- Location
- Louisiana
[X] The site of a massive Tower, ancient stones glowing, with its siblings not too far off
Pog
Pog
The Streetwalker's Guide to the Hierarchy
- Thread starter Birdsie
- Start date
@Wolfy We're forgetting about the immediate powerup we're carrying with us though. I really wanted explore the Lunacy and Passion interaction idea. Now that we're off werewolf world moonlight could be a limited resource too.. but if its buys us store of power for emergency Visceral feats might be a waste not to get the research done in time. Getting started on farming moonlight before the possible future fights.
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less forgetting, more not speculating too much on something we really have no idea of
Lets go in depth with Crimson Lost Fixation levels:
Stage 0: 33 x 1 = 33 Potential
+10 STR, CON, and AGI when worn, and +20% to their worth
Combat and Hunter buff
Blood manipulation
This is the current stage
Stage 1: 1.2 x 36 = 43 Potential
+15 STR, CON, and AGI when worn, and +30% to their worth
Combat and Hunter buff
Blood manipulation
First stage. Fixating CL to 1.2x via fighting should be rather simple and that should also give us another ~3 base Potential in process. Overall this is good for +10 Potential, which should improve our overall combat potential in a huge way. 1.2x is basically free from Fixation downsides standpoint. Hopefully we can achieve in a single sitting.
Stage 2: 1.4 x 42 = 59 Potential
+23 STR, CON, and AGI when worn, and +46% to their worth
Combat and Hunter buff
Blood manipulation
Note that stats might scale better, or they might cap out at some point. I'm extrapolating but I'm also trying to be on the safe side here. With our base stats and % bonus we should already be over 40 in stats here, which with skill buffs and blood manip gives us a very impressive combat setup. Additionally, combat orientated mindset of this mask should help us with all the bullshit we are running in.
Getting to this point shouldn't take too long, and 1.4x is also mostly whatever when it comes to drawbacks
Stage 3: 1.6 x 50 = 80 Potential
+35 STR, CON, and AGI when worn, and +70% to their worth
Combat and Hunter buff
Blood manipulation
At this point it just gets absurd. Now, 1.6x is close to a point of no return, but the sheer combat potency of this build can't be overstated. Getting here will take a bit more time, but the way forard is pretty clear so we only need to grind ahead. Also, this is a point where we can start thinking about upgrading CL with Import.
We can get to this point and then unFixate if there's something we took interest in, or we can proceed to FF
Final Fixation: 2 x 60 = 120 Potential
I don't even want to project stats for this stage. There's a lot of them. Between absurd stats, absurd skill and absurd blood manipulation we are just overwhelmingly powerful. The downside is that we can't wear other masks anymore, however this doesn't stop us from crafting and having other people use them so their utility remains.
We would require a lot of time to get here, but it is just a matter of effort. We just grind and that's that. On the side we also improve Viscerality and get other magics to improve our utility, but overwhelming personal power should help us a lot with obtaining those magics or powerful artifacts.
Stage 0: 33 x 1 = 33 Potential
+10 STR, CON, and AGI when worn, and +20% to their worth
Combat and Hunter buff
Blood manipulation
This is the current stage
Stage 1: 1.2 x 36 = 43 Potential
+15 STR, CON, and AGI when worn, and +30% to their worth
Combat and Hunter buff
Blood manipulation
First stage. Fixating CL to 1.2x via fighting should be rather simple and that should also give us another ~3 base Potential in process. Overall this is good for +10 Potential, which should improve our overall combat potential in a huge way. 1.2x is basically free from Fixation downsides standpoint. Hopefully we can achieve in a single sitting.
Stage 2: 1.4 x 42 = 59 Potential
+23 STR, CON, and AGI when worn, and +46% to their worth
Combat and Hunter buff
Blood manipulation
Note that stats might scale better, or they might cap out at some point. I'm extrapolating but I'm also trying to be on the safe side here. With our base stats and % bonus we should already be over 40 in stats here, which with skill buffs and blood manip gives us a very impressive combat setup. Additionally, combat orientated mindset of this mask should help us with all the bullshit we are running in.
Getting to this point shouldn't take too long, and 1.4x is also mostly whatever when it comes to drawbacks
Stage 3: 1.6 x 50 = 80 Potential
+35 STR, CON, and AGI when worn, and +70% to their worth
Combat and Hunter buff
Blood manipulation
At this point it just gets absurd. Now, 1.6x is close to a point of no return, but the sheer combat potency of this build can't be overstated. Getting here will take a bit more time, but the way forard is pretty clear so we only need to grind ahead. Also, this is a point where we can start thinking about upgrading CL with Import.
We can get to this point and then unFixate if there's something we took interest in, or we can proceed to FF
Final Fixation: 2 x 60 = 120 Potential
I don't even want to project stats for this stage. There's a lot of them. Between absurd stats, absurd skill and absurd blood manipulation we are just overwhelmingly powerful. The downside is that we can't wear other masks anymore, however this doesn't stop us from crafting and having other people use them so their utility remains.
We would require a lot of time to get here, but it is just a matter of effort. We just grind and that's that. On the side we also improve Viscerality and get other magics to improve our utility, but overwhelming personal power should help us a lot with obtaining those magics or powerful artifacts.
- Location
- 1
For stage 1, I'd expect the stats to scale worse? It's only +30% potential and you're projecting it as +50% stats buff plus 1.08x to said stats(+50% modifier size) relative to the present. I guess it might work if it's specializing into Stats while ignoring the other two facets?
I don't think we should go to Stage 3. We haven't actually faced any especially serious combat encounters so far or large opportunities if only we were 50%/200% (depends on how you consider boosting multiple relevant stats) stronger in direct combat, and going to the penultimate level of Fixation - especially while we have the lingering Facelessness, but even otherwise- leaves me leery that Dorian might, say, get knocked out for one reason or another and fixate in the interim, or be distracted for too long, or in the especially pessimistic view, fail a will roll to not procrastinate taking it off for too long.
(plus the personality effects.)
(Final Fixating I consider obviously a mistake if we have a choice, because the greatest strength of the Masks system is its versatility. Unless we get multiple faces which can wear distinct masks or something, through some non-risky means.)
I don't think we should go to Stage 3. We haven't actually faced any especially serious combat encounters so far or large opportunities if only we were 50%/200% (depends on how you consider boosting multiple relevant stats) stronger in direct combat, and going to the penultimate level of Fixation - especially while we have the lingering Facelessness, but even otherwise- leaves me leery that Dorian might, say, get knocked out for one reason or another and fixate in the interim, or be distracted for too long, or in the especially pessimistic view, fail a will roll to not procrastinate taking it off for too long.
(plus the personality effects.)
(Final Fixating I consider obviously a mistake if we have a choice, because the greatest strength of the Masks system is its versatility. Unless we get multiple faces which can wear distinct masks or something, through some non-risky means.)
Icarel - Babel
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Babel
On the Street again.
Dorian's feet stepped onto the now-comfortingly familiar cobblestones, as iridescent as pearls. His ears listened and caught the whispers of the song, a marching anthem. Each stone produced it, a constant reverberation. He smiled. This felt right.
Meanwhile, Andrei stood in stark astonishment and slowly - very slowly, as if afraid that a sudden motion could startle the vision away - pulled out a notepad and pen.
"Incredible," he whispered, clicking the latter on.
As if drawn back for a second, to consider his circumstances logically, he shot Dorian a questioning look.
