The Streetwalker's Guide to the Hierarchy
- Thread starter Birdsie
- Start date
- Location
- 1
Most magic systems don't have 'put yourself in danger' as the default requirement for initiation, though! We didn't need a laboratory setting for Viscerality and we wouldn't need one for a Mortal Order or Maskcraft.
Also, this is not an ideal laboratory setting. We've got like... 3 days, I think? For mentalism Maybe you could say it's ideal, but even then, we're not reinforced against it! This isn't a ideal laboratory, it's a mad scientist's shed.
First of all, why ever not? We're going to keep making masks, we're going to keep exploring things, the dreamland we're going to return to at some point is potentially made of identity (since our cohesiveness therein was identity-y)... There will be other options! Also, this isn't one of those options! I don't think Facelessness manipulation is Identity manipulation. If you can manipulate acid, you don't have control over paper. If you were proposing exposing Dorian to dangerous quantities of identity through a specialist Mask, I'd understand that, at least, but the evidence suggests Facelessness is a substance that harms identity, not a negative quantity identity in-itself (If it was the latter, it would deplete over time as it came in contact with Identity and mutually annihilated!)
No, see, I genuinely think it's middling because I don't see reason to believe it would have any benefits beyond creating facelessness (Artificer's!), moving facelessness (probably possible with a vacuum-like artificer's without a generator!), and being a bit better at Masks due to the moving facelessness part. Which is Okay, but Middling.
[X] Into the Fire - Lay the very heart of your identity on a pyre of science. Let Dorian Croft weather the flames of rebirth, or be entirely incinerated by them. Either way, a stronger man shall emerge. Better able to carry out whatever mission follows him out of the fire.
This is the fuck it we ball option and Dorian wants to change and be better this is a way to do it.
This is the fuck it we ball option and Dorian wants to change and be better this is a way to do it.
- Location
- washington
It probably greater lets us employ war crimes imagine someone with faceless powers with an identity and the ability of logical thought. Given I doubt we'd spec into a route like that but its probably an avenue.
Edit: Honestly we'd probably be considered among the greatest in terms of war crimes if natives of our homeworld ever found out what we're doing.
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- Location
- 1
In case that we go into the fire, we should consider saving some of our memories in case we do lose them. Supernatural means would be preferred, a some kind of mask that can just give us back memories or skills(should we lose them) on touch, but in case we can't manage that a more mundane means of just writing important stuff down would be great. It would suck if we lost our understand of how Street works or memories of our family, etc.
We might consider creating a mask that would help us here. Now, in general the entire purposes of masks is to fight back Facelessness, however given our skill level it should be possible to create a somewhat faulty mask that barely does that, while still providing some kind of useful power. Ideally it would be something that would still protect us from secondary effects of getting blasted by Facelessness, however in a pinch a buff to Visceralism might be useful, as its abilities might flare up in the face of Facelessness.
We could lend Mooneater to someone and have them project images of our loved ones to act as an anchor while we are getting blasted.
Waiting for Musorov to finish first is a natural step here. If his own procedure goes well he can assist us in battling secondary effects of our own procedure, and if it is a complete fucking failure and he goes insane trying to kill everyone here, we might have bigger fish to fry. Likewise, copying Mentalism with Glass would allow us to copy mental defenses, although that goes back to issue of Masks being made to prevent this.
If there is a nearby subject i.e. some kind of captive werewolf, we might first do the procedure on them to see how the downsides manifest there, and afterwards we can copy their new powers to see how they work and maybe even use them for much more refined blasting instead of just cudgeling ourselves over the head with Artificer. Similarly we could start process with Artificer, see how it goes, and then make a specialized mask for the process so it does less damage.
In theory, we could consume the Marshwarden berry and go to the House while we are getting sandblasted, and use the House to center our identity while the process is happening
We might consider creating a mask that would help us here. Now, in general the entire purposes of masks is to fight back Facelessness, however given our skill level it should be possible to create a somewhat faulty mask that barely does that, while still providing some kind of useful power. Ideally it would be something that would still protect us from secondary effects of getting blasted by Facelessness, however in a pinch a buff to Visceralism might be useful, as its abilities might flare up in the face of Facelessness.
We could lend Mooneater to someone and have them project images of our loved ones to act as an anchor while we are getting blasted.
