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Towards the Golden Throne (Warhammer 40k Xianxia)

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[X] Disdainful. Such shameless scavenging, seeking to compensate for mediocre talent with wholescale butchery. It is worthy of contempt.
[X] Suspicious. Its the seeming ease and lacking logistical tail. What is the catch, the problem that brings this gorey edifice tumbling down?
[X] Intrigued. What kind of mind could conceive of such a thing, and see it to fruition? You rather want to find out.

This rings out as All Kinds of Sus, so I want to poke her to think in that direction. There's almost certainly a catch somewhere.

@Maugan Ra by the way, what's the overall public state/knowledge of the Inquisition in this setting?
 
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[X] Disdainful. Such shameless scavenging, seeking to compensate for mediocre talent with wholescale butchery. It is worthy of contempt.
[X] Furious. This is a violation of all that is good and right, and you will see the architects burn for their transgressions.
[X] Sickened. A purely visceral response, unworthy of a dignified Young Mistress, yet you cannot deny how your gut roils at this sight.
 
[X] Disdainful. Such shameless scavenging, seeking to compensate for mediocre talent with wholescale butchery. It is worthy of contempt.
[X] Furious. This is a violation of all that is good and right, and you will see the architects burn for their transgressions.
[X] Sickened. A purely visceral response, unworthy of a dignified Young Mistress, yet you cannot deny how your gut roils at this sight.
[X] Suspicious. Its the seeming ease and lacking logistical tail. What is the catch, the problem that brings this gorey edifice tumbling down?
 
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[X] Curious. You did not think such a thing was possible, but it clearly is. How is this done, and why do more Sects not do it?
[X] Intrigued. What kind of mind could conceive of such a thing, and see it to fruition? You rather want to find out.
[X] Bored. However innovative the form, it ultimately nothing more than an iteration of the oldest of parasitic exchanges.
[X] Suspicious. Its the seeming ease and lacking logistical tail. What is the catch, the problem that brings this gorey edifice tumbling down?

We picked ambition can we please not play a
goody two shoes.
 
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I wonder if the Ecclesiarchal path has means to whistle up pills from concentrated faith collected during a rousing sermon.
 
BungieONI said:
@Maugan Ra by the way, what's the overall public state/knowledge of the Inquisition in this setting?
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The Inquisition were meant to fulfil a kind of "Wandering Magistrate" role, loyal servants of the state whose remit allowed them to go anywhere, investigate anyone and then bring them to justice via sick kung-fu battles if they found traces of wickedness. In theory they would serve as the loyal watchdogs who would only ever act in the best interests of the state, keeping everyone else on course through their watchful oversight.

Naturally, they factionalised immediately.

It is widely suspected, but never proven, that the Inquisition today practices a unique Path that draws its strength from the Golden Emperor's own authority, waxing and waning in potency depending on the situation - thus it would be at its strongest against someone who regarded themselves as a loyal servant of the Emperor, but would be virtually useless against a weird alien that had never even heard of the guy.

Naturally, any Inquisitor worth the name gathers arts and techniques to broaden their capabilities and allow them to make the best use of their authority, and also surrounds themselves with Adepts of other paths who are sworn to their service.
 
[X] Disdainful. Such shameless scavenging, seeking to compensate for mediocre talent with wholescale butchery. It is worthy of contempt.
 
[X] Disdainful. Such shameless scavenging, seeking to compensate for mediocre talent with wholescale butchery. It is worthy of contempt.
 
[X] Curious. You did not think such a thing was possible, but it clearly is. How is this done, and why do more Sects not do it?

A scientist seek to know.
 
Maugan Ra said:
The Inquisition were meant to fulfil a kind of "Wandering Magistrate" role, loyal servants of the state whose remit allowed them to go anywhere, investigate anyone and then bring them to justice via sick kung-fu battles if they found traces of wickedness. In theory they would serve as the loyal watchdogs who would only ever act in the best interests of the state, keeping everyone else on course through their watchful oversight.