"You're... not the cause of this, are you, Mr. Croft?"
"Why do you say that?" asked Dorian mutely, disinterested in conversation - hoping it'd be as short as possible. The song comforted him, after the losses on Demimonde. Like a pat on the back from a brother, a reassurance that everything would be alright if he simply continued to move.
It seemed Shi Lei's mode of thinking was correct. This Street - wherever it came from, wherever it went - delivered men to final destinations. Like the mythical ferryman.
"I..." Dr. Musorov stood listlessly, labcoat swaying in some ethereal wind. He adjusted his collar, sweating from some intense emotion - not fear or dread, but maybe weight combined with disbelieving glee? This discovery made a strong impression on him. No wonder, there. Dorian had been too hurt to truly appreciate the scope of this strange paradimensional road, during his first walk, but if his mind hadn't been addled, and his body not focused on survival, he would've needed a moment to drink this all in as well.
After a moment, the doctor continued, "Logically, it's more likely that you've acquired some backdoor into my mind, and this is all simply a projected illusion. After all, you did essentially spend all of yesterday trying to do that. If you were insane and believed this grand illusion, you could force this visage upon me. However... there's something too surreal about this environment. Something that causes me to want to believe this is real. Even this song... so magnificent. It can't be a lie, can it?"
"It's not. It'll lead us to another world," said Dorian. He continued, and it was a moment of pure connection: a pipeline of words, as if he were the Street's mouthpiece, spouting off realizations without understanding where they came from: "You're on the same road as me, for now, doctor. You're not a true Streetwalker yet. I think you might become one if you continue to travel and learn to appreciate the meaning of this place. There, our paths might diverge... or not. It remains to be seen."
And to that, the doctor was silent for a long moment. Only the Street's sweet song filled their ears.
"Even if I were trapped in some contrivance, I don't foresee a way out," Andrei eventually settled, shoulders relaxing with an exhalation. The sound almost seemed to trill as it wove itself along with the song, like a bow against a violin's strings. "It'd make sense to put that possibility aside for now and accept this as truth."
Dorian nodded.
After a moment of thinking about what was to come, he reached up with a shaking hand. Efficiently, it loosened the dark cloth binding strips. He unmasked, and as his hand lowered, the Crimson Lost's faint radiance seemed to snuff out, like a candle put out before sleep.
Gingerly, Dorian lowered himself and knelt, as if before an altar in a church. He reached out and rubbed a hand on a pale cobblestone, one no bigger than his head. It was almost like touching the back of a feathered animal; a pleasant sensation. Fulfilling. Its song almost felt as if it were shifting direction, filling him, as liquid does a vessel.
"I ask you," he said, in a moment when the cadence became a touch quieter, "I want power. I've lost so much. I don't know why you continue to show me broken worlds. Apocalypses. Always, you thrust me into danger... I've begun to wonder, is that because I secretly want danger? To hone myself? Am I some bloodthirsty maniac?"
The Street didn't answer - at least, not directly.
"I want to have more power," he said, pleadingly, as if praying to a deity that could grant wishes. "If you can, if you are willing to deliver me somewhere I'd like to go for once, then I want power I won't have to bleed and suffer to claim. Power that is there to be claimed. If you can do that for me... I ask that you please do."
After more than three seconds, there wasn't a change in anything. Dorian closed both of his eyes, sighing - not at the absence of reaction, but his own idiocy. His action was foolish. The Street's nature wasn't understood, and it's not as if he expected the cosmos to heed a mortal's meaningless prayer.
Then it happened.
It was sudden, almost fast enough to cause whiplash.
As if a chorus of seraphs - voices that burned one's ears like fire, and electrified the nerves like lightning from the sky - had cast their gazes upon them, the Street's song intensified and extended. Like the detonation of a star echoing through a vacuum, a faint luminescence roiled across the stones, and its presence caused them to sing out dramatically in so many voices at once it was almost deafening. The Street ahead of them and behind them shook subtly, like an earthquake in miniature. Ahead, the curvature bent in some invisible manner, a change in directional configuration that a human eye couldn't make sense of. He wouldn't have noticed, if not for the song.
And then, as if nothing had ever happened, it fell to silence and the quaking ceased.
They both stood there in silent stupefaction. Only the Street below continued to produce sound, a faint hum now, as if its energy were expended on granting the wish.
"Well," Andrei uttered. "That was something."
"You pick some things up over the weeks," answered Dorian, although with a mote of uncertainty in his bones. He decided to remain unmasked, even if the idea of showing his face to strangers filled him with an eerie discomfort that not even the Street's song could abate. "Let's move then, and make the most of this. It'd be best not to talk too much until we reach our next stop."
Andrei nodded, accepting his senior's-in-wayfaring advice.
It didn't even take a long amount of time to reach their destination, surprisingly. Half an hour, if that. The Street sang to Dorian in the meantime, and its song almost seemed to carry hints and flashes of what was to come: a song of brightness and stars, piercing filaments of power that reached for the sky.
They came out on a wind-caressed outcropping, stones and rocks scattered around their feet. An omnipresent scent of seabreeze alerted them to how close they were to a shore. Their clothes were ruffled immediately by the playful gale. Looking left and right, it seemed they were on some island, about twice or thrice the size of Dewmoor's Waterside: ahead, faintly visible on the horizon, was a much larger landmass. There was a sizeable settlement on its bank, almost a city, with its own boardwalk and structures reminiscent of boutiques. Boats and ships aplenty in the bay, sails propelled by the wind.
His wayfarer's instincts told Dorian he was allowed to explore the island, and the landmass' shoreline if he somehow managed to reach it, but not stray much further inland.
"Oh," reacted an unknown voice, causing them to torn. "Oh my, fellow walkers?"
Next to a sizeable tent sat an almost mousy man, dressed in a pale-brown tweed suit with a red bow. His face was wounded, cut and bruised; this was recent, the scabs fresh. He seemed to have been eating some kind of boxed lunch: collard greens and a lump of beef-looking meat. Possibly just beef.
"You are a Streetwalker?" asked Dorian, without much surprise.
The man nodded, putting away the lunchbox. "That I am."
He nodded. The man didn't look hostile, and even if he was, Dorian felt they could probably take him on - it'd take a single moment to affix the Lost back on his face. He decided to make a polite introduction. "It seems we've reached the same stop, then, sir. I am Dorian Croft." He approached, hand extended.
Andrei did the same, offering his full name as well. "Doctor Andrei Musorov. Call me Andrei."
He shook both of their hands. His grip was firm, betraying supernatural strength, although not extensively beyond Dorian's own as a Visceralist. "Call me Victor."
Dorian made motions over his countenance. "You want me to try healing your face?"
"You have a healing magic?" the man asked, eyes blinking with surprise, as if that was fairly rare. "Is it safe to use?"
"Yes, but sometimes slow and ineffective. In return, you could tell us about this world. It'll make my work faster."
Victor offered a thin smile. "It's a deal then. But I should warn you against tampering with me. It didn't end well for the last person to do so."
"Noted."
Gratitude and satisfaction from a completed deal fueled Dorian's work, as a hand hovered over Victor's face and sped up natural organic processes. Not that it was a difficult feat, sealing wounds of this size. He could've closed those cuts and soothed those bruises even without emotional fuel. This only made it faster.
"Before I start, how well-traveled are you both? Relevant to how well I can explain."