Waiting for Musorov to finish first is a natural step here. If his own procedure goes well he can assist us in battling secondary effects of our own procedure, and if it is a complete fucking failure and he goes insane trying to kill everyone here, we might have bigger fish to fry. Likewise, copying Mentalism with Glass would allow us to copy mental defenses, although that goes back to issue of Masks being made to prevent this.
If there is a nearby subject i.e. some kind of captive werewolf, we might first do the procedure on them to see how the downsides manifest there, and afterwards we can copy their new powers to see how they work and maybe even use them for much more refined blasting instead of just cudgeling ourselves over the head with Artificer. Similarly we could start process with Artificer, see how it goes, and then make a specialized mask for the process so it does less damage.
In theory, we could consume the Marshwarden berry and go to the House while we are getting sandblasted, and use the House to center our identity while the process is happening
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- Location
- washington
But worse war crimes.
- Location
- washington
Make a mask of our identity maybe as a worse case scenario. Not sure how viable this is though since we are already short on time and making them a mask.
We can make masks relatively quickly with supplies, and this place should have them. That being said, Dorian 2.0 doesn't have a reason to put on identity mask of Dorian 1.0, so I don't view it as a viable strategy.
High levels of fixation might help us withstand the process though, and one of the benefits of the process might be loss of fixation. If that is the case we should pivot to either Fixating Artificer or some new mask that supports this power.
- Location
- washington
eh Dorian 2.0 has plenty of reason too depending on the level of personality change the shift doesn't have to be significant.
Although we could make a dorian mask that doesn't protect against Facelessness, so we could wear it during the process. Or we could go full Mask of Dorian Gray and turn our personality into the mask?
And tactics for Musorov:
This maxes out prep while also setting up solutions in case it doesn't work out as we'd like
And tactics for Musorov:
- Craft Insanity Mask as well as well as number of mind soothing masks depending on time and resources
- Create stronger, user only version for Musorov. Once procedure ends swap the insanity mask for this one
- Wear Glass while the assistants wear mind soothing masks to protect Musorov. Using Glass copy doctor's current level of Mentalism and use it to help him survive the process unscathed; use Viscerality as needed to help him from physical side
- We could start process on "lower setting" to get some experience, understand what are exact consequences of insanity etc.
- Make sure to hamstring doctor as much as possible before the procedure. Using Viscerality weaken him physically and turn of certain implants, remove mediums for his powers(i.e. metal) and have people who can counter him ready. Since we are using Glass we can use Anti-Mask on him as well
This maxes out prep while also setting up solutions in case it doesn't work out as we'd like
I had an idea that if fracturing of identity comes into play, perhaps we could fixate using the existing identities of the masks? Soldifying them as anchors with different facets of Dorian shaping into separate identities of a gestalt.
Maskweaver - the Coordinator, Lord Glass
Screentime - the Cartographer
Crimson Lost - Fight, Survival
Specter - Flight, Risk mitigator
Artificer - The Scientist
Mooneater - Sorrow, she who remembers
Maskweaver - the Coordinator, Lord Glass
Screentime - the Cartographer
Crimson Lost - Fight, Survival
Specter - Flight, Risk mitigator
Artificer - The Scientist
Mooneater - Sorrow, she who remembers
- Location
- Louisiana
I think a mask of our own face would go a long way to preventing substantial differences in our mindset. We'll be subsumed by a caustic identity eating substance, one that has to fully flow through us for an extended period of time. Having what essentially amounts to a snapshot copy, should be a big help for recovering from any damage.
Thematically making a mask of our own face would go so hard. It's would a huge opportunity loss not to at this juncture. With Viscerality, it would be easier now too. Just peel off Dorian's face and keep it alive and self sustaining to keep his features pristine for the mask.
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Lets think for a moment. What is Facelessness, exactly? From the opening blurb:
Another factor is that Mask are powered by Facelessness, and that Faceless consume masks. Later is not strange; as beings who presumably yearn to posses identity once again, Masks are sure to be a great prize. It is obvious that Mask represent identity, and just like Facelessness leads to you losing identity, Masks lead to you becoming a certain identity. As such process of Mask-making is inversion of natural power of Facelessness into Masks.
So what is the opposite of identity? It could be anonymity, or perhaps uniformity. Later makes sense with whole "Facelessness happens if you are around others"; social pressure of other people erodes your personal boundaries and your own ego gives away to that pressure. I would except Facelessness to be greater than a single concept, so uniformity has to be just one of the things it represents.
