Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
Insert Tally
- Location
- Spain
[X] It can't hurt to try. The Weilu are ancient after all, surely most everyone had a drop or two of their blood in them. Imagine how useful it would be, to claim some ancient connection.
Perhaps learning about our bloodline can give us hints about all these things:
* More knowledge about Ling Qingge's relatives.
* The origins of the missing father (Though, I find it odd that the tapestry showed only Meng's mother, and not his father. Perhaps the Hui only cared for the mother side of things? They did not strike me as a matriarchy, though)
* Possible distant spirit ancestry? Could be used to find out things we have a synergy to cultivate. We could capitalize on it when talking to those grand spirirts Ling Qi always has the luck of encountering.
* Possible connections to other clans, which gives us an incentive to investigate and uncover even more secrets, making the Hidden Moon happy.
* Perhaps a family link to certain remarkable individuals is something we can leverage during diplomacy, later on?
* If the discovery is shocking, it might even give us an insight after we think about the implications. Maybe a 'Curiosity' or a 'Family' related insight. Then again, choosing NOT to be bothered by it and not looking could ALSO give us a completely different insight.
Perhaps learning about our bloodline can give us hints about all these things:
* More knowledge about Ling Qingge's relatives.
* The origins of the missing father (Though, I find it odd that the tapestry showed only Meng's mother, and not his father. Perhaps the Hui only cared for the mother side of things? They did not strike me as a matriarchy, though)
* Possible distant spirit ancestry? Could be used to find out things we have a synergy to cultivate. We could capitalize on it when talking to those grand spirirts Ling Qi always has the luck of encountering.
* Possible connections to other clans, which gives us an incentive to investigate and uncover even more secrets, making the Hidden Moon happy.
* Perhaps a family link to certain remarkable individuals is something we can leverage during diplomacy, later on?
* If the discovery is shocking, it might even give us an insight after we think about the implications. Maybe a 'Curiosity' or a 'Family' related insight. Then again, choosing NOT to be bothered by it and not looking could ALSO give us a completely different insight.
A Question of Loyalty
- Location
- United States of America
A Question of Loyalty
Light pooled on the white tiled floor through the ornate windows, illuminating the interior to an almost painful brightness. Not one mote danced through the beams of light, the building kept to painstakingly clean standards. As Cai Tienli walked through the halls, she noticed, again, that the statutes and artwork were arranged meticulously without a single one an inch out of place. Not that there were many around to begin with, her elder sister did like to keep things on the spartan side. In the outer courtyard, if she strained her ears, Baron Gan could be heard drilling promising recruits of the White Plume. Which was expected. Her elder sister's right-hand man was never far from his position unless the need was great. But she was not here today to learn at the feet of Baron Gan, no, she was here for a much more nerve-racking task. Asking for advice from her elder sister.
Stepping up to the doors of Cai Renxiang's office, Tienli licked her lips nervously before cycling her qi to activate one of the few techniques she consistently used. Light poured from her dantian and flooded through her channels before pooling in her mind and body. Nervousness and unease fled away from the light, and purity of purpose and resolve remained. A useful technique, especially when dealing with her elder sister. Stepping forward, she rapped the door three times in quick succession, before standing back to wait, if only for a moment.
"Come in," came the light voice of Cai Renxiang.
Opening the door with a hint of effort, Tienli stepped inside the office and closed the door with a bare whisper of wind. It seemed that her sister had not made any renovations to the room since the last time Tienli had been here. Shelves of books towered along the walls, covered in tomes relating to the laws and administration of the various provinces of the Emerald Seas. Towards the back, a massive desk constructed from the twigs of Xiangmen stood, darkly varnished to contrast with the brightness of the room. Spread around the remaining space were tastefully decorated chairs and couches, with a small table between several of them.
