rides the Buraq, and stepped forward to take Dorian's shoulder. His voice was beautiful and commanding, although not inhumanely so. His smile was friendly, that of a normal man in casual conversation with a new acquaintance. "Our humble nation has not hosted a guest from another world in a long time. It pleases me to greet you here, and even more that you chose my Caliphate as the site of your descent. Let us introduce our servants to each other, and then we shall hold a grand feast to welcome you properly among us."
As advertised, the feast was grand indeed, and it served as an opportunity for Dorian to closely acquaint himself with the Caliph, while their servants mingled.
Dorian was utterly astonished - stupefied, even - to find within the Caliph was a kindred soul. They were men undoubtedly cut from the same cloth, the color of their souls identical. As Dorian learned more about the Caliph, his earlier doubts about the man melted like snow under the bright noonday sun of high summer heat.
When one hears of a bearded god-king living out their days in complete decadence with a hundred-strong harem, there are certain implications about moral and ethical character, but in this case, all of them were utterly wrong. Aduzahir turned out to be a genuinely generous and caring soul whose main worries were the fate of his people after he died. Every one of the stalwart guards in the Palace had met the Caliph on various dashing adventures, each its own story of gallantry or an amusing anecdote. They all loved him like a brother and, he similarly loved them; no different from Dorian's heartfelt bonds with his friends. The man's harem was comprised of erudite and fascinating individuals who all had deep bonds of emotional connection with Aduzahir and found their lives pleasurable and independently uplifting rather than degrading.
Finding his prudence perhaps a little diminished because of the seeming depth of the Caliph's charity, Dorian revealed the full truth and the contents of all his hitherto adventures and capabilities to the man, all done in privacy and full confidence, including the tales of Drethir, Street, his acquisition of Viscerality, and all else that'd happened since then. Rather than taking umbrage, the Caliph simply nodded along and proclaimed understanding of this dilemma, agreeing with Dorian that while their response must be measured and temperate, Drethir indeed sounded like an evil tyranny, and naturally the Caliph would pledge his support to Dorian's worthwhile and heroic cause. He also advised Dorian on various other matters, as if he were a kindly and wise older brother passing his sagacity onto his junior.
Of course, this was all insanely generous and Dorian soon found himself caring about the Caliph entirely of his own accord.
While Misrashan readied its vast armies and put out a call for brave heroes to reinforce Dorian's sudden campaign across the eastern sea, the Crimson Court availed itself to the various pleasures of high life at the Palace, whether that be unimaginably exquisite food, access to its libraries, or conversations with their fellow courtiers.
All was fine and dandy, in Dorian's estimate, except for the evil vizier, who was becoming an issue.
Nasir al-Jafar was so obviously evil that Dorian was a bit astonished and concerned that no one else - with the sole exception of Linneas, when this fact was pointed out to and slowly explained to him - could see it.
The hallways of the Palace darkened whenever he entered them as if his sinister shadow were expanding to coat them in some radiance-eating gloom. Worrying sorcerous sounds came from his chambers each night, and the barriers on the walls blocked out all divination. He had a strong tendency to end sentences using ominous turns of phrases or malevolent chuckles as he talked about the pacts he made with various djinn. He had an immaculately trimmed goatee as his only hair, dressed only in black yet did not sweat in the desert sun, and constantly carried around a golden cane whose top had a grip shaped like a scorpion with emeralds for its eyes.
However, whenever Dorian pointed out any of these rather menacing things, the Caliph, the Palace guards, and all the present courtiers - as well as Japhris, Andrei, and the Mask - laughed it all off as nothing more than incurious eccentricities, sometimes saying, "oh, that Jafar and his antics!" or something to a similar effect.
If Dorian didn't know any better, he would've said that Jafar was mind-controlling everyone at the Palace.
Frankly, Dorian would've been content to let the matter rest, had Jafar not approached him of his own during a Visceral training session in one of the gardens:
"Ah... there you are, Mister Croft," the man said with his silky smooth voice. It sounded like a blade concealed behind a back, yet imbued with a sweet gloss.
Like wine. Evil wine.
"Jafar," temporized Dorian, assuming a diplomatic tone, yet unable to prevent himself from sneering slightly. He folded his arms. "What do you want?"
Jafar smirked as if this reaction were pleasing to him. He chuckled, both of his arms behind his back, and then assumed a regally uninterested mien.
"I simply came here to congratulate you... my dear friend." The smirk appeared again, briefly, as if mocking Dorian. "It's not very often that a... wandering vagabond manages to so closely entice his Majesty's attentions as you did and turn the entire Palace upside-down in pursuit of some kind of glorious quest. My dearest brother Aduzahir seems very happy with your presence here. As am I, of course, as am I... so, it'd be a terrible shame if something bad happened to you, wouldn't it?"
Dorian stiffened a little at the subtle threat. "What are you implying?"
"Oh, nothing at all, nothing at all," Jafar deflected with a sudden laugh, as shrilly cold as a hundred blades plunging into the necks of defenseless children. Dorian suppressed a cringe of sympathetic pain and fear.
"Hypothetically... even if someone did mean you harm, they would not wish to go after you directly, would they? Oh no, far from it, I think. That would be unwise of them. After all, you are too strong and well-entrenched, and all too... capable." The word was sharp and weighty with a subtle vexation, like a block falling into place, as Jafar assessed Dorian and stroked his goatee analytically. "If someone did mean to harm you, that person... well, he or she would surely go after your friends instead?"