"I am very new," said Andrei with a faint sense of entrancement. His eyes were on the sky, mesmerized. It must've been the idea of a world without an atmosphere rife with moon shards that captivated him - or possibly walking around without having to be on the lookout for werewolves. "This is my first world other than my homeworld."
"I've been on three worlds, including my home," reported Dorian. "Most of them shitholes."
"Any of them an Earth?"
For anyone with an unaddled mind, the question posed some fascinating implications. Dorian tried not to be distracted enough to blink or stop healing. "Yes, actually. The second one was called Earth by its inhabitants. Why? Why do you ask? Are Earths some recurring phenomenon?"
"Lots of theories about that," answered Victor with a smirk. "Yes. I've traveled for almost twenty years now, and I've encountered six worlds calling themselves Earth during that time. Other wayfarers I've met often report a similar rate of encounters. Some say that it's the original blueprint for everything: that somewhere out there is an original Earth, and every world that exists is simply some flanderized exaggeration of one or some of its features. Who can say what the truth is? Regardless, it's a good reference."
"Ah, I see," Dorian said, and started to dredge up what he remembered of that Earth's history. "It's a reference point."
"Yes. Now... You've reached - as the locals call it - Icarel, gentlemen," Victor started. "Between you and me? Not my cup of tea. I travel to get away from my original life, and this is very reminiscent. I've been here about a week, and I'll probably be leaving soon as well. It's reminiscent of Earth in the middle of its twentieth century."
"Geopolitically, you mean?" asked Andrei. Back when Dorian shared what he knew, he'd seemed fascinated about the parallels between Earth and Demimonde; the USSR and its mirror of the DSSR, or the Federation and the United States.
"And technologically and culturally as well," added Victor. "Not historically, however. There, you will find some most curious divergences. I recommend you read up on the Comet Kings if you are curious. There is one other thing as well. Namely, the Towers."
"Towers?" asked Dorian, feeling indistinctly that this was the reason the Street delivered him here. "Tell us about them."
"No one historian or philosopher can answer where they came from," stated Victor with an easygoing smile. "They've been here since prehistory and have their own culture. Each Tower rises and falls out of the earth on its site following astrological portents: when not risen, they seem to materially vanish. I've conducted an investigation and could not determine how they operate. However, a Tower can be entered. This is referred to as a Choice. Each type of Choice carries a host of benefits. However, the reason it's called a Choice is because you can only do it once. Once you've picked your Tower, that's it."
Andrei had already drawn his notepad and pen. "And what types are there?"
"The six most common Towers are divided, broadly, into two categories: light and dark. The former are Day, Zenith, and Dawn. The latter are Night, Midnight, and Dusk. Their associated Towers rise at the time corresponding to their name. The Towers of Dawn rise in the morning and fall when it is over. Zenith Towers rise at noon. And so on."
"But there are others?" continued Andrei, allowing Dorian to focus on healing the man's face. It was almost done now.
"Loads of them," Victor said with a little laugh. "Aside from the common six based on the phases of the day, you have moon Towers, comet Towers, some based on unknown alignments or unidentified phenomena. There are uncovered sites for which the associated event is apparently so rare they haven't been observed to rise even once in all of recorded history, inviting speculation. Some are one-of-a-kind. There is one like that on this island we're on, but I've heard it's dangerous. It's suspected most of the really interesting ones might still be left undiscovered. Their sites can exist in some inconvenient spots, like the seabed, or even on the peaks of extremely steep mountains."
Andrei nodded. "A stochastic spatial distribution. Interesting. This almost seems to imply they weren't built with human accessibility in mind."
Victor perked up. "Oh, you think they're built by aliens too?"
"Now, now." Andrei offered the man an easy, if slightly patronizing, smile. "It's too early to come to conclusions, especially ones as wild as that. It could be they are actually some strange naturally occurring phenomenon. I suspect the line between nature and design might be thin anyway, in a cosmology such as this. But it is fascinating."
Victor chuckled. "Oh, if you came here for research, you'll certainly find a motherlode. This is an unspoiled horizon awaiting the sharp mind of a skilled scientist. I hope you can find what you need here, doctor."
"Out of curiosity, what Choice did you make? It's not considered taboo to ask that, is it?" asked Dorian, stepping back. The healing was done and Victor's face appeared untouched by any worldly harm.
"From what I've seen, it's not. Either way, my Choice was Dusk. Chose it just this last evening in fact," answered Victor with a nod. "It makes you significantly luckier. I'm hoping it'll help me find better worlds. Actually, I was wondering if your arrival here wasn't a lucky coincidence: face is all cut up, and here comes a man with a healing power."
"Let's hope the fortuitous trend continues!" Andrei said cheerfully. "And what do the other Towers do?"
"Hmm. Tell you what," said Victor, and reached into a backpack. He pulled out a set of papers, as well as a map. "Here's my set of personal notes, as well as a map of this area's Towers, which I purchased from a local kiosk. Since I won't be needing these anymore, you can have them."
"Thank you," Andrei said, accepting the map. "Hm, we're near someplace called Night City?"
"Out of Street range, at least for me," Victor commented and picked up his lunch to continue eating his meal. "I believe they named it that because of the unusually high number of Night Towers around it."
"Yes, it does seem high." Dorian glanced over Andrei's shoulder. The map displayed an area about the size of a state; the island was a small oblong mass near the top right corner. There were five Towers located on it, a remarkably high concentration for such a small area. Night, Midnight, Dusk, Dawn, and one 'abnormal.'
"Thank you for answering our questions, Victor," said Dorian with a respectful nod.
"Don't mention it," the man said, eating a spoonful of his meal. Once he swallowed, he said, "I should warn you, I'll be packing up and leaving as soon as I'm done eating. Let's see each other downstreet, hm?"
Dorian wondered if that happened often. "Yes. Let's."
He and Andrei returned to analyzing the map and their fellow wayfarer's personal notes.
---
You've decided to enter the world of Towers. According to your Street attunement instincts, you can stay on Icarel for about a month. You shouldn't leave the area of the island you're on - Île de l'Ombre - for more than a day or two, or your remaining time total might start to fray apart.
The island has two villages, a stable population of about a thousand people and includes a small hostel you can stay in, although you'll need to find a way to pay. This can easily be done with fetch quests and part-time work. If no other plan is specified, Dorian will offer services as a Visceralist and Andrei as a Fulminancer and electrician.
What would you like to do?
If drafting a plan, it's wise to mention how much time you'd like to devote to a particular activity, especially if the duration is otherwise indeterminate.
Contents of Victor's Notes on the Towers
Here's a brief summary of what Victor's learned about the Towers and the effects of Choosing them:
Choice of Day - Grants a clarified, eidetic memory and recall. According to Dr. Musorov, eidetic memory is a myth - but according to Victor's research, this one seems to be the real deal. Those who picked Day can remember truly minute details such as what color of tie their father wore to work one morning when they were six years old.
Choice of Zenith - Grants strength and resilience. This seems to include the ability to resist poison and other deleterious bodily influences of a similar nature; Zeniths need way more alcohol to get drunk. 'Not significant compared to what I can get elsewhere,' notes Victor.
Choice of Dawn - Grants incredible vocal control. Also renders voice more beautiful on a seemingly objective and sometimes miraculous scale. Stories speak of Dawns who'd roused comatose patients back to life with song. 'An element of active mental influence?' Most skilled orators, singers, and diplomats are noted to have Chosen Dawn.