Masks serve as an identity shield of sorts; I would say that they are the ones that suffer the pressure of Facelessness in stead of its user. It stands to a reason, then, that there is something to them that allows them to withstand this pressure, and is indeed likely a thing that powers them. If we could understand what exactly allows them to withstand this pressure, we could perhaps replicate it? Or we could go back to "mask consuming horror" part; if we were to understand how one can consume masks to stave off identity loss and strengthen our own personality, then perhaps we might use that to endure, although I imagine that mixing bits and pieces of masks into our personality would have somewhat of an impact.
Or why not the other way around? Since we can blast people with anti-identity, why not blast them with identity as well? If you think about it, Mask that produces Facelessness is much weirder than Mask that produces .. Maskness? Whatever you want to call it. Really, Artificer is kinda weird. How come it can just make more Facelessness?
Maybe "Facelessness" and identity power of masks are the same thing, just through different lens? Perhaps Facelessness is still identity power, just wild and without form, and just like Mask form makes you into something, so does raw identity makes you into, well, something without identity.
I'm just rambling for now, going over the facts. Maybe at some point it would come together in my head, make something worthwhile.
We know that lack of mask on Drethir leads to decay of personality, which ultimately turns one into a Faceless, a mask consuming horror. Now, it stands to a reason that Drethir has a constant level of Facelessness which people are exposed to and after some time succumb to, except for some reason it is fine to remove mask when the other people are not around. This means that Facelessness is not doing that much on its own, at least not at those levels, but is somewhat amplified by the presence of others.
Another factor is that Mask are powered by Facelessness, and that Faceless consume masks. Later is not strange; as beings who presumably yearn to posses identity once again, Masks are sure to be a great prize. It is obvious that Mask represent identity, and just like Facelessness leads to you losing identity, Masks lead to you becoming a certain identity. As such process of Mask-making is inversion of natural power of Facelessness into Masks.
So what is the opposite of identity? It could be anonymity, or perhaps uniformity. Later makes sense with whole "Facelessness happens if you are around others"; social pressure of other people erodes your personal boundaries and your own ego gives away to that pressure. I would except Facelessness to be greater than a single concept, so uniformity has to be just one of the things it represents.
Masks serve as an identity shield of sorts; I would say that they are the ones that suffer the pressure of Facelessness in stead of its user. It stands to a reason, then, that there is something to them that allows them to withstand this pressure, and is indeed likely a thing that powers them. If we could understand what exactly allows them to withstand this pressure, we could perhaps replicate it? Or we could go back to "mask consuming horror" part; if we were to understand how one can consume masks to stave off identity loss and strengthen our own personality, then perhaps we might use that to endure, although I imagine that mixing bits and pieces of masks into our personality would have somewhat of an impact.
Or why not the other way around? Since we can blast people with anti-identity, why not blast them with identity as well? If you think about it, Mask that produces Facelessness is much weirder than Mask that produces .. Maskness? Whatever you want to call it. Really, Artificer is kinda weird. How come it can just make more Facelessness?
Maybe "Facelessness" and identity power of masks are the same thing, just through different lens? Perhaps Facelessness is still identity power, just wild and without form, and just like Mask form makes you into something, so does raw identity makes you into, well, something without identity.
I'm just rambling for now, going over the facts. Maybe at some point it would come together in my head, make something worthwhile.
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A Mask of Your own Face - Dorian meticulously peels off his face, stemming blood and pain with Viscerality.
Each nerve, artery, and ligament painstakingly snipped, leaving behind a living canvas. The features perfectly unmarred, as if he were merely asleep. Blood still pulsing through the capillaries.
When donned, the mask allows access to a perfect snapshot of Dorian Croft's identity at the time of the mask's conception. Memories, quirks.. His genius and recklessness, shame and rage. Pride and joys. His dreams, frozen in time within its contours. A mirror of the past.
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I believe that my conjecture is correct. "Facelessness", as we called it, is actually just raw identity energy and not some kind of antagonistic force. Going back to how Faceless came to be in our world, we can assume that presence of others is what causes extreme vulnerability to manifest and identity to erode, as social pressure uses raw identity energy as medium to lower ones' own sense of self. It stands to reason, then, that the opposite would have the reverse effect: by making it so we are in the presence of ourselves or the things that reinforce us(i.e. Glass), the identity pressure should trend more in the positive direction. So rather than creating mask of Dorian for ourselves, we create it for other people who are to be with us for the duration of the procedure.
