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Killian Graves - Star Door, Kri-Orta Factory Dormitory Sector Result: 7 + 2 = 9 - Success Ingrot made an expression of grim acceptance of the fact. "I did not realise magic had such a price. The Sphinxes must be desperate indeed if they resort to such measures." She said as she picked up the ring between two claws and examined it, but did not put it on. As she did this, Reeber picked up the sword that Killian had just finished working on without really thinking. This drew some somewhat concerned expressions from others around, worried that he might too suddenly vanish forever. After he remained visible and audible they relaxed a little. Oblivious to this, Reeber simple asked Killian; "And what of this? What does this blade do?" Only Killian could see the mark on his forehead, a dagger piercing a coin writ in a green glow on his amber hide. Reeber isn't about to defect from his position, but he could be convinced to. For the right price. A pawn for a future move on he board. Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate Result: 8 + 4 = 12 - Success You placed the symbiote into his ear and it slid inside and out of sight within a second. The paralytic agent you used made it impossible to tell much of the butler's reactions, but he seemed to relax a little and his eye stopped twitching as much which made Rade feel mostly confident the symbiote had at least begun to indoctrinate him. You did paralyse the butler so he can't react very much to your action, for woe or for weal. Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Forest Result: 8 + 2 = 10 - Success A wave of green verdancy flowed out from Rehlor like a gust of wind. In its wake the trees shook a little, casting off some of the snow from their branches while bushes grew a little. Bushes that fruited with berries had new ones grow on them. As Rehlor considered his power, it was different to the Qi you were used to in that it was not a well that you drew power from but a constant flow. There was a limit to how much it could grant you but within that it was only limited by your skill in wielding it and your ability to envision how to use it. Using it was more alike to a painter who brought their imagination into life, technique being the result of practice and creativity melding together, unlike your cultivation techniques which were precise movements practiced through repetition and dedication like a martial artist. Rehlor could feel the gratification and appreciation from the plants, although the land itself was like a warm blanket and they still felt the weight of the winter's sleepiness pressing down on them. And unless the very climate of this place changed they probably always would. These were mundane plants after all, and not spiritual herbs or plants that drew in the energies of the world around them and thrived because of the climate. Success, although mechanically using your cultivation powers and using your special power is basically the same, narratively in fiction they feel very different to Rehlor.
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Feb 8, 2024 06:04
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 Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate Rade stands over the butler, and with a wave of his hand attempts to purge him of the paralytic. He is still weary, however, and should the man try and scream once he regains control of his body a quick strike to the throat will render him silent for a few moments. Purging the paralytic. If it looks like he's going to scream or call for help once he can move again he'll get throat punched to keep him quiet. Fleshsmith[+4]
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Feb 8, 2024 06:13
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 Killian Graves - Star Gate, Kri-Orta Factory Dormitory Sector "It depends on the magic. I imagine the Sphinxes use something entirely different from my own," Killian says, staring at Reeber as he picks up the sword, but speaking to Ingrot. "To tell the truth, I employ a particularly nasty breed of it. Less understanding individuals would not approve of what I do, but, as you can see, it can be bent to more... let's say noble ends. Of course, if my talents are not welcome...," he trails off, leaving the rest unsaid. Killian gestures for Reeber to hand him the sword, which he takes with open palms, laid across his hands as if he were presenting it to some worthy wielder. He mumbles under his breath, his hands emanating a green-blue glow that suffuses the sword before fading entirely. He then holds it up to examine his work as might a craftsman as he answers Reeber, "Well, originally I had thought to use this sword as bait for a trap, but it occurs to me that Sphinxes would not have any particular interest in swords. Now it's more of a personal project, but far from finished." We're layering the Curses +2 on this sword: The Curse of Confidence, aka the Placebo; You feel stronger, faster, more skilled. It's all comin' together, baby. Everything's coming up Milhouse. This sword is cool as gently caress. Except it's all in your head, the medicine is nothing but sugar pills, and the only thing the sword does is make you feel cool and confident that it is powerful.
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Feb 9, 2024 08:58
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 Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Forest Rehlor gasps as the power flows out of him and into the snow-covered greenery. This power, this seemingly endless power, left him stunned. Was this the ability to command and reform Qi directly, as the eldest gods did? What were his limits? He leaps into the air on a gust of wind, a swirling snowstorm left in the clearing behind him. Catching himself in the air, he continues to raise, though slowly. His ability to truly fly would be a technique too costly for his current body, but slowly levitating through the air took no meaningful effort. Once he was well above the treetops, he scanned the horizon, searching for a stream running amongst the trees. Looking for someplace nearby with flowing water and plant life. Cultivator +2, Practiced Investigator +2
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Feb 21, 2024 00:54
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Sorry for the delay, there's been a heat wave and I've been having some sleeping issues. Hopefully I'm past it now. Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate The butler's paralytic began to wear off and you could see his breathing pick up, and not from fear but from excitement. It seemed however he was unsure how to react to Rade just yet, for while his symbiote was shaping his thoughts to see you in a much more messianic light he lacked a proper context to process it in. So he waited assured of some miracle of sign to come next and yet unsure of the form that it would take. Killian Graves - Star Door, Kri-Orta Factory Dormitory Sector Result: 12 + 2 = 14 - Oh Yessss "Oh save me the theatrics." Ingrot said with a mild sigh. "I'll use what you can give me if it's useful, but just because I'm willing to spend the lives necessary to do things doesn't mean I need to enjoy it. If that upsets you too much I can direct you to another factory with a much more sycophantic leader." Because they lived in a society defined by war it seemed that most of the dragons did not really have a good concept of haggling. So instead of seeing a bargaining tactic the huge dragon saw mostly a childish tantrum. But her offer seemed sincere enough if Killian would rather deal with someone a bit more greasy. Reeber on the other hand seemed far more amenable to Killian. "Well the trap didn't even work on me, so you definitely have a lot of work left on it." He went to give back the sword and paused mid-motion. "Say, do you really need this right now? I could hold onto it for you. If you liked." Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Forest Result: 9 + 4 = 13 - Success This realm reminded Rehlor a lot of the stories of the Everfrost in his home world. However this place seemed milder in terms of the prevalence and intensity of Yin energy, it did not threaten him the way the stories told of the Everfrost doing to cultivators of even the Nascent Soul realm. You did not even need to sheathe yourself in Yang Qi to protect yourself from the cold, it was simply a mundane coldness like that of a perpetual yet regular winter. In the distance you could sense two locations of interest, one flowing with Yang energy coming from the ground that mixed with the Yin energy of the wintry forest to form a balanced source to gather Qi from. It took the form of a warm oasis in the snowcloaked woods where green grass could be seen around a pond of clear water. The other was a waterfall of chilled water that should be frozen and yet still flowed, filled with greater energy than the warmer oasis of green. While you could absorb more potent Qi there it would be entirely Yin and thus require you to regulate it with your own internal Yang Qi, lest you invite damage to your meridians or worse. The balanced location is easier, the hard location will require more steps to process the energy. Both will help guide Rehlor down different paths.