Choice of Night - Grants lucid dreaming, exact details unknown or difficult to explain; most Nights are cagey about its nature. It also seems to affect artistic skills and imagination; Nights are often noted to develop a creative streak of some form. (This could be what you need to restore your spark.)
Choice of Midnight - Grants incredible, precise and far-reaching senses, as well as 'mental clarity' of a different kind than Day, often manifesting as the ability to resist tiredness. A lot of Midnights can put off sleep. 'The sensory boons themselves are significant enough for me to consider,' writes Victor.
Choice of Dusk - Grants significant fortune. A common aphorism states that if one Chooses Dusk, their life will have a happy ending. The truthfulness of that statement is often debated but Dusks almost universally do well in life; a good Choice if one is uncertain. Also, 'Dusk works in mysterious ways.'
The Strange Tower - A Tower on the island you're on. However, it breaks a lot of conventions and doesn't even seem to be a real Tower, abnormal in a lot of ways. It does not rise into the sky, but rather digs deep into the earth, almost like a quarry. Located deep in an overgrown forest and surrounded by thick vegetation. The locals seem to think of it as an urban legend. Stories claim that when the first tribal settlers arrived here locally, a shaman foresaw a great 'tempest' within, and forbade entry to all the people.
Victor's seen and studied it, marking its location on his map, but hasn't entered. His observations conclude it rises at the exact midpoint between Dusk and Midnight, but only when the moon isn't more than halfway full, and even then not always. He's also concluded it hasn't risen for a long time up until a point shortly before his arrival: therefore, some other factor is relevant to its cycle, which isn't known to him. He suspects it's likely it'll stop rising again soon, probably before the year is over.
There are other Towers - a smorgasbord of them. These are simply the ones that Victor's learned about. Further research could yield more incisive details or accounts of a broader set of Towers.
---
[ ] Write-in
[ ] Hang Out - Commit to rest and relaxation. Try to decrease Stress and other deleterious mental effects.
[ ] Interact with Andrei Musorov - Learn more about your erstwhile companion.
[ ] Gather Information - Learn more about Icarel, its history, and the Towers.
[ ] Choose...
-[ ] Choose: Night
-[ ] Choose: Midnight
-[ ] Choose: Dusk
-[ ] Choose: Dawn
-[ ] Choose: G̸͙͖̍̄ā̴̮͙̎m̵̵̸̵̸̶̲̠͝á̴̸̵̶̴̴̶̭̬́l̴̫͎̈i̵̛̖͑ḛ̸͑l̷̡̠͘ - The abnormal Tower of local folklore, which Victor conveniently found for you ahead of time.
Only these Towers are in range of where the Street's placed you. A shame, as Dr. Musorov notes he would've liked to Choose Day, were it possible.
On the Street again.
Dorian's feet stepped onto the now-comfortingly familiar cobblestones, as iridescent as pearls. His ears listened and caught the whispers of the song, a marching anthem. Each stone produced it, a constant reverberation. He smiled. This felt right.
Meanwhile, Andrei stood in stark astonishment and slowly - very slowly, as if afraid that a sudden motion could startle the vision away - pulled out a notepad and pen.
"Incredible," he whispered, clicking the latter on.
As if drawn back for a second, to consider his circumstances logically, he shot Dorian a questioning look.
"You're... not the cause of this, are you, Mr. Croft?"
"Why do you say that?" asked Dorian mutely, disinterested in conversation - hoping it'd be as short as possible. The song comforted him, after the losses on Demimonde. Like a pat on the back from a brother, a reassurance that everything would be alright if he simply continued to move.
It seemed Shi Lei's mode of thinking was correct. This Street - wherever it came from, wherever it went - delivered men to final destinations. Like the mythical ferryman.
"I..." Dr. Musorov stood listlessly, labcoat swaying in some ethereal wind. He adjusted his collar, sweating from some intense emotion - not fear or dread, but maybe weight combined with disbelieving glee? This discovery made a strong impression on him. No wonder, there. Dorian had been too hurt to truly appreciate the scope of this strange paradimensional road, during his first walk, but if his mind hadn't been addled, and his body not focused on survival, he would've needed a moment to drink this all in as well.
After a moment, the doctor continued, "Logically, it's more likely that you've acquired some backdoor into my mind, and this is all simply a projected illusion. After all, you did essentially spend all of yesterday trying to do that. If you were insane and believed this grand illusion, you could force this visage upon me. However... there's something too surreal about this environment. Something that causes me to want to believe this is real. Even this song... so magnificent. It can't be a lie, can it?"
"It's not. It'll lead us to another world," said Dorian. He continued, and it was a moment of pure connection: a pipeline of words, as if he were the Street's mouthpiece, spouting off realizations without understanding where they came from: "You're on the same road as me, for now, doctor. You're not a true Streetwalker yet. I think you might become one if you continue to travel and learn to appreciate the meaning of this place. There, our paths might diverge... or not. It remains to be seen."
And to that, the doctor was silent for a long moment. Only the Street's sweet song filled their ears.
"Even if I were trapped in some contrivance, I don't foresee a way out," Andrei eventually settled, shoulders relaxing with an exhalation. The sound almost seemed to trill as it wove itself along with the song, like a bow against a violin's strings. "It'd make sense to put that possibility aside for now and accept this as truth."
Dorian nodded.
After a moment of thinking about what was to come, he reached up with a shaking hand. Efficiently, it loosened the dark cloth binding strips. He unmasked, and as his hand lowered, the Crimson Lost's faint radiance seemed to snuff out, like a candle put out before sleep.
Gingerly, Dorian lowered himself and knelt, as if before an altar in a church. He reached out and rubbed a hand on a pale cobblestone, one no bigger than his head. It was almost like touching the back of a feathered animal; a pleasant sensation. Fulfilling. Its song almost felt as if it were shifting direction, filling him, as liquid does a vessel.
"I ask you," he said, in a moment when the cadence became a touch quieter, "I want power. I've lost so much. I don't know why you continue to show me broken worlds. Apocalypses. Always, you thrust me into danger... I've begun to wonder, is that because I secretly want danger? To hone myself? Am I some bloodthirsty maniac?"
The Street didn't answer - at least, not directly.
"I want to have more power," he said, pleadingly, as if praying to a deity that could grant wishes. "If you can, if you are willing to deliver me somewhere I'd like to go for once, then I want power I won't have to bleed and suffer to claim. Power that is there to be claimed. If you can do that for me... I ask that you please do."
After more than three seconds, there wasn't a change in anything. Dorian closed both of his eyes, sighing - not at the absence of reaction, but his own idiocy. His action was foolish. The Street's nature wasn't understood, and it's not as if he expected the cosmos to heed a mortal's meaningless prayer.
Then it happened.
It was sudden, almost fast enough to cause whiplash.
As if a chorus of seraphs - voices that burned one's ears like fire, and electrified the nerves like lightning from the sky - had cast their gazes upon them, the Street's song intensified and extended. Like the detonation of a star echoing through a vacuum, a faint luminescence roiled across the stones, and its presence caused them to sing out dramatically in so many voices at once it was almost deafening. The Street ahead of them and behind them shook subtly, like an earthquake in miniature. Ahead, the curvature bent in some invisible manner, a change in directional configuration that a human eye couldn't make sense of. He wouldn't have noticed, if not for the song.
And then, as if nothing had ever happened, it fell to silence and the quaking ceased.