Seated behind the desk was her elder sister, Cai Renxiang, calmly writing missives, responding to requests, and approving proposals at a pace that boggled her mind. Reams of paper were devoured as soon as they arrived, going out the way they had come, usually through the window with messaging formations, but some seemed to be shuffled and moved about by a partitioned spirit of the building. And standing before her elder sister felt like standing before a damned lake, power of nearly unimaginable scale held back from washing over her with a breath of will. It would be more intimidating if Tienli had not already visited Mother, who had felt like a vast ocean in comparison, or if she had already not made introductions to the Court who had felt like vast seas. In retrospect, her elder sister wasn't nearly the strongest person she had encountered. But when she looked at her sister's raised eyebrow, the nervousness almost returned in force. It was… uncannily like Mother's face. There were differences, of course, but it was clear just whose daughter Cai Renxiang's was.
"This younger sister greats her elder," Tienli began, "and seeks pardon for the interruption to her elder sister's work."
"Take a seat, Cai Tienli, I will be with you in a moment."
Biting back a sigh, Tienli dutifully took a seat on the chair in front of the desk, legs barely reaching the floor, and waited. It was, thankfully, not that long of a wait. Cai Renxiang finished a few missives before sending them out, and then with a nearly invisible flex of qi, closed the doors to prevent more work from distracting the meeting.
"Cai Tienli, it is unexpected that you have graced my office with your presence. Before we begin, however, I would like to offer you some tea for refreshments."
"Please," Tienli waved off the offer, "I would not wish to impose upon you."
"It is no imposition," Cai Renxiang said raising her eyebrow as she rose from her seat, "it would take only a moment, and I would not wish to be a poor host."
Tienli only nodded slightly before watching her sister walk into an adjacent room. Looking up, she prayed to every Great Spirit she could rattle off that it would not be green tea. Any type of tea but green tea. Green tea was the bane of all good teas. She kept up this mantra for the couple of minutes it took Cai Renxiang to return with a cup of… green tea. Stoically hiding her grimace, Tienli took the proffered cup and began gently sipping the tea. Cai Renxiang took a seat behind the desk with her own cup of tea. The room descended into silence as they each waited for the time prescribed by manners to enjoy refreshments lapsed before beginning the conversation again.
"So, Cai Tienli, what brings you to my office?"
"I am here to seek my elder sister's wisdom and experience regarding the task set forth by the Duchess."
"Hmmm… I am not sure if my helping you find your first retainer would satisfy the Duchess' task."
"I agree with your assessment, and so I was hoping you could provide me with some insight into the qualities one should look for in picking their first retainer."
Tapping her nail on the desk, Cai Renxiang didn't respond for a couple of heartbeats, before nodding, "Yes I do believe I can assist you in this matter without going against the Duchess' instructions. Tell me what you have learned from your conversations with Guangli."
Pointedly not looking down or sighing, Tienli began, "Baron Gan follows your leadership because he believes in the vision and purpose you have put yourself to and seeks to assist you in bringing that vision to fruition. As such, I believe that he is the most loyal of your retinue."
"That tells me what he has said and what you believe about it, but not what you have learned."
"Having a shared vision or goal allows one to cultivate loyalty in one's retinue, a desirable trait."
"Is that a trait you seek to have for your retinue?"
"Of course," Tienli stated hurriedly, " but I am not sure if it is the pre-eminent trait I should be seeking."
"Ohh…" Cai Renxiang drawled out slowly, "and why is that?"
"Your second selection of Baron Ling for your retinue."
There was a pause as Cai Renxiang frowned and brought her fingers up to rub the bridge of her nose. It was not a gesture that Tienli had seen from her.
"Do you think Baron Ling is disloyal?"
"Ahh," Tienli began, "No. I think she is sufficiently loyal to the Cai that there are no problems with her being on your retinue, but I feel that she is the least loyal of your retained agents."
"Have you discussed this idea with anyone else, or have you independently come to that conclusion?"