Naturally, they factionalised immediately.

It is widely suspected, but never proven, that the Inquisition today practices a unique Path that draws its strength from the Golden Emperor's own authority, waxing and waning in potency depending on the situation - thus it would be at its strongest against someone who regarded themselves as a loyal servant of the Emperor, but would be virtually useless against a weird alien that had never even heard of the guy.

Naturally, any Inquisitor worth the name gathers arts and techniques to broaden their capabilities and allow them to make the best use of their authority, and also surrounds themselves with Adepts of other paths who are sworn to their service.
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Wacky, I want to fight one at some point.
 
[X] Curious. You did not think such a thing was possible, but it clearly is. How is this done, and why do more Sects not do it?
[X] Intrigued. What kind of mind could conceive of such a thing, and see it to fruition? You rather want to find out.

I totally want to make something of this.
 
One thing I'm wondering about, how exactly do the Mechanicus reconcile cybernetics with Xianxia's "the human body but better"? Like, do we still get terrifying transhuman cyborgs who shun flesh or has that part been replaced with bodily refinement?
 
Maugan Ra said:
with a thoughtful hum you pluck the knife from the dead man's back and hold it up against the damage. Yes, despite its humble nature, the dimensions match exactly. A mono-edged blade, perhaps one even blessed with some manner of akashic enhancement given the faint twinge you feel when you pick it up… not the sort of thing one would generally waste on killing a menial. Another of the Heron's supposed gifts, perhaps?
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This feels very videogamey, but in a good way. Maybe it's because I was just playing RE4 right before but I can imagine this perfectly as a videogame start with you climbing out of the out to find a corpse with a dagger in it. And then when you interact with the corpse you get a little pop up saying "a monomolecular blade blessed by the Akasha. Another one of the Heron's gifts perhaps" before it gets added to your inventory.
Maugan Ra said:
Why… ah, of course. They are ashamed of their own bodies, aware of how your own glorious form brings their imperfections into sharp contrast.
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i
This is hilarious, and is part of an ongoing character beat of just... Sheer arrogance that this chapter hit really well. The way she refers to herself as the future of the sect is another good example.
Maugan Ra said:
Your captors do not control this place, not even slightly. The discovery of a half-eaten corpse hanging from a stanchion is enough to confirm that, as is the presence of dim shapes in the shadowed halls and the muffled growls of prowling beasts. They stay clear of your group, repelled by the burning scent of your power, and you in turn steer clear of the few narrow passages that the slavers yet control. To most such a thing would be impossible, an open invitation for the winding labyrinth of passages to swallow you whole, but you are an Adept of the Mechanicus. No hall of machines and metal will ever be able to fool or mislead you, no matter how twisted or feral.
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This is really interesting. Wherever we are, it's not the domain of the one who captured us, despite the fact that they dragged us here.

I didn't quote the part about the factory but that was also really good. Very machine for pigs.

Will vote later, still deciding
 
Undead-Spaceman said:
One thing I'm wondering about, how exactly do the Mechanicus reconcile cybernetics with Xianxia's "the human body but better"? Like, do we still get terrifying transhuman cyborgs who shun flesh or has that part been replaced with bodily refinement?
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So, there's obviously a lot of doctrinal and personal differences when it comes to the question, but broadly speaking there's two main criteria that inform the average Mechanicus perspective.

The first is status. Menials and those who hit their limit at lower ranks are permitted and even encouraged to adopt extensive cybernetic replacements, as these are still regarded as clearly superior to mortal flesh and blood in every way. Indeed, those who do poorly enough during the mandatory training and testing for potential Adepts are forcibly converted into servitors, this being judged a better use for their flesh than allowing free will.

As one ascends through the Realms the proportion of one's body that is cybernetic tends to decrease, as simple replacements no longer offer any notable increase in capability or resilience, but there is a corresponding increase in quality. Custom work is done to mimic the layout of one's meridians and neural structure, minimising the impact of the surgery, and often the Adept will opt for something specifically designed to augment their favoured Arts or synergise with their preferred Techniques. For example, a set of sculpted jets and nozzles for a frequent user of the Incandescent Wings of the Phoenix allows them greater and more reliably manoeuvrability.