Dorian clicked his tongue. "Yeah? Is that so? What do you want, Jafar?"
"I am not in want of anything, my friend." Jafar smiled at him indulgently as if he were a small child. "I am simply warning you. It'd be a terrible shame if something... tragic, happened before the upcoming ceremony, wouldn't it? Just a hypothetical of course." Jafar's smile widened as he broke into sudden laughter, fingers clacking together.
"Yes..." Dorian agreed lamely. It was clear this was Jafar's way of declaring war - or was it? How deep did the man's machination run? Dorian's eyes narrowed, as he tried to pierce through the veils of concealment and see Jafar's intent. "I'll keep your warning in mind. Thanks."
Jafar chuckled once again, each sound like a thorn. "Of course, of course... We're all friends here in the Caliphate, aren't we? Wouldn't want to... step down on anyone, hm?"
With that, Jafar departed, whistling some grandiosely ominous tune to himself. Dorian shuddered.
---
Your week's overall activities have acquired a total of 90 Wealth; a sufficient amount of money that you could essentially afford for each party member to live out the rest of your stay on Providence in modest comfort, or to acquire modest relics or hire great and powerful mercenaries. This still isn't the sum a proper sheik would have, but at least you're getting there. However, given most of the wealthier clientele you've come into contact with have already acquired what they wished, it's probable your personal Wealth gain rate will slow down drastically from here on out, even if you were to continue your activities in this particular market.
Through incredible services to your Kingdom, Linneas managed to acquire two (2) more Pawn Ranks - only a mere two Ranks away from Promotion to a higher Piece! Under the correct circumstances, his Attributes can outstrip your own; combined with his newly acquired Barakah, he's actually decently stronger in a wide spread of situations.
Pawn [Rank VI] - Linneas of the Argent Kingdom
Choose two:
[ ] Able Pawn - Grants Linneas an even better ability to support your own actions. It hasn't failed you so far.
[ ] Agility - Grant Linneas even better agility and movement speed, a swiftness to match his absurd zeal.
[ ] Efficiency - A modest cogmentation, increasing quantitative thought and bureaucratic talent.
[ ] Service - Increases Linneas' sheer proficiency with most skills, the prowess in learning them, as well as a minor boost to overall competence.
[ ] Stone-Faced - Improved mental resilience; from psychological stamina and fortitude, resistance to torture and mind control, and so on. Minor physical durability boost.
[ ] Write-in (as usual, you can write-in less efficacious propositions)
Current Barakah
Dorian - 7,950 fates: miracles, knowledge, rulership, grandeur, blood, healing, the color red
Japhris - 8,180 fates; prediction, future-seeing, oracular acts, trickery, cold beauty, dreams
Andrei - 6,450 fates; science, research, genius, lightning, brightness
Linneas - 10,000 fates; the world's most competent second-in-command; bravery, ingenuity, sheer professional proficiency and cleverness, total devotion to his King
Lions - 1,460 fates; bodyguards, endurance, pride, beauty
Mask - continued Potential growth, overall value equivalent to about 5,000 fates
Notes:
- After Ranking up, Japhris commented her Arcanism felt more 'focused.'
- You haven't received the Caliph's blessing quite yet. Aduzahir says that to maximize its power, it'll be conducted as a high ceremony on a special upcoming ritual day - by the estimate of the Caliph's royal astrologist, it should grant you at least twenty thousand fates on its own. More importantly, it'll accelerate your Barakah accretion and sharply attune it to improve your advantage when fighting in Surirah. It'll grant similar benefits to your entire court. It should maximize your ability to impact the conflict.
A minor decision regarding the Doctor:
[ ] Make a Pawn - Efficient and useful, if a tad late! Becoming a Pawn will improve the Doctor's attributes and can be directed to sharpen his intellectual refinement.
[ ] Make a full Piece (which?) - Cut out the middleman. You've more than enough royal energy to create a Piece above a Pawn. Recommended: either Bishop or Rook, or a Fairy Piece such as 'Doctor.'
Finally, the most important decision you are facing.
What do you do about Jafar's threat?
[ ] Take It Seriously - What was that, if not a veiled threat on your life? This man has directly implied that something terrible would happen to your friend unless you packed up and stopped dragging the Caliphate of Misrashan into the conflict in Surirah. You need to react as if this were a completely serious danger and figure out what to do about Jafar.
[ ] Ignore It - You're surely paranoid, and if you aren't... well, what's the worst he could do in the middle of the Palace at Senumrah? Any plot of his that's a direct murder or something similarly horrid would be noticed and easily uncovered. He can't do anything except threaten and inconvenience you.
[ ] Report to the Caliph - Inform the Caliph straightforwardly that whatever eccentricities Jafar may have, you don't feel safe around the man and would like something to be done about this. However, this could backfire, as the Caliph seems very fond of Jafar... You're afraid in this one circumstance, the Son of Destiny's judgment may be totally warped. There is a strong possibility the Caliph will laugh your worries off and verbally reassure you without taking action, asking you to be more tolerant of Jafar's oddity; there is even a mild risk the Caliph might directly side with Jafar and be displeased at your accusation.