A tingle of fear coursed down Tienli's spine. This was… not where the conversation was supposed to go. But here it was. Hopefully, she could steer it back on course. "I have not discussed this with anyone," Tienli stated, "I only have these feelings because of what Baron Gan has told me about why Baron Ling agreed to join your cause."
"Ahh, yes, when Baron Ling indicated that she joined because of the money offered."
"Exactly!" Tienli exclaimed, "and that doesn't seem to be the most stable foundation for retinue service."
"Hmm… Have you spoken much to her about why she joined and why she stays?"
"I… have not, no. She is often busy with other matters."
"Baron Ling does not follow me for the money, even though that may have been the deciding factor in which of her options to pursue. No, she has engaged in too many dangerous and demanding conflicts by my side and at my orders to follow me purely for the money. Especially when a lady of her talents could acquire substantial amounts of money herself. It is for other reasons that I have full confidence in her loyalty to me and my vision."
"Are there threats and coercion involved?"
"No. Loyalty founded on such relationships are weaker than they appear and will fracture with hardly any effort from an outside party. Baron Ling also wishes to see my vision fulfilled, albeit for different reasons than Guangli, and has demonstrated from early interactions that once her loyalty is placed it is unshakeable."
"I see. Thank you for the instruction elder sister. I will stay the course and seek individuals whose loyalties can be assured."
"Wise. Do make sure, though, that the loyalty is not forced, but freely given."
Nodding, Tienli stood up and bowed respectfully to her sister before leaving the room. It was a lot to think about. And very little time to choose.
A/N: @yrsillar another omake for the omake throne! Just a little blurb about a possible future interaction between Tienli and Renxiang regarding some confusion on what traits Renxiang focused on for her first couple of retainers. I hope you enjoy the read!
Light pooled on the white tiled floor through the ornate windows, illuminating the interior to an almost painful brightness. Not one mote danced through the beams of light, the building kept to painstakingly clean standards. As Cai Tienli walked through the halls, she noticed, again, that the statutes and artwork were arranged meticulously without a single one an inch out of place. Not that there were many around to begin with, her elder sister did like to keep things on the spartan side. In the outer courtyard, if she strained her ears, Baron Gan could be heard drilling promising recruits of the White Plume. Which was expected. Her elder sister's right-hand man was never far from his position unless the need was great. But she was not here today to learn at the feet of Baron Gan, no, she was here for a much more nerve-racking task. Asking for advice from her elder sister.
Stepping up to the doors of Cai Renxiang's office, Tienli licked her lips nervously before cycling her qi to activate one of the few techniques she consistently used. Light poured from her dantian and flooded through her channels before pooling in her mind and body. Nervousness and unease fled away from the light, and purity of purpose and resolve remained. A useful technique, especially when dealing with her elder sister. Stepping forward, she rapped the door three times in quick succession, before standing back to wait, if only for a moment.
"Come in," came the light voice of Cai Renxiang.
Opening the door with a hint of effort, Tienli stepped inside the office and closed the door with a bare whisper of wind. It seemed that her sister had not made any renovations to the room since the last time Tienli had been here. Shelves of books towered along the walls, covered in tomes relating to the laws and administration of the various provinces of the Emerald Seas. Towards the back, a massive desk constructed from the twigs of Xiangmen stood, darkly varnished to contrast with the brightness of the room. Spread around the remaining space were tastefully decorated chairs and couches, with a small table between several of them.
Seated behind the desk was her elder sister, Cai Renxiang, calmly writing missives, responding to requests, and approving proposals at a pace that boggled her mind. Reams of paper were devoured as soon as they arrived, going out the way they had come, usually through the window with messaging formations, but some seemed to be shuffled and moved about by a partitioned spirit of the building. And standing before her elder sister felt like standing before a damned lake, power of nearly unimaginable scale held back from washing over her with a breath of will. It would be more intimidating if Tienli had not already visited Mother, who had felt like a vast ocean in comparison, or if she had already not made introductions to the Court who had felt like vast seas. In retrospect, her elder sister wasn't nearly the strongest person she had encountered. But when she looked at her sister's raised eyebrow, the nervousness almost returned in force. It was… uncannily like Mother's face. There were differences, of course, but it was clear just whose daughter Cai Renxiang's was.