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Feb 22, 2024 02:38
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Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate Rade didn't bother to hide the mild contempt he held for the butler, as he revealed his true Leonin form once more. He steps over to the butler, looming over him, a figure to be held in fear and awe, and speaks in his deep leonin baritone. "You are nothing much to speak of, stupid, weak, lacking in guile or charisma, and with no real talent or ability for leadership or much of anything else. All you have to recommend you is that for the moment you carry that noble's interest, and what have you done with that?" His eyes pierce into the Butler's, a look very much like that of a drill sergeant dressing down a particularly disappointing recruit. He doesn't give the man a chance to defend himself before he continues, "You've indulged in petty games and in doing so made yourself hated by everyone else here. If not for her backing," he gestures at the still unconscious noble, "what do you think would happen to you? What will happen when she tires of you, withdraws her protection and casts you out?" He smirks, "You'll flounder and die, alone." "In some ways it's the story of your entire people in miniature. You are a waste of your potential, doomed to wither and die trapped by your own weakness and inability to effectively manage your own life. Whatever better instincts you might have are strangled by the weaker parts of yourself, trading away your future for some piddling advantage in the present. Everything I have seen in this place have reinforced this central truth, that you near-dwellers are not meant to rule yourselves. Only under the firm hand of a worthy king can you thrive." He pauses for a moment to let that sink in and then continues, "The universe has tried to teach you this lesson over and over again. You only need to look at the state of your kind to see it. In ancient times you fought and squabbled and through your misdeeds summoned the Monarchs down upon yourselves. Despite this your kind does not learn its lesson, and continues the foolish mistake of self-rule. The result, today your lands have slowly withered away into nothing. Your nobles fight over an ever decreasing set of scraps as the masses starve, either too stupid or too greedy to see that once that killing off the foundation that holds them up will eventually kill them too. You yourself have through your poor choices made your own destruction inevitable. It's the same pattern again and again, big and small." Rade takes a firm grip of the man's shoulders and leans down to bring his face closer to the butler's, his voice is a bit warmer though still authoritative, "You however, do have some small scrap of luck, because your path has crossed mine. I can save you, make you something more than a waste consigned to an inevitable and ignoble end, and not just you but the rest of the Near-Dwellers too..." he looks over at the noble, his utter contempt and disdain for not just her but the entire class of the nobility painfully apparent in his tone, expression, and body language. "Or at least all those who have even the smallest kernel of worthiness." Turning back to the butler, his tone is once more authoritative and warm, "I am the king you and your people require. Surely even you must be able to feel the truth of it somewhere deep down. Even if you didn't you need only look at what has already happened to those of your people who have taken their proper place at my feet. The people of the first village I came to in this world were starving, on the brink of dissolution. Weak and malnourished they were nothing but prey for the weakest of bandits, knowing that in all likelihood their children wouldn't even survive to adulthood. However, since my coming, since they submitted to my rule and let me mold them they have changed. Now every belly is full, and they will never worry about going hungry again. Now, they are strong and disciplined, true soldiers. It would take the entire army of the kingdom to pose even more than a minor threat. Since they gave themselves to me, submitted themselves and accepted my guidance, they have become more than they ever imagined in even their wildest dreams." "I will do the same for you, all you need do is accept the truth. Accept that, as you are, you are weak and unworthy. Accept that you are meant to be at my feet, under my power, and obedient to my will. Do that and I will lead you to prosperity. You will be reborn by my grace and shaped by my hand. Once you are, you will live your life anew. You will live a life worthy of my boons, gathering the others here to your side and when the time comes helping them see the truth. You will guide them to me, and as my servants they will be reborn in turn. You will become my prophet in this corrupt and terrible place so that when the time comes that I decree the old order be swept aside the people will be be ready to kneel before their true god with joy in their hearts." He releases the butler and takes a step back, his voice authoritative once more. "Now, what is your answer?" Rade's taking this opportunity to solidify the theology/ideology of the religion he's forming. Namely, that the Near-dwellers are incapable of self-rule and that all their misfortunes both for the nation and for each individual stem from that. However, he has come to save them from themselves, and all they need to do is just submit and let him rule over them and decide who and what they should be. If they do that they'll gain happiness and prosperity. With Namin used as an exemplar, a backwards dying town of starving people on the brink of extinction now strong and prosperous and obedient. Other near-dwellers just need to be saved and they'll share a similarly rosy fate. On a more immediate level, Rade's trying to use this to convince this guy to blindly submit and more importantly agree to be remade and completely change how he lives his life as part of the process. Basically, he will need to start living a worthy life in Rade's eyes and start putting himself in a position where he can begin to stealthily act as Rade's prophet in the capital. Fleshsmith[+4] - For Rade to return to his leonin form temporarily. Intuitive Leader[+4] - To know how to effectively get this guy to buy into what Rade is selling him (obviously, thanks to the worm in the guy's brain he's an easy target). Leonin[+2] - Rade in his enhanced Leonin form ought to cut a much more awe-inspiring/divine figure than his emaciated near-dweller disguise.