[ ] Write-in
[X] Able Pawn
[X] Abyss Roar
[X] Memories of the Time Before x2
---
The Court of Senumrah
Living in Senumrah was thoroughly expensive, even for the standards of a Drethirian noble. On markets, even the least exquisite persimmon or fig cordial went for a princely sum, one that could've afforded ten similarly-sized bottles in a minor province town. As much as Dorian liked to lord the hardships he'd faced as a sign of superiority over the average aristocrat, even he liked to indulge and splurge from time to time, especially to celebrate a noteworthy achievement. And there was much to celebrate indeed.
On the same week's eve, a herald of almost a hundred thousand fates came from the Caliph's Palace, alongside a delegation of four guards accoutered in mystical mithril with scimitars of orichalcum. The herald came declaring the absolute will of the Son of Destiny, read aloud from a scroll whose parchment was blessed mithril, and whose letters were lightning etched. The Crimson King and the coterie he called servants were invited for a stay at the Palace - for at least a week, starting on the third of Rajab, and to be extended at the Caliph's pleasure. Yes, even those two Lions.
Their mission was complete, if only partially at that point.
The mere flickering attention of the Caliph, this one-second glance of curiosity, drew even further limelights onto the Erudite Menagerie, as finally the most important destinies of Senumrah deigned to notice their actions. There were a couple who pledged or declared immediate support and spread the news of the Menagerie, others who sought to ruin Dorian's business or discredit the Crimson King as a sham.
However, near the week's end was a far more drastic event.
A ghazi warrior challenged them to a series of duels to determine who was truly worthy of the Caliph's attention.
The nameless warrior defeated the Lions in a wrestling match, cleverly outsmarted Andrei and Japhris, and was finally about to challenge Dorian to a sword duel to the death, before Linneas instead proposed the situation could be settled over a simple game of shatranj: the winner takes all. Uncomplicated as it seemed, the game turned out invigoratingly exciting, with near-constant twists and turns, as both of its participants constantly one-upped the other with sudden and unexpected moves; a rook taking a pawn and challenging the queen across the board, a bishop moved three spaces to render the enemy pawn immoveable lest the king be threatened.
Finally, Linneas managed to fool the warrior into misplacing a rook, causing Linneas to move a pawn into position to cut off the warrior's King's escape route, making for a checkmate in one move. The crowd of onlookers cheered at the event and its spectacular finish, and soon a detachment of city guards approached. The ghazi warrior was then unmasked and revealed to be a wanted ifrit bandit, Nerffaeh the Vile. His flight comically failed when Linneas scattered the shatranj board and its pieces under the ifrit's feet, causing the warrior to somehow trip on them and - despite having shown the grace of a master dancer previously - fall into a sewer.
From there, his capture was a rather simple matter - after all, the sewer was full of water and ended up fortuitously limiting the ifrit's fiery powers. He cursed them even as the Senumrah watchmen placed him in heavy mithril manacles and dragged him away to the constabulary.
High-level Barakah, Dorian had decided, worked in strange and mysterious ways.
"Well done, Linneas," he'd made sure to congratulate his underling. "I didn't expect you to have such an applicable talent here."
To which Linneas simply replied, "It is no important matter, Your Majesty. Even without supernatural powers, it would've been awfully lax of me to falter in a contest in your name, my liege. There would've only been one solution to dealing with my unworthy life, had I shown such a lack of spine..."
Japhris had chuckled at this statement, as if it were a mere jest. "Haha, well surely there's no need to go that far, right Linneas...? Oh, no, wait... I see! You are saying that to gather more Barakah, right?"
Linneas, admirably - or terrifyingly depending on how one chose to view things - remained stone-faced at this statement.
As a sweat drop appeared on her forehead, Japhris' smile became glassy. "T-To gather Barakah, right?"
Stone. Faced.
The hilarity of that incident aside, they spent practically the entire weekend celebrating with song, drink, and feasting on the best Misrashani food that money could acquire, intent on filling their stomachs to the brimming before the impending visit to the Caliph's Palace would fully divest them of their tastebuds. With Visceral modification, Dorian ensured the taste of each meal was utterly resplendent, from stew-spooned couscous with cereals like tiny firecrackers of delicate flavor, to sinfully indulgent kebabs with fresh-cut succulent lamb meat and crisp vegetables, and various stuffed breads and chips with a confounding variety of dips, savory hummus not the least of them.
And then on Al-Ahad once more, Dorian and the court were admitted into the Senumrah Palace.
What Senumrah was to the entire Caliphate of Misrashan, the Palace was to Senumrah.
The Palace was easily the most magnificent and transcendent manmade structure that Dorian had ever visited, its opulence like a crushing soul-weight. The interior of the Icarelian Tower he'd entered was a realm of conceptual chaos. This, instead, stood as the proud apex of what mere mortals could achieve on the material plane.
An interminable wellspring of glory suffused each of the sandstone walls. The Palace wielded its own torrent of Barakah, an indestructible bulwark that promoted a story of welfare and security for its inhabitants; a tale so robust it ensured the Palace could survive the end of the world. At the entrance, the statues of dogs sitting atop columns were animate, moving as if truly alive, tails wagging as they observed their approach with the calmness of indefatigable guardians. Their corporeal shells were utterly drenched in Barakah, the might of the Palace's inhabitants causing the mundane silver within each likeness of Qitmir to transmute to solid mithril.