"This younger sister greats her elder," Tienli began, "and seeks pardon for the interruption to her elder sister's work."
"Take a seat, Cai Tienli, I will be with you in a moment."
Biting back a sigh, Tienli dutifully took a seat on the chair in front of the desk, legs barely reaching the floor, and waited. It was, thankfully, not that long of a wait. Cai Renxiang finished a few missives before sending them out, and then with a nearly invisible flex of qi, closed the doors to prevent more work from distracting the meeting.
"Cai Tienli, it is unexpected that you have graced my office with your presence. Before we begin, however, I would like to offer you some tea for refreshments."
"Please," Tienli waved off the offer, "I would not wish to impose upon you."
"It is no imposition," Cai Renxiang said raising her eyebrow as she rose from her seat, "it would take only a moment, and I would not wish to be a poor host."
Tienli only nodded slightly before watching her sister walk into an adjacent room. Looking up, she prayed to every Great Spirit she could rattle off that it would not be green tea. Any type of tea but green tea. Green tea was the bane of all good teas. She kept up this mantra for the couple of minutes it took Cai Renxiang to return with a cup of… green tea. Stoically hiding her grimace, Tienli took the proffered cup and began gently sipping the tea. Cai Renxiang took a seat behind the desk with her own cup of tea. The room descended into silence as they each waited for the time prescribed by manners to enjoy refreshments lapsed before beginning the conversation again.
"So, Cai Tienli, what brings you to my office?"
"I am here to seek my elder sister's wisdom and experience regarding the task set forth by the Duchess."
"Hmmm… I am not sure if my helping you find your first retainer would satisfy the Duchess' task."
"I agree with your assessment, and so I was hoping you could provide me with some insight into the qualities one should look for in picking their first retainer."
Tapping her nail on the desk, Cai Renxiang didn't respond for a couple of heartbeats, before nodding, "Yes I do believe I can assist you in this matter without going against the Duchess' instructions. Tell me what you have learned from your conversations with Guangli."
Pointedly not looking down or sighing, Tienli began, "Baron Gan follows your leadership because he believes in the vision and purpose you have put yourself to and seeks to assist you in bringing that vision to fruition. As such, I believe that he is the most loyal of your retinue."
"That tells me what he has said and what you believe about it, but not what you have learned."
"Having a shared vision or goal allows one to cultivate loyalty in one's retinue, a desirable trait."
"Is that a trait you seek to have for your retinue?"
"Of course," Tienli stated hurriedly, " but I am not sure if it is the pre-eminent trait I should be seeking."
"Ohh…" Cai Renxiang drawled out slowly, "and why is that?"
"Your second selection of Baron Ling for your retinue."
There was a pause as Cai Renxiang frowned and brought her fingers up to rub the bridge of her nose. It was not a gesture that Tienli had seen from her.
"Do you think Baron Ling is disloyal?"
"Ahh," Tienli began, "No. I think she is sufficiently loyal to the Cai that there are no problems with her being on your retinue, but I feel that she is the least loyal of your retained agents."
"Have you discussed this idea with anyone else, or have you independently come to that conclusion?"
A tingle of fear coursed down Tienli's spine. This was… not where the conversation was supposed to go. But here it was. Hopefully, she could steer it back on course. "I have not discussed this with anyone," Tienli stated, "I only have these feelings because of what Baron Gan has told me about why Baron Ling agreed to join your cause."
"Ahh, yes, when Baron Ling indicated that she joined because of the money offered."
"Exactly!" Tienli exclaimed, "and that doesn't seem to be the most stable foundation for retinue service."