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Feb 25, 2024 03:56
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Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Forest Rehlor didn’t feel prepared for throwing Qi refinement into his experiments, so he notes the freezing yet unfrozen river while turning to the oasis. The essence of the place flowed from the deep water, feeding and empowering the wood Qi of nearby plant life. It would be perfect for what came next. He sets down at the edge of the grass, near a tree near the edge of the forest. A coniferous evergreen roughly 20’ tall stood before him, blemished only by a long lost branch halfway up its trunk. The green needles were stiff almost to the point of piercing cloth, and thick on the outer ends of the branches. Underneath lay a bed of fallen, brown needles and a few cones. Under the canopy, where the needles were no longer produced, hung those cones. Near the base of each, a small flow of sap slowly bled out, coating each cones interior. The sap was sweet, but left an aftertaste of pine for hours. Under essence sight, the tree virtually lit up. It, the other nearby trees, and especially the grass, all lit up brightly to his mystic sight. Water essence flowed into roots, light essence rained down from the heavens, and both fed the wood Qi of the area. It wasn’t concentrated or directed enough to do much besides make the plants healthier and more long lived, but Rehlor remembered the infused plants of his home world. Such a thing would be a major boon for his cultivation. Dismissing one mystical sight, he calls on another, judging the tree through the lens of green in his mind. He focuses and calls upon his new insight. The tree is old, and many of the trees behind it are its descendants. This longevity fades quickly as he considers other trees beyond the oasis. The species all secrete a sugary sap that coats their cones until they fall. This is fed upon by a local species of ant, which he quickly discovers is abundant beneath the bed of needles. The sap is stronger in the great mother, and the ants appear to be as well. Another observation is that the bark of the trees acts as an anti-fungus, something that could be useful in external alchemy. He grabs a seeded cone from the ground and plants it on the eastern edge of the oasis. He grabs 4 more, creating a pentagram around the oasis. He begins to call upon his new power. He envisions the tree, 10’ feet tall, symmetrical, roots deep in the ground. He sees the path of its meridians He begins making changes, imagining a tree with no cones, and with sap that flowed naturally only from a single point on the trunk. He focuses the flow of the plant’s spiritual paths, focusing energy not used for health and growth to that same point. Lastly, he subtly modifies the secretions of the wood, changing them from fungicide to insecticide. Image locked in place he spreads his arms wide as he unleashes the flow of power through the image and into the first seed. Going to turn a tree into an essence extractor for future uses and practice, so I tried to involve a lot of skills in this one. Green thumb +2 the base of growing the modified tree Cultivator +2 meridians changes Extrenal alchemyusing plant and chemical knowledge to switch up bark secretions Pacticed investigator +2 for putting all the pictures together into a coherent whole
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Feb 27, 2024 05:39
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Killian Graves - Star Gate, Kri-Orta Factory Dormitory Sector Killian gives Reeber a look (see above) and takes the sword from him, shaking his head. "Not all curses kill. Some are worse. We'll get you something a bit more appropriate. Later," he says, laying the sword down once more. Reaching into a bag on his belt, he pulls out a small gold chain. Gripping it with both hands, he gives a sharp tug to split it in two. One half he fastens around the neck of a small leather purse. The other half, he holds in a clenched fist. Green-blue flames erupt from between his fingers, and he holds it over the sword. A small dribble of molten gold pours from his fist, falling on to the blade and flowing into the chips and cracks and rust-worn grooves. Fusing to the metal, filling them in with traces of shining gold. He says, somewhat to Reeber, and mostly just thinking out loud to anyone who happens to be listening, "Maybe some armor that forestalls all harm til you remove it. Or a sword that enslaves those it kills. Or perhaps an army of the undead. What do you do with your dead? ...Is vampirism or undeath well-known here? If you cannot spare your living, I can make use of your dead." It's Curse +2 lasagna up in here, and I'm cooking; anyone killed by the sword is cursed, their soul ripped from their body and imprisoned within its own small gem that appears in a small leather purse cinched with a golden chain on Killian's belt.
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Mar 1, 2024 05:04
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Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate Result: 7 + 6 + 4 = 17 (13) - Success The butler visibly squirmed under the weight of Rade's words as with the aid of the symbiote, you ripped into the man's self-worth and identity and tore it apart. There was a long moment of indecision as the ego of the man's established identity struggled to assert itself against the of the symbiote and the neurochemicals it was spreading into his brain. Eventually the balance tipped and the new way of thinking began to force back the old. The butler's posture visibly changed in a moment and he slumped a little as the weight of Rade's words visibly began to bear down on him. His words were just a simple whisper. "Tell me...what I...need to do..." Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Forest Result: 10 + 6 + 2 = 18 (16) - Great Success In his previous world it would have been an incredible stroke of luck to discover a tree with such useful attributes, but now Rehlor was able to make his own good fortune. The tree clearly rippled as your power worked into it, with new growth immediately sprawling out from the branches and trunk. Leaves shimmered and rippled as new ones grew in beside them, whiles others fell to the ground as some branches withered and fell to ensure the tree was symmetrical in its form. Then finally the sap changed colour slightly to become more clear as a hole opened in the side of its trunk and the fluid began to slowly leak down. The ants that had once fed on the sugary lifeblood of the tree could smell the difference and immediately shied away from the sap. It seemed that they instinctively knew it was death to them. With the extractor finished it was now time to decide what to do with the sap. Simply drinking it would be crude and unrefined beyond imagination, not to mention an incredibly inefficient method to process the qi contained within it. Traditionally it would be refined into elixirs, but there were other options and Rehlor did not have access to a furnace in this world. His old furnace had been forever lost when his spatial ring had been cracked when he died and its contents spilled out to be plundered after his passing. Killian Graves - Star Door, Kri-Orta Factory Dormitory Sector Result: 8 + 2 = 10 (8) Partial Success "Reeber, you must be careful handling anything that this man makes." Ingrot says sternly after Killian took the sword from him. "Like any tool or weapon, if you are not careful they can hurt you as well. If you can forget your lessons so readily in the face of magic then you will die a quick lesson to the Sphinxes." After he words of caution she turned back to Killian. "Thank you for looking out for my underling and for your work so far." "Armour would be a useful idea, some of our larger members face terrible danger to properly leverage their siege weaponry. As for our dead, as grim as it is to say...once we have given them rites of remembrance they are recycled in some way. Many of our people are broken down into fertiliser to help replenish the soil in the farms, although some of us are not suited to be used in such ways. The organs that allow a few of us to breathe fire turn our flesh sour and toxic to most life. Instead they are used to generate some explosives, although I am not an expert in such things. If you wish to know more I could call for someone to talk to you about such things." Ingrot was sure that Killian did not really care about such details but still wished to provide the offer as a courtesy to their guest regardless. Looking at the sword, Killian realised that the curse had not held as properly to the sword as he would have liked. Or rather it held only to the blade. Any gems it made would fall around the wielder of the blade, meaning that Killian would have to find some way to collect them later or work on the sword more. Perhaps creating a second item to collect them if you could discern an inventive enough curse to fulfill your purpose.