Adepts of the Magos rank or above can generally will their cybernetics to self-heal or modify themselves, at which point the definition of a "cybernetic augment" gets a bit hazy.
 
[X] Furious. This is a violation of all that is good and right, and you will see the architects burn for their transgressions.
[X] Sickened. A purely visceral response, unworthy of a dignified Young Mistress, yet you cannot deny how your gut roils at this sight.
 
[X] Disdainful. Such shameless scavenging, seeking to compensate for mediocre talent with wholescale butchery. It is worthy of contempt.
 
[X] Disdainful. Such shameless scavenging, seeking to compensate for mediocre talent with wholescale butchery. It is worthy of contempt.
[X] Curious. You did not think such a thing was possible, but it clearly is. How is this done, and why do more Sects not do it?
 
[X] Curious. You did not think such a thing was possible, but it clearly is. How is this done, and why do more Sects not do it?
 
[X] Disdainful. Such shameless scavenging, seeking to compensate for mediocre talent with wholescale butchery. It is worthy of contempt.
[X] Suspicious. Its the seeming ease and lacking logistical tail. What is the catch, the problem that brings this gorey edifice tumbling down?
[X] Intrigued. What kind of mind could conceive of such a thing, and see it to fruition? You rather want to find out.
notanautomaton said:
I am shocked and horrified that these pill factories...
Aren't standard issue. Come on Imperium, get it together.
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They're fundamentally parasitic.
It costs a lot to raise even a mortal menial, and I doubt they're getting even 1% efficiency on the Adept!

Maybe if they chucked enemies in
 
veekie said:
Maybe if they chucked enemies in
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Depends on the enemy I think, since you can't be assured of the purity of said material. Not to mention if you have enough material to scavange from the enemy depending on the state of the corpse. Whereas you can be assured of the quality of menials raised by your own sect if you were to do such a thing. Before their death date just used them as regular menials therefore sort of paying back the cost of raising them in such a way.
 
Maugan Ra said:
Hmm, an interesting technique, though probably not one that you should start with. Don't get me wrong surrounding yourself in a super-fast halo of plasma is cool as hell, but the Third Realm is not high enough to completely disregard lesser enemies just yet. I'll keep it in mind for the future though!
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Fair enough. I'm still getting a sense for the appropriate "power level" of each Realm.
Maugan Ra said:
It is widely suspected, but never proven, that the Inquisition today practices a unique Path that draws its strength from the Golden Emperor's own authority, waxing and waning in potency depending on the situation - thus it would be at its strongest against someone who regarded themselves as a loyal servant of the Emperor, but would be virtually useless against a weird alien that had never even heard of the guy.
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This... seems off, tbh? If the purpose of the Inquisition is to root out the corrupt, then that would make this a path that is weakest against its most dangerous and irredeemable targets, and strongest against its most likely allies. It's like the inverse of an appropriate path. If it worked the exact opposite way then it would actually be perfect for the Inquisition - strengthening them against the enemies and betrayers of the realm, while inherently disincentivizing them from ever turning against the Imperium or its genuinely loyal subjects. But as it is I'm scratching my head.
 
Fayhem said:
Fair enough. I'm still getting a sense for the appropriate "power level" of each Realm.

This... seems off, tbh? If the purpose of the Inquisition is to root out the corrupt, then that would make this a path that is weakest against its most dangerous and irredeemable targets, and strongest against its most likely allies. It's like the inverse of an appropriate path. If it worked the exact opposite way then it would actually be perfect for the Inquisition - strengthening them against the enemies and betrayers of the realm, while inherently disincentivizing them from ever turning against the Imperium or its genuinely loyal subjects. But as it is I'm scratching my head.
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Its weird for sure. There's one particular group of people I can see it working well against; genuine rebels against the Orthodoxy, i.e people who believe they are still loyal to the emperor but who disagree with the interpretation of the will of the emperor the faction of the Inquisition doing the fighting at that moment uses.