If this theory is correct, then the beings in our world most likely naturally radiate identity and whole Faceless thing is just an unfortunate consequence. This explains how we can create masks without Artificer; we already posses ability to generate "Facelessness", just in much smaller quantity than Artificer. There are some long reaching implications to the overall plot, both in the dream world and also for our homeworld - I suspect, for example, that "Somber place" is actually the character while the Somber Mask is just its avatar, the city itself being filled by identity until it had become a discrete being, or the Somber Mask becoming genius loci.
If this theory is correct, then the beings in our world most likely naturally radiate identity and whole Faceless thing is just an unfortunate consequence. This explains how we can create masks without Artificer; we already posses ability to generate "Facelessness", just in much smaller quantity than Artificer. There are some long reaching implications to the overall plot, both in the dream world and also for our homeworld - I suspect, for example, that "Somber place" is actually the character while the Somber Mask is just its avatar, the city itself being filled by identity until it had become a discrete being, or the Somber Mask becoming genius loci.
- Location
- 1
...An interesting theory! Birdsie has referred to it as Anti-Identity, but I suppose that could be part of the trick. The quote 'Even Satan thinks generating more Facelessness is distasteful', though, seems a bit less kayfabe-y.
Also, if it's raw identity, how would Faceless beings have 'negative' rather than 'zero' identity? Once their identity fell to 0, wouldn't the raw stuff of identity be more likely to stick to the identityless being or saturate it or something, rather than somehow invert it further?
Ah yeah, that would imply otherwise then.
Oh well.
They wouldn't, they would just have close to zero identity, being an amorphous blob of hunger. The distinction here is between "identity energy" and "identity" where the later is formed out of the former but too much of the former can cause later to crumble. So horrors would be just raw identity energy to the point where any attempt at developing a semblance of identity is immediately eroded, which is why they seek out powerful enough established identity in form of a mask.
If we were to put this in numbers, normal people being identity value of 1, advanced masks and powerful spirits having identity value of 5~10, horrors would constantly be in 0-0.1 range as they try to gain an identity before being immediately reset.
But yeah it seems that Facelessness is a separate force.
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[X] Into the Fire
Am Not
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am Not Am -
You stare, eyes open.
Above, in greens and whites, the lights of a laboratory flash into your eyes. What happened is forgotten; you cannot remember the past. The aspirations you held onto are abandoned; you cannot imagine a future. There is only the present, where there is eternal hunger, a starvation that shakes your central essence.
You hunger. Not for flesh. All flesh is hollow, an empty vessel bereft of meaning.
You starve for meaning, definition, elucidation, sense, beauty -
You snap with realization; it exists so tantalizingly close to you.
The mask on your face is consumed, Visceral tendrils snapping ravenously over the glass and cracking the pane, absorbing the fragments into mangled cheeks. Memories flood a mind without a core; a past reclaimed at least partially, microscopic cinders of recognition thrown into a turbulent vitriolic sea.
The mantle of a manipulator. A pursuit of vengeance. Walking down a street of cobblestones on an iridescent night-
It hits you again. Hunger.
Masks, within your cloak.
You reach out, a grasping, clawed hand eager to consume...
...but something halts you, if only for a moment.
---
Here's a simple truth: Risks do not always pay off. You've been warned the odds are unknown. Warned they are, in fact, downright bad; potentially worse than with Mentalism. Even so, you chose the route of mad science without safety rails, and gambled your sanity and identity on the pyre. Frankly, in a situation such as this, most likely not even a Natural 100 would've allowed you to simply gain free superpowers without at least mildly deleterious short-term side effects. The scales were set against you.
This chapter, you rolled the lowest possible number: a Natural 1 out of 100.
Therefore, you have become Faceless.
As I am not a spineless coward, I have decided to enforce this. I've been warned by trusted individuals this may cause thread engagement to drop. So be it. Be angry if you wish. I won't be known as the GM who gives out timorous warnings that carry no real weight.
However, as I am not merciless, I'll allow you to choose the fate you'll suffer.
[ ] Succumb - Dorian Croft is dead, his corpse now a lurking Faceless Thing, soon to break out of Musorov's laboratory and become simply another one of the many horrors that haunt Demimonde. This story is at an end; onto the next.
[ ] Resist [10 Import] - Survive. Through the fog of death, claw your way back to reality. Hold onto the fragments of what make Dorian Croft himself.