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Mar 13, 2024 04:24
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Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Oasis in the Frost It was a miracle. He focused on this fact for a rather long time, perfectly still in the light wind. He had cultivated for many mortal lifetimes, and while his current state was reduced by magnitudes, he had wielded power. Recently. He could do nothing like this. He was an alchemist of some repute. He could make the treasured Foundation Building Pill, among other medicines that some cultivators considered worth fighting, and killing, over. His spiritual remedies could only repair and encourage growth, though. They could do nothing to rewrite them. He was a respected man in the field of horticulture, and while he could breed a plant to be shorter or grow less seeds, nothing could simply rewrite spiritual pathways like this. He’d even been an adventurer and, for a century or so, an actual detective for the crown. He’d heard and pursued many a rumor, but this shortcut was simply unavailable. The only slightly credible story was of a bracer in a pocket realm, long ago, but the door was long lost. “It was certainly just a rumor,” he thought. “No one is capable of this but the gods. And not some lesser gods, but True Gods.” A shiver ran down his spine as he considered the creature in the tower. It was obviously a, or more likey The, Transcendent True God. It stood at the peak, on par with the Dao itself. It could rewrite the Dao. It was the creator of universes, perfectly immortal until its samsara came to an end. He grasps the scale of the contest for the first time. A blue streak crosses the shore and hits the water in a loud splash. Rehlor chants a quick spell, forming a bubble of cool, dry air around him. He settles himself into a meditative position and focuses. He pushes inward, dedicating little attention to cultivating the essence of the area, thankfully natural as breathing. He asks himself: what kind of story would this Transcendent True God want? Rehlor considered this for months. He was ashamed to admit it, but he didn’t get as much time cultivating and meditating on the question as he would have liked. His mortal frame was limiting, his dantain shrunk to the size of splash of blue and white, not even worthy of being called a sea, let alone an ocean. He had to eat, he had to sleep, and he had to train. After working two hours of sculpting his temporary home into the equation, time got tight. He turned his skills to his immediate needs. Shelter came first, and stealth was the paramount concern. He envisioned a vine from his home, which would feed on ambient Qi, making a cultivator at least mostly covered by it invisible to divine senses. It did emit a soft light when doing so, so Rehlor focused his power on shifting this power inward, so that the vines would be hard and fireproof, like living wood. Time for some exposition and montage. If this one works, I’m going to write the next post up until he tries to do the other 4 trees. Cultivator +2 to work the spiritual Green Thumb +2 for the divine plant magic External Alchemist +2 to keep things spiritually balanced Practiced Investigator +2 forming this web into a perfect picture
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Mar 15, 2024 08:07
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Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate Rade smiled as he answered the butler's defeated question, "Be reborn in me." He pulls the smaller man into an embrace, like an adult comforting a penitent child. His body started pumping out pheromones which ought to fill the butler with feelings of comfort, safety, and happiness, and the symbiote would be causing the man to experience a full on religious euphoria. His arms wrapped around the man, Rade's power began to seep into every part of the near-dweller's body. Everywhere it touched he became better than he was. Each muscle fiber stronger than before, bones tougher, organs stronger and more efficient. It also hyper-accelerated the symbiote's own processes, allowing it to fully replace the man's neural tissue with its superior replacement in seconds instead of weeks. If all went to plan, the man would be stronger, tougher, faster, smarter, with far superior reflexes and memory to what he'd had before. Rade didn't stop there, for the man's body started to develop its own pheromone system similar to though lesser than Rade's own or the organs he'd granted to Maloris when he turned his priest into a full-fledged Leonin. Not that an outsider observer would be able to tell, as Rade took care to keep the man's outside appearance the same as it had ever been, at least for now. Rade understood the need for secrecy here in the heart of the Kingdom's territory. Not that he feared the Kingdom or its denizens. He was confident that if push came to shove he could overthrow the entire rotten edifice on his own without any real danger to himself. No, what he was trying to avoid was drawing the attention of his true foe, the Monarchs. Of course, as with his other efforts, he took pains to make sure the process of being molded by his power was inherently pleasurable for the man. He wanted this moment to be one of the most defining of the man's entire existence after all. As the changes continued to propagate through the man's body, Rade spoke to him. His deep voice was quiet, but given their proximity the man would hear and feel his words loud and clear. "From this day until I decree otherwise, your true name will be Rasul, though you will speak of it not to those who have not accepted me as their lord. You shall carry my word in secret to the people here in the heart of the monument to your people's misrule." Rade went onto explain what he expected Rasul to do. To immediately end his self-destructive behavior, seek to repair and rebuild the rapport and respect of his fellow servants while still as much as possible maintaining the noble's affections. To live as an example of Rade's teaching, a life worthy of one gifted such boons by their god. To use the gifts Rade had provided him to quietly lead his fellows into Rade's service and then to expand outwards through his social network and form a branch of Rade's cult hidden under the noses of the Kingdom's elites. Knowledge of just how Rade would want the man to live his life, what he was expected to think and feel, to be the man his god desired him to be filled his mind. Even once the changes were complete, Rade continued to pour power into the man's body just as he poured words and instructions into the man's mind. For though he was trying to disguise any immediate change, he had something else in mind for Rasul. For over the next few weeks, as Rasul remade his own life more changes would come upon him. As he started to noticeably train his body, that latent power would activate and he would find putting on additional muscle mass to be easy. In the same manner, he would find his appearance growing more pleasing to the eye and voice to the ear the more he started to noticeably take efforts to repair the opinions of the other staff. In this way he should be able to fully become more than he was now without raising the level of suspicion an instant transformation might bring. When all was said and done, Rade released his new prophet and stepped back. He waited for a moment to see the man's reaction before resuming his own disguise. Transforming the butler into Rade's undercover prophet in the capital with the secret name of Rasul. He's immediately getting boosted physical attributes as much as can fit without changing his exterior appearance including pheromones and other social upgrades, as well as completing the symbiotes normal week+ long growth period in the course of a few minutes which should make him much more intelligent and cunning as well as increasing the symbiote's influence on him. In the longer term, Rade's also using his power so that additional changes will slowly happen over the course of a few weeks to make them less obvious. Stuff like increased muscle mass, improved appearance, etc. When all is said and done he'll end up being the best version of himself it's possible to be. He's also getting instructions on how he should live his life from now on. First and foremost is he's to keep his new faith a secret for anyone who's not ready to be converted. Second, he needs to stop being a piece of poo poo and rebuild rapport and respect from his fellow servants. He's getting a head full of knowledge on what a proper faithful follower of Rade should act like: devout, courageous, cunning, pragmatic, disciplined, etc. His new long-term objective is to win people over personally and then to slowly work on converting them. Building up a secret cult of Rade in the heart of the capital. Fleshsmith[+4] - To reshape Rasul's body and imbue the energy for the 2nd stage changes over the next couple of weeks. Intuitive Leader[+4] - To know how to best communicate and exhort Rasul to become the sort of man Rade wants him to be. Experience Mercenary[+2] - To give Rasul some of muscle memory of basic fighting stances based off of Rade's own experiences.