"Hmm… Have you spoken much to her about why she joined and why she stays?"
"I… have not, no. She is often busy with other matters."
"Baron Ling does not follow me for the money, even though that may have been the deciding factor in which of her options to pursue. No, she has engaged in too many dangerous and demanding conflicts by my side and at my orders to follow me purely for the money. Especially when a lady of her talents could acquire substantial amounts of money herself. It is for other reasons that I have full confidence in her loyalty to me and my vision."
"Are there threats and coercion involved?"
"No. Loyalty founded on such relationships are weaker than they appear and will fracture with hardly any effort from an outside party. Baron Ling also wishes to see my vision fulfilled, albeit for different reasons than Guangli, and has demonstrated from early interactions that once her loyalty is placed it is unshakeable."
"I see. Thank you for the instruction elder sister. I will stay the course and seek individuals whose loyalties can be assured."
"Wise. Do make sure, though, that the loyalty is not forced, but freely given."
Nodding, Tienli stood up and bowed respectfully to her sister before leaving the room. It was a lot to think about. And very little time to choose.
A/N: @yrsillar another omake for the omake throne! Just a little blurb about a possible future interaction between Tienli and Renxiang regarding some confusion on what traits Renxiang focused on for her first couple of retainers. I hope you enjoy the read!
- Location
- Location: Location!
What is legitimacy? Can you eat it? Does it taste good?
Ling Qi has consistently displayed a pragmatic streak, which contrasts nicely with Gan Guangli's all-in idealism. LQ has already used the fact that she's Moon-aligned to leverage some brownie points with the Weilu Conservative families. The result of the cultivation equivalent of 23-and-me will also be another tool in her social arsenal, not the pillar upon which she will be building her self-image. When dealing with Imperial Conservatives, she will probably leverage the fact that she's a student/alumni of one of the Great Sects, which by virtue of being aligned with the Imperial Throne should earn her some brownie points with that faction. Ling Qi can be more than one thing.
Ling Qi has consistently displayed a pragmatic streak, which contrasts nicely with Gan Guangli's all-in idealism. LQ has already used the fact that she's Moon-aligned to leverage some brownie points with the Weilu Conservative families. The result of the cultivation equivalent of 23-and-me will also be another tool in her social arsenal, not the pillar upon which she will be building her self-image. When dealing with Imperial Conservatives, she will probably leverage the fact that she's a student/alumni of one of the Great Sects, which by virtue of being aligned with the Imperial Throne should earn her some brownie points with that faction. Ling Qi can be more than one thing.
I myself have been kind of wondering if Ling Qi ultimately gets her blue eyes from Prince Erkin who married the as yet unnamed Weilu princess. Presumably that princess's name, or perhaps the name of one of her significant Weilu descendants, would light up on the tapestry tree if this is the case.
Now in our world blue eyes is a recessive trait, so either she gets the gene from ancestors on both sides, or it works different there.
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Sirrocco
Pedantic
Hmm....
The first 80% of it or so - right up tp "I… have not, no. She is often busy with other matters." - was excellent, but I feel like you didn't really stick the landing. The structure of the story felt like it was trying to lead to some great insight from CRX to her younger sister about what might be valuable in a retainer, wrapped around Ling Qi and her unusual nature. "She's totally loyal to me after all, and also don't coerce your inner circle with threats of force" really doesn't live up tot the buildup.
Suggestion:
- If you want it to be about loyalty, have CRX talk a bit more about why Ling Qi is loyal, and how to seek that out. In particular, Ling Qi was not loyal initially, but CRX managed to pull her in until her loyalty was assured. Providing clarity on how certain she was that that would work, what made her so certain, and what she did to pull it off would help. If your interpretation was that CRX would have been willing to take us in even without an assurance of perfect loyalty, then providing further insight on that would help as well - a bit about the circumstances and advantages to suggest why she would have been willing to accept that. There's a number of interesting directions you could take this one, really.