Exceptionally good at infighting I think.
 
veekie said:
They're fundamentally parasitic.
It costs a lot to raise even a mortal menial, and I doubt they're getting even 1% efficiency on the Adept!

Maybe if they chucked enemies in
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Your thinking of this as though they are breeding menials for pill stock, that is not the smart way to do it. You simply make it part of the local funerary practice that upon death your remains are given to the cultivators to become one with them. Ideally, a menial would live a full and productive life and not even question the local custom that their corpse will be melted down for pill stock once they pass away due to natural causes. The smart way to run one of these factories is you never kill anyone to feed it, you just engineer the local culture so that its seen as an actable way to dispose of remains. That being said, the guys who are runnig it do seem to be running this the evil way and abducting and killing folks to make pills. But the practice here has an ehtical and effective way to run it.

Fayhem said:
This... seems off, tbh? If the purpose of the Inquisition is to root out the corrupt, then that would make this a path that is weakest against its most dangerous and irredeemable targets, and strongest against its most likely allies. It's like the inverse of an appropriate path. If it worked the exact opposite way then it would actually be perfect for the Inquisition - strengthening them against the enemies and betrayers of the realm, while inherently disincentivizing them from ever turning against the Imperium or its genuinely loyal subjects. But as it is I'm scratching my head.
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I mean, its the Inquisition. Their art being backassward in terms of who it works against is kind of on brand for them.
 
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BungieONI said:
Its weird for sure. There's one particular group of people I can see it working well against; genuine rebels against the Orthodoxy, i.e people who believe they are still loyal to the emperor but who disagree with the interpretation of the will of the emperor the faction of the Inquisition doing the fighting at that moment uses.

Exceptionally good at infighting I think.
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random_npc said:
I mean, its the Inquisition. Their art being backassward in terms of who it works against is kind of on brand for them.
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Bundling my response to these since it's kinda the same: the Inquisition being prone to infighting is absolutely part of the flavor of what makes the Inquisition what it is, in the setting. But I enjoy that much more when it's epiphenomenal and the product of human nature when given a role with these parameters, rather than built into their Path itself at the conceptual level.

Basically, I like 40k, but I like it much more when it stays on the right side of the grimdark/grimderp divide. And the premise of the Inquisition as a Path being basically the cultivation of Divine Infighting Arts at the active expense of being effective in their assigned role is just... way too on the nose for me. I like it more when they've got every tool they need to be excellent at what they're supposed to do, and then still descend into being a pit of vipers.

On a lighter note, I'm really hoping that this setting features cultivatorks, who cultivate the sacred essence of WAAAGH! You could have it laid out like:

Grot Realm - Da runtz. Krumpin' 'em is good fer a laff. Dey can carry yer stuff, too.
Boyz Realm - Ta reach da Boyz Realm, ya gots to krump 'fore ya get krumped. Dead simple, but a bunch of gits still can't figure it. Daft, innit? Now dat ya ain't a grot no more, ya can get proppa stuck in!
Nob Realm - Da Nob Realm is fer dem Boyz wot found the alignment of their spirits wuz wiv either MORE DAKKA or MORE CHOPPA.
Boss Realm - Da Boss is an ork wot knows the answer to askin' MORE DAKKA or MORE CHOPPA is always YES. All orks can benefit from da Waaagh energy, but da Boss is an ork wot can lead it.
Big Boss Realm - Da path of da ork is da path of conquest. Ya wants ta be the Big Boss? Yer gonna need to beat down uvver Bosses 'til da Waaagh itself feels it.
Warboss Realm - Da Big Boss Realm is fer orks wot can conquer der peers. Da Warboss Realm is fer orks wot can conquer da world. Yer gonna need to build an' lead a whole Waaagh of yer own ta reach this one.
[...]
Gork/Mork Realm - REACH
HEVVEN
THRU
KRUMPIN'
 
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