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Mar 17, 2024 05:01
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Killian Graves - Star Gate, Kri-Orta Factory Dormitory Sector Killian scowls at the sword. He'll have to fix this later. "Sure, bring me some armor for your big boys, and I'll see what I can do to ensure that they cannot be harmed while they wear it. Make sure it's something comfortable, because I cannot promise that they will ever be able to take it off again."
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Mar 23, 2024 00:34
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Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Oasis in the Frost Difficulty: Average Result: 4 + 6 + (2) = 12 - Success with complication The image of the living vine in your mind was perhaps too vivid and too alive, because you felt more of your power flow into it than expected. The flesh of the vine was flexible, but too flexible and became able to move like a living creature. It was like a weed that wanted to grow and spread everywhere, but with supernatural vitality. It could be worked with and this near true-life vitality that it had been granted could probably be quite useful or essential even for certain things, but for your original plan of creating a material to build an abode with it would require extra work to tame, still and prune it. There was a lesson here that while this newfound power you had been granted was indeed great, you had much to learn about controlling and manipulating it with skill and accuracy. Another action could be used to make the vine usable, or you could try again with something different and put the vine aside for a different use later. I am sure that it would be a good core or material for the right sort of artifact after all, or perhaps a particularly exotic pill. Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate Difficulty: Challenging Result: 8 + 6 + (4) = 18 - Success with minor drawback(s) Your power flowed into the butler's body and mind, he shuddered as knowledge and commands filled his mind until it was too much and the man simply passed out. This made it easier to work the physical changes on his body at the least since his subject could no longer react. With a growing familiarity in the process, Rade completed the work and left his spark in the man to continue the transformation slowly over the next few weeks. This was a risk as this could lead the magi to realise something was at work, but only if they had a reason to think to investigate the butler closely enough to do so. You had given him instructions and knowledge to maintain a good cover, or at least, what Rade believed to be a good cover, which the butler would have immediate access to when he awoke. There was the matter of the relationship between the noble and the butler, but you had included instructions to maintain it or to slowly end it in a natural manner if it could not be used to your advantage. This did however leave both the butler and the noble unconscious and lying in the chamber, leaving you alone in it aside from your converted guard elsewhere in the estate. Killian Graves - Star Door, Kri-Orta Factory Dormitory Sector Ingrot's eye ridges creased a little in thought as she pondered your request for a moment before she asked a question. "Can you tell me what your magic will do? It will help me better select volunteers and the gear to equip them with. If they will be unable to remove it then knowing its purpose will be important. Also should it be made out of some sort of leather material, would we be able to cut through it? In case it needs to be emergency removed, such as for surgery or something else." Having learned by now that there was a serious cost with Killian's gifts, Ingrot was starting to try to plan and prepare more carefully to ameliorate the worst of the consequences.
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Apr 4, 2024 06:25
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Killian Graves - Star Gate, Kri-Orta Factory Dormitory Sector Killian shrugs almost casually. "I cannot make your warriors invulnerable. But I could delay the injury. So that mortal wounds and pain and death and so forth are simply held at bay until your warrior removes their armor. And then," he snaps his fingers to punctuate the point, "it all comes back at once. As I said, I cannot promise you any of them will be able to take it off again... and live. I would recommend something sturdy, but comfortable. Or not. Your choice. But the sturdier the armor, the more easily it will hold the magic."