They both stood there in silent stupefaction. Only the Street below continued to produce sound, a faint hum now, as if its energy were expended on granting the wish.
"Well," Andrei uttered. "That was something."
"You pick some things up over the weeks," answered Dorian, although with a mote of uncertainty in his bones. He decided to remain unmasked, even if the idea of showing his face to strangers filled him with an eerie discomfort that not even the Street's song could abate. "Let's move then, and make the most of this. It'd be best not to talk too much until we reach our next stop."
Andrei nodded, accepting his senior's-in-wayfaring advice.
It didn't even take a long amount of time to reach their destination, surprisingly. Half an hour, if that. The Street sang to Dorian in the meantime, and its song almost seemed to carry hints and flashes of what was to come: a song of brightness and stars, piercing filaments of power that reached for the sky.
They came out on a wind-caressed outcropping, stones and rocks scattered around their feet. An omnipresent scent of seabreeze alerted them to how close they were to a shore. Their clothes were ruffled immediately by the playful gale. Looking left and right, it seemed they were on some island, about twice or thrice the size of Dewmoor's Waterside: ahead, faintly visible on the horizon, was a much larger landmass. There was a sizeable settlement on its bank, almost a city, with its own boardwalk and structures reminiscent of boutiques. Boats and ships aplenty in the bay, sails propelled by the wind.
His wayfarer's instincts told Dorian he was allowed to explore the island, and the landmass' shoreline if he somehow managed to reach it, but not stray much further inland.
"Oh," reacted an unknown voice, causing them to torn. "Oh my, fellow walkers?"
Next to a sizeable tent sat an almost mousy man, dressed in a pale-brown tweed suit with a red bow. His face was wounded, cut and bruised; this was recent, the scabs fresh. He seemed to have been eating some kind of boxed lunch: collard greens and a lump of beef-looking meat. Possibly just beef.
"You are a Streetwalker?" asked Dorian, without much surprise.
The man nodded, putting away the lunchbox. "That I am."
He nodded. The man didn't look hostile, and even if he was, Dorian felt they could probably take him on - it'd take a single moment to affix the Lost back on his face. He decided to make a polite introduction. "It seems we've reached the same stop, then, sir. I am Dorian Croft." He approached, hand extended.
Andrei did the same, offering his full name as well. "Doctor Andrei Musorov. Call me Andrei."
He shook both of their hands. His grip was firm, betraying supernatural strength, although not extensively beyond Dorian's own as a Visceralist. "Call me Victor."
Dorian made motions over his countenance. "You want me to try healing your face?"
"You have a healing magic?" the man asked, eyes blinking with surprise, as if that was fairly rare. "Is it safe to use?"
"Yes, but sometimes slow and ineffective. In return, you could tell us about this world. It'll make my work faster."
Victor offered a thin smile. "It's a deal then. But I should warn you against tampering with me. It didn't end well for the last person to do so."
"Noted."
Gratitude and satisfaction from a completed deal fueled Dorian's work, as a hand hovered over Victor's face and sped up natural organic processes. Not that it was a difficult feat, sealing wounds of this size. He could've closed those cuts and soothed those bruises even without emotional fuel. This only made it faster.
"Before I start, how well-traveled are you both? Relevant to how well I can explain."
"I am very new," said Andrei with a faint sense of entrancement. His eyes were on the sky, mesmerized. It must've been the idea of a world without an atmosphere rife with moon shards that captivated him - or possibly walking around without having to be on the lookout for werewolves. "This is my first world other than my homeworld."
"I've been on three worlds, including my home," reported Dorian. "Most of them shitholes."
"Any of them an Earth?"
For anyone with an unaddled mind, the question posed some fascinating implications. Dorian tried not to be distracted enough to blink or stop healing. "Yes, actually. The second one was called Earth by its inhabitants. Why? Why do you ask? Are Earths some recurring phenomenon?"
"Lots of theories about that," answered Victor with a smirk. "Yes. I've traveled for almost twenty years now, and I've encountered six worlds calling themselves Earth during that time. Other wayfarers I've met often report a similar rate of encounters. Some say that it's the original blueprint for everything: that somewhere out there is an original Earth, and every world that exists is simply some flanderized exaggeration of one or some of its features. Who can say what the truth is? Regardless, it's a good reference."
"Ah, I see," Dorian said, and started to dredge up what he remembered of that Earth's history. "It's a reference point."
"Yes. Now... You've reached - as the locals call it - Icarel, gentlemen," Victor started. "Between you and me? Not my cup of tea. I travel to get away from my original life, and this is very reminiscent. I've been here about a week, and I'll probably be leaving soon as well. It's reminiscent of Earth in the middle of its twentieth century."
"Geopolitically, you mean?" asked Andrei. Back when Dorian shared what he knew, he'd seemed fascinated about the parallels between Earth and Demimonde; the USSR and its mirror of the DSSR, or the Federation and the United States.
"And technologically and culturally as well," added Victor. "Not historically, however. There, you will find some most curious divergences. I recommend you read up on the Comet Kings if you are curious. There is one other thing as well. Namely, the Towers."
"Towers?" asked Dorian, feeling indistinctly that this was the reason the Street delivered him here. "Tell us about them."
"No one historian or philosopher can answer where they came from," stated Victor with an easygoing smile. "They've been here since prehistory and have their own culture. Each Tower rises and falls out of the earth on its site following astrological portents: when not risen, they seem to materially vanish. I've conducted an investigation and could not determine how they operate. However, a Tower can be entered. This is referred to as a Choice. Each type of Choice carries a host of benefits. However, the reason it's called a Choice is because you can only do it once. Once you've picked your Tower, that's it."
Andrei had already drawn his notepad and pen. "And what types are there?"
"The six most common Towers are divided, broadly, into two categories: light and dark. The former are Day, Zenith, and Dawn. The latter are Night, Midnight, and Dusk. Their associated Towers rise at the time corresponding to their name. The Towers of Dawn rise in the morning and fall when it is over. Zenith Towers rise at noon. And so on."
"But there are others?" continued Andrei, allowing Dorian to focus on healing the man's face. It was almost done now.
"Loads of them," Victor said with a little laugh. "Aside from the common six based on the phases of the day, you have moon Towers, comet Towers, some based on unknown alignments or unidentified phenomena. There are uncovered sites for which the associated event is apparently so rare they haven't been observed to rise even once in all of recorded history, inviting speculation. Some are one-of-a-kind. There is one like that on this island we're on, but I've heard it's dangerous. It's suspected most of the really interesting ones might still be left undiscovered. Their sites can exist in some inconvenient spots, like the seabed, or even on the peaks of extremely steep mountains."
Andrei nodded. "A stochastic spatial distribution. Interesting. This almost seems to imply they weren't built with human accessibility in mind."
Victor perked up. "Oh, you think they're built by aliens too?"
"Now, now." Andrei offered the man an easy, if slightly patronizing, smile. "It's too early to come to conclusions, especially ones as wild as that. It could be they are actually some strange naturally occurring phenomenon. I suspect the line between nature and design might be thin anyway, in a cosmology such as this. But it is fascinating."
Victor chuckled. "Oh, if you came here for research, you'll certainly find a motherlode. This is an unspoiled horizon awaiting the sharp mind of a skilled scientist. I hope you can find what you need here, doctor."
"Out of curiosity, what Choice did you make? It's not considered taboo to ask that, is it?" asked Dorian, stepping back. The healing was done and Victor's face appeared untouched by any worldly harm.