Artists countless decades older than Dorian and unimaginably more talented at their work than he could ever dream of becoming at making masks had spent their entire lives applying secret and mastered techniques to etching on those Palace walls. A number of those artists, their beautiful guide explained, had either been the direct members, or descendants, of the Voyaging Kingdom which Roderick Iselgrad had once established and which largely collapsed with his rumored death. These so-called Practitioners were capable of taking a skill and training it to a level transcendent beyond mastery; a Practitioner of a profession was an unparalleled paragon within that field of specialty.
The beauty of the Palace's fountains and the indomitable, strife-silencing Barakah of its guards aside, Dorian studied all of its contents and apparent protocols carefully - not only because it was practical to always be deeply aware of one's surroundings, but also because he imagined the Imperial Palace on Drethir could have some similarities to this location; there were always parallels, even on different worlds. That said, its sheer pre-eminence distracted even his resolute mind, let alone those of his companions.
As it soon turned out, the Caliph was occupied with some minor issue that'd cropped up suddenly, so they'd have to wait before meeting with him. Quick on her feet, the guide directed them into the pleasure gardens, where they were lavished in 'minor' distractions and entertainments, which amounted to some of the most interesting things Dorian had ever seen. He wondered if the Caliph had arranged for this as an intimidating show of his stunning wealth, or if there truly was such a coincidence.
There were shows of obscure if not especially useful magics from around the corners of the world including an art from a land even further south than Tanumis where ritual removal of internal organs gave access to spells; displays by masterfully trained animals and their tamers from which he tried to draw some inspiration; and they even met another creature hosted by the Caliph, which called itself a dwarf and bore the name of Narsim. Narsim was made of metal shaped into a glib facsimile of a squat humanoid. It, much like the doctor, wielded the magic of Fulminance, which it claimed was a counterpart to the dwarven art of Tellurianism, which it happily displayed for them.
Finally, once the god-king of Misrashan was ready to receive them, they were brought into the Caliph's presence - but Dorian was ordered to come forward alone and present himself to the Caliph as an equal before his servants were admitted in.
Aduzahir al-Aziz ibn Qadar was a man who trivially lived up to every unimaginable story told about him, each trait attributed as true on the man's countenance as the wild and absurd claims that passed between the lips of caravanserai narrators and streetside singers. The sheer Barakah of the man rendered his presence nearly impossible to bear, even though Dorian could tell the Caliph restrained all but a mere tenth of its emanation. He was a storm that properly unleashed could sunder continents, a wind that could move in a line to sever a mountain like an axe felling a tree. Destiny bent around him; his mere displeasure was less likely than a man randomly suffering cardiac arrest.
Mundanely, he was an athletic man on the crisp precipice of losing his early youth, a haunted look concealed underneath the impassive mask of his commanding authority, a thick beard grown out over sumptuous robes, and a violet turban with a sapphire gem.
It took some amount of restraint not to fully surrender all agency on the spot, to fall to one knee at this demigod's feet and offer to him the complete crown of Kingship, to relinquish vengeance as easily as a worker changed shirts, and resign oneself to a mere Pawn on this greater being's golden board. And all the more painful was this restraint, that Dorian could understand merely by looking, that he'd secure for himself and his friends a much happier life in doing so. Execration alone shielded him from doing so.
When the Caliph noticed Dorian's reaction, he raised an eyebrow and even more fully drew in the whirling storm of Barakah. All of the rebellious feelings in Dorian's mind fell away like a tornado disintegrating into mere breezes hurled in random directions.
"Welcome to the Palace, my Crimson brother," said the Son of Destiny, He Who Rides the Buraq, and stepped forward to take Dorian's shoulder. His voice was beautiful and commanding, although not inhumanely so. His smile was friendly, that of a normal man in casual conversation with a new acquaintance. "Our humble nation has not hosted a guest from another world in a long time. It pleases me to greet you here, and even more that you chose my Caliphate as the site of your descent. Let us introduce our servants to each other, and then we shall hold a grand feast to welcome you properly among us."
As advertised, the feast was grand indeed, and it served as an opportunity for Dorian to closely acquaint himself with the Caliph, while their servants mingled.
Dorian was utterly astonished - stupefied, even - to find within the Caliph was a kindred soul. They were men undoubtedly cut from the same cloth, the color of their souls identical. As Dorian learned more about the Caliph, his earlier doubts about the man melted like snow under the bright noonday sun of high summer heat.
When one hears of a bearded god-king living out their days in complete decadence with a hundred-strong harem, there are certain implications about moral and ethical character, but in this case, all of them were utterly wrong. Aduzahir turned out to be a genuinely generous and caring soul whose main worries were the fate of his people after he died. Every one of the stalwart guards in the Palace had met the Caliph on various dashing adventures, each its own story of gallantry or an amusing anecdote. They all loved him like a brother and, he similarly loved them; no different from Dorian's heartfelt bonds with his friends. The man's harem was comprised of erudite and fascinating individuals who all had deep bonds of emotional connection with Aduzahir and found their lives pleasurable and independently uplifting rather than degrading.