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Apr 4, 2024 07:54
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Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Oasis in the Frost Rehlor smiled as he considered the utility of this mistake. Plants capable of movement like living creatures could be applied to a number of problems. But first, he needed to get the rowdy things under control. “Cease!”, he ordered telepathically. The vines continued their thrashing, though at a slightly slower space. A gust of wind pushes through the evergreen grove, scattering loose and fallen needles about the area. A soft white glow surrounds Rehlor as he pushes his spiritual senses to their limit and begins fixing his rowdy children. Going to modify the vines to scale back their weed like qualities and make them more pliable. Also going to figure out how the heck these thing work from a spiritual viewpoint. Green Thumb, Cultivator, Practiced Investigator all +2
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Apr 5, 2024 00:14
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Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate Rade looked down at the unconscious form of Rasul with the satisfaction of work well done. He hadn't learned much of import from this foray into the lair of the powers that be in the Kingdom, but it hadn't been a complete loss. Laying the seeds for his eventual return was a good consolation prize. There wasn't much reason to stay, but there was still one remaining matter to attend to. With a touch, and the slightest flex of his power, Rade attempted to return his new servant to consciousness. He had a question or two to ask about what if anything Rasul had heard about the Monarch's Apostle, and Rasul would be better equipped to ensure the noble's suspicions weren't aroused by the missing time if he was awake and aware first with enough time to make what preparations he needed. Rade's waking up Rasul to: 1) make sure that the mental changes actually worked, 2) make whatever arrangements are needed to keep the noble from being suspicious about the fact that she passed out and is missing time, and 3) ask briefly if he has heard anything about the Monarch's Apostle even if its just rumors. Fleshsmith[+4]
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Apr 5, 2024 03:01
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Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Oasis in the Frost Difficulty: Average Result: 8 + 4 + (2) = 14 - Success The vines struggled against Rehlor's will like a small child wriggling in an adult's hands who is trying to hold them still. It took longer than expected but you were eventually confident that you would be able to work with them. You could not completely still their movement, but were instead able to turn it to a useful purpose. Once you finished shaping your home any damage that cut, bruised or bent them would cause their desire to move and live to repair themselves. The downside was that you would need to focus your will into them again if you wanted to change their shapes, so Rehlor would need to be confident that he was satisfied with their form before he 'set' them into place. Generally speaking in these games you can only do one action at a time. Trying to do multiple actions in a post has been colloquially called 'action stacking'. In this case because you didn't roll exceptionally well I have omitted the second action of investigation. Although you did still get a little bit of useful information about them as a result of your action. Killian Graves - Star Door, Kri-Orta Factory Dormitory Sector Ingrot nodded gravely at Killian's explanation. "Yes, that does make sense...hmm..." Her thoughts trailed off as she pondered this for a few seconds. Then she turned around and gave the dragonets names to gather, 6 of them in total and then turned to Reeber. To him Ingrot gave several types of armour to bring, although Killian was unfamiliar with the names she mentioned. They sounded more like some kind of musical notation, or perhaps alchemical categorisation. One of them was a "class 5L flak with an XX type undershirt", apparently one that came with some kind of fluid tube...whatever all of this meant. While you waited Ingrot turned back to Killian and asked; "will your magic make the armour frozen in time as well as the wounds, or will we need to be able to repair or replace components? And will that affect the spell as well?" There were some other small minutia she asked until the gear and soldiers arrived. Two were of similar size to Ingrot, one larger and the other smaller, while the other four were of the same stock as Kevlarr and Reeber. The armour that was procured was a strange sort of cloth armour with the sheen and supple rigidness of a leather vest. It was made of some sort of thread that Killian did not recognise and had leather and and metal plates woven in and through it to provide more specific protection. Killian had seen a glimpse of a dragon in a much heavier metal armour before, so he had to assume that this was the best compromise that they could make to movement while trying to maximise its defence. Ingrot asked Killian to wait a moment while she tested something and then instructed one of the large dragons and the dragonians to don their respective armours. Then when that was done she dipped a metal pitcher of water half the size of Killian into a great tub of water in a corner and then walked over to the two armoured dragons. Her intent was made clear as she then tested the ability to pour water inside the armours for cleaning and for perfuming. Sufficiently satisfied with the results she proceeded to explain the 'mission' they were being given to those present and then gave them the opportunity to refuse the assignment if they wished. One of them did, the smaller of the great dragons, having seemingly already heard of or seen what Killian had done to the previous volunteers. The remaining five however considered the assignment more pragmatically and Killian could get the impression that they were some sort of team used to taking on dangerous missions with high chances of injury or possibly death. Or he might be entirely indifferent to their attitudes and not care to pay attention. Only Killian could say. You are ready to do your curseweaving now. In the interests of not bogging you down with a dozen small details posts I have included a bunch of smaller scenes into one larger narration so you can insert dialogue and reactions into them and with Ingrot where you feel appropriate. Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate Difficulty: Challenging Result: 6 + (4) = 10 - Partial Success After waking up Rasul, Rade began the work of examining and interrogating him. Your powers told you that the butler's physical augmentations had taken hold as expected and the maturation of them would proceed as expected. The one thing that your powers did not confirm and that you struggled to satisfactorily confirm was the brainwashing and information you had implanted. The symbiote did not struggle or stir so you had no reason to doubt the butler, but you also could not be 100% confident that your mental manipulations had been fully effective and would remain hidden. But similarly Rade had no evidence to suggest otherwise. But for now Rasul said the correct things and responded in the expected ways. For the matter of the apostle, Rasul could tell you of the gossip that he had heard. Apparently the elder had come to the capital and had been seen first going to the magi. After a few days of coming and going from the academy the apostle had begun going into the palace sometimes. Although the butler's lady was not in powerful or in favour enough to have the ear of the royals or to be present for these meetings, the word of mouth chain indicated that the elder was giving reports and advice to the king now. He apparently possessed an unnatural and intimidating aura which had quickly cowed anyone in the palace into fear of him. The butler had been relieved before to almost certainly never be in a position to have to meet the apostle, but asked if Rade wanted him to try and meet with him or to get more information. How paranoid is Rade? HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Apr 9, 2024 |
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Apr 9, 2024 05:29