"From what I've seen, it's not. Either way, my Choice was Dusk. Chose it just this last evening in fact," answered Victor with a nod. "It makes you significantly luckier. I'm hoping it'll help me find better worlds. Actually, I was wondering if your arrival here wasn't a lucky coincidence: face is all cut up, and here comes a man with a healing power."
"Let's hope the fortuitous trend continues!" Andrei said cheerfully. "And what do the other Towers do?"
"Hmm. Tell you what," said Victor, and reached into a backpack. He pulled out a set of papers, as well as a map. "Here's my set of personal notes, as well as a map of this area's Towers, which I purchased from a local kiosk. Since I won't be needing these anymore, you can have them."
"Thank you," Andrei said, accepting the map. "Hm, we're near someplace called Night City?"
"Out of Street range, at least for me," Victor commented and picked up his lunch to continue eating his meal. "I believe they named it that because of the unusually high number of Night Towers around it."
"Yes, it does seem high." Dorian glanced over Andrei's shoulder. The map displayed an area about the size of a state; the island was a small oblong mass near the top right corner. There were five Towers located on it, a remarkably high concentration for such a small area. Night, Midnight, Dusk, Dawn, and one 'abnormal.'
"Thank you for answering our questions, Victor," said Dorian with a respectful nod.
"Don't mention it," the man said, eating a spoonful of his meal. Once he swallowed, he said, "I should warn you, I'll be packing up and leaving as soon as I'm done eating. Let's see each other downstreet, hm?"
Dorian wondered if that happened often. "Yes. Let's."
He and Andrei returned to analyzing the map and their fellow wayfarer's personal notes.
---
You've decided to enter the world of Towers. According to your Street attunement instincts, you can stay on Icarel for about a month. You shouldn't leave the area of the island you're on - Île de l'Ombre - for more than a day or two, or your remaining time total might start to fray apart.
The island has two villages, a stable population of about a thousand people and includes a small hostel you can stay in, although you'll need to find a way to pay. This can easily be done with fetch quests and part-time work. If no other plan is specified, Dorian will offer services as a Visceralist and Andrei as a Fulminancer and electrician.
What would you like to do?
If drafting a plan, it's wise to mention how much time you'd like to devote to a particular activity, especially if the duration is otherwise indeterminate.
Contents of Victor's Notes on the Towers
Here's a brief summary of what Victor's learned about the Towers and the effects of Choosing them:
Choice of Day - Grants a clarified, eidetic memory and recall. According to Dr. Musorov, eidetic memory is a myth - but according to Victor's research, this one seems to be the real deal. Those who picked Day can remember truly minute details such as what color of tie their father wore to work one morning when they were six years old.
Choice of Zenith - Grants strength and resilience. This seems to include the ability to resist poison and other deleterious bodily influences of a similar nature; Zeniths need way more alcohol to get drunk. 'Not significant compared to what I can get elsewhere,' notes Victor.
Choice of Dawn - Grants incredible vocal control. Also renders voice more beautiful on a seemingly objective and sometimes miraculous scale. Stories speak of Dawns who'd roused comatose patients back to life with song. 'An element of active mental influence?' Most skilled orators, singers, and diplomats are noted to have Chosen Dawn.
Choice of Night - Grants lucid dreaming, exact details unknown or difficult to explain; most Nights are cagey about its nature. It also seems to affect artistic skills and imagination; Nights are often noted to develop a creative streak of some form. (This could be what you need to restore your spark.)
Choice of Midnight - Grants incredible, precise and far-reaching senses, as well as 'mental clarity' of a different kind than Day, often manifesting as the ability to resist tiredness. A lot of Midnights can put off sleep. 'The sensory boons themselves are significant enough for me to consider,' writes Victor.
Choice of Dusk - Grants significant fortune. A common aphorism states that if one Chooses Dusk, their life will have a happy ending. The truthfulness of that statement is often debated but Dusks almost universally do well in life; a good Choice if one is uncertain. Also, 'Dusk works in mysterious ways.'
The Strange Tower - A Tower on the island you're on. However, it breaks a lot of conventions and doesn't even seem to be a real Tower, abnormal in a lot of ways. It does not rise into the sky, but rather digs deep into the earth, almost like a quarry. Located deep in an overgrown forest and surrounded by thick vegetation. The locals seem to think of it as an urban legend. Stories claim that when the first tribal settlers arrived here locally, a shaman foresaw a great 'tempest' within, and forbade entry to all the people.
Victor's seen and studied it, marking its location on his map, but hasn't entered. His observations conclude it rises at the exact midpoint between Dusk and Midnight, but only when the moon isn't more than halfway full, and even then not always. He's also concluded it hasn't risen for a long time up until a point shortly before his arrival: therefore, some other factor is relevant to its cycle, which isn't known to him. He suspects it's likely it'll stop rising again soon, probably before the year is over.
There are other Towers - a smorgasbord of them. These are simply the ones that Victor's learned about. Further research could yield more incisive details or accounts of a broader set of Towers.
---
[ ] Write-in
[ ] Hang Out - Commit to rest and relaxation. Try to decrease Stress and other deleterious mental effects.
[ ] Interact with Andrei Musorov - Learn more about your erstwhile companion.
[ ] Gather Information - Learn more about Icarel, its history, and the Towers.
[ ] Choose...
-[ ] Choose: Night
-[ ] Choose: Midnight
-[ ] Choose: Dusk
-[ ] Choose: Dawn
-[ ] Choose: G̸͙͖̍̄ā̴̮͙̎m̵̵̸̵̸̶̲̠͝á̴̸̵̶̴̴̶̭̬́l̴̫͎̈i̵̛̖͑ḛ̸͑l̷̡̠͘ - The abnormal Tower of local folklore, which Victor conveniently found for you ahead of time.
Only these Towers are in range of where the Street's placed you. A shame, as Dr. Musorov notes he would've liked to Choose Day, were it possible.
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Rihaku
The Internet
[X] Choose...
-[X] Choose: Dawn
[X] Choose...
-[X] Choose: G̸͙͖̍̄ā̴̮͙̎m̵̵̸̵̸̶̲̠͝á̴̸̵̶̴̴̶̭̬́l̴̫͎̈i̵̛̖͑ḛ̸͑l̷̡̠͘ - The abnormal Tower of local folklore, which Victor conveniently found for you ahead of time.
I'll approval vote for either Dawn or the mystery tower. Raising our Street affinity will grant significant dividends, and Dawn also leverages Dorian's innately high social stats to give us the equivalent of a weaker always-on Puppeteer effect. Useful since we'll be wearing Crimson Lost full-time now.
The mystery could be interesting, and Birdsie on Discord has confirmed that the mystery tower is pretty decent - "On an OOC level, Qliphothic Towers can be dangerous to Choose, but since your coming here is the result of a Street wish and you guys already suffered the consequences of poor decision-making, I'll throw you a bone and say you have my minimum guarantee it won't do you any permanent side effects, and it'll give you at least some of its power if you enter it."
Apparently esoteric towers are more comprehensive in their effects as well. If Dorian gets a useless power, Musurov can climb a more directly potent tower and we'll still amplify our overall strength. He could go Dawn to rapidly increase his Street affinity, or Midnight to become a master of precision electromagnetism.
-[X] Choose: Dawn
[X] Choose...