Finding his prudence perhaps a little diminished because of the seeming depth of the Caliph's charity, Dorian revealed the full truth and the contents of all his hitherto adventures and capabilities to the man, all done in privacy and full confidence, including the tales of Drethir, Street, his acquisition of Viscerality, and all else that'd happened since then. Rather than taking umbrage, the Caliph simply nodded along and proclaimed understanding of this dilemma, agreeing with Dorian that while their response must be measured and temperate, Drethir indeed sounded like an evil tyranny, and naturally the Caliph would pledge his support to Dorian's worthwhile and heroic cause. He also advised Dorian on various other matters, as if he were a kindly and wise older brother passing his sagacity onto his junior.
Of course, this was all insanely generous and Dorian soon found himself caring about the Caliph entirely of his own accord.
While Misrashan readied its vast armies and put out a call for brave heroes to reinforce Dorian's sudden campaign across the eastern sea, the Crimson Court availed itself to the various pleasures of high life at the Palace, whether that be unimaginably exquisite food, access to its libraries, or conversations with their fellow courtiers.
All was fine and dandy, in Dorian's estimate, except for the evil vizier, who was becoming an issue.
Nasir al-Jafar was so obviously evil that Dorian was a bit astonished and concerned that no one else - with the sole exception of Linneas, when this fact was pointed out to and slowly explained to him - could see it.
The hallways of the Palace darkened whenever he entered them as if his sinister shadow were expanding to coat them in some radiance-eating gloom. Worrying sorcerous sounds came from his chambers each night, and the barriers on the walls blocked out all divination. He had a strong tendency to end sentences using ominous turns of phrases or malevolent chuckles as he talked about the pacts he made with various djinn. He had an immaculately trimmed goatee as his only hair, dressed only in black yet did not sweat in the desert sun, and constantly carried around a golden cane whose top had a grip shaped like a scorpion with emeralds for its eyes.
However, whenever Dorian pointed out any of these rather menacing things, the Caliph, the Palace guards, and all the present courtiers - as well as Japhris, Andrei, and the Mask - laughed it all off as nothing more than incurious eccentricities, sometimes saying, "oh, that Jafar and his antics!" or something to a similar effect.
If Dorian didn't know any better, he would've said that Jafar was mind-controlling everyone at the Palace.
Frankly, Dorian would've been content to let the matter rest, had Jafar not approached him of his own during a Visceral training session in one of the gardens:
"Ah... there you are, Mister Croft," the man said with his silky smooth voice. It sounded like a blade concealed behind a back, yet imbued with a sweet gloss.
Like wine. Evil wine.
"Jafar," temporized Dorian, assuming a diplomatic tone, yet unable to prevent himself from sneering slightly. He folded his arms. "What do you want?"
Jafar smirked as if this reaction were pleasing to him. He chuckled, both of his arms behind his back, and then assumed a regally uninterested mien.
"I simply came here to congratulate you... my dear friend." The smirk appeared again, briefly, as if mocking Dorian. "It's not very often that a... wandering vagabond manages to so closely entice his Majesty's attentions as you did and turn the entire Palace upside-down in pursuit of some kind of glorious quest. My dearest brother Aduzahir seems very happy with your presence here. As am I, of course, as am I... so, it'd be a terrible shame if something bad happened to you, wouldn't it?"
Dorian stiffened a little at the subtle threat. "What are you implying?"
"Oh, nothing at all, nothing at all," Jafar deflected with a sudden laugh, as shrilly cold as a hundred blades plunging into the necks of defenseless children. Dorian suppressed a cringe of sympathetic pain and fear.
"Hypothetically... even if someone did mean you harm, they would not wish to go after you directly, would they? Oh no, far from it, I think. That would be unwise of them. After all, you are too strong and well-entrenched, and all too... capable." The word was sharp and weighty with a subtle vexation, like a block falling into place, as Jafar assessed Dorian and stroked his goatee analytically. "If someone did mean to harm you, that person... well, he or she would surely go after your friends instead?"
Dorian clicked his tongue. "Yeah? Is that so? What do you want, Jafar?"
"I am not in want of anything, my friend." Jafar smiled at him indulgently as if he were a small child. "I am simply warning you. It'd be a terrible shame if something... tragic, happened before the upcoming ceremony, wouldn't it? Just a hypothetical of course." Jafar's smile widened as he broke into sudden laughter, fingers clacking together.
"Yes..." Dorian agreed lamely. It was clear this was Jafar's way of declaring war - or was it? How deep did the man's machination run? Dorian's eyes narrowed, as he tried to pierce through the veils of concealment and see Jafar's intent. "I'll keep your warning in mind. Thanks."
Jafar chuckled once again, each sound like a thorn. "Of course, of course... We're all friends here in the Caliphate, aren't we? Wouldn't want to... step down on anyone, hm?"
With that, Jafar departed, whistling some grandiosely ominous tune to himself. Dorian shuddered.
---
Your week's overall activities have acquired a total of 90 Wealth; a sufficient amount of money that you could essentially afford for each party member to live out the rest of your stay on Providence in modest comfort, or to acquire modest relics or hire great and powerful mercenaries. This still isn't the sum a proper sheik would have, but at least you're getting there. However, given most of the wealthier clientele you've come into contact with have already acquired what they wished, it's probable your personal Wealth gain rate will slow down drastically from here on out, even if you were to continue your activities in this particular market.