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Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate Once Rasul awoke, he prostrated himself at Rade's feet and spoke words of obeisance and worship to his new god. Rade beamed in obvious satisfaction. This was only the second time he had been treated with such reverence, but it was quite enjoyable and certainly something he could grow used to. The fact that he had pleased his god only seemed to encourage Rasul to continue with even greater fervency. To Rade's mind it was proof enough that his efforts had yielded fruit. After all, the people in this land seemed stubbornly unreligious despite his best efforts. To see one of their number behaving in the manner of a true believer could only mean he had succeeded. He couldn't be certain that his new follower had properly absorbed all of his instructions, but in that moment he was to taken in by the pleasure of his new prophet's worship to care. After a minute or two, Rade relented and silenced the Neardweller with a gesture. After all, there was work to be done. Once he had asked his questions about the Monarch's Apostle, Rade reassured Rasul that he wanted the man nowhere near the Apostle. "You have your own task here, to remain hidden and in the shadows spread the faith so that when the time comes for me to reveal myself to all the people here my faithful will waiting for me, ready to hasten the demise of the forces arrayed against the salvation I bring." Now that he had accomplished everything he could in this place, with a flex of his power Rade resumed his Neardweller disguise. It remained as unpleasant an experience as ever, like trying to squeeze into too tight clothing, but it was necessary. After that, with assurances that Rasul had everything he needed to carry out his orders, Rade took his leave using a route Rasul informed him would be unused. After that he would meet up with Lokon and then Maloris at points they had prearranged prior to entering the noble's estate. Once he made his escape, it would be time to meet up with his agent within the Magi. He hoped that the man's efforts to locate additional information about the Monarchs had borne fruit. His scouting expedition here had yielded some worthwhile results in the form of annoyances to his enemies and Lokon and Rasul, but he still had not really advanced his actual objective in this place. The Monarchs, their capabilities, intentions, and possible weaknesses were still entirely shrouded in mystery. Nothing to do about it however, but press on. Perhaps the seed he had planted here today might bear unexpected fruit, and if not it was enjoyable enough to have once more gotten to enjoy the experience of being worshiped. He only hoped it was not the last time. Telling Rasul that he's to steer clear of the Apostle, he's got his own job to do in spreading the faith in secret. After that, Rade's resuming his Neardweller disguise and then heading out to a prearranged meeting point with Lokon and then Maloris. Then heading to a meetup point with his Magi infiltrator using signals they had worked out when he was first recruited (think light in a particular window or a ribbon around a particular lamp post-esque cold war spycraft kinda thing). Fleshshaper[+4] - To resume his disguise. Experienced Mercenary[+2] - In scouting and bodyguard work you need to be able to blend in with your surroundings and not attract attention. Rade's been in situations similar to this before. Valhawk fucked around with this message at 00:34 on Apr 15, 2024 |
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Apr 11, 2024 06:43
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Killian Graves - Star Gate, Kri-Orta Factory Dormitory Sector Killian stood, setting aside both the sword he had been working on and his staff, taking the opportunity to walk a circle around the assembled warriors. "The armor protects itself and ought to not need repair." Once preparations had been completed and Ingrot was satisfied with the selection, Killian arranged the five volunteers just so, each one standing in a circle around him such that it form a rough pentagram. Drawing a dagger from his belt, the blade flickering with cursefire, he began to etch a pentagram-and-circle glowing with green-blue flame into the back of the first armored warrior's cuirass in one unbroken stroke. He then lifted the dagger and, still trailing a glowing line of flame through the air, stepped over to the warrior directly across from the first. Each in turned had their armor etched with a glowing green-blue pentagram, lines of fire connecting them until the space between them blazed with that same symbol. The fire lingered there for a time before it faded, leaving only the faintly etched lines in the metal to tell the tale. Killian sheaths the dagger in his belt and walks back over to the place he laid aside both staff and sword, picking up the former and looking down at the latter. "I need to gather materials. And you need time to put my works to the test. Since it doesn't seem like you have what I need at hand, I'll have to travel elsewhere to find it. I'll need a sack of coins of two different values. The lower value coins shouldn't number more than fifty total, with a single high value coin to go with them." There's a pause. "Make sure the coins look valuable. I cannot work with rusty bolts or clam shells or leaves." Cursing the Five Armors (using Curse +2 duh); so long as the armor is worn, it delays all physical harm, but also the benefits of food, drink, and rest. As soon as the armor is removed, it all comes crashing down on the poor wearer at once. Any potential damage to the armor would be transferred to the wearer after they remove it, thus keeping the armor in good repair. In effect, the armor offers no protection whatsoever beyond borrowed time. About the coins: I'm basically asking for like, a handful of quarters and a single silver dollar, or like 20 silver and a single gold coin, or 30 gold coins and a single platinum. Whatever dragon denominations are.
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Apr 15, 2024 03:36
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Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Oasis in the Frost Rehlor sighs in annoyance. This simply would not do. Rehlor scoops up a few handfuls of sap enriched dirt and piles it away from the spiritual pine. He summons up his power, creating another vine. The strongest, most active of the bunch, and accordingly the most stubborn. He begins the process of understanding his creation more fully. Going to use Practiced Investigator +2, Green Thumb +2, and Cultivator +2 to figure out this plant. Wrote a ton more but it got sucked into the c&p void while trying to save a draft. More next time.
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Apr 17, 2024 03:44
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Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate Difficulty: Trivial Result: 4 + 6 (4) = 10 - Success Maloris was able to quickly meet up with you as you left the estate, but Lokon was the longer delay as the guard had to finish his shift. Abandoning his post would attract unwanted attention and the day had certainly had enough unexplained half seen peculiarities that the staff would be sure to talk about it and potentially spread rumours. Although the city was still close enough to the surface to get light, it was deeper than Namin and so the difference between night and day was far less pronounced. There were many strange clocks in the city that seemed to use a chemical reaction to tell the time. Close to what Rade roughly figured would be 10:00pm above the surface, as the globes were being swapped for the last evening rotation, Lokon was finally met at the rendezvous point. Killian Graves - Star Door, Kri-Orta Factory Dormitory Sector Difficulty: Normal Result: 10 + (2) = 12 - Success The dragons watched with only slightly less apprehension as you worked your magick into the armours. Your curses could not truly stop or delay time, that was a level of power yet above your own. But you could tangle it in knot and stymie the flow for a bit. If the dragons never took the armour off and truly wore it for years...no, decades or more, then some of the stored injuries would very slowly leak through. But it was unlikely that anyone would wear the same piece of armour without changing it for such long times. "For coins, well, we know of them because the ancients left them and the sphinxes use their own versions. But we have little use for those and really only collect the relics for historical curiosity. If someone wants something they use a requisition scrip, if they need something then they talk to a supervisor and they organise it. Both seem wholly unsuited for what