-[X] Choose: G̸͙͖̍̄ā̴̮͙̎m̵̵̸̵̸̶̲̠͝á̴̸̵̶̴̴̶̭̬́l̴̫͎̈i̵̛̖͑ḛ̸͑l̷̡̠͘ - The abnormal Tower of local folklore, which Victor conveniently found for you ahead of time.
I'll approval vote for either Dawn or the mystery tower. Raising our Street affinity will grant significant dividends, and Dawn also leverages Dorian's innately high social stats to give us the equivalent of a weaker always-on Puppeteer effect. Useful since we'll be wearing Crimson Lost full-time now.
The mystery could be interesting, and Birdsie on Discord has confirmed that the mystery tower is pretty decent - "On an OOC level, Qliphothic Towers can be dangerous to Choose, but since your coming here is the result of a Street wish and you guys already suffered the consequences of poor decision-making, I'll throw you a bone and say you have my minimum guarantee it won't do you any permanent side effects, and it'll give you at least some of its power if you enter it."
Apparently esoteric towers are more comprehensive in their effects as well. If Dorian gets a useless power, Musurov can climb a more directly potent tower and we'll still amplify our overall strength. He could go Dawn to rapidly increase his Street affinity, or Midnight to become a master of precision electromagnetism.
- Location
- Louisiana
[X] Choose...
-[X] Choose: G̸͙͖̍̄ā̴̮͙̎m̵̵̸̵̸̶̲̠͝á̴̸̵̶̴̴̶̭̬́l̴̫͎̈i̵̛̖͑ḛ̸͑l̷̡̠͘
[X] Choose...
-[X] Choose: Night
I believe Night is the very clear answer here. I don't think we'll find many things to heal our second aspects damage. It's such a rare form of injury that finding the correct cure is going to be hard. We got absurdly lucky to find something relevant on this world.
But mystery boxes are fun.
-[X] Choose: G̸͙͖̍̄ā̴̮͙̎m̵̵̸̵̸̶̲̠͝á̴̸̵̶̴̴̶̭̬́l̴̫͎̈i̵̛̖͑ḛ̸͑l̷̡̠͘
[X] Choose...
-[X] Choose: Night
I believe Night is the very clear answer here. I don't think we'll find many things to heal our second aspects damage. It's such a rare form of injury that finding the correct cure is going to be hard. We got absurdly lucky to find something relevant on this world.
But mystery boxes are fun.
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
A couple of matters worth noting, which I forgot in the update:
- Generally, the power of a Choice is static. Once you've made it and left the Tower, it won't become any stronger on its own. There are exceptions, especially for the rarer and one-of-a-kind Towers, and in some cases, a power is even trainable. Most often, though, you're stuck with what you have; save for what you manage via skill refinement.
- As Dorian's started to suspect, the 'lucid dreaming' conferred by Night actually permits the traversal of dreamworlds such as the Silent House. He feels a vague sense that entering the Tower of Night won't fully restore his ability to dream, let alone confer the Tower's boon. He mourns the loss of such a potentially useful ability.
- The Inverse Towers, such as the one rumored to be near your ingress point, are often dangerous to enter but yield legendary abilities, comparable to those wielded by the Comet Kings of ancient Icarelian history. However, the Street led you here specifically: your odds of faltering as before are decently low.
- Generally, the power of a Choice is static. Once you've made it and left the Tower, it won't become any stronger on its own. There are exceptions, especially for the rarer and one-of-a-kind Towers, and in some cases, a power is even trainable. Most often, though, you're stuck with what you have; save for what you manage via skill refinement.
- As Dorian's started to suspect, the 'lucid dreaming' conferred by Night actually permits the traversal of dreamworlds such as the Silent House. He feels a vague sense that entering the Tower of Night won't fully restore his ability to dream, let alone confer the Tower's boon. He mourns the loss of such a potentially useful ability.
- The Inverse Towers, such as the one rumored to be near your ingress point, are often dangerous to enter but yield legendary abilities, comparable to those wielded by the Comet Kings of ancient Icarelian history. However, the Street led you here specifically: your odds of faltering as before are decently low.
Free Approval vote from me for a plan involving Hanging out, Musorov and either Midnight or our special lil' mystery!
Hanging out and Musorov for obvious reasons(Our boy needs a relax and getting to know our travel pal in a peaceful situation would be lovely.) Midnight for the benefit of no longer needing as much sleep so we can get more benefits from that free period of our time and the obvious benefits of superior senses combined with our Biomancy magic, as well I simply wish to see inside another tower. And the Mystery box tower... well, curiosity and all that Jazz.
Hanging out and Musorov for obvious reasons(Our boy needs a relax and getting to know our travel pal in a peaceful situation would be lovely.) Midnight for the benefit of no longer needing as much sleep so we can get more benefits from that free period of our time and the obvious benefits of superior senses combined with our Biomancy magic, as well I simply wish to see inside another tower. And the Mystery box tower... well, curiosity and all that Jazz.
I'm leaning on Singing, Dreams and Luck.
The Towers are all quite nuanced and there are no monkey's paws here. We rolled 5 out of D6.
Singing could lead to Street attunement, Dreams restoring creativity and ability for us to execute interesting plans. And Luck is (not outright broken, the system is more complex) can only make things go well in the long run. Mystery box could be good.. but its hard to plan around it.
[X] Choose...
-[X] Choose:Dawn
[X] Choose...
-[X] Choose: Night
[X] Choose...
-[X] Choose:Dusk
I would have gone with the mystery box normally.. but I have learned my lessons with my part pushing for boundaries for the sake of novelty. Sometimes its okay to just work with what you have.
The Towers are all quite nuanced and there are no monkey's paws here. We rolled 5 out of D6.
Singing could lead to Street attunement, Dreams restoring creativity and ability for us to execute interesting plans. And Luck is (not outright broken, the system is more complex) can only make things go well in the long run. Mystery box could be good.. but its hard to plan around it.
-[X] Choose:
[X] Choose...
-[X] Choose: Night
-[X] Choose:
I would have gone with the mystery box normally.. but I have learned my lessons with my part pushing for boundaries for the sake of novelty. Sometimes its okay to just work with what you have.
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[X] Choose...
-[X] Choose: G̸͙͖̍̄ā̴̮͙̎m̵̵̸̵̸̶̲̠͝á̴̸̵̶̴̴̶̭̬́l̴̫͎̈i̵̛̖͑ḛ̸͑l̷̡̠͘ - The abnormal Tower of local folklore, which Victor conveniently found for you ahead of time.
-[X] Choose: G̸͙͖̍̄ā̴̮͙̎m̵̵̸̵̸̶̲̠͝á̴̸̵̶̴̴̶̭̬́l̴̫͎̈i̵̛̖͑ḛ̸͑l̷̡̠͘ - The abnormal Tower of local folklore, which Victor conveniently found for you ahead of time.
Power of serendipity is hard to say no to. Ability to just get good outcomes tends to beat normal abilities which requires you to actually get to those same outcomes. And, well:
Dawn is actually interesting. A build I was playing with was Fixating on Bard mask(Singing/Charm/Travel) for Street attunement bonus. This build would have to find abilities that would let it develop in direction of song magic, which Dawn just so happens to enable. Very interesting choice.
Mystery box could be anything. It could even be super luck!