Through incredible services to your Kingdom, Linneas managed to acquire two (2) more Pawn Ranks - only a mere two Ranks away from Promotion to a higher Piece! Under the correct circumstances, his Attributes can outstrip your own; combined with his newly acquired Barakah, he's actually decently stronger in a wide spread of situations.
Pawn [Rank VI] - Linneas of the Argent Kingdom
Choose two:
[ ] Able Pawn - Grants Linneas an even better ability to support your own actions. It hasn't failed you so far.
[ ] Agility - Grant Linneas even better agility and movement speed, a swiftness to match his absurd zeal.
[ ] Efficiency - A modest cogmentation, increasing quantitative thought and bureaucratic talent.
[ ] Service - Increases Linneas' sheer proficiency with most skills, the prowess in learning them, as well as a minor boost to overall competence.
[ ] Stone-Faced - Improved mental resilience; from psychological stamina and fortitude, resistance to torture and mind control, and so on. Minor physical durability boost.
[ ] Write-in (as usual, you can write-in less efficacious propositions)
Current Barakah
Dorian - 7,950 fates: miracles, knowledge, rulership, grandeur, blood, healing, the color red
Japhris - 8,180 fates; prediction, future-seeing, oracular acts, trickery, cold beauty, dreams
Andrei - 6,450 fates; science, research, genius, lightning, brightness
Linneas - 10,000 fates; the world's most competent second-in-command; bravery, ingenuity, sheer professional proficiency and cleverness, total devotion to his King
Lions - 1,460 fates; bodyguards, endurance, pride, beauty
Mask - continued Potential growth, overall value equivalent to about 5,000 fates
Notes:
- After Ranking up, Japhris commented her Arcanism felt more 'focused.'
- You haven't received the Caliph's blessing quite yet. Aduzahir says that to maximize its power, it'll be conducted as a high ceremony on a special upcoming ritual day - by the estimate of the Caliph's royal astrologist, it should grant you at least twenty thousand fates on its own. More importantly, it'll accelerate your Barakah accretion and sharply attune it to improve your advantage when fighting in Surirah. It'll grant similar benefits to your entire court. It should maximize your ability to impact the conflict.
A minor decision regarding the Doctor:
[ ] Make a Pawn - Efficient and useful, if a tad late! Becoming a Pawn will improve the Doctor's attributes and can be directed to sharpen his intellectual refinement.
[ ] Make a full Piece (which?) - Cut out the middleman. You've more than enough royal energy to create a Piece above a Pawn. Recommended: either Bishop or Rook, or a Fairy Piece such as 'Doctor.'
Finally, the most important decision you are facing.
What do you do about Jafar's threat?
[ ] Take It Seriously - What was that, if not a veiled threat on your life? This man has directly implied that something terrible would happen to your friend unless you packed up and stopped dragging the Caliphate of Misrashan into the conflict in Surirah. You need to react as if this were a completely serious danger and figure out what to do about Jafar.
[ ] Ignore It - You're surely paranoid, and if you aren't... well, what's the worst he could do in the middle of the Palace at Senumrah? Any plot of his that's a direct murder or something similarly horrid would be noticed and easily uncovered. He can't do anything except threaten and inconvenience you.
[ ] Report to the Caliph - Inform the Caliph straightforwardly that whatever eccentricities Jafar may have, you don't feel safe around the man and would like something to be done about this. However, this could backfire, as the Caliph seems very fond of Jafar... You're afraid in this one circumstance, the Son of Destiny's judgment may be totally warped. There is a strong possibility the Caliph will laugh your worries off and verbally reassure you without taking action, asking you to be more tolerant of Jafar's oddity; there is even a mild risk the Caliph might directly side with Jafar and be displeased at your accusation.
[ ] Write-in
Zampano
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
- Location
- Simping for DSB
[X] Able Pawn
[X] Agility
[X] Efficiency
[X] Service
[X] Stone-Faced
[X] Write-in
[X] Make a Pawn
[X] Make a full Piece (which?)
[X] Take It Seriously
[X] Ignore It
[X] Report to the Caliph
[X] Write-in
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Rihaku
The Internet
It seems like we haven't revealed King in Crimson generally, so Jafar may not know that we can trivially apply the full weight of our own regeneration to all our allies at will, and sense their complete biology at all times. Given they have their own Barakah that is often higher than ours, it would not be much easier to dispatch one of them than it would to assault Dorian himself, especially since Dorian can think fast enough to implement plans to aid them with his superior competence.
It's possible Jafar's evil vizier role is a key component of the Caliphate just like the Caliph's doom. It may also just be key to the reign of this specific Caliph in some way. However, we simply don't have enough data to make even an educated guess as to which of the Jafar response options is appropriate. Dorian has much more contextual info than us and is extremely competent, he should really be making this decision himself (+Linneas augmentation).
All we know is that Jafar is acting like a stereotypically evil vizier and has made a cliche veiled threat upon Dorian's companions, whereas Dorian has countless context clues from weeks of interaction and is smarter than Shikamaru. He should at least have several theories, viable or no, and should have deductively eliminated many possibilities.
@Birdsie What do the earphones, etc say about Jafar? Also, does Barakah effectiveness fall off with distance? Does Nameless Mask have any forms which are immune to Jafar's stranger power?