- For bonus points, have Tienli reveal some way in which her needs are different than CRX's earlier in the conversation, and have CRX note how that difference in needs causes a difference on how they might value certain traits among their entourage, and by extension how Tienli might prioritize differently.
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- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
Hey, quick question for the thread. Does the main river running through the Emerald Seas have a name? I tried looking at all the maps I could find, but it seems unlabeled.
- Location
- Somewhere.
[X] It can't hurt to try. The name "Ling" means "zero", but just because you're starting from zero doesn't mean it won't be fun to find out what the negative numbers were! Also, it's literally inconceivable to look at a "poke me and find out a thing" talisman and NOT poke it, damn it.
I know we don't do write-ins here, but dammit I can't justify voting for either actual option.
I know we don't do write-ins here, but dammit I can't justify voting for either actual option.
[X] It can't hurt to try. The Weilu are ancient after all, surely most everyone had a drop or two of their blood in them. Imagine how useful it would be, to claim some ancient connection.
MFW I check into the forums to run a tally and see how the votes are going:
- Location
- S.E.A
[X] It can't hurt to try. The Weilu are ancient after all, surely most everyone had a drop or two of their blood in them. Imagine how useful it would be, to claim some ancient connection.
I wonder if it shows half siblings or our half siblings' half siblings.
Basically I want to know if dad is an irresposible deadbeat and how many siblings we might have.
I wonder if it shows half siblings or our half siblings' half siblings.
Basically I want to know if dad is an irresposible deadbeat and how many siblings we might have.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
The names the tapestry can show may be hard coded. I find it hard to believe that it can just discover new information with only a blood connection to search for.
DeusExBritannia
Red-White-Black-White
- Location
- Texas
An item spirit of sufficient potency dedicated to the task could potentially update itself
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
Where is it getting that information though? It is scanning the entire province for blood tied to someone's and than divining their name? That would be a ton of power spent on something that doesn't seem to fit into the idea of using the tapestry to improve legitimacy. Wouldn't the Hui want as few names connected to Tsu as possible to improve the image of their own legitimacy? A self updating talisman seems to defeat that purpose.
I don't doubt the Hui could update it, but allowing it to self update doesn't feel like something the Hui would want.
Ask the Imperial Throne. It does the same stunt too.
Like, its possible that the original tapestry was shorter and it grew over time to update in the new members.
If Xia Lin wants it as her share of loot, the Xia can do whatever they want with it. If she doesn't then its the Ling clan's to do with as we want.
The Meng are probably the most likely candidates for purchasing it, if LQ or XL want liquidity.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
The Imperial Throne doesn't add people to a list. It only checks a yes/no condition.
This tapestry doesn't check for everyone related to you. It checks which name on its list you are most closely related to, if any. We see this because when Meng Dan put his finger on it the tapestry showed him Meng Dezhui. It didn't show him his mother or father. It showed him Meng Dezhui. The person who started the House of Meng. Remember this is an account of the House of Tsu. So I doubt it has any names outside of that house, expect for maybe the Hui as a legitimacy stunt.
This tapestry is not going to divine the Emerald Seas looking for everyone related to someone. That's not the point of the tapestry. The point of the tapestry is to show the user their closest relation in the house of Tsu.
*Gets ready to laugh at Cai facepalming over Ling Qi shenanigans*
Oh! Philosophical character analysis? I did not see that coming. Like Sirrocco said, the landing is a bit wobbly. For me, that's because I abruptly shifted mental genres and I didn't quite settle into a thoughtful state of mind by the end. I agree that expanding the discussion of what brings loyalty, either in general or specific to Ling Qi, would help.
This was the line that made me expect comedy, as it is pretty much a facepalm from Renxiang.
(I'm not used to trying to give Con Crit so I hope this was useful. Also, I really enjoyed reading your fiction in this thread. Thank you for writing!)