As a consequence, you'll lose the Glass Webweaver, and suffer three more Consequences, of your choice, from this list:
-[ ] The Devouring (worth 2 Consequences) - Your other masks are consumed, much as the Webweaver. Given the inclusion of Artificer, you may struggle to rebuild them.
-[ ] Identity Loss - Your character is now amnesiac and does not remember anything. You have to piece the fragments together to regain your skills and memories.
-[ ] Unmasked - Your masks do not provide benefit to you anymore; you cannot bond, Fixate, or do much of anything except craft them.
-[ ] Faceless Wrath - For several days and nights, you'll rampage across Demimonde as a Faceless Thing; only then will you return to normalcy.
-[ ] Dreamless - You can no longer enter the oneiric, severed from it; not even the Tower of Night's benediction can amend this. Further, your creativity suffers backlash.
-[ ] Not The Traveler - Your Attunement is decreased to nothing and you suffer a long-term reduction to your Attunement increases; the Street struggles to recognize you.
Some of the above can be ameliorated eventually.
You stare, eyes open.
Above, in greens and whites, the lights of a laboratory flash into your eyes. What happened is forgotten; you cannot remember the past. The aspirations you held onto are abandoned; you cannot imagine a future. There is only the present, where there is eternal hunger, a starvation that shakes your central essence.
You hunger. Not for flesh. All flesh is hollow, an empty vessel bereft of meaning.
You starve for meaning, definition, elucidation, sense, beauty -
You snap with realization; it exists so tantalizingly close to you.
The mask on your face is consumed, Visceral tendrils snapping ravenously over the glass and cracking the pane, absorbing the fragments into mangled cheeks. Memories flood a mind without a core; a past reclaimed at least partially, microscopic cinders of recognition thrown into a turbulent vitriolic sea.
The mantle of a manipulator. A pursuit of vengeance. Walking down a street of cobblestones on an iridescent night-
It hits you again. Hunger.
Masks, within your cloak.
You reach out, a grasping, clawed hand eager to consume...
...but something halts you, if only for a moment.
---
Here's a simple truth: Risks do not always pay off. You've been warned the odds are unknown. Warned they are, in fact, downright bad; potentially worse than with Mentalism. Even so, you chose the route of mad science without safety rails, and gambled your sanity and identity on the pyre. Frankly, in a situation such as this, most likely not even a Natural 100 would've allowed you to simply gain free superpowers without at least mildly deleterious short-term side effects. The scales were set against you.
This chapter, you rolled the lowest possible number: a Natural 1 out of 100.
Therefore, you have become Faceless.
As I am not a spineless coward, I have decided to enforce this. I've been warned by trusted individuals this may cause thread engagement to drop. So be it. Be angry if you wish. I won't be known as the GM who gives out timorous warnings that carry no real weight.
However, as I am not merciless, I'll allow you to choose the fate you'll suffer.
[ ] Succumb - Dorian Croft is dead, his corpse now a lurking Faceless Thing, soon to break out of Musorov's laboratory and become simply another one of the many horrors that haunt Demimonde. This story is at an end; onto the next.
[ ] Resist [10 Import] - Survive. Through the fog of death, claw your way back to reality. Hold onto the fragments of what make Dorian Croft himself.
As a consequence, you'll lose the Glass Webweaver, and suffer three more Consequences, of your choice, from this list:
-[ ] The Devouring (worth 2 Consequences) - Your other masks are consumed, much as the Webweaver. Given the inclusion of Artificer, you may struggle to rebuild them.
-[ ] Identity Loss - Your character is now amnesiac and does not remember anything. You have to piece the fragments together to regain your skills and memories.
-[ ] Unmasked - Your masks do not provide benefit to you anymore; you cannot bond, Fixate, or do much of anything except craft them.
-[ ] Faceless Wrath - For several days and nights, you'll rampage across Demimonde as a Faceless Thing; only then will you return to normalcy.
-[ ] Dreamless - You can no longer enter the oneiric, severed from it; not even the Tower of Night's benediction can amend this. Further, your creativity suffers backlash.
-[ ] Not The Traveler - Your Attunement is decreased to nothing and you suffer a long-term reduction to your Attunement increases; the Street struggles to recognize you.
Some of the above can be ameliorated eventually.
- Location
- washington
Wow the sheer salt this shall produce lol I'm out for a while.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
[x]Succumb