It's possible Jafar's evil vizier role is a key component of the Caliphate just like the Caliph's doom. It may also just be key to the reign of this specific Caliph in some way. However, we simply don't have enough data to make even an educated guess as to which of the Jafar response options is appropriate. Dorian has much more contextual info than us and is extremely competent, he should really be making this decision himself (+Linneas augmentation).
All we know is that Jafar is acting like a stereotypically evil vizier and has made a cliche veiled threat upon Dorian's companions, whereas Dorian has countless context clues from weeks of interaction and is smarter than Shikamaru. He should at least have several theories, viable or no, and should have deductively eliminated many possibilities.
@Birdsie What do the earphones, etc say about Jafar? Also, does Barakah effectiveness fall off with distance? Does Nameless Mask have any forms which are immune to Jafar's stranger power?
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
The Mask doesn't have any straightforwardly direct methods of 'overcoming narratives' or unique personalities, albeit when you ask it for an opinion on the matter, it travels a good distance away from the city and meditates for a while, then returns and says it fully believes that Jafar's simply a bit of an oddball. This is all explainable by some kind of bizarre Barakah effect that drives Jafar to accidentally take actions which seem sinister and cause the incitement of such paranoia as a side effect.
Your oracular voice power isn't able to pierce the dark murk of Jafar's Barakah, aside from obvious declarations about him being a vizier and other observations you've already made. It does more usefully tell you he's got the telltale signs of someone who uses Wishcraft - the magical art of djinn - rather frequently, although this is more likely to be him making pacts with them rather than him being one. And even if he did turn out to be one, it wouldn't be a reason to arrest or kill him.
The Tomb Piece's Nature
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Also, unrelatedly to the main update and current circumstances, with two Pawn Ranks invested into Japhris' Memories of the Time Before, I might as well reveal what Dorian's glimpsed of the enhanced dross that Pawnship rendered superlative, since there have been a lot of worries about Japhris being turned into some sort of monster:
- According to Japhris, the source of Firstborn elves on Cirantil was something called 'a Tomb,' which was apparently the site at which an ancient goddess lived, the progenitor of their kind. Although the Tomb had disappeared from Cirantil, sinking into some ethereal irreality, the Beckoned Hero of Cirantil is said to have visited it recently - in fact, as recently as only a couple of weeks before Japhris was kidnapped by Goremont (less than half a year ago), and he'd described it as, "a lush and mega-dangerous jungle." This could be the reason why Japhris felt so strangely comforted about Taure's environments - perhaps Taure's Forest and the Cirantilian Tomb were somehow related to each other?
- According to your own prognostications (via the earbud-implanted Oracle mask) and the Doctor's estimates, the potential within Japhris isn't something unique to her own metaphysiology, but rather an inherent and latent potential within the elves of her world. The Doctor's theory is that she and the other elves are a diminished off-shoot of the 'ancient goddess' and her species, and that you've essentially raised her likeness to them.
In summary, the belief of Dorian and the Doctor is that continued investment along this track will be able to fully rederive - or at least approximate - the blueprint of the progenitor species and impose it on Japhris, potentially granting her access to her Tomb, whatever that might mean or imply.
Assuming the Forest on Taure was indeed some kind of 'tendril' or extrusion of the same Tomb as the entity from Cirantil, the implications could be mighty indeed...
- According to Japhris, the source of Firstborn elves on Cirantil was something called 'a Tomb,' which was apparently the site at which an ancient goddess lived, the progenitor of their kind. Although the Tomb had disappeared from Cirantil, sinking into some ethereal irreality, the Beckoned Hero of Cirantil is said to have visited it recently - in fact, as recently as only a couple of weeks before Japhris was kidnapped by Goremont (less than half a year ago), and he'd described it as, "a lush and mega-dangerous jungle." This could be the reason why Japhris felt so strangely comforted about Taure's environments - perhaps Taure's Forest and the Cirantilian Tomb were somehow related to each other?
- According to your own prognostications (via the earbud-implanted Oracle mask) and the Doctor's estimates, the potential within Japhris isn't something unique to her own metaphysiology, but rather an inherent and latent potential within the elves of her world. The Doctor's theory is that she and the other elves are a diminished off-shoot of the 'ancient goddess' and her species, and that you've essentially raised her likeness to them.
In summary, the belief of Dorian and the Doctor is that continued investment along this track will be able to fully rederive - or at least approximate - the blueprint of the progenitor species and impose it on Japhris, potentially granting her access to her Tomb, whatever that might mean or imply.
Assuming the Forest on Taure was indeed some kind of 'tendril' or extrusion of the same Tomb as the entity from Cirantil, the implications could be mighty indeed...
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Rihaku
The Internet
Alright, in that case a plan:
[X] Plan Cover Our Bases
*I am kind of suspicious that Linneas is so consistently the MVP. It's probably nothing, but we should include some sort of contingency in the event he ever betrays us. It is kind of sus that he volunteered to enter our service and was so absurdly loyal basically from the start, without Dorian doing much to earn it. Granted we did save his and Japhris' lives, but Japhris' level of loyalty seems much more reasonable for that feat.