But we don't have to choose just yet, we've got an entire month ahead of us:
[X] Plan we can do other stuff here - week 1
-[X] Obtain accommodation and some currency by offering our services - 2 days
-[X] Hang Out and rest - 2 days
-[X] Train/Hunt with Crimson Lost, try to Fixate it up to 1.2x - 2 days Dorian
-[X] Research Towers and their abilities, especially the mysterious Tower - 1 day Dorian, 3 days Musurov
This should clear our stress a bit, give us some CL stat boost and give us better understanding of the Towers. We could train Viscerality instead, but I think getting early CL stats is better.
Wisdom of the people is clear here. Unless there is some specific combo we want to make, I think that super luck is just most useful in broad sense.
Dawn is actually interesting. A build I was playing with was Fixating on Bard mask(Singing/Charm/Travel) for Street attunement bonus. This build would have to find abilities that would let it develop in direction of song magic, which Dawn just so happens to enable. Very interesting choice.
Mystery box could be anything. It could even be super luck!
But we don't have to choose just yet, we've got an entire month ahead of us:
[X] Plan we can do other stuff here - week 1
-[X] Obtain accommodation and some currency by offering our services - 2 days
-[X] Hang Out and rest - 2 days
-[X] Train/Hunt with Crimson Lost, try to Fixate it up to 1.2x - 2 days Dorian
-[X] Research Towers and their abilities, especially the mysterious Tower - 1 day Dorian, 3 days Musurov
This should clear our stress a bit, give us some CL stat boost and give us better understanding of the Towers. We could train Viscerality instead, but I think getting early CL stats is better.
- Location
- Louisiana
Worth noting that the super luck is very backloaded. It's domain is the domain of happy endings, not necessarily a pleasant journey. Unlucky events or temporary setbacks can, and oftentimes do, happen at a rate equal to or greater than pre-Dusk. It's just assured that your ending destination will be the best possible outcome.
We have to keep in mind the Towers are only available at specific points in times, right? I'm worried about stepping off the rails warning. Lets just get the power first and then chill out afterwards devoting time exploring its capabilities..
In that case I'm switching to Night..
In that case I'm switching to Night..
Is this discord info or are you just extrapolating?
There's bunch of them on the island. At worst we might lose access to the mystery box one, which is perfectly fine.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
In any case, it would be best if we spent time researching abilities, how they preform in history as well as this mysterious tower, before we commit to a power. There are some fringe benefits of picking early(i.e. better social in the town with Dawn) but overall we don't really gain anything from picking immediately so we can afford to wait a week and gain info.
Who knows, maybe Zenith is secretly broken?
Who knows, maybe Zenith is secretly broken?
After some consideration - I am still high on Dusk. Perhaps more, even. While now we know its overall luck is not consistent, we also know that its focus is in improving outcomes. Ultimately everything we do here is in order to gain better outcomes, and ability that just gains good outcomes is fundamentally superior to abilities that need to accomplish goals to gain good outcomes. In more practical terms, Dusk posses an excellent synergy with already powerful CL build; CL focuses on survival and endurance so the fact that Dusk doesn't help with intermediate steps is not that huge of a deal, and Dusk allows you to collect even greater rewards with power provided by CL.
Think of it as XP scaling reward instead of getting a real ability. Since we can build CL we don't really need any of these powers right now, so we can afford to take greedier option that will gain advantage over time. And in my experience, these kinds of abilities tend to over perform expectations heavily.
As for mystery tower, Gamaliel stands for "God's gift". Fitting, given our angelic welcome to this realm. Honestly, I think that just rolling the dice here is a good enough choice as the Tower seems quite powerful. Still, Dusk/CL kinda just works well enough, just get swolle and get item drop++ and you are golden.
Think of it as XP scaling reward instead of getting a real ability. Since we can build CL we don't really need any of these powers right now, so we can afford to take greedier option that will gain advantage over time. And in my experience, these kinds of abilities tend to over perform expectations heavily.
As for mystery tower, Gamaliel stands for "God's gift". Fitting, given our angelic welcome to this realm. Honestly, I think that just rolling the dice here is a good enough choice as the Tower seems quite powerful. Still, Dusk/CL kinda just works well enough, just get swolle and get item drop++ and you are golden.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
I'm leaning towards midnight and mystery box towerwise but don't have particularly strong opinions. As for potential benefits to Midnight? Let's start with information gathering/being a one-man NSA and cold reading people from microexpressions and stuff. As for other stuff that comes to mind? Better senses opens up new worlds of sensation which could have Viscerality training benefits from novel indulgences. I wouldn't be surprised if dawn had interesting interactions with Viscerality too. Like, We get good at viscerality and enhance our senses(Midnight), or Larynx(Dawn), but the blessings of dawn and midnight synergize with that and take them to further and more ridiculous levels.
No permanent side effects suggests undesirable side effects are a possibility to be considered from the mystery box though.
[X] Plan we can do other stuff here - week 1
-[X] Obtain accommodation and some currency by offering our services - 2 days
-[X] Hang Out and rest - 2 days
-[X] Train/Hunt with Crimson Lost, try to Fixate it up to 1.2x - 2 days Dorian
-[X] Research Towers and their abilities, especially the mysterious Tower - 1 day Dorian, 3 days Musurov
No permanent side effects suggests undesirable side effects are a possibility to be considered from the mystery box though.
[X] Plan we can do other stuff here - week 1
-[X] Obtain accommodation and some currency by offering our services - 2 days
-[X] Hang Out and rest - 2 days
-[X] Train/Hunt with Crimson Lost, try to Fixate it up to 1.2x - 2 days Dorian
-[X] Research Towers and their abilities, especially the mysterious Tower - 1 day Dorian, 3 days Musurov
Oh yeah. We have Muso-bro with us. Should we push him towards a separate Tower? I think true eidetic memory of Day fits him naturally, or Midnight's workaholic potential.. But is there something that would be specifically helpful to Dorian for him to have?
Edit: I'm afraid I remain unconvinced, I really rather we do Plan we can do other stuff here after getting a tower. Before we get embroiled into complications with the locals, you know? Cause the new worlds gotta have its own conflicts and organic interactions of inhabitants pursuing their own agendas. When we get a hint from the qm, we should follow it to the letter.
Edit: I'm afraid I remain unconvinced, I really rather we do Plan we can do other stuff here after getting a tower. Before we get embroiled into complications with the locals, you know? Cause the new worlds gotta have its own conflicts and organic interactions of inhabitants pursuing their own agendas. When we get a hint from the qm, we should follow it to the letter.
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Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Andrei's thinking of climbing either Night or Midnight - leaning towards the latter. Its reduction of the need to sleep means extra time on largely mental activities, such as research or engineering, and its sensory buff can be relevant in that sphere as well. On the other hand, your accounts of the Silent House intrigued him and propelled a theory into being that Night connects the human mind to some fundamental medium of dreams. All things being equal, he would've rather had Day, but sadly that one's not included in the set available to you.
He doesn't consider either Dusk or Dawn especially interesting. Luck is nice, but Dusks can still die if they push it too far; sometimes even by accident, even if to an astronomically higher degree. Given you'll be encountering lots of danger down the road, he'd rather have something else. And Dawn is, as noted, for politicians rather than philosophers. He considers it useful and fascinating in its own right; definitely something he'd go for in another life. But in this one, he's married to science, and that means making the Choice that allows him to maximize his ability to research.
Gamaliel's interesting as well. Such a rare and unobserved anomaly deserves exploration. If you don't pick it, he might, simply so that the knowledge of what it does is on the universal record.