you describe." Ingrot explained and then looked to Kevlarr. "Stay with this man, provide him the assistance that he needs and contact me if he needs something." The large dragon turned her attention back to Killian. "You have given me much to consider, and various things to consider how best to use. If you plan to travel to gather what you need then in thanks for the services you have rendered let me give you some advice and a warning. What you have done here will be of much use to the High Command, and they will almost certainly send someone to investigate and speak to you. If you have no need to remain here then you would do well to leave when you are able. You seem like the sort of person who values his freedom to come and go as he wishes, and to see where the wind takes you." It was obvious that Ingrot was suggesting that someone from High Command would try to either detain or interrogate. Perhaps not in a way that was harmful or torturous but that it would at least be inconvenient and difficult to easily extricate yourself from. As for Kevlarr her order was also surprisingly open ended, perhaps she intended for him to follow you to report back to her eventually as well. The dragonoid was certainly taken aback by the order and seemed more than a little surprised, but saluted and gave his response to the order. Success, your armour is made and it functions mostly as you wish. Actually messing with time like that is pretty powerful so while the armour doesn't exactly function the way you desire in a void, in effective practice it will do what you want. Especially given the realities of the dragon's conflict with the sphinxes as it has been presented to you. Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Oasis in the Frost Difficulty: Easy Result: 3 + 6 (2) = 9 - Minor Success In a stroke of both good and bad luck, Rehlor was able to create the same vine as he had before as he turned his power to examine it. Looking over and through it with your magical sight, akin to the enhanced senses gained through your cultivation and yet wholly different and born from a different source of power entirely, you were able to gain some insight as to the unruly nature of the plants. What Rehlor saw made sense to him when he considered it and what he had learned from guides to herbs and alchemy in his world of origin. His magic had imbued a primitive sense of self into the plant, which was the cause of its unruly disposition. In animals as they gained greater power, transformed into spiritual or demonic beasts and gained insight and instinctual knowledge of Qi and the 5 Elements they began to think more like a human. They gained more insight and cunning, were able to make abstractions and conceptual leaps in logic...even eventually gaining the ability to speak language and imagination. By circulating Qi they began to make steps on their own path towards the heavens, so it was only natural that in this unnatural process they would become more human-like. Plants could do the same thing if they began to circulate and breathe Qi like a cultivator. Many spiritual plants and herbs simply absorbed and stored Qi, which in itself granted them various properties. But Rehlor's intent had been for the plants to be able to also use the Qi they stored which was what made them more human-like. In hind-sight you were lucky that they had not become more like a demonic beast instead of a spiritual one. There were certainly stories of enough herbs or plants that preyed on foolish or unwary mortals and cultivators for nourishment that you could think of...
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Apr 26, 2024 05:27
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Rehlor - Butterfly Door, Oasis in the Frost Hypnotized by new power, stared as his creation in wonder. An awoken plant, potentially capable of growing into a human cultivator. They could grow into powerful servants, allies, or worshippers. Or enemies, he realizes with a start. He looks back, considering his actions, and saw clear as day that excitement over the possibilities had drown out the many dangers he should have been considering. He could drat well be dead had things gone more wrong. Still, some small part of him giggled like a child and quipped, “And? Who cares.” It was time to focus and protect the work. He would make sure the small vine got sap by hand for now, far from his other projects. Replanting it inside the grove itself, hidden from view, he turns to his next task. He steels himself, summoning up a riding wind. His time here was productive in many ways, but his next goal would simply require Metal or Earth Qi. He wasn’t ready to reveal himself quite yet. That still left a few ways to accomplish this, but most of them involved caves. He hated caves. Deeply. Passionately. Dry caves, shallow caves, hot caves, wet caves, caves made of ice. They were all awful, each its own brand of torment. Not to mention the absolute world class champion of uncomfortable, unpleasant, intolerable locales, the underwater cave. He briefly considered that he may soon be a god, tasked with creating a hell. A spiteful grin crossed his lips as he thought about a world of naught but caves and no surface, where those whose crimes against karma were severe would spend millennia before reincarnation. No caves. So the options were to go searching, dramatically raising his profile, or transmute the Qi in the grove, which would take considerable effort. Already Rehlor worried about who or what could be observing him. There was only the hard way forward. Fishing a ten stone boulder out of the Upwelling and using the wind itself to carve, Rehlor begins preparing the material to be infused. If the Qi is to be maximized, he’ll need to reduce and concentrate the power first, turning into an excellent receptacle in the process. Step 1 of creating a pill furnace, using Cultivator +2 and External Alchemist +2. He’s attempting to infuse the stone to, after a bit more prep, transmuted into of a couple pounds of clay that can be used in a treasure. I ride bikes all day fucked around with this message at 02:30 on Apr 27, 2024 |
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Apr 27, 2024 02:24
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Killian Graves - Star Gate woosh>>> The Tower Killian sighs. "Very well, I'll simply procure coins when I arrive." He steps over to the table, hefting up the sword he'd been working on earlier. It wasn't exactly finished, but it would have to be 'good enough.' He drags a thumb and fingernail across the middle groove, using that blue-green flame to remove the failed soul gem link, instead simply allowing the captured souls to dwell in the blade itself. He'd simply have to come back to collect it down the road to harvest the 'crop'. Killian gives it a few test swings before sliding it into a loop on his belt. He picks up his staff. "Very well, Ingrot. I'll keep that in mind. Come along, Kevlar. Or don't. Your choice." With that, Killian departs for the Doorway. Before I leave; using CURSES +2 on the sword to alter the Soul Gem curse; instead the souls shall be contained within the sword itself rather than littering loving gems everywhere. Trekking back to the STAR Rhjamiz fucked around with this message at 06:02 on Apr 27, 2024 |
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Apr 27, 2024 05:52
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Rade - Flower Door, Capital Noble Area, Noble's Estate Rade had been able to fill Maloris in about the basics of the new convert while they waited, but Rade still took some time to introduce one to the other, as Lokon would be unfamiliar with Maloris. It would be a the first time Maloris would have to step into the role of priest, the prospect of which amused him. Once introductions were handled, Rade set out with the pair to the out of the way meeting place that had been prearranged with the magi who he had freed from the Monarch's influence and tasked to act as a spy. Hopefully the man had been able to obtain some information regarding the Monarchs that might be of use to Rade. As it was, this was his last best chance to succeed at the stated objective for this reconnaissance mission after all. Rade is introducing Lokon to Maloris, then heading to meet with the convert among the Magi who is acting as a spy for him. He's looking for what, if anything, the man has been able to learn about the Monarchs or anything related to them.
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Apr 27, 2024 06:12
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