Linneas:
[X] Able Pawn IV
[X] Zealous Might - Since Linneas is specializing into a loyalty-focused build, this Pawn power multiplies the effects of Able Pawn when he demonstrates superb or fanatical levels of devotion, but massively penalizes all of his supernatural abilities when he acts disloyally, even if said disloyal action might be theoretically in Dorian's best interest (for example, trying to convince Dorian to give up on destroying Drethir would optimize for Dorian's personal happiness, but be against Dorian's explicit goals and would thus trigger the penalty)
Doctor Musurov:
[X] Make a full Piece - Bishop
@Birdsie Should we propose powers or will there be a build vote for Musurov?
Jafar:
[X] Cover Our Bases -
Use Gamaliel Coils to further augment your Barakah and grant it the aspect of "spanner in the works" - narrative subversion or upheaval, the triumph of cold logic over dramatic necessity. Basically turns the genre from "high fantasy" to "Game of Thrones" when it would be convenient for Dorian. If Jafar's concealment works due to narrative imposed blindness on the evil vizier archetype, this would hard counter that (and serve as a counter to overwhelming Barakah deficits in general). Then investigate Jafar (and any other potential credible threats to the ceremony) properly.
(This Coils use has already been approved in the Discord, Birdsie commented that it's "not a bad use of Coils in general," let alone in the present situation.)
If after this you still don't find what you need, go to the Caliph in absolute secrecy (I assume Dorian is competent enough to manage this; make or use a Nameless Mask form if necessary): you're not sure if you're just being overly paranoid, but you received a mysterious warning with potentially memetic hazard properties that your companions might be at threat in the leadup to the ceremony. Just to be sure, you request the Caliph give you a blessing right now in secret to immediately augment your Barakah. You understand this will yield less immediate power than the full ritual, but your allies will all be receiving that anyway.
After getting the blessing, with your competence and new Barakah aspect, make general precautions for the security of your allies and the ritual, don't assume Jafar will necessarily be the cause of any danger but rather act to forestall danger in general. Also see if your new Barakah aspect lets you more effectively investigate Jafar at all. Perhaps post-Coils you can make a serious effort at scouting the source!
[X] Plan Cover Our Bases
*I am kind of suspicious that Linneas is so consistently the MVP. It's probably nothing, but we should include some sort of contingency in the event he ever betrays us. It is kind of sus that he volunteered to enter our service and was so absurdly loyal basically from the start, without Dorian doing much to earn it. Granted we did save his and Japhris' lives, but Japhris' level of loyalty seems much more reasonable for that feat.
Linneas:
[X] Able Pawn IV
[X] Zealous Might - Since Linneas is specializing into a loyalty-focused build, this Pawn power multiplies the effects of Able Pawn when he demonstrates superb or fanatical levels of devotion, but massively penalizes all of his supernatural abilities when he acts disloyally, even if said disloyal action might be theoretically in Dorian's best interest (for example, trying to convince Dorian to give up on destroying Drethir would optimize for Dorian's personal happiness, but be against Dorian's explicit goals and would thus trigger the penalty)
Doctor Musurov:
[X] Make a full Piece - Bishop
@Birdsie Should we propose powers or will there be a build vote for Musurov?
Jafar:
[X] Cover Our Bases -
Use Gamaliel Coils to further augment your Barakah and grant it the aspect of "spanner in the works" - narrative subversion or upheaval, the triumph of cold logic over dramatic necessity. Basically turns the genre from "high fantasy" to "Game of Thrones" when it would be convenient for Dorian. If Jafar's concealment works due to narrative imposed blindness on the evil vizier archetype, this would hard counter that (and serve as a counter to overwhelming Barakah deficits in general). Then investigate Jafar (and any other potential credible threats to the ceremony) properly.
(This Coils use has already been approved in the Discord, Birdsie commented that it's "not a bad use of Coils in general," let alone in the present situation.)
If after this you still don't find what you need, go to the Caliph in absolute secrecy (I assume Dorian is competent enough to manage this; make or use a Nameless Mask form if necessary): you're not sure if you're just being overly paranoid, but you received a mysterious warning with potentially memetic hazard properties that your companions might be at threat in the leadup to the ceremony. Just to be sure, you request the Caliph give you a blessing right now in secret to immediately augment your Barakah. You understand this will yield less immediate power than the full ritual, but your allies will all be receiving that anyway.
After getting the blessing, with your competence and new Barakah aspect, make general precautions for the security of your allies and the ritual, don't assume Jafar will necessarily be the cause of any danger but rather act to forestall danger in general. Also see if your new Barakah aspect lets you more effectively investigate Jafar at all. Perhaps post-Coils you can make a serious effort at scouting the source!
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Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
There'll be a short build vote, especially if you choose a full Piece - you'll get to modularly build-your-own-Piece with choices from a fairly diverse list suited to the Doctor's capabilities. You can still propose powers, and if I consider them flavorful, they might get included.
Rihaku
The Internet
(Btw, the reason Cover Our Bases has a general Barakah-equalizing Contaminate rather than simply mind controlling Jafar - which Birdsie confirmed Coils can do - is because we still have no data whether Jafar is actually evil, friendly like Mask thinks, or even some kind of Cassandra figure cursed to sow suspicion even as he gives entirely accurate forewarnings. Spanner hard counters both the first and third scenarios, which are the ones we'd worry about)
